Zidane

17 cameras fixed on Zidane for the entire 90 minutes capturing his every movement. When I first heard about the idea for Douglas Gordon & Philippe Parreno’s film Zidane: A 21st Century Portrait I was thrilled because it offered me a chance to witness something that I have longed for -- to observe what a soccer player, a great one at that, does for an entire 90 minutes. My interest was driven mostly because it is extremely hard to observe a player’s off the ball movement during a televised soccer game. In a regular 90 minute game the ball stays in play for an average of 60 minutes with the rest of time wasted on fouls and stoppages. I have seen games where the ball was in play for atleast 66 minutes and I have also seen some games where the ball was only in action for 43 minutes (an Italian Serie A game from a few years ago with plenty of kicking and no flow). So that gives each player an average of 3 minutes on the ball, provided all the players touch the ball equally (60 min / 20 outfield players or 66 min / 22 players). That is a remarkable number and means a soccer player would have to spend 87 minutes in off the ball movement. And this is where the most intelligent players thrive, positioning themselves perfectly so that when they receive the ball they make each touch count. Ofcourse, the best players also get to spend a lot more time on the ball than their team-mates.

Over the last few decades there have been few players as intelligent and remarkable as Zinedine Zidane. Which is what makes the film such a treat to watch. The game in the film is the April 2005 La Liga fixture between Madrid and Villarreal, almost a year before the World Cup final. We get to witness the calculative Zizou, the constantly thinking man looking for that great pass, and also the extremely focussed man who is able to blur out the noise of the restless crowd in the Santiago Bernabeau. We get to see his amazing control of the ball as he points to where he wants the ball and perfectly controls it with a single touch even if that touch is a backheel. And early in the second half, we see Zidane getting isolated from the game and drifting into his own world. But we then witness him regrouping and thankfully we get to see his genius as he dribbles past players and perfectly crosses the ball leading to a Madrid goal. And as the game progresses, we see Zidane get agitated until he lashes out resulting in a red card. Zizou only got a handful of red cards in his playing career, and two of them were in the World Cup, the first in the 1998 World Cup after he needlessly stomped on a player from Saudi Arabia and the second being that now infamous one in the 2006 World Cup final. The interesting aspect is that the film was released in May 2006 at the Cannes film festival and was just a month before the World Cup started and two months before that World Cup Final. So it gave a few months notice about Zidane’s red card incident. But then again, his reputation for carrying an angry side was already established when he played in Italy with Juventus. Ofcourse, his genius was far superior to those red cards.


The film shows the best and worst of Zidane and in that respect is a perfect testament to one of the greatest players to have ever played the game. Besides Zidane, we get to see plenty of other big name stars. The most prominent one is Roberto Carlos who manages to get Zidane to smile near the game’s end, the only time Zidane was able to relax. The camera also shows us Madrid’s golden boy Raul, along with Beckham and Ronaldo and if one blinks, they could miss Figo. On the Villarreal side, we get to see Marco Senna, Spain’s maestro at Euro 2008, Diego Forlan and the silky Juan Roman Riquelme.

It was a real pleasure to watch the film although there were moments where the directors decisions regarding the shot selection leads to some missed opportunities and needless blurred shots. A huge positive is the soundtrack by Mogwai which perfectly blends in with the action. At selected moments the soundtrack is turned off and we get to hear the crowd, either silent, talking or getting angry. Those moments of listening to the crowd and the long shots of Zidane, standing isolated like a lone warrior, are perfect.

Rating: 9/10

JCVD

In theory it appeared to be a great idea -- Jean-Claude Van Damme playing a washed out action hero struggling to make ends meet, reflecting on his career, all the while speaking in his native tongue. That was enough to get me intrigued. I stayed away from reading the story and chose to have the film speak for itself. But unfortunately, it only appears to have been a great idea on paper. When translated to the screen, something does appear to be missing. Although the film does hold a lot of promise and contains enough to make it worthwhile, it truly feels like a missed opportunity for something better, something greater even.

