Films do something to the viewer. They suck them in to their magic and wonderment. They allow them to forget their troubles for a few minutes to a few hours and soak in the retelling of old stories or broadening their horizons with completely inventive and creative stories. The two I have chosen for our viewing pleasure are both very simple and mundane, and yet they both do just that: suck us in.
Steamboat Willie a Disney classic from 1928. Full of music and diegetic sound, which presents itself as music or sound effects that mimic the voices of the various characters and animals. This was revolutionary at the time as no cartoon had done that and Disney, being influenced by the Jazz Singer, was eve more determined to have this cartoon become a sensation. This short presents the first time that Minnie Mouse makes an appearance. If you have never seen this film, you have, no doubt, witnessed several homages of this very recognizable short. What sparked my curiosity was the insane amount of animal cruelty that presents itself, as well as the misogynistic imagery. And I wonder if it was for a point. I wonder if it was a subtle allegory of Disney's supposed prejudice against black people and/or Jews. The music is fun, and the images are fun, but the full-length fully technicolor films of the 30's would get the world going and set Disney on a trajectory that would make him the most winningest Oscar winner in the award's history. The flaws notwithstanding, this film is of great importance to animation history.
** 1/2
L'Atalante by the innovator Jean Vigo who was taken too soon by tuberculosis, creates a very magical, dreamlike film. No doubt the surrealist movement influenced several of the scenes in the films. As the main character toward the beginning walks along the top of L'Atalante walking against the current direction of the hull is breathtaking a surreal, like the actor was superimposed on a model. The overall feeling of the film is magical. It does dreamlike better than Jean Cocteau. It's ethreal and enthralling. The acting is realistic and not overly dramatized save for a few spots by the husband, and Pere Jules is the type of guffawed French paysan that endears me to French cinema of this epoque (Jean Renoir comes to mind). You don't really mind that there's no real story. Just a man, his new bride, his modest crew sailing down the rivers of France in a honeymoon/work/living quotidian that makes you realize that life isn't mundane at all, but magical. Full of wonder, jealously, occasional strife, love, music, dance, and joy. Truly one of the great gems of 1930's cinema.
****
Saturday, July 18, 2015
Thursday, July 16, 2015
Next Set
Today we'll be watching a classic, and an unknown film that should be a classic. The Disney short Steamboat Willie by Disney, and the the film L'Atalante by the genius Jean Vigo. Join me won't you?
Wednesday, July 1, 2015
An Eastern Westerner/ Rango
Although Hollywood had a very successful period where westerns were king, in recent years they've clung on for dear life. Propelled by the success of western feeling films of Eastwood and Tarantino, the Western genre has been building steam, like a locomotive from, well, a western. The genre has its place in film history, but it is not my favorite genre by any means. I have chosen two films that take a very humorous take on the genre, in a very non-tradition road. The silent film An Eastern Westerner starring the often overlooked Harold Lloyd, and the animated film Rango.
An Eastern Westerner starring Harold Lloyd is about an man enjoying the luxuries that the east have to afford. Comfortable in his circumstances, the boy life is thrown topsy-turvy when he is forces out west to live in a seedy commune where his uncle resides. His dress, attitude, and habits throw the people for a loop, and his unwillingness to adapt to his new environment causes frictions with the townspeople especially the sheriff. A man "who owns half the town, and This film is less a cohesive short film, and more of funny bits with a loose story. Not a whole lot makes sense in the context of the story of a stranger in a strange land falling into the wrong crowd. It's more of little vignettes for Mr. Lloyd to work his magic as a performer.
Harold's charm is his Chaplinesque goofiness. He has an innocence and guy-next-door feel, that allows you to be his champion throughout his films, even when he looks straight into the camera. The best bits are the ones that seems almost impossible. When he throws the cigarette papers and the tobacco in his one had and makes five perfectly rolled cigarettes for the table is hilariously absurd. When he hides in the dressing hanging on the linge line, is magical. The film serves its purpose and it was good, but it is only good for a viewing or two.
