The Great March HTF Historical Drama/Epic Challenge - Page 3

Lew Crippen · 03-08-2008, 08:18 AM

When I saw you lying there suddenly everything became clear. I want to stay with you forever—if you'll have me.

I watched The Sleeping Dictionary because the blurb on IFC mentioned that it took place in Malaya between the wars. Had I known that the actors, no matter how talented, would have to struggle with a script that was as trite as it was predictable, I’d have spent my time doing something else. Veteran Bob Hoskins is quite good as England’s local colonial head. Jessica Alba is luminous as the native girl (Selima) whose job it is to teach earnest Hugh Dancy (John Truscott) both the Iban language and the ways of a man and woman. Predictably he resists for 30 minutes, until even more predictably he succumbs to her charms

Predictably he falls in love with her; predictably there are many obstacles to their romance, including (almost) forced marriages to others. Predictably they eventually find true happiness in the distant jungles of Borneo.

Did I mention that the plot was predictable?

There are some gorgeous shots of the jungles of Sarawak and the movie is worth watching for those—and perhaps for some of the performances. But if you have no interest in Borneo, give this a pass.

PatW · 03-08-2008, 09:37 AM

John, I enjoyed Stage Beauty alot. It's on my list to re-watch. Somehow I couldn't drum up any affection for the Libertine though Johnny Depp does play the role superbly. It was too ugly of a movie for me to enjoy.

The Right Stuff (1983)

Based on the Thomas Wolfe book, this chronicles the beginnings of the space race from the test pilots at Andrews Airforce Base to the Mercury 7 astronaunts.

Though well acted there is something about this movie that bothers me and that is the treatment of poor Gus Grissom. I'm sure Philip Kaufman was just following the book but to treat an American hero like that is just reprehensible. I don't know the truth of the blown hatch, but any person who is willing to serve their country whether fighting in a war, being a test pilot or hurtling up in space is a true hero in my eyes. Grissom did all these things and more. Unfair treatment of a dead hero. The acting stand-out here for me was Sam Shepard who's quiet dignity captured the essence of the hero. As a matter of fact, all the actors were great in their parts from the tortured Fred Ward to the cheekiness of Dennis Quaid. Even Chuck Yeager had a cameo as a bartender. The author's feelings about these characters were quite apparent for eg. Grissom as a low-life, Glenn as a prig and Lyndon Johnson as the circus ringmaster. There are good and bad parts of each person and this film probably tries to take a balanced view except for Grissom, but sometimes in a movie like this, the good is what we want to see. Still a very well-done movie that I don't seem to get tired of watching.

JohnRice · 03-08-2008, 12:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by PatW

Somehow I couldn't drum up any affection for the Libertine though Johnny Depp does play the role superbly. It was too ugly of a movie for me to enjoy.

Well, it's ugly or strangely beautiful, depending on how you look at it. I did say it was filthy.

Completely unrelated, but I watched My Kid Could Paint That last night. Interesting doc, and I am entirely unconvinced the girl did the paintings.

Also, I added Angels & Insects to my list. I had added Bluebeard as well, but it just sounds too campy.

Lew Crippen · 03-08-2008, 12:09 PM

… but what I can’t stand is being called a hero. Mike was a hero. The things I saw; the things I did—that’s nothing to make me proud.

Flags of our Fathers is the story of a small group of Marines (and one Navy corpsman) who raised the flag (and were in the photograph) over Iwo Jima’s Mt. Suribachi. The movie is taken from a best-seller of the same (co-written by one of the flag-raiser’s sons) and director Clint Eastwood has crafted a movie that takes the big screen glamour out of war (borrowing liberally from Sam Fuller’s The Big Red One).

Even though it is hard to tell one young Marine from another, especially as the editing cuts back and forth from the battle to a war bond drive to the present day, and much of the story seems to be a contrast between the actions (or non-actions) of the principals on the battlefield and their being cynically used to sell bonds, Eastwood skillfully makes Adam Beach’s character Ira Hayes (an American Indian) a symbol for the complexities and cruelty of war, the contrast between the men and how they are presented and how they suffer war’s aftermath.

Watching this movie makes me want to revisit The Outsider, a movie made some years back about Ira Hayes. As I recall, a fine movie, but it has been a very long time.

Lew Crippen · 03-08-2008, 05:40 PM

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Joan confronts her accusers in The Passion of Joan of Arc, Carl Th. Dreyer’s silent masterpiece. A very unsetteling movie to watch—and not only because of the subject matter, as Dreyer never relieves his audience by letting us see an overview of Joan’s surroundings. He gives us some medium shots, but mostly close-ups and most of those are of Renée Falconetti in the title role.

