The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp

The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp (1943)

a film by Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger

I looked for this movie right after the reading the review written by the Spanish writer and columnist Javier Marias. He included it in his Top 10 review this epic story with so much enthusiasm that I was driven directly to it. The search was not in vain. I really enjoyed the story of this warm-hearted character and his adventures which are a brave summary of the history of the first half of the XXth century with refinement, freshness and English humor.

The first thing that impressed me about this movie was the long view on history that it takes and this is remarkable given the date in which it was made. In the darkest times this movie is full of braveness, courage and humor in the times of the Blitzkrieg. Although this film is evidently pro-British, the sympathy that it shows for the character of the German officer and the satiric and cartoonish view of the British army are visionary and refreshing. The topic is this movie is dead-serious and the fact that it doesn't take itself so seriously is brilliant.

The acting in this movie is superb. Roger Livesey and Anton Walbrook are really entertaining on the screen as Candy and Kretschmar-Schuldorff. Livesey really sets the rhythm of the story with his great performance and Deborah Kerr in her triple role brings the lights to the screen. This movie is successful at aging its characters and settings with great care for detail while keeping the story interesting and fluent.

The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp works as a historical document and an entertaining story. This movie delivers an original vision that is remarkable in its historical context but that also transcends time and feels fresh and punching. Be brave and go for the 163 minutes version!

Videodrome

Videodrome (1982)
a film by David Cronenberg

Many things can be said about this movie except that it is a conventional film. This is the original and daring proposal of David Cronenberg that bombs the screen 80s style with the interesting premise of technological obsession.

Videodrome is a really shocking film. It features some memorable images that seem taken from a Nam June Paik exhibition and others that belong to the tradition of visceral gore of the mondo films. But it is not only the images what make this story so appalling, it is also the premise of a world in which mind can be infected through the television images, in which reality can be bend by the exposure to the images that produce obsession and desire.

It makes me shiver the devotion that some fans profess to this film. For me it was uncomfortable to watch it -it could be the horrendous style of the 80s- and it gave me a feeling of desolation, but I can see the great creativity and work put into this story. I liked the scene where the characters of Debbie Harry and James Woods are interviewed for a talk show, the idea of the Cathodic Tube Church and the original score. I don't know if was more horrified by the organic videotape or by the image of Toronto having the same streetcars 30 years ago.

I did not like Videodrome but nevertheless the way in which ideas as the ones proposed in this movie come from somebody's mind, make a story on the screen with such a particular style and provide ground for discussion about the contemporary world are a proof of the vision and genius behind this story despite my personal taste.

Bringing up Baby

Bringing up Baby (1938)

a film by Howard Hawks

Bringing up Baby is a comedy with a wild leopard and trained leopard who get loose at the same time. It is a movie with a dog that buries a valuable object and has the whole cast at his feet. It is the story of two completely different characters that find love amidst chaos. And it would be the ensemble of this and other comical routines if it wasn't for the brilliant and fresh execution that make this movie timeless and funny.

This is the story of David, played by Cary Grant, a paleontologist about to get married, completing the work of his life and trying to convince a millionaire to give a donation for his museum. And all these big plans go bananas when he meets the beautiful and scattered brained Susan Vance, played by Katherine Hepburn. The chaos that comes next and the preposterous situations in which they get involved are just the playground to see the great performances executed by this couple.

Katherine Hepburn is sensual, fashionable and very natural in her role. The freshness that she shows in every single gag only adds to her already huge status as a dramatic actress and her character is the motor that drives this movie. On the other hand there is Cary Grant in a role that could easily fall into ridiculous but that he keeps up providing him with a great touch of pride although the situation is completely against him. They both prove themselves as great professionals executing very physical gags with great ability.

This movie is worth seeing to remember the values that make good comedy. It is fresh and well acted and overall it is simple and very funny.

50 movies later, 10 films from TIFF2010 (Bonus Track)

After watching the first 50 movies from The List there is no better way to celebrate than enjoying the Toronto International Film Festival. This is a chronological list of the films I watched and the impressions I had after the screenings.

