We're No Angels (1955)

Second viewing. The first was on November 17, 1990.

Three convicts in Devil's Island escape from prison but remain on the island, awaiting a ship that they can board. They are hired to fix the roof of a shop, and end up befriending the shop's owner and his family.

Interesting comedy, about the complexity involved in moral judgments, to which many different factors and points of view must be considered. Its screenplay is well-conceived, albeit not exactly brilliant (and probably not aspiring to be so). The expertise of the director and the good cast make it enjoyable, on a moderate scale.

Rating: 51 (up from 35)

Crin blanc: Le cheval sauvage (1953)

English title: White Mane

A wild horse is coveted by the village ranchers (or whatever they call them in France), but they can't keep it imprisoned. A boy wants the horse too, and the horse happens to like him.

A 40-minute film (IMDb reports a five-minute-longer length), with a simple story and extensive footage of wild horses. I do not know whether they were coached or simply observed. Anyway, nothing great, although people seem to admire it.

According to my rules, I should rate the longer version, but not the one I have watched, a weight off my shoulders.

Tico-tico no fubá (1952)

Second viewing, at least. Last viewed on an unknown date, certainly before 1987.

Pseudobiography of a composer. The film tells the story of a man from a small town who works as a public servant but whose real vocation is music. He meets a beautiful circus horserider and falls in love with her, arousing his fiancée's jealousy.

Perfectly mediocre Hollywood-patterned Brazilian biopic. Everyone concerned is very professional, I watched it with curiosity. I saw a cut version, which did not contain the following conversation (which begins at one hour thirteen minutes fifty-four seconds into the movie and is one minute eight seconds long) taken from a subtitles file.

Zequinha: ... e você, Luís, toca flauta.
Luís: Não conte comigo.
Z: Por quê?
L: Depois de amanhã, parto de novo para São Paulo. O inventário, Zequinha. O inventário.
Z: Ah, eu vou reunir todos que saibam tocar algum instrumento, ...
L: Certo, Zequinha. Vai reunir onde? Onde?
(?): Aqui, não.
Z: Já sei. Na farmácia do meu pai. Nos fundos.
L: Seu Abreu não vai gostar da ideia.
Z: Ele não conhece meu pai. Quando ele souber que estou formando uma orquestra, é capaz de fechar a farmácia e decretar feriado nacional.
L: Bonito. Sempre gostei desta valsa. Por falar nisso, você sabe que mandou essa música para o Vitale sem nome?
(?): É preciso arranjar um nome para ela, heim?
Z: Branca.

Rating: 32 (unchanged)

Le ballon rouge (1956)

English title: The Red Balloon.

From the Internet Movie Database:
---quote---
A boy makes friends with a seemingly sentient balloon, and it begins to follow him. It follows the boy to school, to the bus, and to church. Boy and balloon play together in the streets of Paris and try to elude a gang of boys that wants to destroy the balloon. (...) Written by alfiehitchie
---unquote---

I did not like it as much as most people seem to have.

Sands of Iwo Jima (1949)

The films follows the actions of a Marine squad in World War II. We see them receive training, then participate in the taking of Tarawa, and lastly in the taking of Iwo Jima.

Not a bad war movie. It has most of the right ingredients, including good action sequences. My main problem with the movie is that the screenplay is very formulaic: the characters, their problems, and their problems' resolutions comply, most of them anyway, to certain established and predictable dramatic patterns.

Rating: 52

Like Father Like Son (1987)

A magical potion allows two persons to exchange bodies; a doctor takes it and is transplanted into his son's body, and vice-versa. For a few days, they have to perform each other's activities.

The screenplay per se is not very interesting; the fact, however, is that the film has its moments. The direction is extremely competent, and from this angle one might say that the screenplay does at least offer enough opportunities for the display of directorial virtues. Occasionally it gets really good, like when the son-in-his-father's-body is with the hospital director's wife at his house on a date that goes terribly wrong. This film also has one of the most realistic scenes of a beating of a high schooler by another that I have seen.

Rating: 44

One, Two, Three (1961)

Second viewing; first was on January 25, 1990.

An American executive working at a West Berlin branch of his company is forced to take the boss's daughter as a guest. She gets herself, and thus also her host, into trouble, and the executive must summon all his resourcefulness to minimize the damage, so as not to hamper his prospects for a promotion.

An exercise in fastness, which pleased me immensely at my first viewing, but now not so much, given perhaps my increased aversion to a number of vulgarities in its humor, and the whole contrivedness of the concept, which aims to keep the rhythm in constant excess, even with sacrifice of the quality of the contents. But there is a good percentage of the film that is really good, and the cast, particularly the lead, is up to the task at hand.

Rating: 66 (down from 82)

Zelig (1983)

Second viewing; first was between 1983 and 1986.

In the form of a documentary, it narrates the adventures of a man possessing supernatural chameleonic capabilities.

Visually it is funny, and furthermore it is punctuated by funny one-liners, but the two things - the verbal and the visual - are quite independent of each other. The plot is not really funny, except for the fact that Zelig after the treatment is more undistinguished than before the treatment (because his undistinguishability was his distinctive trait), and perhaps this is the film's secret irony. At first sight, the film seems essentially an amusing but frivolous affair, but on further thought it ends up being a bit of a satire on frivolity, taking the 20s, which were the frivolous decade par excellence, as its target.  That the film's frivolity is just a mimickry, that the film mirrors its protagonist, who looks like that which is near him, is perhaps another hidden irony in a film that is not perhaps as great as it is curious.

Rating: 60 (down from 73)

Freakonomics (2010)

Several short nonfiction movies: (1) the effect of people's names on their lives; (2) how corruption appears, focusing specifically on Sumo wrestling; (3) understanding the drop in crime rates in the 90s; (4) a case study on monetary incentive to improve students' performance.

I would be hard pressed to describe its theme; they do it in the movie, and their description is bogus (what does the episode on abortion have to do with incentives of any kind?). It is mostly an interesting movie (the first segment is too weak, though) -- mildly so, to be more precise, but I haven't read the book, so...
What I don't understand is what is so unusual or revolutionary about it, it seems to me they coined a new name for something which was already there, or isn't even one thing, but several.
But I agree this is sound thinking, and hopefully it will educate some people. Kids and teens should watch it, I think, and read the book (but I haven't, so...).

Tequila Sunrise (1988)

Second viewing; first was on August 6, 1989.

Dale McCussick is a retired drug dealer who was never caught. He is friends with Nick Frescia, a police lieutenant, now assigned to the district (is that the word?) where McCussick lives. They both develop a romantic interest on Jo Ann, a restaurant owner who thus becomes involved with the criminal universe that surrounds both men. The FBI has the firm purpose of convicting McCussick, which puts Frescia on a personal conflict of interests. An old friend of McCussick's who is a major drug dealer in Mexico requests his collaboration on a new deal.

Not much to say about this film; although I did not recall much of it, I seem to have had similar degrees of liking on both viewings. It is a well-made and pleasant film, very well-written on the microlevel, by which I mean the scene-by-scene basis, the dialogue, etc. On the macrolevel, i.e., the general plot, and the characters' behavioral credibility and consistency , it did not convince me much, especially the girl's behavior, which remains all but an enigma to me.

Rating: 63 (unchanged)

The Hustler (1961)

Second viewing; first was on November 25, 1989.

A hustler, in this film's context, is a guy who makes a living out of conning other people into playing pool with him for money. He is actually much better than he pretends at first. Eddie is one of those, and his dream is beating a certain experienced player. He meets Sarah, a lonely woman, and she falls in love with him.

The pleasure I took from this film is derived from the great expressivity of the emotions it evokes, which are almost abstract. The plot makes use of the 'Sarah' character to instill a greater dose of drama which the game by itself wouldn't be able to provide; the result has a definite moralistic undertone. The screenplay is sufficiently refined to steer clear of absurd propositions, but I suppose it is not free of feminine clichés, and this is definitely not the most attractive aspect of the film. The psychology of gambling is an important theme, derived mostly from Dostoevsky, but here it is a game of skill, an important difference. As I said, the film tends to abstractness, and too much analysis of its logic would not do it much good. The director does an excellent job, one of the best I have seen, of bringing out the essence of the story through actors' faces and gestures. The cast responds well, and Gleason should be singled out for a stunning performance.
Seen in pan-and-scan.

Rating: 84 (down from 97)

Bullitt (1968)

Second viewing; first was between 1983 and 1986.

A San Francisco police detective is assigned the protection of a mafioso who is about to testify in a Senate subcommittee.

