duminică, 30 aprilie 2017
Dekalog, Episode 2, written by Krzysztof Kieslowski and Krzysztof Piesiewicz, directed by the former
Dekalog, Episode 2, written by Krzysztof
Kieslowski and Krzysztof Piesiewicz, directed by the former
A different
version of this note and thoughts on other books are available at:
- https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLEVa4_CsRStSBBDo4uJWT8BSWtTTn0N1E
and
http://realini.blogspot.ro/
Dekalog is
a fabulous series.
It has been
included on the list of best films, including the one compiled by TIME
Magazine, The All-TIME 100 movies:
All the ten
episodes of Dekalog are based on the Ten Commandments and the story lines refer
to the Bible, at least as pretext for the plot
-
"Thou shalt not take the name
of the Lord thy God in vain".
This is the
second commandment and the place to start in this narrative, which has at the
center a woman called Dorota Geller.
She is a
musician with the Philharmonic.
Her husband
is very ill and she tried to find more about his condition from the elderly
doctor who is also their neighbor.
The doctor
is rather morose, unfriendly and detached.
We would
later find there is a reason for this attitude and it has to do with a tragedy
that has affected the life of the poor man.
Dorota Geller
calls at the door of the apartment:
-
Do you know me?
-
Yes, you ran over my dog two years
ago…
After this
inauspicious debut to their (mis)communication, the two neighbors would
gradually become friendlier, but in the second half of this episode.
The distressed
woman wants to know how serious is the condition of her husband, only the
doctor gives this information…
-
On Wednesday, between 3 and 5 in the
afternoon, this is when I see the relatives of my patients
-
But it is Monday
-
Yes, the day after tomorrow
-
I wish I ran over you instead of
your dog…
Notwithstanding
this death wish, Dorota Geller comes to the hospital to see her spouse and then
tries again to engage with the doctor.
She is
offering him a ride home in her VW Beetle, but he refuses because he says he
always walks home.
The musician
is clearly haunted and finally gets invited to the apartment of the doctor
where she explains her ordeal.
Dorota says
that she must know if her husband will die because she loves him but is also
involved with a good friend.
-
I am pregnant and the child is not
my husband’s
-
I see
-
So I need to know if he will live to
determine if I will have an abortion
-
It is impossible for me to say…I
really do not know
And then he
elaborates on the situation which is probably where we get as close as possible
to the second commandment, for the doctor explains that he has seen cases where
the patient recovered miraculously and others where someone died without
warning so to say…
There is
another stage where the doctor may seem to be playing God, for he is more
assured now and he thinks he knows.
I will not
say what to avoid spoilers.
But whereas
earlier on he refused a definite prognosis, saying that although the situation
is critical things could change, at a later moment he has made up his mind.
There are
powerful and thought provoking scenes.
One patient
talks about coming from “the other side „and how
-
The world was disintegrating
He now
seems to be taking life as a miracle that does not stop.
It reminds
me of the final three minutes in the life of Fyodor Dostoyevsky …The last
minutes in the life of the Russian titan were regularly mentioned, for the
effect they had had on me and the emphasis which could be placed afterwards on
enjoying life, seeing as it is short, what we see before death:
-
Dostoyevsky was condemned to death.
-
As he was facing the firing squad, he thought he will divide the last
three minutes into…well, three:
-
The first minute will be used to place the whole life in front of his
eyes, from early childhood to death
-
For the second minute, the intention was to pass it saying goodbye to
members of his family and friends
-
The last minute – he will admire a ray of sunshine that was looking
wonderfully on a steep church tower nearby
That is the
amazing epiphany of the last moments before dying- you can see only then, alas,
how extremely beautiful life is and how you wish you lived on a bare rock in
the middle of the ocean, which would still be a billion times better than
ending it and dying.
Somebody Up There Likes Me, screenplay by Ernest Lehman based on the autobiography of Rocky Graziano
Somebody Up There Likes Me, screenplay by
Ernest Lehman based on the autobiography of Rocky Graziano
A different
version of this note and thoughts on other books are available at:
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and
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Somebody Up
There really Liked Rocky Graziano…and Paul Newman for that matter.
At least in
the adult part of Graziano’s life, after some critical events and even then,
from some points of view only he was lucky.
The childhood
of the famous boxing champion was As Bad As It Gets, for his father was abusive
and kicked him around.
At a later
stage, there are some explanations for the terrible behavior of the father, who
could not be a boxer, as supposedly had been his calling.
Rocky Graziano’s
mother blames herself for asking her husband to give up boxing, which he did
and became a failure.
