A boy witnesses a murder but his parents do not believe him, and neither does the police. He gets in real trouble when the murderers decide to kill him too.
Rating: 51
The owner of a nightclub marries the daughter of an aristocrat in financial straits. Married life in this new milieu is not an easy one.
Purportedly it's a critique of the hypocrisy of the traditional upper classes in contrast with the greater honesty of a self-made man. Of course the "aristocrats", who run (badly) an oil conglomerate, are just as bourgeois as their "commoner" counterpart, and that's the crux of the matter. The film was banned for insulting the Church. Actually, it does worse: rather than criticizing an older order, it shows how it cannot survive while immersed in a new one. That new one is Capitalism, and it imposes its logic on the whole of society. So, it's an interesting film, though its schematism detracts somewhat from its entertainment value.
Rating: 51
A car accident forces a man to stop by his hometown while heading West. He meets a young woman who had been in prison. Seventeen years earlier, on the day of his departure, a fatal incident happened which involved a girl he used to know and another boy. The girl is now rich and the boy, who is now her husband, is a district attorney.
Rating: 51
Based on the play Salomé by Oscar Wilde, written in 1891-1892, in turn based on a passage in each of the gospels of Mark and Matthew. Also based on facts of Oscar Wilde's life.
Wilde is spending an evening at a brothel where they are staging his play Salomé. Play's plot: Herod Antipas has imprisoned John the Baptist due to his preachings which reproached his marriage to Herod's brother's former wife Herodias. The latter's daughter Salome desires John and, after having been spurned by him, asks Herod for the prophet's head on a platter in exchange for a dance for the Tetrarch.
Rating: 38
A police detective suspects murder in the case of a man found dead with the crime weapon in his hand. The police wants him to drop it. The victim was a womanizer who had a photo gallery of his conquests on his living room wall. The detective goes after one of them, presumably his last.
Rating: 35
Liszt is a composer and pianist who is idolized by the masses and is constantly getting into trouble on account of his womanizing. He goes on a tour in Russia, where he once again gets involved with a married woman. He champions the work of Wagner, who gets involved with radical politics. Wagner marries Liszt's daughter and starts embracing nationalist ideas. Liszt becomes an abbot and is given a mission by the Pope: to exorcize Wagner.
Rating: 32
English title: Strangers in the House
An alcoholic ex-lawyer living with his young daughter is awakened by a noise in the house. Getting up, he sees a man leaving the house and then finds a corpse in one of the bedrooms. An investigation ensues, in the course of which it is revealed that his daughter is part of a youth gang.
Rating: 51
A very clumsy stage assistant is fired after a terrible goof-up and then joins a friend as a street peddler of contraband goods. One day, while they are running from the police, they cross paths with some criminals who were also running from the police after having robbed a bank, and the two groups switch briefcases by accident.
Rating: 34
English title: Extenuating Circumstances
A retired judge and his wife leave on a trip to a spa town but are forced to stop halfway due to car troubles. They stay at a modest inn nearby. Their proximity with the people who frequent that place acquaints them with the other side of the law.
Rating: 41
Two men find an abandoned baby and rescue him. One of the men takes the baby and goes away with him. The boy grows up and tries to reconcile the two men.
Western with a so-so plot, thematically akin to 3 Godfathers and its cinematic predecessors; it is not badly done considering the time in which it was made. The photogenic landscapes are a bonus, as is the curiosity of seeing a future big star in his first role.
Rating: 40
This film depicts the atomic attack on the titular city, its immediate aftermath, and the consequences upon the lives of the survivors up until the time the film was made.
This is a film which will hold an interest for those who want to know what happened in this particular historical situation. The extraordinary verisimilitude of the locations and staging makes this a compelling viewing experience. Overall, a correct film, about which there isn't much (or anything) to criticize. Its Wikipedia page provides much useful commentary and information.
Rating: 60
English tite: The Empire of Night
It's not clear what the protagonist does exactly; one site claims he is just a "cabaret show organizer", but he has more of the demeanor of a performer, with a large feminine following and very fame-conscious; he is never shown singing or dancing, however, and does have a say on the show's contents. He is hired to do a show in France and upon arriving there gets involved with the widow of the man who hired him and a plot by the dead man's brothers to seize control of his assets.
Criminal comedy. I found it uninspired and tedious. The dialogue is quite elaborate, but I'm not sure that is a positive thing.
Rating: 32
An Austrian dancer must flee to America after having spied on the Prussians. She and her American journalist friend stop at a small Western town, where she gets involved with an outlaw. The three of them move to San Francisco, where she then is courted by a rich Russian.
Rating: 51
English titles: Give Me a Chance; Give Me My Chance
A young woman from a small town dreams of becoming a movie star. She goes to Paris, and struggles for parts in movies while taking part in amateur theater. She falls into an amorous trap.
Social drama. I suppose it works both as warning-to-the-young and a guide for makers of public policies. It is dated regarding morality. As for the basic problem of the financial survival of young artists, I assume things are a lot easier today, with all sorts of scholarships, grants and whatnot. Perhaps the movie helped progress in that aspect. Overall it's not a very interesting movie, but it's well done enough that it may be watched without excessive effort.
Rating: 34
A man is walking home and seems to shy away from other people's eyes. At home, he tries to eliminate all possibilities of being seen.
Short. This looks like what a child who had just been given a camera as a birthday present would produce as his or her first film. Naturally, since it came from a renowned theater author, all sorts of philosophical meanings have been ascribed to it. Said author seemed to take himself to be a modern Jesus, concocting all sorts of enigmatic parables for the intellectually inclined. It's often the case that the reviews and discussions are much more interesting than the play (or, in this solitary instance, film) itself. This review by poet and film lover Christopher Mulrooney is an example of that.
Soon after a woman wins the lottery she makes the acquaintance of a mysterious and charming man.
Suspense story which follows a very predictable pattern, but which probably was not as worn out a concept at the time it was written. These stories have a sort of educational purpose, I suppose, and I assume that as they got more and more popular, women became a lot more warier of men. This one, though hardly a masterpiece, is fairly watchable, and the supporting characters work as comic relief.
Rating: 43
English-speaking version's title: Beyond All Limits
An American shrimp fisher docks at a Mexican seaside town in search of an old fishing partner, to propose some joint fishing venture. It so happens that said friend's wife and the American guy have some unfinished business themselves.
Rating: 43
U.S. title: Forbidden Music
A country is immersed in debt due to the fact that its population spends its time playing music rather than working. The ruling monarch decrees a ban of all musical activities. A famous tenor who was born there but lives abroad is visiting the country. He teams up with an American journalist in a plot to hold a secret musical performance.
