Elegy

Genre: psychological study

With: Penelope Cruz (Consuela Castillo), Ben Kingsley (David Kepesh), Patricia Clarkson (Carolyn), Peter Sarsgaard (Kenny Kepesh), Dennis Hopper (George O’Hearn), Deborah Harry (Amy O’Hearn)

Director: Isabel Coixet

Screenplay: Nicholas Meyer (adapted from the novella ‟The Dying Animal” by Phillip Roth)

Release: 2008

Studio: Lakeshore Entertainment – MGM Distribution Company, Samuel Goldwyn Films

Rating: R

MBiS score: 8.2/10 

 

‟ I think it was Bette Davis who said old age is not for sissies.” 

 

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Story-line: David Kepesh, a renowned author and a teacher of powerful intellect, has reached the age when growing old becomes a daily concern. In this regard, his affair with Consuela Castillo, a young student, has been both revealing and important.    

Pluses: stimulating performances by Ben Kingsley (a fascinating, somewhat cynical David) and Penelope Cruz (as the brave and beautiful Consuela), key contributions from Dennis Hopper, Peter Sarsgaard and an excellent cast, a serious screenplay relying on astute dialogues to delve into themes of sexuality, disillusion and commitment, very attractive cinematography (behold those flattering exteriors of New York City!), an evocative musical score and a subdued yet thought-provoking ending.

Minuses: none really.

Comments: in ELEGY, an involving film that reminded me of Rohmer’s careful dramas, Isabel Coixet trains her eye on a man riddled with doubt because he hasn’t found fulfillment in love. In her illustration of man’s decay, time’s imprint on human emotions and the uneasy bond between generations, she has created a sensible, tormented and much better movie experience than I expected from the outset. Elegy indeed for David Kepesh… but not for him exclusively.   

 

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Vie d’Adèle (la) – Chapitres 1 et 2

English title: Blue is the Warmest Color

Genre: relationship drama  

With: Adèle Exarchopoulos (Adèle), Léa Seydoux (Emma), Salim Kechiouche (Samir), Aurélien Recoing (Adèle’s father), Catherine Salée (Adèle’s mother), Jérémie Laheurte (Thomas), Anne Loiret (Emma’s mother), Benoît Pilot (Emma’s stepfather), Sandor Funtek (Valentin), Mona Walravens (Lise)

Director: Abdellatif Kechiche

Screenplay: Abdellatif Kechiche and Ghalia Lacroix (based on Julie Maroh’s comic book)

Release: 2013

Studio: Quat'sous Films, Wild Bunch, France 2 Cinéma et al.

Rating: R

MBiS score: 8.5/10 

 

A Young Woman’s Quest for Sexual Identity: Tentative, Painful, Ecstatic, Exhausting

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Story-line: Lille, France. When Adèle hears her teacher discussing love at first sight during a literature class, she doesn’t seem very impressed. When her teenage friends tell her that Thomas has a crush on her, she remains indecisive. But when she catches a glimpse of a blue-haired woman on the street, something unexpected happens. She feels a fire inside, one that will not be easily extinguished.     

Pluses: outstanding performances by a vulnerable Adèle Exarchopoulos and a magnetic Léa Seydoux, Abdellatif Kechiche’s restrained direction and moderate pacing, well-measured production values, an open and intelligent screenplay enlivened by brisk dialogues, telling scenes of suffering and passion.

Minuses: all in all, LA VIE D’ADÈLE is rather long (3 hours) but not unnecessarily so as it evolves very naturally. Although explicit, the sex scenes are not gratuitous in light of the movie’s characters and subject matter. Some details are left unsaid but you won’t have any trouble ‟connecting the dots”.

Comments: the term ‟true-to-life” aptly describes this flawless production depicting a young woman’s identity crisis. Adèle will encounter ups and downs, moments of happiness and episodes of pain… but this is part and parcel of anyone’s quest for purpose, recounted here in a sincere and compelling way. LA VIE D’ADÈLE has been swamped with awards and nominations all over the world, especially at Cannes (best actresses and direction) and at the Césars. Deservedly so. 

 

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Dog Day Afternoon

Genre: crime drama

With: Al Pacino (Sonny Wortzik), John Cazale (Sal), Charles Durning (Det. Sgt. Eugene Moretti), Chris Sarandon (Leon Shermer), Sully Boyar (Mulvaney), Penelope Allen (Sylvia Benson), James Broderick (Sheldon), Carol Kane (Jenny), Beulah Garrick (Margaret), Sandra Kazan (Deborah), Marcia Jean Kurtz (Miriam), Gary Springer (Stevie), John Marriott (Howard Calvin), Susan Peretz (Angie)

Director: Sidney Lumet

Screenplay: Frank Pierson (from an article by P.F. Kluge and Thomas Moore and a book by Leslie Waller)

Release: 1975

Studio: Artists Entertainment Complex, Warner Bros. Pictures Distribution

Rating: R

MBiS score: 8.7/10 

 

If Everything Else Fails, Improvise   

 

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Story-line: Brooklyn, a sultry day in August, 1972. One after the other, Sal, Sonny and Stevie enter a bank just before closing time and their intentions become abundantly clear when Sal draws a machine gun in full view of the manager. Yes, this is a holdup… but not the kind you would normally expect.      

