06.16.06
Posted in Movies, SIFF at 8:38 am by Ice Princess
The Last Communist
Malaysia
This novel approach to documentary filmmaking delightfully relates the tale of the exiled leader of Malaysia’s banned communist party, not through fact and fiction but through testimony and song, without benefit of footage of the central character, and in a way that most musicals would be proud of!
There is no way I could call this a good film. It’s poky and meandering; not only does the central character never appear, but most of what’s said in the film has nothing whatsoever to do with him. Instead, a good portion of it is people in various cities and professions simply talking about their jobs (I learned how charcoal is made and that there are two types of pomeloes–we Westerners apparently prefer the sour ones), though there is a chunk dealing with some of the members of the CMP (most of whom now live in exile in manufactured “refuges” made especially for them just across the Thai border). Interspersed with this are weirdly cheery musical numbers describing the history of communism, the dangers of malaria, which machine guns are best in the jungle, Malaysian industry, and identity cards. Not just a strange mash of elements, but not assembled well, and this screening bled audience members steadily (and it’s not like the crowd was large to begin with).
But I have to say that I mostly enjoyed it. I like hearing people tell stories and talk about their work when it’s done with enthusiasm, and there were enough bits of history in this that my curiousity was engaged and I want to go learn more about the topic. I don’t think I could recommend this to anyone, but I don’t feel that I wasted my time seeing it.
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06.15.06
Posted in Movies, SIFF at 10:04 am by Ice Princess
Madeinusa
Peru
For one devout Peruvian village, God dies on Good Friday and is born again on Easter; between those days there is no sin. During these strange Holy Days young Madeinusa (Magaly Solier) falls for a gringo stranger against her father’s wishes, in this stunningly photographed take on the classic American Western.
First of all, this has nothing to do with Westerns, not one frickin’ thing. It is instead a weird kind of sexual-religious fantasy tale; it could possibly be folded in under “magical realism,” but it’s a little out there even for that. There are some great elements here, but most of them are just glanced at and never truly explored or folded effectively into the larger whole of the story; and while I’m hard to shock, there were numerous moments that hit the “was that really necessary?” marker for me. I felt like the film wasted some potentially gripping concepts in search of sensationalism and quirkiness. The Andes and the valley in which the story is set are pretty, though, and the religious imagery was fascinating in its own way.
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06.13.06
Posted in Movies, SIFF at 10:55 am by Ice Princess
Delwende, leve-toi et marche (Get up and walk!)
Burkina Faso
A rash of deaths in a West African village leads to a beautiful young dancer being exiled to a mysterious community of witches. Based on true events and skillfully utilizing a supporting cast of non-actors, this is an intriguing look at the persistent power of superstition.
Well, now I’m certain the people who wrote the blurbs haven’t seen the films. Here’s what actually happens: the “young dancer” (the dancing happens only in the opening sequence) tells her mother that she’s been raped, but won’t say more. Her mother tries to get her father to deal with the issue, and the father refuses. However, he does abruptly decide that it would be best, due to all the mysterious deaths, if the daughter were to be married off and gotten out of the village, for her own “safety.” After she’s gone, the village elders (all men) decide that the deaths mean the village must have been cursed by a witch–and as it happens, the ritual used to make the identification (in which the father participates) identifies the girl’s mother as the witch, and she’s driven out; no other community will take her in due to the stigma. When the girl learns of this, she leaves her new husband and vows to find her mother and get to the truth, a task that has many pitfalls of superstition and sexism along the way. (The film’s subtitle refers to the fact that the girl walks, powerfully and purposefully and long distances, in her quest.)
