Gagga (1971) User Reviews

Pretentious crap

[nocommonsunday · 1/10 · 26 March 2007]

I can't believe Eric German gave this movie 4/5 stars. Me and my friends wanted to walk out after the first half (and some people did)because it was so incredibly bad, but then we realised we had already spent our Lm2.75.

If I had made this film, I'd seriously be embarrassed to show it in theatres. Even big-time directors like Quentin Tarantino had the decency to not release their crappy, cheap, amateur, first student film (I'm referring of course to "My Best Friend's Birthday" which, despite it's crappiness, is still more entertaining than "Gagga").

I knew I was going to watch a student film, but come on! I've seen better movies made with a webcam on youtube. "Gagga", with it's pretentious on the nose symbolism and metaphors, tries to be intellectual and thought-provoking (just like the recent American "querky" indie films), but instead ends up being as watchable as Andy Warhol's "Sleep." I wouldn't be so p!ssed off if they at least had the decency to screen this for free.

Btw, am I the only one who noticed the camera crew, audio man, and the guy with the clapper board yelling "Take 4!" in one of the final scenes of the movie? Did they forget to edit that out or is that some more genius intellectual metaphor I missed?

A Maltese Masterpiece

[MrBuzz · 10/10 · 18 March 2007]

I have just returned from a screening of the Maltese language movie IL-GAGGA. I had heard about this movie in 2002 when Mr. Azzopardi was in Malta promoting his movie Savage Messiah.

Those five years I waited to see IL-GAGGA have been well worth it. I wish to make it clear that I am in no way related to Mr.Azzopardi and I am writing this review because I strongly support Maltese talent.

If it's good material I have no hesitation whatsoever in writing a good review for it. Il Gagga does not fall under good material. It falls in the category of an excellent masterpiece. You think I'm exaggerating?Read on.

Imagine yourself as a student in the 1970's, with hardly any money in your pocket, but with a sincere and pure dedication in your heart to make a movie that criticizes the ignorance of the society you live in, and the influence the church has on the people.

36 years later now in the year 2007 these two topics still play a strong part in the Maltese society one way or another. Yes it's true that we Maltese today are more open-minded about a lot of things than we were 36 years ago, but being a small island where everyone knows everybody, our society still seems to be trapped in a cage on certain issues!

Il-Gagga manages to raise a lot of good points for discussion, and that's were the movie still holds its strength today. Shot on super 8 and now restored to make it look and sound better, the movie places you in the heart of the Maltese society as it was in the early 60's just before Malta became Independent.

Fredu is a trapped soul and an individual that refuses to stick to the saying if you can't beat them join them! Throughout the whole movie Fredu is traumatized in a society where his parents will not let him have the girl he loves because she is of another political belief, leaving the village to be with the girl will have the priest yelling scandal. All these thoughts and guilt drive him in a world of isolation that tears his soul apart.

If you are reading this review and asking yourself, what in the world is so scandalous about loving someone who does not have the same political belief as you? Please keep in mind that Malta was fanatical about politics and church much more than it is today. Although some people will disagree with me and say that we still are! Anything that was not of the norm in those days was considered to be a scandal to your family and to the village.

The direction is simply amazing two particular scenes will stick with you long after the credits roll,I refer to the the shot were Fredu is at home in the kitchen and has a hallucination. This particular shot is truly impressive along with the scene when Fredu is seeing many characters wearing carnival masks all ready to capture him and carry him to what looks like to be hell.

This is truly incredible cinema, to come out from a student. Back in the 70's I don't think the local cinemas showed any surreal movies or experimental works, so I truly think that Il- Gagga is a masterpiece in Maltese cinema.

Actors and actresses will act good or bad on the basis what the director tells them to do. I sincerely applaud Mr.Azzopardi for having a strong direction on the set of this movie, since Il-Gagga boasts some incredible acting from well known actors and actresses as well as other extras who give a realistic and rewarding acting performance. I am very much looking forward to seeing this masterpiece on DVD along with a commentary by Mr.Azzopardi and his views on this movie today. Let's hope we also get some interviews with the actors and actresses and people who worked on this movie included on the DVD. Well done Mr.Azzopardi you have truly made a movie that has stood the test of time and it deserves to be seen by everyone. 10/10

A Great Maltese Film

[dave-800 · 8/10 · 16 March 2007]

This movie shows that the Maltese do have the talent to produce a quality movie worthy of the attention of true movie-lovers. Rather than focusing on stunts and action sequences or soap opera style drama, renowned Maltese director Mario Azzopardi had made a film in the early 70s, based on a famous Maltese novel "Il-Gagga ta' Frans Sammut", which concentrated on good story telling skills and convincing acting.

It tells a story of Maltese life in the 60s, where people were hopelessly blinded by religious and political fanaticism, and of the effects of these on the main character Fredu. He has to endure rantings, heartbreak, hallucinations and tragedy, until the time comes when he does not care about anything anymore. The surrealism sequences remind of Luis Bunuel, but are very well made and show that Azzopardi has an eye for the unusual. There were episodes that had a distinct feel of black humour in them, which I think may have been the underlying intention. This was a controversial film in its time, which I am told was banned locally, for the same previously mentioned fanatical reasons.

It is tragic that many Maltese still do not appreciate the quality of such movies. This is why some really excellent movies don't make it past the first week in the cinemas, and mindless crappy movies last for weeks on end.

It is also a pity that this particular movie cannot be fully appreciated by a foreign audience, since the director seems to assume the audience is knowledgeable of certain aspects of the local lifestyle. My suggestion for Maltese producers is not to target an exclusive local audience if they intend to make another movie of this calibre.

Gagga a provocative document of creativity

[adrian-stivala · 10/10 · 15 May 2007]

Viewing Gagga on DVD is a unique experience and one realizes the technological miracle done by Studio Seven and all those who worked together to get the film transfered digitally. Artisticaly the film has a lot of visual poetry and the camera-work is sometimes amazing when one thinks that it was done with a Super 8 camera. Mario Philip Azzopardi will be able to tell us more about the camera used in this shooting. The angles, the close-ups are sometimes poetic, especially the one shot at night where the main character Fredu is with his girlfriend in a car overlooking a stunning view, probably, at Dingli, in the North of Malta. The film has to be seen as a creative work not as an exercise of cheap so called entertainment as some commentators with the insight of a banana seemed to show in other comments. The storyline is dynamite with emotions, love, politics and social questions beautifully blended together. The final scene is the cherry on top of the cake where the films brings the audience back to reality telling us that all this is true and happening all the time in whatever individual and in whichever country. Maltese cinema practically gained a great leap forward with Gagga and all those who were involved in it. I highly recommend the double disc DVD version with English subtitles included and an illuminating behind-the-scenes group of feature for added value.