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Reviews
Metropolis (1927)
Disappointment
The movie was a waste of two and half hours. The acting was terrible, the film was too long, and the story was not original.
American film editors had the right idea to shorten the film to an hour and a half when it first screened in the States. They cut out some key scenes due to the Hay's censors, but they could have left those key scenes in about the robot and still shorten the film. The plot was not strong enough to captivate the audience for that long. The plot love triangle plot and the ideal of Utopia are so over done. The only thing that was semi entertaining was science fiction aspect of the film. The underground subspecies of humans working in unison in the hidden factor city and the look of the city above made the movie slightly bearable to watch.
The thing that made the film a deal breaker was the female lead. Her acting was horrific. German Expression from of acting was jerky and over exaggerated, but she took to an extreme. Even when Brigitte Helm was the sweet angelic Maria she didn't portray compassion and honesty. The only thing that she did well was make all the characters she portrayed different so the audience could distinguish between them.
The final scene the completely destroyed the film was lustful dance sequence when the inventor first debuted the robot Maria. The whole scene was the represented the seven deadly sins, but it was entirely too long. The entire scene consented of the men's reactions to her dancing. The whole film focused entirely too much on character reactions. Someone would say something and the camera would immediately have a close up person's face they were speaking to. The director didn't leave anything for the audience to interpret for themselves.
The Whole Shootin' Match (1978)
Great Regional Film
The film was definitely the best regional and Eagle Pennell's best film. Unlike most films during that time set in Texas did express the values or nature of real Texans. The actors in the film and the director were all Texans and knew the culture. The script of the film was outlined with majored scenes and sparse dialogues. The main actors improvised most of the dialogue in the film. The improvisation added to the Texan aesthetics of the film. The quirky remarks and the Texan references made it relatable and entertaining for all Texans. The joke of the alcohol being from Medina was aimed specifically at Texans. The chemistry of the two leading male characters was amazing. The audience could tell that the men were friends in real life and were just goofing around in front of the camera. The dysfunctional marriage dynamic of between Doris Hargrave and Sonny Davis was believable as a real troubled marriage. The Davis and Perryman were good ol' boys trying to make ends meet in a corrupt world. Frank was trying to make ends meet for his family through his many discretions and money issues. He loved his family, but luck was not in men's favor. Their electric mop was stolen from them due to the faith they put into the company and a faulty contract. Although the film was shot on weekends and was extremely low budget it was real and entertaining. In one scene a grip's arm is in the shot of the kitchen of the married couple's home. The quick glimpse didn't subtract anything from the film. It added to the feel of the realness. The humor was the perfectly fitted for the Texans. The cinematography was not as well done as other films, but it added to the aesthetic of the regional mentality and the simplicity of the film.
Bronenosets Potyomkin (1925)
Eisenstein's Masterpiece
The montages throughout the film added to overall theme of unity. The shots of the soldiers' mutiny due to the maggot covered meat added to the power of the film. I too would rise up and fight. Different angles of one single action also added to the film. The shot of the soldier falling and landing on the metal piece of the ship hanging from the ropes was breath taking. I felt the anger that the soldiers felt when the leader of the uprising died in such a heroic way. The death of the soldier inspired a future of the country under united peoples. The theme is expressed with the repetition of the word "Brother" throughout the parts of the film. The message of hatred for hierarchy was portrayed with the montage of clips of actions in the movie. The movie was portrayed well for the silent movie. I liked sense on unity in the movie. The German montage moment was focused more on the group rather than the individual. Einstein used the death of the officer to unite the people against a common foe. Part five, the final battle, was the worst part in the film. The preparation for the battle took ten minutes. The men prepared the cannons and loaded everything for a pointless battle. The music was edging the audience on and getting them hyped up for a disappointment. "Brother?" Really? It was a joke. I was hyped for the battle scene and was completely disappointed with the ending. I wanted to see blood and gore and I got people cheering. Those people on the stairs died for nothing. That little boy that died escaping the soldiers on the stairs that Einstein depicted so well died for vain. The overall theme of unity was there, but a waste on time.
True Heart Susie (1919)
Masterpiece
True Heart Susie is the best silent film I have ever seen. The story was a little far-fetched, but it was a cute romantic drama. The almost kissing scenes in the beginning of the film had everyone at the edge on had all the students on the edge of their seats. People shouted out "kiss her already." The awkwardness of the main characters was portrayed perfectly throughout the movie. The kissing scenes by the fence as he is about to leave for college and the scene by the tree at the beginning of the film are as awkward as the scene at the end when they finally kiss. The awkward kiss is a reference to their innocence and childhood crush on one another.
