Favorite movies?

[brownie]

Ubu, don't think 'Ascenseur pour l'Echafaud' was that much of a great movie. Now don't get me started on the soundtrack! The music speaks for Miles' genius.

'Lucien Lacombe' would be my Louis Malle favorite movie. But not in my top all-time list.

And I much prefer Julien Duvivier and Jean Gremillon's films (not to speak of Jean Renoir) over Marcel Carne's.

Imamura? Yes. But his films do not have the appeal for me than the ones from Mizoguchi and Ozu.

[king ubu]

brownie, I don't know many of Louis Malle's films, actually, but I enjoyed Ascenseur a lot. Sort of a late french film noir. Beautifully photographed, nice style, and then of course, there's Jeanne Moreau... (La mariée était en noir is another good one with her)

Ozu & Mizoguchi I hardly know. Being still young, and there being only 2 good venues showing anything other than recent hollywood s**t and some european new stuff in between, I have to wait for the next retrospective, which will come for sure, but maybe, this will take 5 or 10 years...

Imamura, for me, was very much closer to our western (old european) mentality, our way of thinking, understanding life, than the few Ozu films I've seen. L'enmpire des sens and Diary of a shinjuku thief (by Oshima) are similar. Sort of a japanese nouvelle vague, also influenced by the likes of Godard.

Of the older japanese films I know, "Tokyo monogatari" is by far my favorite. The formalism and those wonderful pictures are stunning (the tour through the town of Tokyo the parents do, where you only see them sitting in their bus - because actually, when the film was made, Tokyo was still very much destroyed...), all the people coming or rather creeping into the picture from far below, then the camera, which usually is on the height of the knees of a standing person (which seems to be the height were the japanese live(d)). Stunning in every respect!

ubu

[brownie]

Ubu, when you say 'Imamura, for me, was very much closer to our western (old european) mentality, our way of thinking, understanding life, than the few Ozu films I've seen', you say precisely why I prefer Mizogushi and Ozu to Imamura or Kurosawa.

Seeing a Japanese film is an 'experience'. Which I get when I see 'Ugetsu' or 'Sansho the Bailiff' to cite two of Mizogushi's best films. I don't get that from the westernised Japanese films.

You have yet to catch films by Mizogushi, I can understand the plight. I was lucky to get my film apprenticeship in Paris

where I choose from dozens of art houses and two cinematheque houses to watch a movie.

Edited August 29, 2003 by brownie

[king ubu]

That's a good point you have re: 'experience'. I'm with you on that, generally. And that's the reason, too, why, having seen three or four japanese films, I usually have my share of japanese cinema for the next six months or so. (and I like to go to the movies up to four times a week when time allows)

But Imamura, for me, was quite an experience on its own. Those films have a sort of anarchy (as has Oshima), which you don't see in our own films too often, and which did quite strike me.

Will have my eyes open (that's easy, as I'm a member of both those two venues here...) for anything to come by Mizoguchi!

What are your favorite Truffaut films?

Mine would be the Doinel stories, Nuit américaine, and maybe La chambre verte and Tirez sur le pianiste. (Though there are some I missed)

ubu

[brownie]

King Ubu wrote:

What are your favorite Truffaut films? Mine would be the Doinel stories, Nuit américaine, and maybe La chambre verte

and Tirez sur le pianiste. (Though there are some I missed)

I practically grew up with Doinel. So I like all the Doinel films by Truffaut. And 'La Chambre Verte' is a masterpiece. Two other Truffaut films I like a lot are 'La Peau Douce' and 'L'Argent de Poche'.

Speaking of Doinel/Leaud, did you see 'La Maman et la Putain' by Jean Eustache? That's another masterpiece. Eustache had Bernadette Lafont - another favorite Truffaut actress - and Jean-Pierre Leaud plus newcomer Francoise Lebrun.

That's the three-hour and a half long film where Leaud tries to make up his mind on who he is in love with! And you're not bored a minute!

