Deliverance (1972)

Second or third viewing; previous viewing or viewings were between 1983 and 1986

Four men go river canoeing on a region that is about to be flooded for a dam. They have some unpleasant setbacks during their adventure, both from nature and from some locals.

Although I still consider this to be a memorable and remarkable film, it impressed me a lot less than on previous viewings. To begin with, this is clearly a sick fantasy which is unfair on the real people who live in the geographical region depicted in the movie. That being said, fiction has the advantage of always lending itself to a comical reading, and that struck me as the only approach that works with this movie (though previously I probably had a different, more naïve, reading of it). The key factor that made the film work as well as it did was Reynolds' brilliant performance.

Rating: 70 (down from 92)

Madame DuBarry (1919)

 U.S. release title: Passion

Fictionalized dramatization of the life of Louis XV's mistress.

This has a poor script, but partially makes up for it in spectacular scenes, both indoors and outdoors. The indoors scenes are impressive mainly because of the luxurious sets and the outdoors ones mainly because of the mob scenes during the French Revolution.

Rating: 47

O Profeta da Fome (1970)

*mild spoilers*

English title: The Prophet of Hunger

 The protagonist works in a circus as a fakir, eating metal objects. The circus soon is destroyed and, after a quarrel with another member of the troupe, he wanders off with his girlfriend in search of a town. He eventually settles in a small town where he crucifies himself for money. He is arrested and later released. He then sets himself up as an artist of hunger.

This film seems to have pretentions to saying something very important and deep, but it is impossible to know what it is, and actually even what it would be about. The cinematography is impressive, especially on the restored copy I saw it in, but even that did little to attenuate the dullness it causes on the viewer after the curious initial 10 minutes or so.

Rating: 25

What's Up, Doc? (1972)

Second viewing; previously viewed between 1983 and 1986.

A man is in San Francisco with his fiancée for an interview for a grant for his research on the musical property of rocks. At the airport, he meets a woman who keeps getting in his way and disturbing his plans. That woman has a handbag exactly like his. Another man at the airport with an identical handbag has stolen secret government documents. At the hotel, a guest keeps her jewels at another identical handbag.

 Comedy emulating the screwball style. It has an inspired script, with more than a few funny moments. One might object that it is just an updating of something very old, but it's so consistently entertaining, and everything works so well, that it's hard really to criticize it for that.

Rating: 75 (down from 81)