Mabrouk El Mechri’s feature begins in brilliant fashion. Van Damme is shooting a scene for an action film, doing what action heroes do best, but at the end of the take he appears to be tired. That is when he approaches his Asian director and tells him that he can’t do action scenes in one take anymore as he is “47 years old”. But the Asian director wants none of it and continues to throw darts at a Hollywood target poster. The director’s translator conveys the words to Van Damme along with a jibe about John Woo and Hollywood. The John Woo reference is brought up again later on in the film by a few Van Damme fans who believe that if it were not for “the man from Brussels” John Woo would still be “shooting with pigeons” in Hong Kong. The best part of the film is such film jokes which poke fun both at Van Damme and even at the action film industry in general, such as how Steven Seagal beat Van Damme to a part because he agreed to cut off his pony tail. The film is sprinkled with these jokes and balances the serious moments delicately along with the lighter side of things.

Immediately after the opening scenes, we witness how Van Damme is involved in a custody battle for his daughter, an issue that forms the crux of the actor’s pain. After stopping for a brief photo and autograph session with some fans, Van Damme heads to the post office when some gun shots are heard. We see his face through the broken window asking the local cop to get away, but the cop assumes that Van Damme is the one holding hostages at the post office. The media jump on this story and his action fans gather around the post office to support their hero. There are some clues given to who is doing the actual hold up, but the film then does a rewind of sorts and shows the post office scenes from a different point of view, explaining how Van Damme became a hostage himself. While some of these scenes were useful, the film’s momentum is actually halted by explaining things unnecessarily in detail as there is enough for the audience to gather on their own. Still, the hostage situation brings its own mix of humor and reflection; humor when one of the robbers turns out to be a big Van Damme fan and asks his hero to demo some karate kicks while Van Damme reflects on his own life and what he has accomplished. In an interesting sequence, Van Damme is lifted high above the ground and addresses the audience directly, exposing himself via his honest confessions.

JCVD does raise some interesting points about perceptions of actors and even the film industry in general. Van Damme is frustrated to be getting the same cliched parts, playing the action hero in the nth sequel of a meaningless film, and blames some directors for ruining his career. Mabrouk El Mechri’s film does show that Jean-Claude can indeed act and offers much more than brainless action roles he plays over and over, so why is he not getting offered anything else? By playing himself in the film and given some of the dialogues, the film does have a autobiographical feel to it, but there are also some cuts which allude to the film within a film nature of JCVD. Even though the film only has a running time of 96 minutes, it would have been much stronger had another 10 minutes being trimmed. Still, overall it was refreshing to see a director integrate humor, action and tender emotions and allow Jean-Claude Van Damme to open up and use his face and expressions, and leave his muscles on the side.

Rating: 7.5/10

Spotlight on France: ratings

Final ratings of all the 17 films seen.

Ratings out of 10:

Play Time (1967, Jacques Tati): 10

Elevator to the Gallows (1958, Louis Malle): 10

The Wages of Fear (1953, Henri - Georges Clouzot): 10

Rififi (1955, Jules Dassin): 9

OSS 117: Cairo, Nest of Spies (2006, Michel Hazanavicius): 9

Murmurs of the Heart (1971, France, Louis Malle): 8.5

Mon Uncle (1957, Jacques Tati): 8.5

Brief Crossing (2001, Catherine Breillat): 8.5

Coeurs (2006, Alain Resnais): 8

Au revoir les enfants (1987, France, Louis Malle): 8

The Valet (2006, Francis Veber): 8

La Belle et la bête (1946, Jean Cocteau): 7.5

Lacombe Lucien (1974, Louis Malle): 7.5

M.Hulot's holiday (1953, Jacques Tati): 7.5

Sheitan (2006, Kim Chapiron): 6.5

Romance (1999, Catherine Breillat): 6.5

Anatomy of Hell (2004, Catherine Breillat): 5

Oil & Latin America: Three Films

Before Oil

Film: Caribe (2004, Costa Rica, Director Esteban Ramírez)

Pristine beauty. Calm waters & beautiful coastlines.

