Info for my readers

A quick FYI-I have reset the settings on my blog so anyone should be able to make comments now...you shouldn't need a google ID or anything.  If you want me to know who you are, you will need to type your name in your comment, otherwise it will simply say "Anonymous".   Have fun!

Subtitle Saturday: The Bicycle Thief

I'm going to do something a little different this week.  I am going to write on a movie that I have seen only once, and many years ago.  How can I do this?  I am going to do it because this film is so distinct in its tone and theme that it is very difficult to not be impressed by it.

The film takes place in Rome right after World War 2.  As someone who has mainly seen Italy's beauty on display on film, this movie goes a different direction.  The black and white cinematography, the spare plot, the story and the setting all combine to create a bleak world.  Such a world could only exist in the bitter aftermath of a colossally destructive war.  The movie follows one man who uses his bicycle to do his job.  He has a young son who depends on him to do his job.  Someone steals his bicycle, taking away his livelihood.  He and his son go on a search for the bicycle.

It is a simple story told with empathy.  The reason I chose to write on it, in spite of the fact that it is not yet a personal favorite, is that it has a reputation which proceeds it.  Anytime there is a collection of great films, one is certain to find this film on the list.  Why is that?  Much like the Carol Reed film, "The Third Man", this movie captures a unique place and time.  It also seems to look with a prophetic eye on where reality (or our interpretation of it) is headed.  By the time we reach the end of the film, one can almost see that "The Usual Suspects" works in its shadow.  Is what we have seen (or what we thought about what we were seeing) really what it seems.  As this poor father struggles to maintain his and his son's life, he becomes willing to do almost anything to survive.

Most of us would do the same thing, or least feel the same way.  The bleak picture of post war Rome puts us right next to our protagonist, who is capable of both great frustration over injustice and willingness to consider committing unjust acts in order to preserve himself.  Being able to make this kind of impression after only one viewing speaks to the power of this movie.  The movie's ability to stick with me over so many years does the same thing.

Family Film Friday: What's Up Doc?

I have written many entries that involve my kids.  I have written many entries about movies that are favorites of my wife and I.  This week, my kids get the week off of the interview circuit :).  This movie stands as one of those movies that long ago made its way into the language of my family's discourse.  If I am quoting a movie and my wife does not know what movie it is, she tends to guess "What's Up Doc?"  To this day whenever I make my way back to Southern California for an anticipated visit with the my family, I can always count on at least one line from this film being dropped by someone in the family.  I remember watching this film as a child.  While it does have some mature humor, the jokes are vague or complicated enough that they would go over a child's head.  And, as I will mention below, there are so many scenes of slapstick and simple humor that I remember being quite interested in the movie as a kid.

The movie does appear on certain lists of comedy films.  I know it made its way onto the AFI list of the top 100 comedies, and rightfully so.  All the same, I feel that it has not achieved the kind of classic status that many films have achieved.  I am writing about this movie because it almost seems to be a part of my DNA.  My parents showed it to me at a young age, and it has only improved as my ability to comprehend its wit has grown.  As a child, I loved the screwball and slapstick humor (the climactic chase scene through the streets of San Francisco alone makes this film worth seeing).  As an adult, the crisp dialogue, dead pan delivery and unique tone have won me over even more.  This tone may be best summed up by the presence of the character of Hugh Simon (Kenneth Mars).  His unique presence lends the the plot a certain surreal element from which the film benefits immensely.

The story follows 4 identical plaid duffel bags which are making their way to a San Francisco hotel.  One bag belongs to Judy Maxwell (Barbara Streisand) and contains her personal things.  One bag belongs to a musicologist from Iowa named Howard Bannister (Ryan O' Neal, who sort of has the same general look that my father had back in the mid 70's-no offense Dad), and it contains a collection of igneous rocks that are a part of his musical research.  One bag holds the precious jewels of a wealthy patroness of the hotel.  Finally, the last bag contains top secret documents, and they are being held by some sort of ne'er do well who is attempting to elude a government agent in pursuit of the documents.  Judy Maxwell leaves disaster in her wake, falls in love with Howard (much to the chagrin of his fiancee Eunice, played by Madeline Kahn), and manages to practically destroy the whole city before the movie is over.  The film almost plays like a concert.  It goes from one set piece to the next.  Each is funny in its own way, but they are all leading to the climactic chase through the streets.  The chase contains some uproarious stuff, and children and adults alike will love it.

If you have not seen this movie, I will not bore you by dropping countless pieces of dialogue of which you are unaware.  Suffice to say, there are endless funny lines, numerous homages to Harold Lloyd, Cary Grant and Katherine Hepburn, and some hilarious situations.  This is a movie made by a man (Peter Bogdanovich) who clearly loves movies.  Each scene sparkles with affection for the films to which it is paying homage.  But like so many wonderful movies, these homages to what came before all come together to make a unique work of cinema.  One only need to watch the first couple of minutes to get the tone of this movie.  As the starving college student Judy Maxwell scours the streets for food, she comes upon a pizza shop.  She looks in the window to see the pizza maker tossing the dough in the air to prepare the pizza for baking.  As he tosses the pizza, he is aware he is performing for Judy.  Suddenly, after one of the tosses, the pizza doesn't come down.  With this toss of the pizza dough, Bogdanovich and company have tossed us into the world of "What's Up Doc."  What follows is a truly funny journey through the neighborhoods of San Francisco.  My family and I are always game for the trip.  Whenever one can find a piece of art that you can enjoy and share with others almost like an heirloom, it is truly something special.  Here's some you tube users attempt at an 8 minute summary of the movie...Enjoy:

Entertainment Weekly 100 Greatest Movies

The Entertainment Weekly list of the 100 greatest movies was released on the magazine stands back in 1999.  Stephanie bought me a copy then, and I have read and reread it so many times that it is battered.  However, I still turn to it for a good read and as a valuable resource.  It was written by Ty Burr, Boston Globe film reviewer.  It features American and Foreign films.  I still have that original copy.  My current count stands at 72 of the 100 that I have seen.  Here is the list:

http://rephrase.net/flim/list/ew100

Also, here is the link an Amazon if you are interested:


http://www.amazon.com/Entertainment-100-Greatest-Movies-Time/dp/1883013682

Trailer Tuesday: Indiana Joes Blu-Ray Preview

So...the question now becomes, do I buy this set again?  I'll ponder it...

Wes Anderson commercials

2 Hyundai commercials directed by Wes Anderson, one of my favorite movie directors...funny stuff:

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.