Armée des ombres (l’)

English title: Army of Shadows

Genre: war drama

With: Lino Ventura (Philippe Gerbier), Paul Meurisse (Luc Jardie), Jean-Pierre Cassel (Jean-François Jardie), Simone Signoret (Mathilde), Claude Mann (Claude Ullmann a.k.a. ‟le Masque”), Paul Crauchet (Félix Lepercq), Christian Barbier (Guillaume Vermersch,  a.k.a. ‟le Bison”), Serge Reggiani (the Hairdresser), André Dewavrin (Colonel Passy), Alain Dekok (Legrain), Alain Mottet (the camp commander), Alain Libolt (Paul Dounat)

Director: Jean-Pierre Melville

Screenplay: Jean-Pierre Melville (adapting Joseph Kessel’s novel)

Release: 1969

Studio: Les Films Corona, Fono Roma

Rating: -

MBiS score: 8.8/10 

 

‟They need you on the outside.” 

 

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Story-line: October 1942. Philippe Gerbier, a civil engineer turned cell leader in the French Resistance, is taken to a detainment camp after his arrest by French police. Meeting Gerbier for the first time and going over his record, the camp commander is truly baffled: how should he treat this secretive prisoner… with a carrot, a stick or both? What follows is anyone’s guess but one thing’s for sure: Gerbier doesn’t plan on being a submissive detainee…

Pluses: superlative acting by Lino Ventura, Simone Signoret, Paul Meurisse and a great cast, perfect direction by a helmer who was himself a soldier and a resistant during the war, a tension-filled, one-of-a-kind screenplay full of weighty dialogues and grave events, superb cinematography, outstanding production values, a sparse, mesmerizing and breathtakingly beautiful musical score and a jolt of an ending.

Minuses: some silent scenes are noticeably long but, far from distracting viewers, they push the drama to an almost unbearable level.

Comments: I had preconceived notions about French resistants during the Occupation –  that they were mainly fighters and saboteurs – but the flawless ARMY OF SHADOWS reveals much, much more… a covert world of planning, spying, quick decisions and incredible danger that required total commitment from its agents and a bit of luck now and then. As a leader, Gerbier has learned to do things he had never imagined possible and has made huge sacrifices while realizing that he is missing out on the basic rewards of life. According to the IMDB website, when this masterwork was released for the first time in the United States – circa 2006 –, it was honoured by the Los Angeles Film Critics Association, the National Society of Film Critics and the New York Film Critics Circle. This, movie buffs, is a genuine seal of approval… and one more reason to catch this stupendous movie.   

 

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Lady from Shanghai (The)

Genre: film noir (fittingly in black and white)

With: Rita Hayworth (Elsa Bannister), Orson Welles (Michael O'Hara), Everett Sloane (Arthur Bannister), Glenn Anders (George Grisby), Ted de Corsia (Sidney Broome), Erskine Sanford (Judge), Gus Schilling (Goldie)

Director: Orson Welles

Screenplay: Orson Welles (based on a story and novel by Sherwood King), with help from William Castle, Charles Lederer and Fletcher Markle

Release: 1947

Studio: Mercury Productions, Columbia Pictures Corporation

Rating: -

MBiS score: 8.5/10 

 

Cruisin’ for a bruisin’ 

 

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Story-line: one night in New York City, Michael O’Hara, an Irish sailor, sees a very attractive woman enjoying the sights and chats with her for a moment or two. Later, he finds her being attacked by ruffians in Central Park and manages to rescue her. They chat some more and discover that they share an adventurous spirit. As you can guess, they will meet again in a more romantic setting – a yacht circling North America – but in the presence of her husband and a couple of annoying fellas.

Pluses: stellar acting by Rita Hayworth (a voluptuous, intelligent Elsa), Orson Welles (a daring Michael), Everett Sloane and Glenn Anders, efficient direction, a complex and perverse screenplay full of twists, turns, cynicism and snappy dialogues, appropriate production values, excellent cinematography, a helpful musical score that heightens the drama and a riveting 18-minute denouement.

