Day 262 - Witness for the Prosecution

Witness for the Prosecution (1957) directed by Billy Wilder

I've been randomly watching reruns of Law & Order lately and they never fail to entertain me though once you've seen one episode you've pretty much seen them all since they all follow the same formula. If you're at all familiar with how this formula works Witness for the Prosecution should come to no surprise to you, but that doesn't make it any less compelling.

Charles Laughton (Mutiny on the Bounty) plays Sir Wilfred Robarts, a defense lawyer who takes on a murder case. The defendant is Leonard Vole, accused of murdering an elderly woman for her money. Naturally he insists he didn't do it. His only alibi is his wife who seems to have motivations of her own but agrees to testify on her husband's behalf. Then it comes as a surprise when she winds up being the star witness for the prosecution!

We've all seen movies like this before but Witness for the Prosecution does it particularly well. It is well acted with Laughton as the star though watching him reminds me that I should start going to the gym as his body has not aged well (see Orson Welles in Touch of Evil and Marlon Brando in his later years). I know I've been pretty vague but I don't really want to reveal too much of the film. Just know that it is well acted and smartly written with unexpected twists and a decidedly satisfying climax. One of the better courtroom dramas.

Grade: A-

Day 261 - Floating Weeds

Floating Weeds (1959) directed by Yasujiro Ozu

In the very opening moments we see a lighthouse. Through multiple cuts we see the same lighthouse but from different positions and angles. Each shot could be framed and hung on your living room wall. On a purely artistic level, Floating Weeds deserves an A+. It is one of the most visually compelling movies I've ever seen. The camera never moves once, not a single pan or tracking shot, just fixed shots pieced together with simple cuts. Each composition is carefully thought out and precisely shot. Pause the movie on any one frame and you'll have a perfectly composed picture. While watching any particular scene consider how many times Ozu had to cut, reposition his camera, cut again, and reposition again and you'll realize the amount of thought that goes into each shot let alone each scene. There is always something interesting, if not beautiful, to look at. And I haven't even begun to talk about the story yet.

Ganjiro Nakamura and his traveling theatre troupe go into a small seaside village to perform during the summer. But there is another reason why the troupe is in town; Ganjiro performed here once many years ago and has a son there. Ashamed of his status as a lowly actor, Ganjiro has always told his son Kiyoshi that he is his uncle. Kiyoshi's mother and Ganjiro's former mistress, Oyoshi, has gone along with the plan all these years content that he is at least part of their lives. When Sumiko, Ganjiro's current mistress, finds out that he has this secret life that he lies about she grows angry and jealous and sets out to cause problems for him.

Sumiko confronts Ganjiro at Oyoshi's house where she is rebuked rather coldly by him. In a great scene, the two argue on opposite sides of a street in the rain. They pace back and forth on their ends spitting vitriol towards each other. The rainy street that divides them is representative of the emotion in the scene.

Ganjiro's well laid plans begin to crumble and we realize that he is kind of a bastard. I couldn't believe his ego and stubbornness. How can he be so callous and dismissive to the women in his life? (He loves to use the words slut and whore and slap women around.) How can he just show up out of the blue and try to be a father to Kiyoshi and expect him to accept him? Ganjiro is no saint and actually kind of deserves what he gets. While there is some sugarcoating and somewhat unrealistic sentiment, I like how Ganjiro does not get off so easy and that things don't magically fall into place for him just because he suddenly realizes he was wrong. It is sentimental but also realistic.

Floating Weeds is a masterfully crafted and moving film.

Grade: A

Day 260 - The Lower Depths

The Lower Depths (1957) directed by Akira Kurosawa

Some of my favorite movies are adaptations of plays. Some can be super simple like 12 Angry Men which takes place in one tiny room or can be grand productions like Kurosawa's Throne of Blood. What makes these films great are 1) the excellent stories and 2) the director's vision that bring these stories to life on screen. The Lower Depths struggles in both departments as I didn't feel like the drama was particularly compelling nor did I feel like I was watching a movie per say. It felt like I was watching a play and an uneven and dragging one at that.

But all is not lost as there are some highlights, or perhaps more fitting, lowlights. The story is rather bleak and the film does a good job in capturing this mood. It takes place in a rundown inn where we are introduced to beggars, thieves, drunkards, prostitutes and gamblers. It is an ensemble of outcasts at the bottom of the society. The one person I felt genuinely sorry for was the prostitute who is always picked on and longs for love. An elderly sick woman is afraid of dying and wants to hold on just a little longer despite her extreme pain. All these characters seek escape from their lowly existences but seem to be stuck here forever. There isn't really much room for optimism in this film, it is drab and dreary all the way through. Because of this fact, it's hard to say that it is enjoyable, but conversely it's not really a film where you are deeply moved or learn something. The main problem I suppose is that the film lacks any real sense of cinematic drama. It all feels so flat which is surprising from Kurosawa.

