S&S 100 Films HTF Forum Challenge (1 Viewer)

[Brook K]

Knocked out two last night, Breathless and Yellow Earth, but I'll put the reviews in another thread.
In a nutshell, I liked Breathless, but prefer the Truffaut films I've seen recently. As for Yellow Earth, it was ok, but I see no reason for it to be on the list. I think all of Zhang Yimou's films have been superior, as have a number of other Chinese films I've seen. It may just be the style of Chen Kaige, I haven't particularly liked any of his films.
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"I want to see with eyes unclouded by hate"
S&S Challenge: 72 71 70 69 68

 

[Doug D]

ah, so HERE's where the list is ...
okay, I've got to join this. (I didn't care so much about the AFI, but this is a list I can get into.) I've got a head start - I've already seen 51 films (counting the DECALOGUE as 2) on this list. I should be able to make some quick progress, too (I've got a rental copy of L'AGE D'OR at home, the DVD of NASHVILLE I haven't watched, and previously owned tapes of L'AVVENTURA and STALKER I picked up from Blockbuster that have also yet to be watched - plus, there's a Bresson retrospective coming to town in October.
So put my number at 49 - but it may be lower by the end of the weekend ...

 

[Jeff Adkins]

Jung,
Please count me in as well! So far I've seen 28.
Jeff

 

[Darren H]

JungWoo,
I just watched The Seventh Seal and added my review to the other thread.

 

[Evan Case]

Just saw my first ever Godard film - Weekend.
I have so many things to comment on that I'm going to start a separate thread on it either later tonight or tomorrow.
Short answer is: I loved it. Didn't quite understand everything (that's natural considering it's my first ever New Wave film and that I went in with no knowledge of what it was about). The few complaints I had (which I'll raise again in my thread) were with the somewhat overbearing musical score, Corinne's menage-a-trois story (at the moment, I don't see how it fits in with the rest of the film), and some dated political elements that aren't really the film's fault.
I was going to wait and see Breathless on TCM this November but now I'm definitely going to rent it instead.
Add me to the list of Godard fans.
Evan
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AFI List: Meesa finished!
S&S: 53 films left

 

[Brook K]

Watched Criterion's DVD of The Grand Illusion last night. This has been discussed a bunch so I'm not going to start a separate thread about it.
I thought it was outstanding. I was touched by the deep humanity of the story and characters. These aren't heroes we're watching, they are men doing a job and trying to make the best of a bad situation. The tragedy of Erich Von Stroheim's character, a wounded warrior who can no longer fight, trying to cling to an old world that is slipping away. Jean Gambin finds a little piece of happiness, but knows it can't last unless he goes back to doing his job and ending the war. I loved how the German soldiers were portrayed in the very same manner as the French and British. They were all real people with personalities instead of nameless stereotypical heavies.
Jean Renoir's style should be mentioned also. I admire the way he crowds the frame with many people all engaged in some activity or the way he keeps the camera moving, but always manages to capture precisely what is needed. It may be set in a WWI prison, but is so much more than the action oriented movies that followed. 4 out of 4
I'm going to take somewhat of a break from the list in an effort to catch up on watching my own purchases. So next for me will either be finally watching the last 4 episodes of The Decalogue (which I've had since it came out and still haven't completed, despite how much I love some of the first 6) or The Passion of Joan of Arc which is 3 or 4 away on my Netflix list.
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"Love Dead, Hate Living"
S&S Challenge: 69 68 67

 

[Darren H]

Add one for me, JungWoo. I saw Andrei Rublev this weekend and posted my initial thoughts here.

 

[Doug D]

Knock me down to 42 - since my initial post, I've seen NASHVILLE, L'AGE D'OR, BRIEF ENCOUNTER, THE MAN WITH THE MOVIE CAMERA, PIERROT LE FOU, THE GOLD RUSH (with live accompaniment by the Asylum Street Spankers!), and A DAY IN THE COUNTRY. Commented on most of these in a separate thread, but really have to give a shout-out to the underheralded THE MAN WITH THE MOVIE CAMERA. This is a fascinating piece of pure cinema that's by far the most innovative piece of silent film I've ever seen. The DVD's accompanied by a track featuring the work of the Alloy Orchestra and a commentary track. Highly recommended.
PIERROT LE FOU was also a great discovery - it's the first time I really understood what the fuss for Godard was all about.

