#134 - Haxan

 

Yeah, it's been a few weeks in part because I wasn't looking forward to this one

I mean it wasn't the worst movie I've seen but some sort of quasi-educational documentary on witches and how they were probably people with hysteria isn't gonna be a popcorn clutching extravaganza.

I could imagine in the 1920's, the imagery, grotesqueness of the figures, and the experience of seeing the dark ages on the screen made it somewhat more entertaining than watching paint dry.

Having said that, it does try very hard to paint a sympathetic portrait of these women, many old, possibly with a disfigurement or something that made them stand out - many poor, and what they were forced to endure.

Might be interesting to watch with the commentary but another time I think

RB

# 133 - The Vanishing

 

This was an incredible psychological thriller from a Dutch director that probably would have been more powerful if I hadn't seen the 1993 American Remake and knew the entire plot and ending from the get go - suffice it to say I think this is a better film than the remake.

I guess the Dutch director, George Sluzier,  did the American one too and was TOLD he could make the American version the same way, but departures and broken promises and test audiences changed the ending of the American version.   In any case, this is worth your time if you like that scary stuff

RB

#132 - The Ruling Class

 

man..I am never gonna get those 2.5 hrs back

didn't like this movie - wasn't too impressed by it - sorta hate British Humor and especially cult classics from a British Point of view which generally aren't as entertaining when you aren't aware of what the film is trying to mock due to cultural differences.

I mean, just no freaking way I would watch this again

#131 - Closely Watched Trains

 

#131 is another gem of the Czech New Wave - It's an interesting coming of age story about the life of a young man, working for the Train Service, trying to get laid in Nazi Occupied Europe - I did not see that story line coming - LOL

I doubt I'll know or see any of these actors or directors in the near future but I guess this was Menzel's most popular film in the west.   He'll do some more, and be forced to denounce the excesses of the New Wave

Times like this I wish I was better able to describe the technical details of what is going on, the camera, the framing, and the staging - but it is what it is - I am an amateur, and it was a good film - not one I'd buy but good.

RB

#130 - The Shop on Main Street

This was a great film and the 1965 Academy Award winner for best foreign film.  It's a product of what we would call the Czech New Wave, and featured some masterful acting.

The year is 1942, and a small village is starting to deal with the effects of Aryanization and the Nazi Ruling party starting to remove the Jews from their conquered territories.  A small carpenter is given the chance to take over a Jewish Widow's shop, but her inability to understand his role ends up with him more or less becoming her assistant rather than her boss.  In the end he's more her protector, repairing her furniture, and looking out for her as events ramp up in the 2nd half of the film.   The first hour or so is almost comedic and humorous, but as the film winds along, he has to determine if he is going to help the innocent, or collaborate with the regime coming to deport the Jews for the Holocaust..   This film is done without any shock or trauma as you might expect, but it ends up being the kind of film where you quietly watch in horror knowing what is going to happen, but is never said or seen on camera.   A woman cries out for a son who's missing, and she tells the protagnist to let her boy know where she is so he can join her, and inside you're recoiling as you realize if he does show up, it's a death sentence.  You also see the transformation of people who know what is right and are willing to do it turn into people desperate to save their own skins.

Meanwhile you see it all occurring, literally, from the p.o.v. of the Shop on Main Street listed in the title - it ends up becoming where everything plays out or where we see everything playing out.

I'm always fascinated by movies that happen under these Communist Regimes, and in this case it does make it a pretty good anti-Nazi film.   It's comedic and tragic, and is part of a big batch of Czech New Wave films currently showing up on the Criterion Channel this month as part of their features.

This kind of film is why I do this - otherwise it would have escaped my radar but it's a masterpiece of a film.

#129 - Le Trou

So back to some fun stuff - this is a thrilling prison break film set in the La Sante Prison Paris. 

I guess we're lucky to have the Criterion Channel as this is out of print and even the website doesn't have any essays on it - sorta slipped thru the cracks but I enjoyed this more than most of the films in the first half of the 100's so far

So one of the things I didn't know was at the beginning, one of the characters looks up from a car he is fixing, addresses the camera and says this is his true story of a prison break - (the 2nd guy on this DVD cover) - so a couple things..

