miercuri, 31 mai 2017
marți, 30 mai 2017
American Gangster, written by Steven Zaillian and Mark Jacobson
American Gangster,
written by Steven Zaillian and Mark Jacobson
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/
-
"There
are two sides to the American Dream"
This is the tagline of the movie.
And it is well found.
For being the American Gangster is one of the sides.
The dark one.
There are many nominations for this film:
-
From
Oscars to Golden Globes and on to BAFTAs.
The cast speaks for itself in this lineup:
Denzel Washington, Russell Crowe, Josh Brolin, Idris Elba,
Chiwetel Ejiofor, Cuba Gooding Jr.
And the director is the famous Ridley Scott.
The director of:
-
Alien,
Blade Runner, The Martian and other excellent works.
He was funny when he talked about The Martian and its
inclusion in the comedy category at the Golden Globes.
But he talked in a rather martial tone and seems to be a
really grave man.
The American Gangster is Frank Lucas.
He is portrayed by Denzel Washington.
Although we have similarities with other gangster movies,
this one is different.
In Godfather, Goodfellas and other renowned films, the
Mafiosi were...Italian, as the name plainly suggests.
Breaking Bad and others had a connection with Mexico.
Which is alas, the source of many, probably most of the
drugs on the North American market.
But this is the nineties.
And Frank Lucas is an intrepid, ingenious man.
And he brings heroin to Manhattan from the...Far East.
And not just that, but he bribes men in the Army to fly it
to him.
This kind of film needs a good opposition.
Apart from the corrupt army officials, we have policemen
that are just as bad as the drug dealers.
Indeed, some of them are just taking the drugs confiscated
by their colleagues and sell it back on the street.
Detective Trupo, played very well by Josh Brolin is one of the
leaders of mobsters disguised as policemen.
Russell Crowe, a rather tempestuous actor, has the role of
Richie Roberts.
This detective is about the only honest , positive character
around.
Indeed, when he finds with his partner about one million
dollars of mob money, he takes it to the station.
They all regard him as a fool, a traitor and an enemy.
-
Why?
-
Well, how
could he blow the chance to put one million or half that into his pocket!?
That was the mentality.
His dedication to the force did not help in his private life
either.
He has to go to trial for the custody of his child.
He is divorced and appears to live for his passion:
Getting the American Gangster and his acolytes into jail...
-
Would he
manage that?
-
What do
you think?
A very good entertainment.
luni, 29 mai 2017
Farewell My Concubine, based on the novel by Pik Wah Lee
Farewell My Concubine, based on the novel by
Pik Wah Lee
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/
Farewell My
Concubine is a mesmerizing movie.
You can
find it on the New York Times ‘Best 1,000 Movies ever made list:
It won the
most important award in cinema-in my view:
-
The Palme d’Or
And some cherries
on top:
-
The Golden Globe and BAFTA for Best
Foreign Film and other coveted prizes
Farewell My
Concubine is a compelling story
And the
audience does not feel it is about three hours long.
The heroes
are Cheng Dieyi and Duan Xiaolou, with an important part to play for Juxian,
after the first quarter of the film.
Dieyi would
be “the leading role” and he is the concubine from the title, even if his
sexual orientation is not 100% clear.
-
Not for me anyway
-
He could be homosexual- probably-
but he might as well be transgender, or something else- bisexual??
It is attested
today that people are born with a sexual orientation or another, even if there
would be fundamentalists that deny that…
And climate
change, that the world is older than the bible says- it was created in more
than seven days and so much more.
In the case
of Dieyi, the childhood experiences have had a major role and an impact
difficult to assess on his personality.
His mother
was a prostitute and she decides to give the boy to this school or academy that
trained opera singers.
Here I have
a qualm and have noticed a certain paradox that could be explained by the
importance of the actors…
The teacher,
when he receives the child says something like:
-
You know, prostitutes and actors are
despised in equal measure
-
Only later we can see that the stars
of the opera are actually worshipped, but I guess it is just the celebrities
The boys
are beaten and in the case of Dieyi, they assign him the role of the concubine
in an important Chinese work.
Therefore he
has to learn by heart lines that state at a certain point that he was “born a
girl”, but he makes a mistake.
That is
punished severely and that school looks more like the training camp in Full
Metal Jacket or films in that line.
At another
moment, the teacher is pleased because the boy does not know anymore – is he a
girl or a boy- which means he is perfect for the part.
