I am spoiled with the excellent art documentaries which are issued in the series 'Exhibition on Screen' and my quality reference is quite high. 'Titien. The Empire of Color' belongs to a different series and is quite a detailed and well-documented film, but I miss the concision, the focus and the immersive experience of visiting a major exhibition or a great art museum that I ofter experience in Phil Grabsky's movies. Yet it is well conceived following the biography of the artist and his path in history and art. Good commentary contributions of knowledgeable experts. What did not help were the personifications of the artist, his contemporaries or of the women in his life. I found these more distractive than useful.
Reviews
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La Chimera
(2023)
the anti - Indiana Jones movie
10 March 2024
I had two very good reasons to definitely want to see 'La Chimera' (2023). The first - this is the first feature film of the Italian director Alice Rohrwacher after the unusual and superb 'Lazzaro felice' (2018). The second - we have the opportunity to see Isabella Rossellini again in a fairly consistent role, an actress whom I love enormously and whom we have the opportunity to see far too rarely in recent years. Two promises, therefore, that raised the risk that expectations would be too high relative to the viewing experience. Fortunately, that was not the case. Even if it doesn't reach the magic of the director's previous film, 'La Chimera' is an interesting movie and one far from stereotypes, which transports us in its world and which accompanies us long after the viewing is over. Isabella Rossellini creates the role of an old lady with the professionalism and nobility that characterizes her, but also with the shadow of mystery that fascinated me in films like 'Blue Velvet'. I was not disappointed.
The story in 'La chimera' can be resumed like an action movie with tomb raiders. Arthur, the main hero, is an English archaeologist who travels to Italy to explore Etruscan tombs. The young man has a special talent for detecting where to dig to reveal treasures buried for millennia. Arthur carries in his soul the pain of the death of his lover, the daughter of a music teacher who lives in a ruined palace, assisted by a woman named Italia, to whom she gives singing lessons as payment. Demoralized and fresh out of prison, Arthur associates with a group of vagabonds who discover and illegally open and rob Etruscan tombs in order sell the finds to an antiquities dealer who then resells them for fabulous sums to the world's rich. The police are constantly on their trail, without excess of zeal or efficiency.
If we refer to the tomb raiders action movies genre, 'La Chimera' is an anti-Indiana Jones movie. What could be the story of an action movie mixed with a little melodrama and a little comedy is actually something else entirely. Not because the story doesn't matter, but because the way it is told and the characters that populate it are much more interesting. The film is imbued with the melancholy of the main character, played by the British actor Josh O'Connor (a discovery for me), who sees the world as a dream in which the woman he loved is always nearby, but he cannot ever reach her. The meeting with Italia (played by the excellent Carol Duarte - another discovery), a single mother who works to raise two children, represents a hope for recovery - both emotional and maybe moral, but according to her criteria. Trying to make him forget his lost love and turn him away from the path of crime has little chance of success. Viewing Isabella Rossellini is always a delight for me, and so it was here. Alice Rohrwacher is one of the most talented and daring directors of a generation (I should say 'one of the many generations') of exceptional Italian film directors. She knows how to take a story that could be told in many other ways and turn it into a film that bears her personal stamp, combining the traditions of neo-realism with Fellini's passion for popular culture and adding a dose of the fantastic brand Rohrwacher. When shooting decaying palaces, the streets or the popular dancing balls, the director seems to feel most in her element. She tells the story and plays with her tools, changes camera types and screen formats, and she does all these with an ease that constantly serves the narrative, so that at no point do we feel the cinematography is contrived or pretentious. Even if 'La chimera' stops a little lower than the formidable 'Lazzaro felice', it is a very good film that reinforces my belief that Italian cinema is in one of its glorious periods.
The story in 'La chimera' can be resumed like an action movie with tomb raiders. Arthur, the main hero, is an English archaeologist who travels to Italy to explore Etruscan tombs. The young man has a special talent for detecting where to dig to reveal treasures buried for millennia. Arthur carries in his soul the pain of the death of his lover, the daughter of a music teacher who lives in a ruined palace, assisted by a woman named Italia, to whom she gives singing lessons as payment. Demoralized and fresh out of prison, Arthur associates with a group of vagabonds who discover and illegally open and rob Etruscan tombs in order sell the finds to an antiquities dealer who then resells them for fabulous sums to the world's rich. The police are constantly on their trail, without excess of zeal or efficiency.
If we refer to the tomb raiders action movies genre, 'La Chimera' is an anti-Indiana Jones movie. What could be the story of an action movie mixed with a little melodrama and a little comedy is actually something else entirely. Not because the story doesn't matter, but because the way it is told and the characters that populate it are much more interesting. The film is imbued with the melancholy of the main character, played by the British actor Josh O'Connor (a discovery for me), who sees the world as a dream in which the woman he loved is always nearby, but he cannot ever reach her. The meeting with Italia (played by the excellent Carol Duarte - another discovery), a single mother who works to raise two children, represents a hope for recovery - both emotional and maybe moral, but according to her criteria. Trying to make him forget his lost love and turn him away from the path of crime has little chance of success. Viewing Isabella Rossellini is always a delight for me, and so it was here. Alice Rohrwacher is one of the most talented and daring directors of a generation (I should say 'one of the many generations') of exceptional Italian film directors. She knows how to take a story that could be told in many other ways and turn it into a film that bears her personal stamp, combining the traditions of neo-realism with Fellini's passion for popular culture and adding a dose of the fantastic brand Rohrwacher. When shooting decaying palaces, the streets or the popular dancing balls, the director seems to feel most in her element. She tells the story and plays with her tools, changes camera types and screen formats, and she does all these with an ease that constantly serves the narrative, so that at no point do we feel the cinematography is contrived or pretentious. Even if 'La chimera' stops a little lower than the formidable 'Lazzaro felice', it is a very good film that reinforces my belief that Italian cinema is in one of its glorious periods.
the painter and her time
6 March 2024
I have already written on numerous occasions that the 'Exhibition on Screen' series of art documentaries initiated by Phil Grabsky (who also conceived and produced many of the episodes) is the most important cinematic event dedicated to the visual arts of the last decade, a treasure trove of information and beauty accompanying many of the major exhibitions that took place during this period. 'Mary Cassatt: Painting the Modern Woman' is not directed by Grasby but by director Ali Ray, and unlike most of the other films in the series, it is not linked to a specific exhibition. The film is closer to the structure of a classic biographical documentary, even though some of the invited experts are associated with the National Gallery of Art in Washington, DC and a significant part of the paintings discussed are housed by the same museum. As the title states, however, the film aims to present us with a special vision of the life, work and influence of the artist in her era, linking the biographical and artistic aspects with the social and political involvement of Mary Cassatt. The result is not only a beautiful and interesting film, as we can expect any of the 'Exhibition on Screen' films to be, but also a manifesto perspective, suitable for the first week of March.
The film follows the life of Mary Cassatt roughly chronologically - an interesting biography and a quite different one from those of many artists of her generation. She was born in a family of Pittsburgh bankers who encouraged her inclinations, financed her education and made her a life far from material worries. However, having an independent character, she wanted to build a stable artistic career. When her studies in the United States reached the limit to which they could contribute to personal and artistic development, she travelled to Europe, discovering the Paris of the years of the impressionist revolution. She met the important artists who were changing the direction of the visual arts and integrated into their group. She also traveled and lived for short periods in Italy and France, acquiring a life experience and an artistic culture that few of his contemporaries had. She lived in exile in France for more than half her life, but remained deeply connected to the United States, becoming politically involved and significantly contributing to the acquiring of works by European artists - impressionists in particular, but also those who preceded her and those who followed - in North American private collections and in museums. Was the choice of almost exclusively female themes a social constraint or a personal decision? If we are to be guided by the comments in this film, it would rather be about the second option. Not only did Mary Cassatt portray women in private as well as in social settings and public events better than any other artist of her generation, but she was active in the political life advocating for women's equal rights and in especially the right to vote.
'Mary Cassatt: Painting the Modern Woman' offers just about everything we've come to expect from an 'Exhibition on Screen' series. The camera takes us on an immersive experience in the galleries that house the artist's works, and knowledgeable commentators (all women) bring meaningful and interesting information about the works and the artist. Detail shots add value and provide insights that we wouldn't always discover on our own, even if we were in front of the paintings. The only observation I would make about the way the presentation is organized is that detailing the biographical aspects leaves too little time for deeper analyzes of the technical aspects. I enjoyed the comparative presentations of female portraits alongside those of Mary Cassatt's contemporaries, but I would have liked to have learned more and seen more of her artistic techniques from the Impressionist period and her work in engravings. Even so, the overall impression is overwhelmingly positive and the feeling as a moviegoer and art lover is that of visiting a beautiful virtual exhibition. A retrospective exhibition will be held at the Philadelphia Museum of Art this year, the first major exhibition of the artist's work in 25 years. The film 'Mary Cassatt: Painting the Modern Woman' is an excellent introduction and a valuable complementary documentary material.
The film follows the life of Mary Cassatt roughly chronologically - an interesting biography and a quite different one from those of many artists of her generation. She was born in a family of Pittsburgh bankers who encouraged her inclinations, financed her education and made her a life far from material worries. However, having an independent character, she wanted to build a stable artistic career. When her studies in the United States reached the limit to which they could contribute to personal and artistic development, she travelled to Europe, discovering the Paris of the years of the impressionist revolution. She met the important artists who were changing the direction of the visual arts and integrated into their group. She also traveled and lived for short periods in Italy and France, acquiring a life experience and an artistic culture that few of his contemporaries had. She lived in exile in France for more than half her life, but remained deeply connected to the United States, becoming politically involved and significantly contributing to the acquiring of works by European artists - impressionists in particular, but also those who preceded her and those who followed - in North American private collections and in museums. Was the choice of almost exclusively female themes a social constraint or a personal decision? If we are to be guided by the comments in this film, it would rather be about the second option. Not only did Mary Cassatt portray women in private as well as in social settings and public events better than any other artist of her generation, but she was active in the political life advocating for women's equal rights and in especially the right to vote.
'Mary Cassatt: Painting the Modern Woman' offers just about everything we've come to expect from an 'Exhibition on Screen' series. The camera takes us on an immersive experience in the galleries that house the artist's works, and knowledgeable commentators (all women) bring meaningful and interesting information about the works and the artist. Detail shots add value and provide insights that we wouldn't always discover on our own, even if we were in front of the paintings. The only observation I would make about the way the presentation is organized is that detailing the biographical aspects leaves too little time for deeper analyzes of the technical aspects. I enjoyed the comparative presentations of female portraits alongside those of Mary Cassatt's contemporaries, but I would have liked to have learned more and seen more of her artistic techniques from the Impressionist period and her work in engravings. Even so, the overall impression is overwhelmingly positive and the feeling as a moviegoer and art lover is that of visiting a beautiful virtual exhibition. A retrospective exhibition will be held at the Philadelphia Museum of Art this year, the first major exhibition of the artist's work in 25 years. The film 'Mary Cassatt: Painting the Modern Woman' is an excellent introduction and a valuable complementary documentary material.
Margaret aged 11 talks to God
4 March 2024
2023 has been a good year for films set in 1970. I have no explanation as to why, but it is certain that after 'The Holdovers', which is quite well placed in the lists of Academy Awards nominates, now comes 'Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret' directed by Kelly Fremon Craig, who also signs the big screen adaptation of Judy Blume's novel, a film that manages to be both enjoyable to watch and interesting. Subject-wise, this coming-of-age comedy about a 6th-grade girl and her classmates, with the inocent intrigues and the disappointments about the world around them that are magnified to the level of disaster at this age, is quite outside my usual area of interest. But there is a much more important secondary theme, and there's also the honest approach and some outstanding acting performances, and there you go - I finished the viewing almost enthusiastic and surprisingly moved by this film, which far exceeded my expectations.
Margaret is 11 years old and the only daughter of Herb and Barbara. The father is promoted at his job and the family is able to fulfill the dream of many American families in 1970 - to move to a big house in the suburbs. Mom will have to give up her art teacher lessons and become an exemplary mother and housewife, but if she's unhappy she doesn't show it. Margaret, on the other hand, who has to leave New York, change schools, break up with friends, is clearly unhappy. Who can she share her feelings with, now that grandma will be away too? With God, with whom she has private dialogues in the evenings. They are more monologues, but it is known that He is very busy and that He will answer when He has time and in His own way. The dialogue with God gets a little more complicated when the girl receives at her new school a work assignment about the study of religions. Herb is Jewish, Barbara is Christian, and discussions of religion are avoided. None of the organized religion offerings around her seems too attractive, and the subject seems taboo in the family. In addition, Margaret and her friends, members of a 'secret' club the kind of only 11-year-old girls can start, face the problems of coming of age.
The approach is honest and fresh. The dialogues are natural and sensitive themes are approached with discretion and good taste, without excesses of modesty. Child or adolescent actors, when they are well chosen, cannot fail to conquer. In this film, not only Abby Ryder Fortson, who plays the lead role, is excellent, but so are all her partners in the roles of friends and colleagues. I was sorry that the role played by Rachel McAdams was not a bit more consistent. The mother, along with her daughter, goes through the same crises at another age - crises due to moving to the suburbs and giving up her profession, but also because of the family conflict that brings back to light the old quarrel with her parents. The actress is excellent, and that's why I found the writing a bit shallow. Benny Safdie is perfect as the father, and Kathy Bates is pure fun in a role where she seems to be playing Bette Midler playing the Jewish grandmother. I recommend this film that deals with some complicated issues with the right amount of frivolity. Movies about the year 1970 also have the great advantage that the soundtrack consists of the sounds of that wonderful musical period. 'Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret' is no exception. If all dialogues with God were like Margaret's, many conflicts could be easily resolved.
Margaret is 11 years old and the only daughter of Herb and Barbara. The father is promoted at his job and the family is able to fulfill the dream of many American families in 1970 - to move to a big house in the suburbs. Mom will have to give up her art teacher lessons and become an exemplary mother and housewife, but if she's unhappy she doesn't show it. Margaret, on the other hand, who has to leave New York, change schools, break up with friends, is clearly unhappy. Who can she share her feelings with, now that grandma will be away too? With God, with whom she has private dialogues in the evenings. They are more monologues, but it is known that He is very busy and that He will answer when He has time and in His own way. The dialogue with God gets a little more complicated when the girl receives at her new school a work assignment about the study of religions. Herb is Jewish, Barbara is Christian, and discussions of religion are avoided. None of the organized religion offerings around her seems too attractive, and the subject seems taboo in the family. In addition, Margaret and her friends, members of a 'secret' club the kind of only 11-year-old girls can start, face the problems of coming of age.
The approach is honest and fresh. The dialogues are natural and sensitive themes are approached with discretion and good taste, without excesses of modesty. Child or adolescent actors, when they are well chosen, cannot fail to conquer. In this film, not only Abby Ryder Fortson, who plays the lead role, is excellent, but so are all her partners in the roles of friends and colleagues. I was sorry that the role played by Rachel McAdams was not a bit more consistent. The mother, along with her daughter, goes through the same crises at another age - crises due to moving to the suburbs and giving up her profession, but also because of the family conflict that brings back to light the old quarrel with her parents. The actress is excellent, and that's why I found the writing a bit shallow. Benny Safdie is perfect as the father, and Kathy Bates is pure fun in a role where she seems to be playing Bette Midler playing the Jewish grandmother. I recommend this film that deals with some complicated issues with the right amount of frivolity. Movies about the year 1970 also have the great advantage that the soundtrack consists of the sounds of that wonderful musical period. 'Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret' is no exception. If all dialogues with God were like Margaret's, many conflicts could be easily resolved.
The Red Poster
(1976)
the incomode heroes
4 March 2024
'L'affiche rouge' (1976) (the English title is 'The Red Poster') is the first of the films about the Manouchian or the Red Poster case - one of the most dramatic episodes and a rather controversial moment in the history of the French Resistance. It was made a little more than three decades after the Second World War, at a time when many of the survivors of the anti-fascist struggle but also some of the collaborators were still alive, a time when the less idealized historical details of the Resistance and the occupation were just beginning to come to light after decades of silence and secrecy. The director and co-writer of the film is Frank Cassenti, an interesting personality who started as a documentarian and politically engaged director ('L'affiche rouge' being part of this period) to continue and establish himself as a TV movies director, passionate expert in music and author of films about and with music. 'L'affiche rouge' shows courage and inventiveness, in many ways it can be considered as an experimental or avant-garde film, but with a clear political orientation and involvement.