Minuses: the screenplay confused me somewhat but it made sense once I took the time to figure it out. On screen, Rita and Orson make a dynamite couple but it is worth noting that they were facing each other in divorce proceedings when this movie was shot. 

Comments: LADY FROM SHANGHAI isn’t called a film noir for nothing. It offers everything you could wish for in a crime thriller: burning passion, mysterious characters, a tricky story that keeps you guessing and a memorable ending to boot. As Michael would say when asked about his tastes in liquor, ‟Doesn't have to be wholesome... just as long as it's strong.”

 

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Fille inconnue (la)

English title: The Unknown Girl

Genre: psychological drama – mystery

With: Adèle Haenel (Dr. Jenny Davin), Olivier Bonnaud (Julien). Jérémie Renier (Bryan’s father), Louka Minnella (Bryan), Christelle Cornil (Bryan’s mother), Nadège Ouedraogo (the cybercafé cashier), Olivier Gourmet (Lambert), Pierre Sumkay (Lambert Senior), Yves Larec (Dr. Habran), Ben Hamidou (Ben Mahmoud)

Directors: Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne

Screenplay: Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne

Release: 2016

Studio: Les Films du Fleuve, Archipel 35, Savage Film et al.

Rating: -

MBiS score: 8.4/10

  

The One That Got Away 

 

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Story-line: Jenny, who is filling in for Dr. Habran at his neighbourhood clinic and will soon move to the well-regarded Kennedy Centre, has spent a long and gruelling day taking care of patients with her trainee Julien. One hour after closing time, they are still at work tidying up when a young lady rings outside, seeking admittance. Julien wants to let her in, Jenny orders him not to and the girl goes away. The very next day, when she learns what happened to that girl, Jenny comes to regret her decision.

Pluses: a valiant, dominant performance by Adèle Haenel (as the dedicated and tenacious Jenny), able support from a good cast (especially Jérémie Renier and Olivier Gourmet in small but important roles), typically tight and sober direction, a beguiling and twisty screenplay highlighting the perils of daily life, competent cinematography and editing, quality production values and a jarring ending.

Minuses: aside from a brief song dedicated to Jenny and traffic noises here and there, the movie features no musical score… but this is understandable, considering the subject matter.

Comments: what Jenny learns about the unknown girl is so heartbreaking that she will try to make amends even if it means making decisions on the spur of the moment, taking risks and irritating people around her. As you follow her in this personal quest, her pain becomes so intimate that you feel as cheap and unsettled as she does. Once again, the Dardenne brothers have fashioned an effective film with very little means, a thoughtful and potent meditation on remorse, shame and the elusiveness of truth. 

 

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Byeon-ho-in

English title: Attorney (The)

Genre: legal drama

With: Kang-ho Song* (Song Woo-seok, the protagonist), Kim Yeong-ae (Choi Soon-ae, the restaurateur), Jung Jae-min and Yim Si-wan (Park Jin-Woo, the restaurateur’s son, as a boy and as a teen respectively), Oh Dal-su (Park Dong-ho, Song’s assistant), Eun-jae Cha (Miss Moon, Song’s secretary), Jung Won-joong (Attorney Kim Sang-pil), Jo Min-ki (Prosecutor Kang Byeong-chul), Kwak Do-won (Inspector Cha Dong-yeong), Lee Sung-min (Lee Yoon-taek, the newspaper reporter), Cha Kwang-soo (Park Byeong-ho), Song Young-Chang (the Judge), Lee Hang-na (Jang, Song's wife)

o       Director: Yang Woo-seok

Screenplay: Yoon Hyeon-ho and Yang Woo-seok 

Release: 2013

Studio: Withus Film, Well go USA Entertainment, Next Entertainment World Inc. et al.

