Second viewing; first viewed on March 9, 1997.
Based on the 1898 short story by H.G. Wells.
A man is suddenly given extraordinary powers over the material reality around him (but not over other people's minds). He goes around consulting various people on what to do with his newly acquired powers, and in the process his own mind matures about it.
Amusing fable about power, which, by disturbing the state of things, analyzes its many aspects. There are excellent special effects, and the performances are very good too. On the negative side, there is a bit of repetitiveness about the proceedings, and also the development is not exactly full of surprises (I hope my having seen it before has not conditioned me into this perception). It is never unpleasant though, and its insights into human nature and the workings of society are mostly correct. As for the phenomenon of concentration of excessive power in a single individual, it finds alarming parallels in present-day reality and its power-wielding billionaires, who far surpass in political influence those of the time this film was made.
Rating: 65 (up from 50)
Sunday, May 31, 2015
Saturday, May 30, 2015
Lance Maior (1968)
I have reviewed this film in July, 2007, which is the date of my first viewing.
You can go to the link of that blog entry, or just read it below:
[begin quote]
Synopsis: Mário is a young law student who works at a bank. He starts a relationship with a humble yet attractive shopgirl. He then starts a concomitant relationship with a rich girl.
Appraisal: Urban drama whose grim candor in character depiction and economic narrative style make for an interesting portrait of how the Brazilian upper and lower middle classes of the late sixties behaved and interacted. Although it abides by a realistic worldview, it has a certain theatricality to its dialogue and mise-en-scene that betrays some roughness in the overall execution; in spite of that, it is a worthy film, probably one of its director's better ones.
[end quote]
I have little to add, except that the aforementioned "theatricality" was possibly a misperception of mine, and that I found the dialog hard to decipher in several instances. I also note that I may have finally understood the meaning of the film's title, something like "Higher Bid" or "Highest Bid". Films which have thematic or plot points in common with this one are A Place in the Sun (or An American Tragedy) and Les bonnes femmes.
Rating: 60 (up from 57)
You can go to the link of that blog entry, or just read it below:
[begin quote]
Synopsis: Mário is a young law student who works at a bank. He starts a relationship with a humble yet attractive shopgirl. He then starts a concomitant relationship with a rich girl.
Appraisal: Urban drama whose grim candor in character depiction and economic narrative style make for an interesting portrait of how the Brazilian upper and lower middle classes of the late sixties behaved and interacted. Although it abides by a realistic worldview, it has a certain theatricality to its dialogue and mise-en-scene that betrays some roughness in the overall execution; in spite of that, it is a worthy film, probably one of its director's better ones.
[end quote]
I have little to add, except that the aforementioned "theatricality" was possibly a misperception of mine, and that I found the dialog hard to decipher in several instances. I also note that I may have finally understood the meaning of the film's title, something like "Higher Bid" or "Highest Bid". Films which have thematic or plot points in common with this one are A Place in the Sun (or An American Tragedy) and Les bonnes femmes.
Rating: 60 (up from 57)
Wednesday, May 27, 2015
Shadows and Fog (1991)
Second viewing; first viewed on October 11, 1992.
Based on the play Death, by Woody Allen, first published in 1975.
In a German-speaking European city, a homicidal maniac is on the loose. A modest bureaucratic employee is summoned in the middle of the night to take part in a vigilante group. He spends that entire night in a series of adventures involving, among others, a circus woman.
This is an oddly conceived film, at once heavily theatrical and heavily cinematic, swinging between those two aesthetic poles, or at times combining them into a scene, and not worrying about compatibility or unity. The film's plot also brings together two somewhat disjointed strands (the killer, the circus), with little reason for doing it. It is an easy watch, though, with pleasant enough dialogue and pleasant enough imagery. Allusions to persecution and to accusations of "well poisoning" are casually thrown in, but the word "Jew" is never mentioned.
Rating: 53 (down from 56)
Based on the play Death, by Woody Allen, first published in 1975.
