Why did all that completely elude me? I think there's just something about Assayas' style that turns me off, sometimes anyway; but there are a lot of his films I haven't seen.
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Why did all that completely elude me? I think there's just something about Assayas' style that turns me off, sometimes anyway; but there are a lot of his films I haven't seen.
Assayas' style is difficult to pinpoint because each of his films I've seen is quite different from the others. Perhaps you'd respond more positively to Late August, Early September (if you haven't seen it I'd like to recommend it to you). I'd be hard to guess that its director made demonlover.
Tuesday May 10th
Palindromes at SoBe Regal
Ten years after Welcome to the Dollhouse, writer/director Todd Solondz recalls Dawn Wiener, its wronged and angry almost-teen protagonist. It's her funeral and brother Mark delivers the eulogy. We learn she got fat and pregnant_from a date-rape_and killed herself. The reviewer from the Miami Herald calls it Solondz's "cruelest joke" and can't seem to forgive him for the rest of the film (a reaction that's probably not uncommon). I suppose Dollhouse is his most popular film and the one that poses little challenge to the viewer's conceptions and sensibilities. The films that followed were increasingly controversial, even offensive to some. Dollhouse is an excellent dysfunctional family comedy but its scope was rather narrow and apolitical. Palindromes cannot posibly be as popular. It's a biting satire pointed at society-at-large, with something to offend sensitive types of every political persuasion. The central character is Aviva (Hebrew for Spring), a girl of about 13 and Dawn's cousin. The character, a love-starved innocent, is played by 8 different actors including a boy, and obese African-American woman, and Jennifer Jason Leigh. A device meant to illustrate the fact that certain basic aspects of one's personality remain unchanged as we age. They're resistant to change, resistant to our will perhaps. Aviva's saga involves teen sex, pedophilia, abortion, selfish parents, and fanatics from left and right. I found it consistently funny and provocative, with a wonderful, over-the-top performance from Ellen Barkin as Aviva's mom. Palindromes has plenty to shake you out of your comfort zone, including a couple of Christian musical numbers performed by a group of disabled kids. Solondz is an original and Palindromes is one of his best films.
Dear reader, please post to tell me why you've avoided Palindromes. It's been playing for two weeks and none of my fellow movie-lovers here seems to have seen it. I know it's not because of the reviews: Two thums up, A- from Entertainment Weekly, 4 stars from Sterrit at Christian S. Monitor and Jones at the Chicago Reader, "a great film" says Armond White. I imagine there's an equal number of negative reviews, a film like this is bound to divide critics and audience. But, don't you want to have an opinion? Wouldn't you rather be angry with a movie than bored by it? I've resisted any mention of plot as to not to spoil your experience.
I'm looking very forward to Palindromes, and all the reviews I've read are positive: "Solondz' best!", "Provacatively Perfect!", etc.
I'll try to catch it soon- I'm back on the west coast again.
simply cannot pass up the Pasolini retrospective at the PC, which is pretty comprehensive. A few interview films, a few docs, and all the features. On the big screen. That's what I love...
Thanks for your response J. Please let me know what you think about it. Storytelling had its moments but overall it was a letdown after the brilliant Happiness (1998). I think Palindromes is a return to form, and a film that should be generating some spirited debates here if folks weren't ignoring it. A Pasolini retro is too much to resist though. I was watching Paso's films in chronological order last year but I got sidetracked. I hope to restar the project with Gospel and move forward later this year. I'll try to look for your Pasolini thread and post there. I also hope to rewatch a few Bergman soon to prepare for Saraband's commercial run.
Wednesday May 11th
Circle of Deceit (Germany, 1981) on dvd
Director Volker Schlondorff's follow-up to Oscar-winner The Tin Drum starring Bruno Ganz (Wings of Desire, Downfall) as a journalist who leaves his marital battlefield in Berlin to cover the Lebanese civil war. In Beirut, he gets involved with a German widow (Hanna Schygulla) and clashes with several western colleagues regarding the role of the media in such conflicts. A high-budget production, shot in Beirut while the war was taking place, with good performances from a first-rate cast, and a nice score by Maurice Jarre that incorporates Arabic themes. It's the immediacy of its war scenes, the authenticity of its locale, and its provocative take on the role of the media that make Circle of Deceit stand out in a subgenre that's produced quite a few worthy features.
Thursday May 12th
La Perla (Mexico/US, 1947) on TCM
John Steinback was on vacation in Mexico in 1941 when a local told him a tale about an impoverished diver who finds a big pearl and how the event affects his life. Steinback befriended actor/director Emilio "El Indio" Fernandez and out of friendship agreed to write the screenplay prior to publishing the short novel he based on the simple fable. They cast Pedro Armendariz in the lead role of this Mexican-American co-production that went on to win 5 Ariels (Mexican Academy awards) and a Golden Globe for Gabriel Figueroa's cinematography. La Perla is a stunning-looking film shot on location in La Paz, Mexico with an excellent performance by Armendariz. La Perla was inducted into the National Film Registry by the Library of Congress in 2002. There's an English-dubbed version that was released by RKO in the US but Turner Classic Movies showed the Spanish-language version with excellent new subtitles. The network's Classic Mexican Cinema series continues during the next two thursdays. It's a rare opportunity to sample the vital cinema of Mexico's Golden Age.
La Vie de Chateau (France, 1965) on dvd
A nazi officer and a French spy are more interested in Phillipe Noiret's bored wife, played by Catherine Deneuve, than in WWII strategy in Jean-Paul Rappeneau's romantic comedy. Music by Michel Legrand. Entertaining, breezy and diverting.
