Naked (Expanded Criterion DVD Review)

Originally Written and Posted at Epinions.com on 8/23/05 w/ Extensive Revisions & Additional Content.

One of Britain's most celebrated and independent directors, Mike Leigh has made most of his films surrounding the working class and their dysfunctions around the world. Starting out with small features for BBC and for British cinema, Leigh's early films contained mostly dramatic insights on British, working-class citizens from the early 70s to the 80s. In 1989, Leigh finally gained international recognition with his 1989 drama High Hopes which was a satire of British society in the post-Margaret Thatcher world. 1990's Life is Sweet also showed his dark view of society by having a bulimic woman as his protagonist. Then in 1993, Leigh shook things up even more with a far more controversial film about an unemployed philosopher who embarks on a journey around his surroundings while belittling those who are weaker to him entitled Naked.

Written and directed by Leigh, Naked is a journey of sorts about a disenfranchised man who doesn't have a job but has an intellectual charm as he grabs a car, meets his ex-girlfriend's roommate, and wanders around London talking philosophy and having his way with women. The film is also a commentary on the post-Thatcher society where Britain is still in chaos with its protagonist meandering about everything he can think of while dealing with people in an emotional and mental way. Starring David Thewlis, Katrin Cartlidge, Lesley Sharp, Greg Cruttwell, Claire Skinner, Ewen Bremner, Gina McKee, and Susan Vidler. Naked is a brutal, harrowing journey that questions the moralities of the world through its troubling protagonist.

After raping a woman and stealing a car, Johnny (David Thewlis) drives from Manchester to London to meet up with his ex-girlfriend Louise (Lesley Sharp). Arriving at her flat, Johnny meets Louise's roommate Sophie (Katrin Cartlidge) where they befriend each other as they wait for Louise who isn't happy to see Johnny. While Sophie enjoys having Johnny around, Louise isn't sure though he isn't a totally bad guy in comparison to their brutish landlord Jeremy (Greg Cruttwell). After Sophie gets too close, Johnny leaves to venture around London as he encounters various people including an angry Scot named Archie (Ewen Bremner) and his girlfriend Maggie (Susan Vidler).

With Johnny's encounters with various people having go into existential and spiritual discussions as he converses with a nightwatchman named Brian (Peter Wight). The two men see a woman (Deborah MacLaren) where Johnny has sex with her as she struggles with her fading looks. Johnny continues to wander around London as he flirts with a depressed waitress (Gina McKee) and harass a chauffeur (Robert Putt) while going into various discussions about everything and anything. Back at Louise's flat, Jeremy pretending to be another man asks Sophie about another roommate named Sandra (Claire Skinner). Sophie's encounter with Jeremy proves to be horrifying as he's already harassed a masseuse (Carolina Giametta) and raped a waitress (Elizabeth Berrington).

When Louise returns home to see Jeremy, she and Sophie wait for Johnny to return only to see him beaten and battered. With Sophie more intent to cling onto Johnny, Louise deals with Jeremy while awaiting Sandra's return.

When watching a film like this right in front of you, do not expect to have any likeable or happy-like moments. Leigh's aim for the film is simply to convey a brutality driven by bleakness and the question of existence. In some ways, the film is also like The Odyssey by Homer, which was referenced in the film, since it's about a man's journey through London in trying to find answers about humanity while challenging those with his view of the world. It's not a film to watch at first viewing but it does leave the viewers talking. The film's treatment of women will definitely be something that many of its female viewers will be offended by but Leigh isn't being sexist since some of his characters are heroines. The treatment on women from the viewpoint of Johnny and Jeremy. Johnny may be abusive but he actually listens to women and comforts them with his charm and wit. Jeremy though is a full-on misogynist who takes carnal pleasure in abusing women.

Leigh's been known for making a film, getting his actors together, and not bringing in a script leaving actors to improvise. That improvisation seems to work where the actors have a sense of themselves in what they want to do for the character while remaining true to the story. The film has several themes to pin-point on whether it's about the existence of humanity and conformity which is something Johnny wants to rebel against since he doesn't want to live by society's rules. The film may have a bleak outlook on the world and humanity, particularly in post-Thatcher Britain but Leigh chooses to try to find some glimmer of hope in the eyes of one man.

Leigh's improvisational writing and viewpoints that is in his script plays to his directing style since he aims for a gritty, brutal approach that makes the audience uncomfortable. Leigh is definitely confrontational in his directing style and his choices of locations for London and Manchester is inspiring for the fact that he refuses to show any kinds of landmarks and famed streets. Instead, Lee goes for the nitty-gritty by showing depressing places and dirty streets. It's really a film of the streets. Helping Lee capture that vision is his longtime cinematographer Dick Pope who brings a grainy, natural quality to the film without any kind of artificial light or anything glossy. Pope chooses to shoot London as it is as if the audience is there which is very colorless and very gray.

Helping the film in its interior looks of the apartments are production designers Alison Chitty and Steven Jones-Evans and art director Eve Stewart who decorate the film with such things for the characters whether it's the Greek statues or the anatomy posters for Sandra. Costume designer Lindy Hemming also shines for his drab, ordinary clothing for most of the cast but a Goth-punk like look for Sophie, and all black, trench-coat style look for Jeremy that is a precursor to what he would do with Batsuit in Batman Begins. Editor Jon Gregory manages to pull in a tight, leisurely-paced editing style to the film that makes the 130-minute feature seem to go with ease where Leigh's direction helps draw the audience into what's going on. The musical score of Andrew Dickson also captures the bleakness of its melancholia with its piano and harrowing string arrangements.

The film's large cast is wonderfully inspiring, especially if they're in a Mike Leigh film where they're given freedom to put themselves in characters. With such small stand out roles from Carolina Giammetta and Elizabeth Berrington as the women who are harassed by Jeremy to the roles of Darren Tunstall and Robert Putt as the working men that Johnny annoys. There is a wonderful moment in those performances including memorable ones from Ewen Bremner and Susan Vidler as the Scottish couple who are so dirty and misled, it's no wonder that Johnny takes pity on them though Bremner is more memorable for his twitch. Deborah MacLaren is excellent in her performance as the woman in the window who is desperately trying to relive her youth in a very powerful performance. Gina McKee is also amazing as the depressed cafe` waitress who is very sad by her loneliness as she is one of the rare women Johnny seems to take pity on without being abusive.

Peter Wight gives a memorable and excellent supporting performance as Brian, a morally night-watchman who listens to Johnny but is still convinced that there is more out there than Johnny's bleak view of the world. Wight makes his character more than just another of Johnny's intellectual conquest since he knows that Johnny has some great insight but he is really the shining light that Johnny doesn’t want to believe. Leigh regular Claire Skinner is excellent in her brief appearance as the uptight Sandra who couldn't believe in the state of things as she arrives in the final act of the film. Skinner's brief appearance is memorable for the fact that she is different from Louise and Sophie in terms of responsibility. Greg Cruttwell is wonderfully nasty and vile as Jeremy with his hatred towards women and his control in a performance that audiences will love to hate. Cruttwell brings in every ounce of disgust and obscene behavior that it's very convincing in a very disturbing performance.

The late Katrin Cartlidge is amazing as the aloof, stoned, desperate Sophie who seems to find the answer in her relationship with Johnny despite his flaws. Yet when Johnny leaves and she is forced to deal with Jeremy, she realizes her vulnerability and her own regrets into her lifestyle as she depends more and more on Johnny in a performance that is amazing for the gifted actress who is sorely missed. Lesley Sharp is really the film’s strongest female performance as Johnny's ex-girlfriend who doesn't really like having him around yet she knows of his good qualities. Sharp holds her own in nearly every scene, especially around Cruttwell who tries to have his way with her but she gives a fearless confrontational performance as the rare heroine that is needed in the film.

Finally, there's David Thewlis in probably his best performance yet as the comical, intelligent, and sleazy Johnny. Thewlis uses his quick-wit and charming demeanor to win the audience over despite some of his abusive actions. Thewlis shines in every moment of the film as a man trying to discover the idea of existence while challenging the idea of why humanity is cease to be. There is never a dull moment in Thewlis' performance nor from the things he says since he says them in a profound, intelligent way. His scenes with the women in the film show the man in a rare form of sweetness despite the fact that he can be rough as he proves that by all means, he's not a good man but he’s not a bad one either. He's just a man as Thewlis brings balance to that kind of character.

