Wolfi-10 Reviews

Zigeunerliebe (1974 TV Movie)

An impressive production of an enticing operetta marred by unintelligible lyrics.

[4/10 · 29 June 2008]

This is a lavish staging of one of Franz Lehar's operettas and, like all of his creations, chock full of beguiling music and enchanting songs. A young girl of a better Hungarian homestead meets, on the morning of her planned engagement to a caring and well-to-do boy of the neighborhood, a gypsy man, and gets second thoughts about settling down so young to a life of bourgeois tranquillity. Sure, she loves the boy, but the "free and easy" life at the side of the dazzling gypsy looks mighty alluring. She does not go through with the engagement, but has in the following night a revealing dream about the reality of gypsy life. Of course, the operetta was written long before the age of "political correctness", when gypsies were thought of - probably befittingly - as wandering folk with loose morals who lived by begging, fortune telling, stealing and occasionally playing music. Hence, the following morning she is thoroughly cured of her gypsy temptation, and all is good for herself and her boy. Her widowed dad is less lucky ensnaring the sexy young widow of the neighboring castle.

That's a good operetta story, and it is presented here at a lively pace with lots of people moving in captivating scenery, rousing music impeccably recorded, and beautiful voices. Beautiful, but, alas, unintelligible. No, not a language barrier for this reviewer, rather the style of "operatic" singing where all consonants are dropped in favor of loudness to fill a 500-seat opera house. A singsong by vowels only may be suitable for Hawaiian, but renders a presentation in German impossible to understand. Why, oh why, didn't the director tell his singers: pipe down, pronounce the words properly - because much of the story is told by the lyrics, and nobody enjoys to just sit there and watch singing heads. It would have been a great movie.

The Girl and the Legend (1957)

Wrong signals from deceptively nice movie.

[2/10 · 14 June 2008]

The boys of London toil in a cotton mill and are enthralled by Daniel Defoe's just published story "Robinson". Although the book was banned by King George II, it circulates underground; and scores of boys flock at night to Defoe's modest lodgings to hear him reveal more details and embellishments. The work in the "mill" (which is still a hand-operated factory) is boring, and the boys mull over nothing more than to go to sea and find Robinson's island for themselves. Yet they understand perfectly well that they need to work to make a living; and Defoe's remark that children should play instead of work is met with their hearty laughter.

This is shown at the beginning of the film, which soon, however, changes the course of its sociological underpinnings from the mores of the 18th century towards the apologetic permissibility of the late 20th. When little Ben is to be punished by 25 strokes with the belt for shooting an arrow into a courtier's back (while playing Robinson, of course), his father is most reluctant to carry it out and reiterates Ben's lame excuse that it was "just an accident". What remains unmentioned is the cause of this accident, namely Ben having pointed his bow towards said courtier. Why, my own father would have whipped me with conviction in the 1940s; and my mum would have nodded in agreement instead of covering her face in desperation like Ben's mother.

Three of the boys try to put their dream of finding Robinson's island to work and hire themselves onto a merchant ship to sail within a few days. After their last day at the mill (which hasn't "progressed" yet into the age of "free expression" to employ a night watchman), they ransack the establishment, braking what modest equipment there is and throwing the buckets of dye all over the walls. Since these boys are the heroes of the story, this act sends decidedly a wrong signal to a juvenile audience. It is not only utterly ungrateful towards the proprietor who gave them a job they definitely needed, as they knew themselves, it is also highly inconsiderate towards the other boys at the outfit, who must continue to work there without interruption. This bad signal is regrettably reinforced at the end of the movie, when they happen to meet the king and he assures them that he will take care of the rampage. So this is the lesson of the story: It is great to tear things up when you feel like it; you will not be punished; and the government will cover the damages - a lesson in contemporary children's education?

Teenagers are in for a treat too: Defoe's dashing young son Tom, much adored by his landlady's daughter Maud, has already squandered most of old Defoe's assets; and to avoid going to jail because of further debts, he steals and sells his father's most precious remaining possession: the Robinson manuscript. This literally breaks the old man's heart. Tom, when confronted by the king, regrets his last bad deed as well as his licentious life and agrees that he must be punished. But when love-stricken Maud objects to several forms of penalty, the king, as the "final and supreme punishment", hands him a bag of money to repurchase the manuscript and presumably pay his other debts. Some punishment! Dapper young Tom gets out scot-free. Lesson number two: Regardless how stupid and reprehensible you behave, the government will bail you out.