This is the untouched beauty of Costa Rica that the camera in Caribe returns to on multiple occasions to remind us what would be lost if the proposed oil drilling mentioned at the film's beginning would go through.

The story of the oil drilling/explorations off the coast shown in Caribe are based on a real episode in Costa Rica's history. In the film, before the oil drilling could start, explorations were made to determine how much oil there really was underneath the ocean. As part of the process, the oil companies exploded bombs in the seabed. This scared the fish away and the town's fishing supply was depleted. The town of Limon mainly survived on two income sources -- fishing and tourism. The environmentalist groups feel that once big oil moves in, tourism will take a hit and cripple the local economy. The groups turn to the locals to raise their voice and stop the oil companies.


One of the most respected town members is Vicente (Jorge Perugorría),

who owns a banana plantation. But his business is in danger of collapsing after a new European tax on Costa Rican fruit exports makes his supply less profitable to his exporters.

There may be more to Vicente's contracts getting cancelled and the audience is given an indirect hint. Vicente is told that because of the new European tax, the exporters only want to deal with big plantations and not independent producers. This could be an indirect way to force the local people out of a job thus making the lure of big oil and its promised jobs seem as the only option to move forward.

Vicente is torn between his principles to help fight the oil companies and the need to keep his business alive. The money offered by the oil companies to get his support is too tempting to turn away. Equally tempting is his wife's sister. The stress and madness lure Vicente away from his beautiful wife (below) into the arms of the sensuous sister.

Even if the oil issue was not around, a few early clues do indicate that Vicente would still have cheated on his wife. But the timing of his betrayal are interesting as they coincide with the arrival of the oil corporations which threaten the peaceful environment, while the new arrival of the long lost sister threatens his perfect marriage. As a result, both the paradise in his mind and around him are shook up.

---

When Oil arrives

Film: Le Salaire de la peur (1953, France, Director Henri-Georges Clouzot)

In Caribe the locals eventually fight away big oil and save their land. But that is not always the case. Most times, the promise of new jobs and money allow oil companies to easily move in. The town (or city/country) then depends on oil as the main source of income. Other industries may collapse as young & old rush to work for the oil companies.

At the start of Wages of Fear, we find men languishing in a sleepy un-named Latin town. Oil is the only work around as men earn their money working in the oil fields. There are plenty of foreigners who work in the town and want to save enough money to eventually leave one day. Mario (Yves Montand) is living the happy life between work and chasing a woman.

His good friend Jo (Charles Vanel) arrives in town for the sole purpose of earning money. We can tell he is not allowed in this place as just before he heads for immigration, he slips money in his passport. This ensures his passport gets stamped, without even a glance at the pictures of people on the wanted list.


Jo discovers an old acquaintance in the American boss of the Southern Oil Company (the initials SOC point towards the real life Standard Oil Company) and heads to ask him for work because he really needs the money. But he is told that things in this country are strict and Jo can't get work because of his past.

Things are quiet in town with work progressing at a slow pace until an emergency stirs things up. A fire at a remote oil field kills a few people and requires to be controlled before it threatens to rack up more financial losses. One way to curb the oil fire is to use explosives around the wild gushing oil station. For that, nitroglycerin has to be used.


Notes:

Interestingly, Daniel Plainview uses this same tactic in There Will be Blood. And some of the shots of a man against the backdrop of black smoke reminded me of Plainview.

There is an interesting shot of three naked natives watching the oil fire. The three natives simply stand by looking at the fire and are told by the oil operator to go away but seeing that the locals don't understand his words, he walks away in frustration.

In Caribe we see the local natives getting upset at the plans of big oil as that would threaten to take away the land they have lived on. One can infer that the three natives shown in Wages of Fear used to live on or nearby this land which is now being used by SOC.

