Bonanza: Desert Justice (1960) (TV)

http://akas.imdb.com/title/tt05295

http://cmulrooney.tripod.com/allenlewis.html

An excellent episode.

Mutum (2007)

Based on the novel "Campo Geral", by Guimarães Rosa (1st ed. 1964).

The film depicts the day-to-day life in a small farm, from the point of view of a boy whose father is rude and hateful.

Frequently absurd, with lots of dead (and often meaningless) shots, and hugs galore (these imaginary country folks sure love a hug). That being said, the film shows signs of intelligence here and there, keeping the persistent viewer attentive for its duration.

Rating: 35

Bonanza: Blood on the Land (1960) (TV)

See IMDb.

A Serious Man (2009)

A Physics professor is facing a series of setbacks in his life, and seeks counselling from his religious leaders.

This film has been pretty well understood by a few commentators in the Internet Movie Database, namely, Stephen R. Cann, Greg Peters, jafdc, MisterWhiplash, and possibly others.

Rating: 67

Bonanza: The Spanish Grant (1960) (TV)

See IMDb.

Summerhill (2008) (TV)

I do not really know much about the real context to which this film is supposedly referring, except that it is about a school which was founded in the 1920's (I think). The plot involves a conflict between the school and some government inspectors. It is a well-done (albeit somewhat superficial) TV-movie, easy to watch and advertising concepts with which I am in total agreement.

Rating: 53

Bonanza: The Fear Merchants (1960) (TV)

See IMDb.

Bonanza: The Gunmen (1960) (TV)

See IMDB.

Shutter Island (2010)

Here also, I will not go beyond a simple record of viewing. This film is worthless, except for mise-en-scene freaks (I stole the expression from Sarris). And maybe cinematography freaks, too.

Rating: 20

Bonanza: A House Divided (1960) (TV)

See IMDB.com for details.

Bonanza: The Last Hunt (1959) (TV)

Just a record of having watched this, go to the Internet Movie Database for more information.

Bonanza: The Outcast (1960) (TV)

I have allowed some back log in my updating. And, to be honest, it does not make sense to copy and paste the Internet Movie Database plot summary here.

Indio Black, sai che ti dico: Sei un gran figlio di... (1971)

American title: Adiós, Sabata.

In Austrian-ruled Mexico, a mercenary is hired to steal a wagonload of gold for the revolutionaries.

Ininterrupted silliness. Dubbed in English.

Rating: 32

Cztery noce z Anna (2008)

English title: Four Nights with Anna.

*SPOILERS*

A peeping-tom and his mischiefs. In flashbacks, we see how he witnessed the rape of the object of his present obsession.

Formally refined, structured in tightly staged set-pieces; the recurrence of clocks is perhaps not accidental, the film having the nature of a sophisticated mechanism, like a silent comedy. The impossibility of viewer identification with an aggressor is a well known fact, but this film may exemplify the extreme opposite problem, that of identifying with a perfect victim. I can't say I have enjoyed it much. It obviously flirts with the surreal, but it leaves a small window towards realism, contaminating the film with implausibilities such as: how can an innocent man be convicted for rape if after the crime the victim has only the rapist's semen in her?

The filmmaker seems to be fond of having male stalkers as main characters in his films (cf. Deep End)

Rating: 54

Combat!: The Volunteer (1963) (TV)

A French boy wants to join the American army.

I.O.U.S.A. (2008)

Documentary about the deficitary situation faced by the U.S. economy. The theme of the evil that the present generation is (allegedly) doing to the future ones is central to this film, as was to An Inconvenient Truth. I find it very interesting in a philosophical sense, but I can't really attribute much value to either film, because they both deal with very complex issues in a very simplified manner. Anyway, I do not live in the U.S., a fact which further limits my interest in them. I could not help watching them, though.