This is based on a book that was based on a true story of a convict escape from this prison..

and, get this, this guy IS THE CONVICT who helped plan that escape and served as a consultant and under a stage name basically agreed to act the part he played in the escape - he seemed familiar to me and I thought he was an actor, but he was the real deal - which may be the most incredible "appearing as himself" cameo I've ever heard of :)

So, of course, what we have here is a prison break film - 4 guys get a new fifth guy and so they're going thru the motions of getting out as well as figuring out if the new guy is good news or bad news.   One of the things that struck me in this film are the long monotonous prison sequences - there is a 4 minute prison sequence banging thru concrete, and there's a long 2-3 minute sequence of a guard unlocking a cell, letting someone exit, on to the next cell, etc.   I suppose here we're catching the monotony of prison life, but during the concrete breaking, you're also freaking out that they can make this much noise in a cell without being caught and can they get away with it and the suspense keeps you on edge

Obviously I'm not going to spoil the film but it was very suspenseful and entertaining to watch   Something else that struck me, and it's probably fictional, was the easy way the convicts and guards got along - it felt more like Hogan's Heroes than the prison environments we're familiar with today. 

This is the first time I've heard of Jacques Becker, the director but he was assistant director on The Grand Illusion - (all the way back to spine #1) and this was his last film, from what it appears.   Obviously being French, and a dramatic sort of heist, it reminded me a lot of Rififi, especially the scenes where the illicit acts are carrying out - but the tension runs pretty high, and it's a really good film

on we go

RB

#128 - My Metier

Managed to get a copy of this out of my library and judging by the quality of it, it has never been played before - LOL - pristine disk

This was a documentary with some of the actors from Carl's films - it takes a timeline view of his work and ends with the last two films we saw - if you were a massive fan I could see why you'd want to watch this - I've watched similar films with Satyajit Ray - (who man, we are years away from getting to in this catalog)

Anyhow....I started it a 2nd time cause I was multitasking the first time and thought it deserved the credit - even made a copy cause it's so freaking hard to find - it was just a nice feature and I got thru it - onward!

RB

#127 - Gertrud

I believe we have another play here adapted into a movie, Dreyer's last one.   This one was really a struggle to hold my interest - I won't lie - I might have bounced into TikTok a few times and had to rewind - I won't pretend to write a lot here - I'm honestly....just glad it's done

Lots of long dialog and extended 10 minute shots about a woman in a loveless marriage, drawn to a man who doesn't love her, and rejecting a 3rd man who has never gotten over her.   When she flees for new adventures at the end you expect the story to end but instead you skip ahead 30 years to an old spinster sitting along wondering whether she made the right choices or not

Anyways...gonna need nitrous or weed to watch this one again - sorry, Carl

RB

#126 - Ordet

Feeling better about my pace - just got about 20 new Samurai movies so I may be slowing down once I get to the documentary in a couple films just cause I can't get them until the libraries reopen.

Another film by Dreyer based upon another play - (Ordet translates to Word) - about a couple of pious families, one more so than the other, hashing out their difference when two of the kids want to wed.

I won't get too deep - (I never do) but what stood out here were some pretty long shots that Dreyer took - one sticks out to me of the crazy son who thinks he's Jesus and his niece discussing whether her mom would die and what he would do about it - it's just a long shot that the camera slowly works it's way around and it stuck out to me in a film of mostly longer shots - (some as long as 7 minutes)

I thought this tidbit from Wikipedia about how long he took to shoot - (4 months) and how he did a shot was very interesting...

Dreyer's shooting method was to shoot one individual shot per day. In the mornings Dreyer would rehearse with the actors while simultaneously blocking their movement, set up lights and block the camera movement. Then at the very end of the day Dreyer would film the single shot, usually shooting between 2 and 3 takes. Dreyer chose not to pre-plan any shots and every decision was made the day of the shoot.

These Danish films are a bit slow to get started and I've been multitasking too much when watching time - will try better next time.

