I finally saw this documentary last night at a local radical bookstore. I had read a fairly glowing review of it by J. Hoberman in the "Village Voice" about a year or so ago and had been curious to see it. Turned out to be a real dud. It was essentially an art school project. And it showed it in spades. It was ponderous, pretentious and preachy (please excuse the alliteration). The thinness of the material and the fact that the filmmaker was trying so hard to make the murder of Frank Little to be so very representative and monumental only showed how lazy he was in doing his homework. And the filmmaker had the unmitigated gall to slowly display the lyrics to 4 different labor songs, one word at a time. Total arrogant crap. And you wonder why the Left has lost so much credibility. This documentary made me very curious about many of the other details of the labor situation in Butte, Montana, at the time of the Little's murder. Personal journals, diaries and papers published by the workers themselves would probably be good source material. That would give me more of a feel for the everyday life of these people, not the fact that Frank Little made a brief appearance in their midst, stirred them up and was then summarily executed by the powers-that-be for his trouble.
Reviews
19 Reviews
Promises
(2001)
A cruel gloss on the tragic Palestinian situation
25 September 2004
I knew when I read the write-up for this documentary what it's goal would be: to convince the viewer to see the light and sunny side of the ongoing Palestinian tragedy. And it certainly delivers on that promise, in spades.
The major hidden, and very dishonest, assumption behind this film is that the situation in the occupied territories is basically static, and that peace between the two warring parties, i.e., Israel and Palestine, is simply a matter of letting bygones be bygones. But, in fact, as most mature, literate people nowadays know, Israel's ultimate aim is the total annexation of the occupied territories along with the total displacement of the indigenous Palestinian population outside of this greater Israel.
I watched this film in a audience that was primarily composed of young college age people, many of them, I assume, must have been very bright, since it was being shown at the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University. And these kids swallowed the phony premise of this film hook, line and sinker. This just goes to show you how powerful the combination of naivité and a yearning for easy sentimental solutions can be.
I could go on all day about all the deceptive and manipulative techniques used in this film. Instead, I would just like to recommend a documentary that gives a real, honest, comprehensive overview of the ongoing Palestinian tragedy: "Peace, Propaganda & the Promised Land". A film, I would like to add, that was also produced and directed by an Israeli: Bathsheba Ratzkoff, and that includes interviews with a number of Israelis who are sincerely working for peace, and a number of American Jewish people who are also working for peace, and who all realize that no peace nor justice for the Palestinians is possible without first squarely and soberly confronting the real facts "on the ground", as the popular saying goes.
There's a strange sour note at the very end of "Promises" where one of the very charismatic Israeli twins speaks 2 years after the main events of the film, in answer to a short follow-up question. He says that the Palestinian boy that he and his brother had briefly befriended during the filming of the documentary tried to call him a number of times in order to get together with them on a semi-regular basis. But the twin says that it's just too complicated to try and do that, and that the whole war thing is just something that's mostly just a background issue in his life, anyway, so he and his brother just don't bother to even return the Palestinian boy's calls anymore. For a viewer that knows the real context for this film, this statement perfectly illustrates the disparity in their two living situations. The war is an annoyance/irritation for the Israeli twins, but it is an all consuming nightmare that the Palestinian boy is trying desperately to escape. And the charming twins really just can't be bothered. And by the basically dismissive and throw-away way that this question was presented at the end of film, neither can these film makers.
But to give credit where credit's due, this was a very well made film and it could have been a very pleasant and amusing film if it had taken place in the Twilight Zone, instead of in the real world. Unfortunately, for those of us who have taken the time to educate ourselves about this timely and important issue, the lies and distortions of this film aren't even funny.
The major hidden, and very dishonest, assumption behind this film is that the situation in the occupied territories is basically static, and that peace between the two warring parties, i.e., Israel and Palestine, is simply a matter of letting bygones be bygones. But, in fact, as most mature, literate people nowadays know, Israel's ultimate aim is the total annexation of the occupied territories along with the total displacement of the indigenous Palestinian population outside of this greater Israel.
I watched this film in a audience that was primarily composed of young college age people, many of them, I assume, must have been very bright, since it was being shown at the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University. And these kids swallowed the phony premise of this film hook, line and sinker. This just goes to show you how powerful the combination of naivité and a yearning for easy sentimental solutions can be.
I could go on all day about all the deceptive and manipulative techniques used in this film. Instead, I would just like to recommend a documentary that gives a real, honest, comprehensive overview of the ongoing Palestinian tragedy: "Peace, Propaganda & the Promised Land". A film, I would like to add, that was also produced and directed by an Israeli: Bathsheba Ratzkoff, and that includes interviews with a number of Israelis who are sincerely working for peace, and a number of American Jewish people who are also working for peace, and who all realize that no peace nor justice for the Palestinians is possible without first squarely and soberly confronting the real facts "on the ground", as the popular saying goes.
There's a strange sour note at the very end of "Promises" where one of the very charismatic Israeli twins speaks 2 years after the main events of the film, in answer to a short follow-up question. He says that the Palestinian boy that he and his brother had briefly befriended during the filming of the documentary tried to call him a number of times in order to get together with them on a semi-regular basis. But the twin says that it's just too complicated to try and do that, and that the whole war thing is just something that's mostly just a background issue in his life, anyway, so he and his brother just don't bother to even return the Palestinian boy's calls anymore. For a viewer that knows the real context for this film, this statement perfectly illustrates the disparity in their two living situations. The war is an annoyance/irritation for the Israeli twins, but it is an all consuming nightmare that the Palestinian boy is trying desperately to escape. And the charming twins really just can't be bothered. And by the basically dismissive and throw-away way that this question was presented at the end of film, neither can these film makers.
But to give credit where credit's due, this was a very well made film and it could have been a very pleasant and amusing film if it had taken place in the Twilight Zone, instead of in the real world. Unfortunately, for those of us who have taken the time to educate ourselves about this timely and important issue, the lies and distortions of this film aren't even funny.