I make efforts to catch every African film that shows up at SIFF, particularly ones from sub-Saharan countries. SIFF is, in part, a cultural enrichment program for me, and American knowledge of the countries and issues of Africa is so woefully inadequate that every bit of exposure I can get is helpful to me. This does raise a problem for me, though, which is that the films taken purely as works of art and skill are often below the standards I expect, and yet I feel hideously imperialist and snobbish by saying so. I did think at one point that this film could have been a much more dramatically effective effort in the hands of more skilled filmmakers. However, I’m not sure that it would necessarily have been a better film. Telling this story, which ends up with an huge wallop of criticism against the traditions of its culture, from within the culture is what makes it so strong, and that outweighs the level of skill involved. The girl is almost a force of nature in her determination to not succumb to the horrible hidebound traditions, and yet she always feels like a genuine person, not a symbol, and all the moments that condemn the way tradition treats the women of the country add up to strong emotion without being embroidered or tricked out. Sure, the pacing and the dialogue and the overall performance level could be more sophisticated. But they didn’t need to be for this film to register strongly with me.
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06.11.06
Posted in Movies, SIFF at 8:31 pm by Ice Princess
Shinobi: Heart of Blade
Japan
In hopes of ending centuries of feuding, two warring Samurai clans choose their top warriors—including two star-crossed lovers—to duke it out in a final, no-holds-barred battle. ROMEO AND JULIET goes blissfully chop-socky gonzo, featuring ninjas as far as the eye can see.
I don’t think the people writing the blurbs have actually seen the movies. This? This is X-Men in feudal Japan, and no I’m not really joking. Yeah, there’s a R+J vibe in there too, but it’s ultimately less of a presence than everybody’s freaky powers and all the fighting.
I actually enjoyed this quite a lot once I realized it wasn’t, as I’d expected (since all I’m reading is the blurbs), a serious swordfighting drama. The CGI is questionable and it’s sometimes silly, but I found some good solid entertainment in it. It’s very nice to look at (and not just the backgrounds; I much liked the pretty boy in black with the loooooooong sleeves); the fight sequences are fun, and the freaky powers are an interesting assortment that make for lots of entertainment. It moves briskly and is just the right length. A great way to spend some time on a Sunday afternoon.
Seven Swords
Hong Kong
From HK action king Tsui Hark (PEKING OPERA BLUES), this lush period piece sees a village beset by a cruel military official. Realizing they’ll need help if their community is to survive, two young men set off in search of Master Shadow-Glow atop the mystical Mount Heaven.
What happened to the Tsui Hark who made Peking Opera Blues and Time and Tide? The one who made the dreary, colorless The Blade is the same one who made this film, and I fear that’s the Tsui Hark we’re now stuck with it.
This isn’t a bad film, necessarily. But there are way too many plot threads, almost no humor and a rather grim, overly-somber tone, as well as a surfeit of artsy camerawork and lighting that serves mainly to obscure the fight sequences. Its pleasures come almost entirely from the cast; there is almost no circumstance where the presence of Donnie Yen or Lau Kar-Leung (who I didn’t even know was still alive!) doesn’t bring some enjoyment to a film, and the rest of the cast was nice to watch as well. I also liked the costuming (particularly the “ghost army” in their grim, spiky black armor and white-and-black makeup–who’d have expected an army of goths in ancient China?) and the locations. As for the fighting, well, it was good when it wasn’t heavily shadowed and quick-cut. The film is also quite a bit longer than it needs to be (something that might not have registered so strongly if I hadn’t seen it right after the economical Shinobi). I certainly don’t regret having seen this. However, a good wuxia film should leave me exhilarated and kinetic. This mostly left me drained and wishing it had been more exhilarating.
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06.08.06
Posted in Movies, SIFF at 10:48 am by Ice Princess
Black Orpheus
Brazil, 1959
Unmissable. New print of the colorful Brazilian classic that updates the Orpheus-Eurydice myth to Rio with the carnival in full bloom. The score by Antonio Carlos Jobim and Luis Bonfa sent the bossa nova beat around the world. Winner of the 1959 Palme d’or in Cannes.
Initially, this was something of a “spinach” movie for me. The term comes from Salon‘s art-film columnist, and it means a movie that you know you ought to see, for various reasons, but enjoyment isn’t necessarily one of those reasons. The “spinach” aspect of this one was that it’s one of those things a well-rounded cinephile should have in his or her viewing repertoire due to its reputation, and because I was feeling kind of tired and cranky and not certain I wanted to make the effort of going to the theater (especially since I know I could drop by Scarecrow Video any time and rent it). But then again, I like spinach.
