Reviews

"We Are Marshall," which concerns Marshall University's struggle to deal with the 1970 plane crash which claimed the lives of the entire varsity football team and their supporters, reflects on and is a cathartic experience, and is most enjoyable.

After the crash, Marshall is left with a question: Should we even continue to have a football program? University president Don Dedmon (reliable David Strathairn) believes no, and cancels it. However, a few of the surviving varsity players who were not on the plane, in particular Nate Griffin, refuse to accept this. Although Griffin's stance is admirable, even he has a lesson to learn--he must deal with his grief.

Catharsis is the process by which one releases suppressed feelings or emotions, and the entire town has to achieve this catharsis--of their grief over the crash--before they can truly move on. One of the surviving veteran players simply cannot play football because he felt he should have been on the plane; a father of a killed player (Ian McShane) refuses to let his late son's fiancée move on by her giving back her engagement ring; and the aforementioned Griffin, who feels that he must go above and beyond in his efforts for the new team because he feels that the late team "left it in his hands." But in being led by Jack Lengyel (Matthew McConaghey), the town and the new team discover that you honor a team by continuing the tradition, and that by doing so, you find the strength to move on, to persevere, especially since the town invested so much emotional stock in the university and the team.

I definitely recommend "We Are Marshall."

Paul Schrader's "Hardcore." With a title such as that, you may think that the film itself is a porn film, which is not the case. What "Hardcore" is--a film that explores the seedy world of porn and also the concept of who can be saved, or is someone WORTH saving, makes it, along with George C. Scott's performance, a very good film.

Scott plays Jake van Dorn, a church-going Midwestern businessman (since Schrader was raised Dutch Calvinist, I believe that Scott's character is also Calvinist, and I speculate based on Schrader's father) who finds out that his daughter disappears on a church trip while in California. Initially he hires a rather unsavory detective, Andy Mast (a good Peter Boyle) to find his daughter, who finds--and shows to van Dorn--evidence that his daughter was in a porn film.

As he relies on Mast to find her, van Dorn soon realizes that Mast, although not involved in porn, has certain proclivities towards that "lifestyle," so to speak, and is unreliable. It is then that van Dorn makes the decision that he must--likely against his beliefs--go undercover into the porn industry to find his daughter. The question is: How far is he willing to go to find her, and what happens if he does? Scott--and I don't mean to stereotype him--was always THE actor to express anger or rage on screen, and he does so here superbly, well cast as van Dorn. In first meeting Andy Mast at a diner, Mast uses a curse word, upon which van Dorn immediately reprimands him just in that unique way Scott can.

"Hardcore" is also unique in that it doesn't really explore van Dorn's sexuality as he further searches for his daughter. Instead, as we get to the end, we discover his daughter. But questions remain--does van Dorn want to rescue her, and more importantly, does SHE want to go? It's these characteristics of "Hardcore" that I feel make it a unique and different film, and definitely worth a look, particularly due to Scott's performance.

I loved Louis Feuillade's "Les Vampires" (I have it on DVD) and when I heard about "Judex," I just had to get it as well. Flicker Alley has done a restoration of "Judex," incorporating all available footage, and so the 2-disc DVD of Judex is the most complete available.

"Judex" is Latin for "justice," and the plot involves the title character's quest for it despite he taking the law into his own hands and becoming judge and jury (he does not execute). During his quest, the theme of family emerges--their destruction, reunion, and creation.

Mystery and twists, which kept me second-guessing, plus plenty of action sequences, escapes, double-crosses, and comedy definitely make "Judex" an enjoyable adventure for me.

The two-disc set also includes a 17-minute documentary on composer Robert Israel and his story on creating the music for "Judex." An adventure that drew me in, "Judex" is definitely worth seeing, and makes me hope that other Louis Feuillade serials make their way onto DVD.

Tony Richardson's "The Charge of the Light Brigade" is a stylish anti-war film in its' commentary on military ineptitude, but it is weakened by subplots. Its critique of class distinctions only occasionally work--particularly in the military scenes--as it tries to fit in as a film like John Schlesinger's "Far From the Madding Crowd" as another period piece commenting on class in Victorian England (and"Brigade," like "Crowd," has a woman being loved by at least two men--in "Crowd" it is three).

