Quick Movie Recap

 After finishing the 14 episodes of Berlin Alexanderplatz I have started in on the 4+ hours of extras.  Those extras include an excellent documentary that was presented in New York in 2006, when the series first hit the big screen in a fully restored version.  Directed by the original editor of the TV series, she also includes a lot of interviews with the actors, producers, and cinematographer.  It was fun to watch after having seen the entire series, though I was happy to see it at my leisure over a period of many weeks.  It was shown in one weekend in New York, and made it's way to Detroit Film theatre as well.  We gave it a miss for that reason.  Also included in the Criterion lineup is the 1931 German film of the same title, with script work done by the book's author.  Although only 84 minutes long, the old film actually gave a better feeling for the late 20s in Berlin, and included lots of action views of the city in motion.  Fassbinder could not do this, of course.  His version was all done on a vast set, rebuilt from a film Bergman had created previously.  Anyway, the short early film gets the basic story across, though very broadly.

The 1931 film version is also showing on Criterion.  

Criss Cross is a tense 1949 film noir directed by Rovert Siodmak, starring Burt Lancaster.  Yvonne De Carlo is the love interest, and Dan Duryea plays the heavy (what else would he play).  I love Lancaster, so enjoyed him a lot in this film as the unlucky driver of an armoured car who is the inside man on a botched hold up, where he was double crossed.  Not really memorable, but fun to watch.

Showing until October 31st on Criterion.

Zatoichi's Vengeance has the blind swordsman meet up with a blind priest, with some interesting interchanges between them on being blind from birth versus being blind after having been able to see first.  There is also a rather interesting portrayal of a prostitute, spurned by her former lover and forced to work as she does.  When he seeks and finds her and tries to get her to come away with him again, she has a few choice words for him.

All the Zatoichi films are being screened on Criterion. 

From 2002 Deb chose The Hours, a very watchable film about Virginia Woolf, and her novel Mrs. Dalloway.  The three female leads are pretty awesome, with a special shout out to Nicole Kidman as the troubled young writer.  It's odd how many movies lately have had tragic endings.  The music is by Philip Glass, and is quite suitable, in my opinion.

 

Showing until October 31st on Criterion. 

 

Another of Deb's picks was a 1939 film starring Carry Grant and Jean Arthur.  In  If Only Angels Have Wings it's the early days of flying mail over the Andes, and it's a dangerous job. Grant is the boss of a small airline trying to establish credibility and win the mail contract.  He seems miscast or out of sorts in the first half, though his acting improves, as does the film, in the 2nd half.  Jean Arthur is probably the most natural person in front of a camera I've ever seen.  Most of the film is shot in a run down hotel/bar/restaurant, which is also headquarters for the small airline, whose rain-drenched field lies just outside the door.  Worth a watch, with some truly amazing flying stunts and up and close and personal mountain photography from a plane.

 

Showing on Criterion until October 31st. 

 

Finally, we have Bonjour Tristesse, a 1959 film that sent the French New Wave off to a running start.  Both Truffaut and Goddard fell in love with the acting of young Jean Seberg, playing the precocious daughter of David Niven.  Another very sad ending, but we both like the film, and thought that Seberg was perfect in her role as the privileged rich white girl searching for fun.  She failed her school exams, and has no interest in retaking them.  She's happy going to parties, hanging around the French Riveria, with her main home in Paris, where she is also a clubber.  The original book was written by a girl of 18 years, and caused quite a scandal when it was published.  Recommended.

 

Now showing on Criterion until October 31st. 

 

More later. We have just put up the Samhain decorations, and are preparing dinner and getting ready to watch a movie.  Next time I will feature one or two cat art choices from the DIA, in honour of a recently lost friend.

 

Mapman Mike