Although it seems blasphemous to deny it the 'classic' status, for it has several commendable virtues, chief among them the perfect filming technique and an ingenious plot, it has some script shortcomings which weigh disfavorably on my assessment. First, a scene which is perfectly self-parodic, and has become (that is, if it were not already) a cliché among cop movies: a cop's girl somehow blames the cop for being 'contaminated' with the violence he has to witness in his job; in Bullitt, this behavior is so perfectly unjustified, and done in such earnestness too, that it becomes anthological in its absurdity. Another point which I took issue with, and more problematic, since it seems to pervade the whole movie and ideologize it, is the characterization of a politician as the incarnation of evil; again, it is an established cliché in movies, but here, unless there is some element which escaped me, there is absolutely no grounds for such an exaggerated position. From what I gather, the film equals a disagreeable person (and, sure, prone to resorting to exchange of favors for persuasion) to a dishonest, unprincipled one.

Rating: 58 (up from 48)

Heaven Knows, Mr. Allison (1957)

Second viewing; first was on May 19, 1990.

A soldier and a nun are, by separate ways, stranded on a deserted island during World War II. The region is a site of naval battles between the Japanese and the Allies.

Interesting drama with good performances and an entertaining story, well directed. The development does not stray much from the predictable issues (romance, religion, survival, etc.), but it is all done with competence.

Rating: 53 (up from 41)

Citizen X (1995) (TV)

Soviet Union, the eighties. A serial killer is striking in a region near some woods. A forensics examiner is appointed leader of the investigation. The State bureaucracy stands in the way of the investigation.

The film is watchable, but somehow it didn't seem to do its job right. Perhaps the facts it is based on are essentially dull, and that reflected on the dramatization. On the other hand, it is never clear what exactly is going on, how big the region of the murders is, why the protagonist is considered so good at his job as an investigator, what the reaction of the population to the killings along the 8-year period is. Maybe some of the fault lies with its TV-movie budget which did not allow a better production, but I don't know.

Rating: 38

To Be or Not to Be (1942)

A theatrical troupe in Warsaw is rehearsing a play about Nazism which is to open after their present season of Hamlet. Husband and wife are the main actors. She has a budding affair with a Polish military aviator. When the Germans invade, everything changes, but the company will cross paths with the flyer yet.

Delightfully mad concoction about actors and Nazis, which exposes the truth about both. A fast film, perfectly directed. The screenplay has perhaps one or two lines which are not funny (e.g. "I would not eat you", etc), and one or two sequences which perhaps seem misplaced or overly repetitive (e.g. the fallen mustache near the end, which by the way seems to be a loose end). Otherwise, it is a film of an astonishing originality and daring.

Rating: 80

Le gamin au vélo (2011)

English title: The Kid with a Bike

A boy of 12 whose only living relative is his father - or so I gather - is placed by the latter under the tutelage of the State. The boy and a young hairdresser whom he meets by chance become gradually closer to each other until she is foster parenting him. But the boy makes some deleterious acquaintances which lead him astray into dark alleys, so to speak. Will the hairdresser persevere in her love for the brat?

The Righteous Brothers are back again, in force. Which means that every step of the plot, every nuance of character, everything in short, is exactly contrived in order to advance their agenda of betterment of the world (or of Belgium in the very least). And in their worldview all the solutions depend on individual love and self-giving. None of that is necessarily wrong, but I'm afraid it also means that the film has no aesthetical independence. It is an educational film. I, for one, am not sure it taught me anything I didn't already know; and if it did, how can one tell that what they taught is correct? What if there is an angle they excluded because it would not serve their purpose?

Rating: 40

My House in Umbria (2003) (TV)

A bomb explodes in a train, leaving the passengers of one compartment wounded or dead. An elderly woman, who is a writer of cheap romantic novels, invites the survivors to spend their recovery in her big house. A police officer appears there and interrogates them.

Reasonably well made and well photographed, but the film doesn't have much to distinguish it; the plot is not very exciting or unusual, the dialogue is pretty standard, etc.

Saw it dubbed in Portuguese.

Rating: 43

Germania anno zero (1948)

Second viewing; first was on June 18, 1994.

English title: Germany Year Zero.

Two years after the end of World War II, Berlin is still a destroyed city, and the population is starving. Several families live in the building where this story's characters dwell. The protagonist is Edmund, a boy of 12, who has to help his family increase their income. His older brother does not have a ration card because he did not report to the authorities, for fear of being sent to a prison camp. His father is ill, and so cannot work. His older sister's scruples prevent her from becoming a prostitute or even accepting gifts from men. In his wanderings through the devastated city, Edmund meets all sorts of people; among them is a former school teacher who offers him work for a day, and also exposes his worldview to him.

This melodrama did not please me on my first viewing, mainly, if I remember correctly, because I thought its tragic development was the result of contrivances which stretched suspension of disbelief a little too far. I specifically have a hard time believing in child characters as depicted in most movies, and this used to be one of the more problematic cases. I have changed my mind about it, though, and this has to do with the different set of values I work with nowadays. Although I still appreciate credibility in fiction, I do not consider its absence a fatal flaw. As a work of fiction, Germania anno zero is well made and succeeds in its purpose of producing emotional situations. Its limitations are visible right from the outset, when it states in a caption that "ideologies" should not forsake "Christian" values, a typically unsatisfactory response to the complexities of human life.

Rating: 51 (up from 30)

Roma, città aperta (1945)

Second viewing; first was on June 17, 1988.

English titles: Open City; Rome, Open City.

Rome, during the Nazi occupation. An engineer in the Resistance manages to escape just in time when the Nazis raid his house. He takes refuge in the house of a Resistance fellow, a typographer, next-door to the latter's fiancée (they plan to marry the next day). Her sister is a performing artist, one of whose co-workers is in a relationship with the engineer and is a morphine addict. The latter's supplier is a Nazi agent. There is also a priest who helps the resistance by running errands and the like.

I tried to analyze its technique with some expectation of finding flaws, but, apart from a couple of really unelegantly edited sequences, I was unable to find anything badly done. On the other hand, a scene which I detested on first viewing -- Pina's death -- impressed me very well this time. I think that on my first viewing I found it lacking in realism, a term which then I understood to refer mainly to behavioral credibility. But the term 'realism' as applied to this film only makes sense in reference to some aspects of its filmmaking procedures, for example, location shooting. Albeit working with some facts from then-recent history, it seems distant from historical accuracy or psychological verisimilitude. Its propagandistic tone is quite evident, and so is its melodramatic quality. From what I read in Wikipedia, I understand the director was a fascist collaborator from the beginning, and all the way to the extinction of the regime, and then adhered to the new one very promptly. For what it is worth: in Roma, città aperta, if I recall correctly, the fascists are almost completely absent, the main conflict being between the Nazis and the Resistance.

Rating: 51 (up from 44)

Pierrot le fou (1965)

Second viewing, first in color. First viewing, in black and white, was on May 20, 2002.

A married man runs away with the babysitter. They commit a series of crimes and run out of money. She suggests they go to the South of France where she says her brother, a criminal, is.

A playful comedy, much of which owes a great debt to Marx Brothers films and Warner Brothers cartoons. Here, however, literary references are an important part. The extensive use of non-sequitur generates an unusual sort of comicity. The film starts in an angry mood, then switches to a gay one, which is then dissolved in graphic violence and betrayal. References to the Vietnam war seem to be neither here nor there. Very little of the film strikes me as particularly brilliant. The cinematography is remarkable.

Rating: 51 (up from 47)

O dia em que Dorival encarou a Guarda (1986)

Short.

One night, a prisoner asks permission to shower, and is refused. He demands to see a superior officer. And so on.

Good short.

Manhattan (1979)

Second viewing; first was between 1983 and 1986.

Isaac is a middle-aged divorced writer who is in a relationship with Tracy, a 17-year-old high-schooler. Isaac's latest ex-wife left him for another woman. Isaac's best friend is Yale, a married man who is having an affair with Mary, a divorced writer. Isaac is trying to break up with Tracy because he thinks she is too young. Mary in turn is not going anywhere in her relationship with Yale.

