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Andrew-168
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Die Hamburger Krankheit (1979)
Cross section of a nation
Because there is no other comment so far I feel obliged to write a few words, the movie being the one that taught me my first lessons about film making. I was so favorite to be on the set of the 'exodus' scene – the producers were looking for some extras and the info that there is an audition for a movie reached us kids on cb radio. We were hired on the spot and spent two days on an unfinished part of the Autobahn in Lower Saxony playing the 'sausage sellers' for the Heribert character, portrayed by the famous Ulrich Wildgruber. He was the one we found most impressive and he filled the term 'stage presence' with a meaning. He was also looking out for us kids and made sure we got enough to drink and to eat on these very hot summer days. It was actually so hot that the guys in the ABC suits had their rubber boots filled with liters of sweat; the production company noticed this and doubled their pay. The ambulances you see in the movie are real ones; they caused a halt of the shooting when a serious car crash happened on a public road nearby. Lives were saved because the ambulances were at the scene of the crash within minutes and could take care of the 6 severely injured people. Helmut Griem didn't seem to be in a good mood; he complained about his digestion and was farting loudly between the takes, but just like all the other actors he showed that he was a true professional as soon as the arriflex was running. As so often in movies most of the scenes shot on these days fell victim to the cut, probably to keep the pace of the getaway theme. The movie offers no explanation for the disease nor does it have a straight end; I can imagine the writers were looking for metaphors representing the insecurity and hopelessness felt in Germany at that time, a country stacked with nuclear weapons and struggling for direction. The journey in the movie, from the north to the very south of the country, could be seen as a cross section of a nation with even the idyllic places in the mountains offering no refuge for the free spirit of the arts. All in all there is a mysterious quality to the movie, underlined by the spacey electronic music by Jean Michel Jarre. I recommend this movie because I think it gives a good impression of the time quality and shows the work of several great actors who are not with us any more.
The Exorcism of Emily Rose (2005)
A whitewash of inhumane and illegal catholic practices
I like the creepy psychological movies that don't need swimming-pools full of blood to build up mystery and fright so I thought I'll give "Emily" a chance, especially because I found the idea of a synthesis of courtroom drama and horror-flick quite charming. The fact that the movie was said to be based on actual events fed my curiosity, but also led to my total disappointment. Instead of focusing on the tragedy of this poor girl that was slowly tortured to death during nine (9!) month the movie followed nearly exclusively the priests character (using the vehicle "lawyer") without thematizing any of the horrors he brought over his victim. YES, this could have been a horror-film if the court-parts had delivered some insight into the helplessness of obsolete institutions and their followers dealing with reality and opposition. But sadly, the movie never uses this opportunity and thus sinks itself because it fails to give us somebody to suffer with. And without this identification the movie is a mere advertisement for the catholic church - just not as openly announced as for example one recent Mel Gibson film. THIS really scares me so in the end I have to admit: the movie did the job.
Les ripoux (1984)
The movie that shows the cops as they really are
Because of the timeless plot "Les Ripoux" remains one of my favourite comedies. The performance of all actors is excellent, but Noiret and Lhermitte are brilliant. A good story and an absolute reasonable scenery make this movie a pearl, towering miles above for example the usual Hollywood fast-food. Claude Zidi is not known for deep sophisticated dramas and "Le Ripoux" is also not falling in this category but believe me, the movie IS clever in a certain way. If your heart is with the little people and you never saw this movie, try to watch it soon because afterwards you will want the sequel as bad as the boss wants his medicine (would be too big a spoiler if I'd tell you what this is about). I can't wait to get all 3 DVD's. 10 thumbs up for this fantastic movie.
Heaven's Gate (1980)
How the west was won
This movie is an incredible masterpiece of director Cimino, who teaches us a lesson in american history, a history some people don't like to remember. In Cimino's western-scenes people actually work, they are not just loitering outside the saloons as in so many other movies. The actors are well picked and fill there parts with live; especially Walken's performance as hired gunman is terrific. Don't hesitate to watch this movie - afterwards you will have a different look at some western myth. My rating: 10/10
Operation Petticoat (1959)
A milestone in movie-comedy - war is not serious......
We had this movie at school on one of the first video-machines (video 2000 format, does anyone remember?) and watched it about a dozen times. Hornsby is such a poor fellow.... Anyway, if you don't know this movie I recommend you watch it for the reason of fun and comedy history. It gets 9 stars from me.