Oscar's Cinema Journal 2005

[oscar jubis]

Friday March 11th

The Red and The White (Hungary, USSR) on dvd

Miklos Jancso's 1967 war film was the first to get wide distribution in North America and one of his best. It's set in Central Russia following the revolution, during the civil war that broke out between the Soviet reds and the Counter-revolutionary whites. Foreigners fought on both sides, including many Hungarians. Even though the film was co-produced by the USSR, the film was banned by the Party. There are no winners and no heroes in The Red and the White. Jancso's characteristically long takes are evident here, although not to the extent of 1969's Winter Sirocco's 13 shots. The action moves from a monastery being used as a garrison, to a hospital on the banks of the Volga river, to a final battle on a hillside that evidences Jancso's masterful utilization of wide frames. The Red and the White conveys with great economy, almost entirely in visual terms, the absurdity of war and the randomness of violence. Jancso's violent scenes are devoid of the kinetic, visceral pleasures that mar and negate other supposedly anti-war films. I sat two feet from the screen in total darkness to attempt to recreate the theatrical experience, because this film deserves to be seen there. Tamos Somlo did the b & w photography. The disc is letterboxed and enhanced for 16x9 TVs, but the print used is quite beat up.

[oscar jubis]

Saturday March 12th

It feels as if the whole world is conspiring to erase the memory of the best Argentine film director, well, the best from the 50s to the 70s. Leopoldo Torre Nilsson had worked as his father's assistant director until he turned 30 and met his second wife, novelist Beatriz Guido, and then embarked on a remarkable directorial career. Many of his best films were adaptations of his wife's novels: The House of the Angel, perhaps the best known. There's little mention of him on the web (nothing for instance, at sensesofcinema). Two of his films played at the Walter Reade in 2001 as part of a Leonardo Favio retro (Favio acted in 2 directed by L.T.N.) Facets Video released Martin Fierro, Painted Lips and The 7 Madmen on vhs in '96. I borrowed Martin Fierro (1968) from the library. It's based on the poem by Jose Hernandez about the miserable experiences of a gaucho in the pampas circa 1850. The film was released in widescreen (2.35:1) but the video is pan-and-scan. The film preserves the narration in verse of the epic poem, but the english subs don't (I thought Anthony Burgess deserved some kind of recognition for the subritles of Cyrano de Bergerac starring Depardieu). Torre-Nilsson's adaptation is faithful to the text, with no attempt to soften or simplify the personality of Martin Fierro, a not altogether sympathetic character_dour, humorless, and racist. I enjoyed the film very much and wish it was released again, along with the rest of Leopoldo Torre Nilsson's filmography. He needs to be rescued from collective neglect and amnesia.

[Chris Knipp]

There are 7.000 listings for Leopoldo Torre Nilsson's name (is it hyphenated or not? not clear) on Google (2,100 in English), not too strong a sign of an actual conspiracy. (I'm sure you mean a dearth of serious discussion or ciitical mentions by well known American writers, though. ) I've put Torre Nilsson on my Netflix-borrowing want list, though I haven't checked yet to see if any of his movies are actually available there. Three of his films are available for sale on tape here http://www.moviesunlimited.com/musit...NTINA&media=v. (not cheap though). I see Nilsson's Painted Lips was co-authored by Manuel Puig, famous here from his novels and the screen adaptation of Kiss of a Spider Woman with William Hurt.
Not clear why you mention Cyrano de Bergerac. Anthony Burgess -- a really prolific dude; I remember he once had to hide the fact that he'd written three novels in one year, because it made him look too facile -- is listed as doing a TV adapation of Cyrano in English, but subtitle-writing for the Depardieu version isn't mentioned on IMDb--or perhaps generally any subtitling of foreign films, another thing you can fault that website for. Authors of subtitles used to be more known especially in the Fifties days when almost every European movie credited the English subtitles to Herman G. Weinberg. I wondered how he could do it. Now subtitling is done by committee, it seems, here and there, and unnoticed. Weinberg does have an IMDb listing, but I'm sure it omits many of his subtitling efforts -- which include Japanese films. How could he do that? Probably a collaboration, under his name.

Needless to say for us foreign film fans subtitling is of great importance and we ought to pay more attention to it.

It's a big advantage to have DVD's where you can add or remove them, and access ones in various languages on the same copy. I find this useful in working on my French and Italian. Especially helpful for a language student: subtitles in the original language of the film for the hearing impaired, and computer software for DVD viewing that permits instant switching or removing of subtitles. I just watched Amelio's Cosi' ridevano (The Way They Laughed), which is in Sicilian dialect, with subtitles in standard Italian, which enabled me to follow the whole movie without having to resort to English.

