SCREENING LOG - 2/11--2/17, 2002

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The best movie-related item I encountered was PLACING MOVIES: THE PRACTICE OF FILM CRITICISM by Jonathan Rosenbaum. People who know me on these boards know that he is my favorite critic working today, but even casting that bias aside I can calmly say that this is probably the most insightful book out there on what it means to have a career as a film critic, the politics that come with the territory, how this affects US in the films we get to see, and how the conscientious critic retains their dignity and integrity throughout. Highly recommended for people who want a candid, behind the scenes look at the process of writing reviews -- and some great examples of critical writing taken from highlights throughout Rosenbaum's career. Since this book is hard to find (it is available on Amazon) I may devote a series of posts discussing many of the book's insights, either in Classics or Film General. One of the main issues Rosenbaum explores is the phenomenon of mock-objectivity in most reviews. Of course, reviews by nature are subjective, but rather than confront that personal subjectivity head-on most reviewers hide behind a pillar of professional authority. I'd like to try a hand at acknowledging my subjective encounter with the films I saw for the first time last week, using one of the methods that can be found in Rosenbaum's book.

Last week I watched The Golem, A Touch of Zen, Shadows of Forgotten Ancestors and Scenes from a Marriage. In order of preference:

A Touch of Zen (King Hu, 1970)(second viewing)

The second time around, this, the artistic pinnacle of the martial arts film, is easier to follow and more awe-inspiring in its provocative beauty. My friend, who didn't like it as much as I, still thought it to be something like the 2001: A Space Odyssey of kung fu movies, and I'm inclined to agree. The first act is a disorienting mystery of sidelong glaces between shadowy strangers; the second act spells out the plot and metes out justice; the third act is as mysteriously inexplicable as that in Kubrick's film. Hu tells his story using his own stylized vernacular: eye-popping colors are his vocabulary, breathtaking editing his syntax. Most highly recommended.

Shadows of Forgotten Ancestors (Sergei Paradjanov, 1963)

EXPECTATIONS: I adored Paradjanov's THE COLOR OF POMEGRANATES and was looking forward to this, an earlier work, with no knowledge of what it was about or how it may be different stylistically.

INITIAL REVIEW: The story is commonly described as a Carpathian Romeo and Juliet (except Romeo lives on, to his misfortune). Paradjanov uses this basic but compelling narrative as a mere springboard to leap into a world of objects, motion and sound; the world of Carpathia becomes a whirlwind of sensations. The effect is immediate and overwhelming. However, I'm not sure if this really serves to build the overall vision of the work, or if its opulence is too distracting. At the end I was left in a less reflective mood than I expected.

AFTER-THOUGHTS: This movie is to THE COLOR OF POMEGRANATES what Tarkovsky's MY NAME IS IVAN is to ANDREI RUBLEV (and if only Paradjanov had not been imprisoned, we might have had a body of work as overwhelming as Tarkovsky's). Stylistically astounding and absolutely unforgettable, this film stands on its own right as a landmark in Russian cinema.

The Golem (Carl Boese, Paul Wegener, 1920)

EXPECTATIONS: Was recommended to me as a better evocation of evil unleashed than LES VAMPIRES, a film I adore. Of course, I had to investigate.

INITIAL REVIEW: This is referred to by many as the prototypical monster movie: a Jewish rabbi creates a giant out of clay to protect his people from persecution. It is also an allegory examining the feelings of rage and retribution within the Jewish psyche. While I disagree with certain claims as to its anti-Semitism, the exoticism of Jewish mysticism didn't help matters much except in adding to the entertainment factor. It is interesting how German expressionism visualizes the subconscious differently than the French (a la LES VAMPIRES); with DER GOLEM (as in CABINET OF DR. CALIGARI), dark, distorted interiors take the place of French drawing rooms with hidden trapdoors.

AFTER-THOUGHTS: German Expressionism in all its garish psychodrama is not my favorite style of film, but this is certainly an example of the style at its best. My views on LES VAMPIRES, with its far more subtle and naturalistic evocation of everyday evil, remain intact.

Scenes from a Marriage (Ingmar Bergman, 1971)

EXPECTATIONS: Another peer recommended this film to me -- a bold move since he knew how little I think of Bergman. Unfortunately, I was open-minded enough to take his advice.

INITIAL REVIEW: This film, which is actually a multi-part tv miniseries edited down to a three-hour movie, is painfully inept in so many ways. Clunkily episodic in structure, embarrassingly plain in its camera technique (except when making it a point to zoom in on Liv Ulmann's face every time she's about to burst into tears), and predictably stereotypical in its characters (the neglectful, unloving Husband, the desperate, confused Wife). From one outburst to another, Bergman is obviously more concerned with watching fireworks fly than in exploring his characters in depth -- though the actors do manage to slip some moments of nuance past him. Maybe it's a testament to how far we've come as a society if a film like this was considered eye-opening 30 years ago.

AFTER-THOUGHTS: Did little to dissuade me from my doubts as to Bergman's competence as a director, let alone his credibility as an artist. There are some compelling moments but overall it's much too uneven. Seeing this film only reminded me that we have this man to thank for the pretentiously over-serious crap that Robert Redford (ORDINARY PEOPLE) and Woody Allen (INTERIORS. HUSBANDS AND WIVES) have been inspired to concoct in his wake.

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