A Tribute to Jean Moreau - Part I

The BFI (British Film Institute) dedicated the month of June 2008 to Jeanne Moreau, one of the greatest actresses of the French film industry. She was the youngest actress to join the celebrated Comédie-Française in the late 50's and went on to work with some of the biggest directors of the New Wave, such as François Truffaut and Jean Luc Godard. With the international success of Truffaut's film Jules et Jim, she continued to work with internationally-acclaimed directors such as Luis Buñuel, Michelangelo Antonioni, and Orson Welles. I took this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and saw as many of the films screened at the BFI as possible. Below are my short reactions and thoughts from each film so far. I will divide the tribute to multiple posts so I can write as I see the films throughout June.

La Baie des Anges (1963) - dir. Jacques Demy
The film opens with a shot of Moreau walking along the promenade at Nice and then quickly leaves her in the distance as the camera moves steadily backwards along the shore. It's a very fitting start for the film as this addicted gambler can't seem to have enough willpower to leave Nice and get on with her life. Her daily promises to leave this life behind and start anew get left to chance again and again as she makes her way back to the casinos every chance she gets. Her salvation embodies itself in a fellow gambler with whom she can walk through the halls of her church one last time. Moreau's wonderfully playful character, who is as likely to get bored in one instant as she is likely to get excited the next, not only enchants the men in the casinos but the viewers as well.


The Trial/Le Procès (1962) - dir. Orson Welles
Now I know which film inspired David Lynch to start a film career. This Kafka adaptation by Orson Welles feels as nightmarish as Lynch's Mulholland Drive but shot about 30 years prior. Welles directs an international cast in this claustrophobic film in which Moreau plays a small part towards the beginning. The film's Doctor Caligari style surreal sets and high contrast imagery with jarring editing of long distance and close-up shots definitely creates the necessary nightmarish feeling but all in all can't save it from being a mediocre film. Welles might have impregnated Citizen Kane, which is regarded by some to be the best film ever made, but this film is proof that he made some pretty bad films in his time.

More to come soon!

McDonagh's screen debut is promising, not as good as his plays

In Bruges (2008) - dir. Martin McDonagh - 4 stars

After Colin Farrell's character repeatedly disses Bruges in every manner possible, it's just fitting that Bruges takes her revenge on him when he is forced to face his demons in the town square. A little hide-out plan gone sour, two assassins try to lay low in Bruges until they get their next orders when things take a U-turn. At times grotesque and morbid, the film has a nice balance between noir and comedy. The acting take top honors in this tale of friendship among rats of humankind, especially since the script is lacking some of McDonagh's sharp and insightful dialog from his plays. Even though his genius shines through the first part of the film when the two hitmen carry on a series of conversations about religion, murder, life, and being a tourist among other things, his script gets muddied by the action once the gunfights begin.

Colin Farrell and Brendan Gleeson are the perfect pair for this film so kudos to the casting. The calm, fatherly figure that Gleeson portrays is an almost exact opposite to the impatient, spontaneous, and fearless character Farrell brings to life. The conversations between these two odd-ends remind me a bit of Tarantino's films where gangsters get disgusted by mayo on fries and learn to swing dance. Ralph Fiennes completes the trio with his focused and cold-blooded character who is also a disciplined father of three. These men seem more real and human than any other assassin you might have gotten the privilege to get to know on screen. This is attributable to both McDonagh's script and the trio's acting.

I can't write about this film without talking briefly about its visuals as it uses the dark, old and cold streets of Bruges to full effect to create its brooding atmosphere. All in all, this is a film I would definitely recommend as it is witty and entertaining; a successful screen debut for McDonagh.

Labaki's latest is as sweet as Caramel

Caramel (2007) - dir. Nadine Labaki - 4 stars

Nadine Labaki's Caramel leaves a sentimental, sweet and nostalgic aftertaste, so satisfying and familiar. What's amazing is that the viewer successfully connects with and cares for each character even though the film doesn't go to excessive lengths to explain its characters, judge them or take them too seriously. Maybe that's the winning formula for Labaki's feature.