He keeps
drinking and pushes his son around, hurting him because of some wrong, heinous
reasons like:
-
I don’t like whining and hits the
poor boy
Very soon,
Rocky gets involved in fights, which could be seen as a good training for his
future career, but he also breaks the law.
He has
stolen some money with his associates and the policemen get him and ask him to
explain the sum.
-
I got it from my father
Only when
asked, this hard man, who would be charged with more than harassment and child
abuse in the world of today denies having given anything to the boy.
Throughout his
life, rocky will have a series of problems with the authorities and rules and
regulations.
Somebody Up
There Liked him early on, when he got mad while doing forced labor and was on
the point of killing a guard.
Once out,
he is taken by what looked like force to enroll in the army, where he gets into
more trouble.
He uses his
powerful hands to send into the dust a superior who dared wake him up and then
he faces a captain.
So there is
another powerful knock and a K.O., only not under the proper circumstances in
an organized game.
He is
dishonorably discharged and this humiliation would follow him and there would
be Goodfellas who would try to blackmail him on the subject.
While a
fugitive from the army, Rocky has to find a way to make some money, thinking he
could pay his way out of trouble.
As he
happens- another Like from the Man Upstairs- to be in a boxing club, a trainer
is in need of a sparring partner.
Rocky is
quick to volunteer and he not only does honorably for a novice, but he sends
the opponent to the floor.
For the
next games, he keeps refusing to train, even if he seems to use almost exclusively
one hand and asks for other guys to “flatten out”.
His physical
form is evidently astonishing but I was almost equally flabbergasted by how
uneducated, rough, simple to the point of repeating over and over just a few
phrases his vocabulary was…
-
Don’t worry about a thing!
This is
what he keeps saying to everyone, mother, wife, manager and those he meets by
chance or friends.
He gets
into trouble yet again, when a former friend and convicted and permanent criminal
wants him to cheat on a game.
Rocky would
have none of that, proud of his prowess and success, but he does not want to
inform the authorities.
Instead of
doing what the crook asked and facing the wrath of the blackmailer who would
print the stories about his criminal past, he pretends he has an injury.
The story
based on the real life of what of the most appreciated champions of the last
century is a wonderful lesson.
Courage, grit,
determination, resilience, redemption are just some of the elements of a
success tale, even if boxing is not the recommended way to get to the top.
It is well
known now that not just boxing, but other rough sports like American Football
have a very severe, traumatic effect on the brain.
sâmbătă, 29 aprilie 2017
It’s a Wonderful Life, written by Frank Capra and others, based on a story by Philip Van Doren Stern
It’s a Wonderful Life, written by Frank Capra and others, based on a
story by Philip Van Doren Stern
A different
version of this note and thoughts on other books are available at:
- https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLEVa4_CsRStSBBDo4uJWT8BSWtTTn0N1E
and
http://realini.blogspot.ro/
This is not
just one of the most magnificent films, but also a recipe for happiness, a
meaningful and successful life.
It is the
story of a Superhero, the ultimate Übermensch, a man like no other and yet so
familiar and “common”.
-
It is about George Bailey and his
second class angel, Clarence
You can
find this extraordinary, fantastic film on the list of best films as compiled
by critics, scholars and experts;
But it is
also a popular film with audiences, for very good reason and even after all
those years- the masterpiece dates from 1947:
We learn
from the start that the protagonist, George Bailey is in trouble and the Almighty
is sending an angel to help him.
In order
for this second class angel to be able to offer support he finds all there is
to know about George.
He is
portrayed with magnificence by one of the best actors of all times, James
Stewart, who brings finesse, charm and extraordinary meaning to his
performance.
George Bailey
saved his younger brother from drowning when the latter was just a child and he
was playing on thin ice.
Ever since,
George Bailey has had trouble and cannot hear with the ear that was affected by
the cold water.
As a child,
he worked in a pharmacy where he saved a man’s life again, this time it was the
pharmacist.
As he
received the terrible news of the death of his son in World War I, the man
prepared some pills, only he added poison in his distress instead of the needed
substance.
Since George
was there and he could see what happened, he did not give the deadly pills to
the patient.
He thus
saved both the sick man and the pharmacist from going to jail for a long
sentence, without getting recognition, at least in the first place when the
foolish boss kicked him around, until he realized what just happened.
George’s dream
was to travel around the world and finish his education, but generous,
altruistic as he is he remained in Bedford Falls, his small home town.
Instead of
using his opportunities, he allowed his brother to continue his education and
later become a hero.