In the background
and also at center stage, we have the various important moments of Chinese
history of the twentieth century- with the republic, then the occupation by the
Japanese and the escape of the nationalists to Taiwan- I personally prefer that
country and recognize it to the communist dragon- and finally the arrival of
the communists and their “cultural revolution” and abuses…
Throughout,
Dieyi is not just committed to his friend- that he loves, probably has desires
for- but he also risks his integrity and commits acts that he does not want in
order to get Xiaolou out of trouble when the Japanese take him in, for
instance.
Juxian, who
was initially a prostitute, complicates the dynamic and the love triangle makes
for an interesting development.
Dieyi hates
his rival and the two compete up to the moment(s) where they have to cooperate
to save the man they both love.
This is
indeed a miraculous work.
duminică, 28 mai 2017
A Foreign Affair, directed by Billy Wilder, with Marlene Dietrich
A Foreign Affair, directed by Billy Wilder,
with Marlene Dietrich
7 out of 10
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 film
has been included by The New York Times on its list of Beat 1,000 Movies Ever
Made:
The premise
is excellent:
For the
director is one of the most accomplished:
-
Billy Wilder, winner of six Academy Awards and of other
formidable prizes for masterpieces like:
-
The Apartment, Fortune Cookie, Some
Like It Hot, Witness for the Prosecution, Sunset Blvd. and many other
There is
also Marlene Dietrich.
She is one
of the most acclaimed and loved stars.
I am not a
fan.
But I admit
there is a special halo around this actress, albeit for me it a rather chilling
effect and I am rather frozen than attracted by this star.
She plays a
singer in this film:
-
Erika von Schluetow
In the love
triangle that is at the heart of the story, Erika von Schluetow has an affair
with Captain John Pringle.
The other
leading role has a politician, which is rather strange, given that she is a
woman, in an era when that was rare.
Congresswoman
Phoebe Frost flies to Berlin with a team of congressmen, to see firsthand what
happens in the city.
World War
II is over and the allies have occupied the city which we can see during the
tour that the officials get has been nearly destroyed.
The congresswoman
has a package to deliver to Captain John Pringle, from a girl that seems to
love him very much.
He would
later dismiss that claim, saying that she was in the habit of forming repeated
relationships with other men.
The cake
has his name on it and love, happy birthday – details which will make it
recognizable in the black market.
This is
where people buy and sell everything, from mattresses to milk, food and now a
birthday chocolate cake.
John Pringle
wants to trade the cake for a mattress that he intends to give as a gift to the
singer, Erika von Schluetow.
Alas, the congresswoman
happens on the cake in the black market and is very unhappy that the package
she had brought all the way across the ocean ended there.
The cunning
captain pretends to be outraged as well, claiming with a loud voice that
someone has stolen his desert.
It is going
to be pretense – and some humor, but not belly laughs for me- all the way from
here, during the investigation.
Phoebe Frost
is a good name for a woman that appears to be, well, frosty.
She finds
out that the singer had been a kind of collaborator who had had close
relationships with the Nazi grandees.
In a film
that she shows the captain, Erika von Schluetow is in conversation with Hitler
and they joke with each other.
The congresswoman
wants to get the American officer that protects this Nazi sympathizer and that
happens to be…
-
The man she talks to
The comedy
is kept going by the paradox of the captain looking for…himself and trying to
spy on the woman that he actually sleeps with.
It all
becomes a somewhat amusing “ménage a trois” when the effort to keep the
investigating congresswoman brings her into this love game.
In conclusion,
it is not a bad comedy but I was expecting more.
sâmbătă, 27 mai 2017
L’amour L’apres- midi aka Chloe In The Afternoon, written and directed by Éric Rohmer - 9 out of 10
L’amour L’apres- midi aka Chloe In The
Afternoon, written and directed by Éric Rohmer
9 out of 10
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/
Chloe in
the Afternoon is on the New York Times Best 1,000 Movies Ever Made list:
It is part
of a bigger project.
Claire’s
Knee has been noted on here and it is in the same series:
-
Six Moral Tales
-
Which ends with Chloe in the
Afternoon
Frederic is
the protagonist of the tale.
Even if the
title refers to Chloe- in the English version.
Frederic is
mediating on women, relationships.
He has
desires and dreams that involves strangers in the street.
One dialogue
is rather humorous.