This film should be permitted only for children over 50 years of age.

Atonement (2007)

A sad story that one is relieved to recognize as not likely to be true.

[6/10 · 14 May 2008]

Being loved by two girls at once, as for example by two sisters, does not seem to be as much of a neat thing as this reviewer always imagined, never having had the experience himself. That is, it's not if one of the sisters has a mean streak and disposes with the common object of desire rather than seeing it being swept up by the sisterly rival. In this case, the means of disposal presented itself by a case of rape that, too, provided new insights into a heretofore murky area of human relations. It took place at night in the park of the manor when all members and guests of that multitudinous household were searching for two run-away boys. So there were a number of possible perpetrators; but it's curious that the victim had no clue which one it was, although she, like everyone else of the search party, was presumably equipped with a flashlight (or a "torch", as the British might say). It is even more puzzling that said perpetrator was able to carry out his deed with one hand over the girl's eyes (to prevent her from seeing him) and the other hand over her mouth (to prevent her from crying for help) - a properly dressed girl of the English upper classes. It is true, pantyhose hadn't been invented yet, and, this being the middle of summer, even those famous British knickers had been dispensed with (as we observed gleefully when the older sister took a dip in the fountain) - but still, the dresses were long and cumbersome. What comes across as not less puzzling is the English criminal justice system that gives more weight to a 12-year old girl of a known fancy disposition than to a series of character witnesses (which were hopefully heard) plus the fact that the accused was at the time of the crime in another area of the grounds actually finding the missing boys. If taking the story seriously, one begins to wonder in light of these puzzles, (i) whether the claim of rape was actually a cover-up of an inopportunely caught dalliance; and (ii) whether the British class system's preferred way of dealing with an unpleasant incidence is the quick conviction of a middle-class patsy, rather than an earnest investigation that might lead to the unfortunate discovery of one of their own. However, the film does not give strong enough hints that the story's author had such possibilities in mind.

However, while the film placed all the guilt and remorse on the young girl's shoulders and showed how she suffered under it for the rest of her life, it should certainly have shed some light on the thoughts and feelings of the rapist or surprised lover; whatever he was, he was the really guilty party. One might be led to think that he was completely oblivious to the harm he caused to others; but displaying this contrast clearly would have rendered the movie more complete, and possibly ameliorated those slightly unconvincing events at the beginning.

Speaking of unconvincing events: That the British were not further tackled by the Germans when they scrambled from the continent at Dunkirk is wondrous but historically true; that some (or at least one) of them got, in the middle of that cacophony, his feet washed by a French woman, must be classified as utter piffle. Or was that to be taken allegorically? Oh, stupid me.

Once (I) (2007)

The duration of the friendship as well as the movie's sound come up a little short.

[6/10 · 10 March 2008]

"Once is not enough", one might say when the budding friendship and musical partnership depicted in this movie is cut off cold turkey after one week. Of course, the movie aims at being realistic, and people do stupid things in life all the time. And, if one is sufficiently concerned about these characters, one might entertain the expectation that the protagonist will return from London in a jiffy when he realizes not only the high cost of living in this city, but also the fact that he left his musical adjunct behind who assisted him to possibly become a real success on the folk music scene. This music is nice to listen to, as modern popular music goes, although not quite in the same class as when Ann Sothern helped Robert Young to come up with "Lady Be Good".

Technically, a steadier camera would have been appreciated. Most American viewers will probably have to make use of the English subtitles. However, the producers should have chosen conventional subtitles rather than those for the hearing-impaired (which inform the listeners of happenings such as "music continues"); hearing-impaired people won't get much enjoyment out of the movie anyway since most of it comes from the music. While the producers were at it, they might as well have subtitled the occasional Czech conversations. Most astounding, however, is the fact that on a movie that has been heralded as possibly "the best music film of our generation", the sound has not only been robbed of much of its dynamic, but is monophonic to boot (at least on the DVD). To be sure, it has been encoded as "Dolby Surround", but all channels reproduce exactly the same sound at all times. The success that the movie nevertheless enjoyed, even among the professional film critics, offers the interesting cognizance that all the present-day zeal about sound reproduction with ever more channels is perhaps a tiny bit exaggerated?

