For the 21st week of 2019 as part of Wandering Through the Shelves' Thursday Movie Picks. We go into the subject of films adapted from other films in a different language as it’s often common that Hollywood would take a well-received film from a different country and then translate into English and into a Hollywood spectacle where it can work at times but most of the time. They’re just total shit. Here are my three picks:
1. A Simple Noodle Story
From Zhang Yimou is an odd remake of the Coen Brothers’ debut film Blood Simple as it is set in Ancient China that involves a noodle shop owner who hires a corrupt cop to kill his wife and her lover who is also the cook at the noodle shop. It’s a visually-stylish film as it has some nice moments but it has a weird subplot involving two men trying to take break into their bosses’ vault over payment. It’s one of Yimou’s weaker films but it is worth watching for anyone interested in Yimou and the Coen Brothers.
2. Let Me In
A remake of the 2008 Tomas Alfredson film Let the Right One In by Matt Reeves is a decent film mainly due to the performances of Chloe Grace Moretz and Kodi Smit-McPhee. It is quite faithful though it doesn't do enough to bring in the scares while it also play too much into the many conventions of horror and such in this story of a troubled young boy who meets a young vampire.
3. Funny Games
Michael Haneke’s 2007 remake of his 1997 film is probably one of the strangest remakes ever produced on film. There aren’t many big differences between the original and the remake other than the actors and language while the 2007 version is a bit more on the nose for anyone that had seen the original 1997 film. It’s a simple home invasion movie where a family meet these two young men who ask for eggs and awful shit happen while one of the young men asks the audience what they should do.
© thevoid99 2019
Written and directed by Juan Antonio Bardem from a story by Luis Fernando de Igoa, Muerte de un ciclista (Death of a Cyclist) is the story of a wealthy socialite and a university professor whose affair caused the death of an unknown cyclist as local wonders who killed them believing something isn’t right. The film is an exploration of a couple whose tryst would cause trouble as it play into growing tension into their own lives as well as the different social classes they live in. Starring Lucia Bose and Alberto Closas. Muerte de un ciclista is an evocative yet eerie film from Juan Antonio Bardem.
On their way back to town, a university professor and his wealthy socialite mistress had hit a cyclist on their way as they would leave him for dead only for the news of the cyclist’s death to emerge with questions about what happened. It’s a film that takes its simple premise of a hit-and-run where no one knows what happened other than this couple who are having an affair. Juan Antonio Bardem’s screenplay opens with the incident as the main story is about the aftermath where Juan Fernandez Soler (Alberto Closas) and Maria Jose de Castro (Lucia Bose) are both in separate places following this hit-and-run accident with the former at home with his mother and the latter at a party with her husband Miguel (Otello Toso) that also features their friend Rafa (Carlos Casaravilla) who saw Juan and Maria on their way which makes Maria uneasy.
Throughout the course of the film, Juan and Maria struggle to see each other as their own individual lives are also becoming complicated with Juan causing trouble at his job as a professor in a university where he unknowingly gives one of his students a failing grade. It adds to the dramatic tension where a party that Juan, Maria, Miguel, and Rafa attend turn into trouble with Rafa making claims about what he saw as it raises the drama where there is also this internal conflict that looms as well as what Juan and Maria would lose if the truth does come out. Juan is aware of what is at stake but he is consumed with guilt while Maria is unsure about what she is willing to sacrifice as it’s become a big discussion for the film’s third act.
Bardem’s direction definitely feature some striking compositions into the way he presents a world of different social classes and this air of morality that looms within the social classes. Shot in rural and countryside areas near Madrid, Bardem uses the locations as this divide among social classes where both Juan and Maria live in lavish homes while there is a middle class that is happening in towns and at the university while the person they killed is likely from the lower class where Juan goes to the man’s apartment to find his widow. Bardem would use some wide shots to not just get a scope of the locations including the landscapes and scenes shot from a roof or at a building floor. It is also to play into this growing disconnect between the social classes with Juan consumed and Maria slowly unraveling as it relates to what Rafa knows. The medium shots help play into the interaction with the characters while Bardem’s close-ups add to the emotional tension that looms throughout the film. The film’s third act as it relates to the investigation and possible outcome also play into this desire for redemption but also temptation as it is driven by guilt as well as what two people would do to save themselves and make things right. Overall, Bardem crafts a mesmerizing yet haunting film about an adulterous couple dealing with murder.
Cinematographer Alfredo Fraile does brilliant work with the film’s black-and-white photography as it has a gorgeous look for many of the exteriors in the day while playing up to the artificiality in some of the party scenes while aiming for something natural for one scene in the church as it’s a highlight of the film. Editor Margarita de Ochoa does excellent work with the editing as it is largely straightforward while it features these inventive transitions that help create these unusual shift from one sequence to another. Set decorator Enrique Alarcon does terrific work with the interiors of the classroom that Juan teaches at as well as the homes of Miguel and Juan. The sound work of Alfonso Carvajal does nice work with the sound as it is largely straightforward in the way certain objects sound on location or in the atmosphere of a party scene. The film’s music by Isidro B. Maiztegui is incredible for its haunting musical score of strings and piano as it help heighten the suspense and drama as it’s another highlight of the film.
The film’s superb cast feature a few notable small roles from Alicia Romay as Juan’s sister Carmina, Julia Delgado Caro as Juan’s mother, and Manuel Alexandre as a cyclist. Bruna Corra is fantastic as Juan’s student Matilde whom Juan accidentally gives a poor grade to as she becomes concerned about his behavior where she knows something is up. Carlos Casaravilla is excellent as Rafa as an acquaintance of Maria who loves to gossip as he knows a secret about Maria that he wants to reveal where he would stir things up badly.
Otello Toso is amazing as Maria’s husband Miguel as a man who doesn’t suspect much until Rafa starts to open his mouth as he is someone that is rich and a lot of control hoping to maintain his stature as a man of importance. Alberto Closas is marvelous as Juan Fernandez Soler as a university professor who is consumed with guilt as he tries to get to know whom he killed as he also deals with what might happen as well as wanting to protect Maria and coming to some harsh conclusions about what he must do. Finally, there’s Lucia Bose in a phenomenal performance as Maria Jose de Castro as a socialite whose life unravels slowly following the hit-and-run that killed the cyclist as she tries to get on with her life where Bose displays the anguish of her character even though her voice is dubbed by Spanish actress Elsa Fabregas as Bose does manage to play into a woman struggling with what to do for herself and Juan.
Muerte de un ciclista is a sensational film from Juan Antonio Bardem that features great performances from Lucia Bose and Alberto Closas. Along with its gorgeous visuals, eerie music score, and themes of guilt and social classes. The film is a fascinating study of two people who deal with killing someone as well as ponder if their social status can protect them while later dealing with the guilt of their actions. In the end, Muerte de un ciclista is a tremendous film from Juan Antonio Bardem.
© thevoid99 2019
Written, directed, shot, and narrated by Mark Cousins, The Eyes of Orson Welles is a documentary film about the life and career of Orson Welles told through the drawings, sketches, storyboards, and Christmas cards that he created for much of his life. The film has Cousins travel to various locations including places where Welles made his films as well as the places where he came from or was inspired by as it also features an appearance from Welles’ daughter Beatrice who shows a few drawings that her father made. The result is a mesmerizing and evocative film from Mark Cousins.
