This film is about love and friendship. I love movies like this. Jules (Oskar Werner) and Jim (Henri Serre) were born to be friends, and as young men in Paris they lead lives of attraction and free will. After giving up on professionals, Jules feels that he has found his dream girl in Therese (Marie Dubois).” But the two discover they are both in love with her, but Jules gets a jump on it and takes her to Austria to be married, and then the war separates them. As members of enemy armies, their fear is that one might shoot the other. After the war, Jim visits Jules and Catherine in their cottage on the Reine. They have a daughter, Sabine, but their marriage is unhappy. When Jules discovers she is not, after all, his perfect mate he explains to Jim why she is not the perfect one. Jules confesses that Catherine has run away and had affairs, but he stays with her because he loves her and understands her nature. In my opinion it takes a strong man to stay with a woman when he knows she has been with other men sexually.
I especially liked this film because its storybook of two good friends that fall in love with the same girl. Most of the time this ends good friendships because it is difficult to continue the friendship and come around when your best friend is married to the one you’re in love with. Thou friendships do continue it at some point and time never the same between two friends. Truffaut is unique for this one because putting two friends together who are very close then fall in love with the same girl doesn’t always have a happy ending in the friendship. Then he puts a twist in it when she goes outside the marriage because she is lonely because Jules is away. Even more so that Jules understands why she did it and didn’t leave her. Wow!
Tuesday, December 16, 2008
Last Year at Marienbad
The setting for "Last Year at Marienbad" is a grand old European hotel that has long corridors and large public rooms. Chandeliers hang from ornate ceilings and cut-glass mirrors, prints, and old paintings adorn walls. The hotel guests are all very elegant, and their clothing and hair styles suggest that the time is about 1960. The atmosphere is funereal.
Names aren't given for the characters, so I came up with my own way for referring to them. The man who does the brooding voice-over is the film's protagonist, who I call the Narrator (Giorgio Albertazzi). The Narrator is obsessed with an attractive female guest, who I call the Woman (Delphine Seyrig). But the Woman didn't come to the hotel alone—she's there with a gaunt male I'll call the Other Man (Sacha Pito).
The movie follows a simple story, The Narrator expresses disappointment that the Woman acts as though she doesn't recognize him, and he talks in detail about the intimacy they shared at a resort hotel a year earlier. He says they parted with the understanding that he would not see her for a year, and he declares he's now come for her. He begs her to leave with him, and she appears to be considering it, although she seems conflicted. Meanwhile, the presence of the Other Man at the hotel complicates life for both the Woman and the Narrator.
I think "Last Year at Marienbad" is visually amazing by any standard. One memorable sequence is presented in the style of a silent movie: the Woman, wearing ostrich feathers, reacts to the arrival in her bedroom of the Narrator, sometimes she cringes at his approach, at other times she spreads her arms wide in welcome. The film's most famous shot is reminiscent of a painting by Giorgio de Chirico: in a rigidly formal garden, people cast shadows, but statues and shrubs do not.
Names aren't given for the characters, so I came up with my own way for referring to them. The man who does the brooding voice-over is the film's protagonist, who I call the Narrator (Giorgio Albertazzi). The Narrator is obsessed with an attractive female guest, who I call the Woman (Delphine Seyrig). But the Woman didn't come to the hotel alone—she's there with a gaunt male I'll call the Other Man (Sacha Pito).
The movie follows a simple story, The Narrator expresses disappointment that the Woman acts as though she doesn't recognize him, and he talks in detail about the intimacy they shared at a resort hotel a year earlier. He says they parted with the understanding that he would not see her for a year, and he declares he's now come for her. He begs her to leave with him, and she appears to be considering it, although she seems conflicted. Meanwhile, the presence of the Other Man at the hotel complicates life for both the Woman and the Narrator.
I think "Last Year at Marienbad" is visually amazing by any standard. One memorable sequence is presented in the style of a silent movie: the Woman, wearing ostrich feathers, reacts to the arrival in her bedroom of the Narrator, sometimes she cringes at his approach, at other times she spreads her arms wide in welcome. The film's most famous shot is reminiscent of a painting by Giorgio de Chirico: in a rigidly formal garden, people cast shadows, but statues and shrubs do not.