In a German-speaking European city, a homicidal maniac is on the loose. A modest bureaucratic employee is summoned in the middle of the night to take part in a vigilante group. He spends that entire night in a series of adventures involving, among others, a circus woman.
This is an oddly conceived film, at once heavily theatrical and heavily cinematic, swinging between those two aesthetic poles, or at times combining them into a scene, and not worrying about compatibility or unity. The film's plot also brings together two somewhat disjointed strands (the killer, the circus), with little reason for doing it. It is an easy watch, though, with pleasant enough dialogue and pleasant enough imagery. Allusions to persecution and to accusations of "well poisoning" are casually thrown in, but the word "Jew" is never mentioned.
Rating: 53 (down from 56)
Tuesday, May 26, 2015
Blade Runner (1982)
Second viewing, first viewing of the final cut; first viewed in 1982 or 1983.
Based on the novel Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? by Philip K. Dick, first published in 1968.
In the future, androids have achieved a high degree of sophistication. A group of them rebel and are hunted by a bounty hunter. The persecuted machines try to survive and also seek the man who engineered their lifespan to be a short one.
I never really understood people's (mostly Americans', it seems to me) obsession with intelligent machines. I mean, I do understand that children would be somewhat fascinated by their human appearance, but that grown men should dedicate so much of their energy and time to philosophize over this is beyond me. As Michael Moorcock puts it: "the bulk of American sf could be said to be written by robots, about robots, for robots" (Wizardry and Wild Romance). There are even "scientists" who specialize in the problems of so-called "hard" artificial intelligence. As I said, go figure. In any case, there are some interesting real life issues that are structurally analogous to the ones posed in this genre of fiction, and in Blade Runner specifically (for example, Jews-related issues). However, the film is flawed in more than one aspect, involving both script and direction. There are positive qualities too, but they are mostly in the character construction (including the actors' work). Viewed as a series of set-pieces offering an assortment of bizarre types, the film is passable.
Rating: 51 (down from 63)
Based on the novel Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? by Philip K. Dick, first published in 1968.
In the future, androids have achieved a high degree of sophistication. A group of them rebel and are hunted by a bounty hunter. The persecuted machines try to survive and also seek the man who engineered their lifespan to be a short one.
I never really understood people's (mostly Americans', it seems to me) obsession with intelligent machines. I mean, I do understand that children would be somewhat fascinated by their human appearance, but that grown men should dedicate so much of their energy and time to philosophize over this is beyond me. As Michael Moorcock puts it: "the bulk of American sf could be said to be written by robots, about robots, for robots" (Wizardry and Wild Romance). There are even "scientists" who specialize in the problems of so-called "hard" artificial intelligence. As I said, go figure. In any case, there are some interesting real life issues that are structurally analogous to the ones posed in this genre of fiction, and in Blade Runner specifically (for example, Jews-related issues). However, the film is flawed in more than one aspect, involving both script and direction. There are positive qualities too, but they are mostly in the character construction (including the actors' work). Viewed as a series of set-pieces offering an assortment of bizarre types, the film is passable.
Rating: 51 (down from 63)
Saturday, May 23, 2015
Harry and Tonto (1974)
Second viewing; first viewed on December 21, 1991
An elderly man gets thrown out of his apartment on account of its building getting demolished, and then goes on a tour through relatives and America.
Can I say phony? Can I say trite? Can I say that this is exactly programmed for unanimity, and achieves as much of it as anyone can? To give one example of a crack in that unanimity, someone in the IMDB's user comments area who calls himself Neil Doyle has observed that Harry's "most philosophical comment" is "Did you know that the strangest thing about being old is, all your friends are dead." This film is an inferior product in a very nice package, because the screenplay is inferior and everything else including the score, the acting, the cinematography, etc., is good. But I think the film is still interesting because it is a window to how people who know little about the world picture that world in their minds. In other words, it is an anatomy of its own ignorance.