Since the remote oil site is a few hundred miles away, it is a tough job to get nitroglycerin there because a spilled drop of nitroglycerin can kill an individual. On top of that, there isn't proper equipment and none of the trucks have shock absorbers or safety features to safely transfer this dangerous explosive. So the American bosses decide the only way this can be done is to get two trucks to carry the dangerous good there. They only need one truck load of nitroglycerin but two will be sent out in case one doesn't make it. One of the owners wants to pay the drivers "peanuts" but the American boss refuses to short change the drivers since they are going on a suicide mission. So the wage is set to $2000 dollar. Oh, and to avoid any problems the drivers will be hired from outside the union.

Plenty of men show up wanting to get this deadly job because of the money.

Eventually 4 men are chosen (including Mario) and once again Jo is shut out. But mysteriously, the German driver chosen does not make it to the 3 am departure time and magically Jo appears to take his place (it is clear that Jo did something to make the German disappear).

As to be expected the journey of these 4 men and two trucks is tension packed and full of dangerous obstacles. The trucks have to go at a certain speed otherwise the potholes on some of the roads could cause the explosives to go off (hmm, the idea of not going above a certain speed limit reminded me of the concept in Speed).


Some of the obstacles include a giant boulder in the middle of the road which has to be blown up using a pinch of nitroglycerin, a shaky bridge which the truck has to back onto in order to make a tricky turn and an oil lake.


I believe there is a newer DVD copy of this movie but I found an older DVD in the original French language and no subtitles. But thankfully, three important sequences in the film are in English -- the meeting between Jo and the American boss, the discussion of the oil field fire and explanation of the dangers of the nitroglycerin transfer. This is all the information I needed because after the 45 minute mark when the two trucks head out on their mission, the tension of the situation kept me riveted and I hardly noticed time pass by or the fact that I could not understand most of the words. Such is the power of the images, the editing and camera work that words can't compete with the beauty of what is put on screen.

Plus there are plenty of scenes which are just wonderful to watch. One such sequence involves Mario and Jo sitting in the local bar when Luigi (another person who gets picked to be one of the 4 drivers) asks the barmaid to dance.

Mario is upset as this is the woman that he likes.

Jo decides to stop the music.

At first Luigi is startled but within a second he continues singing the song and dancing, much to the delight of the other patrons who clearly support Luigi.


Nothing fancy about this scene but it is so free flowing and full of life.

---

Some side effects of oil..

Film: Keepers of Eden (2007, USA, Director Yoram Porath)

The oil lake shown in Wages of Fear shows one of the side effects of oil pipelines and drilling is that oil could accidentally spill over. It becomes more dangerous when this spilled oil finds a way into a water supply. The documentary Keepers of Eden shows nauseating scenes of the harmful effects of oil tainting fresh water supply resulting in skin diseases and sores in people who use the water source. The areas shown in the film are some sections of the Amazon in Ecuador.

Keepers of Eden shows that the blame not only lies with big oil but with a government that rushes to allow oil companies to move in. In Caribe Vicente tries to argue that there are ways for oil companies to be "eco-friendly". Ofcourse, he did not believe that himself but he was speaking those words because he needed the money from big oil. He eventually decides that he can't sell his soul but what the film showed was that in certain circumstances even a proud local like Vicente was willing to forget the environment because of the money offered. And that is the problem really. Oil means money. Why else was Daniel Plainview so eager to drill in There Will be Blood and switched over to oil exploration from gold/silver hunting? And when the bottom line is money, then sadly the environment and other safety measures take a back-seat. A few years ago, the cause of the environment was put forth and it seemed that someone would listen. But as each passing day goes by and the price of oil dominates the media headlines, it is hard to believe that events/scenes shown in Caribe & Keepers of Eden won't continue to repeat themselves.

Love and Music

Love for Sale (2006, Brazil, Director Karim Ainouz): Rating 6.5/10

The only reason I got Love for Sale (or Suely in the Sky) was because of Karim Ainouz. I had enjoyed Ainouz's previous directorial venture Madame Satã and his writing in Cinema, Aspirins and Vultures & Lower City. But I have to admit that after seeing 15 films in my Brazilian spotlight this year, Love for Sale was one movie too much. The story is reflected in other Brazilian films I saw this year, especially in Deserto Feliz.



