I Was Born, But…

I Was Born, But… (Yasujiro Ozu, 1932)

Two young brothers become the leaders of a gang of kids in their neighborhood. Their father is an office clerk who tries for advancement by playing up his boss. When the boys visit the boss' house with their father, they discover that their dad has been making a fool of himself to please his boss, who's son is an outwitted member of the boys' gang. The brothers' revolt claiming that hierarchy should be based on ability, not on social background.

2016 Blindspot Series

This year I’m joining the Blindspot Series hosted by Ryan McNeil of The Matinee.

La Haine

La Haine (Mathieu Kassovitz, 1995)

After local youth Abdel is beaten unconscious by police, a riot ensues on his estate during which a policeman loses his gun. The gun is found by Vinz who threatens he will kill a cop if Abdel dies.

This major hit from the wunderkind director of the time in France, Mathieu Kassovitz and the now established star Vincent Cassel, La Haine might be one of the most notorious French film of the 1990’s. Almost twenty years later, still actual and even more right on its telling of the racial, social, political context in modern France, this black and white drama is, by far, its director’s best offering.

With a bright black and white cinematography that can relate to some early Jean-Luc Godard films, the mise-en-scène and visual effects calls for a sheer admirer of Martin Scorsese and a bit of Mikhail Kalatozov. Sometimes it is a little annoying when watching a young filmmaker and being able to pin point his influence and homage. They are clear and well executed in La Haine even if they feel a bit forced and like a homework to show that he can too do those tricks.
Surprisingly, I tend to like the first half of films and sometimes I think that the second half never quite delivers from a great original idea. However, with La Haine, Kassovitz throws a better second part than his first half. Once, the camera tricks are out of the way, the plot gets subtler and the characters are getting more and more into it.

In the francophonie, La Haine left a bunch of lines that are as important as some Pulp Fiction lines. For the teens of the time of its release in 1995, it was a groundbreaking movie that was talking to them and about them. It depicted without any filter a reality that too many immigrants and French were living. In France, there’s a long record of police brutality, riots, and racial crimes. It did not solve the problems that are presented in the movie but it reflected a reality that eventhe media were not able to present to the public.

It is a difficult genre because it is hard to not fall into the cliché and also to be too partisan of a side. However, the three lead characters are not really sympathetic and yes we are on their side, we know that they are teenagers who make mistakes and do the best they can with what they have. Kassovitz doesn’t try to make them look like they are saints. At the end, it is anyhow difficult to not have a certain contempt for the French policemen.

After all, Kassovitz was a young and inspired filmmaker on the rise and he probably got the best film he ever did with La Haine. Even if he could have tone it down on the visual trickery and let the strong story resonate with long takes and a subtler mise-en-scène. Still, it is very efficient and will definitely leave a mark in any cinephile’s mind.

Kes

 

 Kes (Ken Loach, 1969)

A young, English working-class boy spends his free time caring for and training his pet falcon.

Billy (David Bradley) is a fifteen years old boy abused by his half brother and ignored by his mother. He has no expectations of life, doesn’t like school and no real friends until he develops an interest in falconry. The story has been told many times in Cinema, just look at François Truffaut’s 400 Blows or Claude Jutra’s Mon oncle Antoine.

What makes Ken Loach’s film standout is the British angle of the film with the reality of England. He is a child facing abandon, a difficult life, and he has a sentiment of being alone. Until he finds a passion and become interested in something that makes sense in his life. Something that makes him interesting for his English teacher and makes him feel worth something.

Loach documentary style of filmmaking involves the viewer in this child’s life. Filmed with a eye for observation but also an introspect vision of the daily life of the young Billy. The dark tones of the film, the greys, the browns, and the natural lighting give a visual that is not that appealing but the sequences with the falcon are lighted with natural sunshine juxtaposed with a joyous tune of flute that reveals a subtle sensibility in this quite sad film.

A recurrent comment of Kes is the Yorkshire accent of the actors. Sometimes, it was presented with subtitles to help American viewers understand. As it is for me, my mother language is French and English is my second language and I didn’t had much problem understanding the accent. At first, it took me a minute or two to adjust my ear but I didn’t missed much. So I suggest that you don’t let this little detail retain you from watching this English classic. Especially, if you liked and enjoyed Cannes’ Palme d’or winner The Wind That Shakes the Barley also from director Ken Loach. The later is a succinct and efficient sociologist that can dress a clear portrait of realities of his mainland.

With the latest years, Kes has become more and more recognized with a Criterion Collection treatment and a very obvious homage in The Royal Tenenbaums. As it climbs rankings in many lists, Kes is a great film but not a masterpiece even if it let a clear staple. A nice gem.

