Rigor Reviews

Mrs. Soffel (1984)

One of the best American films of the 1980's

[9/10 · 25 January 2005]

This is one of the best American films of the 1980's. It is based on the true story of the wife of the Allegheny County Jail warden, Kate Soffel (Diane Keaton) who falls in love with a sexually alluring working class inmate, Ed Biddle (Mel Gibosn) in turn of the century Pittsburgh and plots to help him and his brother, Jack (Matthew Modine) escape. Director Gillian Armstrong and screenwriter Ron Nyswaner brilliantly decided to deal with the story in an elliptical and indirect way. We aren't telegraphed anything. We don't know if the Biddle's are innocent. We don't really understand why Kate falls in love with Ed. We aren't directly told why Kate is so disappointed in her life. The filmmakers takes this personal story and turns it into a progressive feminist mood poem. It is extraordinary to see a post 1970's American film this complex and this progressive.

Diane Keaton gives a remarkably complex and nuanced performance. The film is almost unimaginable with her in the leading role. Early in the film she communicates the torment and longing of Kate in a way that warrants comparisons with the greatest acting of the silent cinema. We see the depression and desperation in Kate's face in a way that rivals Maria Falconetti in Dryer's THE PASSION OF JOAN OF ARC and Lilian Gish in Victor Sjöström's THE WIND and D.W. Griffith's BROKEN BLOSSOM'S. One of the remarkably subversive aspects of the film is its relationship to Kate's Christianity (which becomes particularly pointed watched in the contemporary context and thinking about Mel Gibson's PASSION OF THE Christ fundamentalism). She is a bit scary creeping about the prison trying to sell doomed men on a faith that will set them free. The suggestion is that it is this same faith, or more precisely the way Christianity is used as a structuring device of patriarchy, that has trapped Kate into her own life sentence. When she becomes aroused by Ed everything shifts, she looks different, some kind of remarkable radiance shines forth from Keaton's face. Her bible lessons become a pretext for sexual release. She literally makes love to Ed through the bars with his brother nearby, which adds a remarkable charge of voyeurism to the proceedings.

Mel Gibson has never been photographed more sensually then in this film. There is a scene late in the film, in which, he is lying in bed with the sunlight playing on his face that in which his beauty is almost angelic. He's photographed and contextualized the way male directors have often shot young classically beautiful women (think of Julie Christie in David Lean's Dr. ZHIVAGO, Joseph Losey's THE GO BETWEEN, or Donald Cammell's DEMONSEED or Faye Dunaway in Roman Polanski's CHINATOWN or Sydney Pollock's 3 DAYS OF THE CONDOR). Armstong also allows Gibson's sense of humor to peek out to suggest layers to this character. We never totally trust Ed, yet we root for him or at least root for Kate's vision of him.

The cinematography by Russell Boyd is exceptionally original and the production design emphasizes the grimy oppressive nature of an industrial town. this was actually a critique of the film at the time of its release. It was too dark, mainstream reviewers said. Well actually its historically accurate. Pittsburgh was so soot filled and grimy that the street lights had to stay on all day long! This is the great environmental tragedy of the industrial revolution. Armstrong uses this look for strong dramatic effect and creates a kind of mood poem here that reminds me of the best work of Antonioni and of Werner Herzog remarkable NOSFERATU. Like in that great film we can never quiet situate ourselves, the oppressive dim look of the film suggests we might be in a kind of waking nightmare. Is the environment part of Kate's psychic and physical affliction? Who could be happy or healthy living in this kind of relentlessly dismal environ? When we finally leave Pittsburgh Boyd and Armstrong present us with some of the most lovingly photographed images of sun and snow in American cinema. The viewer so ready for these brighter images that they alter our the way we connect to the story.