The Manouchian group wrote one of the most spectacular and heroic page in the history of the French Resistance. They are credited with the assassination, on September 28, 1943, of General Julius Ritter, one of those responsible for the mobilization and deportation of slave laborers in Nazi-occupied Europe and with almost thirty other attacks against the objectives of the German occupiers between August and November 1943. They were arrested in circumstances not elucidated to this day, but this film did not refer to this controversial part, which was be covered by other works later. What distinguished the Manouchian group from other Resistance formations was the fact that most of the members of this group of heroes of France were foreigners. Missak Manouchian was an Armenian poet and survivor of the 1915 genocide. Many others in the group were Jews from Eastern Europe. Most of them had met in Spain, during the civil war, where they had fought on the side of the anti-fascist republicans. All were men with one exception - Olga Bancic, a Jewish woman born in Romania. She was the last woman executed by beheading in Europe. During my childhood in communist Romania, Olga Bancic was considered a heroine, streets were named after her and she was also mentioned in school history books. The fact that she was Jewish was omitted. It was precisely this ethnic aspect that was at the core of the way in which the occupiers, but also history, referred to this case. The film describes how the German occupiers used the fighters' ethnicity to stigmatize them as 'non-French', organizing a public trial and preparing propaganda materials, including the (in)famous red poster. After the war, the French were the ones who for a long time minimized the fact that one of the most active and effective networks fighting against the occupiers was made up of foreigners (or 'metecs' as the French say). History rehabilitated them, but too late.
Frank Cassenti's film is not a docu-drama. The director was more concerned with how the heroes of the Resistance and their actions were viewed and reflected during the time the film was made. 30 years had passed and some of the historical facts were already forgotten. Whether the oblivion was just the effect of time or also the result of overshadowing inconvenient details - is a question that is left to the viewers to answer. The pretext that works well cinematically is the staging in a public space, of a 'commedia dell'arte' type show dedicated to the events of the war and their heroes. It is the occasion for some beautiful 'theatre in film' scenes. Several of the survivors meet the young actors, from another generation, who try to understand the heroes they will play. The transition from the present to the past is smooth, sometimes in the same scene. The past infiltrates without us feeling it in the present which had begun to forget. A beautiful idea from a filmmaker who had a lot to say. Even if not all the details are chiseled to the end, even if the characters are just snapshots, devoid of depth, 'Laffiche rouge' is an interesting film which transmits a double lesson - about history and about the reflection of history in history.
The Manouchian group wrote one of the most spectacular and heroic page in the history of the French Resistance. They are credited with the assassination, on September 28, 1943, of General Julius Ritter, one of those responsible for the mobilization and deportation of slave laborers in Nazi-occupied Europe and with almost thirty other attacks against the objectives of the German occupiers between August and November 1943. They were arrested in circumstances not elucidated to this day, but this film did not refer to this controversial part, which was be covered by other works later. What distinguished the Manouchian group from other Resistance formations was the fact that most of the members of this group of heroes of France were foreigners. Missak Manouchian was an Armenian poet and survivor of the 1915 genocide. Many others in the group were Jews from Eastern Europe. Most of them had met in Spain, during the civil war, where they had fought on the side of the anti-fascist republicans. All were men with one exception - Olga Bancic, a Jewish woman born in Romania. She was the last woman executed by beheading in Europe. During my childhood in communist Romania, Olga Bancic was considered a heroine, streets were named after her and she was also mentioned in school history books. The fact that she was Jewish was omitted. It was precisely this ethnic aspect that was at the core of the way in which the occupiers, but also history, referred to this case. The film describes how the German occupiers used the fighters' ethnicity to stigmatize them as 'non-French', organizing a public trial and preparing propaganda materials, including the (in)famous red poster. After the war, the French were the ones who for a long time minimized the fact that one of the most active and effective networks fighting against the occupiers was made up of foreigners (or 'metecs' as the French say). History rehabilitated them, but too late.
Frank Cassenti's film is not a docu-drama. The director was more concerned with how the heroes of the Resistance and their actions were viewed and reflected during the time the film was made. 30 years had passed and some of the historical facts were already forgotten. Whether the oblivion was just the effect of time or also the result of overshadowing inconvenient details - is a question that is left to the viewers to answer. The pretext that works well cinematically is the staging in a public space, of a 'commedia dell'arte' type show dedicated to the events of the war and their heroes. It is the occasion for some beautiful 'theatre in film' scenes. Several of the survivors meet the young actors, from another generation, who try to understand the heroes they will play. The transition from the present to the past is smooth, sometimes in the same scene. The past infiltrates without us feeling it in the present which had begun to forget. A beautiful idea from a filmmaker who had a lot to say. Even if not all the details are chiseled to the end, even if the characters are just snapshots, devoid of depth, 'Laffiche rouge' is an interesting film which transmits a double lesson - about history and about the reflection of history in history.
Poor Things
(2023)
a twisted, wonderful, disturbing fairy tale
29 February 2024
I confess that after watching Yorgos Lanthimos' previous film - 'The Favourite' - I was a bit worried. It was a period film and seemed like evidence of an unwanted (by me) cinematic maturity. I loved in that movie attention to detail and character building that was original and well integrated into the historical context. But the bizarre boldness and morbid and disturbing aesthetic of his previous films - 'Dogtooth', 'The Lobster' and 'The Killing of a Sacred Deer' - were completely missing. However, 'Poor Things' dispelled all these fears. The bizarre and unsettling Yorgos Lanthimos is back. And this movie is - in my opinion - the best movie of 2023. In my ideal cinematic world, 'Poor Things' should be Best Movie of the year and Emma Stone Best Actress in a Leading Role. Of course, the Academy Awards aren't awarded in my ideal world.
Based on Alasdair Gray's novel, 'Poor Things' is a Victorian Gothic story in the tradition of mad scientist narratives created by Mary Shelley's 'Frankenstein'. But the roles are reversed. It is the scientist and surgeon Godwin Baxter who appears to be carved and cut like Frankenstein. In one of his experiments, he creates a strangely beautiful woman with a childlike mind whom he names Bella. The child with a woman's body will learn to walk, to talk, to behave, to confront the limits of social conventions. He will discover his body with its pleasures and pains and learn to face good and evil. She calls her creator God but at some point she revolts against the limitations that he imposes on her and decides to go out into the world, together with a man who will at first try to take advantage of her naivety. Later, as Bella grows up and develops her social talents in an original way, the two will become engaged in a game of passion and hatred with destructive potential.
'Poor Things' is a kind of road movie in an imaginary world, starting from England and Europe from the Victorian period. With this film, Yorgos Lanthimos joins those creators who invent a new, cinematic world for their stories and characters, a category that also includes Tim Burton or Wes Anderson. The limits of imagination are pushed even further at Lanthimos, with fantastic animals and hybrid monsters, with nature and urban landscapes seen through the lens of a child's or teenager's fairy tale visions. 'Poor Things' was shot almost entirely in the studios, which also gives it a visual aspect reminiscent of the great American classics, but the director also combines various filming techniques, black and white with color, panoramic 'fisheye' shooting with the main character in the center. But nothing beats the expressiveness of Emma Stone's performance. It is formidable both in the physical evolution of the growing and maturing child in a woman's body, and in the close-ups that reflect the character's experiences as she learns to confront the world around her, society, good and especially evil in the people around her. Mark Ruffalo also creates a role of a complex and toxic "bad" guy, which the viewers will remember for a long time. Hard to forget and not only because of the physical deformities is also Willem Dafoe in the role of the scientist Dr. God(win) Baxter. Each of his roles in recent years has been an event. The film features, among many other good actors, two actresses whom I have known and watched with pleasure for many decades - Hanna Schygulla and Kathryn Hunter - in the small but important roles of two women who teach Bella one or two important lessons about life. 'Poor Things' is a strange and shocking fairy tale, a film with a crisp feminist and social message, a journey into a fantastic world. Welcome back, Yorgos Lanthimos!
Based on Alasdair Gray's novel, 'Poor Things' is a Victorian Gothic story in the tradition of mad scientist narratives created by Mary Shelley's 'Frankenstein'. But the roles are reversed. It is the scientist and surgeon Godwin Baxter who appears to be carved and cut like Frankenstein. In one of his experiments, he creates a strangely beautiful woman with a childlike mind whom he names Bella. The child with a woman's body will learn to walk, to talk, to behave, to confront the limits of social conventions. He will discover his body with its pleasures and pains and learn to face good and evil. She calls her creator God but at some point she revolts against the limitations that he imposes on her and decides to go out into the world, together with a man who will at first try to take advantage of her naivety. Later, as Bella grows up and develops her social talents in an original way, the two will become engaged in a game of passion and hatred with destructive potential.
'Poor Things' is a kind of road movie in an imaginary world, starting from England and Europe from the Victorian period. With this film, Yorgos Lanthimos joins those creators who invent a new, cinematic world for their stories and characters, a category that also includes Tim Burton or Wes Anderson. The limits of imagination are pushed even further at Lanthimos, with fantastic animals and hybrid monsters, with nature and urban landscapes seen through the lens of a child's or teenager's fairy tale visions. 'Poor Things' was shot almost entirely in the studios, which also gives it a visual aspect reminiscent of the great American classics, but the director also combines various filming techniques, black and white with color, panoramic 'fisheye' shooting with the main character in the center. But nothing beats the expressiveness of Emma Stone's performance. It is formidable both in the physical evolution of the growing and maturing child in a woman's body, and in the close-ups that reflect the character's experiences as she learns to confront the world around her, society, good and especially evil in the people around her. Mark Ruffalo also creates a role of a complex and toxic "bad" guy, which the viewers will remember for a long time. Hard to forget and not only because of the physical deformities is also Willem Dafoe in the role of the scientist Dr. God(win) Baxter. Each of his roles in recent years has been an event. The film features, among many other good actors, two actresses whom I have known and watched with pleasure for many decades - Hanna Schygulla and Kathryn Hunter - in the small but important roles of two women who teach Bella one or two important lessons about life. 'Poor Things' is a strange and shocking fairy tale, a film with a crisp feminist and social message, a journey into a fantastic world. Welcome back, Yorgos Lanthimos!
The Zone of Interest
(2023)
the trivialization of evil
26 February 2024
Jonathan Glazer's Holocaust film The Zone of Interest (2023) is one of the most anticipated and talked about films of the season. The film is interesting and this is not a surprise. Glazer is a director and screenwriter who proposes unique personal visions in each of his films. This time the challenge is huge, because the genre of films about the Holocaust is extremely populated and diverse, and the emotion and implications that accompany discussions of the most terrible genocide in history have reverberations in the way books (documentary or fiction), films or other artistic productions related to this theme are valued. As we move away from the events, in the years when the last survivors and the last direct testimonies disappear into history, it is art that takes over part of the support of the memory. Glazer started from Martin Amis' penultimate novel, 'The Zone of Interest', but kept only the title and general approach from it. Unlike the English novelist, he gave the characters of his film their true identity: Rudolf Höss - the commandant of the Auschwitz camp and the creator of the factory of death - together with his wife Hedwig and their five children. We could say that the film is (also) about the human dimension of these characters, but the problem is that the adjective 'human' does not fit well here.
'The Zone of Interest' intents to be an argumentative exemplification of the term 'banality of evil' invented by Hanna Arendt in the book written after she had witnessed the trial of Adolf Eichman in Jerusalem. The main characters are one of the epitome of absolute evil. This is not about ordinary Germans who knew more or less, usually choosing how much they wanted to know, about the Holocaust happening right next to them. It is not even about simple executants. Rudolf Höss was one of the active participants in the extermination, a demon who commanded the death squads at Auschwitz and designed part of the extermination machine. Hedwig was also aware of everything that was going on behind the barbed wire fence, and in addition she was a direct profiteer, looting from the confiscated items of the prisoners who arrived at their final station. The two built a kind of apparent garden of heaven in the middle of hell, using the slave labor of the deportees and putting into practice an ideology that created a 'living space' for the 'superior race' by exploiting and exterminating the Jews and other peoples and categories considered 'inferior'. It is the details that are the most shocking. Fear in the eyes of the women who serve in the house. The sinister games of Nazi children. The executioner's obsession with hygiene. Bureaucratic approach and engineering planning of criminal activities. The Hösses and those around them never ask themselves any ethical questions. In fact, they do not seem to see the slave deportees as human beings. By this they take themselves out of humanity.
In times like ours, where Holocaust denial persists, such films are necessary. By removing one layer of fiction and choosing to restore the characters to their real identity, using or reconstructing archival documents about Auschwitz and its executioners, Jonathan Glazer chose not to make a film version of Martin Amis' book but the docudrama that could be the basis of the book. The main idea of the novel is repeated and elaborated, but after the first ten minutes we learn nothing new. The discourse about the banality of evil is dangerously close to trivialization. Christian Friedel and Sandra Hüller interpret their roles with glacial cynicism. This is where I lacked nuancing. Although they are present on screen most of the time, we do not learn anything about the roots of the absolute evil that the two characters symbolize. A single allusion is made at one point to the wife's modest social origins, in the discussion with her mother - the only character who seems to dissociate herself from what is happening around her. How did these ordinary Germans become faithful executors of criminal plans? National-Socialism did not emerge from the void. Jonathan Glazer tries to introduce special cinematic elements, but not all of them work. Dark screens for many tens of seconds are useless. The dream sequences and the one with the piano song were not clear to me when watching, the viewer needs to read about the documentation of the film to understand and place them where they need to be. The soundtrack, on the other hand, is terrific. I haven't heard such a film in a long time and the expression 'to hear the film' is the correct one. The haunting music is written by Mica Levi. There are many original elements, more or less successful, and not all of them connect. The essence is missing.
Martin Amis died on the day of the film's world premiere, which took place at the Cannes Film Festival. I would have really liked to know his opinion about the movie.
'The Zone of Interest' intents to be an argumentative exemplification of the term 'banality of evil' invented by Hanna Arendt in the book written after she had witnessed the trial of Adolf Eichman in Jerusalem. The main characters are one of the epitome of absolute evil. This is not about ordinary Germans who knew more or less, usually choosing how much they wanted to know, about the Holocaust happening right next to them. It is not even about simple executants. Rudolf Höss was one of the active participants in the extermination, a demon who commanded the death squads at Auschwitz and designed part of the extermination machine. Hedwig was also aware of everything that was going on behind the barbed wire fence, and in addition she was a direct profiteer, looting from the confiscated items of the prisoners who arrived at their final station. The two built a kind of apparent garden of heaven in the middle of hell, using the slave labor of the deportees and putting into practice an ideology that created a 'living space' for the 'superior race' by exploiting and exterminating the Jews and other peoples and categories considered 'inferior'. It is the details that are the most shocking. Fear in the eyes of the women who serve in the house. The sinister games of Nazi children. The executioner's obsession with hygiene. Bureaucratic approach and engineering planning of criminal activities. The Hösses and those around them never ask themselves any ethical questions. In fact, they do not seem to see the slave deportees as human beings. By this they take themselves out of humanity.
In times like ours, where Holocaust denial persists, such films are necessary. By removing one layer of fiction and choosing to restore the characters to their real identity, using or reconstructing archival documents about Auschwitz and its executioners, Jonathan Glazer chose not to make a film version of Martin Amis' book but the docudrama that could be the basis of the book. The main idea of the novel is repeated and elaborated, but after the first ten minutes we learn nothing new. The discourse about the banality of evil is dangerously close to trivialization. Christian Friedel and Sandra Hüller interpret their roles with glacial cynicism. This is where I lacked nuancing. Although they are present on screen most of the time, we do not learn anything about the roots of the absolute evil that the two characters symbolize. A single allusion is made at one point to the wife's modest social origins, in the discussion with her mother - the only character who seems to dissociate herself from what is happening around her. How did these ordinary Germans become faithful executors of criminal plans? National-Socialism did not emerge from the void. Jonathan Glazer tries to introduce special cinematic elements, but not all of them work. Dark screens for many tens of seconds are useless. The dream sequences and the one with the piano song were not clear to me when watching, the viewer needs to read about the documentation of the film to understand and place them where they need to be. The soundtrack, on the other hand, is terrific. I haven't heard such a film in a long time and the expression 'to hear the film' is the correct one. The haunting music is written by Mica Levi. There are many original elements, more or less successful, and not all of them connect. The essence is missing.
