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Category: Response Reviews

My comments on Peary’s reviews in Guide for the Film Fanatic (Simon & Schuster, 1986).

Pather Panchali (1955)

Pather Panchali (1955)

Comments 1 comment

“Who’s to say who’s good and who’s not? People are always cheating you.”

Synopsis:
A young boy (Subir Banerjee) and his sister (Uma Das Gupta) grow up with an aged “auntie” (Chunibala Devi) in rural Bengal while their mother (Karuna Bannerjee) struggles to make ends meet, and their dad (Kanu Bannerjee) is gone looking for work.

Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:

  • Childhood
  • Elderly People
  • Family Problems
  • Indian Films
  • Satyajit Ray Films
  • Survival

Response to Peary’s Review:
Peary writes that this “debut film” by Satyajit Ray — based on an autobiographical novel by Bibhutibhushan Bandyopadhyay — has “an almost documentary feel to it, so authentic is his depiction of life in a small Bengali village, circa 1915.” The rambling storyline primarily shows the young children playing and observing the world around them while their “father remains optimistic despite having little money:”

… instead “letting his wife do all the worrying about town gossip, about Auntie’s bad influence on her daughter (who steals fruit for her, and is accused of snatching a necklace), about the kids not having enough to eat (they get less because Auntie must eat), about the house being in disrepair, and most of all, about their poverty.”

Peary notes that Karuna Bannerjee (who only made 12 films over her career through the mid-’70s) “is a remarkable actress — with a slight turn of the head, a worried look inward with her beautiful eyes, an almost imperceptible intake of air, she conveys immense anguish.”

Meanwhile, as Peary points out, while “the characters are distinctly Indian,” the “picture begins as if it were stressing universal qualities that the two children possess: they lick their lips as the candy man passes by, the attend festivals, they run through the fields and woods:”

… “they get excited when they see trains (Ray’s favorite fate symbol), [and] they fight when Apu gets into [his] big sister’s stuff.”

Peary describes the movie as “beautiful” and “unpretentiously sensitive,” with “humor” but “extremely sad,” noting that while “the characters in the film (including neighbors) love each other” this “doesn’t stop them from hurting each other repeatedly” — but “what is so special are those rare moments when they reveal their love.” This groundbreaking film — directly inspired by The Bicycle Thief (1948), and featuring a haunting score by Ravi Shankar — is both gorgeous and devastating; viewers should be forewarned that it’s an emotionally wrenching, albeit essential, cinematic experience.

Notable Performances, Qualities, and Moments:

  • Fine performances by the entire cast


  • Subrata Mitra’s cinematography

  • Numerous memorable moments

  • Ravi Shankar’s score

Must See?
Yes, of course.

Categories

  • Foreign Gem
  • Genuine Classic
  • Historically Relevant
  • Important Director

(Listed in 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die)

Links:

Nights of Cabiria (1957)

Nights of Cabiria (1957)

Comments 1 comment

“Listen — I’m fine the way I am. I got everything.”

Synopsis:
A prostitute (Giuletta Masina) whose boyfriend has just pushed her in the river and left her to drown recovers and gets back to work, heading out with a famous film star (Amedeo Nazzari) whose petulent girlfriend (Dorian Gray) eventually returns to him, and wandering into a show by a hypnotist (Aldo Silvani) who gets her to be highly vulnerable on stage — at which point a stranger (François Périer) attempts to woo her into marriage.

Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:

  • Federico Fellini Films
  • Italian Films
  • Prostitutes and Gigolos
  • Strong Females

Response to Peary’s Review:
As Peary writes, this “often sad but magical film by Federico Fellini” stars “Giuletta Masina [as] an aging, sweet streetwalker in Rome” who is “tired of hanging around with sleazy street types and being used by disrespectful men” and “dreams of a better life.” However, “she keeps getting knocked to the ground (or thrown into a stream, pushed into a closet, almost tossed off a cliff)” — though “Fellini is compassionate and gives her a moment of festivity and happiness,” which she “deserves… because of her indomitable spirit.”

