Movies: The Official "Movie of the Week" Club Thread IV

[nameless1]

Wuxia is an uniquely Chinese genre. It has a very long history, as stories can be dated as far back as 300 B.C., with various Ronin and assassin-type characters, and it went through various ebbs and flows as time progressed. However, the modern form that most people are familiar with probably started in the 1950s.

In 1952, two martial artists from different schools had an argument, and they wanted to duke it out in Macau. While the fight basically fizzled out, as the host, a prominent elite whose son actually became the Chief Executive Officer of Macau after it was returned to China years later, did not want to see it descend into bloodshed, so he stopped and called it off at the first sign of blood, the newspapers saw the potential, and they decided to produce a Wuxia serialized column. That was basically the start of the modern era of Wuxia tales, because these first writers like Liang Yusheng and Louis Cha became wildly popular, and their works basically laid the foundation for all those who followed.

Funny enough, Liang, who is now known as the Father of the Modern wuxia genre, was very reluctant to do it, partially because he did not want to glorify violence, but the newspaper he worked at advertised his new Wuxia column, one he had not even written yet, so he was basically forced to do it. It was extremely popular, and in an effort to meet demands, the same paper hired Cha, who became even more popular and influential than Liang. Eventually, he even founded his own newspaper called Ming Pao, which is still one of the most well-known paper in the Chinese speaking community, especially here in North America, and while his last work was back in the 1972, all his stories are still made into television series to this day.

As for the genre itself, it is hard to describe. It is like a Western, because there are a lot of Man with No Name and Yojimbo characters, and they do go on a lot of journeys and quests, but there are also elements of fantasy, since they can basically fly, or heal serious injuries like a severed tendon, with Chi, or life force. In fact, in Hou Hsiao-hsien's The Assassin, the story that originally inspired it, written all the way back in the Tang dynasty, is likely where those fantasy elements originated, as far as I know. That is why a lot of people think Kung Fu Hustle is a superhero movie, but it really is just a slapstick Wuxia movie. I can understand why people think the genre is also like a musical, because there are a lot of choreographed movements, and the background music and sound effect is a big part of the atmosphere, but I think those fight sequences are more organic and natural than musicals, since I find a lot of the musical numbers are forced and rather awkward. Honestly, it is just its own thing, an action fantasy that is grounded in reality but still requires a certain degree of suspension of disbelief, and modern action movies by Jackie Chan, Sammo Hung, Jet Li, and the like, are all descended from it.

I will say, at this point, quite simply, if it is a historical martial arts movie, it is pretty much a Wuxia film. I would highly recommend Jet Li's Once Upon a Time in China series and Jackie Chan's Drunken Master series, in particular, because they are probably the best mix between Wuxia and martial arts genre. They feature more recent characters, since the real life counterpart died in 1925, as opposed to traditional Wuxia movies that are set in dynasties long ago, and their movements and fight scenes are a lot faster than traditional Wuxia fight sequences, which are slower and the movements are all more elaborate.

I am glad I clicked on this post, because I actually wanted to write a description for the Wuxia and Chinese zombie genre recently, since I had Dragon (2011) and Rigor Mortis (2013) on my queue. They are unique genres that are only in Chinese cinema, and I thought people might want to know more.

 

[KallioWeHardlyKnewYe]

Wuxia is a uniquely Chinese genre. It has a very long history, as stories can be dated as far back as 300 B.C., with various Ronin-type characters and various assassins, and it went through various ebbs and flows through time. However, the modern form that most people are familiar with probably started in the 1950s.

In 1952, two martial artists from different schools had an argument, and they wanted to duke it out in Macau. While the fight basically fizzled out, as the host, a prominent elite whose son actually became the Chief Executive Officer of Macau after it was returned to China years later, did not want to see it descend into bloodshed, so he stopped and called it off at the first sign of blood, the newspapers saw the potential, and they decided to produce a Wuxia serialized column. That was basically the start of the modern era of Wuxia tales, because these first writers like Liang Yusheng and Louis Cha became wildly popular, and their works basically laid the foundation for all those who followed.

Funny enough, Liang, who is now known as the Father of the Modern wuxia genre, was very reluctant to do it, partially because he did not want to glorify violence, but the newspaper he worked at advertised his new Wuxia column, one he has not even written yet, so he was basically forced to do it. It was surprisingly popular, and in an effort to meet demands, the same paper hired Cha, and he became even more popular and influential than Liang. Eventually, he even founded his own newspaper called Ming Pao, which is still one of the most well-known paper in the Chinese speaking community, especially here in North America, and while his last work was back in the 1972, all his stories are still made into television series to this day.

