Il Conformista, Fitzcarraldo

Il Conformista

This is a very good movie. The subject is relevant to our times, and the cinematography is powerful. The performances are ok. I really liked the theme, and the way it was handled. Excellent writing. 8.5/10

Fitzcarraldo

Herzog does his thing about "man vs nature" debate. Though this time, it was less about nature and more about man. "I will move a mountain", says it all. The lead character is very interesting, and is played by Klaus Kinski. It was very nice to watch Kinski portray this different kind of madness (compared to Aguirre). Fitz is very inspiring too. The story was nice, and I really wish the film was 15 minutes shorter. There are some excellent shots like Fitz shaking hands with the Indians, felling trees, the ship going up the ramp etc. 8.0/10

Tact and Politeness

Guy walks in on a woman taking a shower. "Excuse me, Madam", he says, being polite. "Excuse me, Sir", if he is tactful. Yes, I watched my first Truffaut the other day, the film being "Baisers Voles". I would love to watch the whole "Antoine Doinel" series. When will the "nouvelle vague" reach Hollywood or Bollywood?

Aguirre, der Zorn Gottes

The movie was slow paced. Klaus Kinski did a good job. However, I doubt whether I would have liked the movie as much if I hadn't watched Herzog's "Grizzly Man", or frozen my ass off in Ottawa. Having watched grizzly man, I know that the struggle between man and nature is of great interest to Herzog. I believe that it is a major element in this movie too. Fighting to keep warm and stay alive makes you realize why dominating and conquering nature is such a big concern for the West. You wont find the popular characters - "mother nature" and "gallant hero" in this movie. Its just a struggle, and an intense one at that.

The "descend to madness" theme of the movie has strong parallels with "Apocalypse Now". The way Herzog portrays people's greed, hypocrisy and stupidity is nice. But it was difficult to identify with the characters, and hence they appeared sort of "distant". I wish he gave more importance to the female characters, atleast to Inez. You are pretty sure that she has a good story to tell and interesting things to say, but she is never given a chance. The way Aguirre gets things done by manipulating peoples' greed and fear is interesting. The interesting bits of the plot happens away from the camera or inside the characters' minds. Choosing the "emperor", the decision to kill him, the action itself, the fate of Inez and so on. They were handled beautifully. I rate it 8.0/10, and I will be watching "Fitzcarraldo" soon.

Mar Adentro: Amazing Grace

I wanted to watch this movie since it was so widely acclaimed. Javier Bardem was pretty good in Carne Tremula, so I knew that I would like his performance. He was wonderful. In fact, all the performances were wonderful, except for Belen Rueda who was just very good. But to be fair to her, the scenes in which she did well were left out. I have added Amenabar and Lola Duenas to my list. The subject was treated very gracefully. Soft visuals, soothing music, and a smile on the face of Ramon. The emotions were pretty strong, but were more of the subdued kind than raw. The debate about euthanasia was handled pretty well too. In other words, no strawmen were hurt during the making of this movie. Amanabar says he went for a realistic take on the subject, as opposed to a deeply intellectual one, and he has done that pretty well. Its sad that they had to leave out certain scenes about Julia. They were pretty good. But then, that makes sense too because the movie is already longish, standing at just over 2 hours. Lola is playing one of the major roles in Almodovar's Volver, and I can hardly wait to watch it. I don't know whether it is because of my predisposition to the subject or the way the movie is presented, I was thinking more about life than euthanasia or death in general. But from others' response to the movie, I think it is the latter. Excellent movie: 9/10.

Tacones Lejanos (High Heels)

Wild colours. Passionate characters. Typical Almodovar. The story takes a backseat, but as always, he makes up for it with great scenes. He is exceptionally talented when it comes to portraying female characters on screen. There is a certain warmth between them, which you can find in all of his movies. I really need to read about his life! What makes him able to make this kind of characters? Vanessa Paredes and Victoria Abril gave good performances. However, Paredes' character reminds me of the character she played in Todo Sobre Mi Madre, and hence is not so fresh. The reference to Bergman's Autumn Sonata was interesting. They have contrasting styles. Bergman uses soft imagery when portraying lonely, cold characters, while Almodovar is all about loud, almost garish colours, warm characters and their camaraderie. 7.5/10.

Jean De Florette / Manon Des Sources

I watched them. I love them. The story was good and the characters were great. I liked all performances, especially Yves Montand's Cesar Soubeyran. I won't be able to forget any of the characters. Berri did a wonderful job of treating the characters with respect. The visuals were beautiful and subtle. They were treated with as much respect as that of the characters. Beautiful hills also hint towards nature's harshness. Red carnations on Ugolin's farm remind us about past crimes. Beart was so beautiful that it hurts! Jean's spirit and the music from his harmonica will haunt you for a long time. Pauvre Ugolin. I like that character too. "Its not me, its my eyes". I've got to watch other movies of Auteuil. I will watch Cache soon. All in all, it was a very "french" movie. Rating 9.5/10. I think that the story was not extraordinary, but the movie treated the viewer with some respect, and that matters.