Musical comedy. The plot is silly and not supposed to make much sense. The comic star is funny. The musical bits are not particularly memorable, but the tenor star is an excellent singer. The film is visually agreeable and provides some lightweight forgettable entertainment. The copy I watched appears to be a shortened (1h03') version, if the IMDB reports the correct length.
Rating: 41
The life at a German World War II prisoner camp. Some flashbacks to the day before they leave for the war are shown; also we get a glimpse at the lives of those they left behind in England. The main drama concerns a Czech fugitive who assumes the identity of a dead British soldier.
English cinema seems to fall into either of two categories: sentimental and morbid. This film belongs to the former one, as expected. There isn't much of a plot as the main goal is to show in an almost documentary style the varieties of prisoner experience. So, it is not particularly exciting, but it is exceedingly well done and may be watched with some pleasure.
Rating: 51
English title: She and Me
The vicissitudes of a couple, starting with courtship, followed by their honeymoon, then their search for a house and finally their domestic problems, including their relationship with servants, with the couple's best friend, with the husband's former lover, their arguments over money problems, etc.
Comedy with somewhat dated notions. It's impeccably staged and acted, and, though not exactly hilarious, will probably make one smile during some bits. Apparently not many have seen it aside from prolific IMDB commenter dbdumonteil, who wrote a mostly correct review where he astutely points out that neither of the two protagonists works for a living.
Rating: 48
Second viewing; previously viewed on August 1, 1999.
A man experiences strange mnemonic phenomena the onset of which is geographically and chronologically proximal to the death of another man who fell from a high story in an office building.
Psychological thriller. It is based on a crappy novel and it shows. Though they fixed some of the more outrageous inconsistencies and polished the dialogue considerably, one can't make a silk purse out of a sow's ear, and therefore the result is passable at best. On the other hand, it has impeccable production values, which helps.
Rating: 34 (up from 27)
Based on the novel by H.G. Wells, first published in 1896.
A scientist on an island conducts genetic experiments with beasts and human beings. A shipwrecked man is taken to the island and, after witnessing the experiments' horrible products, tries to escape.
Sci-fi. The highlights are the excellent make-up effects. The film has a fast and somewhat abrupt narrative and a slightly self-mocking tone. Its shortcomings might be the result of a tribulated production history, which was the subject matter of a documentary.
Rating: 38
A female Soviet spy posing as a refugee lands in the U.S. and seduces an American. After they get married his superiors warn him of her real agenda. They then assign him with an intelligence mission in Russian territory, using his relationship with her as cover.
Sexual-espionage farce with lots of aerial sequences. While not exactly good, it is not boring either. The script has two points worth analyzing. (1) In one enigmatic delivery, Shannon seems to imply that one must be careful regarding the concept of Freedom so as to avoid "cooking the calf in the milk of its own mother". Now, this is enigmatic even in the original biblical context from where it was borrowed. In the metaphorical usage of the film, the best I can come up with as an interpretation is that Freedom ("Mother's Milk") should not be granted to those who will use it for destroying Freedom ("cooking the calf"). (2) 'Olga' the Soviet agent asserts at one point: "With us, the state is everything. The individual has no right to even think of himself." At a later point, she remarks: "In other words, you believe the individual must sacrifice his personal feelings and work with somebody else for the benefit of the whole enterprise? (...) The idea's purely capitalistic. No wonder every loyal Russian instinctively rejects it." Those two separate utterances describe roughly the same worldview in slightly different words, first attributing it to the Soviets, and then to the Americans. Was the writer being ironic or just moronic?
Rating: 42
(mild spoilers) A businessman facing jail fakes his own death with the help of his wife's lover, who as a physician is summoned to sign the death certificate. Subsequently the two lovers could get married, and the businessman would flee to another country, to where his death insurance money should be sent. But some surprises lie ahead for the physician.
Entertaining crime drama with noirish touches. The plot is not exactly striving for plausibility, but I haven't noticed any major inconsistencies.
Rating: 50
Charlie, Kenny, Walter, Eddie and Arnold work at the same office. Arnold is getting married and the four of them get together after work for a celebration of that upcoming event. Each of them has his own problems: Charlie is overworked and has just learned that his wife is pregnant of his first child; Kenny is quietly resigned to his married life, though he misses the freedom of his youth; Eddie is a bachelor and a womanizer; Walter is older and has a serious health problem; Arnold is inexperienced with women and is not fully sure of his decision to get married.
Psychological drama with a passable script, but whose development is somewhat predictable after one is introduced to the main characters; the ending is weak, as is acknowledged by the author himself: "the third-act resolution is hardly an inevitable outgrowth of the preceding two acts", he correctly diagnoses. The direction is not without flaws either. At the party, Charlie delivers the following witticism: "You get invited to a party like this or do you get committed?" But there is nothing visible in that party that suggests wild behaviour! The director seems to be sleeping at the wheel because his job was to convey visually what that sentence implied, or else suppress it.
Rating: 43
In the aftermath of the American Civil War, blacks who still live in slavelike condition try to escape it by going West. A wagon master leading a caravan of blacks is hunted by a posse. A dishonest preacher who tries to join the caravan decides to help the wagon master after the caravan is attacked.
Western with a well structured and entertaining script. Although far from an ambitious movie, it has earned some distinction for having a Black-centered story when that was still infrequent. Christopher Mulrooney, the poet and film connoisseur, interestingly observed that the plot has parallels with the biblical book of Exodus.
Rating: 50
(mild spoilers) The titular character is a vegetable stand owner at a big market. She supports her son Edson's research involving atomic energy. She also has a daughter named Rosália who has dreams of moving upwards socially and is ashamed of her mother's poor education and manners. Rosália spurns her soccer player neighbor's attentions, preferring to go out with another guy who purports to be from an upper social class. In fact, said guy belongs to a gang who wants to steal her brother's invention and market it for military purposes.
Dramatic comedy which combines attempts at social realism with elements wildly disconnected from Brazilian reality. Although fairly simple-minded, it's well directed and particularly noteworthy for the leading performance. Curiously, both the source play's author and the director were also physicians.
Rating: 38
Second viewing; first viewing of the director's cut. Previously viewed between 1984 and 1986.
Freely based on the comics character and stories created by Otto Binder and designed by Al Plastino, and first published in 1959, which interacted with and/or referenced earlier characters and stories of the Superman universe created by Jerry Siegel and designed by Joe Shuster, first published in 1938.
A spherical object which is the only power source for an artificial environment in a distant planet is accidentally ejected into space, and lands on Earth. One of the inhabitants of that faraway planet, a female humanoid, goes after it. The object is found and seized by a witch. A battle between the two women ensues.