And I liked this, and I could not possibly have gotten the same effect if my first viewing had been on a little TV screen. The reputation is completely deserved. It is gorgeous (sometimes almost absurdly so, in the literally baroque costumes of the dance groups at the Carnival parade), passionate, emotional, full of vitality and energy–in the world of this film, dancing is the essence of life–and it makes the myth work beautifully in a totally contemporary setting. Even as I reveled in the beauty and emotion of it, my inner scholar was checking off the plot points of the myth, and nearly all of them were handled well and creatively, fitting into the contemporary setting without sacrificing the fundamental mythos. A movie that satisfies both emotion and intellect for me is a rare thing. I’m so glad I went for the spinach this time.
Blood Rain
South Korea
In this imaginative, period detective thriller, a series of gruesome murders takes place on medieval Dongwha Island, apparently fulfilling a shamanist prophecy. Lavish costumes and vivid production design grace this riveting story of what later centuries will call forensics.
So I like costumed things, and I like mysteries. This ought to have been a home run. And aside from the gratuitously gruesome violence (a constant in South Korean filmmmaking, I’ve found), I liked the first hour and a half of this. I appreciated the attempts to create some kind of forensic science in a feudal setting. I found the lead character very appealing. I did figure out who the murderer was well before it was revealed, but I didn’t get the reasons quite right, so props there. And yes, the costumes were great–I especially liked the ceremonial outfits that appeared to be made of paper (a paper mill figures prominently in the story). And it caused me to ponder the thought that traditional Korean dress seems to be built largely on circles, as opposed to the angular lines of Japanese costume. However, in the last half hour everything just started going completely over the top, with overwrought emotion and bizarre motivations; and the last ten minutes completely blew the philosophical underpinnings of the story out of the water, and for no good reason but spectacle and cheap emotion. Instead of enjoying the modest success of a decent mystery, I left the theater irked and disappointed at how it let itself down.
VishwaThulasi
India
A beautiful dance instructor returns to her childhood village and renews ties with her first sweetheart. Unfortunately for the couple a once-thwarted, insanely jealous suitor still lurks there. Almost indecently gorgeous to behold, poet Sumathy Ram’s knowingly old-fashioned directorial debut is bolstered by ultra-lush songs, costuming and scenery.
Very pretty, definitely. I greatly enjoyed the scenery and the dancing. Modest in ambition and execution and it was enjoyable to see a love story that didn’t revolve around dewy young’uns (not that the leads aren’t pretty enough, they’re just not spring chickens). A bit meandering. Dumb (though not really unexpected, since I know the conventions of the genre) ending. Aside from enjoying the visual aspects, I kind of wish I hadn’t gone to it.
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06.06.06
Posted in Movies, SIFF at 12:22 pm by Ice Princess
Joni’s Promise
Indonesia
A cocky film canister delivery boy makes a bet with a beautiful woman that he can assemble the perfect viewing experience for her one reel at a time, even as his clock-racing quest to make it back to the theater hits a series of hilarious snags.
The blurb isn’t terribly accurate. The setup is that there’s only one print of a film to share between two theaters, so he goes back and forth between theaters delivering the reels, trying to make sure that the next reel gets there before the previous one runs out. The pretty girl tells him that she’ll give him her name if he can make sure all the reels for the screening she’s at are there on time. Of course, chaos and absurdity ensue.
This is a really cute little movie, with very appealing characters, tangy dialogue, situations just silly enough to be funny without being completely unbelievable, and the right amount of sincere sweetness. Lots of movie-going jokes–the “10 Types of Audience Members” bit, featuring such specimens as the cell-phone user, the dimbulb who needs the whole film explained to her, and the snob who will only go on opening day, brought much knowing laughter. (The number of references to Hollywood films kind of bothered me, though; I hate being reminded of how much we’re taking over the world.) There were more passholders than ticket-buyers at this screening, which didn’t surprise me in the least–we’re a ridiculously self-referential bunch.
