karhukissa Reviews

La fausse suivante (2000)

Alternative through being traditional

[8/10 · 4 June 2009]

There are not many Marivaux (or for that matter, Moliére or Goldoni) comedies I have seen on film, and this is no accident. Whereas one goes to watch them to the theater, it is mostly in line with a theatrical tradition of long ago. Sch plays rarely work well in film. Not as if the themes were dated - hypocrites, hypochondriacs or, for that matter, gold-diggers are far from being extinct in our world - but because the theatrical traditions, the costumes and the style direct our attention away from the message. Even when watching Kenneth Branagh's film versions of Shakespeare comedies, I can only appreciate them as faithful renderings of Renaissance atmosphere, nothing more.

Therefore, it was quite a brave undertaking to film this 18th century piece, and to do so by apparently filming a theater performance. Apparently, for there is no audience (apart from the character of Harlequin, who sometimes appears from among the seats). Acting out a classic comedy with countesses and chevaliers, in 18th century costumes in an empty theater feels rather artificial. And this is just the point. After all, the play itself is about pretending - woman pretending to be a chevalier, gold-digger pretending to be faithful lover, nobleman pretending to be servant. The theater is an allegory for the whole theme of the play. It is no accident that, when Lélio challenges the chevalier to a duel, he leaves the stage through the back staircase - but changes his mind when he sees the chevalier following. He is not ready to give up his pretensions. The lack of set and the slightly distant way of acting (especially of the two superb actresses) turns a classic comedy into a modern, experimental performance, and this, paradoxically, allows the viewer to connect better to this world where intrigue is the only way to survive, no matter whether you're on the good or bad side.

A rózsaszín görény (2003)

hilarious, artistic - fun!

[10/10 · 22 January 2008]

I'd seen stuff by Katrin Kremmler before (in fact, I even acted in one), but The Pink Ferret surprised me. Apart from all the fun of seeing people I actually know acting in a film, it IS a well-written story, with some truly artistic shots, animation and of course, an absolutely cute ferret.

The main character is a detective, who is asked (by an embarrassingly sexy woman) to find a missing female politician, who is well-known for her homophobic rhetoric. The clues lead our detective to the lesbian underworld, where a secret society uses an original method to stop hate speech: homophobic female public personalities are seduced by their irresistible agent. But now the agent has disappeared. Could this be connected to the disappearance of the politician? As the title allusion suggests, this is a crime comedy, but with a touch of noir, especially in photography. In fact, artistically I'd even say that the Pink Ferret has outdone the Pink Panther.

Hangyaboly (1971)

Marvellously sensitive

[9/10 · 22 January 2008]

This film is probably hard to come by in other countries, but I absolutely recommend it to anyone who's interested in early lesbian movies and/or art cinema. As for the former category, I couldn't say any other movies (worldwide!) from this period (before the 1980s) that handle lesbianism so sensitively and with so much understanding. It is already a big deal to choose a lesbian nun as the positive main character - and to choose an excellent actress for this part. I like it that the film doesn't pass judgment on Virginia for having same-sex (or in fact any) desires. We're just genuinely sorry that she wastes herself on an unworthy person.

Of course, lesbianism is just a sideline to the plot, which is basically about power struggle in a cloister, the fight between reformists and conservatives. In fact, the novel on which the film is based focuses more on this, and the love story is marginal. In the film, however, the two factors intertwine much more. Virginia is brilliant as a reformist but blind as a lover, and mixing emotions with work doom her fate and that of the reforms she would like to initiate.

Puszta Cowboy (2004)

Postmodern sexual theory in practice

[10/10 · 6 January 2008]

I rarely give 10 points, but Puszta Cowboy is one of my favorites. Not only the ingenious idea of setting a western in Hungary (and making familiar landscapes really look like the Wild West) or the humor, which is so typical of all Kremmler's films. But the twist in the end treats gender and sexuality in a more (post)modern and creative way than any other European film I've ever seen. It's so rare to see a film that elaborates on the nature of masculinity and femininity and yet doesn't sound like an academic textbook.

