Grand Illusion

(La Grande illusion)
Jean Renoir, France, 1938
3 out of 4 stars

This classic film attempts to deal with the legacy of the first world war, as the countries involved teetered on the verge of the next one. It's an interesting exercise, albeit one that is perhaps almost lost on a 21st century American. Of course, the first thing that struck me was the unreal, "gentleman-like" manner in which the French officers are treated after they are captured and placed in the officer's prison camp. It's obvious, but it's still quite amazing to see the ways in which the class structure took precedence over nationalism even in times of war. This is still effective today, because this phenomenon was basically put to death by the war depicted (offscreen) here, and we regard it today with as much puzzlement as viewers then would have (okay, probably more).

If you've seen the film, however, you'll object to my over-simplification of the special treatment recieved by officers as due to the class structure. In fact, I assumed it was that simple for at least the first half of the film, because I was blind to the subtle, but frequent hints of class difference between the officers themselves. It was only after a complete change of scenery that these issues came surging to the surface. It's probably not a coincidence, then, that I really didn't appreciate this second half anywhere near as much as the first half, as I didn't really understand what the source of the conflict was until it was, finally, spelled out for me (and the fact that the film eventually does so indicates that these issues were perhaps already a bit muddled for some people as of 1933). The conflict itself is interesting, but it does feel a bit protracted. Finally, the film concludes with a fairly-tired road/buddy movie sequence that, thankfully, doesn't last all that long. I imagine that even this part of the film is probably more influential than tired, but some things are hard to appreciate in retrospect.

So, just to sum up, I was pretty impressed by the portion of the film that takes place in the first concentration camp. The message was clear and the surreal nature of the proceedings kept me interested. After that part, the film was still strong, but it was harder for me to relate to it, and by the end, I felt like everything had been dragged out for longer than necessary. Considering that this is a revered classic, it's probably not a fair judgment, but it's mine nonetheless!

Source: Home Vision DVD
19 Aug, 8:35 PM

Stardust

Matthew Vaughn, UK / USA, 2007
3.5 out of 4 stars

In a recent interview, Neil Gaiman wonders aloud whether this new film adaptation of his illustrated fantasy novella can really make a go of it, explaining that it is "the thing itself" whereas something established in popularity such as Shrek is "a comedy... that's making fun of the thing." After seeing it, I was tempted to disagree with him, as this film does not, by any means, play things as straightforward as the two major fantasy franchises of our day. That said, Shrek is probably the closest cousin in terms of subject matter (the faux medieval, rather than the pre-medieval or modern) and, furthermore, the film's gross is singularly unimpressive, particularly considering how in vogue fantasy is today.

That's a shame, because this was a film that I thought really struck the perfect balance between mocking and embracing the conventions inherent in the "fairy tale" genre (if there is such a thing anymore). Admittedly, you could very easily make the critique that this film is just a parade of zany and whimsical characters with a quest that barely even qualifies as a quest tying them together. All this is somewhat true, but there is a real charm to the proceedings, and a real love of fantasy is apparent, but the filmmakers also show that they are not blind to the absurdities of it. The platitudes that it espouses, about people being free to understand and appreciate their uniqueness, are familiar, yet appreciated, and the chemistry between the two leads is strong. Definitely a strong effort.

Source: Paramount 35mm print
17 Aug, 1 PM

The Twilight Samurai

(Tasogare Seibei)
Yamada Yoji, Japan, 2002
3.5 out of 4 stars

This is either the world's slowest action movie, or it contains the best couple of fight scenes you could ever expect to see in a historical romance, but either way, it's a surprisingly effective film because of, not in spite of, its languorous pace. Through occasional flashback voice overs, a woman tells us about her samurai father, Seibei, who raised her and her sister after their mother died and found, perhaps to his surprise, a contented, if difficult existence in which he was focused not on raising his meager status or on drinking at the bar with his co-workers (he seems to be an accountant, actually), but on taking care of them. Seibei's priorities, however, generate some negative attention from his superiors and colleagues alike. is If this doesn't sound like enough to base a plot on, there's also a female childhood friend involved, in addition to the occasional hints that the age of the samurai is very quickly nearing an end, leading to questions about everyone's role in society.

This may well sound like a downer, but actually, it is a very hopeful and engaging movie, and when people make choices that are, to put it lightly, not exactly audience-pleasing, there is always some clear, understandable motivation behind it. I don't know if this is what the samurai was "really" like (and in fact, Seibei is not supposed to be a regular samurai at all, or even a typical man for his time), but it certainly gives a well-rounded, full realized portrayal on the individual, family, and cultural levels, and is all the more rewarding for when the action actually does come (by which point I really didn't expect it at all).

Source: Empire DVD
15 Aug, 9:14 PM