Utvandrarna – and – Nybyggarna

 

English titles: The Emigrants – and – The New Land

Genre: pioneer drama

With: Max von Sydow (Karl Oskar Nilsson), Liv Ullmann (Kristina), Eddie Axberg (Robert Nilsson), Allan Edwall (Danjel Andreasson, Kristina’s uncle), Monica Zetterlund (Ulrika), Pierre Lindstedt (Arvid), Hans Alfredson (Jonas Petter), Ulla Smidje (Inga-Lena, Danjel's wife), Eva-Lena Zetterlund (Elin, Ulrika's daughter), Gustaf Färingborg (Provost Brusander), Åke Fridell (Aron), Halvar Björk (Anders Månsson), Tom C. Fouts (Pastor Jackson)

Director: Jan Troell

Screenplay: Bengt Forslund and Jan Troell (based on Vilhelm Moberg’s novel)

Release: 1971 and 1972 respectively

Studio: Svensk Filmindustri, Warner Bros. Pictures

Rating: PG

MBiS score: 8.7/10 (for both movies) 

 

‟It will be better once we get to America.” 

 

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Story-line: Småland, Sweden, circa 1844. When his father becomes an invalid, Karl Oskar gets married and takes over the farm but eventually realizes that it will never produce enough for a growing family. Robert, his younger brother, leaves home searching for another way of life, is forced to work as a farmhand and is badly mistreated by his employer Aron. Uncle Danjel and his small congregation – who have chosen to worship God outside the established Church – are subjected to religious persecution. All of them will come to one conclusion: that Sweden has turned its back on them and that a better life awaits in North America.

Pluses: powerhouse acting by Max von Sydow (a tireless, impetuous Karl Oskar) and Liv Ullmann (the resilient, often worried Katrina) but also by Eddie Axberg (the intellectual, likeable Robert) and all cast members, adept, no-frills direction, a logical, fair-minded and gripping screenplay, superb cinematography, authentic-looking production values and a spare, varied and functional musical score.

Minuses: each film clocks in at more than 3 hours so it would be wise to watch them in several segments. Be warned that THE NEW LAND contains one very gruesome scene toward the end and that its conclusion is not easy to watch.

Comments: in these evocative, epic but also bleak movies, Jan Troell has given us a rare and valuable glimpse into the immigrant experience and frontier life from the 1840s to the 1890s. You will see how huge a gamble it was for Europeans to cross the Atlantic on hopes and hearsay and, from the very moment they set foot in America, how they struggled through tragedies and disappointments, adapted to a new culture and tried to reach some kind of understanding with First Nations at a particularly turbulent time in history. These films also immortalize another great collaboration between Liv Ullmann and Max von Sydow, two of the brightest stars ever to grace the silver screen anywhere. THE EMIGRANTS and THE NEW LAND – a huge, ‟Bergmanesque” accomplishment for Jan Troell as director, writer, cinematographer and editor – garnered six Oscar nominations and were rewarded with three Golden Globes. 

 

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Dheepan

Genre: social drama

With: Jesuthasan Antonythasan (‟Dheepan”), Kalieaswari Srinivasan (‟Yalini”), Claudine Vinasithamby (‟Illayaal”), Vincent Rottiers (Brahim), Faouzi Bensaïdi (Mister Habib), Marc Zinga (Youssouf), Bass Dhem (Azziz), Nathan Anthonypillai (the Interpreter), Vasanth Selvam (Cheran), Kartik Krishnan (the complicit civil servant in  Sri Lanka)

Director: Jacques Audiard

Screenplay: Thomas Bidegain, Noé Debré and Jacques Audiard

Release: 2015

Studio: Why Not Productions, Page 114, France 2 Cinéma

Rating: R

MBiS score: 8.4/10 

 

‟Lord Gamesh, spare us misfortune and make us live a good life here.” 

 

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Story-line: in war-torn Sri Lanka, three complete strangers – a soldier fed up with combat, a woman from a refugee camp and a young orphan – are given new identities as a family – Dheepan, Yalini and Illayaal Natarajan – and allowed to flee their homeland. Although Yalini hoped to join her cousin in England, the trio ends up in France, a country outwardly bursting with promise… but where immigration rules, social issues and the necessities of life are as challenging as they were back home.

Pluses: brave performances by Jesuthasan Antonythasan, Kalieaswari Srinivasan and Claudine Vinasithamby, good support from a competent cast (Vincent Rottiers especially), masterful, economical direction, a hard-hitting and observant screenplay, superb cinematography in all kinds of settings – some of them very unusual –, authentic-looking production values, a varied musical score and a potent ending.

Minuses: some reviewers have considered the third act a bit extreme and I partially agree.

Comments: when the hellish but formidable DHEEPAN was picked as the Palme d’Or winner at Cannes in 2015, director Jacques Audiard couldn’t be more pleased : ‟To receive a prize from the Coen brothers is exceptional… There's only the Dardenne brothers [that could match it].” What more can I say about this beautifully-rendered drama about immigrants trying to find their place in our ruthless Western world? 

 

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 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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