Berlin Alexanderplatz
(1980)
The Franz & Reinhold Story
8 September 2004
Warning: Spoilers
************ SPOILERS ************
I don't know that this review will really contain any spoilers or not, because I don't really think there's much to spoil. The structure of the story is very episodic and repetitive and nothing much happens. Instead, a lot of figurative cud chewing is done on what little does concretely happen. In any event, I'm not going to hold back in this review, so I might conceivably spoil something.
This story is about a guy named Franz. The story is: 1) he gets out of prison (for murdering his girlfriend in a stupid drunken rage), 2) he bums around on the street and gets drunk a lot, 3) he meets a guy named Reinhold, 4) he joins a gang of petty gangsters, 5) his best buddy Reinhold pushes him out of the back of a moving car and he loses his arm when another car runs over it, 6) he bums around and gets drunk some more, 7) he goes mad and hallucinates for a long time in a mental hospital. And there's a closing scene in a courtroom where Franz (supposedly recovered from his mental illness) gives testimony that gets his best buddy Reinhold off with a light sentence for killing one of Reinhold's girlfriends.
This is the plot as near as I can make it out. I apologize if it's not completely accurate. Fatigue and disgust prevent me from viewing another minute of this interminable nausea-fest.
Maybe I should say at this juncture that I've never really "gotten" any of Fassbinder's films. Perhaps I'm just too locked into a breeder mentality, I don't know. Also, there might be a lot of historical and cultural information encoded here that's specific to Germany between the wars that I can't appreciate.
Anyway, the relationship between Franz and Reinhold is the key feature of the story, everything else revolves around it. Franz is kind of a happy, dim-witted Homer Simpson type guy. And Reinhold is kind of a twisted, compulsive, neurotic guy given to spasms of intense misogyny.
So the whole thing, to me, was just one long, dreary, alcoholic, ugly, perverse circus of horrors. There was no particular plot, the characters were merely repellent, and not in the least engaging. And the dialog seemed fairly dull and pedestrian. Franz was prone to loud, expansive public orations, but they just seemed to be the rantings of a dim-witted drunkard.
It's not clear what the film maker (or the novelist, Alfred Doblin) were trying to show here. That drunken petty criminals had a hard time on the streets of Berlin during the period between the wars? I have a feeling that what was being reached for was a lot more evident in the novel. But I'm not sure I'll take the time to investigate it, though.
And the misogyny in this mini-series is just totally grotesque and sickening. One memorable sequence is when Reinhold is trying to rid himself of his latest girlfriend (that's one of his problems, you see, he compulsively goes after women, and then, as soon as he gets one, he immediately detests her), and he hurls verbal abuse at her out of the blue and starts beating her and telling her to leave. When he finally succeeds in driving her out, he's frothing at the mouth. And then he says to another friend who has witnessed his performance: "Franz would be so proud of me!" He says this because prior to this, Reinhold had convinced Franz to take his ex-girlfriends off his hands. This is a key element of the plot, Reinhold's girlfriend problems. Real believable, easily empathizable stuff, huh?
And on a different note: I thought it was quaint, in a very jarring way, to have 60's and 70's pop music playing in the background on the soundtrack during some of the hallucination sequences. A couple of the songs I recognized where by the Velvet Underground, "Candy Says", for example. Since the story takes place in the late 1920's, I believe, this was very disorienting to me. Also, we are treated to Fassbinder himself leering at Franz, and into the camera, for a few minutes, standing beside the two angels (dressed like Roman legionnaires, for some reason) that are visiting Franz during one of his hallucinations.
Here's another little tidbit. At the end of a number of scenes, random news items and medical health items are read in voice over. These tend to be very bland and cold and impersonal. How this reflects on the story, I'm not completely sure. Those were cold, hard times in Berlin to be suffering through during that era? Modernity does have its downsides, that's for sure.
The general overall feel of this mini-series was like a combination of old Eliot Ness "Untouchables" TV shows combined with boring out-takes from David Lynch's "Blue Velvet".
I wouldn't recommend this mini-series to anyone. The amount of time I spent studying it, I feel, was completely wasted.
I don't know that this review will really contain any spoilers or not, because I don't really think there's much to spoil. The structure of the story is very episodic and repetitive and nothing much happens. Instead, a lot of figurative cud chewing is done on what little does concretely happen. In any event, I'm not going to hold back in this review, so I might conceivably spoil something.
This story is about a guy named Franz. The story is: 1) he gets out of prison (for murdering his girlfriend in a stupid drunken rage), 2) he bums around on the street and gets drunk a lot, 3) he meets a guy named Reinhold, 4) he joins a gang of petty gangsters, 5) his best buddy Reinhold pushes him out of the back of a moving car and he loses his arm when another car runs over it, 6) he bums around and gets drunk some more, 7) he goes mad and hallucinates for a long time in a mental hospital. And there's a closing scene in a courtroom where Franz (supposedly recovered from his mental illness) gives testimony that gets his best buddy Reinhold off with a light sentence for killing one of Reinhold's girlfriends.
This is the plot as near as I can make it out. I apologize if it's not completely accurate. Fatigue and disgust prevent me from viewing another minute of this interminable nausea-fest.
Maybe I should say at this juncture that I've never really "gotten" any of Fassbinder's films. Perhaps I'm just too locked into a breeder mentality, I don't know. Also, there might be a lot of historical and cultural information encoded here that's specific to Germany between the wars that I can't appreciate.
Anyway, the relationship between Franz and Reinhold is the key feature of the story, everything else revolves around it. Franz is kind of a happy, dim-witted Homer Simpson type guy. And Reinhold is kind of a twisted, compulsive, neurotic guy given to spasms of intense misogyny.
So the whole thing, to me, was just one long, dreary, alcoholic, ugly, perverse circus of horrors. There was no particular plot, the characters were merely repellent, and not in the least engaging. And the dialog seemed fairly dull and pedestrian. Franz was prone to loud, expansive public orations, but they just seemed to be the rantings of a dim-witted drunkard.
It's not clear what the film maker (or the novelist, Alfred Doblin) were trying to show here. That drunken petty criminals had a hard time on the streets of Berlin during the period between the wars? I have a feeling that what was being reached for was a lot more evident in the novel. But I'm not sure I'll take the time to investigate it, though.
