CRITERION AFFECTION

488. Howards End

dialmformichele — Fri, 06 Jan 2012 02:58:03 +0000

The Schlegel sisters, living in turn of the century England, are independent and compassionate, and capable of befriending anyone. This includes the wealthy Wilcoxes and the decidedly less wealthy Basts, whose lives intertwine (in a way too complex to summarize here) and leave everyone changed. This is one of those films where I read the book first, so I’m afraid I can’t help reviewing it without making comparisons to the source material. Fortunately for HOWARDS END, that works in its favor. Producer Ismail Merchant and director James Ivory collaborated on a number of E. M. Forster adaptations, a handful of which I’ve seen, and they consistently have a talent for getting at the heart of Forster’s stories. Sure, there are plenty of beautiful period costumes and lush locations. But that’s just window dressing for the characters, their relationships and their lives, that make the narrative powerful and surprisingly contemporary. Of course, a cast that includes Emma Thompson, Vanessa Redgrave, Anthony Hopkins, and Helena Bonham Carter doesn’t hurt.

507. Bigger Than Life

dialmformichele — Sun, 18 Dec 2011 18:14:24 +0000

James Mason is riveting, frightening, and other adjectives in the 1956 drama from Nicholas Ray, BIGGER THAN LIFE. A well-liked father and teacher, his life is turned upside down when he is diagnosed with a fatal condition, which can be kept in check by a miracle drug that comes with its own consequences. Slowly, as he begins to abuse the drug, he is transformed into something unrecognizable. What makes this film disturbing is not that he becomes a monster, but that it’s a familiar monster. Abusive fathers really do exist, with or without mind-altering drugs, and his family’s acquiescence is all too believable—although I’m sure it was a shocking depiction in the 50s. Aside from Mason’s performance, there are also some brilliantly shot scenes, like the one illustrated below. I generally try not to choose images that Criterion has used for their DVD art, but the tableau of Mason’s shadow looming over his son was too perfectly iconic to pass up.

58. Peeping Tom

dialmformichele — Fri, 14 Oct 2011 21:09:42 +0000

The 1960 thriller PEEPING TOM follows shy, soft-spoken Mark—a disturbed cameraman who films women while murdering them, and with the same device. When first released, critics despised the film for its overtones of voyeurism and sexual innuendo, emphasized by suggestive cinematography and a powerful lead performance. Today, it’s those seedy psychological elements that are completely engaging, despite being predictably outdated. I only wish the film had been a bit scarier. It failed to frighten even at its most suspenseful, but it was still worth the ride. This is only the second film I’ve seen by Michael Powell, one of the most represented directors in the collection, and I look forward to seeing more.

95. All That Heaven Allows

dialmformichele — Fri, 30 Sep 2011 23:11:27 +0000

In ALL THAT HEAVEN ALLOWS, Jane Wyman plays a widow in a conformist suburban town whose gardener just happens to be Rock Hudson. It should come as no surprise that they eventually fall in love, although it does seem to surprise everyone else in the film, from her catty neighbors to her selfish children. Not only is Rock Hudson much younger than her, but he also leads a modest bohemian lifestyle in the woods, and doesn’t believe in the opinions of others, a lesson that Wyman is slow to learn. The film is straight up melodrama, full of predictable clichés and bordering on the schmaltzy. (One of my favorite scenes is the magical Hudson feeding a deer in the snow!) But the Hollywood sheen masks the social indictment at the heart of the story. And the treatment is so beautiful, with rich colors and careful framing, it made me want to have my own Thoreau moment in the countryside.

513. Summer Hours

dialmformichele — Fri, 16 Sep 2011 03:50:47 +0000

SUMMER HOURS is one of those films that, after watching it, I couldn’t stop talking about. And this little blog paragraph won’t be enough to share all my thoughts. The premise is simple: a family’s mother dies, and her three children must decide what to do with her valuable art collection. Do they keep the house and its objects as a legacy for their own kids, or sell it off? The questions, however, go deeper than that. The film examines the value of our possessions, monetary and otherwise. And that serves as a metaphor for the importance of history, or more specifically, family history, and how much of the past we’re able to carry with us in our daily lives. Instead of providing answers, the director, Olivier Assayas, uses these questions as the basis for a beautifully crafted story that I found thoughtful and moving.