The film follows film critic/historian Mark Cousins as he travels to various places including the University of Michigan where he discover many drawings, sketches, and such created by Orson Welles from his archives. Through these many drawings that Welles created including paintings, storyboards, and homemade cards, Cousins would travel through various parts of the U.S. as well as Europe to the many locations based on what Welles drew as he would tell the story in six chapters as it each play into the different roles and themes that Welles had explored throughout his career. Also serving as the film’s cinematographer and narrator, Cousins delves into the many films that Welles had done as well as a few unreleased projects such as Don Quixote and It’s All True as it play into his evolution as a filmmaker.
Much of Cousins’ direction is straightforward in terms of the compositions as he and visual effects creator Danny Carr would re-create some of the sketches that Welles made to play into what Welles was thinking with this drawing. Cousins also would draw upon some of the locations where Welles staged his plays as well as what they’ve become as well allusions to some of the stories he told and how they mirror what would happen in the real world. Even as Cousins go to Welles’ home of Kenosha, Wisconsin where not much has changed as Cousins feel it’s a town that has been neglected in some ways. Cousins would use films that Welles would star in as well as feature-length films about Welles such as Tim Robbins’ adaptation of Cradle Will Rock and Richard Linklater’s film Me and Orson Welles as examples.
With the help of editor Timo Langer in compiling footage from Welles’ films to cite examples of his visuals and personas that he would sketch out in his drawings, Cousins would match the images from the drawings but also showcase the influence Welles had on artists including some of the art that is shown in Chicago. Sound designer Ali Murray would use audio excerpts from interviews that Welles had done over the years to talk about his art as well as have a voice actor mimic Welles for a chapter in the film as it relates to what Cousins is exploring and play into the many fallacies of Welles’ persona and the contradictions in his life. It play into Cousins’ idea of Welles and everything he sees as it is amplified through Matt Regan’s wonderful music score that is a mixture of lush string arrangements and somber piano that play into the journey and varied emotions of Welles’ life.
The Eyes of Orson Welles is an incredible film from Mark Cousins. It’s a film that fans of Orson Welles would definitely want to check out as it explore the man’s artwork and how his art has managed to inspire many people since his passing. Notably as it showcases some of the realities that have come to fruition from Welles’ work about the ways of the world. In the end, The Eyes of Orson Welles is a phenomenal film from Mark Cousins.
Orson Welles Films: Citizen Kane - The Magnificent Ambersons - The Stranger (1946 film) - The Lady from Shanghai - Macbeth (1948 film) - Othello (1952 film) - Mr. Arkadin - Touch of Evil - The Trial (1962 film) - Chimes at Midnight - The Immortal Story - F for Fake - Filming Othello - The Other Side of the Wind
Related: Orson Welles: The One Man Band - Me and Orson Welles - (The Story of Film) - They'll Love Me When I'm Dead - The Auteurs #69: Orson Welles: Pt. 1 - Pt. 2
© thevoid99 2019
Directed by Michael Mann and written by Stuart Beattie, Collateral is the story of a cab driver who is forced by a hitman to drive him to destinations around Los Angeles to kill various targets during the night. The film is a suspense-thriller that play into a cab driver who is given a troubling night as he deals with the danger of taking a hitman to kill people leading to chaos and violence. Starring Tom Cruise, Jamie Foxx, Jada Pinkett Smith, Mark Ruffalo, Peter Berg, Irma P. Hall, Bruce McGill, and Javier Bardem. Collateral is a riveting and entrancing film from Michael Mann.
Taking place in the span of nearly 12 hours in Los Angeles, a cab driver is forced by a hitman to drive him to various locations in the city where he is to kill four key witnesses and prosecutor for the man who hired him. It’s a film that explores a cab driver’s awful night as he endures a journey of darkness as he has to accompany this man to destinations as he is there to kill and that is it. Stuart Beattie’s screenplay follows Max Durocher (Jamie Foxx) who is a cab driver with a meticulous personality that works part-time as a cab driver hoping to raise enough money to start a limousine business where one of his first clients is a prosecutor in Annie Farrell (Jada Pinkett Smith) whom he converses with as it leads to a brief sense of attraction. Then he meets Vincent (Tom Cruise) who asks to go to this destination and then a body falls onto Max’s cab as it begins a hellish night as Vincent is a professional who carries a list as he does whatever he can to kill making Max uneasy.
Vincent is a mysterious character who can be charming one minute and then ruthless the next minute where Max gets a close look at Vincent’s work and through the trail of bodies he left behind. The script also play into these conversations between Vincent and Max where there is a unique dynamic between the two as the latter knows he’s not in control but is eager to get out. Even as Vincent’s killings would attract the attention of the police including LAPD detective Ray Fanning (Mark Ruffalo) who believes something is up as one of his witnesses had been killed knowing it’s a professional hit. Once the story progresses and body count pile up, Max would do drastic means to stop Vincent from killing more only for things to get more complicated where Max is forced by Vincent to meet up with the man who hired Vincent in Mexican drug lord in Felix Reyes-Torrena (Javier Bardem) who would only raise more suspicion as Max realizes he’s in a far darker world that is not prepared for.
Michael Mann’s direction is astonishing in terms of the visuals he creates as it is shot largely on high-definition digital video with the exception of a nightclub scene shot on 35mm film. Shot on location in Los Angeles which is a character in the film, Mann displays this air of grit into his compositions where he would use a lot of wide and aerial shots to capture so much attention to detail as well as where Max’s cab is at in a certain location. Still, much of the direction is set inside the cab throughout the film where Mann maintains that intimacy through the close-ups and medium shots as well as in the different locations that Max has to take Vincent to. The scenes of violence are brutal though some of it occur off-screen yet there’s one violent scene that is brutal as it relates more to Max’s reaction and how close he is to the violence. Mann’s direction definitely play into this air of cinema verite with its usage of hand-held cameras as well as maintaining this air of realism into the direction.
Mann also creates this air of tension as it relates to the trail of bodies that Vincent leaves behind as detectives, FBI agents, and others go on the case to find out what is going on. The nightclub scene before the film’s third act where a witness is at is among one of the most suspenseful moments in the film as it shows how ruthless Vincent is in his pursuit. The third act is about the final target and what Max is willing to do to protect that person as well as realizing what kind of person Vincent really is. It’s among the most thrilling sequences ever captured on film as Mann uses the locations and compositions to help play into the stakes of a man who is having a bad night. Overall, Mann crafts a visceral yet evocative film about a cab driver being forced to drive a hitman to various destination on a dark night in Los Angeles.
Cinematographers Dion Bebe and Paul Cameron do brilliant work with the film’s digital video photography with Bebe doing much of the work to play into its sense of grit and crudeness but also in some gorgeous imagery for many of the interior/exterior scenes set at night. Editors Jim Miller and Paul Rubell do amazing work with the editing with its usage of jump-cuts and other rhythmic cuts to play into the action and suspense. Production designer David Wasco, with set decorator Sandy Reynolds-Wasco and art director Daniel T. Dorrance, does fantastic work with the look of some of the places that Max and Vincent go including a few clubs as well as the nightclub for one of the film’s big shootouts. Costume designer Jeffrey Kurland does terrific work with the costumes as it is largely straightforward that includes the grey suit that Vincent wears.