I’m not sure I fully agree with the rest of Peary’s assessment — particularly his remark that Cabiria “doesn’t wise up and remains completely trusting of men.” Even as Cabiria seems to soften in later portions of the film (her eyebrows literally shift from angled to curved), it’s not men she begins to trust, but rather her ability to make the best of life no matter what is thrown at her.

She fights off jealous or combative women, and while men continue to attempt to take advantage of her, she is always on the ready to defy and deny their assertions that she needs them in order to thrive. For instance, she rejects an offer by a smug pimp (Ennio Girolami) to come under his protection:

… and enjoys dancing in her own inimitable style when taken to a nightclub by Nazzari, caring not a whit that he doesn’t join in.

While Cabiria is temporarily taken in by a “wise” magician who gets her to literally let her guard down:

… and she is slowly flattered by the gentle and insistent attention Périer pays to her:

… she never loses her sense of self-worth or dignity for more than brief moments at a time. Cabiria will get up again and again, and keep joining in the festival of life.

Notable Performances, Qualities, and Moments:

  • Giulietta Masina as Cabiria
  • Aldo Tonti’s cinematography
  • Nino Rota’s score

Must See?
Yes, for Masina’s performance and as an overall powerful show.

Categories

  • Foreign Gem
  • Important Director
  • Noteworthy Performance(s)
  • Oscar Winner or Nominee

(Listed in 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die)

Links:

Fires On the Plain (1959)

Fires On the Plain (1959)

Comments 3 comments

“I was told to die, and I intend to.”

Synopsis:
A tuberculosis-ridden Japanese soldier (Eiji Funakoshi) rejected by both his platoon and the local hospital wanders the desolate plains of the Philippines near the end of World War II, attempting to survive.

Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:

  • Cannibalism
  • Japanese Films
  • Kon Ichikawa Films
  • Soldiers
  • Survival
  • World War Two

Response to Peary’s Review:
As Peary writes, this “shocking vision of war by Kon Ichikawa, adapted by his wife, Natto Wada, from Shohei Ooka’s novel,” is a “unique, unforgettable anti-war film,” focused on the “defeated, retreating Japanese” soldiers “scattered about” the island of Leyte (in the Philippines) who are “awaiting death from starvation, disease, the Americans, or Filipino guerillas who are lighting signal fires off in the wilderness.”

We follow the simple yet horrifying tale of a soldier (Funakoshi) who “wanders deliriously around the island, willing to kill for food, encountering depravity and madness everywhere he goes.”

As Peary writes, “The island becomes a graveyard, with the corpses of the invaders rotting in the mud” and “the survivors hav[ing] become ghouls, cannibalizing their fellow soldiers”: yet “our soldier is a lost soul — his rotting teeth prevent him from eating human meat, his tubercular condition prevents others from eating his flesh, so his misery will not end.”

Yes, this film is exactly as bleak as it sounds, with no reprieve other than glimpses of Funakoshi’s enduring humanity, and the beauty of cinematographer Setsuo Kobayahi’s landscapes.

Alongside Ichikawa’s earlier, more hopeful anti-war film Harp of Burma (1956), this film remains essential if brutal one-time viewing.

Notable Performances, Qualities, and Moments:

  • Eiji Funakoshi as Tamura
  • Setsuo Kobayashi’s cinematography

Must See?
Yes, as a horrifying yet essential entry in Japanese cinema.

Categories

  • Foreign Gem

Links:

Black Orpheus (1959)

Black Orpheus (1959)

Comments 1 comment

“True love? Is there such a thing?”

Synopsis:
A guitar-playing cable-car conductor (Bren Mello) engaged to a pushy flirt (Lourdes de Oliveira) falls in love with a naive young woman (Marpessa Dawn) who has fled to Rio after being chased by a figure clad as Death (Adhemar Ferreira da Silva).

Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:

  • Carnivals and Circuses
  • Love Triangle
  • Musicals
  • South and Central American Films
  • Star-Crossed Lovers

Response to Peary s Review:
As Peary writes, this “popular Brazilian film by Marcel Camus” — which was the “Academy Award Winner for Best Foreign Film” — “updates [the] myth of Orpheus and Eurydice to modern Rio,” set during “carnival time” when “the city is festive and romantic.” He points out this is “one of the first films with black characters that was popular with American white audiences:”

… and that “females tend to like it better than males, perhaps because of [the] extensive dancing and music (indeed, the film is like an epic dance).” He notes it’s “an extremely colorful film, with emphasis on local customs and costumes” as well as “splendid photography by Jean Bourgoin [that] captures [the] glorious setting.”


What Peary’s review curiously neglects to mention is the justifiable controversy over how, as described in Movie Diva’s review, “Poverty was romanticized, with the squalid favelas (shanty towns) shown as picturesque neighborhoods:”

… “blessed with great views and colorful décor, filled with charming, carefree, sexually joyful people.” Indeed, this film — made through the gaze of a white (French) male director — is notable for opening up the world’s eyes and ears to the joys of Brazilian music and dance, but at the cost of authenticity. As such, it’s a decidedly mixed bag — but it remains worth a one-time look by film fanatics simply for its visual and aural beauty, and for its historical relevance.

Notable Performances, Qualities, and Moments:

  • Jean Bourgoin’s cinematography

  • Colorful sets and costumes

  • An incredible score by Luiz Bonfá and Antonio Carlos Jobim

Must See?
Yes, for its historical relevance.

Categories

  • Historically Relevant

(Listed in 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die)

Links:

Ballad of a Soldier (1959)

Ballad of a Soldier (1959)

Comments 1 comment

“Instead of my decoration, could I go home to see my mother?”

Synopsis:
During World War II, a 19-year-old private (Volodya Ivashov) is given unprecedented leave to visit his mother (Antonina Maksimova) for two days, Along the way he helps a wounded soldier (Yevgeni Urbansky) return to his wife, and falls for a beautiful young woman (Zhanna Prokhorenko) stowing away on a train.

Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:

  • First Love
  • Road Trips
  • Russian Films
  • Soldiers
  • World War II

Response to Peary’s Review:
Peary writes that this Soviet-era film — made with “sensitive and warm” direction by Ukrainian Grigori Chukhrai — remains “one of our most powerful anti-war films, one that effectively conveys the suffering of the men and (especially) women who are separated when there is a call to arms.” (Sadly, this remains as true and current as ever in the very region of the world where this movie takes place.) He notes that “the storyline is simple” but by opening the film with narration informing us that Ivashov “was killed in battle during WWII” we view the events that occur through a different perspective.

Peary asserts that “critic Dwight MacDonald correctly criticized this film (in 1960) for making all Russian people and soldiers so lovable” — well, except for that fellow on the train who blackmails Ivashov out of a can of meat:

… but he believes that “the anti-war message is sincerely delivered, and the emphasis on the suffering of those whose husbands and sons are in combat seems correct.” Peary further points out that Chukhrai’s “depiction of women is admirable,” and that he “lovingly films Russia’s landscape and the lovely faces of his actors and actresses.”

I’m in overall agreement with Peary’s review of this simple but touching film, one which humanizes the enemy (Russians) and touches upon the universality of our needs and desires (family, love, connection). Along with The Cranes Are Flying (1957), it provides compelling evidence of a short-lived period of Soviet cinema when creative constraints were temporarily lifted, and remains well worth a look.

Notable Performances, Qualities, and Moments:

  • Atmospheric cinematography

  • Numerous memorable moments

Must See?
Yes, as a classic of post-war Soviet cinema.

Categories

  • Foreign Gem
  • Historically Relevant

Links:

Cranes Are Flying, The (1957)

Cranes Are Flying, The (1957)

Comments 1 comment

“That’s what love is, my dear: a harmless mental illness.”

Synopsis:
During World War II, a young Russian (Tatyana Samoylova) is devastated to learn that her fiance (Aleksey Batalov) has enlisted as a soldier, and soon finds herself wooed by Batalov’s persuasive cousin (Vasiliy Merkurev).

Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:

  • Infidelity
  • Love Triangle
  • Russian Films
  • World War II

Response to Peary’s Review:
As Peary notes, this “touching love story set during WWII” features “an illuminating performance by Tatyana Samoylova… who looks like a cross between the young Vivien Leigh and Jennifer Jones.”