Showgirls (1995)

Better than portrayed but not kind to Las Vegas

[7/10 · 22 November 2007]

When it came out, the most striking feature of this movie was the unanimously devastating reaction of the professional movie critics, which caused most theater owners not to book it and resulted in most people not seeing it. While this film may not have manifested the highest artistic ambitions ever fixed on the proverbial celluloid and certainly did not glitter with the most profound dialogs, the almost hysterical trashing by the reviewers raises some curiosity as to their subconscious - or possibly very conscious - mental processes. As to the former, perhaps it's just the old hang-up about sex that has grown strong again with the aging baby boomers getting religion, after they sowed their wild oats in the 70s. When the NC-17 rating was created for movies with sexual themes this side of porn, what Hollywood may have had in mind was artsy sex, or health-care sex, but not frolicky sex where people actually have fun. In the view of those critics, the latter might still belong into the X-category - at least as far as their public pronouncements go.

But there could also be another, more sinister explanation. The film is not good for the image of Las Vegas. Presumably, Las Vegas likes to appear as just one step beyond "clean family fun" in the direction of risqué. This film places it quite a few steps towards the gutter; and this placement neither looks completely unrealistic nor without a certain allure. The powers that be in Las Vegas probably hated it; and one cannot help wonder how long an arm they have. Does the Las Vegas Visitors' Bureau direct millions of advertising money? No strong-arm tactics required - everyone writing for a publication knew precisely what was called for.

However, it must be said that while the sexy ramblings in the first part of the movie were a pleasure to watch, the violence towards the end went a little too far beyond good fun; and one must hope that it was added as a dramatic effect and is not really the custom of Las Vegas.

Yet overall, if "Showgirls" was such a bad movie, how come people still talk about it twelve years later? Except, of course, Blockbuster, who still doesn't carry it.

Saraband (2003)

Artful handiwork of puzzles and enigmas in a tragic vein.

[5/10 · 21 September 2006]

"Saraband" is another one of those Bergman movies which, it seems, could all be fittingly entitled like that other movie of his, "Through a Glass Darkly". Making things perfectly clear, once considered an essential element of a successful literary creation, is by Bergman intentionally and carefully avoided. The story is simple: An old, long-divorced couple (Marianne and Johan) meets again; and Johan's son Henrik from another marriage, recently widowed, and their daughter Karin live nearby. A simple story of essentially four people, but oh so dark and contradictory are the feelings between them. Johan hates his son, for reasons we never learn. Yes, cash-strapped Henrik needs to ask his rich father time and again for an "advance on his inheritance", but this could not quite explain the father's disdain. Henrik the musician drills Karin on the cello and loves her madly, but won't let her move to a decent music school for her further education. Now this may not be quite so puzzling as it first appears when we learn in passing that they both sleep in the same bed, an arrangement none of the other two people on hand seem to perceive as unusual. While this tidbit may further Sweden's alluring reputation, the casual acceptance of this matter is in fact quite unrealistic, as this reviewer was assured by a reliable Swedish source (who even mentioned "jail"!) Karin's mother Anna, on her deathbed, may have had a hunch that something like this was in the wings, but again, we don't learn for sure, since Karin won't read to Marianne (and hence to us) the last page of her mother's farewell letter (which masterful move, incidentally, spared Bergman the writing of it).

We can't quite figure out what Karin's notion is about her domestic setup - does she hate the sex but loves daddy otherwise (whom she calls "Henrik", isn't' that cool?), or does she really only hate the daily cello drills (since she just wants to play in an orchestra rather than train to be a soloist, as we hear in her great emotional outburst)? Well, when she finally tells the old man that she's going to split, he attempts suicide. Of course, we can't be sure if it's successful. But hold it - taking all clues, there is a finite probability that it was not. Ah, now, will that persuade Karin to come back? What do you think this is, a documentary? That's the final mystery!

No, wait, there is one more: Marianne lets us know that she has a definite opinion about this whole affair. But she won't tell.

Some tedious writing avoided again!

Surely, Bergman smiled all the way to the bank.