This perfect
hero is in charge of the Building and Loan Company that changes the life of
multitudes, people who no longer have to live in slums.
Mr. Potter,
his competitor and the richest man in the county- but only in financial terms-
is set to destroy the company and George.
An opportunity
is available when Uncle Billy loses $ 8,000 and the sum ends in the hands of
Mr. Potter.
Although the
rich man knows exactly what happened, he is bent on sending George to jail,
since the latter has taken upon him all the blame.
Furthermore,
George Bailey is determined to commit suicide and allow the family to get the
insurance money.
This is
where second class angel- because he has no wings yet- Clarence enters the
stage, by jumping into a river, in…winter.
This is
comedy at its best, for especially the part where we have the angel is comical
and entertaining, as well as thought provoking and philosophical, with the
angel claiming that he jumped in to save George, while the latter is flabbergasted
by this claim, since it is he who jumped in the ice cold river to save the old
man…
When George
continues to doubt that he had any impact on the community around him, he is
presented with the “alternative reality” or “alternative facts” as they call
them at the White House and life without him is there to experience…
His brother
is dead, since he was not saved in this version, the homes and the district for
needy people has not been built and the whole community has been severely
affected by the absence of this Übermensch.
Furthermore,
many people have died, because Harry Bailey, dead at the age of ten, was not
there to save them during World War II.
In one
scene, the war hero Harry Bailey comes home to Bedford Falls and advances one
of the many magical truths of this chef d’oeuvre
-
My brother, George-The richest man
in this county
And he is
right, because money is so much less important, without significance when
compared to the wealth of this Superman.
vineri, 28 aprilie 2017
The Shawshank Redemption written by Frank Darabont based on a story by Stephen King, with Tim Robbins and Morgan Freeman
The Shawshank Redemption written by Frank
Darabont based on a story by Stephen King, with Tim Robbins and Morgan Freeman
A different
version of this note and thoughts on other books are available at:
- https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLEVa4_CsRStSBBDo4uJWT8BSWtTTn0N1E
and
http://realini.blogspot.ro/
On the most
important site about films, IMDB, this film is rated as the most popular, and
it has been in that position for years:
Having said
that, I must add that I generally disagree with many, if not most of the
popular choices on that list or the productions that smash records at the box
office.
I do not
see The Dark Night at four or The Lord of the rings at 15, Interstellar or
Inception on the high spots they hold.
Ironman,
Spider Man 3 or 24 do not make me travel to the cinema hall…
But it
certainly looks like The Shawshank Redemption has the ability to move and
impress upon so many people.
Tim Robbins
is excellent as Andy Dufresne and Morgan Freeman is just as good as Ellis Boyd
“Red” Redding.
We first
meet the latter, who is the narrator of the story, with his well known, deep
and fabulous voice.
Red has been
in prison for decades and he is the one who can get anything, from posters with
Rita Hayworth to carving tools.
When Andy
arrives at Shawshank, the inmates bet on his fate.
Red thinks
and puts money on his conviction that Andy would not last in prison, he would
even collapse after the first night.
But Andy
Dufresne is tough, resilient, brave, extremely intelligent and endowed with an
excellent EQ, emotional intelligence
He has to suffer
at the hands of a group of rapists, who corner him and he gets beaten and
injured so much he ends up in hospital.
But he gets
his revenge.
Over all
those that humiliated, attacked, tortured or sent him to the “hole”.
Once, he is
on the roof with Red and other prisoners, working with tar to improve the
isolation of the building.
He hears
Captain Hadley talk about an inheritance of $ 30,000 and how the state will get
almost all of it.
Andy interferes
in a perilous way:
-
Captain, do you trust your wife?
-
What is that?!
-
Do you trust your wife?
-
I will kill you, you son of a bitch
It is
evidently a gamble and a dangerous game, for the captain takes Andy Dufresne on
the edge of the roof.
He looks
like he will throw the prisoner to his death.
-
I mean to say that you can make a
gift of $ 30,000 to your wife and pay not tax…
This is how
the incarcerated banker starts helping first the captain and then other guards,
finally including the warden with their taxes.
He gets to
be so busy when employees of other jails come to him, during baseball games
season, that he has assistants.
He sends
letters to the authorities in order to receive books for the prison’s library
and he finally gets the funds.
While he
works on the accounts for the warden, he gets all the details of the money
transfers and the bribes received by the evil man.
Andy is
severely punished when he plays a joke on the officials of Shawshank and puts a
Mozart record on the sound system.
He traps
one guardian in the toilet and the rest are kept outside, while the divine
music of Amadeus Mozart is heard in all the prison.