As the hero
meets a couple, in one of his dreams, he is attracted to the woman and that
annoys her partner.
Especially since
Frederic-in-the dream makes open advances and addresses the woman he does not
know…
-
Don’t you see she is with me
-
You can’t change the inevitable
-
Listen…
-
Or you’ll be bitten…
And this Frederic
starts imitating the bark of a wolf.
In another
instance, he meets-still dreaming- a worker in the sex industry and they talk
in a businesslike manner;
-
How much?
-
10,000- which must have been Francs,
perhaps the old denominations
One day,
when he returns to his office, the dreamer meets a real woman:
-
Chloe- in the Afternoon
She used to
be the girlfriend of an old buddy and the protagonist is really so surprised
that the look betrays him:
-
You thought I was dead!
-
No, but honestly, after all this
time I have forgotten about you
She then
starts to talk about what she does- she is a waitress in a place nearby- and
her troubles that are serious.
Chloe has
contemplated suicide.
And she is
pressing ahead, meeting with her “ami” and inviting him to help her, buying
presents for wife and kid.
They even
meet with the spouse once, while shopping and there is a feeling of both embarrassment
and rapprochement.
Chloe increases
her pressure.
She declares
her feelings.
And she
wants a child.
Frederic appears
confused.
What he
does is for you to find out by watching the film.
It is a worthwhile
endeavor.
Legend, written- based on the book by John Pearson- and directed by Brian Helgeland
Legend, written- based on the book by John
Pearson- and directed by Brian Helgeland
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/
Legend is a
film to remember.
The actor
in the leading role should have been nominated for an Academy Award –and he
was, but not for this part.
Tom Hardy
deserves an Academy Award, for his performances have proved he is a wonderful
actor in different types of character.
He is:
-
John Fitzgerald in The Revenant
-
Max Rockatansky in Mad Max
-
Ivan Locke in Locke- a very
interesting proposal that is carried all along by Tom Hardy
In Legend,
he has a serious challenge in coping with two different roles, even if these
are twin brothers:
-
Reggie and Ron Kray
They are
both mobsters, leaders of an “organized crime group”
But they
could not be any different.
It is not
just in sexual orientation, where Ronnie is homosexual- active, “giving it” as
he likes to emphasize- and Reggie is heterosexual.
Their views
of the business, partners and pretty much else are often clashing.
Reggie is attracted
to Frances Shea, whose brother is also a criminal, but she is as nice, honest
and against crime as anyone can be.
The brothers
have a fight over her.
As mentioned,
not because Ronnie would have any inclination towards her- as was the case in
say, East of Eden.
On the
contrary, this very outré and outrageous gangster is insulting the woman that
his brother loves…
-
Well, that loving part is more
complicated
-
Thomas Mann has this character that
casts a shadow over the issue
-
And there is also Charlie, played by
Jack Nicholson in Prizzi’s Honor who says:
-
“In love is temporary”
As is
familiar, gangster groups clash over territory, money, rivalry and so much
more.
One particular
fight is very violent and both Krays take part. Fighting shoulder to shoulder
with about ten enemies.
Ronnie is
the wild card and he interferes in the life of the club that they manage- a façade
in some ways.
Much more
cerebral and wise- when compared with his twin brother, for he is otherwise a
mobster- Reggie is the preferred partner.
When the American
Goodfellas come to London to see how they can cooperate with the Krays, there
is a funny scene.
Well,
perhaps humorous, but also embarrassing, retrograde and paradoxical.
The Mafiosi
have been- I guess they still are- not just conservative, but fundamentalists
and racist, sexist in their attitude.
They
thought that killing people is just about acceptable, together with stealing,
philandering, lying and all the other sins from the Bible.
-
But when it came to homosexuality,
oh, no!
-
That was a capital sin, outrageous
and unacceptable- at least in the portraits we have of these wise guys
So when the
Italian American gangsters are told by the outlandish Ronnie that he prefers
boys over girls they are shocked.
-
Well, Angelo Bruno that is,
portrayed by Chazz Palminteri
The mob
from across the nation is unhappy with what it learns about the unpredictable
and strange Ronnie.
And they
ask his brother to act upon this.
-
Love, fight, live, rule like a
legend
This is the
appropriate tagline for this good film, with a fabulous actor in the lead role
and an equally excellent supporting cast.
vineri, 26 mai 2017
12 Angry Men, screenplay and story by Reginald Rose
12 Angry Men, screenplay and story by Reginald
Rose
10 out of 10
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 one
of best films that you can see.
