(70th Venice International Film Festival) "La Jalousie" According to Philippe Garrel

A 30-year-old man lives with a woman in a small, furnished rental. He has a daughter by another woman, a woman that he abandoned. A theater actor and very poor, he is madly in love with this other woman. She was once a rising star, but all work offers have dried up. The man does everything he can to get her a role, but nothing works out. The woman cheats on him. And then she lives him. He tries to kill himself, but fails. His sister visits him in hospital. She's all he has left, his sister and the theatre...

This drama by Philippe Garrel is selected to be presented, among other films in official competition at the 70th Venice International Film Festival. Protagonists are Louis Garrel, son of the director and Anna Mouglalis.

From the synopsis of the film the story seems entirely suited to Philippe Garrel style. A simple event,  with "jealousy" as a central phenomenon. Only that in this case ( unlike most films with the central theme "jealousy" ) seems that the real concern is not owned by the subject where “jealousy” falls over, but from the one who cultivates this sense. We are not going to see that  typical drunkard or egocentric man that  denigrates his wife's life with his obsessions. Even the term "jealousy" may seem dubious in this case. " Profusely Love " would be the proper term.

Philippe Garrel started his career very early. When he was 16-year-old, he wrote and directed his first film. During his 10-year relationship with Nico (The Velvet Underground) the two artists, inspired by each were in the top of their creativity. During this period, all his films are semi-autobiographical and deeply under the influence of  "underground" culture.

Garrel is generally well rewarded by the Venice International Film Festival. He has twice won the Silver Lion as the best director with "J'entends Plus la Guitare" in 1991 and with "Les amants Réguliers" in 2005, as well as once has won the FIPRESCI prize with "Sauvage Innocence" in 2001.

Philippe Garrel

By Philippe Garrel I will suggest you "La Révélateur" 1968, an experimental silent film, about a family that has survived from a great evil (undefined) and wander scared through the woods of Munich. Basic idea of ​​the film is that the great evil has not come from "aliens", but from the manifestation to the outside world of that non- human side of human.

Or, for those who don’t feel that comfortable with silent films...I suggest "Les amants Réguliers" that takes place in the same historical background of "The Dreamers" and the protagonist is Louis Garrel ;)...by Led Kasapi

(70th Venice International Film Festival) "Gravity" the return of Alfonso Cuarón

One of the "Three Amigos" returns to the big screen at the 70th Venice International Film Festival with a techno-thriller film inspired by the Kessler Syndrome with Sandra Bullock and George Clooney as protagonists. The opening film of the Festival has a script written by Alfonso Cuarón and his son Jonás Cuarón.

Originally Robert Downey Jr. was selected for the lead role. Plans were changed several times in a row for the female-protagonist until Cuarón finally decided to give this role to Sandra Bullock. Angelina Jolie, Marion Cotillard, Scarlett Johansson, Blake Lively and Natalie Portman were tested for the role before Bullock.

The events take place in space. A medical engineer Dr. Ryan Stone, on her first trip into space, and a veteran astronaut Matt Kowalsky, on his last voyage, must cooperate to survive in a mostly destroyed space shuttle , with limited air and without any communication with Earth.

"Gravity" was scheduled to appear in cinemas on  November 21st 2012, but the post-effects of this film took almost a year to be finished. On  October 4th 2013, premiere for North America, "Gravity" will be presented to the general public in 3D and IMAX 3D.

Alfonso Cuarón has experimented different genres in cinema. From "A Little Princess" or "Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban" to "Great Expectations" or "Children of Men". All so divers from each other, but all so visibly “painted” by the creative mind of a good director.

Alfonso Cuarón

Personally, in any case, I would choose Alejandro González Iñárritu  instead of Alfonso Cuarón. I keep prefering those who remain faithful to themself ; although a new film by Cuarón, after 7 years off , keeps being a good news.

I would suggest to you “Y Tu Mamá También” as one of the best films of 2000 years ... so you could  understand why I “took the trouble” to write for Alfonso Cuarón. Sometimes there suffices just a single masterpiece, to give someone the title of "Genius"....by Led Kasapi

(70th Venice International Film Festival) ...Waiting for " Tom à la ferme " by Xavier Dolan

After three films "Je tue ma mere", "Les amours imaginaires" and "Laurence Anyways," Xavier Dolan will be presented at the 70th Festival of Venice with a psychological thriller. After three premieres in Cannes, his next film will debut in Venice.It has been selected to be screened in the main competition section at the 70th Venice International Film Festival .

