I love to categorize my movie watching. Whether it’s watching films by a certain director or grouping them by year, I enjoy movie themes. This usually doesn’t last long, as I grow tired of the current theme and move on to something new so we’ll see how long this current one lasts.
The current theme is classic movies I’ve never seen (or haven’t seen in a long time) including foreign language films, in alphabetical order. I figure maybe 2 or 3 movies for each letter. (X is going to be tough.)
To kick things off, over the weekend I watched one foreign and one American film that both start with the letter ‘A.’ I’m, going to try and keep these reviews brief, with a summary of the plot and my take on the film’s merits, including a Christian perspective.
Aguirre, the Wrath of God
Directed by Werner Herzog
1972
in German
Klaus Kinski plays a Spanish explorer, part of Pizarro’s expedition to Peru in the late 16th century, sent with other men and women up an Amazon tributary in search of El Dorado. The mission goes horribly wrong as both nature and hostile natives wreak havoc.
Herzog’s film is mesmerizing to look at with an almost dreamlike quality. Dialogue is often kept to a minimum which leaves the impression that most of the people are in stunned shock at the events happening around them. Kinski goes memorably, quietly insane (or perhaps he is insane to begin with) and in the film’s famous final shot ends up alone on a raft surrounded by hundreds of monkeys and rambling about getting rich from finding the cities of gold.
The biggest problem I had was the film’s portrayal of the Christian missionaries as ignorant with the stereotypical attitude of “Let’s convert the savages and kill them if they won’t listen.” (Never mind that the “noble savages” are cannibals and are out to kill them.)
Morality/Worldview: C
Filmmaking: A
The Apartment
Directed by Billy Wilder
1960
In this cynical comedy/drama, Jack Lemmon plays a low-level insurance employee who allows upper-level executives to use his apartment for their extramarital affairs. In doing so, he moves up the corporate ladder. Things go wrong when he falls in love with a fellow employee, an elevaotr operator played by Shirley MacLaine, who just happens to be the latest mistress of his boss.
I found the portrayal of adultery disturbing even though ultimately Lemmon realizes what he is doing is causing great harm. Of course, adultery ought to be disturbing and the second half of the movie shows how serious the consequences can be. The acting is terrific all around. I was especially impressed with Fred MacMurray’s role as the despicable executive who uses Lemmon to facilitate his affair. I normally associate MacMurray with comedic roles such as the many Disney films he did so it was a surprise to se him do such a good job at playing a villain.
Morality/Worldview B-
Filmmaking A
Showing posts with label foreign films. Show all posts
Showing posts with label foreign films. Show all posts
Monday, July 9, 2012
Wednesday, May 4, 2011
Ugetsu
“For where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there will be disorder and every vile practice.”
James 3:16
“For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evils.”
I Timothy 6:10
My previous post was about the 1953 movie Tokyo Story. Next is another Japanese movie from the same year. Ugetsu is set in 16th century Japan during a time of civil war. Two brothers and their families want to avoid the horrors of war but their greed and ambition get in the way and tragedy results.
Genjuro, one of the brothers, makes pottery using a homemade kiln. He’s fairly good at it and is excited when he is able to bring home money from selling his wares. His brother Tobei wants nothing more than to become a great warrior, even a samurai, although he is hardly qualified to be either. Both men’s wives would rather stay home and try to be safe from the approaching war, but the men leave, insisting they will return soon. While selling his pottery, Genjuro is approached by a mysterious woman and her lady-in-waiting. He is enchanted by her and for good reason. We soon learn that she is a ghost. Enticed by her, he forgets all about his wife and even agrees to marry the woman! Back home, his wife and son are forced from their home and can barely find food while avoiding marauding soldiers.
Meanwhile, Tobei’s wife is soon forgotten by him and ends up turning to prostitution to earn money. Despite his incompetence, he does in fact become a samurai. Both brothers seem to have achieved their goals of money and power but at the cost of their own families. The men are eventually reunited with their wives, but in unusual ways, which I won’t spoil here.
Ugetsu may not be a Christian film, but the Bible verses quoted above are aptly demonstrated. The love of money and selfish ambition both cause great harm to the film’s characters.
I don’t usually listen to DVD commentary tracks but I often make an exception for foreign films. The commentary for Ugetsu is full of interesting details that I missed while watching the movie, especially regarding Japanese history and culture.
James 3:16
“For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evils.”
I Timothy 6:10
My previous post was about the 1953 movie Tokyo Story. Next is another Japanese movie from the same year. Ugetsu is set in 16th century Japan during a time of civil war. Two brothers and their families want to avoid the horrors of war but their greed and ambition get in the way and tragedy results.
Genjuro, one of the brothers, makes pottery using a homemade kiln. He’s fairly good at it and is excited when he is able to bring home money from selling his wares. His brother Tobei wants nothing more than to become a great warrior, even a samurai, although he is hardly qualified to be either. Both men’s wives would rather stay home and try to be safe from the approaching war, but the men leave, insisting they will return soon. While selling his pottery, Genjuro is approached by a mysterious woman and her lady-in-waiting. He is enchanted by her and for good reason. We soon learn that she is a ghost. Enticed by her, he forgets all about his wife and even agrees to marry the woman! Back home, his wife and son are forced from their home and can barely find food while avoiding marauding soldiers.