**
I remember when I saw the trailer for this movie, I wanted to see it immediately. I rarely go to the theatre to see a movie more than once. I saw Rango more than once in theatres (twice). I knew this would win Best Animated Film at the Oscars, even while not seeing the other nominees. The film is so magical, and funny, and cultural, and beautiful. Sure it's a little crass, and the story is a little less compelling. And yes, it spoofs, and hommages, and even steals from past genres, films, performances, and persons, but it's just a damn entertaining film.
I love that at the beginning before the inciting incident, Rango goes through a list of stories he could tell, he references some of the very roles Johnny Depp has played (Jack Sparrow, Don Juan DeMarco). The music, the feel, the animation sucks you in. The saloon scene is of particular mention as ultra-real animation. This was ILM's first full-length film to animate, and they certainly did not disappoint.
Edward Scissor-Hands, Monty Python's Holy Grail, Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, Raising Arizona, Star Wars, hints of Yojimbo, Chinatown, and others pop up through the film filling it with rich cultural references. Both the films have hints of racism (particularly of Native American), the latter is merely a commentary on the genre. The things that I think draws me to this film is the different levels. It does what The Simpsons do, albeit on a much less successful scale. It attempts to be very smart, and cultured, but it doesn't quite succeed. Many of the lines are throwaway, or repetitious. None of this takes it down a peg. For what it is, it is a fantastic film. Highly enjoyable, with many different facets and levels that the adult can enjoy, the cinephile, even the kid. Some of the jokes are very subtle, some are obvious, and some are just farts. The great thing about this movie is definitely the visuals and the experience of it all. You get wrapped up in it. You feel things, and like our addiction to water...you want more.
****
An Eastern Westerner starring Harold Lloyd is about an man enjoying the luxuries that the east have to afford. Comfortable in his circumstances, the boy life is thrown topsy-turvy when he is forces out west to live in a seedy commune where his uncle resides. His dress, attitude, and habits throw the people for a loop, and his unwillingness to adapt to his new environment causes frictions with the townspeople especially the sheriff. A man "who owns half the town, and This film is less a cohesive short film, and more of funny bits with a loose story. Not a whole lot makes sense in the context of the story of a stranger in a strange land falling into the wrong crowd. It's more of little vignettes for Mr. Lloyd to work his magic as a performer.
Harold's charm is his Chaplinesque goofiness. He has an innocence and guy-next-door feel, that allows you to be his champion throughout his films, even when he looks straight into the camera. The best bits are the ones that seems almost impossible. When he throws the cigarette papers and the tobacco in his one had and makes five perfectly rolled cigarettes for the table is hilariously absurd. When he hides in the dressing hanging on the linge line, is magical. The film serves its purpose and it was good, but it is only good for a viewing or two.
**
I remember when I saw the trailer for this movie, I wanted to see it immediately. I rarely go to the theatre to see a movie more than once. I saw Rango more than once in theatres (twice). I knew this would win Best Animated Film at the Oscars, even while not seeing the other nominees. The film is so magical, and funny, and cultural, and beautiful. Sure it's a little crass, and the story is a little less compelling. And yes, it spoofs, and hommages, and even steals from past genres, films, performances, and persons, but it's just a damn entertaining film.
I love that at the beginning before the inciting incident, Rango goes through a list of stories he could tell, he references some of the very roles Johnny Depp has played (Jack Sparrow, Don Juan DeMarco). The music, the feel, the animation sucks you in. The saloon scene is of particular mention as ultra-real animation. This was ILM's first full-length film to animate, and they certainly did not disappoint.
Edward Scissor-Hands, Monty Python's Holy Grail, Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, Raising Arizona, Star Wars, hints of Yojimbo, Chinatown, and others pop up through the film filling it with rich cultural references. Both the films have hints of racism (particularly of Native American), the latter is merely a commentary on the genre. The things that I think draws me to this film is the different levels. It does what The Simpsons do, albeit on a much less successful scale. It attempts to be very smart, and cultured, but it doesn't quite succeed. Many of the lines are throwaway, or repetitious. None of this takes it down a peg. For what it is, it is a fantastic film. Highly enjoyable, with many different facets and levels that the adult can enjoy, the cinephile, even the kid. Some of the jokes are very subtle, some are obvious, and some are just farts. The great thing about this movie is definitely the visuals and the experience of it all. You get wrapped up in it. You feel things, and like our addiction to water...you want more.