I've been interested in seeing this since my friend told me how much he loved Storytelling. Unfortunately, Albuquerque isn't exactly the ultimate film venue; I'm surprised I even got to see Crash.Quote:
Originally posted by oscar jubis
Dear reader, please post to tell me why you've avoided Palindromes. It's been playing for two weeks and none of my fellow movie-lovers here seems to have seen it. I know it's not because of the reviews: Two thums up, A- from Entertainment Weekly, 4 stars from Sterrit at Christian S. Monitor and Jones at the Chicago Reader, "a great film" says Armond White. I imagine there's an equal number of negative reviews, a film like this is bound to divide critics and audience. But, don't you want to have an opinion? Wouldn't you rather be angry with a movie than bored by it? I've resisted any mention of plot as to not to spoil your experience. [/B]
Thanks for your response Tree. Palindromes has played at only 42 screens, two locally. It played on South Beach, where I watched it, for a single week. That's it! On its second week in Ft. Lauderdale, it's down to a single show daily. I'm sorry to say moviegoers have failed to show the support needed for the film to expand to smaller markets. The lack of a bankable star (JJ Leigh is a great actress but no b.o. magnet) has hurt the film's prospects. The name Solondz (director Todd) is apparently not enough to get the average moviegoer interested. If you haven't seen it, run to rent Happiness and support the one interesting film playing at your multiplex: Millions, a family film from the makers of Trainspotting.
Friday May 13th
Look at Me at SoBe Regal
Former-marrieds Agnes Jaoui and Jean-Pierre Bacri are excellent writers. They collaborated on the scripts for Resnais' Same Old Song, Kaplisch's Un Air de Famille, and The Taste of Others, starring Bacri and directed by Jaoui. They repeat the feat here and Look at Me deservedly won the best screenplay award at Cannes 2004. Bacri plays an admired, middle-aged writer going through a creative crisis, married to a younger wife who's getting fed up with his antics, and father to Lolita, a 20 year-old aspiring singer who desperately needs his attention and approval. Jaoui plays Lolita's voice coach and the wife of a writer dealing with professional insecurity. Bacri's famous writer is pedantic and standoffish but his status and fame attract those around him, including Lolita's "boyfriend". She's heartbroken by the realization and builds a protective wall. As a result, Lolita might miss out on a relationship with Sebastien, a chance acquaintance who truly cares for her.
I couldn't find a single false moment in the entire picture. It's impossible to single out any actor here because the whole ensemble excels. I greatly admire Jaoui and Bacri for creating characters that felt to me "true-to-life", warts and all. There's absolutely no condescension to an audience need to sympathize with characters, their humanity is entirely conveyed through struggle with their weaknesses. There's so much unforced humor and great music (and singing) to balance the social frictions that I was sad to see the film end. A hit at the Miami Film Festival and the best reviewed festival film other than Bergman's Saraband.
Sat May 14th
3-Iron at SoBe Regal
South Korean director Kim Ki-duk's film about a young man who breaks into households with absent owners to live in them, not to steal anything. He meets an abused wife after a break-in of a house he thought was empty. They develop a relationship gradually without ever speaking a word to each other. A visually splendid romance with a premise that provides a conduit to a cross-section of Koreans. Some may like the magical twist at the end but it felt like a cope-out to me, an easy-way-out with a banal quote that made it even more facile. Recommended viewing nonetheless.
"Some may like the magical twist at the end but it felt like a cope-out to me, an easy-way-out with a banal quote that made it even more facile."
I must admit I did like the "magical twist at the end" but I found the film as a whole to be quite ethereal . A few of Ki-Duk Kims films have strange or inexplicable endings, The Isle for one, Birdcage Inn threw me as well but he certainly gives you something to think about.
Thanks for going on to recommend it despite your niggles because this film is an unique experience.
Cheers Trev.
Trev, good point about the endings of Ki-duk's films. Another case in point would be Samaria, with its symbolic, long-shot ending. I agree that 3-Iron provides a unique and rewarding experience. Another contemporary Asian filmmaker with a unique, personal vision is Apitchapong Weerasethakul. I like his films even more than Ki-duk's. I'm curious regarding your take on his Tropical Malady or any of his previous films.
Sunday May 15th
Funeral Parade of Roses (Japan, 1969) on NTSC R2 dvd.
At the same time as the Nouvelle Vague, an equally vital and exciting New Wave in cinema was taking place in Japan. These films were not distributed as widely in the West for obvious cultural reasons. They have gradually become available in home video formats. I'm still in the early stages of discovery and appreciation of these films.
Brief list of key directors and representative films: Yasuzo Masumura (Red Angel, Giants and Toys), Shoei Imamura (The Pornographers, The Insect Woman), Hiroshi Teshigahara (Woman in the Dunes, The Face of Another), Seijun Suzuki (Branded to Kill, Fighting Elegy, Youth of the Beast), Nagisa Oshima (Cruel Story of Youth, The Sun's Burial), Kaneto Shindo (Onibaba). Today I discovered the cinema of Toshio Matsumoto, a man unknown to me until his Funeral Parade of Roses was released on dvd in Japan last year with English subtitles. This movie is truly something especial.
Funeral Parade of Roses is a masterful blend of many genres and styles into a seamless, awesome display of artistry. There is a narrative plot at its center with young transvestite Eddie as protagonist. She (her preference) works as a hostess at a gay club named Genet whose 40ish owner is a lover of both Eddie and the aging club "madame" Leda. Eddie's life includes shopping sprees with other "queens", working at the club, attending wild after-hours parties, and shooting experimental, underground films with her arty friends (including another lover who dons a fake beard and goes by the name Guevara). Her wonderful life is disturbed by debilitating, intrusive childhood memories, seen in flashback. We witness his struggles forging an identity, as a pre-adolescent, and a tragic episode involving his mother and one of her paramours. Eddie doesn't remember his father. His only memento is a family picture; one with his father's face burned out with a cigarrette by his mother. Eventually the mystery is revealed as the film comes to an ending of tragic proportions.
