My Week of Movie Watching

Mr. Hulot’s Holiday – I try to never let too much time pass without watching a Tati film, and it was nice to see this again after quite a few years. I also went and read Roger Ebert’s commentary on it, and noticed that the first time he saw it, he “Didn’t laugh as much as I thought I was supposed to”. That is usually the case for me, as well. Tati’s films don’t have many big belly laughs, but I without fail will feel good after seeing one. I think part of that is that they are made totally without cynicism. The people are completely genuine and sweet, warts and all. The film follows Mr. Hulot as he vacations at a seaside resort, and gets involved a number of situations. Again, no belly laughs, but a sweet, funny film, and the logical place to start experiencing the films of Jacques Tati.

The Italian Connection – My first experience with the films of Italian action-meister Francesco Di Leo. The plot is this: A pimp (Mario Adorf) is framed for stealing a cache of heroin, and has a couple of hit men (Woody Strode and Henry Silva) sent after him. This one is not very sophisticated, but it’s sure a lot of fun, being full of gunplay, fistfights, car chases, and other glorious violence. I counted at least 3 times that Adorf uses his forehead as a weapon, including to break a windshield, and to destroy a payphone. Recommended.

Branded To Kill – I am uneven on the work of Japanese wild man Seijun Suzuki. My first experience with him was the brutal Gate of Flesh, and although I admired its style and nerve, I felt a little beaten up by it. Next were Underworld Beauty and Story of a Prostitute, both more conventional fare, but still striking. Branded is really a quantum leap in style and technique. It’s the story of a hit man (Jo Shushido) on the run from the mob after a blown hit. Along the way, he has to deal with his cheating wife, a mysterious other woman, and a number of other killers, including the “Mysterious number 1”. Suzuki pretty much pulls out all the stops here in his narrative style, including music, lighting, and set composition. It’s a bit bewildering in a few places, but definitely worth a look.

The Hidden Fortress – Second time for this Kurosawa. Fortress tells the story of a pair of greedy peasants who unwittingly get involved in a civil war and have to help a general (Toshiro Mifune) get a princess (Misa Uehara) back home. HR doesn’t have quite the rep that films like Rashoman or Seven Samurai have, but it’s a terrific action adventure, and should be checked out. Highlight for me is a furious chase on horseback that Mifure does with a couple of enemies. Recommended.

City Lights – Got a chance to see this on a big screen, so naturally had to check it out. Chaplin’s tramp falls in love with a blind girl who believes he is a millionaire, and he spends the film trying to make money so she can have an operation to restore her sight. If the handful of kids in the audience were any indication, Chaplin’s masterpiece still has it, and that is nice to see. I still laughed out loud as the Tramp tries to save a suicidal man from drowning himself, as he boxes with a fearsome opponent, and how he extricates himself from a statue in the film’s opening. The conclusion of City Lights is always regarded as one of the Movies best, and seeing it again on the big screen, and knowing it was coming, it still put a lump in my throat. Well done, Mr. Chaplin.

Steamboat Bill Jr. – A nice co-incidence that this Buster Keaton landmark appears on MUBI at the same time that City Lights appears at my local theatre. I hadn’t seen this story of an Eastern greenhorn who comes west and joins his father in running a delapitated steamboat. He also encounters his girl from back east, who is the daughter of his father’s wealthy arch rival. Keatons Willy tries to romance the girl without encountering either father. This is the film that contains the most famous of Keaton sequences, where the façade of a building falls down on top of him, but I was most impressed by the whole final sequence that occurs during a massive storm, and includes flying buildings, hidden deep holes, a flatbed truck with a loose cargo, and a tree that uproots and flies away…with Buster still attached to it. Recommended.