It is now known as the final French New Wave film!

[Simon Weil]

'Lucien Lacombe' would be my Louis Malle favorite movie. But not in my top all-time list.

I haven't seen that, or really know Malle's work, but I do seem to remember him saying that the central character is more or less that of the young boy in Bresson's "A Man Escaped", which is one of my favourite movies. In general, I really like Bresson from when I saw "Lancelot Du Lac" in the 70s. "Au Hazard Balthazar" is another I like, and I'm probably forgetting a few.

I think Bresson and Kurosawa became bleak at more or less the same time, in the late 60s. I do love Kurosawa. He is evidently influenced by Western movies and I also think John Ford is great, the Cavalry Trilogy etc, etc. Actually there's a scene in "Seven Samurai" where the bandits rain down on the village from the hills which is just like the scene at the end of "She Wore A Yellow Ribbon" where the calvary attack the Indian camp.

Ford also got bleak towards the end, with "The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance", "The Searchers" etc. I think "The Searchers" is a very special film.

Yes, bleak is the mot de jour.

Simon Weil

[brownie]

Simon Weil wrote:

I haven't seen that, or really know Malle's work, but I do seem to remember him saying that the

central character is more or less that of the young boy in Bresson's "A Man Escaped", which is one

of my favourite movies.

Yes, I remember Louis Malle saying something to that effect. The Bresson film is another monument from his most creative period. The man was creating superb austere films from 'Journal d'un Cure de Campagne', 'Pickpocket', 'Le Proces de Jeanne d'Arc', \Au Hasard Balthazar', 'Mouchette', to 'Une Femme Douce' all in a row.

An amazing succession of masterpieces.

Louis Malle's Lucien Lacombe is good but in the same WWII mood, I should have mentioned Joseph Losey's 'Monsieur Klein' which gave Alain Delon his best film part ever.

I'm no fan of Delon but he was incredible in that gripping and (yes) bleak film.

[king ubu]

brownie: I never heard of "la maman et la putain", but I made a mental note! Sure sounds good!

On Bresson: I did like "L'argent" a lot. Bleak? Hell, I like that!

How 'bout Antonioni? I had some strange discussion with our friend Heaney on another board. Anyone here likes La Notte, L'avventura and L'eclisse (I still had no possibility to see Il deserto rosso yet)? For me, these are some of the best movies ever made!

(a side-note on La notte: the band playing that night was a real jazz quartet, the piano player is Giorgio Gaslini, who made some interesting recordings, a solo piano Monk tribute, as well as an adaption of Ayler tunes for solo piano. Antonioni let them play the whole night - not caring they also had day jobs - in order to get them unshaved and tired for that final scene in the early morning)

ubu

[brownie]

Ubu, never got into Antonioni's films. I remember Gaslini's music to 'La Notte'. Went to see the film a second time to make sure I was not missing something.

From Italy, I'd rather take Fellini. Not all of them, by a long stretch.

But loved '8 1/2' and liked 'Roma' and 'Amarcord'.

[king ubu]

8 1/2 is one of my say 10 (which means 20) favorite films ever!

I - by the way - prefer it by far to La dolce vita.

I have never seen all of I vittelloni, but that seems to be a very nice (and very italian) film, too. Roma is good, Amarcord, then those other ones, like Satyricon, have their moments, too.

How about neorealismo?

I have recently seen Ladri di biciclette, Sciuscia, La terra trema, Ossessione and some more. Some time ago also Roma città aperta and Paisà. But my all-time favorite film of that era is Umberto D.!

ubu

Edited September 4, 2003 by king ubu

[skeith]

I know I'll be forgetting some and this list is too long but here it goes:

Five Easy Pieces (Brad and Jazzmoose - which scene? I remember a lot of them)

The Last Detail (maybe Jack Nicholson's best)

Cool Hand Luke

Lawrence of Arabia

Last Tango In Paris (and you get Gato too!)

