Movie Review Thread

[Decker]

Yes, it's excellent - although I think at the time it was regarded as not being 'ole fashioned, but revisionist. The depiction of the townspeople as cowards foreshadows some of the Clint Eastwood/spaghetti westerns and the gradual disaffection with the Wild West myth that killed the Western. Apparently, High Noon annoyed John Wayne so much, he made Rio Bravo - where the Marshall is so kick-ass, he can rout the bad guys while turning down the offers of help from the townspeople. But to me, Rio Bravo is rather like a cartoon, whereas High Noon is real drama.



I never thought about that, but you are right. The original 3:10 to Yuma was a lower profile film than High Noon, but thoroughly enjoyable.

I watched it in my English class and my teach said that it came out during the time of McCarthyism and the director was blacklisted. So the film is seen as a kind of allegory of the Cold War and US foreign policy during the Korean War and that's probably one reason why John Wayne disliked it so much as he was quite the pro-American action hero kinda guy and totally macho too. And the townspeople thing is so true and you could almost feel for them at the same time you feel for the main guy. I thought it was pretty well done.

[Puzz3D]

Prix de Beaute (Beauty Prize) (1930) is a drama co-written and directed by Rene Clair and G.W. Pabst with Clair doing the first half and Pabst the second half. The film features Louise Brooks in her last starring role, since after this 3rd European film she returned to the USA and obscurity in a film industry that blacklisted her. Stunningly beautiful with very expressive face and eyes, she is effervescent in this film, and the final scene as poignant and mesmerizing as anything you're likely to see in cinema. Her acting sytle is of the silent era, but is understated enough to give her performance more of a natural impression. The character she plays is infinitely more likable than the one she played in Pandora's Box (1929).

The version available on DVD is sound dubbed in french, and has some syncronization problems since it was one of the first if not the first French talking picture. Brooks didn't speak french, so it's not her voice. It has some very nice singing by Edith Piaf, especially over the final scene. There is apparently a very well done restoration of the silent version of this film, but it's not available on DVD. This film also has quite a bit of mean spirited actions, intended as comedy, from the male protagonist towards another male character in the first half which is quite annoying. It's interesting to contrast the resolution of the narrative in Prix de Beaute with that of L'Atalante (1934) since both are about husbands who cannot really provide what the wife wants out of life.

While this version of Prix de Beaute on Kino is certainly worth renting, I would say the recent restoration of Pandora's Box by Criterion is a much better value for a purchase. Although it's still missing about 10 minutes of footage, I don't think there is a better version available.

[Puzz3D]

Severance (2006) directed by Christopher Smith, who also did the horror film Creep (2004), is a biting satire of corporate employees who work for a company that makes anti-personnel weapons. The satire quite funny in places, and a sombre aspect of responsibility for producing such weapons is also present. The filmmakers skillfully blend satire and horror elements, and this film has a lot more to say than what happens to a few corporate employees who go on a team building weekend in an Hungarian forest. The film is rated R.

[Marshal Murat]

Moliere
I enjoyed this movie immensely. Despite some sloppy translation (it was in French) I enjoyed it all. The scenery, dialogue, it was all very enjoyable.