Month: August 2020

The Duellists

The Duellists is a 1977 movie directed by Ridley Scott.

The Duellists tells the story of two French soldiers during the Napoleonic Wars who engage in a series of duels. The duels span fifteen years and become a vital part of each man’s life.

You can usually tell when you’re watching a first-time director. There’s an energy and inventiveness that has been bottled up – and typically embellished with exuberant overindulgences.

Yet The Duellists is an incredibly restrained first offering. Ridley Scott delivers a movie that is strangely timeless – it’s a low budget production that is occasionally grand but brilliant in its grittiness. The focus is rightly squared on its two lead actors, Keith Carradine and Harvey Keitel – and ignores getting swept up in the grandiose map of Napoleonic conquests.

At its heart, The Duellists is a character study: this is an actor’s movie. Carradine and Keitel essentially play opposites. Carradine’s Armand is an even-tempered, good humored soldier who exhibits a soft, loving exterior. Keitel’s Feraud is intense and hot-headed – he’s prone to quick violence.

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Requiem for a Gringo

Requiem for a Gringo is a 1968 Western directed by Eugenio Martin and Jose Luis Merino.

Requiem for a Gringo tells the story of Ross Logan, a bounty hunter and astrologist, who seeks vengeance for his brother’s death. Logan relies on his gun-fighting skills and celestial intuition to defeat a band of cruel bandits.

There is something endlessly appealing about a Western that strays from convention. While Requiem for a Gringo features a formulaic blueprint, it is a wildly stylish, unique and violent movie.

Lang Jeffries has the face and manner of a nondescript Western lead. He’s stoic and at times professorial. There’s rarely a time his Logan Ross is not dominating the crew of bandits who murdered his brother. Yet, he’s an astrologist adorned in a leopard print shawl who plans his ultimate revenge based on an eclipse.

The real flavor of Requiem for a Gringo comes in the eclectic collection of hired guns working for the oafish Carranza.

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The Shooting

The Shooting is a 1966 movie directed by Monte Hellman.

The Shooting tells the story of Willett Gashade, an ex-bounty hunter turned miner who is summoned by a mysterious woman to guide her across the desert. Along the way, they are joined by a gunslinger and the journey turns into a tracking expedition.

There is a simplicity to The Shooting that ultimately creates a unique aura of intrigue. Similar to Two Lane Blacktop, Hellman maximizes his low budget restraints to focus on the existential conditions surrounding his characters.

The result is a swirl of mystery that allows the viewers to offer their own context.

This can be both enlightening and madly frustrating.

Warren Oates plays Gashade, a miner who returns home to discover his brother has been shot dead, while the other has fled camp. He is accompanied by the young and simple Coley. Oates presents as a hardened, worn leader. He tells Coley “From now on, you’ll be dependent on me.”

Oates plays Gashade with his usual blend of enigmatic cache. He is expressive displaying both earnestness and cruelty. There are moments when you can deeply empathize with him and others where you suspect his past is filled with regretful actions.

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Permanent Vacation

Permanent Vacation is a 1980 movie directed by Jim Jarmusch.

Permanent Vacation tells the story of Aloysius Parker, a self-professed drifter who is searching for a deeper meaning to his life. He wanders through New York City and meets a variety of unique individuals during his quest.

In some respects, Permanent Vacation feels as aimless as its main character. This is a meandering movie that doesn’t follow any traditional narrative structure nor presents any deeper moral message. We’re immediately warned of this through Allie’s narration: “This is the story of how I got from there to here or I should say from here to here.”

However, Jarmusch does an extraordinary job staging an environment that feels more like an expose. Naturally, there’s a low budget ethos that contributes to the movie’s gritty, natural feel. Yet, the writing and subdued acting performances allows Permanent Vacation to function more as a documentary.

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The Joke

The Joke is a 1969 Czechoslovakian movie directed by Jaromil Jires.

The Joke tells the story of Ludvik Jahn, a University student who is expelled from the Communist Party after writing a politically incorrect note. Fifteen years later, Ludvik returns to exact revenge on those who voted for his dismissal.