As for the genre itself, it is hard to describe. It is like a Western, because there are a lot of Man with No Name and Yojimbo characters, and they do go on a lot of journeys and quests, but there are also elements of fantasy, since they can basically fly, or heal serious injuries like a severed tendon, with Chi, or life force. In fact, in Hou Hsiao-hsien's The Assassin, the story that originally inspired it, written all the way back in the Tang dynasty, is likely where those fantasy elements originated, as far as I know. That is why a lot of people think Kung Fu Hustle is a superhero movie, but it really is just a slapstick Wuxia movie. I can understand why people think the genre is also like a musical, because there are a lot of choreographed movements, and the background music and sound effect is a big part of the atmosphere, but I think those fight sequences are more organic and natural than musicals, since I find a lot of the musical numbers are forced and rather awkward. Honestly, it is just its own thing, and modern action movies by Jackie Chan, Sammo Hung, Jet Li, and the like, are all inspired by it.

I will say, at this point, quite simply, if it is a historical martial arts movie, it is pretty much a Wuxia film. I would highly recommend Jet Li's Once Upon a Time in China series and Jackie Chan's Drunken Master series, in particular, because they are probably the best mix between wuxia and martial arts genre. They feature more recent characters, since the real life counterpart died in 1925, and their movements and fight scenes are a lot faster than traditional Wuxia fight sequences, which are slower and the movements are all more elaborate.

I am glad I clicked on this post, because I actually wanted to write a description for the Wuxia and Chinese zombie genre recently, since I had Dragon (2011) and Rigor Mortis (2013) on my queue. They are unique genres that are only in Chinese cinema, and I thought people might want to know more.

Awesome insights. I just bought the Criterion set of Once Upon a Time in China and have been eager to get into it.

 

[nameless1]

Awesome insights. I just bought the Criterion set of Once Upon a Time in China and have been eager to get into it.

I look forward to your reviews. The second one features Donnie Yen, and that big fight scene between him and Jet Li has some of the best sequences ever filmed. If I remember correctly, it and Drunken Master II are always voted as first and second on various best action sequences list.

 

[Pink Mist]

The Harder They Come (Perry Henzell, 1972)

Ivan (reggae legend Jimmy Cliff) is an aspiring musician who moves from the country to Kingston hoping to make his big break, however whenever it seems like’s finally going to make it his aspirations get oppressed by authority – the church, record producers, drug cartels, and the police. The Harder They Come is a 1970s Hollywood anti-establishment film, Jamaican style. Jamaican films, let alone Caribbean films more generally, are far and few between (in fact I think this is the first film from Jamaica I’ve seen) so it is a treat to see it on film. Henzell is going after all facets of Jamaican culture in his film, no authority is left untouched, and he shows life in Kingston, warts and all far from the sunny tourist beaches Jamaica is known for. I think it is a very good snapshot of both the joy and anger of the milieu in Jamaican cities at that time.

Jimmy Cliff is clearly a non-actor, but his charisma radiates in the film and makes up for his acting deficiencies, and when he steps up to the mic to record a song you can tell he’s seasoned at that. The film itself is pretty rough around the edges but I think it adds to the authenticity of the film (I hate the word “authentic” talking about art, but you get the idea). It’s a shame more films aren’t made from the Caribbean, I think there are some good stories to be told there, and they have a very active arts scene, obviously in music but also a vibrant literary scene. I guess the funding for films is non-existent unfortunately, and likely a reason Henzell only made two films in his lifetime (one released posthumously) .

 

[kihei]

The Harder They Come (1972) Directed by Perry Henzell

I give The Harder They Come huge points for authenticity. In this tale of gangster life and corruption in Jamaica, even the inexperience of director Perry Henzell, whose first and last film this was (he did make an attempt at something of a sequel) serves both the style and content of the film to a tee. This is a film about raw characters leading raw lives. Ivan arrives from the country dirt poor and dumb as a lamp post. Even by the ramshackle lives of the people around him, he has nothing going for him except a yearning for money and notoriety and a good voice. He thinks the latter is going to be his ticket to better things, but he is naive about the local Jamaican record industry and the power structure that aims to keep him in his place.

Jimmy Cliff, who in a way set the stage for Bob Marley, at least in North America, is a great singer in his own right, but here it is his acting as the wannabe gansta Ivan that contributes greatly to the film's authenticity. The catchiness of the music can almost get in the way of the fact that The Harder They Come is a serious social commentary that paints an exceptionally unflattering portrait of Jamaica and its various social hierarchies. However, more people bought the soundtrack to this movie than actually saw the movie itself. It contains some great early reggae hits by Cliff and by others as well, including Toots and the Maytals, Desmond Decker and The Slickers. It has always seemed ironic that a country with such poverty as Jamaica has can create such joyouse music, but if you check out the lyrics there is usually nothing sunny about the subject matter of the songs as the artists frequently write about the social conditions that engulf them.

The Harder They Come would have to be on the short list of the greatest movies to come from the Caribbean ever made. Especially if we exclude Cuba, that is a very, very short list indeed. At the moment I can't think of another movie to put on it. In fact outside of Antarctica and Greenland, I can't think of a region that has produced fewer quality films, including the Arctic. Not sure why. Money probably has a lot to do with it. And not a big enough audience to support such works. But it still seems like there should be more films from the Caribbean than there are. The Harder They Come demonstrates that there is no shortage of interesting stories to tell.