The film is really a cross-section of the lives of a few friends from the same neighborhood, mainly focusing on four ladies who work at a beauty parlor. The 'problems' these friends face may seem mundane as they're very universal issues that have been dealt with in films for decades, but the presentation and handling of these issues within the film are spectacular, as Labani takes a lighter approach to exploring them. As the film is set in Lebanon, I was also curious to see if Labaki would try and tackle the local political situation. She carefully circles around politics and mainly deals with the successful coexistence of Christianity and Islam within the same community.

I can't write about this film without mentioning its beautiful women as they carry the whole weight of the film. They gain the respect, sympathy and adoration of the viewer easily. These women are towers of patience, love, strength, understanding and much more. It feels like Labaki adapted the footprint of the Sex and the City phenomenon to her local environment and expanded upon it. It works extremely well as these women stand by each other for everything.

Caramel doesn't fail to lift one's spirits as well as bring tears to one's eyes at the same time, especially with the emotional soundtrack playing in the background. It's a very human film that I would recommend to anyone.

Indy's whip still works!

Indiana Jones 4 - 4,5 stars

Having just got back from a preview screening of the latest installment of Indiana Jones, I can't contain my excitement and adrenaline levels! It was exhilarating - so much fun that I might consider seeing it again. Kudos to the Spielberg-Lucas duo and of course to the one-and-only Harrison Ford and Cate Blanchett.

The adventure this time revolves around a crystal skull and its powers. The mysterious skull takes Indy to South America, reunites him with some old friends, reveals a few surprises and leaves him face to face with his new rival - Irina Spalko, played by Blanchett. Frankly, Blanchett makes the perfect villain for this installment with her Siberian blue eyes, angular face, and dark, black, straight-cut bob; a villain worthy for Indy's come-back. Ford himself hasn't lost any of his charm as Indy is back as we've always known him. The plot breathes of endless adventure and the fantastic end proves to be larger than life, but perhaps a bit unresolved. A little appendix will also answer fans' long-awaited questions regarding the future of the series. All in all though, Spielberg has created a worthy successor to the series.

I forewarn anyone who I might be meeting in the next few weeks as I will be humming the Indy tune for some time and dreaming of becoming an archaeologist. So, you should see the film too so we can hum it together and go on an adventure to Egypt or Peru or somewhere where we can dig out mysterious artifacts! Yea!

"Listening Post" transcends voyeurism to art

Thumbs Up!
I recently got the chance to see Listening Post, the media installation by Mark Hansen and Ben Rubin, at the Science Museum. It got me thinking about the human need to connect and how the 21st century men try and connect via the cyber-space. Is it counter-productive or more efficient? As someone who uses chat and social networks, I'm not sure what the answer is...

To begin with, the piece is a technological marvel with 200 electronic screens designed in a big, curved grid backed up by algorithms that analyze real-time IRC chat data to compose a symphony with movements. The cool factor is that the symphony is different every time as it consists of real-time chat data. It also creates a sense of rush as you're eavesdropping on people's conversations. I must admit that one of the reasons I had decided to see this installation was because of its voyeurism aspect.

One of the sections is titled "I AM," and it puts together phrases starting with "I am" that are typed within the last two hours. The display of the phrases/words is accompanied by synthetic voices reading them out loud. The synthetic voices are so neutral (mind you, they don't sound blank like regular computer voices, but they just sound normal, bereft of any implication or emotion). The surround sound setup with the voices and the ambient music create an eerie atmosphere where anonymous people are reaching out for communication. What the viewer is left with is wondering whether or not the hand was met halfway by another...

I would highly recommend anyone to see the installation as it is thought-provoking, enjoyable, fresh and contemplative. I rarely enjoy art installations as I think most of them don't have any artistic merit, but this one deserves some credits.