Dolan and Michel Marc Bouchard (author of the drama) have adapted both the screenplay for the film. "Tom à la ferme " will be a film unlike those films we have seen so far by Dolan.

In this psychological thriller Stockholm Syndrome, mourning and latent violence permeate a story of lies and imposters. A young ad executive travels to the country for a funeral and discovers that no one there knows his name or his relationship with the deceased.Set deep in the farmlands of Quebec, " Tom à la ferme " tells of the growing fissure separating city and country and the respective natures of the men that reside there.

First impression, after reading this simple plot, is that this film seems a bit "darker" than the other films of the 23-year-old director. In the heart of the three previous films proceeds  a common human drama (those that  we encounter almost every day to ourselves or to people around). There are two or three characters and all the drama forwarded through their interaction. But " Tom à la ferme " seems to be more comprehensive. If the first two films "Je tue ma mere" and "Les amours imaginaires" are almost autobiographical, where the main characters are not more than 25 years old; in "Laurence Anyways" there is  a kind of fracture (and increased directing  skills). Although "Laurence Anyways" is  the less estimated of the three films so far by Xavier Dolan.

I think " Tom à la ferme "  will be a test for the director himself. Let’s  Wait and see if this film will result  a success like "Je tue ma mere" and "Les amours imaginaires" or there will be another "Laurence Anyways". If this happens, the second possibility,  Xavier Dolan probably must  continue to create semi-autobiographical films for a little while and then again later he may try any other genre.

Waiting for " Tom à la ferme " , I suggest you to see "Je tue ma mere" (if you haven’t seen it yet, of course) ... to understand why there are so many “great expectations” for this sapling gay artist.

* After being shown at the Cannes Film Festival in 2009,"Je tue ma mere" received an eight-minute standing ovation. (not that bad, right?) ;)...by Led Kasapi

A PIER PAOLO PASOLINI tribute, by Abel Ferrara

Abel Ferrara acts like a man. As he has mentioned many times that Pier Paolo Pasolini was one of the most inspiring figures for his works, he decided to dedicate him a film.

And who better than Ferrara, who among other stuff  has directed a porn film where the protagonist actress was  his girlfriend (of that time), can respond to Pasolini’s controversy?

It seems like the director has officially entrusted Willem Dafoe  for the role of Pasolini. For me personally, he could have chosen someone less American than Dafoe. Not because I have doubts about his dramatical mastery, but because I would like to see any European actor (preferably Italian) in the role of Pasolini, so long as  Pasolini himself was a strong critic of consumer culture, with which America embodies herself (even if we do not agree to this kind of “embody”). And more likely that anti-consumerism killed him. That disobedience "ate him".

The film focuses on the last days of Pasolini, in November 1975. As the master returns from Sweden in his hometown, at a dinner between friends someone tells him that he must immediately stop criticizing Christian Democrats. Pasolini says offended that he does not care how it is going to end, someone should be there to criticize that “puppet” government. End is known.

Only in 2005 these facts were made known, throwing new doubts over the distant murder of 1975. Although after "Salo", even if  the political motives of  Pasolini's murder were not spoken loudly , they were intended. "Salo" is his final mockery to consumer culture, to all those paunchy or slender bourgeoisie members, fascism and moderated fascists who label themselves capitalists.

Pasolini was a declared communist, not since the beginning, but after witnessing from nearly those  inhuman massacres against Jews by the Nazi-Fascists. His communism was different from that of others. Even among the Communists themselves he was a divergent man, after  his statements  against allowing abortion, or even more after his criticism of the student movement in Italy in '69 (in this case Pasolini was on the police side cause they were the true proletariat).

I bolded the  political profile of Pasolini, because this profile shows that Pasolini, like all the great personalities of all areas, at all times, never becomes an integral part of any group, at the point where the group's principles interfere with his own principles.

Pier Paolo Pasolini is an example of the intellectual man, who does not easily compromise, one of those  kind of intellectuals who will be always a minority in this dark, letterless world.

Abel Ferrara is a high-toned director, perhaps one of the best of our time. We can not blame him that "no one decided to eat him because of his disobedience." This may be his subconscious reason to devote a film to someone who sacrificed too much because of  principles similar to his own ones (I continue to insist, only in appearance). But after all, only form is visible for all (in art), so I think we are going to watch a good movie.

Filming starts in 2014, immediately after "Welcome to New York".