Comic fantasy with lots of special effects and elaborate sets. The silly plot has elements from Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream, Snow White, and whatnot, and the filmmakers managed to combine visual appeal and verbal wit to a fair extent. Frankly, I found it a little tiresome, but not as bad as I had perceived it to be on my first viewing, which may have to do to a certain extent with the differences in the versions seen then and now.
Rating: 34 (up from 12)
Second viewing; previously viewed on March 7, 1996.
(mild spoilers) The son of a famous race driver who died in an accident wants to become a race driver himself. After he is accused of having provoked the death of another driver, he finds employment in another State. He returns after several victories, and races again for his old employer.
Mildly entertaining sports drama. The script is appropriately agile, though I thought the complete reversal of the protagonist's reputation by the time he returns to California a bit implausible or insufficiently explained. The race sequences are well filmed.
Rating: 34 (up from 8)
I had previously watched this film with a poor understanding of the dialogue around 1984, and read the source novel in 1991.
The film tells two parallel stories: the first one is that of a doubly adulterous love affair between two players in a film which is being made; the second story is that which is told in the film in which they are working, a Victorian drama about a disgraced woman and a recently engaged man who falls in love with her.
The contemporary story is banal; the titular one is supposed to emulate Victorian literature, and is preposterous in a slightly entertaining way. One can suppose that the source novel's author deemed writing a parody beneath him, and so coated his tale with an intellectual veneer. Presumably, the cinematic adaptation added the contemporary story so as to imply that present-day love affairs are not that different from past ones. The film is well produced and well directed.
Rating: 48
Second viewing; previously viewed on February 12, 1995.
In 1941, the Germans invade the Soviet Union. In a small village in Ukraine the inhabitants are preparing to resist the invaders; part of them head for the hills where they form a guerrilla group; the rest stay in the village. A group of villagers must deliver the guerrilla a load of ammunition. Meanwhile, the Nazis are taking the children and forcing them to give blood to their wounded.
Propaganda piece which takes a few liberties with the facts. It's a lot less unlikeable than I found it previously, though. The cinematography is excellent, and the film has stunning imagery aplenty, especially in the first part, which is practically a musical showing the idyllic village life before the invasion. The remainder is more action-oriented, showing the villagers' heroics. The ironic aspect of the movie as viewed today is that now the Russians are the invaders in Ukraine.
Rating: 35 (up from 8)
A man with a traumatic experience as a fighter pilot ten years earlier has to fly a commercial plane after the pilot and co-pilot (as well as many of the passengers) fall ill with food poisoning.
Although this is not the first of its kind (that dubious honor should go to 1954's The High and the Mighty) this film probably can claim a fair share of the glory (or blame) for spawning a whole genre of films which require one to set the brain on automatic pilot in order to fully enjoy them. It is fairly well done, though neither the ending nor the development provide much in the way of surprises. The belated parody (Airplane!) is more famous today than its original.
Rating: 45
A poor country girl moves to the city, where she expects to find a rich husband. She marries a miner who is indeed rich, but almost as uneducated as she is. She wants to become a respected society lady whereas he is more at ease among folks like him. Loosely based on real persons.
I seem to differ from many people in that I found this mostly a failure. The story is interesting as an x-ray of the American ethos, but I found the musical parts occasionally annoying and the main character excessively romanticized towards the end of the movie. The production values are good, and the film, apart from those annoying parts, is mildly agreeable.
Rating: 40
A gang of confidence artists pick a rich rural type as target. The scam is explained by the title ("Tramway car for sale").
Agreeable short. The demand for complex staging in many sequences is met beautifully. Surprisingly, the director only directed one film besides this one (he worked mostly as production manager).
(I don't rate shorts.)
A newspaper editor has a low opinion of journalism schools, because, lacking a formal education, he thinks experience is the only way to learn the trade. Under a false identity, he enrolls at a journalism class taught by a beautiful professor.
This film starts out as a serious discussion of the comparative merits of experience and education. I suppose this line of drama would prove commercially unviable, so after the first act the film shifts to a sex comedy with a disguised identity element. It keeps inserting new elements throughout its length, until it "remembers" how it started and tries to tie the loose ends, so to speak. It's all very unsatisfatory, but also moderately entertaining through its set-pieces.
Rating: 46
A deputy marshal specializes in bringing fugitive outlaws to justice. In this occasion, he has to arrest a man accused of armed robbery before the only witness against him is executed. The problem is that he has never seen the accused one and only has a basic description of his features. He locates a woman who knew him and offers her money to identify him in a town where he is reportedly living.
(spoiler herein) This Western has what seems to me a fatal plot hole right in the middle of it: it is not clear why the man who is being executed would falsely testify against someone who helped him unwittingly. Anyway, aside from that, the script has a cerebral playfulness whereby the protagonist must find ways to ascertain that the man he suspects is the one he is after. The moral of this overly contrived story is ultimately trivial.
Rating: 43
The last months in the life of a notorious financial crook in 1930s France. He has politicians and police officers under his thumb, and lives a life of luxury. He is planning a major operation with forged bonds. His story will intersect with that of Trotsky's exile in France.
This is a historical movie with lavish production values. The connection with The Great Gatsby (whose third filmic version came out the same year) was pointed out by Christopher Mulrooney in a review he later rewrote dropping that comparison among other changes. Stavisky... makes interesting facts into not so interesting cinema.
Rating: 45
A man agrees to represent his friend in a proxy wedding, and falls in love with the bride.
Sexual comedy with a very predictable plot and a frequently annoying development. The lawyer in charge of the paperwork is possibly the funniest character in this otherwise unfunny movie. The title refers to the protagonist's only possession and means of livelihood: a breeding bull; he appears only in the beginning of the movie and has no connection with the plot.
Rating: 25
English titles: The Two of Us; The Old Man and the Boy
During World War II in occupied France, a Jewish boy is sent by his parents to live in the country with a Catholic family. They are not told the boy is Jewish. The old man, who is an anti-Semite, develops an affection towards the boy, and vice versa.
This fictionalization of true events in the filmmaker's childhood is touching yet a bit monotonous. The actors are very good in this.
Rating: 50
The premise is loosely based on The Prince and the Pauper. A foreign prince is visiting Brazil for a trade agreement. However, he is more interested in enjoying the Brazilian Carnival. He switches places with a local lookalike. Concurrently, some Republicans are plotting to kill the prince.
Musical comedy. This is strictly routine, with no visible distinction from the many other comedies which were produced in Brazil in the 1950s and early 1960s. Some famous singers of that era perform numbers, and the comicity is bland and predictable as usual. But there is some liveliness to the proceedings which makes it watchable.