The New
York Times’ Best 1,000 Movies Ever Made includes it:
It is
directed by the Sydney Lumet, author of the excellent book:
-
Making Movies
And also
director of masterpieces like:
-
Dog Day Afternoon, Network, Before
the Devil Knows You’re Dead and other gems about which he talks in his great
book
The cast is
also magnificent:
-
Henry Fonda, as juror 8 towers over
everyone, but Martin Balsam, Lee J. Cobb and the others shine in their roles
Remakes of
this chef d’oeuvre have been attempted, from America to Russia, but the results
have been unremarkable, to say the least.
This is a
remarkable and unique film.
Unlike the
usual courtroom dramas, the action takes place in an intriguing location, where
the jury is gathered.
The 12
Angry Men have to pass a verdict.
For all of
them it is a clear and cut case, with the defendant evidently guilty of murder
and soon to be convicted.
-
For all, except one!
-
Juror 8
And in this
“real horror show” the audience has a chance to learn about the jurors,
prejudices and psychological issues:
“Juror #8: [baiting him] I feel sorry for you.
What it must feel like to want to pull the switch! Ever since you walked into
this room, you've been acting like a self-appointed public avenger. You want to
see this boy die because you *personally* want it, not because of the facts!
You're a sadist!
[#3 lunges wildly at #8, who holds his ground.
Several jurors hold #3 back]
Juror #3: I'll kill him! I'll - *kill him!*
Juror #8: [calmly] You don't *really* mean
you'll kill me, do you?”
To make
justice is very hard and especially when those involved are troubled, haunted,
challenged or plain sick.
“Juror #3: [to Juror #8 about the El-Train
drowning out the supposed death threat] You're talkin' about a matter of
*seconds!* Nobody can be *that* accurate!
Juror #8: Well, I think testimony that can put
a boy into the electric chair *should* be that accurate…
Juror #2: It's hard to put into words. I just
think he's guilty. I thought it was obvious from the word, 'Go'. Nobody proved
otherwise.
Juror #8: Nobody has to prove otherwise. The
burden of proof is on the prosecution. The defendant doesn't even have to open
his mouth. That's in the Constitution.
Juror #8: It's always difficult to keep
personal prejudice out of a thing like this. And wherever you run into it,
prejudice always obscures the truth. I don't really know what the truth is. I
don't suppose anybody will ever really know. Nine of us now seem to feel that
the defendant is innocent, but we're just gambling on probabilities - we may be
wrong. We may be trying to let a guilty man go free, I don't know. Nobody
really can. But we have a reasonable doubt, and that's something that's very
valuable in our system. No jury can declare a man guilty unless it's sure.”
As these
lines from the movie prove, this is a fabulous drama that gives food for
thought and makes the audience wonder.
The themes
are important and we can see how justice can be administered or just avoided,
the importance of prejudice, what a determined man like Juror 8 can do and the
opposite, different side of the coin:
-
Without juror 8 in that room, the
boy would have been condemned and the question is how many times something similar
has happened?
-
And then- was the boy guilty?
-
What about O.J. Simpson?
O Pagador de Promessas aka The Given Word, written- with Dias Gomes, based on his play- and directed by Anselmo Duarte
O Pagador de Promessas aka The Given Word,
written- with Dias Gomes, based on his play- and directed by Anselmo Duarte
10 out of 10
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 masterpiece
and one of the best films I know.
You can
find it on The New York Times ‘Best 1,000 Movies Ever Made:
The Given
Word has won the most important cinema award:
-
The Palme d’Or
Zé do Burro
is the hero of this fantastic narrative.
He is
acclaimed by some as “The New Jesus” and condemned by others as an agitator, a Satan
disguised as a saint.
When his
best friend Nicolau is hit by a branch from a tree, Zé do Burro is very worried
and calls the doctor.
The hemorrhage
does not stop and the farmer is told to get some cow dung and put it on to the
wound.
Since all
this does not help and Nicolau has the fever, our hero travels two leagues to a
place which has a sort of shrine for Saint Barbara.
There he makes
a pledge, The Given Word from the title is a promise to walk with a cross, like
Jesus to the church of Saint Barbara.
Nicolau is
cured and his friend thinks this is a miracle that he has to pay for and respect
his promise and travel to the church.
