Gigot, a mute who is the butt of everybody's jokes and pranks in his neighborhood, one day meets a homeless woman and her 6-year-old daughter and gives them shelter. The child and Gigot take a liking to each other. The mother is a bit of a slut.
This is not a consistently enjoyable film, but through its ups and downs it is still an interesting one. A personal project of its main actor, it is not a realistic portrayal of poverty, and is designed as to give ample room to his comic and dramatic abilities. The script follows a very predictable sentimental line. The choice of a Parisian setting and musical score seems to be designed for dramatic purposes, taking into account a certain image of France that has consolidated abroad through countless works of fiction. One detail that puzzled me was that Gigot, unlike most people who do not speak in real life, does not seem to have hearing problems (he is spoken to normally and seems to understand it; he also dances to the exact tempo of gramophone music). Despite that, many reviews and sites describe him as a "deaf mute".
Rating: 50
Thursday, October 31, 2019
Monday, October 28, 2019
O Libertino (1973)
A distinguished member of society is on a crusade against immorality and pornography. He and a few ladies who share his concerns have founded an organization for that purpose; they regularly meet. Through those ladies, he receives alarming news: a building he owns, and collects rent from, is not the school for young women it purports to be, but rather a brothel.
The main character and the basic structure of the plot are the same as in O Puritano da Rua Augusta, from eight years earlier, which has been updated and adapted for the needs of sexploitation. O Libertino manages to be even worse than its predecessor; perhaps part of the blame is to be laid on the cuts it allegedly suffered from censors, but it's hard to imagine a much better movie could be made by simply adding stuff to the dismal present remains of it. I am trying to watch every movie made by Victor Lima, and so far this is his worst. His main virtue, that of a nice flow of the narrative, is here also, but it counts for little in such an uninspired and predictable script.
Rating: 21
The main character and the basic structure of the plot are the same as in O Puritano da Rua Augusta, from eight years earlier, which has been updated and adapted for the needs of sexploitation. O Libertino manages to be even worse than its predecessor; perhaps part of the blame is to be laid on the cuts it allegedly suffered from censors, but it's hard to imagine a much better movie could be made by simply adding stuff to the dismal present remains of it. I am trying to watch every movie made by Victor Lima, and so far this is his worst. His main virtue, that of a nice flow of the narrative, is here also, but it counts for little in such an uninspired and predictable script.
Rating: 21
Sunday, October 27, 2019
Arizona Bushwhackers (1968)
The historical premise is that, during the American Civil War, Southern military prisoners were offered freedom in exchange for serving in places outside the zone of conflict, which in this case were located in the American West. Here, one such prisoner is assigned the mission of bringing law and order to a small town ruled by the local casino owner. Being of Southern origin, he is received with hostility by the majority of the town.
B-Western with very little going for it. The plot has a surprise around midfilm -- which I will not reveal, even though it is in every plot summary for the film available in the internet -- which stirs things a little, but still cannot lift the film above its basic dullness. The biggest attraction here is the cast, which boasts good actors in a decaying phase of their careers.
Rating: 31
B-Western with very little going for it. The plot has a surprise around midfilm -- which I will not reveal, even though it is in every plot summary for the film available in the internet -- which stirs things a little, but still cannot lift the film above its basic dullness. The biggest attraction here is the cast, which boasts good actors in a decaying phase of their careers.
Rating: 31
Friday, October 25, 2019
The Savage (1952)
Tale of a white man who is raised by a Sioux tribe after his parents are killed in a Crow attack. His sense of loyalty and identity is repeatedly put into test when conflict arises between the Sioux and the Whites.
The main character here goes through a series of ordeals which place him in an awkward role that is a blend of double agent and diplomat. The whole drama is laid out as a case of bad apples on each side. None of that has the minimal connection to plausible situations: reality is much simpler, or much more complicated, depending on the angle from which you look. Still, it works as a sort cerebral exercise of problem solving, not too boring and not too exciting either.