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06.04.06
Posted in Movies, SIFF at 1:51 pm by Ice Princess
The Nightly Song of the Travellers
Iran/France/Turkey
An aging Turkish tailor, just released from an Iranian jail, sets off with a 12-year-old companion in search of his Anatolian home only to find the village has vanished without a trace. The quest gives an evocative glimpse of an age-old world filled with traditions, faith and history.
Sometimes you just have to take a movie on its own terms. Symbolic, opaque, and existentialist, this would likely drive most people crazy in short order. (And judging by the silly questions and irritated accusations thrown at the director after the screening, it apparently did.) I decided to just accept it for what it was–which is a largely plotless ramble through the landscape of eastern Turkey, near its borders with Armenia, Iraq, and Iran–and enjoy the scenery and draw my own conclusions. It’s nice to look at and calming and an interesting experiment in viewer interpretation. (It was also a pleasant little game to see how many Turkish words I remember. Not very many, it turns out.)
The Five Venoms
Hong Kong, 1978
An eager martial arts apprentice must fulfill his dying master’s final wish and track down his five most lethal students, each armed with a separate, animal-inspired fighting method. Kicking ensues. Responsible for defining a genre, director Chang’s 1978 classic is a lush, colorful chop-sockie masterwork. Toad Style!
All hail the Shaw Brothers. I’m still viewing and learning about the older Hong Kong martial-arts films, and it’s really interesting to see how dramatic a shift in production values there was in the mid to late 1980s. This one is very definitely a marker on the way to the lusher, better-produced films I fell in love with, but it also has the cheap, silly aspects that everyone associates with “classic” kung fu films: fakey sets, cheap and inauthentic costuming and makeup, grotesque overacting. None of that takes away from the fundamental pleasure of it, however, and the kung fu–while a little slower than would become true later–is definitely worthy of awe. And how nice to see Phillip Kwok (who I know best as “Mad Dog” in Hard Boiled, where he is awesome) in a starring role. I had a lot of fun at this, and so did The Husband, who fell into my evil trap in agreeing to see this and is now going to be subjected to a barrage of my favorite more recent martial arts and wuxia movies.
The Prince Contemplating His Soul
Tunisia
A tapestry of brilliant imagery and Sufi music unfolds as a blind old sage and his spirited granddaughter wind their way to a rumored gathering of dervishes. Are the travelers they meet along the way real or just manifestations of ancient legends and fables?
This is a really beautiful film, both visually and in story and emotion. The relationship between the old man and his granddaughter feels very true, and each tale folded into their journey has its own special feeling. It also uses music and images together wonderfully; a great deal of the emotion I took away from it came from that aspect.
Unfortunately, I don’t know how any of the stories in the film end. The print of the film was detained by Customs, so the distributor sent SIFF a DVD of it; sadly, the DVD is damaged, and started stuttering and freezing a little over halfway through. The staff stopped it and tried to get it fixed three times, and nothing worked, so they just ended the screening.
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06.03.06
Posted in Movies, SIFF at 11:15 am by Ice Princess
Lunacy
Czech Republic
A joyously pessimistic masterpiece from Jan Svankmajer, the master of Czech surrealism, Lunacy introduces us to a man whose horrifying dreams make his nights unbearable. An offer of assistance from a sadistic nobleman leads the man into an asylum where the doctors are even more dangerous than the patients.
Masterpiece? No. So, so, so disappointed in this. I knew I would be disappointed from the introductory prologue, which very carefully explained the entire film to us–influences, intent, and ideals. I am generally of the opinion that any film the director feels the need to explain to us is not thought to be strong enough to stand on its own and is therefore a failure before it starts. Plus, as soon as the words “Marquis de Sade” were mentioned as a source, I knew exactly where it was going, and I just find de Sade tired, numbing, and childish (yes, for all the perversion, childish in attitude and emotion).
This hardly even feels like a Svankmajer work (aside from his trademark unflattering held-too-long closeups and stop-motion animation with meat products, which didn’t really fit into the story on even an allegorical level this time). There’s very little humor and no originality; every plot twist was telegraphed. It’s not even particularly outrageous, at least to my jaundiced Western-secular sensibilities. There is definitely cynicism and a sense of defeated outrage, and I wonder if Svankmajer has had some kind of crisis of faith. Perhaps that’s the ultimate statement of the film, that there is so much disappointment that there’s no point in trying. Either way, it makes for a sad experience.