That this film was neither a critical nor a commercial success is a tragedy for the contemporary Hollywood cinema. Its failure became one of the many excuses for the overwhelming turn to the banal cookie cutter cinema that Hollywood is known for today. One hopes that cinephiles everywhere will reclaim ambitious films like MRS. SOFFEL as an example

Uncle Tom's Cabin (1927)

Interesting, but, sentimental adaptation of the novel

[25 January 2005]

Very hard to take, but, historically important and interesting. There are some wonderful scenes- Eliza and little Harry's escape from the plantation in the wintry night, their flight across the ice covered river, the surreal death of little Eva, the turning of the tables (first by Eliza and later by Cassie) that have enslaved women using whips to beat off white men! Margarita Fischer is quite good as Eliza. She has an interesting appearance that is quite right for this kind of melodrama. Virginia Grey as the impossibly saintly Little Eva is weirdly intense- sort of like those unsettling early performance by Jodie Foster. It works to make this character strange enough to be believable. Most of the actors playing Black slaves (some of them played by unnaturally painted white actors) have a more difficult time of it- James B. Lowe does his best and does bring some quiet dignity to the central role of Uncle Tom- but the script and conception defeat him at times. Arthur Edmund Carewe (an actor whom IMDb fascinatingly claims is of Native American descent- Chickasaw- and yet is said to have been born in Tebiziond Turkey?) is quite good as George Harris the light skinned husband of Eliza and father of Harry- although he barely appears in the film since much of George's story has been edited out. The most painfully offensive scenes belong to Mona Ray who plays the ridiculous caricature of the happy little mischievous slave Topsy. Interestingly the DVD has deleted scenes that push Topsy further towards a psychological study in self hatred- check them out of you rent this one- I am not sure if they were deleted in 1927 or at a later re-release date (Topsy uses the N word to refer to herself in the deleted scenes and in one fascinating scene ritualistically powders herself white in an attempt to become "good" like Ms. Eva. Of course, the film is a ridiculous and utterly offensive view of the history of slavery- that shamelessly panders to racist notions of European superiority. In this it does not depart from novel as much as make the narrative mo

Chen Mo he Meiting (2002)

Wonderful work of Neo-realism from China

[8/10 · 25 January 2005]

This is a wonderfully conceived first feature that explores the bleak lives of two young people, both modern day victims of the excesses of the cultural revolution and "globalization", who meet and become intimate. The most obvious reference point for me here were the films of John Cassavettes, the most famous neo-realist work of Rossellini and much of the best early work of the French new wave (Varda, Godard, Truffaut of the 400 Blows). The performances by the two leads, Wang Lingbo and Du Huanan are easily two of the best performances of this year. In fact, the amazing screen chemistry and inventiveness reminded me of the best moments of Jane Fonda and Donald Sutherland's work in KLUTE. This is an amazing assured and accomplished low budget first feature, beautifully lensed with a 16 mm camera and then blown up

Marianne & Juliane (1981)

One of the best narrative films of the 1980's

[10/10 · 24 January 2005]

The film is a fictional reworking of the true story of the Esslin Sisters- one of whom was a successful social democratic feminist writer and the other a revolutionary member of the "terrorist" Baader-Meinhof Group (also called the Red Army Faction). Three members of the real Badder Meinhof group, Andreas Baader, Gudrun Enslin, and Jean-Carl Raspe mysteriously "committed suicide" while in prison after other members of the RAF allegedly participated in the kidnapping and eventual murder of a wealthy businessman and an aborted hijacking attempt. Popular opinion in Germany (and most other places) has always held that Baader, Enslin, and Raspe were murdered by the state. Much evidence seems to point towards reasonable doubt that the three took their own lives.

Von Totta takes the story of these two women and creates a kind of historical canvas (much as Orson Welles does with Hearst in Citizen Kane) to explore a wide range of issues concerning modern political and social life. The film is remarkably fair minded. Although, the narrative spends much more time with Julianne the social democratic journalist it does not stack the deck towards her. Her reformist views towards social change seems forced and at times desperate. Nor does Von Trotta, romanticize Marianne, the revolutionary. Her actions are often ill conceived and her confidence that history will prove her correct seem equally forced and desperate. Amazingly, Von Trotta creates a dialectic in this film by actually sympathizing with both women. She seems to suggest that in the remarkable confusion and despair of the late 20th century simply to attempt to remain engaged with a project that desires fundamental change is an act of hope.

The film is probably best known for its impeccable acting. The two leading performers Barbara Sukowa (Marianne) and Jutta Lempe (Julianne) are extraordinary. There scenes together are examples of some of the finest acting in contemporary cinema. The supporting performances in this film are also superb. One of the remarkable things is the way the film shows that two children from the same family could become radicalized in such different ways. The film definitely roots the women's politicalization in their family and national history. Why does one Sister become convinced that violent revolution is possible and necessary, while, the other becomes convinced that a nonviolent "war of position" is the more appropriate choice? Both women have clearly broken from the conservative tradition of their upbringing in the home of their Protestant Minister Father, but, what is it that has caused the ideological differences? Von Trotta is wise enough not to answer this question directly or didactically.