Rating: 50 (up from 48)
An elderly man gets thrown out of his apartment on account of its building getting demolished, and then goes on a tour through relatives and America.
Can I say phony? Can I say trite? Can I say that this is exactly programmed for unanimity, and achieves as much of it as anyone can? To give one example of a crack in that unanimity, someone in the IMDB's user comments area who calls himself Neil Doyle has observed that Harry's "most philosophical comment" is "Did you know that the strangest thing about being old is, all your friends are dead." This film is an inferior product in a very nice package, because the screenplay is inferior and everything else including the score, the acting, the cinematography, etc., is good. But I think the film is still interesting because it is a window to how people who know little about the world picture that world in their minds. In other words, it is an anatomy of its own ignorance.
Rating: 50 (up from 48)
Friday, May 22, 2015
Prophecy (1979)
An idealistic medical doctor takes some time off from his activities as a clinician to travel to a countryside area in the role of environmental inspector. There has been an ongoing conflict between a paper manufacturing company and some Native Americans, and environmental analysis is hoped to settle the dispute.
Grim ecological fiction. The issues it brings forth are really important, and the narrative and imagery are gripping and even shocking at times. Despite all that, I do not think films are an effective way of dealing with those matters. It just tends to alienate people, instead of motivating them. This includes me, as I do not consider myself to be any different from most people.
Rating: 50
Grim ecological fiction. The issues it brings forth are really important, and the narrative and imagery are gripping and even shocking at times. Despite all that, I do not think films are an effective way of dealing with those matters. It just tends to alienate people, instead of motivating them. This includes me, as I do not consider myself to be any different from most people.
Rating: 50
Sunday, May 17, 2015
How to Steal a Million (1966)
Second viewing; first viewed between 1983 and 1986
A art forger cedes a fake sculpture of his for an exhibition and that is when his troubles start. His daughter helps him get out of the jam, with the help of a mysterious character.
It is entertaining and funny, and also a reflection on the bizarre world of art trade. The plot is very imaginative, and everything is very elegant and good looking.
(pan-and-scan copy)
Rating: 67 (unchanged)
A art forger cedes a fake sculpture of his for an exhibition and that is when his troubles start. His daughter helps him get out of the jam, with the help of a mysterious character.
It is entertaining and funny, and also a reflection on the bizarre world of art trade. The plot is very imaginative, and everything is very elegant and good looking.
(pan-and-scan copy)
Rating: 67 (unchanged)
Thursday, May 14, 2015
A Kiss Before Dying (1956)
Second viewing; first viewed between 1983 and 1986
A college student gets his girlfriend pregnant; this makes him very, very upset.
Although the production is somewhat classy, this movie tells an absurd story, which anyone with a brain will dismiss after a minute of reflection. Apart from the central performance, which I consider perfect, I do not see many reasons for watching it, and find it rather saddening that I liked it on my previous viewing.
(pan-and-scan copy)
Rating: 31 (down from 63)
A college student gets his girlfriend pregnant; this makes him very, very upset.
Although the production is somewhat classy, this movie tells an absurd story, which anyone with a brain will dismiss after a minute of reflection. Apart from the central performance, which I consider perfect, I do not see many reasons for watching it, and find it rather saddening that I liked it on my previous viewing.
(pan-and-scan copy)
Rating: 31 (down from 63)
Festa (1989)
Literal translation of title: Party.
At a big house a party is being thrown for very rich and famous guests. Three persons who have been hired to entertain the guests are told to wait in a downstairs parlor. They are a snooker player and his sidekick, and a harmonica player. They wait and talk while upstairs the party rages on.
Social allegory with little or no insightful or inspired dialogue and barely any action.
Rating: 22
At a big house a party is being thrown for very rich and famous guests. Three persons who have been hired to entertain the guests are told to wait in a downstairs parlor. They are a snooker player and his sidekick, and a harmonica player. They wait and talk while upstairs the party rages on.