For anyone studying or interested in gender studies, Puszta Cowboy is a must!

Mother Night (1996)

The advantages of being a fan

[9/10 · 3 April 2007]

Although I like Kurt Vonnegut, I'm not particularly interested in spy stories and I didn't know this one. The only reason I watched it was Nick Nolte, who is one of my favorite actors since I saw "Breakfast of Champions" and "Hotel Rwanda". But the film brought me a pleasant surprise. Of course Nolte was great, but so was the plot. There was relatively little political intrigue, and much more focus on the moral question: by reading his anti-Semitic radio commentaries with hidden secret messages to Americans, he in fact contributed to the general attitude of Germans (and, as it later turns out, Americans) towards Jews or Hitler. Which carries more weight, his service to his country or his unconscious contribution to anti-semitism? The dilemma is even more prominent as these words are never spoken, not even as narration. Howard Campbell Jr. (Nolte) is a person who learnt to hide his feelings so perfectly that he doesn't open up, not even in his memoirs. The inner conflict of such a character is almost impossible to portray - but with the help of excellent acting and photography, this film manages.

There are other points to it, such as the humor or the ironical use of romantic clichés (like the song White Christmas), that make it real different from average American movies. I recommend it to everyone who is bored with Hollywood spy movies.

Babel (I) (2006)

Inarritu can do better than this

[7/10 · 2 March 2007]

I am not one of the "great Inarritu fans", though I really liked "21 grams". I can't even say I expected too much from Babel. Surprisingly, I was disappointed in the things I expected more from, and pleasantly surprised by some others.

The star actors, for example, caused a disappointment. I wasn't too impressed by either Brad Pitt or Cate Blanchett. I kept feeling they were only cast to have some "big names" that would attract the audience. The acting of the no-name amateurs (the Moroccan boys, the deaf Japanese girl) was much more convincing.

Of course, Brad and Cate weren't lucky in the sense that they got the worst of the 4 story lines. The "European tourist ending up desperate in the middle of Africa"-scenario is too familiar from films like Bertolucci's "The Sheltering Sky" or the Dogma production "The King is Alive". The influence of these films is way too visible - in the room Blanchett waits in for the ambulance, or in the kinds of tourists there are on the bus. Except that the other too films are way deeper and much less sensational. The element that all this happens to a marriage in crisis (though stolen from Bertolucci, of course) seemed interesting at first, until it turned out that the crisis was due to their baby boy's death. Now come on! Couldn't there have been a less cliché reason? The other three stories are much more impressive. The stories of the Mexican and the Moroccan characters recall "21 grams" with the idea of people endangering other people's lives unwillingly, just by making the wrong decision. Though I admit I can't really sympathize with the Mexican au-pair: I would certainly not trust my children to anyone who has so little common sense (starting to walk in the desert in the middle of the night instead of waiting till morning and getting back on the road; leaving the children under a bush until she finds help, although she should see by then that she can't find her way around the desert...) The Moroccon story is predictable but very nicely done.

The best plot line was the Tokyo one. The shots (some of which, I heard, were taken without permission with hand-held camcorders) really convey the hustle of Tokyo nightlife, and the part where we see a disco as a deaf person would is excellent. I also liked the idea that we only know fragments of the girl's story, and even those are uncovered gradually (see "21 grams"). Of course a lot of films use disabled characters to raise the viewer's sympathy, but here I didn't feel this plot line was part of such a trick. Though only loosely connected with the main story, this one conveyed a feeling of isolation much more than the ones taking place in a desert; the other characters' lives are literally in danger, but the Japanese girl is much more desperate; the others have to survive in extreme conditions, she "only" in the metropolitan jungle. Maybe, as soon as characters start talking about their feelings, it easily ends up in banality. True desperation, true loneliness is so deep it cannot be expressed by words. Or if it is (on the note she hands over to the police officer), we never find out what these words are.