A confident and assured blend. A sample: erotic but never explicit sex scenes in which overlit close-ups predominate; documentary scenes in which the actors are interviewed regarding being gay and/or transvestite in Japanese society; montage sequence of paintings of masks and distorted faces when Eddie wanders into an art gallery with a voice-over discussing social role-playing; quick cut to a line-up of young naked men facing a white wall, one has a rose between his buttocks; a beautiful shot taken from an elevator as it ascends Tokyo's Observation tower; a variety of intertitles of literary quotes; sped-up, slapstick montage of the "queens" fighting a trio of gang girls to a carnival music score; dialogue that references JP Sartre and Jonas Mekas ("All definitions of cinema have been erased"), among others; sensitive dramatic scenes of impeccable taste; a screaming showdown between Eddie and another hostess with word-balloons as used in comics, etc. An amazing display of artist virtuosity that never feels indulgent and not for a second detracts from the central story and its huge emotional impact. A great film.
The Family Jewels (USA, 1965) on vhs
My 11 year old and I love Jerry Lewis and I needed a breezy comedy. Produced, directed, co-written and starring the great comedian who plays seven different roles here. About a rich, orphaned girl who must choose a guardian among her five wacky uncles but ends up insisting on her lovable chauffer and bodyguard.
Monday May 16th
Children Underground (USA, 2001) on dvd
Edet Beltzberg's doc about five Romanian kids living at a subway station in Bucharest won the Grand Jury Prize at Sundance in 2001. Beltzerg's approach is non-intrusive and non-didactic, recording the kids' daily lives without narration or intervention. Title cards inform that 20,000 homeless kids live in Bucharest, a legacy of dictator Nicolae Ceausescu's policies banning abortion and all forms of birth control to increase the labor force. We get a clear picture of harrowing routines that involve begging, stealing, fighting, scrounging for food, and inhaling paint fumes. Kids ranging in age from 8 to 16 tell their own stories of institutional and familial abuse, neglect, poverty and abandonment. Then Children Underground depicts the efforts of local and foreigners to provide assistance with limited resources and the prospects as these children grow into adulthood. A lucid, honest and revealing approach to documenting the lives of homeless children.
Tuesday May 16th
The films directed by Jean Pierre Melville (1917-1973), born in Paris to a family of Alsatian Jews, constitute a perfect introduction to foreign films for anglophones. Melville, who adopted the surname of his favorite novelist in 1940, when he fled into England to join the Resistance, professed a deep love for American culture. In particular, he was enamored of movies from Hollywood's golden era. Melville was a natural, self-trained filmmaker who's often referred as a "Godfather of the New Wave" (Rosenbaum). His first masterpiece was Les Enfants Terribles, a collaboration with Jean Cocteau. In the 50s, Melville began to make more personal films that appropriated American iconography and placed it in a decidedly French context. Of particular interest, he made gangster and film noir movies that equal the best from Hollywood, where those genres originated.
Le Doulos (France, 1962) on PAL dvd
This film noir has gradually grown in esteem in the 40+ years since its release. It was included on a list of 100 Best Films chosen by the staff of the influential Cahiers du Cinema in the 90s. It's absolutely brilliant in every aspect of production_montage, editing and lighting in particular_but it's the remarkably intricate and airtight narrative that compelled me to watch it twice in one night. I wish anyone making a mystery thriller nowadays was required to watch it, as well as crits who overrate modern thrillers full of implausibilities and plot holes. Without going into specifics of its plot, themes of betrayal, deceit, revenge and guilt predominate. Jean Paul Belmondo excels as the police informer alluded in the title, but so does everyone else. I've seen several of Melville's crime films, which include Bob le Flambeur, Le Samourai, Un Flic, and Le Cercle Rouge (being remade in Hollywood by John Woo), but Le Doulos is my personal favorite. It's available on vhs in the US but try to get a hold of this disc released by the British Film Institute which includes an interview with assistant director Volker Schlondorff, and commentary on selected scenes.
Wed. May 18th
"Kenji Mizoguchi is cinema's Shakespeare, its Bach or Beethoven"
James Quandt, Ontario Cinematheque
"The greatest of Japanese directors elluded general recognition as such only through unpropitious circumstances"
Alex Jacoby, Senses of Cinema
The Lady From Musashino (1951) on PAL dvd
Late-period Mizo starring the amazing Kinuyo Tanaka (Ugetsu, Sansho the Bailiff). Ms. Kinuyo is Michiko, a woman trapped in a loveless marriage to the opportunistic Tadao. Tokyo is being bombed by the Allies as they return to her father's estate in Musashino, a nearby town. Michiko's father, who has instilled in her a strong sense of morality, warns her about Tadao. Michiko's parents die during the war years and she inherits their house and land. Michiko's cousin and childhood buddy Tsutomu returns from a p.o.w. camp in Singapore 3 years after the war's end. Japanese society has experienced tremendous upheaval with rapid change in ways and mores. Tamiko and Tsutomu grow close again while enjoying the pristine countryside, increasingly threatened by urban encroachment. Tadao's heavy drinking and philandering and Tsumoto's declaration of love test Michiko's sense of propriety but she sticks to her long-held values. Tsutomu drifts away. "Sleeping with you and your friends is making me sad", he tells a co-ed. Meanwhile, Tadao has an affair with his neighbor's duplicitous wife and plots to take possesion of Michiko's estate.
Like every film I've seen directed by Mizoguchi, Lady from Musashino is a humanist film of great complexity and formal beauty. The film documents with characteristic economy the changes experienced by the Japanese as a result of their defeat in WW II, the influence of western culture, and rapid urbanization. Extremely moving and thought-provoking.
Who's Minding the Store? (USA, 1963) on vhs
A Jerry Lewis vehicle written and directed by Frank Tashlin with an excellent supporting cast that includes Agnes Moorehead, Ray Walston, and Jill St. John. An entertaining mix of slapstick and satire of consumerism. A perfect palate-cleanser, a cool and fruity sorbet of a movie.
Huge thanks for this Mizoguchi review. I haven't seen this one.
PAL DVD?
That's it.
I'm biting the bullet and going shopping for a fucking multi-region player. Enough is enough.
