a-cinema-history Reviews

Hamlet (1921)

Hamlet by Svend Gade and Heinz Schall, starring Asta Nielsen.

[7/10 · 29 May 2015]

While some of the scenes of this adaptation follow Shakespeare's text, it is largely based on the 1881 book "The Mystery of Hamlet" by Edward P. Vining, who argues that a Norwegian legend from the 12th century was the inspiration for Shakespeare's play. According to this legend, Hamlet was actually a woman disguised as a man in order to become King.

This film is therefore mostly interesting for the original description of Hamlet's behaviour towards her mother, Ophelia and Horatio. The sets both indoor and outdoor are quite impressive and the acting, notably by Asta Nielsen is very natural for the period.

http://www.acinemahistory.com/2015/05/ten-best-films-of-1921.html

A Man There Was (1917)

Remarkable adaptation of H. Ibsen's eponymous poem.

[8/10 · 25 December 2013]

This is a faithful adaptation of the eponymous poem by Henrik Ibsen, and all inter-titles are quotations of Ibsen's original text. The film follows an innovative non chronological structure. In the brief opening scene, old grey-haired Terje Vigen is contemplating a stormy sea. It is followed by a long flash back showing his past life first with his wife and daughter, his trip to Denmark, his capture by the English, his life as prisoner in England, and finally his return home. There is even a flashback in the flashback when, while in jail, Terje Vigen remembers his wife and daughter. The last part starts with the same scene as the opening one, followed by the rescue of the British yacht. It is interrupted by a brief flashback when Terje Vigen realises the Captain of the yacht is the Englishman who had taken him prisoner. The most remarkable aspect of the film is the outdoor on-location filming on the coast and on small boats, which gives great authenticity to the action, in particular the very realistic chase and sinking of the dinghy in the middle of reefs. Editing is brisk, cross-cutting between views of the two boats and then between the English boat and Terje Vigen trying to escape by swimming underwater.

See more and a link to the full film at: a-cinema-history.blogspot.com/2013/12

Thais (II) (1917)

First tentative for a Futurist cinema:

[7/10 · 20 December 2013]

This is the first film directed by Anton Giulio Bragaglia, a pioneer in Futurism photography and cinema Futurism was a mostly Italian artistic movement, emphasizing contemporary concepts of the future. The film's prologue states that it includes images by Futurist painters to strengthen the classic narrative in order to evoke in the viewer stronger emotions than those created by mere film images.

The film contrasts naturalist outdoor views of horse riding, horse carriages and motor cars, in particular a car crossing a river on a small ferry, with indoor views with sets designed by renowned Futurist painter Enrico Prampolini. As the film progresses and Thaïs becomes more and more irrational, the geometric and symbolic motives of the sets take an increasing importance and the film becomes almost abstract.

See further analysis and a link to the full film at:

a-cinema-history.blogspot.com/2013/12

The Poor Little Rich Girl (1917)

Putting in images the delirium of a seriously ill little girl

[7/10 · 15 December 2013]

The most original aspect of this film is that it translates into images the delirium of a seriously ill little girl fighting for her life. The beginning of the film is quite conventional both as regards the story, a little girl is ignored by her rich parents and bullied by the servants, and the way of filming, mostly indoor long duration wide shots with fixed camera, with some medium shots and a few close-ups. There are some slapstick gags and a funny scene when the father, remembering that, as a child, he had been dressed as a girl to punish him, decides to dress Gwen as a boy. Far from considering this as a punishment, she enjoys her boy costume and has a lot of fun having a mud fight with street boys.

The film becomes more interesting in the second half when it veers towards surrealism. It shows what Gwen is imagining, taking literally expressions that she hears, e.g. her father fighting bears, and the servants looking like their nicknames, snake in grass, double-face or big ears. It also shows the father, who has big financial worries, visualising his double taking a gun to commit suicide, with Gwen overlooking the scene.

a-cinema-history.blogspot.com/2013/12/

Tigre reale (1916)

An Italian diplomat falls in love with a mysterious Russian countess who is said to have led to suicide her former lover.

