A bout de souffle

Breathless
By Jean Luc Godard

Patricia says 'I'm not sure if I'm unhappy cause I'm not free, or I'm not free because I'm unhappy.'

Les quatre cents coups

The 400 Blows
By Francois Truffaut

A boy's struggle to obey parents and school rules, when all he wants is going to cinema all the time and become independent.

The Big Lebowski

The Big Lebowski

by Joel Coen

The amazing cast such as Jeff Bridges, Julienne Moore, John Goodman and Steve Buscemi, already tells a lot, but it is even funnier than expected. There's a good deal about rugs, bowling, kidnappers and porn... Good fun guaranteed.

Best mates Jeff, Walter and Danny love bowling

Die Welle

Neo-Nazism

What did the Germans think?

In 2008 a German movie was made concerning fascism, called Die Welle (The Wave) by director Dennis Gansel. The film expresses feelings about fascism, morals and the possibility of a dictatorship in the modern Germany. In the story a teacher tries to explain to his students what fascism is by brainwashing them and making them try it themselves. By the end of the week the soft emotions of connection between young people turn to a violent catastrophe.

Inglourious Basterds

Inglourious Basterds by Quentin Tarantino (2009)

Inglourious Basterds (2009)

Brief summery:

  The movie is divided in 5 chapters. The first four is an introduction of the numerous characters such as the team of the Basterds, Shosanna, Colonel Landa and the “Bear Jew”. In the last chapter these storylines run together towards the end, in which the whole Nazi leadership is going to explode. The irony of the ending is that the audience knows it wasn't the historical way Hitler died.

Inglorious Bastards (1978)

Based on:
  It is a remake of the 1978 Italian comedy-drama war film Inglorious Bastards by Enzo G. Castellari. However, apart from the title the plot had been slightly changed as well. 

 Music:  

There are many soundtracks in the movie, however, especially significant is the one in a climactic scene. The lyrics start when we see the first image appears on screen and each line is synchronized with the change of shots. 

The song Cat People (Putting Out Fire) by David Bowie (who wrote the lyrics and sings the lead vocals as well) had been already used in the history of film.It was the theme music of the American remake of 1942 film 'Cat People' about a female were-cat (played by Nastassja Kinski) released in 1982.

Le Gamaare:

The cinema's name in the movie.
In India: A housewife's 25 young lover, Ganare. They both planned to take revenge on the husband and his family by stealing their money and then disappear. The police caught them before it happened.
 You can also read an article about the story on the website of Daily News & Analysis.
If it was the resource for the name, it can be in parallel with Shoshanna's love for Marcel and their revenge on the Nazis, and then Shoshanna's death by the German soldier who was in love with her.

Amores Perros

Amores Perros 

by Alejandro Gonzales Inarritu

Amor es perros - love is a bitch. Perros also means dogs, which play a particularly important role in the web of stories. This is no pet movie though, some scenes contain visual which might be hard to watch.

Key Frames

La Haine

La Haine 

by Mathieu Kassovitz

Three young friends

Themes
The story is seemingly about three friends from the estates, but beneath the surface we recognise criticisms of the whole society. 'The film-makers need to show the boredom of everyday life for young unemployed people living in the working class satellite towns around Paris.' The strong anti-police attitude is such a distinguishable element of this period, which still affects French cinema today.

Editing
  Editing is what divides this stylish film from a simple documentary or community project. The film-makers draw clear metaphors between reality and other texts, such as the recurring image of falling.

   'A single static shot of our three central characters sitting equidistant from each other in a bleak, waste area is held for some time and then a flash-forward edit is used to a shot of the same the characters in the same space but occupying slightly different positions within the frame. Because they have moved slightly, we experience the cut as 'jump', a jump forward than in time. It is the combination of holding the initial shot for longer than we might normally expect and then using a distinctive editing cut that ensures the required meaning is conveyed clearly and effectively to the viewer.' The confusion is often reinforced by the blurring of reality with hallucinations, such as the cow walking on the streets of the estate.

Colours:
   The scene in the art gallery is a very important mosaic piece in the panoramic picture of Paris. The city today is considered to be the capital of culture and art in Europe. However, in this film it is represented rather negatively through the perspective of the poor and neglected members of society. The setting itself, the white walls and the simplistic design of the building, recalls the London gallery of the snobbish American artist Whistler, whose 1883 exhibition was a milestone in presenting art. The colour white gives a cold, sterile, unwelcoming sense to the environment, where the characters really feel out of place. The artefacts in the room ghostly remind us to those infamous works of modern art made by painters such as Marcel Duchamp and Le Corbusier, who follows this idea of creating exclusive, elitist art for a small, sophisticated audience. The divisive  racist connotations of the colour white still live in many relics of the 20th century, such as the marble monuments of Mussolini in Rome. What is relevant in the context of this film is the strong sense of alienation. The above associations suggest that the director intended to make a mockery of the artistic, wealthy Parisian elite.

