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Myra Breckinridge (1970)
Myra in 1970
Everything you read about Michael Sarne's movie "Gore Vidal's Myra Breckinridge" is false. It is a good motion picutre, ahead of its time. It is even hard to believe that it caused a shock in 1970 when in the same year and by the same studio "Beyond the Valley of the Dolls" was released. It is unbelievable all the rubbish that has been written about it. It is among the best and most acerbic Hollywood satires ever, with a visionary look at sexuality, as it is practiced at the moment. Mae West seems dated and from another planet, but she was still part of that scene, while Raquel Welch and John Huston were both very good as mean characters. Enjoy it.
The Music Lovers (1971)
Ken Russell's Film on Tchaikovsky and the Music Lovers
I find strange that people talk and write about the excess and extravagance of director Ken Russell, and yet refuse to accept the title of this movie, as it appears on its title card in the main credits. It is a sign of what the movie is all about... it is not just a Chaikovski film biography. It is also a film about Russell's vision and his sometimes undisciplined talent, and about us, the music lovers. Even if it appears "stupid" and "ugly", that is how we are quite often, about music idols, film people.
So, for me this will always be "Ken Russell's Film on Tchaikovsky and the Music Lovers".
Il mulino delle donne di pietra (1960)
A horror classic
A true, almost forgotten (and misunderstood by audiences of today) master work of great visual beauty, that turns halfway through the narration into a labyrinth of visuals and layers of reality. A tale of necrophilia and decay, Giorgio Ferroni's «Il mulino delle donne di pietra» handles the theme of death in a poetic framework, supplied by a fine screenplay, excellent cinematography by Pier Ludovico Padovani, and general fine acting by a handsome cast that includes Dany Carrel, who provides female nudity. This sinister story that unfolds in a wax museum was the second Italian masterpiece of the genre, released less than two weeks later than Mario Bava's «La maschera del demonio» in 1960.
It is a pity that Ferroni did not make more movies of the Gothic horror type, because the two movies that he directed and that I know (the other being «La notte dei diavoli», after A. Tolstoy's novel «The Family of the Vourdalak») are good. «Il mulino delle donne di pietra» is high up there with the best Italian horror films of all time, as «La maschera del demonio» and Antonio Margheriti's «I lunghi capelli della morte».
El muerto y ser feliz (2012)
Last Contribution
In this story of a Spanish hitman in Argentina who is dying from a terminal disease, and his relation with a homeless mature woman, the excellent performances by the leads and the attractive itinerary through the country, build this strange road movie, but the narration (which is sometimes funny) becomes annoying after a few minutes. I guess some may enjoy this very much, but I prefer "Lo que sé de Lola" y "La mujer sin piano"... Oh, I miss very much the films directed by Javier Rebollo from the screenplays written by his ex-companion, Lola Mayo (whose voice is used here as narrator). Both did not make a new movie after parting their ways, until 2023, but they are not contributing anymore...
Mortal Engines (2018)
Poor Children!
Music gave me the a hint that "Mortal Engines" was rather bad. Composed by Tom Holkenborg (under his suspicious pseudonym Junkie XL), the score is a chain of common places, of musical themes and patterns that we know and heard ad nauseam. And it's a shame, I thought, because I was really enjoying some of the computer-generated images and especially the crazy concept of gluttonous cities (London, in this case) that move around the landscape to hunt whatever they find to guarantee the energy that sustains them. A most original metaphor of globalization.
There is no explanation of how humanity came to that state, but it is assumed that something failed. Then the main cards appear: a young heroine, a mean villain (the great Hugo Weaving), a leading man who also provides comic relief and several "courtiers, vassals and damsels-in-distress", to go with the drinks and popcorn and enjoy a product similar to an old fairy tale. The resemblance begins to fade when the heroine pulls a knife and stabs the villain. So begins the trite and bloody "heroine's journey", as the audience runs behind.
