Blog Directory CineVerse: March 2016

Queen of the guile

Thursday, March 31, 2016

It was the most expensive motion picture ever made up to that time. It nearly bankrupted 20th Century Fox. Its star, Elizabeth Taylor, almost died during filming. Most critics skewered it upon its release. And yet, people continue to watch "Cleopatra" today, if for no other reason than to see what all the fuss was about. Beyond the Hollywood hubris, however, lies a picture that's virtually too big to fail at entertaining you on some level--even if it's merely in the eye candy department. Our CineVerse discussion yielded these observations:

IS IT POSSIBLE TO SEPARATE THE NOTORIETY BEHIND THIS FILM’S PRODUCTION FROM THE ACTUAL FINISHED MOVIE, OR ARE THEY INDELIBLY LINKED?
The movie itself has merits, including an intriguing political/romantic storyline that is somewhat historically accurate, lavish production values that make it beautiful to look at—including sumptuous costumes, epic sets, and fantastic art direction—and a strong cast that includes Liz and Dick, Rex Harrison, Roddy McDowell, Hume Cronyn and Martin Landau.
However, a big part of the appeal of this film in 1963—and today, for that matter—is to see for yourself what all the hype, bad luck, and soap opera qualities are all about. Much of the draw is watching Taylor and Burton and their electrifying on-screen chemistry; they are falling in love on the screen as the movie is being filmed, and we can see the sizzle. Another allure, especially for males, is to see Taylor scantily clad and sporting ample cleavage throughout the movie.
A fair question to ask is, if you knew nothing about how long and expensive it was to make this movie, nor how many trials and tribulations the filmmakers and actors had to endure, how would you judge this picture? Many critics felt it excessively long, overblown, lacking character motivation and development, and suffering under the sheer weight of its spectacle. Reviewer Glenn Erickson wrote: “Joseph L. Mankiewicz spins a good story, but his direction is somewhat on the tame side, with too many static tableaus just sitting there instead of expressing much of anything.  The weakest aspect of Cleopatra is this lack of visual helmsmanship.  Too often the camera blocking is just wide masters and flat closeups.  It was the style of the times, but the flat, bright lighting of practically every scene gets to be a bit much as well.  Visual interest and depth effects seem to be handled more by color than by lighting itself; Egypt and Rome look to have been bathed in everpresent kleig lights. It's hard to find a shadow in the interiors - where's all that light coming from?”
Here, however, it’s almost impossible to find an untainted jury, because this film’s reputation has forever preceded it. You can’t help but form opinions about what you’re watching based on all stories of disaster, expense and scandal that accompanied this movie.

HOW IS CLEOPATRA PORTRAYED AND CHARACTERIZED THROUGHOUT THE FILM?
Predominantly negatively. As thesis writer Chamara Moore put it: “The Egyptian queen is subjugated, hyper-sexualized and overdramatized to be a fickle lecherous woman focused primarily on using men for political gain and that of her son.” We see that she attempts to have her brother assassinated, seduces Caesar for her own devices, and demands pampering and attention. She can be seen as a femme fatale leading men into danger.
She is also depicted as voluptuous, sexually experienced, irrepressibly sensual and carnal, and fertile. The first image we see of her is her naked backside. Later, she tells Caesar: “My breasts are filled with love and life. My hips are rounded and well apart. Such women, they say, have sons.” Additionally, she uses double entendres and phallic/sexual imagery to imply her sexual power: “I’ve rubbed you the wrong way, haven’t I?” and, after the Alexandrian Library has perished, she says, “swords, javelins, or are you going to set me on fire?”
She is suggested as the embodiment of Egypt itself, calling herself the Nile.
Additionally, Cleopatra displays a cunning and intelligence that men at that time would have taken for granted—underestimation that she uses craftily to her advantage.

OTHER FILMS DIRECTED BY JOSEPH L. MANKIEWICZ
Dragonwyck
The Ghost and Mrs. Muir
All About Eve
Julius Caesar
Guys and Dolls
Suddenly Last Summer
Sleuth

Read more...

Liz beckons you back

Sunday, March 27, 2016

Join CineVerse for part two and the conclusion of “Cleopatra” (1963), directed by Joseph L. Mankiewicz, chosen by Nick Guiffre, on March 30.

Read more...

Queen of the Nile and Hollywood

Sunday, March 20, 2016

Circle March 23 on your calendar – that's the date that the Our Favorite Films series returns to CineVerse with Part 27: “Cleopatra” (1963), directed by Joseph L. Mankiewicz, chosen by Nick Guiffre. (Note: Due to this film’s long runtime, the first 115 minutes will be shown this evening, with the concluding 130 minutes to follow next week.) Plus: Join us for a movie trivia game for a chance to win DVD prizes prior to the start of the film.

