Snowman Prophet of Doom said:
I saw Cool Hand Luke for the first time yesterday. Paul Newman was such a badass in his day, it's unbelievable. It was quite good, by the way; I enjoyed it much more than the similar One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, which is also good in its own way.
Yeah, Cool Hand Luke is great fun. No other movie capitalised on Newman's radiant smile so well. "That Luke smile o' his."
Red Dead Redemption has been eating up most of my time, but I did manage to watch some movies as well these past two weeks.
Histoire(s) du Cinéma (1988-1998)
I got this off Amazon a couple months ago, despite not being very familiar with Godard's post-60s output and being forewarned that it's a bit difficult. The whole concept of it just intrigued me. I held off on watching it because I knew it was comprised of images from other movies, and I wanted to be able to identify as many of them as possible. But I couldn't resist any longer.
Godard basically strips cinema to its basics - the juxtaposition of images and sounds - and builds it up again in his own way. It's a work that details the history of film, often in a non-chronological/non-linear way, as well as details the history of the 20th century as seen thru the lens of the camera. The two chapters made in 1988 are a bit more general than the ones made ten years later, which have more specific themes. In the first chapter, photos of Charlie Chaplin are shown while Godard repeats the words 'le règle du jeu' several times. These kinds of playful combinations are found all over, tho many of them aren't as comprehensible.
I loved watching all 270 minutes of Histoire(s), if only for how many great scenes from great movies rush by very rapidly. It's as fun as it often is indecipherable. It also contains some of the most warmest, most emotionally affecting moments I've seen from Godard. One of its chapter deals with the wide-eyed wonder with which children will stare at images, and posits that in order to get the most of out movies, adults need to do the same thing. My favourite chapter is The Coin of the Absolute, which is in part a reaction to the Bosnian war. Godard goes from that war to WWII, the latter a recurring topic in Histoire(s), then criticises all the dominant cinematic forces in the western world for not having taken up their responsibilities and making escapist fare instead. Then he adds the caveat that there was one country making engaged, important movies after WWII, and the chapter ends with a loving montage of neorealist films set to a sentimental Italian song.
It's really a monumental work, one I'l undoubtedly return to once I've seen more movies. It's difficult to understand all of it tho, especially when you don't know any French. Not all of what's spoken, and hardly anything of what's written, is subtitled, and in light of his recent Film Socialisme i think it's safe to say that this was done intentionally.
Drums Along the Mohawk (1939)
The sentimental quaintness that Ford's movies were prone to is out in full force here. It's a nice story, nicely told and nicely acted. A nice film. Beautifully shot. Some odd casual racism in some places, aimed at native Americans as well as the British. The villian wears an eye patch... an eye patch!
High and Low (1963)
A very special movie in many ways. For one, I loved seeing Mifune in a more modern setting instead of being a crazy, badass, crazily badass or badassily crazy samurai. The performance he puts on here as King Gondo is excellent.
The movie's structure is also special. The first hour takes place entirely in one setting, almost as if it were an adaptation of a play. After that, it opens up, and it becomes a thoroughly gripping police procedural with some interesting subtext. It's a gorgeous looking movie as well. One of Kurosawa's best, visually and otherwise.