 

Tabu (1931)

Tabu (F.W. Murnau, 1931)

The final film of the German master F. W. Murnau, Tabu is a tale of love and dedication of two lovers. Co-written with Robert J. Flaherty, the film was supposed to be an entire collaboration between the two directors. However, after directing the opening sequence Flaherty was relegated to writing and later would be selling his part of Tabu to Murnau for 25 000$. It blends the documentary approach of Flaherty’s masterpieces and the plotted love stories of Murnau’s classic vision of storytelling. Added to all this, Murnau died of a car accident a few days before the premiere of the film.

Those are the gossips around the film but as a whole, Tabu is the last masterpiece of the director who offered such landmarks as Nosferatu, The Last Laugh, Faust, and Sunrise. Mastering again montage, storytelling, and the silent film medium, Murnau demonstrates a lesson of filmmaking. With almost no cards between scenes, and a few indications by the few letters, the plot is clearly told by the construction of images and the smart editing.

Murnau’s story is quite simple and very Germanic in its approach. This is a timeless plot of impossible romance and the rigidity of destiny decided by the Gods. This is the kind of tale that the Grimm brothers could have written and it is easy to relate to. Indeed timeless and also universal to have lovers facing the fate and having to transgress laws and rules to be together.

I can honestly state that I am a fan of Murnau’s films and I have seen Nosferatu at least a dozen times. His grammar, his themes, and his influence is vast and huge. It was a pleasure to watch all his films on the list. Of all his directing credits Tabu might be in the ones I esteem the most. Along the aforementioned Nosferatu, Faust, and Sunrise we are in the major leagues. No wonder, Andrew Sarris in his American Cinema, ranked Murnau as one of the Pantheon directors alongside John Ford, Robert J. Flaherty, D.W. Griffith, Jean Renoir, and many other pioneers of the Art that is Cinema.
Tabu being the final film from a director that left us too soon proves that he still had gas in the tank and lots of films. However, History has proven that great Silent film directors could have a hard time with their passage to talkies. Look at D.W. Griffith who struggled to get work once sound was introduced to motion pictures. Since, Murnau was more at his ease with silent film this could have tainted his recognition amongst the greats.

Fall 2014 Blindspot Series

 

As fall came, it was the time to get back on track with a last push towards the end of the year. By this, I mean that with the obvious break in movie watching with last summer (the birth of my daughter Sofia, the maintenance of my home, work I did and still have to do to finish the renovations of my house, a bit of skateboarding) I’ve imposed to myself a couple of mandatory titles that I named blindspots. With the back to school season it brings me to do my homeworks and get to those films that are essential for a Film Historian. Some are really mandatory (M), others are films I look forward (LF), and finally some titles I’m curious about (C).

Here’s the list of films :

The Princess Bride

The Princess Bride (Rob Reiner, 1987)

Of the many films listed on the IMDb Top 250 there are few that I still haven’t seen. Taking aside the obvious new releases that eventually are bumped by newer films voted by enthusiast movie goers, the classics on the list are common and givens to lots of people. However, there is a blindspot on my side, Rob Reiner’s The Princess Bride.
Added to the fact that I was born in the 1980’s and that it is a children and/or family film, it is a mystery to me why I havent’s saw that film considered by many as their favorite. I’ve seen it on various lists including my ultimate goal as a cinephile : the 1000 Greatest films of all time by They Shoot Pictures Don’t They. With the back to school event that September brings every year I’ve decided that for 2014 I would do my homeworks and watch a bunch of films I must see as a film connoisseur. The Princess Bride could easily be on top of it. Not that I had really an urge to watch it or a huge desire, it is interesting to discover what the fuss is all about!

Adapted from his novel of the same name, William Goldman presents a story of fairy tales that could easily be compared to a rendition of a tale from the Grimm brothers. With Robin Wright, Cary Elwes, Mandy Patinkin, Chris Sarandon, Andre the Giant, Christopher Guest, Peter Falk, and Fred Savage The Princess Bride didn’t really surpassed my expectations which were very low but I think I can understand why so many people get this movie. It has everything the grand father portrayed by Peter Falk is talking about in the beginning. This is like if you take every component of every efficient family movie out there and condensed it into a 98 minutes entertainment. It is easily bankable and not a very bold move. Add to this a bit of nice comedy and you have a crowd pleaser.

This kind of entertainment is often seen as lesser cinema than dramas or other more serious genres. But it is a nice little film that doesn’t harm anyone and may have charmed many by its innocence and sense of traditional storytelling. However, this is very middle of the road storytelling and reminded me very much of the Shrek series. Charming and funny but not entirely my cup of tea when it comes to films.

Having crosssed that one from list of blindspots I can safely say that it was one of the films I had to watch I was not that much eager to get to. However, when my daughter will get older I might watch it again with her just to discover how she’ll receive it as a young movie buff.

 

Coming This September!