Love Crime (2010)
a film by Alain Corneau

Sat., Sept. 11/10 - 8:00pm

Winter Garden Theatre

with Ludivine Sagnier

What is it?: Love Crime is a meticulous thriller. It is the story of the sensual head-on collision between two women in the top of an international corporation.

The best: The roles of Ludovine Sagnier and Kristin Scott Thomas are great. The attention to detail and the cold blood of the character are the signatures of Alain Corneau in this -his last- film.

I took home: The kindliness and spontaneity of Ludovine Sagnier during the Q&A session. She is a really beautiful woman, a great actress and was really warm to the audience.

The Illusionist (2010)
a film by Sylvain Chomet

Sun., Sept. 12/10 - 2:30pm

VISA SCREENING ROOM (ELGIN)

What is it?: The creator of The Belleville Triplets takes Jacques Tatis' last script and comes out with of the most beautiful and sad movie I have seen in a big screen.

The best: It is stylish and detailed. The animation contains the bitter sweet spirit of the story of a profession that disappears, and the story is beautiful and moving. In the best tradition of Jacques Tatis, it is whimsical with a heart. Don't miss this movie wherever it is playing.

I took home: The closing sequence is superb and memorable, just thinking about it renews the happy-sad feelings. I was inspired to watch Tatis's movies.

Quote: "This is a movie for a limited audience: people that think and feel". Bob Last, producer.

Norwegian Wood (2010)
a film by Anh Hung Tran

What is it?: The director of the Scent of Green Papaya brings to the screen an emotional adaptation of Murakami's book.

The best: The photography and the images in the film are memorable. Nature is one of the great characters and it is greatly introduced in the story.

I took home: I had problems connecting with the characters in this movie and although it starts really well it ends up dissolving in emotions that were not accessible to me. The characters are so enclosed in their feelings that I can see that this movie can work better for other people. I won't call it an "emmo" movie but that is the atmosphere it transmitted.

The music is exasperating as much as I loved the image treatment I disliked the soundtrack.

Our day will come (2010)
a film by Romain Gavras

Mon., Sept. 13/10 - 3:30pm

Varsity 8

with Romain Gavras

What is it?: In his expected film debut Romain Gavras brings the story of a crazy and daring trip of two troubled characters.

The best: This movie is daring and shocking. The story is far from conventional and is told with a great and original visual style.

I took home: The acting from Vincent Cassel is superb. He embodies the provocative style of this movie and his presence makes memorable many scenes of this movie. I looked out for all the redheads in the audience after the credits ended.

Quote: "There is no reason for her being in that scene but she had to be there". Romain Gavras, director.

Miral (2010)
a film by Julian Schnabel

What is it?: A good hearted movie in which Julian Schnabel brings to the screen the story of Rula Jebral, a girl growing up on the middle of the Arab-Israeli conflict.

The best: The heart in the movie. Beyond all political speeches I think Julian Schnabel tried to tell this story with good intentions. The love he tried to bring to this film is evident in the treatment of his characters and the hope that he looks to bring to the audience even when the story is so hard.

I took home: I took with me the compassion and love of the relationship between father and daughter. I think it is the intention of this movie to follow a personal story although it happens in such tense and polarized environment, and the relation between this two characters was my entry point to the film. The makeup work is really poor and that was a surprise that contrasted with the great treatment of the music and the archive images.

Controversy: I don't consider this to be a political film but after hearing some of the strong positions of the people in the questions formulated to the director I wonder if the feelings raised by the political context are so strong that they shadow the sense of hope that is embedded on the story.

Balada Triste de Trompeta (2010)
a film by Alex de la Iglesia

Tue., Sept. 14/10 - 9:45pm

Scotiabank 1

with Alex de la Iglesia

What is it?: The provoking and personal creation of Alex de la Iglesia. Two clowns and a beautiful woman are the protagonists of a roller-coaster story sparkled with the darkest sense of humor and daring scenes.