Meanwhile, Tobei’s wife is soon forgotten by him and ends up turning to prostitution to earn money. Despite his incompetence, he does in fact become a samurai. Both brothers seem to have achieved their goals of money and power but at the cost of their own families. The men are eventually reunited with their wives, but in unusual ways, which I won’t spoil here.
Ugetsu may not be a Christian film, but the Bible verses quoted above are aptly demonstrated. The love of money and selfish ambition both cause great harm to the film’s characters.
I don’t usually listen to DVD commentary tracks but I often make an exception for foreign films. The commentary for Ugetsu is full of interesting details that I missed while watching the movie, especially regarding Japanese history and culture.
Monday, May 2, 2011
Tokyo Story
I don’t expect every movie I see to be great. I’m not hoping to see the next Citizen Kane with every new movie. And most of the time, I don’t see the next Citizen Kane but rather see some decent movies, some not so decent ones and occasionally, some really outstanding ones. But every now and then, I see something, usually an older film, that is truly a great movie. Such was the case when I finally got around to watching the 1953 Japanese film Tokyo Story.
I had been thinking about Japan and Japanese culture recently. I read Laura Hillenbrand’s excellent book Unbroken which portrayed a dark moment in Japanese history, the cruel treatment of POWs during World War II. Then there was the recent earthquake and tsunami. I’ve always enjoyed Japanese movies. Akira Kurosawa is one of my favorite directors for movies like Throne of Blood, Yojimbo and Ran.
Tokyo Story was directed by Yasujiro Ozu, considered one of Japan’s greatest directors. It tells the story of an old couple who decide to visit their grown children, most of whom live far away from them. (Their youngest daughter Kyoko still lives with them.) One son lives in Osaka, midway on the train journey to Tokyo. Their oldest son and oldest daughter live in Tokyo. Another son was killed during the war, but his widow Noriko keeps in contact with the family. She too lives in Tokyo.
The trip goes quite poorly. The children basically ignore the parents and treat them disrespectfully. At one point, they send the parents to a spa. The parents initially treat this as a polite gesture but their experience there is horrible. Soon, the parents themselves begin to speak of their disappointment in their children. Only Noriko treats them kindly and goes out of her way to try and make their trip pleasant. Only when the mother dies, do the children all get together to mourn her. Even then, their behavior still seems hollow and selfish.
The storytelling in Tokyo Story is remarkably understated. The camera doesn’t move and allows the viewer to watch the drama unfold without distraction. Despite the foreign setting, this story could have been set almost anywhere. The emotional impact is devastating. You get angry at the family members but can’t help but see some of yourself. The film forces you to ask how well you treat your own parents and children. Near the end of the film, the youngest daughter Kyoko says goodbye to the Noriko after the funeral. She is angry with her sibling’s selfish attitude toward their parents. How could they act like this? We expect Noriko, the most sympathetic character in the movie, to empathize. Instead, she answers her (and the viewer too, for she looks directly at the camera) with a defense of the other children. People change, she says. You may not like it but that’s what happens. We are taken aback by her response. We don’t want her to be right but unfortunately, we suspect she is.
As a Christian, I was reminded of the Fourth Commandment. “Honor your father and your mother.” It’s easy to think that this commandment only applies to children. But of course, our parents never cease to be our parents and we should always honor them. Tokyo Story is a good reminder why.
I had been thinking about Japan and Japanese culture recently. I read Laura Hillenbrand’s excellent book Unbroken which portrayed a dark moment in Japanese history, the cruel treatment of POWs during World War II. Then there was the recent earthquake and tsunami. I’ve always enjoyed Japanese movies. Akira Kurosawa is one of my favorite directors for movies like Throne of Blood, Yojimbo and Ran.
Tokyo Story was directed by Yasujiro Ozu, considered one of Japan’s greatest directors. It tells the story of an old couple who decide to visit their grown children, most of whom live far away from them. (Their youngest daughter Kyoko still lives with them.) One son lives in Osaka, midway on the train journey to Tokyo. Their oldest son and oldest daughter live in Tokyo. Another son was killed during the war, but his widow Noriko keeps in contact with the family. She too lives in Tokyo.
The trip goes quite poorly. The children basically ignore the parents and treat them disrespectfully. At one point, they send the parents to a spa. The parents initially treat this as a polite gesture but their experience there is horrible. Soon, the parents themselves begin to speak of their disappointment in their children. Only Noriko treats them kindly and goes out of her way to try and make their trip pleasant. Only when the mother dies, do the children all get together to mourn her. Even then, their behavior still seems hollow and selfish.
The storytelling in Tokyo Story is remarkably understated. The camera doesn’t move and allows the viewer to watch the drama unfold without distraction. Despite the foreign setting, this story could have been set almost anywhere. The emotional impact is devastating. You get angry at the family members but can’t help but see some of yourself. The film forces you to ask how well you treat your own parents and children. Near the end of the film, the youngest daughter Kyoko says goodbye to the Noriko after the funeral. She is angry with her sibling’s selfish attitude toward their parents. How could they act like this? We expect Noriko, the most sympathetic character in the movie, to empathize. Instead, she answers her (and the viewer too, for she looks directly at the camera) with a defense of the other children. People change, she says. You may not like it but that’s what happens. We are taken aback by her response. We don’t want her to be right but unfortunately, we suspect she is.
As a Christian, I was reminded of the Fourth Commandment. “Honor your father and your mother.” It’s easy to think that this commandment only applies to children. But of course, our parents never cease to be our parents and we should always honor them. Tokyo Story is a good reminder why.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)