I think my understanding of this movie became a little less muddled upon this second viewing. It seems to be developing a thesis which could be stated more or less like -- one should guide one's actions by one's own feelings, not by assumptions about what is better for others, or by what most people think is right; most of all, one should not be opportunistic in human relationships. In the present case, Isaac should not break up with Tracy because of general ideas about age difference improprieties, or implying less age equals less maturity, etc.; furthermore, he should not be in a relationship with a woman who is clearly incompatible with him (namely, Mary), just because the 'opportunity' appears, both are without a partner, and so on.
I am not sure this has anything to do with Manhattan, but then again what do I know about that city? There is a lot of sarcastic cultural references, mainly dealing with feminism and modern art; I think they are somehow meant to represent the city or some slice of it; I do not know how well they do that, but as for the University circuit, they certainly click with some things I read in recent years; and they are funny too.
I couldn't bring myself to give this movie a high rating; the strangeness of its situations and characters still pose something of an obstacle to my enjoyment. Maybe a third (improbable) viewing would bring the matter to a closure.

Rating: 50 (up from 37)

Mulher de verdade (1954)

A nurse gets involved with two of her patients, of distinct social classes. She marries them both, bigamously, and uses her profession as an alibi for her double life.

Unsuccessful comedy, with a script that has some good plot ideas but is severely lacking in its finer details. The film is noticeably better directed than the Brazilian average, though.
The audio was severely problematic, with dramatic loudness variations, I do not know whether from a bad sound recording or from deterioration of the physical support, or what.

Rating: 31

Bus Stop (1956)

Second viewing; first was between 1983 and 1986.

A cowboy who has no experience with women has to leave his ranch to contend at a rodeo in another town. Over there he meets a cabaret singer who, as they say, has been around. But he does not know that he cannot impose his will regardless of others.

It is funny to watch this man who is like a natural disaster. But the joke wears out at midfilm, and it becomes a little too obvious and even a little dull. It is a passable film, saved by the excellent male lead, and by a competent direction.

Rating: 51 (down from 69)

Desk Set (1957)

A consultant (here called a "methods engineer") is advising a large company (which has "broadcasting" in its name, so it must be a TV or radio company, or both) in its computerization process. A certain chemistry arises between him and the head of the Research Department, who is already in a complicated relationship with her boss.

Making a fun comedy about such a theme as the effect of computers on the unemployment rate increase is not supposed to be an easy task, and yet Desk Set does not come off too badly at that. I had a hard time trying to figure out exactly who were the users of the Research Department, but, after several more-or-less plausible hypotheses, I gave up on a positive answer. But the major problem of the movie, if you choose to call it a problem, is that the romantic subplot does not have much relation with the, say, sociological one (I mean the installation of the computers and the effect on the company's personnel), and so you have a double-headed monster. Most films are that way, I suspect, so let us not raise hell about it. I guess the main thing is that it is very ably written and directed, and is entertaining enough.

Rating: 55

Tora no o wo fumu otokotachi (1945)

English title: The Men Who Tread on the Tiger's Tail

A disgraced general is being hunted by his brother the Shogun. The general and his six samurai disguise as monks and go through a mountain path. They are stopped at a control guard post.

Naive tale very much in the line of a folk story. The comic relief is provided by a baggage porter who is played in a very histrionic way. Watchable but a little too primitive for my taste.

Rating: 41

Week-end à Zuydcoote (1964)

English title: Weekend at Dunkirk

In 1940, France is suffering heavy German bombing; in a beach near Dunkirk, Sgt. Maillat tries to get embarked to England, but this proves very difficult. He and his friends spend their time protecting themselves from the bombs and making small talk; Maillat meets a young woman in a house in town and tries to convince her to abandon the place.

Realistic portrayal of a specific moment and place in World War II. The film is very well directed, and, while not possessing a strong storyline (it is basically a series of episodes), it is enjoyable.

Rating: 59

Scener ur ett äktenskap (1973) (TV miniseries)

First integral viewing; theatrical version viewed on February 4, 1990.

English title: Scenes from a Marriage

Johan and Marianne are seen as a happy couple, but one day this image falls apart: Johan tells Marianne he is leaving her for another woman.

Very uneven, ranging from brilliancy to straightforward soap-opera to mere opaqueness. The intelligence of some of the dialogue is admirable, but the drama as a whole is not as convincing as I thought on my previous viewing (of the theatrical version). Also, it is rather tiresome due to the absence of action; everything is shown through dialogue. It goes beyond the simple chronicle of a specific marriage; it intends to be a summing up of all marriages. The evidences for this ambition are multiple, but listing them would make this review too long; suffice it to point out that Marianne's second marriage only repeats the patterns of the first, implying that all marriages follow them. Several behavioral oddities defy credibility; the last episode is entirely absurd.

Rating: 60 (down from 87)

Damsels in Distress (2011)

Violet is in college, and she is a sort of leader to a small group of girls whose ambition is to exert a good influence on their school environment, especially through their work in the Suicide Prevention Center. A new student arrives in college, and Violet and her friends take her under their wings. Their involvement with boys adds new complications to their well-being and mutual friendship.

Interesting comedy, which avoids dramatic patterns and formally opts for a sketchy development. The dialogue is very prominent in it, and is usually intelligently written. Very early on, it becomes clear that the film's universe is not realistically fashioned, and this becomes even more evident as the film progresses. All of the acting (and all of the casting too, it is important to mention) is exemplary.
It should be commended for its courage to be personal, but I think its inspiration seemed a little trivial at times. For example, was the best that they could think of for the 'sambola' a compilation of other known dancing styles? Another thing I am not sure I understood: if missing kindergarten is the explanation for Thor's particular knowledge lacuna, are we to conclude that he is not stupid?
Apart from the example in the previous paragraph, and although this is not a psychological drama, I think there is a good deal of consistency in the characters; for example, Lily accuses Violet of being attracted to doofi (and thus accuses Fred of being one) and yet she, Lily, is the one who displays an abnormal tolerance to being exploited. The implication is that real doofi cannot see in the first place that they are the real doofi.
The film's title may be a wicked reference to the untruthfulness of another film's title (The Virgin Suicides), by way of a certain point made in Pepi, Luci, Bom y otras chicas del montón.

Rating: 59

Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Sex * But Were Afraid to Ask (1972)

Second or third viewing. Latest was on April 8, 1989.

A series of comical sketches, each entitled with a question regarding an aspect of sex.

A very good film, which offers a sort of panorama of sexuality. The first episode ("Do Aphrodisiacs Work?) is perfect as an introduction, stating how in the past repression was explicit and consequences were physical; in such times guilt was not an issue, or rather it had a merely legal aspect. Moving on to modern times, we find that more than one episode are centered on the theme of Sex vs. Culture; two of them deal with it more or less straightforwardly: the zoophile ("What Is Sodomy?", an inaccurate title) and the crossdresser ("Are All Transvestites Homosexuals?"), another one shows the ambiguity in the aforementioned duality ("Why Is It So Difficult for a Woman to Reach Orgasm?"), in which sexual fulfillment is inextricably entangled with cultural repression; yet another reverts surrealistically the expectations on this theme ("What Are Sex Perverts?"), with an insight into the 21st century and its culture of trivialization and self-exposure. In "How Accurate Is the Scientific Knowledge About Sex?", there is an analysis of science-fiction films, from the vantage point of sex. The final episode ("What Happens in Ejaculation?") covers the biological aspect, and is in certain ways the most ambitious of the lot. Even though the humor displayed in this film is not always all that groundbreaking, I think overall it is a remarkable work.

Rating: 71 (down from 78)

Eu tu eles (2000)

English title: Me You Them

In a poor rural place in Brazil, a woman makes somewhat unconventional arrangements with several men (amongst them her husband) in order to get on with her life as best she can and raise her children (who keep coming).

Poorly staged. Seems too infatuated with the landscapes. Passable storyline. Mostly competent cast.

Rating: 45

West Side Story (1961)

Second viewing; first was on January 16, 1987.

Two youth gangs, one of whites and the other of Puerto Ricans, fight for dominance in the New York West Side; a Puerto Rican girl falls in love with a white boy.

I didn't have a bad time (re)watching this, and I think this is overwhelmingly due to the music (and, in most cases, also the lyrics, I should add). The choreography is OK, I suppose, but there just isn't enough in it to justify the praise it has received over the years (but mind you I am talking about the movie, not the play,which I haven't seen). The dramatic side is not without flaws, but the basic plotline and a few scenes I found moving, even knowing that in many aspects it is not realistic.
The excellent "Officer Krupke" lyrics is mind-blowingly appropriate to the historical moment that my country is going through, even with the caveat that these kids are way nicer than Brazilian young hoodlums.

Rating: 65 (up from 50)

Pillow Talk (1959)

Second viewing; first was on January 24, 1995.

A womanizer and a single woman share a phone line (a "party line" is what they call it) between themselves, and dislike each other intensely. He sees her by chance in a public place and from then on can only think of getting her to bed.