Rating: 34
English titles: Marie-October; Secret Meeting
The former members of a Resistance organization reunite 15 years after a meeting of theirs was raided by the Gestapo and their leader was killed. It has surfaced that they had been denounced by one of their own. The purpose of the meeting is to find and punish the culprit.
Whodunit without much cinematic or even literary value, but which entertains mildly.
Rating: 38
Based on the play by William Shakespeare, probably written c. 1592-1594.
In 15th-century England, Richard covets the throne, which is currently occupied by his brother Edward. He will do anything to get it.
This is a free adaptation of the play where some characters (e.g. Margaret) are absent, scenes are shortened, and their order altered. The major merit of the play is its verbal brilliance, which is considerably diminished in the film because many dialogue exchanges were cut. There would be justification for those alterations if it were a trade off between verbal and cinematic elements, but to my assessment the film does not offer much in the way of visual creativity.
Rating: 48
English title: The Crucible
Fictionalization of the Salem witch trials in the 17th century. One of the film's central plot drivers is the case of a woman who covets a married man and tries to frame his wife as a witch. It all begins by the initiative of the local pastor, but things acquire a new dimension when the deputy governor arrives and takes matters into his own hands.
If viewed as an attempt to depict and explain the real events on which it is based, this should not be taken seriously. Both the author of the source play and the screenwriter were more interested in lending the proceedings a leftwing bias. The extensive fictionalization which was undertaken in the script is effective dramatically, but departs considerably from the historical events. Aside from that, there is an obvious (but seldom acknowledged) problem when reading this as an allegory of mccarthyism: communism is a real thing, whereas witchcraft is not.
Rating: 52
A baby photographer takes a detective job of rescuing the uncle of a young woman. She gives him a map to hide. She is staying at a mansion whose owner tells the detective that his client suffers from schizophrenia.
Parody of detective movies. It has some funny one-liners and a few comic visual sequences. The plot does not make any sense (if the uncle is with the good guys, how does a photo revealing him to be an impostor help prove the protagonist's innocence?), which is supposed to be funny too, but frankly isn't very. Overall it's watchable, but far from brilliant.
Rating: 47
(87 minutes version)
An elderly woman meets a professional killer and asks him to kill her. She soon finds other people interested in the same kind of service.
This film apparently couldn't make up its mind on whether it's a reflection on euthanasia or just a madcap black comedy. I'm afraid it isn't very good as either, but it's eventful enough that it rarely becomes truly annoying. It is reported that a better version than the one I have seen exists, and that it was put together by the film's screenwriter. The notion of a suicide club is not an original one; Robert Louis Stevenson wrote a book comprised of three short stories around that same idea ("The Suicide Club", 1878).
Rating: 34
A bandit hijacks a train in Mexico with American and Mexican passengers. He says he is going to kill all passengers if his brother, who is in a cell waiting for his death sentence to be carried out, is not freed. Two mercenaries are hired to rescue the passengers.
This is a television movie which spun off a television series named Bearcats!. It is well made on a passably well written script. Overall, it is slightly entertaining but not very memorable. One performance should be singled out for its excellence: Lamas as the leader of the bandits.
Rating: 38
Englisht titles: The Road to Shame; Women Disappear
A jealous boyfriend follows his girlfriend one night and uncovers a ring of women traffickers.
Quite implausible crime thriller. Those who mind vulgarity should steer clear of it. Others will probably find it moderately entertaining.
Rating: 37
Biography with fictional touches of a priest who set up a town for abandoned boys. He has a liberal way of running the place. The endless financial problems never discourage him. A particularly problematic teenager becomes a kind of a test for his motto that there is no such thing as a bad boy.
The kind of edifying story which Hollywood made very entertaining as well. I am not sure one could really make a reliable assessment about Boys Town from the film. The principle seems OK; I guess the details should be sought in other venues.
Rating: 53
Millionaire keeps his mistress in a corporate apartment; a man who is trying to do business with him is directed to the apartment by the company's secretary. Trouble ensues, later compounded by a visit from the millionaire's wife.
The script, based on a play, is a routine adultery comedy. It is nevertheless well filmed and flows nicely enough overall.
Rating: 45
Based on the novel by Lew Wallace, first published in 1880.
(spoilers) Judah lives in Judea around the first century of the Common Era. As a child he used to be friends with Messala, a Roman. The latter becomes a Roman officer. An accident during a parade causes Judah, his mother and his sister to be wrongly accused of a crime, and they are arrested by orders from Messala. Judah gets a life sentence and is sent to the galleys. When his ship is attacked by pirates, he saves the Roman admiral's life, and the latter adopts him as a son. Judah becomes a renowned athlete. A chariot race is his chance to avenge himself on Messala. His mother and sister have contracted leprosy in prison. Jesus cures them. Judah converts to Christianity.
The plot is mostly garbage, but the visuals are sumptuous, and the overall experience of watching the film is less painful than it perhaps should be on a purely intellectual level.
A side note: the Wikipedia page for the source novel contains an error. I detected it because it is in contradiction with another passage from the same page, and, upon reading chapter 14 in Book 5, I confirmed that it is indeed wrong, whereas the other passage is correct. The error is in the following sentence:
"Messala deliberately scrapes his chariot wheel against Judah's and Messala's chariot breaks apart, causing him to be trampled by other racers' horses."
It should instead be:
"Judah deliberately scrapes his chariot wheel against Messala's and Messala's chariot breaks apart, causing him to be trampled by other racers' horses."
This movie is faithful to the novel in this respect, except that in the novel Messala's provocation consisted in whipping Judah's horses once (if I remember correctly) and in the film Messala whips Judah, repeatedly.
Rating: 44
Rafael, a coalminer, has a beautiful voice and sings during his working hours, much to the delight of his fellow miners. He has an invalid wife to which he is devoted and with whom he has children. One day the new owner of the mine drops by and, upon hearing Rafael, invites him to sing in Madrid. Rafael accepts. In Madrid he meets a beautiful singer who wants them to tour Europe together.
This is a vehicle for a Spanish singer who sang in a high-pitched voice and was very popular in Spain at the time. Apart from his singing qualities, the film is typical of 1950s Spanish cinema in ideology: contented workers and benevolent capitalists getting along just fine, family values above everything else, simplistic solutions for complex problems, etc, etc.
Rating: 18
Based on the real life events which culminated in the murder of an archbishop in El Salvador in 1980. The government neglected the miserable condition in which many lived, and there was a guerilla movement which aimed at deposing it. Some members of the Church took the side of the poor, which was seen -- in some cases correctly -- as taking the side of the guerilla. Romero was reputed as a socially conservative bishop but he moderated his views after the murder of priests and the occupation of churches.