***Additional Content Written from 7/30/11-8/5/11***

The 2005 2-disc Region 1 DVD (1-disc 2011 Blu-Ray) presents the film in its theatrical 1:85:1 widescreen aspect ratio plus Dolby Digital Stereo sound as part of a newly restored high-definition digital transfer that is supervised by its writer/director Mike Leigh. The first disc features the film plus English subtitles for the hearing impaired and its original theatrical trailer. The first disc also includes a feature-length audio commentary track from Leigh and actors David Thewlis and Katrin Cartlidge recorded back in 1994 when the film was released on laserdisc.

The commentary has Leigh talking about the film and his approach to directing and improvisation since he doesn’t really write any scripts. With Cartlidge joining him in some of the commentary, they talk about the film’s accusation of misogyny which as Cartlidge defends Leigh claiming that the critics who made those accusations are missing the point. Thewlis, on a separate recorded commentary, talks about Leigh’s approach to directing actors along with the fact that the film was largely shot on location. Notably as Thewlis said that trying to come up with things in the performance was hard as Leigh admits to shooting 26 takes of a key scene of Thewlis and Peter Wight having a conversation just so he can find the right tone.

Leigh also talks about why he opened the film with a rape scene which was to get people an idea of what character they would meet. Yet, that is eventually challenged by the Jeremy character as a way for people to find the good in Johnny as opposed to Jeremy. Leigh reveals that Greg Cruttwell, who plays Jeremy, is nothing like the character he plays as was really the nicest person on set. Cartlidge reveals that a lot of biographical information was made for the characters but Leigh chose not to reveal too much so the audience can interpret while Thewlis reveals that a lot of scenes were cut because of length reasons. The overall commentary is very informative and engaging about the film and Leigh’s unique approach to directing.

The second disc of the DVD features an array of special features relating to the film. The first is a twelve-minute interview with filmmaker Neil LaBute on the film. LaBute discusses the film’s themes as well as a couple of key characters in the film such as Johnny and Louise. LaBute reveals that the film is partially about isolation in a world where things don’t make much sense anymore as Johnny is a character who likes to shake things up. LaBute also talks about Mike Leigh’s approach along with the accusations critics have of Leigh being misogynistic which LaBute believes is untrue. It’s a very enjoyable yet relaxed interview from LaBute that really dwells into the brilliance of Naked.

The second featurette is a 30-minute excerpt from the British TV show The Art Zone where author Will Self interviews Mike Leigh about his filmmaking methods at Leigh‘s favorite pub in London. Leigh talks about parts of his career while Self opens the segment with his fascination towards Leigh’s work, particularly Naked. Leigh discusses the way he collaborates his actors where they discuss about trying to find the characters in the film so the actors can get a chance to figure out how to approach their role and make it their own. Leigh also refutes the accusations as a misogynist by stating that the women he work with are far tougher feminists than the ones who claim he’s misogynist. It’s a pretty compelling piece that is interesting though lags at time as it’s a great piece for any hardcore fan of Mike Leigh.

The last big special feature is a 17-minute short film entitled The Short and Curlies that stars David Thewlis and Alison Steadman. It’s the story about a drugstore clerk who falls for a young man as she talks to a chatty hairdresser who is dealing with her depressed daughter. It’s a very charming short with elements of humor with Steadman as the hairdresser and Thewlis as the young man who often spouts jokes. The short also includes a feature-length commentary track from Leigh where he talks about the short and performances. Most notably about the fact that it was Leigh’s first 35mm film since 1971’s Bleak Moments which would make him return to feature films. It’s a wonderfully witty commentary on Leigh who talks about the production and his emphasis into making this great short.

The DVD set includes a booklet that features two different essays about the film. The first is Desperate Days by British film critic David Malcolm. Malcolm talks about the film’s brilliance as well as the complexity of the characters in the dreary setting the film is in. Malcolm also talks about the fact that Leigh is critical to both men and women in this film while also being sympathetic to some of those characters with the exception of Jeremy. Malcolm’s essay is truly intriguing over the film that he believes is one of the best films to come out of Britain.

The second is essay entitled The Monster We Know from New York City film critic Amy Taubin. Taubin’s essay is about the film’s supposed misogyny which she believes is false as she focuses on Johnny and his behavior towards women which she thinks is much more complex. She also talks about Jeremy who is much more brutal and comes from a very different world from Johnny as Taubin’s essay is very compelling about the film’s study of men and their flaws. The overall work on the DVD is phenomenal as is it something that fans of Leigh should own.

***End of DVD Tidbits***

Naked is a brutal, confrontational, yet intelligently viable masterpiece from Mike Leigh led by David Thewlis' worldly performance. It is among one of Leigh's best films as well as his most confrontational about society and alienation. Still, this is not a film that is easy to watch but with repeated viewing, it becomes more understanding. Though many may not agree with the actions of the protagonists or Leigh's existential views, it is one of the most profound and powerful films of British cinema.

Mike Leigh Films: (Bleak Moments) - (Hard Labour) - (The Permissive Society) - (Knock for Knock) - (Nuts in May) - (Abigail's Party) - (Kiss of Death) - (Who's Who) - (Grown-Ups) - (Home Sweet Home) - (Meantime) - (Four Days in July) - (High Hopes) - Life is Sweet - Secrets & Lies - Career Girls - Topsy-Turvy - All or Nothing - Vera Drake - Happy-Go-Lucky - Another Year - Mr. Turner

(C) thevoid99 2011

Tarnation

Originally Written and Posted at Epinions.com on 6/27/07 w/ Extensive Revisions.

When actor-writer-director John Cameron Mitchell of Hedwig & the Angry Inch fame was set to work on his next project that would be 2006's Shortbus. The actor held auditions for thousands of unknowns all over the U.S. During a final round of auditions in New York City in 2003, several people who auditioned and Mitchell discovered one tape that proved to be haunting. It came from a man named Jonathan Caouette whose footage of a young man dealing with his mother's mental illness struck a chord. Though Caouette would eventually get a cameo in Mitchell's film, Mitchell and fellow iconic gay director Gus Van Sant served as executive producers for Caouette's haunting documentary. A documentary he made with a home-editing system and hours of footage from the cameras he owned with a very small budget of $218 that was entitled Tarnation.

Directed, written, shot, and edited by Jonathan Caouette, Tarnation tells the story of Caouette's life through 20 years worth of films from Super 8 cameras and VHS video. The film's main exploration is how Caouette lived with his mother's mental illness and living with his grandparents in Houston during this time of discovery. The film then progresses through the years as Caouette comes out at the age of 25, moves to New York City, and try to find the father who had abandoned him at a young age.

It's March 2002 as Jonathan Caouette receives a call about his mother Renne LeBlanc about an overdose on lithium.  Jonathan returns to his home in Houston, Texas as he tells the story of his life beginning with his grandparents' marriage in the early 1950s.  After the birth of their daughter Renee, Adolph and Rosemary would have Renee be a child model in the regional circuit until at 12 twelve when she fell off a roof and was nearly paralyzed for six months.  In 1972, she meets Steve Caouette as they briefly married only to call it quits before the birth of Jonathan.  Jonathan's early childhood with his mother and grandparents were troubling due to his mother's mental illness where a move to Chicago went bad where they returned to Texas.  With Renee's illness happening, Jonathan's life was filled with turmoil as he sent to foster homes until 1979 when he went to live with his grandparents for good.

Though he would barely see his mother while dealing with the realization that he was gay at age 11, Jonathan's life was troubled until the mid-1980s when he discovered the world of underground gay clubs, punk rock, and underground films. Through these films, he would crate his own films about his life as he would deal with his own issues as he became hospitalized eight different times from 1987 to 1993.  During that period, he would have a boyfriend named Michael to cope with his dysfunctional family as life was messy.  With the death of his grandmother in 1995, Jonathan eventually left Texas for New York City in 1997 as he would gain another boyfriend in David Sanin Paz.  Jonathan even brought his mother to NYC in 2000 where things went well at first until Jonathan's own questions about his father bothered her.

