sorek Reviews

The Treasure of the Sierra Madre (1948)

a movie with a sobering message

[12 December 2003]

This movie is unique as ,besides superb acting and direction,it has a message,possibly several. Given the time the book was written,early twenty century,with socialism riding high,holding many not to be materialized promises,the book which is the basis for the movie,aimed at depicting the corrupting influence of wealth,the gold treasure. I find another,in my opinion more important,message:-holding a mirror to our face and telling us how we behave in our natural state. This is raw ,uninhibited behaviour,personified in the main character,Dobbs,played by Humphrey Bogart. We witness the evolution of Dobbs who, like the other gold prospectors,is devoid of any restraining influence-laws,family,friends,community or neighbours ,with the only means of settling differences being the gun. It is interesting what a disproportionate number of classic movies are black and white,when color was available.It may be that black and white adds somber and serious atmosphere. I think that this movie not only retains its power and artistic value after more than half a century,it has secured a prominent place in the pantheon of classic movies.

Daniel (1983)

a thought provoking movie

[23 June 2001]

This movie,impressively directed and played by both the main and supporting actors,poses to us a question:do parents have the right to sacrifice the future of their children on the altar of their ideology? That their ideology and practice,Communism and its world wide tentacles,was seriously flawed and misguided,is more clear today than it was at the time the movie was made, before the collapse of the Soviet Union and its underpinning ideology. The plot centers over the attempts of convicted spies(for the Soviet Union)son to uncover a truth he believes exists,only to find a different reality,very perplexing. The message one may take from the plot is that evaluating one's parent from the perspective of an adult is both difficult and painful,truly entering a lions den.

The Great Gatsby (1974)

an underrated movie

[28 May 2001]

I have watched the movie after a long time interval,and as before found the images lingering with me,causing me to look for the reason,which is not the classical Scott Fitzgerald plot,with a main element of money's influence on people's attitudes and fate,but the visual intensity,with color vital ingredient.

One feels that a great deal of artistic energy and of resources were invested in recreating the era,the (for some) roaring twenties of the 20th century,and the characters,by immensely rich costumes,many closeups and technical details.

This all results in the impression of authenticity. I find one scene,the short appearance of Wolfsheim,particularly memorable,with,in few sentences, a depiction of a crime figure's outlook on life.