Martin Amis died on the day of the film's world premiere, which took place at the Cannes Film Festival. I would have really liked to know his opinion about the movie.
125 rue Montmartre
(1959)
damned be the savior
24 February 2024
The year 1959 in which Gilles Grangier's '125 rue Montmartre' was made was not an ordinary year in the history of French cinema. It was the year of the release of films like 'Les quatre cent coups' and 'Hiroshima mon amour', the first of a few consecutive years in which world cinema would be changed by a group of young directors and film theorists, followers of the concept of auteur cinema. Gilles Grangier was also in a period of maximum productivity. He had made the year before 'Le désordre et la nuit' and that year 'Archimède, le clochard', both with Jean Gabin in the leading roles. In '125 rue Montmartre' he casts Lino Ventura in the lead role. It is a thriller drama with a 'film noir' tone but also a moralizing story with dialogues written by Michel Audiard, adapting a novel by André Gillois. Grangier proves in this film that he masters and adopts many of the Nouvelle Vague techniques, but his directorial conception is completely opposite. He seems to be telling his young peers that movies are about and for viewers and are entertainment to take spectators out of the everyday, and not about the filmmakers or vehicles for engaging spectators with social or political messages.
The story takes place in 1959, in an era when printed newspapers were still the main means of information and the job of selling newspapers made it possible to earn a modest but decent living. Pascal is one such newspaper seller, every day he takes a stack of a hundred newspapers, rides his bicycle and sells them on the streets of Paris. After work, he smokes a cigarette on the banks of the Seine. On such a day he witnesses the suicide attempt of a man named Didier. He rescues him and takes him to his home. The man tells him about his wife trying to commit him to a mental asylum to get her hands on his fortune. Good soul, Pascal offers to help him, but this decision gets him into big trouble. The good deed will be punished with involvement in a burglary and being accused of a crime he did not commit.
Lino Ventura plays a role in this film that is a bit different from the kind of gangster or tough cop roles that audiences are used to in most of his other films. Pascal is a simple and gullible man who reacts violently when bad things happen to him, but who wouldn't react violently in his situation? The charm of this film also resides in the unexpectedly smooth melting of Pascal / Ventura in the surrounding human landscape, but also in the description of the human mosaic and life on the streets, in popular restaurants or at the distribution of newspapers, of a Paris of modest and working people. The contrast with the bourgeois house where dark intrigues and murders take place also has a social undertone, but this is implied and not emphasized. The Paris street and nocturnal scenes are no less interesting than those of the Nouvelle Vague contemporaries, and the sincerity of Ventura's performance is also fresh and natural. Even if Gilles Grangier belongs to a different directorial school, '125 rue Montmartre' is not that far from the revolutionary cinematographic works of 1959.
The story takes place in 1959, in an era when printed newspapers were still the main means of information and the job of selling newspapers made it possible to earn a modest but decent living. Pascal is one such newspaper seller, every day he takes a stack of a hundred newspapers, rides his bicycle and sells them on the streets of Paris. After work, he smokes a cigarette on the banks of the Seine. On such a day he witnesses the suicide attempt of a man named Didier. He rescues him and takes him to his home. The man tells him about his wife trying to commit him to a mental asylum to get her hands on his fortune. Good soul, Pascal offers to help him, but this decision gets him into big trouble. The good deed will be punished with involvement in a burglary and being accused of a crime he did not commit.
Lino Ventura plays a role in this film that is a bit different from the kind of gangster or tough cop roles that audiences are used to in most of his other films. Pascal is a simple and gullible man who reacts violently when bad things happen to him, but who wouldn't react violently in his situation? The charm of this film also resides in the unexpectedly smooth melting of Pascal / Ventura in the surrounding human landscape, but also in the description of the human mosaic and life on the streets, in popular restaurants or at the distribution of newspapers, of a Paris of modest and working people. The contrast with the bourgeois house where dark intrigues and murders take place also has a social undertone, but this is implied and not emphasized. The Paris street and nocturnal scenes are no less interesting than those of the Nouvelle Vague contemporaries, and the sincerity of Ventura's performance is also fresh and natural. Even if Gilles Grangier belongs to a different directorial school, '125 rue Montmartre' is not that far from the revolutionary cinematographic works of 1959.
HPI Haut Potentiel Intellectuel
(2021– )
too smart to be true
23 February 2024
The French series "HPI - Haut Potentiel Intellectuel" ("High Intellectual Potential") debuted in 2021 - the year that most of us spent at home with very limited entertainment opportunities. This was actually a chance for shows and series of television and streaming companies, and I think that this series also benefited from this conjuncture. "HPI" is a French detective series, but not a classic one, with as its main character an investigator like we have never seen before. The combination of the detective riddles and character and situational comedy works very well, especially when some romance is added. "HPI" is now in its fourth season in France, I have seen and am writing these reviews after watching the first three seasons. The producers have succeeded to keep the acting team intact - as the five police officers and six family members of the main heroine and this contributes to the popularity of the series. The cases plots are quite interesting, the characters become familiar and we follow their romantic adventures in addition to the detective ones. The leading idea is funny and outrageous enough to create escapist interest in these uncertain times.
Each episode features an investigation by the Lille criminal police team, composed of a sympathetic and competent female boss, a skilled but dry-witted investigator (Inspector Adam Karadec), a younger policeman and a policewoman learning the secrets of the trade. They are joined, by a comical coincidence described in the pilot episode, by Morgane Alvaro, an extraordinarily intelligent and extraordinarily flamboyant girl. Morgane has a fabulous IQ of 160, well above the limit that describes a person with High Intellectual Potential, that is, possessing a much higher cognitive intelligence than people in their age group. But she also has a difficult personality, doesn't accept authority, dresses like a punkist and behaves worse. She is divorced, actually after a second marriage, the first husband having disappeared under unexplained circumstances. She is raising three children and is forced to do all kinds of menial jobs. In the first episode we find her working as a cleaning woman in the police HQ, but by the end of the episode she is already employed as a counselor. The formidable memory, the encyclopedic knowledge, the ability to make unexpected connections between the details of the investigation and the world of science make Morgane a decisive factor in solving the most complicated cases. The problem is that her reasoning intelligence is accompanied by social immaturity and a total lack of respect for social conventions. For this reason, she is considered a 'difficult character' and will have to constantly face problems both at her new job and in her personal life.
Almost every episode in the three seasons I've watched so far begins with a body being discovered, usually in the wee hours of the morning. It's the case that Inspector Karadec and Morgane will solve by the end of the episode's hour. In parallel, we follow the complications of Morgane and her family's life, including the mystery of her first husband's disappearance, and we witness the rapprochement between Karadec and Morgane that has the chance to turn into an unlikely love story. It all takes place in and around the northern French city of Lille, which eventually becomes a familiar setting. Throughout the three seasons, the police intrigues - without disappearing - decrease in interest and more attention is paid to the romantic and comedic side and the family problems of Morgane, which from a moment on become part of the cases. Those who will watch the series will find it difficult not to fall in love with the detective who is too intelligent for the world around her. Actress Audrey Fleurot is sparkling and captivating as Morgane, while Mehdi Nebbou gives an excellent emotional and professional counterpoint as Inspector Karadec. The fourth season of "HPI" has started airing in France, I haven't seen any episodes of it yet, but I'm looking forward to them. A recommended series, just right for those looking for a little escapism in dark times.
Each episode features an investigation by the Lille criminal police team, composed of a sympathetic and competent female boss, a skilled but dry-witted investigator (Inspector Adam Karadec), a younger policeman and a policewoman learning the secrets of the trade. They are joined, by a comical coincidence described in the pilot episode, by Morgane Alvaro, an extraordinarily intelligent and extraordinarily flamboyant girl. Morgane has a fabulous IQ of 160, well above the limit that describes a person with High Intellectual Potential, that is, possessing a much higher cognitive intelligence than people in their age group. But she also has a difficult personality, doesn't accept authority, dresses like a punkist and behaves worse. She is divorced, actually after a second marriage, the first husband having disappeared under unexplained circumstances. She is raising three children and is forced to do all kinds of menial jobs. In the first episode we find her working as a cleaning woman in the police HQ, but by the end of the episode she is already employed as a counselor. The formidable memory, the encyclopedic knowledge, the ability to make unexpected connections between the details of the investigation and the world of science make Morgane a decisive factor in solving the most complicated cases. The problem is that her reasoning intelligence is accompanied by social immaturity and a total lack of respect for social conventions. For this reason, she is considered a 'difficult character' and will have to constantly face problems both at her new job and in her personal life.
Almost every episode in the three seasons I've watched so far begins with a body being discovered, usually in the wee hours of the morning. It's the case that Inspector Karadec and Morgane will solve by the end of the episode's hour. In parallel, we follow the complications of Morgane and her family's life, including the mystery of her first husband's disappearance, and we witness the rapprochement between Karadec and Morgane that has the chance to turn into an unlikely love story. It all takes place in and around the northern French city of Lille, which eventually becomes a familiar setting. Throughout the three seasons, the police intrigues - without disappearing - decrease in interest and more attention is paid to the romantic and comedic side and the family problems of Morgane, which from a moment on become part of the cases. Those who will watch the series will find it difficult not to fall in love with the detective who is too intelligent for the world around her. Actress Audrey Fleurot is sparkling and captivating as Morgane, while Mehdi Nebbou gives an excellent emotional and professional counterpoint as Inspector Karadec. The fourth season of "HPI" has started airing in France, I haven't seen any episodes of it yet, but I'm looking forward to them. A recommended series, just right for those looking for a little escapism in dark times.
Alice in the Cities
(1974)
the trip of the lonelies
22 February 2024
Between 'Alice in den Städten' ('Alice in the Cities' - 1974) and 'Perfect Days' (2023) 49 years have passed. 49 years in which the career of German director Wim Wenders has developed in many and sometimes surprising directions. It just so happens that I saw the feature film first, or the most recent one, and only then the 1974 film, Wenders' first successful film and the film that opened what would later be called 'Wim Wenders' trilogy of road movies' . I found that the two films, separated by almost half a century, have many points in common: the deep respect for the cinematic masters who inspired him, the curiosity and openness to other cultures of the world, the soundtrack tribute to American rock and especially the believable and interesting characters, who struggle with life but who, in these struggles, look for their resources within themselves, so that in crisis situations they behave altruistically and humanely, helping and bringing light to those who are lucky enough to be around them .
'Alice in den Städten' begins with the writer and journalist Philip Winter's crisis of inspiration. The hero was perhaps an alter-ego of the young director who was still searching his ways. A journey of several weeks in Deep America with its roads and motels had resulted in nothing but a box of Polaroid photographs, perhaps a metaphor for the inability to transform experiences of life into art, perhaps a surrogate for the camera of the filmmaker. Artistically and financially exhausted, the young man tries to return home to Germany from New York, but a strike at German airports spoils his plans. At the Pan Am counter, he meets Lisa, a young mother with a nine-year-old daughter named Alice, who was in the same situation. They are forced to stay overnight in New York. The next morning, Philip wakes up to find Lisa gone and with the little girl entrusted to his care. A meeting is set in a few days at the airport in Amsterdam. If the situation seems complicated (and would even be legally impossible today) imagine the dilemma in which Philip finds himself. When the mother does not show up for the meeting in Amsterdam either, the young writer is at the beginning of a journey with Alice through Germany, in search of the grandmother of whom she remembers only a few vague details. A special bond is formed between Philip and the curious, sympathetic girl with the moods of any nine-year-old girl, a meeting of two solitudes, for which neither of them was ready.
Just like in the film he would make half a century later, Wim Wenders' characters constantly maintain an aura of mystery around them. We never find out how Alice's mother was able to entrust her to a man she had met only hours before, or why he didn't show up at the meeting in Amsterdam. Half a century later, Hirayama, the main character of 'Perfect Days', will also be a mystery to viewers due to his culture and hobbies that do not match his job and social status at all. His heroes always get along better with those around them than with society as a whole. But Wenders is more interested in something else - the human profile and how characters interact and respond to life's challenges. Philip is played by Rüdiger Vogler, the actor who will star in all three films of the trilogy, along with Lisa Kreuzer (Wenders' wife at the time) who plays the role of the mysterious mother. The choice of the actress to play Alice is of course one of the reasons for the film's success. The chosen girl, creator of an unforgettable character, is called Yella Rottländer. She did not pursue an acting career and is today a physician and scientific researcher at a medical clinic in Switzerland. As a means of expression, Wenders was already a trained filmmaker. The cinematography combines, when necessary, Ozu's framing with the camera mobility assimilated from the French New Wave. The American experience (the roads, the motels, New York) and the German experience (the Rhine valley and the Ruhr industrial area) are immersive, transporting us in time. John Ford, one of his models, is quoted directly by Wenders through the TV in the motel or the newspaper article Philip reads on the train. Wenders allows himself a cameo appearance, as Hitchcock did in each of his films. Like his character, Wenders was at a crossroads-artistically and in life-when this film began. At its end, things were much clearer, and German cinema and the genre of road movies had acquired one of the reference films.
'Alice in den Städten' begins with the writer and journalist Philip Winter's crisis of inspiration. The hero was perhaps an alter-ego of the young director who was still searching his ways. A journey of several weeks in Deep America with its roads and motels had resulted in nothing but a box of Polaroid photographs, perhaps a metaphor for the inability to transform experiences of life into art, perhaps a surrogate for the camera of the filmmaker. Artistically and financially exhausted, the young man tries to return home to Germany from New York, but a strike at German airports spoils his plans. At the Pan Am counter, he meets Lisa, a young mother with a nine-year-old daughter named Alice, who was in the same situation. They are forced to stay overnight in New York. The next morning, Philip wakes up to find Lisa gone and with the little girl entrusted to his care. A meeting is set in a few days at the airport in Amsterdam. If the situation seems complicated (and would even be legally impossible today) imagine the dilemma in which Philip finds himself. When the mother does not show up for the meeting in Amsterdam either, the young writer is at the beginning of a journey with Alice through Germany, in search of the grandmother of whom she remembers only a few vague details. A special bond is formed between Philip and the curious, sympathetic girl with the moods of any nine-year-old girl, a meeting of two solitudes, for which neither of them was ready.
Just like in the film he would make half a century later, Wim Wenders' characters constantly maintain an aura of mystery around them. We never find out how Alice's mother was able to entrust her to a man she had met only hours before, or why he didn't show up at the meeting in Amsterdam. Half a century later, Hirayama, the main character of 'Perfect Days', will also be a mystery to viewers due to his culture and hobbies that do not match his job and social status at all. His heroes always get along better with those around them than with society as a whole. But Wenders is more interested in something else - the human profile and how characters interact and respond to life's challenges. Philip is played by Rüdiger Vogler, the actor who will star in all three films of the trilogy, along with Lisa Kreuzer (Wenders' wife at the time) who plays the role of the mysterious mother. The choice of the actress to play Alice is of course one of the reasons for the film's success. The chosen girl, creator of an unforgettable character, is called Yella Rottländer. She did not pursue an acting career and is today a physician and scientific researcher at a medical clinic in Switzerland. As a means of expression, Wenders was already a trained filmmaker. The cinematography combines, when necessary, Ozu's framing with the camera mobility assimilated from the French New Wave. The American experience (the roads, the motels, New York) and the German experience (the Rhine valley and the Ruhr industrial area) are immersive, transporting us in time. John Ford, one of his models, is quoted directly by Wenders through the TV in the motel or the newspaper article Philip reads on the train. Wenders allows himself a cameo appearance, as Hitchcock did in each of his films. Like his character, Wenders was at a crossroads-artistically and in life-when this film began. At its end, things were much clearer, and German cinema and the genre of road movies had acquired one of the reference films.