Prosthetic/special effects makeup artist Matthew W. Mungle, along with special makeup effects artists Jake Garber, Cleve Gunderman, Jamie Kelman, and Bart Mixon plus prosthetic makeup artist Wesley Wofford, does excellent work with the look of Vincent with his hair as well as the look of a few characters. Visual effects supervisor Robert Stadd does some fine work with the visual effects as it is mainly set dressing for a few shots in the city. Sound designer Elliott Koretz does superb work with the sound to help play into the atmosphere of what it sounds like inside a cab or at a club as well as how music is heard on a certain location. The film’s music by James Newton Howard is wonderful for its low-key orchestral score that has elements of electronic ambient music that help play into the unsettling tone of the film while music supervisor Vicki Hiatt creates a soundtrack that feature some additional score pieces from Antonio Pinto plus music from the Roots with Cody Chesnutt, Groove Armada, Calexico, Tom Rothrock, Green Car Motel, Johann Sebastian Bach, Miles Davis, Paul Oakenfold, and Audioslave.
The casting by Francine Maisler is incredible as it feature some notable small roles and appearances from Jason Statham as a man Vincent bumps into at the airport early in the film, Bohdi Elfman and Debi Mazar as a couple that Max picks up, the trio of Angelo Tiffe, Thomas Rosales Jr., and Inmo Yuon as Vincent’s targets, Richard T. Jones and Jamie McBride as a couple of traffic cops, Steven Kozlowski as a mugger trying to mug Max, Klea Scott as a FBI official, Emilio Rivera as a bodyguard of Felix, and Javier Bardem in a terrific one-scene appearance as the Mexican drug lord Felix Reyes-Torrena. Barry Shabka Henley is superb as the jazz musician Daniel Baker whom Vincent and Max sees as he’s performing at a club as he talks to them about Miles Davis while Irma P. Hall is fantastic as Max’s mother Ida who is ailing at the hospital as she is concerned about Max’s future while finding herself in an odd conversation with Vincent.
Bruce McGill is excellent as the FBI agent Frank Pedrosa who is spying on Felix as he believes he is involved with these killings while Peter Berg is wonderful as Fanning’s partner Richard Weidner who follows the trail of bodies though he isn’t sure it’s all connected to Felix. Mark Ruffalo is brilliant as detective Ray Fanning as someone who learns that one of his witnesses had been killed as he is aware of what is going on as he also believes that there is a lot more to meet the eye prompting him to find Max and protect him. Jada Pinkett Smith is amazing as Annie Farrell as a prosecutor Max meets early in the film in his cab as they converse about a few things including Farrell’s job as she would also take part in the film’s climatic third act as it relates to the case she’s involved in.
Jamie Foxx is phenomenal as Max Durocher as a cab driver who would have the worst night of his life as he is forced to accompany a hitman to various destinations where Foxx maintains a restraint as well as being this uneasy observer who is troubled by what he sees as he and Cruise do have great rapport to play into the tension and drama. Finally, there’s Tom Cruise in a tremendous performance as Vincent as a mysterious hitman who is ruthless in his pursuit of targets but is also a professional that is good at his job and is intent on finishing as it’s a dark yet riveting performance from Cruise.
Collateral is a spectacular film from Michael Mann that features great performances from Tom Cruise and Jamie Foxx. Along with its ensemble supporting cast, eerie visuals, a gripping music soundtrack, top-tier editing, and a broad sound design. The film is definitely a suspense-thriller that takes a simple premise and amp it up in its exploration of a hitman forcing a cab driver to take him to destinations in Los Angeles so that he can kill some people. In the end, Collateral is a sensational film from Michael Mann.
Michael Mann Films: The Jericho Mile – Thief (1981 film) - The Keep – Manhunter - L.A. Takedown – The Last of the Mohicans - Heat – The Insider – Ali - Miami Vice – Public Enemies (2009 film) - Blackhat - Blackhat - Ferrari - (Heat 2) - The Auteurs #73: Michael Mann Pt.1 - Pt. 2
© thevoid99 2019
Directed by Olivia Lichtenstein, Teddy Pendergrass: If You Don’t Know Me is the story about the life and career of R&B singer who was a vocalist for Harold Melvin and the Blue Notes and then going into a highly-successful solo career in the late 1970s and early 1980s until a car accident in March of 1982 left him paralyzed. The film is a documentary featuring rare audio interviews with Pendergrass as well as those who knew and worked with him about the journey he took as well as where he was about to go before his tragic accident. The result is a majestic and riveting film from Olivia Lichtenstein.
Before the car accident near his hometown of Philadelphia on March 18, 1982, Teddy Pendergrass was on the cusp of crossover from R&B to a wider audience as he had spent more than a decade being a star as a singer for Harold Melvin and the Blue Notes before leaving the group in 1975 and starting a solo career two years later to great success and fanfare. The film chronicles Pendergrass’ early life to his monumental comeback at Live Aid on July 13, 1985 where he made a surprise appearance singing with Ashford and Simpson. Featuring hours of audio interviews from Pendergrass as well as archival video interviews, director Olivia Lichtenstein interviews various individuals including Pendergrass’ manager Shep Gordon, songwriters Leon Gamble and Kenny Huff, former Blue Notes vocalist Lloyd Parks, family members, musicians, and many others who knew Pendergrass.
Along with interviews from former girlfriends of Pendergrass, two of his children, and his mother, much of Pendergrass’ early life in the streets of Philadelphia is discussed as it relates to not just life in the inner city but also some of the racism that occur involving the city’s police towards young African-Americans. Avoiding the world of gangs, Pendergrass found solace through music as he would join the Blue Notes as their drummer first and then as a vocalist with Harold Melvin being its leader. While Pendergrass would sing many of the group’s hits from 1972 to 1975 yet Pendergrass and Parks both would reveal that despite their success, Melvin was the one getting a lot of the money where he would stay in lavish hotel suites while the rest of the group stayed in motels earning very little which prompt Pendergrass to leave the group.
The film also touched upon his solo career with his live band in that time all talking about his manager at the time who was also his girlfriend and then was killed in 1977 just as his solo career was starting as many including Pendergrass’ bodyguard believed she was killed by the Black Mafia. The film which include a recreation of the crash that would paralyze Pendergrass with an actor playing him also touches upon some of the dark aspects of the music industry including the way black promoters dealt with black performers. It was around this time that Pendergrass met Shep Gordon who was famous for managing the career of shock-rocker Alice Cooper as many believe Gordon is one of the few honest people in the music industry as he stayed with Pendergrass until his passing in 2010. Gordon would have Pendergrass play venues that would normally attract white audiences as it lead to a successful career including five consecutive platinum albums and a growing audience of both black and white audiences. Many felt that Pendergrass is set to cross-over as the film also feature this rare video/audio recording of a cover of the Lionel Richie-penned song Lady performed at a show in London just a month before the crash.
Lichtenstein also played into the theories of what happened at the car crash as well as the aftermath where Pendergrass did contemplate suicide only for therapy and the love of his family and friends to help him. Even as it would take a simple Folgers commercial to get him to sing again and find the strength where he would make a comeback album in 1984’s Love Language that went gold and a year later his triumphant comeback performance at Live Aid. While the film doesn’t touch upon much of Pendergrass’ career post-Live Aid, it does showcase the legacy he left behind with his band keeping the music alive with a young singer singing with footage of Pendergrass from the past.