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06.01.06
Posted in Movies, SIFF at 7:54 pm by Ice Princess
The Porcelain Doll
Hungary
Based on three fairytales by the Hungarian fabulist Ervin Lázár, the earthy, lovable farmers of PORCELAIN DOLL live by their own laws, at least until they come up against the laws of the surrounding world. Resurrections, magical villages, music and bureaucratic bogs ensue.
Magical realism in Hungary. Very pretty, but I didn’t really understand what was going on a lot of the time. There wasn’t much in the way of context for why some (real-world, not magical) things happened, especially in the last episode; while I suspect this works well on the page (and I’d like to read the stories), it doesn’t seem to go over as well on screen. Then again, maybe I was just tired. Not a bad movie, but I didn’t enjoy it as much as I was hoping to.
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Posted in Movies, SIFF at 12:44 pm by Ice Princess
Carmen in Khayelitsha
South Africa
I’m not going to waste time copying and pasting the blurb because I can explain it myself: This is Carmen–as in, the opera by Bizet–set in a modern-day South African township, and performed in Xhosa. If that sounds gimmicky, well, so did Baz Luhrmann’s Romeo and Juliet. Sometimes a gimmick is what a story needs to be seen anew.
(Stop reading here if you don’t want the plot of Carmen spoiled for you.)
The bad points first: They have nearly removed Escamillo (called here Lullamile, and a famous singer rather than a toreador) from the story; there’s only one brief flirtatious moment with Carmen, and the attempt to fit in his killing of a bull is awkward. The film would have been stronger, if less faithful to the source, if they’d removed him entirely rather than having him as an almost incidental presence.
The film’s Don Jose (called here Jongi, a policeman rather than a solider though the distinction doesn’t mean much in practical terms) has a pretty tenor, but is not a good actor. His passion and obsession with Carmen are hardly noticeable as his expression rarely varies, and it weakens the story. Also, the incident with the captain that convinces him to join the smugglers is handled badly, almost as a sidenote, and doesn’t carry the wallop that it should.
I really love that they included South African music and dance in the film, but it doesn’t always mesh as well with the operatic aspect as it could. Also, the pacing is weird and not as efficient as it could be; The Husband commented that they took too long to tell what story they used, and I was surprised when we left the theater to discover that it had only been about two hours, since it had felt much longer than that.
So, bad points aside…with Escamillo and the jealousy he introduces largely out of the picture, what we get instead is a story of abuse and control, and it works well. Carmen doesn’t realize what she’s bought herself until Jongi has become hers, and his actions towards her are clearly those of a controlling, violent, abusive man. Her death isn’t the just dessert of a manipulative strumpet, but the result of an abuser who can’t stand losing control over his “property.”
This is also a story that matches well with the hopelessness of township poverty–in Lullamile’s story we get a flashback to apartheid that sets the scene for why those in the townships have so little way out. Crime, abuse, and violence are part of the landscape here, and it’s no wonder tragedy results.
This story of course rests on the shoulders of whoever plays Carmen, and whooooooooooooa nellie, Pauline Malefane is stunning. She has a rich, powerful voice, and her physical presence is awesome–this Carmen doesn’t flamenco, she shimmies, slinks, and stomps, and when she does you understand exactly what men see in her. Her “Habanera” is a wonder, sung with a sneer that anyone ought to be able to see, except that the men are so enthralled by her sheer force of personality that they never register her contempt for them. She’s less a frivolous sexual gameplayer than a woman who takes men only when she needs something, which makes the way she falls to Jongi more poignant.
From a purely cinematic standpoint, I found this middling. From a performance standpoint, though, a terrific experience.
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05.31.06
Posted in Movies, SIFF at 9:04 am by Ice Princess
Huldufolk 102
Iceland/USA
Beyond the quiet cities and towns of Iceland lies an invisible nation of mystical “hidden folk” who reveal themselves only to those who can “see beyond their stomachs.” Icelandic historians, writers, politicians, sorcerers, farmers and public road workers talk about the effect that the “invisibles” have on their culture.