For that,
Andy is sent to isolation for a long time.
But he gets
his Redemption and Payback
Steve Jobs by Aaron Sorkin, based on the book by Walter Isaacson
Steve Jobs by Aaron Sorkin, based on the book
by Walter Isaacson
A different
version of this note and thoughts on other books are available at:
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and
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Steve Jobs
was one of the most fascinating people in recent memory.
And his
story has almost all the ingredients needed for a compelling narrative.
Yet, I was
not all that thrilled.
Compared
with Jobs and other films, this is much better.
Danny Boyle
is a good director and some films stand proof of that:
-
Trainspotting and 127 Hours
-
Slumdog Millionaire and The Beach
have not done the trick for me though
Michael
Fassbender is also an excellent actor and he has been nominated for two Academy
Awards, one for his role in Steve Jobs and the other for a supporting role in
12 Years a Slave.
Hate Winslet
has been nominated for…Seven Oscars.
She won for
The Reader, was nominated for her supporting role in Steve jobs and performed
marvelously in so many of her other roles
Then there
is Aaron Sorkin.
He won an
academy Awards for the brilliant screenplay for The Network.
And the Golden
Globe and other great prizes for Steve Jobs.
All
the ingredients, the protagonists, the circumstances were in place for a
fabulous masterpiece.
-
“Parturient montes, nascetur
ridiculus mus”?
-
Not exactly, but we are not looking
at the Godfather either
Steve Jobs was a genius, with a brilliant mind,
creative, determined, with a filed distorting personality.
His other side was dark, mean, controlling, vengeful
and petty.
I do not understand his position on the
treatment for his illness, where he chose alternative solutions that did little
good.
My understanding is that he could have lived
longer, had he chosen a more traditional approach and consecrated treatment.
Yes, having a positive outlook and being optimistic
has been proved to increase life expectancy and help with cronical diseases.
In fact, the hero of the film is said to have regretted
his choice:
-
“Steve Jobs died regretting that he
had spent so long attempting to treat his cancer with alternative medicine
before agreeing to undergo surgery”
It is astonishing to witness the extent of the
fall from grace, the abyss to which Steve Jobs had to descent.
Only to have the chance of extreme Redemption
and the ascent to the ultimate positions of power in the biggest company in the
world today.
At the stock market Apple has reached at
various moments – I am not sure what happened yesterday- the position of the
most valuable company in the world.
And yet Steve Jobs was fired from the company
he has created.
Which brings to mind Professor Tal Ben Shahar
from Harvard, who has the most popular lectures on Positive Psychology.
When asked about what he wishes for his
students he offers what seems to be an outrageous proposal:
-
I wish you fail more…because this is
the truth:
-
Learn to fail, or you fail to learn
It has worked in the case of Steve Jobs.
He came back from misery, the shame of being
demoted to become not just a billionaire but the creator of the iPhone.
The genius of the man who has invented the
smart phone- with a team of people and inventors obviously is explained in the
classic of psychology Outliers, by the magnificent Malcolm Gladwell and this is
a quote:
“Here is the most telling slip-up in Outliers,
in a passage about Steve Jobs. "Wait. Bill Hewlett gave him spare parts?
That’s on par with Bill Gates getting unlimited access to a time-share terminal
at age thirteen." No. The incredible thing isn’t that young Steve was
given spare parts. It’s that he asked for them. It was "lucky" that
Bill Hewlett said yes to his request, but how many young people demonstrate
that kind of initiative, that fearless impulse to make their own luck?”
One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest based on the novel by Ken Kesey
One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest based on the
novel by Ken Kesey
A different
version of this note and thoughts on other books are available at:
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This is one
of the best films ever made.
It
deservedly won the Academy Awards for:
-
Best Picture- Michael Douglas and
Saul Zaents, Best Actor in a Leading Role- Jack Nicholson, Best Actress in a
Leading role- Louise Fletcher, Best Director- Milos Forman, Best Writing-
Lawrence Hauben and Bo Goldman – which means All the important Oscars
-
All the major Golden Globes for all
the categories above and for the new comer Brad Dourif in a supporting role
-
All the most important BAFTAs, which
means again all of the above, but without the screenplay prize and with editing
awarded instead…
To all
that, we need to add so many other prestigious prizes.
The movie
is an absolute masterpiece.
The
Cuckoo’s Nest from the title refers to the mental institution where most of the
important scenes take place.
Jack
Nicholson has probably the best performance of his career in the role of Randle
McMurphy, who tries to avoid spending time in jail.
