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Reviews
Flags of Our Fathers (2006)
Two Worlds of "Flag of my Fathers"
Death darkens the two worlds of "Flags of Our Fathers." The world of the large society defines war in the words of men and women at home , in words like "heroism," "honor," "victory." The small society of men in war defines war in words like "pain," "dismemberment,"mutilation."Such is this contrast in Clint Eastwood's film . Doc Bradley , Rene Gagnon ,and Ira Hayes do not see war with the eyes of the media, even the eyes of their families.Doc survives by keeping silent about the war ,by removing himself from celebrity , and ultimately settling down as an undertaker. In fact, we first see him walking among open caskets. Rene falls victim to a society that offers him success and then forgets the offer. Ira walks precariously between the two worlds and finally escapes . Perhaps the final line in the film spoken by Doc's son , James Bradley , underscores the theme:"the risks they took, the wounds they suffered, they did that for their buddies. They may have fought for their country but they died for their friends." About half- way through, the three men are at a banquet to sell war bonds. They are served ice cream shaped like the flag raising. The waiters then pour red and chocolate topping on the ice cream. This scene reinforces the way society has vulgarized their experience. The final shot is a recurring dream to Doc. We now see his view. After the flag raising, the men go swimming , swimming like youngsters,running , splashing, playing in the high waves.This becomes a salve for him and for the audience, a kind of closure shared by both the individual and us.
Match Point (2005)
Woody Allen's "Match Point" and Robert Frost's sonnet "Design"
Woody Allen's "Match Point" has many allusions to other films , operas, and novels. Robert Frost's sonnet , "Design," deals with a similar theme and a universal question about the design and order in the world or luck and blind chance governing nature and human destiny. Ultimately , this question of design behind the universe leads to the question , "Does God Exist?" Allen and Frost seem to conclude that life on earth is governed by chance;therefore God does not exist. A closer look at both works reveals that there is a God behind what has happened . The spider in the poem is drawn instinctively to the white heal-all and the moth . In "Match Point," Chris seems to be free from his crime. But in the last scene , the viewer sees that Chris's punishment has just begun. Chris's wife, their baby , Terrance, her parents and her brother are all in the same frame, drinking champagne , laughing , and toasting , and ignoring Chris who has walked away. The camera pans to the left and stops at Chris in close-up . His anguished face reveals pain and suffering. Even though he has been vindicated by the secular law , Divine Justice has meted out a worse punishment - guilt ,loneliness, a prisoner of his wife and her family and their wealth . Frost ends his poem "What but design of darkness to appall/ if Design govern in a thing so small." God , perhaps a "Design of Darkness," does exist after all."
Double Indemnity (1944)
The Turning Point for Two Lovers
Billy Wilder's "Double Indemnity" was filmed in 1938 but released in 1944. The film had to pass the Production Code as all films had to do at this time. This was the reason for the delay. The film is a tale of adultery , murder , and fraud. The first sin was the main obstacle in approving the film for release. Since nudity and bedroom scenes were never shown on screen , the sexual context had to be suggested in the script and the imagery. In one key scene , Phyllis (Stanwyck ) comes to Neff's (MacMurray) apartment. Neff at this point is unsure of "helping" her. In one two-shot , both are on the sofa,Phyllis reclining and Neff sitting beside her. The film cuts to the Neff narrative of the story and then returns to the two-shot in the apartment. Now , he is reclining on the sofa , fully dressed but his legs are apart. Phyllis is on the other end of the sofa putting on lipstick.Looking at the subtext of the scene , we see the suggestion of a completed sexual encounter , probably ending in oral sex. After the sex, Neff agrees to help Phyllis murder her husband. This , then , is a key scene that sends both on "a one-way street' to the finale.
Cabin in the Sky (1943)
A Corrected View of Blacks in 1943 with "Cabin in the Sky"
"Cabin in the Sky" was a great film and a milestone in the treatment of African Americans. Before this film , there was very little positive treatment of Black America. Sexuality in the African American society was rarely treated in American films after 1915 specifically in D.W. Griffith's "Birth of a Nation." In this film , the message transferred to an audiences was that many black men were lusting after young white women. This false notion led to the group hero in the film-the KKK. Their main mission , according to the film, was to protect and save white women from the sexual obsession of blacks."Cabin in the Sky" is a religious but also a very sexy film.Men and women , in this case all black , have driving , healthy, not always moral sexual desires. The characters are not confined to kitchens,train stations, as maids and as butlers or shoeshiners. These sexual desires are often in conflict with traditional morality as seen in "Cabin." But this struggle is also a human struggle in all races . The film communicates this equality with all human nature with song , with dance , with dialog , with costuming.So ,despite the many stereotypes in the film,the equality of sexual desire is a milestone in "Cabin in the Sky." Griffith's view stands corrected. Amen!
Baby the Rain Must Fall (1965)
A great but overlooked Steve McQueen film
Next to "Sand Pebbles," this film is the best of Steve McQueen. The audience feels his "imprisonment " by the countryside , by the once rich lady who took him in , by his desire to be a singer in a band even if he hasn't all that much talent. I also felt his frustration with being unable to do what his heart desires , a frustration that almost destroys him. I love the symbol of the hope represented by the final shot of the china-berry tree he plants for his daughter , the title song that helps define McQueen's character ,and the final line in the film given by Lee to her daughter..What other human being has not felt these feelings ? A minor classic for me! A gem for both Steve and Lee"s acting , acting almost without words!
Moulin Rouge! (2001)
An Opulent Film Worth More than Critics Gave
Moulin Rouge! was a wonderful film- daring , exquisite , and insightful. The close resemblance to opera or operetta was quite striking to me. Some of the images linger long after the film is over: the turning windmill , the close-ups of the actors , the lighting, and the fireworks that reinforced the emotional moods.Wonderfully acted by Nicole Kidman and Ewan MacGregor , this was a movie to savor especially in our troubled times. The themes still are needed to remind us of the worthwhile values in life: truth , freedom , beauty , and most of all- Love.