The best: The cinematographic proposal of Alex de la Iglesia is fresh and very original. He explores with his cinema the darkest places of his mind and construct with them a vibrant story with style and content. The confronting images are unique and its dark humor is memorable. The starting credits are an amazing prelude to what is coming. Don't miss this movie wherever it is playing.

I took home: Alex de la Iglesia is one of those characters that you want to invite for a beer. As great his movie were his answers and spirit during the Q&A.

Quote: "I'm a clown because otherwise I would be an assassin".

Attenberg (2010)
a film by Athina Rachel Tsangari

What is it?: The original and particular story of a girl trapped in a small town. An iconoclast proposal with characters deprived of feelings and animal-like features, this is a drama constructed like a David Attenborough nature documentary with elements from the Greek tragedy and Monty Python sketches.

The best: The tone of the images and the alien environment in which this story takes places. The main actress is beautiful and her role is memorable.

I took home: The proposal of feeling-less experience is really interesting but what I'll remember from this movie is the bird-like dancing choreographies performed by the two girls.

The Big Picture (2010)
a film by Eric Lartigeau

What is it?: A French thriller that starts a personal life-changing story and ends up in an crime story plus an ultimate road trip.

The best: Romain Duris makes believable this character and brings heart to this thriller .

I took home: This is an entertaining story with lots of plot twists and a sense of border-less Europe that I found interesting. However, after it was done the thing that I kept in my mind was Beck's song playing on the starting sequence.

Black Swan (2010)
a film by Darren Aronofski

What is it?: Darren Aronofski the director of The Wrestler and Requiem for a dream brings terror to The Lake of Swans. A devoted dance (Natalie Portman) becomes her worst enemy while preparing for the most important role of her career.

The best: The dancing scenes are really impressive. The camera movements while the characters are practicing and dancing are great and raise the tone of this film.

I took home: This is a scary movie with scenes which made me cover my eyes with my hands. It is a great experience but with not too much substance on it.

The Housemaid (2010)
a film by Im Sang-Soo

What is it?: A sexy thriller in which a Chabrol-esque atmosphere and the genius of Korean directors for suspense.

The best: The story is really solid and from beginning to end the characters are interesting and surprising.

I took home: The closing scene is daring and memorable portrait of the luxury and decadence.

Contempt

Contempt (1963)
a film by Jean-Luc Godard

A voice reading the credits while on the screen a dolly unit makes a travelling takes of an actress walking on a set sparkled with bright colours make the perfect prologue for a movie that is brilliant in its execution and touches deeply in to the soul and lingers in the mind after in ends.

I remembered 8 1/2 as this is also the story of a character working in the movie industry and facing the issues of creative production and personal life. This time it is Jean Piccoli playing Paul, a scriptwriter hired by an pretentious American producer to rewrite some of the scenes of his film, an adaptation of The Odyssey directed by Fritz Lang, generating problems between Paul and his wife, the dazzling Brigitte Bardot.

This movie is amazing in many levels. Visually it is brilliant, the bright colours contrast and the beauty of the images enhance the tragedy that is this story. To take home are the amazing travelling takes in Cinecittá, the amazing scene with Pail and Camille in their apartment with beautiful colours and creative camera movements, and finally the beautiful Villa Malparte with its Mayan temple steps and red walls contrasting with the blue Mediterranean. Godard in colours is an experience worth seeing, there is possibly not other director that handles such bright tones with so much versatility and dramatic intention.

On the other hand there is a brilliant cast. Jack Palance is great on the role of the tyrant American producer which he delivers with so much energy. Fritz Lang is amazing and it is quite a memory to see him on the screen, such a gentleman and such an intellectual and also such a firm director, I will take his advice and try to watch M soon. There is Jean Piccoli in the role of the script writer, he depicts the pride of the intellectual on his work and in his status, so confident when allowing his wife to become prey of the producer but so willing to sell himself for a large amount. And there is Brigitte Bardot, so beautiful and such a presence on the scenes, she is great playing the wife, disappointed and proud, she personalizes the contempt.

