English title: An Unforgettable Summer
Based on a chapter from the novel Cronica de familie (Family Chronicle), by Petru Dumitriu (first published in 1957).
In 1925, a Romanian officer is transferred to an outpost at the border with Bulgaria, where a series of attacks by smugglers terrorize the Romanian army. The officer's wife and children accompany him.
A very interesting story, competently told in cinematic terms. The sharp sense of humor and attention to detail make this a solid, thoroughly enjoyable film. The sublime climax near the end is a masterfully orchestrated explosion of violence which one is not likely to easily forget. The film's outlook on politics and human relations is bleak and yet paradoxically the story is suffused with lyricism and joie de vivre. One might want to question whether the film presents us with a tragic situation or something else altogether.
Wikipedia page
Rating: 71
Saturday, February 28, 2015
Thursday, February 26, 2015
From Here to Eternity (1953)
Second viewing; first viewed between 1983 and 1986.
Life at an Army Base in Hawaii, in 1941, just before the Japanese attack. A newly transferred soldier is the center of sorts of the narrative. He used to be a boxer but has quit after an accident. At his new outfit they will do all they can to make him fight at the interbase championship. Meanwhile, his sergeant has an affair with the captain's wife.
Mostly ridiculous, yet consistently entertaining, melodrama. The proof it is superbly directed is that it relies on a script that sometimes verges on the undirectable. It is multiply miscast, too, and gets away with it as best it could. When Hollywood became too ashamed to continue making "serious" films like this, comedians and parodists substituted openly comical ones for them.
Rating: 57 (unchanged)
Life at an Army Base in Hawaii, in 1941, just before the Japanese attack. A newly transferred soldier is the center of sorts of the narrative. He used to be a boxer but has quit after an accident. At his new outfit they will do all they can to make him fight at the interbase championship. Meanwhile, his sergeant has an affair with the captain's wife.
Mostly ridiculous, yet consistently entertaining, melodrama. The proof it is superbly directed is that it relies on a script that sometimes verges on the undirectable. It is multiply miscast, too, and gets away with it as best it could. When Hollywood became too ashamed to continue making "serious" films like this, comedians and parodists substituted openly comical ones for them.
Rating: 57 (unchanged)
Sunday, February 22, 2015
Stage Door (1937)
Second viewing; first viewed on August 6, 1995.
Dramatic comedy set on a boarding house for struggling actresses. The usual problems faced by such creatures are displayed.
Very entertaining and even-talkier-than-usual-for-its-genre-and-time Hollywood comedy. The non-stop succession of witty one-liners is quite amazing and the strong point of the movie. The story is clichéd though, and, being a post-Hays code picture, sexual innuendo is countered by scarce on-screen transgression and by further innuendo to the effect that nothing much actually turns out to have happened off-screen either (e.g., the dumped "slut" implies she wasn't as generous as others may think). The casting is felicitous, especially when it comes to Hepburn as the Sexual Justice Warrior. Reportedly, it is very different from the source play, and TV Guide has a fine review that furthermore has some information on the making of this film.
Rating: 75 (up from 70)
Dramatic comedy set on a boarding house for struggling actresses. The usual problems faced by such creatures are displayed.
Very entertaining and even-talkier-than-usual-for-its-genre-and-time Hollywood comedy. The non-stop succession of witty one-liners is quite amazing and the strong point of the movie. The story is clichéd though, and, being a post-Hays code picture, sexual innuendo is countered by scarce on-screen transgression and by further innuendo to the effect that nothing much actually turns out to have happened off-screen either (e.g., the dumped "slut" implies she wasn't as generous as others may think). The casting is felicitous, especially when it comes to Hepburn as the Sexual Justice Warrior. Reportedly, it is very different from the source play, and TV Guide has a fine review that furthermore has some information on the making of this film.
Rating: 75 (up from 70)
Wednesday, February 18, 2015
The Omega Man (1971)
Second viewing; first viewed between 1983 and 1986.
Rather loosely based on the 1954 novel I Am Legend by Richard Matheson.
After most of mankind has been decimated by an infection brought about by biological warfare, there is only one healthy survivor who tries to wipe out a few menacing mutants who group around a charismatic leader.
Poorly written sci-fi, which nevertheless provide some food for thought in the depiction of ludditism as a reaction to a technological catastrophe. The sights of a deserted Los Angeles are also awesome. Most of the dialogue and character interaction are ridiculous, though.
