Written with Sandro Petraglia & Stefano Rulli, book Maria Pace Ottieri.
Ph Roberto Forza, Panavision.
Alessio Boni, Matteo Gadola (Sandro), Michela Cescon, Ester Hazan (the girl), Vlad Alexandru Toma ('brother'), Rodolfo Corsato, Adriana Asti (the youth judge).
Monocular story (to use Paul Schrader's expression) of Sandro's journey, cleverly assembled and strong on audience manipulation, particularly in scarily shot night scenes. Has quite a twist, and the slightly inconclusive ending seems right in that context.
Won three Italian Globes.
Tuesday 18 October 2011
Tuesday 11 October 2011
Wallander
Finished the second series of Wallander, another collection of snakey, one word titled stories. Both trainees Pontus and Isabelle get shot, and the latter gets into serious trouble with her ex in the penultimate episode. In the last, the writers adhere to the golden rule of 'never kill the dog' and Jüssi escapes with a hurt leg, and the series ends with Jüssi licking the little Lithuanian girl's face while Wallander accompanies her to Stockholm. "When will you be back?" Svartman asks. "I'm not sure."
Sunday 9 October 2011
Come and See / Иди и смотри / Idi i Smotri (1985 Elem Klimov)
Written by he and Ales Adamovich, based on a 1978 book 'I Am From the Firey Village'.
I managed to take a breath after about an hour of Elem Klimov's final film, Come and See, when a hiatus occurs after a barrage of unrelenting sound and devastating images. This is a war film totally unlike anyone else's. No doubt Roger Deakins (who recommended it) admired Alekei Rodinov's amazing tracking shots in difficult light.
Hallucinogenic and searingly powerful, after which Q said I looked 'depressed'.
I managed to take a breath after about an hour of Elem Klimov's final film, Come and See, when a hiatus occurs after a barrage of unrelenting sound and devastating images. This is a war film totally unlike anyone else's. No doubt Roger Deakins (who recommended it) admired Alekei Rodinov's amazing tracking shots in difficult light.
Hallucinogenic and searingly powerful, after which Q said I looked 'depressed'.
Monday 3 October 2011
Blackmail (1929 Alfred Hitchcock, and adaptation)
Play Charles Bennett, also wrote key b&w Hitches.
Anny Ondra, Donald Calthrop, John Longden, Cyril Ritchard, Sara Allgood (mum), Charles Paton (dad) and Joan Barry (Anny's voice).
Ph. Jack Cox. Uncredited and possibly fictitious contribution from Michael Powell!
Longden is very leaden in some (though not all) places. Rest of cast good esp. Calthrop. Camera fluid, cutting evidence of Eisenstein, looks crude at times, clever at others (her memory of dead arm cuts to tramp's, scream is landlady's at discovering corpse).
Tricks us by beginning as silent with effective expressionistic Flying Squad scene, then effortlessly switches to sound. Despite occasional staginess, has plenty of Hitchcocky stuff going on.
Hitch seems obsessed by the sound of car klaxons going off all the time, which is quite endearing, and offsets the unenjoyable music.
Anny Ondra, Donald Calthrop, John Longden, Cyril Ritchard, Sara Allgood (mum), Charles Paton (dad) and Joan Barry (Anny's voice).
Ph. Jack Cox. Uncredited and possibly fictitious contribution from Michael Powell!
Longden is very leaden in some (though not all) places. Rest of cast good esp. Calthrop. Camera fluid, cutting evidence of Eisenstein, looks crude at times, clever at others (her memory of dead arm cuts to tramp's, scream is landlady's at discovering corpse).
Tricks us by beginning as silent with effective expressionistic Flying Squad scene, then effortlessly switches to sound. Despite occasional staginess, has plenty of Hitchcocky stuff going on.
Hitch seems obsessed by the sound of car klaxons going off all the time, which is quite endearing, and offsets the unenjoyable music.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)