Rating: 14A

MBiS score: 8.5/10 

 

Money Can’t Buy Respect 

 

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Story-line: Busan (South Korea), 1978. Attorney Song Woo-seok is so ambitious and entrepreneurial that he raises eyebrows among colleagues of the local Bar. As soon as he was appointed judge – a feat in itself, considering he is only a high school graduate –, he quits his post because he doesn’t like it and it isn’t lucrative enough for him. Instead, he wants to become a real estate attorney, convinced that this line of work will bring in tons of money. It seems that Song’s only goal in life is to rake in the dough… but will it always be like this?

Pluses: vigorous performances by Kang-ho Song (showing great range as a tenacious, evolving protagonist), Kim Yeong-ae, Yim Si-wan and an evenly competent cast, restless direction, an intelligent, busy and colourful screenplay replete with good guys and nasty villains, superb cinematography, excellent production values, an attentive musical score and an awe-inspiring ending.

Minuses: none I can think of.

Comments: Yang Woo-seok’s admirable film begins as a lighthearted comedy but morphs into an increasingly potent drama – based on true events – as political tensions reach the boiling point in the cauldron of South Korea. More than a fine movie, THE ATTORNEY is a remarkable history lesson. If you do a little research on a man named Roh Moo-hyun – but only after watching the movie, of course!–, you will be amazed by what you discover. (Kudos to Rob Hunter, at filmschoolrejects.com, for recommending this important film.)

 

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*Please note that proper names in this review have alternate spellings and may have been reversed. My apologies to any and all concerned.

 

Insulte (l’)

English title: The Insult

Genre: social drama

With: Adel Karam (Toni Hanna), Kamel El Basha (Yasser Abdallah Salameh), Rita Hayek (Shirine, Toni’s wife), Christine Choueiri (Manal, Yasser’s wife), Talal Jurdi (Talal, Yasser’s boss), Camille Salameh (Wajdi Wehbe, Toni’s lawyer), Diamand Bou Abboud (Nadine, Yasser’s lawyer), Julia Kassar (Judge Colette Mansour), Rifaat Torbey (Samir Geagea), Carlos Chahine (Judge Chahine), Elie Njeim (Elie, Toni’s employee), Walid Abboud (Television Host), Georges Daoud (Georges Hanna, Toni’s father)

Director: Ziad Doueiri

Screenplay: Ziad Doueiri and Joelle Touma

Release: 2017

Studio: Ezekiel Films, Tessalit Productions, Rouge International et al.

Rating: 14A

MBiS score: 8.6/10 

 

‟No one has a monopoly on suffering.” 

 

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Story-line: in a Beirut teeming with political and religious fervour, Toni, a Christian Party supporter, is warned by Yasser, a Palestinian foreman hired by the city, that the drainpipe under his balcony is faulty. When Toni refuses to listen, Yasser asks two of his men to modify the drainpipe and, while they are installing an extension, Toni comes out and breaks it deliberately. Clearly irritated, Yasser answers with an insult. From then on, the disagreement between the two men will take on a life of its own.  

Pluses: convincing acting all around (Kamel El Basha won the Best Actor Prize in Venice for his performance but the whole cast is also deserving), economical, top-notch direction, a twisty and brutal screenplay replete with conflicted characters, virile scenes, strong tension and hard-hitting dialogues, superb cinematography and editing, very fine production values, a serviceable musical score and a powerful ending.

Minuses: although it contains vigorous and even hateful language targeting Palestinians and Lebanese alike, the film serves as an important record of the difficult relations between nations in the Middle East.

Comments: the thought-provoking and important THE INSULT shows how a minor problem can become a devastating crisis if circumstances are volatile enough. Ziad Doueiri’s uncompromising and riveting film doesn’t take sides and lets the chips fall where they may. If you are looking for a gut-wrenching, dynamic film illustrative of our difficult times, this Oscar-nominated entry (for 2018) will reward you handsomely.  