Read more...

Dublin meets Harlem

Thursday, March 17, 2016

Alan Parker's boisterous, bawdy and crowd-pleasing homage to the universal power of music, "The Commitments," hit lightning in a bottle following its release 25 years ago--much like the fictional band it portrays. While it's a movie Americans may have to watch today with the subtitles on to catch all the fast-flying dialogue and profanities, it's a a film decidedly worth revisiting. Our CineVerse discussion produced these observations:

WHAT DID YOU FIND INTERESTING, OFFBEAT AND UNEXPECTED ABOUT “THE COMMITMENTS”?
The cast consists primarily of native Irish musicians with no previous acting experience; over 3,000 Dubliners auditioned. These actors are really performing the music, and several of them actually later went on tour as a live band.
The film has a loose, spontaneous feel to it with overlapping narratives and characters, much like a Robert Altman movie.
You may not like the story or the characters much, but you could still walk away enjoying the movie merely on the merits of its music; about half of the film features performance footage.

IS THIS FILM RELATABLE AND RESONANT TO AMERICANS OR VIEWERS OF ANY ETHNICITY/COUNTRY, OR IS IT AN INSULAR, INTRINSICALLY IRISH STORY THAT’S DIFFICULT FOR PEOPLE OUTSIDE OF IRELAND TO APPRECIATE?
The fact that non-black, non-American Irish folk can assimilate black soul and R&B music and do it justice sends the message that the music—as well as the film itself—is transcendent and universal.
Much of the petty personal politics, infighting and challenges faced by this band are shared by musical groups of other cultures, too.
Still, there are cultural references and in-jokes that many viewers outside of Ireland may not fully grasp, including the famous line about “The Irish are the blacks of Europe, and the Dubliners are the blacks of Ireland, and the Northsiders are the blacks of Dublin.” Also, there are class differences inherent to Dublin that may not be as readily apparent to people outside of Ireland.
o Kevin Hagopian, Pennsylvania State University professor wrote: “If the mixture of Ireland and the Mississippi Delta seems odd, listen to Irish rockers as diverse as Thin Lizzie, U2, Van Morrison, and Sinead O'Connor; Ireland's musical soul has always had affinities with Black music. In the Delta cotton patches, in Harlem and Detroit and Chicago and Memphis and the other urban ghettoes of America, it's often said that you've got to be laughin' to keep from cryin', got to be singin' to keep from weepin'. Ireland, a land of incredible beauty and destitution side by side, knows this well, and it has given birth to a literary and musical tradition that is as vivid and creative as any in the world, and perhaps more distinctively bluesy than any place outside of the Delta. Dublin itself, as James Joyce showed, is an immensely hospitable place for the melding of disparate aesthetic traditions into an alloy both rich and strong.”

OTHER FILMS DIRECTED BY ALAN PARKER
Midnight Express
Pink Floyd The Wall
Birdy
Angel Heart
Mississippi Burning
Angela’s Ashes
The Life of David Gale

Read more...

Music on tap for St. Patrick's Day Eve

Sunday, March 13, 2016


Make plans to attend CineVerse on March 16 for a World Cinema Wednesday special from Ireland: “The Commitments” (1991; 118 minutes), directed by Alan Parker, chosen by Don McGoldrick.

Read more...

New train of thought

Thursday, March 10, 2016

Hitchcock's "The Lady Vanishes" is a vintage confection that's both delectably sweet in its humor and richly rewarding in its dark chocolate skulduggery. The crafty blending of these tonal elements, and the inclusion of a colorful gallery of memorable passenger personalities aboard a mystery train canvas allows the Master of Suspense to create an indelible impressionistic painting that reveals new insights with each revisiting. Far from frivolous popcorn entertainment, this film is densely layered with context and message. Consider:

WHAT STANDS OUT AS INTERESTING, DISTINCTIVE AND UNEXPECTED ABOUT “THE LADY VANISHES,” ESPECIALLY FOR A 1938 FILM?
It helps set a new template for the romantic comedy thriller formula by infusing plenty of humor as well as social and political commentary with the Hitchcock brand of suspense.
This is a film with wide tonality shifts between frothy and light to dark and unsettling—shifts that are deftly handled here. Consider that we don’t feel the first inkling of foul play and peril until the 24-minute mark. Sudden and quick acts of violence and the suggestion that perhaps Iris is not in her right mind underscore this tonal shifting. In regards to the comedy, some critics and film scholars also insist that this movie is the funniest Hitchcock ever made—even more than his lone screwball comedy, “Mr. and Mrs. Smith.”
The picture is excellently cast, boasting an array of notable English thespians and talented British character actors for this time, including Margaret Lockwood (then a major box office draw), Michael Redgrave in his film debut (this film made him a star), Paul Lukas, and Dame May Whitty; the characters of Charters and Caldicott, in fact, were so popular that they were featured in three later films starring the same two actors in their respective roles.
It has been theorized that the aforementioned duo are gay characters, which makes them even more memorable and rare for this period. Hitchcock had a history over his career of slyly but knowingly featuring gay characters in his films, including the college roommate murderers in “Rope,” Mrs. Danvers in “Rebecca,” Bruno in “Strangers on a Train,” and Leonard the henchman in “North by Northwest.”
The three main females in the story are all strong women characters who at least somewhat buck the mold of subservient, secondary, male-dependent counterparts as are often depicted in films from the golden age of cinema: Iris is stubborn and determined to find Ms. Froy; Ms. Froy is a resourceful spy entrusted with a major political responsibility; and the adulterous mistress shows pluck and independence in defying her lover and fighting back against the fascists at the end of the movie.   
There’s a fabricated, deliberately artificial feel to the look and setting, with Hitchcock employing transparencies and miniatures, including a quite obvious toy train station in the opening sequence; the main action was filmed using a set that was only 90 feet long, consisting of a single coach. Additionally, the locale is a fantasyland Balkan country consisting of Czechoslovakia, Yugoslavia and Switzerland, and the evil forces/soldiers threatening the train passengers are from a make-believe nation that is an obvious surrogate for Nazi Germany. These decisions allowed Hitchcock “to establish a playful tone and a sense of quaint, reassuring artifice crucial to his technique. The more secure the audience feels, the more susceptible they are to the horrors of disruption Hitchcock will visit upon them later in the film,” wrote Slate writer Nathaniel Rich.
This penultimate British film from Hitch has been called a “farewell to England and farewell to youth”. Criterion Collection essayist Geoffrey O’Brien said: “The mood is frankly sexy in a way that would never really be matched in Hitchcock’s American films, where even the most impassioned exchanges…seem too carefully planned to allow much room for spontaneity. Lockwood and Redgrave…really do seem like young people who have just met and who, despite their bumpy introduction, can’t wait to run off together. We never forget that these are young people still somewhat on the margins of the grown-up world, with Lockwood rushing too quickly into well-appointed adulthood by way of marrying the wrong man, and Redgrave lingering maybe a bit too long in uncommitted, footloose world roving—a forecast, perhaps, of the Grace Kelly–James Stewart couple in Rear Window, but in a younger and less neurotic mode.”

THIS FILM ALSO ATTEMPTS TO MAKE NOT-SO-SUBTLE SOCIO-POLITICAL STATEMENTS ABOUT BRITAIN AND ITS PLACE IN THE WORLD IN 1938. CAN YOU CITE ANY EXAMPLES?
The filmmakers are using allegory here to suggest that Neville Chamberlain and his government’s stance of appeasement to Hitler was a mistake, and that the true moxie and unified character of the British people would present itself and help the Brits vanquish their foes. Consider how Todhunter, who insists that their adversaries are reasonable, is shot in the back by the bad guys after waving a white flag; the Brits on the train, meanwhile, including the would-be evil nun and the laid-back cricket lovers, turn out to be heroes who fight back and defeat the enemy.
DVD Savant writer Glenn Erickson wrote: “The Lady Vanishes reinforces 1930s' prejudices against Europeans, who exploit English gullibility and mask their murderous schemes with impeccable manners. When the chips are down the English show their true character. The war is still a year away, but the message imparted is that England can take it.”
This is also a movie about class distinctions: the middle class, represented by someone like Gilbert, contrasted with the snobby or idle upper class, as exemplified by Iris as well as Charters and Caldicott. By the end of the movie, the Brits from the upper and lower rungs of the social ladder are brought together for a common cause (defeat the fascists) and romantic passion (Iris and Gilbert fall in love).