Bonanza: El Toro Grande (1960) (TV)

Hoss and Little Joe are sent to California to buy a bull from a farmer. They go through a lot of adventures. The farmer's daughter sets her mind on marrying Little Joe, etc.

Bonanza: The Sisters (1959) (TV)

Adam starts dating a saloon girl, to his father's distress. She is murdered, and Adam is arrested as the prime suspect. Who would want to kill Adam's girl? Or rather, was she the one whose death was intended?

Bonanza: The Hanging Posse (1959) (TV)

A woman is murdered at her home while resisting a rape attempt. The killer flees, along with two partners (who were in the vicinity but neither witnessed nor took part in the murder). The town people organize a searching posse. The dead woman's husband wants to hang the three men on the spot, as soon as they find them. Adam and Little Joe ride along but oppose summary hanging.

Very good episode.

Bonanza: Vendetta (1959) (TV)

Excellent episode. The best reference for its summary and analysis is probably Christopher Mulrooney's site.

Good (2008)

A Literature professor is coopted by the Nazis because he dealt with the subject of euthanasia in a novel of his. He becomes involved with the Nazi party. In his personal life he has to deal with an aloof wife and a physically deteriorating mother; he gets involved with one of his former students. Also, he must deal with the plights of a Jewish friend.

This is an intelligent film, which investigates the meaning of evil (the irony of the title is evident). Nazi Germany is of course one of the most obviously adequate settings for this sort of investigation, although I am sure there are plenty of other places or situations which could be chosen instead. The film proceeds through a concatenation of events (some external, and some of his own doing) which put the main character in progressively untenable situations. He somehow doesn't seem to grasp their logic (but we do). The effect achieved is tragicomedy, a difficult style, and consequently no small accomplishment. It has been noted by user mackjay2 of IMDB that the main character's situation and behavior is similar to those of character Erik Dorf in Holocaust (1978). I further point out that Good's leading actor has shaped his performance in an identical (or almost) manner as that of the player of that character in Holocaust.

According to the film's credits it is based on C.P. Taylor's 1981 play. For what it is worth (I have not read or seen that play), that play came out 3 years after Holocaust.

Rating: 67

Bonanza: The Truckee Strip (1959) (TV)

The Internet Movie Database is thus: "Caught in the middle of a longtime family feud over a disputed piece of land, star-crossed lovers Joe Cartwright and Amy Bishop try to convince their stubborn fathers to resolve their differences as tension escalates into violence."

Romeo & Juliet.

Aces 'N' Eights (2008)

In the 19th century American West, some ranchers refuse to sell their farms so that a new railroad may pass through them. The local manager of the railroad company employs violence to get rid of these stubborn persons. The opposition finally comes down to one rancher. A negotiator is sent from Washington.

Western of little interest, working on themes and situations which have been explored dozens of times in the past.

Rating: 39

The Four Horsemen (2008)

Four guys who are best buddies enlist to fight in the Iraq War. One of them gets killed. Two of them are given a leave to attend to the funeral and the third one is discharged because of severe injuries; it is an occasion for reflection and crisis.

Mediocre drama.

Rating: 38

Bonanza: The Magnificent Adah (1959) (TV)

A theatrical performance of Mazeppa is taking place in Virginia City. Ben Cartwright wants to marry the leading star, an old friend of his. His sons oppose to that.

This episode has several points in common with "The Julia Bulette Story". In that one, the heroine has a old liaison with a gunfighter, in this one he is an ex-boxer.

Bonanza: Enter Mark Twain (1959) (TV)

Young Sam Clemens arrives in Virginia City and gets a job in the local newspaper. A plot to grab land from the Ponderosa is under way, having a crooked politician as an accomplice.

Bonanza: The Julia Bulette Story (1959) (TV)

Little Joe falls in love with the saloon owner. There is a fever epidemic in Virginia City.

Bonanza: The Phillip Diedesheimer Story (1959) (TV)

The problem of mine cave-ins due to poor support systems is exposed. The efforts of an engineer to improve those systems is at the center of this episode.

