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Reviews
Love! Valour! Compassion! (1997)
Great plays
I am in the midst of directing a production of L!V!C!
The play is among the great examples of neo-Chekovian form.
The play does not rely on plot, but rather on character. These men may be described as many things, but they are neither stereotype nor one-dimensional.
Ramon is not just a pretty boy. Why is he there with John? Why does he come back? For Bobby? Hardly. His ambition is for himself, and to insinuate himself with Gregory.
Why the conflict between Gregory and Ramon? Because of Bobby? That is the most simplistic of interpretations--Gregory is the Alpha male and Ramon threatens his dominance not only of his home, but his craft. Gregory only gives the dance to Ramon after he (Gregory) has reasserted his place in the pack.
Where does John's verbal violence come from? Were he so vile as Perry makes him out to be, why then would he be invited back? A close reading of the script reveals that John invariably assaults when he has been hurt emotionally, or when he has shown his vulnerability.
Every one of these men is complex and human. The problem is that film is an apalling medium in which to portray this.
Ermo (1994)
Even peasants have to keep up with the Jones'
A wonderful film.
Ermo ("Second Girl")--a woman not even given a proper name--never wavers from her quest. Her singleminded pursuit is both heartening--as we come see her drive and self-discipline; and heartbreaking--as she, and we, see it for the empty goal it is.
For Westerner's, who rarely see China beyond Beijing, Hong Kong, Shanghai, and more rarely Xian and Kuilin, this film gives a rare insight into the life of the countryside. "Socialism with Chinese characteristics" is creating ever more women and men like Ermo.
The Lion in Winter (1968)
...We're a knowledgable family.
One of the most magnificent character studies ever written, and committed to film.
Goldman himself is clear in saying that the anachronisms are quite deliberate. The exchange of Christmas presents and the Christmas tree were unknown to the 12th century Angevins. There is no historical record of a sexual relationship between Henry and Alais. But none of that matters. This is historical fiction--and what is important is the relationships between the characters, not faithful representations of the historical personages.
There is not a wasted word, gesture or image.
(So how, in an year which gave us this film, and 2001: A Space Odyssey did Oliver! win the Oscar?!?)