The most recent version of Solaris is from 2002, directed by Steven Soderbergh. Though it has a lot going for it, the film ends up by disappointing SF viewers. The sets are great, the actors are good, and the music is excellent. But instead of telling a story about a sentient ocean planet, we get a Valentine's Day love story with an unrealistic happy ending that left me scratching my head. Was this film even a science fiction movie? Barely. Mostly it was about a man who made a terrible mistake, and after making the same mistake again finally gets it right. A bit like Groundhog Day. We learn nothing much about human ability to withstand aliens meddling with our minds. We see nothing to convince us that the main character is a brilliant analyst/shrink. One would think he might use some of his knowledge and experience to try to get at the bottom of this mystery. Just what is happening? Why is it happening. Is there any way to communicate with the alien intelligence? Nope. We learn nothing. Admittedly I did not find too much to praise in the Tarkovsky version, either (and he is one of my favourite directors). Even Lem, the author, says that neither film gets the heart of what his novel is about. Though I have not read the novel, I am about to. It will be discussed here during my end of the month reading summary. So please come back for more.
It is leaving Criterion Feb. 29th.
That was Deb's leaving soon choice. I would have chosen it if she hadn't. Her main choice was quite a different kind of film. La Antena is an Argentinian film from 2007. It is constructed like a 1920s German fantasy film, and is mostly silent and in b & w. It mixes avant garde technique with a unique story telling method, and it comes off really well. There is a lot of humour in this tale of a city whose people have lost their voice, and are about to lose words, too. The evil man who wants to take over the world (the plot has its weak points at times) is a TV producer. The visual effects are great fun to watch, even as the story plods along to its inevitable conclusion. The cinematic cleverness includes using the silent screen subtitles as integral to the action within a scene. This was the first film screened by Mubi when it began screening films in 2007. It got off to a very good start. Highly recommended.
Before those two films came my leaving choice (my regular choice was the 1st 2-part Detective Anna). The Beekeeper is a Greek/French film from 1986, starring Marcello Mastroianni. To me it is a perfect example of a European film from the 1980s. Marcello sports a Greek moustache. He plays an aging father of three grown up children, and is about to leave his wife as the film begins. The first 20 minutes of the film features his youngest daughter's wedding. The wedding turns into a disaster as it rains and the party is indoors. This opening segment would make a great short film all by itself. Marcello is an itinerant beekeeper, who heads for the south of Greece with his hives. He is part of a dwindling tradition of such keepers, with only about six older men still plying the trade. The film changes gears almost immediately when a teenage girl, amazingly played by Nadia Mourouzi in her first film, hitches a ride with him. She is a runaway, ditched by her boyfriend, and does her best to cling to Marcello, whom she must see as a badly needed father figure. Both characters are truly messed up people, however, neither one knowing how to handle any type of relationship. Marcello remains mostly expressionless in the film, but with him it is enough to transmit a lot of character. He stands around like a huddled lummox a lot of the time, too. He eventually realizes that he needs her companionship, too, but when their relationship turns sexual things go downhill quickly. She finally leaves him, and that pretty much means the end of Marcello. A road movie like no other.
One of the better Dr.Who episodes of Series 4 with Tenant and Catherine Tate is called Turn Left. By turning right instead of left, Donna Noble unleashes the furies, which, had she turned left, the Doctor would have dealt with. Instead, Earth is doomed, and goes through a very unhappy ending. In this alternate universe, the Doctor is dead. But Rose (Billie Piper) is still alive, and helping Unit deal with all the catastrophes. She instructs Donna on a way to undo the damage, and to go back and turn left. Lots of fun stock footage from previous episodes. Donna does a solo here, and holds the program together well by herself and with some help from Rose. The previous episode, Midnight, starred the Doctor without Donna. It was a low budget drama more suited to the stage than to TV.
We are currently watching the next two episodes of Season Two Detective Anna.
Mapman Mike