Rating: 37
The main character here goes through a series of ordeals which place him in an awkward role that is a blend of double agent and diplomat. The whole drama is laid out as a case of bad apples on each side. None of that has the minimal connection to plausible situations: reality is much simpler, or much more complicated, depending on the angle from which you look. Still, it works as a sort cerebral exercise of problem solving, not too boring and not too exciting either.
Rating: 37
Wednesday, October 23, 2019
The Seagull (2018)
Based on the play by Anton Chekhov, written in 1895 and first produced in 1896.
Told in a circular fashion, it starts as a group of people gather at a country estate around a dying man: his sister (an actress), her son (a writer), her lover (also a writer), the estate manager, his wife, their daughter, her husband (a schoolteacher), a medical doctor, a young actress who used to live in the estate's vicinity. After a brief prologue, there is a long flashback with the same characters at the estate years earlier; the fim then returns to the present time for a conclusion. The plot is basically thus: the young girl who wants to be an actress falls in love with the old actress's lover; the old actress's son, who is the young woman's boyfriend, is heartbroken; the manager's daughter loves the old actress's son, and is loved by the schoolteacher.
I have never seen or read the play, or do not remember. One can tell this is an adaptation from a play, but it is sufficiently well written and well directed as to work as a film on its own. I thought at times it is a bit overscored, especially at the beginning. The actors are passable. I found it a bit elliptic, and I don't know how much of the play's dialogue was excised, but perhaps in a movie the flowing of the narrative is more important. To be honest, it did not impress me as one could expect from the play's fame. But it is a coherent story, with coherent characters, and overall it is quite watchable. The seagull thing was quite incomprehensible though.
Rating: 55
Told in a circular fashion, it starts as a group of people gather at a country estate around a dying man: his sister (an actress), her son (a writer), her lover (also a writer), the estate manager, his wife, their daughter, her husband (a schoolteacher), a medical doctor, a young actress who used to live in the estate's vicinity. After a brief prologue, there is a long flashback with the same characters at the estate years earlier; the fim then returns to the present time for a conclusion. The plot is basically thus: the young girl who wants to be an actress falls in love with the old actress's lover; the old actress's son, who is the young woman's boyfriend, is heartbroken; the manager's daughter loves the old actress's son, and is loved by the schoolteacher.
I have never seen or read the play, or do not remember. One can tell this is an adaptation from a play, but it is sufficiently well written and well directed as to work as a film on its own. I thought at times it is a bit overscored, especially at the beginning. The actors are passable. I found it a bit elliptic, and I don't know how much of the play's dialogue was excised, but perhaps in a movie the flowing of the narrative is more important. To be honest, it did not impress me as one could expect from the play's fame. But it is a coherent story, with coherent characters, and overall it is quite watchable. The seagull thing was quite incomprehensible though.
Rating: 55
Monday, October 21, 2019
The Patsy (1964)
I thought I hadn't seen this movie, but while watching it I had a palpable sense of déjà vu, so it is likely I have seen it before. Anyway, it must have been before 1983.
A famous comedian dies and his staff gather together at a hotel to decide what to do about their careers. They spot a natural comicity in the hotel's bellboy and decide to manufacture a replacement out of him for the deceased actor.
An uneven, unsatisfactory comedy. As someone nicknamed Anne_Sharp has remarked on the User Reviews section at IMDB, this is a variation on The Girl Can't Help It. A few set-pieces are fine, for example the one at the singing teacher's, but they are rather the exception. Maybe kids could like it, as the humor and the plot are kept at a very simple level, and there is a tendency to sentimentality, which gradually seeps in as the film advances. When the main character is being clumsy, he gets some laughs. When he is being unfunny, he does not. It is relatively easy to make clumsiness funny, but it is very hard, perhaps impossible, to make unfunniness funny.
Rating: 44
A famous comedian dies and his staff gather together at a hotel to decide what to do about their careers. They spot a natural comicity in the hotel's bellboy and decide to manufacture a replacement out of him for the deceased actor.