In 2002, Jonathan finally meets his father Steven Caouette whom he liked though the attempt to reunite his parents proved troubling.  Finally returning to Texas to see the damage of his mother's lithium intake, he realizes what's been going on as he wonders about his own mental stability.

Viewing one's life, especially from dysfunctional circumstances, are definitely uneasy to watch. Watching Jonathan Caouette reveal all of these things, especially his eccentric grandparents and his dysfunctional mother are very troubling. Yet, Caouette doesn't exploit them but rather show audiences that despite these flaws. They are actually nice, interesting people who are quirky. Him even playing a rape victim at age 11 is strange yet unique. In fact, there's never a dull moment in his documentary nor is there something that people will be offended by. While Adolph and Rosemary Davis' intentions on trying to help their daughter and the outcome is sad. Yet, they can't be blamed for what they tried to do. Nor should Renee for her attempts to be with her son.

There's no one to blame in this film yet some of the scenes that are shown, particularly the aftermath of Renee's lithium overdose is extremely hard to watch. What is more startling about his film is how Jonathan Caouette came out of this and how he's manage to survive all of these things. Through his unique direction as well as the film's editing with help from Brian A. Kates. The film's editing is wonderfully stylish and emotional into how much footage was used for a 100-minute film. Even the music performed by Max Lichtenstein is excellent as its soundtrack featuring cuts by Dolly Parton, the Magnetic Fields, Lisa Germano, the Cocteau Twins, Low, Glen Campbell, and many more. The music used in the film is done with some kind of emotional resonance to see where the story is going.

While it's not an easy film to watch, Tarnation is still one of the best documentaries and films of the decade. Fans of gay & lesbian cinema will no doubt be shocked by what Jonathan Caouette shows. Yet, the real amazement is his survival and how he's continued to forge ahead with his life.  In the end, Tarnation is a raw, harrowing, yet amazing film from Jonathan Caouette.

(C) thevoid99 2011

49th Parallel

Directed by Michael Powell and written by Emeric Pressburger, with additional work by Rodney Ackland, 49th Parallel is the story of a World War II U-boat crew who arrive in Canada after their boat has sunk. In order to avoid the Canadian army, the crew make their way to the U.S. to avoid capture. A film made during World War II, the project marks the third official movie by the team of Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger as they would become of the key forces for British cinema. Starring Leslie Howard, Laurence Olivier, Anton Walbrook, Raymond Massey, and Eric Portman. 49th Parallel is a superb yet suspenseful film from the team of Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger.

After sinking a boat nearby the Hudson Bay in Canada, a German U-boat commander (Richard George) asks Lieutenant Hirth (Eric Portman) and Lieutenant Kuhnecke (Raymond Lovell) along with four crew members to go to a nearby camp to get food and fuel. During the journey, Hirth, Kuhnecke, and their men see their submarine attacked by the Canadian air force as they realize they have to escape Canada. Arriving into the camp, they take shelter into the home of a French-Canadian hunter (Laurence Olivier) and the camp leader (Finlay Currie) only to take over and deal Eskimo tribes and later steal a plane.

Arriving nearby a Hutterite community close to Winnipeg, the remaining gang led by Hirth seek shelter by the community as its leader Peter (Anton Walbrook) take them in. When one of the U-boat sailors in Vogel (Niall MacGinnis) finds comfort in the community, Hirth believes that the community could be of help when he gives a stirring speech about Nazism. Yet, Peter finds Hirth and his men trouble though he does accept Vogel who explains about his old life prior to Nazism. Hirth and his remaining men leave the camp as they continue to trek into Canada in hopes to reach Vancouver as there’s a bounty on them. During the journey, the men would encounter eccentric figures such as a novelist (Leslie Howard) and a deserting Canadian soldier (Raymond Massey) leaving them to wonder if they would ever escape.

While the film was made during the early years of 1941 as a propaganda piece of sorts for the then-neutral U.S. at the time. It is a film about survival but from the perspective of the Nazis as they trek through Canada in hopes to make it to the U.S. and return safely to Germany. During the journey which starts off with six men in the beginning, the team would eventually become smaller as the journey to the unarmed U.S.-Canada border near Vancouver. Yet, they would encounter places and people during this journey as one of their superiors want them to enjoy the splendor of Nazism in his belief that Germany will win the war. Unfortunately, a Hutterite leader disagrees while one of the sailors in that group regains his love for baking and comforts a young Hutterite girl (Glyins Johns) who lost her family because of the Nazis.

Emeric Pressburger, with help from Rodney Ackland on the scenario, creates a script that allows these men who are supposed to be the villains become more real during the journey. Particularly Vogel and Hirth where they would have some development during their journey while Hirth maintains his belief in the greater good that Adolf Hitler will bring with Nazism. What makes the journey more interesting are the people they meet such as a French-Canadian hunter who has been away from the world for some time along with the Hutterites and various people throughout Canada. In the end, the stakes of being caught or killed by 11 million Canadians is something Hirth and his men can’t endure while they hope to return to Germany as heroes.

Michael Powell’s direction is truly engaging in the way he captures the Canadian landscape as he got the chance to shoot the film on location in Canada. Yet, he also makes the country a character of its own from its gorgeous forest, vast mountains, and large wheat fields. It’s a place that is very different from Germany where Powell keeps the camera in tact of everything that is going on. From some great wide shots to close-ups, Powell makes sure the camera is always making sure something is happening. Yet, he allows characters such as Hirth and Peter to have their moments about the idea of the world as Hirth is the one character struggling to maintain his beliefs. While the film does have a few flaws as a propaganda piece, notably the way the film ends on a humorous note. It is a film that is a great piece of survival largely due to the writing of Emeric Pressburger and Powell’s compelling direction making it one of their finer collaborations.

Cinematographer Freddie Young does excellent work with the film‘s black-and-white photography to bring a wonderful bright yet broad look to the Canadian mountains and forests along with some great nighttime shots for the cities and places the character live in. The editing by future acclaimed filmmaker David Lean is very good for maintaining a leisured pace while keeping the film straightforward with some transitional dissolves and fade-outs to keep the film moving along throughout the film.

Art director David Rawnsley does some nice work with the look of the cabin the Nazis embark on along with the Hutterite homes and teepees they would seek shelter in. Sound supervisor A.W. Watkins does fantastic work with the sound from the way bombs fall to gun shots and the crowd interacting in the cities and town meetings. The film’s music by Ralph Vaughn Williams is superb for its intense yet serene score for many of the film’s tense moments along with some lighthearted pieces for some of the low-key and relaxing moments of the film.

The cast is definitely a highlight in the film as it includes some notable small performances from Ley On as an Eskimo in cabin scenes, Charles Victor and Frederick Piper as a couple of Hutterites, and Theodore Salt as a U.S. Customs officer. In other small roles, there’s some fantastic work from Glynis Johns as Anna, Raymond Massey as an AWOL Canadian soldier, and Finlay Currie as the Eskimo camp leader. For the roles of the Nazi sailors, there’s Basil Appleby, John Chandos, and Peter Moore as the three men who help along with Richard George as the U-boat commander. Raymond Lovell is very good as Lieutenant Kuhnecke, an officer who tries to get everyone to calm down as he tries to save everyone by flying the plane they stole. Niall MacGinnis is excellent as Vogel, a sailor who finds peace at the Hutterite home as he deals with Hirth’s brutal leadership and how much Nazism has changed his life for the worst.

Leslie Howard is superb as Phillip Armstrong Scott, a novelist Hirth and his men meet where Howard brings a great sense of charm to a man that is an outsider only to be aware of who he is facing. Anton Walbrook is phenomenal as Peter, a Hutterite community leader who takes the Nazis in only to be alienated by Hirth’s speech as he counters it with a wonderful monologue about the Hutterite life. Laurence Olivier is great in a very funny role as a French-Canadian hunter who learns about what’s going on in World War II while trying to aggravate the Nazis. Finally, there’s Eric Portman in a brilliant performance as Lieutenant Hirth. Portman’s performance is very captivating as a man trying to maintain his beliefs and instill them in the people he meets.