He has
received a jail sentence, but smart as he is, he figured a way out, by
sustaining that he is crazy and arriving at the Cuckoo’s Nest.
Notwithstanding
the apparent shrewdness of his move, there are surprises and many frustrations
that await the new “patient”.
-
Randle McMurphy is one of the most
likeable, full of energy, positive, brave, cunning, intrepid, creative, naughty
and complex characters in cinema history
Jack Nicholson
has been discovered by Robert Evans, who tells this and so many other exciting
Hollywood stories in his terribly fascinating book about his years as an actor,
producer and then head of Paramount:
-
The Kid Stays in the Picture
-
If you want to have a good idea
about films, Hollywood and the industry you would do well to read this and:
-
Adventures in the Screen Trade by
William Goldman and Making Movies by Sydney Lumet
McMurphy
clashes with Nurse Ratched, the latter being is in control of the ward to which
the former is assigned and all the people within it.
She is
abusive, domineering, cruel or perhaps just psychopathic.
A psychopath is someone who has no emotions,
as Harvard Positive Psychology Professor Tal Ben Shahar puts it.
The
psychopath is very well able to exploit the feelings of the others and climb up
the social ladder, in most groups.
Nurse
Ratched, even if theoretically should listen to what doctors say, in practice
calls all the shots and tortures the patients.
Not literally
or physically, but mentally, with a determination that drives one of them to
suicide and many of the rest to breakdowns.
McMurphy
tries to stand up to her and has some victories, after he loses the unfair vote
on the viewing of the baseball series.
He even
manages a short escape, taking all his colleagues out on the bus that he has high
jacked and then on to the ocean
Alas, he
has to pay dearly for his courage in an époque when mental patients were “treated
„with electric shocks.
When electricity
was not “enough”, “doctors” would just recommend and perform lobotomies that
rendered the patients vegetative.
Here are
some quotes from a magnificent film:
“McMurphy: Jesus, I mean, you guys do nothing
but complain about how you can't stand it in this place here and you don't have
the guts just to walk out? What do you think you are, for Chrissake, crazy or
somethin'? Well you're not! You're not! You're no crazier than the average
asshole out walkin' around on the streets and that's it.
…..
Harding:
I'm not just talking about my wife, I'm talking about my LIFE, I can't seem to
get that through to you. I'm not just talking about one person, I'm talking
about everybody. I'm talking about form. I'm talking about content. I'm talking
about interrelationships. I'm talking about God, the devil, Hell, Heaven. Do
you understand... FINALLY?”
White Heat with James Cagney
White Heat with James Cagney
A different
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This is
considered one of the best films ever made.
It is
listed by TIME Magazine on its list of the greatest movies made since 1923; the
All-TIME Movies list is available here:
James
Cagney is also noted separately, on the same All-Time list, for his exceptional
performance, along with:
-
Bill Murray for his extraordinary
performance in Groundhog Day, Marlon Brando for On The Waterfront and a few
others
Indeed,
James Cagney is wonderful in the role of a leader of an organized crime group,
called Cody Jarrett.
The role is
complex and challenging.
Cody
Jarrett is a psychopath.
And all
leaders of the mob are in that position, more or less.
A
psychopath is someone who has no emotions, as Harvard Positive Psychology
Professor Tal Ben Shahar puts it.
The
psychopath is very well able to exploit the feelings of the others and climb up
the social ladder, in most groups.
Business
leaders have shown this tendency in some cases.
Politicians,
perhaps needless to say have the same inclination-
-
Do you think that extreme narcissism
contradicts psychopathic tendencies in The Donald’s case??
-
Maybe
Cody
Jarrett is obsessed and in love with his mother, Verna Jarrett and the
detective assigned to his case explains his past.
In order to
get his parent’s attention, little Cody used fake headaches to get her
attention and sympathy.
It worked.
But the
situation got worse when the pretended headaches became real and so serious
that he was in excruciating pain.
Furthermore,
it did not help his image as a tough guy within the group when the lieutenants
saw him on the floor.
They rob a
train and Cody Jarrett kills two mechanics, one of whom falls on a lever that
releases extremely hot vapor.
One member
of the gang is severely injured, but abandoned by the psychopath- remember the
explanation.
He has an
attractive wife that is not so enthusiastic about her mobster spouse and
neither is Cody too much in love with her.
The
sentence for the train robbery that involved a double homicide is death and
Cody Jarrett wants to avoid it.
He concocts
a plan that would have him confess to another crime for which the penalty is
two years in jail.
The
detective investigating the train robbery saw through the plan and they had a
policeman, Hank Fallon share the cell with the mobster, in order to try to get
close to him and find the place where he had hidden the money and any other
useful, incriminating detail.