Social allegory with little or no insightful or inspired dialogue and barely any action.
Rating: 22
Tuesday, May 12, 2015
Le pacha (1968)
English title: Pasha
A truck transporting valuable jewelry is robbed. The investigation is led by an aging policeman who is a childhood friend of the policeman who was escorting the stolen cargo.
I am probably not reliable concerning this film. I found the execution very professional, but the film a little dull. The underlying idea it conveys is one of police weariness in the face of mounting criminality and judicial ineffectiveness. This is an interesting subject, but somehow the film fell short of my expectations.
Rating: 31
A truck transporting valuable jewelry is robbed. The investigation is led by an aging policeman who is a childhood friend of the policeman who was escorting the stolen cargo.
I am probably not reliable concerning this film. I found the execution very professional, but the film a little dull. The underlying idea it conveys is one of police weariness in the face of mounting criminality and judicial ineffectiveness. This is an interesting subject, but somehow the film fell short of my expectations.
Rating: 31
Monday, May 11, 2015
The Manchurian Candidate (1962)
Second viewing; first viewed on November 10, 1996
During the Korean War, a platoon goes missing for a few days and returns with a common memory of a confrontation with the enemy in which the sergeant comes out as a hero. Back in America, some members of the platoon have similar recurring nightmares. The sergeant begins behaving strangely and meets with some shady characters who seem to have control over him. His stepfather, whom he hates, is a rightwing politician who acts under the influence of a domineering wife.
There is a strange asymmetry between comedy and tragedy (or drama, which is a more prevalent serious form in recent times). A drama or tragedy may be involutarily comic, whereas the reverse is never the case. This film, for instance, is deadly serious in tone, but everything in it had a comical effect on me. There are many issues with the plot, and some of them are discussed in IMDB's Message Boards. The most important observation to be made about it is that it is a critique of conservatism, and a hallucinating one at that, and the comicity stems mainly from that. There is not a bit of psychological realism in this movie, and the most flagrant violation of plausibility is of course the behavior of the woman who becomes Lt. Marco's girlfriend. Whatever interest the movie may have lies precisely in that it states a position, and is a symptom of a zeitgeist. The technical acumen with which it is made is important to make sure that it succeeds at its goal, which is evidently brainwashing its audience into an adherence to liberal principles.
Rating: 56 (down from 65)
During the Korean War, a platoon goes missing for a few days and returns with a common memory of a confrontation with the enemy in which the sergeant comes out as a hero. Back in America, some members of the platoon have similar recurring nightmares. The sergeant begins behaving strangely and meets with some shady characters who seem to have control over him. His stepfather, whom he hates, is a rightwing politician who acts under the influence of a domineering wife.
There is a strange asymmetry between comedy and tragedy (or drama, which is a more prevalent serious form in recent times). A drama or tragedy may be involutarily comic, whereas the reverse is never the case. This film, for instance, is deadly serious in tone, but everything in it had a comical effect on me. There are many issues with the plot, and some of them are discussed in IMDB's Message Boards. The most important observation to be made about it is that it is a critique of conservatism, and a hallucinating one at that, and the comicity stems mainly from that. There is not a bit of psychological realism in this movie, and the most flagrant violation of plausibility is of course the behavior of the woman who becomes Lt. Marco's girlfriend. Whatever interest the movie may have lies precisely in that it states a position, and is a symptom of a zeitgeist. The technical acumen with which it is made is important to make sure that it succeeds at its goal, which is evidently brainwashing its audience into an adherence to liberal principles.
Rating: 56 (down from 65)
Friday, May 08, 2015
Barry Lyndon (1975)
Second viewing; first viewed at some point of time between 1983 and 1986.
Based on the 1844 novel The Luck of Barry Lyndon, by William Makepeace Thackeray.
The life of an Irish man of modest origin who gets involved in a duel, flees, joins the army, deserts, marries a rich woman, etc.
