Friday, May 16, 2003
Casablanca
Directed by Michael Curtiz
Casablanca is CLASSIC written all over. Everyone loves it, including the critics for its romantically lush story plot and the evergreen theme that “Nazism is evil”. Humphrey Bogart is Rick Blaine, a practical businessman who owns a salon in Casablanca patronized by individuals who desperately wants to go to America, the land of freedom. Even an old German couple is celebrating at Rick’s because they will be leaving Casablanca the next day. I don’t understand why they will possibly want to leave their country and my friend who watched it with me said it’s possible that they were Jews.
Such inconsistencies or puzzling details are to be found in abundance in Casablanca. The most baffling element which also allows this ludicrous story to continue occurs when Ugarte (Peter Lorre) leaves the transit visa with Rick without getting a guarantee from the former that he would not use it. Besides, Ugarte already knew Rick despise him. How could he trust him considering he knew Rick was a business man foremost?
When Ugarte was captured by the German police, they never managed to made him divulge any information. Or perhaps they did. How else would they have suspected Rick had the papers and they went on to turn his place upside down BUT found nothing. The papers were stashed in a noticeable place – in the piano. They must be really efficient cops.
With the transit papers, the entire dilemma of Casablanca starts to spin around our hero, Humphrey, and we guess if he will give them to Ilsa Lund (Ingrid Bergman) and her husband, the legendary Czech freedom fighter and leader, Victor Laszlo (Paul Henreid). They need the papers to get to, (yes well you must have guessed it haven’t you), to America to continue their fight against (again, without a doubt) the evil Nazis.
However, Rick had an earlier affair with IIsa when they were in Paris which came to an end when she left him alone at a train station. Later, we were to know that she was married to Victor then but had not told Rick about her previous marriage because she was only protecting herself as she explained. Yet, if she did love Rick and thought her husband was already dead, what was the harm in telling her new lover? Besides, she was already planning to escape with Rick to Marseillies (why they hell would they want to escape to Marseillie and not America?) as Rick had a record of being anti-Nazis. She could have trusted Rick for he was an heroic fighter and knew that he would have understood her? It might seem trivial but you realise how silly Casablanca is.
Point is, this movie is a soap opera that is dramatic for its own sake. Ilsa refuses to tell Rick the reason why she left him at the train station only until towards the end of the film, when she thinks she had no choice; which left Rick and the audience (us) wondering why she was making everyone miserable all this while when she could have been truthful in the first place. Her actions make her such a drag.
If Casablanca was “German unoccupied territory”, why did the local French police seem to help their transgressors happily? The fact that Victor escaped a few concentration camps from the Nazis seems quite ridiculous, if not unbelievable. Not forgetting the Germans were threatened by Victor, they could have captured him on the spot, which they did not. Even if they cannot do so, the French police who were the lackeys would have easily abided.
Why are they intent on preventing Victor from leaving Casablanca when he could have been a much bigger threat if he continued to stay there? Even the police officer mentioned that point though the movie never explains further.
If the Germans had wanted to prevent Victor from leaving, they could have stationed their own officers or the French police. They could have left a warrant to prevent them from leaving even if they have the travel visas. It seems rather stupid that this whole commotion revolves around a piece of paper.
The ending which involves a death is all the more absurd, defying expectations though we do know at the beginning that Rick would have become the hero. I mean, how else can Humphrey be portrayed in his movies except becoming a reborn hero?
So called Classic, Casablanca suffers from gross overhype with its filmsy plot. Sure enough, when it was first released, Warner Bros didn’t knew it would be so popular with audiences and critics. After all, its just another Humphrey – Ingrid (Hero Saves Beauty) production. I share their sentiments.
And The Ship Sails On
Directed by Federico Fellini
The first few minutes of the opening was cast in sepia and almost silent, except perhaps the running of what could possibly be a film left running as we see people congregate in a harbour. They have came to send a ship off. Fellini had filmed the preoccupation with seeing a ship in Amarcord where an entire town took their boats out to see a ship going for America.
Only when the ship starts its journey before the film blooms into colour and sound starts to run in. We are introduced by a journalist, Orlando, on board the ship, about its mission which is to pay tribute and scatter the ashes of a world famous diva in an island.
As if not ridiculous enough, And The Ship Sails On goes on with more comic happenings within the ship during their journey. When the captain brings the singers onto the boiler room, the worker’s taunting the most heavily maked up diva to sing them a song was answered when another male soprano took it in him to belt out a song instead. Then, each and everyone started to sing as if they were trying to outdo one another. The workers looked happy to have been granted the request though we are not sure if they really liked it or were just pretending to enjoy every minute of it because they were seeing these personalities in real person.
Fellini’s characters seems to break out of their class status and enjoys mixing around with the servants or workers. For example, the Russian bass singer who hypnotized a chicken and Orlando to sleep; and the Rubetti maestros (Umberto Zuanelli and Vittorio Zarfati) who played music with glasses of water; took it in them to perform in the kitchen with the cooks and workers. It is uncertain though if these musicians enjoy doing it or were simply getting some applause.
It was only when their ship rescues a boat of refugees that we see their apprehensions. The refugees were allowed to stay on the deck but not in the beautiful lounge or dining area. They entertained themselves at night with the rich bourgeoisies staying on the other side and watching the Serbs dancing as if it was staged for them liek a performance. Only when one of the older man wanted to join in the dance, which he claimed he knew how it SHOULD be danced and it was Hungarian in nature, did the others follow suit. It seemed at this point that the ice has been broken when it fact, the rich people are still dancing with their own.
Only two characters seem more likeable and untainted by class diversion. The young beautiful girl that Orlando likes. She falls in love with one of the refugees and the lady who feeds the Serbs with food in their dining room. She was also the only one who dances with the Serbians at night.