Suddenly Anna Fang (Jihae) enters the scene to show off her gift for martial arts, and the "resurrected" Shreik (who is a cross between the monsters of "The Terminator" and "The Colossus of New York") to claim a promise the heroine had given him. The movie starts to wobble.
Then the recount of mysterious past lives follows and the knots of cheap drama tighten with hidden blood ties and well-kept secrets, to guarantee a deeply moving progress towards a happy ending. The "colors of Benetton" also make their gorgeous entrance, in the form of a group of rebels of all colors and corners of the planet, which take the product to the formula of the war movie.
How long will we have to endure the production of more war films? I do not know. But this kind of movie somehow guarantees that, every time a group of idiots comes up with a war to avoid losing business, the citizens of the countries with weapon industries and the idiots of the South say in chorus, " We have to kill, kill, kill the infidels! "
The solution is Machiavellian: just as they coaxed us all in "Star Wars" putting Nazi helmets on the imperial forces led by the impenetrable Darth Vader, when in reality the imperialists were Luke, Han Solo, Chewbacca, Obi Wan, Yoda, the Princess Leia and all the bugs that followed them; here, to top it all, the saving piece, the one little thing that can stop the war machine, is a small chip (in an enigmatic little Egyptian case, no less) that has the inscription of the letters USA...
The incredible thing is that this film (and those that perhaps will follow) is based on a work by Philip Reeve, who writes and illustrates children's books. Is this cinema for children I pity the poor things! But these films cultivate in their impressionable minds a chain of false values, prone to war motivations and criminal supremacy, so that they, future adults, can continue the work of making things, even if they change, remain the same.
Mom and Dad (1945)
A well-deserved National Film Registry!!!
William Beaudine's masterpiece had to wait in line until today, after being purchased many months ago. It is a great time capsule, a lot of fun, with unintentional humor and real concern for the characters' dilemmas. A high school girl gets pregnant by her pilot friend, but the boy unexpectedly dies, she doesn't know what to do, her mother doesn't help and a teacher shows her educational material to prevent her from any sexually transmitted disease... The plot is a simple excuse to include educational material with sexual content, for exploitative purposes. If we think that we have gotten rid of this kind of behavior, this morale and these social attitudes, don't be mistaken. They are still going strong, hidden behind PC. Masks. The bonus shorts and the sexploitation trailers included in the DVD edition are also good.
Mis tres viudas alegres (1953)
Three Widows
As in "Las tres alegres comadres", mediocre musical numbers betray the charm of Lilia del Valle, Silvia Pinal and Amalia Aguilar as the three widows. In the plot, when an old scientist (Resortes) dies on his wedding night, his young widow (Pinal) discovers that he had been married twice before her, first with Aguilar in La Habana, and later with Del Valle, most amusing as a supposedly French woman. Things complicate when his testament is read and the three women find out that the man had a son with a cook and that they have to find him, while European spies are trying to find the formula of a bomb that the deceased man developed. There are long (really long) musical sequences when they open a fashion shop in their home, mostly of neither good nor attractive music. It all depends on the comedians' timing.
Miracle at St. Anna (2008)
War film by Spike Lee
For the controversy it created, I suppose I should care a bit more about the historical accuracy of «Miracle at St. Anna», but I see no real need to do so, when I am constantly being fed lies by other films that mix propaganda and entertainment at such a fast pace, that one has no time to blink, even less to think... A strong central story is constantly put off-center by Spike Lee's didacticism. But I often welcome those didactic intromissions in his plots, and this film is not different from previous works. What really left me a bit disappointed is Lee's submission to the art and techniques of mainstream cinema: if there is one single aspect to illustrate it is his intrusive use of music: mellow for the sentimental aspects, pretentious for the dramatic parts, or drums for the scenes involving military intelligence without war action (echoing dozens of other scores for war films, like Maurice Jarre's music for «The Longest Day» --which is seen in the first minutes of projection on a TV set), and so on. Terence Blanchard should take a vacation. And so should Spike Lee. But on the other hand, being Lee a good filmmaker and story-teller, I was captivated by the story of little Angelo (in a strong, remarkable performance by Matteo Sciabordi) and soldier Train (Omar Benson Miller), by the subplot involving the Italian partisans, and for Lee's details in characters, as the contrast between the dignified sensuality of Renata (Valentina Cervi) and the coarse lustfulness of soldier Bishop (Michael Ealy). A failed work, but a failed Spike Lee is better than three box-office air-headed blockbusters.