The Empty Mirror (1996)

A missed opportunity for some sparkling mental acrobatics

[2/10 · 1 August 2006]

The film shows Hitler and some of his cronies having survived the war and living in some subterranean hideaway, watching old movies of their heydays, contemplating their past as well as their philosophies, and generally working on their memoirs. The fundamental problem of the film is that the screen writers have Hitler repeatedly confess that all his public appearances were a great piece of acting, but they let him speak throughout the movie in the same bombastic voice as in those public appearances. They can't have it both ways; and it is well known that Hitler, when not in the public eye, used to speak like a normal person (and, reportedly, could even be witty at it).

Many of Hitler's post-mortem profundities the writers came up with aren't quite that profound, but some of his more basic observations do sound true; for example that Stalin ruled over the masses exclusively by terror, while he himself earned their honest support by stirring their enthusiasm. Perhaps this is the reason that the Russian people were never blamed for the countless murders committed by the Soviets in the same way the German people were held responsible for those committed by the Nazis; or perhaps this difference stems for the fact that the Soviets did it mostly to their own people and not to the Jews in particular.

Under the banner of political correctness, it cannot be expected that the producers give Hitler much credit for anything good. He is permitted to mention that he loved animals and initiated legal measures to prevent cruelty to animals; and that Germany fell apart in the early 1930s before he came to power - that he was in fact democratically elected was however not deemed noteworthy. And strange, that in all his ramblings he does not recall, and in the ceaseless old movies flashing at his cave walls it never comes up, that he invented and built the autobahns, on which those producers even nowadays enjoy their Fahrvergnügen.

One great mystery of the movie is how Sigmund Freud got caught up with Hitler in the underground bunker; and another even greater puzzle is how come he has nothing of the slightest substance to say to or about the Führer. As a matter of fact, the latter spurts out far more psychological babble about himself than the grand master. If Freud was supposed to be a moral counterpart to Hitler in the movie, he was not given a chance to pull his weight.

The Berlin Affair (1985)

Among the worst cinematic nonsense I've ever seen.

[1/10 · 25 October 2005]

I purchased this DVD because of its German star, the beautiful and soft-spoken Gudrun Landgrebe, who portrayed a tender and warm-hearted young woman so convincingly in the German TV series "Heimat". In the German version of this movie, she dubs her own part with near perfection and makes all the right faces all the time, but is condemned to play the silliest society woman one may ever encounter on the proverbial celluloid: falling "lesbianly" (so to speak) for a sour-faced, lying and manipulative Japanese woman, even though she is happily married to a successful diplomat in the German government. After the viewer becomes convinced to have seen the peak of cinematic stupidity, he is in for yet further astonishment when said happily married diplomat too falls for the Japanese and, in this state, becomes even jealous of his wife. Now, this male reviewer may not be able to judge correctly the authenticity of a lesbian infatuation, but he can assert that, as a man's sex object, the Japanese is so low on the totem pole to be below ground. Those fake sexual encounters, during which the participants never shed any of their clothing, do not exactly contribute to the credibility of the story either. Only Gudrun's 1930's Mercedes looks genuine.

Mostly Martha (2001)

Regrettably deteriorated German customs in a slow movie.

[2/10 · 11 October 2005]

I was going to let this movie slip into oblivion without bothering to write about it, but the glowing comments of some other reviewers impel me to add my two cent's worth to present a different view.

The storyline has been described elsewhere in much detail: A young German woman who is the top-notch cook of a fancy restaurant is suddenly saddled with the headstrong 8-year old girl of her deceased sister, and a big-mouth Italian cook is put at her side in the restaurant - disasters in her life and on her job. She has my full sympathy; but the movie has her deal with these problems not in exactly the way I would have wished.

However, the movie shows, sadly, that the ethical conditions in Germany have deteriorated the same way as in America: It is totally acceptable to conceive a child out of wedlock, bring it up without a father, and spoil it without indoctrination of some respect for their elders.

The story moves slowly at times, with us sitting there and watching people think, and the ending is totally ambiguous - perhaps to placate viewers like myself?

