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velvet donkey posted:

You'll no beat Once Upon A Time In The West.

 

Ennio and Sergio at the apex.

Almost a unique non-musical film where the director (Sergio Leone) worked with the composer (Ennio Morricone) to create a work of art fusing film with music. Each key character has a musical theme.

 

Although it's a violent film, it's less violent than most modern westerns and nowadays gets a 12 cerificate.

 

Not to be confused with Leone's Once Upon a time in America. Although Morricone also composed the music some of which is very similar to that in the West, it's far too violent to be watchable as a work of art.

El Loro

I did describe Once upon a time in the West as almost unique, The other film which I was thinking of was Sergei Eisenstein's Alexander Nevsky (1938) with the music composed by Sergei Prokofiev. Again the two worked together to create a work of art.

 

Just a clip showing the precursor to the Battle on the Ice:

Another film worth warching. It's rated PG though I think it could get a 12 if classified now as there's a very disturbing scene showing young children being thrown into a fire.

El Loro

If I were to choose the Ennio Morricone piece of music over all others it would be for the final scene of Cinema Paradiso. It's best to see the whole film to put the final scene into context but it's still a powerfully emotional scene. The film is about a youngster growing up and his relationship with the local cinema projectionist. Years later as a grown up he returns and is presented with a short reel. The reel consists of films which were cut out of films in the past as they were considered improper for audiences.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PjtJkBUVFVY

Link posted rather than embedding the clip as there's bits of very brief nudity in the snippets

El Loro
velvet donkey posted:

Look at the comments under that clip       

 

There are greats and there are mere pretenders. He was/is ethereal.

As you can see, I'm not the only person who found the film and ending emotionally powerful.

 

I lent my parents my Cinema Paradiso DVD. They rebuked me for letting them watch the film, they really hated it. But they hated other famous films which many people love - Breakfast at Tiffanys and Some Like it Hot. Why, I don't know,

El Loro
El Loro posted:

If I were to choose the Ennio Morricone piece of music over all others it would be for the final scene of Cinema Paradiso. It's best to see the whole film to put the final scene into context but it's still a powerfully emotional scene. The film is about a youngster growing up and his relationship with the local cinema projectionist. Years later as a grown up he returns and is presented with a short reel. The reel consists of films which were cut out of films in the past as they were considered improper for audiences.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PjtJkBUVFVY

Link posted rather than embedding the clip as there's bits of very brief nudity in the snippets

I love Ennio.....my faves are Once upon a time in America ....Once upon a Time in the West ....and the Mission  And one of my fave albums is with Ennio, Yo Yo Ma and the Roma Sinfonetta 

Baz
Last edited by Baz
El Loro posted:

Baz, although I didn't like The Mission as I found it too downbeat, Ennio Morricone's music for it is beautiful. Gabriel's Oboe, pictures are of Plitvice Lakes in Croatia:

I agree about the film El....but I loved the music .....I’ve got quite a few pieces of his music on my devices 

Baz
Last edited by Baz
El Loro posted:

I lent my parents my Cinema Paradiso DVD. They rebuked me for letting them watch the film, they really hated it. But they hated other famous films which many people love - Breakfast at Tiffanys and Some Like it Hot. Why, I don't know,

Oh, that's a shame, EL. I took my mum to see "Cinema Paradiso" at the cinema, and she loved it. I even got her the Special Edition as a birthday present (this was still the 80's, so it was VHS! ).

 

As I'm sure you're aware, the international release we saw in the UK was heavily cut (about 30 mins) from the original Italian release, which apparently hadn't done too well at the local box office. The version I got mum had that restored footage, but then the much later director's cut included around another 20 mins on top of that, to bring the film close to 3 hours.