RB

#125 - Day of Wrath

I probably didn't give this film my best 100% undivided attention - it was a bit slow in pacing and so I struggled cause it was on my PC and I split screened it - I had to go back a couple times.

But it's an interesting film in light of the Nazi Occupation of Denmark which was going on at the time.   It's a film about the oppression of society and authorities, and I guess it had an impact on the Dutch at the time.   There's probably a documentary out there about the cinema in occupied WWII countries, and I know there's on about 3rd Reich Cinema called Hitler's Hollywood.

it's interesting to see this in light of Le Corbeau, another occupation film coming up later (#227) - also a film about oppression, rumors, communial persecution, etc...and I'm wondering if all occupation cinema, the good stuff anyways, has these kind of themes

So basically, it's based on a play about an old pastor and his young wife who he apparently got to marry him under less than honorable circumstances.  As one might imagine, said wife's fancy turns to his young son when he comes home.

It's a little funny to see this in light of Joan of Arc, although he did some other stuff in between.   You have another situation at the beginning with a woman being hunted, religious inquisitors, and someone being burnt to death as a witch - (see that old lady on the cover - yep, she's crispy) - so he isn't going over entirely new ground here but it's a good film and it did feel very well shot

We'll see how the next two hold up.

RB

#124 - Carl Theodor Dreyer Box Set

So, we're still at a point where the box sets and the films in them have seperate numbers so I GUESS before I watch a film, the OCD in me needs an entry for #124 - let's see what we have found

we saw Carl's wonderful work in "The Passion of Joan of Arc" about 60 films back.   It appears he is Danish but was working French Cinema at the time.   Based on what I have read, we're getting his three Sound films (at the end of his career) that were in Danish, not including one before these where they mostly still used title cards.  We're also getting a documentary about his life, but it's not in the Criterion Channel.   It is in some of my local libraries and I can go curbside to pick it up - LOL - but I'll get thru these first and see if I want to drive to a library for curbside pickup - LOL

anyways, should be some good stuff coming up - it'll be a nice change from the contemporary settings of the last few films - at least a couple I believe are set in the 17th century

RB

#123 - Grey Gardens

Ok, so this one didn't hit me as hard as Salesman - in fact it took me a bit to get into it.

We have another documentary from the Maysles Brothers, and in this case they turn their attention to a mother/daughter duo living in squalor in a mansion in the Hamptons where Jackie O. once ran and played.

A lot to be said about what is essentially a window into their lives - it's a statement on mental illness, I feel - it was just an odd movie - no plot and no direction - just a window into their lives - I guess it's had an impact on fashion as the daughter Edie seemed to have her own unique style and a couple of the special features cover what Fashion designers thought of it and were inspired by but as for myself, I didn't get much out of it except a slightly distrubed feeling being in the lives of two people, one of whom clearly didn't mind the cameras and probably didn't feel exploited but I dunno...

So there's a followup with other footage from 2006 - it shows up in the 300's - I THOUGHT about watching it ahead of time but I think I'll just get to it when I get to it....not sure yet - I could also write the review and probably save it for 5 years but I think I'll give myself time to digest this and maybe come back in a couple years

RB

#122 - Salesman

Wow - now we're talking.   Got a couple more documentaries in the can from the Maysles Brothers and Charlotte Zwerin.   I never heard of this one but it hit me hard.   They did Gimme Shelter too, of course which we talked about and I think was our first documentary here we covered.

 I own Harlan County USA and to me it's one of the premier documentaries.   I love a good documentary even though we understand it may not be the best reflection of real life and in fact, may alter by the mere presence of the cameras what would otherwise happen, but for this one they got down to one camera, one mic, and the most unobtrusive presence possible for these guys.

We follow four Bible Salesmen in MA and FL as they're trying to sell these Bibles.   However, one man in particular, Paul is the focus of the story for the most part.   The story in some ways is the portrayal of a life of a man who's having a tough time in sales.   I guess in a bigger sense it's a story about materialism and the bible as a product, which is odd, cause you'd think God's world should be free, right?