The late Canadian film critic, Jay Scott said in a review of the film: "The methodology is Proustian: Von Trotta cuts with effortless clarity back and forth through the sister's lives." This seems to be a remarkably efficient way of explaining the films structure and effect. The remarkable editing of this film by Dagmar Hirtz (whose excellent work has won him three German film awards- Check out his equally amazing contributions to Maximillian Schells END OF THE GAME, Jeanine Meerapfel's MALOU, and Volker Schlondorff's VOYAGER) and the cinematography by Franz Rath (whose lensed most of Von Trotta's films) should be studied as textbook examples of narrative film craftsmanship. The technical aspects of the film make the time tripping narrative technique seem natural rather than distancing.

Later in the same review, Scott says what I think is the most precise statement ever written about the film: "Marianne and Julianne is a document that struggles to come to terms with an impossible past in a barely feasible present, and its director appears to realize that her film, like its heroines, is trapped by history, which is why she avoids pretending to be definitive - either about the sisters, or about the agonies of the nation she has presumed to concretize in their story." This defiant stance of refusing to be definitive about character motivations and ethical/ideological essences connects the film to a wide variety of other masterworks that have also used contemporary history in a similarly complex way- I am reminded particularly of Alain Resnais (esp. Hiroshima Mon Amor and Muriel). I can't recommend this film highly enough. It is to my mind one of the most

Fever (1999)

Surprisingly well made thriller.

[8/10 · 5 April 2003]

I was completely unprepared for this surprisingly well made thriller. The films stars Henry Thomas as Nick Parker a struggling painter living in a realistically terrible New York Apartment building. Nick lives at the poverty line, his only income being continuing education classes he teaches at a community college. Early in the film a terrible murder occurs in his building and Nick and the audience spend the rest of the film coming to terms with what may have really happened.

The film was written and directed by Alex Winter, most famous as the star of The Bill and Ted films, from this effort he has great promise to become a major director. He works extremely well here with the actors getting good performances from Thomas, Teri Hatcher, Bill Duke and David O'Hara. It is the cinematography by Joe DeSalvo that lifts this film to the level of something truly special. DeSalvo manages to capture shots of the New York skyline that seem unprecedented in American film and his interior work is remarkable evocative and reminiscent of the very best work of Gordon Willis and John Alonzo. Surprisingly this is the last film DeSalvo has made (it is now 2003) I am not sure why this is, but, one hopes he will have a long and prosperous c

Three Sisters on Moon Lake (2001)

An extremely well executed short film.

[9/10 · 2 April 2002]

Narrative short films are difficult works of art to carry off. Unlike, feature films they require a rare kind of precision to register on us emotionally or intellectually. This beautiful short film by Julia Kwan is a nearly perfect example of the form. The film is, in fact, so breathtakingly accomplished as narrative that I long to see Kwan develop into a major filmmaker. The story told in a concise twenty two minutes explores the lives of three Chinese-canadian sisters who become obsessed with the corpse of a rat that their mother has killed. Kwans mastery at visual storytelling and at working with the young actors is amazing considering this is only her second film. The glorious cinematography is by the very talented, Dylan McLeod, who shot Clement Virgo's LOVE COME DOWN. If this film is ever playing at a festival near you check it out. You will not be disappointed.

The Pelican Brief (1993)

Good thrill with exceptional cinematography

[6/10 · 1 April 2002]