Resources:

• AS Film Studies (2008) by Sarah Casey Benyahia, Freddie Gaffney and John White
• The History of Art in Three Colours. Episode 3: White. (2012) BBC, presented by Dr James Fox

E. T. vs Paul

How far do these two  films portray themes and ideas in similar ways?

The compared movies are E.T. (1982) by Steven Spielberg (Indiana Jones), an American blockbuster family movie and the British-American Paul (2011) by Greg Mottola (Superbad) which was a less popular recent film written by British comedy geniuses Simon Pegg and Nick Frost. Although there is almost 30 years between the films, it seems that our expectations of a funny green man nearly haven’t changed at all.

Similarities in both plots:

Earthlings befriend an alien who is very intelligent and humanlike. The extra-terrestrial has to flee from government, scientists etc and urgently must return home. They get more allies to help the alien board a spaceship. Both narratives are built on a linear structure and there is only a minimal use of flashbacks.

Difference:

E.T. is set in the beautiful California among cosy family homes, the main characters are children (Elliott, Gertie, Michael). In comparison, Paul tells the story of the pilgrimage of two British sci-fi comic book nerds (Clive and Graeme) who decide to travel the most famous UFO areas of the USA.

Representation:

 E.T. establishes the idyllic scene of the American family home therefore gives hints about American dream with references as The Quiet Man (John Wayne and Maureen O’Hara) and simple children’s programs like the Sesame Street. The mother as main authority of the children appears in a kind of distance from the imaginative childish world. Similarly, in Paul there is a father chasing his daughter across the desert to save her. Although, the characters in Paul are adults they act very childish in some cases: shiver when they have to kiss a girl or they need a diaper when they get scared. However, it could be agreed that the main values in both movies are friendship and family relationships.

 Both extraterrestrials look very much alike (small, skinny, bulbous-bellied, reptilian and wrinkled with four long thin fingers, a huge head and large eyes). And apart from the ability to heal and revive creatures they have other special powers as well such as telekinesis and becoming invisible for a while. It is also evident that both films portray aliens as intelligent creature with the ability to learn to speak.

The theme of aliens on Earth:

E.T. is set in the ‘80s of America, where sci-fi is already a popular genre (the film came out after Star Wars first release) but aliens are stereotypically defined as ‘little green men’. Although many people believe in aliens it is contradictory to many global religious ideas such as Jesus. On the other hand, Paul pictures the 21th century cult of sci-fi, where people act childish and sometimes wear awkward costumes. In the colourful parade of ComiC on we see many references to other movies such as Star Trek, Star Wars and many other sci-fi.  But sci-fi fans discover as stylistically hidden references in Paul such as the music scene in the bar from Star Wars and Paul’s wish for Reese’s Pieces, which chocolate was  the one that Elliott used as a trail to lead E.T. to his home. In a flashback we also see Paul in a dungeon having a conversation on the phone with director Steven Spielberg and gives him the idea to use healing power in the movie. We also see Sigourney Weaver (known from movies like Alien and Avatar) appearing as a vicious federal agent in the end.There are also some similarities with some of Spielberg’s earlier work such as horror Night Skies and Close Encounters of the Third Kind in both movies.

Friendship

The relationship of humans and extraterrestrials is an important part of both movies. In E.T. there is also a physical bond between Elliott and the alien, but we can see Paul giving knowledge to his saviours by touch. Ironically the arrival of the alien from outer space makes the family stronger on Earth, brings brothers and sisters closer as it does make the friendship of the two nerds Graeme and Clive better.

Humanity

It is an interesting that these two aliens created in different times have no intention to invade our planet or to do any harm at all. In fact the most dangerous creatures are the humans themselves, the blind authority, the scientist who try to investigate things to closely and the federal agents who would kill to cover proof of any UFOs. It seems that the false judgement of humans makes us weaker over the intelligent aliens.

Being an alien

While in E.T. a child who came from a one-parent family feels for a disorientated, lost creature and tries to help him, in Paul the situation is slightly more twisted. Aliens are also the weird British in a sense of being on vacation in the USA and they just feel completely out of place. In fact the extraterrestrial, Paul is the one who helps them to melt  in the crowd a little easier having spent 50 years in America, even though in a military dungeon. He shows the two tourists how to enjoy themselves while they are away from England.

Home

Both movies end with the classic resolution: the extra-terrestrial’s return home. What happens on Earth after is less clear but in both movies there is a kind of resolution that makes the viewers happier. In Paul we follow the Graeme and Clive to ComiC Con a year later and the change is obvious: they are not only tourists anymore, they return home to the US, to the weird world of sci-fi fans where they became celebrated writers.

