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| gromit |
 Posted: Sun Aug 16, 2015 5:56 pm |
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Joined: 31 Aug 2004
Posts: 9016
Location: Shanghai
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Post-script:
Indeed Karen Black gets a last scene and then quickly gets bumped off. I suspected they didn't have any more use for her in the film.
And I was right about the superior casting.
Two familiar character actors pop up late in small roles -- Henry Jones and the other whose name I can't place. And during a brief bar scene mid-film , there's a jazz singer in the back playing piano. I had noticed that it seemed like quality singing. Turns out it's Anita O'Day! You can hardly see her in the background for maybe 5 seconds. But then as Duvall waits for the bartender to contact the boss ("I don't talk to guys wearing aprons"), we hear 10+ seconds of A O'D singing, while Duvall coolly sips his whiskey.
A documentary on Anita O'Day came out two or three years ago -- but with the state of dvd production/piracy, I think I'm unlikely to ever find it here. |
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| gromit |
| Posted: Sat Aug 22, 2015 2:40 am |
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Joined: 31 Aug 2004
Posts: 9016
Location: Shanghai
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Hard to be a God -- moved and improved:
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Maybe not too much of a "current film" but since I assume no one has seen it, and the Dvd just came out, here's sort of a review of It's Hard To Be a God (2014). The Russian director surnamed German died before it was fully completed, but I believe his director son put the final film together.
Basically it's a depiction of medieval times, and there's lots of slogging through mud, rough horseplay, occasional torture, insults, poverty, spitting and chaos. The TZ style twist, which comes at the opening, is that this is supposed to be some other planet and Earth observers are sent to watch the feudal era give way to the Renaissance. Except progress gets thwarted and the people start rounding up all educated folks and killing them creatively.
Our local lord, perhaps one of the Earthmen thrown into medieval times, tries to find and protect a doctor. Later after a lot of killing and trials, he decides the doctor is essentially useless, but he still doesn't want all the "educated" folks snuffed out. This nobleman is also considered by some to be a god, and he repeats the film's title in his wearier moments. It's not terribly clear what the rules of engagement are, but the earth folks seem to be observers trying not to alter the course of history.
It's a pretty grim film, b&w, lots of anarchic carousing and killing, and not that easy to follow the plot or purpose of most actions. There are two factions at war -- the Black and the Greys -- and even that is a commentary on how monochromatic and devoid the society is of color/culture. At least I took that as a dash of black humor.
There are some impressive visual moments. The set design, costumes and gliding camera are pretty masterful. The camera almost like a person watching, as some scraggly folks come right up and look into it or seemingly talk to the camera as they walk by. Near the end I couldn't help thinking this would have made a terrific cable TV series, doling out medieval gore 30 minutes at a time. There's also lots of ugliness, and as the film progresses we get more gore.
It's around 3 hours long and there's a definite sense of confusion and repetition and muck. I could have dealt with more coherence or an hour less. An impressive achievement, but not easy to actually like, or recommend. It kind of bludgeons you with muck and repetition. And the plot and characterizations get kind of buried beneath the impressive atmosphere and muck.
If you want to see a film about the violence and confusion and isolation of medieval life, try Marketa Lavarova. |
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| gromit |
| Posted: Sat Aug 22, 2015 11:09 am |
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Location: Shanghai
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Hard To Be a God really has a pretty amazing visual flair. Something akin to a medieval Fellini film. It's too bad the gorgeous look of the film is married to muck and filth.
I rewatched a number of random scenes, just to appreciate the look of the film and how the frame is filled, and the crazy idiot faces that pass by.
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Otherwise, there were some interesting box sets at the Dvd store.
- Rockford Files Complete series
I always enjoyed this on TV, and would probably be willing to pick up the 1st Season.
- Sgt. Bilko - Complete
I can only recall seeing this once or twice and my memory of it is hazy. Vaguely likeable but not really funny seems to be my recall.
- Peter Gunn - Complete
I've never seen this. Though I do know the (Mancini) theme song. Basically a noir TV show. Almost tempting.
- Welcome Back Kotter - complete set
I have a fondness for this, but don't need the whole shebang
- Ken Burns' America (6 films)
- Ken Burns' American Lives (6 films)
Anyone familiar with these KB films?
Looked pretty intriguing. |
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Killing your enemies, if it's done badly, increases their number. |
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| carrobin |
| Posted: Sat Aug 22, 2015 4:50 pm |
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Joined: 21 May 2004
Posts: 7795
Location: NYC
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I have "The Rockford Files" DVDs, as well as the complete set of the Cassavetes private-eye series, "Johnny Staccato"--as close to a noir as any TV series ever came, for a half-hour show. But I also liked "Peter Gunn" back in the day, also a bar setup with a jazz background, and Herschel Bernardi as Lieutenant Jacoby, grumbling "wet streets, always wet streets" in the NYC night. That was the first time I noticed that movies and TV shows always had shiny wet nighttime streets. (Just the other day I saw the cast list for a movie coming on TCM and my instant response to Hope Emerson's name was "Mother!")
And my favorite "medieval" DVD is Olivier's "Henry V," which looks like illuminated manuscripts come to life. The script's good, too. |
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| marantzo |
| Posted: Sat Aug 22, 2015 6:22 pm |
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Joined: 30 Oct 2014
Posts: 278
Location: Winnipeg: It's a dry cold.