Teddy Pendergrass: If You Don’t Know Me is a marvelous film from Olivia Lichtenstein. It’s a documentary that play into the life and career of one of the great singers of the 20th Century as well as a man who a fun and charismatic performer that would make women swoon but also be so much more. In the end, Teddy Pendergrass: If You Don’t Know Me is a remarkable film from Olivia Lichtenstein.
© thevoid99 2019
Based on the graphic novel La Mort de Staline by Fabien Nury and Thierry Robin, The Death of Stalin is a fictionalized story about the death of Joseph Stalin where several of his associates try to figure out what to do with some fighting each other to be the next leader of the Soviet Union. Directed by Armando Iannucci and screenplay by Iannucci, David Schneider, and Ian Martin, the film is a satirical political comedy that explores a power struggle within the Soviet Union as it gets out of control with those wanting to make some changes with others wanting to maintain Stalin’s legacy. Starring Steve Buscemi, Simon Russell Beale, Paddy Considine, Rupert Friend, Jason Isaacs, Olga Kurylenko, Michael Palin, Andrea Riseborough, Adrian McLaughlin, Paul Whitehouse, Dermot Crowley, Paul Chahidi, and Jeffrey Tambor. The Death of Stalin is a wild and farcical film from Armando Iannucci.
It’s 1953 in the Soviet Union as Joseph Stalin is content with his rule until he suffers a cerebral hemorrhage and later dies leaving government officials unsure of what to do next and who should take over as the leader of the Soviet Union. That is the film’s plot as a whole where it is about the death of a leader of a superpower and everyone trying to figure out if they should tell the country that their leader had died as well as who should replace him officially. The film’s screenplay by Armando Iannucci, David Schneider, and Ian Martin with contributions by Peter Fellows explore a real-life event as it is dramatized into a farce that relates to power struggles, conspiracies, and all sorts of shit that happens following the death of a world leader. The story opens with Joseph Stalin (Adrian McLaughlin) listening to a live orchestra as he wants a recording of it where its lead radio broadcaster Yuri Andreyev asks the orchestra to play the entire concerto all over again for Stalin which prompts pianist Maria Yudina (Olga Kurylenko) to slip a note into the recording sleeve that Stalin would find while he listens to the recording.
It is when Stalin would suffer his hemorrhage as Interior Ministry head Lavrentiy Beria (Simon Russell Beale) would be the second person to find Stalin in that state after the maid was the first to report what had happened. Moscow Party head Nikita Khrushchev (Steve Buscemi) and Deputy General Secretary Georgy Malenkov (Jeffrey Tambor) would get the word as they all try to cover things but also contact Stalin’s daughter Svetlana (Andrea Riseborough) and his troubled son Vasily (Rupert Friend) as it leads to more chaos. The film’s script play into these meetings between various officials including the Foreign Minister Vyacheslav Molotiv (Michael Palin) to discuss funeral plans while there’s some backstabbing, scheming, and all sorts of shit about who should be the leader with Beria making Malenkov the new leader of the Soviet Union despite his inexperience in political matters. Many would also question whether Stalin would go for anything that is happening with Khrushchev trying to fix everything as he knows that Beria is causing trouble as he also appeals to a few to get rid of Beria who is threatening everyone with blackmail as a way to maintain his position of power.
Iannucci’s direction is definitely engaging in terms of its usage of hand-held cameras as well as maintain this air of disorder throughout the course of the film. Shot mainly in Britain with some exterior shots set in Kiev, Ukraine as the exterior of 1950s Moscow, Iannucci play into some of the absurdity that goes during the final days of Stalinism where he would shoots scenes of people getting killed though it’s shown mainly off screen while there are these moments of a list of who to kill and such as it is presented in this amazing dolly-tracking shot at a prison. While there’s some wide shots of the location including some striking wide compositions of a few conversations that goes inside the Kremlin and at other places. Much of Iannucci’s direction is intimate with its usage of hand-held cameras to capture some of the conversations whether it’s in a close-up or in a medium shot.
Iannucci also uses a lot of profane language for the film as it play into the frustration and chaos that ensues following Stalin’s death as well as the planning of the funeral that Khrushchev is tasked with. The scene of people walking to see Stalin’s casket for a state funeral where Khrushchev, Beria, Molotiv, Malenkov, and several others are bickering quietly while not facing each other as their backs are surrounding the casket. The film’s third act that would involve the actions of Field Marshal Georgy Zhukov (Jason Isaacs) who adds to chaos while Malenkov believes he has authority where he is in denial over his new role. Iannucci’s approach to the climax relates to this end of an era but also the beginning of something new though the ideas of the old would come to haunt this new era that would play into the demise of the Soviet Union. Overall, Iannucci creates a whimsical yet exhilarating film about a power struggle among government officials following the death of Joseph Stalin.
Cinematographer Zac Nicholson does amazing work with the film’s cinematography with its low-key approach to some of the exterior scenes at night including the streets of Moscow during a funeral march as well as some dazzling lights for some of the scenes at the halls of the Kremlin. Editor Peter Lambert does excellent work with the editing with its usage of jump-cuts to play into some of the humor as well as the film’s chaotic tone. Production designer Cristina Casali, with set decorator Charlotte Dirickx plus art directors Jane Brodie and David Hindle, does incredible work with the interior of Stalin’s home and his office as well as the rooms and halls inside the Kremlin and in the prisons. Costume designer Suzie Harman does fantastic work with the uniforms including the ridiculous white one that Malenkov would wear during the funeral as well the numerous medals that Zhukov wears.
Hair/makeup designer Nicole Stafford does superb work with the look of Stalin as well as the scar in Zhukov’s face. Special effects supervisor Neal Champion, along with visual effects supervisors Laurent Gillet and Ronald Grauer, does terrific work with some of the film’s minimal visual effects including some set dressing for the exteriors to present 1950s Moscow. Sound mixer Martin Beresford does wonderful work with the sound as it is largely straightforward as it also play into the chaos in some of the arguments that is heard in another room as well as the sounds of gunshots from afar. The film’s music by Chris Willis is brilliant for its orchestral score that feature bombastic string arrangements that is similar to the traditional Soviet music of the times while its soundtrack feature an array of classical music pieces.
The casting by Sarah Crowe is great as it feature some notable small roles from Justin Edwards and Nicholas Woodeson as a couple of orchestral conductors for the concerto that Stalin wanted a recording of, Sylvestra Le Touzel as Khrushchev’s wife Nina, Diana Quick as Molotov’s incarcerated wife Polina who is freed after Stalin’s death, Gerald Lepkowski as a young Leonid Brezhnev, and Adrian McLaughlin as Joseph Stalin as this leader who rules with an iron fist until he suddenly falls ill and then dies. The trio of Dermot Crowley, Paul Chahidi, and Paul Whitehouse in their respective roles as deputy chairman Lazar Kaganovich, council chairman Nikolai Bulganin, and political official Anastas Mikoyan as three men who are trying to figure out who to side with as well as ponder what to do next for the Soviet Union.
