Sight and Sound (2002) Greatest Films Club - Page 47

Lew Crippen · 01-30-2004, 08:51 AM

The horror…the horror.

So ends Apocalypse Now, Francis Ford Coppola’s take on Vietnam via Joseph Conrad. The film focuses ostensibly on Captain Willard (Martin Sheen) who is sent on a mission to assassinate a renegade Special Forces officer, Colonel Kurtz (Conrad’s character has the same surname), played by a bloated Marlon Brando. The film strips away both civilization and Willard’s beliefs as he journeys upriver, further into the jungle and across borders both real and metaphysical.

A great film, filled with stunning visuals, but marred for me when I first saw it by the ending credit sequence with the destruction of Kurtz’s compound as a background. Although I knew that Lucas later changed the end credits, I did not realize at the time he did not mean to give the audience an ending inconsistent with the story’s structure and moral purpose.

Adam_S · 02-02-2004, 04:59 AM

Network -

½
A phenomenal film. The acting and script are as good as they come.

Netowork is filled with amazing moments both dramatically and black comedic irony. There's nothing quite like seeing all the communists pissing and moaning over their contracts completely converted to capitalism and utterly corrupted by the benign influence of TV. Peter Finch truly seems possessed of something amazing. What he says seems eerily true and makes a little too much sense--and look how even that is coopted, packaged, parceled, sanitized and cleaned up for proper network tv consumption.

And the owner of the network has one of the scariest moments on film in a motion picture. ever.

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The Maltese Falcon -

There are some films that are just perfect the way they are. This is one of them

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Playtime -

½

I caught at 70 mm print of this film, and wasn't all that impressed. A very fine film to be sure, but having never seen a tati film I had no idea what to expect, which was a liability. I'll be sure to give this film another go round after checking out the films that come before this one. having just recently seen The Triplett's of Belleville, I think I just have a difficult time responding to french style of non-verbal comedy. Which is probably a bit ironic, but something about the approach/execution, just doesn't quite connect 100% with me. I can acknowledge something is more funny than my reaction to it suggests, but I/it miss something when trying to connect.

The Wild Bunch -

½
I think this is a little bit overrated because it's sort of an anti western that is also one of the first very violent (or realistically violent) films ever made. My favorite aspects of the film was the opening credits and and the short stuff with the scorpions and the termites. Interesting to reflect on how that foreshadows the ending.

I usually love westerns of all breeds and was a bit disapointed at not enjoying this film as much as I expected too. The character development, script, and acting were all exceptional. But I didn't give a damn either way in the opening gun battle, and I didn't give a damn either way in the closing gun battle. Despite knowing the characters extremely well I wasn't concerned with their outcomes or caught up in their lives. The film seemed to hold me at the distance of a detached observer, looking on, but never connecting to the story or characters. However, perhaps it would improve on repeat viewings, and I know it would on the big screen v. a windowboxed 2.35 dvd image on a 17 inch screen.

The violence was especially impactful. the initial brief, jet/explosion of blood made me flinch everytime someone got hit. VEry very effective, whether it's realistic or not.

Adam

george kaplan · 02-02-2004, 07:33 AM

Adam,

I really think that the films Mr. Hulot's Holiday, Mon Oncle, and Playtime need to be viewed in that order. Not only is Playtime (IMO) the weakest of the three, though still a great film, it really deserves the context of having seen the first two.

Lew Crippen · 02-02-2004, 10:28 AM

Quote:

I really think that the films Mr. Hulot's Holiday, Mon Oncle, and Playtime need to be viewed in that order.

As do I—I only disagree with George as to my ordering of Tati’s films.

DavidAls · 02-05-2004, 02:06 PM

I'm joining this forun late; I've seen 105 on the list thus far - looking forward to seeing most of the rest.

I'd seen Sight & Sound's poll(s) before; I've been very pleased to see Ozu, Mizoguchi & Satyajit Ray fairly well-represented among the many other great films on the list.

Most recent viewing (not all on this list):

Diary Of A Country Priest (R. Bresson)
Rules Of The Game (J. Renoir)
Pyassa (G. Dutt)
Mahanagar (S. Ray)

Lew Crippen · 02-05-2004, 02:38 PM

Welcome to the forum David. We look forward to reading your views and engaging in some friendly debate.