And what a performance. Often hailed as the greatest acting in a movie, it is easy to see why she has gained such praise. With over an hour of tight, tight close-ups, we never see a false note in her face. A master job in a masterpiece.

PatW · 03-08-2008, 07:19 PM

Khartoum (1966)

Chuck Heston surprised me. Though I've enjoyed alot of his movies, I've never considered him a good actor but merely competent. He was quite good here as General 'Chinese' Gordon who refused to leave Khartoum even in the face of an impending attack from the Mahdi and his followers.
Heston would have done well to have left off the British accent. Some American's do accents quite well and other don't. (remember Costner)
Laurence Olivier almost unreconizable as the mahdi is superb here. He can express so much just by the sheer tone of his voice. Unfortunately his scenes were all too brief. This is a good looking production with some great battle scenes. The guys were quite happy.

A Man for all Seasons (1966)

I don't think there's a single misstep here. Everything is brilliantly brought to life from the acting to the cinematography. What a virtuoso performance from Paul Scofield as Sir Thomas More a man who wouldn't back down from his principles even if it meant his life. My hat goes off to Robert Bolt for writing such a masterpiece.

Malcolm R · 03-08-2008, 08:51 PM

THE LONGEST DAY

Yet another epic with an all-star cast (seems to be a required element of epics and period films) including John Wayne, Robert Mitchum, Roddy McDowall, Eddie Albert and many more, that re-enacts the allied invasion of France at Normandy. Very large undertaking by producer Darryll Zanuck, showing the battle strategy from all sides, and impressively accomplished considering the lower tech filmmaking methods of the time. The only times I felt a little pulled out of the film were with a couple of the rear projection scenes, and the scene of the two German planes strafing the allied troops landing on the beach when there didn't seem to be any bullets flying.

My favorite scene has to be the batallion of Nuns marching right through the raging battle zone to render aid to allied forces. Nobody messes with Nuns, not even Nazis apparently.

JohnRice · 03-08-2008, 09:34 PM

The Jane Austen Mini-Marathon, pt. 1

9) Pride & Prejudice (2005) -

Yeah, I love this movie, audacity and all. I've watched it more times than I care to admit. Purists disregard it for its impoliteness and emphasis on man chasing, but as far as I'm concerned, if any Austen novel is ripe for an amped up adaptation, this is it. Keira Knightley is perfectly headstrong as Lizzie, without putting off the audience. Rosamund Pike is also perfect as Jane, the temb=pered beauty who has the future of the family on her shoulders. Brenda Blethyn is just a bit overdone at times, but hey. Te only real miss is Judy Dench, playing essentially the same role she has played 100 times before. Maybe she is bored with it, because she ia WAY over the top. There is some of the most incredible cinematography I have ever seen in this film. Remarkably complex stuff.

10) Sense & Sensibility (1995) -

It's hard to imagine a time when nobody had heard of Kate Winslet, but here she is. In this case we have a very "polite" adaptation of a more polite story. No matter how much I love the bold P&P, I like this one just a bit more. Probably the best performance of Alan Rickman's impressive career. Funny little thing I noticed. Willoughby (eventually) lives in the same castle here as Knightley calls home in the 1996 BBC adaptation of Emma.

11) Emma (1996-BBC)

In one of two 1996 adaptations of the same novel, Kate Beckinsale takes on the lead character. This is the better of the two and Beckinsale reminds me that at one time she was a promising, genuine actress. Her Emma is sweet and not too uppity. Most impressive is Mark Strong as a rather regal Mr, Knightley.

12) Emma (1996-theonewithgwyneth)

Call this the "cuteified" version. Bigger budget, but not better. Paltrow sometimes comes off more arrogant than I think Emma really should be. Looks better than the BBC, but the cutesy approach is a bit annoying. In particular, Toni Collette doesn't even hold a candle to Samantha Morton as Harriet Smith.

13) Becoming Jane (2007) -

OK, it exaggerates, considerably, the central romance, as well as losing 5 or 6 brothers. What do you expect? On the good side, Anne Hathaway was surprisingly (almost startingly) good in the role. I have seen her try to branch out, with less than complete success, as a troubled teen in Havoc, so this was a real treat. I knew it was overblown, but I was still engaged.

SteveGon · 03-08-2008, 10:12 PM

The Lady and the Duke (2001)

Viewed 3/8/2008 (first viewing)

Eric Rohmer's fine historical drama chronicles an English lady's time in Paris during the French Revolution. Examined is her attempt to save a fugitive (without losing her own head) and her problematic relationship with one-time lover the Duc d'Orleans, cousin of King Louis. Here Rohmer utilized digital technology to superimpose the actors over painted backdrops, a technique that mostly works in evoking in the viewer a sense of watching a painting come to life. Talky of course, but fascinating to watch.

out of