Reviews

I guess I am not a genius??? I absolutely agree with one commentator... this film was a panoramic view of .... nothingness. Reminded me of the fairy tale, "the emperor has no clothes!" You wait for some answers that will never come.

It reminds me of another film that i walked out of in the first 15 minutes of watching it--"It's all about love" starring Joaquin Phoenix shown in 2003. The only reason why i did not walk out of this film was simply because it won best picture! So i stayed so i could make sense of why it won that award... maybe i had to be patient enough and see it through so i will get it. I did not. It talked about the death of a younger sibling and how the family tried to make sense of it... cope with it... goodness the older sibling in the movie was still despondent about it in his old age! I can say that this film is one of the worst i've seen in my entire life.

So many others have given excellent comments about this made-for-TV film and so I shall not add any more to that except to say this is a very excellent film. Its use of historical footages add to the authenticity of its depiction. All i can say is that I found tears falling down my cheeks as the film ended--with the Emperor of Japan telling his military advisers that they too must endure the unendurable as he must. While I somehow felt some sympathy for him, I cannot understand why he did not use his imperial powers to stop these madmen from starting the war in the first place. The footage showing the soldiers with Gen. Wainwright need no words to describe the brutality of the Japanese occupation. Neither has Japan apologized for the atrocity done on so-called "comfort women." On the other hand, the photos taken right after the bomb was dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki are too painful to look at. Dr. Oppenheimer was right in his assessment--(I paraphrase--)"We may developed a weapon that will put an end to all wars...but can man be trusted not to useit for evil purposes?" The good book tells us, "The heart is deceitful above all things and desperately wicked. Who can know it?" I cried for all who suffered during the Bataan Death March, those who lived through the barbaric occupation of the Japanese Imperial Army but I also cried for the people of Hiroshima and Nagasaki who had to endure the unendurable. In war, everyone loses. This film did not glorify war but gave a factual presentation of the events that led to the bomb which changed the course of modern history...it showed both sides--good and bad...and so I gave it the highest rating.

Andy Garcia does a superb job of telling the story of Cuba from the perspective of one family caught in the turmoil of the revolution.

(Spoilers!)

It is the story of one family composed of 3 brothers, one is a musician whose life revolves around his family and his music lounge;one brother is a student at university--it is not clear what the other one's occupation is. Their father is a university professor who believes in Ghandi's philosophy of passive resistance. But one brother is captivated by Fidel Castro and joins the rebels. The other brother is also lured into the political fray and only Andy Garcia's character, Fico, is apolitical.

There is a parallelism in the break up of the country with the break up of the family. Family affinities are either strengthened or discarded depending on which side of the revolution one chooses to ally one's self with. This is the tragedy that is Cuba--it deposed a bloody dictator with a bloodier one.

Similarly, Fico's love for Aurora (his brother's widow) parallels his love for his Cuba. He loves her and he will love her forever; yet, he has to go away. Aurora chooses to stay in Cuba--she believes that communism is the the road to follow; Fico chooses to leave for New York--freedom is non-negotiable--it holds the highest value in his heart.

Wonderful story telling and directing from Andy Garcia. He presents this heartbreaking story with passion and understanding of its turbulent history. The poem at the end of the film is equally haunting in its beauty...to quote a portion:

"Todo es hermoso y constante, Todo es musica y rezo, Y todo, como el diamante, Antes que luz, es carbon."

(Everything is beautiful and faithful, Everything is music and prayer, And everything--like the diamond, Before it sparkles, is coal.")

Forgive me if I failed to translate it right; maybe someone can translate it more accurately and lyrically. But you get the idea.

I really loved watching this film, i give it 9/10!

SPOILERS! I always love Merchant Ivory films and this is no exception. Sure, the movie is quite slow but the acting of Paul Newman, Joanne Woodward and Blythe Danner is superb. Although Paul Newman's character is quite stern, he is not unloving. He just doesn't know how to express his feelings. When he thought that he was very sick and could die soon, he made sure that he set his estate in order and showed his wife the important papers she needs to be aware of. He wanted to make sure she would be all right. He also talks to his son and tells him the extent of his illness (which he conceals from his wife--he doesn't want her to worry!) and asks his son to take care of his mother in case he becomes very ill and possibly die. He also surprises Mrs. Bridge with a cruise to Europe during a tornado alert! He remains cool while a tornado is raging outside the hotel where he and his wife are dining.I realize that his reactions are based on his priorities...he might die soon and what's a tornado to do with what he wants to accomplish at this very moment? This is a lovely film about family relationships and how families interacted then--we see similar values (love of family, concern for children's future) but different ways of living it out.

Mr. Bridge doesn't quite like that his daughter will be marrying a plumber's son (not good enough for her!) and he gives his other daughter $1,000 to start a career in acting in New York. The best adjective for him is "reticent." Mrs. Bridge on the other hand, is such a naive and kind-hearted person. She sees the bright things in life although she is quite unhappy because she feels her husband doesn't love her enough.

If you happen to like European films and how they flesh out relationships, you will love this film.