He writes that “we and Batalov’s superpatriotic doctor father [Vasiliy Merkurev] sympathize with Samoylova… because she is brave, tender (she works in a hospital), and — despite her marriage — waits obsessively for her lover’s return.” Peary describes this as “the first Russian film to play in the U.S. after a cultural-exchange agreement,” noting that “it suffers” (I disagree) “whenever propaganda sneaks in and characters are induced to forget personal tragedy and realize that their future happiness will result if they play a part in Russia’s cultivation.” He points out several “powerful scenes,” including “Samoylova running up the stairs of her burning building and discovering that her apartment no longer exists”:

… “Batalov being shot, looking up into the birches and fantasizing his return to Samoilova and their marriage”:

… and “the terrifying seduction [rape] scene during which bombs explode, glass shatters, and wind blows.”

Other memorable scenes include early moments between the carefree young lovers:

… and two masterfully shot tracking sequences showing soldiers and their loved ones during departures and arrivals:

As Peary writes, the “direction by Mikhail Kalatozov is emotionally charged and visually innovative,” making this a consistently engaging Soviet-era film that is still very much worth viewing.

Notable Performances, Qualities, and Moments:

  • Tatyana Samoylova as Veronika
  • Atmospheric cinematography and overall camerawork

Must See?
Yes, as a fine post-WWII Soviet-era film.

Categories

  • Foreign Gem
  • Important Director

(Listed in 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die)

Links:

Paths of Glory (1957)

Paths of Glory (1957)

Comments 1 comment

“One way to maintain discipline is to shoot a man now and then.”

Synopsis:
During World War I, French General Broulard (Adolphe Menjou) dares ambitious General Mireau (George Macready) to order Colonel Dax (Kirk Douglas) to send his men out on a suicidal mission to capture the impregnable “Anthill”. When most of Dax’s men refuse to venture out onto the deadly battlefield, infuriated Mireau orders three of them — “undesirable” Timothy Carey, a soldier who has witnessed his commander’s cowardice (Ralph Meeker), and randomly selected Joe Turkel — to be court martialed and executed.

Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:

  • Adolphe Menjou Films
  • Courtroom Drama
  • Falsely Accused
  • George Macready Films
  • Kirk Douglas Films
  • Mutiny
  • Ralph Meeker Films
  • Ruthless Leaders
  • Stanley Kubrick Films
  • World War I

Response to Peary s Review:
Peary opens his review of this film by noting that “Stanley Kubrick’s powerful drama is primarily an attack on the military mind, a scathing attack on the top brass of all armies who are willing to sacrifice their own men, their pawns, rather than look weak” — and he adds that “while it doesn’t contend that wars shouldn’t be conducted, it succeeds as an anti-war film because it makes it clear that the innocent, powerless men in the trenches will always be at the mercy of the super-patriotic, narrow-minded generals who are obsessed with flag and country but have no feelings for the obedient foot soldier.”

Peary argues that “the excellent script by Kubrick, Calder Willingham, and Jim Thompson is unrelentingly bleak but thought-provoking”: while “earlier films presented evil generals,” “none before contended that the entire military system was evil.” He writes that the “film is extremely intense but not heavy-handed; Kubrick’s handling of actors has never been better” — and he points out that “the most frightening thing about the generals is that they’re not much different from the military men in Dr. Strangelove.”

Peary names this film the Best Movie of the Year in his Alternate Oscars (instead of The Bridge On the River Kwai), where he writes that “if the film has a weakness, it’s that it is just too easy to agree with the director’s point of view (as it is with the same year’s liberal courtroom drama 12 Angry Men, my favorite nominated film of 1957).” Otherwise, he notes that “everything else rings true and has impact,” with the film featuring “first rate” acting in which “the characters are essentially ‘types’ but they all come across as distinct people.”

He also calls out Kubrick’s directorial acumen, including the “impressive tracking shot [in which] Macready moves along through the trenches, giving similar pep talks to individual soldiers before battles” (“Ready to kill more Germans?”) as in The Red Badge of Courage (1951):

… and his use of “light in night sequences to build tension.”

