Change Your Image
Uta-Lenkewitz
Reviews
The Man Who Cried (1993)
Love in the time of depression
To deal with the spoiler at once - if it is one - and then have done with it: to intensify the realism of the film most of the figures have to speak their local northern dialect, which makes it rather difficult to understand for foreigners as myself. (And on the DVD there are no subtitles.) This is a pity as the description of a nation going through an economic depression is very convincingly shown as a background for the love-story (or rather love-stories) and would be interesting in other countries, too.
Besides, the central figure Abel Mason would appeal to his audience everywhere: This is a part which seems to have been invented from the beginning for the marvellous powers of Ciaran Hinds in presenting complicated characters. On the one hand side Abel seems to be of an old fashioned strict morality which shuts out all light-hearted play with women, on the other hand he even sails into bigamy. While serving a one-year-sentence in prison there exist (quite different) relations to three women, but even the judge is convinced that everything happened in and by good intentions.
One of these intentions is Able's search for a peaceful and secure place for his ten year old son to grow up. The relations to this son are beautifully acted from both sides and deeply moving for the spectator. Hinds is able to show quite another side of Able's character: There is the labourer desperately looking for work - but not under all conditions! There is the relatively young man looking for a really true love; and there is the careful and tender father, in spite of all his sorrows able to laugh with his son.
As the film develops the tragedy mainly on the faces of the actors, long parts can be understood without language - strengthening the general human appeal of its story.
There is more than one answer to the question: "Why does the man cry?" - and this is part of its fascination.
The Mayor of Casterbridge (2003)
Brilliant presentation of complex character in the M.o.Casterbridge
Fifty years ago my teachers strongly recommended to read the "Mayor of Casterbridge" by Thomas Hardy for a study of English. Somehow I never "found the time", though in the meantime I saw the film, read the novel and loved the story of "Far from the madding crowd" by the same author. Having at last watched the two-part DVD-version of Michael Henchard's fate I seem to have won a new part of the world for my horizon ! Ciaran Hinds with all his power represents the rise and fall of a complex character whom you must love, pity and despair of, all in the same moment. Such characters do exist, Thomas Hardy knows how to describe them, and the actor seems to have learned every word about them by heart. Luckily his four main partners stand up bravely against this standard. The wonderful picturesque town of "Casterbridge" and the carefully chosen landscape give adequate room to unfold the figures. Strangely enough the fact that this is a tragedy adds to its reality. After watching the film twice I seem to have found in its hero a very valuable new acquaintance. So my teachers were right after all...