Tuesday, February 19, 2008
Ace in the Hole
While watching Ace in the Hole I both see the genius in the film making and understand why it did poorly with audiences in 1951. This is an amazingly cynical film. Outside of the Leo Minosa, who is stuck in the hole, and a couple of characters no one escapes Wilder’s wrath. Everyone is to blame: the opportunistic press, corrupt law, money hungry wife, and thrill seeking public. While he has certainly made a film that was well ahead of its time, and thus holds up well today, that makes it no less difficult to watch.
Wilder has made a film that is technically sound as any of his films. It is well written and well edited to drive a film that becomes painfully obvious that all will not end well. Kirk Douglas gives a career performance as Chuck Tatum, the man behind the strings. He is helped by a very strong supporting cast with standouts being Jan Sterling, Porter Hall, & Ray Teal as the victim’s wife, Albuquerque newspaper boss, and sheriff respectively.
Wilder certainly was able to see into the future. The term "media-circus" is now well known. With stories such as Princess Diana and Britney Spears the public has no problem believing that the press will perpetrate and become involved in the actual story. Many of the things shown in the film have happened many times. Recent media events have spawned both fly-by-night novelty songs and support businesses that pop up to deal with the huge crowds. Though I have to admit an actual carnival is a bit much.
But this film does have its faults. There is nothing subtle about this film. Wilder, much like Chuck Tatum in the film, paints himself into a corner and has a difficult time ending things. I’m also unsure what to make of Tatum’s change at the end. It’s hard to accept that he is now becoming human only to sacrifice himself to martyrdom.
A very good Wilder film but not a masterpiece like both Double Indemnity and Sunset Blvd.
Guardian 1,000: 665 seen, 334 remaining.
Wilder has made a film that is technically sound as any of his films. It is well written and well edited to drive a film that becomes painfully obvious that all will not end well. Kirk Douglas gives a career performance as Chuck Tatum, the man behind the strings. He is helped by a very strong supporting cast with standouts being Jan Sterling, Porter Hall, & Ray Teal as the victim’s wife, Albuquerque newspaper boss, and sheriff respectively.
Wilder certainly was able to see into the future. The term "media-circus" is now well known. With stories such as Princess Diana and Britney Spears the public has no problem believing that the press will perpetrate and become involved in the actual story. Many of the things shown in the film have happened many times. Recent media events have spawned both fly-by-night novelty songs and support businesses that pop up to deal with the huge crowds. Though I have to admit an actual carnival is a bit much.
But this film does have its faults. There is nothing subtle about this film. Wilder, much like Chuck Tatum in the film, paints himself into a corner and has a difficult time ending things. I’m also unsure what to make of Tatum’s change at the end. It’s hard to accept that he is now becoming human only to sacrifice himself to martyrdom.
A very good Wilder film but not a masterpiece like both Double Indemnity and Sunset Blvd.
Guardian 1,000: 665 seen, 334 remaining.
Labels: Criterion, FilmReview, Guardian1000
Thursday, February 07, 2008
Mamma Roma
With the possible exception of the United States no country has produced more film genres than the Italian film industry. It has given us neorealism, sword and sandals, spaghetti westerns, giallo, and the sentimental works of the late 1980s and early 1990s to name a few.
But the 1970s brought surreal, films loaded with symbolism and bizarre orgies of S&M laden sex. Fellini dabbled in the genre but it is more closely identified with Pier Paolo Pasolini with his films The Decameron, The Canterbury Tales and Salo (one of the most infamous film in history.) As odd as this work is, his early work is at the other end of the spectrum in beauty. The Gospel According to St. Matthew is one of the best works based on the Bible and Mamma Roma, the film I recently watched, is just as hypnotic.
The story of Mamma Roma is simple. A former prostitute (Anna Magnani) tries to leave her old life and raise her son to be respectable as she works in a fruit stand. Her son, fascinated by the local tramp and the local youths, is more drawn to the life of a petty thief. Magnani enlists the help of some of her former associates to get her son a decent job but in the end it doesn't matter.
This film is all Magnani. She gives a great performance even though both her and Pasolini don’t thing so, for different reasons, and fired barbs at each other in the press. The scenes with her have amazing energy but when the film concentrates on her son it loses some of this intensity. A couple of her most interesting scenes are also the most technically interesting. She walks down a dark street while former customers and workers approach to talk then fall back while another appears. These scenes are done in one take with one lasting over four minutes. The black and white photography is another high point especially in these scenes where the audience can see little outside of the speakers. The classical music, much of it by Vivaldi, further adds to the mood.
This film is rich in symbolism. Magnani’s character can be seen as a stand in for Italy as she is caring, coarse, religious, and suffers through it all. There are numerous religious and political allusions, most notably the ability to change you social status. Even the mother-son relationship has some oedipal overtones.
The film was labeled immoral upon its 1962 release. One reason was due to its vulgar language. But as Pasolini has explained that is how this social class, which as drifted away, lived.
Guardian 1,000: 663 seen, 336 remaining.
