Sight and Sound (2002) Greatest Films Club - Page 113

Michael Elliott · 03-24-2007, 09:09 AM

t-124 Earth (1930)

Aleksandr Dovzhenko's masterpiece of visual style has a storyline but I'll be damned if I know what it is so I'll save you the time of me trying to write what it's about. What the film does have is countless images that are sometimes funny, sometimes sad, sometimes mean and sometimes heartbreaking. The images displayed in this film are some of the most incredibly that I've ever seen and for that reason alone this is a film any buff should check out. I'm not sure if the film didn't have a story or if I didn't pick up on what but that's the main reason I can't give this a four star rating. Back to the visual images, the 72-minute running time flew by and my eyes were constantly watching everything that was going on even in its surreal nature. I think my favorite moment of the film was after the opening death scene. The music score and images we're seeing make a sudden jump and change in nature as we see the anguish of several people. These images here were very haunting and stayed in my mind for quite a while. The scene with the tombstones is also wonderfully done as is the ending with the rain and fruit.

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Adam_S · 03-24-2007, 02:40 PM

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and the obviously-NOT-pregnant Louise Platt magically giving birth kind of irritated me too.

I believe in that instance the MPPDA script vetting committee only approved Stagecoach and other films that had a pregnant character (Thin Man series) so long as the actress did not appear pregnant, and naturally the childbirth scene could only be addressed obliquely and distantly, not actually portrayed.

though I could be misremembering.

I've been meaning to revisit stagecoach for a while now, I remember thinking that it was a huge influence on Kurasawa (and also Citizen Kane of course) but I'd like to watch it again in the light of the other Ford films I've seen since.

Stagecoach was actually the first film I posted on back on the first page of this thread.

Martin Teller · 03-24-2007, 03:06 PM

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Originally Posted by Adam_S

I believe in that instance the MPPDA script vetting committee only approved Stagecoach and other films that had a pregnant character (Thin Man series) so long as the actress did not appear pregnant

Huh... you learn something new every day. That's a really bizarre rule.

Adam_S · 03-24-2007, 04:38 PM

I think it's a holdover from Victorian morality, I believe that they even viewed the term pregnancy as somewhat vulgar, hence 'with child' 'expectant' and other cultural euphemisms (when was the last time you heard the word pregnant applied to the Virgin Mary, for instance?), certainly posh victorian ladies disapproved of being in the state of pregnancy, a very unsociable nine months for the mother. On top of the Victorian aspect, pregnancy opened the door for other possible abuses of the topic (prostitute, unwed mothers, abortions etc) and I imagine they were gunshy on the topic. multiple pregnancies/children was viewed as particularly lower class and usually associated with, gasp, catholicism. Also Actresses didn't want to be seen on screen looking pregnant. I'm trying to think of the earliest (post code) american film with an obviously pregnant character and am drawing a blank.

Martin Teller · 03-24-2007, 09:53 PM

#251 - Red River

I'm in a bad spot. With 20 movies to watch (and 8 more expected in the near future), I'm at the point now where I'm so overwhelmed that I don't want to watch any of them. With that in mind, I'm not sure why I picked the one I imagined I would be least likely to enjoy, except maybe because it was the one due back at the library the soonest. I'm happy to say it worked out well. This is the first Hawks western I've seen, and Hawks is hit-and-miss with me, so I wasn't sure what to expect other than John Wayne. But this is Wayne EXACTLY how I want to see him: acting like an asshole, and suffering the consequences. As more and more people called him out on his bullshit and/or abandoned him, the more my heart filled with glee. The ending is a very satisfying resolution for his character. And the movie as a whole was just mighty entertaining, with good acting, interesting characters, Hawks' usual polished dialogue, great photography, and a compelling series of conflicts with little downtime.

As an added note, some scenes were blistering with homosexual tension. "That's a pretty good-looking gun you were about to use on me there. Mind if I see it? Maybe you'd like to see mine." Joanne Dru's tantrum at the end may well be interpreted as sexual frustration while the men focus all their attentions on their confused feelings for each other. I usually tend to scoff at this sort of analysis, but in this case I think there may be something to it. Rating: 8

Brook K · 03-25-2007, 12:33 AM

I just caught a good chunk of Red River in HD a few days ago. Fell asleep to Ran on the Kung-Fu HD channel last night.

Was going to repost my review of Earth, which I think is one of the finest 4-5 Russian films of the period, but I couldn't find it. I'm hampered being at my mother-in-law's with a connection that I lose almost every minute.

#298 A Day in the Country (1936, Jean Renoir)
This relatively short feature (44m) concerns a Parisian family spending a holiday in the country where the mother and daughter attract the attention of two local rakes who set out to seduce them under the noses of their clueless husband and fiance who are focused on fishing.