Dancing at the Blue Iguana (2000)

realistic depiction of a slice of life

[9/10 · 16 August 2004]

"Dancing at the Blue Iguana" shows the life of a number of strippers inside and outside of their place of work, a life the more sedate of us normally don't get to see. It appears to be a very realistic portrayal, almost a documentary, which I for one always find fascinating. A few events built in which probably don't happen quite so routinely in normal life, but still believable. I was left by the movie with very mixed emotions: depressed by the whole atmosphere of the club, feeling sorry for the girls, but nevertheless enamored by their beauty. First-class acting and directing - every scene, every move convinced. Recommended for all who have a taste for real life reflected in a movie (instead of fancy nonsense).

Country Life (1994)

A perfect "10" for the Australian Uncle Vanja.

[10/10 · 16 November 2003]

Uncle Vanja in the Australian outback with a perfect rendering of the characters; engrossing, entertaining, and the sad ending as well. I voted it a "10". It looks like Hollywood could learn a lot from Australia.

Martin Luther (1953)

School learning brought to life

[9/10 · 19 September 2003]

Of course, Martin Luther is treated in considerable depth at German high schools, but the resulting knowledge consists of a somewhat puzzling series of events and dates. This film shows the atmosphere of the times, the mindset of the people, and particularly Luther's own mental anguish about the condition of the Christian church at that time, and his thoughts and feelings as the driving force of a major religious and political upheaval. Very illuminating is the seriousness with which personal beliefs are taken, not only by the "little people", but by their worldly leaders as well, in contrast to the callousness of the church leaders around the pope. It is also interesting how Luther benefited from the relatively fair and tolerant attitudes and practices of the 16th century, which were completely wiped out a hundred years later.

The acting in the movie is excellent, as are the scenery and costumes, shown in stark black and white photography. The producers spared no expense to present the wide range of political and religious figures with whom Luther interacted. The dialogs are poignant and always clearly understandable over any background music. Unfortunately, my CD exhibits a rather poor video quality, considering that it is based on a post-WW2 b/w movie. Still, the film is fascinating to watch from beginning to end and, if shown in high school, would successfully replace a week of dry learning.

Star! (1968)

A revelation fortunately resurrected!

[19 August 2003]

Having stumbled upon Star! on DirecTV, I am utterly stunned that such a fantastic movie didn't make any waves when it was first released, and that it was practically forgotten thereafter. It is many times more entertaining than scores of other Hollywood song and dance strips that are household words and played all the time. We always knew that Julie Andrews could sing and act, but here she shows that she could dance and do gymnastics as well. Despite the film's three hours running time, there is never a dull moment. I don't know anything about Gertrude Lawrence, but seems quite believable that she eventually married the rudest one of her many friends and admirers.

There are, however, a few problems with this movie as well. I found Andrews - probably very realistic - rapid-fire cockney English during the first half practically impossible to understand. During the second half, it is not always clear in what country (not to mention what theater) the performance is taking place. Worst of all, the script creates the wrong impression that all her songs are by Noel Coward. One sits there and wonders - wait a minute, isn't this really Gershwin? Or Kurt Weill? Why don't they say so? Since these other composers are not even mentioned in the credits, their suppression appears almost intentionally.

Since I already taped it, I think I'll keep it. I know I will want to watch it again - and then with the sound through the HiFi, which should render those songs even more enjoyable. And perhaps I can even figure out what she is talking about.

The Girl in the Bikini (1952)

Mostly in bikinis!

[8/10 · 8 July 2003]

Brigitte Bardot - young - fresh - sweet - and mostly in bikinis!

Oh yes, there was a story line too - she the daughter of a lighthouse keeper, and two guys who showed up for the summer. It was hardly the story that made BB famous, but the intense sensuality she radiated in this black-and-white movie, combined with a dear disposition - a winning combination that she did not quite reach again in all her later flicks.

A great gal!

The Harmonists (1997)

Childhood memories of radio and politics

[9/10 · 29 June 2003]

Throughout the 30s and 40s, everyone in Germany loved the Comedian Harmonists when they came over the radio, although it must have been the follow-up group rather than the original one. It is interesting and moving to see that original group and hear their songs again; and it illuminates once more the idiocy of the Nazis to silence and drive away such worthwhile people who felt as, and wanted to be, good Germans.

However, their confrontation with the Storm Troopers as shown in the movie, and presumably taking place in 1933, is an unfortunate exaggeration, because window smashing and physical abuse did not occur that early during the Nazi regime. Also, railway stations were not adorned with giant swastika flags - they would have turned black quickly from the soot of the steam engines. There was no need by the producers to deviate on these points from the historical accuracy - a deviation that throws a somewhat questionable light on the rest of the story.