The Beasts
(2022)
at the edge of Europe
20 February 2024
Warning: Spoilers
Rodrigo Sorogoyen is one of the Spanish film directors that I follow and particularly appreciate. Several of his successful films in the last decade have been political thrillers set in urban settings. 'As bestas' ('The Beasts') is apparently a very different film. The story takes place in the countryside, in a half-abandoned village in the mountainous area of Galicia. It can be said that this film is also a psychological thriller and that it also has a political and social substratum addressing themes such as xenophobia, the differences in economic development between industrialized cities and agriculture-based villages, the conflict between modern and archaic. The film has been compared to Sam Peckinpah's 'Straw Dogs' (1971), but it mostly reminded me of 'R. M. N.' by Cristian Mungiu, made in Romania around the same time as 'As bestas'. If we are to judge by these two films, the problems faced by the rural communities at the two edges of the European Union are very similar.
Antoine and Olga are a French couple, past their prime but strong enough to decide to open a new stage in their lives by buying land in a village in a poor and mountainous area of Spain and working it. They start organic farming, plan to raise animals for milk and cheese, and renovate abandoned houses to turn them into cottages for tourism. Their arrival should, in principle, please the neighbors who are facing economic problems in a depopulated village. But what happens is exactly the opposite. The main reason is that the French couple opposes the sale of land to a company that builds wind turbines in the windy mountainous area. A key scene, a discussion, somewhere in the middle of the film, clarifies the positions of the two sides. For most viewers, the French couple's perspective is easier to understand. But the villagers also have a point that can be respected. The land they live on for generations bears fruit if a lot of hard work is invested. Despite their work, the villagers remain poor and many have had to leave for the cities. Selling the land would perhaps mean enough money for them to move and start new lives elsewhere. It is a unique opportunity, as if the investors are refused, they can go to another village. It is precisely the foreigners who have been here for only two years who are resisting selling their lot. The tragedy is that this conflict starts from jokes, evolves into social ostracism of newcomers and sabotage of their work, and threatens to generate even more violence. This is where the thriller part begins, with a build-up of tension approaching explosion. Romanian viewers will find the atmosphere familiar. It is similar to that of Slavici and Rebreanu's novels (and the films inspired by them), with tough peasants and land conflicts, with violence and revenge, with exceptionally strong and well-defined female characters.
The story is very well told. Rodrigo Sorogoyen proves to be just as adept at building a believable and fluid narrative and authentically recreating the countryside as he has done with big city environments and even Spanish politics in other films. The roles of the two French people are played by two French actors - Marina Foïs and Denis Ménochet - who had to learn Spanish for this film to be credible as their two characters who have been living in Spain for two years. She in particular is formidable. Another outstanding performance is that of Luis Zahera as Xan, the cunning and violent neighbor who will do everything to eliminate the danger in his life caused by the appearance of strangers. The tension between archaic and modern, between locals and foreigners, is rendered realistically, almost naturalistically, but everything is enveloped in the special space of the nature that dominates and marks the rhythm of people's lives. 'As bestas' is both a thriller of a special kind and a film that offers another perspective of the conflicts on the periphery of Europe.
Antoine and Olga are a French couple, past their prime but strong enough to decide to open a new stage in their lives by buying land in a village in a poor and mountainous area of Spain and working it. They start organic farming, plan to raise animals for milk and cheese, and renovate abandoned houses to turn them into cottages for tourism. Their arrival should, in principle, please the neighbors who are facing economic problems in a depopulated village. But what happens is exactly the opposite. The main reason is that the French couple opposes the sale of land to a company that builds wind turbines in the windy mountainous area. A key scene, a discussion, somewhere in the middle of the film, clarifies the positions of the two sides. For most viewers, the French couple's perspective is easier to understand. But the villagers also have a point that can be respected. The land they live on for generations bears fruit if a lot of hard work is invested. Despite their work, the villagers remain poor and many have had to leave for the cities. Selling the land would perhaps mean enough money for them to move and start new lives elsewhere. It is a unique opportunity, as if the investors are refused, they can go to another village. It is precisely the foreigners who have been here for only two years who are resisting selling their lot. The tragedy is that this conflict starts from jokes, evolves into social ostracism of newcomers and sabotage of their work, and threatens to generate even more violence. This is where the thriller part begins, with a build-up of tension approaching explosion. Romanian viewers will find the atmosphere familiar. It is similar to that of Slavici and Rebreanu's novels (and the films inspired by them), with tough peasants and land conflicts, with violence and revenge, with exceptionally strong and well-defined female characters.
The story is very well told. Rodrigo Sorogoyen proves to be just as adept at building a believable and fluid narrative and authentically recreating the countryside as he has done with big city environments and even Spanish politics in other films. The roles of the two French people are played by two French actors - Marina Foïs and Denis Ménochet - who had to learn Spanish for this film to be credible as their two characters who have been living in Spain for two years. She in particular is formidable. Another outstanding performance is that of Luis Zahera as Xan, the cunning and violent neighbor who will do everything to eliminate the danger in his life caused by the appearance of strangers. The tension between archaic and modern, between locals and foreigners, is rendered realistically, almost naturalistically, but everything is enveloped in the special space of the nature that dominates and marks the rhythm of people's lives. 'As bestas' is both a thriller of a special kind and a film that offers another perspective of the conflicts on the periphery of Europe.
Anatomy of a Fall
(2023)
anatomy of an unhappy marriage
19 February 2024
Warning: Spoilers
'Anatomy d'une chute' is the surprise winner of the Palme d'Or trophy at Cannes 2023 and the 'underdog' nomination in several key categories at this year's edition of the Academy Awards. I confess that I have not seen any of the previous films of director Justine Triet, so I was expecting just about anything from the viewing. The surprise is that I watched a mature and balanced film, a psychological thriller combined with a courtroom drama, which despite its two and a half hour duration manages to attract and hold the attention of the viewers (well, of most of them) with well-written dialogues, with situations that develop gradually and become more complex, with interesting characters, well outlined by quality acting performances and without artificiality or extremes. It's an almost classic film in topic and structure, and if we're surprised that it's been successful with juries, critics, and audiences, the problem is probably not the film's, but ours and of what else we've seen lately .
Sandra and Samuel are a couple of writers. They live in a chalet located in a dream position in the mountains surrounding the city of Grenoble. She's successful, he's not, and so he supplements his income teaching and renovating part of the house to rent out for B&B. Their son, Daniel, aged about 10-12 years, has very limited vision following an accident in which the father may have had some responsibility. The story begins like a thriller, on a beautiful winter day. Sandra invites a young reporter for an interview. Samuel plays loud music on a loop, disrupting the interview. After the reporter leaves, Sandra goes to rest, while Daniel goes out for a walk with Scoop, their dog. Upon returning, the boy discovers the father's body, dead after a fall from the balcony or the attic window of the cottage. Accident? Suicide? Crime? The police suspect Sandra, she is investigated and charged. An old friend of hers, a lawyer, is called to defend her. The president of the court decides that Sandra can be released on bail during the trial, but a policewoman will be permanently in the house to avoid the accused mother from influencing her son, a key witness in the trial. From here the film turns into a courtroom drama, and fans of the genre, exposed especially to American films, will delight in the differences between the American and the French court system - much more interactive and freer from a formal point of view in debates and interventions of lawyers, prosecutors and even of the accused. The boy witnesses the trial which turns into a true autopsy of his parents' marriage. Far from being an ideal marriage, the relationships of the Sandra - Samuel couple seem to exemplify the classic phrase with which Leo Tolstoy's 'Anna Karenina' begins about unhappy families. But are marital disagreements, which seem no more extreme than those that occur in almost any couple, sufficient grounds for murder? And if it wasn't murder, what happened? Samuel's psychological profile does not seem to have been exactly suicidal, despite some past therapy and psychiatric treatment. The psychiatrist, the prosecution and defense experts, the investigating policeman are called as witnesses, but the decisive testimony remains that of Daniel - the child forced to relive the whole family drama, amplified to the dimensions of a courtroom.
The thriller part is quite interesting, although not original. Being (also) a consumer of French detective series, I can recall quite a few similar episodes, cleverly solved by television detectives. Justine Triet (who is also the co-screenwriter) did not insist on fully solving the case. Sometimes this is not possible, even after long investigations or trials - this often happens in life. What interested the filmmakers are family relationships, those between mother and child and those between wife and husband that are revealed as the investigation and trial progress. To what extent can even the closest people know each other, communicate and share their feelings? There are visible and invisible communication barriers between the three family members. Samuel is French, Sandra is German. Neither of them speaks the other's native language well and the couple uses English at home. Daniel is almost blind, but it is precisely the lack of sight that amplifies his other senses and sensitivity. Words hide more than they reveal. None of the characters express their feelings. Interesting decision to use the first names of the actors as names for the heroes of the film. Sandra Hüller is terrific as the writer. At no point do physical evidences of a crime appear, but it is precisely the coldness of her temperament and the language barrier that make her appear suspect in the eyes of both the police and the spectators. Swann Arlaud plays the lawyer, who was in love in his youth and perhaps is still in love with the beautiful but distant woman who is now accused of murder. Daniel is played by Milo Machado-Graner, an experienced child actor cast after searches for an actor with an actual visual impairment failed. Difficult role, perfect execution. 'Anatomy d'une chute' could have easily fallen into a rather banal crime-trial genre film, but it rises above the average by the quality of the script, by the depth of the characters, by the psychological truthfulness and by the good acting. Leo Tolstoy was right again.
Sandra and Samuel are a couple of writers. They live in a chalet located in a dream position in the mountains surrounding the city of Grenoble. She's successful, he's not, and so he supplements his income teaching and renovating part of the house to rent out for B&B. Their son, Daniel, aged about 10-12 years, has very limited vision following an accident in which the father may have had some responsibility. The story begins like a thriller, on a beautiful winter day. Sandra invites a young reporter for an interview. Samuel plays loud music on a loop, disrupting the interview. After the reporter leaves, Sandra goes to rest, while Daniel goes out for a walk with Scoop, their dog. Upon returning, the boy discovers the father's body, dead after a fall from the balcony or the attic window of the cottage. Accident? Suicide? Crime? The police suspect Sandra, she is investigated and charged. An old friend of hers, a lawyer, is called to defend her. The president of the court decides that Sandra can be released on bail during the trial, but a policewoman will be permanently in the house to avoid the accused mother from influencing her son, a key witness in the trial. From here the film turns into a courtroom drama, and fans of the genre, exposed especially to American films, will delight in the differences between the American and the French court system - much more interactive and freer from a formal point of view in debates and interventions of lawyers, prosecutors and even of the accused. The boy witnesses the trial which turns into a true autopsy of his parents' marriage. Far from being an ideal marriage, the relationships of the Sandra - Samuel couple seem to exemplify the classic phrase with which Leo Tolstoy's 'Anna Karenina' begins about unhappy families. But are marital disagreements, which seem no more extreme than those that occur in almost any couple, sufficient grounds for murder? And if it wasn't murder, what happened? Samuel's psychological profile does not seem to have been exactly suicidal, despite some past therapy and psychiatric treatment. The psychiatrist, the prosecution and defense experts, the investigating policeman are called as witnesses, but the decisive testimony remains that of Daniel - the child forced to relive the whole family drama, amplified to the dimensions of a courtroom.
The thriller part is quite interesting, although not original. Being (also) a consumer of French detective series, I can recall quite a few similar episodes, cleverly solved by television detectives. Justine Triet (who is also the co-screenwriter) did not insist on fully solving the case. Sometimes this is not possible, even after long investigations or trials - this often happens in life. What interested the filmmakers are family relationships, those between mother and child and those between wife and husband that are revealed as the investigation and trial progress. To what extent can even the closest people know each other, communicate and share their feelings? There are visible and invisible communication barriers between the three family members. Samuel is French, Sandra is German. Neither of them speaks the other's native language well and the couple uses English at home. Daniel is almost blind, but it is precisely the lack of sight that amplifies his other senses and sensitivity. Words hide more than they reveal. None of the characters express their feelings. Interesting decision to use the first names of the actors as names for the heroes of the film. Sandra Hüller is terrific as the writer. At no point do physical evidences of a crime appear, but it is precisely the coldness of her temperament and the language barrier that make her appear suspect in the eyes of both the police and the spectators. Swann Arlaud plays the lawyer, who was in love in his youth and perhaps is still in love with the beautiful but distant woman who is now accused of murder. Daniel is played by Milo Machado-Graner, an experienced child actor cast after searches for an actor with an actual visual impairment failed. Difficult role, perfect execution. 'Anatomy d'une chute' could have easily fallen into a rather banal crime-trial genre film, but it rises above the average by the quality of the script, by the depth of the characters, by the psychological truthfulness and by the good acting. Leo Tolstoy was right again.
On Guard
(1997)
the last great swashbuckler?
17 February 2024
Warning: Spoilers
French literature of the middle and second half of the 19th century offered its readers a treasure trove of mystery and adventure novels with themes inspired by the history of France from the Middle Ages to the period of the French Revolution. A century later, filmmakers took over the baton in the films of the swashbuckler genre, which were often adaptations of those novels. The French and international public, readers and cinema lovers, greatly enjoyed this genre, bought the books and filled the cinema halls. Among the cinematographic successes of the genre was 'Cartouche' made in 1962 by Philippe de Broca. 35 years later, in 1997, de Broca returned to this kind of films with 'Le bossu' (the title in the English distribution was 'On Guard'), a successful film that once again filled the cinema halls and gave the opportunity for film critics to exclaim in unison: 'The swashbuckler genre is alive!'
The novel that inspired the film was written by Paul Féval and published in serial feuilleton form in 1857. The influence of Alexandre Dumas-father's novel 'The Count of Monte Cristo', published 13 years earlier, is obvious. The plot starts from a tragic love story followed by a belated revenge based on the assumption of a fictitious identity. The story begins in the year 1700, when the knight Lagardère meets the Duke of Nevers and learns from him a formidable and deadly figure of fencing. When the duke is killed by assassins hired by his cousin, the cunning Gonzague, the knight Lagardère is forced to flee with the help of a pair of nomadic theater artists, together with the daughter in diapers that his friend entrusted to him with his last breath. 16 years later, the baby girl has turned into an attractive young woman, with whom the man who played the role of father falls in love. The father-to-lover story wouldn't really work in a movie script today, but in a 19th-century novel and even a late-20th-century film, it seems there were no problems. The last act of the story takes place in Paris in 1716, between the Royal Court and the Court of Miracles, the neighborhood of poverty and vice known from many other films and novels. Lagardère, disguised as a hunchback, will infiltrate Gonzague's entourage, avenge Nevers and help his wife and daughter regain their lost social position and fortune.
The two actors who play the main roles - Daniel Auteuil and Fabrice Luchini are two of the best known French actors and among my favorites. Today they both seem counter-cast for a cape and sword movie, but let's not forget that almost 30 years have passed since the shooting. Daniel Auteuil manages to be a fairly convincing Lagardère and also fits well into the hunchback disguise that is part of the revenge plot. Fabrice Luchini brings to the screen a completely different,much more theatrical, style supported by his perfect diction, perhaps the best among the French actors today. His take on the greasy Gonzague is original and colorful, ultimately managing to make us hate the character despite our sympathy for the actor. We also find in the cast Philippe Noiret in the almost regal role of Regent Philippe d'Orléans. The reconstruction with authentic sets and costumes of Paris at the beginning of the 18th century, the city that was in fever at the height of the French expansion in North America, is also excellent. The duels, including the famous Nevers figure, are excellently choreographed. I don't know if the swashbuckler genre is still alive (there haven't been many films of this genre and level since then), but it was definitely in good shape in 1997.