 

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Xiao cheng zhi chun

English title: Spring in a Small Town

Genre: psychological drama (in black and white)

With: Wei Wei* (Zhou Yuwen), Shi Yu (Dai Liyan, her husband), Zhang Hongmei (Xiou or Meimei, Liyan’s young sister), Cui Chaoming (Old Huang, the servant), Li Wei (Zhang Zhichen, the visitor)

Director: Mu Fei

Screenplay: Li Tianji

Release: 1948

Studio: Wenhua Film Studio

Rating: -

MBiS score: 8.4/10

  

–Why are you acting like this? Why so angry?

– l don’t know. l can’t help it. l’m a failure. 

 

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Story-line: in a small Chinese town shortly after World War II, Yuwen spends her gruelling, thankless days taking care of her sick and demoralized husband Liyan. She’s afraid of dying, he seems afraid of living. They share a rundown estate with Liyan’s younger sister and a servant. Everything looks bleak… but the unexpected visit of an old friend changes everything for Liyan… and it so happens that Yuwen also knows him well.

Pluses: convincing performances from all cast members, competent and reasoned direction, a thoughtful, well-written screenplay remarkable for its subtle psychological insights and interplay, irreproachable production values in spite of limited means, an appropriate musical score and a poignant final act.

Minuses: the first few minutes may feel slow but they mirror the suffocating world in which Liyan and his family are inescapably trapped.  

Comments: if you choose to watch this film, don’t expect fireworks or loud suspense. The quiet and exquisitely nuanced SPRING IN A SMALL TOWN recounts a pivotal stage in the lives of hopeless people burdened with guilt, health issues and moral imperatives. At times, they exchange only a few words, a look or even a silent gesture… yet you fully understand their yearnings and disappointments. Mu Fei’s very mature work is a milestone in the history of Chinese cinema.

 

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*Please note that proper names in this review may have been reversed. My apologies to any and all concerned.

Popiól i diament

English title: Ashes and Diamonds

Also known as: Cendres et diamants

Genre:  sociopolitical drama (in black and white)

With: Zbigniew Cybulski (Maciek Chelmicki), Waclaw Zastrzezynski (Szczuka), Ewa Krzyzewska (Krystyna), Adam Pawlikowski (Andrzej), Bogumil Kobiela (Drewnowski), Jan Ciecierski (Portier), Stanislaw Milski (Pieniazek), Artur Mlodnicki (Kotowicz)

Director: Andrzej Wajda

Screenplay: Jerzy Andrzejewski and Andrzej Wajda (based on Jerzy’s novel)

Release: 1958

Studio: Zespól Filmowy ‟Kadr”

Rating: -

MBiS score: 8.6/10 

 

A Case of Divided Loyalties 

 

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Story-line: in May 1945, Poland has been liberated but is no closer to peace as the Polish resistance movement contends with Russian forces and their Communist allies to fill the power vacuum left by the Nazis. ASHES AND DIAMONDS focuses on two Polish operatives, Maciek and Andrzej, and their mission to assassinate Szczuka, a Communist union organizer.

Pluses: excellent acting by Zbigniew Cybulski (as Maciek the thrill-seeker) and Adam Pawlikowski (the deadly serious Andrzej), great support from a strong cast, world-class direction, a full, richly developed and very tight screenplay that builds tension inexorably toward an unexpected climax, lovely cinematography and satisfying production values.

Minuses: none I can think of.

Comments: ASHES AND DIAMONDS, a gripping tale about ideals, politics, corruption and love, serves as a microcosm of a Poland in flux with militants and organizers jockeying for position, aristocrats contemplating exile, local officials lusting for positions of power and ordinary people trying to make do. Much like Andrzej Wajda (1926-2016), who had to juggle with art and political censorship during a good part of his illustrious career, Maciek will face a difficult choice between commitment and personal interest. 