Bananas

Shampoo

The Spy who came in from the Cold

The Ipcress File

Bedazzled (the original, of course)

Alfie (and you get Rollins too!)

Shoot the Piano Player

La Dolce Vita

8 1/2

Amarcord

The Apu Trilogy

Goldfinger

Knife in the Water ( and you get Komeda too!)

Hard Day's Night

Seven Samurai

Seven Beauties

Seventh Seal

Swept Away

Rashomon

Wild Strawberries

Virgin Spring

The Deer Hunter

Slapshot

Glengarry Glen Ross (you get Wayne too!)

The Long Goodbye

Once Upon a Time in the West

Duck Soup

Vertigo

Rear Window

North by Northwest

[Simon Weil]

Simon Weil wrote:

I haven't seen that, or really know Malle's work, but I do seem to remember him saying that the

central character is more or less that of the young boy in Bresson's "A Man Escaped", which is one

of my favourite movies.

Yes, I remember Louis Malle saying something to that effect. The Bresson film is another monument from his most creative period. The man was creating superb austere films from 'Journal d'un Cure de Campagne', 'Pickpocket', 'Le Proces de Jeanne d'Arc', \Au Hasard Balthazar', 'Mouchette', to 'Une Femme Douce' all in a row.

An amazing succession of masterpieces.

Louis Malle's Lucien Lacombe is good but in the same WWII mood, I should have mentioned Joseph Losey's 'Monsieur Klein' which gave Alain Delon his best film part ever.

I'm no fan of Delon but he was incredible in that gripping and (yes) bleak film.

Yeah, I just love that minimalist aesthetic - a bit related to Japanese art and at the very opposite extreme to current Hollywood. I suppose the Joan of Arc film would be a natural for him and that's one I'd really like to see (actuallyown). There is something terrible compelling in the sort of texture in his movies. This is probably sacriledge (and it's not really the same because it lacks Bresson's kind of mystical thing. Michael Mann is operatic), but the slow textural detail of "The Insider" (the 1999 Hollywood movie) is compelling too.

Delon's (?) a romantic lead. I saw him in a gangster movie with Belmodo once - quite liked that. My knowledge of French movies isn't good, really.

King Ubu wrote:

On Bresson: I did like "L'argent" a lot. Bleak? Hell, I like that!

I don't think I've seen "L'argent. "Lancelot Du Lac" is really bleak and when I saw it in the 70s I thought "that's probably what the Middle Ages were really like".

I think some days I just need bleak more than others.

Simon Weil

[jacman]

these films are ones that i'll watch over and over again, not in any order:

Key Largo

The Wizard Of Oz

Willy Wonka & The Chocolate Factory

Wings Of Desire

Ran

The Professional

The Godfather 1 & 2

Billy Jack

Yellow Submarine

Manhattan

Full Metal Jacket

Shane

Bad Day At Black Rock

any movies with:

The 3 Stooges

W. C. Fields

The Marx Brothers

Laural & Hardy

[king ubu]

"L'argent" was Bresson's last film. I had a chance to see it at a retrospective held in Zurich a couple of nmonths after his death. I saw many others there, too (Condamné, Journal d'uncuré..., Balthazar, Le diable probablement - some others were missing as they could not get any copies).

There was a recent (Hollywood?) movie starring Al Pacino (whom I don't like that much in his recent films, ususally), called "Insomnia". Can't remmeber who directed it, but that was quite a bleak affair, too.

****

I have just now seen Alexander Medwjedkin's silent movie "Stschastje" (german: Das Glück), from 1935. What a great film! They even had a piano player who did a quite decent job. Tomorrow, I'm going to see Griffiths "Intolerance" (for the first time in its entirety)

ubu

[Simon Weil]

There was a recent (Hollywood?) movie starring Al Pacino (whom I don't like that much in his recent films, ususally), called "Insomnia". Can't remmeber who directed it, but that was quite a bleak affair, too.