The novel that inspired the film was written by Paul Féval and published in serial feuilleton form in 1857. The influence of Alexandre Dumas-father's novel 'The Count of Monte Cristo', published 13 years earlier, is obvious. The plot starts from a tragic love story followed by a belated revenge based on the assumption of a fictitious identity. The story begins in the year 1700, when the knight Lagardère meets the Duke of Nevers and learns from him a formidable and deadly figure of fencing. When the duke is killed by assassins hired by his cousin, the cunning Gonzague, the knight Lagardère is forced to flee with the help of a pair of nomadic theater artists, together with the daughter in diapers that his friend entrusted to him with his last breath. 16 years later, the baby girl has turned into an attractive young woman, with whom the man who played the role of father falls in love. The father-to-lover story wouldn't really work in a movie script today, but in a 19th-century novel and even a late-20th-century film, it seems there were no problems. The last act of the story takes place in Paris in 1716, between the Royal Court and the Court of Miracles, the neighborhood of poverty and vice known from many other films and novels. Lagardère, disguised as a hunchback, will infiltrate Gonzague's entourage, avenge Nevers and help his wife and daughter regain their lost social position and fortune.
The two actors who play the main roles - Daniel Auteuil and Fabrice Luchini are two of the best known French actors and among my favorites. Today they both seem counter-cast for a cape and sword movie, but let's not forget that almost 30 years have passed since the shooting. Daniel Auteuil manages to be a fairly convincing Lagardère and also fits well into the hunchback disguise that is part of the revenge plot. Fabrice Luchini brings to the screen a completely different,much more theatrical, style supported by his perfect diction, perhaps the best among the French actors today. His take on the greasy Gonzague is original and colorful, ultimately managing to make us hate the character despite our sympathy for the actor. We also find in the cast Philippe Noiret in the almost regal role of Regent Philippe d'Orléans. The reconstruction with authentic sets and costumes of Paris at the beginning of the 18th century, the city that was in fever at the height of the French expansion in North America, is also excellent. The duels, including the famous Nevers figure, are excellently choreographed. I don't know if the swashbuckler genre is still alive (there haven't been many films of this genre and level since then), but it was definitely in good shape in 1997.
The Tailor of Panama
(2001)
a tale with spies and corruption
15 February 2024
Warning: Spoilers
I miss John le Carré so much. I had gotten used to his novels coming out once every 2 or 3 years and would look forward to the release of the first paperback edition which I could afford to buy as soon as I had the chance. His books took me into the world of espionage, but mostly of the people who had chosen to become spies or for whom life had decided that they should become spies. The spies in his books are people like us, sometimes even with more pangs of conscience and doubts, given their profession and the fact that they were born English. Of course, I also watch the movies inspired by his books. Some managed to bring to the screen in cinematic language the meanderings of the action and the turmoil of the heroes. Others were far from expectations and the quality of emotions in his books. 'The Tailor of Panama' (2001), directed by John Boorman, is probably one of the most faithful screen versions of a novel by John le Carré. One of the main reasons is that the film, released 5 years after the first publication of the novel, enjoyed the direct involvement of le Carré, who appears on the credits as co-writer and executive producer.
The heroes of spy movies and books usually fall between two extremes: the heroes of John le Carré and James Bond. One of the two main heroes in 'The Tailor of Panama' is played by Pierce Brosnan who, when the film was made was the titular service performer in the James Bond series. And yet Andrew Osnard, the MI6 agent played by Brosnan, is very different from Bond. They have in common only the hobby of womanizing. Otherwise, unlike the incorruptible and devoted Bond, Osnard is a corrupt individual who leaves behind scandals and failures. Residence in Panama is for the agent compromised in other parts of the world a kind of disciplinary exile, from which he wants to escape at all costs. The recruitment of Harry Pendel, a tailor who came from London to marry and make men fashion in Panama, fits into this plan of rehabilitation in the spying hierarchy. Pendel has a problematic biography and is not difficult to blackmail and recruit as an informant. Among his clients are politicians and journalists, the president of the republic and former revolutionaries, and his wife works in the offices of the company that manages the Panama Canal, a vital artery of world trade. Pendel seems like the classic type of victim whose life is invaded by the world of espionage, but in this case the victim decides to fight back and take revenge by inventing a parallel reality that invades the world of espionage. Today we would call this 'fake news', except that we are a few years before the invention of social networks. 'Secret information' reaching MI6 is passed on to American allies and threatens to produce an invasion of the country where the precious strategic objective was located. The theme of the agent who makes up 'information' which, processed by espionage services that are all the more incompetent and corrupt the higher up the hierarchy, can produce international political crises was invented by Graham Greene in 'Our Man in Havana', a novel published in 1958 and also screened in 1959. Greene and le Carré, both former British secret service agents, knew well the world they described in their novels. In both books, the actions of intelligence-gathering machines destroy human destinies and lives.
The most memorable acting performance in 'The Tailor of Panama' is undoubtedly that of Geoffrey Rush. Harry Pendel enters the game against his will, pressured to deliver and blackmailed into continuing. He realizes too late that this is a deadly game and that the revenge he planned will hit the people closest to him and endanger the family cell he wanted to protect. Like many of John le Carré's characters, Harry Pendel's identity is not the real one, and successive layers of disguises and lies are gradually revealed, until we arrive at a personal truth that is difficult to live with. Along with Rush, we have Pierce Brosnan and Jamie Lee Curtis in the cast, actors who were then at the height of their careers. The entire cast is otherwise excellent - with playwright Harold Pinter in a role with brief but significant appearances and a very young Daniel Radcliffe in the role that precedes his stellar launching as the Harry Potter series lead character. I found the only character more shallowly drawn to be the ex-revolutionary Abraxas, who misses the emotional impact at a key moment, but that's due to the script rather than to Brendan Gleeson's performance. John Boorman - a director whose highly successful films date back to the 60s and 70s - succeeds, I think, with 'The Tailor of Panama' in making one of the best adaptations of a novel by John le Carré.
The heroes of spy movies and books usually fall between two extremes: the heroes of John le Carré and James Bond. One of the two main heroes in 'The Tailor of Panama' is played by Pierce Brosnan who, when the film was made was the titular service performer in the James Bond series. And yet Andrew Osnard, the MI6 agent played by Brosnan, is very different from Bond. They have in common only the hobby of womanizing. Otherwise, unlike the incorruptible and devoted Bond, Osnard is a corrupt individual who leaves behind scandals and failures. Residence in Panama is for the agent compromised in other parts of the world a kind of disciplinary exile, from which he wants to escape at all costs. The recruitment of Harry Pendel, a tailor who came from London to marry and make men fashion in Panama, fits into this plan of rehabilitation in the spying hierarchy. Pendel has a problematic biography and is not difficult to blackmail and recruit as an informant. Among his clients are politicians and journalists, the president of the republic and former revolutionaries, and his wife works in the offices of the company that manages the Panama Canal, a vital artery of world trade. Pendel seems like the classic type of victim whose life is invaded by the world of espionage, but in this case the victim decides to fight back and take revenge by inventing a parallel reality that invades the world of espionage. Today we would call this 'fake news', except that we are a few years before the invention of social networks. 'Secret information' reaching MI6 is passed on to American allies and threatens to produce an invasion of the country where the precious strategic objective was located. The theme of the agent who makes up 'information' which, processed by espionage services that are all the more incompetent and corrupt the higher up the hierarchy, can produce international political crises was invented by Graham Greene in 'Our Man in Havana', a novel published in 1958 and also screened in 1959. Greene and le Carré, both former British secret service agents, knew well the world they described in their novels. In both books, the actions of intelligence-gathering machines destroy human destinies and lives.
The most memorable acting performance in 'The Tailor of Panama' is undoubtedly that of Geoffrey Rush. Harry Pendel enters the game against his will, pressured to deliver and blackmailed into continuing. He realizes too late that this is a deadly game and that the revenge he planned will hit the people closest to him and endanger the family cell he wanted to protect. Like many of John le Carré's characters, Harry Pendel's identity is not the real one, and successive layers of disguises and lies are gradually revealed, until we arrive at a personal truth that is difficult to live with. Along with Rush, we have Pierce Brosnan and Jamie Lee Curtis in the cast, actors who were then at the height of their careers. The entire cast is otherwise excellent - with playwright Harold Pinter in a role with brief but significant appearances and a very young Daniel Radcliffe in the role that precedes his stellar launching as the Harry Potter series lead character. I found the only character more shallowly drawn to be the ex-revolutionary Abraxas, who misses the emotional impact at a key moment, but that's due to the script rather than to Brendan Gleeson's performance. John Boorman - a director whose highly successful films date back to the 60s and 70s - succeeds, I think, with 'The Tailor of Panama' in making one of the best adaptations of a novel by John le Carré.
The Holdovers
(2023)
another Christmas movie
13 February 2024
I confess that I was somewhat anxiously waiting to see Alexander Payne's 'The Holdovers' (2023). 5 Oscar nominations should be a guarantee of watching a quality or at least interesting film. On the other hand, my experiences with Payne's previous films have been mixed. After having hit gold (in my opinion) with 'About Schmidt', none of his other films have been able to convince me: too much melodrama, too obvious attempts to fake dealing with 'serious', 'real life' themes and to prepare and serve them to the spectators in syrupy sauces. The only film of his after 2002 that really amused me was 'Downsizing' which was a failure with the public (both ratings and box office) and critics. Obviously, my tastes and those of many other moviegoers do not coincide when it comes to Payne's films. My fears proved to be well founded. I found 'The Holdovers' to be the most overrated film of this cinema season.
The story takes place in a private boarding school, attended by the sons of wealthy parents and financed by those. During the holidays everyone goes home, but there are always a few exceptions: students whose parents are traveling or busy with other issues stay at the boarding school. They are supervised and cared for by a minimal staff - usually a teacher and a cook. In the Christmas season of 1970, the teacher is Mr. Hunham, a grumpy and stern bachelor teacher whose specialty is the history of ancient civilizations, and the cook is Mary, who recently lost her son in the Vietnam War. Shortly after the start of the holidays, the only student left at the boarding school is Angus. His mother had married for the second time and at the last moment had informed him that she was going on a 'honeymoon' with her new husband instead of the family vacation that the boy was expecting. The three "holdovers" make up an ad hoc family that, by necessity and not by choice, must spend the holidays together. It is a good opportunity to get to know each other beyond didactic or social barriers, to discover their qualities, weaknesses and secrets, to support each other at this time of the year when no one should be alone.
'The Holdovers' is not a film without qualities. The year 1970 is brought to the screen in an extremely believable manner and with a natural style that made me realize only after a good few minutes that the cars are longer and that no one has used a cell phone. The acting performances are all excellent, even if the Oscar nominations for Paul Giamatti and Da'Vine Joy Randolph seemed a bit over the top. It was the debutant Dominic Sessa's performance in the role of the boy that seemed to me the most remarkable due to the naturalness with which he brings to the screen the moral dilemmas and coming to age problems of an intelligent, sensitive young man, but with troubles of adaptation in unfriendly social environments. It is possible that this film will go down in history as the debut of an important actor of cinema for decades to come. On the other hand, David Hemingson's screenplay, sorry, is full of banal and predictable kitsch - a strange combination of extremely well-written dialogues and melodramatic solutions to the dilemmas of each individual character. As for 5 Oscar nominations, what can I say? Best Picture nomination when Wim Wenders' 'Perfect Days' is left out? Best Actor for Paul Giamatti while Koji Yakusho isn't on the list? One thing is certain. The Christmas movie genre is getting richer with another piece that will be heavily scheduled on television during the last ten days of each year for the next few decades.
The story takes place in a private boarding school, attended by the sons of wealthy parents and financed by those. During the holidays everyone goes home, but there are always a few exceptions: students whose parents are traveling or busy with other issues stay at the boarding school. They are supervised and cared for by a minimal staff - usually a teacher and a cook. In the Christmas season of 1970, the teacher is Mr. Hunham, a grumpy and stern bachelor teacher whose specialty is the history of ancient civilizations, and the cook is Mary, who recently lost her son in the Vietnam War. Shortly after the start of the holidays, the only student left at the boarding school is Angus. His mother had married for the second time and at the last moment had informed him that she was going on a 'honeymoon' with her new husband instead of the family vacation that the boy was expecting. The three "holdovers" make up an ad hoc family that, by necessity and not by choice, must spend the holidays together. It is a good opportunity to get to know each other beyond didactic or social barriers, to discover their qualities, weaknesses and secrets, to support each other at this time of the year when no one should be alone.
'The Holdovers' is not a film without qualities. The year 1970 is brought to the screen in an extremely believable manner and with a natural style that made me realize only after a good few minutes that the cars are longer and that no one has used a cell phone. The acting performances are all excellent, even if the Oscar nominations for Paul Giamatti and Da'Vine Joy Randolph seemed a bit over the top. It was the debutant Dominic Sessa's performance in the role of the boy that seemed to me the most remarkable due to the naturalness with which he brings to the screen the moral dilemmas and coming to age problems of an intelligent, sensitive young man, but with troubles of adaptation in unfriendly social environments. It is possible that this film will go down in history as the debut of an important actor of cinema for decades to come. On the other hand, David Hemingson's screenplay, sorry, is full of banal and predictable kitsch - a strange combination of extremely well-written dialogues and melodramatic solutions to the dilemmas of each individual character. As for 5 Oscar nominations, what can I say? Best Picture nomination when Wim Wenders' 'Perfect Days' is left out? Best Actor for Paul Giamatti while Koji Yakusho isn't on the list? One thing is certain. The Christmas movie genre is getting richer with another piece that will be heavily scheduled on television during the last ten days of each year for the next few decades.
Holy Spider
(2022)
holy crimes
12 February 2024
Warning: Spoilers
Ali Abbasi, an Iranian director living in Scandinavia for over a decade chose a famous case that happened in Iran in 2000 and 2001 as an opportunity to make in 'Holy Spider' a film that deals with one of the most painful aspects of life in his country of origin under Islamic rule - the status of women. He couldn't film there as he wanted, but 'Holy Spider' - spoken entirely in Persian (Farsi) and played by Iranian actors - manages to very authentically reproduce the setting and atmosphere of Iran and depict the acute problems of its society with the realism and critical spirit of a Western political film.
The city where the action takes place is Masshad, the second most populous city in Iran (over three million inhabitants), known as a place of pilgrimage due to the vast Holy Shrine of Imam Reza and other religious and historical sites. A serial killer named Saeed killed 16 prostitutes here, wanting to 'purify' the moral atmosphere of the city by eliminating women who propagated decadence. In catching the perpetrator, in the script of the film that Ali Abbasi co-authored, the main contribution is made by a brave woman journalist, Arezoo Rahimi, who came from Tehran. The character is imaginary, but her existence in the film allowed the director to introduce subplots and direct messages related to the position of women in society. The audience knows from the beginning who the perpetrator is, and the story progresses on two parallel planes - on the one hand, the killer's nocturnal deeds, but also his daily life, apparently normal and normative, if we exclude the fact that he is an ex-soldier, a traumatized survivor of the Iran-Iraq war; on the other hand, the journalist's investigation that will lead to the discovery of the criminal. However, the story is far from ending when the crimes are solved. Saeed, supported by some of the religious authorities, becomes a kind of folk hero. The fact that his victims are depraved and immoral women absolves him of guilt in the eyes of many of the townspeople. What will justice do? And finally, what power and significance do justice sentences have in such a system?
Ali Abbasi manages to be authentic not only in recreating the ambience, but also in creating characters who support and interact psychologically believably. The role of the journalist is played by Zar Amir Ebrahimi, an Iranian actress living in France. For this role she received the award for feminine interpretation at Cannes and I think it is a perfectly deserved award for creating this character of a courageous journalist, who constantly risks professionally and physically to find the truth and present it to the public, while at the same time confronting the legal limitations of her status of a woman in the Islamic republic and with the aggressive attitude of some of the men she meets. Saeed's role is played by Mehdi Bajestani. The character he creates is complex - his deeds are those of a monster, but the faith that guides him is sincere, if obviously misdirected. 'Holy Spider' is a winning combination of true crime, political films, courtroom drama and dramatic social criticism. Creating outside of Iran, Ali Abbasi may say more and differently about the Iranian society of today, but his films resonate and complement those created by other Iranian directors in their country and in exile, bringing to the screens of viewers around the world a complex image, with many shadows but also with a lot of humanity.