You Rang, M'Lord? (1988–1993)

My absolute favorite

[10/10 · 28 January 2007]

I first saw You Rang, M'lord over 15 years ago. My motivation was in fact Miss Cissy's picture in the TV program - of course I wanted to see anything with a lesbian character! But while I wasn't disappointed in Cissy, I grew fond of the whole household, masters and servants alike. I have since seen it dozens of times on TV, video and DVD.

I truly think You Rang, M'lord is a masterpiece of English sitcom. Firstly, it's a nice parody of the rigid social boundaries in British society ("No, Henry, you don't open the door. Mr. Twelvetrees opens the door. If he is not here, Ivy opens the door. If Ivy is not here, I open the door", lectures Mrs. Lipton.) However, the characters are more than just representatives of their respective social classes. They all have a full-fledged personality, a whole life outside the confines of the series (think of reports about Mabel's husband or visits to the Kitkat Club). Even relatively minor characters, like Lady Agatha, are three-dimensional. Every character is extremely funny and yet likable. The moment one would start to hate Alf or Miss Poppy, they immediately do something (and it might just be a glance or a smile) to win our sympathy back. Psychologically the whole series is perfectly realistic and logical. No wonder there're no 'goofs' listed about this series on IMDb. There aren't any.

I have seen other sitcoms by Jimmy Perry and David Croft, but this one exceeds all of them. The excellent acting contributes to this, too. I couldn't point out one actor over the others; they all do a brilliant job.

Torzók (2001)

Allegorical, in case you haven't recognized

[8/10 · 23 January 2007]

We have all (or at least I have) seen tons of stories about kids growing up in an orphanage, without the loving care of parents. You can watch this film as if it were another one of these stories. But it isn't.

Though I suspect at least part of the story is autobiographical, Arpad Sopsits manages to turn it into an allegory of dictatorship. Though the boys are completely cut off from the outside world (they do not communicate with anyone from there), the atmosphere pretty much models the general feeling in Hungary after the cruel suppression of the 1956 revolution. Religion is severely punished, humiliation takes place every day, children are made to spy on one another. Nyitrai, the only humane teacher, is known to have been in prison after the revolution, and now finds escape in astronomy and music. The head of the institution is himself scared stiff of the State which might find out if he gets too lenient. When a sadistic teacher is criticized for his methods, he replies: "I'm cruel to them because the world is cruel, too. I'm just preparing them for what to expect outside." The possibility of an idealized, innocent childhood is lost for these children.

My parents grew up at the same time as the film takes place. They never encountered such cruelty; nevertheless, I think the film is entirely realistic. Some comments say they can't really identify with this story as it takes place in a very different country. But think it over: does it? I think any dictatorship, big or small, operates the same way. And it is usually invisible to people not directly affected by it.

Rabbit-Proof Fence (2002)

Claiming back a heritage

[10/10 · 22 January 2007]

Rabbit-Proof Fence is one of the few films that by far exceed the book they're based on. Obviously, some features are missing from the printed page, such as the wonderful Australian landscape (shot intentionally with not too bright colors so as not to make it tacky), Peter Gabriel's amazing music or the fantastic acting by the Aboriginal children (and adults). But the film adds more. While the book is just an individual story of three girls escaping from a settlement because they long for home, the film adds the whole context of subtle racism prevalent in Australia, as I was shocked to find out, until the 1970s. The lecture about how to "breed out" the aboriginal blood from half-caste children or the separation of light-skinned kids who could be sent to "proper school" because they pass for white are as much a part of this as the Aboriginal maid molested by her employer or the tracker who is made to follow and try to catch the kids who have done just what he himself wishes to do. These two Aboriginal adult characters are a great addition to the story, a reflection of what might have become the three girls if they hadn't run away.