[8/10 · 11 December 2013]

In this film, Giovanni Pastrone successfully applies to the melodrama genre the innovative cinematographic language that he had developed in Cabiria. As in Cabiria, there are ellipses in the action to cover a long period of time; in addition, there is here a long flashback where the Countess tells the story of her dramatic first love. Cross-cutting is used efficiently and filming combines camera movements and alternating between wide shots, medium shots and close-ups. Numerous indoor and outdoor sets are used with spectacular scenes involving a troika sledge in deep snow and a theatre and hotel engulfed in fire. Orange, yellow, green, blue and red tainting is used to convey the atmosphere of the various scenes. Pina Menichelli, one of the great Italian stars of the time is wonderful as a femme fatale and all men around her are only sidekicks, although Febo Mari is quite convincing as the polish outlaw desperately in love with the beautiful countess.

a-cinema-history.blogspot.be/2013/11

20,000 Leagues Under the Sea (1916)

An interesting adaptation of 20000 Leagues Under The Sea, and The Mysterious Island

[7/10 · 30 November 2013]

This is the first adaptation of 20000 Leagues Under the Sea as Melies 1907 eponymous short film only shares with Verne's book a submarine called Nautilus. The film does not follow strictly Jules Verne's two books. The two main differences are that the end of 20000 Leagues Under the Sea is omitted, i.e. when the Nautilus disappears in the Maelstrom off the coast of Norway, and that two characters are added, Nemo's daughter and the evil Denver. Quite strangely, an inter-title informs the viewer towards the end of the film "Captain Nemo reveals the secret of his life, which Jules Verne never told" when the script actually follows quite closely The Mysterious Island, in particular with the revelation that Nemo is an Indian Prince whose family was massacred by the British.

This is the first film featuring under sea filming thanks to watertight tubes and mirrors allowing the camera to shoot reflected images. This allows quite spectacular (for the time) views of corrals, wrecks, sharks and actors in scuba diving suits. The filming on location on New Providence Island and the use of real sailing boats, of a full-size navigable mock-up of the Nautilus, and of large sets and exotic costumes gives authenticity to the action.

The film uses quite an elaborate narrative with cross-cutting between the parallel actions of Nemo, Lt. Bond and Denver, leading to their meeting on Mysterious Island. The chronological development is interrupted by flashbacks for the actions which took place in India many years before.

http://a-cinema-history.blogspot.be/2013/11

Making a Living (1914)

First film with Charlie Chaplin, inspired by Max Linder

[7/10 · 24 November 2013]

For his first film, Charlie Chaplin does not yet wear his tramp costume but is dressed as a dandy, a character clearly inspired by Max Linder.

This is a good example of the one- or two-reel slapstick comedies which constituted a large part of American film production at the time. While there is a story which keeps the viewer's interest, it is mainly an opportunity to accumulate as many visual gags as possible. Only four inter-titles are used in the film and they are not even really necessary. Although the filming consists mostly of wide shots and three quarter shots, always with a static camera, the editing gives a very dynamic progression of the action, with a systematic use of cross- cutting. The fact that it is mostly filmed on location in the streets of Los Angeles and in the office of the L.A. Times gives it authenticity and adds now a historical interest with views of the city and of different parts of a newspaper office in 1914, notably shots of a Linotype used for the composition of the newspaper.

http://a-cinema-history.blogspot.be/2013/09/

The Last Days of Pompeii (1913)

An early adaptation of the 1834 novel by Edward Bulwer

[7/10 · 24 November 2013]

Based on the 1834 novel by Edward Bulwer, the film tells the love story of Glaucus and Jone in 79 AD at the time of the destruction of Pompeii by the eruption of Mount Vesuvius.

This is a typical example of an early Italian super-production. It includes a convincing reproduction of Pompei on the eve of its destruction. The special effects are quite limited but the crowd scenes in the circus are impressive. Cross-cutting is used effectively and some of the editing is a precursor of soviet montage, e.g. close-ups of doves to evoke Glaucus and Jone, and a hawk to symbolize Arbace.

http://a-cinema-history.blogspot.be/2013/09

Intolerance (1916)

Why was Intolerance a commercial failure?

[8/10 · 22 November 2013]

Intolerance has been sometimes referred to as the Greatest film of all times. This is in my view an exaggeration, but Intolerance is definitely a milestone in cinema history.