Alan J. Pakula has created another exceptional looking political thriller that, at least, in terms of visual style matches his great earlier work- (Klute, The Parallax View, All The Presidents Men, Rollover). Unfortunately, the script based on a John Grisham novel is one of the weakest of his career. The premise of a conservative capitalist conspiracy to assassinate members of the supreme court is certainly credible, but, it doesn't quite translate into a 140 minute film. The remarkable look of the film is so remiscent of the director better work that the audience keeps waiting for richer character development. We only find this development during the first half hour of the film especially with the rich character of Thomas Callahan (very well played by Sam Shepard). Once we get into the "action" part of the film things get much more standard and morally clear- a real let down for fans of Pakula's excellent Klute or The Parallax View where the tension is created as much by the character's insecurities as it is by the actual physical threats against them. Pakula is a marvelous director of actors and this remains true here- Denzel Washington does fine sturdy work here in what is really a supporting role as Gray Grantham, a Washington reporter who comes to the aid of Shaw. Washington shines here and he virtually overwhealms the film. Julia roberts is adequate as the protagonist, Darby Shaw. Actually I wish that Cynthia Nixon, who has a small role would have been cast as the lead. Nixon is a brave, complicated actress and could have gone deeper places then Roberts. As noted before Sam Shepard does some of his best film work here and there is also nice work from John Heard, Stanley Tucci, Robert Culp and Jon Lithgow. However, it is the films cinematography by the gifted Stephen Goldblatt that makes me recommend this film. Goldblatt works here in beautifully composed low lit scenes. Some of the night scenes and scenes in the Oval office are so remarkably well photographed that the inadequacies of script disappear. The art direction and set decoration are equally sublime throughout the film using a muted color pallete throughout most of the films- that contrasts sharply with the vibrant colors of the beginning and end

A Perfect Murder (1998)

A surprisingly well made hollywood remake of a Hitchcock classic

[15 November 1999]

This was really a very big surprise. The screenwriters have really updated the story and added an even greater critique of upper class patriarchy. All three lead performers are at the top of their form and Andrew Davies direction is his best effort. I was really impressed by the creation of this nightmere existence for the Paltrow character, betrayed by both Husband and lover. I also enjoyed the rather nasty view of ruling class life. My one disappointment was a really cliched, classist and racist scene when Paltrow goes (moronically) to investigate a key clue in the case. She goes to a low income, racially diverse neighborhood and the poor and working class inhabitants are used like some kind of dangerous, exotic back drop. This characterization is stupid, dangerous and dishonest. It is a tragic flaw in an entertaining film that could has a great deal to say about power and wealth.

Eye of God (1997)

A wonderfully acted film.

[24 October 1999]

This film is wonderfully acted and well directed. Martha Plimpton has never been better. She plays a diner waitress who falls in "love" with an incarcerated man via a pen-pal relationship. The man played by Kevin Anderson is intensely religious and becomes a more and more controlling force in the life of Plimpton's character. There is a second part of the story involving an emotionally troubled young man who has witnessed a act of terrible violence.

What is so powerful about this film is the complete evocation of a specific time and place. Without in any way being patronizing this film beautifully observes rural working class life. The film is very moving about gender relationships and the way religion can become a very narrow trap for some people. The one disappointment is that the film plays into "anti-crime" hysteria in its portrayal of one character as beyond redemption.

Three Days of the Condor (1975)

The relationship of Dunaway and Redford complicates and deepens the political message of the film.

[8/10 · 7 August 1999]

This is on the surface a well executed, intelligent, "hollywood liberal" thriller about the inner workings of the CIA. However the depth of characterization offered by the wonderful cast deepens and complicates the politics offering a far more radical statement than the obvious one of the CIA as a corrupt tool of an imperialist government. I think the complexity of the film comes in its willingness to be resolutely honest about the leading character played by Robert Redford in what surely is his richest screen performance. Redford plays a lower level literary analyst who works with a team of other intellectuals analyzing global works of contemporary literature for the CIA. One day Redford returns from lunch to find all his co-workers dead and thus the story begins. Redford tries to uncover the reasons for the assassinations of his co-workers and stay alive himself- generally learning that he cannot trust anyone or anything connected to this government. What really works for the story is that Redford's charcter does not follow the classical "liberal" format of the innocent American who "really, really believes in this wonderful government" and then has a brutal awakening. We see Redford as an all too human opportunist who already has a critique of what the CIA might be doing with his analysis, but, chooses to keep doing it because on the materialistic plane it is a great job. The stories deeper political currents really take off when, in desperation, Redford kidnaps a middle class artist magnificently played by Faye Dunaway. Dunaway here gives a rich, quirky, understated performance that creates a context for some of the stranger motivations the script puts her character through. Dunaway plays a woman totally alienated from her own life and social milieu - she is in what seems a difficult abstract relationship with a man, chooses to hide her best artistic work away from the public, and seems desperate for a sense of adventure or release. The "relationship" between Redford and Dunaway is a miniature "Tie Me Up, Tie Me Down" scenario in and of itself and some may feel it is a pointless and overwhelming (based on the sex appeal and charisma of the two leading performers) plot diversion. I think it is deeply connected to the overall message of the film (which by the way actually predicts "Desert Storm" type antics by the United States) the distillation of a particular time when many middle and working class American's seemed to be "awakening" to the imperialist and capitalist nature of their country and the implications of this to their own sense of ethics.

