February Film Journal
The Naked Spur (Anthony Mann, 1953)
Tape (Richard Linklater, 2001)
Jezebel (William Wyler, 1938)
The Best Years of Our Lives* (William Wyler, 1946)
Black Narcissus (Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger, 1947)
Small Change (François Truffaut, 1976)
Aliens (James Cameron, 1986)
The Lady and the Duke* (Eric Rohmer, 2001)
Targets (Peter Bogdanovich, 1968)
La Cérémonie (Claude Chabrol, 1995)
The Heiress (William Wyler, 1949)
Four Adventures of Reinette and Mirabelle (Eric Rohmer, 1987)
The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp (Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger, 1943)
Stella Dallas (King Vidor, 1937)
Secrets & Lies (Mike Leigh, 1996)
Story of a Love Affair (Michelangelo Antonioni, 1950)
Rendezvous in Paris (Eric Rohmer, 1995)
The Unfaithful Wife (Claude Chabrol, 1969)
All or Nothing (Mike Leigh, 2002)
My Man Godfrey (Gregory La Cava, 1936)
*repeat viewing
Labels: film journal (2007)
posted by Diane @ 9:06 AM
28 comments
28 Comments:
Hi Diane, I see you've dipped into a little Mike Leigh - my two favorite of the four I've seen. Any thoughts?
Back to this soon, John (crazy times at work lately). In the meantime, what other two have you seen? I'm planning to watch Naked soon. Wish me luck--I've heard it's tough-going.
Diane, I've seen Topsy Turvy (not at Netflix though) and Vera Drake, both of which I remember liking, though for different reasons. Also, Topsy Turvy was the first Leigh I saw, and I've always wanted to revisit it as it strikes me as very different from the others I've seen. I've got Naked in the queue as well. I might have to move it up now.
Hey, if so, we can brave that one together. :)
Sorry for the delay, John. Crazy week.
Secrets & Lies will most likely be a highlight of my viewing year. I’d previously seen Timothy Spall in the BBC adaptation of Charles Dickens's Our Mutual Friend, but I'd never realized he was a Leigh regular. It was terrific to see him in Secrets & Lies as such a rock in the middle of the emotional storms swirling all around him. But the acting was wonderful all-around, I thought. I really enjoyed the raw and naturalistic feel of the film, as well as how everything came to a very satisfying conclusion without feeling the least bit sentimental.
Much of the same could be said of All or Nothing, though it doesn’t rate quite as highly for me. There were some loose ends with many supporting characters, and I didn’t feel as attached to some of the characters, or as drawn into the emotions of the film overall. Still, though, good stuff.
Thanks, Diane. Your comments about Spall remind me that I tend to be just a little disappointed at first when he's not there in a Leigh film. I so look forward to his performances, though I can't say I've seen him in much outside of Leigh (I know I have, I just can't think of what).
And the naturalism is something else I like. His characters are regular people in the best and worst sense of that term. They live in real worlds, are not the most beautiful people on the block, and are fraught with problems.
I've always liked the conclusions of both those films, and All or Nothing hit me hard after what for me seems to be an even more disconnected group of people than in S&L. But like you, lots of good in both.
I was talking to my wife about Leigh last night, and one of the things I like about him is his ability to show the the people in the film do violence to people with their words. The way he writes that kind of dialogue, or the way it is delivered and filmed, creates more disturbing scenes than something like excessive, bloody violence would do in a similar circumstance.
I've got Naked coming this weekend, so brave it together we will!
Oh, and I hope work eases up for you soon! Have a good weekend.
Thanks, John. I hope you have a good weekend, too!
And thank you also for the wonderful comments--you are spot on, as usual.
His characters are regular people in the best and worst sense of that term. They live in real worlds, are not the most beautiful people on the block, and are fraught with problems.
Great point. It's wonderful just to watch the faces of these actors--they're such a far cry from the picture-perfect glamorous types that Hollywood trots out. (Ha--that reminds me of all the fuss we get in the media whenever a gorgeous actor is "dressed-down" to play a regular guy or gal.)
And, indeed, they are "fraught with problems." You know, I really appreciated the moment in Secrets and Lies where Spall talked about the simple fact that life isn't fair. We hope for something we never get; we're bruised emotionally--it's all part of being human, and we know this, but this acknowledgement really resonated with me. However, I'm also glad that neither film ended up wallowing in this idea.