Yet these producers did manage to find five men who sing beautifully, with the same perfection and tonal range of the Comedian Harmonists, which makes this film eminently enjoyable after all.

Moulin Rouge! (2001)

opera for people who are bored by operas

[10/10 · 9 April 2003]

After I was glued to the screen for two solid hours and then, listening to the closing music, even watched the credits for ten minutes (which has not happened in years), I returned to reality knowing that I had just seen a fascinating movie. Upon further reflection, it occurred to me that Moulin Rouge is really a opera; but a opera distinguished by not being boring for even one single minute. It seems that no scene lasts longer than ten seconds, there is continuing movement, there are people, colors, close-ups, all in breath-taking succession and accompanied by that gripping music. The credits say the movie was shot in Australia - if this is the Aussie style of film making, we sure want to see more of it.

The Blue Fox (1938)

saved by Zarah's songs

[5/10 · 4 April 2003]

Der Blaufuchs is a somewhat unusual German film comedy of the 40s insofar that the flirtatious and slightly frivolous heroine who is about to run out of her - admittedly boring - marriage is neither punished by fate, nor finds her way back to the straight and narrow. So the viewers at that time were either mildly delighted or incensed, depending on their degree of hedonistic inclinations, and a keen interest in the movie was immediately established. What contributed further to its success, as with other Zarah Leander movies, was her songs, which became instant hits, and which make this film bearable to this day.

The Lion in Winter (1968)

dumbfounded at King Henry's court

[5/10 · 30 March 2003]

The Lion in Winter is a splendid movie that is undoubtedly immensely enjoyed by all professors of history, or at least by those who made the era of the English king Henry II their specialty. For the rest of us, it's not quite so engrossing since we have no clue what the people are talking about. If one thing becomes clear, it is that hardly anyone means what they say, or say what they think, and that their thoughts and intentions change every five minutes; which does unfortunately not help to elucidate the historical facts. We probably can believe the king when he declares he likes being it, but this is not much of a revelation. Otherwise all we learn is that these medieval lions in winter had too many stray dogs, no decent heating system, and most likely too high an opinion of themselves.

Barry Lyndon (1975)

fascinating historical show

[8/10 · 22 March 2003]

Fine acting, beautiful photography, haunting music and sure-footed direction show a - probably very realistic - slice of life of the English gentry in the 18th century, which is fascinating by itself. The story is captivating too but leaves a nagging question. The human soul can of course undergo many changes, yet Barry Lyndon's change from a good-at-heart lad in part I of the movie to a stupidly cheating husband and excessively behaving father, either intemperate or overindulgent, in part II is a little baffling. Kubrick deviated here from Thackeray's original novel, where the protagonist is somewhat of a rogue throughout, and tried to add a measure of human development to the adventure story. Yet the change for the worse happens quite swiftly, and marriage seems to be the cause. So the movie provides some things dazzling to watch, and some more things intriguing to contemplate afterwards...

Romanze in Moll (1943)

A tricky matter convincingly presented

[9/10 · 17 March 2003]

If one's wife (not the one in the movie but the one of this writer), who normally sternly disapproves of extramarital affairs for ethical as well as practical reasons (such as messing up the household finances) - if said wife admits to finding a measure of compassion with this film's Madelene, although she was by no means treated badly by her husband (for example not even beaten up one single time) - then director Käutner must have pulled that one off really cleverly. However, the husband (not the one in the movie but this writer) can't muster the same sympathy, because he cannot for the world image what the movie husband, or he in place of the movie husband, could have done to avoid his wife going astray, except composing a romanze in moll, which neither one could manage quite that well. So this is a very realistic and important film that raises the big questions of life, marriage and how to keep the latter everlasting happy. Off-hand, a harem-type setup seems to be the best solution.

South Pacific (1958)

Enchanting fairy tale behind unfortunate yellow filter

[8/10 · 15 March 2003]

It is generally understood that fairy tales are good for the soul,

and South Pacific fits the bill nicely for children of all ages. The

story and dialogs remain on this side of the ridiculous - even if barely

so; the lyrics are witty, and the movie hails from that golden age of

musicals when composers could think of catchy tunes, and actors could

sing them with voice and heart. For a major American movie, it comes

amazingly close to depicting what the criminal justice system rudely

calls statutory rape, and it shows that such goings-on can be really

sweet and romantic.

