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SCREENING LOG
- 1/14-1/20, 2002
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I saw The Decalogue Parts V, VI, VII, and VIII, The Lord
of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, The Awful Truth,
A Beautiful Mind, Persona and When We Were Kings.
I canÕt rank them in order of preference, esp. with The Decalogue
in the picture. IÕll just say what I can about them all, all
of them make for worthwhile viewing:
The Decalogue (1988, Krzystof Kieslowski)
I watched parts 5 through 8 of this landmark Polish television
series of 1-hour stories, each of which interprets one of
the 10 commandments in a modern setting. What struck me overall
is the remarkable range of emotions in each story, ranging
from cool documentary realism to sensationalist melodrama.
KieslowskiÕs objectivity is the transformative constant throughout,
and is what keeps this project from falling into Ņhigh-conceptÓ
pretense.
V: Thou Shalt Not Kill A very stark depiction of two
killings: the first by a psychopath who randomly murders a
cab driver; the second the psycopathÕs execution. We are left
to contemplate the difference between the two. A work of remarkable
power and perception.
VI: Thou Shalt Not Commit Adultery A young man reveals
to a promiscuous woman that heÕs been spying on her for the
past year Š and that heÕs in love with her. A complex relationship
that somehow manages to steer clear of exploitation Š but
the O. Henry-like twist at the end marred it for me.
VII: Thou Shalt Not Steal A young woman kidnaps her
own illegitimate daughter, who has been raised to believe
that her grandmother is her natural mother. Sparks fly, with
no easy answers in sight. But the emotions and decisions of
everyone involved rings clear and true throughout.
VIII: Thou Shalt Not Bear False Witness A Jewish American
woman returns to Poland to meet the woman who decades ago
refused to shelter her as a girl against the Nazis. Though
brief, this film gave me a remarkable view of European guilt
and denial over the events of World War II. Again, some remarkable
characters and performances are on display.
The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001,
Peter Jackson)
I havenÕt read the book, but I can say that the movie certainly
succeeds on the level of entertainment. The inevitable exposition
takes a while to be dealt with, and once thatÕs out of the
way itÕs one cliffhanger climax after another. But this design
succeeds in generating a powerful sense of dread and urgency
to the heroesÕ endeavors. The CGI special effects draw little
attention to themselves, and are in full service of making
a world that is both curious in its super-enhanced colors
and textures while being breathtaking in its level of detail.
The Awful Truth (1937, Leo McCarey)
A lovely comedy starring Cary Grant and Irene Dunne as a
couple on the rocks realizing trying desperately to let go
of each other. Though the filmÕs treatment of divorce seems
a bit na·ve compared to today, the optimistic sentiment is
irrepressible and sincere without being Capra-corn. You can
see McCareyÕs chief descendent in James L. Brooks (BROADCAST
NEWS, AS GOOD AS IT GETS), in the way both directors mix light
slapstick with their punchy one-liners and overall sense of
pluckiness (both AS GOOD AS IT GETS and THE AWFUL TRUTH feature
two people vying for a dogÕs affection Š coincidence? I think
not). I hope BrooksÕ prot?g? Wes Anderson steers his filmmaking
back in this direction.
A Beautiful Mind (2001, Ron Howard)
A conventional tortured genius biopic that succeeds at taking
the viewer into the psychological delusions of the protagonist
while giving perfunctory insight into what made the man so
great. Granted that the former is a more cinematically exciting
prospect than the latter, but the end result is pretty tepid.
Russell CroweÕs performance offers far more integrity and
respect for his subject than does director Ron Howard. Jennifer
Connelly, playing the token long-suffering wife, gives the
best justification of her career for why there are so many
stalker websites devoted to her beauty.
Persona (1966, Ingmar Bergman)
Once I got past the clunky approximations of New Wave cinema
Bergman was trying to employ to lend his film some avant garde
street credibility, I found a remarkable study of two women
and their fragile co-dependent relationship. A film like MULHOLLAND
DRIVE would be unthinkable without this film, though their
cinematic approaches are vastly different. Whether or not
the ambiguous meanings add up to anything (the film is weakest
when itÕs straining to make a point), itÕs well worth seeing
more than once just as an experience.
When We Were Kings (1996, Leon Gast)
Adequate assemblage of documentary footage of the famous
ŅRumble in the JungleÓ in which Muhammad Ali took back the
heavyweight boxing crown from George Foreman. ThereÕs good
insights made into the nation then-called Zaire which hosted
the event, less insight into the mythical persona of Ali;
was he always public, even in private? As the title implies,
the film works best as a nostalgia trip, and indeed it is
fun to watch.
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