The Milagro Beanfield War (1988)
A true miracle
In 1988 we had the pleasure of wathing "The Milagro Beanfield War" on a Saturday afternoon in Cuba. Robert Redford had come the island with a copy and he showed it at the Charles Chaplin cinema to film school students, Cuban filmmakers and special guests. A beautiful magical realism fable from the pen of John Nichols, its visionary plot addresses the issue of water, which we never imagined as we grew up that it would become the center of so many disputes over land, crops and the right to water. Here we add the fight against urbanism conceived without concern for the preservation of the ecosystem and the needs of communities, as the one in the movie called Milagro, with a population made up mostly of people of Latin origin. Parading thorugh the screen we see activists, lawyers and farmers fighting for their rights, the developers of a resort for the rich, a hitman, traitors to the cause, and a Latino sheriff in the middle who tries to calm things down to no avail. But what I never forgot was the character of Amarante Córdova, a role played by Carlos Riquelme, an old Mexican character actor who was the mad scientist in the cult classic "Ladrón de cadáveres", and who crowned his long career in cinema with this movie. The replay between Amarante and Ángel Coyote, one who refuses to die and the other who invites him to join the realm of the discarnate, gives a beautiful magical ending to the story of Milagro. Nothing here is naturalist, except human greed which is the motor of all the action. In my humble opinion, this is Robert Redford's best achievement.
Mátenme porque me muero (1951)
Yes, go to the beach instead...
When both Ismael Rodríguez and Tin Tan were in their prime, they made this film that looks and sounds worst than it is, due to Ferrusquilla's obnoxious narration, unrestrained overacting by all, Raúl Lavista's insufferable score, and Tongolele's incomprehensible diction. Rodríguez was one of the top names in Mexican film industry in the 1940s and 1950s, since his brother Roberto created the recording system that launched sound film in Mexico, and with their brother José Luis they created the powerful production company Rodríguez Hermanos. By 1951 he had turned singer Pedro Infante into a mega-star, so it is not wonder that he was able to recruit an army of top Mexican comics around Tin Tan, and the exotic dancer Tongolele. But the humor is so bad, and Tongolele's dances so vapid, that -again- this time you'd rather go to the beach.
Un mariage en Auvergne (1909)
Here's to the bride and groom!
A good silent documentary with an anthropological feel. Unlike later films that are considered predecessors of ethnographic cinema, such as "Nanook of the North", where almost everything is fake, from the Eskimo family itself, to the size of the igloo or their daily activities, in this production there is a rigorous austerity in the registry of the events, as it chronicles a rural wedding: the arrival of the groom and guests to the bride's home, the stroll they all take through the streets of the town for the ceremony, and the celebration.
The film is from 1909, so it is unlikely that the peasants were aware of the chain of events that make up the cinematographic process, that is, that a camera was filming them and that the final product would be projected on a screen before an unknown audience. And it does not seem likely to me that Pathé projected the film to them in a town where there was possibly no electricity, so the behavior of the peasants seems normal, without fussing or flirting with the camera.
Furthermore, the film was shot in Auvergne, in central France, a mountainous region of dormant volcanoes, graced by forests, rivers and lakes, with mines of rich metals, which was populated by powerful and fighting tribes. A region of long winters and short summers surely influences the behavior of the inhabitants. Today it is one of the least populated regions in Europe.