This is one of the saddest, most heartbreaking films I've ever seen (along with Dr. Zhivago and The English Patient)! I won't bother giving a short description of the film since most of the comments have already done so. I keep wondering how I would have reacted if I were in the same situation--would I have shown the same restraint? Imagine the last scene...the lovers are together in a cafeteria for the last time...The Doctor will be leaving for Johannesburg with his family for good and they spend the whole afternoon together, before his departure to Africa...(had it been produced today, it would have had the prerequisite sex scenes!)--they go out to the country, walk over a bridge they had visited once before and then drive back to the train station for their final goodbye and the lead actress has to suspend her emotions because a friend of hers walks in and joins them at their table and then he has to leave to catch his train! How painful that must have been! And she could not show her emotions but you could feel it palpably as you watch the movie.

I don't think this film will excite young people today--nobody ever says "I love you" anymore--more so, "I will love you 'til I die." I just love this gem of a movie. Great acting--with that restrained, British stiff upper lip emoting so much unlike today's young people who yell and cuss! Ha-ha! I also hope to watch the 1974 version with Richard Burton and Sophia Loren again but they haven't made it into DVD format yet. Sigh.

I went to watch the film because it had Joaquin Phoenix, Claire Danes, and Sean Penn in it. Lesson 1: I will never watch a film again just based on who the actors are--it is no guarantee that the film will be good.

Joaquin Phoenix' character is on the way to Canada but stops by New York to sign his divorce papers. First nutty scene: a dead man is being bounced back and forth on the last step of the escalator as Joaquin and entourage go down and Joaquin is told to "walk over the dead man"...just like that with a terse explanation that people fall dead of a broken heart--so that's where the title of the film comes in--it's all about love...i should have left the theater at this point but I thought i'd sit a while more to find out just what is love all about. My mistake...

This was the strangest film I have ever watched in my entire life--Elena clones (Claire Danes is Elena, the ice skating star), snow in New York, in July; snow in Africa; Africans flying literally and having to tie their feet with a piece of rope to keep them aground so to speak; and finally Sean Penn in a plane that can't land because of continuous snowing...

It is neither uplifting nor entertaining. Just painful and boring.

Set in Sarawak, Borneo in 1936, this is a story of a native Iban and a British colonial officer. I bought the DVD only because it is a period film (which I always love) and that it is also a love story (for which I am a sucker for.) I was not disappointed. Although I wondered why the leading lady looked too gorgeous for a native Iban--but her looks is explained in the movie later on. However, when she first appears on the screen, she acts much like a Latina rather than an Asian native (more especially since this was in 1936!)...in the scene where Hugh Dancy's character is welcomed by the people, Jessica Alba's character is seated right behind him holding a tray of rice wine..the looks she gives him is definitely not Asian! Asian women are shy around men and don't give sultry and inviting looks at other men.

Hugh Dancy was perfect for the role. He looked innocent and idealistic enough. The film gives a good picture of how the British ran their colonies and how they looked on the natives--whether they be Ibans (as in this film) or whether they be Indians or Africans or Arabs. That's why Hugh Dancy's role is a very refreshing change from the stereotypes we is usually shown in movies.

The scenes looked believable, the costumes were great and I am glad they did not depict the natives as brainless. I just had a hard time believing that Hugh Dancy's character (SPOILER COMING!) would choose to live in the jungles of Borneo for the rest of his life.

I would like to see more of Hugh Dancy in future films! He is gorgeous.

This is a continuation of the series "Antonia"--after her husband, Count Leonhardt is killed within 10 minutes of their wedding... The grieving widow, Antonia, suspects that the killer is still out there and realizes almost too late that he was just beside her all the time. After a long car chase, Antonia's car crashes but she miraculously survives and the film ends with Moritz, Leonhardt's brother reassuringly beside her. Antonia--Tranen In Paradies resumes 2 years after the accident. Antonia is now married to Moritz, they have a child, Marie (with whom she was pregnant at the time of the accident). Antonia is now happily married and everything seems perfect until complications set in to mar her happiness again. Will her marriage survive the trials?

I enjoyed watching this film as it concluded Antonia's fairy tale of a life...poor girl meets rich boy, gets married, although husband gets killed...girl inherits husband's fortune...takes over his financial empire and even manages to get married again(!)...this time to her handsome and charming brother-in-law. Only people who enjoy soap operas like me will probably like this film--the events move fast, it has all the ingredients of a successful soap--romance, intrigue, suspense, and a happy ending! Benjamin Sadler as Moritz is the icing on the cake--what more can I ask for?

I was pleasantly surprised by this movie--I thought I would be bored but since it had both Anthony Hopkins and Emma Thompson in it, I decided to watch it anyway. Their acting was superb--I felt Anthony Hopkins should have won the Oscar for best actor in this movie--especially in the scene where his father has a heart attack in the middle of a very important dinner with very important guests and Anthony Hopkins has to continue with his duties as head butler. He manages to control his emotions but his eyes tells it all--how deeply hurt he is. No overacting here. In another scene where Emma Thompson tells him that she is leaving to get married--I have never seen such great acting in my life! I could almost feel his pain--losing the only woman he has ever loved. While his decision to let her go is certainly foolish, one can only watch in wonder how flawlessly Anthony Hopkins acted out this scene and it is repeated much later when he goes to visit Emma Thompson at the conclusion of the film.

Great movie, great acting all the way. I could scarcely believe that the script was written by a Japanese--he really showed what that "British stiff upper lip" is all about...