Il vangelo secondo Matteo

English title: Gospel According to St. Matthew (The)

Also known as: Évangile selon saint Matthieu (l’)

Genre: religious drama (in black and white) 

With: Enrique Irazoqui (Jesus), Margherita Caruso and Susanna Pasolini (Mary), Marcello Morante (Joseph), Settimio Di Porto (Peter)

Direction and screenplay: Pier Paolo Pasolini

Release: 1964

Studio: Arco Film, Lux Compagnie Cinématographique de France

Rating: -

MBiS score: 8.8/10

A Prophet for Hard Times

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Story-line: this Pasolini film recounts essential episodes in the life of Jesus of Nazareth.  

Pluses: credible acting, a well-constructed and serious screenplay faithful to Holy Scriptures, an unmistakably artistic point of view, proficient direction and an interesting choice of music (classics, Sometimes I Feel Like a Motherless Child).

Minuses: a heads-up to movie buffs: unlike some religious films made in Hollywood, this one is unadorned, unglamorous and unforgiving.

Comments: overall, I have seen four of Pasolini’s works and all were quite daring. Here again, he has taken an unusual path with this surprisingly stark portrayal of Jesus and Palestine twenty centuries ago. You won’t see much here that pleases the eye: dusty outdoors, drab locations, humble hamlets clinging to mountainsides and poor, miserable people. And while other films about Jesus (like the also excellent THE GREATEST STORY EVER TOLD) focus on his humanity, Pasolini shows him more as a protester confronting the religious authorities of his day. In such a light, one can easily imagine why the Apostles, whom Jesus had attracted in Galilee with his teachings and miracles, deserted him in Jerusalem when he openly criticized the religious Establishment; surrounded by soldiers, submitted to social pressures and stranded in a hostile metropolis, they naturally sought to flee. As a whole, THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO ST. MATTHEW is an admirable work and, I might venture, the most realistic of all movies about the Messiah.

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Children’s Hour (The)

Genre: psychological drama (in black and white)

With: Audrey Hepburn (Karen Wright), Shirley MacLaine (Martha Dobie), James Garner (Dr. Joe Cardin, Karen’s friend), Miriam Hopkins (Lily Mortar, Martha’s aunt), Fay Bainter (Amelia Tilford), Veronica Cartwright (Rosalie Wells), Karen Balkin (Mary Tilford)

Director: William Wyler

Screenplay: John Michael Hayes (adapted by Lillian Hellman from her 1934 play)

Release: 1961

Studio: The Mirisch Company

Rating: 18A

MBiS score: 8.6/10

Consider the Damage that Words Can Inflict

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Story-line: times are good for Karen and Martha, headmistresses at the Dobie-Wright boarding school for young girls, as they are finally reaping the rewards of their new calling. Sadly, it is often at such a time that adversity strikes… and it will strike very close to home.   

Pluses: stellar acting by Audrey Hepburn, Shirley MacLaine, James Garner and a fine cast in psychologically nuanced roles, expert editing and direction, a realistic and well-developed screenplay that raises touchy issues and delivers a stunning ending.

Minuses: none whatsoever.

Comments: despite its age, this serious film about perceptions and relationships remains startlingly mature and quite topical in our era of private scandals and public denunciations. Upon its release, THE CHILDREN’S HOUR garnered several festival nominations but no official accolades… which is regrettable for a movie this valuable.     

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De battre mon coeur s’est arrêté 

English title: The Beat That My Heart Skipped

Genre: psychological drama

With: Romain Duris (Thomas Seyr), Niels Arestrup (his father Robert), Jonathan Zaccaï (Fabrice), Gilles Cohen (Sami), Aure Atika (Aline), Emmanuelle Devos (Chris[tine]), Linh Dan Pham (Miao Lin), Anton Yakovlev (Minskov), Mélanie Laurent (Minskov's girlfriend)

Director: Jacques Audiard

Screenplay: Jacques Audiard, Tonino Benacquista and James Toback (from Toback’s screenplay for FINGERS, circa 1977)

Release: 2005

Studio: Why Not Productions, France 3 Cinéma et al.

Rating: -

MBiS score: 8.5/10

Time To Get On With Your Life

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Story-line: young Thomas is torn between the brutal world of his pushy father (an unscrupulous businessman) and the positive influence of his late mother (a concert pianist).