[oscar jubis]

*I started the post with: "It feels as if the whole world is conspiring...". Those 3 Torre Nilsson films available on vhs were released by Facets. They are not quite his best (yet any film he directed is at least "good") and I don't think any preserves the correct aspect ratio. I cannot recommend them as an introduction to LTN. BTW, he used both surnames to differentiate himself from his dad Leopoldo Torre Rios.
*I mentioned Cyrano as an example of a film in a foreign language with properly translated poetic text. I remember checking the final credits when I saw it in '91 to find out Burgess was the subtitler. Surprise, surprise...he is included in the film's credits at IMdb (full cast and crew).
*I liked your review of The Way We Laughed and I like that movie. I'm very curious about whether you will prefer Lamerica as I do (perhaps my favorite Italian film in decades).

[oscar jubis]

Sunday March 13th

Jacques Doillon is known in America for Ponette, the only film he directed to receive wide distribution. Raja had an official US premiere in March 2004, but it appears to have had a commercial run only in NYC. It's been rescued from oblivion by the organization "Film Movement" as part of their monthly series of quality dvds. (I've posted about this org before, go to filmmovement.com if curious).
Raja is a 19 y.o. orphan living in Marrakesh who catches the eye of a middle-aged rich Frenchman while working in his garden. The melancholic Fred lives alone and seems adrift in his beautiful estate. Raja has a traumatic past and alternates between a friend's apartment and the room where her boyfriend-cum-pimp lives. Raja's relationship with the latter is rather vague and ambivalent, perhaps all her relationships with men are complicated by negative past experience. Her relationship with Fred is further complicated by disparities in culture, language, age and financial status. Actually, I don't recall another film that depicts with such honesty a more complex, hard-to-pin-down relationship as the Raja and Fred's. What each wants and how they go about getting it changes rather frequently. Yet the film never grows tiresome, it's extremely engaging, compelling even. The political subtext is obviously there, but never made explicit. Fred is played by veteran actor Pascal Greggory. Najat Banssalem won an award for Best New Actress at Cannes '04. Doillon's script and direction are truly special. I need to find room for Raja on my list of favorite foreign language films of 2004.

[Chris Knipp]

I lost my reply to your earlier post while editing it, perhaps because your second post popped on and displaced it. It doesn't matter. I definitely like Amelio's work, and if Lamarica -- and Stolen Children -- are better, I may prefer them to Le chiavi di casa and Cosi' ridevano. The latter has left a strong impression, as did Le chiavi di casa before it. There is another Torre Nillsen VHS on that website I cited, which is Chronicle of a Boy Alone http://www.moviesunlimited.com/musit...KKTFBBTBD1CQ5E but nothing about the aspect ratio of any of them or who produced the tapes in the US either.

So Film Movement is another or your finds. The only one of their films that I've seen is Eric Eason's Manito, which I saw in NYC in the hot summer of 2003 http://www.chrisknipp.com/writing/viewtopic.php?t=129.

[oscar jubis]

*Lamerica is a must see, Chris. Netflix has it. It draws a parallel between Albanians coming into Italy in the 90s and the Italians who emigrated to "La America" after WWII.

*Chronicle of a Boy Alone is excellent. It's the directorial debut of Leonardo Favio, who became a star as an actor in Torre Nilsson's classics The Kidnapper (1958) and Hand in the Trap (1961). Favio dedicated his debut to Torre Nilsson, but the latter was not involved in Chronicle in any capacity. It's interesting to note that Favio was a Peronista and Lope Nilsson hated the general with a passion.

*I didn't like Manito very much. Like you state in your review it is much inferior to other films with a similar theme such as Raising Victor Vargas.

[Chris Knipp]

So Chronicle of a Boy Alone was misidentified as Nilsson's on that website, which appears to be rather careless about its listings. Wish I had access to some of these S.A. films you've been recommending. I don't have my own Netflix subscription, but you may say I ought to. I've only seen so many DVD's and tapes the past two months because there's so little in theaters. I've been renting French films locally and rewatching my own tapes of Eric Rohmer films, which is very rewarding now that I'm having French tutoring. Saw Downfall tonight and posted a review of it in the Forums. It's the hot title in town now--you had to line up for it at Landmark's Clay Theater on Fillmore Street in San Francisco, where it's having its Bay Area premiere.

I will see all Amelio's films I can get hold of, eventually anyway.

Not all of Film Movement's selections are imperishable classics, but that's not their aim. I thought Manito was worth seeing, but indeed Raising Victor Vargas blows it out of the water.