The film is
very good and the dialogue is also excellent:
“ Cody Jarrett: Made it, Ma! Top of the world!
…
Verna Jarrett: I'd look good in a mink coat,
honey.
Cody Jarrett: You'd look good in a shower
curtain.
…
Roy Parker: You wouldn't kill me in cold blood,
would ya?
Cody Jarrett: No, I'll let ya warm up a little.
…
Cody Jarrett: A copper, a copper, how do you
like that boys? A copper and his name is Fallon. And we went for it, I went for
it. Treated him like a kid brother. And I was gonna split fifty-fifty with a
copper!”
joi, 27 aprilie 2017
miercuri, 26 aprilie 2017
Reversal of Fortune, based on the book by Alan Dershowitz
Reversal of Fortune, based on the book by Alan
Dershowitz
A different
version of this note and thoughts on other books are available at:
- https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLEVa4_CsRStSBBDo4uJWT8BSWtTTn0N1E
and
http://realini.blogspot.ro/
This is a
very good movie.
It could
have been fantastic, if everybody played at the level of Jeremy Irons.
Glenn Close
was good too.
But it was Jeremy Irons who won the Academy
Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role, Golden Globe for Best Performance by an
Actor in a Motion Picture- Drama and so many other important prizes around the
globe.
The film
was also nominated for other Academy Awards, best director and best writing,
Golden globes for best drama and won was nominated for other awards.
It is based
on the real story of Sunny and Claus von Bülow, as told by the lawyer of the
latter in a book about the trial and its preparation.
Early on,
the public learns that Sunny von Bülow has been in a vegetative state for a
long time and she will probably never recover.
She will
remain brain dead and her husband has been accused of attempted murder, found
guilty and sentenced.
The title
of the film refers to an attempt at a
-
Reversal of Fortune
For that a
fabulous lawyer is hired.
Professor Alan
Dershowitz is not the kind of lawyer that we hear about in the multitude of
infamous lawyer jokes
Speaking of
which, there’s one
Scientists
have decided to stop testing medicine on lab rats and instead work on lawyers
and this for three reasons:
1. People
get attached to rats
2. There
are not enough lab rats
3. There
are some things even rats won’t do
Having said
this lousy, mean thing, the reality is tragic, for this line of work has the
highest suicide rate, divorce and depression rates.
We should
not laugh at lawyers but offer compassion, at least in America, over in other
lands, here included; I think we are talking a different ball game.
I did not
like Ron Silver and Annabella Sciorra, the actors playing the lawyer and his
ex- girlfriend and now colleague in the defense team.
In fact,
pretty much all that took place in the defense quarters, with the basketball
and much of the rest had an air of artifice for this viewer.
Yes, Claus
was pretentious, arrogant and infatuated quite often, but the manner in which
Jeremy Irons rendered these traits was not forced, over the top, which was the
way Silver did it or I wrongly saw that he did.
Claus had
jokes for insulin that he orders in pharmacies and has the assistants terrified
since they know what he is accuse of and how he supposedly did it.
Claus von Bülow
talks with gusto and jocularity about:
-
Claus – trophobia…you get it, right?
The fact
that the personage is so complex, one can hate him and still doubt whether he
tried to kill his spouse makes the film more interesting.
Details are
uncovered that point to the framing of a relative that step children considered
a priori responsible for Sunny’s death.
Sunny was
quite a character too.
She was
formidable, domineering, depressed, alcoholic, addicted to drugs, smoking three
packs of cigarettes a day and suffering from various conditions.
So it looks
like a jury cannot really say that Claus is beyond any reasonable doubt guilty
and the only aspect left is: The moral responsibility
As the lawyer
says:
-
“One thing, Claus. Legally, this was
an important victory. Morally - you're on your own…”
Alan Dershowitz: You are a very strange man.
Claus von Bülow: You have no idea.
marți, 25 aprilie 2017
A Place in the Sun based on the masterpiece American Tragedy by Theodore Dreiser
A Place in the Sun based on the masterpiece American
Tragedy by Theodore Dreiser
A different
version of this note and thoughts on other books are available at:
- https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLEVa4_CsRStSBBDo4uJWT8BSWtTTn0N1E
and
http://realini.blogspot.ro/
The film is
based on a classic – American Tragedy, by Theodore Dreiser.
The chef d’oeuvre
has been included on the list of best novels of the twentieth century, compiled
by The Modern Library:
Clyde
Griffiths becomes George Eastman in the film and he is played exceptionally by
Montgomery Clift.