I believe that "Un mariage en Auvergne" has high cultural and historical value and, as I was initiated in France in the techniques of anthropological/direct cinema, I understand the purpose of filming the wedding and believe that the result is indeed what was expected.
I was not able to find information about this film.
Le manoir de la peur (1927)
Le manoir de la peur....
Made seven years after the release of «The Cabinet of Doctor Caligari», this admirable silent movie keeps alive the expressionist tradition and some of the morbid "caligarism" of that film: a twisted corridor in the titular mansion, landscapes and characters in silhouettes and a villain that resembles the somnambulist Cesare in stamp and misfortune, and Dr. Caligari himself with his insane schemes.
However, this story set in the French countryside is not a fantastic tale framed by a realistic prologue and epilogue like «Caligari», which define the central plot as a mental patient's obsession, but rather the events are all realistic: a couple whose romance is thwarted by a railroad worker, father of the bride; the arrival of a mysterious man of science whom the town looks upon with suspicion and fear; the curious training that his assistant performs in secret, with the chimpanzee Hello to achieve his ends... Everything is heading towards a tense ending in which two plot lines converge in a dynamic way, following premises of the dramatic montage "a la D. W. Griffith", with whom Machin worked in 1918 on «Hearts of the World.» According to the dramatic montage scheme, after dramatic action with an adrenaline overdose (which includes a frenetic train chante), calm and tranquility for the viewer is achieved by the opposite, in this case, a romantic ending.
Apart from everything, I liked to find another work by Alfred Machin, whose wonderful 8-minute rural drama «Le moulin maudit» (The Cursed Mill) I saw included in a 1909 film anthology. Colored with stencils, it is a short film made in Belgium about a love triangle that ends in tragedy. A photographer by profession, Machin was recognized for his early films about animals. «Le manoir de la peur....» was his last collaboration with his assistant Henry Wulschleger, with whom he co-directed some films with the popular chimpanzee Auguste, interpreter of the irresistible Hello. The restored version has an enjoyable rock soundtrack, which is a definite plus.
Man in the Shadow (1957)
Director Jack Arnold Deserves a Reappraisal
A real surprise, this is a fast and tight social drama made by the always reliable Jack Arnold, among the early American movies that dealt with the issue of the Latin American workers and peasants who illegally cross the Mexico-USA border, but encounter situations extreme as in this case, in which one of them meets death on one of the farms of a powerful and corrupt landowner (Orson Welles), who is practically the owner of the town and the lands of the region, and who faces a Just Sheriff (Jeff Chandler) when he tries to cover up the violence and mistreatment suffered by immigrants hired in the same illegal way as they entered the United States. If this was one of those B-films made to fill the double bills, it is surely superior than quite a few of the A-fluff produced by Universal at that time, such as "Tammy and the Bachelor" or "This Happy Feeling".
Man-Made Monster (1941)
Fast-paced, direct and short film
Good little film from Universal, not as celebrated or known as the classic monster films of the studio, starting with James Whale's "Dracula" in 1931, and directed by a less prominent director of westerns, war films, thrillers and adventure films, all marked by low budgets. This drama is not long, it is fast-paced, and direct, with a moving performance by Lon Chaney Jr., who even looks very handsome in the first part, in contrast to the wreck made from him by an evil scientist, played with gusto by Lionel Atwill. That same year the director turned Chaney into a classic horror film icon, when he played "The Wolf Man." Chapeau, Mr. Waggner!
Man's Favorite Sport? (1964)
Celebrating 60 Years of «Man's Favorite Sport?»
Fifty five years after the world premiere of Howard Hawks' comedy «Man's Favorite Sport?», on January 29, 1964, I coincidentally saw the German documentary «Rock Hudson: Dark and Handsome Strange» (2010), which never mentions how Rock Hudson's classic role model (here called Roger Willoughby) was questioned in this film by the character of Abigail Page (played by Paula Prentiss), an assertive, professional and younger girl who represented some ideals of the "new woman" of the 1960's, in times when perceptions of life in general and sex in particular were changing.