In Deserto Feliz, a girl leaves her village for Sao Paulo. But in the big cruel city, she is forced into prostitution to make ends meet and longs for an escape from Sao Paulo. In Love for Sale Hermila returns back from Sao Paulo to Iguatu with her young baby and moves into her mother-in law's house. Gradually it is clear that Hermila's 20 year old husband has no interest in looking after her and the baby as he stays in the city and does not attempt to make contact with her. So Hermila longs for an escape far away from Iguatu. But since she has no money, she comes up with a scheme to raffle off her body.

Like most recent Brazilian films, the production values of Love for Saleare top-notch. I am a big fan of Walter Carvalho and as usual his cinematography perfectly captures the visuals of a hot Brazilian landscape. There are some neat camera techniques here but overall, the story had the air of inevitability that I had found in a handful of other recent Brazilian films dealing with such a topic.

Music as escape from Poverty & Misery:

Once (2006, Ireland, Director John Carney): Rating 7.5/10

This charming Irish films shows two characters who live on the fringes of modern society's economic charts but can easily be found in any European city's core. The guy plays his guitar on street sides hoping to earn some money for his talent while the girl is an immigrant from the Czech Republic who roams the Dublin city core selling red roses.

The smart usage of hand-held cameras give the movie an earthy feel and allows to us to experience these character's bitter sweet life. When things get tough, both the guy and girl find solace in music. The girl provides the inspiration for the guy to finally follow his dream of getting his music recorded.

La Vie en Rose (2007, French co-production, Director Olivier Dahan): Rating 7.5/10

In Once the guy sang on street corners while playing his guitar. In La Vie en Rose, Edith Pilaf (Marion Cotillard in a riveting performance) also stood on street corners to sing but she only relied on her soulful voice -- her powerful voice could stop traffic and lighten any wary heart. The film shows her rise to fame from a background of poverty to her performance at music halls in Paris and New York. The best parts of the film are where we get to listen to her booming voice.

Since Otar Left, Killer of Sheep

Otar has left with the Killer of Sheep

We interrupt our regular programming with this breaking news!!!

"Otar has left the country along with the killer of sheep. The killer of sheep was last seen 30 years ago in 1977 but has recently surfaced again. He is a wanted target and a threat. I repeat, he is a THREAT!!! His recent relationship with Otar could prove to be very dangerous for everyone. We are working on...hang on...what?...ok."

Dead air.

"And we are back. We have just received some new information. It appears that Otar has not left with the killer of sheep. I repeat, Otar has not left with the killer of sheep. Otar has left for Paris but the Killer of Sheep is still at large. Please lock your doors and stay in front of the tv for the rest of the night. We will continue to work on this story for our 11 pm news tonight."

Booming Announcer Voice: "We NOW return to the current program".

Tick Tock. Time flies by.

11 pm. Booming Voice: "Welcome to channel 847's nightly news. Here's your host Jim Newswallah"

"Good evening and glad you could be with us. We begin with our top story involving Otar and the Killer of sheep. Police have now confirmed that Otar has illegally landed in Paris and has gone missing. He has nothing to do with the Killer of Sheep who still poses a threat to the people of the free world. For more on Otar, we join ace reporter Valencia Fernandez on location in Tbilisi".

Valencia: "Yes thank you Jim. I am in Tbilisi, Georgia covering this remarkable story about Otar. It appears that Otar left Georgia for France in order to provide a better living for his family. The economy in Georgia has been going through a rough transition after the collapse of communism and people are struggling to make ends meet. In fact, some people still fondly remember the days of Stalin and the Soviet rule. One such person who misses the old regime is Otar's grandmother Eka."


"Eka lives with her daughter Marina and grand-daughter Ada

in an apartment complex in the heart of Tbilisi. The three women had to solely relay on Otar and now they can only hope that Otar can quickly find work in Paris and send some money back."