49th Parallel is a compelling war film from Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger featuring a superb cast that includes Eric Portman, Leslie Howard, Laurence Olivier, and Anton Walbrook. While it’s a film that might not have the grandeur as later Powell-Pressburger films like The Red Shoes, it is a film that is intriguing for its study of men who are on the other side of war. Particularly as it gives a more dimensional characterization to men who are Nazis during the early stages of World War II. In the end, 49th Parallel is stellar film from the great duo of Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger.

Powell-Pressburger Films: The Spy in Black - (The Lion Has Wings) - Contraband - (An Airman’s Letter to His Mother) - One of Our Aircraft is Missing - The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp - (The Volunteer) - A Canterbury Tale - I Know Where I’m Going - A Matter of Life and Death - Black Narcissus - The Red Shoes - The Small Black Room - (Gone to Earth) - The Tales of Hoffmann - (Oh… Rosalinda!!!) - (The Battle of the River Plate) - Ill Met by Moonlight - Peeping Tom - (They’re a Weird Mob) - (Age of Consent) - (The Boy Who Turned Yellow)

© thevoid99 2011

Psycho

Based on the novel by Robert Bloch, Psycho is the story of a woman hiding out at a motel after stealing some money from her boss. There, she meets the motel’s disturbed owner while her sister tries to find out what happened the night the woman disappeared. Directed by Alfred Hitchcock with an adapted script by Joseph Stefano, the film is considered to be one of Hitchcock’s finest films of his celebrated career. Starring Anthony Perkins, Vera Miles, John Gavin, Martin Balsam, John McIntire, and Janet Leigh. Psycho is a chilling yet engaging film from Alfred Hitchcock.

Marion Crane (Janet Leigh) wants to marry Sam Loomis (John Gavin) but he’s unable to due to debt and to pay for his ex-wife’s alimony. When Marion is suddenly given $40,000 in cash by a customer she works at to deposit at the local bank, she decides to steal it instead. Though she has to deal with a highway patrolman (Mort Mills) and trade her car for another, she stops at a motel run by a young man named Norman Bates (Anthony Perkins). Marion has dinner Norman who talks a lot about his mother as she asks him if he wants to leave her but he couldn’t. Later that night, Norman finds something shocking as he realize something has gone wrong.

Meanwhile at Loomis’ hardware store, Marion’s sister Lila (Vera Miles) visits asking Sam about Marion’s whereabouts. Sam admits, he has no idea where she is as a private detective named Milton Arbogast (Martin Balsam) is also searching for her over the $40,000 she stole. Lila asks Arbogast to investigate where he searches for Marion where he stops at the Bates Motel where he talks to Norman. Arbogast becomes suspicious as he calls Lila about going further as he wants to meets Bates’ mother. When Lila doesn’t hear from Arbogast hours later, she asks a local sheriff in Al Chambers (John McIntire) who reveals some startling things about the Bates family. Sam and Lila try to figure out what is going on as they uncover a shocking secret.

The film has two narratives that eventually collides together into a shocking climax that is eventually tied together by a psychiatrist (Simon Oakland) who explains everything. In the first half of the film, there’s this secretary for a real estates firm that wants to get money so she and her lover can live a great life despite his debut. Therefore, she steals the money and tries to evade people until meeting this strange yet seemingly innocent man. Then there’s the second half where the woman’s sister tries to find her sister with a private detective who becomes suspicious about this strange man and the mother that he always talking about.

Joseph Stefano’s script is filled with a lot of intrigue and motives as characters such as Marion, Lila, and Sam all have motives in what they want to do throughout the film. Marion and Sam want to have better lives while Lila is concerned with finding Marion along with Sam. Then, there’s Norman Bates who is probably the most compelling character of the film. Here’s this young yet very sheltered young man who likes to do things calmly as he is someone clearly devoted to his mother. Yet, when he is also someone who doesn’t like confrontations as he stutters and becomes evasive. Still, he does do things to people that makes them re-think their motives or make them suspicious. Bates is truly a mystifying character that really drives the story for a large portion of the second half as he becomes more provocative in the third as Stefano’s script is truly mesmerizing in its suspense and character study.

Alfred Hitchcock’s direction is truly one of his finest in the way he opens the film with its wipe-driven opening credits to the first shots of the film overlooking Phoenix with mentions of what time it is and what day it is. Hitchcock’s camera is always engaged into what is going with the conversations and things as he always points his camera at something. The framing is very transfixing in the way Hitchcock allows the film to be shown whether it’s a simple of shot of people driving or the way he has two or three people at a frame. Then comes the way he builds suspense as he knows what to do with timing and once something horrifying happens. He just goes for it in the way he lets the camera move and to create something that is truly terrifying in tone. The overall work that Hitchcock does in his direction is amazing as he creates what is definitely one of his key films of his career.

Cinematographer John L. Russell does some excellent work with the film‘s black-and-white photography from the bright daytime scenes to create a much friendlier feel to the film. For many of the nighttime scenes, there is something much darker as the shading and eerie camera work presents a tone that is truly chilling. Editor George Tomasini does amazing work with the editing in creating stylish, rhythmic cuts to keep the film moving along with some wonderful transitions in the use of dissolves and fade-outs to keep the momentum going.

Art directors Robert Clatworthy and Joseph Hurley, along with set decorator George Milo, do some fantastic work with the art direction from the look of the Bates motel parlor to the interior of the Bates home as it‘s filled with an array of objects including stuffed birds. Costume designer Rita Riggs does very good work with the costumes from the dresses the women wear to the suits the mean along with the casual clothes that Bates wear throughout the film.. Sound recorders William Russell, Waldon O. Watson, and Harold Tucker do some superb work with the sound to capture the intimacy of the conversation and locations along with some amazing sound editing for the voice-overs that is prevalent in the film.

The film’s score by Bernard Herrmann is definitely a major highlight of the film with its sweeping orchestral opening theme that is filled with striking arrangements and chilling strings. Herrmann also creates some amazing pieces such as the famed violin screeches for a harrowing moment on the film along with some low-key cuts. Herrmann’s score is truly one of his best work of his celebrated career as he adds a lot of suspense and flair to the film.

The casting by Jere Henshaw is brilliant as it includes some notable performances from John Anderson as a used car salesman, Pat Hitchcock as Marion’s fellow secretary, Mort Mills as a highway patrolman, Frank Albertson as the client Marion steals from, Vaughn Taylor as Marion’s boss, Lurene Tuttle as Mrs. Chambers, Simon Oakland as the psychiatrist at the end of the film, and in the voices of Norman Bates’ mother, Virginia Gregg, Jeanette Nolan, and Paul Jasmin. John McIntire is excellent as the sheriff Al Chambers while Martin Balsam is great as detective Arbogast as they both bring some wit to their characters.

John Gavin is very good as Sam Loomis, a man who loves Marion but has a hard time dealing with debt until she goes missing as Gavin maintains a low-key but a strong presence throughout the film. Vera Miles is superb as Lila, Marion’s sister who is trying to find her as she ponders about the strange things happening about her sister’s disappearance as Miles brings a real sense of desperation to her performance. Janet Leigh is amazing as Marion Crane, a woman who steals money for a better life only to have an uncomfortable meeting with Norman Bates as it’s one of Leigh’s key performances.

Finally, there’s Anthony Perkins in his iconic performance as Norman Bates. Perkins brings a charming yet boyish performance as the disturbed Bates that makes him seem harmless although whenever he stutters and evasive, there’s a complexity to that character as it’s something only Anthony Perkins could bring.

Psycho is a smart yet hypnotic suspense film from the great Alfred Hitchcock that is a true standard bearer of what suspense films is and should be. Featuring a great cast led by Anthony Perkins, it’s a film that revels in style and intrigue over how it builds up its chills and its aftermath. This is a film that if anyone new to Hitchcock wants to see should find this as a great place to start. In the end, Psycho is a phenomenal film from one of cinema’s great masters in Alfred Hitchcock.

