Skammen  

English title: Shame

Genre: relationship and war drama (in black and white)

With: Liv Ullmann (Eva), Max von Sydow (Jan Rosenberg, her husband), Gunnar Björnstrand (Jacobi), Sigge Fürst (Filip), Hans Alfredson (Fredrik Lobelius)

Director: Ingmar Bergman

Screenplay: Ingmar Bergman

Release: 1968

Studio: Cinematograph AB, Svensk Filmindustri (SF)

Rating: R

MBiS score: 8.4/10

On the Fierceness of Wars, Whether Collective or Private  

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Story-line: Scandinavia, the 1960s. Eva and Jan, former musicians who have settled down on an island to farm and live in peace, are subjected to increasing pressure when civil war on the mainland threatens to spill over into their part of the world.

Pluses: superior performances by Liv Ullmann (a fiery Eva), Max von Sydow (a quieter, mostly fragile Jan) and Gunnar Björnstrand, expert direction from a master helmer, a realistic, chilling and somewhat apocalyptic screenplay about civilians dealing with armed conflict, Sven Nykvist's usually excellent camera work, adequate production values and an intriguing ending.

Minuses: none really but, this being a Bergman, you should expect very serious and slightly depressing fare.

Comments: although it broaches typical Bergman themes (personality issues, communication problems, marital woes and death), SKAMMEN takes place in a surprisingly different context that exacerbates the fickle relationship between Eva and Jan – who had fallen into a familiar routine – and pushes them toward uncharted territory. This Bergman also shuns symbolism to focus on basic survival issues. As for the titular shame, you will feel it yourselves when you see how war compromises all characters involved, even those who never wanted to get their hands dirty. What a mess…



In tribute to Max von Sydow (1929-2020)





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What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?

Genre: psychological horror movie (in black and white, appropriately enough)

With: Bette Davis (‟Baby Jane” Hudson), Joan Crawford (her sister Blanche), Victor Buono (Edwin Flagg), Maidie Norman (Elvira Stitt), Marjorie Bennett (Dehlia, Edwin’s mother), Anna Lee (Mrs. Bates, the neighbour)

Director: Robert Aldrich

Screenplay: Lukas Heller (based on Henry Farrell’s novel)

Release: 1962

Studio: Associates and Aldrich

Rating: PG

MBiS score: 8.4/10





She Was Cute Back Then. She Ain’t Cute No More.





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Story-line: the relationship between Blanche Hudson, a Hollywood actress, and her sister Jane, a former child star, takes a tragic turn when a car accident confines Blanche to a wheelchair and casts Jane as her caregiver.

Pluses: pitch-perfect performances by Bette Davis (in a nasty, showy role) and Joan Crawford, smart support from Victor Buono and cast, a spellbinding and tightly-wound screenplay, implacable direction, Frank De Vol’s hyperactive and highly effective musical score, impressive production values (Jane’s makeup, the Hudsons’ fortress-like house) and a stupefying ending.

Minuses: although rich in protein, Jane’s cooking may not cater to all tastes.    

Comments: WHAT EVER HAPPENED TO BABY JANE? is an unsettling film that all movie buffs should see at least once in their lifetime. Pay close attention to the accident scene at around the 15-minute mark and to the car interior especially. Whatever you think of that pivotal scene, there’s one thing we will all agree on: Baby Jane Hudson will forever be one of the silver screen’s most celebrated kooks, along with SUNSET BOULEVARD’s Norma Desmond.





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Infamous

Genre: psychological drama

With: Toby Jones (Truman Capote), Sandra Bullock (Nelle Harper Lee), Daniel Craig (Perry Smith), Peter Bogdanovich (Bennett Cerf), Jeff Daniels (Alvin Dewey), Hope Davis (Slim Keith), Gwyneth Paltrow (Kitty Dean), Lee Pace (Dick Hickock), Juliet Stevenson (Diana Vreeland)

Director: Douglas McGrath

Screenplay: Douglas McGrath (based on George Plimpton's book)

Release: 2006

Studio: Warner Independent Pictures, Killer Films et al.

