Story of a Cheat (1936)

☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ½

Story of a Cheat (1936) -- S. Guitry

I looked up the definition of "picaresque" just to be sure, and, yes, Sacha Guitry's tale most certainly fits the bill. He plays a young rogue of peasant origins who lives by his wits in a corrupt society -- Monte Carlo! The film is basically wall-to-wall narration (with more than a few double entendres) telling a story that jumps back and forth from the present day and various timepoints in the past.  It comes as no surprise that Chris Marker, Alain Resnais, and Orson Welles are said to have loved this film (and this filmmaker who made over 30 films, some reportedly not so good).  Indeed, Welles seems to have modelled some of his films and some of his onscreen persona on Guitry. A film that probably wasn't meant to be taken seriously, but which is ground-breaking (in its use of time, narration, cuts, jokes) all the same.

Les Vampires (1915-1916)

☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ½

Les Vampires (1915-1916) -- L. Feuillade

For a 7 1/2 hour silent film serial seen nearly 100 years later, its striking major accomplishment is that it is fun.  An intrepid reporter and his wacky friend Mazamette chase the evil criminal gang The Vampires through 10 episodes full of secret doors, letters with invisible ink, poison gas (or poison champagne), kidnappings, robberies, incredible stunts, and general mayhem.   Feuillade never moves his camera (although he does cut frequently within scenes) but within the scene there is movement, deep focus, and a great use of framing.  To this eye, it is modern enough, in technique and story, that I'm ready to start a conspiracy that it is a faux silent film (actually directed by Kubrick, taking a break from directing the moon landing for NASA).

Marty (1955)

☆ ☆ ☆ ☆

Marty (1955) -- D. Mann

There is a very 1950s feel to this tale of a 34-year-old unattractive butcher (Ernest Borgnine) who feels the pain of romantic rejection very strongly, especially because all of his siblings have already gotten married.  So, when Marty meets Clara, a woman feeling the same kind of rejection (based only on looks) that society propagates so well, he feels a bond. They are both sensitive and sincere people.  Of course there are flies in the ointment. He lives at home with his mother who starts to feel worried that he might abandon her (based on the experience of her sister whose son and daughter-in-law want her to move out) and his friends think Clara is a "dog" which almost stops him.  Paddy Chayefsky's script is very knowing, if sentimental. It's very sad to see that the culture promoting beauty on the outside (only) has gotten even more entrenched since 1955 -- so much so that the film feels unsurprising.  A winner of the Oscar and the Palme D'Or, although perhaps only because it said things that Hollywood didn't usually say. 

The Wind that Shakes the Barley (2006)

☆ ☆ ☆ ☆

The Wind that Shakes the Barley (2006) -- K. Loach

Count on Ken Loach to speak truth to power -- this is his major theme over the years, whether he is depicting working class life in Britain more authentically or documenting the legacy of colonialism for marginalized people around the world.  Here, he focuses on the Irish fight for independence from the UK (circa 1920-22) using it as an example of how a unified front can be so difficult to maintain and how every action you take in the fight may compromise either the self, the cause, one's kin or humanity.  Characters do get into some political talk, which is exhilerating in contrast to so many empty Hollywood movies. Of course, nothing is simple and in effect this is really a two-hour trauma -- a full fledged war film.  Cillian Murphy is great, the film won the Palme D'Or, but I wouldn't want to put myself through it again.  However, Loach wants us to know that people are still struggling, despite our complacency.

The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey (2012)

☆ ☆ ☆ ☆

The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey (2012) -- P. Jackson

This was one of my favorite books as a child so I approached this film with some trepidation (as I did the Lord of the Rings trilogy, which I can't quite remember in detail now).  At the start, when Smaug attacks Erebor, I felt turned off by the CGI -- but gradually I grew accustomed to it.  Distant memories of a book I read 30 years ago started to resonate with the images on the screen.  The actors did nothing to contradict or interfere with these internal images and I felt some of the magic I recalled.  Ian McKellen is truly great as Gandalf.  In the end, I felt immersed in the fantasy, ready for more (and thinking about when my sons will be ready to have the book read to them).