Translation of the above blurb: A lot of people in Iceland believe in elves, or are at least unwilling to dismiss the possibility that they share their country with elves. This is not a particularly good film, I could have done with far less shaky hand-held footage of interviews and more solid scholarly background. However, from a folkloric and sociological standpoint, it’s fascinating and I really enjoyed that aspect (particularly when a professor of folklore compared the Icelandic viewpoint to that of the Irish–it had already occured to me that there seemed to be similarities in the Icelandic and Celtic depictions of and attitudes toward “hidden folk”); and of course, Iceland is heart-stoppingly beautiful and I never, never get tired of looking at footage of it.
I would like to note that I came up with a theory years ago, long before I ever heard about this aspect of Iceland, that Bjork is really an elf, and this film has only strengthened that theory for me. Also, I’ve had her “Human Behavior” stuck in my head for the past day as ironic commentary on the whole thing.
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05.29.06
Posted in Movies, SIFF at 4:36 pm by Ice Princess
The Method
Spain
Donald Trump could learn from the Grönholm method, created to separate the weak from the strong in the corporate world. In THE METHOD, several highly competitive candidates are up for a single high-level position at a multinational corporation. How far are they willing to go?
Essentially, this is just an ongoing series of mind games to show up how ruthless people can be in pursuit of something they want, put into a not-entirely-comfortable framework of criticizing the very nature of corporations. This ended up being neither as dark nor as funny as I was hoping, though it has a few wonderful sharp moments. Also, I am not the sort of person who should see movies that have me questioning every moment of them, because I’m far too prone to examining every conceivable side of an issue anyway; wondering if what we’re seeing is what’s really going on ends up distracting from what is going on. A nice ensemble cast, though, and the moments that are funny are worth it.
Princess Raccoon (Operetta Tanuki Goten)
Japan
This stylish visual phantasmagoria—with a flair for the ridiculous—follows a banished prince who falls in love with a mystical princess (Zhang Ziyi). A musical unlike anything you’ve seen before from cult auteur Seijun Suzuki (BRANDED TO KILL), who is stronger and stranger than ever at 82.
I…I have no idea, really, how to write about this. I know how I feel about it, which doesn’t mean I know how to put it into words. I can say that I spent much of this film with my mouth literally hanging open in wonder; the last time I did that at a film was Happiness of the Katakuris, which should tell those of you I inflicted that film on something about this one, as there are certainly similarities in tone and ambition. It also reminds me somewhat of “Beat” Takeshi’s Zatoichi, in the way it uses incongruous music and elements to communicate the emotion of the story.
That word “Operetta” in the Japanese title is a clue about what it is, but that’s not anywhere near the whole of it. It’s a fairy tale, and a fantasy, and a musical that spans everything from ska to ’60s Japanese ballads, and a parable, and traditional Japanese theater (I’m not educated enough about the forms to say what kind). It is completely stylized, all the sets blatantly and obviously false; we’re not meant to believe for a second that any of what we’re seeing is realistic. It is sumptuous, gorgeous costumes and lighting and backgrounds. It is deeply weird, and I suspect it would be even if I had the cultural background to grasp all the references. And it made me feel glorious, brilliant and happy and breath-taken and teary-eyed and fired with the wonder of what film can achieve. Is this a “good” movie? Hell if I know, and I bet a whole lot of people will hate it. For me, though, “good” isn’t the point; all I know is that my world broke open and let this thing in, changing everything for a couple of hours.
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05.28.06
Posted in Movies, SIFF at 8:06 pm by Ice Princess
Early in the Morning (un Matin bonne heure)
Guinea
A raw and critical story rooted in the economic exploitation of Africa, Early in the Morning follows Yaguine and Fodé, schoolboys who try in vain to find work to help their poor families. Lured by the symbols of Western affluence and power that surround them, the two stow away on a flight to Europe.
