Change Your Image
dfwtvman@aol.com
Reviews
They Might Be Giants (1971)
WHO might be giants?
The thing about a great film is not finding mistakes, and not noting any imperfections, but rather, discovering the heart of the film. This film has heart, integrity, and subtlety, with some of the finest acting you will ever hope to see. This is one of the great ones, which stays with you like that first lingering kiss.
One of the strengths of this "little" film (among the best I've seen anywhere) is that Playfair's/Holmes' "insanity" highly affected me long after I left the theater. It made an indelible mark on my heart and helped to keep important questions alive in my mind. And after all, what, really, is insanity? In TMBG, Scott is Holmes is Playfair, period. You can do the math and the juxtaposition.
It was not just the fine cast of characters who were led out of the dark and into the light by Holmes & Watson, literally and metaphorically, but myself/ourselves, as well. I went willingly into the call of the film, that the evils of our world (usually nameless and faceless in our media-fed society) might be the giants of the title, and are the very giants that WE, ultimately, also have to face directly, bravely, together (not in isolation). The film doesn't suggest how we should fight malevolence, just that we should face it unflinchingly, with verve and courage.
Oh, the layers of this fine film! The fact that this unique film affects us into dialog about "what does the ending mean?" and "who/what are the giants?" and "what is insanity?" and "what is 'normal'?" says something about the power of this film on the thoughtful mind. Like Arlo Guthrie once replied when asked why he became a Catholic: (paraphrasing) it isn't that it provided me with the answers, but rather, it got me to asking the right questions. There's something about the depth of this film that is unusual in most movies, and rarely ever captured so well. Indeed, as other reviewers suggest, as superb as it was, Patton was mere practice for the unparalleled acting in this film; I concur, it is Scott's best. Arguably Woodward's best, too.
Yes, superb acting & great writing created this masterpiece, which compares & contrasts well with a couple other fine films: Alan Bates in "The King of Hearts," and Jack Nicholson in "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest." This film has one or two moments that show some datedness, but it clearly and simply reflects those timeless issues that will remain unresolved and unresolvable in our on-going battle for triumph over "the dark side." This is Top-10 fare in my list, alongside Kane, Dorothy & Toto, Mr. Smith & George Bailey, Zhivago, T E Lawrence, Zorba, Bates' King (op cit), Rick & Sam, & Skywalker. Love it or don't, but see this film.
Fratello sole, sorella luna (1972)
This movie highly impacted me as an early college student in the 1970s.
Upon seeing this movie in my young 20s, I fell in love (metaphorically speaking) with St. Francis of Assisi and the simple message of life that he practiced. Though many of the absolute facts were stretched, like in most "historic" films, the movie was completely on the mark about his simplicity and his love of nature and mankind. In addition, it gave a very plausible and probable glimpse of the love relationship he had with St. Clare, all in contrast with the idea of love and sexuality which we have in these times.
Though the Italian version soundtrack was not by Donovan, the English language songs he sang gave the movie great focus and support. I often wondered why it was only issued on vinyl in Italy, which is how I discovered Donovan's songs were not present. The music is sensitive and wonderful.
Both young actors, Bowker & Faulkner, fill their roles with perfection. Bowker is one of the most beautiful and sensitive young actresses of that period, so it is with wonder that she was not more utilized or popular.
Yes, the film does have the allegorical connection with the hippie movement, but that does not diminish the story nor the impact. In fact, rather, it parallels our times and served to connect me with the times of Francis, if that is possible.
Finally, Zeffirelli deserves a thanks for tackling this saint with compelling zeal, passion, sensitivity, and panache. As another reviewer here noted, the scenery will blow you away. And as a child of the 50s who grew up in the late 60s, this movie offset the idea of love having to be of a sexual nature, and elevated love to a plane where it becomes transcendent and transforming. Isn't that what love is supposed to do in our lives? I have had my own 2 sons watch it with me more than once as they were growing up, and they are mid-20s now.
It will be a hard film to find, but is viewable for any age without reservations and is well worth the search. (It is now available on DVD for around $10 or less.)