Renoir painstakingly evokes the look and feeling of a beautiful summer day and juxtaposes the perceptions of the two groups of people in the film. The Parisians are entranced by their surroundings, while the countryfolk view the day as utterly banal. The film would also be a codepusher or possibly not even filmable in the US, given the fact that the ladies are not exactly opposed to being seduced. However, the plot feels a little undercooked as the short running time split between six primary characters leaves one feeling that certain story points do not get enough development. It is also hurt a bit by lacking any actors with the presence to pull you into the film on their own. Still, the ending packs an emotional punch and makes this a movie worth viewing, even if I was a bit let down given the film's reputation - B

Michael Elliott · 03-25-2007, 01:40 AM

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#298 A Day in the Country (1936, Jean Renoir)

It's funny you should post a review for this because I spent close to two hours running around Louisville trying to find a copy on VHS. My normal source for everything lost their copy last week when someone VCR ate the tape. Hopefully they'll get a new copy in. I'm not sure why I spent so much time looking for it but the film just popped up in my head for some reason.

t-154 Umberto D (1952)

Vittorio De Sica's classic film is one I've often heard about but just now got around to watching it and I'm certainly kicking myself for not checking it out earlier. The film certainly wasn't what I expected so am much as I cared for it I'm quite certainly that affection will grow with repeat viewings. The film tells the story of the title character, played brilliantly by Carlo Battisti, who struggles day to day to keep himself and his best friend, his dog, alive. The landlady keep raising his rent and Umberto is just having a hard time making ends meet. Even though there's dialogue in this film it really plays out much like a silent movie. I'm not exactly sure what it was but I found myself falling in love with this old man and his dog, which wasn't a hard thing to do especially considering how depressing the film is. There are moments of comedy like a few scenes with the ants but overall this is a pretty dramatic film that really doesn't hold back when it comes to its viewpoints. One of the best moments for me is when the dog runs away and the old man frantically searches the dog pound for him. This scene is full of suspense and your heart can't help but to ache hoping that the man finds him. In a strange way this is a love story between two friends even though it's a man and his dog. The ending is so beautifully done that the images say more than any words could.

Mario Gauci · 03-25-2007, 02:53 AM

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Originally Posted by Michael Elliott

It's funny you should post a review for this because I spent close to two hours running around Louisville trying to find a copy on VHS. My normal source for everything lost their copy last week when someone VCR ate the tape. Hopefully they'll get a new copy in. I'm not sure why I spent so much time looking for it but the film just popped up in my head for some reason.

As it happens, I bought the BFI SE DVD of this one while I was in London last January...

!

Quote:

Originally Posted by Michael Elliott

t-154 Umberto D (1952)

Vittorio De Sica's classic film is one I've often heard about but just now got around to watching it and I'm certainly kicking myself for not checking it out earlier. The film certainly wasn't what I expected so am much as I cared for it I'm quite certainly that affection will grow with repeat viewings. The film tells the story of the title character, played brilliantly by Carlo Battisti, who struggles day to day to keep himself and his best friend, his dog, alive. The landlady keep raising his rent and Umberto is just having a hard time making ends meet. Even though there's dialogue in this film it really plays out much like a silent movie. I'm not exactly sure what it was but I found myself falling in love with this old man and his dog, which wasn't a hard thing to do especially considering how depressing the film is. There are moments of comedy like a few scenes with the ants but overall this is a pretty dramatic film that really doesn't hold back when it comes to its viewpoints. One of the best moments for me is when the dog runs away and the old man frantically searches the dog pound for him. This scene is full of suspense and your heart can't help but to ache hoping that the man finds him. In a strange way this is a love story between two friends even though it's a man and his dog. The ending is so beautifully done that the images say more than any words could.

Although I acquired this one on DVD-R last year, I haven't watched the film in a few years because the last (and first) time I watched it, my own pet dog got sick the very same day and she kept stumbling and falling down on her face with each step she took

! Even though, she's long gone now, I have two other pet dogs now and I wouldn't want anything to happen to them were I to watch it again! It's bad enough that the puppy nearly lost an eye to the jealous cat's claws a month after we got him...

!!

Adam_S · 03-25-2007, 03:38 AM

I betcha there'll be a renoir Eclipse DVD set that'll include A Day in the Country, and the other minor (and maybe a major like crime of monsieur lange) renoir's from the 1930s before the year is out.

Michael Elliott · 03-25-2007, 10:25 AM

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Although I acquired this one on DVD-R last year, I haven't watched the film in a few years because the last (and first) time I watched it, my own pet dog got sick the very same day and she kept stumbling and falling down on her face with each step she took! Even though, she's long gone now, I have two other pet dogs now and I wouldn't want anything to happen to them were I to watch it again! It's bad enough that the puppy nearly lost an eye to the jealous cat's claws a month after we got him...!!

Yeah, I was going to mention in the review if being a pet owner would make the film more touching for a viewer. I'm going to guess that if someone HATES pets then perhaps they wouldn't understand the love between the old man and his dog.

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I betcha there'll be a renoir Eclipse DVD set that'll include A Day in the Country, and the other minor (and maybe a major like crime of monsieur lange) renoir's from the 1930s before the year is out.

I hope so. I wish Criterion (or Eclipse) would release the John Ford silents at some point. I've been searching them out the past week and only came across two (Straight Shootin' 1917 and The Iron Horse).