Die große Stille (Into Great Silence)

Filmmaker Philip Gröning asked the monastery at Grande Chartreuse if he could film there.  16 years later, they granted the request, on the grounds that there be no music, no narration, and no artificial lighting.  The result is as quiet and meditative as the monastery itself.  It’s a unique piece of work, but it certainly has its drawbacks.  Although there are a few interesting bits (the monks aren’t quite as austere and spartan as you might expect) for the most part it’s pretty much exactly what you would expect it to be.  It’s basically the cinematic equivalent of new age music… unless you want to spend the time just reflecting, reading a description of the movie is a fair substitute for watching it.  But Gröning definitely achieved what he set out to do, and the film does allow for a lot of reflection if that’s what you’re looking for.  And I must say that even as a diehard atheist, I have respect for those willing to devote themselves so completely to their delusions.  Rating: 7

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Hunger

Meh.  Relies on a lot of shock value of that sort of “beauty of ugliness” which I usually find very boring and a bit cheap.  I suppose I have to confess to a personal bias.  I had a girlfriend who wore her Irishness on her sleeve and was constantly nattering on about “the Troubles” and all that.  I eventually developed a kneejerk reaction against Bobby Sands and anything IRA-related.  So I didn’t care to see a sympathetic portrait of Sands, much less one that glorifies his martyrdom to such an extent.  I will begrudgingly admit that the film has some powerful cinematography, good performances and a very well-written dialogue at its center.  But I thought it was trying to appear even-handed when it was really quite one-sided, nor was I impressed by its “edgy” brutality and squalor.  Rating: 6

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Sita Sings the Blues

Cartoonist Nina Paley creates a magnificent melding of three narrative sources of heartache: the story of Sita from the Hindu text Ramayana, the torch songs of blues singer Annette Hanshaw, and her own autobiographical tale of being dumped.  Each is told in its own distinct style with a distinct method of animation.  It’s a wonderful gestalt: fantastically original, very witty, often quite moving, and beautifully rendered.  It’s full of delightful little surprises, and is all the more impressive for being essentially Paley’s one-woman show.  The only part I didn’t care for was the intermission, which seems like a clever idea but should have been just one minute instead of three (wow, I’m bitching about two minutes…that’s some hardcore nitpicking).  The rest of it I absolutely adored.  Utterly charming.  Rating: 9

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The Reckless Moment

Watching The Furies put me in a noir mood, fortunately I had this one handy.  Unfortunately, it wasn’t as great as I’d expected.  The movie seems to be generally well-received, and I like Ophuls, so maybe I had my hopes set too high.  There is some of Ophuls’ graceful camera movement, and the film sets up an intriguing conflict between placid family life and the encroaching criminal underworld… one that reveals menace on both sides (in fact, all three movies I watched today have rather cynical ideas about family).  But one thing really sets it back for me: the titular moment.  “Reckless” is an understatement.  Joan Bennett’s actions were so utterly bone-headed that for the rest of the film I was against her.  And it wasn’t really a “moment” either… she had plenty of time to ponder what she was doing.  I also had problems with James Mason’s character, whose developing affection for Bennett never rings true.  Worthwhile for the cinematography, slow tension and unusual social commentary, but definitely flawed.  Rating: 7

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The Furies (rewatch)

I like Mann’s westerns with Jimmy Stewart well enough, but this is my favorite.  Perhaps because it flows so naturally from his noir period.  High-contrast black and white photography, complex psychological melodrama, schemes and manipulations, blustery dialogue, battles of will, obsession and vengeance, and a cynical darkness.  Barbara Stanwyck is amazing in it, and I’ve even warmed up to Walter Huston.  Some folks say Wendell Corey wasn’t the best casting choice, but I’m a fan of his so I don’t mind.  What I do mind is the ending, terribly out of place… but at least the final minutes are the only sour ones in the whole film.  Rating: 9

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Make Way For Tomorrow (rewatch)

Another iffy Criterion purchase.  Even more so than Pygmalion, because I only gave this one an 8 the first time.  Is it a keeper?  Yes, but barely.  I can’t put my finger on why this movie doesn’t quite thrill me.  It’s masterfully complex, where every character is sympathetic, even when they’re being awful.  The performances are all terrific (Victor Moore overdoes the waddling a bit, though), the movie defies Hollywood expectations, and the ending is utterly, completely devastating.  I guess I would feel stronger about it if it was more cinematically impressive, McCarey’s camerawork is very staid (much like Ozu, whose Tokyo Story is clearly influenced by this).  It’s worth holding on to, I’m just not sure when I’d watch it again.  Rating: 8

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The Indian Tomb

Pretty much more of the same.  A little more action, although that has the side effect of making the slow parts more noticeable.  Like the half hour when our hero disappears… though that half hour also includes Debra Paget in that hubba-hubba snake charmer outfit, so all is forgiven.  Plotwise it’s a bit more satisfying than part one, but also less striking in its cinematography, since so much of it occurs in murky caves.  And I know it’s just my cultural bias speaking (and that subtitles wouldn’t have worked as well) but man, it’s just completely weird to hear Indians talking German all the time.  Rating: 7

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The Tiger of Eschnapur

As a late Fritz Lang adventure tale, this fares a bit better than Moonfleet.  The characters are more engaging, and although the adventure elements are sometimes a bit lackluster, there are a few great serials-inspired moments.  Most noteworthy is the breathtaking eye candy.  Lavish sets and lush colors that leap off the screen, it’s quite a beautiful film.  However, the exoticism is often cringe-worthy, as Lang indulges in one embarrassing India cliché after another.  Still, I’m looking forward to the second half.  Rating: 7

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Hadaka no shima (Naked Island)

This dialogue-free tale of a family’s struggle for survival on a remote island (mental comparisons to Man of Aran are inevitable, although the films are quite different) is simple in construction, but loaded with allegorical possibilities.  As I watched the events unfold I pondered the significance of what I was seeing and found my mind going down several different paths.  Shindo never makes a big deal about the wordlessness of the narrative… it doesn’t ever feel like a novelty, but rather just that no words are necessary.  Gorgeous cinematography and a lyrical score (reminded me an awful lot of M. Hulot’s Holiday) seal the deal.  A sometimes difficult film (unless you really enjoy watching people schlep water around) but one that is rewarding both as food for thought and food for the soul.  Rating: 9

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Moonfleet

A decent adventure tale, dragged down by the lack of a compelling central character.  Jon Whiteley as the Dickensian child is pretty much empty as a character, and Stewart Granger just doesn’t have seem to have any leading man chops.  I wish there’d been more of George Sanders, who’s always a delight.  The color widescreen photography provides a few striking moments, but more often it’s awash in dreary shades of brown.  I also found the movie slightly confusing at times, as the relationships between some of the main characters were murky.  Overall, it’s passable as “brain off” entertainment, but not much more than that.  Another disappointment from Lang’s later career.  Rating: 6

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