And the misogyny in this mini-series is just totally grotesque and sickening. One memorable sequence is when Reinhold is trying to rid himself of his latest girlfriend (that's one of his problems, you see, he compulsively goes after women, and then, as soon as he gets one, he immediately detests her), and he hurls verbal abuse at her out of the blue and starts beating her and telling her to leave. When he finally succeeds in driving her out, he's frothing at the mouth. And then he says to another friend who has witnessed his performance: "Franz would be so proud of me!" He says this because prior to this, Reinhold had convinced Franz to take his ex-girlfriends off his hands. This is a key element of the plot, Reinhold's girlfriend problems. Real believable, easily empathizable stuff, huh?
And on a different note: I thought it was quaint, in a very jarring way, to have 60's and 70's pop music playing in the background on the soundtrack during some of the hallucination sequences. A couple of the songs I recognized where by the Velvet Underground, "Candy Says", for example. Since the story takes place in the late 1920's, I believe, this was very disorienting to me. Also, we are treated to Fassbinder himself leering at Franz, and into the camera, for a few minutes, standing beside the two angels (dressed like Roman legionnaires, for some reason) that are visiting Franz during one of his hallucinations.
Here's another little tidbit. At the end of a number of scenes, random news items and medical health items are read in voice over. These tend to be very bland and cold and impersonal. How this reflects on the story, I'm not completely sure. Those were cold, hard times in Berlin to be suffering through during that era? Modernity does have its downsides, that's for sure.
The general overall feel of this mini-series was like a combination of old Eliot Ness "Untouchables" TV shows combined with boring out-takes from David Lynch's "Blue Velvet".
I wouldn't recommend this mini-series to anyone. The amount of time I spent studying it, I feel, was completely wasted.
Yidl mitn fidl
(1936)
Yidl Mitn Fidl, my review
22 August 2004
I must confess that I'm not that much of a fan of Broadway musicals to begin with, and that is what this film most resembles. And as dumbed down and precious as most Broadway musicals are, this movie is ten times more so. I can only imagine just how starved the world must have been for Yiddish entertainment in 1936 in order for this insignificant item to have become a smash hit, both in Poland and in some areas of the US. Beyond the brainless screenplay and childishly simple songs, I found the famous Molly Picon to be very disappointing. I think part of the reason is that she is 38 in this film, well past her prime. I also believe she was never that good looking. But I must admit she did manage to be fairly animated and vivacious. Another strange quality of this film is its almost lunatic defiance shown with respect to some of the marginal character's grotesque appearance, especially those with very bad teeth. I'm 50 myself, and my teeth are yellow from years of cigar smoking, and they have gaps due to gum disease, so I'm not perfect. And I realize that a smile is still a smile, no matter now snaggle-toothed, especially if it's from someone you have affection for. But the scraggily beards and the repellent, bad-toothed grimaces that are thrust into the audience's face here are hard to understand. Frankly they just made me nauseous. I leave it to other, more astute cultural critics than myself to make sense of why this was included in the manner it was. All in all, I guess I'd have to say that this movie is little more than an historical footnote. If you have a soft spot in your heart for Yiddish culture, than maybe you can forgive this movie's many and large faults. I couldn't.
The Twilight Samurai
(2002)
A truly outstanding film
31 July 2004
There were a couple times when I felt this film was veering into MacDonald's-commercial domestic shmaltz, but other than that, this movie was utterly perfect.
I've never been much of a fan of samurai movies, or any other kind of movies that glorify the facile wholesale slaughter of other human beings. So this movie was a real breath of fresh air in how it showed the real place that such samurai fighting occupied in that bygone era in Japan.
But the real star of this film is Seibei himself, his daughters, and his love, Tomoe. And their story is so real, so believable, so moving, it was just incredible.
It's a real shame that this title does not seem to be available on video or DVD in the US. This is one title I'd really like to add to my library.
I've never been much of a fan of samurai movies, or any other kind of movies that glorify the facile wholesale slaughter of other human beings. So this movie was a real breath of fresh air in how it showed the real place that such samurai fighting occupied in that bygone era in Japan.
But the real star of this film is Seibei himself, his daughters, and his love, Tomoe. And their story is so real, so believable, so moving, it was just incredible.
It's a real shame that this title does not seem to be available on video or DVD in the US. This is one title I'd really like to add to my library.
Bukowski: Born into This
(2003)
not bad
3 June 2004
This was a special movie for me since Bukowski occupied a special place in my life and provided me with some basic notions about looking at the world during an early formative time in my life. The year was 1975, and I was 21.
Now that I'm 50 and I've been "clean and sober" for over half my life, Bukowski has lost quite a bit of his charm. Watching him in this movie I couldn't help but realize what a total case of adolescent arrested development he was. And although I think he should practically be canonized as a saint for his refusal to knuckle under to the phony plastic American success machine, it's also apparent that most of what he had to say was only negative, it only went half way there, so to speak. In other words, he provided no positive suggestions. He just said: be yourself, be a slacker, follow your own obsessions. And this isn't enough as far as offering young people something good to believe in, something that will help them feel like they can belong to something worthwhile.
And much of the negative imagery quoted in his poems in this movie (I was never a fan of his poetry, only his prose) is almost embarrassingly lurid and crude, only a small step up from, a slightly more polished version of, garden variety Heavy Metal rock 'n' roll doom and gloom song lyrics.
One other impressionistic thing I wanted to note was just how much John Martin, the publisher of Black Sparrow books, reminded me of Leonard "Nipper" Read, the police officer that arrested and helped prosecute the infamous UK gangsters, the Kray twins. Just a fun fact, that's all.
Another thing that struck me was Bukowski's attitude. I'd heard him speak before, on cassette tape and on an early video of a reading he did in Bellevue, Washington, and I knew he had this kind of snotty, purring way of talking, but it really came through here. He really didn't seem like a very nice person, not someone whose attitude I would put up with in real life for very long.