Bonanza: The Paiute War (1959) (TV)

An incident involving an attempted rape against Indian women of the Bannock tribe snowballs into a war involving another tribe, the Paiute, and the whites.

I sincerely revoke my bad omens about this show. It has become clear to me that the initial set-up, which I found so corny, has become a mere excuse for the telling of variegated interesting stories involving mining, Indians, and, last but not least, farmers.

Katyn (2007)

In 1940, Poland was occupied simultaneously by the Germans and by the Soviets. All Polish officers were taken prisoners by the Soviets, and eventually most were executed. The film follows the resonances of this massacre on the lives of the relatives and friends of the victims. After the war, the Soviets pinned the blame for the murders on the Nazis.

In general terms this film is a correct enterprise and gives what seems like a good account of the facts. It is anti-dramatic in essence, going for the kaleidoscopic instead of focusing on any particular character with any depth. It is also anti-political, in that it refuses to analyse motivations for the crime (which are, in any case, obvious for anyone who has a little knowledge of how the logic of power works).

Rating: 52

Bonanza: The Saga of Annie O'Toole (1959) (TV)

A man finds gold in the Washoe and gives one of his two claims to his girlfriend in San Francisco. She decides to explore it while he opts for selling his and stay in San Francisco. She goes to Nevada with her father and the latter dies on arrival; she opens a restaurant for the miners. A dispute arises between her and the buyer of the other claim concerning who owns which claim.

This excellent episode completely reverted my expectations toward this show.

Chéri (2009)

Based on the two Chéri novels by Colette, 1920 and 1926, respectively.

The film narrates the relationship between an ex-prostitute and a much younger man, who is the son of one of her colleagues.

What this film has of admirable is the screenwriting, which shows a superior skill in dealing with a literary material which I have not read. The director is a veteran and not at all incompetent, but I imagine that some constraints of an expensive production like this one have taken their toll on the energy and vitality of the mise-en-scene. Particularly the love scenes are appalling.

Rating: 60

Bonanza: Death on Sun Mountain (1959) (TV)

Someone is hunting all the antelope and selling it for exorbitant prices. The Paiute are going hungry. Ben Cartwright offers beef at reasonable prices. The antelope merchant wants to get filthy rich. His partner is, as usual, a scumbag.

Bonanza: The Newcomers (1959) (TV)

Some strangers trespass on the Ponderosa; one of them is a "hydraulical miner" and is up to no good; his partner is a good person who has been deceived. Hoss falls in love with the latter's sister. In keeping with the predominant tone of this show, she doesn't have much time left to live.

Bonanza: Mr. Henry Comstock (1959) (TV)

A con man is saved by the Cartwrights. Little Joe takes the Paiute chief's daughter to a ball; Hoss follows the con man to the mining area, where the latter sets up a fake gold discovery. Note: an accidental discovery of gold is called a "bonanza".

This episode, the ninth, is better than the first one, but I suspect that this show is not exactly my cup of tea.

Bonanza: A Rose for Lotta (1959) (TV)

The Internet Movie Database is right on the money in their Plot Summary: "Lotta Crabtree is hired by mining tycoon Alpheus Troy to lure one of the Cartwrights into town and hold him for ransom in exchange for Ponderosa timber rights."

Judging from this first episode, it's a mystery that this show went on for nearly 14 years. The level of the dramaturgy, as well as of the humor, is very primitive, and there are some aspects of the plot which are downright absurd, especially the fact that the character 'Lotta', despite being a woman of no morals or principles, and pretending to be something else with unflinching cynicism ("It was not about the money", she says), is rewarded by her main victim with a pleasurable dance, and by his brother with a romantic kiss. Particularly hilarious is the contrivance of a different mother for each of the sons (their father is a real bluebeard, I'll say) in order to justify their complete physical dissimilarity, to one another and also with regards to their father.