Thanks for reading my journal, J. I've been renting foreign discs from an outfit called nicheflix that specializes in PAL format and NTSC non-region 1 discs. I cannot afford to buy them all, of course. A multi-region player is more affordable than ever. This dvd of Musashino is a barebones disc released in the UK last year. The film is not available in N. America in any format.
Thursday May 19th
El Compadre Mendoza (Mexico, 1934) on TCM
Hispanics are now the USA's number one minority group and L.A. has a new Mexican-American mayor but it's still remarkable that Turner Classic Movies broadcasted this film on prime time. Rated #3 best Mexican film ever in a critics' poll, Godfather Mendoza is not melodrama and features none of the stars popular with older Mexican-Americans. A story of the Mexican Revolution that de-emphasizes folkloric elements and goes against the grain by refraining from romanticizing the conflict. Fernando de Fuentes, the first great Mexican auteur, directs with great skill, particularly in the restrain of the performances, graceful transitions between sequences, and image composition. Chilean Alfredo del Diestro stars as Rosalio Mendoza who manages to survive at his large estate by skillfully manipulating and befriending both governmental and rebel leaders. The perennial fence-sitter's life is saved by rebel general Nieto after another rebel invades his house during Mendoza's posh wedding to the much-younger Lolita. Over the years, Nieto forges a close friendship with the Mendozas. He secretly loves Lolita, whose baby boy is named after Nieto, but never considers betraying his compadre. On the other hand, Mendoza is increasingly pressured by gov. leaders to set a trap for Nieto.
El Compadre Mendoza is a remarkably even-handed political drama that was not popular with Mexican audiences during the 1930s, probably because folkloric and romantic elements are minimally present. The support of critics and lovers of quality cinema has resulted in periodic revivals and TV screenings. Kudos to TCM for showing it (with excellent English subs).
Friday May 20th
Secret Defense (France, 1998) on dvd
Jacques Rivette has been making wonderful films for about half a century but patience is required to enjoy them because of their duration. The 13-hour Out 1 is an anomaly but most of the others are close to three hours long. Their slack pace is certainly the reason most of his films have received limited distribution. I have only seen one, Va Savoir, at the theatre. Thankfully most of Rivette's films are available on video, including my beloved Celine and Julie Go Boating and Jeanne la Pucelle. The film I watched today concerns a researcher played by Sandrine Bonnaire who decides she's better equipped than her brother to take revenge on the man who allegedly killed her father five years earlier. There are obvious mystery and thriller elements within the premise but Rivette is mostly interested in characters not in keeping the rhythm a thriller demands. For instance, a sequence in which Bonnaire travels by bus and train from her apartment to the target's estate lasts exactly 18 minutes and could be ellided altogether without affecting narrative continuity. Bonnaire's performance is a marvel of sustained intensity and I enjoyed the time the sequence afforded me to reminisce about my European train trips, but my wife and, I suspect, many others expecting a thriller will be "bored" because "nothing happens" for long stretches of time. Rivette's command of film language and Sandrine Bonnaire's acting are the film's selling points. I buy but avoid if you're looking for a taut thriller.
Rio das Mortes (Germany, 1971) on dvd
Rainer Werner Fassbinder made 41 features in 13 years. Is it a surprise some of them are bad? Rio das Mortes is not a good film. Hanna Schygulla is Hanna, a young woman whose fiance Mike and his biracial pal Gunther somehow become obsessed with looking for buried Mayan(?!) temples in Peru. Most of the episodes concern different attempts to raise money for the trip. But the two interesting scenes have nothing to do with the plot. There's a scene in which Schygulla and Fassbinder, playing a bar patron, dance to Presley's "Jailhouse Rock". A second scene, most likely borrowed from one of Fassbinder's 60s theatre productions, features Hana and friends walking in a circle reciting revolutionary slogans in front of a chalkboard. On it a drawing of a giant penis with "USA" atop, except the "S" has been replaced with the symbol of Hitler's special forces. Besides these provocations, Rio das Mortes is crude, dull and uninteresting. The dvd's picture is very grainy and slightly cropped.
Sat May 21st
Svjedoci aka Witnesses (Croatia, 2004) at Cosford Cinema
Vinko Bresan's film won the Peace Award at Berlin 2004. Three Croatian soldiers, on a short visit to their village, plan to blow up the home of a Serb they believe to be away. They are startled to find him home, machine-gun him and kidnap his young daughter. As police and press investigate, they ponder what to do about the girl.
The Croatian director has stated he wanted to bring to light the fact that it wasn't only the Serbians who committed atrocities and broke the rules of war by attacking civilians. He also wanted to denounce the Croatian government's lack of interest in investigating such incidents. Witnesses is told via fractured narrative with numerous flashbacks and repetition of scenes with a bit of detail added each time. It has the effect of forcing the viewer to constantly re-orient himself as to time and place, thus robbing the story of some of its considerable emotional impact. The film is set smack in the middle of the war, during the early 90s. Bresan makes it clear the authorities had no interest in finding the culprits of such incidents or bringing them to justice. But if he wanted to implicate the current politicos, he should have brought the story into the present, rather than making what amounts to a period piece. The story is powerful enough though and the filmmaking sufficiently accomplished to recommend Witnesses to anyone looking for an anti-war drama.
Back only on a temporary and limited basis.....I see you have not let up one bit, and am pleased to see some of your reviews are getting less neutral-sounding. Have not been able to see anything, hence no Palindromes. I can atttest that it has had quite negative reviews locally, and it may be no longer showing here. I also love Jean-Pierre Melville, but prefer Le Samourai to Le Doulos. Le Samourai is marvellously sustained and Delon's graceful, almost pure mime, performance is one of his very best. This is a film I never tire of watching. While you call the plot of Le Doulos airtight, I think it's a bit too hard to follow in some of the details, and some of the visuals are murky and unattractive. However, for noir atmosphere Melville is supreme and Le Doulos is no exception in that regard. I wonder why, if you consider it worth watching, your comment on 3-Iron is so very brief? I have not seen it; would like to of course.
What a pleasure to have you back!