I don’t normally delve into the background of the movies I review – simply because I don’t want to rehash Wikipedia research. However, the context of this movie is important. Released in 1968 during The Prague Spring, The Joke was popular in Czechoslovakian theaters before being banned for twenty years. During this time, Soviet Union troops invaded the country and crushed the uprising.

Jires uses this repressive backdrop to present a parable on the futility of authoritarianism – and in a sense, the folly of individuals opposing such systems.

The overarching theme of The Joke implies that the Communist Party’s rhetoric ultimately proves its own weakness and dysfunction. A joke is a threat to the party’s ideals and treated as treason. Individual thought collides with the collective group-think, which craters the Socialist vision.

In some respects, The Joke lobs these arguments in a heavy-handed manner. Ludvik’s letters to a politically-involved girl he’s chasing are turned into the state. After a sham trial, he’s expelled from his University and the Party. Eventually, he finds himself in the military, followed by a stint in prison and then endures three years in the mines.

He reemerges fifteen years later to gain a measure of revenge on those who derailed his life. Clearly, Ludvik has been scarred but it’s not entirely evident how his personality has changed. He’s a dour, smarmy, cynical, self-professed “skirt chaser” as both a young student and middle-aged man.

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Suspiria

Suspiria is a 1977 movie directed by Dario Argento.

Suspiria tells the story of Suzy Bannion, an American who travels to Germany to attend a famous dance academy. An odd series of occult events leads her to discover that the academy is actually a witches’ coven.

Here’s my one-line review of Suspiria: Dario Argento is a master of style and mood…and everything else is secondary.

In other words, there’s a lot about Suspiria that doesn’t make sense. But that’s also not the point.

From its opening seconds, Suspiria is enveloped in a haunting, pulsing – sometimes howling swirl of electronic sounds. The Italian band Goblin create an extraordinary soundtrack that instantly creates tension. The sinister tone carries into the Tanz Academy, which is a brilliant visual creation.

Argento’s vision is a symmetry of terror featuring direct homages to the occult. The patterns create an uneasy feeling – a sort of epileptic response. It’s a direct assault on our senses and a stunning visceral achievement.

The opening scenes involving departed student Pat Hingle are exceptional. There is gore, carefully paced suspense and brilliant imagery couched in an ample supply of campiness.

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Le Samouraï

Le Samouraï is a 1967 movie written and directed by Jean-Pierre Melville.

Le Samouraï tells the story of Jef Costello, an assassin who performs a contract killing but is then brought under police suspicion. Facing pressure from both detectives and his shadowy employers, Costello becomes a hunted man.

Alain Delon is a precise, quietly dynamic and occasionally intense presence throughout Le Samouraï but the greatest star is the easy, mellow sense of cool that drifts throughout the movie. Jean-Pierre Melville captures an environment that is effortlessly sophisticated, yet dreary and ominous.

The world of Le Samourai is also distinct in its loneliness. Costello inhabits a world chilled by Melville’s blue and gray hues. He is a professional assassin disconnected from the emotions of the world. His only tangible relationship is with Jane, a sometimes lover and convenient alibi.

It is Costello’s alibi – a marvel of efficiency – that proves his undoing. After executing a hit, he is seen leaving the crime and later brought in for a police lineup. He is initially cleared but his meticulous story creates suspicion for Francois Perier’s Le Comissaire, who is investigating the murder.

Costello’s isolation is striking. Because of the police involvement, he is now a threat to his underworld employers. He escapes a murder attempt, only to return home bloodied to his lonely apartment. His only companion is a chirping bird.

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Two Lane Blacktop

Two Lane Blacktop is a 1971 movie directed by Monte Hellman.

Two Lane Blacktop tells the story of The Driver and The Mechanic, who drive their 1955 Chevrolet across the country in search of opponents to race. They encounter GTO, a middle-aged racer and make a bet to see who can reach Washington, DC first.