Funny comedy, with some very sophisticated screenplay aspects, and a few others which are sillier but still are very funny. The whole film is splendidly directed.
The songs Doris sings are terribly uninspired, though. The ending, too, is unsatisfactory, I think.

Rating: 73 (down from 77)

The Wrong Box (1966)

Second viewing; first was on April 23, 1989.

Based on the novel by Robert Louis Stevenson and Lloyd Osbourne, first published in 1889.

A lottery is established which takes as participants several children and has as a rule that the last survivor among them shall be the winner. It so happens that many years later two brothers are the only two living remnants, and this causes some anxiety in one of them, as well as on two inheritors of the other.

A funny film from start to finish; the humor may not be of the most intellectual kind, but it is certainly effective, and I was rarely without at least a smile on my face while watching it (and this, if I remember right, on both occasions).

Rating: 65 (down from 70)

O mandarim (1995)

English title: The Mandarin

Supposedly, this should work as a filmic essay on the life of Brazilian singer Mário Reis.

Do not waste your time on this. Seek information about this great singer by other means. This film is a fine example of how money is wasted in Brazil on projects of little worth. For the sake of fairness, it should be said the main actor's professionalism seems misplaced in this.

Rating: 11

The Rat Race (1960)

Second viewing; first was on June 2, 1990.

A saxophone player from Milwaukee comes to New York City to live and work there. He ends up sharing an apartment with a taxi-dancer.

(1) I hugely overrated this on my first viewing.
(2) Although I do not know the play, the film has every characteristic of a hugely bowdlerized text.
(3) It is still not a bad film, if you just relax and enjoy it (what am I saying?). Anyway I confess to having a crush on Debbie.
(4) This is not much of a review. Would it fix it if I said that the screenplay is only so-so, but it is so well directed one kind of gets carried away?
(5) What's with the sentence numbering?

Rating: 57 (down from 87)

Hans Christian Andersen (1952)

In this musical fiction which usurps the name, work titles and a few geographic data from the famous Danish writer, Hans is a cobbler from a small town who likes to tell stories to children. He goes to Copenhagen and gets involved with a ballet troupe.

The attempts at establishing a connection with its real-life referent are pitiful and ultimately render the movie incomprehensible. I didn't care much for the songs either. When taken in isolation, some dramatic sequences are effective. The Little Mermaid ballet is well done, the decor is particularly impressive.

Rating: 33

The Wolf Man (1941)

Second viewing; first was on August 9, 1997.

Larry comes back from America to his home town in Wales. He falls in love with a woman who is already engaged. Larry is bitten by a wolf, or at least that is what he thinks.

This is a modest film, and arguably perfect within its ambitions, except for the werewolf's costume, which by today's standards is not very impressive. This is the kind of story which allows endless readings. On a trivial level, Larry is simply a homicidal maniac. The film is disturbing because within its frame of reference he is just as much a victim as the ones he kills. As a consequence, no one is really guilty of anything; thus, the concept of responsibility is wiped out from the film's moral universe. This is in tune with dominant modern worldviews, especially Freudian-shaped ones.

Rating: 51 (up from 46)

Cuba, une odyssée africaine (2007) (TV)

English title: Cuba, an African Odyssey.

Documentary about the Cuban role in the political struggles in Africa in the sixties, seventies and eighties.

For me, this was an excellent source of information, and very enjoyable too.
I am not in the position to judge the accuracy of all the information it delivers; for example, a quick web research shows there is some dispute about the movie's depiction of Kabila's role in the Congolese rebellions.
On the whole, I found it reasonably unbiased and well made.

Young Mr. Lincoln (1939)

Second viewing; first was on June 3, 1990.

Inspired by events in the life of the famous American president.

A beginning lawyer with humble origins accepts to defend two brothers accused of murdering a man. This lawyer is a very cunning man, and has great rhetorical ability too.

This is basically a courtroom drama, with a prologue telling a little of the lawyer's previous life. The reason for this prologue is obviously the intention of rising up to the movie's title. In fact, the two parts of the movie, albeit both good, do not connect a great deal with one another. I have never been a big fan of biopics because of this type of "impure" structure. But I cannot decide whether Young Mr. Lincoln is a worse film because of that; anyway I am sure it has a refined script and a very intelligent central performance. I am not much of a reviewer, and thus could not instantly write anything that even remotely would do justice to the many facets of the film. If, however, I am allowed to pick an angle, I will say that the stupidity of the masses (which never changes) against the intelligence of one man is an important theme of this film; I would go further and say that the intelligence of one man consists mainly of acknowledging the stupidity of the masses (and that it never changes).

Rating: 85 (unchanged)

Never a Dull Moment (1950)

A successful Broadway composer marries a cow rancher with two kids from his late first wife. She faces difficulties adapting to the life of a housewife, and a rural one to boot.

I read this was elected at its time as the dullest movie of the year, and, although it is certainly not true, I can see why an organization made up -- exclusively, I guess -- of urban people would make such a pick. The film did not appear realistic to me, but afterwards I read it is based on a semi-autobiographical novel, so I think I too must be a little prejudiced. Modern audiences would possibly frown at the sight of what they would see as the self-effacement of a talented woman.
All that being said, the film is watchable, although it does fall short of being credible in its premise, and is a little too trivial in its development, not to mention too abrupt in its ending.
Saw a dubbed copy, a detail which usually affects my assessment negatively, but I do not think it did in this case.

Rating: 36

Moonraker (1979)

Second viewing; previously seen in 1979 or 1980.

British agent Bond investigates a certain Drax after one of the space shuttles he manufactures is stolen.

It is probably one of the weakest of the series. The word that comes to mind to describe this film is "tidy". All seems to obey a rigid formula, both in terms of script and direction. Creativity is nowhere to be seen.

Rating: 33 (unchanged)

It's a Wonderful Life (1946)

Second viewing. First was on December 15, 1990.

There is a big banker who wants to wipe George Bailey's father's small bank out from the face of the Earth. George is not attracted to banking and has many plans as a young man, but, as Robert Burns once said to a mouse about best-laid plans...

There is a great film inside It's a Wonderful Life. It is the life of George Bailey, mostly as it is told in the movie. The story of a man who feels that he hasn't lived the life he wanted, who somehow feels his potential is being wasted, is a great story, full of rich meditations. The screenplay has many intelligent solutions, which are rendered into magnificent sequences. Perhaps it could use a little more sobriety here and there; just to give an example, in the scene where George and Violet are talking at a busy avenue, in my version there would not be a crowd coming out of the blue and making a lot of fuss about their private conversation. Above all, I would lose the proto-Twilight Zone angle, that is, all mention of supernatural creatures such as angels, gods, etc would be dumped. Would George kill himself in the end? I do not know. It would probably be best to leave that out of the movie, a suicide does not tell much about a person's character at any rate. What the hell, you could eliminate the whole episode of Billy losing the money and Potter stealing it. You could even soften Potter's villainy. You don't need to outdickens Dickens by making a common thief out of your Scrooge.

Rating: 63 (unchanged)

Les amants naufragés (2010) (TV movie)

Based on the novel Les veufs (The Widowers), by Boileau-Narcejac, first edition 1970.

Stanislas is a young writer who does dubbing jobs to make a living. He anonymously submits his novel to a literary contest. Stanislas is in a relationship with Mathilde, a model and struggling actress, and both suffer because of his constant jealousy. He suspects she is having an affair with her employer, a fashion designer.

The plot is ingenious, and the film is competently written and directed. Not bad for a TV movie.

Rating: 51

La ilusión viaja en tranvía (1954)

English title: Illusion Travels by Streetcar

Two tramway workers "kidnap"  a tram wagon, experiencing several incidents along the way.

Not much to say about this. It is not intensely funny, and the ending narration raising doubts about the interest of it all is possibly a valid self-criticism. But it is easy to watch, and agreeable, with a gentle humor which is not devoid of social observation.

Rating: 52

Cluny Brown (1946)

A young woman is sent to a country manor to work there as a maid. A foreign writer who is in England fleeing the Nazis is staying there as a guest. Both had met before and get along very well. She is somewhat unconventional and he has a libertarian worldview.

It starts out as a screwball comedy, but loses some of its energy along the way. I suppose it was meant to cheer people up after World War II (although the book was written before the war was over), but seen with today's eyes some of it is rather silly, especially the Belinski character. Most of the cast does well, but I am not sure Jones achieves the right amount of zaniness her part requires. Overall I think it is an enjoyable film, but overrated.

Rating: 55

Angel (1937)

Second viewing; first was on February 22, 1989.