But, all-in-all, this was a very well done documentary, very well paced and hardly ever got bogged down. And it was a real pleasure to get a well rounded picture of a personality I had always been very curious about. And it was also very good to get to see and know some of the other people in Bukowski's life. John Martin, for example, is a very interesting and engaging man in his own right.
As a portrait of an interesting literary and cultural figure I would recommend this film highly to everyone. And I think most Bukowski fans will like it a lot, too.
Now that I'm 50 and I've been "clean and sober" for over half my life, Bukowski has lost quite a bit of his charm. Watching him in this movie I couldn't help but realize what a total case of adolescent arrested development he was. And although I think he should practically be canonized as a saint for his refusal to knuckle under to the phony plastic American success machine, it's also apparent that most of what he had to say was only negative, it only went half way there, so to speak. In other words, he provided no positive suggestions. He just said: be yourself, be a slacker, follow your own obsessions. And this isn't enough as far as offering young people something good to believe in, something that will help them feel like they can belong to something worthwhile.
And much of the negative imagery quoted in his poems in this movie (I was never a fan of his poetry, only his prose) is almost embarrassingly lurid and crude, only a small step up from, a slightly more polished version of, garden variety Heavy Metal rock 'n' roll doom and gloom song lyrics.
One other impressionistic thing I wanted to note was just how much John Martin, the publisher of Black Sparrow books, reminded me of Leonard "Nipper" Read, the police officer that arrested and helped prosecute the infamous UK gangsters, the Kray twins. Just a fun fact, that's all.
Another thing that struck me was Bukowski's attitude. I'd heard him speak before, on cassette tape and on an early video of a reading he did in Bellevue, Washington, and I knew he had this kind of snotty, purring way of talking, but it really came through here. He really didn't seem like a very nice person, not someone whose attitude I would put up with in real life for very long.
But, all-in-all, this was a very well done documentary, very well paced and hardly ever got bogged down. And it was a real pleasure to get a well rounded picture of a personality I had always been very curious about. And it was also very good to get to see and know some of the other people in Bukowski's life. John Martin, for example, is a very interesting and engaging man in his own right.
As a portrait of an interesting literary and cultural figure I would recommend this film highly to everyone. And I think most Bukowski fans will like it a lot, too.
Excellent futuristic tale
22 May 2004
There isn't much of a story line in this film. But the characters and atmosphere are very effective.
There is one somewhat disturbing, but brief, sequence where a nice looking German shepherd dog is killed. I think they just simulated it's death by catching one of it's legs in a humane trap, but the dog's piteous yelps are still very heart rending.
The rest of the movie is very good, especially towards the end when the group of women are staying at the nearly abandoned hotel.
In a way, this movie was very well structured, even though there isn't much of story. It starts out slow and sets a scene, and then the plot thickens fairly smoothly and progressively towards the end. And it has a really tremendous ending, but I don't want to reveal it.
And, of course, the best thing about this movie are the feral young Amazonian women.
I'd love to have a copy of this film. It's a pity that it's out of print.
There is one somewhat disturbing, but brief, sequence where a nice looking German shepherd dog is killed. I think they just simulated it's death by catching one of it's legs in a humane trap, but the dog's piteous yelps are still very heart rending.
The rest of the movie is very good, especially towards the end when the group of women are staying at the nearly abandoned hotel.
In a way, this movie was very well structured, even though there isn't much of story. It starts out slow and sets a scene, and then the plot thickens fairly smoothly and progressively towards the end. And it has a really tremendous ending, but I don't want to reveal it.
And, of course, the best thing about this movie are the feral young Amazonian women.
I'd love to have a copy of this film. It's a pity that it's out of print.
Distant
(2002)
Beautiful, but a little too deliberate
23 April 2004
There are two instances in this film where the famous director Tarkovsky is explicitly referred to, so it's easy to read that as intentional on the part of the film makers for this film. And the beauty of the images and the slowness of the pace of this movie are very reminiscent of Tarkovsky. And I don't know about you, but I don't like being told by film makers how to take their movies. It smacks of laziness and of contempt for their audience.
Anyway, two kinds of distance seem to be on display here, the distance that the young country cousin, Yusuf, feels toward city life in Istanbul, and the distance that the citified photographer, Mahmut, feels towards life in general. It doesn't take much to draw the conclusion from this that modern city life isn't all it's cracked up to be. And this movie also indicts the modern craze for recording everything, in this case photographically, as being a significantly alienating influence.
And another thing that this film is saying is that life in Turkey is much like it is anywhere else in other industrialized countries. And this may be it's boldest statement, since it's fairly common knowledge that the crushing poverty in Turkey can cause a fair amount of daily hardship and chaos.
This is a nice movie, but it's really very slight. The statement it makes about urban alienation has been beaten to death in movies made in the past 80 years, and it really adds nothing to this hoary old genre.
This movie is worth seeing if you want to see how people live in Turkey. But as a drama, or even a character study, it's pretty disposable.
Anyway, two kinds of distance seem to be on display here, the distance that the young country cousin, Yusuf, feels toward city life in Istanbul, and the distance that the citified photographer, Mahmut, feels towards life in general. It doesn't take much to draw the conclusion from this that modern city life isn't all it's cracked up to be. And this movie also indicts the modern craze for recording everything, in this case photographically, as being a significantly alienating influence.
And another thing that this film is saying is that life in Turkey is much like it is anywhere else in other industrialized countries. And this may be it's boldest statement, since it's fairly common knowledge that the crushing poverty in Turkey can cause a fair amount of daily hardship and chaos.
This is a nice movie, but it's really very slight. The statement it makes about urban alienation has been beaten to death in movies made in the past 80 years, and it really adds nothing to this hoary old genre.
This movie is worth seeing if you want to see how people live in Turkey. But as a drama, or even a character study, it's pretty disposable.
The Hour of the Furnaces
(1968)
a blast of white hot rage
7 March 2004
First of all, I must say I only saw the first part of this film which lasts about 90 minutes. According to the people who were presenting it, the first part is the most accessible to modern, non-Argentine viewers.
This film is a lengthy diatribe against the smothering influence of European powers in Argentine cultural and economic life. The anger of the film makers was very effectively expressed by the film's rapid fire pacing, its fiery narration and its harsh, thundering soundtrack. The soundtrack was the strongest element, and its relentless pounding really drove the film maker's points home.