Masculin Feminin
The film progresses through 15 chapters, watching as Madeleine (Chantal Goya) rises in her singing career, as Paul (Jean-Pierre Leaud) earns a living interviewing teen idols, and as they eventually become roommates along with Madeleine's two female friends. Paul tries to impart his taste for babying and socialism on the girls, but they either ignore him or laugh at him. To me Godard isn't even interested in anything like passion or sex as much as listening to his characters talk. In other words, it was about a young man named Paul who has a ill-defined relationship with a singer Madeline who works on a cigarette trick, engages in politically oriented graffiti, wrestles with only moderate energy with his own political views and watches two strangers get killed. Friends and acquaintances of the pair come and go in and out of the film to no spectacular outcome.
I personally did not care too much for this film. Scenes seem to drag on and lead nowhere. Drastic events happen but really have no demeanor on the rest of the film and to me its like who really cares? The sound of gunfire and titles break the film into chapters for no justifiable reason. It appears to me that Godard’s characters seemed confused as much as he seems as he wrote this film. However, this film has complete original texture of which cannot be faked. Once again we are dazzled by Godard’s mind of creativity and that alone makes him stand out as we have viewed his other films.
I personally did not care too much for this film. Scenes seem to drag on and lead nowhere. Drastic events happen but really have no demeanor on the rest of the film and to me its like who really cares? The sound of gunfire and titles break the film into chapters for no justifiable reason. It appears to me that Godard’s characters seemed confused as much as he seems as he wrote this film. However, this film has complete original texture of which cannot be faked. Once again we are dazzled by Godard’s mind of creativity and that alone makes him stand out as we have viewed his other films.
Shoot the Piano Player
Shoot the Piano Player directed by Francois Truffaut, was a very interesting film that kept me on the edge of my seat while watching it. This film was funny and reflects the interest of the director, Truffaut, which were American gangster movies and relationships. This film also resembles one of Truffaut’s other films, Alphaville. These films are similar because of its satire of the ganster genre in the 1950s.
This film was successful for two reasons, which is his unique attention towards the subject matter and that the story reflects the life of Truffaut through his character Charlie. Truffaut focuses on the characters behind the scenes of the drama and not just giving all attention towards the drama alone and leaving out the characters. Also, the response of the characters towards each event that went on in this film and what is each characters motivations for the behavior illustrated towards the events that went on, plays a role in its success. It is easy to see that Truffaut is living a secret life through his character Charlie. Does this make this film an auto-biography? Truffaut shares similarities with Charlie of being a young entertainer who regrets his past, or tries to hide his past, and is also drawn to attractive woman but when its time to talk to an attractive woman, he can’t find the words. What is also quite interesting about the similarities between to two, Charles Aznavour who plays Charlie resembles Truffaut as a stature and well-mannered man.
This film was successful for two reasons, which is his unique attention towards the subject matter and that the story reflects the life of Truffaut through his character Charlie. Truffaut focuses on the characters behind the scenes of the drama and not just giving all attention towards the drama alone and leaving out the characters. Also, the response of the characters towards each event that went on in this film and what is each characters motivations for the behavior illustrated towards the events that went on, plays a role in its success. It is easy to see that Truffaut is living a secret life through his character Charlie. Does this make this film an auto-biography? Truffaut shares similarities with Charlie of being a young entertainer who regrets his past, or tries to hide his past, and is also drawn to attractive woman but when its time to talk to an attractive woman, he can’t find the words. What is also quite interesting about the similarities between to two, Charles Aznavour who plays Charlie resembles Truffaut as a stature and well-mannered man.
Les Carabiniers
Les Carabiniers was one of my least films directed by Jean-Luc Godard. I am really not a big fan of war story based films, and Les Carabiniers was about two peasants who were recruited to serve in the army. In the meantime, they were both promised to live a lawless life, and promised wealth. They both felt that they could take over and claim whatever no one else claimed and even some of what was already claimed, taking advantage of their opportunity to serve their king. Both protagonists had girlfriends/wives, who were also in it to get rich.