Zé do Burro
is accompanied by his wife Rosa, who is unhappy with all this kerfuffle and the
other part of the promise.
The farmer
is not only ruining his shoulder with the heavy cross, but has also shared his
land with the peasants.
Later in
the film, when the press is involved, this sharing of property is given a
headline and articles are written:
-
New Jesus preaches Revolution
But before
that, Zé do Burro tells his story to the catholic priest of the Saint Barbara
Church and he is attacked.
First of
all, Nicolau turns out to be his …donkey, hence the nickname of Ze the Donkey.
The place of the Promise is evil for the father.
He immediately
calls the man trying to enter the church a blasphemer and a Satan in disguise
that would never enter his church.
But it is
not your church it belongs to the Saint, protests the hero who recognizes that
he went to a witch and promised to Inasa- but it is the same thing.
The film is
heavy with symbols and is thought provoking, including themes like religion,
the Catholic faith and the paramount role of the priest and the religious
hierarchy, the press and its search for sensational subjects.
There is a
prostitute- called by locals the woman who is married to everyone- and disabled
people who come to be cured, like in the original story of Jesus Christ, with
the authorities getting involved, like in the Roman days.
One passage
has reminded me of John Milton and the quote:
“The mind
is its own place, and in itself can make a heaven of hell, a hell of heaven...”
For the
farmer is confused when so many try to help him, but others, mainly the priest
consider him the devil
-
They take heaven into hell and place
God in lieu of the devil…says the bewildered hero
He is
reported to the police by Handsome, a pimp who has tried to lure Rosa and
eventually make her work for him.
The titles
in the newspaper do not help, since the journalists wonder if he is an
agitator, trying to promote the Agrarian Reform.
The protagonist
has no idea what that is.
Zé do Burro
is a fascinating superhero, not unlike Jesus, even if he is definitely not trying
to copy the savior and he does not want a following- indeed, when blind men and
others in need come to this “New Jesus” to save them, he says plainly that he
has no power.
Extraordinary
film.
joi, 25 mai 2017
Mercury Rising, based on a book by Ryne Douglas Pearson
Mercury Rising, based
on a book by Ryne Douglas Pearson
6 out of 10
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/
Mercury Rising is not an outstanding film.
But it has some fine moment.
The issue of autism is brought to the fore.
I must note here that I have read in a psychology book that
all men are to some degree autistic.
Simon Lynch is a boy that has similarities with the hero of
Rainman.
Some of the shortcomings, but a brilliant mind.
While looking in a magazine with games, he is attracted and
seems to solve a very complicated enigma.
Which reminds one of The Imitation Game.
In The Imitation Game they selected those who would work to
break the Enigma code based on their ability with crosswords and speed with
which they solved them.
The NSA published a note thinking that they will check the
human response to their powerful cyphering tools.
Some whistleblowers have exposed some of the nefarious
activities of the NSA.
But their doings are exaggerated in Mercury Rising.
It makes of course for a more interesting scenario.
The unit in charge with these top secret codes is lead by
Nick Kudrow.
He is played by Alec Baldwin...
Who is one of my favorite actors.
In Mercury Rising he is as a mean as in Glengarry Glen Ross.
In Glengarry, Alec Baldwin portrays a heartless executive
who teaches the ABC to a group of salesmen:
Always Be Closing
-
You see
this watch?
-
It costs
more than your car!
-
Fuck you
is who I am
-
First
price is a Cadillac
-
Second
prize is a set of knives...
-
Third
prize is...your fired
The part of the nasty official in Mercury Rising is not at
the level of the one in Glengarry Glen Ross.
I always thought that there are few good roles for Alec
Baldwin...
-
Alas
Bruce Willis is not bad in the role of Art Jeffries.
In the first scenes, we see him infiltrated in a group of
bank robbers.
His boss makes the wrong, deadly decision and people are
killed.
Hence the familiar confrontation between the smarter,
better, less humble, more gifted hero and his lousy superior officer.
When Simon calls the NSA number, they have him traced.
The agency - Nick Kudrow that is- is very unhappy with
anyone able to read the inaccessible code.
So they send a hit man.
He kills the parents of the genius boy.
Simon hides and therefore escapes.
Art Jeffries is assigned.
His task is to find Simon.
And Bruce Willis Dies Hard and wins over any enemy.
After all he Died Hard four times?
Or was it five?