To us, white people, this film is a reminder that we mustn't force our culture on anybody. To Aboriginals, it was the first feature film about "the stolen generation", the story of how the culture of Aboriginal people was systematically suffocated until recently. I deeply respect Philip Noyce, as a white Australian, for facing the mistakes of his own race and conveying this message to all those spectators who sat in for a moving story about kids and got much more.

Philemon és Baucis (1978 TV Movie)

The heroes who weren't

[8/10 · 7 January 2007]

The original story of Philemon and Baucis is an ancient Greek legend in which an elderly couple puts up the messenger of the gods. In return, they can ask whatever favor they want, and they ask to die together, so that neither would have to mourn for the other.

Setting this story at the time of the Hungarian revolution in 1956, we more or less expect some self-sacrifice. The beginning of the film gives clues for that: an elderly couple getting ready for their anniversary, living in perfect harmony despite the political turmoil around them. And then suddenly a wounded young soldier runs into their house. This would be their chance to do a good deed, to be as noble as their mythological namesakes. We expect heroic self-sacrifice - in vain. The woman keeps telling the soldier to go away; the man does try to get the doctor, who, however, is just about to emigrate from the country and won't waste his time on wounded strangers. We expect the old man to perhaps trade his silver watch to the trader who had expressed interest in it and use the money for good purposes - he doesn't.

This is not a Hollywood-type heroic story. This Philemon and Baucis are no models for selflessness. They are ordinary people, keen on shunning the world outside so that their comfortable little life would not be influenced by outside factors, even ones that change the whole world. I'm convinced lots of people act like this at times of great historical turmoil. And we may ask ourselves the question: wouldn't we?

The Odyssey (1997)

Not faithful to the epic or to history

[2/10 · 5 January 2007]

Several people commented that the film is not faithful to Homer's epic poem. This is certainly a problem, especially when omissions make the story difficult to follow. (Why did Odysseus say to the Cyclops: "My name is nobody"? The line is included in the film, but the punchline of the joke isn't.)

Of course, we cannot expect a film to include everything in the book, some parts must be left out. (But why the poor sirens? They are one of the few parts everyone knows about the Odyssey.) Such parts merely bother the few who have read the original and expect the director to be faithful to it; others might not even notice omissions or goofs. (Here's one for you: Achilles' body is laid out, covered in wounds and scars. However, anyone who's read the Iliad knows that Achilles could only be wounded at his heel.) Nor should we be particular about geographical detail, such as the fact that Pamukkale (the place that features as Calypso's island) is in fact hundreds of miles from the sea.

What we can expect and what I did expect was some faithfulness to the original message and to historical detail. Neither can be said about this film. Odysseus (the original) is not a Hollywood-type muscular hero but a cunning guy whose cleverness and sense of humor, rather than strength gets him out of difficult situations. Here you hardly get any of this. Actually, his men have more likable characters than he does. The clever tricks I enjoyed about the epic are missing almost completely.

Those who want to find about ancient Greek culture are led astray even more. The costumes are ridiculous: warriors wear underpants and one of the servant girls a long-sleeved blouse. It is also quite unlikely that Odysseus was present at his son's birth, given that in traditional cultures men were forbidden to go near a woman in labor for fear of bringing a curse on her. The forms of displaying affection or Penelope's masturbation with the sea waves are also things I find hard to imagine at the time. My 2 points go to spectacular scenes and landscapes, and some of the acting. (Not Armand Assante's.) Still, I wish filmmakers would keep from turning every literary work, even ones from different ages and cultures, into a tacky Hollywood 'you can achieve anything'-success story.

Fight Club (1999)

Another Columbus

[6/10 · 4 December 2006]

Oh yes, this film discovered America - or the "America" of consumerism which makes the soul and people's dreams die. Real nice. Except it was not the first movie to do so. It sure became more popular than the rest, perhaps because of the spectacular fighting scenes. I agree with others that here fighting is not per se; however, we see way much more of it than needed to bring the message home. No, let's face it: all the fighting scenes (and the half-naked shots of Brad Pitt) were included to sell the movie.