WHAT OTHER FILMS OR STORIES ARE BROUGHT TO MIND AFTER WATCHING “THE LADY VANISHES”?
Hitchcock’s later efforts “Foreign Correspondent” (which also depicts a crime festering in Europe while the British pay no attention) and “North by Northwest” (which also takes place partially on trains)
“So Long at the Fair,” an adaptation of the true life story of the strange disappearance of a young woman’s sibling during the 1880 Paris Exposition
The murder mysteries of Agatha Christie and Ellery Queen, which often also feature a plethora of memorable suspects
The films of Laurel and Hardy, the comedy duo Calidcott and Charters, the cricket-obsessed train passengers, are often compared to
“Bringing Up Baby,” a screwball comedy also from 1938; Michael Redgrave’s character has been compared to Katherine Hepburn’s chaotic and destabilizing personality in “Baby,” and Margaret Lockwood’s Iris has similarities to Cary Grant’s David Huxley.
Two other class-sensitive British dramas of the late 1930s: “Pygmalion” and “Goodbye Mr. Chips”
“Silver Streak,” which also features comedy and foul play and a missing agent aboard a train
“Flight Plan,” featuring Jodie Foster as a mother searching on an airplane for her child who’s disappeared during the flight.

Read more...

The vanishing lady reappears

Sunday, March 6, 2016

On March 9, our series we call Hitchcockronology: a Sequential Study of the Master of Suspense, will return. Once a month throughout 2016, CineVerse will examine the artistry, style and themes prevalent in several major works directed by Alfred Hitchcock, starting with early pictures and progressing toward later movies in his filmography. Part 3, slated for March 9, features “The Lady Vanishes” (1938; 96 minutes). Plus: we will also screen the documentary “Hitchcock: The Early Years” (25 minutes).

Read more...

The day "The Searchers" becomes irrelevant? That'll be the day

Thursday, March 3, 2016

Sixty years after its theatrical debut, John Ford's riveting "The Searchers," a picturesque western saga about an avenging dark angel obsessed with finding his kidnapped niece yet blinded by racism and hate, continues to enthrall audiences. Repeat viewings provide more than a sumptuous visual feast like the painted Desert Monument Valley canvas upon which Ford sweeps with broad brush strokes; the film also rewards watchers with densely packed compositions featuring colorful characters who could each warrant their own movie. This is also a film that forces us to ask and answer tough philosophical and moral questions: Is Ethan's anger and hatred justified? Is he worthy of our sympathy if he actually wants to kill Debbie once he finds her? Why doesn't he walk through the doorway and enter the house with the rest of the family at the conclusion of the picture? More than your average western, "The Searchers" is an embarrassment of riches – a film loaded with ideas, interesting personalities, and a wealth of talent in front of and behind the camera. Here are some of the conclusions our CineVerse group reached about this movie:

HOW IS THE SEARCHERS DIFFERENT FROM OTHER WESTERNS THAT CAME BEFORE IT?
It’s less black and white/good vs. evil and more psychologically complex, spotlighting an anti-hero, personified by John Wayne, who has flaws and dark undercurrents to his character.
Earlier westerns from the 1920s through the 1940s dealt with simpler messages and less complex protagonists, examining themes like man versus nature, the justification of Manifest Destiny, good cowboys vs. bad Indians, rugged individualism, etc.
By the mid 1950s, Hollywood westerns were delving into moral dilemmas and more mature subject matter; this was the rise of the “adult western” subgenre that was promulgated by several Anthony Mann films like Bend of the River, The Naked Spur, The Man from Laramie, “The Last Frontier,” and “Winchester 73.” The subgenre went even darker with Sergio Leone spaghetti westerns and Sam Peckinpah’s “The Wild Bunch” in the 1960s.
It explores controversial themes, including bigotry and racial hatred from both whites and Native Americans as well as extreme off-screen violence, such as interracial sexual assault and pedophilia.

HOW IS ETHAN A FASCINATINGLY COMPLEX CHARACTER, AND WHY DOES ETHAN ACT THE WAY DOES WHEN HE IS SUPPOSED TO BE THE UPSTANDING HERO OF THE MOVIE?
We are rooting for Ethan in his quest to find Debbie, but we eventually learn that, when he finds her, he intends to kill her—not save her—because she has been usurped by the Comanches; she has been de-virginized by and taught to live and speak like the Comanches, despite the fact that she was a helpless child who had no choice. In Ethan’s eyes, Debbie cannot be redeemed or brought back into the family fold because she has become another one of the savages.
Yet, by the end of the movie, Ethan’s love conquers his hatred, and he brings Debbie back to her family alive.
Ethan served in the Confederate South, which by this time had lost the war. It’s possible that Ethan is a frustrated man driven by racial prejudices.
He’s intended to be the symbolic opposite of Scar, yet he ironically parallels Scar in that they’re both capable of violence and bigotry, suggesting that intolerance has no color; it’s also ironic that Ethan speaks Comanche and is familiar with their culture.
Ethan is also an outcast from society, as evidenced by the fact that he’s framed in the doorway at the opening and conclusion of the film: he can’t enter the house, and is forced to wander like a wandering spirit by the movie’s denouement. He cannot “go home” again.
It’s been theorized that Ethan represents our past American history and racially prejudiced values that must pass on if civilization is to advance.

