The Great March HTF Historical Drama/Epic Challenge - Page 4

JohnRice · 03-14-2008, 12:27 AM

17) La Vie en Rose (aka: La Môme 2007) -

Uneven biopic about early 20th Century French Pop singer Edith Piaf may have caught me off guard. It's possible I missed what it did, but I was left a bit flat. Still, there is no doubt Marion Cotillard burned the place up, and Richard Roper has once again proven he is a complete idiot with his figurative "boycott" of her Oscar. I especially commend Cotillard for expressly NOT setting out to carbon-copy Piaf, as so many viewers (and critics) have mistakenly come to believe is the pinnacle of acting. Imitation is easy folks, and there is very little creative about it.

18) The Whole Wide World (1996) -

Admirable and surprising biopic about Depression-Era, troubled pulp author Robert E Howard (creator of Conan, played by Vincent D'Onofrio) and his friendship/romance with school teacher and aspiring author Novalyne Price (Renee Zellweger). Probably the strongest part of the film is the two charismatic lead actors and a story (based on Price's memoir) that manages to get the audience invested with a minimum of melodrama. This virtually unknown little indie is worth seeking out.

Russell G · 03-14-2008, 12:31 AM

nice to see the praise for "The Whole Wide World". I caught it last year and really liked it. The budget made a bit of it seem a little "Movie Of The Week" to me, but the performances more then made up for it. Made me pick up a bunch of Howards story collections, which ended up being pretty fine purchases.

JohnRice · 03-14-2008, 01:06 AM

There is no doubt The Whole Wide World was made on a miniscule budget, and in fact was nearly never completed for multiple reasons. By the sounds of it, things constantly worked out just right to keep it going, including D'Onofrio (who was a producer) performing some impressive spin to keeps the money from stopping. Still, the scope is very small, with virtually every scene including only two characters, so there was not that much need for much budget, aside from the cars shown. In all, it is a very nice looking film and I was constantly reminded of how captivating both D'Onofrio and Zellweger can be.

PatW · 03-14-2008, 08:58 AM

The Colossus of Rhodes (1961)

I can remember loving movies like Hercules etc. when I was a little girl. This movie is in the same ilk, only missing the fantasy-like elements.
This has the distinction of being the first credited movie directed by Sergio Leone and it was a good first effort if missing the style he's become famous for. This is probably one of the better movies of it's type that came out in the 50's-60's. I wonder about the casting of Rory Calhoun in the lead but perhaps they thought his name would bring in a wider audience. The screenplay and especially the dialogue could have been improved. I don't know if it's a translation issue but perhaps the movie was better in Italian. Still the movie had great sets and costumes and I was entertained.

SteveGon · 03-14-2008, 09:30 AM

Quote:

Nice to see the praise for "The Whole Wide World".

Yes, it is indeed an overlooked little gem.

PatW · 03-14-2008, 01:11 PM

Amistad (1997)

This movie is probably filled with historical inaccuracies but it remains an engrossing tale of man's desire for freedom.

Directed by Steven Spielberg, the events of the movie take place in 1839 and concern a group of Africans that revolted on the Spanish ship Amistad. The ship was seized by salvagers who brought the Africans to the US where they stood trial to determine their status. The abolitionists hire a lawyer to speak on behalf of the Africans who ably represents them in court. The President unwilling to accept the court's decision overrules the decision and has this case sent to the supreme court where it becomes known as the Battle of the Two Presidents.

I don't want to debate the history around these facts because I'm not knowledgable about American history especially during that period of time.
What remains is an interesting story if highly suspect. Though some of the actors were bland in their roles that is not the case for Anthony Hopkins and Djimon Hounsou who play John Quincy Adams and Cinque, the leader of the African slaves. These are two outstanding actors playing vastly different parts. We know Anthony Hopkins and he never fails to disappoint but Hounsou was new to me at that time and in movies since, he's proven to be quite a talented actor. The events aboard the ship are protrayed I imagine very realistically and we get a good sense of what it must of been like aboard the slaver ships. The sets and costumes are very well done and authentic to the period. This is beautifully photographed and scored by artists who have worked with Spielberg many times. I would have liked to have known more about some of the other characters in the movie, but time constraints wouldn't allow. All in all a good film that I'm proud to have in my collection.