Alfred Hitchcock Films: (Number 13) - (The Pleasure Garden) - (The Blackguard) - (The Mountain Eagle) - (The Lodger) - (A Story of the London Fog) - (The Ring) - (Downhill) - (The Farmer’s Wife) - (Easy Virtue) - (Champagne) - (The Manxman) - (Blackmail) - (Juno and the Paycock) - (Murder!) - (The Skin Game) - (Mary) - (Lord Camber’s Ladies) - (Rich and Strange) - (Number Seventeen) - (Waltzes from Vienna) - (The Man Who Knew Too Much (1934 film)) - The 39 Steps - (Secret Agent) - (Sabotage) - (Young and Innocent) - The Lady Vanishes - (Jamaica Inn) - Rebecca - (Foreign Correspondent) - (Mr. & Mrs. Smith) - Suspicion - (Saboteur) - (Shadow of a Doubt) - Bon Voyage - Lifeboat - (Spellbound) - Notorious - (The Paradine Cage) - Rope - (Under Capricorn) - (Stage Fright) - Strangers on a Train - I Confess - Dial M for Murder - Rear Window - To Catch a Thief - (The Trouble with Harry) - The Man Who Knew Too Much (1956 film) - (The Wrong Man) - Vertigo - North by Northwest - The Birds - Marnie - (Torn Curtain) - (Topaz) - (Frenzy) - (Family Plot)

Related: Psycho (1998 film)

© thevoid99 2011

Drugstore Cowboy

Originally Written and Posted at Epinions.com on 11/15/05 w/ Extensive Revisions.

1980s independent American cinema helped open doors for films of all subject matters. One of them was drug abuse were many independent filmmakers took a more realistic, documentary-like perspective into the drug culture. One director in the late 80s went full-on for a dramatic approach in his exploration on drugs and his name was Gus Van Sant. After helming his 1985 debut feature Mala Noche, Van Sant had been hailed as a new visionary yet wasn't ready to move into the Hollywood circuits as he wanted to remain independent in his vision. No matter what subject he wanted tackle, even after a brief stint with Universal that failed. Van Sant moved to Portland, Oregon to create his tale of the drug world with 1989's Drugstore Cowboy.

Based on an unpublished novel by James Fogle, Drugstore Cowboy is a chronicle about four young drug addicts in 1971 Portland who scam their way into stealing pharmaceuticals at drugstores to feed their addiction. While evading a cop and staying at an apartment to plan their next heist, tragedy emerges as their leader tries to stay clean despite his wife's continuing addiction and the world he tries to leave behind. Adapted into a script by Van Sant and Dan Yost, the approach is more cathartic tale of four young, dysfunctional people living as a family while dealing with their addictions. Starring Matt Dillon, Kelly Lynch, James LeGros, Heather Graham, James Remar, Grace Zabriskie, Max Perlich, and Naked Lunch novelist William S. Burroughs. Drugstore Cowboy is a gritty, off-the-wall masterpiece from Gus Van Sant.

Longtime drug addict Bob (Matt Dillon) has made a career stealing and using pharmaceutical and prescription drugs with help from his wife Diane (Kelly Lynch). With help from a couple of young addicts in Rick (James LeGros) and Nadine (Heather Graham), they have been successful as Nadine fake seizures while the rest steal. Using these drugs for themselves, Bob also tries to deal with a fellow dealer named David (Max Perlich) who is trying to rise up in the game. Bob is also trying to avoid a cop named Gentry (James Remar) who often checks for any of the drugs Bob and his gang has stolen. During a visit to see his mother (Grace Zabriskie), Bob and Diane ponder their own future as they also try to find a new home.

When Nadine asks Bob about getting a dog, Diane reminds her about the superstitions that Bob has where he believes that a dog or a hat on a bed would curse them for some time. After a prank on Gentry during a police assignment, Bob and the gang leave Portland where another heist is foiled by Nadine's clumsiness. Forced to hide out again, Bob finds a drug he had stolen as he makes another attempt at a hospital that was almost successful. The jinx that Bob claims is happening finally hits someone forcing Bob and Diane to leave only to be trapped by a nearby sheriff's convention prompting Bob to go straight.

Returning to Portland, Bob goes into treatment as a counselor (Beah Richards) takes him in where he befriends a former priest named Tom (William S. Burroughs) whom bob knew as a kid. Tom's wisdom prompts Bob to lead a straight life as he gets some unexpected help from Gentry. Yet, Bob's past would come to haunt him as Diane makes a chilling return along with some old adversaries.

Most films about drugs would either glorify or just attack the culture yet in Van Sant's approach, the film is not really about drugs. From his view, it's really about a family and their dysfunctions while feeding their habits in stealing from drug stores. It's also a story about a man who lives a certain lifestyle only that he realizes that it's not cracked up to be only to try and straighten up. The script Van Sant and Dan Yost come up with is excellent for its realism as well as surrealism in Van Sant's direction that includes fantasy backgrounds in whenever Bob is getting high or is feeling elated about something. While the film has a sense of doom in the second act, the third act is where the story shifts into a story where Bob finds himself in a room full of addicts. The conversation is about drugs yet there's no judgement towards them since Van Sant is really viewing them as human beings.

Everything that Van Sant comes up with is very well, even with the ending where in Bob's narration, it has a sense of irony. The narration really brings a perspective in what Van Sant wants to say, especially since it's from the words of James Fogle, the story's original novelist. The narration is unique while the film starts and ends in the same place and same time. The structure is pretty original in how it builds up a story, especially in the death scene where the emotions are mixed on how Bob and his team react. A lot of the credit goes for Van Sant for not glossing anything or being exploitive at the same time.

Helping Van Sant with his outlook and arty visual style is cinematographer Robert Yeomen who brings a dreamy yet gritty look of the film in the exterior scenes in Portland while in the interiors, brings a wonderful intimacy with his lighting and camera work. Production designer David Brisbin and art director Eve Cauley also bring an authenticity to the look of the hotels and homes since the film is set in 1971 along with Beatrix Aruna Pasztor on the costume design, particularly for the clothing of Kelly Lynch and Heather Graham. With wonderful layers of cinematic visuals done by editor Curtiss Clayton, the film has a nice, multi-dimensional look in the dream backgrounds of Bob while it's nicely paced throughout the film. Composer Elliot Goldenthal brings a wonderful score to the film for its dramatic moments and dreamy sequences while the film features a nice soundtrack of late 60s/early 70s music.

Then there's the film's wonderful cast that is filled with realistic and powerful performances including memorable ones from Max Perlich as the naive drug dealer David who gets caught up in his power, Grace Zabriskie as Bob's strict but loving mother, and Beah Richards as a wise drug counselor. The most eerie performance of the entire film is late Beat novelist William S. Burroughs who gained notoriety for his drug novel Naked Lunch. Burroughs gives a mesmerizing and disturbing performance as a former priest who continues to use drugs while providing some strange insight into its culture and roots. James LeGros is excellent in his performance as the doltish but resourceful Rick who manages to find his way and help out Bob while being the only real supporter for his young, naive girlfriend Nadine. James Remar is also brilliant in his role as Gentry, a cop who is willing to do anything to bust Bob. Remar might seem like a villain but he brings a lot more sympathy for Bob in trying to help him straighten out and when Bob does go straight, Remar becomes an unlikely supporter.

The film's most surprising performance goes to a young Heather Graham as the naive, innocent Nadine. With her winning smile and naive behavior, Graham makes herself into a believable character who is new to the game while learning and after a series of screw-ups, Graham takes her character to new dramatic heights as her performance is the film's real breakthrough. Kelly Lynch is also great in her role as Diane, a veteran junkie who is aware of the traps of the game but remains very upbeat on all levels, even as Bob leaves to go straight. There's never a moment in which Lynch gives a dull performance as she graces the screen with her amazing beauty and intelligence.

Then there's Matt Dillon who gives probably the best performance of his career, especially at the time when he had fallen off the radar for a while after his great moment in the early 80s. Dillon brings a lot of complexity and charm to his role as an addict who seems to know everything. Even when it comes to superstitions and how to create a perfect scam and heist. When Dillon goes straight, we see him trying to struggle with his upcoming role only to become content right till the end. This is truly one of the best performances of the decade and a real reason in why Matt Dillon is one great actor.