This is a brilliant film and so rich I don't think just one time will do enough for this story. I look forward the second time, with the colours, and Cinecittá ,and the great lines, and Fritz Lang. This is not an easy film so is worth giving it sometime, a nice screen to enjoy the colours and an open mind to let it flow.

Topkapi

Topkapi (1964)
a film by Jules Dassin

This could be just another heist movie but it is not. Topkapi has the amazing views of Istambul that make the audience dream of knowing this city. It is a comedy but also a carefully planned and executed heist movie with an ambitious goal. I knew that the idea of having character hanging from the ceiling over a touch-sensitive floor couldn't be the creation of Mission Impossible and in this movie I found its primary source.

This is a carefully constructed heist film, the details of the plot are millimetrically calculated and set in the scenes, so even the twists in the plot are solved in ingenious and entertaining way. But heist stories have been told a thousand times and although Dassin is a genius of the details of the big hit -as he shows brilliantly in Rififi- what separates Topkapi from the bulk of stories of a group of people trying to steal something are two things: the city and the characters.

I'm pretty sure is not included in any city tour so it is definitively worth seeing this groups of thieves sneaking their way through the domes of the Topkapi palace. The music and the images of the city are an open invitation to Istambul.

The cast of this movie is probably one of the most particular that can be found in this genre. There is an English toy maker, an Italian trapezist and a German muscle man but there is also a fool: Arthur Simpson. It is this character what brings freshness and amusement to the movie and a story that could easily fall in taking itself too seriously. There is also the presence of Melina Mercouri who I find both disturbing and interesting and serves as pivotal point for this crew of thieves.

Topkapi is a film that may seem simple when competing with the modern heist films but that captures the essence of the genre. The story of a group of thieves trying to steal something has been told a thousand times so it is the details what ultimately make the film memorable and makes Topkapi a source where films are still drinking from. But who care about primary sources, maybe it is all about feeling in Istambul for a few moments.

8½

8 1/2 (1963)
a film by Federico Fellini

This is the second time I watch 8 1/2 and as in the first time, it strikes as a movie that connects to me not through the feelings or the emotions of the characters but through the subconscious of the main character shown in the screen. Fellini is great master and in this film he manages to recreate in fluent fashion the dreamlike world of Guido a director facing a creative blockade.

Guido is a director blocked in the middle of an important project. He is sick and smokes too much. He is under the pressure of his producer. He stands the frequent attacks of a film critic. He handles the producing assistants. He endures a marital crisis, his lover's visit and the stars that he cast for the movie. Meanwhile, he is immerse in a subconscious world that brings him to his memories and dreams, and where the strong female figures set a story with an atmosphere full of desire and delirium.

This movie is brilliant in setting the turbulent atmosphere of the creative process, so full of memories and desires. It is amazing to see the fluidity with which Fellini shows so many aspects of this character with so much humor and rhythm and I'm sure he enjoyed putting in film the elements that were also part of his life as a director.

All the female cast is superb, although Anouk Aimee is in the role of the wife -her glasses are awesome-. I dunno if this movie could be interpreted as male-centric but I found it really enjoyable and creative in the development of all the female character, they are who ultimately define the role of this director who seems to drift in the world of his dreams and desires.

Guido is interpreted brilliantly by Marcello Martroianni. His role is elegant and fresh at the same time and delivers memorable moments. He can dance in the hallway, sound smart or simply look overwhelmed as his wife meets his lover, this role is superb. One shouldn't look for role model in cinema but I want to be this guy!

8 1/2 is brilliant and entertaining. This movie features a magnificent set characters, a great protagonist and interesting strong female characters. The images are beautiful and the music is amusing and memorable. But be aware, something this good can come so easily and it takes time to enter this world but is absolutely worth the effort.