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SCREENING LOG
- 2/25--3/03, 2002
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I watched Sounder, Charulata, Pickpocket, and Hallelujah!.
I also watched 5 minutes of Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?
which was enough for me to turn it off and realize that one
can do much worse than Ingmar Bergman's brand of domestic
psychodrama. The rest, in order of preference:
Pickpocket (1959, Robert Bresson) third viewing
With each viewing, Bresson's most famous masterpiece, about
a man given into pickpocketing, becomes less pleasurable and
more frustrating as the focus shifts from dazzlement at his
cinematic techinque to bafflement at how much is left unsaid.
One of the film's major themes is the allure of an unaccountable
existence, which resonates with the unaccountable allure of
the film itself. People gripe at Bresson's supposedly clockwork
rigidness, but in this film, motives are given less than convincingly;
the deceptively extraneous voice-over confounds more than
it connects; years go by with only a few seconds of explanation;
incredibly, love appears from out of nowhere to save a man's
soul. On so many levels this is a must-see film that challenges
as much as it captivates.
Hallelujah! (1929, King Vidor)
This story of the ups and downs of a rural preacher was one
of the first sound films, and still boasts one of the most
amazing soundtracks in film history. You could turn off the
picture and revel in the emotions conveyed by the musical
numbers and the heartfelt resonance in the voices of the all-black
cast (a first for Hollywood). Its depiction of African Americans
may seem dated and patronizing to some, but I was too enthralled
by the aural and visual joys and wonders to get picky.
Sounder (1972, Martin Ritt)
More contemporary and only slightly less patronizing than
HALLELUJAH! is this lovely work based on the famous children's
book about a sharecropper's family struggling in the Deep
South. Its best moments come through an unsentimental, matter-of-fact
depiction a way of life, and the hard choices that certain
family members are forced to make, leading to even harder
circumstances for the family as a whole. Great performances
abound, particularly Paul Winfield as the father and Kevin
Hooks as the son.
Charulata (1965, Satyajit Ray)
For those who like their neorealism with less story and
more spice, this is one of Indian master Satyajit Ray's most
technically accomplished films. It's obvious that he'd been
watching French New Wave movies before filming this love triangle
between a wealthy newspaper publisher, his neglected wife,
and a carefree spirit who opens the doors to her longing.
The real wonder is in the richness of the compositions --
you could hold your hand out and practically feel their textures.
Rich in sensations and nuance, it is as damning a study of
the stagnant decay of domestic idealism as his earlier masterpiece,
THE MUSIC ROOM.
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