Indeed, this film has lost little to none of its power, and remains among Kubrick’s best outings. Despite being utterly depressing, it is worthy of repeat viewings both as a reminder of the gritty brutality of war:

… and how easily Those in Power can dehumanize the individuals they’re controlling. Absolute power corrupts, absolutely.

Notable Performances, Qualities, and Moments:

  • George Macready as General Mireau
  • Kirk Douglas as Col. Dax
  • Timothy Carey as condemned Private Ferol
  • Adolphe Menjou as General Broulard
  • George Krause’s cinematography

Must See?
Yes, as an enduring classic by a master director.

Categories

  • Genuine Classic
  • Important Director

(Listed in 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die)

Links:

Crimson Kimono, The (1959)

Crimson Kimono, The (1959)

Comments 1 comment

“You can’t feel for me unless you are me.”

Synopsis:
After the mysterious murder of a stripper (Gloria Pall) in Los Angeles, a Japanese-American detective (James Shigeta) and his partner (Glenn Corbett) both fall for an artist (Victoria Shaw) who has sketched an image of a suspect — but would an inter-racial relationship between Shigeta and Shaw be considered “acceptable”?

Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:

  • Anna Lee Films
  • Artists
  • Asian Americans
  • Cross-Cultural Romance
  • Detectives and Private Eyes
  • Los Angeles
  • Love Triangle
  • Murder Mystery
  • Race Relations and Racism
  • Sam Fuller Films

Review:
As Peary notes, this “Sam Fuller film dealing with racism and the clash between American and Asian cultures” covers “familiar Fuller themes,” and is “ahead of its time.” He points out that it “has some exciting visuals” — including “the murder of the stripper on an LA street (Fuller didn’t inform the public that a film was being made):”

… and “the smashingly edited poolroom fight.”

However, he adds that “some terrific, offbeat dialogue is mixed with embarrassingly trite dialogue,” and argues that the film “suffers because of Shaw, certainly Fuller’s dullest, most proper heroine” (I disagree).

Peary writes that “one doubts that the two men, who’ve been around, would quickly fall for her at the expense of their friendship,” but this seems beside the point: they both do fall for her, and she for them, and entanglements ensue.

What emerges — including “feelings of paranoia… within Shigeta,” who “comes to believe that Shaw and Corbett harbor racist feelings toward him” — is of significant interest, and propels the narrative. I also disagree with Peary that “on the plus side are the supporting players, including Corbett’s cigar-smoking, bourbon-guzzling artist friend, Anna Lee”, who consistently overplays her alcoholic character:

Regardless of its flaws, however, this film is unique and bold enough to remain well worth a look. (Though I do have one question: what’s with all the apple eating?)

Notable Performances, Qualities, and Moments:

  • Atmospheric cinematography

  • Excellent use of location shooting in L.A.
  • Intriguing glimpses of mid-century Japanese-American culture



Must See?
Yes, as an unusual outing by a maverick director.

Categories

  • Important Director

Links:

Bridge on the River Kwai, The (1957)

Bridge on the River Kwai, The (1957)

Comments 2 comments

“Time is short; all men work!”

Synopsis:
When a staunch British colonel (Alec Guinness) and his men are brought to a Japanese prisoner-of-war camp run by no-nonsense Colonel Saito (Sessue Hayakawa), Guinness refuses to give into Saito’s demands that the men help build a bridge across the Kwai River, and is sent into solitary confinement before finally reaching a compromise and realizing that building the bridge will help his men’s morale. Meanwhile, an American soldier (William Holden) manages to escape, but ends up back near the camp supporting Major Warden (Jack Hawkins) and a young lieutenant (Geoffrey Horne) in an attempt to blow up the newly built bridge.

Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:

  • Alec Guinness Films
  • David Lean Films
  • Jack Hawkins Films
  • Military
  • Prisoners of War
  • Ruthless Leaders
  • William Holden Films
  • World War Two

Response to Peary s Review:
Peary writes that this “epic war drama” by David Lean — which won no less than seven Academy Awards, including Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Actor, and was selected for preservation in the National Film Registry by the United States Library of Congress in 1997 — is visually “still impressive” and “the lead actors… remain formidable” — but he argues that “the film’s weak structure and pointless ending” — which is “wild, confusing, [and] too heroic” — “betray its fascinating premise.” He specifically posits that it’s unfortunate we “leave behind the Guinness-Hayakawa relationship just when it gets interesting”:

… “and viewers are deprived of an awkward situation in which they’d have to decide whether to cheer or root against the British soldiers who are trying to build the bridge.”

I disagree with Peary’s complaints about this absorbing epic: the structure of the story — while lengthy — helps to weave together the original narrative from the camp:

… and the critical drama involving Holden’s back-story and redeployment into action.

Meanwhile, the ending is far from pointless; rather, it potently highlights the utter absurdity and waste of war — which none of us at this juncture in global history need any convincing of.

Notable Performances, Qualities, and Moments:

  • Alec Guinness as Colonel Nicholson
  • William Holden as Shears (nominated by Peary as one of the Best Actors of the Year in his Alternate Oscars)
  • Jack Hawkins as Major Clipton
  • Sessue Hayakawa as Colonel Saito
  • Jack Hildyard’s cinematography
  • Fine location shooting

Must See?
Yes, as an Oscar-winning classic.

Categories

  • Genuine Classic
  • Oscar Winner or Nominee

(Listed in 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die)

Links:

Seven Samurai, The / Magnificent Seven, The (1954)

Seven Samurai, The / Magnificent Seven, The (1954)

Comments 3 comments

“When you think you’re safe is precisely when you’re most vulnerable.”

Synopsis:
In 16th century Japan, a group of farmers offer food to an aging samurai (Takashi Shimura) in exchange for protection against an impending raid by bandits, and Shimura soon gathers six other men to assist him: an old friend (Daisuke Katō), the son (Isao Kimura) of a wealthy samurai, a good-humored fighter (Minoru Chiaki), a skilled swordsman (Seiji Miyaguchi), a skilled archer (Yoshio Inaba), and an untrained wanderer (Toshirô Mifune).

Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:

  • Akira Kurosawa Films
  • Japanese Films
  • Medieval Times
  • Samurai
  • Toshiro Mifune Films
  • Village Life

Response to Peary s Review:
In his overview of this “tremendous achievement by Akira Kurosawa, regarded by most everyone as one of the all-time great films,” Peary points out that each of the samurai join the rag-tag group of defenders for different reasons, ranging from Shimura being “touched that [the farmers] would sacrifice their rice and be stuck eating millet” in order gain protection, to Inaba “who joins because Shimura’s personality intrigues him,” to Chiaki being welcome “because his sense of humor will more than compensate for him being just an average fighter.”

Peary notes that the final battle — which “takes place in the day during a hard rain, with the men racing back and forth through the mud to block off the road into the village and to battle the horsemen who get through the lines” — is “one of the greatest action sequences in the history of cinema:”

… but he adds that “since Kurosawa’s epic… is peerless as action-adventure, one tends to forget that it’s also a remarkably poignant human drama” — a “brilliant character study where we come to understand that each of the seven samurai takes part in the defense of the village for a personal reason.”

Peary points out that “in addition to dealing with the samurai as individuals and as a group”:

… “Kurosawa takes time to probe the nature of farmers, as individuals and as a group,” leading us to understand “that they are selfish, cruel, and cowardly” but have become that way due to, as Mifune’s character points out, “the looting, raping, enslaving samurai of Japan.”

Peary writes that the “best known directorial element” of this “visual tour-de-force” is that “there is always movement within the frame”; indeed, it’s challenging to capture the film’s essence with stills for this very reason. Ultimately, it’s a movie that needs to be seen to be appreciated — and given how much has already been written about it by others, I humbly defer interested readers to any of the many links below, and/or the Criterion disc’s notable extras.

Notable Performances, Qualities, and Moments:

  • Takashi Shimura as Kambei Shimada
  • Gorgeous cinematography
  • Many memorable sequences

Must See?
Yes, as a masterful classic.

Categories

  • Foreign Gem
  • Genuine Classic

(Listed in 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die)

Links: