Reviews

It is hard to understand why it is so difficult to view the films of one of the most important directors of Italian cinema and the world. Federico Fellini, Luchino Visconti and Vittorio De Sica's works are all, fortunately, mostly available. Rossellini "the father of us all" as Martin Scorsese once said, is sadly a legend whose works are vastly unavailable. Legal or copyright reasons should not hamper a persons work, especially one of vast importance to the cinema. Isabella Rossellini said "My dad's films are fading away…My father is slowly being forgotten." However when one experiences a Rossellini picture it is hard to imagine that statement. A viewing of Germany Year Zero will make one remember Rossellini for life, along with a list of other Rossellini masterpieces; Open City, Paisan, Stromboli, Voyage in Italy and many more. I have been fortunate enough to view a great deal of uncut and unavailable Rossellini works at the Cinematheque Ontario in Toronto. Being part of a 20 something generation I can gladly say that Rossellini's films are to another generation just as powerful as they were when they first came out. With Viva L'Italia! Rossellini has created a film that ranks with such classics as Visconti's The Leopard, or even perhaps a war film such as Patton, which may have been influenced by this film. The story is about the Italian hero Giuseppe Garibaldi, who perhaps is not well known throughout North America, but we get an education while watching this film. Although some Italian critics may not have been optimistic about Rossellini's portrayal of Garibaldi, it still evokes interest in the viewer to find out who Giuseppe Garibaldi was and what he did. One of the great beauties of this work is the long sweeping camera shots of the clashing armies. On the big screen it is imperative. This picture is akin to Lawrence of Arabia where it really makes you appreciate cinema on the big screen. There are camera shots setup from high in the mountains looking down on the battle plains below of Garibaldi's advancing armies into a town. You can barely see the men, they are like ants; it is magnificent to look at. With his Neorealistic skills, Rossellini excellently captures the action on the streets of Garibaldi's army fighting the Bourbons. The movie ends on an unusual note, but it evokes such an interest on Garibaldi to the viewer. We are fortunate to have the cinema as an art and a tool of examining and telling stories of our history. It is upsetting to realize that a great work such as this one is extremely difficult for viewing. Martin Scorsese has expressed his concern for Italian Cinema and made the great documentary; My Voyage to Italy. He says, "History remains something that's handed down, something that happens between people. In fact I learnt that by watching these movies, so the best way I have to keep film history alive is to try and share my own enthusiasm, my own experience...Usually people get excited about a movie by hearing about it from somebody else, so I'm simply trying to tell you I saw these movies I didn't read about them or learn about them in school, and they had a powerful effect on me and you should see them."

And along with all of Rossellini's films, you should see this one.

Everyone knows who Alfred Hitchcock is. He is a man of mainstream and yet he has made a lot of films, which nobody knows about, which I consider greatly independent. Foreign Correspondent is a great movie. It's sets, locations, and characters are truly amazing. This film is like that unexpected delicious taste of chocolate that we are so lucky to get once and while. I'll start with the sets. The first one that comes to mind is in Amsterdam. We start on a wide shot and move through the busy street to a gathering in front of building. There are streetcars and hundreds of people around. Then someone gets shot in the face (pretty intense for 1940), and we go on a car chase out of town. A comical moment occurs during the chase scene when we as well as the Joel McCrea character (Johnny Jones/ Huntley Haverstock) are introduced by Carol Fisher to the George Sanders character whose name is Scott ffolliott. The dialogue is brilliant.

Carol Fisher "Mr. Haverstock, Mr ffolliot"

Scott ffolliott "With a double "f"

Huntley Haverstock "I don't get the double f"

Scott ffolliott "There all at the beginning both small F's"

Huntley Haverstock "They can't be at the beginning"

Scott ffolliott "One of my ancestors had his head chopped off by Henry VIII and his wife dropped the capital letter to commemorate the occasion"

Huntley Haverstock "How do you say it, like a stutter"

Scott ffolliott "No, No, just straight "fuh"

Right after this conversation there is another small comical moment here in which a man tries to cross the street but his chances to cross keep being interrupted by all the cars in the chase. He finally gives up and walks back into his house. It is also sped up like a silent film. This could be homage to a Chaplin film. The chase ends up in a field full of windmills. We go inside of one of the windmills where the assassin is hiding. The set here is an eye opener. Steep staircases, and the guts of the windmill. A perfect set for the villains to hide out. The characters in this film are great. The people who play them are perfect. The George Sanders character I think is the most exciting. He usually plays a good villains in a lot of films. In this film he is an exciting supporting hero. The villains of this film are great too. You have Herbert Marshall who plays Stephen Fisher, the leading ladies father. We don't find out he is the villain until the end. It's nice having the main villain being someone who is a gentleman and later on finding out his dark secrets. Then we have his henchman, Mr. Krug. You won't notice it until the second viewing of the film. Krug is always wearing a turtleneck shirt. Why find out why near the end in a struggle. The shirt is pulled down and we see a line of stitches across his neck showing that at one time he had his throat slit. Details like this really add depth to a simple character. The main characters played by Joel McCrea and Laraine Day at this age do not seem to be household names like Cary Grant and Kathrine Hepburn. I think the movie would still be good with big names like Grant and Hepburn, however the film wouldn't remain it's hidden treasure that it is. The fact that the movie is made up of supporting characters is another reason why it is greatly independent. This is a great surprise of a movie. Hitchcock even throws in a little sexual innuendo. Joel McCrea is passing Laraine Day some little notes to try and get her attention. On one of them we quickly see a picture of supposedly him and her as stick figures with along line of stick children. The note reads, "Do you believe in large families." The love story in this film is great as well. The movie is so fast that it never really slows down for a love story. . Joel McCrea and Laraine Day are on a boat back to England, the dialogue is as follows.

Johnny Jones: I'm in love with you, and I want to marry you. Carol Fisher: I'm in love with you, and I want to marry you. Johnny Jones: Hmm... that cuts down our love scene quite a bit, doesn't it?

Perfect. The movie doesn't play to the contemporary themes of a love story, which would be a disaster for this movie. Moving along toward the end of this film. We are on a plan and it crashes into the ocean. This is a very exciting sequence. This could be one of the first sequences in film where we are actually inside of a plan when it crashes. Hitchcock does this very masterfully using backdrop projection.

When you stop and think about it, this film really is amazing. It accomplished so much in its time. The effects are good, the story is exciting, the dialogue is genius, and the characters are not the typical mainstream characters but are perfect. This is Hitchcock magic once again.