I wonder if you're comment about Le Doulos visuals being "murky and unattractive" has to do with the print you watched. It's one of the most attractive-looking high contrast b&w film noirs I've ever seen.
I also posted on 3-Iron's thread and will do so again. It's not nearly as good or as important a film as some of the older films I've been watching, some of which few Americans have seen (Wanda, Funeral Parade of Roses, Lady from Musashino,etc.) so I alloted more time and space to them.
I'm a bit behind with this thread's posts.
Sunday May 22nd
Life of Oharu (Japan, 1952) on PAL dvd
Kenji Mizoguchi won the Silver Lion at Venice for this follow-up to Lady of Musashino. Life of Oharu is a period film that's often been characterized as a feminist protest film (the "most powerful" states Rosenbaum). I think that definition fails to recognize that both characters who suffer tragic deaths are men of low social economic status, the two men who feel true love for the protagonist. What's under attack is not only patriarchy but also feudalism, a whole system of government and social stratification. Moreover, to characterize the film solely as a "protest" film gives the impression of a sullen, angry, somber film. Life of Oharu has intense moments of lyrical beauty and scenes inspired by the picaresque novel_a hilarious scene involves Oharu (Kinuyo Tanaka) training a cat to remove the wig worn by her abusive employer, who's concealing her bald spots from her husband.
When the film opens, Oharu is a 50 year-old street prostitute who wanders into a temple and gazes upon the idols, remembering her past 30 years. The film flashes back to Kyoto, 1686. Without going into specifics, Life of Oharu relates several incidents in which Oharu is treated as an object, a commodity to be valued solely as one able to provide decoration and sexual pleasure, and produce children. It's a materialist analysis, one that reveals the hypocrisy and decadence behind a facade of order and tradition. The cinematography features the depth-of-field used by Toland in films such as Citizen Kane, augmented by the most delicate and precise framing and composition of scenes. Unlike most films by Ozu, Mizoguchi is quite varied in his shot selection and camera angles, to striking effect.
You are probably quite right about the print of Le Doulos. It's a copy of a videotape and probably wasn't a good videotape to begin with. I need to get good DVD's of my favorite French films of that period; I know some of them look much better than my video copies
I still have some discomfort using the computer screen, but it apparently does no actual harm. I look forward to your contributing further to the 3-Iron thread. No doubt it isn't a major film, but I'm glad that it has led to some discussion; unfortunately the thread starter, Howard, has apparently decided we are ganging up on him... He needs an ally, or a moderator -- a role you are better than I at playing.
I just followed your suggestion and posted again regarding 3-Iron. Which are your fave French films "of that period"? Perhaps I can comment re the best disc available of them.
Monday May 23rd
Promises (USA, 2001)
Oscar-nominated and Emmy-winning doc directed by Justine Shapiro, B.Z. Goldberg and Carlos Bolado, shot between 1997 and 2000. The doc introduces seven Jewish and Palestinian kids living in and around Jerusalem and concerns primarily their views of the conflict and how it affects their daily lives. Quite compelling how kids who live only a 15-minute drive away from each other can lead such disparate lives. The doc attempts to breach this distance by having two Jewish boys visit a group of Palestinian kids living in the occupied territories. The visit provides some hope of a peaceful future despite all the inherent obstacles. The dvd provides footage of several of the subjects shot during the summer of 2004, which has value as a longuitudinal study similar to Michael Apted's "Up" series of documentaries. As far as taking a political stance, the filmmakers' wide choice of subjects almost guarantees a balanced viewpoint, which they don't betray.
Thank you for introducing your ever-moderate voice into the 3-Iron discussion. You're probably right that there's no point in getting too "het up" about this movie, if it's really not that significant an effort. It's diplomatic of you to say that everybody brings their "ideology" to the movie house. But how much, and how often, and how noticeably? The fact remains that how stringently and how appropriately people apply an ideology can have either a positive or a negative effect, on comments; conversely it's important how much respect is accorded to the apparent aims of the movie and the moviemakers themselves. Even given the importance of humanistic values and not encouraging stuff that's out and out wicked and nasty, there's still also a difference between an "ideology" and a set of aesthetic, stylistic, and technical criteria for what makes a good film, given that in this discussion what was being applied was legality and morality and generalizations about the decline of social values, rather than points about the movie's particular cinematic value. And by the way, I would also like somebody to explain to me what my ideology is. Or on second thought, no, maybe I wouldn't.....
I guess by French films of that period I meant anything from the Fifties or Sixties by François Truffaut, Jean-Luc Godard, Claude Chabrol, Jacques Rivette, Eric Rohmer, Louis Malle, Jean-Pierre Melville, Jacques Demy or Alain Resnais, partucularly not the obvious conventional choices such as the Criterion Collection lists; also possibly less known films in which such actors of the period as Jean-Paul Belmondo, Brigitte Bardot, Anna Karina, Jean-Claude Brialy, Bernadette Lafont, Jean-Pierre Léaud, Marie Laforêt and Jeanne Moreau appeared. Otherwise I do not at this point have any specific titles in mind -- except: I would like a copy of Roger Vadim's Sait-on jamais (No Sun in Venice, with its wonderful music by the Modern Jazz Quartet). And I'd like anything by Jean-Gabriel Albicocco, particularly the apparently lost La fille aux yeux d'or, with Marie Laforêt (I've got Le grand Meaulnes). Of course, though, some of my tape copies of these, such as I happen to have, are actually quite good, nothing like the somewhat murky Le Doulos, and as long as VCR's still exist, I have no need to replace them.
Just lost a long post. I'll have to be brief.
Both Albicocco films you mention are available together on dvd for EUR 11 at amazon.fr. The Vadim film was released on video in France but now it's a hard-to-find collector's item.
I like your comments. I think a writer needs to be self-aware to know when his ideology is bearing stringently on his opinion/interpretation of a film and needs to be honest enough to disclose it openly.