There are certainly good things about it - my six stars mainly go to the acting, both Edward Norton and Brad Pitt, but also my rarely-seen favorite Meat Loaf. His character, and in fact the whole beginning of the film is really creative. The problem is, towards the end it gets too creative - the twist of the story is downright stupid, and not exactly credible looking back. To me it feels like they had to find a solution and couldn't think of a better one. It was not even a new idea - Oscar Wilde used it, to mention just one.

As for the message of the film: what disturbed me most was its stereotypical, traditional masculinity. The idea that there is some innate violence in men (not women - they are hardly present, except for sex objects or dying cancer patients), and this is supposedly a good thing, a way to escape being controlled by the System. Also, the popular (but false) belief that you can get rid of your tension/aggression by expressing it in, for example, fighting sports (whereas research shows that violence raises adrenalin levels and leads to more aggressivity). It (re?-)creates a myth of masculinity, where "real" men are fighters who torture themselves and each other; men who have emotions and even express them are so feminine they even have breasts. I see some danger in this movie becoming a cult film.

What I did learn from this film: I think it gives some insight into how people can be recruited to support an oppressive, destructive system, such as in Nazi Germany. The way the terrorist brigade evolving from the Fight Club functions is a pretty credible image of this process. I just dare to hope Fight Club-fans find this, though enlightening, just as scary as I did.

Man of Flowers (1983)

the music of loneliness

[7/10 · 17 October 2006]

In my language, there's a different word for erotic and non-erotic love. English has just one word for the two. And Charles, the main character in this story, doesn't even make a distinction. The attraction he feels to flowers or classical music is erotic, as is his attachment to his mother; at the same time, he's unable to consummate a sexual relationship. He's a profoundly lonely person, who writes letters to himself and buys 'human relationships' in the form of a doctor or a stripper to whom he hardly talks. Lisa, in turn, is just as lonely: her boyfriend hardly talks to her, only takes her money to spend on drugs. This film is about the isolation of modern people, the impossibility to create relationships. Charles sublimates this longing into a fondness for all art and beauty, others escape into drugs or pointless 'creation'. And the question arises: why am I watching this film? What am I substituting with it?

My Summer of Love (2004)

expected more

[4/10 · 23 September 2006]

I translated this film for the Budapest GLBT cultural festival. So I expected something that would show lesbian love in a positive light. Instead, this was a rather depressing feature about a teenage friendship which turned into a love affair "by chance". Someone comparing it to Heavenly Creatures had a point. Lesbianism is presented here as an escape from the sordid reality of the girls' (especially Mona's) life.

Not that we see much of these lives, though. This was my major problem with the film. It was based on a novel which was clearly autobiographical, and some points got lost on the way. What part did the zealot brother play in the story? And Tamsin's parents? What was the point in the religious procession, and why was it important to include? Where are Mona's parents? A lot of questions that aren't answered. The two actresses are really superb, but they seem to exist in a void, without an even slightly realistic environment. Maybe this is how the author felt at the time of this happening, but it doesn't make a film. At least not a good one.

Feldobott kö (1969)

Surprisingly brave

[7/10 · 23 September 2006]

Lately you see a lot of films from Eastern Europe criticizing the politics and society of the 1950s. However, in 1969, when this film was made, this topic was still more or less taboo. Although by that time there were films making fun of the excesses of the 1950s (The witness), this film is much braver, facing the audience with a problem that was not solved until the late 80s: the way the state oppressed the original culture of the Roma people. The scene in the Roma camp is truly moving, and perhaps the first breach of the taboo that existed in Hungarian film and culture for decades. The Roma were treated as a social problem and not as a people with their authentic culture; their culture was considered equal to the "culture of poverty". This way they were deprived of their human dignity the same way the inhabitants of the small town, whose railway station the long-awaited Friendship Train was not supposed to stop at. The latter had the courage to stop the train, and paid the price. The Roma have no means to resist, nor does the photographer, whose only option is to document the scene. Although it has all the typical faults of the films of its age, this is just what Sara's film does.