I was talking to my wife about Leigh last night, and one of the things I like about him is his ability to show the the people in the film do violence to people with their words. The way he writes that kind of dialogue, or the way it is delivered and filmed, creates more disturbing scenes than something like excessive, bloody violence would do in a similar circumstance.
Very well said. Words certainly do have the power to build up or tear down a person. They can cut like a knife and have a nasty way of lingering in the memory for years. Leigh gives us many moments of quick outbursts that, like you say, are the emotional equivalents of violent physical attacks. I also like how he shows the gradual erosion of self-esteem a person undergoes when submitted to language that is more passive-aggressive. It's not immediately damaging, but it does take its toll over time (as in the moment in All or Nothing where Spall's character tells Penny that she talks to him like he's a dog--wow).
At the risk of making myself sound like and old-lady schoolmarm, I'm always shocked at the way some of the kids talk to their parents, and the way the parents try to just shrug it off. Huh. That wouldn't have gone over at all in my house when I was growing up, I can assure you.
Looking forward to discussing Naked....
Looking forward to discussing Naked....
Oh, the things these crazy kids say nowadays! Guess it's too late to take this back.
Wow, that was...awful. Worse than I ever thought it would be. I guess there was a film in there somewhere between all the scenes of women being sexually assaulted/raped. I wonder how long it will take to get this one out of my head? John, I saw your rating at Netflix--sorry, my friend!
Seriously, John, feel free to share your thoughts if you want. I'll probably have more to say, but I'm swamped at the moment.
A few quick things:
What was the point of the wealthy guy who also raped and abused women? I guess we're supposed to see that this kind of behavior also exists among the upper classes? That, wow, he's just as bad or even worse than Johnny? This seems a bit easy and overly obvious to me.
I hated the attempt at humor at the end, when the roommate got back from her trip. After everything we'd just seen, nothing was really funny.
The ending itself: Well, it did nothing to justify the fact that I sat through this film. This is tough, though, because I don't think any other ending would not have been true to that character or the storyline.
Hi Diane, just saw your rating and came over here quickly hoping you said something about the film. And of course, you're right on top of it!
Wow, yeah. I was actually just thinking - I watched it last night and am still shaken by it, and not in a good way. The only reason I didn't give it my lowest rating was because of that scene with the security guard in the empty building, which I thought was fantastic. But I almost missed it because I had my hand on the stop button after the second or third rape scene. I ended up fast forwarding through the rest, but they were after that scene I really liked, so I kept thinking it was going to get better.
And I honestly don't get all the love for this movie. I mean, I see there's some complexity to Johnny in a way that Sebastien isn't, but they are both so far to the extreme in their violent attitudes toward the world that I found it pretty much impossible to appreciate anything Leigh might have been trying to do. The violence perpetrated by and on these characters completely overpowers any sensitivity to the subtlties of their humanity. But if Leigh wants me to feel shaken and afraid like the female characters, then he wins.
Hi Diane, on your most recent comments:
Regarding Sebastien: I think you're right on about translating this to the upper classes, and also totally right that it is waaay too obvious. I also think we can compare the two characters, and are supposed to see that Sebastien is even worse than Johnny. Kind of like this notion that the lower class guy has a better chance at some inkling of goodness than the rich guy. That strikes me as pretty simplistic.
Yeah, I was way out of this by the end, so Sandra didn't come across as funny, though I can see he was trying to set us up for her to be funny from the beginning as the characters made fun of her world artifacts. So, I wasn't surprised that she was kind of silly, but it just seemed so dissonant with the rest of the piece that I couldn't fit it in very well.
Yeah, the ending is pretty dark. I wondered for a moment if it might be read as some kind of merciful act on his part, leaving Louise behind so as not to screw her up any more than he already has, but then I woke up and got a hold of reality. He's a deeply cynical character for whom it appears there is no redemption. And that's no surprise with all his apocalyptic talk full of judgment and destruction. Isn't there something in there about self-fulfilling prophecy? Mightn't his life be an example of such?
Great comments, John. Thanks very much.