The wife of a League of Nations delegate meets a man in Paris and has a one-day romance with him. Back in London, she meets him again, now in the company of her husband.

A moderately charming picture, a bit moralistic in the end but with well-written dialogue, a coherent plot, and some funny bits too. The performances are all decent. Can't quite explain my previous antipathy for it, unless it was the moralistic aspect that put me off.

Rating: 52 (up from 33)

Valdez Is Coming (1971)

A sheriff of Mexican ethnicity enters in conflict with a rancher on account of the latter's refusal to contribute 100 dollars to the widow of a man who was wrongly killed.

Western with a complex -- and, I confess, slightly bizarre -- plot. It is sort of a compilation of liberal themes (as they existed at the time it was made), which somehow make for a sufficiently engaging narrative.

Rating: 50

Union Pacific (1939)

Second viewing; first one was on February 07, 1989.

U.S.A., after the Civil War. The project of a railroad from Omaha to California is approved. A banker hires an unscrupulous businessman in the field of entertainment to distract workers from their duties. His purpose is to delay the construction of the railroad and thus profit from his financial speculations.

As a narrative, it is childish from start to finish. Within these constraints, it has some amount of narrative inventiveness and a good deal of mise-en-scène competence to deliver its goods.

Rating: 58 (down from 62)

Razzia sur la chnouf (1955)

English title: Razzia

A man known as "Le Nantais" (which means someone from the French city of Nantes), who had been working in the U.S. in the drug business, is called back to France as some sort of CEO for the drug dealing operation in Paris, with the mission of increasing profits. They set him a front business as a bar owner.

The amazing cinematography and the amazing production design are possibly the high points of this French policier. The film has lots of ambiance, being overall sufficiently entertaining. There is a certain amount of hypocrisy in its concept, which exploits the attraction toward sordid environments that it ostensibly condemns, but I think this is no big news for anyone who has watched a film or two. Also, more than 50 years after its release, the state of the world in regard to drugs places its proposition in a somewhat dubious light.

Rating: 51

Charley Varrick (1973)

Second viewing (first one: July 16, 1989).

A small-time gang robs a small bank and is surprised to find that they have stolen an enormous amount of money. They begin to fear for their lives, as they suspect the money belonged to the Mafia.

This belongs to a type of film (or, more generally, of fiction) that might be called "the smarter guy", and it seems it would achieve its highest popularity in the 90s, e.g. with The Usual Suspects.
The main problem with this type of film is that it depends on some arbitrary parameters, since the screenwriter can ultimately decide how smart the main character's opponents will be. Charley Varrick does not come off too badly when this is taken into account. Varrick's opponents are made to have a reasonable amount of intelligence, well above plain stupidity, but also safely below the protagonist's brilliance.
The middle section of the movie is not as good as the rest of it. Some scenes seem too gratuitous and borderline incomprehensible (e.g. a woman being slapped in the face and then going to bed with her slapper; Varrick, an utterly unattractive guy, succeeding in going to bed with an attractive woman he just met; etc.). I think these bits have annoyed me somewhat disproportionately on my first viewing.
Overall it is a well-made film, with an very good first act, which develops into an entertaining cerebral story, only slipping now and then into some poorly conceived narrative solutions.

Rating: 60 (up from 50)

För att inte tala om alla dessa kvinnor (1964)

English titles: All These Women; Now About These Women.

A critic is writing the biography of a cellist, and spends some time in his house. In there he gets acquainted with several women who have some kind of relationship with the musician.

This arguably should give a famous author of comedies some comfort for his alleged frustration at not being able to be convincing as an author of grave dramas. Because in this film his artistic idol proves that he in turn is not capable of comedic lightness.
The film works mainly as a libel against critics, from the point of view of artists. The film implies that critics are parasites. The contempt and hatred held by the author toward the central character is so strong that he refuses to give the film its correct title, which should be something like Now About This Critic.
The author's central thesis -- the distinction between artist and critic -- is built from images that ridicule the critic at the utmost. He does not once show the musician. Perhaps he is afraid of tainting the image of purity that he associates with him (and perhaps with Music as an art). He builds that ideal image by avoiding any real image.
The film is a denial (which, like all denials, when duly analyzed is actually an affirmation) of the ambiguous relationship between an artist and his audience (and a critic may be seen as a representative of that audience). It is a love-hate relationship. The artist cannot exist without his audience, but he somehow wished he could.
The film chooses the vantage point of the artist; when it allows the critic to expose his, it does so in a satirical way. Aesthetically, this bigoted worldview translates into dull and awkward comedy, made marginally interesting by its agreeable production design and the correct performances by its actors.

Rating: 32

La marche de l'empereur (2005)

English title: March of the Penguins.

Documentary about the reproductive habits of the Emperor penguins.

This film is a feat, no arguing about that. Also, the zoological facts it narrates are interesting and entertaining. However, it possesses some stylistic traits which I simply do not care for, chief among them the new-age-ish musical score.

Maridinho de luxo (1938)

A woman decides to place an ad looking for a husband, offering a salary for the chosen one. It is meant to be a marriage in appearance only.

The premise does not make much sense (especially in what regards the woman's motivations), the film is unfunny, all the women are ugly. But it is a very curious thing to see how people talked and looked in the thirties in Brazil, and some street scenes, etc.

Rating: 20

Flesh and Fantasy (1943)

Second viewing (first one January 16, 1989).

The second story is Lord Arthur Savile's Crime, by Oscar Wilde (first publication 1887).

Three stories. (1) On Mardi Gras, an ugly woman wears a mask and decides to talk to the man she loves; (2) A fortune teller on a party reveals to a man that he is about to commit murder; (3) A circus performer who does the high wire act has a dream in which he falls and in it he sees a woman screaming in the audience.

The first story is horrendous. The middle one is excellent. The last one is passable.

Stories 2 and, to a lesser extent, 3 are structurally similar to Oedipus Rex, dealing with the question of predetermination and fate.

Rating: 57 (unchanged)

Stanley and Livingstone (1939)

Second viewing (first one: November 4th, 1990).

In the 19th century, a newspaperman goes to Africa in search of a missionary who has gone missing.

I found everything odious in this film, but I have a clear distinction in my mind between an odious film and a bad one, and this is not a bad one. Putting aside minor improprieties like a totally artificial and out-of-place love story, we get to the main issue: Stanley and Livingstone is entirely an ideological fiction, and on occasion it is a factual lie also (e.g. the real character of Stanley was far more controversial than what the film shows). The importance which is attributed to finding this person called Livingstone is something impossible to be understood, except in the light of the inversion of values which has been one of the main characteristics of the capitalist press ever since its origins. There is a particular scene which shows ideology at work in a very neat way: an African native is caught stealing a small object from Stanley's bag, and is punched in the face for it. Stanley is then scolded by Livingstone for his violence, and then lectured about the efficacy of softer methods. The opposition between Stanley and Livingstone poses a certain conflict which excludes tacitly the reality of the situation, namely, that in the native's culture there is not the concept of stealing, simply because there is no private property as the Europeans know it. The real violence is the imposition of the European culture. Why then I consider it a good film (within its artistic limits, of course)? Because it is a coherent lie, and as such it somehow gives a smart viewer a glimpse of the truth it conceals. It is not a great film, obviously.

Rating: 57 (down from 63)

Duel (1971) (TV movie)

Second viewing (first one: between 1983 and 1986).

A man in a car heading for a business appointment is chased by a tanker truck (IMDb calls it a "tractor-trailer", I did not know the word).

Well-made one-idea movie, thrilling and repetitive in roughly the same proportions. The allegorical component is pretty obvious, he is a henpecked husband, incapable of asserting himself, and a coward when his wife was harassed by another man, now all his domestic troubles are, so to speak, amplified into monstrous dimensions. The problem with allegory is that they seldom hold intact when probed for consistency, in this case he wins by a blend of cunning and luck, I do not think this would work with his other problems.

Rating: 53 (unchanged)

Diamonds Are Forever (1971)

Second viewing (first one: between 1983 and 1986).

British agent Bond is sent to South Africa to investigate a series of diamond thefts. After a tour which includes Amsterdam and Las Vegas, he discovers a plot that threatens the balance of power in the world.

The action sequences, the sense of humor, and the imaginative plot provide sufficient entertainment.

Rating: 51 (up from 39)

Whisky Galore! (1949)

On an island of the Hebrides, during wartime, the shortage of whisky makes everyone sad. A shipwreck off its coast is providential, and you may guess what its load is.

Comedy depicting the life in a small community of islanders. Not the funniest film I ever watched, funny enough though.