Well-made political drama. What is missing in the film, apart from some excitement, is an answer to the question: why do countries like El Salvador are permitted to exist? But perhaps the answer is in the film after all, when we see Romero send a letter to the U.S. asking them to stop sending arms to El Salvador. So, I gather that El Salvador's purpose is (or was at the time, anyway) to enrich American arms makers. If self-determination of the peoples entail what we see in this movie, or what we are seeing now in, say, Brazil, it's not really something of great value.
Rating: 45
Someone called Rod Crawford has provided an excellent plot summary for this film at the IMDB.com site:
"After the Treasure Island adventure, Long John Silver turns up on a British Caribbean island, where he hears that rival pirate Mendoza has taken the ship carrying the governor's daughter...and his young friend Jim Hawkins. Naturally, there's more to his rescue plan than meets the eye; he hopes to get a new ship and go back for more treasure..."—Rod Crawford <puffinus@u.washington.edu>
This is an unnecessary and mediocre sequel to a good film. It isn't particularly well plotted, and there are not many sequences which are really entertaining (the chase after Hawkins by Hands near the end is admittedly well done and exciting; I don't recall others, to be frank). Newton is the main attraction here, with his vigorous (though a little monotonic) performance.
Rating: 34
Second viewing, probably; probable previous viewing was in the 1970s or in the 1980s before the end of 1986.
Based on the novel by Robert Louis Stevenson, first published in serial form in 1881 and 1882.
A boy comes into possession of a treasure map, and a man from his town assembles an expedition to a small island to search for it. Unfortunately, the ship's crew is comprised of pirates, brought by the cook, who is their chief.
This is a very well-made film where every detail seems to have been thought and taken care of. The story needs no introduction, as it has become hugely popular. Although everything about it screams perfection, I was left wondering why they didn't simplify the dialogue's wording just a little bit. Are children, or even adults, today or in 1950, supposed to understand phrases like "...and a boatswain what pipes man-o'-war fashions."? Or know that "fo'c'sle" is a contraction of "forecastle", which designates "the forward part of a ship below the deck, traditionally used as the crew's living quarters"? Well, perhaps they are. By almost every objective standard, this is a superior film to the 1934 black-and-white version, but why did I enjoy that earlier version more? Perhaps I didn't focus on those silly details when I watched it? Anyway I am left with more doubts than certainties regarding those questions. The story being told here, though wrapped in a children's tale format, allows for some deeper reading. Stevenson was obsessed with the problem of good and evil and the mutual conflict between those opposite poles, sometimes expressed by a "double" (The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde) or two opposing brothers (The Master of Ballantrae). Here he has concocted this ship allegory where evil enters unsuspected and plots to take over. The treasure hunt is an allegory for life itself, and how in every person's "ship" there enter evil elements which try to interfere with the success of our "trip". And there is the character of Long John Silver, who embodies the good-evil duality in a more nuanced way than Jekyll/Hyde or the Durie brothers: he can neither be categorized as pure evil nor as pure good. He may have been corrupted by an evil environment, but that did not destroy the spark of goodness that lived inside him.
Rating: 65 (up from 56)
Based on the opera by Giacomo Puccini, with libreto by Luigi Illica and Giuseppe Giacosa, which had its premiere in 1904. The origin of the story is given by Wikipedia as:
"It is based on the short story "Madame Butterfly" (1898) by John Luther Long, which in turn was based on stories told to Long by his sister Jennie Correll and on the semi-autobiographical 1887 French novel Madame Chrysanthème by Pierre Loti.[1][2][3] Long's version was dramatized by David Belasco as the one-act play Madame Butterfly: A Tragedy of Japan, which, after premiering in New York in 1900, moved to London, where Puccini saw it in the summer of that year."
(spoilers) An American Naval officer in Japan takes a Japanese geisha ("Butterfly") as his wife. Shortly after their wedding, he leaves Japan and his wife. She refuses to divorce him, hoping he will return to live with her and their son, born after he was gone. Three years later, he returns with a new wife from America. Butterfly commits suicide.
This is a TV production with the actors playing their roles in realistic settings and dubbing their pre-recorded singing. Musically, it is excellent in all aspects; the libretto is quite moving, though I do not like the opera format very much. As a visual spectacle, it has some nice indoor sets and a superb acting performance by the leading actress.
(I will not rate this, as I don't rate operas, though perhaps I could in this instance because it is not simply a filmed stage production.)
A hypochondriac takes a trip to a South American island where he intends to relax his nerves. His nurse is in love with him, but he can't take his mind from his imaginary afflictions and his countless pills. Unbeknownst to them, a revolution is being hatched at that island. His rest cure turns into a kind of shock therapy.
This is an endlessly inventive and consistently entertaining succession of gags. Bananas (1971) possibly had it as an inspiration for its premise.
Rating: 75
Based on the narrative Le morte d'Arthur (tr. The Death of Arthur), by Thomas Malory, completed aroud 1470.
Around the 6th century, England has many local lords who battle each other. Arthur believes he is destined to unite England under his rule. His half-sister Morgan and her lover Modred are contenders for the throne. The knight Lancelot joins Arthur in his battle for the throne. Arthur and his supporters are victorious and peace is achieved. Modred and Morgan are pardoned, against Lancelot's advice. Lancelot is in love with Arthur's wife Guinevere and is loved back; Morgan and Modred plot to compromise them, aiming to sow the seeds of discord within the kingdom. There is also a wise old advisor to the king named Merlin. Finally, there are other knights (who sit around the titular table), amongst which one (Gareth) who is a troubador and another (Percival) who is a religious loon and wants to recover the chalice from which Jesus drank in the Last Supper and which collected his blood at the cross.
This is a quite well produced film, but also quite boring. There is little action and it is not very exciting. Most of the plot revolves around the platonic relationship between Lancelot and Guinevere, and the Holy Grail stuff is an add-on that does not make much sense in the context of the narrative.
Rating: 42
Based on the novel by Walter Scott, first published in 1819.
In 12th-century England, a Saxon knight (Wilfrid) wants to restore King Richard, with whom Wilfrid had been to the Crusades, to the throne, which is now vacant, the ruler being Richard's brother John. Richard is considered dead by most in England, but Wilfrid locates him in an castle where he is being kept as a hostage by the Austrian ruler, the ransom payment having been denied by his brother. Wilfrid goes to the Jews for money and must fight many Norman knights in order to restore Richard's rule and save a fair Jewess from death (though his real love goes to his father's stepdaughter).
Basically bogus historically, but fairly entertaining as a narrative and spectacle, this is a film about which much could be written as analysis of its concepts and narrative devices, and of its historical distortions. For now, suffice it to say that it is visually pleasing and has enough internal coherence for fictional purposes.