This was
one of the best actors and we can see that in this and other films and we have
testimony from other involved in the movies.
Burt Lancaster
has said that he was afraid of Montgomery Clift, since the actor had such a
power and such magnetism.
William Goldman
writes in the fantastic Adventures in the Screen Trade that the fact that
Montgomery Clift did not take the parts in Somebody Up There Likes Me, East of
Eden and On The Waterfront lead to the stardom of:
-
Paul Newman, James Dean and Marlon
Brando respectively…
George Eastman
wants a…Place In The Sun.
Only he
comes from a very poor family, he has very little education and not much to
recommend him for a better position.
Except for his
relation to his very rich uncle.
George visits
his wealthy family and he is offered a job, although it is an entry level, that
could open the way for later opportunities.
He meets
his destiny, if we choose to see it that way or believe in fate, in the person
of a coworker named Alice Tripp.
They engage
in a relationship that becomes not just intimate, but I venture to say a
foolishly inconsiderate sexual affair.
George wants
to climb up the ladder and he may be so scared, maybe even stigmatized by his
destitution as a child.
It is wrong
to put emphasis on money, fame, status and extrinsic goals, as positive
psychology research has demonstrated.
Notwithstanding
this research, people still tend to engage on the hedonic treadmill and expect
wealth to bring happiness.
It doesn’t,
even if extreme poverty, homelessness are not exactly the happiness formula and
a comfortable financial situation is optimal.
George meets
Angela Vickers, portrayed by the gorgeous, young Elizabeth Taylor in her good
period, acting with charm and grace.
The young
man is now trapped in an impossible love triangle, even if I think that he was
only infatuated, very likely sexually attracted to Alice, and while in the case
of Angela, her charm might be well increased by her position, in the eyes of
the “hungry” George.
Things Fall
Apart- when Angela learns she is pregnant and is reluctant to take up the
solution of an abortion.
She then
starts to pressure her lover.
George is
now torn between Angela and her increasingly annoying requests and the glamorous,
sparkling medium of Angela.
The haunted
Montgomery Clift is exceptional in this situation, where the hero does not know
what to do.
Or perhaps
he does, but it is so difficult to get away from Alice and her possessiveness and
run to and with Angela.
There is
also the issue of Angela’s family, who is not thrilled at the prospect t of the
daughter making such a poor choice.
The book is
excellent, but this is an adaptation that, although it is not able to render
all that we find in the novel, it is a marvelous work of art.
The actors,
screenplay, director all contribute and their work has been recognized and awarded
six Academy Awards and other prizes
“George Eastman: I love you. I've loved you
since the first moment I saw you. I guess maybe I've even loved you before I
saw you.”
This quote
may reveal a lot about the main character and his Quest for A Place in the Sun
that did not end as he wanted.
A Private Function by Alan Bennett
A Private Function by Alan Bennett
A different
version of this note and thoughts on other books are available at:
- https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLEVa4_CsRStSBBDo4uJWT8BSWtTTn0N1E
and
http://realini.blogspot.ro/
A Private
Function is a hilarious comedy.
Alan Bennett
is a wonderful writer and I have already enjoyed quite a few of his works,
including the excellent:
-
History Boys, The Clothes they Stood
Up In, Kafka’s Dick, The Madness of King George, Forty Years On and An
Englishman Abroad
The cast is
also fabulous:
-
Michael Palin, Maggie Smith, Denholm
Elliott and all the rest of the actors
It is 1947
and even if World War II is over, there are shortages and little food
available.
Some local notabilities
have a plan for the special occasion of the marriage of Princess Elizabeth,
when a party will be organized.
They have
raised a pig, in illegal circumstances.
Michael Palin
plays the role of Gilbert Chilvers and Maggie Smith is Joyce Chilvers, his wife
who is not very happy with her condition.
They are
middle class, but that means that they have no access to the higher spheres of society,
where the pig raisers belong.
Joyce vents
her frustrations to her mother, who is old and does not seem aware of what is going
on around her.
Gilbert Chilvers
is cutting people’s toe nails.
Doing his
rounds in the locality and environs, he becomes acquainted with most of the wives
of the important people in the area.
On a farm,
he comes across the…pig.
And given
that people are waiting in line for a small piece of meat that quite often does
not arrive or is finished before everyone has a chance to buy, the discovery of
the animal is extraordinary and hilarious.
Mistreated as
he is and criticized most of the time by his patronizing wife who is quite a
handful, Gilbert decides to act.
So he
steals the pig.
It is
evidently no cake walk.
