Subtitle Saturday: Au Revoir Les Enfants

Say what you will about "Schindler's List" (and most of it has been said)-- it is a brilliant, harrowing, complicated and stunning film.  But one thing it is not is nuanced.  Spielberg's haunting Holocaust narrative shouts its message from the rooftops.  Its message should be shouted from the rooftops, but messages can be equally powerful if told quietly, or even with a whisper.  Such is the case with this beautiful film.  This is a film that is long on nuance, but short on sermonizing.  If ever there were a subject worthy of a sermon, it is the Holocaust.  But, the Holocaust also can be examined in varying ways.  This movie is a good example of that.

This is the story of two young boys who are thrown together in a French Catholic boarding school during the waning days of World War 2.  Julian and Jean are their names, and they end up being place next to each other in the sleeping quarters.  The reasons for Jean being there are quite vague.  As time goes along, it is clear that he lives his life differently than the other boys.  He is a gifted musician, and it also becomes clear that he has no contact with his parents.  As so many boys have been sent to this school so as to escape the dangers of the German occupation of Paris, it only seems natural for a boy to miss his parents.  But Julian doesn't even seem to have contact with his parents.  As time goes along, the truth becomes clear.  The headmaster of the school has decided to hide Jews at his school in an attempt to protect them from the Nazi occupation, and from the Concentration Camps.  Jean is one of the Jewish people he is hiding.

What makes this film different?  I think that the film's soul lies in the headmaster.  Pere Jean is his name.  He has less screen time than the boys, but he radiates compassion, even though he is flawed.  He walks a fine line in the movie, especially with the parents of the school, some of whom he offends when he gives a sermon criticizing wealth.  The film's setting is in a bleak French winter, and I cannot help but feel that this setting is a statement regarding the overall plight of the French people during World War 2.  Pere Jean seems at once compassionate and world weary, and the winter setting enhances the overall difficult circumstances of the film.

The other thing that the film gets right is its tone.  This may best be reflected in the scene at the bath house.  A group of the boys go into town for a bath.  The bath house has a sign disallowing Jews from the premises.  There is no dramatic bath house scene here.  Instead, the very presence of Jean at this bath house creates tension.  This tension signifies, to me, the kind of tension that would have been ubiquitous in Europe at this time.  Since so many Jews lived in Europe, so many others lived with these everyday horrors right in front of them, but due to the fear that the Nazis invoked, they felt they could do nothing.  This scene shows with great care how awkward it would be to hide from one's own identity simply for self preservation.

The film is terribly sad, but in a quiet, dignified way.  It does not seek to bring the house down, but as more and more of the outside world begins to penetrate this small school, we can feel the tension.  And as the closing moments of the film are revealed, we can sit in pensive silence as we deal yet again with the horrible realities of humanity and of the 20th century.  To be able to do that simply by evoking a tone is quite an accomplishment.

Family Film Friday: The Gold Rush

It's Friday, so it's time for another family movie installment.  This week, I am going to cover one of the all time classics, Charlie Chaplin's, "The Gold Rush."  Silent movies are great for kids.  At first, I was amazed at how engaged they were with the stories.  But when I stop and think about it, it doesn't surprise me.  Let me use a story to illustrate why it is not surprising. 

When I was in college, I took a 6 week trip to Romania.  One of the things I did there was help out in an orphanage.  We did many things with the young boys at the orphanage.  We played soccer, basketball, took them to the park, and helped out around the orphanage.  Another thing we did was watch TV.  The number one thing that we watched was "Tom and Jerry".  We could watch it with them because "Tom and Jerry" has no dialogue.  Instead, it has bangs, gags and pounds, things that can be understood by anyone.  In a nutshell, that is the genius of Chaplin's work, and it is on display in this film.

The plot is somewhat minimal, mainly because it serves as a set up for the genius situations in which Chaplin finds himself.  It follows Chaplin's Tramp as he makes his way to Alaska to search for gold and riches.  Along the way, he is met by a bear, severe hunger, a lovely girl, and almost more danger than he can handle.  The film has one of Chaplin's signature moments (something referenced below in the interview), and it stands as one of the great works of cinema.  I watched it last Friday with my kids.  Here's what they thought: 