Splendid film, unbelievably gorgeous, impeccably staged, and engaging at every point of its rather long duration. I speculate that the source novel (which I haven't read) follows an apparent pattern in English works of fiction from the 19th century, the carefully sadistic destruction of its main character, a pattern which first drew my attention when I saw Jude. I sometimes wonder who read these novels when they came out? Mainly women? Young ones? Of course, today everything is distorted by the academic apparatus, and mostly university professors read this stuff. Anyhow, I found that in this particular instance, the artistic imagination employed by the writer and diretor makes following the plot quite bearable, engaging even.
Rating: 74 (up from 66)
Based on the 1844 novel The Luck of Barry Lyndon, by William Makepeace Thackeray.
The life of an Irish man of modest origin who gets involved in a duel, flees, joins the army, deserts, marries a rich woman, etc.
Splendid film, unbelievably gorgeous, impeccably staged, and engaging at every point of its rather long duration. I speculate that the source novel (which I haven't read) follows an apparent pattern in English works of fiction from the 19th century, the carefully sadistic destruction of its main character, a pattern which first drew my attention when I saw Jude. I sometimes wonder who read these novels when they came out? Mainly women? Young ones? Of course, today everything is distorted by the academic apparatus, and mostly university professors read this stuff. Anyhow, I found that in this particular instance, the artistic imagination employed by the writer and diretor makes following the plot quite bearable, engaging even.
Rating: 74 (up from 66)
Wednesday, May 06, 2015
Bronenosets Potemkin (1925)
Second viewing; first viewed at some point in time between 1983 and 1986
English title: Battleship Potemkin
Fictionalized dramatization of the incidents surrounding the mutiny in the titular ship in 1905, followed by riots in Odessa, all of which were part of the first Russian revolution.
Revolutions are a serious matter, and everyone should worry about them, whether they happen in Moscow or Baltimore. They may be fair or unfair, but that is not necessarily what determines their success; furthermore, their success is never a guarantee of the ensuing regime's success. A mutiny in a ship is also a serious matter, and in this particular case it was not only an important element in the dynamics of the larger revolution, but a metaphor of sorts for it. Social upset makes for very moving drama, mainly, I think, because every break in conformism is instinctively seen as psychologically healthy. Unfortunately, there is also ample room for psychological manipulation, both in real life and in art, and, perhaps, there would be no revolution without some amount of that sort of manipulation. This film was very popular both among good people (e.g., Chaplin) and not so good ones (e.g., Goebbels). I assume the former were moved by the non-conformist side and the latter by the manipulative side. As such, this work of art will stand forever significant yet ambiguous, like a two-headed monster.
Rating: 66 (unchanged)
English title: Battleship Potemkin
Fictionalized dramatization of the incidents surrounding the mutiny in the titular ship in 1905, followed by riots in Odessa, all of which were part of the first Russian revolution.
Revolutions are a serious matter, and everyone should worry about them, whether they happen in Moscow or Baltimore. They may be fair or unfair, but that is not necessarily what determines their success; furthermore, their success is never a guarantee of the ensuing regime's success. A mutiny in a ship is also a serious matter, and in this particular case it was not only an important element in the dynamics of the larger revolution, but a metaphor of sorts for it. Social upset makes for very moving drama, mainly, I think, because every break in conformism is instinctively seen as psychologically healthy. Unfortunately, there is also ample room for psychological manipulation, both in real life and in art, and, perhaps, there would be no revolution without some amount of that sort of manipulation. This film was very popular both among good people (e.g., Chaplin) and not so good ones (e.g., Goebbels). I assume the former were moved by the non-conformist side and the latter by the manipulative side. As such, this work of art will stand forever significant yet ambiguous, like a two-headed monster.
Rating: 66 (unchanged)
Monday, May 04, 2015
The Big Country (1958)
Second viewing; first viewed on August 31, 1997
A sea captain is engaged to be married to a rancher's daughter. His polite and diplomatic manners are viewed with suspicion by his fiancee and by the people living near her. A long-running feud between his father-in-law and another rancher seems to be the source of the violence he witnesses.