And The Ship Sails On leaves much loose ends. There is a gay man who was caught admiring the sailors when they were undressing but nothing was mentioned afterwards. One of the old Russian songmasters who seems to like a young girl and gave her some chocolates was left at that. One of the Duke’s right hand man was detained for no apparent reason by the Duke’s sister, a blind woman, able to describe voices as colours.
The director, towards the end, allows us to see the making and construction of the set, perhaps a notion to wake us up that this is just another movie he was making. One cannot help feel being taken for a ride literally with And The Ship Sails On not only just the ridiculous ending but also because –Orlando, the journalist, constantly speaks on the screen and remind us he was just documenting his journey which makes us realize we are watching a movie. This was a common trademark in Fellini’s movies – Orchestra Rehearsal, as an example; Orchestral Rehearsal is perhaps the most “in your face” with a barrage of narrations by characters with views that were constantly shoved in your face. And The Ship Sails On breaks that boundary by TELLING us that we have been fooled.
And The Ship Sails On is also a film about opera, as Fellini remarked in “I, Fellini (1995)” which was also in Criterion DVD ‘s essay, that the movie was his appreciation for Italian opera which he discovered in his later life, that, “it’s difficult to admit you have interest in a subject in which you have vehemently denied having any interest for so long.”
When the characters sang, Fellini focused on their mouth and gestures. They make miracles. The hypnotizing of the chicken and Orlando for example. The deceased diva was said to be able to jump three octaves easily. All these however seems empty words and vocal dexterity than real power. It was only towards the end when the group did a major opera that the movie shows us how opera can be powerful.
Balzac and the little Chinese seamstress
Directed by Dai Sijie
There is a difference between China and Hong Kong movies. Most Hong Kong movie-making endear to Hollywood commericalism while China movies reinforces morals and values, atypical of what it means to be Chinese. Balzac and the little Chinese seamstress follows none. It is a quaint production which neither challenges nor appease.
It is interesting only because it is a romantic love story which shows how western literature can infiltrate into China even at the time when revolutionary communism emotions are running high and proletariats are running the country.
Peter Bradshaw of The Guardian comments that the film is “maybe too lenient” and it “remembers the Cultural revolution as no worse than national service: a rough-and-tumble boot camp with absurd rules and a bullying yokel party boss in the gruff sergeant-major role.”
It is well-documented that atrocities have been done. Books have been burned, including Chinese classics. Children are made to denounced their parents in public meetings. Traditional art forms such as the Chinese opera are banned. Yet, none of that is shown in here, which makes one feel as if Balzac was trying to avoid certain topics.
We are not given a glimpse of the history of our two teenage protagonists, Luo (Kun Chen) and Ma (Ye Liu). It was only mentioned that they came from good families which was shamed; their purpose of going to this valley village was to undergo re education to become useful citizens. We are not aware if they were brothers or close friends and how well they knew each other.
When the boys first came to the village, they had to pretend they were playing “Mozart thinks of Mao Zedong” to prevent their violin from being smashed by the village head. It was at this point that the movie soars into airlessness as the music comes to live, ironically, in a backwater village. Such beautiful classical music was to complement with the picturesque landscape at times during the movie.
Both boys will fall in love with the neighbouring village girl, whom they called The little Seamstress, played by Zhou Xun. An adequate role for she is petite and looked very much like the Chinese village beauty.
They were to steal books from Four Eyes who came from a educated family of which they would read to Little Seamstress, hoping to educate her. Note that these were banned books and they had to hide it. Their collection contains basically western translated literature such as Flaubert, Hugo, Tolstoy, Dickens, Dumas, and Rousseau. Ironically, they had only one Chinese classic, “The Red Chamber”. Little Seamstress fancied Balzac most.
It is funny that the boys can tell stories about Monte Cristo and pass them off as revolutionary stories to the villagers. Or when the seamstress grandfather was inspired to make French clothings for the ladies after hearing their stories.
Such comical diversions aside, Balzac also has its morose moments including the backward and superstitious malaria treatment for Luo or when the little seamstress underwent an abortion. The violin music which was played to cover up the hideous activity is used in averse effect than it was to portray beauty.
If anything, Balzac and the little Chinese seamstress is a collaboration between the Chinese and French; a love story that is more about individuals trying to find love. Its flaw is to avoid the bigger picture and details, romanticized everything when it could have told a more memorable by fitting it into the time it was supposed to happen.
If Chinese cinema wants to venture beyond Hollywood Hong Kong and be recognised as a major force in film art, it needs to produce movies which are more emblematic than Balzac. The Chinese has a long tradition of history, folklore and tales which have yet to be made into great movies for the world to see. Hong Kong movies traditionally lack real historic epics except gongfu flicks which were more often made to dazzle than tell the real Chinese heritage. They also have to transcend the “educational and moral ” tone to tell us that Chinese stories and their characters are not simply two dimensional - good and bad. So far, the only example, I can think of is the epic, Hero.
Directed by Michael Curtiz
Casablanca is CLASSIC written all over. Everyone loves it, including the critics for its romantically lush story plot and the evergreen theme that “Nazism is evil”. Humphrey Bogart is Rick Blaine, a practical businessman who owns a salon in Casablanca patronized by individuals who desperately wants to go to America, the land of freedom. Even an old German couple is celebrating at Rick’s because they will be leaving Casablanca the next day. I don’t understand why they will possibly want to leave their country and my friend who watched it with me said it’s possible that they were Jews.
Such inconsistencies or puzzling details are to be found in abundance in Casablanca. The most baffling element which also allows this ludicrous story to continue occurs when Ugarte (Peter Lorre) leaves the transit visa with Rick without getting a guarantee from the former that he would not use it. Besides, Ugarte already knew Rick despise him. How could he trust him considering he knew Rick was a business man foremost?