Stage Fright (1950)

A wonderful underappreciated film by Hitchcock

[9/10 · 27 July 1999]

Stage Fright is quite simply one of the greatest films made by one of the English languages greatest directors. It's rather poor reception and reputation is unfortunate, yet, highly understandable. The film itself plays with a number of time honored devices used in the construction of narrative film. Most radically it leads our sense of our "sacred" flashback in question and has in its two leading actresses one of the most thorough disections of gender in any film made in the commercial American cinema. Quite simply we really never know what our intended position vis-a-vis Eve (Jane Wyman) or Charolette (Marlene Dietrich) should be. They are both actresses (one a grand lady of the stage and the other a student) and their vocation is tied to their gender in remarkable and disturbing ways. This may be the film, in which, Hitchcock enlists the greatest number of brilliant performances from his actors - including a hypnotically powerful performance by Alisair Sim as Eve's father, and good work by Richard Todd, Sybil Thorndike and Michael Wilding. Even the minor roles are well performed- consider Kay Walsh as the maid Nellie Good who has only a few scenes in the film, but manages to develop a remarkably complex character. The film plays such tricks on us and has such high demands on the audience in terms of character identification that it isn't really surprising that so many folks find the film flawed. It does seem nonesensical to call a narrative with this many twists and turns dull. I can't think of a more suspenseful and excitingly disturbing Hollywood film.

Titicut Follies (1967)

Amazing, harrowing documentary look at the mistreatment of mental patients.

[10/10 · 11 July 1999]

This is easily one of the most disturbing documentary films ever made. The state of Mass. blocked distribution of this film for well over a decade after its release because it was simply too honest and unflinching in its portrayal of the horrific systemic abuses of this institution. What makes the film so very important is not simply its evidence about this particular institution, but, the light it sheds on the kind of society that would treat the least fortunate of its members in this dehumanizing and cruel way. There is political analysis offered by the patients themselves that brings in the rather obvious connections to the police state, colonization, and genocide.

Salt of the Earth (1954)

Banned in the USA

[10/10 · 11 July 1999]

This film is important both historically and artistically. It's very creation was an act of defiance and heroism. Upon its release it was officially banned by an act of congress in the United States - because of it working class sympathies and "communist" overtones. The film is a sensitive portrayal of a strike among Chicano workers in the Southwest and features a beautifully modulated performance by the great Mexican actress, Rosaura Revueltes. The gender politics of the film are remarkable for a work from 1954 as is the very direct socialist ideology. This film is a landmark in political filmmaking effortlessly tying together working class, feminist, environmental and Latino concerns into a brilliant call for radical social change.

Crossfire (1947)

A masterpiece of Hollywood studio filmmaking.

[9/10 · 10 July 1999]

Wonderful performances from an expert ensemble cast including Robert Ryan, Robert Mitchum and Gloria Grahame highlight this disturbing beautifully photographed and directed exploration of violence and prejudice. The key to the film's enduring power is the inventive metonymic links that are suggested to connect anti-semitism to homophobia and red baiting. This gives a powerful systemic analysis to the films painful story of a band of soldiers who may or may not have conspired to murder a man because of his identity. This represents a director, writer and crew at the height of their powers creating a film that carefully subverts the conventions of hollywood narrative film by using them in a masterful way. One of the most underrated political films of the 1940's. See this film.

Letter from an Unknown Woman (1948)

Max Ophulus' American Masterpiece

[10/10 · 4 July 1999]

All of Ophulus films are remarkable achievements of content and form, but, this film is certainly his greatest contribution to cinema in the USA, and arguably his greatest film of any period. It is the intoxicatingly bittersweet tale of the obsessive love a young girl (Joan Fontaine) develops for a rougish pianist (Louis Jordan) that remains throughout each charcters life, long after most school-girl crushes have faded away. Fontaine charcter is so convincingly and sympathetically drawn that we are pulled into her desire for this rather self-possessed artist against our own rational thoughts. And as the film progresses Fontaine's attraction to the artist begins to deepen and humanize the audiences response to him. This film is deeply concerned with a woman's role under patriarchy and the limitations of "romantic" love as a form of fulfillment. It is also a well thought out examination of the idea of the "artistic" life as offering the possibilities of either liberation or entrapment.