This film seemed less like a documentary than a filmed version of a revolutionary pamphlet. The single mindedness of the views expressed and the solution proposed, namely violent revolt, seemed immature and insufficiently reasoned. The views expressed seemed more inspired by bloody minded hatred for outside meddlers than sympathy for the oppressed and marginalized native Argentinians. It was very much a "shoot first and ask questions later" attitude. This is not the sort of attitude that I would want to see shown by my leaders if I were an Argentinian.
I suppose much of the bitter hatefulness of this movie can be understood by considering that it is a reaction to very oppressive censorship. Such a movie is acceptable as a preliminary blast against the oppressors, but one would hope that calmer, clearer heads would prevail afterwards. The attitude of the film makers here, in this film, really borders on the unhinged, the demented.
This film is a lengthy diatribe against the smothering influence of European powers in Argentine cultural and economic life. The anger of the film makers was very effectively expressed by the film's rapid fire pacing, its fiery narration and its harsh, thundering soundtrack. The soundtrack was the strongest element, and its relentless pounding really drove the film maker's points home.
This film seemed less like a documentary than a filmed version of a revolutionary pamphlet. The single mindedness of the views expressed and the solution proposed, namely violent revolt, seemed immature and insufficiently reasoned. The views expressed seemed more inspired by bloody minded hatred for outside meddlers than sympathy for the oppressed and marginalized native Argentinians. It was very much a "shoot first and ask questions later" attitude. This is not the sort of attitude that I would want to see shown by my leaders if I were an Argentinian.
I suppose much of the bitter hatefulness of this movie can be understood by considering that it is a reaction to very oppressive censorship. Such a movie is acceptable as a preliminary blast against the oppressors, but one would hope that calmer, clearer heads would prevail afterwards. The attitude of the film makers here, in this film, really borders on the unhinged, the demented.
Poor Little Rich Girl
(1965)
Everly Brothers, the Shirelles and Edie Sedgwick
4 March 2004
The first half of this movie is a real pain to watch because Warhol thought it would be cute/interesting to film it out of focus. One of his self-styled bold innovations, of course. The only good thing about this sequence is the "best of the Everly Brothers" record playing in the background. I gave up trying to see through the out-of-focus fog after about 7 minutes and just sat back and relaxed, listening to the Everlys. Apparently the action during this half consists of Edie doing her morning toilette. And this also included, towards the end, of shooting up. I wouldn't have noticed, except for the helpful snicker of the lady sitting next to me in the theatre.
The second half is in focus and totally marvelous because it shows Edie at her brightest. The background music, to begin with, is the Shirelles, and its beautiful to see Edie's response to the songs, especially when she sings along with "wasn't that a sweet thing".
Apparently the Velvet Underground's "Femme Fatale" was written about her, but it just goes to show how jealous some people are. If there was anyone who was less of a femme fatale, it was Edie Sedgwick. Anyone who's ever seen her in the few movie appearances she made can easily see that if she flitted from one beau to another, it wasn't from calculation, but from a crippling inability to connect and commit.
Anyway, this film, like "Inner and Outer Space", shows Edie's face as it runs through a gamut of different emotions, and the occasional looks of terror and hopelessness are even more pronounced and heartbreaking. Its as if she throwing everything she's got into trying to shine a light from her soul into the snotty sounding Brit she's talking to off camera, all to no avail: he remains completely hard and closed to her. Since her mercurial mood changes show her to be extremely vulnerable and teetering on the edge of a nervous breakdown, these moments of horror are all the more heartbreaking. Nonetheless, I wish that this, and the other films she appears in were available on DVD so I could watch them over and over. I've very much fallen in love the poor little waif.
The second half is in focus and totally marvelous because it shows Edie at her brightest. The background music, to begin with, is the Shirelles, and its beautiful to see Edie's response to the songs, especially when she sings along with "wasn't that a sweet thing".
Apparently the Velvet Underground's "Femme Fatale" was written about her, but it just goes to show how jealous some people are. If there was anyone who was less of a femme fatale, it was Edie Sedgwick. Anyone who's ever seen her in the few movie appearances she made can easily see that if she flitted from one beau to another, it wasn't from calculation, but from a crippling inability to connect and commit.
Anyway, this film, like "Inner and Outer Space", shows Edie's face as it runs through a gamut of different emotions, and the occasional looks of terror and hopelessness are even more pronounced and heartbreaking. Its as if she throwing everything she's got into trying to shine a light from her soul into the snotty sounding Brit she's talking to off camera, all to no avail: he remains completely hard and closed to her. Since her mercurial mood changes show her to be extremely vulnerable and teetering on the edge of a nervous breakdown, these moments of horror are all the more heartbreaking. Nonetheless, I wish that this, and the other films she appears in were available on DVD so I could watch them over and over. I've very much fallen in love the poor little waif.
Outer and Inner Space
(1966)
dazzling
1 March 2004
Edie Sedgwick definitely had star quality. She is absolutely dazzling in this movie. I wish I had a video copy of this movie so I could watch it over and over.
It's a pity that Edie didn't get a chance to be in any real movies. The silly artsy aspects of this movie are just annoying. The profile shots of Edie on the TV behind her are just stupid and distracting. Having two versions of her, one semi-audible, and one inaudible, is stupid and annoying. Having her being only, at best, semi-audible was irritating. Not being able to hear the comments she was responding to was a pain in the butt. And so on.
But the worst thing about this movie, or rather, the hardest thing to take, is the horrendous mercurial flow of different emotions running across Edie's sweet little face. It was like she was possessed by demons. It also looked as if she felt like she was a helpless little monkey trapped in a cage and that cruel, idle people were poking her through the bars with sharp sticks just to watch her jump. The hardest facial expressions to take are when a look of abject horror, hopelessness and fear crosses her face. Obviously much of what was tormenting her was the drugs, and among them, amphetamines were the chief culprit. One can't help but wonder what kind of life she could have had if she hadn't fallen in with the Warhol crowd.