As I watched this, I kept thinking of something Doug told me a couple of weeks ago, when he said he gets very little out of watching "degraded people degrading others, with very little larger commentary." His remark was about his reaction to films about real-life serial killers, but, for me, it could very well apply to Naked.
I agree with you, John, about the conversation with the security guard. Like you said, that made me feel like we were finally going somewhere, but then we quickly moved on to rape scene #4 or so and the philosophy of the previous scene just got lost in the brutality.
I like your comments about self-fulfilling prophecy, John, and I think you're right. With that kind of bleak view of the world, of God, of man, etc., of course Johnny could just tell himself he might as well do whatever he wants. I mean, what does it all matter, anyway?
I turned on Leigh's commentary for a second during the final scene. He pointed out how the film begins with stealing and ends with stealing. So, over two hours later, we are pretty much back where we started. Like I said, though, I wouldn't have bought the happy ending with Louise. By the time the end rolled around, I guess there was just nothing that could have been done that would have felt satisfying.
Ah, so this is why I've put off watching the film for so long. :) I'm reminded of something Acquarello once told me about feeling a deep need to watch an Ozu or Satyajit Ray film just to clear the mind of such troubling imagery!
Thankfully, I also had George Cukor's Holiday at home. Wow, was it ever needed.
Isn't that a lovely film? I really prefer it to the much more popular Philadelphia Story (which isn't too shoddy, either).
Oh, I agree, Doug. It's been years since I've seen The Philadelphia Story, but I remember enough to know that I felt more genuine warmth toward and concern for the characters in Holiday. There was a sense that something really was at stake here, and the theme of individualism was quite nice. Also, I appreciated the more serious side of this comedy--there really is a tragic undercurrent running through it. You get the idea the mother wasn't happy, and look at what's happened to poor brother Ned. You really hope Linda will escape.
You know, one of my friends went through a similar experience. She was engaged to a guy whose family had a lot of money. They pretty much had her whole life planned out for her. She liked her current job, but they wanted her to quit and come to work for their business. The guy's mother handed out tips about my friend's personal appearance, and did so in front of others, which embarrassed my friend. After dealing with this for a while, she wisely called off the engagement.
Diane, your comment about degrading people without the commentary is right on. I'm losing my sensibility for such fare (not sure I would have ever had such for this movie though). I /might/ have found some kind of appreciation for this in my early 20's when something being radical and edgy was enough to make it important for me. Something along the lines of Fincher's Seven, where we go to the dark side to see how truly dark we humans really are. Though I think this is worse than Seven was.
Well, Doug said it first. :) It just kept coming back to me during my viewing.
I've never seen Seven, but I know what it involves, and it really says something that this one is worse. You know, John, it's almost like Naked has become a measuring stick for me. Heh...the talk earlier today at CV about Jigoku made me wonder how difficult it would be to watch it. Then I remembered that I'd made it through Naked.
I do want to thank you, John, for your comments. The idea of jointly viewing a film and then discussing it afterward is terrific--it's just too bad it was with this particular movie.
Indeed, the idea is cool - let's pick a better one next time (not that it should be too hard!!)
If you get any ideas, feel free to throw 'em my way, John.
Hmm, well I see you got A Moment of Innocence nearing the top of your queue, as do I. I'm starting a new job next week so life will be crazy for a bit, plus I've got a couple more Bergman's at the top I'd like to see before dipping in to a few Iranian movies. So maybe in a couple of weeks we can revisit, if that sounds good to you?
I'm not so well-versed with Moshen Makhmalbaf, but I've seen all of his daughter's films, and I'm quite fond of those.
Sure thing, John. I'm game (but please don't feel rushed or obligated at all).
And, wow, a new job? That's exciting! I wish you the best! Hope you have as smooth a transition as possible.
Alright, I'll get back with you soon on the film.
Yeah, new job, house shopping, new baby in July - lots of changes over here. Probably a bit less online time too. I'll have to prioritize my online reading.
Oh wow--2007 is shaping up to be a big year for you, John. Major congrats!
What did you think of Story of a Love Affair?
I liked it, Russ, mainly for what you'd previously told me about it--that it contains a lot of noir elements but doesn't go where you think it will. Here, we get some nice twists and turns along the way (though, for Antonioni, some things never seem to change, i.e. romantic relationships).
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