It is quite unique in its combination of five different stories only linked by their common reference to the theme of intolerance. 1) a contemporary melodrama showing how charities can be led by selfish motives and can have disastrous consequences; 2) the passion of Jesus Christ in Judea; 3) the events surrounding the 1573 St Bartholomew's Day massacre in France (substantial parts of this segment are lost), 4) the fall of the Babylonian Empire to Persia, 5) a pacifist epilogue showing the war raging at the time in Europe grinding to a halt with soldiers fraternizing, flowery fields blooming and children playing among abandoned canons. This pacifist message must be put back in the context of the discussions going on in America at the time about joining the war.

Maybe because of this pacifist message just before the decision to go to war, Intolerance was released in September 1916 and the United States declared war to Germany in April 1917, maybe because the form of the film was too much ahead of its time with its distinct stories running in parallel, the film was a commercial failure; it could not recover the enormous production costs, particularly for the Babylonian segment.

a-cinema-history.blogspot.com/2013/11

Hell's Hinges (1916)

An unusual pre-code Western

[7/10 · 15 November 2013]

This is an unusual Western which uses the freedom which existed before the Hays Code to cast as a villain a faithless Reverend who gets drunk in the local saloon, spends the night with one of the saloon girls and takes part in the arson of his own church. Opposite him we find the Reverend's saintly sister, adequately called Faith, and the big gun Blaze who was determined to get rid of the parson but falls in love with Faith and because of that start believing in God, protects the justs and destroys the villains. Apart from the parsons who is torn between good and evil, the characters are quite unidimensional and racist stereotypes are present, in this case concerning Mexicans. The sudden transformation of Blaze from bad to good is a bit too sudden to be credible.

The cinematography is quite innovative for the time with the use notably of a very wide shot with extended panning to follow a stage coach traveling in the hills. Editing is dynamic with efficient use of cross-cutting. Most of the action is filmed outdoor with the reconstitution of a Wild West settlement which is entirely burned down at the end. Sepia, blue and red tainting are used to convey the atmosphere of different scenes. Humour is also present e.g. when we are shown how the parsons imagines the West. The moralizing ending where the bad are punished is a bit too conventional.

a-cinema-history.blogspot.com/2013/11/

Daydreams (1915)

An early psychological drama where we see a man whose beloved young wife died becoming progressively mad because of his obsession with her.

[8/10 · 1 November 2013]

Acting is very convincing with a contrast between Sergei sinking into madness, with a brief moment of lucidity and Tina as a young and carefree woman. The use of flashback is very effective with an ambiguous transition between present and past. The filming mirrors the progressive confinement of Sergei's mind After the initial scene where we briefly glimpse Elena alive before seeing her on her deathbed, we see Sergei walking in the streets with the camera panning to follow him. He then goes to the opera where he meets Tina and his obsession becomes more and more oppressive. From that moment we see only inside scenes, her place, his place and the place of his painter friend. He realises himself that he is becoming mad but cannot resist his madness. After a violent scene at Elena's place where she tells him to go and lie down with his dead wife, he will no longer move out of his room where Elena's ghost will start appearing to him. We think for a moment that he is walking in a park with Tina, but it is a flashback of walks with his wife, which finishes with the scene of the beginning at the deathbed being replayed. When the maid announces that she is leaving him and Tina comes to his place talking lightly about Elena, we know that a tragic issue is forthcoming.

a-cinema-history.blogspot.com/2013/09

Where Are My Children? (1916)

A dramatization about Eugenics, Birth Control and Abortion

[8/10 · 1 November 2013]