The city where the action takes place is Masshad, the second most populous city in Iran (over three million inhabitants), known as a place of pilgrimage due to the vast Holy Shrine of Imam Reza and other religious and historical sites. A serial killer named Saeed killed 16 prostitutes here, wanting to 'purify' the moral atmosphere of the city by eliminating women who propagated decadence. In catching the perpetrator, in the script of the film that Ali Abbasi co-authored, the main contribution is made by a brave woman journalist, Arezoo Rahimi, who came from Tehran. The character is imaginary, but her existence in the film allowed the director to introduce subplots and direct messages related to the position of women in society. The audience knows from the beginning who the perpetrator is, and the story progresses on two parallel planes - on the one hand, the killer's nocturnal deeds, but also his daily life, apparently normal and normative, if we exclude the fact that he is an ex-soldier, a traumatized survivor of the Iran-Iraq war; on the other hand, the journalist's investigation that will lead to the discovery of the criminal. However, the story is far from ending when the crimes are solved. Saeed, supported by some of the religious authorities, becomes a kind of folk hero. The fact that his victims are depraved and immoral women absolves him of guilt in the eyes of many of the townspeople. What will justice do? And finally, what power and significance do justice sentences have in such a system?
Ali Abbasi manages to be authentic not only in recreating the ambience, but also in creating characters who support and interact psychologically believably. The role of the journalist is played by Zar Amir Ebrahimi, an Iranian actress living in France. For this role she received the award for feminine interpretation at Cannes and I think it is a perfectly deserved award for creating this character of a courageous journalist, who constantly risks professionally and physically to find the truth and present it to the public, while at the same time confronting the legal limitations of her status of a woman in the Islamic republic and with the aggressive attitude of some of the men she meets. Saeed's role is played by Mehdi Bajestani. The character he creates is complex - his deeds are those of a monster, but the faith that guides him is sincere, if obviously misdirected. 'Holy Spider' is a winning combination of true crime, political films, courtroom drama and dramatic social criticism. Creating outside of Iran, Ali Abbasi may say more and differently about the Iranian society of today, but his films resonate and complement those created by other Iranian directors in their country and in exile, bringing to the screens of viewers around the world a complex image, with many shadows but also with a lot of humanity.
The Jews
(2016)
nous sommes partout
11 February 2024
I suspect that the French director, co-writer and actor Yvan Attal managed to magically steal one of our family's favorite jokes for his film 'Ils sont partout' (2016). This is exactly how, in French, my wife and I have reacted for decades now when encountering any of the stereotypes about Jews. Same as we do, everyone says 'They are everywhere: Jews and their friends when they boast about the lists of Nobel prizes and other achievements of talented Jews, but also anti-Semites when it comes to looking for scapegoats for all the evils of world. 'Ils sont partout' is right this - a film about stereotypes related to Jews, some anecdotal, others stupid, which depending on the circumstances can be a source of humor of better or worse quality, but also one of the manifestations of that form of racism that produced so much suffering throughout history: anti-Semitism. 'Ils sont partout' compiles a collection of such stereotypes and exemplifies them in a series of comical mini-episodes. The approach is sarcastic and full of humor directed against prejudices, without avoiding aspects from within the Jewish community and life. But the main target is clear and the film is - unfortunately - even more relevant today than in 2016. The title in the English distribution is much less funny - simply 'The Jews'.
The link between the different episodes is pseudo-autobiographical. After a theatre performance, Yvan Attal is accosted in a bar by an excited spectator who asks him about his religion, intrigued by the fact that the actor had refused to order an alcoholic drink as a treat. Confronted with the vulgarity of the man he met by chance, the hero of the film asks himself questions about his own Jewishness: what does it mean to be Jewish for a French man, atheist, completely culturally integrated? Serious question, for which he will resort to the services of a psychoanalyst. The answer is the collection of episodes which, however, avoids any moralizing direction and urges its viewers to think hard. A few examples: the husband of a far-right politician (any resemblance to real politicians...) discovers upon the death of his maternal grandmother that she was Jewish, which makes him technically Jewish too; a French president who bears a striking resemblance to François Hollande decides to put to a referendum the decision that all French citizens convert to Judaism; the Mossad sends an agent into the past to prevent the birth of Jesus in order to destroy the 'Jews killed the Messiah' stereotype; etc. Not all episodes are on the same level or tackle the same kind of humor. Some episodes will upset some people, other will upset others, a few will upset everybody. But if the satire doesn't offend, then it probably isn't sharp enough.
I liked 'Ils sont partout', and not just because the identity issues it tackles are familiar to me. A formidable gallery of well-known French actors (and not just actors) participated in this project and their performances are delicious, even if some of them only appear only in one scene. First of all Yvan Attal himself, the psychologist Tobie Nathan as ... the psychologist, Benoît Poelvoorde, Charlotte Gainsbourg, Denis Podalydès, Gilles Lellouche, the television journalist Claire Chazal. Several well-known Israeli actors also collaborate: Romanian-born theater man Niko Nitai in his last screen appearance, Rivka Michaeli, Ilan Dar. I laughed at this movie which deals with a very serious topic. The film is about Jews, but the issues it raises and even the stereotypes it satirizes are not unique and exist in one form or another in any discrimination against ethnic, racial, or religious minorities. We are everywhere.
The link between the different episodes is pseudo-autobiographical. After a theatre performance, Yvan Attal is accosted in a bar by an excited spectator who asks him about his religion, intrigued by the fact that the actor had refused to order an alcoholic drink as a treat. Confronted with the vulgarity of the man he met by chance, the hero of the film asks himself questions about his own Jewishness: what does it mean to be Jewish for a French man, atheist, completely culturally integrated? Serious question, for which he will resort to the services of a psychoanalyst. The answer is the collection of episodes which, however, avoids any moralizing direction and urges its viewers to think hard. A few examples: the husband of a far-right politician (any resemblance to real politicians...) discovers upon the death of his maternal grandmother that she was Jewish, which makes him technically Jewish too; a French president who bears a striking resemblance to François Hollande decides to put to a referendum the decision that all French citizens convert to Judaism; the Mossad sends an agent into the past to prevent the birth of Jesus in order to destroy the 'Jews killed the Messiah' stereotype; etc. Not all episodes are on the same level or tackle the same kind of humor. Some episodes will upset some people, other will upset others, a few will upset everybody. But if the satire doesn't offend, then it probably isn't sharp enough.
I liked 'Ils sont partout', and not just because the identity issues it tackles are familiar to me. A formidable gallery of well-known French actors (and not just actors) participated in this project and their performances are delicious, even if some of them only appear only in one scene. First of all Yvan Attal himself, the psychologist Tobie Nathan as ... the psychologist, Benoît Poelvoorde, Charlotte Gainsbourg, Denis Podalydès, Gilles Lellouche, the television journalist Claire Chazal. Several well-known Israeli actors also collaborate: Romanian-born theater man Niko Nitai in his last screen appearance, Rivka Michaeli, Ilan Dar. I laughed at this movie which deals with a very serious topic. The film is about Jews, but the issues it raises and even the stereotypes it satirizes are not unique and exist in one form or another in any discrimination against ethnic, racial, or religious minorities. We are everywhere.
Riceboy Sleeps
(2022)
between two worlds
10 February 2024
Warning: Spoilers
The name of Canadian Anthony Shim is to be added to the permanently increasing list of actors who have crossed over from the other side of the camera to become film directors. As an actor, he has quite an impressive filmography, with over 40 roles in short and feature films, for the big screen and for television. 'Riceboy Sleeps' is his second feature film, an auteur film. Shim is the writer, director and plays one of the important supporting roles. It is also a personal film, inspired by his own life experience and that of his family.
Immigration dramas are a genre that has produced some outstanding North American films in recent years. 'Riceboy Sleeps' brings to the screen the story of So-Young, a single mother who immigrated to Canada in 1990 with her boy, Dong-Hyun, who is in the first grades of elementary school. She had left behind a tragedy in South Korea - her husband, who had returned traumatized from the army, had committed suicide. Ahead of her are hopes for a better life in a country considered quite friendly to immigrants. However, problems are not lacking here either, and in order to reach a stable economic situation and social integration, So-Young has to face the typical problems of immigrants: the language barrier, cultural differences, visible and invisible prejudices, to which is added the vulgar misogyny of some of the men towards a lonely and vulnerable woman. The confrontations are described with sensitivity and realism in the first part of the film, with some moments of beautiful cinematography, without idealizing or dramatizing the situations. The second part takes place nine years later. Dong-Hyun has turned from a timorated child into a seemingly assimilated teenager, with the problems and experiences of his age. He speaks perfect English, a language he prefers to speak at home as well, while his mother answers him in Korean and sometimes needs a dictionary in her daily life. Many of those who have lived the experience of emigrating in families with children will recognize the situations. So-Young has not remarried, and when a man comes into her life, she hesitates whether to expand her family. Dong-Hyun starts asking questions about his father and his family in Korea. The events will lead to a journey of the two to Korea, looking for family and roots, but their experience with meeting the family left behind is not smooth either. A chasm may have narrowed on one side, toward the new world the family now lives in, but another opened toward the world from which they had come.
Anthony Shim captured, I think, very well the psychology of the first generation of emigrants, of those who live between two worlds without fully belonging to either of them. The story is well supported by the performances of the three actors who bring the two characters to the screen: Choi Seung-yoon as So-Young, the amazing Dohyun Noel Hwang as the child Dong-Hyun and Ethan Hwang as the adolescent Dong-Hyun. The director uses different screen formats for the parts shot in Canada and South Korea, respectively. The narration is cursive and efficient, the film is sensitive and genuine, but it lacks an element of drama or surprise to make it memorable. Anthony Shim demonstrated his talent and mastery of the director's tools in this film with an obvious personal involvement. He now needs to confirm these skills in future films.
Immigration dramas are a genre that has produced some outstanding North American films in recent years. 'Riceboy Sleeps' brings to the screen the story of So-Young, a single mother who immigrated to Canada in 1990 with her boy, Dong-Hyun, who is in the first grades of elementary school. She had left behind a tragedy in South Korea - her husband, who had returned traumatized from the army, had committed suicide. Ahead of her are hopes for a better life in a country considered quite friendly to immigrants. However, problems are not lacking here either, and in order to reach a stable economic situation and social integration, So-Young has to face the typical problems of immigrants: the language barrier, cultural differences, visible and invisible prejudices, to which is added the vulgar misogyny of some of the men towards a lonely and vulnerable woman. The confrontations are described with sensitivity and realism in the first part of the film, with some moments of beautiful cinematography, without idealizing or dramatizing the situations. The second part takes place nine years later. Dong-Hyun has turned from a timorated child into a seemingly assimilated teenager, with the problems and experiences of his age. He speaks perfect English, a language he prefers to speak at home as well, while his mother answers him in Korean and sometimes needs a dictionary in her daily life. Many of those who have lived the experience of emigrating in families with children will recognize the situations. So-Young has not remarried, and when a man comes into her life, she hesitates whether to expand her family. Dong-Hyun starts asking questions about his father and his family in Korea. The events will lead to a journey of the two to Korea, looking for family and roots, but their experience with meeting the family left behind is not smooth either. A chasm may have narrowed on one side, toward the new world the family now lives in, but another opened toward the world from which they had come.
Anthony Shim captured, I think, very well the psychology of the first generation of emigrants, of those who live between two worlds without fully belonging to either of them. The story is well supported by the performances of the three actors who bring the two characters to the screen: Choi Seung-yoon as So-Young, the amazing Dohyun Noel Hwang as the child Dong-Hyun and Ethan Hwang as the adolescent Dong-Hyun. The director uses different screen formats for the parts shot in Canada and South Korea, respectively. The narration is cursive and efficient, the film is sensitive and genuine, but it lacks an element of drama or surprise to make it memorable. Anthony Shim demonstrated his talent and mastery of the director's tools in this film with an obvious personal involvement. He now needs to confirm these skills in future films.
Last Night of Amore
(2023)
an Italian movie about the Chinese mafia
7 February 2024
Warning: Spoilers
'Last Night of Amore' (2023 - original title 'L'ultima notte di Amore') is the title of a very good Italian 'noir' thriller, written and directed by Andrea Di Stefano. It's the actor-turned-director's first feature film made in Italy, but it comes after two films made in the United States, and this shows in the way it looks and is designed. It could very well be an American film. 'Last Night of Amore' begins with a scene that takes us at night over Milan, splendidly filmed, probably from a drone. From here until the final scene, however, the city plays no role in the film. The story could take place over several hours of the night in any major metropolis of the world. Italian cinema has an excellent tradition of political, social criticism films and Mafia films, but police corruption and the infiltration of the international mob into the life of big cities have long been a world-wide phenomena. In this case we can say that we are dealing with an Italian film about the Chinese Mafia. A good one.
The last night in the title is the night before the retirement of Franco Amore, a policeman with 35 years of service, during which he only managed to reach the post of deputy chief of a city police station. Perhaps his reputation is to blame: his integrity and the fact that in all these years he has never once used the weapon in his possession. Good reputation does not necessarily bring promotion. With a salary of 1,800 euros per month, Amore does not refuse to supplement his income by doing some private guarding or security jobs. He puts some pretty strict conditions though - the guarded shipments must not contain stolen goods and the protected persons must not be wanted gangsters and they should not carry firearms. Such activities are on the edge of legality. When Franco agrees to work with the Chinese mafia for the first time and the first activity for them takes place on his last day as an active policeman, he knows he is taking a risk, but he cannot resist the temptation. Things will get complicated and the last night will be completely different than planned.
'Last Night of Amore' is well written and professionally shot. The action has rhythm, the story has logic and they captivate the viewers' attention. The main role is played by Pierfrancesco Favino who succeeds a powerful and nuanced creation. His well-acted turmoil and hesitation add psychological thriller value to the story. However, the atmosphere is film noir, perhaps due to the fact that the entire story takes place at night. Linda Caridi, an actress that I didn't know, fits in very well as the wife, a character with a key role in the story. The only aspect that seemed to me to be superficially addressed is the schematic way in which the Chinese gangsters are presented. The penetration of the Chinese mafia in Italy and other places in the world is a widespread and worrying phenomenon, and this film would have been an opportunity to go deeper into the problem and build more interesting and compelling characters. This opportunity was missed. However, the film has enough other qualities that recommend it to be watched by thrillers fans and not only by them.
The last night in the title is the night before the retirement of Franco Amore, a policeman with 35 years of service, during which he only managed to reach the post of deputy chief of a city police station. Perhaps his reputation is to blame: his integrity and the fact that in all these years he has never once used the weapon in his possession. Good reputation does not necessarily bring promotion. With a salary of 1,800 euros per month, Amore does not refuse to supplement his income by doing some private guarding or security jobs. He puts some pretty strict conditions though - the guarded shipments must not contain stolen goods and the protected persons must not be wanted gangsters and they should not carry firearms. Such activities are on the edge of legality. When Franco agrees to work with the Chinese mafia for the first time and the first activity for them takes place on his last day as an active policeman, he knows he is taking a risk, but he cannot resist the temptation. Things will get complicated and the last night will be completely different than planned.
'Last Night of Amore' is well written and professionally shot. The action has rhythm, the story has logic and they captivate the viewers' attention. The main role is played by Pierfrancesco Favino who succeeds a powerful and nuanced creation. His well-acted turmoil and hesitation add psychological thriller value to the story. However, the atmosphere is film noir, perhaps due to the fact that the entire story takes place at night. Linda Caridi, an actress that I didn't know, fits in very well as the wife, a character with a key role in the story. The only aspect that seemed to me to be superficially addressed is the schematic way in which the Chinese gangsters are presented. The penetration of the Chinese mafia in Italy and other places in the world is a widespread and worrying phenomenon, and this film would have been an opportunity to go deeper into the problem and build more interesting and compelling characters. This opportunity was missed. However, the film has enough other qualities that recommend it to be watched by thrillers fans and not only by them.