Rating: 57

The Train (1964)

In 1944, one German general orders all the paintings in a Paris museum transported to Germany. The Resistance tries to stop the train without harming the works of art inside it.

No question of it being an attractive story, and well-filmed. The philosophical discussions it brings forward are interesting too. The Frenchmen who are in charge of  the action are not art lovers, but this is neither here nor there, it is a consequence of the characteristics of the Occupation. There is also the question of whether it is worth it to sacrifice people in order to save objects of art. But perhaps the most relevant question of all is: is a cruel murderer entitled to claim any status as a true art connoisseur? That art he admires, doesn't it stem from, and somehow stand for values which are opposite to his conduct and the regime he works for? Sometimes, Art is admired without being understood; it is an empty admiration.
I must confess to not having fully understood a certain plot detail of this film in which Labiche sneaks out of his hotel room in order to, as it appears, make a phone call. I thought he was calling the 'Maurice' guy to give him some information about the train, but later in the film we see that they still need to call this guy. Perhaps he was called, and had to be called again, to be fed more information?

Rating: 59

Broadway Danny Rose (1984)

Second viewing (first one: between 1984 and 1986).

An artists' agent tries to revive a singer's career, and gets in trouble while trying to bring the singer's mistress to attend a performance.

It is a little lacking in the plot, and mostly relying, for its humor, on the one-liners and stereotypes. It is funny, but not especially brilliant.

Rating: 60 (down from 71)

The Postman Always Rings Twice (1981)

Second viewing (first one: between 1983 and 1986).

Based on the novel by James M. Cain, first published in 1934.

A drifter employs himself as a gas station mechanic, and starts an affair with the owner's wife.

Dry, amoral and very graphic rendition of the novel. Although I do not think it is an entirely successful film, my earlier bad opinion of it is unreasonable. At that time I was too easily bored.

Rating: 58 (up from 30)

The Fly (1958)

Second, or maybe third, viewing (latest previous one: May 1st, 1987)

A scientist experiments with teleportation, and suffers a horrible accident when he teleports himself.

Surrealism, the Hollywood type. Never mind the pseudo-science or the physical impossibilities, this film is not about the physical, logical world but about the average, nonscientific person's fears regarding science. It is thrilling and shocking, in a way that is no longer done (and perhaps no longer possible) in the cinema.
It can also be watched for allegory. There is always a fly in the process of accomplishment of a dream or plan, isn't there?

Rating: 58 (up from 55)

The Spoilers (1942)

In 19th-century Alaska, there is a gold fever, and it brings with it violence and chaos. A new judge is appointed and the miners count on him to stop claim jumping and all sorts of dishonesty. In this context, a love story goes on between a cabaret croupier and a miner; his affections are coveted also by the judge's daughter. On the other hand, the croupier is coveted by the gold commissioner.

The plot is fairly conventional, but the screenplay is well written, and the film is superbly directed. There is a larger than usual number of minor characters whose contributon to the story is well handled.

Rating: 58

To Catch a Thief (1955)

Second viewing (first one: May 24, 1987) .

A retired thief and former Resistance member is wrongly accused of being the author of an on-going series of jewel burglaries in the French Riviera. He uses his skills to find the real culprit.


A finer pastime than I thought on my first viewing, but it strikes me as an empty one. It is probably my fault, I must be blinded by some prejudice or other. Who knows a third viewing will disclose something more (but I will not live forever, or so they tell me, which makes third viewings an improbable event).

A horrible casting absurdity I tried to ascribe to humor, but simply could not: the "adolescent" woman is played by an actress older than the "adult" one; not as ghastly, but also did not help verisimilitude: the main actor and romantic object is a man of fifty.

A person hanging from a roof edge would be back three years later in the director's oeuvre.

Rating: 51 (up from 42)

Baisers volés (1968)

English title: Stolen Kisses.

Antoine is discharged of the army and looks his old girlfriend up. He goes through a succession of jobs: doorman, detective, driver. He and his girlfriend do not seem to be getting along very well either.

Unpretentious comedy, with an offbeat style. The theme is the passage to adulthood. It is mostly an agreeable film.

Rating: 51

Witness for the Prosecution (1957)

Second viewing (first one: somewhere between 1983 and 1986).

Based on a short story ("Traitor Hands", 1925) and later play by Agatha Christie.

** The text below may give away, directly or indirectly, some plot points. **


A man with no income befriends a richer, older widow. He is married to a German expatriate. An aging lawyer recovering from a heart attack takes the case.

This is an entertaining criminal story, with a good balance of comedy and drama. The ending, which I will not disclose here, is ingenious and shows good insight into human psychology as applied to trials. Some details do not resist a fine analysis (e.g., leaving a husband is not such a hard thing as it would require for a wife to incriminate him), but I think they do not compromise the film.

Rating: 61 (unchanged)

Design for Living (1933)

A woman meets two guys on a train who are long-time friends, and both become interested in her. She reciprocates.

Albeit morally superior, especially in the ending, which I suspect would not be possible under the Hays code, it is overall an artistically mediocre film, and not very easy to watch. Of the performances, March's is the only truly remarkable one.

Rating: 38

My Friend Irma (1949)

Irma, clumsy, absent-minded and not very bright, is engaged to unemployed Al, who is always after some get-rich-quick scheme. Her roommate Jane wants to marry a rich guy and sees an opportunity when there is a vacancy for secretary to a millionaire. Al meets Steve and is impressed with his voice.

Vapid romantic comedy with some songs along the way. Comic relief is provided by the title character, also by the legendary Jerry, who in pictures was (with his fellow Martin) startin'.

Rating: 34

The Life and Adventures of Nicholas Nickleby (1947)

Second viewing (first one: August 30, 1994).

When the head of a family dies leaving them in financial straits, they ask for the help of a rich relative. However, he is an egotistical scoundrel who aims to take advantage of their bad situation. Nicholas, the young son, is sent to work at a school for boys, but soon he finds out that education is the least of its owner's concerns. He runs away with one of the interns, who was badly mistreated in there. Meanwhile, Nicholas' mother and sister are supposedly taken care of by their rich relative.

I had to moderate my admiration for this film, in view of certain problems with the plot. It starts out well engough, and has some well-defined characters. The depiction of exploitations of several kinds is quite powerful and shocking. On the other hand, said plot relies for its progression on angelical benefactors who appear suddenly out of nowhere and are romantically inclined to boot. Also, a certain action by the main villain unacceptably contradicts some basic tenets of human psychology regarding fatherhood; also, his motivation for it is all but incomprehensible. All that being said, the film is superbly directed and acted, and it may be said that it captures very much the essence of Dickens; too bad that this essence is a little problematic.

Rating: 66 (down from 82)

Grands soirs & petits matins (1968)

I was not sure which year to assign it; the Internet Movie Database says 1978, without explanation, and lists 1993 as the first known date of release (in Germany); a French DVD site reports the date as 1971, but it doesn't say if it is a date of release, or the year the film was completed. I chose to put the year it was filmed.

English release title: Maydays.
French title's translation: Big Evenings & Small Mornings.

The version viewed was less than 2 hours long (IMDb says there is a 240 minute version).

Documentary about the manifestations in Paris, in May 1968, in which students and workers, and also some intellectuals, took part.

I am not commenting much on the political side to it, which is more or less evident per the account of the film itself. As a document, it is extraordinary, of course, although it is not very didactic -- the only explanations are the brief intertitles which precede each sequence. And it is not only instructive, but also entertaining -- the snippets of discussions will interest the politically educated (and educate the politically interested), and some more prosaic aspects, like the mother who telephones to know about her missing son, are amusing too.

Merci pour le chocolat (2000)

Loosely based on the novel The Chocolate Cobweb, by Charlotte Armstrong (1st ed. 1948).

English titles: Nightcap; Thanks for the Chocolate.

A young pianist introduces herself to a renowned pianist who might be her biological father. She notices some strange behavior by the man's wife, and as she becomes closer to his family (which includes a son from a previous marriage) learns of some past incidents in which the wife might be involved in a malicious way.

The plot is completely absurd, but this only becomes clear to the viewer after it is over. It is not impossible that the endless inconsistencies are the result of oversight on the part of the screenwriters, but their sheer abundance, plus some stylistic characteristics, lead me to believe that to be highly unlikely. I would bet on a prank of sorts, maybe an unusual and weird attempt at sending up the whole mystery genre. The result is curious at its best, but mostly sophomoric and inarticulate.