All in all, this was a beautiful and touching testament to a sweet little angel who was callously crushed under the wheel of NYC hipness and coolness.
It's a pity that Edie didn't get a chance to be in any real movies. The silly artsy aspects of this movie are just annoying. The profile shots of Edie on the TV behind her are just stupid and distracting. Having two versions of her, one semi-audible, and one inaudible, is stupid and annoying. Having her being only, at best, semi-audible was irritating. Not being able to hear the comments she was responding to was a pain in the butt. And so on.
But the worst thing about this movie, or rather, the hardest thing to take, is the horrendous mercurial flow of different emotions running across Edie's sweet little face. It was like she was possessed by demons. It also looked as if she felt like she was a helpless little monkey trapped in a cage and that cruel, idle people were poking her through the bars with sharp sticks just to watch her jump. The hardest facial expressions to take are when a look of abject horror, hopelessness and fear crosses her face. Obviously much of what was tormenting her was the drugs, and among them, amphetamines were the chief culprit. One can't help but wonder what kind of life she could have had if she hadn't fallen in with the Warhol crowd.
All in all, this was a beautiful and touching testament to a sweet little angel who was callously crushed under the wheel of NYC hipness and coolness.
Auslandstournee
(2000)
lovely little film
23 February 2004
This movie started out being not very promising, but it slowly built into something completely beautiful. The set-up, the premise, was really kind of complicated and awkward, and that made it hard to get the film off the ground, but this film maker really knows his stuff. He's an excellent story teller and craftsman.
It could be said that this movie is just a predictable sentimental movie. But I didn't find it wholely predictable. The film maker was successful in keeping a substantial amount of mystery and uncertainty wrapped around things. And the story developed so slowly, so gradually, it was wonderful. And poor chubby lost little Senay starts as just a little lost ghost, her face just a blank mask, and as things progress, we get to see more and more into her face and get to see her more as more as a person. It really was quite incredible for me. This movie really took me by surprise.
One aspect that did seem to be a little overdone was the repeated scenes looking out into the night as Zeki and Senay travel across Europe by car or train. There's no denying the forlorn coldness and emptiness of looking out the window of a moving vehicle at the electric lights of distant streets and houses, but it just begins to seem a little morbid, a little maudlin, after the 4th such scene.
I really can't recommend this movie highly enough. I thoroughly enjoyed it. My only regret was that I saw it as the first film in a double feature, and the second feature really sucked, so that kind of put a damper on what could have been a very nice evening, a very nice mood. You how it is, right?
It could be said that this movie is just a predictable sentimental movie. But I didn't find it wholely predictable. The film maker was successful in keeping a substantial amount of mystery and uncertainty wrapped around things. And the story developed so slowly, so gradually, it was wonderful. And poor chubby lost little Senay starts as just a little lost ghost, her face just a blank mask, and as things progress, we get to see more and more into her face and get to see her more as more as a person. It really was quite incredible for me. This movie really took me by surprise.
One aspect that did seem to be a little overdone was the repeated scenes looking out into the night as Zeki and Senay travel across Europe by car or train. There's no denying the forlorn coldness and emptiness of looking out the window of a moving vehicle at the electric lights of distant streets and houses, but it just begins to seem a little morbid, a little maudlin, after the 4th such scene.
I really can't recommend this movie highly enough. I thoroughly enjoyed it. My only regret was that I saw it as the first film in a double feature, and the second feature really sucked, so that kind of put a damper on what could have been a very nice evening, a very nice mood. You how it is, right?
An inane mess
21 December 2003
This movie is obviously a piece of silly late '60s, early '70s LSD hippie fantasy drivel.
The only thing that makes this movie worth watching is the central character, Valerie, who is just stunning in her achingly sweet, pouting, wide-eyed pubescence. She's a real charmer, for sure.
It's hard to believe that a movie like this could be made nowadays in these ultra-pedophile-sensitive days. I must admit that I felt a little degraded myself, being asked to ogle a 13 year old's budding breasts and naked bottom. Not that that stopped me from ogling them. Make no mistake, I'm no prude.
Apart from Valerie, the rest of the movie really isn't worth mentioning, it's so silly. All it's fantastical elements fall flat and just look like carnival sideshow curiosities, not even worth pausing to look at twice.
The big pagan crescendo at the end, however, is pretty nice. Nicely choreographed with very good, stirring music on the soundtrack.
So this movie really just ends up being a glorified piece of soft core pedophile porn.
The only thing that makes this movie worth watching is the central character, Valerie, who is just stunning in her achingly sweet, pouting, wide-eyed pubescence. She's a real charmer, for sure.
It's hard to believe that a movie like this could be made nowadays in these ultra-pedophile-sensitive days. I must admit that I felt a little degraded myself, being asked to ogle a 13 year old's budding breasts and naked bottom. Not that that stopped me from ogling them. Make no mistake, I'm no prude.
Apart from Valerie, the rest of the movie really isn't worth mentioning, it's so silly. All it's fantastical elements fall flat and just look like carnival sideshow curiosities, not even worth pausing to look at twice.
The big pagan crescendo at the end, however, is pretty nice. Nicely choreographed with very good, stirring music on the soundtrack.
So this movie really just ends up being a glorified piece of soft core pedophile porn.
Die Unberührbare
(2000)
intermittently interesting character study
16 December 2003
The premise of this movie is a little silly, that a spoiled 50 year old Leninist writer living in West Germany finds her life unraveling due to the fact that the Berlin Wall has just come down. It's a little far fetched, but not entirely unbelievable. Like the flip side of "it's an ill wind", in this case it would be "it's a rare wind that doesn't blow somebody ill".
And I suppose it's pretty obvious that Hanna Flanders is meant to represent and symbolize the badly faded beauty of communism. But this didn't have much resonance for me.
All that political stuff aside, this was an extremely episodic movie. And unfortunately, most of the episodes just fell flat. One or two were engaging, and one, the one involving her spending the night with her horribly alcoholic ex-husband, was both pointless and extremely ugly, almost unwatchable.