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| I saw Henry V when I was living in Paris. Loved it! |
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| marantzo |
| Posted: Sat Aug 22, 2015 6:23 pm |
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Joined: 30 Oct 2014
Posts: 278
Location: Winnipeg: It's a dry cold.
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| I saw Henry V when I was living in Paris. Loved it! |
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Big bang, shmig bang; still doesn't explain how anything starts. |
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| yambu |
| Posted: Sat Aug 22, 2015 7:01 pm |
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Joined: 23 May 2004
Posts: 6441
Location: SF Bay Area
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carrobin wrote: ....And my favorite "medieval" DVD is Olivier's "Henry V," which looks like illuminated manuscripts come to life. The script's good, too.
Branagh's version is worth watching. Much better scene framing, generally. Old vs. new. |
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| Syd |
| Posted: Sat Aug 22, 2015 8:15 pm |
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yambu wrote: carrobin wrote: ....And my favorite "medieval" DVD is Olivier's "Henry V," which looks like illuminated manuscripts come to life. The script's good, too. it's not bad, for Shakespeare. It's before the Battle of Agincourt. "We few, we happy few, we band of brothers.......He who fought here shall strip his sleeves and show his scars..... And gentlemen in England now-a-bed Shall think themselves accurs’d they were not here, And hold their manhoods cheap whiles any speaks That fought with us upon Saint Crispin’s day."
Branagh's version is worth watching. Much better scene framing, generally. Old vs. new.
I think the two films are just about dead even, and both outstanding. A good example of what two fine directors can do with the same material. |
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| carrobin |
| Posted: Sat Aug 22, 2015 11:44 pm |
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Joined: 21 May 2004
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Location: NYC
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| I did love Branagh's version as well, but it wasn't as beautiful to watch. It did have Emma Thompson--and I guess a lot of people felt the same way about their breakup, because he lost his momentum after that. (I'd like to see "Dead Again" again.) |
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| gromit |
| Posted: Sun Aug 23, 2015 1:45 am |
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Joined: 31 Aug 2004
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Location: Shanghai
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carrobin wrote:
And my favorite "medieval" DVD is Olivier's "Henry V," which looks like illuminated manuscripts come to life. The script's good, too.
Eisenstein's Ivan the Terrible has to rank.
Basically the transition of Russia from feudal/medieval fiefs to an empire. The set design is amazing. |
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Killing your enemies, if it's done badly, increases their number. |
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| marantzo |
| Posted: Sun Aug 23, 2015 8:11 am |
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Joined: 30 Oct 2014
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Location: Winnipeg: It's a dry cold.
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I never did like Branagh in the movies I saw him in, so I didn't bother to see his Henry V. Olivier's was definitely good enough for me.
A funny thing about Olivier, is that he is not very good in a few movies. I did love him in Richard III, and I talked to him about it when I went over to his table one night in a famous restaurant (which isn't there anymore) in Manhattan. We had a good conversation. He was playing in The Entertainer on Broadway at that time. |
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Big bang, shmig bang; still doesn't explain how anything starts. |
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| billyweeds |
| Posted: Sun Aug 23, 2015 11:24 am |
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Joined: 20 May 2004
Posts: 20618
Location: New York City
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| Branagh's Henry V is one of the very very few decent remakes of a masterpiece. In y opinon it's not quite as good as the Olivier (which IMO is the very best Shakespeare film there is), but it's excellent nonetheless. Overall, I prefer Branagh to Olivier as an actor. Olivier is IMO one of the more overrated actors in history. |
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| carrobin |
| Posted: Sun Aug 23, 2015 1:07 pm |
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Joined: 21 May 2004
Posts: 7795
Location: NYC
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| Did anyone see "Looking for Richard"--the documentary about Al Pacino rehearsing for a film of "Richard III" that never got made? I caught it on TV and it was riveting. Of course "Richard III" is my second favorite Shakespeare after "Much Ado About Nothing," though it's true I haven't seen a lot of Shakespeare, but I really really really wish Pacino had finished the film. He'd have been terrific. |
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| yambu |
| Posted: Sun Aug 23, 2015 2:58 pm |
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Joined: 23 May 2004
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Location: SF Bay Area
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"Looking for Richard" was a promo for his and Kevin Spacey's gig at Shakespeare in the Park. The afternoon of the performance, Pacino is stopping everyone in the street. He's in a slightly crazy, childlike mode.
He and Spacey act out just one scene for the camera, and it is electric. Richard's sycophant, the Duke of Buckingham, calls in his chit for devoted service and is rebuffed. "I am not in the giving vein today."
You would like Pacino as Shylock in The Merchant of Venice . And I happily agree with you about Richard iii, if by that you mean Olivier, the black villain who's a laugh a minute at times.
That Shakespeare. He sure could write. |
Last edited by yambu on Sun Aug 23, 2015 5:26 pm; edited 1 time in total
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| carrobin |
| Posted: Sun Aug 23, 2015 3:29 pm |
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Joined: 21 May 2004
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Location: NYC
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| I've seen "Richard III" onstage three times, most recently the Ian McKellen production with the Nazi overtones, and with John Wood in London, but the first one was with Michael Moriarty. And yet his IMDb roles listing doesn't show it. But I have a big poster photo from it somewhere, bought at a Lincoln Center Library sale many years ago. And I remember that he was excellent. |
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