"This is Valencia Fernandez reporting for Channel 847, Tbilisi, Georgia."

Jim: "Well that was one part of our story. It appears that Otar doesn't pose a threat to anyone at this point. But the same can't be said for the killer of sheep. Who is this killer of sheep? Why is he a danger for all inhabitants of this planet? For more on his identity, we join the hip and manly Chaz Henry in L.A"

Chaz: "Good evening Jim."

Jim: "Yes, good evening Chaz. What can you tell us about this sheep killer?"

Chaz: "Well it appears that this story has been blown out of proportion. We ain't talking about no murderer but an ordinary hard working human being."

Jim: "With a name like killer of sheep, how can be innocent?"

Chaz: "Oh he got that name because he works in a slaughter house. That's all. In fact, he don't even slice the sheep. He merely mops the floor after the sheep get killed and takes them dead sheep towards the ice storage."

Jim: "Well that explains the title. But who is this man?"

Chaz: "His name's Stan."


Chaz: "He got a wife and two little kids. The kids spend all day playing around and getting in trouble. You know, the sort of stuff that kids do.


His wife is real pretty but she don't do much work around the house. Poor Stan got to do it all. He works all day long in the slaughter house, surrounded by blood and dead sheep. He got to wipe up all the blood off the floor. Then he comes home and instead of having dinner has to either fix some appliances or something."

Jim: "So is Stan a threat?"

Chaz: "Oh I get it. The only reason we doing this story is because you all think that Stan is a threat, eh?"

Jim: "No. Not at all. We thought he was a murderer and sent our ace crew to cover the story."

Chaz: "Well you got it all wrong. Stan could never hurt a fly. Well he may one day kill a sheep. But he won't lay a finger on a human being. You see.."

Jim: "Sorry Chaz. We have to go."

Chaz: "But I ain't finished yet."

Jim: "It does not matter. Stan is of no interest to us."

Chaz: "Ain't that the problem. Just because Stan is an ordinary man with every day problems and an honest job, he ain't interesting enough for you?"

Jim: "Chaz, we really don't have time for this. We are about to go to commercials"

Chaz: "No you ain't. You ain't going nowhere until you hear about my story about Stan."

Jim: "Chaz we have no place for real humanistic stories in our news. We only cover sensational news so that we can cause fear and panic in people. Only then will people submit to the greater powers. And once we have scared them enough, we feed them with mindless entertainment to numb them further."

Camera Man #1: "Jim, we are still on air"

Jim: "F*($#*^#$$#. I thought you said we went for commercials."

Camera Man #1: "You never gave the cue."

Jim: "You want a cue. I will give you a #$*&#$ cue."

Dead Air.

Booming Voice: "Due to technical difficulties with the news broadcast, we instead join an episode of the award winning drama 'Crime Beat Team: Suburban patrol."

---

Since Otar Left (2003, France/Belgium, Director Julie Bertucelli): Rating 8.5/10

A very tender and touching story about the relationship between three women. Beautifully acted, especially by Dinara Drukarova who plays the young Ada. Ada is the peace maker in the house as she balances the icy wars between her mother Marina (Nino Khomasuridze) and her grandmother Eka (a very sweet and measured performance from Esther Gorintin).

Killer of Sheep (1977, Director Charles Burnett): Rating 9/10



I can't believe such a poetic and simple film about a man's everyday struggles was made in 1977. The late 1970's American cinema was known for big Hollywood blockbusters, like Star Wars which got released in 1977 as well. So it is refreshing to know such a humble independent film was made three decades ago.

Note:
Killer of Sheep pics -- Copyright © 2007 Milestone Films
Since Otar Left pics -- Zeitgeist Films

October Film Wrap-up

October was supposed to be a relaxed month in terms of film viewing after all the film festival movies that I saw between Sept 20-Oct 4. But as it turned out, the third week of October ended up being pretty crazy in terms of film viewings -- 15 movies in 5 days with 7 movies watched in one day. I certainly had no intentions of putting myself through this ordeal but things ended up that way. While I talked about some of those 15 movies in previous posts, the following six were left out.