This movie moved me to such an extent that I am rewatching it on the Criterion Channel with the commentary because it's such a fascinating glimpse into a world that isn't really here anymore.   Door to Door Salesmen don't exist anymore but the salesworld pushes on thru ads, targeted marketing, and so forth.

It was really something and a nice change from stuff that was dragging me down in the collection.

I really liked it.

#121 - Billy Liar

ah well, Billy might lie but I won't - getting a little fatigued from British comedies.

At least this one was a little different - apparently part of the British New Wave, Billy Liar takes us on a journey of a scheming young man's hyper-imagination.   He spends the movie trying to keep the multiple lies, fiancees, schemes, and balls juggling. 

I didn't recall John Schlesinger but when I looked up his name I recognized a few films.  Other than Julie Christie I didn't recognize any of the actors - it wasn't a bad film but my attention wandered and it was a struggle to get as my library source is currently closed and it's OOP and not on Criterion.

Nevertheless, we have a movie that is well, a movie - LOL - guess that's all I'll say about it

what bugs me is we have such good films coming up - Rashamon, Red Beard, Solaris, the diaries of Antoine Doniel, but I'm sorta stalling thru these - my plan is to carve out a movie a day hopefully the next few weeks as time allows telecommuting if possible - I'd like to start this sucker moving again

Anyways - there's mud in your eye #121

RB

#120 - How to Get Ahead in Advertising

Another Bruce Robinson and Richard Grant collabaration - (right after Withnail and I, I believe)

Kind of a weird satire/farce.   Didn't get into it very much - some good points but too preachy

Anyways not the worst move but not one of the better ones

RB

#119 - Withnail and I

#119 is a mega-British Cult Classic I was apparently unaware of till now - Withnail and I

I should have got to this sooner - it's on the Criterion Channel, even though the DVD is out of print with them, and we're under quarantine for crying out loud.

The plot reminds me of a lot of other movies - two buddies go on a bit of a drinking and drug binge in the country - it reminds me a LOT of Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas - (notice the Ralph Steadman artwork!)

I guess it's semi-autobiographical by Bruce Robinson, but I don't know the director.  Richard E. Grant does his best lying and drunk scoundral here - (and he's pulled that off a few times - LOL) - and Paul McGann, who to be honest, I know mostly as the 8th Doctor from Doctor Who. 

But the two characters and the way they interact with themselves and each other is pretty cool - one part Trainspotting, one part Fear and Loathing, one part On the Road, all in Camden Town in London - LOL.

the channel has a 30 min documentary with the actors, directors, and so forth - and I stumbed onto a website where they have showings for 100 people every year at the site of the old cottage.   Crazy cult following which is great - and it's part of the George Harrison production company Handmade Films, so you gotta love that.  Easy way to get a free Beatles song in the soundtrack - LOL

Not a bad film - wish I had gotten to it sooner - might enjoy another viewing someday

#118 - Sullivan's Travels

Another comedy by Preston Sturges - (prev. seen in The Lady Eve, #103)

it's a movie that actually tries to make light of the serious comedies that were coming out at the time - this is our first appearance of Veronica Lake, a femme fatale who made a nice number of films in the 40's and probably was a pin-up girl in a few GI's napsacks.  And it was an entertaining little tidbit but nothing to write home about

The Bluray has some special features but i won't be getting into them - glad this one is done - another 1940's romantic comedy from Hollywood that never held interest for me

#117 - Diary of a Chambermaid

#117 wasn't quite as salacious as I thought it would be - I think there's an expectation that "Diary of a xxxxxx" films are usually quite sexual in nature - there's some stuff in here that might be risque in the early 60's but not really in France I don't think

In fact it turned out to be a bit of a drama/thriller film - it was made in the 60's but set before WWII which is interesting because there is some anti-antisemitism and nationalism shown here that would have clearly been calling out the French before WWII and their ideals at the time it was made.    Something it reminds me of is the extreme Japanese Militarism that was called out in later 60's films like "The Human Condition" - it's a look back at an ugly time and not flinching or covering it up.   In fact, I read in a book one time that if you were to go to people in 1900, tell them a massive holocaust of Jewish people would take place and that it would be instigated by one country, you'd be far more likely to hear them say France instead of Germany would be predicted to be the instigator.