An uneven, unsatisfactory comedy. As someone nicknamed Anne_Sharp has remarked on the User Reviews section at IMDB, this is a variation on The Girl Can't Help It. A few set-pieces are fine, for example the one at the singing teacher's, but they are rather the exception. Maybe kids could like it, as the humor and the plot are kept at a very simple level, and there is a tendency to sentimentality, which gradually seeps in as the film advances. When the main character is being clumsy, he gets some laughs. When he is being unfunny, he does not. It is relatively easy to make clumsiness funny, but it is very hard, perhaps impossible, to make unfunniness funny.
Rating: 44
Sunday, October 20, 2019
Gun Battle at Monterey (1957)
Two robbers are hiding from the law after a robbery. One of them shoots the other and runs away with the money. It turns out, though, that, contrary to what the shooter thought, his partner was not killed. He is looked after by a young woman and, after he is well again, goes after his doublecrosser, who now is the boss at a small town.
This Western's basic plot idea is that of a man pretending to be his lookalike, but there is an ingenious twist to it which I will not reveal here. The ending is moralistic and might displease viewers who are more on the cynical (they would prefer the term 'realist') side. This is a very cheaply made film, and a very unpretentious one, but it is watchable.
Rating: 36
This Western's basic plot idea is that of a man pretending to be his lookalike, but there is an ingenious twist to it which I will not reveal here. The ending is moralistic and might displease viewers who are more on the cynical (they would prefer the term 'realist') side. This is a very cheaply made film, and a very unpretentious one, but it is watchable.
Rating: 36
Saturday, October 19, 2019
Bugles in the Afternoon (1952)
"After violently attacking a fellow officer Lt. Edward Garnett, cavalry Captain Kern Shafter is court martialled. Later, he rejoins the army with Custer's regiment at Fort Lincoln, Dakota, becoming a sergeant, where he runs into his old foe." (IMDB)
This is reasonably well-done, with a fine color cinematography and adequate performances, but the storyline holds no surprises for the spectator, a fact which detracts from its entertainment value. Although at times one could mistake this for an A-grade Western, its overall cheapness is visible in the fact that they edited footage from an old black-and-white movie into it for a few battle scenes. Perhaps cheapness also accounts for its shortness; I would have preferred that it included an early part that depicted the situations which led to Shafter attacking Garnett. As it is, we have to take the aggressor's word for what happened. And, even so, I do not quite understand what exactly Garnett did that would earn him such violent attack.
Rating: 39
This is reasonably well-done, with a fine color cinematography and adequate performances, but the storyline holds no surprises for the spectator, a fact which detracts from its entertainment value. Although at times one could mistake this for an A-grade Western, its overall cheapness is visible in the fact that they edited footage from an old black-and-white movie into it for a few battle scenes. Perhaps cheapness also accounts for its shortness; I would have preferred that it included an early part that depicted the situations which led to Shafter attacking Garnett. As it is, we have to take the aggressor's word for what happened. And, even so, I do not quite understand what exactly Garnett did that would earn him such violent attack.
Rating: 39
Monday, October 14, 2019
Fancy Pants (1950)
A theatrical company is hired to impersonate some aristocrats by a young man trying to woo a young woman and impress her family. Said family especially likes the butler and hires him (not knowing he is really an actor), taking him to live with them in an American Western town. There is further confusion as the people in that town think the 'butler' is really an English aristocrat, and thus his employers decide to go along with it and make him impersonate an aristocrat. The story goes around and the President of the U.S. himself decides to visit that family. The 'aristocrat' proposes a fox hunt.
This has to be one of the unfunniest movies of all times, which is probably why Americans like it so much. The humor is so overdone, and the main character is so devoid of consistency, that one suspects this was all done with the purpose of achieving a new low in comicity. On the other hand, the production values are extremely high, and the actors are extremely competent. The contrast between these assets and the poorness of the script produces a sense of waste and absurdity which paradoxically may arouse a perverse curiosity in the viewer.
Rating: 31
This has to be one of the unfunniest movies of all times, which is probably why Americans like it so much. The humor is so overdone, and the main character is so devoid of consistency, that one suspects this was all done with the purpose of achieving a new low in comicity. On the other hand, the production values are extremely high, and the actors are extremely competent. The contrast between these assets and the poorness of the script produces a sense of waste and absurdity which paradoxically may arouse a perverse curiosity in the viewer.