Tuesday May 24th
Johnny Got his Gun (USA, 1971) on PAL dvd
Dalton Trumbo directed only one film, based on his 1939 novel, a National Book Award winner. This film adaptation won the Grand Jury Prize and FIPRESCI Prize at Cannes in 1971 but received only limited distribution in the US. Trumbo was an accomplished scriptwriter who was one of the blacklisted "Hollywood Ten". He based the novel on a newspaper account of a British soldier who lost all limbs and part of his brain during combat in WWI but was kept alive for scientific purposes. The novel is Trumbo's response to the question: what if it had happened to me? Joe, the protagonist is, like Trumbo, a youth raised in small town Colorado who was close to his father and moves to California with his mom and sisters when father dies. There are many other autobiographical details. The film alternates between b&w scenes of Joe being attended by army medics and nurses, and color scenes depicting his memories of life events, dreams, etc. It's quite poignant to hear doctors refer to him as "decerebrated" while we hear his thoughts in voice-over. Two of the most compelling scenes involve Joe becoming aware of the extent of his injuries and, years later, managing to communicate his wishes to another person. Trumbo's focus on Joe's plight keeps the film from sliding into didacticism although Trumbo's pacifist and anti-authoritarian stance is unquestionable. Johnny Got His Gun stars Timothy Bottoms as Joe, Jason Robards as his father, and in a supporting role, Donald Sutherland as Jesus Christ. This film is a must-see. It's available on vhs in the USA.
This film is perhaps indeed a must-see, but in my memory deeply depressing.
Thanks for the favorable comment. All this bears on your own earlier statement of principles. I don't know if becoming predictable is the worst thing that can happen to a film critic, but surely unpredictablility makes his or her latest pronouncements more exciting to come accross. This doesn't mean not being true to oneself in reading a movie, but approaching each one with as open a mind as possible.
I assume the amazon.fr Albicocco combo would not be NTSC, of course, but I could order it and have it sent to me here? I just may do that, though I have Le Grand Meaulnes. No Sun in Venice/Sait-on Jamais was never a great film, but it has certain unique qualities and a special charm for me because I saw it and was thrilled by it on one of my first trips to Europe (this is also true of Et Dieu Créa la Femme with the then daring nude shot of Bardot in the opening sequence). The MJQ soundtrack of NSIV is available on CD and is choice. It's a great part of the beauty of the film. I don't think the MJQ did many film scores and it adds great elegance and atmosphere. I have a great desire to see La Fille aux yeux d'or again and find out if it's as visually lush and stylish and baroque as it seemed back then.
I haven't seen either Albicocco movie but I've seen the Modern Jazz Quartet live in NYC. I can see how a viewer would feel depressed after watching Johnny Got His Gun. It's a very effective film.
Leon Morin, Priest (France, 1961) on PAL dvd
The second of Melville's trio of films set during the occupation of France was a critical and commercial hit. The protagonist is not J.P. Belmondo's Morin but Emmanuelle Riva's Barny, a bisexual widow and atheist with communist leanings. As the film opens, Barny has her half-Jewish daughter baptized and entrusted to two old ladies living in the country. We are introduced to Barny's mostly female co-workers, some of which are collaborating to some extent with the occupying Italian and German forces. Her Jewish supervisor changes his identity and emigrates and Barny feels attracted to the beautiful woman who takes his place. Fifteen minutes into the film, she meets Morin. The balance of the film concerns the relationship that develops between these disparate characters. Will Barny's curiosity about Christianity result in a conversion? Will their acquaintance turn into friendship or perhaps, erotic passion? Will Barny actively pursue her new boss? Melville's first cut of the film, based on Beatrix Beck's autobiographical novel, was over one hour longer than the film that premiered at the Venice FF. While the film evokes quite successfully this tragic period in French history, aspects of Leon Morin, Priest that concern political collaboration/resistance are sketchy in the final cut. For instance, there's a brief scene in which Barny helps to hide a Jewish boy. It seems to come out of nowhere, and then the incident is never broached again. Mellvile was very proud of Leon Morin, Priest, going as far as calling it "perfect". It's undoubtedly a major film from a major director, but I wish we could see the 3-hour cut of the film. There are some dramatic setups at the onset that are not fully developed, in order to focus almost exclusively on the very interesting relationship between Barny and Morin. A relationship explored in all its complexities and ambiguities.
Albicocco is a very interesting director I think, and his career was all too short. Le Grand Meaulnes (AKA in English The Wanderer) as a book is a chilidhood classic in France, a very straightforward version in the film, but I think he does it full justice. As I have said, the style, which was very dark visually, of The Girl with the Golden Eyes made a huge impression on me, which I only realized much later, and I am dying to see it again and analyze it with what I know now. I saw it first at Cinema 16 which was a sort of film subscription series in New York in the early Sixties. Then I saw it during a minin film series at the American University in Cairo a couple of years later and it still lived up to my expectations, but that was a very long time ago.
I have not seen Léon Morin, but obviously should. It is funny that Belmondo had the dashing roles like in Breathless, and seemed best in that, and That Man from Rio, and Godard's things, but also had some very straight roles like this and Two Women, where he plays the very serious young socialist/communist, with glasses. You make clear a lot about the film and I wonder if it will some day be possible to restore the film to its original length, as, you imply, it should be. Was this from Nicheflix?
Yes, Chris, I rented this dvd from Nicheflix. It's a British Film Institute release.
According to Ginette Vicendeau, author of the ironically titled "Jean Paul Melville: An American in Paris", the 190-minute cut of the film, was only seen by Melville himself. He decided it was not "commercially viable" to release the film at that length and edited it down to 115 minutes. According to IMdb, a version lasting 130 minutes was shown on Swedish TV in 1971. The film is available on a vhs version released by Kino in the US in 2000.
For the film to work, the role of Morin had to be played by an attractive and youthful actor. Belmondo is quite believable in the role even though it's not a typical "Belmondo character".
I wanted to discuss the Catholic church's reaction to the film, but doing so entails revealing aspects of its resolution I am glad I didn't know about prior to watching it.