The upside is that this was an extremely well crafted movie, apart from the screenplay. The cinematography, acting, directing, were all first rate. It's a pity they were wasted on a screenplay that was as cold, flat and ugly as the old regime it was directed against.
Another positive aspect is that the whole syndrome/complex of someone trying to use drugs to cope with reality and maintain an emotional equilibrium was well observed. And the fact that it was someone who should know better, an intelligent middle aged woman, was also useful. As shallow and self centered as Hanna is, I still felt some pity for her as a fellow human being.
And I suppose it's pretty obvious that Hanna Flanders is meant to represent and symbolize the badly faded beauty of communism. But this didn't have much resonance for me.
All that political stuff aside, this was an extremely episodic movie. And unfortunately, most of the episodes just fell flat. One or two were engaging, and one, the one involving her spending the night with her horribly alcoholic ex-husband, was both pointless and extremely ugly, almost unwatchable.
The upside is that this was an extremely well crafted movie, apart from the screenplay. The cinematography, acting, directing, were all first rate. It's a pity they were wasted on a screenplay that was as cold, flat and ugly as the old regime it was directed against.
Another positive aspect is that the whole syndrome/complex of someone trying to use drugs to cope with reality and maintain an emotional equilibrium was well observed. And the fact that it was someone who should know better, an intelligent middle aged woman, was also useful. As shallow and self centered as Hanna is, I still felt some pity for her as a fellow human being.
Iran: Veiled Appearances
(2002)
excellent documentary
15 December 2003
I have to admit that I'm not a student of the Middle East. In fact, I had a big blind spot with respect to it ever since the Iranian hostage crisis of 1979. And prior to that, I had always swallowed uncritically whatever the US media had told me about conflicts centered around Israel's presence in the region.
So this movie was a real useful and informative experience for me. It gave me a feel for a fairly broad spectrum of life in modern Iran for common, everyday, middle and working class people, young and old, fundamentalist and reformist. I would recommend it highly to anyone interested in the Middle East.
The most important aspect of the film, however, was how it depicted religion's ability to act as a social foundation and glue.
The sequence that showed the meeting that was devoted to the memory of the martyr Hussein was absolutely enthralling and worth the price of admission alone. To see a room full of men sobbing with helpless grief at the memory of one man's sacrifice many centuries before, is nothing short of amazing. It made me appreciate the depth and sincerity of their feeling and it made me envious that I had no comparable heart and soul in my own heavily materialistic and secular life.
Everyone in the west is well aware of the evils that fundamentalism can bring, but how many really appreciate the supremely nurturing and sustaining spiritual aspects of it? I think there is much to learn and appreciate in other's people's beliefs. And this movie helps to show that, as well as a number of other useful, if more mundane, things about Iran.
So this movie was a real useful and informative experience for me. It gave me a feel for a fairly broad spectrum of life in modern Iran for common, everyday, middle and working class people, young and old, fundamentalist and reformist. I would recommend it highly to anyone interested in the Middle East.
The most important aspect of the film, however, was how it depicted religion's ability to act as a social foundation and glue.
The sequence that showed the meeting that was devoted to the memory of the martyr Hussein was absolutely enthralling and worth the price of admission alone. To see a room full of men sobbing with helpless grief at the memory of one man's sacrifice many centuries before, is nothing short of amazing. It made me appreciate the depth and sincerity of their feeling and it made me envious that I had no comparable heart and soul in my own heavily materialistic and secular life.
Everyone in the west is well aware of the evils that fundamentalism can bring, but how many really appreciate the supremely nurturing and sustaining spiritual aspects of it? I think there is much to learn and appreciate in other's people's beliefs. And this movie helps to show that, as well as a number of other useful, if more mundane, things about Iran.
Evil
(2003)
...or how I learned to stop worrying and love Fascism!
15 December 2003
Warning: Spoilers
I suppose that it's something of a spoiler to characterize this film as a revenge film. Although it should be abundantly clear that that is what is going to happen from the first shots of the insufferably haughty upper-classman, Otto Silverhielm, when he shows the lead character, Erik Ponti, around the private school for the first time.
Anyway, this was a really vile and morally reprehensible film. It basically tries to dress up a nasty little teenage revenge fantasy into something that makes some kind of a profound statement.
If you believe this film, then you must also believe that the Columbine shootings were fundamentally justified. Just totally insane.
Hard to comprehend what the film makers were thinking when they dreamed up this one.
The most interesting thing about this film was the reaction of the brilliant young ivy league students that composed most of the audience, apart from myself. (I'm a 50 year old unemployed man.) All these, supposedly, bright young people all watched and listened in totally rapt attention. Really scary to see how easily they were sucked into the hatefulness of it.
Another thing that was wrong with this movie, was that it was very flabby and bloated. Many of the scenes were too long and seemed to be there mostly to dote on the all the authentic 1950's stuff that the film crew had meticulously collected for the mis-en-scene.
I do have to admit that their casting of Andreas Wilson in the Erik Ponti role was very apt. He made an excellent smaller, blond, less muscle bound, Nordic version of a Schwarzenegger-style Terminator. Of course, his facial expressions were less deadpan than Schwarzenegger's, more white-hot with hatefulness.
I suppose this film could serve a useful purpose as a psychological screening tool. If anyone watches it and finds themselves identifying with the protagonist, then they should probably seek counseling.
Anyway, this was a really vile and morally reprehensible film. It basically tries to dress up a nasty little teenage revenge fantasy into something that makes some kind of a profound statement.
If you believe this film, then you must also believe that the Columbine shootings were fundamentally justified. Just totally insane.
Hard to comprehend what the film makers were thinking when they dreamed up this one.
The most interesting thing about this film was the reaction of the brilliant young ivy league students that composed most of the audience, apart from myself. (I'm a 50 year old unemployed man.) All these, supposedly, bright young people all watched and listened in totally rapt attention. Really scary to see how easily they were sucked into the hatefulness of it.
Another thing that was wrong with this movie, was that it was very flabby and bloated. Many of the scenes were too long and seemed to be there mostly to dote on the all the authentic 1950's stuff that the film crew had meticulously collected for the mis-en-scene.