Hot Chick Born Today
Robin Lively, 36, she doesn't work too often now but she southern looks made her one of the most beautiful around in the 90s when she went from the television shows Doogie Howser, Chicago Hope, & Savannah.
But the 1970s brought surreal, films loaded with symbolism and bizarre orgies of S&M laden sex. Fellini dabbled in the genre but it is more closely identified with Pier Paolo Pasolini with his films The Decameron, The Canterbury Tales and Salo (one of the most infamous film in history.) As odd as this work is, his early work is at the other end of the spectrum in beauty. The Gospel According to St. Matthew is one of the best works based on the Bible and Mamma Roma, the film I recently watched, is just as hypnotic.
The story of Mamma Roma is simple. A former prostitute (Anna Magnani) tries to leave her old life and raise her son to be respectable as she works in a fruit stand. Her son, fascinated by the local tramp and the local youths, is more drawn to the life of a petty thief. Magnani enlists the help of some of her former associates to get her son a decent job but in the end it doesn't matter.
This film is all Magnani. She gives a great performance even though both her and Pasolini don’t thing so, for different reasons, and fired barbs at each other in the press. The scenes with her have amazing energy but when the film concentrates on her son it loses some of this intensity. A couple of her most interesting scenes are also the most technically interesting. She walks down a dark street while former customers and workers approach to talk then fall back while another appears. These scenes are done in one take with one lasting over four minutes. The black and white photography is another high point especially in these scenes where the audience can see little outside of the speakers. The classical music, much of it by Vivaldi, further adds to the mood.
This film is rich in symbolism. Magnani’s character can be seen as a stand in for Italy as she is caring, coarse, religious, and suffers through it all. There are numerous religious and political allusions, most notably the ability to change you social status. Even the mother-son relationship has some oedipal overtones.
The film was labeled immoral upon its 1962 release. One reason was due to its vulgar language. But as Pasolini has explained that is how this social class, which as drifted away, lived.
Guardian 1,000: 663 seen, 336 remaining.
Hot Chick Born Today
Robin Lively, 36, she doesn't work too often now but she southern looks made her one of the most beautiful around in the 90s when she went from the television shows Doogie Howser, Chicago Hope, & Savannah.
Labels: Criterion, FilmReview, Guardian1000
Tuesday, July 10, 2007
Criterion #302: Harakiri
While looking through Premier Video to find a movie to rent with Life on Mars, I decided on a foreign language film, specifically a Criterion DVD. So I randomly chose Harakiri.
Regarding Criterion DVDs, at one time I thought I would try and collect them all. This has proven impractical with the pace that they are producing videos. So instead I will settle on watching as many as I can with all of the extras. I’ve already seen quite a few but I can’t remember how much of the extras I’ve seen so I’ll reset the counter back to zero. Number 1 on the list was Criterion #250a The Killing of a Chinese Bookie that I watched last month.
So this would be Criterion #302: Harakiri.
I knew nothing about this film but it is an amazing piece of work. It is written by the man who wrote a number of Kurosawa films such as Rashoman and The Seven Samurai and directed by Masaki Kobayashi. This is my introduction to this director’s work but reading the essays with the DVD he is know for films that question the establishment.
This is what makes this such an intriguing film. It is a samurai film but it does not romanticize the period. Many of these warriors are not honorable and are downright hypocritical. It is told in a non-linear manner that adds enhances the tension. The photography is wonderful and some of the scenes are quite bloody given the time (1962). I’m sure Tarantino was influenced by some of this film with the fight sequence and the theme of revenge.
The supplements are all well worth exploring. Anything by Donald Richie is welcome but it’s not really an introduction since you would not want to watch it before viewing the film. The interviews with the director, actor, and screenwriter give candid talks about their philosophy of work and their role with the crew.
Regarding Criterion DVDs, at one time I thought I would try and collect them all. This has proven impractical with the pace that they are producing videos. So instead I will settle on watching as many as I can with all of the extras. I’ve already seen quite a few but I can’t remember how much of the extras I’ve seen so I’ll reset the counter back to zero. Number 1 on the list was Criterion #250a The Killing of a Chinese Bookie that I watched last month.
So this would be Criterion #302: Harakiri.
I knew nothing about this film but it is an amazing piece of work. It is written by the man who wrote a number of Kurosawa films such as Rashoman and The Seven Samurai and directed by Masaki Kobayashi. This is my introduction to this director’s work but reading the essays with the DVD he is know for films that question the establishment.
This is what makes this such an intriguing film. It is a samurai film but it does not romanticize the period. Many of these warriors are not honorable and are downright hypocritical. It is told in a non-linear manner that adds enhances the tension. The photography is wonderful and some of the scenes are quite bloody given the time (1962). I’m sure Tarantino was influenced by some of this film with the fight sequence and the theme of revenge.
The supplements are all well worth exploring. Anything by Donald Richie is welcome but it’s not really an introduction since you would not want to watch it before viewing the film. The interviews with the director, actor, and screenwriter give candid talks about their philosophy of work and their role with the crew.
Labels: Criterion, FilmReview
