English title: Mango Yellow
Several incidents in the lives of several lower-class people in the town of Recife. The action is mostly set at a hotel and at a bar. The central plot concerns the hotel cook's plot to win over the affections of a butcher.
This film is a notch above the utter worthlessness of Brazil's production. By interspersing its sordid fiction bits with street life scenes of Recife, it makes everything more real, more like an exposé of Brazilian misery and squalor. One is reminded of Italian neorealism, also of Brutti sporchi e cattivi. Its focus on human perversions makes its author a kind of working-class version of Buñuel, if that is possible. But before I go overboard with praise, I must add that not all of it works equally well, and the conception far exceeds the execution in success.
Rating: 40
Friday, November 25, 2016
Sunday, November 13, 2016
Downton Abbey (2010-2015)
TV dramatic series.
Second viewing of the first season (first viewed in October, 2012).
First viewing of the subsequent seasons.
The events that happen to the persons living at a large English country house at the beginning of the twentieth century. The drama alternates between the rich employers and their servants, and also show their occasional interactions.
This is likeable show, but it may prove too bland for some tastes, which, I confess, was the case with myself on and off. Although there is, in practically every episode, a fair amount of comical and dramatic material for an entertaining viewing, it becomes clear early on that there isn't much effort being made to achieve absolute psychological realism in character behavior. For example, many of them often are made to express thoughts which are not consistent with the speaker's social status and the ideology of the period, but seem rather to have the intention of expressing the author's own thoughts.
Second viewing of the first season (first viewed in October, 2012).
First viewing of the subsequent seasons.
The events that happen to the persons living at a large English country house at the beginning of the twentieth century. The drama alternates between the rich employers and their servants, and also show their occasional interactions.
This is likeable show, but it may prove too bland for some tastes, which, I confess, was the case with myself on and off. Although there is, in practically every episode, a fair amount of comical and dramatic material for an entertaining viewing, it becomes clear early on that there isn't much effort being made to achieve absolute psychological realism in character behavior. For example, many of them often are made to express thoughts which are not consistent with the speaker's social status and the ideology of the period, but seem rather to have the intention of expressing the author's own thoughts.
Casino Royale (1954)
TV drama.
Show: Climax!
An American secret agent is on a mission to foil a Soviet agent's attempt to revert his financial predicament through gambling.
This is utterly mediocre. I watched it in September, after having reread the book (of which this is an unfaithful adaptation). I was not even going to write about it, but, in order to be thorough, changed my mind. There is always some pleasure to be had by watching the performances -- it is practically impossible to find an English-spoken production of that period which doesn't have good performances -- but there isn't much else.
Show: Climax!
An American secret agent is on a mission to foil a Soviet agent's attempt to revert his financial predicament through gambling.
This is utterly mediocre. I watched it in September, after having reread the book (of which this is an unfaithful adaptation). I was not even going to write about it, but, in order to be thorough, changed my mind. There is always some pleasure to be had by watching the performances -- it is practically impossible to find an English-spoken production of that period which doesn't have good performances -- but there isn't much else.
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