Thanks for the further information. Maybe we can get the information about the Catholic Church elsewhere if we want to. I always wondered whether Belmondo was really a good actor or just a cool guy with a certain amount of dash and physical energy, but he has certainly done a lot of acting in his life, including stage work. To me he will always be primarily the guy in Godard's classic Breathless, but of course, he could play serious, straighter roles.
I gather Nichefix is working out well for you. You seemed to have doubts earlier, partly because of its costing more than Netflix.
Belmondo won one Cesar award for best actor in a 1988 Claude Lelouch film that was not released in English-speaking countries. I'd be curious to see it although I'm not a fan of Lelouch.
Nicheflix has a single shipping location in Indiana which means the discs take longer to get here than Netflix's, but I manage to rent 9-10 discs per month. They carry some great films that have been neglected in this country, including a few by American directors like Wanda and Chimes at Midnight.
Thursday May 26th
Ahi Esta El Detalle (Mexico, 1940) on TCM
The most highly regarded film starring the beloved comedian Cantinflas is this hilarious comedy of errors. The title translates to "There's the rub" or "There's the crux of the matter". Translation is a major issue as about half of the jokes are untranslatable. This is comedy based on language_ double-entendres and puns_and the delivery is vertiginous like in His Girl Friday or The Front Page. The character of Cantiflas here is a bum reminiscent of Boudu, not the reformed, socially-conscious Cantinflas of the films that followed. Even if the subs can only translate half the jokes, there are so many that non-Spanish-speakers will have fun too. But the universal appeal of Cantinflas, the Marx brothers and other text-based comedians cannot match Keaton's or Chaplin's.
Friday May 27th
Whity (Germany, 1971) on dvd
Filmed in Cinemascope in Sergio Leone's set in Almeria, Spain, Whity is Rainer Werner Fassbinder's 10th film. It is sumptuous, a stark contrast to the films that preceded it, mostly 16 mm films with minimal camera movement. Whity marks the first collaboration between the director and DP Michael Ballhaus, shortly after they were introduced by actor/producer Ulli Lommel. Lommel, who has affectionately referred to Fassbinder as a "terrorist", states in the commentary that he was very antagonistic toward Ballhaus and kept providing artistic challenges. One scene lasting four minutes involves complicated dolly and panning shots with the camera zooming in and out in constant motion. Upon seeing the rushes, Fassbinder stormed out in tears and told Lommel: "He's a fucking genius!". Then got so drunk that the next day's shooting had to be cancelled. Incidents during the shooting of Whity formed the basis of the film Beware of the Holy Whore, which regretably I have yet to watch. I pass the pen to Chuck Stephens.
"Dessicated scion Ben Nicholson presides over a family of drooling nitwits, mincing transvestites, and nymphomaniac schemers, each caked in thick whiteface, the shade of which seems to vary, scene-by-scene. The family's hunky, long-suffering man-servant Whity (played by Gunther Kaufmann, a longtime fixture in Fassbinder's ensemble and intermittent feature in the director's bed), is a delicate Mandingo in a too-tight monkey suit, his mouth a lacquered slash of stark-white lipstick. Though lovingly devoted to a family who consider him nothing but "the cross we must bear", Whity soon finds himself smitten with saloon-chanteuse Hanna Schygulla and in her arms learns that in love begins liberation, and in liberation, death.
Whity groans with political provocations of every design_from the grotesquely char-darkened Mammy who bugs her eyes and tunelessly warbles "glory, glory, Hallelujah" to a moment of tender sexuality between two men and a horse. Thirty years in obscurity has dimmed Whity's exuberant excesses not one footcandle, and those who fear the worst may find that time, in this rare case, has been but a tender whip."
Saturday May 28th
Crash (USA, 2005) at AMC Americas
http://www.filmwurld.com/forums/show...0930#post10930
Sunday May 29th
Life Stories:A Conversation with F.W. Fassbinder (Germany, 1978)
The longest interview given by Fassbinder was conducted by Peter Jansen, who edited the first book on the maverick director. Fassbinder discusses how he lived his first years of life in a home with many adults so that he failed to differentiate his parents from other adults present, how his need to tell stories manifested itself very early on, his theatrical education, the formation of his anti-teater group, the autobiographical bent of his films' content, recurrent themes in his work, etc.
I Don't Just Want You To Love Me (Germany, 1993)
This 96-minute documentary directed by Hans Gunther Pflaum is the best introduction to F. W. Fassbinder and his career. Nice combination of interviews of a dozen key collaborators interspersed with the most telling scenes from several of his 43 features. For Fassbinder, his crew was like a family, like a nomadic artistic commune. He was extremely demanding and manipulative, "terrorizing" and inspiring, cruel and tender. The theme of freedom vs. confinement (internal and external) perhaps the salient theme, but also a chronicler of post-war Germany, an expert at depicting relationships as power struggles, a Mondrian-like painter on celluloid, self-destructive and emotionally vulnerable yet extremely efficient and economical as a filmmaker. His tendency toward single takes kept his crew and cast tense and focused, and made his prolificacy possible. The Bitter Tears of Petra von Kant singled out as perhaps his most autobiographical movie.
Monday May 30th
Kingdom of Heaven at AMC Americas
Even though Ridley Scott has stated that the "correct" or "definite" cut is 220 minutes long and coming out on dvd, I headed to the theatre for the 145-minute cut. Epic spectacles demand big screens. Eva Green has complained that most of her performance, including a steamy sex scene, were excised from the theatrical cut. I was sorry to hear this and agree that her Sybilla was short-shifted.
What remains is an entertaining, coherently told episode from the Crusades involving a somewhat fictionalized Balian, who saved the lives of thousands of Jerusalem inhabitants during a siege led by the Muslim leader Saladin. Kingdom of Heaven is no Spartacus but it is a good movie. Orlando Bloom is adequate (much better than Farrell in Alexander) and the supporting cast is superb: Brendan Neeson, David Thewlis, Jeremy Irons, Syrian actor Ghassan Massoud, etc.