Rupert Friend is hilarious as Vasily Stalin as Stalin’s alcoholic and unstable son who believes his father’s death was a conspiracy created by Westerners while Andrea Riseborough is fantastic as Stalin’s daughter Svetlana who is trying to make sense of what happened but is also angry over the chaos that is happening where Riseborough gets a few moments to be funny. Paddy Considine is superb as the Soviet radio broadcaster Yuri Andreyev who is trying to get a recording of a concerto to happen while Olga Kurylenko is terrific as pianist Maria Yudina who hates Stalin as she reluctantly re-plays the concerto and later his funeral. Jason Isaacs is excellent as Field Marshal Georgy Zhukov as this no-nonsense military official who is upset over his army being confined to the barracks as he also has some simmering issues with Beria. Jeffrey Tambor is brilliant as Deputy General Secretary Georgy Malenkov who becomes Beria’s puppet as he believes he is going to become the next leader despite his inexperience and denial over the fact that he has no clue on how to run a country.
Michael Palin is amazing as Foreign Minister Vyacheslav Molotov as a political official who was close to Stalin as he deals with the aftermath as well as do some political maneuvering knowing that Beria is a liability to the future of the Soviet Union. Simon Russell Beale is incredible as Interior Ministry head Lavrentiy Beria as this political official trying to maneuver, backstab, and bullshit his way into power while trying to maintain some idea of what he feel could be beneficial to the Soviet Union. Finally, there’s Steve Buscemi in a phenomenal performance as Nikita Khrushchev who was then the Moscow party head as he is trying to figure out what to do next as he is tasked to plan Stalin’s funeral while realizing that he has to take the reins in leading the Soviet Union as it’s a comical and engaging performance from Buscemi.
The Death of Stalin is a spectacular film from Armando Iannucci. Featuring a great ensemble cast, witty commentary on political scheming, gorgeous visuals, and a sumptuous music score and satirical views on history. The film is definitely a wild comedy that isn’t afraid to be profane nor is it trying to follow a historical event in total accuracy in favor of studying a group of individuals fighting for power. In the end, The Death of Stalin is a sensational film from Armando Iannucci.
Related: In the Loop
© thevoid99 2019
For the 20th week of 2019 as part of Wandering Through the Shelves' Thursday Movie Picks. We venture into the simple subject of letters. Yes millennials, before there was texting. There was a thing that allowed us to communicate with others through writing letters as I’m sure there’s some that still do that because we don’t want to be controlled by the evils of texting. Here are my three picks:
1. Dear God
Garry Marshall’s 1996 comedy-drama is an underrated gem as it revolves a con-artist who takes a full-time job by working at a post office so he can avoid going to jail where he reads a letter addressed to God. Starring Greg Kinnear as this con artist who takes a job working at the post office, it’s a film that does have heart where he reads these letter addressed to God as he and several other workers at the post office decide to answer these letters and help some people out.
2. Broken Flowers
Jim Jarmusch’s 2005 film revolves around an aging Don Juan who receives a mysterious letter from a former lover revealing he has a long-lost son prompting the man to go on a road trip to find the letter and who might be the boy’s mother. It’s a film that is a part road movie but also a character study of this man played by Bill Murray dealing with past lovers and the idea that he might have a long-lost son where is aided early in the film by Jeffrey Wright as his neighbor who aspires to be a detective and gives Murray maps to his different destinations. Featuring a great soundtrack and an ensemble of women including Julie Delpy, Sharon Stone, Jessica Lange, Frances Conroy, Chloe Sevigny, and Tilda Swinton. It’s a film that is surprisingly accessible from someone as offbeat in Jim Jarmusch.
3. Letters from Iwo Jima
The second of Clint Eastwood’s World War II films about the Battle of Iwo Jima tells the story from the Japanese perspective as it play into soldiers writing to loved ones about their experience with war. It’s an unusual take on a war film as it’s often said that history is written by winners which I think is false. Eastwood would show a Japanese regiment at the island of Iwo Jima getting ready as they prove to be just as sympathetic and as human like the Americans. It’s not a typical war film but the usage of letters showcase some of the downsides of war as it shows men who are just fighting to survive rather than fight for a futile cause.
© thevoid99 2019
Based on the non-fiction novel Painfully Rich: The Outrageous Fortunes and Misfortunes of the Heirs of J. Paul Getty, All the Money in the World is about the real-life story of the abduction of John Paul Getty III by an Italian Mafia group who hold him from ransom where his grandfather J. Paul Getty refuses to cooperate and give the group no money. Directed by Ridley Scott and screenplay by David Scarpa, the film is a dramatization about the real-life abduction of John Paul Getty III as his mother and a former CIA operative try to save him despite his grandfather’s refusal to pay anything for the boy’s safety. Starring Michelle Williams, Mark Wahlberg, Charlie Plummer, Romain Duris, Timothy Hutton, Stacy Martin, Andrew Buchan, and Christopher Plummer as J. Paul Getty. All the Money in the World is a gripping yet chilling film from Ridley Scott.
In July of 1973, 16-year old John Paul Getty III (Charlie Plummer) was kidnapped by a mysterious Mafia group in Rome as they hold him for a ransom of $17 million which his grandfather in J. Paul Getty responds with no deal. That is the film’s premise as a whole as it play into this real-life event relating to a large ransom that is to be paid by the richest man in the world yet he refuses believing it is a hoax. David Scarpa’s screenplay is largely straightforward as it begins with Paul’s kidnapping and stories about his grandfather’s wealth and how he got extremely wealthy but also a family life with his mother Abigail (Michelle Williams) and his father J. Paul Getty Jr. (Andrew Buchan) that was quaint and simple until the latter was given a big job from his father that eventually lead him to drug and alcohol abuse and Abigail divorcing him with a desire of wanting full custody of their children including Paul.
Getty would hire his Getty Oil negotiator Fletcher Chace (Mark Wahlberg) to see if Paul is really lying as well as to help Abigail through his previous work in the CIA. Chace initially works with Abigail just to help Getty but eventually realizes the seriousness of Abigail’s search as he would start to help her more. The script also play into Paul’s time as a hostage as his kidnapper Cinquanta (Romain Duris) becomes sympathetic while knows that Paul is just a good kid that is an unfortunate situation that is made worse following a mistake by a kidnapper and later be treated far more cruelly by Cinquanta’s boss Mammoliti (Marco Leonardi) raising the stakes. With Getty even considering paying the ransom, it would come with some conditions that add more furor to Abigail’s problems with the family with Chace in the middle over whom he should be loyal to as well as wanting get Paul back home to safety.
Ridley Scott’s direction is definitely vast in terms of its setting and the world that Getty lives in which is quite huge for someone who has amassed a great deal of wealth that he built himself. Shot on various locations in Italy, Great Britain, and parts of Jordan, the film does play into this world that has made Getty legendary for what he’s done such as a deal he made with Bedouin sheikhs in getting their oil to the world. While there are some wide shots of the locations where Getty and his family live in including the quaint world that his son, Abigail, and their kids were living in the mid-1960s in San Francisco. The usage of close-up and medium shots as it play into the relationships of the family and the dramatic tension that occur. Notably as the wide shots also play into the disconnect between Getty and his family as the former is surrounded by artifacts, stock reports, and all things that makes him comfortable yet he is aware of how cruel the world can be and doesn’t really trust anyone including his own family. Scott’s direction definitely play into this man’s need for control as well as wanting more money such as a scene of him inspecting this rare painting as he considers not buying it due to its condition not being suitable to him.