Rating: R

MBiS score: 8.3/10

A Capote Double Bill –  

‟There's a Gold Mine in the Sky”

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Story-line: New York City, 1959. When Truman Capote reads a newspaper item on the murder of a Kansas family, he decides to write about the tragedy. Finding who did it is not important, he tells his editor... it’s how this crime has broken mutual trust in the community.       

Pluses: a star-studded cast led by Toby Jones (showing great range as an extravagant, quick-witted and sometimes abrasive Capote), Sandra Bullock (virtually unrecognizable as Nelle), Daniel Craig and Juliet Stevenson, sturdy direction, an alternately funny and devastating screenplay featuring documentary-style snippets and startling exchanges about personal matters and literary work, flashy production values, superb period detail and Gene Autry's very topical song (written by Nick and Charles Kenny).

Minuses: having been released after Bennett Miller's CAPOTE, INFAMOUS was thoroughly trounced at the box office and largely overlooked on the awards circuit... which is really a pity. 

Comments: although based on the same pivotal event as CAPOTE, INFAMOUS places it in a wider context and, in so doing, better illustrates what the novel In Cold Blood meant for Capote on a personal level. Less tragic and solemn than Miller's work, funnier in parts and ultimately quite moving, INFAMOUS throws several interesting issues into the mix, notably the nature of evil, Nelle's own literary success – which clearly bothered Capote – and the risky relationship that can develop between writer and subject. Frankly, there is little to choose between CAPOTE and INFAMOUS, Philip Seymour Hoffman and Toby Jones, Bennett Miller and Douglas McGrath. And I didn't mind seeing both films within a relatively short time... proof positive of their individual value.         

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Capote

Genre: biographical drama

With: Philip Seymour Hoffman (Truman Capote), Catherine Keener (Nelle Harper Lee), Clifton Collins Jr. (Perry Smith), Chris Cooper (Alvin Dewey), Bruce Greenwood (Jack Dunphy), Bob Balaban (William Shawn), Amy Ryan (Marie Dewey), Mark Pellegrino (Richard Dick Ricardo Hickock)

Director: Bennett Miller

Screenplay: Dan Futterman (based on Gerald Clarke’s book)

Release: 2005

Studio: United Artists, Sony Pictures Classics et al.

Rating: 14A

MBiS score: 8.4/10

A Capote Double Bill –  

‟More tears are shed over answered prayers than unanswered ones.” 

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Story-line: New York, 1959. When he learns of the brutal murder of the Clutter family in Kansas, Truman Capote decides to write about it for the New Yorker. Without delay, he hops on a train to the Sunflower State with Nelle Harper Lee, his childhood friend, who will act as a ‟research assistant and bodyguard”.   

Pluses: Philip Seymour Hoffman's Oscar-winning turn as the multi-faceted and flawed Capote, fine support from Catherine Keener, Chris Cooper and Amy Ryan, an intellectually stimulating screenplay that offers glimpses of literary work but no clear-cut answers, unshowy direction, beautiful cinematography, a superb rendering of the late 1950s and Mychael Danna's quiet musical score. 

Minuses: none really.

Comments: although a bit cold, slow and static, CAPOTE maintains interest from beginning to end because of the tension exerted on its protagonists by a murky and morally difficult situation. Capote, who had undertaken his Kansas assignment rather lightheartedly, faced a life-changing challenge as a person and a writer. Was he exploiting a tragedy and glorifying a crime for the sake of a book... which became one of America's most celebrated novels? Or did he allow himself to be manipulated by Smith and Hickock, the two men charged with the crime? These questions, combined with issues of trust, prejudice, love and clashing personalities are at the heart of this stimulating film that dovetails with the worthy DEAD MAN WALKING, another grave drama about criminal behaviour, justice and redemption.  

