What classics did you see last week ? (9Feb - 15 Feb 2020)

Hi all,I hope everyone had a good weekend. On the 9th was my 33rd birthday,during which I went with pals to visit this excellent exhibition:




Over 100 works of art,made with LEGO!

My dad kindly gave me 3 discs as presents,one of which was this set:



Birthday viewing:



The Old Dark House (1963) 8

Oddly suffering a similar fate to the original, (which the studio tried to destroy all copies of, so only the remake would survive)in Hammer and Columbia dumping the movie, (it came out in a black and white version in the US,then thrown out 3 years later in the UK with a heavily cut edition) and Castle not mentioning the title once in his autobiography,Indicator stage a huge re-evaluation, presenting 3 cuts of the film with crystal clear image and sound, backed by fascinating extras including a new Kim Newman and Stephen Jones commentary,all tied up with a detailed booklet.

Walking down the stairs towards the camera gazing at her figure,Fenella Fielding gives a magnetic performance as Morgana, whose bright chic costumes stand out on the screen, as Fielding layers Gothic glamour with a tempting ambiguity over Morgana's true warmth towards Penderel.

Whilst Tom Poston is a bit too meek as Penderel, the other guests turn this place into a fun house, with Peter Bull bringing out the Gothic chills in Jasper's startled face, Robert Morley whipping up stern shocks as Rod,and Janette Scott keeping Penderel on a knife edge to the bumps in the night within the house. Lashing the windows with the same opening rainfall as the original, director William Castle & regular Hammer Horror cinematographer Arthur Grant ignite a explosive coalition between Castle's flamboyance, and the sparkling Gothic of Hammer Horror. Opening the house more to laughs than chills, Castle unlocks each door with terrific rolling whip-pans finding every hidden corner in the house, which becomes lit in ruby reds, as the Femm's slither round the house.

Having worked with Castle,and Hammer before, the screenplay by Robert Dillon neatly blends the two styles, where in the era of Hammer "remakes" of classic Universal Horror's,Dillon tastefully pays tribute to the original with bookends, whilst refreshingly making the contents of the house its own thing. Entering with Penderel as a outsider, Dillon turns the screws on the mystery of the femm family with a delightfully dark comedic slap-stick needling a growing body count with unsettling quirks each family member holds within the old dark house.

Cinema of 2019:

Adèle Haenel duo:



Portrait of a Lady on Fire (2019)9.

Drawing in the audience,Adele Haenel gives a exquisite performance as Heloise, whose growing love for Marianne is expressively captured by Haenel with a brittle fragility on keeping a guard to her personal space raised. Only allowing Marianne build a portrait from passing glimpses, Haenel brilliantly entwines curiosity from the quiet passion which peaks out from Haenel’s regal-shield face.

Painted into the life of Haenel with the knowledge that not only does she not want a portrait done,but that Haenel is also against the planned marriage, Noemie Merlant gives a enchanting turn as Marianne, whose nervousness over being spotted making the portrait, is threaded by Merlant as a bonding, via them each wanting to retain a personal space, until Merlant has Marianne unveil a portrait of her true feelings. Continuing to build on her minimalism stylisation motif, writer/directing auteur Celine Sciamma tears the score off from the screen, leaving a magnificent sound design of shallow footsteps from Heloise and Marianne running to each other, tapping to a rhythm of scratched pencil lines against paper and sharp intake of breath.

Closely working with cinematographer Claire Mathon, Sciamma presents a striking portrait of refined tracking shots on the grounds of the household running to the growing romance, which shimmer into ghostly shadows lining Heloise’s house. Building on the themes of coming of age and sexual identity which span her credits, the screenplay by Sciamma peels away the self-importance of the Costume Drama to lay bare Heloise and Marianne’s romance in raw dialogue which crackles with them sharing a awareness of only having a limited time,before the lady is on fire.



Deerskin (2019) 7

Making a opening recording of people vowing to never wear a jacket again, writer/director/editor & cinematographer (!) Quentin Dupieux unzips a chilly macabre atmosphere, via cleverly dipping into clips of the movie-within-a-movie Georges is having Denise edits,who clips Georges murders which are presented by Dupieux as clinically cold.

Listening to Georges having conversations with his jacket, Dupieux threads the macabre Horror with a surrealist, wryly comedic patten, with the chilly backdrop being used for wonderfully off-beat montages of Georges trying to become the lone person with a jacket.