This is a fascinating film as regards how fundamental moral issues could be shown on cinema during the 1910s and how moral values have shifted since then. Even more strongly than D.W. Griffith defends the superiority of the white race and how it should be defended. The film is in the first place defending eugenics, i.e. the fact that the reproduction of people with desired traits should be encouraged and reproduction of people with undesired traits should be reduced. The enthusiastic adoption of this theory by Nazi Germany demonstrated how pernicious it was. The film postulates that there are three categories of babies waiting to be born, the "chance" children, going forth to earth in vast numbers, the "unwanted" souls, that were constantly "sent back" and bore the sign of the serpent (devil?), and those souls fine and strong, sent forth only on prayer and marked with the approval of the Almighty. This explains the position taken by the main protagonist, District Attorney Walton: he thinks that there is no reason to prosecute somebody defending birth control, as he is working with poor people producing children who from a eugenics point of view are deemed undesirable. On the other hand he is deeply shocked when he discovers that his wife and her friends, who from the same eugenics point of view would produce perfect children, are getting abortions because motherhood would interfere with their leisurely life. It is therefore not an anti-abortion film, as it is now regarded by some people, but a film about the wrong people undertaking abortion. The unwanted children are just "sent back" to heaven. What is also striking, given the fact that the film was made by a female director, Lois Weber, together with her husband Phillips Smalley, is the very negative depiction of women. They are liberated enough to drive their own cars but the only thing in their life seems to be having drinks or tea together and refusing motherhood out of pure selfishness. This is all the more surprising that the person who inspired the scene of the man prosecuted for publishing a book about birth control was actually a woman, Margaret Sanger. Why did Lois Weber turn this positive female character into a man? Note also the patriarchal approach, Walton doesn't ask "Where are our children?" but "Where are my children?").

From the cinematographic point of view, the film presents several interesting characteristics. Acting is quite natural for the time and cross-cutting is used very efficiently. While camera movements are limited to a few small pans, the frequent change of camera angles and shots gives a dynamic editing. Lighting is also very creative, notably the use of back-lighting for the close-ups of female stars. The last scene with the couple getting old together with the ghosts of the children appearing at various ages is quite convincing.

The Cheat (1915)

Interesting cinematography and anti-Japanese racism

[7/10 · 1 November 2013]

This early Cecil B. DeMille film (credited only as producer) is interesting in the first place because of its use of editing and lighting. Although the camera is mostly static (with the notable exception of a long pan on the jury members in the trial scene), the rapid alternation of shots, from wide shots to close ups, allows a very dynamic narrative. Lighting is very expressive, in particular the use of shadows and chiaroscuro. The characters are a bit of a caricature: the frivolous woman, the greedy and gentleman-like stoke-broker, and the evil Japanese/Burmese, calculating and ruthless.

This film is also an example of early Hollywood anti-Japanese racism. There is one common point between the representation of black men in The Birth of a Nation and the Asian anti-hero of The Cheat: they are obsessed with the possession of white women. There was so much protest from the influential Japanese associations in America that a re-release of the film was done in 1918 with the change of a few inter-titles (this is the version of the hyper-link above). The villain who was initially a wealthy ivory merchant called Hishuru Tori, became the Burmese Haka Arakau. The date on the documents showed in the film (checks, newspaper) were also updated from 1915 to 1918. Apparently Hollywood didn't care what the Burmese thought.

The Birth of a Nation (1915)

A combination of innovative film techniques and outright racist content

[7/10 · 1 November 2013]

The Birth of a Nation is quite unique in its combination of innovative film techniques and outright racist content. It has sometimes been praised by American critics as the birth of an art, but this is ignoring what had happened before outside of the United States with films such as Cabiria. Griffith will be even more creative with his masterpiece created the following year: Intolerance.

The main interest of The Birth of a Nation is for me historical. It shows the deep conviction of white people in 1915 that black people could not be equal to them and that they did not even feel this was a racist attitude. Griffith was born only ten years after the end of the Civil War, at the end of the Reconstruction era, in Kentucky, one of the border States which initially declared itself neutral and only eventually affirmed its Union status. His father served as a Confederate Army Colonel. Griffith apparently sincerely believed that the Ku-Klux-Klan would be the saviour of America. As quoted by actress Lilian Gish in her book The Movies, Mr. Griffith, and Me, he famously answered when he was accused of being anti-Negro: "To say that is like saying I am against children, as they were our children, whom we loved and cared for all of our lives." According to the film, the inspiration for the KKK was white children dressed as ghosts to scare black children.

a-cinema-history.blogspot.com/2013/10/

Fatty and Mabel Adrift (1916)

A slapstick comedy with feelings

[7/10 · 29 October 2013]

Roscoe "Fatty" Arbuckle directed and acted in a number of slapstick comedies, often as in this film with Mabel Normand and his nephew Al St. John. He was during the 1910's one of the most famous cinema actor in America. His career was abruptly interrupted in 1921 when he was falsely accused of having raped and killed actress Virginia Rappe. His movies were instantly prohibited as he went through two trials with hung juries. He was eventually acquitted in a third trial and received formal excuses from the jury but his career never took off again.