[oscar jubis]

Monday March 14th

Oscar Micheaux's Body and Soul (1925) on TCM
Paul Robeson made his film acting debut as an escaped felon who fools an entire community into thinking he is a preacher and as his virtuous twin brother. Body and Soul was condemned as "sacrilegeous and immoral" by the New York Censoring Board. Micheaux was forced to make extensive cuts to show it, from 9 reels to only five. The film was restored to 8 reels in 1998. This is the second Micheaux film I've seen this year (check Jan 3rd entry) and while the content is interesting and Robeson is quite a presence, this indie "race" film is technically crude, as evidenced by static camera, non-sensical crosscutting, and takes that run too long to maintain one's interest.

Miyamoto Musashi: Samurai 1 (1954) on Criterion dvd
Part one of the three part samurai epic directed by Hiroshi Inagaki and starring Toshiro Mifune as an orphaned rogue, a "force of nature" who barely escapes decapitation and is rehabilitated by a monk. Unlike Kurosawa's samurai films of the 50s, this one is in color.

[Johann]

Samurai 1 won an Oscar for best foreign film.
I love this trilogy.

Your journal is striking a nice template for my viewing choices over the next few months, oscar.

I'm just about settled in to my new digs and I'll be picking up a laptop soon so I can post whenever my little heart desires..

[oscar jubis]

Originally posted by Johann
Samurai 1 won an Oscar for best foreign film.
I love this trilogy.

You are right! Just learned Samurai 1 was the last foreign film to be awarded an Oscar without getting nominated, in 1955. Oscars were awarded to a foreign language film at the discretion of the Honorary Awards Committee. In 1956, the Academy decided to give a foreign language Oscar every year, and to have members pick from five nominees, as continues to be the custom.

Your journal is striking a nice template for my viewing choices over the next few months, oscar.

I hope I'm giving enough info for you decide if a film I write about is one you'd like to watch. On top of my set is a disc awaiting viewing which I bought based on your posts: Greenaway's The Tulse Luper Suitcases: The Moab Story. I imported it from Spain. I know watching this information-heavy film at home is far from ideal, but what's the alternative? I also have the new film from Robert Lapage, La Face Cachee de la lune, which came out only in Canada.

I'm just about settled in to my new digs and I'll be picking up a laptop soon so I can post whenever my little heart desires..

Thanks for the post J. Wish you the best in your new digs.

[oscar jubis]

Tuesday March 15th

Ken Loach's Ae Fond Kiss... on dvd
http://www.filmwurld.com/forums/show...=9483#post9483

I've watched every film directed by Francisco J. Lombardi since his adaptation of Mario Vargas Llosa's novel The City and The Dogs in 1985. He is a fictional filmmaker that incorporates non-fiction materials dealing with current political and social issues affecting Peru. Several of his films have received awards at film festivals worldwide. Besides the abovementioned, I particularly admire La Boca del Lobo (available on vhs as "The Lion's Den" and Fallen From Heaven (1991). His latest film is now available on dvd with English subs. It's called Ojos Que No Ven (What Your Eyes Don't See) and it deals with the corruption and repression pervasive during the presidency of Alberto Fujimori. It's a 2 1/2 hour movie featuring a cross-section of Peruvian society. It depicts how each character plays a part in the country's ills and how each individual is affected by the state of affairs. The film uses real footage taken from the televison news and builds stories around them. If you like John Sayles' novelistic approach to complex political issues then you'll like this movie. Ojos Que No Ven is a bit overlong_ one subplot in particular, involving a nerdy movie buff/law clerk infatuated with his landlady's daughter is silly and totally superfluous. Everything else is quite compelling and instructive.

[Chris Knipp]

If you like John Sayles' novelistic approach to complex political issues then you'll like this movie. Ojos Que No Ven is a bit overlong_

The two go together. Sayles is satisfying at times (The Brother from Another Planet, Hobres Armados, Matewan) but can also be a long-winded bore. It's good to have him around, though, for his progressive political position and his way of maintaining artistic independence for his own directorial efforts.

[oscar jubis]

I'm actually a big fan of Lone Star, and City of Hope (1991) which Ojos Que No Ven resembles in both structure and content. I agree with his politics and I admire his ability to write in Spanish, especially when you take into account that he's not a native speaker.

[Chris Knipp]

Yes, his Spanish is impressive. I wonder how Sales learned it so well. I thought Hombres armados was really good. A young Mexican artist friend recommended it to me. I don't agree with you about Lone Star, but at least I watched it. City of Hope was okay. I have not watched his latest films.