 

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 Parallax View (the)

Genre: political thriller

With: Warren Beatty (Joseph Frady), Paula Prentiss (Lee Carter), William Daniels (Austin Tucker), Walter McGinn (Jack Younger), Hume Cronyn (Bill Rintels), Kelly Thordsen (Sheriff L.D. Wicker), Earl Hindman (Deputy Red), Chuck Waters (Thomas Richard Linder), Kenneth Mars (Will), William Joyce (Senator Charles Carroll), Betty Murray (Mrs. Charles Carroll), Bill McKinney (Parallax operative), Anthony Zerbe (Prof. Schwartzkopf), Doria Cook-Nelson (Gale)

Director: Alan J. Pakula

Screenplay: David Giler, Lorenzo Semple Jr. and Robert Towne (based on Loren Singer’s novel)

Release: 1974

Studio: Doubleday Productions, Gus, Harbor Productions, Paramount Pictures

Rating: R

MBiS score: 8.4/10 

 

Looking for Help? Call the Department of Inhuman Resources

  

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Story-line: Fourth of July in Seattle. Senator Charles Carroll, a potential candidate for the presidency, attends a social gathering high atop the Space Needle and is assassinated while speaking to his guests. An inquiry is conducted and a committee concludes that his murder was the work of a lone gunman… but doubts and suspicions linger. Some three years later, Lee Carter, who was present at the scene, tells her ex-boyfriend, reporter Joe Frady, that the deaths of other witnesses since Carroll’s assassination are the result of a conspiracy and that she herself is now a target.

Pluses: excellent acting by Warren Beatty, able support from Hume Cronyn, Walter McGinn, William Daniels, Paula Prentiss and a fine cast of meanies, tight direction by a first-rate helmer, an intriguing and elaborate screenplay that leaves a few loose ends to tantalize viewers and supplies a good deal of thrills, competent cinematography, irreproachable production values, an appropriate musical score that amplifies the drama and a surprising ending.

Minuses: none I can think of.

Comments: with its heavy mix of mystery, chills, political ploys and suspense, THE PARALLAX VIEW plays its hand deliberately, keeping its best card close to the vest until the very end. Like Joe finds out as he investigates the matter, the more you uncover, the worse it gets. Alan J. Pakula’s work remains mesmerizing and disturbing even in today’s world of mistrust, fact tampering and untruths. 

 

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Ordinary People

Genre: psychological drama

With: Timothy Hutton (Conrad), Donald Sutherland (Calvin Jarrett), Mary Tyler Moore (Beth Jarrett), Judd Hirsch (Doctor Berger), M. Emmet Walsh (Salan, the Swim Coach), Elizabeth McGovern (Jeannine Pratt), Dinah Manoff (Karen), Fredric Lehne (Joe Lazenby), James Sikking (Ray), Basil Hoffman (Sloan), Quinn K. Redeker (Ward)

Director: Robert Redford

Screenplay: Alvin Sargent and Nancy Dowd (based on Judith Guest’s novel)

Release: 1980

Studio: Wildwood Enterprises, Paramount Pictures

Rating: R

MBiS score: 8.5/10

  

‟I feel the way I've always felt about you.” 

 

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Story-line: on the outside, Conrad looks like any active, responsible teenager but, on the inside, he is under severe pressure and suffers from nightmares and panic attacks. Parents Calvin and Beth are somewhat aware of his plight but cannot measure its full extent… Conrad himself hides it as best he can. There has been talk of sending him to a psychiatrist – Calvin is all for it – but, ultimately, it will be Conrad’s decision to make… and to live by.

Pluses: formidable acting by Timothy Hutton (a sad, pitiful Conrad), Donald Sutherland (his sensible, slightly distracted father), Mary Tyler Moore (as a character radically different from her TV sitcom persona) and Judd Hirsch (the unflinching Berger), a fine supporting cast in secondary yet important roles, expert direction that lets the story flow economically, a coherent, subtle and very observant screenplay that uses circumstances, silences and insinuations as meaningfully as straightforward dialogues, irreproachable cinematography, able editing (especially for flashbacks), well-tailored production values, a useful musical score dominated by Pachelbel’s Canon in D and a surprisingly potent ending.