The scenes involving Paul’s kidnapping does have this air of intensity as it relates to Paul’s attempts to escape his captors as well as some of the brutal moments he endure. The dramatic intensity also occur with Abigail desperately trying to get her son back with Chace’s help as it include phone calls with Cinquanta and other officials. Even as Abigail tries to find ways to get the money herself without Getty’s help where Scott definitely know when to play up the drama as well as find some semblance of hope in the film. Scott’s direction definitely shows someone who can bring wonders to a story as simple as this but also show how professional and skillful he can do in re-creating scenes that were shot before with Kevin Spacey in the role of Getty only for Spacey’s personal life to nearly ruin things prompting Scott to do re-shoots with Christopher Plummer in the role for a nine-day shoot as if Spacey never existed. Overall, Scott creates a thrilling and captivating film about the real-life kidnapping of J. Paul Getty III and the ransom that his grandfather refused to pay.
Cinematographer Dariusz Wolski does brilliant work with the film’s cinematography with the usage of black-and-white for a few scenes including a flashback scene of Getty in his rise to great wealth as well as some colorful looks for some parts of the film such as bluish tints for the scenes at Getty’s home in Britain to the usage of low-key and desaturated colors for the scenes in Italy. Editor Claire Simpson does excellent work with the editing with its usage of rhythmic cuts as well as letting shots linger for a bit to play into the suspense and dramatic tension. Production designer Arthur Max, with set decorators Richard Roberts, Letizia Santucci, and Nasser Zoubi plus supervising art directors Andrew Munro and Cristina Onori, does amazing work with the look of the Getty estate and his buildings and such that is surrounded by valuable and priceless artifacts that is a sharp contrast to the home of Paul’s captors who live in decayed farms in the middle of desolate farmland. Costume designer Janty Yates does fantastic work with the look of the clothes that Paul wears that was a style of the 1970s as well as the look of Abigail from the 1960s.
Makeup designer Tina Earnshaw and hair designer Ferdinando Merolla do terrific work with the hairstyles of the time in the 1960s and 1970s for Getty’s family along with some gory makeup for a key scene in the film’s third act. Special effects supervisors Simon Cockren and Maurizio Corridori, with visual effects supervisor Gary Brozenich, do nice work with the visual effects as it feature bits of set dressing including one key shot of Getty in Saudi Arabia. Sound editor Oliver Tarney does superb work with the sound as it play into the tense atmosphere that Paul endures in his capture as well as the sparse sounds of stock machines at Getty’s home. The film’s music by Daniel Pemberton is wonderful for its low-key orchestral score that help play into the suspense and drama while its music soundtrack feature an array of music from rock, pop, classical, and opera from the Zombies, Gianni Morandi, the Rolling Stones, Fred Buscaglione, Domenica Arlotta and Giuseppe Buieti, and Camaleonti.
The casting by Carmen Cuba is great as it feature some notable small roles from Clive Wood as Getty’s butler Bullimore, Kit Cranston and Maya Kelly in their respective roles as the younger versions of Paul’s siblings in Mark and Aileen, Charlie Shotwell as the younger version of John Paul Getty III, Ghassan Massoud as an Arab sheikh who does business with Getty, Nicolas Vaporidis as an abductor who unfortunately reveals his identity, Giuseppe Bonifati as Gail’s attorney Giovanni Iacovoni, Marco Leonardi as Cinquanta’s boss Mammoliti who doesn’t care for Paul’s well-being, Stacy Martin as Getty’s secretary, Timothy Hutton as Getty’s attorney Oswald Hinge, and Andrew Buchan as Paul’s father John Paul Getty Jr. as alcoholic/drug-addicted father who is more concerned with getting high than being a father.
Romain Duris is fantastic as Cinquanta as the lead abductor who holds Paul for ransom while he gets to know the boy as he realizes he’s just a good kid that is put in a bad situation as he is aware of what his boss would do after things got bad where he would be the one to contact Gail about the ransom and ensure the boy’s safety. Charlie Plummer is excellent as John Paul Getty III as a sixteen-year old kid who is the grandson of the richest man in the world who is just a teenage boy that becomes the victim of a ransom that becomes troubling and as he deals with the physical, emotional, and mental torture he endures. Mark Wahlberg is brilliant as Fletcher Chace as an adviser for Getty who also used to work for the CIA as he is hired to find out if Paul is really creating a hoax only to help Gail in getting Paul back while questioning his own loyalty for Getty.
Michelle Williams is amazing as Gail Harris as Paul’s mother who is trying to get her son back any way she can as she also is aware of her former father-in-law’s refusal to help out as well as to try and control her life as it’s a fierce and gripping performance from Williams. Finally, there’s Christopher Plummer in an incredible performance as J. Paul Getty as the then-richest man in the world who is willing to find ways to make money and have the most priceless artifacts out there as he believes that his grandson is faking his abduction while there is this sense of warmth in the performance that shows the complexity of Getty as it’s another of Plummer’s masterful performances.
All the Money in the World is a remarkable film from Ridley Scott that features great performances from Christopher Plummer, Michelle Williams, and Mark Wahlberg. Along with its ensemble cast, stylish visuals, and intense approach to suspense and drama. It’s a film that showcases a real-life event and what some will do to get a person back as well as how one person is trying to protect his own world believing that there is no price for anything. In the end, All the Money in the World is a sensational film from Ridley Scott.
Ridley Scott Films: (The Duellists) – Alien - Blade Runner - (Legend) – (Someone to Watch Over Me) – (Black Rain) – (Thelma & Louise) – (1492: Conquest of Paradise) – (White Squall) – (G.I. Jane) – (Gladiator) – (Hannibal) – (Black Hawk Down) – (Matchstick Men) – (Kingdom of Heaven) – (A Good Year) – (American Gangster) – (Body of Lies) – (Robin Hood (2010 film)) – Prometheus - (The Counselor) – (Exodus: Gods and Kings) – The Martian - (Alien: Covenant)
© thevoid99 2019
Directed by Yasujiro Ozu and screenplay by Tadao Ikeda from a story by Ozu, Dekigokoro (Passing Fancy) is the story of a two co-workers who both meet a young woman looking for a place to living as it would later cause problems. The film is a silent drama that explore two men who both find themselves falling for this young woman as it would later cause trouble in their friendship. Starring Takeshi Sakamoto, Nobuko Fushimi, Den Obinata, Chouko Iida, and Chishu Ryu. Dekigokoro is an interesting yet lightweight film from Yasujiro Ozu.
The film revolves around a love-triangle between two co-workers at a brewery over a young woman they met at a theater as they both try to pursue her in their own ways only for things to get troubling as the son of one of the co-workers isn’t fond of his father’s pursuit for this woman. It’s a film with a simple premise although screenwriter Tadao Ikeda creates a narrative that doesn’t really do much to flesh out the relationships and characters. Notably as the first act is about the friendship between Kihachi (Takeshi Sakamoto) and Jiro (Den Obinata) as they attend a rokyoku play with Kihachi’s son Tomio (Tokkan Kozo) where they would meet the destitute young woman Harue (Nobuko Fushimi). Harue would get a job working for a restaurant owner in Otome (Chouko Iida) as Kihachi would pursue Harue slowly though Jiro isn’t fond of her which is a front as he secretly is in love with her leading to all sorts of problems. Even as Tomio doesn’t seem fond of Harue due to his grief towards his mom as the script doesn’t really do much to play into the drama as it tries to put in some humor where some of it doesn’t work.
