“Would you fight for me?”
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Review:
They casually kill a couple of people, too. Fun. The single redeeming feature of their lifestyle is, not surprisingly, their rides out on the open road:
… but these simply serve as interstitial respite. As noted in TV Guide’s review, “Even Nicholson’s presence can’t lift this trash to a one-star listing.”
Notable Performances, Qualities, and Moments:
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“It’s not hard to die well. The hard thing is to live well.”
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Response to Peary’s Review:
He describes the story as “set in Rome during the height of Nazi power, when [a] Gestapo leader [Harry Feist] makes a concerted effort to weed out members of the underground,” specifically “those who try to avoid detection: a kindly priest (a wonderful performance by Aldo Fabrizi)”:
… “a resistance leader [Marcello Pagliero]”:
… “a young boy [Vito Annichiarico], and the man [Francesco Grandjacquet] who is about to marry the boy’s mother (Anna Magnani).”
He points out that “the girlfriend [Maria Michi] of the resistance fighter falls under the drugs-money-lies spell of a lesbian Gestapo officer [Giovanna Galletti]”:
… “and helps set a trap that nets the Nazis both the resistance leader and the priest,” leading to a “devastating sequence” in which “the Gestapo leader, who’s much like the Bela Lugosi maniac that Hollywood typically cast in such roles, tortures the resister while forcing the priest to look on.”
Peary notes that “of course, this picture is an attack on the Nazi mentality as well as on collaborators who had no idea of the agony they caused.”
However, “it is also a tribute to those political prisoners who withstood Nazi torture stoically, the members of the resistance, those simple but quick-thinking people who risked their lives to help the underground, and the children who played an essential part in the movement when few men were left in the city.”
Peary notes that while “there are many powerful scenes,” his “favorite moment is tender, when the boy hugs his would-be stepfather before going to sleep — he is still a child.”
Quite a bit has been written and discussed about this formative Italian movie, which remains a remarkably potent film about resilience in the face of persistent evil. The movie’s most famous sequence — involving Magnani running down a street as her lover is taken away — packs a visceral punch to the gut like few other movie moments I can recall:
(Try watching it a few times and you’ll see what I mean — it’s never not heartbreaking.) Speaking of Magnani, she brings earthy zest and pragmatism to her role as a pregnant widow whose hopes for marriage are put on hold:
… while former comedic actor Fabrizi is unexpectedly poignant in a central role that allows him to portray the full complexity of a priest committed to both his religious beliefs and his political convictions. This fine film remains well worth a look. Notable Performances, Qualities, and Moments:
Must See? Categories
(Listed in 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die) Links: |
“I’m suffering for love. I’m suffering!”
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Review:
The second film — with its focus on (perceived) immaculate conception and pregnancy outside of marriage — was, not surprisingly, highly controversial upon release.
It was repackaged for American distribution in 1950 — along with Renoir’s A Day in the Country (1936) and Pagnol’s Jofroi (1933) — as The Ways of Love, and ended up serving as the basis for a Supreme Court case about free speech. According to a 2008 book entitled The Miracle Case: Film Censorship and the Supreme Court, by Laura Wittern-Keller and Raymond J. Haberski, Jr.:
Thankfully, “A surprisingly unanimous Court ruled in The Miracle case that movies did indeed fall under the free speech and free press protections of the First Amendment.” Film fanatics can now view both short films in their original Italian configuration, and enjoy them simply for Magnani’s powerhouse performances. Notable Performances, Qualities, and Moments:
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“A film is a petrifying source of thought. It brings dead acts to life. It makes it possible to give apparent reality to the unreal.”
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Review:
… Cocteau seems to want to show off how many cinematic friends and influences he has, featuring additional cameos by Jean-Pierre Léaud:
… Pablo Picasso:
… and Yul Brynner:
Sadly, there’s little point to any of it; one hopes Cocteau at least enjoyed the process. Notable Performances, Qualities, and Moments:
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“A legend is entitled to be beyond time and place.”
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Response to Peary’s Review:
Peary asserts that Cocteau “takes the experiences of the classical Orpheus — his pursuit of and cat-and-mouse game with Death, his journey into the underworld after Eurydice” and “uses them as the means by which Marais learns about death, eternity, love, his art, [and] himself” — and, as a poet capable of “surreal experiences,” he “has no restrictions on his imagination: people can come back from the dead; pass through mirrors; [and] travel through a netherworld while time stands still back home.”
Peary argues that the “film would work better if Orpheus’s love for [his] wife Eurydice (Marie Dea) were more convincing; as it is, [he doesn’t] understand why Death [Casares], who loves Orpheus, would send him back to his wife, especially since he desires Death more.”
(To me, this seems like a classic instance of all characters in the play — including Death herself — acknowledging The Poet’s genius and doing what they can to ensure his fame, work, and genetics, are allowed to flourish.) Peary concludes his review by pointing out that “Nicolas Hayer’s cinematography is excellent, the special effects are magical, the underground sets are haunting, and the dynamic Cesares gives that fellow who played Death in The Seventh Seal a run for his money.”
While I appreciate Cocteau’s artistic vision — like Peary, I admire the cinematography, sets, effects, and dynamic Casares’ performance — I’m not a personal fan of this film. Tales of self-absorbed (male) artists who believe their creative output takes precedence over all else, and who treat their loyal spouses terribly, are exactly not my cup of tea — so for me, this movie remains of historical curiosity and little more. However, film fanatics will surely want to check it out once. Notable Performances, Qualities, and Moments:
Must See? Categories
(Listed in 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die) Links: |
“She’s hoping I’ll die — but I’m not going to.”
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Response to Peary’s Review:
Peary points out that this “realistic film has many deeply moving sequences — you won’t forget Umberto sitting in his room, which has been virtually destroyed because the landlady is having it converted into a parlor”:
… “or Umberto searching for his dog at the pound”:
… “or the maid silently going through her morning routine while obviously thinking of her unhappy future.”
An ongoing theme of the film is that Umberto is “too proud to ask his well-off acquaintances for a needed loan (and they never offer it)”:
… “or join the growing number of beggars in the city” — though he does attempt to sell as many of his items as possible to collect money for his back rent.
However, “Umberto feels increasingly lost and tired, and would commit suicide if he didn’t worry about the welfare of [his] dog.”
Umberto D. is an emotionally challenging film to watch, especially given how strongly its central issues continue to resonate today — we’re not a whole lot closer to providing any kind of security to those living on the margins of survival. As usual, it’s non-governmental organizations that step up to provide a safety net, as when Umberto goes to a private Catholic hospital to recover from tonsillitis and receives a week of care, shelter, and steady food:
Meanwhile, the unfeeling nature of the ever-present bourgeoise is epitomized by Umberto’s self-absorbed landlady, who bears a passing resemblance to Lana Turner:
This neo-realistic classic (often considered the final film of the “movement”) remains well worth a look by all film fanatics — who should nonetheless be prepared to shed some well-deserved tears, especially during the moments leading up to the “glorious final shot, which allows Umberto D., Flike, and us at least a moment of relief.”
Notable Performances, Qualities, and Moments:
Must See? Categories
(Listed in 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die) Links: |
“No mother is a friend to her son.”
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Review:
As always with Cocteau’s work, there are numerous disturbing themes and topics at play — from de Bray’s unhealthy distress at learning her son won’t be coming home to her (she has to be reminded, “Michel is no longer a child, he’s a man.”), to the revelation that Marais has fallen in love with his father’s mistress (who is herself unaware of this relationship until a key moment in the storyline).
Meanwhile, the meddling of “Aunt Leo” (Dorziat) hints at yet more weird dynamics in this self-proclaimed “caravan” of a household, especially given she was once romantically interested in Andre herself.
Most impressive among the cast is Marais (Cocteau’s real-life lover and partner), whose performance as “The Beast” is likely his best-known portrayal on-screen. It’s interesting to see him teaming up once again with Day (“Beauty”) in a more realistic pairing:
However, while Cocteau fans will certainly want to check this one out, it’s not must-see viewing for all film fanatics. Notable Performances, Qualities, and Moments:
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“We never play the game anymore.”
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Response to Peary’s Review:
… “and her slightly younger brother, Paul (Edouard Dermithe), with whom she has always shared a room and for whom she has incestuous feelings.”
After outlining the film’s odd narrative, Peary describes how each of the four main characters eventually “becomes emotionally distressed,” noting that “the ‘stolen kisses’ theme, the pretentious young characters, the males who allow women to push them around, the narration that reveals characters’ foolish, innermost thoughts and motives, and the characters who are driven by their hearts were certainly an influence on Francois Truffaut.” He also points out that “the unpredictable and fascinating Elisabeth anticipates Jeanne Moreau’s Catherine in Jules and Jim, particularly in how she relates to Paul and Gerard in their scenes together”:
… and he notes that the “opening snowball sequence is taken from Cocteau’s 1930 debut film, The Blood of a Poet.”
This surreal-ish film will likely most appeal to those who enjoy Cocteau’s sensibilities — and to that end, there is plenty to reflect on and analyze, including but not limited to themes of homoeroticism:
… gender fluidity:
… incest:
… and the similar appearances of not only (male) “Dargelos” and (female) “Agathe” (played by the same actress):
… but also “weak and passive” Paul and “fire and ice” Elisabeth. The eventual machinations Elisabeth resorts to in the final third of the film reveal her to be a monstrously possessive female on a par with horror film villainesses or sociopathic femmes fatales; it’s just too bad we don’t quite understand the “why” behind what she does or anything else that goes on in this twisted universe. Notable Performances, Qualities, and Moments:
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“If my husband were out of the way, we could put our troubles behind us.”
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Response to Peary’s Review:
Peary notes that this “fatalistic, moodily photographed murder drama undoubtedly influenced American film noir, thematically and visually” — though interestingly, Simon’s character is presented from the beginning as the sympathetic victim of not only an abusive husband but a traumatic past, and her willingness to manipulate Gabin only gradually emerges. With that said, Peary argues that “the way femme fatale Simon uses sex to take control of Gabin — to make him act stupidly so he’ll fall into a trap — reminds [him] of how Kathleen Turner handles William Hurt in Body Heat,” and that’s one possible way to interpret things here.
Regardless, we’re kept genuinely in suspense throughout, wondering what moves each individual will make next given that none of them — Gabin, Simon, or Ledoux — is predictable. Renoir makes excellent use of real-life railroad locales, and the investment he made in encouraging Gabin to learn how to actually conduct a train shows up in the film’s overall air of authenticity:
Watch for Renoir himself in a cameo role as the unfortunate passenger who ends up wrongfully taking the blame for Berlioz’s death:
Remade by Fritz Lang in 1954 as Human Desire, which is equally worthy viewing. Notable Performances, Qualities, and Moments:
Must See? Categories
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“I’ve gotten a bit lost in all your stories.”
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Response to Peary’s Review:
… but Ophüls’s presentation is so elegant… and the actors are so classy that we’re soon caught up in the romance and are vicariously experiencing the lovers’ simultaneous feelings of pleasure and anguish.”
He points out that “Danielle Darrieux gives an exquisite performance as the frivolous, fickle wife of a humorless general,” who secretly buys back the earrings “and gives them to his mistress, who eventually sells them.”
Equally impressive (though less central) are the performances by both Boyer and De Sica, who artfully embody their upper-crust characters in ways that consistently feel plausible.
However, the true “star” of the show (as always) is Ophüls’s vision and camerawork. Working in collaboration with his incredible team (including DP Christian Matras), Ophüls knew exactly what he was going for at each moment of the storyline, and brought that to fruition. This tragic classic remains well worth a look. Notable Performances, Qualities, and Moments:
Must See? Categories
(Listed in 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die) Links: |