Drugstore Cowboy is a wonderful yet provocative film from Gus Van Sant that features a great cast and superb imagery. While Van Sant's best work is yet to come with the gay road drama My Own Private Idaho, it's this film that put him into the map of the independent film movement. While more mainstream fans will find this interesting, it's more likely they'll enjoy To Die For and Good Will Hunting more though fans of his recent work will definitely love Drugstore Cowboy. For a film with a lot of grit, surrealism, great performances, and a wonderful style, Drugstore Cowboy is the film to see.

Gus Van Sant Films: Mala Noche - My Own Private Idaho - Even Cowgirls Get the Blues - To Die For - Good Will Hunting - Psycho (1998 film) - Finding Forrester - Gerry - Elephant - Last Days - Paranoid Park - Milk - Restless - Promised Land

The Shorts & Videos of Gus Van Sant - Auteurs #4: Gus Van Sant

(C) thevoid99 2011

Doctor Zhivago

Based on Boris Pasternak’s novel, Doctor Zhivago tells the story of a Russian doctor/poet whose life is changed when he has an affair with a political activist during the Russian Revolution. Directed by David Lean and script adaptation by Robert Bolt, the film is among one of Lean’s great epics as he explores a man’s relationship with his wife and lover in a tumultuous period. Starring Omar Sharif, Julie Christie, Geraldine Chaplin, Rod Steiger, Tom Courtenay, Klaus Kinski, and Alec Guinness. Doctor Zhivago is an exhilarating yet sprawling film from David Lean and company.

Yuri Andreyevich Zhivago (Omar Sharif) is a young doctor/poet living in Moscow with his adoptive parents Alexander (Ralph Richardson) and Anna Gromeko (Siobhan McKenna) along with their daughter Tonya (Geraldine Chaplin) who is returning from Paris. In another part of Moscow, a 17-year old dressmaker named Lara (Julie Christie) works with her mother (Adrienne Corri) as they deal with their corrupt advisor Victor (Rod Steiger). With Lara in love with the politically-driven Pasha (Tom Courtenay), Victor disapproves as he tries to seduce Lara. When Lara’s mother attempts suicide, Victor calls for Alexander and Yuri for help where Yuri sees Lara for the first time.

Humiliated by Victor, Lara borrows Pasha’s gun as she shoots Victor at a Christmas party held by the Gromekos. Yuri wouldn’t see Lara until years later during World War I where he is a doctor while she’s a volunteer trying to Pasha who has gone missing. The two becomes friends only to part again with the news of the Czar’s overthrow as Yuri returns to Moscow to find his famiy home inhabited by people. With he, Tonya, their son Sasha (Jeffrey Rockland), and Alexander trapped, they’re saved by a Bolshevik official named Yevgraf (Alec Guinness), who is Yuri’s older half-brother. Yevgraf arranged for Yuri and his family to travel to Yuriatin at the old Gromeko estate where they travel by train with various people and soldiers including a raspy intellectual named Amoursky (Klaus Kinski). During the trip, a train carrying a revolutionary named Strelnikov passes them as Yuri meets the mysterious man realizing who he really is.

Arriving at the Gromeko estate they realize the place is closed as they live in the cottage that is close to the estate. At the nearby town of Yuriatin, Yuri sees Lara for the first time in years as the two begin an affair. Torn with his love for Lara and Tonya, Yuri is more unsure when Tonya is pregnant as he seeks to end the affair. He’s then later captured by Communist troops under the command of Liberius (Gerard Tichy) where he serves as a doctor for two years. After deserting the army and returning to Yuriatin, he meets Lara again who takes care of him while learning that Tonya and their children along with Alexander has left for Paris. Living with Lara and her daughter Katya (Lucy Westmore) by taking them to the abandoned Gromeko estate, they live quietly until a man from their past returns with a warning about Lara as he gives them an ultimatum to save their lives. This would prompt Yuri to make the biggest sacrifice of his life.

Spanning from the early 1910s to post-Stalin Soviet Union, the film is told from the perspective of Yevgraf to a young woman (Rita Tushingham) whom he believes is the illegitimate daughter of half-brother. There, Yevgraf through brief moments of narration tells the story of his brother from his childhood to the last time he would see him. What happens is that the story takes place into a love triangle amidst the chaos of the Russian Revolution where characters go through various changes and such. Yet, the film begins and ends with scenes in the 1950s with Yevgraf and this young woman who could be his grand-niece.

Robert Bolt’s script is very engaging not just for its time span but also for the development of characters and situations that happens. Among them is its titular protagonist whose life starts off tragically with the death of his mother as all he inherited is a balalaika whom he would carry throughout the entirety of the film. Yet, Yuri Zhivago is a man that always uses poetry as an outlet to express his feelings amidst the chaos of political changes where his writing is considered subversive. During the course of the film, he is often surrounded by Tonya who is clearly devoted to him though feels a bit threatened by Lara where she only meets her briefly from afar with the exception of an unseen meeting mentioned in a letter.

Lara is a woman who is very different from Tonya as far as social orders and struggles are concerned. Still, both women provide a sense of warmth and energy that Yuri is attracted to. The fact that he loves both of them tears him up inside where he doesn’t want to hurt either of them while both women seems to know about what is going on. The love story aspect truly balances a lot of the political elements of the film where in the scene where Yuri and his family come home to the Gromeko estate. Alexander realizes it’s closed up because of the revolution where he has a hard time living without the things he’s worked so hard for. Characters like Victor and Pasha are two different men from different ideals as they progress into different figures.

Bolt’s script is great for its development of characters and settings while not using a lot of exposition to advance the story. Instead, he lets action and emotions drive everything as well as the political situations to motivate characters. It is truly a captivating screenplay that doesn’t do too much while keeping things a bit simple in some places as well as complex in other places.

David Lean’s direction is truly phenomenal in the way he creates a world that is oppressive but also evocative for its large story. Shot on location in Spain throughout the film with parts of it show in Canada and Finland since it was impossible to shoot in the Soviet Union at the time. Lean creates a world that progresses as Moscow starts out and ends as a world where things are in order and open despite its different periods while progressing it to a place ravaged by chaos. When the film moves to a different location, the feel becomes grittier and darker while there is still an element of beauty to these locations despite the harsh political tone of the film.

Lean’s striking compositions filled with wide shots of landscapes and intimate close-up shots truly presents a film that is stylized but also engrossing for its look of the film. Lean, like a lot of big epic films of 1960s, opens the film with an overture and adds an intermission for a film that is more than three hours long. Yet, Lean keeps the film very methodical in its pacing without moving things too fast. Instead, he gets the audience be engaged by all that is happening from scenes where Yuri is walking home through treacherous snow or the brief moment of innocence when he’s walking around the forest before meeting Strelnikov. Lean creates what is truly a dazzling yet glorious film that is truly romantic and epic in its story and in its presentation.

Cinematographer Freddie Young, with additional work from Nicolas Roeg, does an incredible job with the film‘s colorful, lush photography as he captures many of the snowy scenes with great beauty and a harsh realism for some of the film‘s darker scenes. Young also creates some amazing shots for scenes in the forest and landscapes along with the wonderful use of red to capture the political tone of the film. Editor Norman Savage does excellent work with the editing as he maintains a very straightforward approach to the cutting while using transitional dissolves and fade-outs to maintain the film’s leisured pace.

Production designer John Box, with set decorator Dario Simoni and art director Terence Marsh, does a great job with the set pieces created such as the Moscow home of the Gromekos and other posh places to empty places that the characters frequent throughout the film. The art direction and set design are truly spectacular in scope and to help create a place in time that was a long time ago. Costume designer Phyllis Dalton does a superb job with the costumes from the dresses the women wear to the suits the men along with the fur and ragged clothing during the war and other harrowing scenes. Sound editor A.W. Watkins does very good work with the sound from the way gunshots sound from afar to the roar of crowds in the protest scenes and chaos with soldiers attacking officers.

The film’s magnificent score by Maurice Jarre is definitely one of the film’s big highlights as his sweeping orchestral arrangements mixed in with Russian string instruments and choir-driven vocals. Jarre also provides lush themes such as Lara’s Theme with its brimming balalaikas and soothing strings to help convey the romantic aspects of the film. There is also big bombastic pieces that help drives the film in its more intense, action scenes as Jarre’s work is truly outstanding.