I was just
reading that during the filming they used three pigs, selected to be docile and
it was still difficult to work with them.
Maggie Smith
barely escaped an attack.
On the
other hand, I have also learned that they are quite intelligent, as smart as
dogs and it is a pity we are eating them.
I am trying
to be a vegetarian.
Once the
pig is brought home, serious problems are accumulating.
Mother is
shocked by the presence of a very awful smelling creature in the apartment and
gives this presence away to the food inspector.
Then the
provocation of showing that he is a man by slaughtering the pig proves too much
for the sensitive Gilbert.
He actually
becomes attached to the animal, whose location has been identified by the men
who owned it.
There is a
clash between the “rightful owners” and the man who stole their property that
is funny, albeit tense.
Gilbert and
another man are now opposed to the idea of killing the poor animal, never mind
have him served at table.
The food
inspector is also prowling around.
I will end
with some quotes:
Joyce
Chilvers: I think sexual intercourse is in order, Gilbert.
Dr. Charles Swaby: Now, under this National
Health Service, any poorly little pillock can come into my surgery and say
"I'm ill! Treat me!" Honestly, sometimes I wonder what the last war
was FOR…
Morris Wormold the Meat Inspector: My
experience has been, Mrs. Forbes, that when people say they are only human,
it's because they have been making beasts of themselves…
[the pig
has been abducted]
Grand Hotel Manager: I can put my hands on two
turkeys in Bradford.
Frank Lockwood the Solicitor: Two? TWO? We've
got a hundred and fifty people coming! And Jesus isn't one of them!...
luni, 24 aprilie 2017
The Student, written by Kirill Serebrennikov, Marius von Mayenburg, the former is also directing the film
The Student, written by Kirill Serebrennikov,
Marius von Mayenburg, the former is also directing the film
A different
version of this note and thoughts on other books are available at:
- https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLEVa4_CsRStSBBDo4uJWT8BSWtTTn0N1E
and
http://realini.blogspot.ro/
The Student
is an interesting, provoking film.
But it is
not in the same category with:
-
Leviathan aka Leviafan, Burnt by the
Sun, Andrei Rublev, Unfinished Piece for Player Piano, Moscow Does Not Believe
in Tears and so many more
There are
some important themes:
-
Religion and fanaticism, racism,
education, sexuality and many more
The hero is
Veniamin Yuzhin.
He is a
very troubled young man.
At the very
beginning, there is a scene at the swimming pool, where there are so many young
people, many attractive girls.
But he is
not interested in getting close to them…on the contrary, he is reading his
bible and perorating against what is going on.
He jumps in
the pool, only he is dressed with his clothes and that provokes an audience
with the school authorities.
The possessed
young man is rambling about what he has read in the bible and –in my view- has misinterpreted.
I will
refer to an authority in religious matters, Karen Armstrong who says that
religious texts should not be read literally.
There are
hidden significances and we should not believe that the world was created in
seven days, literally…
Alas, this
is what the second most powerful man in the world believes.
Mike Pence
is also a denier of the Theory of Evolution, Climate change- together with his
crazy boss- and a man who refuses to have a meal alone with another woman other
than his wife…
-
Peter, Joseph and Mary!
The lunatic
student is therefore one of these fundamentalists.
He attacks
so many groups:
-
Women, Jews and homosexuals among
others
His positions
and manifestations are extreme.
When his
biology teacher brings some carrots and condoms to the school and teaches in
class about protection, Venya takes the center stage.
He undresses
himself and creates a commotion, attacking education, civilization and all that
I stand for.
With that
he makes me mad.
I must say
that I already hated the lunatic.
Which probably
means that the film maker achieved his purpose that may very well be provoking
an outrage and audiences thinking on the subject.
Religion is
so important in a world where so many kill in the name of faith and so many
fundamentalists try to impose their view.
After all,
evangelicals have contributed in the election of the most powerful in the
world, even if this is a very “sinful man”.
The student,
who sees himself as a sort of prophet attacks women and their way of dressing
and “disobeying men”.
He is also against
homosexuals and Jews.
The outrageous
thing is that the school master is condoning this lunatic.
Instead of
taking action against his outrageous behavior, the school leaders start
discussing the fact that the biology teacher might be Jewish!!!
In a few
ways, this is a great film.
It discusses
education and so many of the prejudice3s of modern day Russia, where Putin
enjoys an astonishing 80% popularity rating.
Variety said
about this film:
-
“Kirill Serebrennikov's study of a
problem teenager's religious awakening is as aesthetically kinetic as it is
intellectually rigorous.”
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