The good part about a film like this is that it proposes
another take on autism.
And other conditions for that matter.
The shenanigans of various agencies and governmental bodies
have been exposed before.
My view though is that they generally try to stay on the
right side and use the correct methods...
Within limits.
The film is not overwhelming, but it would offer some good
entertainment for a forgiving audience.
miercuri, 24 mai 2017
A Face in the Crowd, screenplay written by Budd Schulberg based on his story
A Face in the Crowd,
screenplay written by Budd Schulberg based on his story
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 Face in the Crowd is on the New York Times' Best 1,000
Movies Ever Made list.
And it is an excellent work.
It has a powerful, complex character at the center:
-
Larry
'Lonesome' Rhodes
He reminds me of Elmer Gantry, The Apostle and a good number
of films with a charismatic, powerful, influential man towering over all the
rest...
Although different in many ways, Malcolm X also comes to
mind.
It could also be seen as the emblematic American Dream.
The destitute man becomes rich and powerful.
Only he has something from yet another narrative:
-
Being
There, with Peter Sellers
In that one, Chaunce was a simple gardener, who knew nothing
of the world, except what he saw on television.
Literally nothing.
Lonesome Rhodes knows some more, but he is still an
uneducated redneck, who cannot utter a sentence without making a couple of
mistakes.
Marcia Jeffries is a radio host and she is doing a program
in...prison when she finds the man who had been arrested for disorderly
conduct.
He was drunk and he is still recovering.
Marcia has a talent to discover potential in people.
And this man, who is baptized, discovered and launched by
this great woman, becomes an overnight success.
Given his skills and folksy charm, the audience responds and
advertising follows.
Only in his early days as a celebrity, Lonesome is
idealistic.
He actually makes fun at the mattresses he is supposed to
promote.
A Television station in Memphis is interested in the
services of this rising star.
He is offered an exceptional salary that he raises to $4,000
a week, which could be $100,000 in today's money.
Still not sensational, given that superstars get
multimillion dollar contracts for late night shows and the like.
As he becomes more famous, Lonesome Rhodes changes.
Or maybe these had been his true colors all along.
He might just show his flaws.
Or this is a combination of factors.
They say that...
-
Power
corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely.
After reaching a climax, a zenith, there is no stopping this
zealous, incredibly determined man.
He wants to influence politics.
Starts teaching a senator who wants to be president how to
manipulate crowds.
Lonesome pretends, maybe he believes he is in love with
Marcia.
He says he wants to marry her.
Only we discover he is already married.
And he likes philandering and consorting with various women.
Walter Matthau has one of his early roles in this film.
He is one of my favorite actors.
A Face in the Crowd is yet another great work from the
director Elia Kazan.
marți, 23 mai 2017
Andrei Rublev,
written- with Andrey Konchalovsky- and directed by Andrei Tarkovsky
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 one of the most rewarding films that one can ever
see.
It is not easy entertainment.
Andrei Tarkovsky does not deal with that.
The movie is heavy with dialogue about religion, art,
creation, Jesus, vanity, simplicity.
I have seen and posted a note on
-
Solaris
For the Stalker I am still waiting.
The first time that I have clashed with a Tarkovsky
provocation it was seeing Stalker.
Some of it that is, because I fell asleep in the cinema.
Which goes to proof how keen on challenging works I was.
In fact, I am still unable to get much, if anything from
that film.
And Nostalgia, which is another creation of Andrei
Tarkovsky.
Andrei Rublev is more accessible.
It is depressing for long periods, but an exceptional work.
Filmed in black and white, with the exception of a few
minutes.
The color in that passage is used to highlight the exquisite
beauty and serenity of the icons painted by Andrei Rublev.
He was a fifteenth century painter of masterpieces.
And even if I am not religious I am overwhelmed by them.
Indeed, the orthodox paintings have a modesty, serenity,
eerie aspect that will touch even the profane.
As opposed to the Renaissance, they do not show all the
beauty of the human body.
The images in these orthodox churches are elongated, very
thin and Saint like.
Actually, most of the portraits represent saints.
At one point, Feofan says:
-
"In
much wisdom there is much grief. And he who increases knowledge increases
sorrow"
This reminds me of a quote from Dostoyevsky.
I do not have the exact words, but I think the idea was
something like this:
-
I wish I
were a fat woman who makes sausages and goes to church every day to light a
candle and pray.