 

[Brook K]

I finally completed The Decalogue. An amazing series of films, that definitely ends on an unexpected note. I thought they were all wonderful, except #3. It just didn't connect with me in the same way the others did. #5,6, and 8 were especially moving. I wish the Three Colours Trilogy were out on DVD. I haven't seen them in a long time and watching these films definitely left me with a longing to see more Kieslowski.
I also watched The Passion of Joan of Arc. I was sick most of the weekend and tired out, so I don't think I connected with it as well as I might under better circumstances, but I could appreciate what a great film it is technically, groundbreaking in it's fusion of Western story techniques with Eisenstein's filmmaking. The opening and endings are moving and astounding. The Voices of Light soundtrack was also quite beautiful. This may have to go on the Christmas list, as the more I think about it, the more I'd like to have it in my collection.
Wednesday night I'm going to see Belle d'Jour at a local art house. After that, though, I may not see much for awhile, since I would like to clean out my Netflix queue, before I add any more films to it and would like to catch up on my purchases before I try to track down locally the movies that aren't on DVD.
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"You've never seen Niagara Falls."
"I've seen water, it's water, that's all."
S&S Challenge: 69 68 67 66 65

 

[Steve Enemark]

Oops, I've been asleep at the switch. I've seen NASHVILLE, STAGECOACH and SINGIN' IN THE RAIN since we started, so I'm down to 69. More to follow, as soon as I can find the time...

 

[Pascal A]

I finally got around to writing about my favorite Satyajit Ray film, Charulata. It's #41-2 on the S&S Poll.
Mild Plot Spoilers
Charulata
Charulata, or "Charu" as she is affectionately called, lives the privileged life of the Bengali upper class in the late nineteenth century. She is highly intelligent and creative, but her social status limits her opportunities for personal growth, and she is left with empty diversions that provide little challenge: embroidering handkerchiefs, managing the servants, observing people in the street through a pair of opera glasses. Her husband, Bhupati, an idealistic intellectual, is adoring and supportive, but is consumed by the publication of his new political newspaper - his "second wife" - and is unable to spend more time at home to be with her. In an attempt to keep Charulata occupied, Bhupati sends his sister-in-law, Manda, who is content with passing the time by playing card games and engaging in idle chatter. When Bhupati's younger cousin, Amal, a recent college graduate and aspiring writer, comes to visit, Bhupati enlists him to help cultivate Charulata's interest in literature. Charulata has an immediate connection with Amal, seeing him as an intellectual peer who shares a common love for the arts, and encourages Amal to pursue his writing. The two become inseparable, spending their afternoons in the garden - Amal writing in his journal, and Charulata playing on the swing. In an understated, yet emotionally revealing scene, Charulata teasingly spots a spelling error on Amal's writing with her opera glasses, turns away to see a mother and child at a window, then solemnly looks back to observe Amal's profile. Figuratively, she sees Amal from a different perspective, and realizes the impossibility of the situation.
Charulata is an exquisitely shot, sublimely haunting, and emotionally complex film on the nature of human relationships. At the heart of the conflict are three well-intentioned, sympathetic protagonists - Bhupati, Charulata, and Amal - who clearly love and respect each other, but realize that their individual actions have led to an unforeseeable, yet inevitable emotional betrayal. Satyajit Ray does not dilute the gravity of the situation with an act of adultery or violence, but with the subtle gaze of crushing realization and the heartbreaking weight of consequence. In the remarkable final shot (inspired by Francois Truffaut's The 400 Blows) of Bhupati and Charulata's hands frozen in mid grasp, the words "The Ruined Nest" appear: the title of Rabindranath Tagore's short novel on which the film was based. It is a poignant reminder that life cannot continue as before - that something has been irretrievably lost from the relationship - and all that can be salvaged are the fragments of human decency that remain...the polite gesture.
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Strictly Film School

 

[Evan Case]

Pascal -
Sounds great. I'll check it out as soon as I've finished the rest of the Apu trilogy. (BTW, at first I misread the title as "Chalupa" for some reason - must be hungry. )
I've brought out four tapes from home that contain some S&S films that I recorded off TCM months before the challenge even started. I hope to watch them soon as well. They are Sunrise, Greed, Ikiru, and Jules and Jim.
Evan
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"* * * * * * * * * * * * *" - Buster Keaton
AFI List: Meesa finished!
S&S: 53 films left

 

[Pascal A]

Evan...Actually, Charulata is quite beautiful and warm, so in that sense, I guess you can call her a dish!