Shame (1968)

Bergman at his best.

[10/10 · 20 June 1999]

Shame represents a high point in the career of a master. Ingmar Bergman penetrating, existential study of a couple on the island of Gotland dealing with surviving a long war. Liv Ullman and Max Von Sydow give painfully detailed performances in this spare, stark drama. The films intensity rests in Bergman's keeping our focus on the minute, intimate relations of his two characters - both accomplished musicians - trapped in a landscape they have ceased to understand. We see the way the external pressures of the war complicate and corrode their relationship. Both characters are forced by the material circumstances of the war to betray their own sense of ethics. In one of the most powerful episodes Bergman forces us to reflect on the manipulative power of the cinematic medium by showing us a filmed interview with Ullman's character that has been re-edited and distorted for political effect by one side of the conflict and is used by the other side as evidence of war crimes in a brutal interrogation scene.

Wetherby (1985)

Redgrave gives one of her best performances in playwright David Hare's first film.

[9/10 · 9 June 1999]

Vanessa Redgrave gives a breathtaking performance in this extremely well written and executed 'puzzle' movie. Many of the initial reviews of this film in 1985 pointed out Redgrave's great performance but failed to appreciate the overall quality of Hare's direction and screenplay. This is a great modern film, easily one of the best English language films of the 1980's. Redgrave plays a single teacher who is shocked when a young stranger enters her house and for no rational reason commits suicide in front of her. As she, her best friends (well played by Judi Dench and Ian Holm), a sympathetic yet slightly obsessive detective and a young woman from the dead man's past (a remarkable performance by Suzanna Hamilton) all struggle to discover why the young man chose this woman to witness his death, we are drawn into a beautifully nuanced philosophical examination of the meaning of life in a time of negative social change (Thatcher, Reagan and the spectre of Richard Nixon haunt the film's characters). The examination of the young man nihilistic choice to kill himself is reflected in the seemingly growing alienation of the students in Redgrave's class and her struggle to remain proactive as a teacher and a human being despite personal tragedies and the political/social chaos of the Thatcher years. A really captivating film that deserves a much wider audience.

Buccaneer Soul (1996)

This film is a masterpiece of the modern cinema.

[9/10 · 6 June 1999]

Released on video in the United States as Buccanner Soul, this film is a remarkable achievement comparable to the best work of Jean Luc-Godard, Agnes Varda, Chris Marker, Raul Ruiz and Tomas Guiterrez Alea. It is a shame that this film has had such little fanfare in the United States and surely a sign of the bleak times for foreign films that are really rooted to a specific time and place. Above all this is a BRAZILIAN film, capturing a great sense of the energetic, revolutionary, tragic modern history of Brazil. This is not a traditional narrative film, but, a fractured narrative that jumps through space and time exploring the deeply felt friendship of men from boyhood to middle age. The film transcends the normal limitations of buddy movies by having the two friends lives enriched (rather than threatened by a host of other characters male and female, young and old, gay and straight). The film is also not afraid to confront the natural attraction (emotional and sexual) between boys and men who classify themselves heterosexual. This is really a beautiful and rewarding film on so many levels (politically, in terms of fractured narrative strategies, and formally). Find this film on video if you can and rent it. You will not be disappointed.

Late Spring (1949)

Setsuko Hara's remarkable performance highlights a powerful story of the role of women in post-war Japan

[10/10 · 6 June 1999]

Robin Woods in his fascinating new book of criticism "Sexual Politics and Narrative Film" writes eloquently about this film as a defining example of Ozu's films progressive nature. I would agree and add wholeheartedly that even after reading Wood's non-traditional take on Ozu I was still blown away by the film's rich identification with the character of Noriko (played by the legendary Setsuko Hara). The story is simple: Noriko a single Japanese woman is living a seemingly happy life caring for her widowed aging father. Social pressures, however, force family and friends to believe that Noriko can only be fulfilled by entering into marriage, although Noriko seems to have no interest in marriage herself. With this simple narrative Ozu is able to create a relationship between his characters that is so rich and complete we feel we know them. As always this is done with the smallest of carefully studied behavior and the precision of mise-en-scene over fancy editing and dazzling camera movements. A wonderful, heartbreakingly real movie from one of Japan's greatest directors.