Rating: 11

So Evil My Love (1948)

A widow is returning to England from Jamaica; she tends a sick man aboard the ship. She becomes her lover, unaware that he is a wanted criminal. She goes to work as companion to a rich woman.

According to established terminology, this belongs to the "gaslight noir" subgenre. It is a very well-made film, but I could not bring myself to enjoying it much. Maybe it is too conventional, or the plot fails to stir a deeper interest, or maybe both. It is inspired by the Charles Bravo case.

Rating: 44

Into the Storm (2009) (TV)

The actions and life of Churchill during World War II, and in the aftermath.

A sequel to The Gathering Storm, with different actors but the same writer. I guess the same comments I made to that movie apply here more or less, except the color is fainter in this one, maybe to give an idea of a grimmer time.

Rating: 51

Notorious (1946)

Second viewing (First one: January 27, 1989).

In the aftermath of World War II, Nazis are still trying to revive the old party. The daughter of a Nazi agent in America is proposed a job of investigating a gang of Nazis in Brazil. She falls in love with her American contact.

Although it is technically awesome, and the actors do their job to perfection, I still could not join the general wave of adoration that this film inspires. The central situation is interesting: a woman is faced with a dangerous job; matters of her reputation weigh in on her decision; her personal feelings for a man may factor in too. It is all quite artificially concocted; the actual experience of the film was not all that exciting for me.

Rating: 55 (up from 50)

The Gathering Storm (2002) (TV)

The film dramatizes Churchill's life in the 30's, before World War II. He tries to regain power by alerting England against Germany's increasingly bellic attitude.

A historical telefilm, which means it stood little chance of interesting me beyond a certain extent. But it is a watchable film, very good-looking and with a competent cast. Politicians are the opposite of heroes in my scale of values, but a tasteful and careful production like this one turns their relative insignificance into something amusing.

Rating: 55

King of the Khyber Rifles (1953)

In 19th-century India, a rebel leads the population to an uprising. The British forces prepare to defend its rule. One of its commanders is a man of mixed ethnicity, who suffers discrimination, and with whom his superior's daughter falls in love.

Routine adventure, with very little excitement to it, and with a reactionary slant to it. It was filmed in California, but some background exteriors are of India. The main actor seems to have had his face smudged with a darkening product. I am out of interesting things to say about this film.

Rating: 34

Young at Heart (1954)

Second viewing (first one between 1983 and 1986, probably).

The film explores the romantic entanglements of three sisters, always having marriage as the explicit goal. One of the sisters receives more attention of the plot than the other two. The husband candidates comprise an upbeat composer, a downbeat arranger-singer, a former plumber who has his own business, and another chap whose profession I do not recollect having been mentioned.

Romantic drama. The theme concerns young women faced with decisions about their lives, but those amount here to who's going to marry whom, and very little else. A side theme explores the issue of optimistic versus pessimistic approaches to life. This is done in a stereotypical and slightly ludicrous way. Cigarettes have an important dramatic role. There are nice songs thrown in, which are sung by two of the main characters, and which relate thematically to the plot. It is a moderately agreeable film, albeit laden with fifties' ideology which clouds social issues, including those of gender roles.

Rating: 52 (up from 44)

Les amants (1958)

Second viewing (first one: June 16, 1996).

English title: The Lovers.

The wife of a rich newspaper owner living in Dijon thinks she is not getting enough attention from her husband. She goes to Paris periodically to see her lover, a polo player. A series of events will affect her in unpredicted ways.

A bourgeois fantasy and, as such, inevitably simplistic. Owning a rightwing newspaper, playing polo, doing archeological research, what is the difference between them? One might say that the first acts to keep the state of things, the second benefits from it, the third washes his hands. The fourth player is a woman, which means she does not play at all, except as a lover, how's that for feminism? (At the time, even that was considered an advancement.) The major excuse for the film's existence is its aesthetics. It is all very well filmed, and the night outdoors sequence is dazzling. The dialogue, on the other hand, by the author of Madame de..., is ludicrously artificial.

Rating: 65 (down from 81)

Lady and the Tramp (1955)

Possibly a second viewing (first one may have been in the 70s or even in the late 60s).

A female cocker spaniel who lives at a middle-class house meets a street mutt and they fall in love with each other.

The fifties were a prosperous time, and the flipside of that was fifties' conservative ideology, which had cinema (not all of it, to be sure) and TV (practically all of it) as conscientious inculcators. Cartoons were certainly no exception, and this comes from a major company. It is artistically done, and, whilst scots are amiably made fun of in the guise of a schnauzer, a message is put through that freedom should be given up in favor of domestic life. Weddings and babies, that's the name of the game (that's the name of a movie too, a fifties movie, which I haven't seen).

Rating: 58

Bluebeard's Eighth Wife (1938)

Second viewing (first one: February 18, 1989).

Based on a play by Alfred Savoir, first staged in 1921.

An American multimillionaire with several marriages in his past is vacationing in Nice and meets a French woman not exactly well-off. She marries him with a pre-nuptial contract, ostensibly for money only.

This comedy would be perfect for illustrating church meetings promoting the education of young Christians. It is filled with conservative and well-behaving malice. And it is mildly amusing too.

Rating: 52 (down from 57)

The Black Swan (1942)

Second viewing (first one: September 16, 1989).

Henry Morgan, an English pirate, is appointed governor of Jamaica by the king of England. He invites his former partners in crime, amongst whom is young James Waring, to assist him in the Jamaican government. Captain Leech is the only one who prefers to continue in piracy. Waring falls in love with the former governor's daughter, but she despises him, and besides is already engaged to another man. A series of attacks on English ships pose a threat to Morgan's position.

Well-made swashbuckler, good-looking and with an agreeable narrative flow.

Rating: 54 (down from 62)

Another Year (2010)

The routine of some people who know one another. The tacit center of the group is at Tom and his wife Gerry, he a geologist, she a psychological counselor. Mary is Gerry's secretary and best friend, who leans on Tom and Gerry at her difficult times. Then there is Tom and Gerry's bachelor son Joe, Tom's brother Ronny, and some other minor characters.

Remarkable study of human relations at their most unexceptional. All these characters ring true, and will even probably resemble someone you and I know. Deceitfully casual, the progression of events has a very smart sense of humor to it, of a penetrating yet somehow compassionate kind. This is the kind of film a person who has enjoyed it will feel inclined to talk endlessly about, and end up with the feeling of failing to do justice to it, or reach its essence. It is also possibly the best film of its director I have seen, with the caveat that I have seen everything since Life Is Sweet (excepting the shorts), and nothing prior to it.
A little note to myself (and whoever else would be interested); there is an intriguing scene in this film, which might be just a bit of a slip on the part of the filmmaker, or perhaps something else. Gerry and Mary are talking in the kitchen, when Mary is at Gerry's uninvited and unannounced. Mary asks whether Gerry is angry at her, and Gerry says she has let her down. Gerry then says Mary must take responsibility for her actions. It is not clear to me what actions are these. It could not be merely because she dropped by without calling first (not such a big thing, I think). Nor it would be related, it seems, to Mary's behavior when she was introduced to Katie (Joe's girlfriend), since nothing of consequence happened. So, the only explanation I can come up with is that something happened outside the film's narrative. The reasons for such a hypothetical ellipsis are not clear.

Rating: 89

Jesse James (1939)

Second viewing (first one: between 1983 and 1986).

In 19th-century America, the railroad company employed dishonesty and, if necessary, force, to grab the land they wanted. The James brothers resist and Jesse shoots the railroad agent in self-defense, being subsequently accused of criminal conduct. The situation gets even worse for the Jameses and they must hide and live as outlaws.

The beginning is strong, some scenes near the end are fine too, the midsection is uneven, on occasion being unimaginative and unexciting.

Rating: 52 (up from 51)

My Darling Clementine (1946)

Second or third viewing (last one: March 13, 1988; an uncertain previous one may have happened between 1983 and 1986).

Wyatt Earp and his brothers are taking their cattle to California and pass through a desertic mining town called Tombstone, where his brother James is murdered and his cattle is stolen. He and his other brothers decide to stay, and Wyatt accepts the job of town marshal, in the hopes of finding his brother's killers, whom he strongly suspects to be the Clantons. He befriends Doc Holliday, a Tombstone resident, who used to be a medical doctor and now is a kind of gunfighter.

Very touching Western, virtuosically directed, and with many memorable scenes and sequences.

Rating: 77 (unchanged)

I Saw What You Did (1965)

Second viewing (first one: March 29, 1998).

Two teenage girls and one child are alone one night in the house of one of them. To pass the time, they play pranks with the telephone.