Rating: 31
Sunday, October 13, 2019
Wide Sargasso Sea (1993)
Based on the novel by Jean Rhys, first published in 1966.
An impoverished young girl who inherited a large property in Jamaica accepts an arranged marriage with an Englishman. After a harmonious beginning, their relationship sours due to a series of incidents and his maladaptation to the tropics.
Poor film which seems just a piling up of colonial and postcolonial clichés in a very rushed up and summarized manner, and lacking in anything that could engage the viewer into caring the least bit about the characters and what they are going through. I suspect the sufficient condition to be met by older movies for being shown in cable TV is whether they have a present-day star in a bit part.
Rating: 30
An impoverished young girl who inherited a large property in Jamaica accepts an arranged marriage with an Englishman. After a harmonious beginning, their relationship sours due to a series of incidents and his maladaptation to the tropics.
Poor film which seems just a piling up of colonial and postcolonial clichés in a very rushed up and summarized manner, and lacking in anything that could engage the viewer into caring the least bit about the characters and what they are going through. I suspect the sufficient condition to be met by older movies for being shown in cable TV is whether they have a present-day star in a bit part.
Rating: 30
Thursday, October 10, 2019
Crazy - Um Dia Muito Louco (1981)
A guy kills his housemate and during his attempts to bury his body is repeatedly disturbed by visitors. The visitors consist of a bit actress, a Bible saleswoman (both of whom are responding to an ad about a room to let), a neighbor who wants to borrow a camera, and a policeman who wants to speak with the deceased man.
Half-baked attempt at black humor. There is a noticeable slant toward sexploitation, albeit with more plot structure than is usual for Brazilian films of that kind. A quote by Shelley ("Death is here and death is there, Death is busy everywhere, All around, within, beneath, Above is death - and we are death.") puts a morbid finish to this film and also to this director's career. Perhaps he knew he would die soon after he finished it.
Rating: 30
Half-baked attempt at black humor. There is a noticeable slant toward sexploitation, albeit with more plot structure than is usual for Brazilian films of that kind. A quote by Shelley ("Death is here and death is there, Death is busy everywhere, All around, within, beneath, Above is death - and we are death.") puts a morbid finish to this film and also to this director's career. Perhaps he knew he would die soon after he finished it.
Rating: 30
I quattro dell'Ave Maria (1968)
English title: Ace High
Version watched: 122 minutes, dubbed in English
Two guys who extort some money from a banker are in turn robbed by the guy who had been betrayed by the same banker years ago. They team up, and with a high wire acrobat, to rob a crooked casino.
Above-average Italian Western, with an ellaborate plot and competent craftsmanship. There is always the matter of cultural authenticity, in a film which is characterized by compounded fakeness: it emulates other, and better, Italian Westerns, which in turn emulate a cinematic tradition which, in its original, American form was never too fond of historical accuracy to begin with. The fakeness here begins with the title's Catholic reference, whereas the American West was predominantly Protestant. The style of the humor is of a silliness that became a matter of style in numerous films of this genre. All those things I once found very annoying, less so nowadays. However, I am not exactly amused by them, even now. Let's say I am vaguely intrigued, and leave it at that. It is said that this film is the second part of a trilogy, whose final installment I reviewed here.
Rating: 39
Version watched: 122 minutes, dubbed in English
Two guys who extort some money from a banker are in turn robbed by the guy who had been betrayed by the same banker years ago. They team up, and with a high wire acrobat, to rob a crooked casino.
Above-average Italian Western, with an ellaborate plot and competent craftsmanship. There is always the matter of cultural authenticity, in a film which is characterized by compounded fakeness: it emulates other, and better, Italian Westerns, which in turn emulate a cinematic tradition which, in its original, American form was never too fond of historical accuracy to begin with. The fakeness here begins with the title's Catholic reference, whereas the American West was predominantly Protestant. The style of the humor is of a silliness that became a matter of style in numerous films of this genre. All those things I once found very annoying, less so nowadays. However, I am not exactly amused by them, even now. Let's say I am vaguely intrigued, and leave it at that. It is said that this film is the second part of a trilogy, whose final installment I reviewed here.