Eugene's Lair
Last edited by Eugene's Lair

A couple of movies on TV this week which I thought might be worth highlighting for those who haven't seen them before:

 

"Brooklyn" - BBC1 tonight (Sun), 8.30pm

IMO, a really well done (and surprisingly rare) examination of the Irish Diaspora, told through the eyes of a young woman in the 50s. Saoirse Ronan got her 2nd Oscar nomination (and first leading role nod) for this, and of course she got her 3rd nomination recently for "Lady Bird".

 

"Short Term 12" - BBC1 Wednesday, 11.45pm

I've been banging on about this for ages. Before she won an Oscar for "Room", Brie Larson should have (IMO) got nominated for this film about the staff and children at a short term foster-care facility: think Tracey Beaker, but aimed at an adult audience. Not always an easy watch (and it veers close to melodrama towards the end), but a sensitive and compassionate handling of difficult subject matters.

Eugene's Lair
Last edited by Eugene's Lair

Just watched "Mother" with Jennifer Lawrence.  Blimey that was a film that unremittingly unpleasant and distressing for the lead character.  I think there's an allegory in there somewhere but I don't know what it might be. 

 

Hats off to JL for taking such a risk in a film that is way off what's expected of a Hollywood blockbuster.  That will do her acting career no harm without being many people's cup of tea.  For me, I don't really know what to make of it.  I've never seen a film like it.  I'd recommend watching it but you're just as likely to despise it or find it deeply unpleasant than like it.   It's one of those films that I have to read what other people thought of it. 

 

Critical opinion seems to be between work of genius and pretentious hamfisted claptrap. 

Carnelian
Last edited by Carnelian
Saint posted:

Watched The Babadook the other day

This was a good idea looking for a good story line

Sadly it was a let down with a limp ending

A bit, but the characterisation, acting, suspense, quirky antiquated imagery and dialogue was first class.  The characters were well-rounded and it really drew me in emotionally so that nothing but a happy ending would do.  Often with horrors or thrillers the characters are so dull or clichÃĐd you don't really care if they all die or not.

Carnelian
Last edited by Carnelian
Carnelian posted:

Just watched "Mother" with Jennifer Lawrence.  Blimey that was a film that unremittingly unpleasant and distressing for the lead character.  I think there's an allegory in there somewhere but I don't know what it might be. 

 

Hats off to JL for taking such a risk in a film that is way off what's expected of a Hollywood blockbuster.  That will do her acting career no harm without being many people's cup of tea.  For me, I don't really know what to make of it.  I've never seen a film like it.  I'd recommend watching it but you're just as likely to despise it or find it deeply unpleasant than like it.   It's one of those films that I have to read what other people thought of it. 

 

Critical opinion seems to be between work of genius and pretentious hamfisted claptrap. 

I really admired "Mother!" - to the extent that I watched it twice in the cinema - but I agree: it's a difficult watch (intentionally so), and as you say, it's been very divisive. It's one of a number of movies recently to use horror-style techniques very effectively to make the audience feel uncomfortable. One example from "Mother!": apart from the very beginning and end of the movie, Aronofsky only uses 3 basic shots - (1) directly on Jennifer Lawrence; (2) her POV; and (3) from behind JL looking over her shoulder - that's it. So basically you're with JL for the whole movie.

 

In terms of allegory: well, there have been a number of suggested interpretations, but at a basic level I'm sure you noticed that it retold episodes from the bible, both Old and New Testaments (the film's version of the great flood in particular made me laugh!) Also, it's generally accepted that JL is playing "Mother Nature" (with the house being the planet). Aronofsky has been very involved in environmental issues for some time, and he also brought these themes into his previous movie "Noah".

 

As for JL: the thing is that while she was still only in her early-20s she found herself with an Oscar to her name and able to command fees of $20 million , and she realised that she could do whatever the heck she wanted  - and to her credit, that's exactly what she's doing. Both "Mother!" and her more recent "Red Sparrow" are "difficult" movies, and certainly not the sort of easy, Hollywood crowd pleasers you might expect. The up-coming "Bad Blood" (based on the true story of Elizabeth Holmes) also sounds very interesting...