In English, but subtitles extremely helpul

 

[Jevo]

The Harder They Come (1972) dir. Perry Henzell

Ivan comes to Kingston with his only possessions. His grandmother in the country has died, and he has come to the city to find his mother and a new life. Just after getting off the bus a seemingly friendly man steals all his things. Ivan has plans to become a reggae musician, but can't get any attention, he also can't find any jobs. But he gets involved with a preacher and starts working with him. The preacher is the guardian of a young woman, Elsa. The two young ones fall for each other, even though the preacher seemingly has called "dibs" on Elsa, as other people tell Ivan. Ivan gets a chance to record a single for a record producer who rules the Jamaica music scene with an iron fist, but Ivan tries to play hardball with him, so his single goes nowhere. Ivan and Elsa gets thrown out by the preacher, and lives in a small home of their own. Elsa works hard, but Ivan wants to make it big, but doesn't want to work much for it. But he gets involved in the ganja trade, but running it from the farms in the country side to the city.

The Harder They Come is probably one of Jamaica's most significant contributions to world cinema, and it was also a big factor in making reggae popular abroad. It's a distinctly Jamaican film, from the language and setting in the slums of Kingston. At first it's a bit perplexing to me why Ivan seemingly gets a "cult following" in the general populace, despite comitting several murders. He doesn't seem like a character who makes life better in their part of the city. He's hardly a hero, but maybe an anti-hero to these people. And this is also where the movie is distinctly Jamaican. It tackles societal problems in Jamaica, where the police are corrupt, and just as involved in the drugs trade as the criminal organisations, and both highly exploit their position in the network to increase their personal wealth, with little regard for the impact on the regular people. So even though Ivan is not doing anything out of alturism, him going up against the police and the drug gangs, he becomes a sort of hero to the people, because someone was doing something.

The movie is very rough. The acting is nothing special, and I doubt any of the actors were trained. But for the most part there's a lot of charm and authenticity in the performances, which helps them succeed despite their flaws. The editing is also quite rough, and scenes seems to end and start in weird places, often without having any kind of resolution, and with no real indication of how we got to where the next scene starts. But that also has it's own charm, and you end up getting a bit swept up in this style as it goes along. There's definitely some scenes which runs too long for their own, including several extended scenes of church services. But overall it doesn't matter that much, because the movie really pulls off the feeling that it was made hand over fist without always really knowing where it was going, yet still ending up with something coherent. And those kinds of movies always has a lot of charm and fun.

 

[kihei]

Portrait of a Lady on Fire (2017) Directed by Catherine Sciamma

It would take a book-length essay to do Portrait of a Lady on Fire justice. Heloise (Adele Haenel—Adele H, oddly enough; Truffaut fans take note) the young, beautiful daughter of a French heiress, is soon to be married and her mother, to honour the occasion, commissions a portrait by artist Marianne (Noemie Merlant), one of the few female artists able to find work in 18th century Europe. The first attempt Heloise considers a failure, lifeless. Marianne sees her point and promises another attempt, to which Heloise’s mother reluctantly agrees. Left alone with only the servants to attend them, artist and painter, viewer and viewed, subject and object get to know one another, spar a bit intellectually, discuss matters of concern, and slowly drift into romance and more erotic intentions.

I’m just going to list a few of the things that I think deserve serious attention and would be fun to explore in a more ambitious format than a review. For starters there is the look of the film which is incredibly beautiful. It is a movie about a painter that takes great care to provide the audience with endless painterly images. One could practically freeze frame dozens of images and have something that you could put on a museum wall. These painstakingly composed images are a form of respect that director Catherine Sciamma pays her subject matter which on one level has to do with art and the artist’s way of seeing. These images seem to praise the power of artists to create beauty that would not exist otherwise.

There is a wonderful use of mythology centering on the myth of Orpheus who ventures to the Underworld to retrieve Eurydice, his lover. Though he is forbidden to look at her until they return to the living, he, nevertheless, gazes upon her anyway in the last moment, and loses her forever. The movie resonates with the weight of that choice and suggests some unexpected reasons why Orpheus might have done so. These reasons have to do with the nature of choice as seen from different emotional perspectives---a lover might make one choice; an artist another. These notions are played out skillfully in a way that enhances the beautiful ending of the film when we look at Heloise’s face for over a minute without dialogue or commentary. Often choice is the eventual partner of regret. This final scene is one of the most intimate glimpses into a character's soul in film history.