The story was not as interesting to me, as his other films. This film was more straightforward, more of a parody. The intentions of the film are to suck all the interesting things about war, and all the fun things, and make war look like it was dull and uninteresting, and so much more painful than it really is, when actually war is full of interesting things.
In my eyes this film was an unsuccessful film. There was one disturbing scene after another, because of the overwhelming violent parts. This film only shows everyone using others for their own advantage, and good men being taken advantage of by their leaders. In Godard films, he shows that he can tell when he carries on a joke too long and it is no longer funny and how long to carry on with a joke.
The story was not as interesting to me, as his other films. This film was more straightforward, more of a parody. The intentions of the film are to suck all the interesting things about war, and all the fun things, and make war look like it was dull and uninteresting, and so much more painful than it really is, when actually war is full of interesting things.
In my eyes this film was an unsuccessful film. There was one disturbing scene after another, because of the overwhelming violent parts. This film only shows everyone using others for their own advantage, and good men being taken advantage of by their leaders. In Godard films, he shows that he can tell when he carries on a joke too long and it is no longer funny and how long to carry on with a joke.
Thursday, December 11, 2008
Two or Three Things I Know About Her
Excitement in the air on this movie! Along with love of course. This movie featured Juliette Janson (Marina Vlady) who was a housewife by day but a prostitute by night part-time. But this is merely an excuse for an extended examination of existing Parisian life. Although she did this only once a month to pay the bills in the house she did this without her husband Robert Janson (Roger Montsoret) knowing about it. You have to be pretty slick to pull this one over on anyone, not to mention play the innocent role at home then play the part to get the money at night. Then to have had sex with different men for money only to come home and lay in bed with her husband is crazy to me because she can do this and act normal as if she is the perfect housewife. The craziest part to me was the scene when the camera seemed to be stuck on the coffee cup as the cream swirled in circles as the music played in the background. I liked this movie because it had love, originality, and a woman who played two different people with two different lives of which one she didn’t want to live. This movie in my opinion is one of Godard’s finest films.
Bonnie and Clyde
This film is a classic! It has been remade and the name re-used over and over. Each time it seems to bring its own individual excitement, whether it is the persons playing the roles or as rapper Jay Z made a song about it.
Bonnie Parker (Faye Dunaway) and Clyde Barrow (Warren Beatty) were two people that hooked up and began a string of robbing, killing, and kidnapping that stretched across the land. It seemed the more crimes they committed the more in attached they became with each other. It was a big old game they played. The more they killed, robbed, and conniving things they did the more invincible they felt. They loved the worldwide attention they were receiving and that thrived them to do more. They became feared by everyone and spared no one in their path. If someone was spared it was because they wanted that person to tell whoever that Bonnie and Clyde did the crime and no one was going to stop them.
I especially liked this movie because it had blood, crime, and love all in one. Although Bonnie had a man already she became attached to Clyde because her boyfriend was in jail. Bonnie liked the daring, live on the edge type of guy that Clyde had become. In the end, as we all no, this didn’t have a happy ending. But this type of ending was a good one for a movie like this. I feel Bonnie knew that but she didn’t care as she felt her life would be fulfilled being a household name.
Bonnie Parker (Faye Dunaway) and Clyde Barrow (Warren Beatty) were two people that hooked up and began a string of robbing, killing, and kidnapping that stretched across the land. It seemed the more crimes they committed the more in attached they became with each other. It was a big old game they played. The more they killed, robbed, and conniving things they did the more invincible they felt. They loved the worldwide attention they were receiving and that thrived them to do more. They became feared by everyone and spared no one in their path. If someone was spared it was because they wanted that person to tell whoever that Bonnie and Clyde did the crime and no one was going to stop them.
I especially liked this movie because it had blood, crime, and love all in one. Although Bonnie had a man already she became attached to Clyde because her boyfriend was in jail. Bonnie liked the daring, live on the edge type of guy that Clyde had become. In the end, as we all no, this didn’t have a happy ending. But this type of ending was a good one for a movie like this. I feel Bonnie knew that but she didn’t care as she felt her life would be fulfilled being a household name.
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