 But.. .I am still a fanatical worshipper of the “philosopher-artist”, and Mr. Ferrara is not one of these guys. Pasoloni was ;)...by Led Kasapi

Akira Kurosawa's Dreams 1990

I didn’t select randomly "Dreams" by Akira Kurosawa. I could choose between "Drunken Angel", "Rashomon", "The Hidden Fortress", "Seven Samuari", "Dodesukaden" or "Kagemusha" to talk about the genius of this master appreciated worldwide. Of course I also appreciate all of these films with no exception. There are a variety of scenes that I can’t erase of my mind. But however ... I selected "Dreams" (Yume), though it has received no international price. And anyone with reason may say that it does not fully represent Kurosawa's style of filmmaking.

Why "Dreams", when there are all those titles mentioned above?

Because  "Dreams" has left a long lasting smile on my lips. And sometimes one needs to overlive this. This film has not that epic pomposity that characterizes most creations of the Japanese genius. It's almost childish. I have also seen a dream similar to the first one " Sunshine Through The Rain" long time ago.

“Dreams" seems to be so perceptible and tender. What has amazed me when I noticed the year when the film was realized was that Akira remained unchanged until the end. Maybe in ‘90 years people expected something more high-tech. But no, Akira remains Akira. Even when Warner Bros. has the distribution rights for the film , still Akira remains Akira. My first impression was that the film should been realized during the late '70s. But the genius pays attention to image details, even when this is not a trend. Even when to the world are served only meanless beautiful stories, but so poorly composed (of these films we see today, at their very best you remember any mot, but no image).

Sunshine Through The Rain

The Peach Orchard

The film consists of eight dreams:1.Sunshine Through The Rain,2.The Peach Orchard,3.The Blizzard,4.The Tunnel,5.Crows,6.Mount Fuji in Red.7.The Weeping Demon,8.Village of the Watermills.

The Blizzard

In the first two dreams " Sunshine Through The Rain " and " The Peach Orchard ", the dream owner  is a kid. And it seems that magic realism that runs throughout the film, here becomes even more magical. All those dreams, except the fifth and the last, are accompanied by a kind of fear and anxiety. Same to  that bad sensation that we all have experienced at least once while dreaming. But the fifth dream " Crows " and the last one " Village of the Watermills " both create a state of peace and harmony that looks like will never end. It's a similar sensation to that tranquility that one can only experience in a dream, completely detached from th

e real world. In the first two dreams (kid) anxiety naturally interlock with inner harmony. Because only a child can experience these two extreme states at the same time.

Crows

Mount Fuji in Red

Steven Spielberg and Martin Scorsese had a strong hand in facilitating this film. Spielberg was one of the producers and Scorsese was Van Gogh in " Crows ". I’ve always thought that Spielberg is an overrated director. But I don’t lie if I say that I just tripled my respect immediately when I found out his role in making Akira Kurosawa well-known in the United States of America.

The whole film is nothing but the vital human journey , but in another dimension. As a step beyond what we see every day. And this dimension is reflected very well to our dreams.It’s a real life parallelism...vestured by a magic veil.

The Weeping Demon

I think the last two dreams are related to the hereafter. In both versions. Heaven and Hell. In      " The Weeping Demon " is shown a version of hell on earth. On a raped, broken and destroyed land. With no greenery, just a couple of carnivorous plants here and there. This part is Akira’s appeal to stop the destruction of Earth. Demon shows that at the beginning he was a human being. Later he turned into such a creature, as a result of pollution.

Village of the Watermills

Quite the contrary to " Village of the Watermills ". A small terrestrial paradise. No technology. Full of greenery and flowers. Simple and friendly people who live in harmony with each other. And I don’t know why I do believe that lack of 'high-tech' in this film is not a random choice."

The Tunnel

The Tunnel " is a similar fragment to the rest of Kurosawas creativity. An officer in the hereafter gates facing with his dead soldiers. All pale, dead, marching proud. The officer asks them to go back in the dead land, because only thus will find peace. But only when they hear the command like once in the army, they respond to the officer. They don’t obey when he speaks with a normal tone. Maybe they can’t hear. But for sure they may hear and respect their officer voice when he talks like a commandant.  Because Akira never forgets to tell us the Samurai noblesse of his people.

Akira Kurosawa

All this strong symbolism, but treated so naturally maked me choose "Dreams" and not any other film by Akira Kurosawa.                                                I keep being in love, but so badly with this Akira Kurosawa ;) ... by Led Kasapi

Ladri di biciclette (Bicycle thieves or The bicycle thief) Vittorio De Sica 1948

As I saw this movie, I needed a little time to put myself together. Immediately I thrusted it in the category of those films that I will never see for the second time. De Sica did a good job. He left me speechless.

