Umi ga kikoeru (Ocean Waves)

A pleasant but forgettable made-for-TV offering by Studio Ghibli.  The Japanese really do excel in teenage stories, presenting characters who go far beyond the usual stereotypes and are interested in more than losing their virginity.  This one is no different, and I enjoyed its sincerity, it just lacks that extra something to make it memorable.  Nice artwork and animation, but again it’s nothing special.  Rating: 7

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The Far Country

Thoroughly mediocre Western, rather a letdown after Mann’s far more intriguing The Furies.  Very paint-by-numbers, nothing about this feels fresh or original.  Even the Technicolor is disappointing, highlighting the falseness of the sets more than anything else.  And fuck, I hate Walter Brennan.  If you really love Westerns, you might enjoy this since it follows such a standard template.  For me, it was little more than “watchable”.  Rating: 5

IMDb

Louisiana Story

Robert Flaherty’s final film, a semi-documentary about a Cajun family who suddenly have an oil derrick planted next to their home, strikes an odd balance of moods.  Whether focusing on the untamed wild of the bayou or the complicated workings of the rig, the tone is simultaneously wondrous and dangerous.  A whirling, pounding drill and an advancing alligator are equally menacing, and equally breathtaking.  The balance is felt in the ebb and flow of tension in the narrative, the music, and the luminous cinematography.  Even the way the actors (all untrained locals) are constantly smiling no matter what the circumstances adds to the unsettling-yet-bubbly atmosphere.  The story itself is a bit thin and unsatisfying, however.  It’s also worth noting that the film was commissioned by Standard Oil, which accounts for the unusual benevolence of the oil company and workers.  The DVD looks fantastic but could really use some subtitles… half the dialogue is in French, and the other half struggles under thick Cajun accents.  Rating: 8

IMDb

Le chant du Styrène

Another early Resnais doc, following the creation of a plastic bowl, but starting at the end and working ever backwards to the raw materials.  The candy-colored visuals, exploratory camera movements and attention to mechanical detail reminded me constantly of Kustom Kar Kommandos.  I wondered if it might have been an influence of Anger, or just a happy coincidence.  Not nearly as interesting in content as the other short, but beautifully stylistic.  Rating: 7

IMDb

Toute la mémoire du monde

An early Resnais documentary short from the Marienbad disc.  It’s a fascinating look at the meticulous, obsessive work that goes into cataloging, retrieving, and maintaining the massive collection of the Bibliothèque Nationale.  Resnais’ camera is constantly on the move, gently but purposefully gliding along corridors, up elevators, over shelves.  The narration is poetic and sometimes haunting.  While watching, I wondered how the process has changed over the years, how much technology has both facilitated and complicated matters.  Rating: 8

IMDb

Last Year at Marienbad (rewatch)

I don’t want to say anything about Marienbad.  I’ve written about it before, and now I feel like talking about it takes away its power (I’m even reluctant to watch the bonus features or read the booklet).  Instead, I’ll talk about a silly idea I had while watching it.  With Delphine Seyrig popping up over and over again in so many influential films, I thought “she’s like the queen of new wave”.  Then I started building a “French New Wave card deck” in my mind.  The Queens were easy: Seyrig, Jeanne Moreau, Anna Karina and Catherine Deneuve.  The Kings (directors) were a little tougher.  Truffaut and Godard, of course.  And Resnais, since his movie gave me this kooky notion in the first place.  I wanted to put Bresson in there, but he really predates the New Wave.  So let’s say Rohmer, even though there’s a lot of his work I’m not familiar with.  And for Jacks (actors), Jean-Pierre Leaud and Jean-Paul Belmondo immediately came to mind.  Then Alain Delon.  But I can’t think of anyone of the same stature for the 4th Jack.  I finally settled on Trintignant.  Rating: 10

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The Devil is a Woman

Marlene Dietrich/Josef von Sternberg double feature tonight.  This one was more fun, a bit like The Blue Angel but more comedic.  Dietrich is quite funny as the manipulative heartbreaker, going a little more over-the-top than her usual cool detachment.  I was excited to see Edward Everett Horton’s name in the credits, but his role is pretty small and his accent (or lack of one) sounds out of place among the rest of the cast.  Sternberg’s talents are on full display, especially in the opening carnival scenes which are a delight.  Rating: 8

IMDb

Morocco

I’ve said it before, but it’s just so true: I cannot watch Marlene Dietrich without constantly being reminded of Madeline Kahn’s spoof in Blazing Saddles.  And I think about half of “Lili von Schtupp” was inspired by this movie.  Dietrich is especially iconic here: her playful air of amused nonchalance and open sensuality (you know it’s a pre-Code film when a woman kisses another woman on the lips) is captivating.  Not much else about the film is that noteworthy, however.  I’m slowly becoming more tolerant of Gary Cooper, especially in this type of scoundrel role, but he still doesn’t do much for me.  The plot is nothing special, although there is a breeziness that can be either enjoyable or distancing.  I was most impressed with the ending… a magnificent shot, held far longer than one normally sees in films of this era.  Rating: 7

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It Rains On Our Love (rewatch)

This really isn’t such a bad movie.  It’s disappointingly conventional, almost Capra-esque (although Capra never dealt so frankly with sex), and the thing with the angel is hokey.  But it’s kind of fun, with two likeable leads and some charm to it.  Plus: first appearance by Gunnar Bjornstrand in a Bergman film, albeit a rather small role.  Rating: 6

IMDb

Crisis (rewatch)

Everything that I thought I was going to be watching this week still hasn’t come in at the library (I’ve been getting screwed by the library a lot lately, but that’s a whole other story) so I decided to kick off Bergmanfest ’09.  I briefly debated starting with Torment, but decided there was plenty to keep me busy without adding films that he only wrote.  So we begin with Bergman’s directorial debut.  Right off the bat, the narration (which is lousy) tells us not to expect an exceptional story.  It’s a rather silly and melodramatic “big city vs. small town” noir (the very idea of Swedish noir just sounds absurd), one that goes on for a full 10 minutes after its climax with a lame conclusion.  And the music is really terrible, even laughable.  It’s not a complete flop… much of the cinematography is very well done, and the railway station scene stands out as a good scene with some truth to it.  But it’s definitely not a great film.  Rating: 5

IMDb