Yasujiro Ozu’s direction is quite simple in its compositions though it wouldn’t feature the restrained and extremely simplistic style that he would be known for in his later films. Still, there are some gorgeous compositions that Ozu would create in its close-ups and medium shots where he gets a look at a certain location or room but also in capturing some of the emotional aspects of the film. The film does have Ozu use dolly-tracking shots to get a view of a certain location or environment as it’s one of the few moments of Ozu moving the camera as it help play into some of the drama and humor. Though the story’s lack of a strong plot and moments where the story meanders would slow things down to a sluggish pace. Ozu is able to maintain that sense of realism as it relates to the drama as it relates to events in the third act involving Tomio. Notably as it help bring some revelation to some characters as well as a sense of duty despite Kihachi’s own illiteracy. Overall, Ozu crafts a compelling although underwhelming film about two men vying for a destitute young woman.
Cinematographer Hideo Shigehara does amazing work with the film’s black-and-white photography as it play into some of the interiors including how a restaurant or a home is lit as well as the natural approach to photography for some of the daytime exteriors. Editor Kazuo Ishikawa does terrific work with the editing in creating some straightforward cuts despite its sluggish pacing due to the story’s lack of plot. Set decorator Yonekazu Wakita does excellent work with the look of Kihachi’s home that he shares with his son and Jiro as well as the restaurant that Harue would work at. The film’s music by Donald Sosin from a 2008 restored edition is brilliant for its piano-based music that is common in silent films as it help play into the humor as well as some somber pieces in the dramatic moments of the film.
The film’s wonderful cast feature some notable small roles from Ozu regular Chishu Ryu as a boat passenger at the end of the film, Chouko Iida as the restaurant owner Otome, and Tokkan Kozuo as Kihachi’s son Tomio who has a hard time dealing with his father’s love of alcohol and the attention towards Harue. Nobuku Fushimi is fantastic as Harue as a young woman seeking work as she finds herself in a love triangle though she enjoys her time with Kihachi while is confused about Jiro’s behavior. Den Onibata is superb as Jiro as a young brewer who is intrigued by Harue though he isn’t initially fond of her as he tries to get work but also do what he can to help Kihachi despite issues he would have with him over Harue. Finally, there’s Takeshi Sakamoto in a brilliant performance as Kihachi as a widower who is trying to watch over his young son as he also deals with his feelings for Harue and uncertainty in trying to find work and his friendship with Jiro.
Dekigokoro is a good although meandering film from Yasujiro Ozu. While it features some good performances, nice visuals, and a terrific music score, it’s a film that anyone interested in Ozu would seek out as one of his earlier silent films that is available. Even if it doesn’t provide enough plot or intrigue in comparison to other films. In the end, Dekigokoro is a fine but unfulfilling film from Yasujiro Ozu.
Yasujiro Ozu Films: (Sword of Penitence) – (Days of Youth) – Tokyo Chorus - I Was Born, But... - (Dragnet Girl) – (A Mother Should Be Loved) – A Story of Floating Weeds - (An Inn in Tokyo) – (The Only Son) – (What Did the Lady Forget?) – (Brothers and Sisters of the Toda Family) – (There Was a Father) – Record of a Tenement Gentleman - (A Hen in the Wind) – Late Spring - Early Summer - (The Flavor of Green Tea Over Rice) – Tokyo Story - Early Spring - Tokyo Twilight - (Equinox Flower) – Good Morning (1959 film) - Floating Weeds - Late Autumn - The End of Summer – An Autumn Afternoon
© thevoid99 2019
For the 19th week of 2019 as part of Wandering Through the Shelves' Thursday Movie Picks. We delve into a subject based on my own suggestion which is about films you saw before but would have a different opinion after seeing it the first time. Re-watches are important where it allows someone to watch a film they’ve seen before either out of enjoyment or to miss something one didn’t see the first time around or in previous viewings. Then there’s films where you probably liked or didn’t like the first time around but then would watch it again and feel differently about it. Here are my three picks:
1. Heaven's Gate
I first saw the film in 2005 on IFC (then the Independent Film Channel) which was showing films that had an impact on one of the very first cable channels that is Z Channel. My initial opinion of the film was mixed where I felt the film had some problems in its narrative and motivations. Yet, I found myself unable to not watch it again as it intrigued me. Then came the 2012 restoration version of the film as while it still has some flaws, it is a film that has this grand vision that isn’t seen often in films as well as tell a fictionalized story of a real-life event that not many Americans know about.
2. Indiana Jones & the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull
I wish I never saw this film and I wish I had my money back as well as get a time machine to tell my younger self to not go see that fucking film. Back in 2008, the idea of seeing Indiana Jones kicking ass was just fun as I had never seen Indy on the big screen. When I saw it, I was more wrapped in the nostalgia element while I was in denial over some of the silliness that had happened. After watching it, I was saying to myself that it was a good movie. Months later, I would watch it in my head and began to question whether or not I really did enjoy it. I don’t remember when I re-watched it but I do remember finding myself not enjoying it all. I hated the visual effects, Shia LaBeouf’s Mutt character was really annoying, I started to not like the look, and some of the other things. Eventually, I realized how bad it was and I’m now convinced that this is the worst film Steven Spielberg has done. I’m angrier at myself for thinking it was good as I realized that I should’ve known better due to the fact that it was co-written by George Lucas.
3. It's Kind of a Funny Story
I first saw the film in 2011 on HBO as I didn’t think it was that great as I was distracted by how light-hearted and twee it was for me personally. A year later having gone through my own issues with mental illness and being hospitalized for a few days and having re-watched the film recently. I realized how spot on it was in this story of a teenage boy checking into a mental hospital and the struggles he was going through. It is a comedy-drama but it still explored the anguishes and issues that people have with the world and the break that they need to deal with these overwhelming issues.
© thevoid99 2019
Written and directed by Werner Herzog, Queen of the Desert is about the life of Gertrude Bell from her 20s to the final years of her life as she becomes a famed traveler, writer, archeologist, cartographer, and political officer. The film is a dramatic account of her life as she would also meet various figures who would be important to modern history as she is played by Nicole Kidman. Also starring James Franco, Damian Lewis, Jay Abdo, and Robert Pattinson. Queen of the Desert is a visually-entrancing yet underwritten film from Werner Herzog.
The film chronicles the life of Gertrud Bell from 1903 to 1916 though it begins in 1915 where various individuals are in the Middle East trying to figure out what to do with T.E. Lawrence (Robert Pattinson) suggesting Gertrud Bell to help negotiate matters. It’s a film that play into Bell’s desire to see the world where she would inhabit various roles in her life but also endure tragedy and adventures. Werner Herzog’s screenplay doesn’t do much to create a substantial narrative that play into Bell’s evolution from a lady of privilege into the famed traveler who would also be a writer, a cartographer, archeologist, and political officer who would befriend tribes and help bring brief peace to feuding tribes. It also play into her romantic dalliances with embassy employee Henry Cadogan (James Franco) and later on the military officer Lt. Col. Charles Doughty-Wylie (Damian Lewis). The romantic elements of the script never really fits in with the main story that revolves around Bell’s evolution into this woman who would travel throughout the Middle East and Northern Africa. Even as she would encounter different parts of the world and meet these unique individuals who live from the outside of conventional society.