Pluses: powerhouse performances by a manic Romain Duris (part Mick Jagger, part Alex from A CLOCKWORK ORANGE), the awesome Niels Arestrup and a formidable cast (Jonathan Zaccaï and Mélanie Laurent especially), a screenplay chock full of drama, humour, outrageous events, vivid characters and priceless dialogues, Jacques Audiard’s fast-paced direction, an electrifying score, pleasing cinematography and an invigorating climax.

Minuses: I didn’t fully understand the real estate dealings at issue but this is a very minor complaint.
Comments: DE BATTRE MON COEUR S'EST ARRÊTÉ begins with the poignant monologue of a son taking care of his senile father and keeps you spellbound until the very end. I can’t compare this French remake with the original FINGERS but, on its own, it certainly stands as an eye-opening, hard-hitting and slightly crazy spectacle. You won’t risk a heart attack watching this film but you may experience shortness of breath… yes, Audiard’s work is that strong and vibrant.     

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Viskningar och rop

English title: Cries and Whispers
Also known as: Cris et chuchotements
Genre: psychological drama
With: Ingrid Thulin (Karin), Liv Ullmann (Maria and the Mother), Harriet Andersson (Agnes), Kari Sylwan (Anna), Erland Josephson (the Doctor), Henning Moritzen (Joakim), Georg Årlin (Fredrik), Anders Ek (Isak)
Direction and screenplay: Ingmar Bergman
Release: 1972
Studio: Cinematograph AB, Svenska Filminstitutet (SFI)
Rating: -
MBiS score: 8.9/10


Death for One, Rancour for the Rest


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Story-line: the huge house is silent now, except for clocks ticking away as they always have. Agnes wakes up in pain, sees Maria sleeping and goes to write in another room. Agnes, you should know, is nearing death and her two sisters, Karin and Maria, have come over to take care of her with the help of Anna, the faithful maid.
Pluses: a superb cast altogether, expert direction by one of cinema’s greatest auteurs, a very serious screenplay highlighting the fraught relationship between siblings and the crucial but equivocal roles played by Anna and the Doctor, Sven Nykvist's slow and aesthetic camera work (which was honoured at the Oscars) and the production's very striking colour pattern (white dresses, red living room and dark furniture).
Minuses: a warning to movie buffs: although Bergman is often associated with austere dramas – an overgeneralization – this one does confirm his reputation.   
Comments: CRIES AND WHISPERS presents a sombre meditation about death, memories good and bad, family dynamics and hidden feelings… universal themes illustrated here in a schematic, unflinching way. Its main characters are four women – whose personalities range from devoted to heartless – complemented by a few men who have contributed to the women's dissatisfaction with life. Although CRIES AND WHISPERS does merit a very high score, I have found it less involving than other Bergmans (the enthralling WILD STRAWBERRIES, for one) in spite of its immense symbolic and artistic value. It’s a movie masterpiece that elicits admiration but, unfortunately, only moderate sympathy.


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Confidences trop intimes

English title: Intimate Strangers

Genre: psychological drama

With: Fabrice Luchini (William Faber), Sandrine Bonnaire (Anna), Michel Duchaussoy (Dr. Monnier), Anne Brochet (Jeanne), Laurent Gamelon (Luc, Jeanne’s friend), Hélène Surgère (Mrs. Mulon), Gilbert Melki (Marc), Urbain Cancelier (Chatel, Dr. Monnier’s patient)

Director: Patrice Leconte

Screenplay: Jérôme Tonnerre and Patrice Leconte

Release: 2004

Studio: Les Films Alain Sarde et al.

Rating: R

MBiS score: 8.2/10

‟You see… I need to know where she lives.”

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Story-line: on her way to see a psychiatrist, Anna mistakenly enters William Faber’s tax office and begins explaining her personal problems to him. If you were Faber, what would you do?

Pluses: excellent acting by Fabrice Luchini (a staid and sentimental William), Sandrine Bonnaire (the bewitching Anna) and Anne Brochet (William’s saucy ex), an intelligent screenplay tinged with psychological insights, eroticism and a dash of suspense à la Hitchcock, fine direction and solid production values.

Minuses: none I can think of.  

Comments: starting with a very simple premise, Patrice Leconte and crew have whipped up a healthy serving of movie magic. CONFIDENCES TROP INTIMES (roughly translated as ‟Secrets Too Personal”) supplies a foxy story, several deliciously ambiguous moments, one incredible dance scene (you’ve got company, John Travolta!) and a wonderful ending. Who could ask for anything more?

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