Change Your Image
monque
Reviews
300 (2006)
Incredible potential, but ultimately disappointing
Wrote this elsewhere but I'm pasting it here for those interested.
It was a disappointment. And not because of any supposed political symbolism, homophobic inclusions, "video game" aspirations, racism, and on and on and on... (amazing how we manage to find these items in all sorts of places)...
As a stand-alone film, the surroundings and action were stylish and visually arresting, but its characters and contrived drama were mediocre. They never elevated the fight or world to a level beyond technological and artistic flourishes -- although the fervor of Butler's role came close at times. The action sequences try hard to make up for this, but the awe-inspiring force of cinematic battle by itself does not make for a meaningful film. It can make for an entertaining one, though, and that will be this film's chief draw and quality.
As an adaptation (and this is where it counts in my mind), it tried vehemently to mirror its source, but only managed to capture the barest essence of Miller's original watercolored Spartans --> In its copycat style (an approach handled much more exquisitely by Sin City, which adapted itself extremely well to the different live-action form), it provides only a *visible* facsimile. It copied over scenes, dialog, gestures, and a degree of Spartan power, but it left the spark of its chief characters behind. There is no hesitation or distraction in the comic Leonidas, no hastened or undercooked back story in the comic Ephialtes, there is no individual or paired scuffle with the comic Spartans but rather an unconquerable mass of human determination, and there is also a sense of raw, wide-eyed terror in the Persian ranks which doesn't appear on screen.
What goes beyond this, however, is that it allows itself a "Meanwhile, back in Sparta..." subplot which clutters and, for me, diminishes the critical situation in the Hot Gates. Miller took care of business back home very early in the work and afterward pays exclusive attention to the 300 in the narrow pass. He also crafted the entire relationship between Leonidas and his wife in just a few panels with more simple, brute emotion than anything newly created for the film. The comic is Leonidas' story only. The film is Leonidas' subtle wavering, the Spartan Council, filial relationships in the Spartan ranks, political espionage, and the wife's own home court adventure (which lacked inspiration and ultimately reduced the image of Spartan women rather than improve it). Put it this way: if you're making this film and you *purposely* set out to emulate the comic's look, sequences, emotional heart and intensity as much as possible, would you create from scratch twenty, thirty, or however many interspersed minutes of brand new side story and increase the likelihood of undermining your purpose? Layering an "orc-ish" flair to the enemy legions is fine and fitting, but to invent a wholly new story to staple on drama and/or tension is a poor move (and needless, since the quality is already there and waiting to be delivered from the page to the theater). It adds length rather than substance to this film.
I came into this as a fan of the comic and of Frank Miller. I actively searched for its good qualities. And many will enjoy its visceral, stylized violence (which is well done), and find humor in the terse quotes and the opulent Persians. The film had incredible potential to convey the artistic and emotional mastery of the comic to the big screen. Ultimately I was left with another flashy blockbuster.
Il ferroviere (1956)
Trying times, shifting focus
Andrea Marcocci's life takes a tragic turn when family and social problems threaten him with total collapse, pushing him further into drinking and farther from his youngest son, whose own story unfolds innocently enough even in the midst of a painful adult world. In a configuration which would do Welles proud, Pietro Germi not only helms the project with an empathetic directorial eye (making use of a fairly 'restless camera' in the process), he also pens some meaningful dialogue and narration, as well as jumping enthusiastically into the put-upon role of the lead character Andrea. Providing the basis for these three main corners of the film's development, the overall vision is tightly organized and well-crafted. There is an evident love for tracking shots, which are handled well and with theatrical ease. The viewer is whisked through homes, along sidewalks, matching the movement of any number of forward-moving folk. Which is another large aspect of this film: there is solid forward momentum -- towards death or life one cannot say at any point, but the film proceeds there at a confident speed. As a bonus, a bittersweet score interacts quite well with what happens on-screen and evenly matches the tone and pace of the film.
With echoes of "The Bicycle Thief", this is a serious (but not devastating) film offering an emotional look at the workman's Italy in the 1950's. What makes it special is the occasional inspired scene or performance which hints at the greatness lurking just beneath its half-sentimental surface. Of special note are the shifts in focus between the various occupants in the story, such as the relationship (and stark contrast) between the dark goings-on and Andrea's young, perceptive boy Sandro. Although the child starts the film intrusively enough, he quickly becomes an integral and engrossing part of the story, taking charge of the narration even and guiding your hand through his family history as much as he interconnects and guides the family in the creation of that history. Certain touches highlight the immense depth he wields, yet also the unmarred innocence. He's at once very young and very old, very naive and very wise ... a startling character which grounds a great deal of the film.
Also of worth is the continual upswing and downswing in mood throughout the film. In one moment it seems like a marriage will be mended, the next it seems about to shatter. In one moment a man is drinking his life away, when only a short while later his life is immersed in a scene seemingly straight out of the ending of "It's A Wonderful Life". And this is where there exists a major separation from the tragic Bicycle Thief; as much as life can hit hard and swift, so too can it blindside one with blessings, forgiveness, and hope. Bittersweet though the climax may be, it nonetheless imparts a view that some days are indeed diamonds, to be cherished while you have them, and most days are coal, to be weathered as best one can, striving for a bright horizon that may not come. But strive we must.