The Son (2002, Belgium/France, Directors Jean-Pierre & Luc Dardenne): Rating 9.5/10

Fists in the Pocket (1965, Italy, Director Marco Bellocchio): Rating 8.5/10

Japón (2002, Mexico/Germany/Netherlands/Spain, Director Carlos Reygadas): Rating 8/10

Chocolat (1988, France/West Germany/Cameroon, Director Claire Denis): Rating 8/10

Transylvania (2006, France, Director Tony Gatlif): Rating 7.5/10

Electra, My Love (1970, Hungary, Director Miklós Jancsó)

Revenge and pain: There is something so simple but brilliant about the Dardenne brothers films. The verite style allows one to focus on only the relevant details and shut everything else out. The Son is another highly infectious movie to watch, although the topic of revenge is handled quite differently from other films.

Family problems: Fists in the Pocket is Marco Bellocchio's dark and un-relentless film which looks at the complicated relationships within a religious Italian family. It is not a surprize that this film caused such a sensation in Italy back in 1965 because the movie shows absolute cruelty and no remorse in how a man plots to kill his family. But the movie is not just about murder but includes topics of incest and religious defiance. And to think this was Bellocchio's debut feature!

A Journey:

Carlos Reygadas's Japón is a simple tale of a man's journey across the Mexican landscape. The man is tired of the city life and just wants to escape the noise and chaos. But he finds that he still can't shut off his desires despite being away from civilization. The best thing about this movie is the imaginative camera angles, especially during the final sequence when the camera slowly turns around 360 degrees and allows us to fully soak in every surrounding detail.

I have a huge admiration for Tony Gatlif and his depiction of journey tales spiced with gypsy music. Both Exils (2004) and Gadjo dilo (1997) were such movies and as it turns out even Transylvania contains such elements. In fact, both Transylvania and Gadjo dilo have a lot in common. In Gadjo dilo, Stéphane (Romain Duris) heads to Romania to track a gypsy singer he once heard on a cassette. In Transylvania, a pregnant woman (Zingarina played by Asia Argento) heads to Romania as well to find a gypsy singer who is the father of her child. In both films, the main characters find themselves enchanted with the Romanian way of life and find happiness only when they give themselves up fully to a different culture.

Exile in Africa: I do believe that some movies lose their luster when viewed in a different decade than when they were made. Claire Denis's Chocolat is a decent movie but watching it in 2007 hardly has any impact as opposed to maybe watching it back in 1988. The movie is set in Cameroon on the eve of World War II and shows the daily relations and tensions between the French and the local Africans. The movie handles some issues in a very careful and subtle manner, especially regarding the inter-racial sexual tension and the brewing revolution. There are plenty of beautiful camera movements but over the years plenty of movies have depicted Africa in a better manner.

A staged greek play: I was really eager to watch Miklós Jancsó's Electra, My Love. But unfortunately, I didn't enjoy this Greek tragedy too much. Even though the sets are impressive and certain aspects of how the camera freely flows from one set of characters to another are interesting, I was not a fan of this effort.

Jacques Becker Spotlight

It is always a delightful experience to discover a masterpiece from an unknown director. Even though I have read many a book or an article on the French New Wave Cinema, I had never heard of Jacques Becker or his film Le Trou. All I knew from the DVD cover was that the film is about a prison break and I decided to try my luck. As it turns out, that is all one needs to know about the film because Becker gives us plenty of information as the film moves along.

Le Trou (1960): Rating 10/10

The film is about a prison break involving 5 prisoners. Initially, there are only 4 prisoners in the cell. Their plans are temporarily put on hold when a 5th person, Claude Gaspar is transferred to their cell. Only when Claude is taken into confidence do the escape plans start again.