Rating: 39
Monday, October 07, 2019
From Hell to Texas (1958)
A man, acting in self defense, causes the death of a rich rancher's son, who rounds up his other sons and personnel to exact revenge. The man is on his way to meet his estranged father. There is a long chase, during which the rancher's men take the worst, even though the man they are after is averse to killing on a matter of principle.
Although well filmed, and filled with enough incident as to entertain, if only barely, this is a film that has little to offer in terms of substance, except for a very ridiculous premise which leaves the viewer suspicious of some hidden mockery. It is not clear who might be the target of that mockery, but possible candidates would be the Christian religion, or perhaps the cinematic tradition of separating the world into heroes and villains and ascribing a much gentler nature to the former, which does not prevent them from winning every time.
Rating: 36
Although well filmed, and filled with enough incident as to entertain, if only barely, this is a film that has little to offer in terms of substance, except for a very ridiculous premise which leaves the viewer suspicious of some hidden mockery. It is not clear who might be the target of that mockery, but possible candidates would be the Christian religion, or perhaps the cinematic tradition of separating the world into heroes and villains and ascribing a much gentler nature to the former, which does not prevent them from winning every time.
Rating: 36
Sunday, October 06, 2019
Johnny Reno (1966)
A U.S. marshal is riding across a desert and is shot at by two guys. He kills one of them and arrests the other. It so happens that those two guys were wanted for killing a Native American, and the townsfolks want to lynch him, which the marshal will not allow, of course. During his stay at that town, he will uncover some dirty secrets behind that lynching fury.
The premise of this has a very bad guy who runs a small town and wants to commit an injustice against two drifters, in order to cover up a crime he committed. But there are further layers to this: the crime was motivated by racism (that evilest of all evil things). The details of the premise are not well thought out. The impression I get is that, in a time when society was being bombarded with liberal ideology, filmmakers got away more easily with some of the outrageously implausible assumptions behind the events in this movie.
Rating: 26
The premise of this has a very bad guy who runs a small town and wants to commit an injustice against two drifters, in order to cover up a crime he committed. But there are further layers to this: the crime was motivated by racism (that evilest of all evil things). The details of the premise are not well thought out. The impression I get is that, in a time when society was being bombarded with liberal ideology, filmmakers got away more easily with some of the outrageously implausible assumptions behind the events in this movie.
Rating: 26
Thursday, October 03, 2019
Alegria de Viver (1958)
Musical comedy. A guy who works for a big company is held in high esteem by his boss, who wants him to marry his daughter. But the guy has a double life: at night he runs a nightclub for young people. His boss's daughter, who is in town on vacation from boarding school, has no intention of fulfilling his father's plans, and thus she sends her disagreeable cousin passing off as her to meet our hero.
Earlier fluff from the same director of Rio, Verão & Amor. Whereas that film depicted the "British invasion" in Brazilian music and customs, Alegria de Viver's plot is set against the backdrop of American rock-and-roll's colonization of Brazil's young hearts and minds. One joke stands out from the rest of the movie: a girl fakes a suicide attempt and plots to have her friend come over to her house. When said friend is shown several cans of poison and a a dozen bottles of lysol that her fake suicidal friend had in store, she comments: "Poor Silvia. She wanted to die disinfected!"
Rating: 31
Earlier fluff from the same director of Rio, Verão & Amor. Whereas that film depicted the "British invasion" in Brazilian music and customs, Alegria de Viver's plot is set against the backdrop of American rock-and-roll's colonization of Brazil's young hearts and minds. One joke stands out from the rest of the movie: a girl fakes a suicide attempt and plots to have her friend come over to her house. When said friend is shown several cans of poison and a a dozen bottles of lysol that her fake suicidal friend had in store, she comments: "Poor Silvia. She wanted to die disinfected!"
Rating: 31
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