Lew Crippen · 03-15-2008, 10:44 AM

I don't know what it is about you, but the more you talk, the more you give me the willies.

Frank James’ assessment of Robert Ford in Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford a movie that has much to recommend it and much to not love. Brad Pitt as Jesse is eerily aware of himself and those around him, even to the last and Casey Affleck as Ford is more repellent than the snakes handled by James in the last days of his life. And note the performance of James Carville as the Governor—one wonders how much American politics would have changed had he chosen a different career.

But in the end, the movie is too self-conscious to be of interest for over 2 ½ hours.

As and aside, I think that the glorification of James is a part of the point.

PatW · 03-15-2008, 06:04 PM

Braveheart (1995)

I was torn on how to rate this movie. Back when it was released I would have awarded it 5 stars, but now clearer eyes prevail and I rate it between 3.5 to 4 stars. There are many historical inaccuracies in this movie like most films of this kind. Apparently the screenplay relies heavily on a poem written by a 15th century minstral. The most objectional part of this movie was Wallace's romance with the Princess of Wales. That is so implausible that it should have been left out of the script. In fact the Princess didn't even come to England until after Wallace's death. But it sure made for a nice little romantic interlude. Braveheart paints alot of its characters black or white. For instance William Wallace is protrayed as this brave heroic figure where there is evidence that this is not the case. I imagine alot of this is speculation since what is written about him could be suspect. What is known is that he fought and won at the battle of Stirling but lost at Falkirk and he died a horrendous death.

Putting that all aside, this is a great looking picture, well directed, with amazing looking battle scenes that look realistic. The score is of epic quality if a bit repetitive at times. The acting was good but some of the characters were one-dimensional, but that was acceptable for the scope of the film. I thought the film was overly long but that feeling only developed on subsequent viewings. There are many touching little moments in this film, the thistle scene with young Murron comes to mind but of course such scenes are few and give way to the general mayhem of the majority of the film. Still I enjoyed the movie immensely.

Marie Antoinette (1938)

A lavish period piece from the 1930's with good acting and wonderful sets. Of special note is of course Norma Shearer in the title role and especially Robert Morley as the Dauphin of France. I don't think there could have been better casting and the 2006 version pales in comparison. As I was watching I couldn't help but think that this would have been splendid if it had been shot in colour.

Malcolm R · 03-15-2008, 11:04 PM

Well, I got in three movies today, but only one of which ended up fitting the criteria of this challenge.

I started with My House in Umbria with Maggie Smith, Timothy Spall, and Chris Cooper. For some reason, I expected/thought this film was set during WWII, but it ended up that it was set either present day or near past, so that was out (pretty good film, though).

Then I picked Mel Brooks' Blazing Saddles, which I thought was a spoof western set in 1874. But then, at the end, it turns into a movie within a movie, set in the 1970's when it was filmed, so that's out (and I didn't care for it anyway; I don't think Mel Brooks' humor is my bag).

Then I finally got one that will fit the challenge:

U-571 (2000)

WWII submarine thriller with Matthew McConaughey, Bill Paxton, and Harvey Keitel. In 1942, an American sub and crew are sent to capture a disabled Nazi U-boat and retrieve the Enigma coding machine and documents. The Allies had been stymied by the Germans' encryption and could lose the war if they cannot break the codes. A number of twists and turns make for a great cat-and-mouse sub thriller with a surprisingly emotional punch in spots. The DVD features a great soundtrack (DD and DTS) for any LFE bass hounds.

Lew Crippen · 03-16-2008, 10:31 AM

Raleigh—don’t forget to duck!

Advice from Sir Francis Drake to Sir Walter Raleigh as the English defeat the Spanish Armada in Elizabeth: The Golden Age. Again starring Cate Blanchett in the title role (and again nominated for an Oscar). This time the love interest is Raleigh and once again the costumes and sets are sumptuous and the scale large. And this time we don’t care too much about anyone other than Elizabeth.

Ok if you are in the mood for a mostly non-historical, costume drama, but not worth the time otherwise.