Son of Rambow (2007)

Son of Rambow

• British comedy
• actors: Bill Milner, Will Poulter, Jules Sitruk
• director: Garth Jennings (The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy)
• year: 2007
• company: Paramount Vantage, Celluloid Dreams Production, Good a co production, Arte France Cinema, Network Movie, Soficinema 2&3, Hammer & Tongs

Themes:

• friendship of 2 boys from high school (Lee Carter and Will)
• friendship between the French and English boys
• different background: religious family vs average non-religious
• lack of parents
• filmmaking (BBC ScreenTest)
• England in the ‘80s
• movies and their influence on children (Rambo - First Blood)

Comedy elements

• slapstick
• stereotypes (French vs English)
• builds on a well-known character (Rambo)
• childish imagination (animated parts)

Narrative Structure: linear  forward (few flashbacks)

Propp’s Theory (8 spheres of action):

• Hero: Lee Carter (Will Poulter) and Will (Bill Milner) - director and writer of movie
• False Hero: Didier Revol (Jules Sitrouk) - French student who wants to be a star
• Villain: Joshua is leader of the religious group who tries to replace the father and keep Will away from the real world
• Princess: the video/ story that needs to be finished
• Dispatcher: BBC Screen Test competition
• Donor: Lee’s brother -  helps them to finish the video
• Helper: students from school
• Father: Will’s mum understands his son’s intentions

Talk To Her

Review on Talk To Her

by Pedro Almodovar

Synopsis

     After a chance encounter at a theater, two men, Benigno and Marco, meet at a private clinic where Benigno works.

Marco, a journalist grieving for a love affair that ended ten years' ago, falls in love with Lydia, also on the rebound. Lydia, Marco's girlfriend and a bullfighter by profession, has been gored and is in a coma. It so happens that Benigno, a nurse, is looking after another woman in a coma, Alicia, a young ballet student. Benigno dedicates his life to his only patient, a young dancer in a coma as a result of an accident four years' before; he talks to her, reads to her, holds photographs in front of her closed eyes. When Lydia is brought comatose to the hospital where Benigno works, he and Marco become friendly, and the nurse encourages the journalist to talk to her and hope for a miracle.

The lives of the four characters will flow in all directions, past, present and future, dragging all of them towards an unsuspected destiny. Marco is Sancho to Benigno's Quixote, and as Benigno's hopes for his patient become fantasies, Marco tries to inject reality. Does a miracle await?

Review

The story is a desperate cry of deep loneliness and the damage caused by superficial relationships. Could the hospital workers have prevented Alicia’s tragedy just by taking the time to talk to Benigno and recognise his mental state earlier? Yes, probably. Could Marco have saved Lydia’s life just by letting her talk about her problem and face the bull with clean conscience? Yes, possibly.

However, the story is also about accidents that nobody can prevent or escape. The strong influence of coma and unconsciousness is present in the film also in a symbolic way. In today’s society, nobody listens, just talks, taking little interest in the partner’s response. We might consider Benigno a fool, but looking deeply inside, we do the same everyday: showing pictures to people with closed eyes, telling events which have no relevance at all and just waste our time waiting for some miracle to happen. Almodovar’s film holds a mirror of truth in the face of our concept of friendship and love.

Additionally, Talk To Her shows a beautiful panorama of European, especially Spanish life, where the role of cinema culture is just as important as real experiences of life. This slight confusion of the two worlds usually dissolves during childhood, but in Benigno’s case, who grew up nursing his own mother,  these boundaries don’t exist. It might be the reason why a black-and-white movie called ‘Shrinking Lover’ influences him to rape the unconscious Alicia. Seemingly he’s unaware of the severeness of his act, because he doesn’t even try to run away, but plans to marry her.

M by Fritz Lang

Review on M by Fritz Lang

Plot summary

There have been a rash of child abductions and murders in Berlin. The murderer lures the children into his confidence by candy and other such child friendly items. Everyone is on edge because the murderer has not been caught. The most substantial pieces of evidence the police have are hand written letters by the murderer which he sent to the newspaper for publication. Unknown even to himself, a blind beggar, who sold the murderer a balloon for one of the child victims, may have key information as to the murderer's identity.

The murder squad's work is made even more difficult with the large number of tips they receive from the paranoid public, who are quick to accuse anyone of suspicious activity solely for their own piece of mind that someone - anyone - is apprehended for the heinous crimes. Conversely, many want to take the case into their own hands, including the town's leading criminals since the increased police presence has placed a strain on their ability to conduct criminal activity. Although they both have the same end goal of capturing the murderer, the police and the criminals seem to be working at cross purposes, which may provide an edge to the murderer in getting away.