****
Next Set
Today we will be viewing two wonderful films. The first stars the great Harold Lloyd, An Eastern Westerner, the second the Academy Award winning Rango. I hope you enjoy!
Friday, June 12, 2015
The Skeleton Dance/ La Regle Du Jeu
Before this viewing I had never seen The Skeleton Dance, but had only heard of it. Sure, I may have seen a few seconds to know of its existence, but that's it. It starts out with an owl on a macabre full-moon night hooting, almost waking the bones from the crypt. The witching hour sounds, an old hound howls at the moon, two black cats like sentinels frame the first skeleton to sneak across the graveyard, and ultimately déplume the frightened owl. One skeleton becomes four, and they start their ritualistic dance. What attracts me most about this is how insanely synced the short is to the "symphony" especially for 1929 standards. The animation, too, of the skeletons is sharp and fine. The silliness throughout makes this more jovial than frightful, and I'm sure children and adults alike were pleased with what they were watching back in the day. It makes me reflect on my grandfather and grandmother, who at the time when this short premiered were eight and nine respectively. Of course, they didn't watch it then as both were no where near a theatre, nor did they have the money (this was during the fateful year of the market crash). Ironically, the film makes me reflect on my own past, and not to the future and of death. Who's topic matter is dearth of life, this film is full of mirth and life.
**1/2
Directed by the the masterful Jean Renoir, the film begins with uplifting classic music which halts to the "bruit" of the crowd attending the touchdown of recent "célèbre" Andre Jurieux, who made his way across the Atlantic in 23 hours for a foreign girl bereft of pretense. This film is not about the stirring that was happening on the European continent (or is it?). Several men, gentlemen with honor and valor being seduced by a foreign presence. A metaphor for the Nazi regime soaring into power, and causing great nations to appease and rub shoulders with the meteoric rise of the eventual super-power that was the Nazi party. It's hard to imagine that this could have been in Renoir's head as he produced the film just one year before the Vichy regime started in France. But then again, seeing this film and his two previous films La Bête Humaine, and La Grande Illusion, it's not that hard to believe. He had a habit of showcasing his eye for a beautiful shot, and subtle allegory. He was one of the masters.
This film is poetry on celluloid. Each shot shows great reservation. The film is oozing with French sentiment that, though not apparent at the time, is stereotyped now. All that matters in life is love and the potential of love. What we now see as Presidential farce in France; a standard in Gaulish society today, was almost taboo when the film broke onto the scene. The film is filled with these French nuances from campagne folk, to hunting, to talking about food, to the difference between adieu and au revoir. The list goes on and on. I love this film. This isn't merely about the love tetrahedron that is displayed quite heavy handedly in the film, it's about the persistent social stratification that persisted even in the 30's. The servants, maids, shoe boys. They all ate separate, even below the high society. Although they had import position and were a huge help to society, they tended to be brushed aside by those of a higher caste.
What struck me the first time (and consequently further viewings) was the juxtaposition of the rabbit and pheasant hunt, and the unfortunate death of Andre Jurieux at the end of the film. Jurieux's body language as he fell stiff to the ground immediately recalled the hunt. Renoir's craft working effortlessly. Octave's relinquish of the woman that he had loved for years is so gut-wrenchingly sad, it makes you glad that the film is nearly over so you can crawl into your bed a lament all the people you were in love with that you lost or let slip through your fingers. Although Renoir's acting chops are utile, save for last scene, his gift is really behind scenario and behind the camera. A flaw of the film is the lack of focus. Another, as weird as it sounds, is the physical similarities between several of the characters. It can make it confusing for the viewer to follow. The sweetness, the nostalgia, the bedroom farce, the humanity, and lack thereof. This film is way ahead of its time, and is unique. The film was lost for a time, and once found has been lauded as one of the greatest films of all time. Renoir is a true auteur worthy of the praise. He was and still is a shining star in the firmament of film history. And La Règle du Jeu is one of his greatest creations.
****1/2
Next Set
We will forego the Hungers coupling and watch the Skeleton Dance by Disney followed by the masterpiece La Regle du Jeu by Jean Renoir. Join me won't you?
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