As well, the notion of a portrait of a lady on fire threads through the film like a recurring minor chord in a song. First, we see the image of a lady on fire in a painting, then at a campfire, and it’s referenced a couple of other times, too. No concrete meaning is provided. Rather I had a sort of nebulous hodge-podge of feelings about what the image might symbolize: witch-burning; the notion of sacrifice, martyrdom; the sense of being consumed, engulfed, helpless; in pain, mental or physical. Sciamma is very good at knowing how much or how little information she wants to give her audience about such details. In this instance, leaving this nature of the symbolism to the viewer’s discretion propelled me deeper into the psychology of the characters.

The notion of gaze is important throughout Portrait of a Lady on Fire. An artist’s gaze is invariably different than anyone else’s, even a lover’s gaze. But there is also another dimension to gaze in evidence here. The movie focuses on a blooming lesbian relationship which, importantly, unfolds from the perspective of a female gaze, not the far more common male gaze that inhabits most films. What does this mean? While certainly not ignoring the physical, though treating it differently, the sensibility of the female gaze is more process oriented than product oriented (a distinction phrased in a way that seems hopelessly male). The love scenes are handled as much as emotional extensions of the relationship as physical ones. The journey that leads to intimacy is the focal point, within which sexual consummation has its place of great importance but it is not the whole ball of wax by any means. Male directors have a tendency to skip the before and after bits to get to the sex. Sciamma includes post-coital conversation aware of how it extends the the intimacy of the moment. Male directors very seldom are interested in these moments. Post-coital chats are rarely part of the agenda.

Ultimately Portrait of a Lady on Fire observes with exquisite care the specific way that these two women meet and fall in love. But it resonates so on many different levels. There is a movie about the female gaze here; there is a movie about feminist solidarity; there is a movie of great psychological insight into the way couples fall in love; there is a movie about the importance of art and the relation between art and memory; there is a movie about breaking norms, about love in the face of sociatel expectiations; there is a movie about the bittersweet feeling of experiencing the love of your life and going on without her. All of these possibilities do little more than scratch the surface of a great work of art.

subtitles

 

[kihei]

My next pick is Blue Is the Warmest Colour, a lesbian coming-of-age romance with a contrasting approach to gaze.

 

[KallioWeHardlyKnewYe]

My next pick: Olivier Assayas' Irma Vep

 

[Pink Mist]

Portrait of a Lady on Fire / Portrait de la jeune fille en feu (Céline Sciamma, 2019)

I recently watched My Brilliant Career and said in a review that while I can appreciate the beauty of the film, period romance films don’t do much for me. I may have exaggerated my position a little bit and forget my prior enjoyment of Portrait of a Lady on Fire (as one example of a film I enjoy in that genre). Taking place in near the turn of the 19th century on an isolated island in Brittany, a female painter named Marianne (Noémie Merlant) arrives by boat to paint a portrait of the reclusive Héloïse (Adèle Haenel) who is set to be married off to a man in Milan. As one of the few people able to connect with Héloïse, Marianne begins a begins a brief love affair with her while completing the portrait.

I loved this film when I watched it after it was released a few years ago, and as always when revisiting a film you love I was anxious to see how it would hold up. Good news, it held up and in fact I think I enjoy it even more than my initial viewing. The second viewing allowed me to really see some of the layers to the film that I didn’t notice or had forgotten. For example, the story of Orpheus and Eurydice went over my head the first time I watched it and I didn’t realize that in the present at the gallery that Marianne was previewing her painting of that scene from that tale when she saw the portrait of Héloïse with her young child. There are subtle little details that are easy to miss the first time that really build on the story – or maybe I’m just stupid and am prone to missing these things. Calling this film beautiful to look at is an understatement; there is a painterly quality to the film in which if you were to pause it at any moment the screen capture could be framed in a gallery. Very suitable for a film about a painter.

Something also interesting about the film is that outside of the beginning and end there is a total lack of men for nearly two hours. The film primarily looks through women’s eyes exploring the taboo and solidarity of female companionship. When a man suddenly appears near the end it is almost jarring and feels like a disruption on the romance of characters and female sorority – which it is because it announces the arrival of the man Héloïse is to wed. Somewhat relatedly, the storyline of where they help the housemaid secure an abortion also really resonated right now with everything presently going on in the United States.

Really happy to see this one held up and I think it is one that will continue to grow on repeated viewings as there is more depth to discover.

My next pick is Blue Is the Warmest Colour, a lesbian coming-of-age romance with a contrasting approach to gaze.

Good pick, especially as you mention in contrast to the male/female gaze of a lesbian romance.

I loved it when it was released, but I have a gut feeling it has not aged well. Curious to see if my reaction is true or not

My next pick: Olivier Assayas' Irma Vep

Also a good pick, it was on my shortlist for the next film I was going to choose when my turn was up

 

[KallioWeHardlyKnewYe]

Portrait of a Lady on Fire
Sciamma (2019)
“Not everything is fleeting.”