The murderer has been marked

Review

An amazing archive on the story of a serial killer. The film clearly reflects the human fear of pedophile murders and the effects of it which turns a crowd to an angry mob in minutes.

The realistic portraying of working class people helps the audience identify with the characters. The worrying mums face builds more tension in the viewers because they imagine themselves being in the same situation. Most events happen off-screen rather than showing the actual murder to the audience. The frequent use of empty shots and emphasis on shadows let the viewers imagine the rest.

 The opening of the film is brilliant in anticipation and foreshadowing the cruelty of the events. The children of the house sing a mockery version of the usally harmless eenie-minie-monnie-moe, such as:

Children: [singing]
‘ Just you wait, it won't be long. The man in black will soon be here. With his cleaver's blade so true. He'll make mincemeat out of YOU!’

which reflects how topsy-turvy the story is.

 Although the murder is unknown for a long time there is one detail that makes him clearly recognisable: his whistle. This is how a serial killer gets identified by a blind old man. This tune, Hall of the Mountain King is a very interesting choice of music. It is not only known from the Peer Gynt opera by the 19th century Norwegian composer Edvard Grieg, but also had been reused since by such iconic bands as The Who. More gothic, horrifying interpretations were made by  Apocalyptica and Trent Reznor. Maybe the most well-known is an a capella version in Social Network. This tune has melted together with malevolence, despair and disappointment.

But ‘M’ is not only the story of a murderer, but the story of the victims as well. The victims, in the sense of the mothers and fathers who have to live on after losing their children. That strong anger and bitterness, which makes average citizens bloodthirsty revengers. The film shows how easily people can carried away towards the extreme, which is a basic element of many modern waves of fanatism such as fascism and nazism. This view became the biggest threat in the 20th century Europe, the one that hates and destroys by its own judgement, not the law. Towards the climax the audience starts to feel like it becomes harder to decide who is really the monster: the murderer or the crowd? We, as we are part of a crowd, even associate ourselves with them and ask questions: would you kill him? Would I kill him?

The Cabinet of Dr Caligari

Caligari's mysterious friend

Review on The Cabinet of Dr Caligari

Plot (Spoilers!):

Francis, a young man, recalls in his memory the horrible experiences he and his fiancée Jane recently went through.

   It is the annual fair in Holstenwall. Francis and his friend Alan visit The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari, an exhibit where the mysterious doctor shows the somnambulist Cesare, and awakens him for some moments from his death-like sleep. When Alan asks Cesare about his future, Cesare answers that he will die before dawn. The next morning Alan is found dead. Francis suspects Cesare of being the murderer, and starts spying on him and Dr. Caligari. The following night Cesare is going to stab Jane in her bed, but softens when he sees the beautiful woman, and instead of committing another murder, he abducts her. Jane's father awakens because of the noise, and he and some servants follow the fleeing Cesare. When Cesare cannot outrun his pursuers anymore, he gently places Jane down on the ground, and runs away. Francis and the police investigate the caravan of Dr. Caligari, but the doctor succeeds in slipping away. Francis follows the fleeing Dr. Caligari, and sees him disappear into a madhouse. Francis enters the madhouse, where he is sure he will find the truth behind all these mysterious events.

    When he finishes the story we realise that he was in the madhouse all this time and Dr. Caligari is the director of the institute.

Review

A slightly fragmented narrative does the trick and lures the audience into believing that the narrator is completely reliable. Who would think that the young, innocent Francis is at the realm of madness?

The famous kidnapping/ chasing scene

The actual story being a mixture of horror and detective genre is quite exciting and original. However, for today’s viewer, who is accustomed to the so named ‘talkies’, it is really hard to keep concentrating for such a long time without dialogues and sound effects other than orchestral music.

The figure of the somnambulist Cesare could be associated with a dead, horroristic creature. The raise and awakening from a coffin conventionally is a (rather cliche-ish) element of vampire movies.

The probably most interesting and mysterious character is Dr. Caligari himself. Is he a magician in the fair, crazy scientist or an experienced psychiatrist? It is very likely that he’s all of them at once as he is smart enough to play around with citizens, detectives and even doctors.

He might have influenced great characters in literature such as  Cipolla in Thomas Mann’s Mario and the Magician (1930).

The actual hook-up in the end that reveals the unreliability of the narrator, Francis and makes the film a real classic, resembles in a lot of ways to Shutter Island (2010) by Martin Scorsese, which is also built around a madhouse and its serious patient.

Apart from the story there are many aspects that deserve our attention, such as fictional, mysterious lighting and the absolutely artistic decor.

Dreamlike setting

Sources:

• www.imdb.com
• www.german-films.de
• www.exha-le.blogspot.co.uk