Fierce Creatures (1997)

Fiercely funny!

[10/10 · 5 September 2006]

"Fierce Creatures" is one of my favorite films. It might be because (unlike probably many Americans) I have seen a lot of English humor from childhood. It might be because I'm an environmentalist. It might be because I'm a Monty Python-fan. But this film, with finally an original plot line, an unlikely couple, a parody of modern multinational businesses and a lot of not-so-cliché animals really gets me. Yes, it is funny. And what's more, it happens to have a real message, unlike most of the supposedly hilarious Hollywood comedies. Not something like "be yourself" or "don't put work first", but a message about what we're doing to the environment, and what is our responsibility. In a way, this film is trying to do exactly what the zoo in the film is doing: using its form of communication not to satisfy cheap audience tastes (though that might also work with the gags and the superb acting) but to teach them a different way to relate to animals.

Mambo Italiano (2003)

One thinks it's easy to be gay in Canada - and is mistaken!

[9/10 · 4 September 2006]

Unlike some other commentators, I knew nothing about this film except it's a comedy about gay men. So I didn't expect much, but got all the more! First of all, I was glad to see that the main character was neither the classic handsome Hollywood macho, nor a feminine gay man but just an average-looking young guy. The other guy does look more cliché, but then he's the one who ends up in the closet, feeling guilty about being gay. The acting is superb throughout the film.

Someone commented that it's not all that funny. Well, it's true - coming out and breaking up with family or your lover are always painful, and I don't like films which ignore this side of the story. If you're deeply touched by Angelo's story, then it has performed the task such films, I think, are supposed to do: to make the audience more sensitive to gay people's issues. At the same time, though, it's pretty funny - just like your own coming out is often funny looking back. The confession scene is hilarious, and I laughed my heart out at the gay helpline scene - working for a GLBT helpline myself, I can assure you: this is just as distorted as the image of the Italian community. (We could use that scene for training purposes, though: what not to do...)

Yossi & Jagger (2002)

So distant and still so familiar

[9/10 · 3 September 2006]

One would think that for a pacifist lesbian living (thank God) in a country at peace, a story about two gay soldiers on the Israeli-Lebanon border would be just slightly more than a curiosity. But this film does make its effect. It's not American style, there are no big stars with toothpaste-ad smiles, and the two guys do spend very little time together, but every time they are in the same place one feels the suppressed desire any homosexual can experience in an environment where s/he has to act straight. The scene in the snow is thus not only the victory of joy and will to live over war (because we aren't allowed to forget these guys are in a war area), but also the liberation one feels when one is finally allowed to express feelings forbidden by society. The other painfully familiar scene is the last one - being in the home of your beloved and pretending to be some distant acquaintance. Been there, done that. I'm glad the story doesn't have a happy ending. Based on other films from Israel about homosexuality and the general atmosphere there, it can't have had one.

Over the Hedge (2006)

Something your kids can learn

[9/10 · 19 July 2006]

I'm oh-so-bored with cartoons giving the big message that the family is the most important thing in the world. And it felt a bit like this is gonna be another one, with the loving family of possums, porcupines, turtle and squirrel (biologically a bit weird...) Luckily, this is just one of the messages, and not the central one, either.

It's just so great that finally not only serious documentaries but animation films for kids also tackle the issue of consumerism. I think it's terribly important that they are faced with criticism of extreme consumption and what it does to the environment - and to us. Maybe even for adults it's worth thinking over. At least the humans in the story are depicted as stupid, though dangerous, as opposed to the funny but lovely animals. (I find this realistic, too.) The jokes work pretty well not just for children but also for adults, though you need to be good at film history with some of them. And I'm sure I'd have understood much more if the film hadn't been dubbed - but this is really not their fault.