When the movie opened, it received mild reviews, in spite of the chemistry between both leads, and the opinion of some that Prentiss gave the best female performance of the year (of which I agree, and usually add tha Hudson is as good as she is). The critics said - if I remember well- that it was a sort of remake of «Bringing Up Baby», that Hawks was too old and was making old-fashioned movies, or that the screwball comedy was not fit for the times... It took seven years until critic Molly Haskell re-discovered the film, wrote a long essay re-evaluating it under a positive light, and since then it has become a cult movie. Time has also proven that screwball comedy was right for those years when American women were openly fighting for their rights.
Then and now «Man's Favorite Sport?» has rested on a joke, which had a double meaning for those who by 1964 knew that Rock Hudson was homosexual. For the rest of humanity (including myself, who was 12 years old when it opened in Miami) Hudson was more than ideal to play a nice, tall and a bit dumb guy who does not know how to fish, but is pushed into a fishing tournament by aggressive Abigail, her friend Easy (Austrian actress Maria Perschy) and Mr. Cadwalader, his boss (played by unsung fine comedian John McGiver). By the end, Roger has fished, won the tournament and gone after Abigail, leading to an open sexy finale.
With the question mark in the title, it was always a joke, making a little fun of Rock, playing a false authority, a fake, a man who is supposed to know everything about fishing but who seemingly has never gone near a beach, lake or river. You can add all the sexual innuendo in this basic condition, but above any suggestion concerning gender, what the screenplay intelligently did was placing him far from the "safe territory" of Doris Day's more popular comedies, in which she played a professional suburban virgin. (Paula was 25 when the movie opened; Doris was 42 when she did «Send Me No Flowers», both movies being released the same year.) The whole situation with pushy Paula around made Rock more vulnerable and charming.
Hudson and Prentiss managed the comic situations very well, Henry Mancini's score is bright and effective and Hawks directed with his usual skill, in one of the genres that he helped to improve and perfect. The question for me has always been: why 120 minutes to tell this story? In fact, it was originally 145 minutes and audiences liked it, but Universal asked Hawks to cut it. Since he was not satisfied with the 120 minutes version, maybe 100 minutes would have been ideal with a tighter cut. It would be good to see Hawks' original version and know his intentions...
Maciste nella valle dei Re (1960)
Chelo, Forest and the Egyptian Kings
Better than expected wide-screen peplum, with fine exteriors shot in Egypt, and terrific Chelo Alonso as evil queen Smedes, who has time to do an exotic dance that is half belly dancing, half Cuban pelvis shaking, a plus that disappeared in her second foray into a Maciste film (in the land of the cyclops) the following year. Smedes is the treacherous wife of the Egyptian pharaoh, whom she kills according to the designs of Persian invaders, and tries to seduce the handsome Italian-American Mark Forest, in a good version of Maciste, who leads the people in a revolt against the wicked Smedes. As Steve Reeves, Forest also retired soon, investing their money and time on something else: Reeves in a ranch; Forest, teaching operatic singing.
Lycanthropus (1961)
Effective Drama
In the evolution of Italian horror film, «Lycanthropus» is an effective, low budget and unpretentious early drama from 1961, which is more a whodunit than a straight werewolf movie. Carl Schell stars as a London physician with a secret that is hired as a teacher in an almost open-door reform school for young female delinquents, sponsored by a rich man, played by Maurice Marsac (I think this is the first time I have seen Marsac developing a full character in a leading role).
The school has two big problems: clandestine sex (which is largely absent from the movie) and a werewolf. A young inmate is having sex with the sponsor to obtain her freedom, but he is a liar and unable to help her, so she is blackmailing him. Then she is suddenly attacked and killed by the werewolf, and suspicion of the victim's best friend Brunhilde (Barbara Lass) and the strange behavior of all the personnel in the center lead the situation to the verge of a scandal.