 Joel: "Who starred in Gold Rush?"
Corrie-"Charlie Chaplin."
Joel- "What was your favorite part?"
Jack- "When he was holding the bear's leg, and then ROAR-RAH-ROAR!"
Wes- "I like how the bear was following him."
Corrie- "When he ties himself on to the dog's rope, and then he led the dog out onto the dance floor, and then the cat came onto the dance floor and the dog saw it and started chasing it."
Jack- "You know another part that I really like is when the guy imagines him as a chicken."
Joel- "That was one of the very first special effects in movies-when they make something look like something that doesn't really exist."
Wes- "He was hungry because he was a chicken."
Jack- "Because Charles Chaplin played a pretty funny person!"
Joel- "Remember what my favorite part was?"
All 3- "What?"
Joel- "At the very beginning, when he has his cane, and he puts his cane in the snow and he falls in."
All three laugh
Joel- "So what other Chaplin movies have you seen?
Corrie- "Modern Times!"
Joel- "What was the other one called?"
Jack- "The Kid"
Corrie- "City Lights"
Joel- "So you've seen 3 others.  What's unique about Charlie Chaplin's movies?"
Corrie- "They're funny and they're old."
Wes- "Yeah, they're funny and old."
Joel- "Did you like the part where he ate the shoe?"
All 3- "Yeah!!!"
Joel- "What's the name of the girl in the movie?"
Corrie- "Georgia."
Jack- "GEORGIA, GEORGIA GEORGIA"
Joel- "What does he think about Georgia?"
Corrie- "He likes her."
Joel- "Remember what happens in the scene when he is imagining what happens New Year's Eve?  The little dance that he does?"
Corrie- "He uses the potatoes"
Joel- "Did you know that is one of the most famous scenes in all the movies?"
Wes- "They didn't come over except Geogia"
Jack- "So he was dreaming about what he was doing New Year's Eve?"
Joel- "What else do you like about it."
Corrie (quietly)- "Romantic."
Joel- "I always like his facial expressions a lot.  Does it bother you at all that there was no talking in the movie?"
Corrie- "It's like with "Fantasia".  I usually like it talking, but in "Fantasia" it seems like the music is doing the job, but in Charlie Chaplin I feel like the actions are doing the job."
Joel- "That's a good point."
Jack- "I really like the end."
Joel- "Why?"
Jack- "At the end, Charlie Chaplin and Georgia meet up."
Joel- "That makes you happy?"
Jack- "Yeah."
Joel- "Thank you my little movie critics."

Another New Feature

For those of you who are interested, I started labeling my posts.  If you want to look at any of my older posts, I categorized them to the right.  I have started with some basic categories, but will probably continue to be more specific with some of them.  Enjoy!

Trailer Tuesday: "Brave"

Here is a trailer for the new Pixar movie "Brave"...my daughter is very excited :)

Here's a link to another trailer:
http://disney.go.com/brave/?cmp=wdsmp_brv_EMC_120223_video_img_Extl

Oscar Trivia Contest Answers

 Here are the answers....congrats to Paul from Denver our winner!!!  Thanks for playing!


With a total of 11 oscars each, what 3 films are tied for winning the most oscars? Ben Hur, Titanic, Return of the King

What are the 3 movies to win the "Big Five" at the oscars (Best picture, Director, Actor, Actress and Screenplay)? One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, Silence of the Lambs, It Happened One Night

What actor has won the most Oscars for acting? Tie: Jack Nicholson, Walter Brennan (tied with 3)

What actress has won the most Oscars for acting? Katherine Hepburn (4)

Which director has won the most Oscars for directing? John Ford (4)

What individual holds the record for winning the most Oscars overall? Walt Disney (26)

Which actor or actress has the most nominations for acting? Meryl Streep (17)

For which film did Alfred Hitchcock win the best director Oscar? None

OSCAR TRIVIA CONTEST

I did a little research, and I have a few questions.  You can e-mail your answers to me at losbascoms@mac.com.  I am trusting my participants to not use the internet, so that everyone is answering with the same standard.  If you put your answers in the comments, others will see it.  I'll throw in a $10 Trader Joe's gift card for the winner.  Have fun.

With a total of 11 oscars each, what 3 films are tied for winning the most oscars?

What are the 3 movies to win the "Big Five" at the oscars (Best picture, Director, Actor, Actress and Screenplay)?

What actor has won the most Oscars for acting?

What actress has won the most Oscars for acting?

Which director has won the most Oscars for directing?

What individual holds the record for winning the most Oscars overall?

Which actor or actress has the most nominations for acting?

For which film did Alfred Hitchcock win the best director Oscar?