Sight and Sound (2002) Greatest Films Club - Page 115

Martin Teller · 08-15-2007, 12:45 AM

#265 - Lacombe Lucien

At the tail end of WWII, a rash and restless French adolescent attempts to join the Resistance movement. When he gets rejected, he instead joins the Gestapo. It's a chilling and nuanced tale that shows how easily the innocent (or weak-minded) can become complicit in evil. Malle explores a lot of grey area here, and does it intelligently. Scenes of brutality and vulgar displays of power are often balanced with gentle moments of hopefulness for humanity. Cinematically, the film doesn't break any new ground, but it is a nice piece of work. It's a thoughtful, slightly Bressonian film. Sadly, Pierre Blaise (Lucien) was killed in an accident only a year later at the age of 23. He did a marvelous job. Rating: 9

**HTF Ads**

Thi Them · 08-15-2007, 10:01 AM

Holadem, so what's that 1 star for that you gave Taste of Cherry?

It does suck donkey balls.

~T

Holadem · 08-16-2007, 08:46 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Thi Them

Holadem, so what's that 1 star for that you gave Taste of Cherry?

I don't even know. Probably the fact that I do enjoy Kiarostami's aesthetics on some level. He has a way of making the mundane stuff seem interesting... until it wears thin. His soundscapes are rich and immersive. The location factors into it a bit as well -- it's a peek into another culture. But none of that was enough to sustain this one film IMO.

--
H

Holadem · 08-16-2007, 09:53 AM

#110 - Au Hazard Balthazar (1966) -

My 6 y/o would love Bresson. A while ago I tried to take a picture with her, using my camera's self timer. I misframed and ended up cutting my head off. She wouldn't stop laughing at the result. Since then, we've taken countless pictures of ourselves and other people sans heads. She thinks it's the funniest thing.

Bresson does not believe in acting. So he leaves heads out of a number of his shots, concentrating instead on hands and other moving objects. And when he can't get away without showing a face, it must be an emotionless mask. Consequently, his films consist of robots moving and talking like robots and delivering the most forced dialog in the history of film. Theoretically, it is an interesting approach to film making. In reality, it is just plain irritating. I honestly think his style would work better if he went all the way and had his actors wear masks. Then at least we would not have top endure scene after scene of actors trying their damndest to stiffle their natural inclination to act.

The

is for the editing, it is superb.

--
H

Bob Turnbull · 08-16-2007, 07:42 PM

C'mon Holadem, doesn't the donkey at least merit an extra half star? He was after all the best actor in the film...

A Man Escaped is the only Bresson I've liked so far, but Pickpocket certainly has some brillant moments.

And thanks for the additional explanation regarding the background of La Haine. I can certainly see why certain critics/directors might include it given the significance it had at the time. I liked it a great deal, but it obviously didn't reasonate with me in quite the same way.

#169 - Vampyr - This took me completely by surprise...I thought I was going to see a marginally decent vampire story that was critically well thought of because of it's place in history. Well, see what happens when you assume? This was terrifically spooky and conveyed so much with so little dialog. I wish more films made today had the atmosphere that Dreyer created here. Great technique, lighting and beautiful visuals.

#170 - L'Age D'Or - Kinda appropriate that George was just talking about Bunuel and his "weirdness for weirdness sake"...There are indeed some amazing images in this film - the mirror that actually looks outside (with wind blowing on the woman's hair), the toe sucking scene, the flaming tree thrown out the window and of course the scorpions. But aside from some parallels I picked up, it just didn't mean a damn thing to me. I'll admit that I just didn't understand it...But even as someone who actually does like a bit of weirdness (hey, I love Seijun Suzuki...), it still didn't do much for me.

Holadem · 08-17-2007, 08:54 AM

#111 - Ugetsu Monogatari (1953) -

My first Mizoguchi has made me an instant fan. I am thrilled to see there are 3 more films of his on this list.

Fantastic film, mini review later.

My faith is back

--
H

Holadem · 08-29-2007, 07:49 AM

#112 - Wild Strawberries (1957) -

Been too lazy to write anything of substance lately, good thing that this film needs no introduction. It is probably the first Bergman I thoroughly enjoyed. In many ways, I think it is the perfect introduction to the director, and beyond that, the perfect intro to art films in general. Really, it should be taught in film class (and I am sure it is). It's the perfect blend of depth and accessibility and at a lean 90 minutes, is devoid of the self-indulgent wanderings which often plagues this sort of personal work. Fantastic film.

--
H

rich_d · 08-29-2007, 08:14 AM

Glad to hear it. I plan on checking Wild Strawberries out because I've heard so many good things about it.

I must admit that Bergman's films have been a mixed bag so far, but then again I can only remember two of them. (I did see Scenes from a Marriage but don't remember it). Persona was different and had its moments, but didn't really resonate with me. The Seventh Seal was brutal for me. It took me three viewings to get through the film. Brutally slow and ponderous. The characters and the dialogue didn't engage me and watching a lot of suffering just added to my suffering. Yet there are many people that truly love this film. And so it goes.

Holadem · 09-03-2007, 01:28 PM

#113 - Grand Illusion (1937) -

Well I finally tried La Grande Illusion again and made it to the end this time around. It is as rich with subtext as a film can possibly get. Still, it also remains a film I "get" but do not care much for.

Lukewarm impressions are the hardest to put down, so this is all I can muster for now

.

--
H

Adam_S · 09-06-2007, 04:21 PM

Pandora's Box - 8 of 10

Superb silent film with outstanding acting and a minimal amount of intertitles. Of course it also is annoying to have the intertitles in german, rather than how the film would have been seen by english speaking audiences with english intertitles, but I suppose I can get over the annoyance of reading subtitled intertitles (which I find much more distracting than regular subtitles on a sound film).

Pabst does a superb job directing, and the performances are excellent. I also very much enjoyed the story and thought it was handled extremely well. A chilling end, reminescent of early Hitchcock like the Lodger and Blackmail.

Louise Brooks is stunning in this film--not only is she gorgeous but she gives one of the finest dramatic performances of the silent era. It also helps that she's gorgeous. It seemed clear to me that Liza Minelli was imitating the Louise Brooks look in Cabaret, but while Minelli isn't attractive (only pathetic) with the look, Brooks really sells it, she's made for it.

Brook K · 09-06-2007, 05:08 PM

Criterion would have been crucified in the cineaste community if they'd used English intertitles, and I tend to agree. I don't recall Pabst doing anything special with the intertitles, though I do like seeing the original artwork on the title cards, etc., but a director like Murnau who was really innovative in the use of titles would have his films gravely harmed by replacing them with english mock-ups.

I agree on Pabst's direction of the film, but wasn't as taken with Brooks or her performance. That's probably why I wasn't as emotionally involved in the film as you were, and it never reached "chilling" or Hitchcock type levels.

I think I successfully DVR'd Faster Pussycat the other day off TCM so I have another one inhouse to watch. When will I get to it? No idea....