Going round killing with only the "talking" jacket on his back as company, the screenplay by Dupieux wisely avoids digging for a explanation, instead delicately undressing the obsessing loner isolation of Georges, bringing out fantastic dry comedy in his attempts to come up with every excuse possible to rid people of jackets. Joined by a delightful Adele Haenel making editor Denise a lady on fire to his obsession, Jean Dujardin gives a excellent, dry wit performance as Georges, whose understated manner is used by Dujardin to stop people from sniffing out his deerskin.

Others:



Richard Jewell (2019) 8

Skating to this bio-pic, Paul Walter Hauser (who played Shawn Eckardt in I, Tonya (2017-also reviewed) by chance, a person who the subject of this film was compared to on late night talk shows) gives a superb, expressive performance as Jewell. Firmly believing that the police are always good and pure, Hauser presents Jewell's beliefs as innocent, rather than naive, due to his willingness to help the cops, leading to a sinking suspicion that he's being taken advantage of,in order to get framed. The only woman in his life, Kathy Bates gives a thoughtful turn as his mum Bobi, who rather than being completely motherly, is given a cynic edge by Bates towards the friendliness of the cops, whilst a wonderful Sam Rockwell brings a jagged edge to Bryant's fight to get Jewell out of the frame.

Tracking the faceless bomber from out of the crowd placing the device, director Clint Eastwood reunites with cinematographer Yves Belanger, and ignites a continuation of themes Eastwood explored in Changeling (2008), turning the screws with razor-sharp editing from his regular editor Joel Cox in closing in on the isolated loner, whose attempts to stay sane via remembering/flashing back to each detail that took place, shaking them with doubt.

Working in the lowest ranks of policing, Eastwood brings out a light comedic warmth (whilst remaining respectful) in how enthusiastic Jewell is in the job, stylishly panning down the school halls and concert venues where Jewell deals with bratty teens. Including the false addition that reporter Kathy Scruggs used sex to get leaks from the FBI,this needless plot line comes off as poorly misplaced within the earthy tone of the title.

Guarding a major theme which runs across Eastwood works of the little guy up against a the press and antagonizing authority figures, the screenplay by Billy Ray brilliantly gathers tension from the sea change of Jewell being seen as a blue collar local hero, to becoming washed over by those who want to make a open/shut case, with a jewel.

Cinema of Africa:



Dôlè (2000) 8

Backed by a blissful score from Emile Mepango and Francois Ngwa, writer/director Imunga Ivanga makes a excellent, rustic debut, as Ngwa & cinematographer Dominique Fausset walk with Mougler and his friends/gang in stylish dusty yellow, rubbing up to the side-street, petty level of crime they engage in. Eyeing a lottery kiosk as the target to wealth, Ngwa lays out the winning numbers with excellent dissolves on the robbery planning, rushing into frantic, fluid whip-pans sweeping up the dropped loose change.

Standing out like a mirage,the screenplay by Ivanga cleverly presents the lottery kiosk as the symbol to the locals as the lone way to get out of poverty, even with the awareness that the odds have been stacked to such a degree to make it near impossible for anyone to escape. Sinking all the chances in a mesmerising final shot, Ivanga gives one person the winning ticket, and folds it into not leading to the expected riches, but tragedy on the dole.



Ashes of Dreams (2011) 7

Splicing home video footage of her late dad with a returning journey to the four islands of Comoros, writer/director Hachimiya Ahamada brings a thoughtful, spiritual atmosphere to the trip her dad had dreamt she would make, as Ahamada visits each island, and with intimate, coiled panning shots follows the daily routines of the locals.

With her dad being buried at Dunkirk and the Comoros having gotten independence from France, Ahamada breaks the dream with discussions from the locals on their frustrations/anger over the lack of support France has given to its former colony, where Ahamada explores dreams of her past family life.



God's Gift (1982) 8

Staying silent for the majority of the film, Serge Yanogo gives a superb, subtle performance as kouni, whose coiled up body language and withdrawn gaze to all who confront him, is used by Yanogo to speak volume of the severity of the incident which led to his silenced. Glimpsing the incident is fractured flashbacks,writer/director Gaston Kabore grinds a Neo-Realist atmosphere, standing back in elegant long-shots catching the daily routines of the locals Kouni watches.

Met by locals asking why he is silent, Kabore hints at the anguished within Kouni, on lingering close-ups to his stark face. Named as "God's Gift" by the locals, the screenplay by Kabore gracefully pairs the splintered flashbacks of Kouni with the daily grind taken on by the locals who welcome silent Kouni in.