Grade: C

Day 259 - Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy

Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (2011) directed by Tomas Alfredson

When you think of spy movies you invariably think of James Bond going on secret missions, using fancy gadgets and seducing women, but I suspect the real world of spies is more like Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, a largely cerebral and action-light film about trying to uncover a mole in the upper ranks of British intelligence.

I'll just get this out of the way first; this is not an easy film to digest. When I say the film is cerebral I mean to say that it requires a great deal of paying close attention, keeping track of pertinent information, knowing characters and linking ideas and clues together without being told. It requires you to actively think rather than passively watch and I'll admit that I was a little lost at times trying to figure out what was what and who was who. For better or worse the film is purposely meant to be a little mystifying. It is the world of hiding secrets and uncovering them after all.

The film is set in 1970's London where Control, the head of British intelligence, is convinced there is a mole in his inner circle. One of the five men at his table is a double agent working for the Russians but he does not know which one. Control dies of a heart attack before making anymore headway and it is up to George Smiley, his right hand man recently forced into retirement, to pick up the investigation. The investigation is slow and methodical and at times unclear. Smiley plays it pretty close to the vest never revealing too much of what he is thinking or planning. The first thirty to forty minutes are a sort of feeling out process as we sort through all the facts and characters and clues. It can be a little overwhelming, but by the end it will all make sense.

The pacing of the movie is sure to test some viewers' patience but I actually liked it this way. This film is all about feel and setting. I appreciated how the film took its time even when I thought it was getting a little tedious. Director Tomas Alfredson knows what he's doing. The slow pace adds weight to the mystery as it builds up. Each time a new wrinkle pops up, it is exciting and thrilling. I thought the film captured this world of spies perfectly, the smoke filled rooms, the dark shadows, the tired faces. The art direction of the film is also superb. The set designs and costumes look exactly like how I'd picture 1970's London to look like. I love how sharply everyone dressed back then!

Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy is a well made spy drama whose biggest strength may also be a weakness as well. I felt like the ambiguity of the story was allowed to linger on a little too long as there were too many question marks going on at the same time and even the answers didn't feel clear enough. Yet at the same time it is this shroud of mystery and trying to uncover it that makes the film work the way it does.

Grade: B

Day 258 - Wings of Desire

Wings of Desire (1987) directed by Wim Wenders

Today my grandmother passed away in her sleep. She was 90 years old. I would like to think she is in a better place and if anybody deserves heaven it would be her. She was the sweetest, most gentle person I've ever known. Hearing her laugh always brought a smile to my face. She lived a good life and was loved and admired by everyone who knew her. She was also bed ridden for months with little hope for recovery and I knew this day would inevitably come. It pained me every time I visited her to see her in that state. I last visited her on Christmas. My last image of her was her waving goodbye as I left. I cannot remember our last words together, but I do remember what she said to me all those months ago after her stroke. She told me not to worry about her and that she would always be with me. I cried. But such is the circle of life.

I watched Wings of Desire under the pretense that I could somehow link the story of my grandmother with the notion of angels and the questions of mortality and whatnot but the film is so esoteric and difficult that I'm not even going to try. I'll just say that this is unlike any film I've ever seen before (well aside from City of Angels for obvious reasons, but even then they are nothing alike in look and feel). Slow moving, artsy and pretentious would be understatements, but so would beautiful, inquiring and reflective.

I think this film is a good test of one's tastes and tolerance for certain movies. The key is in their response. It is easy to see the glowing reviews and go along with them to be safe. Ask them exactly what it is they liked about the film (aside from the admittedly wonderful cinematography). Almost everything I have read talks about the emotional response the viewer gets from the film, on how poignant and affecting it is. But if you do not get this response from it is it because you missed it or the film missed you? In this case, I would say the film missed me. I simply wasn't moved by it nor did I care for endless poetic pondering that passes as dialogue.

Perhaps I needed more structure in the film, more of a plot to grasp on to, because once you miss the emotional connection there is little left to hold on to. But if there is one thing that the film does get right it is the simple joy in living. In the film the angel Damiel wishes to become human to experience life rather than to observe it. It is curious that the film is shot in black and white when dealing with the angels' perspectives but suddenly shifts to vibrant color when dealing with human perspective. I am reminded of the scene in Wizard of Oz when Dorothy steps into the land of Oz. In that movie, the wonderful fantasy land is rich in color; in this film it is the simple world of the living rather than the spiritual world of the angels that provide the greatest experiences. I think there is much to be said about enjoying life while we still have it. Even the most mundane things should be cherished.

Grade: C+

Day 257 - Limelight

Limelight (1952) directed by Charlie Chaplin

Yesterday I watched The Artist, a film about a once great silent film star who's fallen on hard times. Today I watched Limelight which stars Charlie Chaplin, who plays a once great clown who's fallen on hard times. Chaplin, of course, would not end up like George Valentin from The Artist. He was one of the few silent stars who was able to find success after the silent era with such films as The Great Dictator and by 1952, the year Limelight was released, he was still rich and famous. Yet Calvero the clown may be Chaplin's most personal role. By this time he was nearing the end of his illustrious career and was going through a tumultuous time in his personal life, facing endless lawsuits and accusations of being a communist. In fact, Limelight would be Chaplin's last American made film as he was essentially not allowed to re-enter the country for his un-American ideas. This film was mired in his personal troubles and it shows in the character of Calvero.

Here is Calvero, a once great performer long forgotten and resigned to live out the rest of his life quietly. He still dreams of his past performances but knows those days are behind him. One day he rescues Terry, a young ballet dancer, from an attempted suicide and nurses her back to health. As is typically the case in these scenarios the two flawed characters heal each other. Calvero tries to get Terry to see the point in living and encourages her to keep on dancing. In turn, he is inspired to attempt a comeback. When that fails, it is Terry who encourages him.

While watching it is easy to focus on the relationship between Calvero and Terry, but Limelight is really about watching the end of Calvero's (read Chaplin's) career. For all intents and purposes, Chaplin intended this to be his swan song and the film touches upon these issues with the sentimentality that he was known for. If this were to really be the end, he intended to go out gracefully. Of course Calvero does get his last big shot in the end and brings down the house just like old times.

Limelight isn't my favorite Chaplin film and it is not the Chaplin that I will remember. This film is almost entirely a serious drama; I prefer the magical comedy of The Tramp. However it does show the growth and maturity of not just an actor, but of a man who realizes his time has come.

Note: Buster Keaton makes a famous cameo in a scene alongside Chaplin, the first and only time the two legends appear together on screen. I couldn't even recognize Keaton but after re-watching the scene you could definitely tell that these two guys still had the body language and acting of silent stars.

Grade: B

Day 256 - The Artist

The Artist (2011) directed by Michel Hazanavicious

There is a certain manner to silent acting that is so unlike "talkies", the way people smile, how they use body language, basically how to command a screen without making a sound.  It is curious then why so few silent film stars were able to successfully transition into talkies. The Artist is a wonderfully ironic movie in that it is a silent film about the fall of a silent film star.

George Valentin has all the perfect qualities of a silent star, the magnetic smile, the facial expressions and commanding presence. He is also a bit of an egomaniac and when shown a test screening of a sound picture, he scoffs at it. The head of the studio tells him that this is the future. George responds to him, "If this is the future, you can have it," in a title card, of course. During this time we are introduced to a young and ambitious actress, Peppy Miller, who gets her first break in one of George's pictures. There is an undeniable chemistry between the two, but he is married and they are both on their separate ways anyways. He is a face of the silent past and she will be the voice of the talking future.

George struggles mightily in the upcoming sound revolution while Peppy becomes as big of a star as George ever was. They are headed in different directions but are never far apart. George falls into a drunken depression as his life falls apart and Peppy can only watch from a distance in her car and drive off. This is perhaps my one complaint of the film. I felt like a guest at George's pity party a tad bit too long, as if the entire film was made just for us to feel sorry for him. Okay, we get it, you've fallen on hard times. Get over it already and make your comeback or get the girl or whatever it is and just do it!

But still, there is an undeniable appeal to The Artist. It is in its timeless story and charm. Sometimes I forgot I was watching a silent film, which at times can feel like a gimmick, and was just engrossed in the story. But it isn't completely silent of course. There is a wonderful musical score that flows with the scenes.

In a very clever scene, we hear the first in-movie sound in George's dream. He puts down his glass and it makes a sound on the table. Curious, he tries it again, only this time it is louder. He knocks over something and we can hear that as well. The phone rings. Chatter can be heard. He steps outside and a procession of women are laughing. All the while George tries to say something but nothing comes out; he is still silent.

Why does George stay silent? He is a huge star but his pride will not let him make a talkie, or is it his fear? The common myth (or fact?) of the silent film stars was that they all faded away because they couldn't make the transition. Whatever the reason or reasons was, it wasn't because of some x-factor that didn't translate well from silent films into sound. Actors like Charlie Chaplin and Buster Keaton (who both had success in talkies) are proof that great acting isn't defined or limited by genre but instead transcends it.

Grade: B+