SCREENING LOG - 5/20--5/26, 2002

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I saw CHILDREN OF PARADISE, STAR WARS EPISODE 2: ATTACK OF THE CLONES, BRANDED TO KILL, THE RISE TO POWER OF LOUIS XIV and DESTINY. In order of preference:

Destiny (1997, Youssef Chahine)

In 12th Century Adalusian Spain, the famed Islamic philosopher Averroes uses his wit, wisdom and principles to withstand the growing menace of book-burning fundamentalism. One can see this film as ChahineÕs reflection on what is happening in both his homeland of Egypt as well as much of the Islamic world Ð and he retaliates with a depiction of a way of life among AverroesÕ friends and family that celebrates life, personal liberty and individualistic expression, complete with musical numbers! ChahineÕs film has been criticized as depicting the fundamentalists as a one-dimensional pack of rabid fascists; on the other hand, he creates a lush world brimming with cross-cultural encounters, fully-fleshed characters and profound ideas versed in song. The life-affirming spirit of this film is too powerful to be denied. Fans of musicals, Islamic culture and/or the humanist vision of Ernst Lubitsch are in for the time of their lives.

The Rise of Louis XIV (1966, Roberto Rossellini)

With this chronicle of how a self-indulgent despot turned his weaknesses into the tools with which he would ascend to greatness, Rosselini achieves an unsentimentalizing realism that far exceeds the films (OPEN CITY, PAISAN) upon which he built his reputation as a master neo-realist. The irony is that he does this largely on sound stages with gloriously elaborate art decoration and costume, and so the film itself is an object lesson of how power and influence are gained through deceptive appearances. A film whose own greatness practically sneaks up on you, it seems so effortless.

Children of Paradise (1945-6, Marcel Carne)

Now hereÕs a movie that announces its greatness literally from the opening curtain, and every subsequent frame seems intended to remind you of it. Of course one can read the extended self-serious bravado as a triumphant assertion of FranceÕs cinematic resourcefulness despite being occupied by the Nazis at the time of production, and much lore has been made of this filmÕs behind-the-scenes travails. It certainly feels like the French equivalent to GONE WITH THE WIND or CASABLANCA, and if I were my younger, romantically passionate self I would have fallen for it. At any rate it is the epic tale of how one woman, Garance, captivates four men from divergent backgrounds and weaves a romantic intrique of Balzacian proportions (much credit goes to the broken-hearted scripting of Jacques Prevert). There seems to be much meditation on the theatrical and narrative traditions of France, but on the whole I felt that the film was a Garance in itself, and I couldnÕt quite be lulled into submission by its sleeve-worn charms.

Branded to Kill (1967, Seijun Suzuki)

A movie that takes no prisoners, including itself, this is some kind of masterpieceÉ but is it possible for a masterpiece to be 100% style, at the risk of no coherent substance? Perhaps I am not in a cultural position to truly appreciate or understand whatÕs up with this tale of the #3 Hitman fighting for his life after a botched job. Or I could just say that Suzuki elevates the gangster movie to aestheticized abstraction, with widescreen black and white compositions that are good enough to eat, and form their own cinematic dream logic, in an endless succession of visual and sensual actions and reactions. Surely the filmÕs extreme misogyny (not extreme enough to qualify as parody, IÕm afraid) gets at something fundamental about film noir Ð which in turn makes me want to question the fundamental principles of film noir. Or perhaps the story can be read semi-autobiographically, as SuzukiÕs attempt to outdo the studio conventions that were doing him in. Otherwise the best I can say is that this film captures the competitive paranoia of post-war Japanese professionals better than anything else IÕve seen, but I still canÕt shake the lingering, disturbing, insight I gather from this film: that if you make it pretty enough and cool enough, doggone it, people will love it no matter how devoid of content it is. ItÕs not that I donÕt take this film seriously, but that I hope that its growing fan base and numerous imitators value it as more than just eye candy.

Star Wars Episode 2: Attack of the Clones (2002, George Lucas)

Anakin Skywalker comes one step closer to realizng his destiny as Darth Vader; Lucas comes closer to realizing cinemaÕs destiny as the ultimate video game. Too self-important to be camp, too lamely executed to be important, and yet too important in what it means for the future of movies to be ignored. Will the power of the Digital Force be used for good or evil? Jedi Knights, prepare for the last standÉ

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