Europe after the rain
classic and lesser known films from Europe seen recently
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- DirectorPier Paolo PasoliniStarsFranco CittiFranca PasutSilvana CorsiniA pimp with no other means to provide for himself finds his life spiraling out of control when his prostitute is sent to prison.Starting with Pasolini.....this is full of visual and narrative surprises.
- DirectorPier Paolo PasoliniStarsAnna MagnaniEttore GarofoloFranco CittiAn ex-prostitute reunites with her son, but an extortion scheme threatens her aspirations for a decent life.Another Pasolini - featuring the great Anna Magnani in a compelling performance.
- DirectorPier Paolo PasoliniStarsSilvana ManganoFranco CittiAlida ValliRescued from abandonment and raised by the King and Queen, Oedipus is still haunted by a prophecy--he'll murder his father and marry his mother.....and one more Pasolini; What could be a 'heavy' subject is kept entertaining and engrossing.
- DirectorFederico FelliniStarsMartin PotterHiram KellerMax BornA series of disjointed mythical tales set in first-century Rome.Onto another Italian master.......here Fellini's powers are used to explore the era of the Roman empire. The result is full of remarkable sets, gaudy characters and lurid colours; a sensory feast.
- DirectorFederico FelliniStarsBritta BarnesPeter Gonzales FalconFiona FlorenceA fluid, unconnected and sometimes chaotic procession of scenes detailing the various people and events of life in Italy's capital, most of it based on director Federico Fellini's life.Fellini again - hardly obscure, but perhaps one of his lesser mentioned films. This is a delightful evocation of the energy and chaos of his beloved city.
- DirectorFederico FelliniStarsFreddie JonesBarbara JeffordVictor PolettiIn 1914, a luxury ship leaves Italy in order to scatter the ashes of a famous opera singer. A lovable bumbling journalist chronicles the voyage and meets the singer's many eccentric friends and admirers.Another Fellini that is maybe not included in his absolute 'classics' - but what a curious and entertaining adventure as we join a group of artistes on a cruise ship heading for a funeral. It is more fun than that might sound. Look out for the Rhinoceros.
- DirectorAku LouhimiesStarsJasper PääkkönenMikko LeppilampiPamela TolaOne bad event begins a chain reaction of misery as problems transfer from one person to another. It starts when a schoolteacher is fired and projects his issues onto his teenage son.Next to Finland - I only recently found the work of Aku Louhimies, and was very impressed by the style and substance in this drama. Several parallel stories affect one another as the consequences of actions are passed on to others......
- DirectorAku LouhimiesStarsJanne VirtanenSusanna MikkonenAada HämesIn a dark and cold Helsinki, an unlucky taxi driver Veli-Matti struggles to maintain relationships with his children and estranged wife. Sometimes, losing everything is just a beginning.Aku Louhimies again. This starts out appearing bleak before gradually seeming to offer some redemption.
- DirectorVeiko ÕunpuuStarsTaavi EelmaaRavshana KurkovaTiina TauraiteA mid-level manager who develops an aversion to being "good" finds himself confronting the mysteries of middle-age and morality as he loses grasp of what was once his quiet life.Moving on to Estonia....new territory for me in the film world. Veiko Õunpuu was a director I was unfamiliar with - but this has lovely B&W photography, and it is full of surprising scenes and shots, and just keeps intriguing you.
- DirectorMarco BellocchioStarsLou CastelPaola PitagoraMarino MaséA young man takes drastic measures to rid his dysfunctional family of its various afflictions.Another recent find for me - I was unfamiliar with the Italian director Marco Bellocchio. Once again, great cinematography and a strange story that draws you in.
- DirectorNimród AntalStarsSándor CsányiEszter BallaZoltán MucsiA tale about a strange young man, Bulcsú, the fellow inspectors on his team, all without exception likable characters, a rival ticket inspection team and racing along the tracks - and a tale about love.Nimród Antal directs an interesting film set in the world of the Budapest metro system.
- DirectorBéla TarrÁgnes HranitzkyStarsLars RudolphPeter FitzHanna SchygullaA naive young man witnesses an escalation of violence in his small hometown following the arrival of a mysterious circus attraction.I put 'The Turin horse' in another list, so here I will have this Béla Tarr work to represent Hungary. Quite slow....after all it IS Béla Tarr, but the story and photography maintain the attention.