Wend Kuuni (1982)

A moving study of loss, silence and healing set in a West African village

[10/10 · 17 May 1999]

This is a wonderful film about a young boy who is found abandoned outside a village by a traveling trader. The trader takes the boy to the nearest village and he is lovingly raised by a family as their own son. The boy has been struck mute by trauma he experienced in his childhood and we witness his adaptation to his new life and the development of an intense friendship between the boy and his adoptive sister. The film has a lot to say about gender relationships, youth and the power of love to heal past trauma.

Looking for Langston (1989)

Visually magnificent poetic film essay.

[9/10 · 12 May 1999]

Issac Julien's incredibly lush visual exploration of the idea of Langston Hughes' sexuality. In this film Julien creates a space of queer liberation around an African-American literary icon. Julien stated in an interview with the great poet Essex Hemphill (whose writing is used as text in the film) that he sought to "construct a narrative that would allow viewers to meditate and to think, rather than be told." This is exactly what is accomplished in this profoundly beautiful and intellectually thrilling short film.

At Land (1944)

Wonderfully complex experimental film.

[10/10 · 12 May 1999]

This is a remarkable short experimental film by the great Maya Deren. Deren is best remembered for the powerful short "Meshes in the Afternoon" and her dance and films about Haiti. This film is perhaps her most rigorous and complex. It is entirely silent and has a remarkable fractured narrative connected by story fragments that have a perfect dreamlike logic. Few filmmakers have come closer to creating images and actions that have such emotional intensity and intellectual suggestiveness.

Obsession (1943)

A haunting tale of greed and desire.

[9/10 · 12 May 1999]

This is a haunting, powerful Italian adaptation of James M. Cain's novel The Postman Always Rings Twice directed by the great Luchino Visconti. What is so interesting about the film is that in every way it transcends it's source material to become something bolder and more original (interestingly Camus also credits Cain's novel as the key inspiration for his landmark novel The Stranger). The film has a greater power and intensity than the novel because Visconti is able to create the filmic equivalent of Cain's narrative structure but offer a more complex exploration of gender. Cain's very American novel is also uncritically fascinated with the construction of whiteness (the lead character Cora is obsessively afraid she will be identified as a Mexican and embarrassed that she married a Greek immigrant), which is not relevant to the Italian rural context that Visconti is working in. This allows the class antagonisms to take center stage and dance among the embers of the passionate, doomed love affair of the two main characters. This film is a complex, suspenseful, rewarding experience.

The Tree of Wooden Clogs (1978)

A sublime hypnotic narrative.

[10/10 · 9 May 1999]

This film really surprises. It is long and detailed, yet, it is amazingly suspenseful. The quiet sturdy look at rural life in Italy manages to accomplish the amazing feet of truly "being" a film of "the oppressed" rather than a mere analysis of "the wretched of the earth". Olmi's direction of the non-professional cast is superb and the film is beautifully shot and edited.

Don't be afraid of this film. It does not actually seem long, nor does it seem aimless or plotless. While one may say that "the whole pesant community" is the real protagonist there are clearly defined characters in the film whose narratives we follow. In fact, the films strategy is one of integration of these narrative strands in a seemingly coherent and logical way. A wonderful, very emotionally moving experience with a clear, sharp, political analysis.

The Spider's Stratagem (1970)

Bertolucci at his best

[10/10 · 9 May 1999]

This may be Bernardo Bertolucci's best film. It is certainly one of his most assured and technically accomplished. The complex narrative is an exposition of the ideological uses of history (both political history and personal history). A young man returns to his "martyred" Father's village to discover the exact reasons for his father's death at the hands of Facists. He also discovers more than he may want to know about his father's personal life - including intimate details from his father's mistress. The supposedly heroic life and death of his father is greatly complicated by the actual evidence and suggestive clues he discovers. The editing, cinematography, mise en scene, and acting in this film are breathtaking. Yet the film's triumph lie in the philosophical and political suggestions provoked by the narrative. This is a film worthy of myriad viewings.