Stromboli
(1950)
when Roberto met Ingrid
5 February 2024
Warning: Spoilers
'Stromboli' (1950) is a movie shrouded in a legend that sometimes seems to overshadow the film itself. Its story begins with a letter that Ingrid Bergman, one of the great Hollywood stars of the 1940s, sent to the Italian director Roberto Rossellini, the author of some of the most remarkable films of the Italian neo-realist movement in the years after the Second World War . "If you need a Swedish actress who speaks very good English ... I'm ready to come and make a film with you." Rossellini didn't hesitate too much, he took the script written for his girlfriend at the time, also famous - Ana Magnani -, and rewrote it for Ingrid Bergman (Magnani would get the main role in William Diterle's 'Volcano' instead). Filming began and with it the love story between the famous director and the famous actress began as well, a relationship that would last for about five years and from which five feature films and three children, including Isabella Rossellini, were born. The film would be released in the United States in 1950 in a version shortened at the initiative of the producers and distributors. Because of the cuts but also, or above all, because of the boycott calls of the conservative circles, outraged at the news that the actress had become pregnant from the relationship that was for both lovers outside of marriage, the film did not enjoy public attention and success. We, the contemporary viewers, see the original version (the director's cut as it is called today). I've seen it again and can say that the film stands very well on its own among Rossellini's significant creations, close to the peaks of his career.
The story is simple, but the situation is interesting and meaningful. 'Stromboli' is in fact one of the few films that addresses, very close to the events, the situation of the millions of refugees in Europe immediately after the Second World War. Until today, these stories, these human tragedies, are very little mentioned in memoirs, in literature, in films and even in history books. Karen, the heroine of the film, is a Lithuanian refugee whom the storms of war brought to Italy. During the Nazi occupation of her country she had fallen in love and married a German soldier, an architect by profession. He had taken her with him to Czechoslovakia, but had been killed there. She cannot return to her country, now occupied by the Soviet Union. She would have been tried and convicted for 'collaboration' and sent to the Gulag. She lands in Italy in a camp populated by refugees and former Italian military prisoners, hoping to be able to go on to Argentina, but is denied a visa. To save her life, she marries Antonio, an Italian prisoner, handsome and nice at first sight, but a simple man, who seduces her with stories about the idyllic island in the Mediterranean where he has his home. Arriving on the island of Stromboli, she discovers a very different reality: an arid island, on the way to de-population because most of the inhabitants emigrate where they can in search of a better life. Those who remain are poor and conservative people, who see in the immigrant brought by Alfonso as a wife a foreigner with provocative clothes and easy morals. Alfonso himself turns out to be just a poor fisherman, unable to make Karen happy in any way, and moreover willing to coerce her into the life of submissive wife and use violence when she tries to resist. Determined to escape at any cost from the trap she has entered, Karen resorts to the only weapon left at her disposal. She tries to work her charms on the men who might help her escape the island - the local priest and the lighthouse keeper. All these events are dominated by the haunting silhouette of the Stromboli, an active volcano that wakes up to life, or rather wakes up to death once every few years.
This romantic and tragic story could have been told in many ways. Rossellini chooses to use the tools of Italian neo-realism combining social melodrama with a careful and deep look at the background against which the action takes place. Some scenes are anthological and they remain in the memory of those who have seen this film at least once: that of the kiss between the lovers separated by the barbed wire or the tuna fishing. The figure present on the screen most of the time is that of Karen, played by Ingrid Bergman. Knowing the story surrounding the film, we can speculate that the camera seems to be in love with the actress who was at the peak of her beauty and artistic maturity. The acting style seems a bit overdramatic today, especially in the final scene, but Ingrid Bergman was the perfect actress for such roles. It's a much more complex role than it appears on the surface. Until the dramatic ending and after watching I don't know if it's a positive role or a negative one. Rossellini refused to judge his character and apply moralizing labels. The emotions of the lonely woman with a destiny crushed by history, however, pass the screen very well, and the inner light of Ingrid Bergman is present here, as always. Most of the other roles are played by non-professional actors, which lends authenticity to the atmosphere. The music created by Renzo Rossellini, the director's brother, envelops and dominates. Viewing 'Stromboli' is a cinematic experience not to be missed.
The story is simple, but the situation is interesting and meaningful. 'Stromboli' is in fact one of the few films that addresses, very close to the events, the situation of the millions of refugees in Europe immediately after the Second World War. Until today, these stories, these human tragedies, are very little mentioned in memoirs, in literature, in films and even in history books. Karen, the heroine of the film, is a Lithuanian refugee whom the storms of war brought to Italy. During the Nazi occupation of her country she had fallen in love and married a German soldier, an architect by profession. He had taken her with him to Czechoslovakia, but had been killed there. She cannot return to her country, now occupied by the Soviet Union. She would have been tried and convicted for 'collaboration' and sent to the Gulag. She lands in Italy in a camp populated by refugees and former Italian military prisoners, hoping to be able to go on to Argentina, but is denied a visa. To save her life, she marries Antonio, an Italian prisoner, handsome and nice at first sight, but a simple man, who seduces her with stories about the idyllic island in the Mediterranean where he has his home. Arriving on the island of Stromboli, she discovers a very different reality: an arid island, on the way to de-population because most of the inhabitants emigrate where they can in search of a better life. Those who remain are poor and conservative people, who see in the immigrant brought by Alfonso as a wife a foreigner with provocative clothes and easy morals. Alfonso himself turns out to be just a poor fisherman, unable to make Karen happy in any way, and moreover willing to coerce her into the life of submissive wife and use violence when she tries to resist. Determined to escape at any cost from the trap she has entered, Karen resorts to the only weapon left at her disposal. She tries to work her charms on the men who might help her escape the island - the local priest and the lighthouse keeper. All these events are dominated by the haunting silhouette of the Stromboli, an active volcano that wakes up to life, or rather wakes up to death once every few years.
This romantic and tragic story could have been told in many ways. Rossellini chooses to use the tools of Italian neo-realism combining social melodrama with a careful and deep look at the background against which the action takes place. Some scenes are anthological and they remain in the memory of those who have seen this film at least once: that of the kiss between the lovers separated by the barbed wire or the tuna fishing. The figure present on the screen most of the time is that of Karen, played by Ingrid Bergman. Knowing the story surrounding the film, we can speculate that the camera seems to be in love with the actress who was at the peak of her beauty and artistic maturity. The acting style seems a bit overdramatic today, especially in the final scene, but Ingrid Bergman was the perfect actress for such roles. It's a much more complex role than it appears on the surface. Until the dramatic ending and after watching I don't know if it's a positive role or a negative one. Rossellini refused to judge his character and apply moralizing labels. The emotions of the lonely woman with a destiny crushed by history, however, pass the screen very well, and the inner light of Ingrid Bergman is present here, as always. Most of the other roles are played by non-professional actors, which lends authenticity to the atmosphere. The music created by Renzo Rossellini, the director's brother, envelops and dominates. Viewing 'Stromboli' is a cinematic experience not to be missed.
Moving
(1993)
coming to age under the sign of magic
4 February 2024
Warning: Spoilers
'Moving' (1993 - original title is 'Ohikkoshi') is one of those films whose viewing is more than a cinematic spectacle - it's an experience. It's the first film I've seen by the Japanese film director Shinji Sômai, who died prematurely in 2001, leaving behind a filmography of only 13 films, almost the same number as the French film director Jean-Pierre Melville, who also died around the same age. His films are little known outside of Japan. In the 1980s and 1990s when they were made, Japanese films were rarely distributed in the world except for Akiro Kurosawa's and cartoons. His films, however, influenced the wave of very talented directors who today are sometimes better known and more successful in the world than in Japan. 'Moving' is a beautiful, sensible and slightly enigmatic film. I'm not sure that I understood all of its symbols and I would be happy to discuss it sometime with someone from Japan or well versed in Japanese culture and traditions.
The story features a family with only one child that is on the verge of separation. If you want, a kind of 'Kramer vs. Kramer' in the Japanese version, only here the child is Renko, an 11-12-year-old girl. The scene that opens the film is the last dinner the family spends together. The tensions between the parents are visible and the little girl is trying to brave it and maybe she has not yet understood all the implications of her parents' separation. The next day the father packs his things and moves, quite far away, but probably in the same city (Kyoto?). The mother works, in the evenings when she comes home she tries to rebuild the mother-daughter relationship based on a discipline embodied in a set of rules and a life schedule displayed in the house. The little girl misses her father and the family atmosphere. She also has problems at school, where the children notice the situation and make fun of her and another colleague who is in the same situation. Divorce is allowed in Japan, but it is socially frowned upon. As she becomes aware of the situation, sadness turns to rebellion, and the means of expression are typical of adolescence: naive or wonderful attempts to bring parents together, or acts of rebellion that can become destructive. Coming to age occurs in parallel with the desire to recover the lost security and stability.
Although the setting of the story is that of a large city in modern Japan with its houses and schools, there is an element of tradition and even magic that accompanies the story and which at one point becomes dominant. Fire marks several key moments - whether it's a way to express the outburst of teenage rebellion, or it's the centerpiece of a traditional celebration that ends with a spectacular burning of dragon-decorated ships on a lake. Towards the end of the film, Renko will go through a horror-tinged initiation and transformation experience that may be real, may be dreamlike, is certainly magical. Not everything is explained - neither the wandering in the bamboo jungle, nor the meeting with an old man who gives her some life advice that guides her to the initiation ceremony. Some of the meanings might be clearer to those connoisseurs of Japanese lore, but even for the uninitiated viewer the ending has exceptional visual and emotional power. Viewers in a hurry to leave the cinema hall and those who press the 'off' button at the beginning of the credits will miss a series of sequences that project Renko into the future, sequences accompanied by Gheorghe Zamfir's flute music. It was a surprise for me, which proves that Shinji Sômai was a director who, in addition to the talents to create an emotional story, to choose perfect actors, to permanently keep the balance between the real and the imaginary, was also open to dialogues with other cultures. I can only regret that he only got to direct a few films, but I have 12 more to discover.
The story features a family with only one child that is on the verge of separation. If you want, a kind of 'Kramer vs. Kramer' in the Japanese version, only here the child is Renko, an 11-12-year-old girl. The scene that opens the film is the last dinner the family spends together. The tensions between the parents are visible and the little girl is trying to brave it and maybe she has not yet understood all the implications of her parents' separation. The next day the father packs his things and moves, quite far away, but probably in the same city (Kyoto?). The mother works, in the evenings when she comes home she tries to rebuild the mother-daughter relationship based on a discipline embodied in a set of rules and a life schedule displayed in the house. The little girl misses her father and the family atmosphere. She also has problems at school, where the children notice the situation and make fun of her and another colleague who is in the same situation. Divorce is allowed in Japan, but it is socially frowned upon. As she becomes aware of the situation, sadness turns to rebellion, and the means of expression are typical of adolescence: naive or wonderful attempts to bring parents together, or acts of rebellion that can become destructive. Coming to age occurs in parallel with the desire to recover the lost security and stability.
Although the setting of the story is that of a large city in modern Japan with its houses and schools, there is an element of tradition and even magic that accompanies the story and which at one point becomes dominant. Fire marks several key moments - whether it's a way to express the outburst of teenage rebellion, or it's the centerpiece of a traditional celebration that ends with a spectacular burning of dragon-decorated ships on a lake. Towards the end of the film, Renko will go through a horror-tinged initiation and transformation experience that may be real, may be dreamlike, is certainly magical. Not everything is explained - neither the wandering in the bamboo jungle, nor the meeting with an old man who gives her some life advice that guides her to the initiation ceremony. Some of the meanings might be clearer to those connoisseurs of Japanese lore, but even for the uninitiated viewer the ending has exceptional visual and emotional power. Viewers in a hurry to leave the cinema hall and those who press the 'off' button at the beginning of the credits will miss a series of sequences that project Renko into the future, sequences accompanied by Gheorghe Zamfir's flute music. It was a surprise for me, which proves that Shinji Sômai was a director who, in addition to the talents to create an emotional story, to choose perfect actors, to permanently keep the balance between the real and the imaginary, was also open to dialogues with other cultures. I can only regret that he only got to direct a few films, but I have 12 more to discover.
Bringing Out the Dead
(1999)
Scorsese, again, in the streets of New York
3 February 2024
I can't remember why I missed seeing 'Bringing Out the Dead' (1999). I've been a fan of Martin Scorsese since 'Taxi Driver' and I thought I hadn't missed any of his movies since then. And yet, it's the first time I've seen 'Bringing Out the Dead' now. Maybe it was just too busy a time for me, or maybe the film wasn't released in the country I live in after one of Martin Scorsese's few commercial failures. But maybe it's better that way, as I've now had the opportunity to see the film from the perspective of a quarter of a century since its production and release, and see how well it sits in Scorsese's filmography. This was Scorsese's fourth collaboration with Paul Schrader and a return to the streets of New York, Scorsese's hometown, the two's first together since 'Taxi Driver'. It is a psychological drama with action elements, but a little different than other action films that take place on the streets of New York at night, and a little different from other Scorsese films. I think the producers had trouble positioning and building the marketing for this movie. But time seems to have put him back in the place he deserved.
The main hero of the film is Fred Pierce, an ambulance paramedic in the Manhattan emergency service. The voice-over commentary mentions - in what could be a quote from the book by Joe Connelly, a former worker in such a service, which inspired the script - that only in 10% of cases the interventions save the lives of those in danger. Fred hasn't saved anyone in months. He is haunted by the ghosts of those he could not save, and in particular by that of a young woman named Rose. He is exhausted physically and especially mentally. Every night he encounters the same kind of cases and sometimes the same people: victims of violent crimes, serial suicides, people under the influence of older or newer drugs. One night, he saves an elderly man who returns from clinical death, resuscitated but with impaired brain functions. Fred meets his daughter and through her a part of the world of drug dealers. It is an opportunity for introspection and perhaps self-rescue. Would our hero find the motivation to continue to work in such a destructive job and a meaning not only for the profession but for life in general?
Scorsese relishes filming in the environment he knows best and loves - the streets of New York. The city is not only a background, it is also a character in the film, it is the container of all the happenings and sufferings. The director also introduces us behind the scenes of the emergency service and in the world of hospitals where suffering from all categories is encountered: sick, drug addicts, victims of street and city violence. The role in this film is considered one of the best of Nicolas Cage's career (including by himself), excellent for bringing to the screen the dilemmas and sufferings of the man haunted by the images of the dead and by his own failures to save them. Patricia Arquette is his partner and adds her personal hell to the traumas of the film's heroes. Will the two find support in each other? The music is composed and chosen by Elmer Bernstein, also known as Bernstein-West to differentiate him from (Leonard) Bernstein-East, to whom he was not related. Same as in many of Scorsese's films, even in the non-musical ones, the soundtrack is superb, with a fine combination of classic rock and jazz. Acting, atmosphere, the intensity of the feelings and the merciless perspective of the 'mean streets' created by Scorsese fully justifies the interest in watching 'Bringing Out the Dead' even at its age of 25.
The main hero of the film is Fred Pierce, an ambulance paramedic in the Manhattan emergency service. The voice-over commentary mentions - in what could be a quote from the book by Joe Connelly, a former worker in such a service, which inspired the script - that only in 10% of cases the interventions save the lives of those in danger. Fred hasn't saved anyone in months. He is haunted by the ghosts of those he could not save, and in particular by that of a young woman named Rose. He is exhausted physically and especially mentally. Every night he encounters the same kind of cases and sometimes the same people: victims of violent crimes, serial suicides, people under the influence of older or newer drugs. One night, he saves an elderly man who returns from clinical death, resuscitated but with impaired brain functions. Fred meets his daughter and through her a part of the world of drug dealers. It is an opportunity for introspection and perhaps self-rescue. Would our hero find the motivation to continue to work in such a destructive job and a meaning not only for the profession but for life in general?