Marianne, a painter, is recruited to paint the portrait of Heloise, a woman betrothed to be married and shipped off to Italy. The catch (at least initially)? Heloise cannot know what she’s there to do. Heloise ain’t too happy about her circumstance and just might throw herself off a cliff instead, as her sister did before her. Undercover as a companion, Marianne journeys to a remote island where effectively it’s just the two of them and a servant. There are sparks of something more than a friendship. When the secret painting is done, Marianne confesses the ruse, but she also decides her work isn’t good enough and destroys it. Just as Heloise’s mother is ready to banish her hired hand, Heloise agrees to pose. With a five day clock counting down, the women’s relationship grows and deepens. The painting is completed and the women go their separate ways.

A pair of codas close the story — years later, Marianne is at a gallery/museum. Not only is one of her paintings showing (a depiction of Orpheus and Eurydice with heavy personal meaning) but she sees a painting of Heloise with her child. Heloise holds open the page of a book, the page Marianne drew a picture of herself on. A code only they know. In the second scene, Marianne sees Heloise at a concert from afar. Heloise doesn’t see her. But she is intensely rapt to the sound of Vivaldi, music Marianne had played for her years before. The camera holds on her for an almost painfully long time, pushing us to look away.

Gotta start here with that double punch ending. Equal parts tragic and bittersweet triumph. Marianne and Heloise could never actually be together, a realization they both had the length of their physical relationship, but the two scenes beautifully underline the importance and love the women always will hold for each other.

But there’s so much more to this than that closing. That is perhaps my favorite part of the film, but there’s so much to praise. Portrait of a Lady on Fire is an outright masterpiece. Direction, cinematography, script, acting, music/sound, etc. Not a grain a sand or a stroke of paint out of place. It’s as tightly contained as a play, but with the visual palette of something grander. That it often looks painterly is a given, given the title and subject. That it looks like great painting is just a bonus.

Having seen it a few times now a few things jumped out this round. Sound: The scratching of pencils as Marianne sketches. I didn’t miss the Orpheus parallels the first time, but it really resonated more this time. Another aspect that, to my mind, is perfectly calibrated and could’ve been heavily executed in the hands of another. It also didn’t hit me the near total lack of men in the movie. A couple at the beginning, a couple near the end. Surely no more than five minutes combined screentime and just a few lines of dialog.

It’s a genuinely sensual film too. Not erotic. Not porny. You feel that spark between the women and you feel it grow in importance with every tiny comment and movement and motion. It’s so intimate you feel like you’re intruding. I’m almost a parody at this point in comparing European films to American films, but we (Americans) do big gestures and big speeches. Sometimes that’s fine. But lordy it is so magical when you can achieve such big impact with such small touches. These women truly see each other but never once have to note that they yes, indeed, see each other. Sciamma shows it.

Stellar, gentle performances from Noemie Merlant as Marianne and Adele Haenel as Heloise. They’re so damn good I almost don’t want to see them in anything else ever so I can selfishly keep them captured here.

What a rich and repeatedly rewarding experience. Probably like looking at a painting (if I were able to process that form of art in such a way).

 

[kihei]

Off to Maui for my ninth time, so won't be posting for a couple of weeks.

 

[KallioWeHardlyKnewYe]

Off to Maui for my ninth time, so won't be posting for a couple of weeks.

We'll be here when you get back. Deep in the film mines.

 

[KallioWeHardlyKnewYe]

Stellar, gentle performances from Noemie Merlant as Marianne and Adele Haenel as Heloise. They’re so damn good I almost don’t want to see them in anything else ever so I can selfishly keep them captured here.

Must be more careful with what I wish for!

Adèle Haenel Steps Away From the Film Industry: It’s “Reactionary, Racist, and Patriarchal”

It's no mere coincidence that Adèle Haenel hasn't made a movie since 2019's trio of Portrait of a Lady on Fire, Deerskin, and Heroes Don't Die. While the French actor was attached to star in Bruno Dumont's forthcoming sci-fi feature, she's now opened up about why she quit the project and her...

thefilmstage.com

 

[Pink Mist]

Must be more careful with what I wish for!

Adèle Haenel Steps Away From the Film Industry: It’s “Reactionary, Racist, and Patriarchal”

It's no mere coincidence that Adèle Haenel hasn't made a movie since 2019's trio of Portrait of a Lady on Fire, Deerskin, and Heroes Don't Die. While the French actor was attached to star in Bruno Dumont's forthcoming sci-fi feature, she's now opened up about why she quit the project and her...

thefilmstage.com

I was going to post that here earlier today since it reminded me of your comment! What are the odds she would retire just after we watched her in her most iconic role

 

[Jevo]

Portrait of a Lady on Fire (2019) dir. Celine Sciamma

Marianne is a painter who gets comissioned to do a portrait of a young aristocrat, Heloise. The portrait is to be send to her prospective husband, but she has refused to sit for the painting with another painter. Marianne is to pretend to be a sort of lady in waiting for Heloise, who will go on walks with her, where she can study Heloise's face. The mother however travels away for a while, leaving Marianne, Heloise and the maid Sophie alone at the estate. The three young women build a strong relationship, and the truth of Marianne's visit comes to light as well. But Marianne and Heloise's relationship only grows more intense after this, as their feelings for each other grows, and they both acknowledge the romantic part of those feelings.