The casting by Irene Howard is fantastic for the ensemble that is assembled for this massive film. Notable appearances include Tarek Sharif as the young Yuri, Mercedes Ruiz as the young Tonya, Lucy Westmore as Lara’s daughter Katya, Geoffrey Keen as Yuri’s professor, Bernard Kay as a Bolshevik agent, Jack MacGowran as the Gromeko’s old groundskeeper, Gerard Tischy as an army leader, Siobhan McKenna as Tonya’s mother, Adrienne Corri as Lara’s mother, and Rita Tushingham as the young woman Yevgraf talks to in the beginning and ending of the film. Other notable small roles includes the legendary Klaus Kinski in standout performance as a smarmy intellectual who worships Strelnikov along with Ralph Richardson as Alexander Gromeko who is dismayed the changes as he loses nearly all of the things he worked for.

Rod Steiger is superb as Victor, the corrupt lawyer whom Yuri dislikes for personal reasons as Steiger brings in a brash, charismatic performance as a brutish man who loves Lara but for all the wrong reasons. Tom Courtenay is great as Pasha, an idealistic man who loves Lara as he hopes to win her only to be changed drastically by the politics of the time. Alec Guinness is wonderful as Yevgraf, the film’s narrator and Yuri’s half-brother as he is a calm authority figure who helps out Yuri while telling the young girl about him and everything he sees in a very understated performance. Geraldine Chaplin is radiant as Tonya, Yuri’s wife who tries to deal with his absence and the presence of Lara. While it’s not fully-realized character, Chaplin does Tonya a captivating figure who provides a sense of warmth and motivation for Yuri.

Julie Christie is amazing as Lara, a woman who tries to find her own way in the world as she falls for Yuri while dealing with the fact that they’re both married. Christie also plays things quietly while being a woman who starts out as a victim to Victor’s advance only to become someone very strong and defiant as it’s one of Christie’s best performances. Omar Sharif is excellent as Yuri Zhivago, a man who dreams of great things only to be hit by the revolution as he is torn with the two women he loves. While it may not be as great as the performance he gave in Lawrence of Arabia, Sharif does manage to be a very compelling lead as he has great chemistry with Julie Christie and Geraldine Chaplin.

Doctor Zhivago is a towering yet evocative film from David Lean that features top-notch performances from Omar Sharif, Julie Christie, and Geraldine Chaplin. While it may not be as exciting as Lawrence of Arabia, it is among one of Lean’s finest films as well as one of the great romantic films of the 1960s. It’s a film that is very ambitious and allows its audience to be engaged by the scenery and events that happens in the film. It may not be perfect but the ambition that Lean goes for with this is film is something that is missed in a lot of films of the 2010s. In the end, Doctor Zhivago is a brilliant romantic epic from the always revered David Lean.

David Lean Films: In Which We Serve - This Happy Breed - Blithe Spirit - Brief Encounter - Great Expectations (1946 film) - Oliver Twist (1948 film) - The Passionate Friends - Madeleine (1950 film) - The Sound Barrier - Hobson’s Choice - Summertime (1955 film) - The Bridge on the River Kwai - Lawrence of Arabia - Ryan’s Daughter - (Lost and Found: The Story of Cook’s Anchor) - A Passage to India - (The Auteurs #74: David Lean)

© thevoid99 2011

It's a Free World...

Directed by Ken Loach and written by Paul Laverty, It’s a Free World… tells the story of an unemployed working-class woman who starts her own business with help of friends and the immigrants she hires. The film is another of Loach’s exploration into the world of the working class in tune with his Socialist views. Starring Kierston Wareing, Juliet Ellis, and Leslaw Zurek. It’s a Free World… is a decent although messy film from Ken Loach.

After being fired from her work in recruiting immigrants for employment, Angie (Kierston Wareing) is seeking for work once again. With help from her friend Rose (Juliet Ellis), she decides to start her own employment agency to help immigrants seeking work. Though Rose is reluctant about this idea, she helps out though Angie gets warning from a foreman named Derek (Frank Gilhooley) about what she is facing. Angie hopes to raise enough money to make a living and spend more time with her son Jamie (Joe Siffleet) who had been living with her parents. While Angie decides to hire immigrants with papers so she wouldn’t cause any trouble, she learns about some troubles as she sees Karol (Leslaw Zurek) whom she met during a working trip to Poland.

Karol helps her out as things start to go well while Angie also helps out an Iranian immigrant (Davoud Rastgou) who came to Britain illegally with his family. Yet, the number of immigrants that Angie is dealing with proves to be overwhelming as money issues start to happen. Derek reveals he couldn’t pay the money she owes to the workers as trouble happens. Angie becomes desperate to save her business as Rose is aware that something is going wrong. Even as Angie does things that would alienate people in order to do what it takes.

The film follows a British woman in her 30s desperate to get work for immigrants to come to England and work. Yet, she is someone with a fiery attitude who doesn’t like to be harassed and is intent to work so she can raise enough money for a life for her and her son whom she hasn’t seen very much. In creating an employment agency for legal immigrants, she hopes to give them work. Yet, creating something of her own without any kind of strong money and deals would end causing trouble for herself and the people she’s trying to help.

Paul Laverty does create a story that is interesting but at times, it meanders a bit while comes off as heavy-handed in some parts when Angie decides to help an Iranian family. While Angie, like a lot of the characters Laverty and Ken Loach create, is a flawed woman that is very interesting. She sometimes comes across as someone who thinks she knows everything where she would argue with her dad about what she’s doing. There comes the old argument about immigration and such which also becomes overbearing. Though Laverty creates a script that has some interesting characters and the situations that is presented, it often comes across as another piece of tiresome social commentary.

Ken Loach’s direction is stylish in its cinema verite approach as he keeps it simple with hand-held shots and other striking compositions for shots around London. Yet, it’s a film that at times isn’t very engaging where there’s not much humor present in the film. Though Loach does try to not make some of the sadder moments go melodramatic, he doesn’t do enough to make it more lively as it falls apart during the third act. It’s in the third act where some of the darker aspects of the underworld happens where the film becomes uneven as Loach wanted to inject more drama to Angie’s own situation. The result is a film that, despite having a central idea and character, doesn’t know what it wants to be.

Cinematographer Nigel Willoughby does some fine work with the cinematography to capture the sunny mornings and evenings of London along with its rainy, dreary shots. Editor Jonathan Morris does good work in the editing in maintaining a straightforward approach to cutting though the pace lags at time throughout the film. Production designer Fergus Clegg and art director Peter James do an excellent job with the look of the film from the homes the characters live in to the decayed trailer homes some of the immigrants live in. Costume designer Carole K. Millar does a nice job with the costumes by bringing some stylish clothing for the character of Angie.

Sound editor Kevin Brazier does stellar work with the sound to capture the sense of realism in the work places that is happening along with the world of suburban London. The music by George Fenton is decent for its low-key score though some of the orchestral flourishes tend to overplay some of the dramatic moments of the film.

The casting by Kahleen Crawford is brilliant for its use of non-actors as notable performances include Colin Coughlin and Maggie Russell as Angie’s parents, Frank Gilhooley as a foreman, Raymond Mearns as a co-worker of Angie, Davoud Rastgou as the Iranian immigrant seeking work, and Joe Sifflett as Angie’s young son. Leslaw Zurek is really good as the Polish immigrant Karol who helps Angie out with her project while Juliet Ellis is excellent as Angie’s cautious friend Rose who is the film’s conscience in some respect. Finally, there’s Kierston Wareing in a remarkable performance as Angie. A woman with a lot of ambition who is unaware of the dangers she would encounter while intent to create a better life for herself and gain back the son she’s been neglecting as Wareing is phenomenal despite the script’s shortcomings.

It’s a Free World… is a harrowing but underwhelming film from Ken Loach. Despite a marvelous performance from Kierston Wareing, it’s a film that has an interesting idea only to be bogged down by its commentary on immigration and the underworld that surrounds it. Plus, it’s a film that is really a disappointing follow-up to Loach’s 2006 masterpiece The Wind that Shakes the Barley. It’s a Free World… isn’t a waste of time but it’s not one of the great films from the revered Ken Loach.