Imagine being 14 and living in a place so dead-end you can think of nothing but how to get out. Now imagine that the place is the entire country, and by some measures the entire continent. That’s the core idea in this film. There are no fancy cinematic tricks at work, no sophisticated storytelling, just a straightforward look at the despair of two teenage boys trying to find an escape. Their desires aren’t even particularly grandiose; Yaguine wants to give his older sister a chance to leave the country without having to worry about his future, while Fode hopes to get his young twin brothers into school, which costs money. The steps they ultimately take are grandiose, and reflective of how desperate they feel. This doesn’t hit you over the head. It just shows us how little these kids have in comparison to our own existence, and how the despair of that feeds on itself. I make a point of seeing films from Africa–particularly sub-Saharan nations–when I can, because I need to be reminded of things like this. This one also happens to be a fairly good film, which in this case is a bonus.
Au Bonheur des dames
France, 1930
Denise moves to Paris where her uncle’s struggling store is threatened by the glamorous “Au Bonheur des dames” department store across the street. Ironically, this is the only place she is able to find work. Based on the novel by Emile Zola, this is a fascinating glimpse of a past economic era. A rare archival print from the Cinémathèque Française, Paris.
The information I heard beforehand on this one called it “experimental,” “avant-garde,” “film noir”–it really doesn’t warrant any of those labels. Rather, it’s a good solid drama (some might say melodrama) with a dollop of social criticism that goes completely off the rails at the end. (I have to be reminded sometimes that pointless happy endings are not a modern phenomenon.) Before the ending, though, it’s most enjoyable, nicely weaving together several storylines that revolve around the store–the store is almost a character in itself. The cinematography is lovely and sometimes breathtaking, using montage techniques that were more common at the time in Soviet cinema and some innovative wide and overhead shots. The print is gorgeous, an amazing restoration job; there are only a few places where any deterioration is even noticeable. And of course I enjoyed staring at all the period clothing. (I did find myself rather distracted by how much star Dita Parlo looked like Janet Gaynor, though.) As with yesterday’s presentation, there was a live performance of the score, which greatly added to the experience. On the whole, I found this a better film and a more enjoyable screening than The Scarlet Letter.
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05.27.06
Posted in Movies, SIFF at 7:47 pm by Ice Princess
Wah-Wah
South Africa/UK
Richard E. Grant (WITHNAIL AND I) steps behind the camera for the first time for this semi-autobiographical dramedy about English colonial life in Swaziland. Teenage Ralph’s resentment towards his family brews during two years of boarding school, only to come to a head on his return when he meets his new American stepmother.
My Richard E. Grant fangirlness approaches the level of my Stephen Fry fangirlness, for the same reasons: he’s smart, witty, talented, a great writer, and has an excellent sense of perspective about his place in the world. He also has an utterly unexpected and fascinating background, which is that he grew up in colonial Swaziland. Combine all that, and this movie (which he wrote in addition to directing) was a no-brainer for me. Happily, I really enjoyed it, though I’m sure that’s in part my bias showing. Grant’s writing definitely holds up here, communicating wit, warmth, absurdity, and pathos at the right times, and providing characters who never come off as caricatures. He neatly nails the ludicrous classism and hypocrisy of British colonial bureaucrats. He’s not quite as assured as a director; some scenes wander off uncertainly, or seem to be jammed into the story without any real context, and his attempt to match the blossoming of his (or, rather, Ralph’s) love of performing doesn’t fit as comfortably with the family story as it should.
This movie is stuffed with reliable British performers giving the kind of reliable performances they’re all known for (even Gabriel Byrne, who I normally find near insufferable). Emily Watson is the real standout; you expect to hate her, as Ralph expects to, and yet she undercuts that almost immediately with the warmth and openness of her character (leaving aside the wildly wandering American accent). Julie Walters manages her usual trick of being funny, warm, and heartbreaking all at once but without it feeling stale, and Miranda Richardson once again pulls off the ice-cold bitch who is well-meaning and vulnerable underneath (though I’d really like to see her in some other role for a change–the woman’s damned funny, could she have a comedy again please?). And the kids who play Ralph (at different ages) both manage to seem like real, hurt, confused boys without feeling like they’re acting.