WHAT OTHER EXAMPLES OF BIGOTRY, INTOLERANCE AND RACIAL INSENSITIVITY ARE OBSERVED IN “THE SEARCHERS”?
Laurie calls the Native American female described in the letter a “squaw,” which is regarded as an offensive/ethnic slur.
The cavalry guard remarks of the white survivors of an Indian attack, “It’s hard to believe they’re white,” to which Ethan responds: “They ain’t white anymore. They’re Comanche.”
Ethan goes so far as to shoot at the Comanches’ backs while they are retreating, scalping Indians, and even shooting out the eyes of a dead Comanche so that he cannot enter the spirit world.
The filmmakers disregard historical accuracy and cultural sensitivity, creating some cringe-worthy moments and elements:
o They cast white actors instead of Native Americans in the Native American roles, including the character of Scar.
o The Native Americans are supposed to be Comanches, but they act, dress and sing like the Navajo people.
o Stereotypical tom tom drums are played in the background.
o Ford uses one older Native American extra in three different nonspeaking Comanche parts, which suggests that American audiences can’t tell the difference and that all Indians resemble each other.
o As was stock and trade in Hollywood westerns to this point, Native Americans are portrayed as soulless, villainous savages who are preventing the white man from raising a family, making a living or civilizing the old west.
o One could make a case that this film is as insulting and denigrating to Native Americans as “Birth of a Nation” is to African Americans.

FORD DISPLAYS A MASTERY OF “SHOWING WITHOUT TELLING” IN THIS FILM AND SUGGESTING HORRIBLE VIOLENCE WITHOUT ACTUALLY DEPICTING IT ONSCREEN. CAN YOU CITE EXAMPLES?
Consider the visual techniques Ford uses early on in a montage at the family homestead to build suspense prior to the Comanche attack: A red sunset is accompanied by an unsettling quiet; birds abruptly fly away from a cluster of sagebrush; we hear the anxious barking of the family canine; Aaron announces to his nervous wife that he's going to hunt for sage hens; Martha warns not to light the kerosene lamps; Lucy utters a bloodcurdling scream as she becomes aware of the impending Indian attack; Debbie cowers down near her grandmother's gravestone, which reads: Here lies Mary Edwards, Killed by Comanches, May 12, 1852.
Ford doesn’t show the desecrated body of Lucy, but a nightmarish image is envisioned by viewers when we hear Ethan say: “What do you want me to do? Draw you a picture? Spell it out? Don't ever ask me! Long as you live, don't ever ask me more.”
The viewer is privy to ample nonverbal communication from the characters, including the famous close-up on Wayne’s face that shows his visage in shadow.

WHAT DECISIONS ARE MADE BY FORD THAT HELP TELL THE STORY AND ELEVATE THIS PICTURE ABOVE THE AVERAGE WESTERN?
“The Searchers” is shot on location in gorgeous Monument Valley, lending a topographical authenticity to the setting.
Ford employs simple, logical framing—he introduces several characters at once by putting them in the same frame together, for example.
He’s also an extremely straightforward and efficient storyteller. Case in point: the letter reading scene, which uses no dissolves or fades to transition to the flashback scenes; instead, the filmmakers use straight cuts.
Ford also doesn’t use fancy camera movements, cranes, dollies, pulls, or pans to proceed the visual narrative; he lets his actors’ actions and words propel the story.

WHAT OTHER FILMS DOES “THE SEARCHERS” REMIND YOU OF?
This classic western influenced a number of later filmmakers, including:
o Martin Scorsese, who used elements of this story in “Taxi Driver,” also a tale of a man trying to rescue a lost/wayward girl and capable of inflicting great violence to achieve his mission.
o Steven Spielberg, who also depicts a child kidnapped by alien forces in “Close Encounters of the Third Kind.”
o George Lucas, who revisited the raid on the homestead in “Star Wars: A New Hope.”
o Paul Schrader, whose “Hardcore” borrows liberally from “The Searchers.”

OTHER MASTERPIECES BY JOHN FORD:
Stagecoach
Young Mr. Lincoln
Drums Along the Mohawk
The Grapes of Wrath
How Green Was My Valley
My Darling Clementine
Fort Apache
She Wore a Yellow Ribbon
Rio Grande
The Quiet Man
Mister Roberts
The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance

Read more...

  © Blogger template Cumulus by Ourblogtemplates.com 2008

Back to TOP