I’ll start the analysis from the last scene. The scene where father and son catching by hands disappear into the crowd. Into that poor crowd. They get absorbed from the stomach they were born. Bruno cries. Antonio seems like he’s walking on air. Father’s myth is broken in the face of his son. Yet, they don’t detach their  hands from each other. This was De Sica’s tribute to Chaplin. Un buon lavoro ;)

The relationship between Antonio and Bruno muffles the film with  a strong emotional veil. Both were amateur actors. De Sica selected Antonio (a tall man, charming, con braccia forti) in an audition where he had brought his son to compete. Antonio at that time was a factory worker. Bruno was found occasionally while helping his father sell flowers in the streets of Rome.

Here consists the magic. That’s the reason why this film affected those guys of Academy Awards and made them establish a specific category “Honorary Award” in respect of this film.

Any time there is mentioned neo-realism as cinematic genre , immediately you think of  "Ladri di Biciclette". Because this film is the culmination top of this category. Estimated and reestimated thousand  times as such a film. Neo-realism was cultivated not for a very long period of time, mostly by Italian cineasts. These cineasts were noted for an extreme truthfully reflection of that time situation, in a world that had just emerged from the Second World War and was not yet recovered. But I will not linger on these facts that you can read quite well in Wikipedia.

There is a general belief (at least from what I've read) that these films come closer to documentary film than to the artistic one. This finding may seem fair because of the fact that almost all the scenes were filmed in open environments, supporting actors were passers, all were amateur actors, natural lighting...etc,etc. A very crude material. Very similar to that of a documentary.

The question that naturally arises inside my mind is:

If "Ladri di Biciclette" is almost a documentary reflecting the events of that time, then why I can’t get it out of my head?

I've seen dozens of Luce documentaries for the same historic period. At their very best, they make me have any of those political-philosophical long conversations with my friends.

 But "Ladri di Biciclette" doesn’t make me start any of those boring conversations. It makes me silent. It makes me bite my lips in order to stop the tears.... Here is art. Because art is like an ax that break the ice into your soul. At least, this is Franz Kafka’s opinion about art. And he is not wrong at all.

Antonio’s simplicity, in all those improvised actions,  passes us much more drama than just the drama of a poor man of his time. He gives us the drama of a powerless father and husband against the cruel occasional circumstances, inevitable not only in the time where he lives in, but in any system that mankind has produced at any time.

The moment where father and son visite the seer and Antonio speaks her softly telling that someone stole his bike, saying this phrase like this is the biggest trouble in his life, makes you laugh and cry at the same time.

A bicycle. A modest thing on two wheels. Someone steals it from you on a beautiful sunny day. And then what? A bike? Is it logical for a man to mortify himself for a bicycle?

No. It’s not the bicycle as an object that pushes Antonio to steal and then being denigrated in the face of his son. But the bike is a necessary condition for Antonio to start working. It was a clear fact to him since the beginning of the film. No bike, no work. Well...Maria, Bruno and baby don’t need only cuddles. Among the other stuff... they want to eat.

To think...that Maria carefully assembled one by one all the white sheets she had at home, so that selling them in exchange for  the bicycle. Sheets ended up in a large pile of  hopeless clothes... Ah, poor Antonio!!! They take his soul away when they steal his bike. They derogate his future.

Vittorio De Sica

De Sica himself was born in a poor family. Knowing well the sense of being hopeless owing to poverty in a pseudovalues system, De Sica, so masterly, characterizes this situation on this film.

Poverty becomes more visible into the Roman background, with all those magnificent masterpieces of art. Art, culture, knowledge ; poverty, filth, rascality ... that coexist separately. Rome ... without former Glory.

...And above all these, lies that noble father and son relationship. Sublime. Perfect. Nothing can break it. Nothing can divide them. A relationship that appears to violate the dregs of filth and poverty and rise above. This relationship makes Antonio’s  drama even sharper in front of us. And unlike a documentary film (with little or no art inside) it makes me cry.

...And please do never forget:

Art (regardless of genre, time, place) is eternal ...by Led Kasapi

Almost midnight in my city....i'm gonna watch "Zerkalo"....I'm smelling a big love on horizon ;)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Yn9q25NWAw
thank you mosfilm :*