Did you watch Rules of the Game off the new Criterion DVD? I don’t have that in hand yet, but I’m really looking forward to something that has been cleaned up a bit.

Dome Vongvises · 02-06-2004, 05:06 PM

La Dolce Vita
Directed by Federico Fellini

Film Score: B+
Movie Score: C+/B-
Overall Score: B

This marks my second Fellini film, and after having read about the third on my queue, La Strada, I have to wonder if there's any connection between Fellini and circus performers. Perhaps somebody with better knowledge will enlighten me? I'd say it has something to do with life being a circus, but given the heaping praise these kind of films get, I wouldn't be suprised to find there's more to it.

This film, much like Tokyo Story, was a film I liked, but I don't think I'll ever revisit anytime soon. And like TS, I fail to see what elevates this from being a solid good film to one of greatness.

Whatever "the sweet life" may be in Marcello's case, it was obvious he'll never get it or be a part of it. But I wonder if it merited close to three hours to make that point. The film seemed extremely dry and highly repetitive beyond necessity with this motif and in examining this question of human existence. Up in the morning to start anew only to repeat the cycle again. Some new mistress or crowd to hang out with.

But like my previous Fellini film, 8 1/2, it was populated with interesting characters nonetheless. I do wonder why he stayed so long with his bitch of a fiancee. I don't know what Marcello ever saw in her, and I'm thankful not to find out either.

The last parting shot was nice with the stream dividing them. Nice touch with not being able to hear her either, and the whole scene ties up the film pretty well, although the manta ray thing struck me as strange. The girl looked a little young though and pretty much bordered on jailbait (the way Marcello wanted to check her out in an earlier scene was a little eerie).

I wouldn't say its my frustrations, but I simply don't click with films like this, nor do I see how they click with other people. In TS, I was able to identify with it, but it still didn't emotionally resonate with me. I'm just waiting for that moment when lightning strikes or have that grand epiphany where I say, "By golly, that's sheer cinematic brilliance!".

My guess would be how these films are in relation to myself. What a film is trying to say and how it says it simply don't match with me. They profess themes, motifs, ideas, hopes, fears, and dreams with situations, people, places, and experiences so far removed from my own. But I've never been obssessed with anything to the point of insanity. I've never been a P.O.W. nor have I ever participated in wars. I don't know what it's like to live in a class system. I don't know what it's like to be a samurai. But somehow, I simply match up well with Vertigo, Grand Illusion, and Seven Samurai.

I guess that's the mystery of watching film, but there's always the simple answer: it simply is.

I checked out Ikiru and rented Seabiscuit, and I hopefully will have both finished by some point this weekend.

Lew Crippen · 02-06-2004, 05:27 PM

Quote:

any connection between Fellini and circus performers.

And nuns…

I think the if you are going to really like any Fellini’s, Dome you will like La Strada. And of his later movies you might also like Amacrcord. The later is sort of his remembrance of his childhood—and while I think that it has a number of flaws, I’m always charmed by most of it. The former is a film that is a bit more of a straightforward narrative than his later films and I think that everyone’s actions are clear and predictable.

· I’m not sure, but either might resonate with you a bit more than La Dolce Vita

DavidAls · 02-06-2004, 08:36 PM

Dome

I can only explain my own reaction to Tokyo Story - it's a rather straightforward story, which is technically presented (Ozu's famed, idiosyncratic compositions are perhaps overly analyzed, but they are very effective here) in a sophisticated way - even though it tugs at the heartstrings, it strikes me as being so much more lifelike than, say a Douglas Sirk film.

My first exposure to Ozu was the film An Autumn Afternoon, which was a random video store discovery; seen a few years before I was able to see Tokyo Story, and I thought it was something remarkable - a story very light at the surface, with a lot of complex emotional elements underneath, thus I ended up very impressed with Ozu. I've found that his films gain a lot of strength on repeat viewings.

I would say that my favorite Japanese director is Kenji Mizoguchi, and now that Ozu is making his absurdly late appearance on DVD, I'm hoping like hell that the equally neglected Mizo will soon follow.

As for Fellini, I love 8 1/2, Juliet Of The Spirits and Amarcord quite a bit; his earlier films I'm not as familiar with. I have seen La Strada, which I kept unfavorably comparing with his later films (and also some Italian neo-realism), but I think I should give it another chance...