I do have to admit that their casting of Andreas Wilson in the Erik Ponti role was very apt. He made an excellent smaller, blond, less muscle bound, Nordic version of a Schwarzenegger-style Terminator. Of course, his facial expressions were less deadpan than Schwarzenegger's, more white-hot with hatefulness.
I suppose this film could serve a useful purpose as a psychological screening tool. If anyone watches it and finds themselves identifying with the protagonist, then they should probably seek counseling.
Vai~E~Vem
(2003)
monumentally boring and painfully long
7 December 2003
This movie is a complete waste of time. The whole thing consists of endless static shots of the writer/director/star, Monteiro, spouting witty sounding or profound sounding gibberish.
Every now and then Monteiro minces around, quasi-adorably, like a wizened little Portuguese Nosferatu.
To sustain audience interest and to presumably show what exquisite taste he has, Monteiro places a young nubile Latina hottie in the shot, and allows her to listen in rapt attention while he spouts off endlessly. All I can say is, I certainly hope she was paid well for what must surely have been the sheerest torture.
The only redeeming qualities to this film were a couple nice musical numbers on the soundtrack and the beautiful outside location shots of Lisbon.
I've seen one other of Monteiro's movies, "God's Comedy", and that had similar problems, but not as bad as "Vai E Vem".
Much is made of the fact that this was Monteiro's last film before he died in 2003. It seems pretty clear from the hugely self absorbed and self indulgent character of this film that it constitutes more of a curse than a blessing on the world he was leaving behind.
Every now and then Monteiro minces around, quasi-adorably, like a wizened little Portuguese Nosferatu.
To sustain audience interest and to presumably show what exquisite taste he has, Monteiro places a young nubile Latina hottie in the shot, and allows her to listen in rapt attention while he spouts off endlessly. All I can say is, I certainly hope she was paid well for what must surely have been the sheerest torture.
The only redeeming qualities to this film were a couple nice musical numbers on the soundtrack and the beautiful outside location shots of Lisbon.
I've seen one other of Monteiro's movies, "God's Comedy", and that had similar problems, but not as bad as "Vai E Vem".
Much is made of the fact that this was Monteiro's last film before he died in 2003. It seems pretty clear from the hugely self absorbed and self indulgent character of this film that it constitutes more of a curse than a blessing on the world he was leaving behind.
Wonderland
(1999)
the best damn tear-jerker ever made!
23 March 2002
This film hit home and touched me so deeply on a personal level, its not even funny. And I believe it should have a fairly wide appeal, as well. The main limiting factor is that it may only be fully appreciated by Britons and anglophiles. There are so many specifics of daily working class London life, and the accents are slightly thick, that non-Britons may not be able to connect.
I read a review of this film in the Village Voice (it was very positive, and I rented the title on the strength of the recommendation) and one of the things it said was that this film didn't avert its eyes from the ugly things in life. And that is exactly what give this film is weight and poignancy.
This film even manages to capture one of the most difficult (and therefore least often seen, in films) aspects of modern working class life: the mind numbing crassness, tedium and insignificance. And at the same time, it manages to give dignity to these people's lives and gives them hope for finding threads of meaning in the garbage heap of modern life. The thought that came most forcefully to me at the end of this film was: how many years of suffering do the working class have to endure before their lives are portrayed with dignity and meaning?
One thing about this film that is consistently downbeat, and that the film maker had the good sense not to try and sugar coat, is the awful over crowding in modern Britain. This aspect is truly horrific, suffocating and overwhelming. And maybe this is the most topsy-turvy aspect of this film, that modern Britons are expected to endure this with good grace, but I don't know, I can't say.
The music is lovely as well, very well chosen, very understated. And its all in a minor key, of course.
Its films like this that re-affirm my faith in film as an artistic medium. But, although this film gives a sweet dignity to the recent past, it doesn't seem to hold out any real hope for the future. And it is this sidestepping of facile hopefulness where this movie really hits the deepest. This film says, in my opinion, that any progress towards a livable future is going to take everything we have to struggle to achieve.
I read a review of this film in the Village Voice (it was very positive, and I rented the title on the strength of the recommendation) and one of the things it said was that this film didn't avert its eyes from the ugly things in life. And that is exactly what give this film is weight and poignancy.
This film even manages to capture one of the most difficult (and therefore least often seen, in films) aspects of modern working class life: the mind numbing crassness, tedium and insignificance. And at the same time, it manages to give dignity to these people's lives and gives them hope for finding threads of meaning in the garbage heap of modern life. The thought that came most forcefully to me at the end of this film was: how many years of suffering do the working class have to endure before their lives are portrayed with dignity and meaning?
One thing about this film that is consistently downbeat, and that the film maker had the good sense not to try and sugar coat, is the awful over crowding in modern Britain. This aspect is truly horrific, suffocating and overwhelming. And maybe this is the most topsy-turvy aspect of this film, that modern Britons are expected to endure this with good grace, but I don't know, I can't say.
The music is lovely as well, very well chosen, very understated. And its all in a minor key, of course.
Its films like this that re-affirm my faith in film as an artistic medium. But, although this film gives a sweet dignity to the recent past, it doesn't seem to hold out any real hope for the future. And it is this sidestepping of facile hopefulness where this movie really hits the deepest. This film says, in my opinion, that any progress towards a livable future is going to take everything we have to struggle to achieve.
D.O.A.
(1980)
Excellent documentary
10 May 2000
Features live performances by the Sex Pistols, the Rich Kids, the X-Ray Specs, Sham 69 and Generation X.
Hard to believe that this title is out of print. It's one of the best documentaries of the early Punk rock era.
It's got great interviews with some of the principal people of the time, such as the head of the GLC. And interviews with concert goers outside the Sex Pistols American gigs. And the famous Sid and Nancy bed interview. And a bunch of other stuff.
Hard to believe that this title is out of print. It's one of the best documentaries of the early Punk rock era.
It's got great interviews with some of the principal people of the time, such as the head of the GLC. And interviews with concert goers outside the Sex Pistols American gigs. And the famous Sid and Nancy bed interview. And a bunch of other stuff.
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