The storytelling is surprisingly lucid given the abbreviated cut. The scene of the Siege of Jerusalem is absolutely stunning, an expert staging of a remarkable event involving ingenious strategic defenses. Production values are excellent overall, most notably the art direction and design. The film avoids showing favoritism for any religion, portraying extremists on both sides as the villains. The latter are one-dimensional characters, at least on this cut, which limits the film's scope. Recommended.
I wish I could see it, along with Brothers, Mysterious Skin, and several others, but it's not in the program right now.
I pretty much agree with you on Kingdom. The thing that most pleased me was Saladin's portrayal. As an amateur historian, I've always been fascinated by this ruler and his masterful diplomatic handlings. I'm relieved they didn't turn him into a caricature. I can still trust Ridley Scott as a filmmaker.
Quote:
Originally posted by Chris Knipp
I wish I could see it, along with Brothers, Mysterious Skin, and several others, but it's not in the program right now.
I have watched BOTH these movies.
;)
I really want to write the reviews (esp. for some "recent" movies that I have watched ... and those that I informed that I will post my comments ... *guilty*)
sigh ...
Kind of hectic these few weeks ...
Moreover, I will be out of town soon, for about 3 weeks ...
sigh ...
Originally posted by HorseradishTree
The thing that most pleased me was Saladin's portrayal.
I hope Kingdom of Heaven stays in theatres long enough for Chris to watch it and regale us with his insightful commentary.
I was also impressed by Ghassan Massoud's portrayal of Saladin. Massoud is an actor, theatre director and drama teacher in Damascus. I wish we had access to his performances in Syrian films such as The Chant of Rain.
Tuesday May 31st
Lola (Germany, 1981) on dvd
When The Marriage of Maria Braun was released in 1980, we had no idea we were watching the first installment of Fassbinder's Bundesrepublik Deutschland trilogy. When Lola came out the following year, "BRD 3" appeared above the title. The director explained that Lola was the third and his next film would be the second installment of a trilogy dealing with three women against the background of post-war Germany and its so-called "economic miracle".
Lola appropriates the name of the protagonist of Sternberg's classic The Blue Angel (1930), an adaptation of Heinrich Mann's novel "Professor Unrat" about the demise of a morally upright middle-ager in love with an indecent woman. Fassbinder has created a bon-bon of a movie, a candy-colored confection. This Lola is an expensive whore and chanteuse who dreams of owning the bordello. Her regular client is a sleazy developer, a coarse man getting rich at the public's expense. His nemesis is new building commissioner Herr von Bohn, who aims to fight the self-serving ruling elite by forcing them to abide by established codes and laws. Barbara Sukova and Armin Mueller-Stahl both won German Academy awards for their acting as Lola and von Bohn. Ultimately, this brightly colored, frothy concoction is more about the pervasive allure of capitalist immorality than about sex. The blunt ending pulls the rug right under you.
I hope I can see it while it's still onscreen too, and thanks for the compliment. I also heard good things about Ghassan Massoud from an old friend here who saw the film and knows my interest in Arabic culture. A point you bring out is that I guess we don't have much access at all here to Arabic films of the past. They could probably be obtained in the Arab world but aren't available on the market here.
We have poor access to Arabic culture in general at the moment. Looking forward to both Brothers and Mysterious Skin opening here this month at SoBe Regal. At home, my Fassbinder exploration continues...
Wednesday June 1st
Veronika Voss (Germany, 1982)
The last film completed by Fassbinder won the Golden Bear at Berlin. It's actually the second of the BDR trilogy, in which the director denounces the corruption, collective amnesia, chicanery and pretense hiding under the facade of the economic miracle during the post-war era.
Veronika Voss stars Rosel Zech as the titular character, based on the life of actress Sybille Schmitz, with a special focus on the tumultuous last year of her life. It's 1955, Voss is a has-been who has a chance encounter with Robert, a sports reporter who serves as audience surrogate. The basic premise is not unlike that of Sunset Blvd. Voss is a lonely, needy woman who feels ambivalent about being recognized but she flirts with Robert, who doesn't know of her. Robert lives with his girlfriend Henriette, who's initially upset about Robert's growing obsession with Voss. Eventually, Henriette joins Robert in unraveling the mysteries of her existence. They learn Voss is being blackmailed by a woman psychiatrist who mentally tortures and supplies narcotics to the fragile former movie star. Voss is portrayed as an unstable and talented actress who attempts in vain to regain her glory.
The b&w cinematography is used to evoke the films Schmitz made during the 30s and 40s while under contract with UFA studios. Several flashbacks, some in the form of dreams, fill out the portrayal of Voss and result in very rich observations of changes in German society from the 30s to 1955. It's also interesting to ponder the parallels between the deaths of Fassbinder and that of Veronika Voss.
Dance With Death: Sybille Schmitz, UFA Star (Germany, 2000)
Documentary directed by Achim Podak features interviews with people who knew Schmitz well and a variety of film clips from her major film performances. It becomes clear that Fassbinder adhered faithfully to events in the tragic life of Schmitz for the script of Veronika Voss. The documentary also serves as a primer on the changes experienced by the German film industry from the end of the silent era until the mid 1950s. Most of the clips shown are from films that are otherwise unavailable (except for Pabst's Diary of a Lost Girl and Dreyer's Vampyr)
"Poor access" is a big understatement. I wonder if you're familiar with the book, Reel Bad Arabs: How Hollywood Vilifies a People by Jack G. Shaheen, which after a general introduction analyzes film by film how Arabs have been treated in Hollywood movies. They've been the last free onscreen punching bag since long before 9/11, it would appear. "Meticulous...passionate... Highly recommended." --Library Journal. Shaheen shows that American movie reviewers are also to blame; for instance he quotes a line from Bosley Crowther's review of the 1938 Adventure in Sahara: "We know the desert is no picnic and you can't trust an Arab very far." Maybe who you can't trust very far is a Times critic.