Yeah that was a good movie - and bleak. It's by Christopher Nolan, who's English and quite young. In a way the hero redeems himself at the end, which cuts down on the bleakness quotient. Before that Nolan did Memento (?sp) which was even bleaker and/or better. That was one of the more original American films of recent years. It has the guy who played the Judas-figure from the Matrix as the villain.

I quite like Pacino even though he does go in for operatic-style scenery-chewing. He raises the octane of a film even while you notice how he recycles the same sorts of chewing from film to film. He was in the Mann film I mentioned. I remember his younger style as being quieter, but maybe I'm kidding myself.

Imagine Pacino in Bresson film. Maybe a Besson film.

Simon Weil

[brownie]

How about neorealismo?

I have recently seen Ladri di biciclette, Sciuscia, La terra trema, Ossessione and some more. Some time ago also Roma città aperta and Paisà. But my all-time favorite film of that era is Umberto D.!

Italian neorealismo. I like Rossellini much better than De Sica. Roma cita aperta and Paisa are masterpieces.

And La Magnani in Roma! Mama Mia!

Not all of Pasolini films get to me but Il Vangelo Secondo Matteo is a film that still haunts me even if I have not seen it

again in a couple of decades.

Bertolucci started very strong. Loved Prima della Rivoluzioni, The Spider's Stratagema and The Conformist. Plus Last Tango in Paris.

Then Bertolucci has seemed to fall apart.

Just my two cents.

Simon, the Delon-Belmondo film should be 'Borsalino'. Don't take it bad but I think it's one of the most forgettable French film

of the era.

[Simon Weil]

Simon, the Delon-Belmondo film should be 'Borsalino'. Don't take it bad but I think it's one of the most forgettable French film

of the era.

Yeah, that's it. I don't remember it as being distinguished, I just kind of liked it. I have this weird sensibility where sometimes I can do the whole intellectual thing and sometimes I go for mindless rubbish.

Whoops, there goes my credibility.

Simon Weil

[brownie]

Simon, not to worry. Your credibility is still intact. I won't even start a list of all the rubbish I still enjoy!

[king ubu]

Seen some more, lately: "Key Largo" (great!), "Deadline USA" (good for an hour, then it became way too pathetic...), today, I'll go for Fellini's "I vitelloni" (which I've only seen the parts shown in the great Scorsese feature film) , tomorrow, it will be "Amore in città" (with episodes done by Fellini, Antonioni, Lattuada, Risi and others), and next week, Rossellini's "L'amore"... An almost complete retrospective of Fellini has just started here

And as I 've passed my university exams for this summer, I'm going to catch as many as I can, including those I already know.

ubu

[king ubu]

Have seen "8 1/2" once again! What a great GREAT film! Sure one of my ten favorites. (and it's ten, this time, meaning ten, not ten meaning actually 20)

Anouk Aimée is sooo cool! And Cardinales is not bad either (though she has only a small part). Mastroianni is the epitome of cool, at the same time thoroughly italian.

Marvellous music by Nino Rota (maybe my very favorite non-jazz film-soundtrack).

And dig the final scene, when you actually see sort of the film in the film - when Mastroianni finally directs the film he could not get started during the two hours before.

Then the scene with the Valkyrie at the beginning!! Whoa!

8 1/2 blows me everytime I see it!

[king ubu]

ubu

[king ubu]

far from being the best pics, but I cannot find anything better on the net.

ubu

Edited September 19, 2003 by king ubu

[kinuta]

Of the more recent new viewings, Spike Lee's ' 25th Hour' stood out . A very fine film.

[brownie]

I should have mentioned Jean Vigo's 'L'Atalante' much earlier. One of the best film ever. Pure visual poetry.

Vigo died just after completing the film in 1934.

Michel Simon, Dita Parlo and Jean Daste's superb acting and the haunting music by Maurice Jaubert add to perfection.

[BruceH]

Anybody seen "Lost In Translation"? I'm going to check it out tonight.