A well-calculated entertainment, with an intelligent script and a flawless execution.

Rating: 61 (up from 52)

Million Dollar Baby (2004)

Second viewing.

About an elderly box gym owner who trains a young female boxer and becomes her best friend.

Probably one of the saddest films of all time. The screenplay plays by the rules of convention, and it works.

Rating: 69 (unchanged)

The Hurt Locker (2008)

A bomb-disarming squad's adventures in Iraq. Some conflicts appear between the reckless bom-disarming technician and his teammates.

A mediocre screenplay sets the general level of this very mildly entertaining film. I cannot think of anything more to say.

Rating: 40

A Clockwork Orange (1971)

Second viewing.

Based on the novel by Anthony Burgess (1st ed. 1962).

A delinquent youth with authoritarian and sadistic traits is the leader of a gang in the near (?) future. He is arrested, and, while in prison, offered a new treatment which, it is claimed, would cure him of his antisocial tendencies.

Very stytlized farce, fairly amusing. The futuristic jargon seemed a good idea at the time, but today it comes off as a frivolity with no reason. When I saw it in a Brazilian theater back in 1982, censorship had all female's nipples and all genitals covered with dots superimposed upon the image.

Rating: 57 (up from 56)

The Desert Fox: The Story of Rommel (1951)

Second viewing (First one: February 07, 1989)

Biography of one of Germany's World War II generals, who commanded the Afrikakorps, and later joined the conspiracy to kill Hitler.

An interesting film, about the dilemma of the military man's position. It has to be said, however, that Churchill's statement, shown in the end of the movie, that Rommel "came to hate Hitler and all his works", has no evidence in the film to support it. What the film does show is that Hitler was a disastrous military commander, and that is all there is to the conflict with Rommel, per this film. The use of Churchill's phrase is a romanticization, an attempt to go beyond the limits of the film itself.

Rating: 61 (unchanged)

A Man for All Seasons (1966)

A fictitious drama based on the predicament of Thomas More, in 16th-century England, who would not give his explicit support to King Henry VIII's establishment of the Church of England so that he could remarry.

This is a case which fits very neatly into T.S. Eliot's theory of objective correlative. In the essay "Hamlet and His Problems", Eliot charges Shakespeare's play "Hamlet" of lacking the so-called "objective correlative", meaning that his source material did not possess the right elements to convey the concepts he intended to. I do not exactly agree (and perhaps do not exactly understand) why that would apply to "Hamlet", but I think it does apply to A Man for All Seasons. The real Thomas More, a religious fanatic, is not adequate material for a play or movie purporting to discuss the supremacy of individual conscience. Even if you totally ignore that this is supposed to be a historical movie, it doesn't work, precisely because certain facts remain faithful to History. The result is a Frankenstein monster, albeit a surprisingly watchable Frankenstein monster. Its parts are infinitely better than its whole.

Rating: 63

Sunset Blvd. (1950)

Second viewing (First one: January 01, 1988).

A down-on-his-luck Hollywood writer is stranded by chance in a rundown mansion inhabited by a former star from the silent days. She invites him in, and from then on it is all downhill for him. Gosh, what is with all the "down" words?

I am considerably less dazzled by this movie after this viewing. Some of its effects seem a little facile (the staircase scene at the ending, to mention one). The whole structure still packs some power, yes, and some sequences are marvelous (the beginning, the whole studio sequence, etc.). Most of it seemed terribly predictable, but (1) I do not find this a flaw in itself, and (2) the fact that I saw it before may have something to do with it.

Rating: 73 (down from 97)

Machete (2010)

A Mexican-born day laborer is hired to kill a rightwing senator who is running for reelection.

A parody of low-grade thrillers of the 70s, even though I am not aware of any example which features Mexican Americans. The humor is based on graphic over-the-top violence, and also on a few surrealistic touches. The plot itself is a satire of both rabid rightwingers and nutty liberals. The point against liberals is perhaps less evident, but one needs only think of the absurd dimension of the fictitious pro-immigrant "network", devoted to ensure that every Mexican wishing to come to the U.S.A. is allowed to do so and have a good life there. So much energy would be better spent improving the quality of life in Mexico. Furthermore, if this was taken to its ultimate consequences, all Mexicans would cross the border, thus turning the U.S.A. into an exact reproduction of Mexico, with its same problems, and from which, logically, people would feel the need to emigrate all over again.

Rating: 51

Ladyhawke (1985)

Third viewing (First one: 1985 or 1986; Second one: August 10, 1993

The Middle Ages. A bishop falls in love with a young woman, but she rejects him for the captain of the castle guard. The bishop then throws a curse on the couple: he takes the form of a wolf by night; she takes the form of a hawk by day; thus, they can never meet as man and woman, except for a few seconds during twilight and dawn. A teenage thief escapes from the castle dungeons and meets the captain, who takes him under his wing.

A film both entertaining and good-looking. It is notoriously ruined by the pop score, but I am not taking this factor into consideration in my rating.

Rating: 69 (unchanged)

The Paradine Case (1947)

Second viewing (First one: January 26, 1989)

A woman is accused of murdering her husband, a blind man. The lawyer who will defend her falls in love with her, even though he is married, happily so to all appearances; he begins to think the dead man's valet played a part in the mysterious death in question.

The first time I saw this I did it on a dubbed and badly scraped copy. I now had a reasonable one at my disposal, but its length was 115 minutes, less than that of the original release, 132 minutes (or 125 in the PAL version). So, there were at least 10 minutes of film which were absent from my copy. Although I do not know to which part or parts of the film these absent bits belonged, I suspect that they must have to do with the process of falling in love that the defense lawyer goes through, because there is nearly nothing in the film I saw depicting that process. In any case, I retract from my previous hostile opinion towards the movie; there are enough qualities, both scriptwise and directionwise, in it to provide for a pleasurable viewing. It is clear to me that this is a film about the effects of a trial on those involved with it, either directly or indirectly, and it tackles this theme ably.

Rating: 60 (up from 30)

The Blues Brothers (1980)

Second viewing.

Two brothers, one of them just released from prison, try to reassemble a rhythm-and-blues band, and also pay a religious institution's income tax debt.

It is hard to say anything new about such an abundantly seen and commented film. That it somehow has an excessive fame, it's been said and it's correct. That the musical numbers are good, ditto. Other than that, there is a humor based on mayhem that is mildly funny.

Rating: 58 (unchanged)

What Planet Are You From? (2000)

An alien from an all-male planet comes to Earth with the mission of impregnating a woman.

Feeble comedy, repetitive and only at times mildly funny. Goodman is absolutely extraordinary as always, and the rest of the cast do what they can to make it all bearable.

Rating: 31

Play It Again, Sam (1972)

Second viewing.

Alan is left by his wife, and his friends Dick and Linda, who are married to each other, try to set him up on dates. Dick is a businessman who is always busy, and Linda, who, like Alan, suffers from anxiety, feels a little neglected.

This movie's humor, while showing his influences very clearly, has a certain dryness that is unique to it and to some other films by the same author. Grotesque is also an important feature. I am not sure I understood the more radical stylistic aspects of the movie when I first saw it. At any rate, for whatever reason I seem to have liked it in the right measure then.

Rating: 71 (unchanged)

Argo (2012)

In 1979, Iranians take the American embassy in Iran, holding several people hostage. Six of them escape from the building and take shelter in the Canadian ambassador's house. The CIA engineers a rescue plan which consists of faking a movie production which will use Iran as a shooting location.

Mediocre thriller. Most of the dramatic licenses it takes result in poor, 30s-serial-like dramatics, and are detectable by a moderately experienced viewer who knows nothing of the real events. Most of the additional dramatic filling suck even more, relying on the always reliable man-separated-from-wife-who-needs-to-connect-with-son thing, which not only is boring but adds nothing to the story. Anyway, parts of it are not so bad, and it is an eventful movie.

Rating: 35

Gumshoe (1971)

Second viewing.

There may be light SPOILERS below.

A nightclub host and comic decides to work as a private detective, and gets involved in a very complicated case. Foreign countries may be involved. His own brother seems to have a connection to it.

A moderately successful pastiche of films noirs (specifically of the private detective subgenre). The style and some plot elements introduce the subtheme of americanophilia, which may be read as a sign of the times, and the complete reversal of then-defunct anglophilia. The dialogue is agile, the plot is agile too (and well structured). The plot contains politically charged elements which were not common in the cinema of that period. The connection of these elements with the love of all things American is not something I can analyze in this terse review, supposing there is anything to be analyzed at all.

Rating: 51 (up from 37)