I’m not sure how to properly describe Two Lane Blacktop. It’s either a minimalist classic by design or necessity. It’s both realistic and existential. The lead actors are famous musicians who barely speak. There’s no resolution to the story’s simple plot.

In short, it’s a fascinating movie experiment.

In terms of car movies of the time, it’s the antithesis of 1971’s Vanishing Point – which featured a fantastic car and bloated, clumsy social commentary. Two Lane Blacktop is all about the cars – yet somehow still makes important statements about society.

Unlike Vanishing Point, we don’t need to know the backstory of The Driver. In fact, we don’t even need to know his name. Or the names of The Mechanic, The Girl or GTO. Certainly, there’s intrigue to be found in these characters – but Two Lane Blacktop rightly puts the focus on two things: cars and races.

With only some slight exceptions, all the dialogue in the movie is focused on the cars. It’s the lone thing The Driver and The Mechanic talk about. How the car runs, who is a good race opponent and how much money is involved is all that matters. We know nothing more about their relationship – it’s not even suggested that these two are friends.

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Singles

Singles is a 1992 movie written and directed by Cameron Crowe.

Singles tells the story of a group of twenty-something friends living in grunge era Seattle who navigate love and careers. The setting captured a hugely influential piece of 1990’s culture. Cameos are made by a variety of bands who would achieve massive fame.

Essentially, Singles is a romantic comedy featuring some terrific bands. However, Cameron Crowe’s deft touch as a writer in the hands of a strong cast elevates the movie. There are some cliche moments but also enough quirky comedy to keep the story fresh.

The group of friends include Steve, who’s working on a Super Train traffic project. His roller coaster relationship with Linda, an environmental activist, is the centerpiece of the movie. Janet is a waitress and hopeful architecture student, who is in love with Cliff – an aloof and probably untalented musician. Debbie Hunt works in television and explores video dating.

The movie opens detailing the futility of Linda and Steve’s respective past relationships. Linda falls for a guy from Spain who claims his VISA is running out. He seduces her before calling from the airport to say goodbye. Later, he’s spotted at a local bar – Linda breaks down and turns icy towards future relationships.

Steve flashes back to his childhood and an awkward visit to the doctor, where sex is graphically explained. Like Linda, he’s close to swearing off relationships in order to focus on work. Cliff and Janet are presented as a doomed couple. Janet is obsessed with Cliff, despite being told they are not exclusive.

The backdrop for these relationships is the burgeoning Seattle grunge sound. Linda and Steve meet at an Alice In Chains show. Much later, Steve – a former college DJ – breaks down at another show, pouring his drunk heart out in a phone booth. Cliff’s band, Citizen Dick, is comprised of three-quarters of Pearl Jam. Chris Cornell makes an unassuming cameo.

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Pierott le Fou

Pierott le Fou is a 1965 movie directed by Jean-Luc Godard.

Pierott le Fou tells the story of Ferdinand, a bored man eager to escape his Bourgeois life and Marianne, a gun smuggler on the run from terrorists. Together, they escape Paris and embark on a genre-bending adventure.

Pierret le Fou exists in an interesting space of the Godard universe. In some respects, it’s the natural follow-up to Band of Outsiders, yet also could be seen as the true culmination of Breathless. Godard blends gangster films, island adventures and spy thrillers into a subversive text that ultimately reveals itself as an ironic political statement.

Godard’s movies feature a quirky, contextual innocence – his characters seem to be trying on roles in an experimental landscape. Here, we see a familiar blueprint: a couple is on the run – they’re playing existentialist gangsters – staging car wrecks and breaking the fourth wall. Ferdinand is writing a book, Marianne throws it away.

However, a shift is occurring in the Godard universe. The subversive reassembly of culture that marked his earlier movies is still vivid, but a heaviness is looming. The second half of Pierrot le Fou issues a statement regarding an increasingly militant world. Even Godard is not immune to such sweeping societal change.

Yet, Pierrot le Fou is still a masterful dissection of culture and a really fun movie.

And it looks great.

Stylistically, this may be Godard’s most appealing movie – or at least, it’s intriguing to see him experiment with color.

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