This movie definitely has potential for being cloying and precious to a sensibility less biased by the source. But I found it genuinely touching and enjoyable.
The Proposition
Australia
In this brutal and uncompromising Australian western written by Nick Cave, Irish outlaws Charlie and Mikey Burns are captured by newly appointed lawman Captain Stanley, who then offers Charlie a simple proposition: find and kill his older brother Arthur within ten days or Mikey will be executed.
Okay, so apparently day 1 was “fangirl day.” Yeah, I saw this in part due to the Nick Cave screenplay (and for other fannish types, note that he and Warren Ellis did the music for it). But really, I can’t imagine anything more perfectly suited to Nick Cave’s artistic sensibilities than a dark dubious-morality-drenched Western, and oh does he deliver. This is the kind of film that makes one despair for humanity–and yet it is so satisfyingly told, so perfectly limns the complexities and contradictions of morality, that it’s worth it even with the despair it induces. It should be noted that this is visually and emotionally brutal–the filth isn’t spared, nor is the violence, and it can be very difficult to watch at times. However, it isn’t gratuitous; it’s all in service of setting the context for the times and the actions of the characters. I did feel that the story went further than it needed to; there are certain expectations in a story like this that I always hope the makers will resist. Cave and director John Hillcoat didn’t resist, and that disappointed me a little. But those things weren’t out of character with the story at all; this is a disagreement of preference, not of artistic soundness.
And once again, here we are with a sterling cast giving reliably wonderful performances. Ray Winstone takes the prize; he’s known for playing louts, but there are wonderful shadings to this performance that go well beyond loutishness. Emily Watson shows up again, in a very different sort of performance, and the way her shifts of emotion and ethics play over her face is a treat to watch. The outlaws are not as strong as they should be as characters though they all have worth, and John Hurt chews on the scenery rather embarassingly (if entertainingly). And for yet another fannish note, David Wenham’s here, in a performance utterly different from the one he’s best known for.
This isn’t a movie for everyone. If ever there was a gothic Western, though, this is it, and I don’t mean in the trappings–I mean in the exploration of the contradictions and darkness of human behavior. (For the edification of Seattle folk, it’s opening at the Varsity on June 9.)
The Scarlet Letter
USA, 1926
In a luminous new print of Victor Sjöström’s silent adaptation of the Nathaniel Hawthorne novel, Lilian Gish stars as the tragic seamstress Hester Prynne, punished for playing on the Sabbath and seeking refuge in an ill-advised relationship with the kindly minister Arthur Dimmesdale (played by Swedish heartthrob Lars Hanson).
I love how they attempt to not give away the “hook” in the blurb above, even though every kid who took an English class in an American high school likely knows the story. At any rate, this manages to communicate the story in tune with the chasteness of the times in which it was made, which is occasionally a little annoying to a current sensibility but well done in context; the only thing I felt wasn’t well-handled was the fundamental weakness of character of Dimmesdale. There’s some surprisingly biting humor scattered through it. It is very definitely gorgeous to look at, playing with light and shadow without overdoing it and filling the screen with colonial buildings and Puritan costumes.
Lars Hanson, though very pretty, was a terrible actor even considering the different standards of the times, while this movie is virtually a laboratory for Lillian Gish’s patented expressions of woundedness, despair, and coquettishness; I wouldn’t consider this one of her best as she seems to be painting by numbers in a lot of places. (Her other film with this director, The Wind, makes far better use of her capacity to be beautiful, helplessly despairing, and yet tough.)
The live performance of the score was very good. Silent films should definitely always be viewed with music; live music is even better. I did feel that the score was occasionally a beat or so behind what was happening onscreen, but everything supported and punctuated the action nicely, a great enhancement to the screening. (Before the film started, we were treated to a little exercise with the composer where the audience would supply him with some combination of a film genre, a historical setting, and a director, and he’d come up with an appropriate snippet of music to go with this hypothetical film. The Tod Browning 19th century slapstick one was particularly delightful, turning the Minute Waltz into minor-key carnival music. The man clearly has a talent for this field.)
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