Portrait of a Lady on Fire is one of the best films of the '10s in my opinion, and my esteem of it only rose after seeing it again here. It has a great love story, a strong feminist message behind it, great acting performances, and everything is sublimely put together by Sciamma. Sciamma has intelligently put the story in a time where women had no agency. Upper class women had no say in marriage, they were part of a purely financial transaction. And after their marraige their job was to bear children. In the lower classes love based relationships was an option, but there was very little options in terms of jobs, and being any sort of artist was a mans job. The only reason Marianne can be an artist is that her father is one, and she doesn't seem to be able to explore her own artistic pursuits unless she uses her fathers name. But in this age, Marianne, Heloise and Sophie finds a different path, for a short while at least. Left to their own devices outside of the patriarchal society, they find love, explore artistry and show that women can do the things that male dominated society doesn't allow them to do normally. There's also a great subplot about Sophie getting an abortion, highly relevant right now considering what is happening in the US currently, and shows the terrible things women had to do prior to modern contraceptive methods, and safer and legal abortion procedures, if they wanted agency over their own body. Portrait of a Lady on Fire is angry that many of these things are still problems, even in the west. Abortion rights are often under attack in many countries. Women are still often taken less seriously as artists, and have a harder time being allowed to work as artists than men. And because I've been busy with holidays and family engagements, Adele Haenel had time to quit the film industry yesterday, mostly for the reasons explored in this very film, before I had the time to write this review. Almost poetic.

 

[Jevo]

Good pick, especially as you mention in contrast to the male/female gaze of a lesbian romance.

I loved it when it was released, but I have a gut feeling it has not aged well. Curious to see if my reaction is true or not

I also loved it when it came out, but I've been apprehensive about revisiting it. Will be interesting to see how it holds up now.

 

[Jevo]

All About My Mother (1999) dir. Pedro Almodovar

17 years before the start of the movie Manuela flees Barcelona. She's pregnant with the child of her transsexual partner, who's also addicted to drugs and a prostitute. She doesn't want to raise a child in that environment, so leaves for Madrid. Now Esteban is a young man who wants to know more about his past. But before Manuela can tell him, Esteban dies when he gets struck by a car, chasing an autograph for a theatre actress. Manuela now goes back to Barcelona, looking for Lola, to tell her about the death of her son. She finds Agrado, an old friend who transitioned together with Lola, and who has stayed friends with Lola. But recently Lola stole some of her stuff and disappeared. Manuela also makes friends with Rosa, a nun who works with prostitutes, and Huma, the actress who Esteban tried to get an autograph from.

All About My Mother might in someways be the quintessential Almodovar. It's one of his best, if not his best. And it also has many of his most common trademarks. It's bright and colourful, it's a women's story, it's very melodramatic. But also in typical Almodovar fashion. He takes a very melodramatic story, filled with melodramatic characters, and he makes it personal and moving. Sure the characters are exagerrated, and there's coincidences aplenty in the story, but for Almodovar that's a strength. He's at his best when he gets to get in deep with these kinds of characters, and explore what they are really like, and often they are much more deviant than you'd expect.

All About My Mother is about the power of women standing together and working together. But also about what it means to be a mother. In this case, you often don't have to be blood related to take on a mothering role, which all the principal women do in this film. Manuela is a mother to Esteban, but also takes on a mothering role for Rosa, when Rosa's mother doesn't approve of her life choices. Rosa herself became a mother, but was also a maternal figure to the prostitutes she worked with as a nun. Huma was just as much a mother as a romantic partner to Nina.

In discussing Blue is the Warmest Colour coming up, some of are wondering how it and its male gaze holds up a decade later. I was a bit interested in the same with this film, although I didn't really fear it wouldn't hold up, more that the reaction to it would have changed. In the past 23 years a lot has changed in how transsexuals are viewed in society, and for the better. But it also means that society in general have become more aware of using transsexuals as a joke. While Almodovar is anything but transphobic, his very campy portrayal of Agrado here would probably not illicit universal praise today, as some might feel that the movie makes fun of transsexuals, which isn't the case. Agrado simply has enough confidence in herself, to laugh at herself. I doubt Almodovar would change a thing.

Personally I don't think this is Almodovar's best. But it is the film of his that I feel showcases his style the best.

 

[KallioWeHardlyKnewYe]

All About My Mother
(Almodovar) 1999
“Women will do anything to avoid being alone.”

Five women — all with varying degrees of tragedy and trauma — form a loose and (mostly) supportive community amid the backdrop of a local theater group.