359. The Double Life of Véronique

dialmformichele — Fri, 19 Aug 2011 22:48:44 +0000

Criterion recently announced they would be releasing Krzysztof Kieślowski’s Three Colors trilogy, so it seems like perfect timing to review the director’s other Criterion title, THE DOUBLE LIFE OF VÉRONIQUE. The film begins with two scenes of two little girls speaking two different languages. And that’s how we’re introduced to Weronika and Véronique, complete strangers who are leading oddly connected lives. As adults, both roles are played by Irène Jacob, in a subtle and completely arresting performance. The wandering narrative unfolds like a fairytale, bright and dark and mysterious, and seems to be more interested in themes of love and loneliness than telling any one story. But the cinematography is so beautiful and each moment so carefully painted that the film never loses its focus. It also features one of the most moving scores that I can remember; in fact, it may have inspired me to take up singing again.

351. The Spirit of the Beehive

dialmformichele — Tue, 09 Aug 2011 17:53:57 +0000

When the movie Frankenstein comes to a small village just after the Spanish Civil War, it alters the lives of young, precocious Ana and her sister Teresa. The two of them create their own mythology around the film, and soon Ana becomes obsessed with finding the spirit of Frankenstein. What first struck me about THE SPIRIT OF THE BEEHIVE were its beautiful visuals, particularly the honey-gold colors that saturate the film. With the help of two gifted child actors, the story draws you in immediately to the world of childhood logic, where make-believe and reality are closely entwined. Ana’s experiences are moving, even when it’s difficult to pin down their exact meanings and consequences. The parents are in a number of scenes as well, with their own postwar ruminations on life, but it’s Ana’s mystical view of the world that stays with me.

445. The Earrings of Madame de…

dialmformichele — Mon, 04 Jul 2011 19:11:36 +0000

Happy July 4th! The blog has been on hiatus, but now I’m back with a film that has absolutely nothing to do with American independence. I’ve also had a few requests that I plan to fill in the near future, so stay tuned. (I’m always taking requests, in case there’s anything you’d like to see.)

The lush film THE EARRINGS OF MADAME DE…, directed by Max Ophuls, opens on the unnamed heroine, beautifully portrayed by Danielle Darrieux, choosing jewelry that she can pawn to pay off her debts. She settles on a pair of earrings that were a gift from her husband, and thereby sets off a chain of events that ultimately upsets her comfortable life and changes her. Right from the start, the careful camerawork and rich setting set the tone for the film. They mirror the frivolous role in high society that Madame de… occupies, which is threatened when she meets an Italian baron who returns her earrings. As the conflict rises, the characters gradually reveal the depths that are hidden under their aristocratic facades. And that’s how I would describe the film as a whole: lavish and elegant on the surface, but unexpectedly profound by the end.

262. Fanny and Alexander

dialmformichele — Thu, 05 May 2011 00:24:25 +0000

I made a mistake with this title. The first time I sat down to watch it, I thought the theatrical release was the unabridged one. Only afterwards did I realize that the televised version is the five-hour-plus original. Now that I’ve watched both, I can confidently say that the television version is superior, worth every additional second. FANNY AND ALEXANDER, one of Ingmar Bergman’s later accomplishments, is mostly the story of Alexander, a quiet, perceptive ten-year-old growing up in an affluent family in turn-of-the-century Sweden. In the span of a few years, he is faced with death, ghosts, captivity, and mysticism. It’s difficult to summarize the film since it spans so many events and touches on so many themes. Yet the story is also deeply personal; despite the omniscient camera, it seems as though everything is being viewed through Alexander’s eyes. Thus the laws of nature tend to wobble, and supernatural threats become real. All of this is offset by the wonderful ensemble cast that portrays the warm and charming Ekdahl family. Just don’t be intimidated by the length: all four episodes are mesmerizing and moving for reasons I can’t quite pinpoint.

Interview at CriterionCast.com

dialmformichele — Fri, 01 Apr 2011 17:19:48 +0000

This is my first non-film post ever, so you know it must be good! (And no, it’s not an April Fool’s joke.) I was recently interviewed on the Criterion Cast website by David Blakeslee, someone who shares my ridiculous goal of watching the entire collection and has his own wonderful blog about it, Criterion Reflections. The interview covers everything from my background, to my process, to my personal favorite illustrations. You can read the whole thing right here.