Rating: 52
(spoilers) A group of circus artists enlist in the military parachutist team, and must go through training in the hands of a sadistic sergeant. The sergeant has his eyes on the girlfriend of one of the cadets. The latter goes to jail after a fist fight with the sergeant. Another cadet kidnaps the colonel's dog so as to pose as its rescuer and ask as reward the freeing of his comrade. The kidnapping is riddled with misfortunes, such as when the dog (inside a bag) gets trapped inside a meat freezer after they took hiding in there.
Extremely low-budget comedy which, much like the other films by this writer/director, manages to come up with something mildly entertaining despite the paucity of resources at his disposal. Unfortunately, I am not much of a fan of the leading comic actor, who was also a circus clown just like the character he plays.
Rating: 34
English titles: Blood for a Silver Dollar; One Silver Dollar
Faithful translation of the Italian title: A Punctured Dollar
A man and his brother separate after the end of the American Civil War. One of them heads for a town named Yellowstone; his brother also heads for that town later. Yellowstone is riddled with corruption; there they see their fates decided in a violent and tragic manner.
As most Italian Westerns, it has a plot with many ridiculous turns and childish notions, and owes more to fairy tales than to anything related to the real American West. That being said, it has above-average production values and entertainment value compared to other films in its genre.
Rating: 44
U.S. title: Femmes Fatales
Paul and Albert leave their wives and vow to live without women henceforth. Their wives protest and demand their return. It turns out that men from all over are doing the same. Women will not take it sitting down.
This is a essentially a one-joke movie. Though it is never realistic in the full sense of the word, the first half has some amount of narrative logic; after that it escalates into fully oneiric territory. The Wikipedia article has totally misunderstood it by claiming "it satirises [...] the rise of feminism in France". The film is not about feminism at all. It's simply an absurdist take on the battle of the sexes, the first half being a male version of Thelma & Louise. The brotherhood-of-men themes it explores have been explored earlier, albeit in a different manner, in Wake in Fright (which I reviewed yesterday), and perhaps tangentially in Home Movies a few years later.
Rating: 45
English titles: The Troops in New York; The Gendarme in New York
The policemen from The Troops of St. Tropez are chosen to represent France in an international event to be held in New York. The police sergeant's daughter stows away in their ship. In New York, he keeps seeing her and everyone including himsel thinks he is going crazy.
This is a mostly mediocre comedy whose sole reason to exist was to cash in on the success of a previous film, but to be honest it has such a frantic pace and such beautiful cinematography over a variety of interesting locales that watching it is less of a pain than perhaps it should be. One sequence parodying West Side Story is mildly funny though.
Rating: 34
Initially released in the U.S. as: Outback
A school teacher at a minuscule village in Australia is leaving for the Christmas holidays, which he intends to spend in Sydney. He spends the night in a small town where he loses all his money through gambling and is thus prevented from traveling further to his destination. At that small town he gets involved with a bunch of heavy drinkers who enjoy hunting kangaroo.
This is not a bad film, and actually makes for a quite exciting watch; truth be told, it is comprised mostly of recurring cinematic tropes, many of which are commonly associated with small towns: the lonely, sex-starved woman (cf. The Last Picture Show), the disgraced educated man who lives in a sort of forced exile (cf. The Drunken Angel, Apocalypse Now), male bonding which conceals whatever degrees of homosexuality, Veneer Theory (cf. Deliverance, Straw Dogs, Apocalypse Now), places one cannot leave (cf. The Exterminating Angel, Groundhog Day), compulsive gambling (cf. The Gambler, the Dostoevsky miniseries), and possibly others. As critic Gillian Hanson, cited by Wikipedia, said, the main character's behavior is poorly explained, and I would add that it appears as if he is little more than a vehicle which the film uses in its goal to depict Australian small-town life.
Rating: 64
"World-wide (English title) (informal English title): Farewell, Philippine" (IMDB)
A guy meets two girls. He dates both, together initially and later separately. He decides to take a vacation in Corsica before he is called up to fight in Algeria. The two girls appear there later, looking for him.
Love triangles are a fertile premise for fictional stories. The threesome is just a variation on this premise which became popular with the sexual liberation of the sixties (another French film, this time featuring a guy and two girls, came out a few days after this one, and is considerably more famous). Philippine (by the way, this is not the name of a character) is not a bad film, and has deservedly been praised for the extremely natural performances given by its actors, many of whom had little-to-no prior experience or subsequent career. There is not much in the way of a plot, and I guess most of the enjoyment is derived from seeing these people act naturally doing the things young people usually do (though I wouldn't vouch for the believability of these two young female characters, but what do I know about life, right?). I guess this is the kind of film the director character in Day for Night, which I have reviewed a few days ago, predicted as the future of cinema: no studio, no stars.
Rating: 57
It's Tuesday the 13th, a date which Spaniards think brings bad luck. A couple is about to be married but the groom delays himself because there's a fire in his building. He borrows the firemen's truck to get to the church, and is arrested after the wedding, along with an older man who has gotten married at the same time and church. Both men are released the next day, and both couples head to Portugal for the honeymoon. The first guy has a "twin cousin" who plays hockey in Portugal. Lots of trouble ensue.
Perhaps I'm not in such a good mood today, or perhaps this is actually an annoying comedy. The kind of humor it displays is vulgar and the plot is wholly uninspired. There are some nice shots of Lisbon and the seaside, and the dames are pretty, but I wonder whether that justified watching it.
Rating: 24
An accountant is fed up with his mediocre life. He receives a sum of money from a rich uncle and decides to go on a trip through Europe and Asia with his wife. He gets seasick on the ship and stays in his room. His wife befriends a man and the two become romantically attracted. A few days later, her husband gets well and this time he is the one who has an extramarital affair -- with a woman who calls herself "the Princess".
Charming comedy-adventure-drama, magnificently well filmed. This is a talking picture which has many sequences made in a silent picture style. Although it is in essence just a comedy of marriage triumphant over various outside disturbances, it is done in a very artistic manner and is fully entertaining all the way through. For a detailed analysis of this film, you might want to read what Christopher Mulrooney wrote.
Rating: 75
Second viewing; previously viewed between 1983 and 1986
U.S. title: Day for Night
The shooting of a motion picture. The young male star is emotionally immature, his girlfriend the script-girl does not really want to commit to a serious relationship, the female young star has had an earlier nervous breakdown, the older female star is an alcoholic who cannot remember her lines, the director is overstressed about not meeting the deadline, and so on.
I enjoyed this film slightly more than the first time, but still think it's overrated. There's not much to say about it, it's a series of banal incidents, some entertaining, some not so much, some which ring true, some which do not, though all arguably very well filmed. The director character ponders that the kind of film he is shooting, with stars and studios, had its days counted, but he was apparently wrong.