So, more deaths continue, and everything turns really ugly. Identities and secrets are revealed, little scientific dialogues about lycanthropy are conducted, the solution is fast and final, and more gothic horror movies were ready for release. If you do not pretend this is «Psycho», enjoy it, it is fun.
The Lodge (2019)
Slow, Long and Tricky
What a bad little movie, unnecessarily extended to 108 minutes. I really enjoyed «Ich seh, ich seh,» with its vein of double evil with its final "turn of the screw." Here two children are an echo of those, but their childhood evils end up tangled in a plot of a psychotic religious fanatic who flips out without her pills. The film is slow, long and with several tricky scenes without dramatic value or scares: for example, Mia tells Grace that she heard a noise, which creates expectations for the viewer, but flatly concludes with a creaking window, without the expected bang. «The Lodge» ends up being a very disappointing film.
The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou (2004)
Next, Please...
The films of Wes Anderson are so personal, authentic and his own, that he is a true auteur and one of the American filmmakers that I admire the most since his first feature film. However, from time to time the connection breaks and I skip some of his movies. This comedy is my least favorite of his filmography, an expensive, overlong, and superflous portrait of a megalomaniac oceanographer who resembles anything but a scientist, saved by the filmmaker's compassion and gentle way to paint characters for whom he seems to have true affection. A sort of adventure melodrama, in which the sudden appearance in the ocenographer's life of a son he had never met is central to the story. It is not bad, but I have seen much better Andersons.
The Life and Times of Rosie the Riveter (1980)
A Treasure
Excellent research that rescues collective memories of the United States and of the struggle of the American woman to gain access to the labour world. A most laudable work of love to preserve those memories of American history by filmmaker Connie Field, as told by those who were protagonists: in this case, the director reconstructs the symbol of "Rosie", as five American working women tell their stories, when they took the posts left by men who went to the front during Second World War, and who were later displaced from their jobs, when the battle was over, the men returned and claimed their positions. A must see.
Leaving Neverland (2019)
And Never Coming Back...
I never doubted that Michael Jackson could be what he was accused of. There are many persons like him in the world, but we are not aware of most of them because they are not "stars" but common folks. After the Jackson 5 fever and a couple of solo albums, I disconnected from Michael Jackson, from his shouts "a la Diana Ross", his sequins, white stockings, his glove, all crowned with his physical transformation, which I thought was worthy of a science fiction horror movie. I know that for many MJ was the greatest musical and aesthetic entity that the planet gave birth to in the 20th century, but I had a few more interesting idols to listen to via their movies, books or music. I wanted to make this point clear, before reviewing this four-hour documentary about two men who accused Michael Jackson of abuse after he was dead.
Cinematically «Leaving Neverland» is not a great documentary. The aerial shots do not compensate for the concept of the product, which consisted in giving space, liberty and exclusivity to choreographer Wade Robson and businessman James Safechuck, so that they could relate the days when they were Jackson's favorites, with testimonies from their relatives and spouses. I do not agree with the accusations of it being a biased product. A documentary does not have to show two, three, four sides of an issue. It is the cinematic genre par excellence, a multifaceted genre, oblivious to journalistic or communicational requirements. It is not a television report, which, in a few minutes, gathers brief testimonies for and against a subject or personality; and director Dan Reed did not intend to make a long version of a report either, but to dedicate that space to these two men, for which, with the green light of Channel 4 of the United Kingdom, he compiled necessary audiovisual material and interviewed the aforementioned and relatives. When everything was ready, the project was proposed to HBO and the deal was closed.
It is true that four hours is a challenge for the viewers, for they have to sit down and see heads that talk, cry or are left speechless. Moreover, apart from the archive material, Reed did not show his interviewees as normal beings, in their daily activities, to balance the montage. No, the plan was, "Sit down and tell us what happened to you." He did not even take them to the "crime scene." Despite all these conditions, «Leaving Neverland» is a powerful document on the effects and consequences of sexual abuse, on the economic corruption that powerful people induce their victims (and family members) to satisfy their urges. It is also a drama about the feeling of guilt that is generated in the victim, about the liberating effect produced by the breaking of the secret to tell what was experienced, about depression, about mutism, about escape in drugs and alcohol to avoid the truth... And about the responsibility of the parents.