Scorsese relishes filming in the environment he knows best and loves - the streets of New York. The city is not only a background, it is also a character in the film, it is the container of all the happenings and sufferings. The director also introduces us behind the scenes of the emergency service and in the world of hospitals where suffering from all categories is encountered: sick, drug addicts, victims of street and city violence. The role in this film is considered one of the best of Nicolas Cage's career (including by himself), excellent for bringing to the screen the dilemmas and sufferings of the man haunted by the images of the dead and by his own failures to save them. Patricia Arquette is his partner and adds her personal hell to the traumas of the film's heroes. Will the two find support in each other? The music is composed and chosen by Elmer Bernstein, also known as Bernstein-West to differentiate him from (Leonard) Bernstein-East, to whom he was not related. Same as in many of Scorsese's films, even in the non-musical ones, the soundtrack is superb, with a fine combination of classic rock and jazz. Acting, atmosphere, the intensity of the feelings and the merciless perspective of the 'mean streets' created by Scorsese fully justifies the interest in watching 'Bringing Out the Dead' even at its age of 25.
Evil Does Not Exist
(2023)
enigmatic film about capitalism and nature
2 February 2024
Warning: Spoilers
Ryûsuke Hamaguchi is a film director who does not make life easy for the viewers of his films. After seeing his previous film, 'Drive My Car' (2021), which enjoyed international success, including an Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film and three other Academy nominations, I made it a point not to miss his next films. I confess that 'Evil Does Not Exist' (2023 - the original title is 'Aku wa sonzai shinai') confused me. 'Drive My Car' was a complex film about art, mourning, human communication, whose main challenge (in my opinion) was its 3-hour duration. 'Evil Does Not Exist' is apparently a simpler film in terms of theme, dealing with the relationship between man and nature, presenting the simple life of a small rural community faced with aggressive capitalism. The beautiful moments are not lacking here either, but paradoxically, the 106 minutes of this recent film seemed to me less coherent and including more moments lacking emotion than the previous film which was almost twice as long. Add to that a more-than-enigmatic ending, and perhaps you begin to understand the reasons for my confusion.
It is not, however, at least on the surface, a very complicated story. The film has four parts. In the first part we get to know the life of a small community at the feet of the mountains (I think we even see Mount Fuji in the background a few times) which, although it is only 2-3 hours driving from Tokyo, leads a simple life, close to an unpolluted nature. Everything is filmed at a very slow pace, like that of nature and people's lives. Among the villagers, the camera focuses more on Takumi, the man who cuts wood and supplies his neighbors with clean water from the mountain rivers, and his daughter, Hana, who is about 10 years old. In the second part of the film the rhythm and style change. We watch a meeting between the inhabitants of the village and two representatives (a man and a woman) of a company from Tokyo that intends to build a 'glamping' (glamorous camping) tourist attraction in the area as a place of recreation for the company's employees. However, the construction will affect the quality of life of the residents. There is the danger of water pollution and fire hazards. In the third part the pace accelerates even more. A video conference is held at the firm's Tokyo headquarters where the General Manager and the project's consultant discuss ways to meet or skip the residents' demands without missing the deadline for the start of the project, which is financed by a post-pandemic fund. The man and woman are sent back to try to bribe Takumi by offering him to be a 'consultant' on the project. On the way, the two chat - a bit in the style of 'Drive My Car' - and seem to have been captivated by the quieter and uncorrupted lifestyle of the village. I prefer not to write too much about the last part. I'll just say that it veers towards 'horror' and is a prelude to an enigmatic ending worth discussing separately after you see the film.
The story seems simple, but it has many layers. Each of the four parts has its own rhythm and the composition is not unlike that of a symphony, with different tempos of each movement. The comparison to musical structure is more than a metaphor. This film started from the music of Eiko Ishibashi, who is also mentioned as the co-author of the script. Ryûsuke Hamaguchi began shooting for a video film to illustrate his music, which in turn was inspired by nature and village life. As the film emerged and developed, the idea of a fictional film was introduced, adding the corporate counterpoint which forms the core of the conflict. Clean water and innocent animals, which are never aggressive unless they are injured, can be seen as metaphors for a way of life threatened by urban and capitalist expansion. The actors are perfect and seem to be playing their roles from life, which is probably what many of them are doing. Ryûsuke Hamaguchi draws his viewers into a narrative that seems simple but hides many symbols and ends unexpectedly and enigmatically. Parts of the film charmed me, nature is filmed with sensitivity and expressiveness, but others left me with many question marks. 'Evil Does Not Exist' is a film that deserves to be seen, but viewers should be warned that they will watch an unconventional film. The ending - unusual as well and contradicting the title - is also an invitation to discussion.
It is not, however, at least on the surface, a very complicated story. The film has four parts. In the first part we get to know the life of a small community at the feet of the mountains (I think we even see Mount Fuji in the background a few times) which, although it is only 2-3 hours driving from Tokyo, leads a simple life, close to an unpolluted nature. Everything is filmed at a very slow pace, like that of nature and people's lives. Among the villagers, the camera focuses more on Takumi, the man who cuts wood and supplies his neighbors with clean water from the mountain rivers, and his daughter, Hana, who is about 10 years old. In the second part of the film the rhythm and style change. We watch a meeting between the inhabitants of the village and two representatives (a man and a woman) of a company from Tokyo that intends to build a 'glamping' (glamorous camping) tourist attraction in the area as a place of recreation for the company's employees. However, the construction will affect the quality of life of the residents. There is the danger of water pollution and fire hazards. In the third part the pace accelerates even more. A video conference is held at the firm's Tokyo headquarters where the General Manager and the project's consultant discuss ways to meet or skip the residents' demands without missing the deadline for the start of the project, which is financed by a post-pandemic fund. The man and woman are sent back to try to bribe Takumi by offering him to be a 'consultant' on the project. On the way, the two chat - a bit in the style of 'Drive My Car' - and seem to have been captivated by the quieter and uncorrupted lifestyle of the village. I prefer not to write too much about the last part. I'll just say that it veers towards 'horror' and is a prelude to an enigmatic ending worth discussing separately after you see the film.
The story seems simple, but it has many layers. Each of the four parts has its own rhythm and the composition is not unlike that of a symphony, with different tempos of each movement. The comparison to musical structure is more than a metaphor. This film started from the music of Eiko Ishibashi, who is also mentioned as the co-author of the script. Ryûsuke Hamaguchi began shooting for a video film to illustrate his music, which in turn was inspired by nature and village life. As the film emerged and developed, the idea of a fictional film was introduced, adding the corporate counterpoint which forms the core of the conflict. Clean water and innocent animals, which are never aggressive unless they are injured, can be seen as metaphors for a way of life threatened by urban and capitalist expansion. The actors are perfect and seem to be playing their roles from life, which is probably what many of them are doing. Ryûsuke Hamaguchi draws his viewers into a narrative that seems simple but hides many symbols and ends unexpectedly and enigmatically. Parts of the film charmed me, nature is filmed with sensitivity and expressiveness, but others left me with many question marks. 'Evil Does Not Exist' is a film that deserves to be seen, but viewers should be warned that they will watch an unconventional film. The ending - unusual as well and contradicting the title - is also an invitation to discussion.
The Swashbuckler
(1971)
super-Belmondo
1 February 2024
Warning: Spoilers
'Les mariés de l'an deux' made in 1971 and directed by Jean-Paul Rappeneau is an example of what in the 60s and 70s was a combination of period films and crowd-pleasers. They say that 'they don't make movies like this anymore', although I'm not sure that statement is very accurate. I think entertaining films with a historical background are still being made , but what is lacking is perhaps respectful care for historical details. Even if the adventures that take place on the screen cross the line between the possible and the impossible, "Les mariés de l'an deux" is absolutely believable in everything regarding the historical background. As the viewing of this film came for me two days after I had seen Ridley Scott's 'Napoleon', the comparison was inevitable - keeping all proportions of course. Rappeneau's movie is also known in the English-speaking markets as 'The Swashbuckler'.
The entire film is built around its lead star - Jean-Paul Belmondo. The actor plays the role of Nicolas Philibert, an adventurer who is exiled to America because he had killed in a duel an aristocrat who was flirting with his wife. He makes a fortune there, is about to marry the daughter of a very rich man, but first he has to get a French divorce certificate. He returns to France for this purpose and finds himself in the violent mess of the years after the French Revolution. He finds his wife (who had declared herself a widow and was also about to marry a royalist rebel) and the flame of love between the two is lit again. For the nearly 100 minutes of the film's duration, Belmondo runs, rides, shoots pistols and rifles, duels with swords and fights with fists, falls from heights and swims in the sea, courts and kisses women. He only stops when he's drugged and put to sleep, and not even then completely. The film begins with a prophecy made to the two future husbands in their childhood by a gypsy woman they met in a forest glade and ends in the Napoleonic period with the fulfillment of the prophecy, but not exactly the way the heroes expected.
In addition to the formidable Belmondo, we have Marlene Jobert with her familiar charm in the somewhat thin role of the wife, and a bunch of actors who build the human landscape of France at the time - revolutionaries and royalists, loyal friends and abject traitors, and especially beautiful women. One of the actresses is Laura Antonelli, who would become Belmondo's life partner for the next decade. I also noted Sami Frey, an actor I like a lot who had appeared in some of the important films of the new wave, the excellent comedian Julien Guiomar and Pierre Brasseur in one of his last roles. The action scenes are very well directed, the costumes and characters are authentic, and the whole production has rhythm and humor. The cinematography belongs to Claude Renoir, already then a veteran of French cinema, the nephew of the famous director Jean Renoir with whom he had collaborated decades ago. Michel Legrand's music accompanies everything and contributes to the gallant carnival atmosphere. 'Les mariés de l'an deux' is good entertainment that stands the test of time.
The entire film is built around its lead star - Jean-Paul Belmondo. The actor plays the role of Nicolas Philibert, an adventurer who is exiled to America because he had killed in a duel an aristocrat who was flirting with his wife. He makes a fortune there, is about to marry the daughter of a very rich man, but first he has to get a French divorce certificate. He returns to France for this purpose and finds himself in the violent mess of the years after the French Revolution. He finds his wife (who had declared herself a widow and was also about to marry a royalist rebel) and the flame of love between the two is lit again. For the nearly 100 minutes of the film's duration, Belmondo runs, rides, shoots pistols and rifles, duels with swords and fights with fists, falls from heights and swims in the sea, courts and kisses women. He only stops when he's drugged and put to sleep, and not even then completely. The film begins with a prophecy made to the two future husbands in their childhood by a gypsy woman they met in a forest glade and ends in the Napoleonic period with the fulfillment of the prophecy, but not exactly the way the heroes expected.
In addition to the formidable Belmondo, we have Marlene Jobert with her familiar charm in the somewhat thin role of the wife, and a bunch of actors who build the human landscape of France at the time - revolutionaries and royalists, loyal friends and abject traitors, and especially beautiful women. One of the actresses is Laura Antonelli, who would become Belmondo's life partner for the next decade. I also noted Sami Frey, an actor I like a lot who had appeared in some of the important films of the new wave, the excellent comedian Julien Guiomar and Pierre Brasseur in one of his last roles. The action scenes are very well directed, the costumes and characters are authentic, and the whole production has rhythm and humor. The cinematography belongs to Claude Renoir, already then a veteran of French cinema, the nephew of the famous director Jean Renoir with whom he had collaborated decades ago. Michel Legrand's music accompanies everything and contributes to the gallant carnival atmosphere. 'Les mariés de l'an deux' is good entertainment that stands the test of time.
Peter Greenaway's decadent masterpiece
31 January 2024
Warning: Spoilers
"The Cook, The Thief, His Wife & Her Lover" concludes the series of films made by Peter Greenaway in the 80s and is probably the best of them all. None of the previous films written and directed by the painter-turned-filmmaker can be easily forgotten by most viewers who dared to watch them. "The Cook, The Thief, His Wife & Her Lover" is, however, the one that can make us forget the others. Like most really good movies, this one can be watched and interpreted on many levels, and it can stick in the memory in many ways. It's a bleak horror comedy about a cook, a thief, his wife and her lover. It is a sophisticated story in the baroque and decadent setting of a restaurant and its labyrinthine kitchen reminiscent of an alchemist's workshop. It is an art film designed by multimedia artists with vast knowledge of art and music. It's a political film about 1980s England. It's a film about food and gluttony, sex and death. It's close to pornography. It's a decadent masterpiece by Peter Greenaway.
The film starts with a curtain opening and ends with another curtain closing to suggest to the audience that they are witnessing a performance in which it is not prudent to get involved. Mob boss Albert Spica has just purchased or perhaps violently taken over the luxury restaurant "La Hollandaise" run by French chef Richard. He comes every night with his band of thugs and his beautiful wife Georgina. Albert is a vulgar brat who behaves violently and bullies everyone including the staff and customers of the place and Georgina. The woman gets bored and starts exchanging languid glances with a man eating alone at another table with a stack of books he's reading from. We will learn that the man's name is Michael. One evening later, Michael and Georgina meet in the restaurant toilet for a party of passionate sex, followed by other similar encounters in the following evenings, in the kitchen, with Richard's complicity. When Albert discovers what is going on, his reaction is terrible. So will be the reaction to the reaction.
As in all the films of that period in the creation of Peter Greenaway, the cinematography and the soundtrack play very important roles. The cinematography belongs to Sacha Vierny who composes real paintings with references to the works of the Flemish masters. There's a lot of sex and food in this movie, constantly bordering on violence and death, and it's all shot with much voluptuousness. As in other Greenaway films, there is a virtual instrument that marks time. In this case this role is played by the menus of the day at the high-class restaurant. The music is composed by Michael Nyman who incorporated, among other things, arrangements of Henry Purcell's music and his own composition 'Memorial' from 1985, dedicated to the victims of the catastrophe at the stadium of the Liverpool football team. The quartet of leading roles is played by four actors who were already established names when they took the risk of acting in this film. Helen Mirren is the best known today, as her career continued to skyrocket in the decades that followed. Michael Gambon and Alan Howard were also well-known actors in England, including big roles in the most serious versions of Shakespeare's plays, while Richard Bohringer was a rising actor in French cinema who had already worked with Truffaut and Lelouch. The viewing of "The Cook, The Thief, His Wife & Her Lover" ends with the feeling that we have witnessed a wonderful, disturbing and complex creation, and that a second or more viewings are necessary to decipher and savor all its poisoned secrets.
The film starts with a curtain opening and ends with another curtain closing to suggest to the audience that they are witnessing a performance in which it is not prudent to get involved. Mob boss Albert Spica has just purchased or perhaps violently taken over the luxury restaurant "La Hollandaise" run by French chef Richard. He comes every night with his band of thugs and his beautiful wife Georgina. Albert is a vulgar brat who behaves violently and bullies everyone including the staff and customers of the place and Georgina. The woman gets bored and starts exchanging languid glances with a man eating alone at another table with a stack of books he's reading from. We will learn that the man's name is Michael. One evening later, Michael and Georgina meet in the restaurant toilet for a party of passionate sex, followed by other similar encounters in the following evenings, in the kitchen, with Richard's complicity. When Albert discovers what is going on, his reaction is terrible. So will be the reaction to the reaction.
As in all the films of that period in the creation of Peter Greenaway, the cinematography and the soundtrack play very important roles. The cinematography belongs to Sacha Vierny who composes real paintings with references to the works of the Flemish masters. There's a lot of sex and food in this movie, constantly bordering on violence and death, and it's all shot with much voluptuousness. As in other Greenaway films, there is a virtual instrument that marks time. In this case this role is played by the menus of the day at the high-class restaurant. The music is composed by Michael Nyman who incorporated, among other things, arrangements of Henry Purcell's music and his own composition 'Memorial' from 1985, dedicated to the victims of the catastrophe at the stadium of the Liverpool football team. The quartet of leading roles is played by four actors who were already established names when they took the risk of acting in this film. Helen Mirren is the best known today, as her career continued to skyrocket in the decades that followed. Michael Gambon and Alan Howard were also well-known actors in England, including big roles in the most serious versions of Shakespeare's plays, while Richard Bohringer was a rising actor in French cinema who had already worked with Truffaut and Lelouch. The viewing of "The Cook, The Thief, His Wife & Her Lover" ends with the feeling that we have witnessed a wonderful, disturbing and complex creation, and that a second or more viewings are necessary to decipher and savor all its poisoned secrets.
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