The Light Brigade (The 11th Regiment of Hussars) is shabbily run by Lord Cardigan (Trevor Howard), who really is playing the part of a soldier due to his status. He despises any "real" soldier (those who actually have seen combat), especially Captain Lewis Nolan (David Hemmings), a soldier who believes in kindness when handling the army--and his best friend's William's (Mark Burns) wife Clarissa (Vanessa Redgrave).

Cardigan is concerned NOT with an efficient brigade, but a brigade that reflects his elitist attitudes. In the officer's mess scene he ridicules a new recruit for eating lettuce (for being "green," or inexperienced), even though the soldier had the order to do so from Cardigan himself; and that only champagne be drunk at officer's mess and not porter beer--which Cardigan accuses Nolan of drinking (it is actually undecanted Moselle white wine). As one soldier simply puts it, "There is no making without breaking." The poor are often the ones "broken," made to thirst after eating salty mutton, forced to mount horses until they bleed under their uniforms, and having their money stolen. Recruited off of the street, some of them don't even know their right foot from their left.

However, Cardigan has his admirers, especially one Mrs. Duberly, the wife of the Brigade's paymaster (who Cardigan dismisses as not having a rank, but a "trade"). Attracted to image, she sees war more as something done for her amusement, detached from the fact that people get killed--and yes, they do get killed.

Having reached Sebastopol in Turkey, the army led by the senile Lord Raglan (John Gielgud) is of course ill-prepared. Soldiers marching end up dead from cholera or from the enemy, which is compounded by Raglan's stupidity, as evidenced by the charge itself--done after only Nolan, tired of the inaction and incompetency, tries to get the brigade moving--and he does--but is killed, leaving Lucan, Cardigan, and Raglan only each other to blame.

"Brigade" is worth watching, but the love triangle and Mrs. Duberly bloated the film. However, I did like the animated sequences that explain the historical context (particularly their engraving-type look).

So if the film focused on the faulty preparation for the war and on the failed charge itself (a little more circumstance), and got rid of the love triangle in particular (a little less pomp), I would have liked it more.

WARNING: POTENTIAL SPOILERS

I first saw this movie a few years ago on Turner Classic Movies, and saw the first 20 minutes ago last night. The TCM version has an excellent soundtrack--the

music does the movie justice.

Chaney's performance is very good, with few moments of overacting. His

reactions--such as when he discovers that his wife betrayed him for Baron

Regnard early on in the movie, are very smooth transistions of emotions, and

not "mugging."

Sjostrom's (or Seastrom's , if you prefer) direction is very surehanded and

stylish, e.g., the clown spinning the ball indicating story transitions.

I always think that Chaney's Paul Beaumont is very disturbed to create a circus act based on his worst humiliation so that Paul can relive that moment again

and again--very insane motivations here. I think we forget that not only was

Chaney great at playing deformed or crippled people, but he was also

wonderful at playing mental cripples as well, ones with psychological, and not necessarily physical, scars.

I certainly recommend "He Who Gets Slapped," and suggest seeing "Laugh,

Clown, Laugh" (1928) if you want to get an idea of the Paul Beaumont character if he had been developed further psychologically.

WARNING: SPOILERS MAY BE CONTAINED THEREIN.

I bought the Criterion DVD of "The Devil and Daniel Webster" recently, and

watched it last night. I had seen bits and pieces of this film before, but not the whole thing.

The DVD image quality is good, with the exception of a few scenes where there is a faint, vertical white line down the right side of the frame. This apparently is from the older version (see "Alternate Versions" on this movie for more info).

Criterion has as usual stocked the DVD with extras, located in the DVD menu

under "Scratch's Little Black Book" (!). One informative part is called "The Devil in Context," which is an essay on Bernard Herrmann's Oscar-winning score,

with music cues to scenes containing the music mentioned. One reviewer asked about what Belle (Simone Simon) was singing to little

Daniel. The essay has the lyrics, which are darker in tone than the lullaby Mary sings earlier in the film (lyrics to hers are also included). Interestingly, when watching the movie with the subtitles on (to catch the dialogue), Belle's lullaby is sung in French. I don't want to give much more away and spoil it for you.