The whole movie was an absolute master piece. The innocence portrayed by Lillian Gish was extraordinary. The close ups were amazing. Although it was a silent film, I could feel every emotion she felt by the small gestures in her face. I wanted cry when William proposed to Betty and punch her she was in Susie's house after the rain storm. The emotions were more believable than the plot itself due to the amazing acting. The few colors of the film added to the emotions of Susie. The yellow showed her jealousy of Betty. The blue during the rain storm represented her longing for William and the betrayal of the partying Betty.
The plot of the film was adorable from beginning to end. I truly believe that both of the main actors were from the country. The values in the film were portrayed as old fashioned values. William went to college and studied religion and became the preacher of his home town. The women stayed at home and kept care of the house. Susie's best friend was a cow. The entire town was so quaint and added to the aesthetics of the film.
Days of Heaven (1978)
Beautiful Cinematography
Days of Heaven is a film about the social class structure and effects of love in the 1920's in the United States. The film is centered three characters and voiced over by the innocent little sister, Linda, of Richard Gere's character.
The plot was quite simple. A man and woman are searching for prosperity as common labors early 20th century. They flee the Chicago after Richard Gere's character loses his temper and hits boss with a shovel. The climax of the film is the repetition of this action, he murders his lovers husband and flees farm. The entire plot is a cycle of hurt, shame, and loss of innocence. The gorgeous the cinema photography tied in the concept of isolation and shame felt by the characters. The endless wheat fields and the isolated structure of the house shield the oblivious farmer from his wife's love affair with her "brother" and the shame of the wife for cheating on him in their material fake world.
The chemistry between the characters is believable, except for the brother/sister relationship between Richard Gere and Linda Manz. It may have been the time period, but he did not seem to care if she was safe. He left her behind after he and his lover relationship ended without saying goodbye. The woman and her wife are the only characters that seem to care for the child.
The ending of the film was bitter sweet. The man dies, which of course, is poetic justice for killing a man. The woman is left alone forever guilty of betraying both of the men she loved. The little girl is left at a female orphanage. The ending is open ended. The film started with the train tracks and ended the same way. Both female characters wonder down the train tracks into unknown futures.
Tsotsi (2005)
Great World Film
Tsotsi was an inspirational film about redemption of a young man in South Africa. This world film appealed to all classes of society around the globe . The redemption in the movie is simple. The young man finds redemption after he kidnaps a baby from a car that he stole from middle class family. The ending was perfect. He can still change after he is release from jail. The film centered on a young troubled man in the slums of Soweto in South Africa. The man, Tsotsi, ran away from a broken household to escape from his abusive father leaving behind his dying mother suffering from AIDS. He grows up in the slums and takes to a life of crime and violence. The climax of the film is when he finds a baby in the film and he begins to care for the child. The film was the one of the best foreign productions I have seen in quite some time. I was a little confused at the beginning about how this short young man controlled a group of criminals. The integrate place of the flashbacks explained why this man was heartless and why he turned to the life of crime. I found the flashbacks of his household the most appealing aspect of the film. The scene where Tsotsi father broke the dogs back was the worst kind of cruelty in the world. I nearly started crying like the little boy and if I was in that situation I would run away from home too. The only aspect of the film that was not appealing was the mother of the other baby that feeds "David" before Tsotsi steals the milk from his family's home. As he cares for the child he begins to exhibit emotions and rediscover humanity. At the end of the movie he changes into a white shirt symbolizing redemption/David and returns the baby to his parents.
Simón del desierto (1965)
Pillar of Confusion
I have one word to describe this film, WHAT? The film was a really unusual hypocritical view on the Christianity religion. The man was placed a on a tower that was literally placed in the desert that towered over everything. Simon wanted to be excluded from the world and wanted to be closer to God. He performed miracles, but the one showed in the film was a man that had both his hands were cut off for stealing. God gave him back his hands to provide for his family and the first thing he does is slap his cheeky son in the face. The film mocks Christian values with comedic banter. The most entertaining scenes were the ones with the sheep farmer. He mocked the young monk and insulted Simon on his tower. He was deformed and probably needed a miracle from God and yet he was content with his life and never asked Simon to ask God to help him. The scenes with the devil are shocking. On moment the devil is playing and the next moment she is exposing her breast. She is definitely creepy and convincing as sadistic creature. The ending was the probably the most confusing part of the film and I still don't fully understand the exact meaning of the ending. The film left the audience with a feeling of disappointment, confusion, and several questions. The devil's last attempt to persuade Simon from his righteous path transported them to the 1960s. One moment they are standing on the pillar and a commercial airline flies overhead and they are in a club. The devil dances while Simon drinks alone in a corner. The main question was "Did he turn his back on God?" or did he remain loyal. The unusual confusing ending ruined the entire film experience.