WEEK 46

46. LA CAPTIVE, dir. CHANTAL AKERMAN, 2000

lola. i loved when she sang "c'est moi, c'est lola," and visually the film was great to look at... perhaps it's unfortunate that my viewing of lola coincided with the mackenzie phillips announcement of (non-consensual) consensual sex with her father john phillips (whose album was, until this point, nowhere near underplayed in our home), because watching the subtly sexual dynamics between cecile the young girl and the adult men of the film was difficult. at the same time, i loved the symbolism here: cecile petite was clearly represenative of cecile grande a.k.a. 'lola' -- the men could get close to the naive/young/carefree child but not touch her, where cecile/lola the grown woman was touchable but did not allow anyone to become close. although juliet said she abandoned an attempt at choosing films in keeping with the feeling of the fallen idol, she couldn't have known before seeing lola that it would be a pretty great in-keeping-with choice. both films were so ripe with quite overt symbolism, which can often get hokey but in both films for me worked quite well --
i realize i never wrote about the fallen idol, which i loved. like juliet i was surprised by how much i enjoyed the film, i was not expecting the perfect marrying of suspense and humor and moral bottom line. the young actor playing phil was mesmerizing, i could watch him say "baines!" all day. the film falls in line with certain older films i've seen over the years that manage to use almost over-the-top visual symbols (in this: the befriending of the snake, various shots of the main characters positioned behind or by bars of some sort -- cages at the zoo, staircases, etc.) to make a point again and again, without ever becoming overly corny -- somehow it adds greatly to the visual appeal of the film without one's eyes rolling forever back in one's head.
the coupling of lola and the fallen idol turned out to be surprisingly right on the money.
i have yet to see part 2 of the double feature: when i put the film in my dvd player on wednesday night it would not move past the f.b.i. warning screen and jammed the dvd player until jarek swooped in hours later to miraculously remove it. i have yet to attempt it again for fear of re-jam, but am going to try once more tonight before sending it back for another. hope to watch in the next few days!
looking forward to la captive. i saw a chantal akerman short film in high school that blew me away and has been eluding me on dvd ever since. it had to do with two girls losing their virginity, i thought it was "je tu il elle," but i think i am wrong on that... any ideas?
oh, and 'jeanne dielman...' (1976) was one of the best film-going experiences i've had, certainly one of my most favorite films ever.

WEEK 45

45a. LOLA, dir. JACQUES DEMY, 1961


45b. LA BAIE DES ANGES, dir. JACQUES DEMY, 1963

there's what's right and there's what's best; our lies fall all along a spectrum of harmfulness and utility. i feel like i say this a lot, but just being an ordinary, upright human being is difficult work. daily life bombards us with questions and choices for which we receive no concrete guidance and for which there are no clear answers.
LIFE! sometimes i don't know how we do it.

all this is to say i loved THE FALLEN IDOL. it blindsided me, actually, with how much i enjoyed it. sasha picked a perfect film to satisfy her fascination with morality; what's more, this film, plot-wise, is utterly gripping. i was so tense. i really loved it.

i was daunted picking this week's film. i wanted to follow a train of thought from THE FALLEN IDOL, but, finding that too difficult, decided to move in a different direction altogether. i'm trying something new this week, a DOUBLE FEATURE by jacques demy, whose work i don't know well enough. i have a soft spot for LES PARAPLUIES DE CHERBOURG; these two films preceded LES PARAPLUIES. two films might be a tall order, but let's give it a go.

WEEK 44

44. THE FALLEN IDOL, dir. CAROL REED, 1948.

i am thinking alot about morality, i am always thinking alot about morality.
i think this film will stroke the part of me that is obsessed with the constant ethical/ moral questions posed in everyday life, the small things that nonetheless keep me up at night.

i really loved julia. was amazed at the tying in of so much (motherhood -- human and country--, politics, citizenship, addiction, childhood, etc) in a way that illuminated all instead of (which easily could have been the case) becoming a jumbled and convoluted mess. the ending was perfect.

and: inglourious basterds!!!! i am hugely into quentin tarantino generally (i am constantly saying that jackie brown may be not just one of my favorite movies, but THE favorite), but regardless: yesyesyes!!! i loved it, too.

more to say, but running out the door. much written catch up in order these days. summer gets me behind, but it's getting colder and for film-viewing and just about every other activity that tops my activty-list, cold is good.

WEEK 43

43. LES BONNES FEMMES, dir. CLAUDE CHABROL, 1960

1. JULIA was a compelling movie, and it revived my interest in tilda swinton, who for me was veering dangerously close to overexposure. i'm reined in again. she is undeniable.
2. it was only after finishing the movie that i realized erick zonca also made THE DREAMLIFE OF ANGELS, a film i've always liked a lot. it's a movie that is decidedly slower, quieter than JULIA, but zonca shows in both a talent for rendering worlds that feel dark and real and riddled with difficulty. erick zonca: henceforth on my radar.
3. the common thing i've read about JULIA: that it is a direct descendant of cassavetes. this is a great compliment. i agree that it is true.
4. AN ASIDE: because this is a film blog, i'd like to mention INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS, which rhan and i saw yesterday and which i thought was just great. an energetic, insanely violent revenge fairy tale that bears no resemblance to any sort of historical reality, nor is it meant to. critical opinion is divided. i loved it.

THIS WEEK: i need to see some claude chabrol.