Interesting western, which nevertheless has some aspects which should be challenged. It belongs to a class of films in which the hero is an outsider who has a higher moral ground than the locals. This leads to a worldview which justifies many things which have wreaked havoc wherever they have been applied, for example in the case of American imperialism and its later-day offshoots. Also of note is the opposition of the sea person to the land person, about which philosopher Carl Schmitt has theorized, only applied to nations. Here too, the film is to be questioned, as one side appears to have the higher moral ground. All those caveats notwithstanding, the film is certainly of interest and not excessively unpleasant to watch. Christopher Mulrooney notes (here and here) the relationship with The Frisco Kid.
(pan-and-scan copy)
Rating: 53 (up from 42)
A sea captain is engaged to be married to a rancher's daughter. His polite and diplomatic manners are viewed with suspicion by his fiancee and by the people living near her. A long-running feud between his father-in-law and another rancher seems to be the source of the violence he witnesses.
Interesting western, which nevertheless has some aspects which should be challenged. It belongs to a class of films in which the hero is an outsider who has a higher moral ground than the locals. This leads to a worldview which justifies many things which have wreaked havoc wherever they have been applied, for example in the case of American imperialism and its later-day offshoots. Also of note is the opposition of the sea person to the land person, about which philosopher Carl Schmitt has theorized, only applied to nations. Here too, the film is to be questioned, as one side appears to have the higher moral ground. All those caveats notwithstanding, the film is certainly of interest and not excessively unpleasant to watch. Christopher Mulrooney notes (here and here) the relationship with The Frisco Kid.
(pan-and-scan copy)
Rating: 53 (up from 42)
Friday, May 01, 2015
Some Like It Hot (1959)
Second viewing; first viewed between 1983 and 1986.
Based on the movie Fanfare d'amour (1935), or possibly on its remake Fanfaren der Liebe (1951).
Two musicians hiding from gangsters join an all-woman band under disguise.
Ever since Shakespeare (but probably even earlier; I am not knowledgeable on that) people who disguise as a member of their opposite sex are fruitful material for comedy. Why is that so? Well, as I see it anything that diverts from normality is a matter for comedy. That is how one better sees what normality is, I guess. Or, being perhaps a little blunt, maybe that is just how you get to fill a couple of hours with events. Anyhow, this movie has some funny moments, and keeps things going at an engaging pace. It seems to please both normal people and sexually perverted ones, and that is somewhat fascinating from a philosophical point of view. Perhaps the deeper question is, do some people get a kick from perversion precisely because it is a perversion, that is, a departure from the norm? Or is perversion an inner condition that they possess which makes them see as normal what others see as abnormal? In the latter case, wouldn't they find certain things in this film less funny than most people do?
Rating: 63 (up from 47)
Based on the movie Fanfare d'amour (1935), or possibly on its remake Fanfaren der Liebe (1951).
Two musicians hiding from gangsters join an all-woman band under disguise.
Ever since Shakespeare (but probably even earlier; I am not knowledgeable on that) people who disguise as a member of their opposite sex are fruitful material for comedy. Why is that so? Well, as I see it anything that diverts from normality is a matter for comedy. That is how one better sees what normality is, I guess. Or, being perhaps a little blunt, maybe that is just how you get to fill a couple of hours with events. Anyhow, this movie has some funny moments, and keeps things going at an engaging pace. It seems to please both normal people and sexually perverted ones, and that is somewhat fascinating from a philosophical point of view. Perhaps the deeper question is, do some people get a kick from perversion precisely because it is a perversion, that is, a departure from the norm? Or is perversion an inner condition that they possess which makes them see as normal what others see as abnormal? In the latter case, wouldn't they find certain things in this film less funny than most people do?
Rating: 63 (up from 47)
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