Ken Loach Films: (Cathy Come Home) - (Poor Cow) - Kes - (The Save the Children Fund Film) - (Family Life) - (The Price of Coal) - (Black Jack) - (The Gamekeeper) - (Looks and Smiles) - (Which Side Are You On?) - (Fatherland) - (Hidden Agenda) - (Riff-Raff) - (Raining Stones) - (Ladybird Ladybird) - (Land and Freedom) - (A Contemporary Case of Common Ownership) - (Carla’s Song) - (The Flickering Flame) - (McLibel (1)) - (My Name is Joe) - (Bread & Roses) - (The Navigator) - Sweet Sixteen - (Ae Fond Kiss…) - (Tickets) - (McLibel (2)) - The Wind that Shakes the Barley - Looking for Eric - (Route Irish) - (The Angel's Snare) - (The Spirit of '45) - Jimmy's Hall - I, Daniel Blake

© thevoid99 2011

Sweet Sixteen

Directed by Ken Loach and written by Paul Laverty, Sweet Sixteen is a Scottish teenage boy who is trying to make his life better for himself, his adult sister, and their convicted mother by becoming a drug dealer. Starring Martin Compston, William Ruane, Annmarie Fulton, Michelle Abercrombie, Michelle Coulter, and Gary McCormack. Sweet Sixteen is a powerful coming-of-age film from Ken Loach.

Liam (Martin Compston) is a trouble-making kid who likes to sell cigarettes to people with his best friend Pinball (William Ruane). Yet, Liam hopes to see his mother (Michelle Coulter) out of jail as she is to get out before his sixteenth birthday. Still, he has to deal with her lover Stan (Gary McCormack) and his grandfather (Tommy McKee) who force him to hide drugs whenever they visit his mother. After being kicked out of his grandfather’s house, Liam stays with his older sister Chantelle (Annmarie Fulton) and her son Calum (Calum McAlees). With Chantelle’s friend Suzanne (Michelle Abercrombie) often visiting, Liam feels that he needs to do something to give his family a better life as he and Pinball figure out what to do.

Realizing where Stan hides his stash of drugs, Liam and Pinball decides to steal them and make deals of their own with Liam using the profits to buy a trailer home. With the two making waves in small deals and Liam having bought the chance to get the trailer home, he makes sure that only he and Pinball know what they’re doing. When they decide to deal in a territory near another dealer, Liam gets himself into trouble as he manages to catch the attention of a powerful drug lord named Douglas (Jon Morrison). Though Pinball doesn’t like Douglas, Liam is entranced by what he has to offer where he asks Liam to make a hit on a man named Scullion (Robert Rennie) as a test.

With Liam inching closer to his dream, some thing happens that changes everything as he becomes suspicious over what happened. While Chantelle knows why he’s doing what he’s been doing, she tries to remind him about their mother and why she has a hard time dealing with her. Notably as Liam is forced to make moves and face harsh truths about everything he’s been doing.

The film is about a boy trying to get his mother away from her brash boyfriend and the harsh life that they been living by becoming a drug dealer. While he and his best friend have good intentions as it was just a temporary thing, the boy’s moves ends up getting the attention of a local drug lord who would give him things that would be bigger than he imagined. Yet, it would cause troubles as his friend feels neglected and the boy finds himself in a very different world though he remains focused on why he’s doing it.

Screenwriter Paul Laverty creates a somber story about a boy coming of age in the span of months before his sixteenth birthday. While Liam is just a kid who likes to cause some trouble and get away from his mother’s abusive boyfriend. Yet, the only people that really cares about him are his sister Chantelle and his best friend Pinball. Chantelle just wants him to be safe while Pinball makes sure he helps him with his goal as their ambitions in the dealing business is small. Unfortunately, drug-dealing isn’t some small-time thing as things eventually become complicated and friendships fall by the wayside. Still, Laverty focuses on Liam who is the central figure of the film as he is a good kid who makes bad choices though it’s its intentions are honorable. It is a truly engaging and heart wrenching story that is funny but also touching in what this boy is trying to do.

Ken Loach’s direction is truly potent in the way he plays a lot in the film naturally by opening the film innocently where little kids pay to see Saturn through a telescope. With this scene, it allows the audience to see that despite the film’s profane language and raw subject matter. It is a film about innocence where Loach keeps the camera in tact as it is presented in a full-frame format. There’s an intimacy to what Loach is doing throughout the film while following this boy and seeing the world from that boy’s eyes. A lot of it is presented in a loose, hand-held style with amazing compositions of Glasgow, Scotland to show the world he’s living in. Overall, Loach creates a superbly rich and poignant drama that is really mesmerizing.

Cinematographer Barry Ackroyd does an excellent job with the film‘s lush yet naturalistic photography to capture the cold, damp look of Glasgow along with a few sunny moments for many of its daytime exterior and interior scenes. Ackroyd also creates some fantastic work for the nighttime scenes to help set the dark mood that is to happen during the second half of the film. Editor Jonathan Morris does a brilliant job with the editing as he maintains a straightforward approach to the cutting while keeping the pacing of the film leisured and simple.

Production designer Martin Johnson and art director Fergus Clegg do some good work with the set pieces created such as the trailer home and the places that Liam encounters throughout the film. Costume designer Carole K. Millar also does a good job with the costumes by maintaining a realistic look to what young kids wear to the suit that Douglas wears that makes him intimidating. Sound editor Kevin Brazier does a stellar job with the sound to capture the raucous world of Glasgow from its city to the quietness of the suburb.

The film’s music by George Fenton is wonderfully plaintive with its low-key, guitar-driven pieces and ambient-style tracks. The film’s soundtrack features an array of music including Manic Street Preachers, Robbie Williams, Sub Sub, and the Pretenders where the song I’ll Stand By You provides one of the most touching moments in the film.

The casting for the film is truly phenomenal as it includes some notable small performances from Tommy McKee as Liam’s foul-mouthed grandfather, Martin McCardie as Douglas’ right-hand man Tony, Robert Rennie as a dealer named Scullion, Calum McAlees as Liam’s nephew Calum, and as Liam’s pizza-delivery friends, Junior Walker and Gary Maitland. Jon Morrison is really good as the intimidating but calm drug dealer Douglas while Gary McCormack is great as the very aggressive Stan. Michelle Coulter is excellent as Liam’s weary mother who is amazed by what her son is doing as Coulter maintains a restrained performance of a woman that is being very quiet. Michelle Abercrombie is superb as Chantelle’s friend Suzanne who helps out with the family while being someone Liam and Pinball to really fall for.

William Ruane is amazing as Liam’s friend Pinball who helps him out with his dealings while trying to keep him in control though he is also a reckless kid who later feels neglected as he acts out his frustrations in style. Annmarie Fulton is brilliant as Liam’s older sister Chantelle who wonders what Liam is doing while being the one person who cares about him as she tries to tell him about their mother. Finally, there’s Martin Compston in a magnificent role as Liam which is debut performance. Compston brings a fiery energy to his character as he often fights his way through while proving to be a tender young lad as it is truly one of the best discoveries in film.

Sweet Sixteen is an outstanding film from Ken Loach that features a glorious performance from Martin Compost and a fantastic script from Paul Laverty. It is a film that is truly among one of Loach’s finest films of his celebrated career while it is also a great coming-of-age film that is up there with the greats. In the end, Sweet Sixteen is raw yet endearing film from Ken Loach and company.

Ken Loach Films: (Cathy Come Home) - (Poor Cow) - Kes - (The Save the Children Fund Film) - (Family Life) - (The Price of Coal) - (Black Jack) - (The Gamekeeper) - (Looks and Smiles) - (Which Side Are You On?) - (Fatherland) - (Hidden Agenda) - (Riff-Raff) - (Raining Stones) - (Ladybird Ladybird) - (Land and Freedom) - (A Contemporary Case of Common Ownership) - (Carla’s Song) - (The Flickering Flame) - (McLibel (1)) - (My Name is Joe) - (Bread & Roses) - (The Navigator) - (Ae Fond Kiss…) - (Tickets) - (McLibel (2)) - The Wind That Shakes the Barley - It’s a Free World… - Looking for Eric - (Route Irish) - (The Angel's Snare) - (The Spirit of '45) - Jimmy's Hall - I, Daniel Blake

© thevoid99 2011