Rating: 43 (up from 33)
A hairdresser salon stands next door to a grocery store and the two respective owners are constantly getting into conflict. The salon's owner has a son and the store's owner has a daughter; son and daughter are in love with each other.
This is a superior slapstick comedy, with some unusual elements such as a stop-motion animation sequence and a surreal lightning chase in the final section. The title probably refers to the protagonist's hair-growing procedure, though that slang expression normally designates a psychiatrist.
Rating: 53
A young woman is kept shut in her house by a quack physician. The title character has different therapeutic opinions; he is also enamored with the patient and thinks she has no health problem. A conflict between the two physicians arises.
Entertaining comedy which has a very good first half and a not so good second one. The film's plot is obviously dated, as Medicine is more regulated today, and quacks, though still around, are more easily detected. But the film can be enjoyed regardless of that, though a little less once Dr. Jack's bizarre impersonation is put in action as a means to unmask the phony doctor.
Rating: 56
Previously, I had seen this film in its near entirety (missed the end), though in a dubbed copy, in February 11, 2001.
Stalin is a young revolutionary. After Lenin's death, he takes his place. He is paranoid and orders the execution of most of his former revolutionary pals. His wife is disappointed in him and turns to hating him. Then comes World War II. Stalin kills some more people, then gets old and dies.
This "docudrama" avoids the usual boredom associated with this kind of production by having an archvillain as protagonist. Nothing especially interesting happens in it, but we somehow are drawn by the parade of atrocities. Much has been said about the location shooting in the Kremlin and elsewhere in Russia, but to be frank the production values are the usual in TV productions, that is, not very impressive. Historical events are just glossed over and shown as montages of old documentaries and fictional productions. Some liberties were taken in regard with real events. Yakov's youth love was in reality the daughter of an Orthodox priest, but in the film she was Jewish. Maybe the screenwriter -- who is Jewish, like the producer and the director -- wished to stress Stalin's anti-semitism, but that is forcing the hand a little, even though the producer has said "he fought his own prejudices to present a balanced portrait of the red dictator". Anti-semitism would play a bigger role in the end of the Stalinist era, with the so-called Doctors' Plot affair, about which the film says nothing. Now for other curious details. At a certain point in the movie, Nadezhda's mother warns her daughter about Stalin: "I know Georgian men. But you?" That is curious, because the historical character was also of partial Georgian ancestry, which, if she really said that, would make her a self-loather of sorts. By the way, the real Nadezhda was not exactly a beauty (to be polite), in stark contrast with the actress they chose to play her. In addition to that, she is portrayed as a very politically concerned person who argued with Stalin about his policies and killed herself presumably because of them. This is obviously one of the usual fictional liberties they take about women who must appear independent and righteous. As Wikipedia itself admits, there is hardly any evidence for that; it is much more likely she killed herself because Stalin had lovers, or mistreated her somehow. About the main actor's make-up, I prefer not to say anything. In fact, I regret bringing that to my memory.
Rating: 45 (down from 57)
A young aspiring actress is excessively clumsy. She wants her uncle to sponsor a new TV show where she would have a part. Her friends set up a scheme where one of them, a clown, will pose as a TV executive.
There's not much of a plot in this musical comedy, and not many laughs either. The director had talent, and could work with very little and still produce something of interest, but this was early in his filmography and the material was extremely poor. The best moment, I suppose, is the musical number "Conceição" with the singer who made that song famous. But for those who have some historical curiosity, it is also interesting to see Brazilian actors, some well known to this date and others virtually forgotten today. Like Procopinho, whose real name was Francisco Ferreira but tried to ride on his brother's fame by borrowing his name. Or Madame Lou, a French-born choreographer and actress whose real name was Hélène Youkhnovsky (née Pierrot). Among others.
Rating: 22
Movie fragment (apparently no copy of the entire movie survives). A man and a woman who are engaged to be married split over a disagreement and after some time reencounter one another, thanks to a broken doll.
As has been pointed out, this film's plot relies on a huge coincidence. That notwithstanding, it's well done and well acted, and not unpleasant. The ending is missing, though it is already fully implied by the extant footage of the preceding sections. The plot description which we read on IMDB has an absurd detail: according to it, the two sweethearts meet again after three years, which is blatantly incorrect, since the child actress is the same before and after their reunion; furthermore, it doesn't take three years to settle an inheritance issue. The leading actor is very good. Incidentally, his real life daughter who appears in the surviving footage is certainly Helene; since her older sister Dolores is also said to be in the movie, one infers that she is in the lost ending section, which thus must take place three years later.
This movie may be watched free of charge on the web; the intertitles are in Dutch, but Google Translate does a good enough job of conveying their meaning:
U.S. title upon its initial release: Utopia
Second viewing; first viewing of the restored version; the shorter version was viewed on November 24, 1990
Stan inherits an island in the South Seas; he and Ollie sail there on a yacht which was part of the inheritance. They bring along a man whom no country would accept, and who works in the boat as a cook, and another man who stows away after failing to enter France. They are caught in a storm and end up at a newly emerged island (not sure it's an atoll though), where they decide to stay. Later, a woman who has broken up with her fiancé arrives on the island.
I hated this film on my first viewing; I was curious to check on the longer version, and see whether my initial appraisal would hold. It didn't, as a matter of fact: the film is not as bad as I had perceived it, though I would not call it good. As a political fable, it is very elementary. The gags are nothing new for anyone who has watched this duo's earlier movies. A few moments are funny, such as the distribution of roles in the inaugurated country. Overall, it does entertain painlessly.
Rating: 40 (up from 20)
Several people in a train are heading towards a small town. An easily frightened man ('Inocêncio') and his comrade are looking for a quiet place where the former can soothe his nerves; a man whose uncle died is going to take possession of the pharmacy he inherited; a theatrical troupe is going to perform there. It so happens that the train suffers a raid by bandits who want to steal some explosives. They, however, flee the instant they see Inocêncio, who is a lookalike of a notorious gunfighter. Inocêncio's comrade convinces him to go along with the error, and thus Inocêncio is put in charge of defending the town from the bandits.
Modest Brazilian comedy (with two musical numbers and a dance one) who bears some mild similarities to The Paleface and Son of Paleface. It's not really funny, but may be watched easily if one is not in a demanding mood. Most internet sites give some erroneous information about it, citing two actresses in the role of character 'Pequenina', one of whom is not even in the movie.
Rating: 34
Based on the novel by Louisa May Alcott (first published in 1868-1869).
The film depicts the lives of four sisters during the American Civil War. They try to support their mother while their father is away fighting. Tomboyish Jo looks after a sour aunt and wants to be a writer; Meg, the eldest, looks after children; Beth loves music and is the saintly type; Amy loves to draw. They befriend a young neighbor who lives with his father.