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Manchester by the Sea

Genre: psychological drama  

With: Casey Affleck (Lee Chandler), Kyle Chandler (Lee’s brother, Joe), Ben O’Brien and Lucas Hedges (Joe’s son, Patrick, as a child and a teenager respectively), C.J. Wilson (George, a good friend), Michelle Williams (Randi, Lee’s ex-wife), Gretchen Mol (Elise, Joe’s wife)

Director: Kenneth Lonergan

Screenplay: Kenneth Lonergan

Release: 2016

Studio: Amazon Studios, K Period Media, Pearl Street Films, The Media Farm, B Story et al.

Rating: 14A

MBiS score: 8.5/10





Of Old Wounds and New Realities





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Story-line: a gloomy and quick-tempered janitor living in Boston must face unpleasant memories and new circumstances when a family tragedy leads him back to his hometown of Manchester.  

Pluses: a dominant, Oscar-winning turn by Casey Affleck (as a slouching, broken-voiced loner who doesn’t always look at people when he speaks to them), exemplary support from Lucas Hedges and Michelle Williams (who makes the most of her limited screen time, especially her incandescent 3-minute duo with Casey at the 1 hour, 54 minute mark), a patient, realistic and very full Oscar-rewarded screenplay dotted with quirky moments, eloquent scenes and ironic twists, appropriate production values, tactful direction and lovely cinematography, fine editing and an interesting, eclectic choice of music.

Minuses: at first, you may be thrown off by the story’s shifts between past and present-day (the opening scene, for instance, happened 8 years before, when Patrick was a youngster) but you won’t need much time to get the hang of it.  

Comments: I wasn’t very confident when I chose to see the much-celebrated MANCHESTER BY THE SEA because homecoming movies can easily sink into formula but, much like YOU CAN COUNT ON ME, Kenneth Lonergan’s other fine reunion film, this stirring work examines serious issues, from contentious families, personal loss and self-inflicted wounds to the oppressive situations and unexpected adjustments that daily life imposes upon us. I wouldn’t call it a feel-good movie but its quiet power and commitment are ultimately inspiring. As John Lennon famously said, “Life is what happens while you are busy making other plans.”





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Juste avant la nuit

English title: Just Before Nightfall

Genre: psychological drama  

With: Michel Bouquet (Charles Masson), Anna Douking (Laura Tellier), Stéphane Audran (Hélène Masson), François Périer (François Tellier), Jean Carmet (Jeannot, the bartender), Dominique Zardi (Dominique Prince), Henri Attal (Cavanna), Clelia Matania (Charles’s mother)

Director: Claude Chabrol

Screenplay: Claude Chabrol, from a novel by Édouard Atiyah

Release: 1971

Studio: Cinegai S.p.A., Les Films de la Boétie

Rating: -

MBiS score: 8.2/10





Masson, My Friend, You Have Some Explaining to Do





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Story-line: while indulging his mistress Laura with some kinky role-playing, Charles Masson accidentally strangles her.

Pluses: Michel Bouquet’s excellent performance (note his amazing emotional range), fine support from Stéphane Audran, François Périer and cast, a well-written, intriguing and efficient screenplay that touches upon serious issues while slipping in a few outrageously funny moments, accomplished direction, sober cinematography, those curiously modern decors, a frosty musical score and a surprising denouement that gives meaning to the movie’s apparently humdrum title. 

Minuses: one reviewer has criticized this film as ‟lurid” but, aside from the opening sequence which does require sleaze, JUSTE AVANT LA NUIT is a straightforward drama. As with other psychological studies, give this one 40 minutes or so to build a compelling, increasingly tense narrative.   

Comments: one might think that JUSTE AVANT LA NUIT will be a letdown after Laura’s death in the opening sequence but it has much more to show for itself. Watching Masson cope with his tragic blunder will keep you busy enough for the duration. Will he feel remorseful? lie his way out of it? confess? return to his happy life as if nothing had happened? If you’ve seen LA FEMME INFIDÈLE, another psychology-driven gem from Claude Chabrol, you will appreciate this cold, low-key movie even more.     





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Ordet

English title: Word (The)
Also known as: Parole (la)
Genre: religious drama (in black and white)
With: Henrik Malberg (Morten Borgen), Emil Hass Christensen (Mikkel, Morten’s eldest son), Birgitte Federspiel (Inger), Preben Lerdorff Rye (Johannes, Morten’s second son), Cay Kristiansen (Anders, Morten’s youngest son), Gerda Nielsen (Anne Petersen), Ejner Federspiel (Peter Petersen), Sylvia Eckhausen (Kirstin Petersen), Ove Rud (Pastor), Henry Skjær (the Doctor)
Director: Carl Theodor Dreyer
Screenplay: Kaj Munk (based on his play), with help from Carl Theodor Dreyer
Release: 1955
Studio: Palladium Film
Rating: -
MBiS score: 9.2/10



The Lord Giveth, and the Lord Taketh Away 



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Story-line: we find ourselves in 1925, on Morten Borgen’s farm in the Danish countryside. Morten, the widowed and deeply religious patriarch, is disappointed with the way his family has turned out. His eldest son, though happily married, has lost all faith in God. His second, whom he sent to study religion, has come home suffering from a messiah complex. Fortunately, there’s Anders, the youngest… except that Anders is secretly in love with the daughter of Morten's long-standing moral enemy, Petersen the tailor.   

Pluses: eminently serious and natural performances by a talented cast, dignified direction, a heartbreaking screenplay that patiently fleshes out its characters with its effective dialogues, modest but tasteful production values and a mighty musical theme.

Minuses: although slow and static (being based on a stage play), not very aesthetic (having been produced with little means) and austere (due to its subject matter), ORDET still manages to maintain interest right up to its stunningly powerful climax.

Comments: C.T. Dreyer has made few films but has attained legendary status for the high quality of his oeuvre. This Venice Film Festival winner, which matches Bergman’s best for human value, remains one of the richest and most uplifting movie experiences of all time. Once you’ve seen ORDET and other films of its calibre, you understand why many call cinema the “seventh art”.  



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Hours (The)

Genre: psychological drama
With: Julianne Moore (Laura Brown), Meryl Streep (Clarissa Vaughan), Nicole Kidman (Virginia Woolf), Stephen Dillane (Leonard Woolf), John C. Reilly (Dan Brown), Ed Harris (Richard), Miranda Richardson (Vanessa Bell), Toni Collette (Kitty)
Director: Stephen Daldry
Screenplay: David Hare (based on a novel by Michael Cunningham)
Release: 2002
Studio: Paramount Pictures, Miramax, Scott Rudin Productions
Rating: PG
MBiS score: 8.1/10


‟It's on this day. This day of all days. Her fate becomes clear to her.”

   

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Story-line: THE HOURS combines three stories – from 1923, 1951 and 2001 respectively – whose common thread is Mrs. Dalloway, a novel by Virginia Woolf. It follows (1) Virginia herself, as she was working on her novel; (2) Laura, a California housewife who is throwing a birthday party for her husband Dan; and (3) Clarissa, who will host a reception honouring her friend Richard, recipient of a literary prize.

Pluses: a robust cast led by marquee actors, competent direction, an astute and emotionally charged screenplay, a strong aesthetic focus, fine production values.

Minuses: as this film deals mostly with sentiments, personal conflicts and difficult life issues (sickness, depression and the like), some viewers may find it slow and rather sad.

Comments: as a matter of context, the main characters in Mrs. Dalloway are an upper-class Londoner reflecting on the choices she has made in life and a young man who has returned from the war with a trauma. THE HOURS builds upon this context to show how a book written well before our time can still move us and how human beings react similarly whatever the era they live in. As a study of literary issues and everyday life, Stephen Daldry’s critically-acclaimed film is a fine achievement – especially in its thought-provoking ending that gives new meaning to the overall narrative – but I wouldn’t urge you to see it if you’re feeling blue or looking for light entertainment.   



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That Hamilton Woman

Also known as: Lady Hamilton

Genre: period drama (in black and white)

With: Vivien Leigh (Emma Lady Hamilton), Alan Mowbray (Sir William Hamilton), Laurence Olivier (Lord Horatio Nelson), Sara Allgood (Mrs. Cadogan-Lyon, Emma’s mother), Gladys Cooper (Lady Frances), Henry Wilcoxon (Captain Hardy)

Director: Alexander Korda

Screenplay: Walter Reisch and R.C. Sherriff

Release: 1941

Studio: Alexander Korda Films, Inc., London Film Productions

Rating: PG

MBiS score: 8.3/10





I’ll Be Ready When My Ship Comes In  





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Story-line: the port of Calais, France, in the early 1800s. A wretched, miserable-looking Englishwoman is accused of stealing a bottle of liquor and taken into custody along with a bystander named Mary Smith. Once in jail, the poor woman introduces herself as Emma Lady Hamilton… a claim that Mary cannot believe since Lady Hamilton was an aristocrat and reputedly the most beautiful woman in the world.

Pluses: wonderful acting all around but especially by Vivien Leigh (as a character not unlike Scarlett O’Hara), Laurence Olivier (as the dashing Nelson), Alan Mowbray and Sara Allgood, an action-packed screenplay replete with fine dialogues, flawless direction and cinematography, sumptuous sets and costumes, convincing battle scenes and a fitting musical score by Miklós Rózsa.

Minuses: none I can think of.

Comments: THAT HAMILTON WOMAN tells the tale of an opportunistic London showgirl whose transition from dance halls to social balls didn’t shield her from disappointment and whose unexpected happiness was not meant to last. Alexander Korda’s dramatic and very romantic film is remarkable as a showcase for a strong female protagonist and one of cinema’s most glorious couples. This is what star power looks like, movie buffs! 





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Huo zhe

English title: To Live

Also known as: Vivre

Genre: personal epic

With: You Ge (Xu Fugui), Li Gong (his wife Jiazhen), Zhang Lu, Xiao Cong and Tianchi Liu (their daughter Fengxia as a child, teenager and adult respectively), Deng Fei (their son Youqing), Tao Guo (Chunsheng, Fugui’s partner), Ben Niu (the town chief), Wu Jiang (Wan Erxi), Zongluo Huang (Fugui’s father), Yanjin Liu (Fugui’s mother), Dahong Ni (Long'er, Fugui’s gambling opponent)

Director: Yimou Zhang

Screenplay: Wei Lu and Hua Yu (based on Hua Yu’s novel)

Release: 1994

Studio: ERA International, Shanghai Film Studios

Rating: -

MBiS score: 8.8/10





The Politics of Daily Life





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Story-line: China in the 1940s. After Xu Fugui’s passion for gambling sends himself, his pregnant wife, his young daughter and his parents spiralling toward bankruptcy, he has no other choice but to struggle for their survival.

Pluses: excellent acting from You Ge, Li Gong and a talented cast, a reasoned, well-written screenplay featuring endearing characters and several intriguing twists, outstanding direction and production values, breathtakingly beautiful visuals and a moving musical theme.

Minuses: none really.

Comments: personal chronicles can be tedious to watch but rarely have I seen one so skilful and gripping as TO LIVE. From one day to the next, Fugui’s family learns humility and resilience through personal misfortunes, war, political upheaval and bureaucratic insensitivity. Yimou Zhang’s ironic, sometimes severe and always impeccable film plays like a metaphor of man’s powerlessness in the face of events both private and collective.   





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