It would be criminal to give away any details about the film as the sheer joy is in watching things unfold. The process of discovering the minor details is so throughly developed that the audience is made to feel like the sixth person inside the prison cell. What makes Le Trou an engaging experience is how the camera only focuses on the relevant details and how Becker uses long takes to show certain sequences.

For example, the following two pictures are about how the prison guards open and examine all the packages that the prisoner gets. In these two pictures, the guard breaks open the sausage
and cuts the cheese block into tiny pieces.

His hands move in a cold precise manner. The camera only focuses on his hands as he goes about his business and at no point does the camera bother to show us the expressions of the guard or even the prisoner because we know how each would feel about this -- the guard has to do his job while the prisoner has no choice.

All the important details about the prison escape are filmed in long un-interrupted takes. This way, we can get a feel about how much work is really put into what the prisoners are doing. Even when the edits are made, they are made at appropriate points so as to give a smooth progression of time. And there are plenty of important little details in how everyday objects are made tools in assisting the escape.

For example, a tiny piece of glass is attached to a tooth brush to make a tiny periscope which can be used to stick out of the prison peep-hole to see if the guard is coming or not.

In order to tell the passage of time, the prisoners put together a sand clock which they create by using everyday objects found in the prison.

Just like Robert Bresson's 1959 masterpiece Pickpocket calmly showed us the process involved in lifting people's pockets, Le Trou spends time in meticulously showing how these 5 characters attempted their master-plan. And like in Bresson's film, the camera in Le Trou spends enough time on each character that we can quickly gather each prisoner's personality.

Mobsters:

While Le Trou showed us criminals serving time, both Casque d'or and Touchez pas au grisbi spend time in the world of mobsters. Some of these mobsters have spent time in prison and maybe even stayed in cells across from the criminals shown in Le Trou. Before the long arm of the law catches up with the criminals in these two films, the well dressed thugs go about extracting revenge in their own ways.

Casque d'or (1952): Rating 8/10

A bunch of gangsters are parading around with their women. One of the gangsters, Raymond, recognizes an old friend (Georges Manda) and invites him over to their table. Georges eyes Marie and the two of them go for a dance. But Marie is Roland's girlfriend and he is not amused. Roland has a brief tussle with Georges before Georges heads his way. But Georges can't just walk away. He has feelings for Marie and tries to win her. Things are not that simple because Marie's lover (Roland) works for Félix Leca, the local mobster. While Luca also has feelings for Marie, he decides that if Georges can defeat Roland in a knife fight, he can walk away freely with Marie.

This crucial fight sequence is filmed in a raw & engaging manner. The two men square off...

Luca is ready to toss the knife

The knife flies threw the air...

A gritty fight that ends quickly with Georges dispatching Roland.

But Luca is not a man of his word and never gives up his desire for Marie. The film's final sequence shows how Georges values loyalty and friendship over love. Casque d'or starts off slowly but is most interesting after the knife fight.

Touchez pas au grisbi (1954): Rating 9/10

The film features a topic which has been portrayed by Hollywood countless times since 1954 -- a mobster wants to pull off one last job and then retire. Max (Jean Gabin) is such a person and at the film's start, he has already pulled off a major job with his close friend, Riton.

Only Max and Riton keep the knowledge about the robbery to themselves. However, secrets about wealth can't be hidden for long and shortly afterwards both Max and his friend are targets.

Max catches a person tailing him and takes him to a friend's house for interrogation. This beautifully filmed scene is reminiscent of Melville's Army of Shadows but Melville didn't make his masterpiece until 1969.



The topic of loyalty and friendship once again takes center stage in this film as both these aspects serve as the powerful currency among mobsters. Max only works with those people he has had a long working relationship with. Even though he knows Riton has a weakness for women and can't keep his mouth shut, he continues to confide in him because of his long friendship.

New Discovery: A week ago I had never heard of Jacques Becker. And after seeing three films with one being a master-piece, I can't help ask, why is his name not taken in the same wavelength as other French masters such as Bresson and Melville. One can clearly see an inspiration of Becker in Melville's work.