This is the second time I watch a movie adaptation of this novel (which I didn't read), the previous one having been of the 1994 version. I couldn't say which version I prefer, because, although I liked the other version, I watched it so long ago (in 2000) that I don't know whether I would have the same opinion today. Basically, and I am thinking of this 1933 version, this is a story that could be thought of in dual terms: either as a war drama about self-sacrifice and social cohesion, or as the intimate drama of a sexual invert who has not many choices in a conservative environment. The film acquits itself reasonably well in both counts, but, to be frank, the narrative did not exactly turn me on. Visually, though, I found it quite pleasing, with interesting long shot compositions, some with very deep focus. A curious essay about the novel's authoress may be of interest to some:
"Little Women" author Louisa May Alcott was a transgender man - LGBTQ Nation
Rating: 51
"World-wide (English title) (informal literal title): City Life Is Not for Me" (IMDB)
An elderly man who lives in a small town decides to go live with his son in the big city. His uncouth ways annoy his son's wife and amuses his son's daughter. His son is a workaholic, and this causes some problems in his marriage; the maid is also having troubles of her own. The newcomer tries to fix all those problems.
Entertaining, though extremely predictable, comedy with a terrific central performance. The film's ideology is mildly conservative, quite in line with Spain in the 1960s.
Rating: 44
Claude's father is a furrier and wants his son to follow in his footsteps, but Claude wants to be an actor. Claude fails miserably at that, but he still wants to be in the movie business.
A poorly thought out movie, it seems. The finer parts of the movie are character-driven; too bad, instead of sticking to being merely a family chronicle, it tries to be "creative" and becomes an annoying mess.
Rating: 40
"World-wide (English title) (literal title): Radio Stories" (IMDB)
(mild spoilers) The narrative intersperses some internal problems at a radio station with three episodes involving radio contests. Episode one is about a contest for the first person who gets to the station dressed as an eskimo; an inventor needs the money for his research; Episode two is about a man who is robbing his landlord's house; he answers the phone and the call is about a prize for simply presenting oneself at the radio station, the only problem being that the prize is meant for the owner of the house. Episode three is about a schoolteacher who is pressured to take part in a quiz in order to raise money for taking a child with a rare disease abroad for a surgery.
This episodic comedy has an ingenious well-rounded script and was competently filmed; it also has a couple of agreeable musical numbers. Episode (1) has some intense pathos mixed with mild grotesquerie; episode (2) explores some philosophical issues, and has possibly inspired an episode in the movie Radio Days; episode (3) wraps it up with a sentimental note.
Rating: 56
Filmed opera. German production.
The music was composed by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and the libretto was written by Lorenzo da Ponte; the opera was originally named Il dissoluto punito, ossia il Don Giovanni (The Rake Punished, or Don Giovanni), and premiered in 1787; it was based on a Spanish play traditionally attributed to Tirso de Molina named El burlador de Sevilla, y convidado de piedra or, in another version, Tan largo me lo fiais; the first version of it is estimated to have been written between 1612 and 1625.
After an unsuccessful rape attempt against Donna Anna, Don Giovanni kills his victim's father ('the Commendatore') in self-defense. Donna Anna's fiancé Don Ottavio promises her to avenge her father's death and her own rape attempt. Don Giovanni later meets Donna Elvira, a woman with whom he had a relationship and who hates him for leaving her. Next Don Giovanni runs into a marriage procession and feels attracted towards the bride Zerlina. He schemes to separate her from the procession and from the bridegroom. Once he is alone with her, she responds to his courtship. (The rest of the entourage was sent to Don Giovanni's castle where he promised them a big party.) Unfortunately for Don Giovanni's plans, however, Donna Elvira approaches and starts badmouthing Don Giovanni in front of Zerlina, causing her to change her mind. After a series of further adventures and misadventures, Don Giovanni meets his doom in the hands of... the statue of the Commendatore!
This is the second adaptation of this opera that I have seen, the previous one being that famous 1979 cinematic adaptation filmed in realistic sets. To be frank, I didn't remember a thing about it (I saw it more than 35 years ago!). As usual, I don't have many reliable opinions about the singing; for me they were all good. As for the music, I must have said it before: I am not a great enjoyer of Mozart, finding his music merely agreeable. The plot has above average entertainment value as operas go, but, really, I don't understand how this could have once become such a popular and prestigious form of art.
(I don't rate operas numerically.)
In a small neighborhood in Spain live several interacting people: Carmen and her brother Antonio, a bird breeder; Pepe, a middle-aged bon-vivant; Lola, his young girlfriend; Coralito, a former star who teaches singing to Lola; Miguel, who wants to marry Carmen but is rejected by her; Zacarías, who also wants to marry Carmen; and another dweller who is a sort of master of ceremonies and organizer. Carmen's nephew leaves an infant girl for her to bring up; Carmen gets attached to the child. When their landlord says they must buy the place or leave, they decide to raise the money by turning the central patio into a stage and luring tourists into coming there to watch the little girl (now a little older) perform.
Musical comedy with some famous Spanish musical stars. It is not exactly remarkable, but has some agreeable moments of comedy or music.
Rating: 34
A simpleton from a small town wins the sports lottery, and travels to Madrid to collect his prize, getting into all kinds of trouble. He becomes famous and is besieged by everyone with money requests, business propositions, marriage impositions, erotic entrapments, etc. A woman from his home town gives him the Madrid address of her daughter who is supposed to be working as a typist and living in a boarding house; the reality is different.
Vulgar comedy which has many dumb moments (e.g. when people's rhetorical images materialize before the protagonist's eyes), but which achieves, through brute force so to speak, some genuine comicity in its latter section. As is common in many films, including Hollywood ones, the plot resolves into a highly implausible romantic ending, but on second thought who am I to judge?
Rating: 36
Title of the Italian version: Il maestro...
U.S. title: The Teacher and the Miracle
A small town middle-aged teacher moves to a big city with his only son, whom he has been raising alone since his wife died. An accident throws him into a depression bout and then a strange kid enters his life.
Arguably, this is a reasonable movie up until its central dramatic event. After that, it moves into the territory of simple-minded religious-ploitation. I guess one could pin the blame on the kind of mentality which thrived in Spain during the 1950s (and for that matter much of the 20th century). What carries the film and somehow raises it above the level of a mere ideological prop for the backward political Spanish regime of that era is the solid performance by its leading actor, who by the way was Italian. Being a Spanish-Italian co-production, this film has two versions which differ somewhat, though I'm not sure either one I watched was in its integral form (the two versions have missing bits in different points, and thus allow one who watches both to have a sense of what the complete movie may have been).
Rating: 37