A few weeks back, I started a thread about movies that you’ve changed your mind about as you’ve gotten older and wiser. Almodovar is one of those filmmakers who is close to fitting that for me. Not totally a change of mind because I was never really against his work, but definitely more of an “oh, I get it” thing as I both got older and more worldly (and film literate) and I gradually encountered more and more of his work.

All About My Mother was probably the second movie of his I ever saw. The first was Tie Me Up, Tie Me Down which I definitely was NOT interested in for its story or style (thanks Cinemax!) at that time. I actually reviewed this as the critic at my college paper way back in 1999. It was favorable, but I’ll admit that was me outwardly affirming the already rave reviews for the film while inwardly remaining a bit indifferent. Trying to pass as literate and knowledgeable while not actually being so.

I’d like to think I’m a little better now.

All About My Mother is some extreme melodramatic, soap operatic shit. And almost every minute of it is wonderful. Almodovar is a wizard at creating such distinct, memorable characters. Despite the circumstances, which involve dramatic death, AIDS, violence, drug addiction, All About My Mother teems with constant life and humor. Never as sad as you might expect, but never allowing its moments of ebullience outweigh the more serious matters at hand. It hits all its emotional buttons well and repeatedly.

What shines through is Almodovar’s humanity and understanding. The trans character Agrado has to carry much of the humor, but is never once the joke. The struggles of the other assorted other characters, though again quite dramatic, are always tethered to a reality even if his overall movies quite aren’t. His style is elevated with his preference for bold candy colored wardrobes and sets and his Douglas-Sirk-meets-Preston-Sturges sensibilities. I’m mostly dancing around the stereotype description of flamboyant, but it’s not unfair to say it’s there and I’m not sure he’d argue.

I’m reminded of the Turning Red review controversy a few months back. TL/DR version: a white male reviewer dismissed the movie centered on a teen girl protagonist as being too small and specific a POV for him to indentify with. Almodovar has a hyper specific style and is often depicting very specific people and cultures. Frankly, younger me’s lack of interest in women’s stories and a general unfamiliarity with queer culture were probably a large roadblock back in 1999. I was too busy raving about Fight Club and Being John Malkovich, bro. But one of the things that’s so great about Almodovar is his ability to draw you in and make you care about people and world’s that are very possibly very different from your own.

Themes like love and loss and loneliness and motherhood (or parenthood) are universal and he’s an expert at running those through his very focused lens.

 

[Pink Mist]

All About My Mother / Todo sobre mi madre (Pedro Almodóvar, 1999)

On the eve of his 17th birthday, Esteban, an aspiring writer who lives with his single mother and who wants nothing more than to know who his father is, is run over and killed by a car while trying to score an autograph after a local production of A Streetcar Named Desire. After his death his mother Manuela returns to Barcelona to find the boys father, a transgender sex worker. Meanwhile, she meets Agrado, a vivacious transgender sex worker; and Rosa, a nun pregnant with HIV.

A lot of stories are being balanced here by Almodóvar and it is oh so melodramatic, but never does the plot become unfocused or the melodrama overbearing, which it easily could have been if filmed by a lesser director. Almodóvar is at the top of his talents here, telling a story about female and queer solidarity through a cast of five women who in their chaotic and entangled lives come to mother each other in someway. It never feels forced like it is a feminist story about the power of women (which it absolutely is a story of) and is instead subtle through an empathetic and an authentic treatment of its characters. As subtle and authentic as a story which involves two mothers meeting by chance who were impregnated by the same transgender partner can be. I didn’t say it was realistic, but in Almodóvar’s world it feels authentic.

The portrayal of trans characters in this film is also notable, and I have seen people argue on both sides of this some arguing it is ahead of its time, while others say it hasn’t aged well. I fall into the former category. I think it is a very empathetic portrayal of trans life, and although Agrado is the comic relief in the film, they are never the butt of the joke and Almodóvar is punching up not down with his humour. In my opinion the portrayal is definitely ahead of its time and is even better than many portrayals today.

 

[kihei]

All About My Mother (1999) Directed by Pedro Almodovar

This is a Pedro Almodovar film at its most Almodovar-ish. What starts out as a tragedy about a mother grieving her dead son to the point of following his donated heart around quickly turns into a story about that grieving mother's ability to show compassion and receive compassion from a whole diverse collection of female characters dealing with a cornucopia of various problems. As it moves forward, the movie branches out to include more characters, more stories, more seemingly insupportable woes, the common thread being women's ability to create bonds with other women in even the most dire of circumstances.

