A landmark collaboration between writer H. G. Wells, producer Alexander Korda, and designer and director William Cameron Menzies, Things to Come is a science fiction film like no other, a prescient political work that predicts a century of turmoil and progress. Skipping through time, Things to Come bears witness to world war, disease, dictatorship, and, finally, utopia. Conceived, written, and overseen by Wells himself as an adaptation of his own work, this megabudget production, the most ambitious ever from Korda’s London Films, is a triumph of technical audacity. - Criterion.com The City Cinematheque episode on Welles & Things To Come is an interesting intro/background to this Criterion entry.
This was a fantastic film! I'm not sure why this isn't more well known and mentioned among his great films. Shame Directed by Ingmar Bergman • 1968 • Sweden Starring Liv Ullmann, Max von Sydow Directed by Ingmar Bergman, SHAME (SKAMMEN) is at once an examination of the violent legacy of World War II and a scathing response to the escalation of the conflict in Vietnam. Max von Sydow and Liv Ullmann star as musicians living in quiet retreat on a remote island farm, until the civil war that drove them from the city catches up with them there. Amid the chaos of the military struggle, vividly evoked by pyrotechnics and by cinematographer Sven Nykvist’s handheld camera work, the two are faced with impossible moral choices that tear at the fabric of their relationship. This film, which contains some of the most devastating scenes in Bergman’s oeuvre, shows the impact of war on individual lives.
Charlie Chaplin The Mutual Comedies (1916, 1917) In the two-reel comedies Charlie Chaplin created for the Mutual Film Corporation between 1916 and 1917, the slapstick virtuoso sometimes played an inebriate, a fireman, or a prop man in a movie studio; but most of all, he further explored and developed the Little Tramp character who would come to stand as one of cinema’s most immortal comic creations. The Little Tramp of these films became arguably the most famous and recognizable character in the world, while Chaplin himself became the highest-paid filmmaker of his time. In these twelve definitive classics of silent screen comedy, Chaplin perfected what would become his trademark themes and techniques and created what many critics and enthusiasts regard as his finest work. - Criterion Channel The Floorwalker (1916), The Fireman (1916), The Vagabond (1916), One A.M. (1916), The Count (1916), The Pawnshop (1916), Behind the Screen (1916), The Rink (1916), Easy Street (1917), The Cure (1917), The Immigrant (1917), The Adventurer (1917)
Cassavetes never disappoints, IMO. Opening Night Directed by John Cassavetes • 1977 • United States Starring Gena Rowlands, John Cassavetes, Ben Gazzara While in the midst of rehearsals for her latest play, Broadway actor Myrtle Gordon (Gena Rowlands) witnesses the accidental death of an adoring young fan, after which she begins to confront the chaos of her own life. Headlined by a virtuoso performance by Rowlands, John Cassavetes’s OPENING NIGHT lays bare the drama of a performer who, at great personal cost, makes a part her own, and it functions as a metaphor for the director’s singular, wrenched-from-the-heart creative method.
Funny, I was just thiking about this one; particularly, Joan Blondell's performance. When I first watched this eons ago I had no idea who Blondell was. After watching her in several 30s classics I have a different appreciation for what she does here. I think Cassavetes banked on her earthy siren reputation when he cast her as the fading sophisticate. It makes her a more compassionate character, considering Gena Rowlands problems relating to her as a female colleague. Anyone unfamiliar with Blondell's legend might otherwise find her attitude toward Rowlands simply patronizing and/or envious. The real empathy she had for other characters in her early films, which became something of trademark, is a bit overshadowed by Rowlands' bravura. In so many ways this is, unmistakably, an actor's film.
I have watched 16 Bergman films in the last couple weeks. I can't believe it has taken me this long to dive into his films. I had seen a couple many years ago, but they must not have made a huge impression on me. Now I am obsessed! I guess it depends on what movies you start with and what your expectations are. He is so much more than the art house pretentious director that he so often gets labeled as. What is surprising to me is a few of his most widely praised films have been a couple of my least favorites so far. I have liked all of them, but I am in awe of how many great movies he has that are not well known. I want to start a Bergman thread once I watch a few more important films. Anyone here seen most of his movies? I wish I bought the Bergman Criterion set during the last flash sale. I hope I can grab a copy on the next one before it goes out of print. What an amazing cast of actors and actresses he used in his films, and enough can't be said about Sven Nykvist and Gunnar Fischer. I am so happy to finally discover all these wonderful films! I just finished what is perhaps his most famous film. I get why it is so influential and it has some wonderful moments, but I have to say it ranks near the bottom of the 16 movies I have watched so far. The Seventh Seal Directed by Ingmar Bergman • 1957 • Sweden Starring Max von Sydow, Inga Landgré, Gunnar Björnstrand Returning exhausted from the Crusades to find medieval Sweden gripped by the Plague, a knight (Max von Sydow) suddenly comes face-to-face with the hooded figure of Death, and challenges him to a game of chess. As the fateful game progresses, and the knight and his squire encounter a gallery of outcasts from a society in despair, Bergman mounts a profound inquiry into the nature of faith and the torment of mortality. One of the most influential films of its time, THE SEVENTH SEAL is a stunning allegory of man’s search for meaning and a work of stark visual poetry.
I watched the first of the five Bimal Roy films and really enjoyed it. I am going to try to find time for the other four.
I somewhat agree. I expected more from a film by Fritz Lang starring Ray Milland. Both are favorites of mine. Every once in awhile it just doesn't work as well as it should.
One thing about the film that did strike me was how some of the imagery recalled Lang's earlier work, Metropolis:
Back when Netflix meant 3 DVDs in your mailbox, I borrowed every Bergman film they had. Rarely disappointed.
Badlands (1973, Terrence Malick) Terrence Malick's take on the notorious Charles Starkweather killing spree of the late 1950s uses a serial-killer narrative as a springboard for an oblique teenage romance, lovingly and idiosyncratically enacted by Martin Sheen and Sissy Spacek. The film introduced many of the elements that would earn Malick his passionate following: the enigmatic approach to narrative and character, the unusual use of voice-over, the juxtaposition of human violence with natural beauty, the poetic investigation of American dreams and nightmares. This debut has spawned countless imitations, but none have equaled its strange sublimity. - Criterion Channel
Brother To Brother and Vision Portraits are two films by Rodney Evans currently featured by the channel. The first is a classic from 2004 that explores the relationships established by a young writer who deals with issues in the black and gay community, making an interesting touchstone to the early 20th Century Harlem Renaissance. The second award winning 2019 film deals with artists who consider the limits of expression despite diminishing eyesight.
On their next Tavernier retrospective I wish CC would include Round Midnight. The film seldom makes the streaming platform rounds. Rewatching Coup de torchon tonight. I remember not enjoying it when I attempted a viewing many years ago - and for many of the reasons that Tavernier considers in this interview (below) on it!
Just watched early Cronenberg movies Shivers and Rabid, before they leave at the end of the month. Both are interesting and original takes on the horror film, marred a bit by their low budgets and the variable quality of the acting.
In The Mood For Love (2000, Wong Kar-Wai) 2046 is one of my favorite films despite not having seen In The Mood, regarded as prequel of sorts to it. But, as the director says in the above doc, you recognize some things from the other film watching either. Perhaps complimentary is a better way to describe their relationship to each other. Slated for a 3 month shooting schedule the "troubled" production ballooned to 15 months. Wong claims it was his most difficult project but it is, nonetheless, considered one of the best films ever made. Looking forward to a viewing later tonight.
The Man With The Golden Arm (1955) Dir. Otto Preminger Not a big fan of Sinatra the actor, but this was a mesmerizing film, especially considering the era in which it was made. Frankie plays a wannabe jazz drummer with substance abuse problems (to put it mildly) bouncing between the two women in his life like a ping pong ball. Kim Novak is stunning.
Starring Dirk Bogarde: 11 Films A rather underrated actor (from an American point of view, anyway) he's got, nonetheless, an interesting mentality. I've yet to watch a single film starring the British star so this is a welcome retrospective. The above interview was recorded around the time of the release of Victim.
I started my Bogarde run with The Servant, adapted by Harold Pinter from a Robin Maugham novella. It took a couple of viewings to finish it. As soon as the the two main characters are introduced I immediately saw how the scenario was going to unfold. The rest was just suffering through it. If the leads had real chemistry I might have been able to abide it but, though they give good performances separately, the situation comes across all the more pitiful as they seem to have been lumped together simply for this project. It's a Criterion classic but I can't recommend it.
I had a similar reaction when I first saw this film in the mid-70s. Since then I've come to profoundly admire it as a masterpiece. I hope you don't give up on it and watch it again someday. Pinter was such a master at creating uncomfortable situations, and not without purpose.
I added a few of these to my list last night. I started with Cast A Dark Shadow, which I enjoyed. I’m curious about this one.
Yes, but the situation seems less interesting than its inevitable end. The leads, knowingly or not, are out to destroy one another. The set up of servant and master is simply a civilized way of doing it. It's an unsavory game to me - I'd just as soon watch Sleuth. The issues of class and sex, though central, aren't really explored but used as subterfuge for the power struggle between the two. Perhaps Serviced might have been a better title - at least an audience would get a glimmer at the sort of kicks to be had.