Minuses: none. The movie is particularly enlightening in its illustration of a patient-psychiatrist relationship.

Comments: the flawless, mature ORDINARY PEOPLE tells the story of a conventional family that tries to get back to normal after a trauma and discovers that it won’t manage it without honest and painful soul-searching. Along the way, every member of the Jarrett clan will grope for understanding and empathy… yet face disbelief, lack of support or even hostility. Robert Redford’s work is modest but revealing and firmly anchored in reality, which makes it worthy on a human level and justifies its four Academy Awards (Best Picture, Best Actor in a Supporting Role – T. Hutton, Best Screenplay and Best Director) and five Golden Globes in 1981. It teaches us all that, behind closed doors, ordinary people can live extraordinary tragedies.     

 

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Bête humaine (la)

English title: The Human Beast

Genre: psychological drama (in black and white)

With: main characters: Jean Gabin (Jacques Lantier), Fernand Ledoux (Roubaud, the stationmaster), Simone Simon (Séverine, Roubaud’s wife), Julien Carette (Pecqueux, Jacques’s friend and co-worker), Jacques Berlioz (Grandmorin, Séverine’s godfather); secondary characters: Colette Régis (Victoire, Pecqueux’s wife), Jenny Hélia (Philomène Sauvagnat, Pecqueux’s mistress), Jean Renoir (Cabuche), Charlotte Clasis (Aunt Phasie, Jacques’s godmother), Blanchette Brunoy (Flore, Phasie’s daughter), Gérard Landry (young man Dauvergne)

Director: Jean Renoir

Screenplay: Jean Renoir and Denise Leblond (based on Émile Zola’s novel)

Release: 1938

Studio: Paris Film

Rating: -

MBiS score: 8.5/10

 

 

‟It's all in my head. Waves of grief. I get so miserable I can't even speak.”

 

 

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Story-line: Jacques Lantier, an engine stoker on the Paris-Le Havre railroad line, seems fairly calm and settled in life – as he says, his only love is Lison, the locomotive he works on – but his world is more complicated than that. He suffers from chronic health problems that send him into a rage now and then and his cravings for love are so strong that they can put him in awkward – if not dangerous – situations.   

Pluses: a serious, tense but controlled performance by Jean Gabin (a legend of French cinema), valuable support from Fernand Ledoux, Simone Simon and a seasoned cast (including Jean Renoir), expert direction, a sharp and complex screenplay driven by strong characters – all dissatisfied with their present lives – and brisk, innuendo-filled dialogues, breathtaking cinematography (Curt Courant), top-notch editing (Suzanne de Troeye and Marguerite Renoir), fine production values, a tragic musical score by Joseph Kosma and an awesome ending. 

Minuses: the first act does a good job of introducing us to the characters but, if you get them mixed up, please refer to the descriptive list above. The screenplay is faultless except for one small goof: at one point, Séverine mistakenly calls Jacques ‟Michel”.   

Comments: usually, a train rushing toward its destination is a routine sight on screen but the opening minutes of LA BÊTE HUMAINE set the tone for the potent drama to come by showing Jacques’s train from ground level – the camera literally clinging to an axle – and the result is harrowing. In Jean Renoir’s take on a Zola classic, all characters linked to the railroad are essentially slaves whose only purpose is to feed the insatiable iron horse. And the seemingly omnipresent trains and tracks all along the narrative only reinforce this feeling of alienation which, in turn, breeds jealousy, hate, desire and violence. In Renoir’s great work – a precursor of sorts to the film noir genre –, characters cannot escape their fate any more than trains can veer off their steely boundaries. As you will hear during le Coeur de Ninon, a very topical song featured in the movie, Qui veut aimer Ninette / En doit souffrir un jour (Whoever wants to love Ninette / Must suffer one day because of it).

 

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