Check out the Criterion Blues FB Page here:
https://www.facebook.com/CriterionBlues
"Even though I’m virtually a fan of all sorts of nationalities and genres, I gravitate towards French films, particularly the golden age of 1930s “Poetic Realism.” It is not a surprise that half of my selections are French."
THE HOME AND THE WORLD, 1984 Later Satyajit Ray films tend to be overshadowed by his more famous early works, notably THE APU TRILOGY, among others. THE HOME AND THE WORLD is in many ways a remake of CHARULATA. It shares many of the same post-colonial and self-government messages and themes, and the plot and characters from both films are similar. The major difference is that this later film is in visually striking color. Every shot is mesmerizing, and it measures up to the rest of his incredible body of work.
LIFE IS SWEET, 1990 In my opinion, Mike Leigh is at his best with easy-going, fun-loving and often quirky lower to middle class characters. This early film has a number of eventual stars like Jim Broadbent, Timothy Spall, and Stephen Rea. Spall gives the most hilarious performance of his career as a creepy friend of the family who decides to open the worst idea for a restaurant ever, in honor of the sparrow, Edith Piaf. Like the best of Leigh’s films, the film has a lot of laughs and a lot of heart. The most poignant scenes is toward the end between mother (Allison Steadman) and Nicola (Jane Horrocks) that at once conveys motherly love and exasperation. Broadbent’s Andy is the glue that holds them together, despite making his own poor decisions.
LA BELLE EQUIPE, 1936 It is an interesting title, as director Julien Duvivier would be lumped together as one of the “Big Five” of 1930s French directors. In THEY WERE FIVE, he exemplifies the rise and fall of the National Front through a group of five close friends who collectively win the lottery and decide to pool their winnings into a restaurant project. There are many obstacles that lie in their way, specifically of the feminine variety, and things do not go as planned. What’s interesting is that Duvivier shot two drastically different endings for this film, neither of which I’ll reveal, as they are both tremendous.
NIGHT MOVES, 1975, This Arthur Penn mystery could be considered a neo-noir or detective fiction. In my opinion, it is his best and most confounding work. It is about a detective hired to find the runaway daughter of a Hollywood actress. He is portrayed as an intelligent man and an impeccable chess player, who knows all too well that he must be aware of potential moves on the board at all times. Sometimes the best move is right in front of him. His journey takes him to the Florida Keys where he gets embroiled in a chess match between a motley cast of characters, including a young Melanie Griffith. The ending is among my favorites in the American New Wave.
TONI, 1935 Jean Renoir is the most celebrated fixture of the 1930s, and deservedly so, as he is responsible for two of the best works, GRAND ILLUSION and RULES OF THE GAME. He is not as remembered for being one of the precursors to Italian Neorealism, which he established with TONI. Like with the great works of De Sica and Visconti, the latter of whom worked as an Assistance Director on TONI. It was cast with mostly nonprofessional actor. Despite its later influence, the film stands on its own as merit as being up with the best of Renoir’s works. It portrays a love triangle in a small town with lower class citizens, and it speaks to the fleeting and tiresome nature of romantic relationships.
A SUMMER’S TALE, 1996 Rohmer is an expert at demonstrating romantic temptation and promiscuity through character-driven dialog. A SUMMER’S TALE, part of his Four Season’s series, is in the same vein as his Moral Tale films such as MY NIGHT WITH MAUD, CLAIRE’S KNEE and CHLOE IN THE AFTERNOON. Gaspard (played by a young Melvil Poupaud) has dalliances with three women, two of whom he meets at the beach town where he spends his summer vacation, and the other with a girlfriend who he is not sure exists for him any longer. The scenes between he and Margot (Amanda Langlet) are magical, as they go on walks as friends with the potential for romance bubbling below the surface. We wonder who Gaspard will end up with, if any, and the ending is typical Rohmer.
No comments:
Post a Comment