Now, on to the film. Dieterle's direction is very Expressionistic, with the use of shadows and light to highlight a certain detail (e.g., the eyes of Jabez when he sees Scratch for the first time).

Walter Huston is great as Mr. Scratch. He plays him not as an evil type of Devil, but one who capitalizes on others' misfortunes and mistakes, an opportunist. He plays him with such charm and glee that even I wouldn't mind offering Scratch a drink to clink mugs as Daniel Webster (Edward Arnold) does in the film. I think Arnold does well as Webster, portraying him as having great rectitude yet able to associate with the common folk, be capable of umbrage when needed, be

susceptible to mild self-interest (e.g., his preoccupation with playing horseshoes while the people of Cross Corners, NH wait for him), and yet also be tormented by demons, perhaps the same demons that plague Jabez Stone.

As for James Craig as Jabez Stone, I feel that he was convincing as the film

went on. As Stone became more powerful and cruel to everyone around him

(except Belle), I took a disliking to him. However, even as he changes due to the money Scratch gives him, Jabez struggles with the deal he has made, and I

wanted someone to expose the whole charade to him, but felt it appropriate that Jabez finds the error of his ways HIMSELF, instead of someone showing it to

him. I admit that Jabez doesn't show any sympathetic traits from the beginning of the film, which is a small problem, but I think Craig does well in the role.

Like the 1997 film "Devil's Advocate" with Al Pacino and Keanu Reeves, the film puts forth the view that it is not the Devil's fault that we suffer misfortune, but that we CHOOSE to make deals with the devil, that we become susceptible to his

charms and promises, when we should know better. The message at the

beginning of "Webster" enforces this when a title reads, "It--could even happen to you." However, this film takes a more ambitious look at America itself. The film has an ambivalent tone on the subject because it shows that so-called "works of the

Devil" are woven into the American fabric not because of the Devil, but because of MAN (as Scratch says in the film, "When the first wrong was done to the first Indian, I was there. When the first slaver put out for the Congo, I stood on her deck."). However, as Webster argues to the jury in an effort to save Jabez's soul, "we should not let this country go to the Devil!" through self-interest and selfish actions, and should instead foster communities so that we all can savor our

freedom. It is definitely a message that applies well to today as well as to then.

So, being a fan of Americana, I definitely recommend "The Devil and Daniel

Webster," particularly the Criterion DVD.

WARNING: POSSIBLE SPOILERS!!!

"The Passion of Joan of Arc" is, for me, one of the top three films of all time. I regard it very highly because the film is able to combine influences from different countries (e.g., the set design is part German Expressionism, achieved by one of the set designers, German-born Hermann Warm), communicates both Joan's disoriented state of mind and her spirituality (sometimes at the same time) and accomplishes both of these achievements by the film's third asset: the cinematography, largely done by Frenchman Rudolph Mate. Not even in a film by Sergio Leone (Once Upon A Time In The West, for example) was the camera used so adventurously with regard to its use of the close-up. Dreyer is gutsy enough to violate certain film norms to convey a feeling of disorientation and yet intimacy, so that we closer identify with Joan's state of mind--that of intense devoutness and despair.

Dreyer has some shots canted (tilted) very severely, so that we're occasionally looking STRAIGHT UP at someone who looks down at us (such as Andre Berley's Jean D'Estivet, when he criticizes Joan). Close-ups of people we've never seen before suddenly pop up, and we start to think: "Who was that?". We lose our sense of what cinema calls spatial continuity, or a consistency in how objects are spaced from one another. Because he uses so many close-ups, we cannot tell where one priest is from another, or where Joan is in relation to a priest who questions her. We, like Joan, become confused at being interrogated (often the priests' questions are directed at US, as they look straight at the camera) from all sides. The close-ups also emphasize contrasts in physical features (Dreyer made, as I understand it, his actors and actresses wear no make-up in the film), so that we see the ugliness of certain priests (particularly head interrogator Bishop Cauchon, played by Eugene Silvain) and the physical and spiritual beauty of Joan.