Herzog’s direction is definitely entrancing for not just shooting on the Sahara desert but also to create a world that is vast and with a sense of the unknown. While much of the film is shot on location in Merzouga, Morocco along with shots in Marrakesh, Erfourd, and Ouarzazate in Morocco plus parts of London and establishing shots in Merzouga and Petra, Jordan. Herzog would capture the beauty of the deserts and locations through some intricate wide shots that gathers so much coverage as well as establish this depth of field that play into the vastness of the locations. Still, Herzog is focused on Bell’s travels and the things she encounter as he would create some nice intimate moments in the close-ups and medium shots upon her meeting with sheiks as she would understand them and they would be gracious in return. It’s among the moments that do make it interesting as well as scenes where Bell meets Lawrence and their views about the world itself.
While there are also some humorous moments in the film, the film unfortunately suffers from its shortcomings in the script where it would affect its pacing as it would plod from time to time including the romantic moments in the film. It’s where the film definitely loses interest as it also makes Bell seem like a homewrecker when it’s not exactly true considering that it was the men that were pursuing her. Herzog’s direction for those scenes do have some interesting compositions but it’s the script that doesn’t really flesh out the emotional aspect of those scenes. Overall, Herzog crafts a messy though fascinating film about the life and work of Gertrude Bell.
Cinematographer Peter Zeitlinger does excellent work with the film’s cinematography in emphasizing the natural lighting and look for many of the scenes set in the desert while emphasizing on a bluish look for the winter scenes in Britain. Editor Joe Bini does nice work with the editing as it has a few jump-cuts and some rhythmic cuts to play into some of the suspense and drama despite its shortcomings in the script. Production designer Ulrich Bergfelder, with art directors Rabiaa N’Gadi and Caroline Steiner, does brilliant work with the look of the homes that Bell would stay in as well as some of the old villages and such where the sheiks lived in. Costume designer Michele Clapton does fantastic work with the costumes from the lavish dresses that Bell and the women would wear at embassy galas and such to the more rugged look she would wear upon her travels through the desert.
Hair/makeup designer Alessandro Bertolazzi does terrific work with the look of the women hairstyles of the time as well as the messiness of Bell’s hair in the desert. Visual effects supervisors Kaspar Kallas and Olaf Przybyszewski do some fine work with some of the film’s visual effects as it largely minor work in bits of set-dressing. Sound designer Laurent Kossayan does superb work with the sound as it play into the atmosphere of the locations including the sounds of guns and cannons throughout the film. The film’s music by Klaus Badelt and Mark Yaeger is amazing for its somber orchestral score driven mainly by strings as it play into the mystique of the Sahara and its desolate locations as well as the world that Bell would encounter.
The casting by Salah Benchegra, Beth Charkham, and Shannon Makhanian is wonderful as it feature some notable small roles from Mark Lewis John as Bell’s uncle Frank Lascelles, Beth Goddard as Bell’s aunt, Holly Earl as her cousin Florence who has feelings for Cadogan, Assaad Bouab as a sheikh who invites Bell to his home as they share a love of poetry and literature, Sophie Linfield as Doughty-Wylie’s wife Judith, Younes Bouab as a young King Faisal I of Iraq, Christopher Fulford as a young Winston Churchill, David Calder as Bell’s father Hugh who disapproves her relationship with Cadogan, and Jenny Agutter as Bell’s mother Florence who is concerned about her daughter’s desire for adventure as she is reluctant to let her daughter seek it out. Jay Abdo is fantastic as Fattouh as a guide who would accompany Bell on her many journeys as well as be her most loyal companion who would help her trek through the land and be someone that Bell would really care for. Robert Pattinson is excellent as T.E. Lawrence as the famed archeologist, army officer, writer, and diplomat whom Bell would meet as he doesn’t care for any romantic interest in Bell but rather as a colleague and equal whom he shares his views on the world with.
Damian Lewis is terrific as Lt. Col. Charles Doughty-Wylie as a military official who becomes Bell’s second major love interest as someone who is fascinated by her views of the world where Lewis has his moments but he and Kidman don’t really radiate any kind of chemistry due in part to the script. James Franco’s performance as Henry Cadogan as this embassy employee isn’t very good due in part to the script’s shortcomings as well as the fact that Franco doesn’t do a good English accent as he and Kidman also don’t have any chemistry where it feels forced. Finally, there’s Nicole Kidman in an incredible performance as Gertrude Bell as the woman who do all sorts of things as she seeks adventure and challenges where Kidman displays a radiance to her character as well as some restraint in her facial reactions. Despite some of the drawbacks of the romantic aspects on Bell’s life, Kidman does display that anguish of a woman who had dealt with so much as she is also trying to move forward with her desire to explore the world.
Queen of the Desert is a stellar yet underwhelming film from Werner Herzog that features a great performance from Nicole Kidman. Along with its dazzling visuals, somber music score, and strong supporting performances from Jay Abdo and Robert Pattinson. It’s a film that does play into Bell’s life as an explorer though it fumbles into its exploration into aspects of her personal and romantic life which isn’t as interesting as what she does when she’s traveling. In the end, Queen of the Desert is a good but messy film from Werner Herzog.
Werner Herzog Films: Feature Films: (Signs of Life) - (Even the Dwarfs Started Small) - (Fatana Morgana) – Aguirre, the Wrath of God - (The Enigma of Kasper Hauer) - (Heart of Glass) – Stroszek - Nosferatu, the Vampyre - Woyzeck - Fitzcarraldo - (Where the Green Ants Dream) – Cobra Verde - (Scream of Stone) - (Lessons of Darkness) - (Invincible (2001 film)) - (The Wild Blue Yonder) – Rescue Dawn - (Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans) – (My Son, My Son, What Have Ye Done?) – (Salt and Fire) – (Family Romance, LLC)
Documentaries: (The Flying Doctors of East Africa) - (Handicapped Future) - (Land of Silence and Darkness) - (The Great Ecstasy of Woodcarver Steiner) - (How Much Wood Would a Woodchuck Chuck) - (La Soufrière) - (Huie's Sermon) - (God's Angry Man) - (Ballad of the Little Soldier) - (The Dark Glow of the Mountains) - (Wodaabe) – Herdsmen of the Sun) - (Echoes from a Somber Empire) - (Jag Mandir) - (Bells from the Deep) - (The Transformation of the World into Music) - (Death for Five Voices) - (Little Dieter Needs to Fly) – My Best Fiend - (Wings of Hope) - (Pilgrimage) - (Ten Thousand Years Older) - (Wheel of Time) - (The White Diamond) – Grizzly Man - Encounters at the End of the World - Cave of Forgotten Dreams - (Into the Abyss) – (On Death Row) – From One Second to the Next - (Lo and Behold, Reveries of the Connected World) – (Into the Inferno) – (Meeting Gorbachev)
© thevoid99 2019
