I approached this film with an open mind. I like to think that I am open to the truth not as I see it but as it is. Also, I was eager to watch a film by Errol Morris, a man who I had heard of for years, but I had seen none of his films.
The philosophical question of what makes a film a documentary is debated from time to time. Some say it must be factual (a critique I remember hearing a lot from the political right when Michael Moore's films are released). Some say they are simply the director's opinions set to film, and they needn't be factual in the strict sense, because that would eliminate artistry. I agree with the latter. After all, why make a film when a filmmaker could simply release a list of facts instead? The reason to me is that all of us as humans must find ways to express ourselves artistically.
As art, this film is extraordinary. It is built around a series of interviews with Robert McNamara, former Secretary of Defense for John F. Kennedy and Lyndon Johnson. He was intimately involved in the planning and execution of the Vietnam War, as well as a trusted advisor to Kennedy during the Cuban Missile Crisis. The movie's point, it seems to me, is to cast shrouds of mystery around any supposed black and white morality surrounding the concept of war. Since war is only a result of the fallible nature of humanity, it seems only natural that this horrible action called war would contain numerous ethical dilemmas. In interviewing McNamara, Morris seems to want to show how we as a country have failed due to getting involved in different conflicts. At times, certain actions within a conflict are questioned (for instance, the dropping of the A-Bomb on Japan is dealt with, but the just nature of WW2 is not questioned) while other times a conflict itself is brought to trial (Vietnam is not seen as a justifiable conflict.).
It is not hard to make war a complex topic. It is hard to make a film that is so watchable and engaging, even when I may have different views than the filmmaker. I got the feeling that the military complex as a whole is under suspicion, as it should be. I wonder where the line is between conscientious objection and a realization that certain conflicts are unavoidable and we must be prepared for the worst. No one would love to see the world eradicated of weapons more than myself...but can we, given the nature of humanity? The great thing about this film is it gives its point of view, but allows the viewer (whatever point of view he/she brings) to wrestle with the ideas along with McNamara.
In closing, I also love the style of the film. Morris uses a device called an Interrotron, which allows him to look directly into the camera when answering questions. This gives the film more humanity. McNamara may have made questionable decisions in his career, but this film shows him as one small man dealing with an overwhelmingly complex world, and trying to make sense of it.
Friday, March 18, 2011
Monday, March 14, 2011
Big Night
It's a long flight from London to LA. The upside of a nonstop flight between the two cities is less overall travel time. The downside is obvious-you sit in one place for a long time. As I write about Big Night, the primary thing that comes to mind is my first experience of it. After all, watching and loving movies often times is about when you saw the movie and how it met you at that point in your life. And so, my love of this movie will always be connected to being 21 years old, discovering how much I love movies, and a nonstop flight from London to LA. It was on that flight that I stumbled upon a movie that left me stunned in my chair.
Watching this movie 14 years (gulp) later, I am still struck by one thing. It is an uncomfortable thing to watch in many ways. The story involves two brothers who have moved to New Jersey from Italy to open their own restaurant. Their hope is to bring their authentic Italian food to America. The older brother (the aptly named Primo) is a prima donna chef. He believes his food is art and that his customers should appreciate his food as such. The younger brother (also aptly named Secondo) understands his big brother's point of view, but desperately wants his restaurant to be successful. Since the brothers' food is unfamiliar to most of its customers, the business is failing and foreclosure looms. Enter Pascal. He owns an Italian restaurant across the street that cannot keep people away. Secondo says, "The people love it." Primo says, "The man should be in prison for the food he serves."
Pascal gives the brothers an great opportunity. He tells Secondo that the jazz great Louis Prima is a friend of his. Since Prima will be in town, Pascal will have Primo and Secondo cook for him and his band. This will create publicity for the brothers, giving Secondo the worldly success for which he yearns, and with that success comes the freedom for Primo to cooks as he wishes.
It is uncomfortable to watch the two brothers conflict. They love each other as brothers, but their paths and philosophies are so different that it is a wonder that they ever thought going into business together was a good idea. As the Big Night of Louis Prima's dinner approaches, it is clear that they believe everything depends on that night. Woven into this story is are so many wonderful human vignettes. Secondo is the ladies man, while Primo is shy but could successfully woo any woman just with his cooking. Primo cooks for an artist in exchange for a painting. He thinks it's a good trade, while Secondo sees the bags of money flying out of their restaurant unclaimed. The simple human drama comes out. And the love of family comes out too. Here are two men who could not be more different, but their shared experiences give them a bond that they share with no one else.
What an unappreciated talent is Stanley Tucci? Such a talent...here, he acts and directs, and is super. Tony Shaloub inhabits his role. The other members of the cast only add more texture to the story. And of course, the food in this film is a pleasure just to look at. One can only imagine how it must have tasted. My favorite line from the movie? "To eat good food is to be close to God." How true.
So as the film quietly came to an end, I sat there. The hum of the airplane's engines had made the movie a little hard to hear, but the story carried the day. I had never been so riveted by simple human drama. I had never even heard of this movie, yet it moved me more than any film I could remember at that time. I had just seen one the world's great cities for the first time, and then I saw what I felt was a truly special movie. I felt that I was drinking from a sensory fire hose, and all my senses were on overload.
Watching this movie 14 years (gulp) later, I am still struck by one thing. It is an uncomfortable thing to watch in many ways. The story involves two brothers who have moved to New Jersey from Italy to open their own restaurant. Their hope is to bring their authentic Italian food to America. The older brother (the aptly named Primo) is a prima donna chef. He believes his food is art and that his customers should appreciate his food as such. The younger brother (also aptly named Secondo) understands his big brother's point of view, but desperately wants his restaurant to be successful. Since the brothers' food is unfamiliar to most of its customers, the business is failing and foreclosure looms. Enter Pascal. He owns an Italian restaurant across the street that cannot keep people away. Secondo says, "The people love it." Primo says, "The man should be in prison for the food he serves."
Pascal gives the brothers an great opportunity. He tells Secondo that the jazz great Louis Prima is a friend of his. Since Prima will be in town, Pascal will have Primo and Secondo cook for him and his band. This will create publicity for the brothers, giving Secondo the worldly success for which he yearns, and with that success comes the freedom for Primo to cooks as he wishes.
It is uncomfortable to watch the two brothers conflict. They love each other as brothers, but their paths and philosophies are so different that it is a wonder that they ever thought going into business together was a good idea. As the Big Night of Louis Prima's dinner approaches, it is clear that they believe everything depends on that night. Woven into this story is are so many wonderful human vignettes. Secondo is the ladies man, while Primo is shy but could successfully woo any woman just with his cooking. Primo cooks for an artist in exchange for a painting. He thinks it's a good trade, while Secondo sees the bags of money flying out of their restaurant unclaimed. The simple human drama comes out. And the love of family comes out too. Here are two men who could not be more different, but their shared experiences give them a bond that they share with no one else.
What an unappreciated talent is Stanley Tucci? Such a talent...here, he acts and directs, and is super. Tony Shaloub inhabits his role. The other members of the cast only add more texture to the story. And of course, the food in this film is a pleasure just to look at. One can only imagine how it must have tasted. My favorite line from the movie? "To eat good food is to be close to God." How true.
So as the film quietly came to an end, I sat there. The hum of the airplane's engines had made the movie a little hard to hear, but the story carried the day. I had never been so riveted by simple human drama. I had never even heard of this movie, yet it moved me more than any film I could remember at that time. I had just seen one the world's great cities for the first time, and then I saw what I felt was a truly special movie. I felt that I was drinking from a sensory fire hose, and all my senses were on overload.
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