It is because of the rule-breaking cinematography, along with the superb acting--no one overplays their role as silent film actors often tend to do--that the film retains its' marvelous power. Seventy-two years after the film appeared, it is still mentioned in reviews about a film where Joan of Arc is the subject (Luc Besson's "The Messenger" is the latest example), which attests to the film's strength. Because of these virtues, I regard "The Passion of Joan of Arc" very highly, and I strongly recommend that any filmgoer see it at least once, to experience a film that, like Joan, possesses a spirit that is timeless.

WARNING: POSSIBLE SPOILERS REVEALED!!!

I felt that "The Deer Hunter" is a disturbing and unique film because of how the effects of the Vietnam War are portrayed. The one thing that I admire about Michael Cimino here is that he had the courage (in my opinion) to throw out parts of the story that he felt had nothing to do with the points he wished to make. For example, Cimino includes no concrete information as to why Nick, Mike, and Steven (played by Christopher Walken, Robert De Niro, and John Savage, respectively) are going to Vietnam, because he isn't concerned with WHY these men went to Vietnam. Cimino is concerned with WHAT happened (physically and mentally) to these men once they experienced the war, and so he makes a daring decision to bolster his themes and statements at the expense of character motivation. Cimino's methods of storytelling are very unorthodox but gutsy moves on how to tell a story in an American film, since normally in a film we expect to see what motivates the characters, and here Cimino violates so-called bedrock rules about narrative in American film. Also, we see the psychological changes in Nick, Steve, and Mike through their actions after the war, not through espousions of philosophy about the war.

The Russian roulette scenes are very powerful, even more so during the climax, since it is near the end of the war and yet the contest is still being staged for betting spectators. The scene evokes for me images of the Roman Empire putting Christians to death for their amusement while Nero's Rome burns, and therefore it's very disturbing and a bit unsettling. Also, there's the curious fact that Nick, Steve, and Mike are Russian-Americans playing Russian roulette.

Finally, I have a theory about the film. If you use your imagination and think about Mike's feelings towards 1) the theory of "one shot" as it applies to the war and to deer hunting; and 2) Nick's girlfriend Linda (wonderful Meryl Streep), and combine these thoughts with what happens in the film, the film emerges with a new theme.

Superb acting by all, unorthodox but inventive directing by Cimino, and great cinematography/music, make "The Deer Hunter" a unique must-see.

WARNING: POSSIBLE SPOILERS!!! (There may not be any here, but I'll always, during comments, put this up to be safe)



I felt that Primary Colors was a pretty good movie. I felt that Adrian Lester's Henry Burton was superbly played, a man thrust unknowingly into managing the campaign. Henry feels or wants to believe in Stanton's campaign and in Stanton himself, but he continually feels dismayed at the methods he is told to use in order to protect Stanton, literally becoming sick of one job. He becomes friends with Gov. Stanton's wife Susan Stanton (Emma Thompson, who is also good, particularly at dropping her English dialect to play an American here), a woman who is genuinely (certainly when compared to her husband) interested in people and a believer in the campaign, but is as disgusted as Henry is in the latest sexual revelation involving her husband.

The interesting theme that Mike Nichols examines is the contradiction that while Stanton's campaign workers struggle to keep the campaign going in the face of Stanton's sexual affairs, the workers ALSO become sexually involved with each other. Sex permeates and dominates Stanton's campaign. Daisy (Maura Tierney)becomes involved with Henry; Libby Holden (Kathy Bates,(who is hard-nosed and wonderful here)becomes a lover of Jennifer, a campaign worker at Stanton's headquarters.

Other good performances include Travolta's Jack Stanton, who at first tries hard to imitate President Clinton but soon slips comfortably into the role; Larry Hagman's Gov. Picker, a flawed but moral man who truly feels the sting of the past, unlike Stanton, and who wants to take the contest to a higher level.

In summation, a pretty good film about the "attack the enemy, protect oneself, and ignore the issues" state of campaigns today, and certainly worth a look.