Pluses: one of Al Pacino’s strongest performances ever, great support from John Cazale, Charles Durning, James Broderick, a splendid cast and a feisty crowd, a dramatic and suspenseful screenplay that doubles as a dark comedy of errors with its clumsy robbers and malevolent cops, tight helming that keeps things tongue-in-cheek and stokes tension relentlessly, appropriate production values and a potent ending.

Minuses: the language used is frequently foul but certainly adds realism to the story.  

Comments: this extraordinary picture, which is based on an actual event, turns its premise into a poignant illustration of human misery as Sonny and his gang, far from being hardened criminals, are basically decent guys facing desperate prospects in life. DOG DAY AFTERNOON, another landmark work from the golden 70s in American cinema, may depict a lousy heist but stands as a perfect movie.

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 Naked City

Genre: crime drama (in black and white)

With: Barry Fitzgerald (Det. Lt. Daniel Muldoon), Howard Duff (Frank Niles), Dorothy Hart (Ruth Morrison), Don Taylor (James Halloran), Frank Conroy (Capt. Sam Donahue), House Jameson (Dr. Lawrence Stoneman), Anne Sargent (Janet Halloran), Ted de Corsia (Willy Garzah), Mark Hellinger (the narrator)

Director: Jules Dassin

Screenplay: Albert Maltz and Malvin Wald (from a story by Malvin Wald)

Release: 1948

Studio: Hellinger Productions, Universal International Pictures

Rating: -

MBiS score: 8.5/10

 

 ‟There are 8 million stories in the naked city.”

  

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Story-line: after sunset in New York City, most people relax, party on or work in the shadows for the benefit of others but a few use the cover of darkness to indulge in criminal behaviour. On this particular night, two men enter Jean Dexter’s apartment and murder the 26-year-old model for reasons unknown and perfectly horrible. Looks like another difficult case for Detective Lt. Muldoon and his colleagues at the NYPD...

Pluses: a strong cast led by a determined Barry Fitzgerald, a well-structured and meticulous screenplay full of twists, turns and briskly delivered dialogues, diligent and focused direction, sharp cinematography (William Daniels), convenient production values and an evocative musical score by Miklós Rózsa and Frank Skinner. 

Minuses: none I can think of.

Comments: from its voice-over intro to its stunning climax, NAKED CITY is what movie experts describe as a police procedural. It follows Muldoon and his team as they learn the facts and gather evidence, interrogate witnesses and sift through statements, alibis and lies in an effort to crack this stumper of a crime case. Although methodical to a fault, Jules Dassin's account of police work maintains interest throughout and does honour to a throbbing city we call the Big Apple. Quality time for movie buffs.   

 

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 China Syndrome (The)

Genre: disaster drama

With: Jane Fonda (Kimberly Wells), Jack Lemmon (Jack Godell), Michael Douglas (Richard Adams), Scott Brady (Herman De Young), James Hampton (Bill Gibson), Peter Donat (Don Jacovich), Wilford Brimley (Ted Spindler)

Director: James Bridges

Screenplay: Mike Gray, T.S. Cook and James Bridges

Release: 1979

Studio: Columbia Pictures Corporation, IPC Films, Major Studio Partners

Rating: PG

MBiS score: 8.5/10

 

 

What They Won’t Tell You  

 

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Story-line: while doing a remote at the Ventana nuclear power plant, a TV reporter who is considered mere filler by her colleagues observes an incident that may have compromised public safety and the plant’s operations.  

Pluses: marquee performances by Jane Fonda (a bright and assertive Kimberly), Jack Lemmon (the increasingly conflicted Godell) and Michael Douglas, excellent support from well-known thespians, a methodical screenplay that leads to a suspenseful final act, dynamic direction that develops bracing (almost painful) tension, convincing production values (the power plant sets especially) and fine cinematography.

Minuses: viewers beware… this chilling film is not for the fainthearted.

Comments: although nuclear energy is generally viewed as a safe source of electricity, the events depicted in THE CHINA SYNDROME are certainly possible − as evidenced by the Three Mile Island (1979), Chernobyl (1986) and Fukushima (2011) incidents. And you don’t need much to trigger a catastrophe; it only takes a miscalculation, neglect, greed or misguided loyalties (or any combination of those factors) to endanger whole communities. Remember our goal as movie buffs: we don’t seek to see everything out there… we focus on films that matter. THE CHINA SYNDROME, with its mighty drama, social import and star power, is clearly one of them.    

 

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 I Compagni

English title: The Organizer

Genre: social drama (in black and white)

With: Marcello Mastroianni (Professor Sinigaglia), Renato Salvatori (Raoul Bertone), Folco Lulli (Pautasso), Bernard Blier (Martinetti), Gabriella Giorgelli (Adele), Raffaella Carrà (Bianca), François Périer (Maestro Di Meo), Vittorio Sanipoli (Baudet), Mario Pisu (the Manager), Kenneth Kove (Luigi), Annie Girardot (Niobe), Elvira Tonelli (Cesarina), Franco Ciolli (Omero), Enzo Casini (Antonio), Antonio Casamonica (Arro)

Director: Mario Monicelli

Screenplay: Agenore Incrocci, Furio Scarpelli and Mario Monicelli  

Release: 1963

Studio: Lux Film, Vides Cinematografica et al.

Rating: -

MBiS score: 8.5/10 

 

The Struggle Never Ends 

 

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Story-line: the setting is Turin in the late 19^th century. Exasperated by their brutal working conditions, the men, women and children slaving in a local textile plant rise against their ruthless bosses with the help of a visiting teacher. 

Pluses: a strong cast of Italian and French thespians led by an intense Marcello Mastroianni, a realistic and detailed screenplay that studiously develops its characters, builds drama and delivers a symbolically potent ending, solid helming that sustains interest from the get-go, fine production values and a well-suited score of Italian folk music.

Minuses: none I can think of.

Comments: I COMPAGNI, a strong companion film to GERMINAL and NORMA RAE, rates as a high-quality ensemble drama and a compelling manifesto about labour relations, poverty and man's dependence on machines for industrial production (not much has changed… today it’s robots). Mario Monicelli’s film bears witness to a difficult era that paved the way for trade unionism worldwide. 

 

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 Rashômon

Genre: psychological drama (in black and white)

With: Toshirô Mifune (Tajômaru), Machiko Kyô (Masako Kanazawa), Masayuki Mori (Takehiro Kanazawa), Takashi Shimura (the Woodcutter), Minoru Chiaki (the Priest), Kichijirô Ueda (the Commoner), Noriko Honma (the Medium)

Director: Akira Kurosawa     

Screenplay: Akira Kurosawa and Shinobu Hashimoto (based on stories by Ryûnosuke Akutagawa)

Release: 1950

Studio: Daiei Eiga

Rating: -

MBiS score: 9.0/10 

 

Of Self-Interest and the Search for Truth 

 

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Story-line: as torrential rains fall from the sky, two men, a priest and a woodcutter, find shelter under the roof of a dilapidated rashômon. Still shaken by their appearance as witnesses in a murder trial, they struggle to understand what really happened in the forest three days before when a samurai and his wife met a notorious bandit named Tajômaru.  

Pluses: an evil performance by Toshirô Mifune and strong acting all around, a well-structured, hard-hitting and brilliant screenplay built on twisted character psychology, intelligent and moderately-paced direction, lively cinematography (Kazuo Miyagawa), fine production values, a varied musical score by Fumio Hayasaka and a powerful ending.

Minuses: none I can think of. Aside from a building, the word rashômon refers to a situation that lends itself to contradictory interpretations.

Comments: if you have never sampled Akira Kurosawa’s genius on screen – I admit I hadn’t before now – RASHÔMON will give you a mesmerizing introduction to this great filmmaker’s oeuvre. Like a stage play, it transcends its modest means to weave a potent story about confusion, desperation, self-interest and guilt… while managing to close its bleak demonstration with a ray of sunshine and a promise of redemption. Please note that one pivotal character – the judge – is never seen nor heard during the trial, as if Kurosawa was asking viewers to sort out the contradictions of the case and decide Tajômaru’s fate. A winner in Venice and a recipient of the Honorary Best Foreign Movie Oscar, this unsettling film is ranked among cinema’s masterpieces… and that’s the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth.  

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Suna no onna 

English title: Woman in the Dunes

Genre: psychological drama (in black and white)

With: Eiji Okada (Niki Jumpei), Kyôko Kishida (the ‟old hag”), Hiroko Itô (Niki's wife), Kôji Mitsui, Sen Yano

Director: Hiroshi Teshigahara

Screenplay: Kôbô Abe, based on his novel, with the help of Eiko Yoshida as scripter

Release: 1964

Studio: Toho Film (Eiga) Co. Ltd., Teshigahara Productions

Rating: -

MBiS score: 8.7/10

 

 

Clowns to the left of me

Jokers to the right

Here I am stuck in the middle with you*

 

 

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Story-line: when Niki, a teacher and entomologist, misses the bus back to Tokyo and finds himself stranded in a remote area, locals offer him shelter for the night. They lead him to a large hole at the bottom of which a house has been built – the one inhabited by the ‟old hag” – and help him down using a rope ladder. The next morning, the ladder has vanished and Niki realizes that no one wants him to leave that miserable hole.  

Pluses: fine acting by Eiji Okada and Kyôko Kishida as two afflicted souls struggling with and against each other, a symbolic, quiet yet potent screenplay that uses sand (!), silences and eroticism to good effect, Tôru Takemitsu's avant-garde musical score, Hiroshi Segawa's evocative cinematography, suitable production values.  

Minuses: if you have a choice between two versions of this film (123 and 147 minutes), pick the longer one because nothing in it feels superfluous or wasteful. The movie's ending, although surprising, is quite realistic in the grand scheme of things.

Comments: the understated, strange and atmospheric WOMAN IN THE DUNES is basically a horror movie without bloodshed. It pits human against human and man against woman in a tragic and unusual way, staking freedom and survival as the ultimate prize. As Hiroshi Teshigahara and crew have shown in this striking picture, it is a terrible ordeal to see your whole life suddenly threatened with futility. 

 

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*With a nod to Stealers Wheel (Joe Egan and Gerry Rafferty, writers)

 Charly

Also known as: Flowers for Algernon

Genre: medical and behavioural drama 

With: Cliff Robertson (Charly Gordon), Claire Bloom (Alice Kinnian), Lilia Skala (Dr. Anna Strauss), Leon Janney (Dr. Richard Nemur), Ruth White (Mrs. Apple), Dick Van Patten (Bert), Edward McNally (Gimpy), Barney Martin (Hank)

Director: Ralph Nelson

Screenplay: Stirling Silliphant (based on a novel by Daniel Keyes)

Release: 1968

Studio: ABC Pictures, Robertson and Associates, Selmur Productions

Rating: -

MBiS score: 8.2/10

 

Tender Soul Meets Hard Science 

 

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Story-line: Charly, a child-like man suffering from mental illness, serves as a study subject to Ms. Kinnian and researchers at the Nemur Strauss Clinic in Boston.  

Pluses: a powerhouse, Oscar-winning performance by Cliff Robertson in one of the most wide-ranging roles you can imagine, splendid support from Claire Bloom and cast, tight, tactful and innovative direction that makes efficient use of split screens and chilling dialogues to drive its story, measured production values, an arresting denouement and Ravi Shankar’s sometimes playful, sometimes sad but always apropos musical score.  

Minuses: if you choose to see CHARLY, be mindful that it plays like an emotional rollercoaster with its succession of heartbreaking, hopeful and exhilarating moments.

Comments: this very modest, beautiful and touching story about mental illness, humility and cherished dreams is as rewarding as any in Cinemaland. For a film entrenched in the specific mindset of the 1960s, it packs surprising relevance for today with its comments on the state of the world. Marvel at Cliff Robertson’s performance, alternately playing a child, a mental patient, a rebellious teenager, a mature man and a committed researcher. While Charly struggles to be a better person, he proves how priceless we all are as human beings. 

 

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 Slap Shot

Genre: sports comedy

With: Paul Newman (Reggie Dunlop), Michael Ontkean (Ned Braden), Strother Martin (McGrath), Jennifer Warren (Francine), Lindsay Crouse (Lily), Jerry Houser (Killer Carlson), Andrew Duncan (Jim Carr), Jeff Carlson, Steve Carlson and David Hanson (as Jeff, Steve and Jack Hanson respectively)

Director: George Roy Hill

Screenplay: Nancy Dowd

Release: 1977

Studio: Kings Road Entertainment, Pan Arts Productions, Universal Pictures

Rating: R

MBiS score: 8.0/10

 

Can't Kill Penalties? Try Killing the Ref

 

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Story-line: as player-coach of the minor-league Charlestown Chiefs, Reggie Dunlop struggles to mould a bunch of prospects, veterans and confirmed losers into a semblance of a hockey team.

Pluses: an unforgettable turn by Paul Newman in a semi-comic role, solid support from Michael Ontkean and a mixed bag of crazies, a frank, truthful and hilarious screenplay by Nancy Dowd, astute direction by George Roy Hill (one roughhouse sequence featuring the Hanson brothers is pure donnybrook) and modest production values in keeping with the subject.

Minuses: there's lots of profanity (mostly in French), indecency, mock violence and general vulgarity but it all comes out as good clean dirty fun.  

Comments: at a time when brawling and disgraceful play were rampant in pro hockey (although it’s still the case today in a number of ways), SLAP SHOT chose to lampoon the senselessness of it all and remains, 44 years after the fact, one of the funniest sports movies ever because of its endearing unpretentiousness. For the sake of your living room, don’t drink beer or eat popcorn while watching this one. 

  

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