And this all comes at the hands of a Spanish Director - intriguing - I am sure special features might be a nice addition to this but it's out of print and the CC only had the film.

It's a decent film - Jeanne Moreau hasn't been on our radar yet but she will show up soon - I'm especially interested in seeing her in Elevator to the Gallows.   She has already worked in film for 15 years when this was made.   She will make a great femme-fatale character, I think and reminds me a bit of Barbara Stanwick but we'll see.

Anyhoo I won't get into the story too much but it did take a bit to ramp up and then in the 2nd act went in a direction I was not expecting but good for them.

RB

#116 - The Hidden Fortress

Kurosawa, Mifune, and spears - what else could one ask for!

We hit our 5th Kurosawa Film here with The Hidden Fortress - I don't know if it gets as much love as some of his other samurai cinema.  A friend and I were talking about it recently and it doesn't score very high on our lists but I hadn't seen it in years when I queued it up.

Of course, the one thing that is always said about this film is that it's told from the POV of two lowly peasants, and this inspired George Lucas to tell his story, Star Wars, from the POV of the droids.   Two peasants on a search for gold after a nasty conflict fall in with a General and a princess, which is sort of a coincidence with Star Wars, and they have to cross enemy territory with a precious cargo to safety.

I only caught a bit of the commentary but Stephen Prince said that after Seven Samurai, his next two movies didn't do so well, and so he wanted to do a more basic action story again.  It is his first in widescreen, and so he does this pretty well.  Mifune is great as usual, and it's a nice little story even if I'm not 100% sure about the ending - LOL

gonna go off the road a bit here. - this was the first Criterion film I have watched since my father passed about 10 days ago.  This has nothing to do with my viewing of this film other than a memory that sort of ties in.  In my Dad's house is my old 4:3 crappy tv with built in DVD player I bought almost 20 years ago - he still uses it and it works ok.   Has a couple lines on it and the DVD stopped working years ago -  It went to the Nephews probably 15 years ago when I got my widescreen, and made it up to Dad's after another TV crapped out.

I bought that TV for a band practice space where I could sit on a couch, watch movies, and get drunk and not be seen or judged by people who thought they knew my best interests - in retrospect they probably did but it didn't come from love but judgmental self-righteousness so I rejected it. 

Except for my Dad - I think he understood cause he went thru this that I would have to.  He would express a desire for me at some points to quit drinking and he checked in on me once or twice and got me started on weed, but he never came at me from self-righteousness but love.

Anyways, the first movies I watched on said TV in said practice space drinking Rumplemintz were the Kurosawa Samurai collection - Seven Samurai, Yojimbo, Sanjuro, and The Hidden Fortress.  I still have that original copy of The Hidden Fortress on DVD and never let it go although we have this one now in better quality.

Just a thought that came to mind today as I writing this....

Love you, Dad - see you again someday.

#115 - Rififi

Ayee....now we're back - excellent Film Noir from France and a blacklisted American Director.

Rififi is a heist film - probably an inspiration for a lot of heist films and maybe even a few heists.  This film, starring a mostly unknown cast, was offered to blacklisted director Jules Dassin who despite not liking the source material, ended up making a stellar film.

I had never heard of it but it's probably one of the best heist movies I've seen with a 30 minute sequence done almost entirely in silence without dialogue or music and the whole time you're going "whoa" and wondering how things are going to play out.

I can't talk much about the plot except to say that it supposedly inspired Oceans 11, and that would make total sense to me

Another great part of the story is the interview Dassin gives where he talks about how he was treated after the Blacklist, and how afterwards, in Europe, he was free from MGM, the Hollywood machine, and the men who could take his career away - he got a 2nd act in Europe, and that's pretty cool to me considering how bullshit the Blacklist years were.

Good film - worth a blu-ray watch

BTW, Rififi doesn't exactly translate but "pitched battle amongst the men" is sort of where it goes - and it inspired a number of other Rififi titled films based on the author's novels - cool little thing there

RB