The one flaw of the movie is the yellow filter the director put on

the camera lens whenever the mood turned "exotic". It obliterates the

enchanting scenery and knocks the enchantment of the viewer, which

otherwise would be perfect.

Moulin Rouge (1952)

Pages skipped and a fake French accent

[7/10 · 9 March 2003]

When a movie maker in a prudish society, such as America of the 50s, undertakes to show the life and loves of a figure in a libertine society, such as Paris of 1890, he faces the not so small obstacle that matters of sex are taboo. When that figure happens to be Henri Toulouse-Lautrec, whose life circled around the Moulin Rouge, this obstacle becomes a big hurdle, and the viewer is often left puzzled. How come the Moulin Rouge's patrons got so terribly excited about the dancing girls' long underpants? Did Henri really sleep in the loft all the time with Marie downstairs? The original novel by Pierre La Mure clarifies these things in sufficient detail - Hollywood skipped a few important pages.

Another silly Hollywood idea - and not dictated by the mores of the times - is to let "lower-class people" speak English with a French accent. We, the viewers, do know that the story plays in France, that the people would naturally speak French, and that all their conversations have been translated for us language-challenged Americans, but we don't need to be reminded of that all the time. And speaking of the audio channel, it would have been nice to understand the words of Zsa Zsa Gabor's songs - the patrons of the Moulin Rouge seemed to enjoy them; her accent doesn't help us either.

Love Is a Many-Splendored Thing (1955)

Where are the fireworks?

[3/10 · 7 March 2003]

This love story between an American journalist and an Eurasian lady doctor does not contain much conflict, since she is largely Westernized (having studied in London), nor any fireworks, since she behaves rather restrained. What little interest the story manages to raise is knocked down further by their wooden dialogs. They are supposed to be two cosmopolitan intellectuals, but talk as if the words are put in their mouths by a Hollywood hack who is not much of one himself. The movie also suffers from an amazing lack of realism - a completely deserted beach in crowded little Hongkong, overrun by a million Chinese refugees? And a presumably accomplished American journalist in his 40s who doesn't know what a hysterectomy is? Hollywood ideas. Finally "the song". After hearing it an estimated twenty times throughout the movie, starting right with the credits, it tends to loose some of its emotional impact, sorry to say.

To New Shores (1937)

Moving, and almost a timeless piece of art.

[9/10 · 27 February 2003]

This film was a sensation when it appeared in 1937; and 65 years later, one can still see why, and one is still moved by it. Despite some technical imperfections of picture and sound of those times, and despite the - initially unsettling - fact that it plays in London and Sydney while its characters and language are clearly German, it comes as close to a real work of art as a movie can. Both the tragic core of the story and its upbeat ending are entirely believable; the major characters appear human and differentiated; the sceneries and lighting are convincing; and Ralph Benatzky's songs have become treasured German folk music. Their presentation by Zarah Leander are the high points of the movie, when time stops and the here and now are forgotten. It is just a little sad that Leander's Gloria Vane was prevented from wearing a really shoulder-free evening gown, as those loud-mouthed boors accused her of. What some claimed to be immoral in England of 1846 was decreed immoral in Germany of 1937. One wonders if the '37 viewers caught on to it.

Orchestra Wives (1942)

Glenn Miller at his best

[9/10 · 19 February 2003]

It's Glenn Miller and his orchestra all right, even though the producers called him Gene Morris or something like that, and there is lots of music played by them. This movie seems to be almost unknown, yet it should by on the top of the list of every Glenn Miller fan. The sound is not bad for a 1942 recording.

The story line ... is not worse than those of hundred other movies, past and present, without redeeming musical numbers. It's about the few wives or girl friends traveling with the band, who do not necessarily make the musicians' hardships on the road any easier. In the style of these older movies, things are happening at a good clip and are never too melodramatic.

Glenn Miller plays "Glenn Miller" pretty well in a low-key manner and looks quite realistic. How could they make such great music with the smoking and the bad food at odd hours?