- DirectorLeander HaußmannStarsChristian UlmenKatja DanowskiDetlev BuckBarkeeper Frank, semi-formally called "Herr Lehmann", is part of a lethargic West Berlin-microcosm. His lifestyle is disturbed when his parents show up for a visit, things go awry with his girlfriend and his best friend acts strange.Also known as 'Herr Lehmann'. This was another 'lockdown' discovery for me last year. Idiosyncratic, funny and charming - NOT how we usually think of Germany in the U.K.
- DirectorOliver RihsStarsJule BöweMilan PeschelJenny Deimling"Black Sheep" is about urban Berlin Lifestyle. About a bunch of hopeless losers, who are trying, to get the big money with the strangest plans. There is an Ex-Handmodel for Rolex, who wants to seduce a yuppie girl and cheat his insurance company. There is an East-German woman and her drunken artist boyfriend playing Lotto. Some satanists, who are planing a ritual with their grandmother. Two young anarchists, who are testing a new kind of Ego-economy. And last, but not least, three horny Turkish boys, who are stealing cash, to meet a prostitute. A lighthearted, stylish comedy in a electric Berlin, full of surreal moments. About material illusions and true love.or 'Schwarze Schafe'. As above - funny, surprising, bizarre......and GERMAN.
- DirectorLenny AbrahamsonStarsPat ShorttJohn KeoghGeorge CostiganA tragicomedy set in the world of gas stations in rural Ireland, where over-diligent employee of the garage searches for intimacy during the course of a life-changing summer.A small yet poignant story from Irish director Lenny Abrahamson, who would go on to make the marvellous 'Frank'. This is a tragi-comedy.
- DirectorDagur KáriStarsJakob CedergrenNicolas BroTilly Scott PedersenA young man spurs romance and helps his friend and himself go through times and struggles of their ordinary life in Denmark.This is a Danish film (Hi Christine) - but by an Icelandic director. Dagur Kári also made 'Noi Albinoi' and 'Virgin Mountain'. I knew nothing about this film before watching, and it was a delightful discovery, and Nicolas Bro is marvellous.
- DirectorKarel KachynaStarsIva JanzurováJaromír HanzlíkLudek MunzarA WW2 story of a young Austrian soldier running from the Russian army and a woman whom he forces to come along in order to save his wounded mate.A beauty from Czechoslovakia. I like B & W photography, and trees - and this has both....lots of B&W trees. A slowly unwinding scenario of limited range, it is basically a wagon ride through a forest, but full of beauty, suspicion, and a dream like dislocation.
- DirectorJuraj HerzStarsRudolf HrusínskýVlasta ChramostováJana StehnováSet in Central Europe during World War II, a demented cremator believes cremation relieves earthly suffering and sets out to save the world.Another Czech work. The synopsis for this on IMDB says: "Set in Central Europe during World War II, a demented cremator believes cremation relieves earthly suffering and sets out to save the world." If that does not intrigue you, I can not improve on it.
- DirectorJirí MenzelStarsVáclav NeckárJosef SomrVlastimil BrodskýAn apprentice train dispatcher at a village station seeks his first sexual encounter and becomes despondent when he is unable to perform.Still with the Czech new wave - this is by Jirí Menzel. Another IMDB commentator put it better than I can, saying the film is - "beautifully shot, well acted, and absurdly hilarious, while still tasting of tragedy."
- DirectorStefan UherStarsMarián BielikJana BelákováOlga SalagováOldrich "Fajolo" Fajták (Marián Bielik), a student who directs quasi-existentialist verbal abuse at his girlfriend Bela Blazejová (Jana Beláková), takes off to a formally volunteer summer work camp at a farm where he meets her grandfather.MORE from the Czechs - but they had a real Golden age through the 1960's. Full of directorial flourishes and innovations, and somehow getting past the Communist censors despite some controversial plot elements.
- DirectorKrzysztof KieslowskiStarsGrazyna SzapolowskaOlaf LubaszenkoStefania IwinskaA naive inexperienced young man spies on a woman who lives across the courtyard, and falls in love with her. He starts using tricks which he hopes will lead to them meeting.I knew Krzysztof Kieslowski's '3 colours' trilogy, and 'A short film about killing' - but only recently saw this (a companion piece of sorts to the 'killing'). I did not expect such humour - a beguiling story from the Polish master.