This film shows his creativity in the use of gags alternating with periods of emotion. Outdoor filming in a farm and on the seaside gives authenticity to the performance of the actors. Cross-cutting, with a rapid succession of short duration shots, is particularly efficient during the last section of the film where everybody is rushing to the rescue of Fatty and Mabel, using a tandem and various boats. The villains are deliberately made caricatural and stupid.

a-cinema-history.blogspot.com/2013/10

Bout-de-Zan and the Shirker (1915)

A short comedy with wartime propaganda

[7/10 · 23 October 2013]

Next to his well-known thriller serials, Fantomas, Les Vampires and Judex, Louis Feuillade directed a number of short comedies with a little boy called Bout-de-Zan, often wiser than the adults around him.

In this episode, filmed in France during WWI, Bout-de-Zan unmasks a hunter who pretends to be a sharp shooter and advises him to enlist to fight the Germans rather than telling tales. This film is typical of short comedies produced in France at the time. While it only uses a static camera, the outdoor filming and the use of cross-cutting and alternating between full shot and medium shots gives a rather modern look. Child actor René Poyen, acting in a very expressive and natural way, is the main asset of the film. The film also shows how cinema was already used in war time to carry a patriotic message with the call to enlist and fight the Germans. Louis Feuillade had himself been drafted but had been sent back home just before shooting this film because of heart problems.

a-cinema-history.blogspot.com

Assunta Spina (1915)

In 1915 Naples, the fateful love of Assunta for Michele, an impulsive and jealous butcher.

[8/10 · 6 October 2013]

Assunta Spina is typical of the early Italian melodrama genre. It shows ordinary people in their daily life overcome by a fate they can't control. The natural way of acting and the fact that many scenes are filmed outside in natural settings gives it great authenticity.

At the opposite of historical epics such as Cabiria, which intended to make people dream of being transported to other places or times, it is a film which made it possible for spectators to identify themselves with the characters and empathize with them. It is also a remarkable document on life in Naples before WWI.

Photography is often beautiful with special attention given to lighting. The final scene is particularly original in this respect. The depth of field is striking and some scenes combine views inside and outside through a window with all elements in focus and perfectly lit.

a-cinema-history.blogspot.com/2013/10/

Fantômas: The False Magistrate (1914)

The last of the 5 films made by Louis Feuillade about ruthless criminal and master of disguise Fantomas

[7/10 · 12 September 2013]

Based on the book Le magistrat cambrioleur (the burglar magistrate) written by Marcel Allain and Pierre Souvestre in 1912 (the 12th of the 43 Fantomas novels) , this is the last of the 5 films made by Louis Feuillade about ruthless criminal and master of disguise Fantomas being chased by police detective Juve helped by journalist Fandor. The story takes place in Saint-Calais in France and Louvain in Belgium.

This is a good example of an early thriller with good acting and fast action. As in other Fantomas films, his talent for disguise and make-up is used, allowing him here to play three different characters. The sets are very well done and the filming on location adds authenticity and historical interest to the film, particularly the views of Louvain just before the first world war. This is probably one of the first films shot on location in two different countries. Although it is mostly filmed with a static camera, occasional panning and tracking is used. Shots alternate between wide and medium shots. The narrative is chronological with cross-cutting making it possible to follow simultaneous actions in different places. In addition to inter-titles, different types of documents are used to inform the viewer.

a-cinema-history.blogspot.be/2­013/09/le-faux-magistrat-1914.­html

A Canção de Lisboa (1933)

A charming musical film showcasing Lisbon at the beginning of the 30s

[8/10 · 8 October 2012]

Two old ladies in their remote Tras-os-Montes region pay for the medicine studies of their bright nephew in Lisbon. Unfortunately the latter is more interested in singing and courting girls than studying with the consequence that he fails his medicine exams. This doesn't prevent him to boast to his ants that he brilliantly past his exams and is now a successful doctor. When they decide to come and visit him in Lisbon he tries to put up a show to hide but he painful truth will eventually come to light. However everything will finally end well. After becoming a famous fado singer, he will pass his exams and marry his fiancée.