Eugene's Lair
Last edited by Eugene's Lair
velvet donkey posted:

That's if cinema's art.

Heheh: I think "Diva" is definitely more "art" than "cinema"... 

 

I remember seeing it on TV many years ago, and the screening was introduced by the film director Alex Cox ("Repo Man", "Sid and Nancy", etc.). He wasn't particularly negative about the movie over all, but I do remember him saying that while "Diva" doesn't appear to have had a lot of directing, it does have an awful lot of art directing, e.g. a whole scene based around the look of a fag packet... 

 

[BTW: the cinematographer for "Diva" was Philippe Rousselot: Oscar-winner for "A River Runs Through It", and one of the greats. He's currently DoP on the "Fantastic Beasts" movies.]

Eugene's Lair
Last edited by Eugene's Lair
velvet donkey posted:

And a shout out to David Mamet.

 

Glengarry Glenross.

 

Powerhouse     

I'm a big fan of much of Mamet's other work as well, e.g. "House of Games". 

 

Back in the day when it was still fun to bait 419-scammers, my colleagues and I (at my suggestion) used the pseudonym "David Mamet" in homage to his movie "The Spanish Prisoner", which was named after the 419-inspiring con trick...

Eugene's Lair
Eugene's Lair posted:
Carnelian posted:

Just watched "Mother" with Jennifer Lawrence.  Blimey that was a film that unremittingly unpleasant and distressing for the lead character.  I think there's an allegory in there somewhere but I don't know what it might be. 

 

Hats off to JL for taking such a risk in a film that is way off what's expected of a Hollywood blockbuster.  That will do her acting career no harm without being many people's cup of tea.  For me, I don't really know what to make of it.  I've never seen a film like it.  I'd recommend watching it but you're just as likely to despise it or find it deeply unpleasant than like it.   It's one of those films that I have to read what other people thought of it. 

 

Critical opinion seems to be between work of genius and pretentious hamfisted claptrap. 

I really admired "Mother!" - to the extent that I watched it twice in the cinema - but I agree: it's a difficult watch (intentionally so), and as you say, it's been very divisive. It's one of a number of movies recently to use horror-style techniques very effectively to make the audience feel uncomfortable. One example from "Mother!": apart from the very beginning and end of the movie, Aronofsky only uses 3 basic shots - (1) directly on Jennifer Lawrence; (2) her POV; and (3) from behind JL looking over her shoulder - that's it. So basically you're with JL for the whole movie.

 

In terms of allegory: well, there have been a number of suggested interpretations, but at a basic level I'm sure you noticed that it retold episodes from the bible, both Old and New Testaments (the film's version of the great flood in particular made me laugh!) Also, it's generally accepted that JL is playing "Mother Nature" (with the house being the planet). Aronofsky has been very involved in environmental issues for some time, and he also brought these themes into his previous movie "Noah".

 

As for JL: the thing is that while she was still only in her early-20s she found herself with an Oscar to her name and able to command fees of $20 million , and she realised that she could do whatever the heck she wanted  - and to her credit, that's exactly what she's doing. Both "Mother!" and her more recent "Red Sparrow" are "difficult" movies, and certainly not the sort of easy, Hollywood crowd pleasers you might expect. The up-coming "Bad Blood" (based on the true story of Elizabeth Holmes) also sounds very interesting...

Thanks EL for your take, better than mine I must admit.  I don't know if it's a film I'd watch again knowing unremitting misfortune placed on the lead character but definitely one that blew me away and one I'd recommend anyone to try, with the proviso that they may hate it.

 

Oddly, I've a lot more time for JL as an actor than JL as a media personality, which is where her popularity lies.  I find her quite annoying as a media personality but as you say, she's taking risks, pushing boundaries and she deserves applause for that, not like recent box office leading ladies like  Jennifer Anniston, Kate Beckinsale  and Angelina Jolie - who've just milked the romcom and kick-ass hottie fantasy markets.

Carnelian
Last edited by Carnelian

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