Almodovar loves anyone who is a woman, becomes a woman or wishes she were a woman. The movie is trans friendly and just plain human friendly. All about My Mother has a curious vibe, but not in a bad way--it's just so unique for its genre. All About My Mother is awash in sentiment, the sort of heartfelt emotion that borders on schmaltz without ever quite crossing the line. Director Douglas Sirk (Magnificent Obsession; All I Desire; Imatation of Life) was noted for these kinds of movies (though with him schmaltz did cross the line and back again several thousand times). Todd Haynes (Carol; Far from Heaven) tries to make more sophisticated modern versions. There are no shortage of big emotional moments in such movies, showstopper scenes for the actresses involved. In hands other than Almodovar's, though, this approach could lead to somthing bordering on farce--the problems are so BIG, the feelings so OUT THERE. But then there are the bright colors, flashy patterns, eye-catching dresses, and general "ain't-life-grand" attitude that adds a lot of sunlight where otherwise there might be nothing but gloom.

So we have a lot of female angst curiously surrounded by good cheer. All this should indeed feel like parody, but it doesn't. Almodovar seems to genuinely like and respect his characters. So what might have become something to poke fun at is utterly trumped by sincerity. The audience ends up liking these characters, too, and rooting for things to turn out all right for them. Almodovar creates a kind of movie magic here that is good to see and fun to experience. All About My Mother is a song in praise of the great resilience of women and of the good that comes from not being too quick to judge anybody.

subtitles

.

 

[Pink Mist]

The Incredible Shrinking Man (Jack Arnold, 1957)

After being exposed to a combination of radiation and insecticide, Scott Carey (Grant Williams) develops a disorder that causes him to slowly shrink over several months. Very soon he is only a few inches tall his life is full of horrors like the family cat and house spiders that are now monster size. Although undoubtedly a b-movie with a pulpy sci-fi origin, The Incredible Shrinking Man is surprisingly philosophical and well produced. Subtext to the Cold War nuclear age is on hand combined with a deeply existential story of survival and bodily transformation. Gender studies critics could also have a field day with this film with a commentary of the film and masculine anxieties related to size and performance.

Grant Williams and Randy Stuart, who plays his wife, are better than your average b-movie actor and have a good chemistry together, particularly in the first opening scene which has some great witty banter delivered between the couple. Williams does the heavy lifting in the second half of the film when it is just him against the miniature world trapped in a damp basement trying to survive while his wife thinks he’s been eaten by their cat. He does a great job making his fear seem believable and not schlocky and this is helped by the production design and special effects in the film.

The Incredible Shrinking Man is one of those old films that makes you wonder why we even bother with CGI today. The effects in the film are seem more believable than CGI and it results in the filmmakers having to be a lot more creative in how they tell their story than just slapping on a green screen like they would today if this were filmed. Oversized furniture and wardrobes and forced perspectives, among other tricks deployed here, just work so well and it really feels like we’ve lost something with this reliance on CGI that just feels lazy (I know that this is a better example of practical fx from the era, and that there are other films with laughably bad fx from the era). This it to say that The Incredible Shrining Man is a wonderfully enjoyable film that is equally fun and philosophical and exemplifies the power of analog fx.

 

[Pink Mist]

My next pick will be John Ford's Stagecoach

 

[Jevo]

The Incredible Shrinking Man (1957) dir. Jack Arnold

Scott Carey is vacationing with his wife on a boat somewhere tropical, when the boat suddenly gets hit by a strange mist which leaves as quickly as it came. Turns out the mist was radiation from a nuclear test. Combined with Scott's recent exposure to pesticides, it causes him to suddenly start shrinking. Science can't help him, he just keeps shrinking. At first he and his wife makes some money with him as a sideshow figure, but he quickly grows too small for even that, and he lives in a doll house in their home. After a near miss with the cat, he falls into the basement. His wife thinks he's been eaten, and soon forgets about him. In the basement Scott also soon forgets all hope of being found again, and starts living like a caveman, finding food stored down there, and fighting of huge spiders to save his life.

The Incredible Shrinking Man is incredibly imaginative. Instead of coming up with new monsters, it instead uses entirely ordinary creatures as monsters, with cats and spiders being Scott's worst enemies. For defence he uses everyday objects, transformed into mighty weapons. A small sewing needle becomes a lance, and so on. Not that Godzilla or Gill-man aren't fun, but the take here on the monster sci-fi is different and it's very fun to see how these common household items are transformed. At times the effects used doesn't hold up that well, mainly when Scott has to share the screen with full sized people. His movements look unatural, and like he isn't really interacting with the world. But when he's on a set made to make him look small, the movie looks great, and you really feel he's living life as a tiny human.

The movie greatly showcases just how optimised humans have made modern life. Very few animals are any danger to us, and if they are, we have probably made weapons we can effectively use against them, and we have built homes to protect us against them and the weather. We don't much have to worry about sudden floods. And food is plentiful in the shops. But shrink us down to the size of small insect, and things are much more precarious. Suddenly all sorts of animals wants to hunt us and eat us. Minor spills of water can feel catastrophic, and not just because it can cause rot. Just surviving is a day-to-day task now, and chances of making it long aren't good. We don't take for granted what we have, until we don't have it anymore.

 

[Jevo]

My next pick is Alex Garland's Ex Machina.