Despite a rather conventional story, this musical film has a special charm due to convincing actors, natural scenery showing life in Lisbon in the early 30s, and the quality of the music.

Shame (2011)

Sexual misery and loneliness in New-York

[3/10 · 5 September 2012]

Brandon is a New Yorker who is financially well-off, but is unable to have a lasting relationship with a woman. He can relieves his sexual needs only with prostitutes and pornography either on the Internet or in magazines. When his sister, pretending to be OK, but desperately looking for help, comes to live with him, he inflicts on her the same inability to feel any human emotion, until it is too late. He is at the same time fascinated and disgusted by his boss who accumulates easy conquests, including his sister. The theme of the film on the dehumanization and monetizing of relationships between people in a certain modern society is interesting. Unfortunately the film does not meet expectations because of superficial characterization, a very conventional way of filming, and monotonous and caricatural acting .

Nicostratos the Pelican (2011)

A good film to watch with kids.

[6/10 · 29 June 2012]

Yannis lives with his father on a small Greek island. Since the death of his mother, his relationship with his father has deteriorated. The summer of his 14th birthday, his encounter with Nicostratos, a pelican and Angeliki, a 15 year old city-girl, changes his life.

Once you've overcome the fact that everybody on this Greek island speaks french, this is a rather quaint conventional coming of age and boy/bird/girl friendship movie with nice settings and photography, and good actors, including renowned film director Emir Kusturica (Black Cat White Cat, Underground, Arizona Dream, When Father Was Away on Business), without forgetting the great animal coaching of the pelicans.

A good film to watch with kids.

Kamyu nante shiranai (2005)

The preparation of a film by students in a film school

[8/10 · 28 May 2005]

The last five days before the shooting of their first movie by a group of students in a film university in Japan. The film in the film is based on a the story of a student who killed an old lady to experience new feelings. As the beginning of the shooting approaches, tension increases, new problems arise everyday. The private life of the various protagonists interferes with the preparation of the film, and the professor who overviews their works (nicknamed Aschenbach after the character in Death in Venice) must also cope with his problems. A very gripping film played convincingly by young actors, and full of references to the films that have influenced them. Beautiful filming. The title comes from the fact that the main actor is invited to read "L'étranger" by Camus, to better understand the character he's playing. Film selected for the Directors' fortnight in Cannes.

Bashing (2005)

A touching movie based on a real story

[7/10 · 28 May 2005]

This film is based on the real story of a girl who is back at home in Japan after having taken hostage in Iraq, where she was gone to do charity work. Rather than being seen as a victim, she is considered as an embarrassment for the whole Japanese society and subject to hostility and threats. She is fired from her work, leaves her boyfriend who has turned against her and is harassed by anonymous phone calls and emails. Hostility even reaches her father. She cannot even find comfort with her family because of incommunicable. The film is realised with great sobriety, and remarkably played by Fusako Urabe. It is a good picture of the weight of conformism and rigidity of a society which can destroy individuals. This film was shown in competition in Cannes 2005.

Fear and Trembling (2003)

A shock of civilizations behind closed doors

[8/10 · 23 April 2003]

This film is an excellent, almost literal, transposition of the eponymous book by Amélie Nothomb, that I had read with great pleasure. It is quite rare that a film transposing a book is as enjoyable as the original work, but I found it was the case here. The film adds the musicality of the Japanese language, and the breathtaking aerial views of Tokyo. Obviously this film does not pretend to be an objective film about Japan, it is a distorted view by a rather unbalanced character, perfectly played by a hallucinated Sylvie Testut, desperately struggling to win her challenge to remain one year in that company, at any cost. It is therefore entirely appropriate that the film focuses only on her life within the company, as a symbol of her obsession. For those who want to know more about Japanese life, there are hundreds of movies by great Japanese directors from Imamura to Takeshi Kitano. If you liked this movie, and want to understand a bit more the mentality of the main character, I recommend to read A. Nothomb's first book about her childhood in Japan "La métaphysique des tubes".

Don't Look Now (1973)

A reasonably good adaptation of D. du Maurier's short story

[8/10 · 1 November 2002]

I particularly liked the good evocation of Venice atmosphere. The acting is rather good, although I find that D. Sutherland is not an ideal casting, he has something evil which does not fit with the character. The sex scene is quite superfluous.