Rating: 37 (up from 26)
Rather loosely based on the 1954 novel I Am Legend by Richard Matheson.
After most of mankind has been decimated by an infection brought about by biological warfare, there is only one healthy survivor who tries to wipe out a few menacing mutants who group around a charismatic leader.
Poorly written sci-fi, which nevertheless provide some food for thought in the depiction of ludditism as a reaction to a technological catastrophe. The sights of a deserted Los Angeles are also awesome. Most of the dialogue and character interaction are ridiculous, though.
Rating: 37 (up from 26)
Monday, February 16, 2015
The Gay Divorcee (1934)
Second viewing; first viewed on December 30, 1995.
A dancer meets a woman in Paris and falls in love with her, without being requited. By a coincidence, they are both on their way to London. Once there he seeks her out, without success. He eventually meets her by chance at a seaside resort, and gets unwittingly mixed up in a complex divorce plot.
What is there to say about this film, except that it has moments of sublime sophistication and lightness? But you know me, I am never fully satisfied, so I'll say that it is not 100% evenly good, and its initial hour or so is better than the remainder of the movie. And I might also suggest that, apart from the obvious visual enchantments, this film profits from text that is superior to other Astaire vehicles that I have watched.
As usual, I am concerned about my own insufficiency as a reviewer and suggest that you check out the various External Reviews at IMDB. I didn't read them all, but those I read were OK (Danny Reid's may be a good one for those who want greater detail and links to other reviews).
Rating: 72 (up from 66)
A dancer meets a woman in Paris and falls in love with her, without being requited. By a coincidence, they are both on their way to London. Once there he seeks her out, without success. He eventually meets her by chance at a seaside resort, and gets unwittingly mixed up in a complex divorce plot.
What is there to say about this film, except that it has moments of sublime sophistication and lightness? But you know me, I am never fully satisfied, so I'll say that it is not 100% evenly good, and its initial hour or so is better than the remainder of the movie. And I might also suggest that, apart from the obvious visual enchantments, this film profits from text that is superior to other Astaire vehicles that I have watched.
As usual, I am concerned about my own insufficiency as a reviewer and suggest that you check out the various External Reviews at IMDB. I didn't read them all, but those I read were OK (Danny Reid's may be a good one for those who want greater detail and links to other reviews).
Rating: 72 (up from 66)
Saturday, February 14, 2015
Der Tiger von Eschnapur (1959) & Das indische Grabmal (1959)
English titles: The Tiger of Eschnapur & The Indian Tomb.
Based on the 1917 novel Das indische Grabmal, by Thea von Harbou.
An architect working in India falls in love with a dancer, who loves him back. The local ruler also falls in love with her.
Entertaining orientalist adventure, told in two complementary films. I suggest this review for those who know some Spanish and are not content with my meager text.
Rating: 56
Based on the 1917 novel Das indische Grabmal, by Thea von Harbou.
An architect working in India falls in love with a dancer, who loves him back. The local ruler also falls in love with her.
Entertaining orientalist adventure, told in two complementary films. I suggest this review for those who know some Spanish and are not content with my meager text.
Rating: 56
Wednesday, February 04, 2015
Rosemary's Baby (1968)
Second viewing; first seen between 1983 and 1986.
A woman gets pregnant and, amidst constant physical discomfort, gets progressively suspicious that there is a plot led by her neighbors, and with the complicity of her husband, to affect her pregnancy through witchcraft and eventually steal her baby.
Efficient horror drama, with remarkable cinematography and strong visual compositions. The script is not exactly brilliant, though, relying at times on not very original ideas and somewhat abusing of repetition. The underlying structure is a mirror image of the story of Jesus, which as an aftereffect becomes itself tainted with horror.
Rating: 57 (up from 54)
A woman gets pregnant and, amidst constant physical discomfort, gets progressively suspicious that there is a plot led by her neighbors, and with the complicity of her husband, to affect her pregnancy through witchcraft and eventually steal her baby.
Efficient horror drama, with remarkable cinematography and strong visual compositions. The script is not exactly brilliant, though, relying at times on not very original ideas and somewhat abusing of repetition. The underlying structure is a mirror image of the story of Jesus, which as an aftereffect becomes itself tainted with horror.
Rating: 57 (up from 54)
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