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Reviews
B.Traven: A Mystery Solved (1978)
B Traven, a mystery, but one of the great writers of the 20th century
I first heard, rather than read, B Traven's words. A radio transmission on the BBC of his book The Death Ship. From hearing that I went to the books, March To Caobaland, The Rebellion of the Hanged and not least The Treasure of the Sierra Madre. The last of these
It was the work of Robert Robinson, in the film directed by Will Wyatt, which followed the clues and found the witnesses, the last witnesses who could testify as to the person behind the mystery.
The greatness of B Traven is none the less for his being known. Indeed his personal life story is itself a great story, and does not detract from the merits, of which there are plenty of his written stories.
Sure, there are some who think that the identity is not yet established, or belongs to some other. But those are minority ideas, and have little actual evidence to sustain them.
This work of Robinson's is perhaps his finest piece of television work, and suggests that if he had felt able to devote himself to other such research what we would have had would have been substantial. B Traven on the other hand was not concerned at establishing a personal reputation beyond his work, And that is indeed substantial. For those that do not know him in all his glory, ... go read!
Populaire (2012)
Almost offensively out of date - what was the point
Well, I suppose some would say it is a comedy. In fact it is not really funny. Of course sometimes, occasionally, it might raise a smile, of sorts. But it is stretching it to call it a comedy. If it had been made in the 1950's or early 1960's when it is supposed to be set, rather uncertainly - there are inconsistencies in the set that could go towards its goof count - it might have interest as a historical document. But to think that this was made as late as 2012 begs questions of values the production team and others involved (except perhaps for the actors, who would always appreciate a crust of bread.) And it begs a similar question about those who were rating it as highly as they did.
The "girls", adult women, are treated as performing chimpanzees, set up to compete - in the final showdown indeed in a non-contact cat-fight, as speed typists, the acme and ultimate ambition for women in the man's world that is/was an office. The romantic line running through it, that may allow some to ignore the reality of what the film said it was about, is really thin and full of stereotypes, and the final denouement is sad in its predictability. Really, have they learnt and understood nothing about the relations between the sexes, patronising bosses (patrons), lecherous bosses' sons, equal opportunity, sexism and discrimination and so on. It is not a question of "political correctness", just of maturity in film-making. This is not mature. Who was the intended film audience, what were they wanting to say to those people? That that was some halycon, good-old-days ? There is a place for re-creating old film styles. For a brilliant film that does successfully to the highest degree, by contrast with this, see:he Artist another French films made only a year earlier in 2011, also called a romantic comedy-drama (written, directed, and co-edited by Michel Hazanavicius). Ironically that film also had Bérénice Bejo who deservedly was praised for he part. In this film there was nothing that she could have done. Or anyone for that. Sorry folks, that's all!
Barefoot in the Park (1967)
Sorry but just so clunky and well past its best-by ... date
It is no longer funny and would really have had limited appeal in its day. The lines are some of Neil Simon's weakest, the acting may have worked on a stage, but do not transfer. That it relies on repeated jokes makes it pretty tedious, in fact. That it has leading actors and in the direction, and other support does not lend it anything either. If you liked that kind of Broadway show, farce that has little wit and limited visual humour I suppose it might, possibly, work. I usually do but not here. The sets are about as minimal in interest and thought as could have been from a stage version. Better quietly forgotten by all by the aficionados.