As for the TCM showing of Greed, I was a little disappointed in it. TCM had overplayed it as some kind of major restoration that was closer to von Stroheim's original vision than was ever shown. True, I guess, but I was expecting to see some restored/reinserted footage, not inserted pictures. On the other hand, it really is a good film, so I hope you enjoy it.
Actually, seeing your other films on tap, you're in for a treat, whichever film you choose next.
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Strictly Film School

 

[Brook K]

I've got Greed on tape too from the TCM showing, but haven't been able to find a 4 hour block of time to watch it yet.
You're in for a treat with Ikiru Evan. I wish I could see it again for the 1st time. I think it's one of the 3 or 4 best films of all time.
In about 90 minutes I'll be sitting in a theater, watching Belle de Jour.
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"You've never seen Niagara Falls."
"I've seen water, it's water, that's all."
S&S Challenge: 69 68 67 66 65

 

[Roger V.]

Pascal,
I have actually met and spoken with Charulata, the actress Madhabi Mukherjee. I took notes on her thoughts about the film among other topics. If you're interested, I'll dig out and post some of her thoughts here.

 

[Ike]

Saw Citizen Kane. That's one more. I've got Black Narcissus ordered, and I have another flick that I'm going to watch later that will count for S&S.
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A film is - or should be - more like music than like fiction. It should be a progression of moods and feelings. The theme, what's behind the emotion, the meaning, all that comes later.
-Stanley Kubrick

 

[Pascal A]

Roger, awesome! If you don't mind doing some transcribing, I'd love to read her thoughts on Charulata, Mahanagar, Satyajit Ray, or anything else that you were able to discuss with her. What a privilege!
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Strictly Film School

 

[Roger V.]

I will be happy to, Pascal, but please wait until next week. The notes are presently not with me...

 

[Evan Case]

This shall be a multi-faceted post (hopefully not too long).
First, I caught two more films at the library yesterday: To Be or Not to Be and Ugetsu Monogatari (called Ugetsu on the box). They were my first Lubitsch and Mizoguchi films, respectively.
I loved To Be or Not to Be. Particular highlights for me include the opening 5 minutes ("Why that's impossible! Hitler's a vegetarian!" "Heil myself."), Lombard's concentration camp dress (daring then, moreso now with full knowledge of the Holocaust), and the uproarious scenes between Jack Benny and Sig Ruman. The Lubitsch-touch deftly steers the film's tone from comic to serious.
Ugetsu Monogatari has the feeling of a film that will grow on me. At the moment, I still prefer Kurosawa's classics to Mizoguchi's ghostly tale. The camerawork was exquisite. Particularly haunting to me were the images of the boat in the fog and Miyagi's final night (as a ghost) with her husband and son. The four intertwining stories were expertly handled but, in the end, did not have the same impact on me as Seven Samurai or Rashomon.
Second, I recently saw parts of Tati's Play Time and it looked absolutely wonderful. Leonard Maltin (who gave it ****, BTW) says that it's one of the M. Hulot films. I've heard of (but haven't seen) Mr. Hulot's Holiday. Are there any other Hulot films and if so, should I watch them before Play Time?
Third, this question is for you Jung, since you're running the contest. Shoah counts as two films, right? I plan on seeing it before Christmas.
That's all for now.
Evan
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"* * * * * * * * * * * * *" - Buster Keaton
AFI List: Meesa finished!
S&S: 51 films left

 

[JungWoo]

Glad that you liked them. To be or not to be is surely one of those movies that strikes the balance betweence the farce and black comedy. And atmospheric Ugetsu, of totally different temperament from Kurosawa's epics, and equaliy great.
About Hulot, there is also Mon Oncle. These movies are related by only the main character, so I don't think it will matter if you watch one earlier than another.
OK, Evan, if you see that 9hr movie, I'll give you extra point.
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http://www.geocities.com/ilian73/index.html My Life to Live
"Cinema is truth 24 frames per second." - Godard
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S&S 100 Films Forum Challenge