When Ugarte was captured by the German police, they never managed to made him divulge any information. Or perhaps they did. How else would they have suspected Rick had the papers and they went on to turn his place upside down BUT found nothing. The papers were stashed in a noticeable place – in the piano. They must be really efficient cops.
With the transit papers, the entire dilemma of Casablanca starts to spin around our hero, Humphrey, and we guess if he will give them to Ilsa Lund (Ingrid Bergman) and her husband, the legendary Czech freedom fighter and leader, Victor Laszlo (Paul Henreid). They need the papers to get to, (yes well you must have guessed it haven’t you), to America to continue their fight against (again, without a doubt) the evil Nazis.
However, Rick had an earlier affair with IIsa when they were in Paris which came to an end when she left him alone at a train station. Later, we were to know that she was married to Victor then but had not told Rick about her previous marriage because she was only protecting herself as she explained. Yet, if she did love Rick and thought her husband was already dead, what was the harm in telling her new lover? Besides, she was already planning to escape with Rick to Marseillies (why they hell would they want to escape to Marseillie and not America?) as Rick had a record of being anti-Nazis. She could have trusted Rick for he was an heroic fighter and knew that he would have understood her? It might seem trivial but you realise how silly Casablanca is.
Point is, this movie is a soap opera that is dramatic for its own sake. Ilsa refuses to tell Rick the reason why she left him at the train station only until towards the end of the film, when she thinks she had no choice; which left Rick and the audience (us) wondering why she was making everyone miserable all this while when she could have been truthful in the first place. Her actions make her such a drag.
If Casablanca was “German unoccupied territory”, why did the local French police seem to help their transgressors happily? The fact that Victor escaped a few concentration camps from the Nazis seems quite ridiculous, if not unbelievable. Not forgetting the Germans were threatened by Victor, they could have captured him on the spot, which they did not. Even if they cannot do so, the French police who were the lackeys would have easily abided.
Why are they intent on preventing Victor from leaving Casablanca when he could have been a much bigger threat if he continued to stay there? Even the police officer mentioned that point though the movie never explains further.
If the Germans had wanted to prevent Victor from leaving, they could have stationed their own officers or the French police. They could have left a warrant to prevent them from leaving even if they have the travel visas. It seems rather stupid that this whole commotion revolves around a piece of paper.
The ending which involves a death is all the more absurd, defying expectations though we do know at the beginning that Rick would have become the hero. I mean, how else can Humphrey be portrayed in his movies except becoming a reborn hero?
So called Classic, Casablanca suffers from gross overhype with its filmsy plot. Sure enough, when it was first released, Warner Bros didn’t knew it would be so popular with audiences and critics. After all, its just another Humphrey – Ingrid (Hero Saves Beauty) production. I share their sentiments.
And The Ship Sails On
Directed by Federico Fellini
The first few minutes of the opening was cast in sepia and almost silent, except perhaps the running of what could possibly be a film left running as we see people congregate in a harbour. They have came to send a ship off. Fellini had filmed the preoccupation with seeing a ship in Amarcord where an entire town took their boats out to see a ship going for America.
Only when the ship starts its journey before the film blooms into colour and sound starts to run in. We are introduced by a journalist, Orlando, on board the ship, about its mission which is to pay tribute and scatter the ashes of a world famous diva in an island.
As if not ridiculous enough, And The Ship Sails On goes on with more comic happenings within the ship during their journey. When the captain brings the singers onto the boiler room, the worker’s taunting the most heavily maked up diva to sing them a song was answered when another male soprano took it in him to belt out a song instead. Then, each and everyone started to sing as if they were trying to outdo one another. The workers looked happy to have been granted the request though we are not sure if they really liked it or were just pretending to enjoy every minute of it because they were seeing these personalities in real person.
Fellini’s characters seems to break out of their class status and enjoys mixing around with the servants or workers. For example, the Russian bass singer who hypnotized a chicken and Orlando to sleep; and the Rubetti maestros (Umberto Zuanelli and Vittorio Zarfati) who played music with glasses of water; took it in them to perform in the kitchen with the cooks and workers. It is uncertain though if these musicians enjoy doing it or were simply getting some applause.
It was only when their ship rescues a boat of refugees that we see their apprehensions. The refugees were allowed to stay on the deck but not in the beautiful lounge or dining area. They entertained themselves at night with the rich bourgeoisies staying on the other side and watching the Serbs dancing as if it was staged for them liek a performance. Only when one of the older man wanted to join in the dance, which he claimed he knew how it SHOULD be danced and it was Hungarian in nature, did the others follow suit. It seemed at this point that the ice has been broken when it fact, the rich people are still dancing with their own.
Only two characters seem more likeable and untainted by class diversion. The young beautiful girl that Orlando likes. She falls in love with one of the refugees and the lady who feeds the Serbs with food in their dining room. She was also the only one who dances with the Serbians at night.
And The Ship Sails On leaves much loose ends. There is a gay man who was caught admiring the sailors when they were undressing but nothing was mentioned afterwards. One of the old Russian songmasters who seems to like a young girl and gave her some chocolates was left at that. One of the Duke’s right hand man was detained for no apparent reason by the Duke’s sister, a blind woman, able to describe voices as colours.
The director, towards the end, allows us to see the making and construction of the set, perhaps a notion to wake us up that this is just another movie he was making. One cannot help feel being taken for a ride literally with And The Ship Sails On not only just the ridiculous ending but also because –Orlando, the journalist, constantly speaks on the screen and remind us he was just documenting his journey which makes us realize we are watching a movie. This was a common trademark in Fellini’s movies – Orchestra Rehearsal, as an example; Orchestral Rehearsal is perhaps the most “in your face” with a barrage of narrations by characters with views that were constantly shoved in your face. And The Ship Sails On breaks that boundary by TELLING us that we have been fooled.
And The Ship Sails On is also a film about opera, as Fellini remarked in “I, Fellini (1995)” which was also in Criterion DVD ‘s essay, that the movie was his appreciation for Italian opera which he discovered in his later life, that, “it’s difficult to admit you have interest in a subject in which you have vehemently denied having any interest for so long.”
When the characters sang, Fellini focused on their mouth and gestures. They make miracles. The hypnotizing of the chicken and Orlando for example. The deceased diva was said to be able to jump three octaves easily. All these however seems empty words and vocal dexterity than real power. It was only towards the end when the group did a major opera that the movie shows us how opera can be powerful.
Balzac and the little Chinese seamstress
Directed by Dai Sijie
There is a difference between China and Hong Kong movies. Most Hong Kong movie-making endear to Hollywood commericalism while China movies reinforces morals and values, atypical of what it means to be Chinese. Balzac and the little Chinese seamstress follows none. It is a quaint production which neither challenges nor appease.
It is interesting only because it is a romantic love story which shows how western literature can infiltrate into China even at the time when revolutionary communism emotions are running high and proletariats are running the country.
Peter Bradshaw of The Guardian comments that the film is “maybe too lenient” and it “remembers the Cultural revolution as no worse than national service: a rough-and-tumble boot camp with absurd rules and a bullying yokel party boss in the gruff sergeant-major role.”
It is well-documented that atrocities have been done. Books have been burned, including Chinese classics. Children are made to denounced their parents in public meetings. Traditional art forms such as the Chinese opera are banned. Yet, none of that is shown in here, which makes one feel as if Balzac was trying to avoid certain topics.
We are not given a glimpse of the history of our two teenage protagonists, Luo (Kun Chen) and Ma (Ye Liu). It was only mentioned that they came from good families which was shamed; their purpose of going to this valley village was to undergo re education to become useful citizens. We are not aware if they were brothers or close friends and how well they knew each other.
When the boys first came to the village, they had to pretend they were playing “Mozart thinks of Mao Zedong” to prevent their violin from being smashed by the village head. It was at this point that the movie soars into airlessness as the music comes to live, ironically, in a backwater village. Such beautiful classical music was to complement with the picturesque landscape at times during the movie.
Both boys will fall in love with the neighbouring village girl, whom they called The little Seamstress, played by Zhou Xun. An adequate role for she is petite and looked very much like the Chinese village beauty.
They were to steal books from Four Eyes who came from a educated family of which they would read to Little Seamstress, hoping to educate her. Note that these were banned books and they had to hide it. Their collection contains basically western translated literature such as Flaubert, Hugo, Tolstoy, Dickens, Dumas, and Rousseau. Ironically, they had only one Chinese classic, “The Red Chamber”. Little Seamstress fancied Balzac most.
It is funny that the boys can tell stories about Monte Cristo and pass them off as revolutionary stories to the villagers. Or when the seamstress grandfather was inspired to make French clothings for the ladies after hearing their stories.
Such comical diversions aside, Balzac also has its morose moments including the backward and superstitious malaria treatment for Luo or when the little seamstress underwent an abortion. The violin music which was played to cover up the hideous activity is used in averse effect than it was to portray beauty.
If anything, Balzac and the little Chinese seamstress is a collaboration between the Chinese and French; a love story that is more about individuals trying to find love. Its flaw is to avoid the bigger picture and details, romanticized everything when it could have told a more memorable by fitting it into the time it was supposed to happen.
If Chinese cinema wants to venture beyond Hollywood Hong Kong and be recognised as a major force in film art, it needs to produce movies which are more emblematic than Balzac. The Chinese has a long tradition of history, folklore and tales which have yet to be made into great movies for the world to see. Hong Kong movies traditionally lack real historic epics except gongfu flicks which were more often made to dazzle than tell the real Chinese heritage. They also have to transcend the “educational and moral ” tone to tell us that Chinese stories and their characters are not simply two dimensional - good and bad. So far, the only example, I can think of is the epic, Hero.
Tuesday, May 13, 2003
American Life
Artiste: Madonna
Since when has materialism become passe? – The Material Girl now don new clothes; shed old skin and became the spiritual girl? Some people say she was a new person since Ray Of Light where she keeps her long hair and starts celebrating her new found sensuality?
Not having listened to Madonna’s entire album - Ray of Light and Music which were her two previous albums; perhaps my review of American Life might be a little skewered to compare it to her earlier albums which were...
You get it anyway. Serious critics cannot complement Maddona for obvious reasons. She is the epitome of COMMERCIAL or SELL – OUT. Her songs, even when it sounded sincere, are just empty gimmicks. When William Orbit helped product Ray Of Light, it revitalized her mid-life career and propelled her to new heights. She no longer needs to worry about being compared to divas like Mariah Carey who is a sad flop and PR disaster. Celine Dion with her comeback looks sorry doing a cover of I Drove All Night. Neither does she need to worry about upstarts such as Christina Aguilera, Jennifer Lopez, Britney Spears, Avril Lavigne.
Out of reverence for the Queen of Pop and trying to believe that she must have something in her to be a super star, I watched an entire 2 hours MTV special and was bored and amused at the same time; at her recent interviews with VH1 as she disclose details about her daughter mostly and making of American Life MTV, which was withdrawn because America had gone to war and she feels it wasn’t the right time to put her video out. It was followed by another segment in the making of Ray Of Life where she renounced her past and we know she couldn’t play guitar much though William Orbit says she does. The last segment was another MTV’s special - Madonna’s Pajama’s Party. She was launching her Bedtime Stories album then. That was aeons ago and watch her reading on the bed was more hilarious than anything as she tries to keep the crowd quiet. The party features a tribal DJ with sexy abs that probably keeps the vibe going? but I’m most surprised at how well done her bedtime stories video was done. It was visually spectacular imageries flowing along to a heavy bassy dance track.
With a career of more than 20 years and 15 albums (not including best hits compilations), she manages to reinvent herself almost every time. She did it successfully unlike MJ who has gone from cute black boy to hideous white man. Supposedly we were to track from Ray of Light which embodies her new found religion - the new mysticism while Music is the updated contemporary cowgirl, what can we make out of American Life?
Can we believe her? That the Madonna we know now is not longer the Madonna who sings Papa Don’t Preach; that as she said in her interviews, having children and a family makes her life change; and for the better one that one presumes.
This is a fundamental question because American Life splits opinions both ways. Listen to American Life, title track as an example, “I tried to be a boy/ I tried to be a girl/ I tried to be a mess/ I tried to be the best/ I guess I did it wrong/ That's why I wrote this song/ This type of modern life/ Is it for me?” It is as easy to decipher her lyrics as phoniness or blatant sincerity.
In fact, when I first heard American Life, I was struck by its melody and lyrics. I couldn’t make out if I was seduced or hated myself for liking it because I couldn’t believe she could write lyrics like that. The songs were well-arranged polished dance pop. It had the guru’s trademark (Mirwais produced the album) and a few electro ballads that makes listening to American Life effortlessly. The first two songs stand out. The first song was American Life while the second was Hollywood, which sounded like a continuation of the former as she goes on about this star studded conglomeration. Village People had also tackled Hollywood before in one of their songs
which was a campier version. Maddona’s Hollywood smells more like exorcism as she goes, “
I lost my memory in Hollywood/ I've had a million visions, bad and good/ There's something in the air in Hollywood/ I tried to leave it but I never could”
In fact by the third song, American Life sounded like a ritual. Madonna’s personal new revelation as evident in this album can be summed up as such “this world sucks, I have gone through shit, I have seen the dark, and now that I have been through it all, I can make my own decisions, and see the light from the other side of the tunnel.”
I’m So Stupid, “I'm so stupid/ 'Cause I used to live/ In a tiny bubble/ And I wanted to be/ Like all the pretty people/ That were all around me/ But now I know for sure/ That I was stupid/ Stupider than stupid” Stupider?
Love Profusion, “There are too many questions/ There is not one solution/ There is no resurrection/ There is so much confusion” Now I’m really confused; and amused by the words she was trying so hard to rhyme.
Nobody Knows Me, “No one's telling you how to live your life/ But it's a setup until you're fed up/ It's no good when you're misunderstood/ But why should I care what the world thinks of me/ Won't let a stranger give me a social disease” Is she stating the obvious or are we supposed to read something in between the lines?
You get my drift anyway. I have at times believed that Madonna had made good music since Ray Of Light but American Life just seems so profoundly corny. To be easy, let’s just say the music SOUNDS good but the lyrics disappoint.
What disturbs me of course is I’m still not entirely convinced if her new outlook and image is really a new her though I would like to believe it is. Maybe Maddy does not have the answers at all. How else to explain why she was ambivalent about American Life (Somehow I suspect American Life hums suspiciously like her previous single, American Pie); that a shallow life is beyond analysis. To cap a sentence from American Life, “I'm just living out the American dream/ And I just realized that nothing is what it seems”. Or maybe just maybe, this critic who is trying to be serious has failed to review American Life. That it is impossible to analyse a pop phenomenon who is merely being commerical.
Artiste: Madonna
Since when has materialism become passe? – The Material Girl now don new clothes; shed old skin and became the spiritual girl? Some people say she was a new person since Ray Of Light where she keeps her long hair and starts celebrating her new found sensuality?
Not having listened to Madonna’s entire album - Ray of Light and Music which were her two previous albums; perhaps my review of American Life might be a little skewered to compare it to her earlier albums which were...
You get it anyway. Serious critics cannot complement Maddona for obvious reasons. She is the epitome of COMMERCIAL or SELL – OUT. Her songs, even when it sounded sincere, are just empty gimmicks. When William Orbit helped product Ray Of Light, it revitalized her mid-life career and propelled her to new heights. She no longer needs to worry about being compared to divas like Mariah Carey who is a sad flop and PR disaster. Celine Dion with her comeback looks sorry doing a cover of I Drove All Night. Neither does she need to worry about upstarts such as Christina Aguilera, Jennifer Lopez, Britney Spears, Avril Lavigne.
Out of reverence for the Queen of Pop and trying to believe that she must have something in her to be a super star, I watched an entire 2 hours MTV special and was bored and amused at the same time; at her recent interviews with VH1 as she disclose details about her daughter mostly and making of American Life MTV, which was withdrawn because America had gone to war and she feels it wasn’t the right time to put her video out. It was followed by another segment in the making of Ray Of Life where she renounced her past and we know she couldn’t play guitar much though William Orbit says she does. The last segment was another MTV’s special - Madonna’s Pajama’s Party. She was launching her Bedtime Stories album then. That was aeons ago and watch her reading on the bed was more hilarious than anything as she tries to keep the crowd quiet. The party features a tribal DJ with sexy abs that probably keeps the vibe going? but I’m most surprised at how well done her bedtime stories video was done. It was visually spectacular imageries flowing along to a heavy bassy dance track.
With a career of more than 20 years and 15 albums (not including best hits compilations), she manages to reinvent herself almost every time. She did it successfully unlike MJ who has gone from cute black boy to hideous white man. Supposedly we were to track from Ray of Light which embodies her new found religion - the new mysticism while Music is the updated contemporary cowgirl, what can we make out of American Life?
Can we believe her? That the Madonna we know now is not longer the Madonna who sings Papa Don’t Preach; that as she said in her interviews, having children and a family makes her life change; and for the better one that one presumes.
This is a fundamental question because American Life splits opinions both ways. Listen to American Life, title track as an example, “I tried to be a boy/ I tried to be a girl/ I tried to be a mess/ I tried to be the best/ I guess I did it wrong/ That's why I wrote this song/ This type of modern life/ Is it for me?” It is as easy to decipher her lyrics as phoniness or blatant sincerity.
In fact, when I first heard American Life, I was struck by its melody and lyrics. I couldn’t make out if I was seduced or hated myself for liking it because I couldn’t believe she could write lyrics like that. The songs were well-arranged polished dance pop. It had the guru’s trademark (Mirwais produced the album) and a few electro ballads that makes listening to American Life effortlessly. The first two songs stand out. The first song was American Life while the second was Hollywood, which sounded like a continuation of the former as she goes on about this star studded conglomeration. Village People had also tackled Hollywood before in one of their songs
which was a campier version. Maddona’s Hollywood smells more like exorcism as she goes, “
I lost my memory in Hollywood/ I've had a million visions, bad and good/ There's something in the air in Hollywood/ I tried to leave it but I never could”
In fact by the third song, American Life sounded like a ritual. Madonna’s personal new revelation as evident in this album can be summed up as such “this world sucks, I have gone through shit, I have seen the dark, and now that I have been through it all, I can make my own decisions, and see the light from the other side of the tunnel.”
I’m So Stupid, “I'm so stupid/ 'Cause I used to live/ In a tiny bubble/ And I wanted to be/ Like all the pretty people/ That were all around me/ But now I know for sure/ That I was stupid/ Stupider than stupid” Stupider?
Love Profusion, “There are too many questions/ There is not one solution/ There is no resurrection/ There is so much confusion” Now I’m really confused; and amused by the words she was trying so hard to rhyme.
Nobody Knows Me, “No one's telling you how to live your life/ But it's a setup until you're fed up/ It's no good when you're misunderstood/ But why should I care what the world thinks of me/ Won't let a stranger give me a social disease” Is she stating the obvious or are we supposed to read something in between the lines?
You get my drift anyway. I have at times believed that Madonna had made good music since Ray Of Light but American Life just seems so profoundly corny. To be easy, let’s just say the music SOUNDS good but the lyrics disappoint.
What disturbs me of course is I’m still not entirely convinced if her new outlook and image is really a new her though I would like to believe it is. Maybe Maddy does not have the answers at all. How else to explain why she was ambivalent about American Life (Somehow I suspect American Life hums suspiciously like her previous single, American Pie); that a shallow life is beyond analysis. To cap a sentence from American Life, “I'm just living out the American dream/ And I just realized that nothing is what it seems”. Or maybe just maybe, this critic who is trying to be serious has failed to review American Life. That it is impossible to analyse a pop phenomenon who is merely being commerical.
Manhattan
Directed by Woody Allen
Considered one of Woody Allen’s best film, Manhattan’s sweeping George Gershwin soundtrack and its black and white cinematography by Gordon Willis is an interesting insightful contemporary adult romantic comedy.
Manhattan starts and ends with still shots of the city buildings, creating an illusion of displacement. The short intro narration which is a monologue, “He adored New York. He romanticized it all out of proportion...” makes one feel as if what is coming up later, will be a blown up exaggeration or fantasy.
Yet, immediately as if to dispel that, the film delves into a dinner conversation in public – an apt setting as dinner conversations are perceived as an appropriate setting for friends to catch up with one another. Isaac (Woody Allen) and Tracy (Mariel Hemingway) meets up with Yale (Michael Murphy) and his wife; this befitting introduction plunges right into the heart of the story as we are introduced to these characters. Isaac feels inadequate about dating a girl who is in only 17 years old and hence, in his opinion, not suitable for him in the long run while Yale’s marriage, blissful to outsiders; is marred by the man’s extra-marital affair. Issac is also upset about his ex-wife who is publishing a book about their failed relationship.
The black and white monotone which conveys a sense of drabness and emptiness of city lives, of these Manhattanites is stylized with unconventional shots. The long shot such as the scene where Issac persuades Tracy to leave and ignores her plea to allow her to stay over for the night is taken such that we see only the characters in a corner of the room with half of the screen showing the other half of the apartment. The unusual flipping to and fro showing Yale and his mistress, Mary (Diane Keaton), their bodies about only one third of the entire screen, (showing their face and side when they talk) in a cafe; shows them as part of the accessory to the open setting. Then, there is the scene of Mary and Isaac on a bench overlooking the Manhattan bridge; that makes them smaller; as if their worries and love are just a miniscule part of the whole city.
A tad predictable; Mary and Issac had come together despite the latter’s dislike for Mary when Tracy and him bumped into her and Yale in an art gallery. Issac’s first impression of her was a psuedo intellectual pretentious arty fart as he was put off by the way she disses off every art piece in the gallery. It was only when they meet again at a party, by coincidence, that they start to turn to each other.
Those who read Woody cinema will know that the director likes to fictionalize himself on screen, Issac is the Woody whose sense of humor or sarcasm is deeply rooted in the knowledge that he, himself, has no idea who he loves and what he wants to do with his life. He hates his job and walks out of it after a bitter confrontation during a TV recording show and later convinces Yale why he had to do it. When he confronts his ex wife (Meryl Streep) and tries to prevent her from publishing the book; in which she accuses him of trying to run over her lesbian lover; one wonders how much truth there is.
The irony is that these matured adults in Manhattan seems more confused about their lives than the young ones, in this case, symbolized by the fresh innocent yet matured in outlook, Tracy . Mary is unsure of her relationship with Yale. She likes him but does not want the latter to get a divorce with his wife. They finally broke off but only for a while when Yale asks for a reunion with Mary; by that time she was with Issac; the latter who had already told Tracy that he was seeing someone serious.
Tracy as explained, seems the only one who knows what she wants despite her age. She pulls off a great performance as the heart broken girl who is insistent on loving and being with Issac. Mariel Hemingway was nominated Best Supporting Actress for the Academy Awards in this role.
The cruel ending was not lost when Issac races down the street to meet Tracy, leaving for London to study acting. When he meets Tracy and delivers a moving speech, one cannot help feel what his ulterior motive was; for changing his tack and position so quickly. Did he really love her?
Manhattan is a portrait of modern city life; fraught with confused individuals contemplating about their existence; who they truly love or think they love. It’s not easy. Consider Mary’s refrain whenever she thinks someone said something ridiculous. In an off-handed manner, (and funny to us), as if to reiterate the point that she wasn’t part of the city, “Back in Philadelphia, we don’t do these sort of things...”
The 39 Steps
Directed by Alfred Hitchcock
The 39 Steps is thought of as Hitchcock’s earlier American version of North by Northwest which involves an innocent man accused of murder and on the run from the police. Based on John Buchnan’s 1915 novel, “The Man Who Knew Too Much”; Robert Donat is Hannay, who is wanted when a female agent whom he acquainted was killed in his flat. Hannay had to venture to Scotland and find the man who can clear his name while constantly on the heels from the police.
Some of 39 Steps amazing scenes are the actual chases. For example, Hannay becomes a shadow figure overlooking on a mountain as sunlight comes up behind him. When he runs from the police who were just behind him, we were almost convinced he was to be nabbed; only to heave a sigh as he chances and hides in a big house. When Hannay stumbles into a hall to get away from the detectives, he unexpectedly delivers a rousing speech in support for a election candidate campaign that is highly amusing.
There were also snippets of romance. Between him and Pamela (Madeleine Carroll) whom he first met on a train; their encounter serves as a subplot which will become significant in helping Hannay clear his name. Earlier, when he stays over the night in a farm, the young wife of the older farmer, Margaret, sends him off as she believes his husband will betray him. Though it was pretty innocuous, one can feel Margaret’s admiration for the fugitive.
Towards the end, when we are whisked into a theatre, we realise that the earlier details are crucial in solving the mystery. That, perhaps, is one of the greatest surprise of the 39 Steps, which has come a full circle.
Les Enfants Terrible
Directed by Jean-Pierre Melville and Jean Cocteau
Based on Jean Cocteau’s same name novel, Les Enfants Terrible is critically acclaimed as a surrealistic portrayal of themes revolving around love, death and incest. Edouard Dhermitte is Paul, a weak man who thinks he is dying; bleeds after being hit in a school’s snowball fight. He shares the same room with his sister Elisabeth (Nicole Stephane) of whom they play “games” only both of they knew and had a common treasure chest where they collect things they like.
Though both siblings seem to be constantly quarrelling with each other and Elisabeth would like to have a room to herself; Les Enfants suggests something insiduous in their relationship with Melville’s intricate and complex use of the medium; aided by its sometimes lyrical and poetical narration, a haunting music score; shocking and perplexing visual imageries.
When Paul and Elisabeth ran to their mother’s room and discover she was dead, one is stunned to see that she had her eyes wide open. When they were taking a holiday with Gerard, Elisabeth and Paul’s squabbling over who shall use the bathtub ended with both of them jumping into it at the same time as the door closes behind them. When Paul laid eyes on Agathe (Renee Cosima) who resembles the boy, Dargelos , that hit Paul with a snowball and made him bleed; the lasting and close shot of his face reveals his hidden deep affection for the model.
The entangling love plot that confounds also scandalizes. Paul’s objection to Elisabeth getting married to a rich Jew reaches a question mark when the latter was killed in a car accident. After Elisabeth becomes a widow, she takes pride in wearing black and declaring herself a widow. When she knows that Paul is secretly in love with Agathe and has sent her a love letter, she feigns and matchmakes Gerard and Agathe; at the same time, acts as a goodwill intermediary to solve all problems; coming between the poor girl and his brother.
Les Enfants Terrible power ultimately lies in its surrealistic and Freudian depictions. Paul’s sleepwalking which was real and to be dreamt by Elisabeth as she walks up a blue carpet to her brother’s death was to culminate in a forseeable tragic ending.
Directed by Woody Allen
Considered one of Woody Allen’s best film, Manhattan’s sweeping George Gershwin soundtrack and its black and white cinematography by Gordon Willis is an interesting insightful contemporary adult romantic comedy.
Manhattan starts and ends with still shots of the city buildings, creating an illusion of displacement. The short intro narration which is a monologue, “He adored New York. He romanticized it all out of proportion...” makes one feel as if what is coming up later, will be a blown up exaggeration or fantasy.
Yet, immediately as if to dispel that, the film delves into a dinner conversation in public – an apt setting as dinner conversations are perceived as an appropriate setting for friends to catch up with one another. Isaac (Woody Allen) and Tracy (Mariel Hemingway) meets up with Yale (Michael Murphy) and his wife; this befitting introduction plunges right into the heart of the story as we are introduced to these characters. Isaac feels inadequate about dating a girl who is in only 17 years old and hence, in his opinion, not suitable for him in the long run while Yale’s marriage, blissful to outsiders; is marred by the man’s extra-marital affair. Issac is also upset about his ex-wife who is publishing a book about their failed relationship.
The black and white monotone which conveys a sense of drabness and emptiness of city lives, of these Manhattanites is stylized with unconventional shots. The long shot such as the scene where Issac persuades Tracy to leave and ignores her plea to allow her to stay over for the night is taken such that we see only the characters in a corner of the room with half of the screen showing the other half of the apartment. The unusual flipping to and fro showing Yale and his mistress, Mary (Diane Keaton), their bodies about only one third of the entire screen, (showing their face and side when they talk) in a cafe; shows them as part of the accessory to the open setting. Then, there is the scene of Mary and Isaac on a bench overlooking the Manhattan bridge; that makes them smaller; as if their worries and love are just a miniscule part of the whole city.
A tad predictable; Mary and Issac had come together despite the latter’s dislike for Mary when Tracy and him bumped into her and Yale in an art gallery. Issac’s first impression of her was a psuedo intellectual pretentious arty fart as he was put off by the way she disses off every art piece in the gallery. It was only when they meet again at a party, by coincidence, that they start to turn to each other.
Those who read Woody cinema will know that the director likes to fictionalize himself on screen, Issac is the Woody whose sense of humor or sarcasm is deeply rooted in the knowledge that he, himself, has no idea who he loves and what he wants to do with his life. He hates his job and walks out of it after a bitter confrontation during a TV recording show and later convinces Yale why he had to do it. When he confronts his ex wife (Meryl Streep) and tries to prevent her from publishing the book; in which she accuses him of trying to run over her lesbian lover; one wonders how much truth there is.
The irony is that these matured adults in Manhattan seems more confused about their lives than the young ones, in this case, symbolized by the fresh innocent yet matured in outlook, Tracy . Mary is unsure of her relationship with Yale. She likes him but does not want the latter to get a divorce with his wife. They finally broke off but only for a while when Yale asks for a reunion with Mary; by that time she was with Issac; the latter who had already told Tracy that he was seeing someone serious.
Tracy as explained, seems the only one who knows what she wants despite her age. She pulls off a great performance as the heart broken girl who is insistent on loving and being with Issac. Mariel Hemingway was nominated Best Supporting Actress for the Academy Awards in this role.
The cruel ending was not lost when Issac races down the street to meet Tracy, leaving for London to study acting. When he meets Tracy and delivers a moving speech, one cannot help feel what his ulterior motive was; for changing his tack and position so quickly. Did he really love her?
Manhattan is a portrait of modern city life; fraught with confused individuals contemplating about their existence; who they truly love or think they love. It’s not easy. Consider Mary’s refrain whenever she thinks someone said something ridiculous. In an off-handed manner, (and funny to us), as if to reiterate the point that she wasn’t part of the city, “Back in Philadelphia, we don’t do these sort of things...”
The 39 Steps
Directed by Alfred Hitchcock
The 39 Steps is thought of as Hitchcock’s earlier American version of North by Northwest which involves an innocent man accused of murder and on the run from the police. Based on John Buchnan’s 1915 novel, “The Man Who Knew Too Much”; Robert Donat is Hannay, who is wanted when a female agent whom he acquainted was killed in his flat. Hannay had to venture to Scotland and find the man who can clear his name while constantly on the heels from the police.
Some of 39 Steps amazing scenes are the actual chases. For example, Hannay becomes a shadow figure overlooking on a mountain as sunlight comes up behind him. When he runs from the police who were just behind him, we were almost convinced he was to be nabbed; only to heave a sigh as he chances and hides in a big house. When Hannay stumbles into a hall to get away from the detectives, he unexpectedly delivers a rousing speech in support for a election candidate campaign that is highly amusing.
There were also snippets of romance. Between him and Pamela (Madeleine Carroll) whom he first met on a train; their encounter serves as a subplot which will become significant in helping Hannay clear his name. Earlier, when he stays over the night in a farm, the young wife of the older farmer, Margaret, sends him off as she believes his husband will betray him. Though it was pretty innocuous, one can feel Margaret’s admiration for the fugitive.
Towards the end, when we are whisked into a theatre, we realise that the earlier details are crucial in solving the mystery. That, perhaps, is one of the greatest surprise of the 39 Steps, which has come a full circle.
Les Enfants Terrible
Directed by Jean-Pierre Melville and Jean Cocteau
Based on Jean Cocteau’s same name novel, Les Enfants Terrible is critically acclaimed as a surrealistic portrayal of themes revolving around love, death and incest. Edouard Dhermitte is Paul, a weak man who thinks he is dying; bleeds after being hit in a school’s snowball fight. He shares the same room with his sister Elisabeth (Nicole Stephane) of whom they play “games” only both of they knew and had a common treasure chest where they collect things they like.
Though both siblings seem to be constantly quarrelling with each other and Elisabeth would like to have a room to herself; Les Enfants suggests something insiduous in their relationship with Melville’s intricate and complex use of the medium; aided by its sometimes lyrical and poetical narration, a haunting music score; shocking and perplexing visual imageries.
When Paul and Elisabeth ran to their mother’s room and discover she was dead, one is stunned to see that she had her eyes wide open. When they were taking a holiday with Gerard, Elisabeth and Paul’s squabbling over who shall use the bathtub ended with both of them jumping into it at the same time as the door closes behind them. When Paul laid eyes on Agathe (Renee Cosima) who resembles the boy, Dargelos , that hit Paul with a snowball and made him bleed; the lasting and close shot of his face reveals his hidden deep affection for the model.
The entangling love plot that confounds also scandalizes. Paul’s objection to Elisabeth getting married to a rich Jew reaches a question mark when the latter was killed in a car accident. After Elisabeth becomes a widow, she takes pride in wearing black and declaring herself a widow. When she knows that Paul is secretly in love with Agathe and has sent her a love letter, she feigns and matchmakes Gerard and Agathe; at the same time, acts as a goodwill intermediary to solve all problems; coming between the poor girl and his brother.
Les Enfants Terrible power ultimately lies in its surrealistic and Freudian depictions. Paul’s sleepwalking which was real and to be dreamt by Elisabeth as she walks up a blue carpet to her brother’s death was to culminate in a forseeable tragic ending.