This is the Wade Robson and James Safechuck show. Those who want to hear the voice of MJ's defenders, watch another work. Even if we believe the allegation that Robson and Safechuck are lying, cynical viewers cannot deny that Wade and James are better actors than Brando and De Niro together, in moving or shocking moments that are equated with the most sublime scenes of the careers of those stars.
That is all. If you have the patience, see it, but be warned that you will hear graphic descriptions of the abuse that the protagonists suffered. At least, I think it will keep us all alert in the future, about the fate of the little ones. Now, a documentary is pending... A documentary on the complicity of the fans and the blindness of fanaticism, which ignore the pain of others to feed the fans' myths.
The Lavender Hill Mob (1951)
Marvelous
A late great find: 60 years after it was made, I discovered this wonderful comedy winner of the BAFTA award for Film of the Year, the Best Actor award (Alec Guinness) given by the Society of Film Critics, and awarded in Venice and with the Oscar for its screenplay, written by T. E. B. Clarke. This anarchic yet gentle movie is hailed by some specialists as the best comedy ever made by the Ealing Studios, benefitted from great performances by Guinness and Stanley Holloway as the leaders of the Lavender Hill gang of thieves. Marvelous, imaginative, highly diverting film. See also, ingenious "Hue and Cry" (also directed by Crichton) and amusing and fascinating "Passport to Pimlico", among other Ealing products written by Clarke.
Labour/Leisure (2019)
Elegant Reflection on Fact
A serene (and beautiful) observational short, without passing judgment. Between the initial extreme long shot of a golf course and the final shot of a beautiful private house that suggest leisure (of the wealthy), the images follow one another without comment, and show the daily work activity of migrant workers in the Okanagan Valley, heart of the Syilx Okanagan Nation, located in the federal parliamentary constitutional monarchy called Canada, which officially appropriated not-ceded land owned by the native people of North America. The evaluation or interpretation of this brief and clear audiovisual exhibition of two opposites depends on each viewer. Although spoken in Spanish, there is no need for subtitles.
Juntera (Primera parte) (2016)
Power to the People
This is the story of people of Venezuela that did not migrate, of those who were thankful of the agrarian reform made during the government of Hugo Chávez; the story of many persons who lived in self-supporting communes, and who seemed to be happy and fufilled working for their communities. This is the story of the crimes committed against them, of people that have been killed by the landowners' mafia. A "tale" of Venezuelan contemporary history that is not told in CNN or any other capitalist network. It is a beautiful but somehow overlong work, perhaps due to director Giulano Salvatore's strategy: to show the beauty of nature without any rush, to show these persons' vast rural habitat, where fresh waters flow and children played and also contributed to the commune. I have a soft heart whenever I watch peasants exposing their happiness, when they talk about the land they own and how they build an agrarian society with neighbors, with people who share. A dream that is often broken, as it has happened in many countries where people power was exerted during a brief period of time, in which human beings were positively human and better persons.
Supposedly this is part one of a trilogy of which there is no further information.
The Journey of Natty Gann (1985)
James Horner, the Wolf, and the Father
An enjoyable story almost ruined by James Horner's syrupy score, and by the bland Disney touch, that still identifies the productions made under this banner. The film was filmed in the days when the company made "Splash", started to do less sanitized comedies, moved into a more dramatic territory, and into more realistic approach to the stories being produced, meaning a more "all-audience-approach" , and treating everyone as intelligent human beings who could enjoy a film together as family. Almost everybody did a fine job, away from saccarine land, in this story set during the economic Depression of the early 20th century, in which a girl goes in search of her father. Meredith Salinger, John Cusack and especially Ray Wise contribute to the film's achievement.