- DirectorRoman PolanskiStarsLeon NiemczykJolanta UmeckaZygmunt MalanowiczA couple pick up a hitchhiker on the way to their yacht. The husband invites the young man to come along for their day's sailing. As the voyage progresses, the antagonism between the two men grows. A violent confrontation is inevitable.Poland - Polanski....a classic of course, but I only got to see it last year. A riveting story of a 3 way dynamic, and great photography....especially on the sail boat.
- DirectorRoman PolanskiStarsCatherine DeneuveIan HendryJohn FraserA sex-repulsed woman who disapproves of her sister's boyfriend sinks into depression and has horrific visions of rape and violence.Another Polanski - Catherine Deneuve features in this tale of repressed sexuality and a creeping neurotic break down. More fun than that may sound.
- DirectorSergei ParajanovStarsIvan MikolaychukLarisa KadochnikovaTatyana BestayevaA timeless Carpathian story - the young Ivan falls in love with the daughter of his father's killer among the Hutsul people of Ukraine.This could be classified as Russian, but it is by the Georgian director Sergei Parajanov, and is shot in the Carpathians. I found his 'The colour of Pomegranates' hard work, so approached this cautiously - but it is a joy, full of colour and great camera movement, and even humour at times. A thing of beauty.
- DirectorSeverin FialaVeronika FranzStarsLukas SchwarzElias SchwarzSusanne WuestTwin boys move to a new house with their mother after she has face-changing cosmetic surgery, but under the bandages is someone the boys don't recognize.Another film of which I knew nothing, but read such promising comments that I risked buying it - it paid off. I found it mysterious, absorbing and haunting. Some of the visuals are superb. This one is Austrian.
- DirectorUlrich SeidlStarsMaria HofstätterNabil SalehRené RupnikA single woman in her 50s devotes her vacations to doing Catholic missionary work in Vienna, descending into violent self-punishment as part of her faith.Austria - I had seen 'Dog days' some years ago....also by Ulrich Seidl, but was not aware of this film which is part of a trilogy. It seems the 3 films are self contained, but also have vague links. It is quite slow, and the viewer is kept at a distance to observe the awkward lives depicted - yet it becomes a compulsive watch.
- DirectorRoberto RosselliniStarsAldo FabriziGianfranco BelliniPeparuoloA series of vignettes depicting the lives of the original Franciscan monks, including their leader and the bumbling Ginepro.I knew this was well respected, but I was reluctant to watch a 1950 telling of the deprivations and trials of St. Francis....even if it was Roberto Rossellini; but how wrong I was - this is a pure delight......full of joy and humour, with a light touch that still carries gravity.
- DirectorFrancesco RosiStarsMiguel Mateo 'Miguelín'José Gómez SevillanoPedro Basauri 'Pedrucho'The rise and fall of a famous torero, Miguelin, inside and outside of the bullfighters ring.An Italian film made in Spain by the director who also made 'Salvatore Giuliano' (Francesco Rosi) - great use of non-professional actors (I believe). It is colourful and brutal yet remains dispassionate....perhaps reflecting Franco era Spain. Real footage of bullfights - so be warned.
- DirectorVíctor EriceStarsFernando Fernán GómezTeresa GimperaAna TorrentIn 1940, after watching and being traumatized by the movie Frankenstein (1931), a sensitive seven year-old girl living in a small Spanish village drifts into her own fantasy world.Another film that I was aware of having a great reputation, but (as above) I feared may be rather dry or academic - wrong again......it is engrossing and enchanting. The World and its monsters (be it Franco or Frankenstein's creation) seen through a child's eyes.
- DirectorPeter BrookStarsJeanne MoreauJean-Paul BelmondoPascale de BoyssonA wealthy and bored woman is witness of a murder in affection and meets another witness. She asks him about the history of the victim and falls in love with him.Jeanne Moreau and Jean-Paul Belmondo feature in this French work - another new find for me. It is also known as 'Moderato Cantabile'. A sort of modern 'Madame Bovary'.