-
She is
happy and knows she is going to heaven.
Dostoyevsky had been condemned to death and in the last
minute he was pardoned.
But he saw then how sublime life is.
Murder by Death, by Neil Simon
Murder by Death, by
Neil Simon
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/
What a bizarre proposition!
This is not a bad comedy.
But given the circumstances, it is not what we could expect.
Just look at the cast
-
Alec
Guiness as Bensonmum, the blind butler
-
David
Niven as one of the five famous detectives
-
Peter
Sellers, Peter Falk, Maggie Smith and...Truman Capote take part in this strange
film.
Guests are invited to this strange mansion to solve a
mystery.
But as soon as they arrive, the weird becomes more
outrageous.
And murder attempts are made.
As soon as they arrive, they are targeted by falling weights.
Their flair and experience save their lives.
There are humorous moments to be sure.
It is perhaps just a question of expecting such a stellar
cast to offer an infinite flow of jokes and laughs.
The sound of the door bell is intriguing and amusing, if in
a dark way.
It is the cry of a woman that we think had just been stabbed
to death
Alec Guiness has an amusing name.
It sounds as if he says
-
Benson,
Madame, for he is called Bensonmum.
Indeed, a few are taken in by this outer character.
When he comes with the soup that he needs to serve, he pours
on the plate...
-
Nothing!
The man cannot see.
Some lines are good
I trusted a dame and...two hours later, the Germans marched
into France.
Other parts of the dialogue could be enjoyed, depending on
each individual's taste...
-
I smell
gas
-
I can't
help it, I'm old
-
Did you
see that?
-
No
-
Neither
did I.
A critic could say that the portrait of Sydney Wang is
racist.
It reminds me of other roles in which Asians are depicted
with arrogance and silliness.
A stupid stereotype had actors with exaggerated eye brows,
simple to idiot conversation.
And bingo...
There's your monkey type of character.
Granted, Sydney Wang is played by Peter Sellers.
And he was a magnificent actor.
And Sydney Wang is not a helpless dumb.
And for all intents and purposes, this is a comedy and
personages have to engage in absurd acts.
luni, 22 mai 2017
East of Eden, based on the novel by John Steinbeck
East of Eden, based
on the novel by John Steinbeck
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/
Both this film and the original material are considered
important achievements.
The film is included on the list of
-
New York
Times' Best 1,000 Movies Ever Made
From the start I must say that I am not thrilled.
But it was the same for the book.
And having read again the Grapes of Wrath and after being
less than overwhelmed, it is clear now that I am biased.
John Steinbeck's sympathy for the communist ideas make me
dislike the author.
Nevertheless, East of Eden has a lot in common with the
famous Bible story of Abel and Cain and nothing to do with the Kapital.
James Dean was nominated for an Academy Award for Best
Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role.
He has the role of Cal Trask.
And he got the part because Montgomery Clift turned it down.
I have learned this from a fabulous book on Hollywood:
-
Adventures
in the Screen Trade by William Goldman
From this fantastic work I have learned that
-
Dustin
Hoffman was obnoxious on the set on Marathon Man...
-
Humphrey
Bogart used to whine about the parts that the others had and he did not
-
Robert
Redford behaved abominably on two occasions, once after the launching of Butch
Cassidy and the Sundance Kid and the second when preparing for All The
President's Men.
The careers of two other great actors have been launched by
the absence of Montgomery Clift:
-
Paul
Newman in Somebody Up There Likes Me and
-
Marlon
Brando with On The Waterfront.
Elia Kazan is an excellent director, if a controversial
figure.
He is the director of masterpieces like:
-
A
Streetcar Named Desire, On the Waterfront and East of Eden
But when he was celebrated, with the occasion of an Academy
Award Ceremony, many in the audience stood up to honor him, while others sat
down in protest.
During the years of the infamous Black List, Elia Kazan has
opted to collaborate with the witch hunters.
Another issue that I have with this film regards James Dean.
Although acclaimed and celebrated, he is not a favorite of
mine.
His style is rather awkward.
Granted, the few characters he had the chance to portray
before his violent and tragic end are outre and haunted.
It is very likely a case where I am wrong and the actor
renders exactly what is expected of him.
There are some memorable lines in a story that is originally
written by a winner of the Nobel and Pulitzer Prizes.
-
"Man
has a choice and it's a choice that makes him a man"
Abonați-vă la:
Postări (Atom)