Scenes from Thomas Vinterberg's "Festen" [1998 Denmark, Sweden]

Thomas Vinterberg is among the brilliant young directors to emerge from Europe over the past decade, and by some pleasant coincidence, I'm starting his filmography with a film where he isn't even formally credited - "Festen" [Eng. Title: The Celebration], is a fine example in Dogme 95, a film movement that I'm also gradually but surely warming up to...

Storyline:
A family gathers to celebrate the father's sixtieth birthday. One family member is however missing for the first time, after her recent suicide. Her twin brother Christian has been entrusted with toasting to her memory by saying a few words, and he had come prepared with two sets of speeches - one written on a yellow piece of paper, and the other on green. He offers the choice to the father, and after he picks the green one, proceeds to read a speech that reveals a truth that's nothing short of cataclysmic. So shocking was the revelation that the gathered family members refuse to believe it and pretend to take it as a joke. And this is where the drama begins - because Christian has his work cut out to get everyone to come to terms with it and acknowledge it openly. Only then will his burden ease, only then will he be able to pick up the pieces and move on...

What struck me after watching the film was its marvellous screenplay- a situation that would conventionally call for a melodrama is astonishingly shaped into a gripping thriller. As for the characterisation, it is so wholesome that we would get to know every family member as if we've known them for years, and this will not all be down to the script - it is thanks to some thoughtful cinematography and superb performances by the main cast. A film concept like this requires a lot of thought, observation, and reflection. It might sound a touch odd, but simplicity is one of the hardest things to achieve. This film may have its tiny imperfections, but it is still beautiful - and they only add to its charm. In the process it stirs up a beehive by holding a mirror to a society in denial. The family portrayed could be from anywhere - traditional or modern, wealthy or otherwise, and from any part of the 'civilised' world - we all do have our prejudices, ostrich syndromes, and superficiality, and this film reminds us of that. Needless to say, this is Highly Recommended Viewing..!

Amazon DVD Link (a good deal going here)




Compilation: Helle Dolleris and Trine Dyrholm
This post is actually more of an excuse to write something about this remarkable film rather than showcasing any notable nude scenes. But here it is anyway - events here happen early in the film as guests settle down in their respective designated quarters of the family-run hotel. First is of Michael, played by Vinterberg-regular Thomas Bo Larsen, very dependent on his incredibly tolerant wife Mette, played by Helle Dolleris. This is followed by a brief scene of Pia, played by Trine Dyrholm, waitress for the occasion but nevertheless well acquainted with the family. She fancies Christian, but his mind is unfortunately preoccupied with other things...

Thomas Vinterberg's excellent drama "Festen" also features some brief scenes of nudity thanks to Helle Dolleris and Trine Dyrholm in the early part of the film.

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Scenes from Alejandro Jodorowsky's "Fando y Lis" [1968 Mexico]

Any worthwhile discussion about nudity in cinema is simply incomplete without mention of a certain Alejandro Jodorowsky, mystic guru of the absurd - with a capital 'A'..!

About the great man:
It'll be a challenge to keep this brief, but I shall try - born in Chile and established in Mexico, Sr. Jodorowsky has dabbled into pretty much anything one might call art or craft - be it puppetry, mime, illustration, painting, literature, or theatre, he's dipped his brush and left lasting imprints on everything that had aroused his curiosity. Even if it was his cinema that opened him up to a worldwide (and devout) audience. Founder of the so-called 'Panic' movement (after the mythical Greek Pan) as a reaction to surrealism that was becoming in his words 'petit bourgeois', it aims to express itself in an uninhibited free form by using whatever motifs at disposal. Subsequently his works can either be seen as unadulterated genius in full flow, or an absurd exercise. The latter is also true, but the absurdity is methodical, like in a dream, like a trance, borne through knowledge and logic. But his work is anything but heavy - there are no profound truths to reveal that you may not already know, and contrary to what some believe, it is also not surrealism. Inquisitive, playful, and mischievous even - it is merely an unabashed expression through various motifs, sometimes symbolic. You don't watch a Jodorowsky for its technical merits, but if you allow, it will take you on a trippy journey beyond all kinds of 'isms'. Alejandro Jodorowsky is part of a special group of people I'd dearly love to have a chat with, but for now I'll contend with discussing his films, starting with his first full-length feature, "Fando y Lis" [Eng. Title: Fando and Lis].

Storyline:
After the world as we know is bombed to rubble, Fando takes his paraplegic fiancée Lis on a journey to 'Tar', supposedly the only city to have survived unscathed - to cure her, and possibly start life afresh. But neither knows how to get there despite setting out enthusiastically on their journey. They meet different characters along the way, sometimes asking for direction, but none seems to know for sure. Where is this 'Tar' - is it really somewhere you need to travel to find? Is it actually a place or a state of being? Whatever the case, can they ever get there..?

About the film:
Based on a play by the same name and originally penned by his long-term associate, the equally great Fernando Arrabal (The Guernica Tree), Jodorowsky adapted it freely to infuse some of his own themes into his project - I won't go into those details, you can gather all his thoughts in his revealing commentary that comes with the DVD. Personally, I can look at the film from two viewpoints - as a post-apocalyptic version of The Pilgrim's Progress, or as a story about man and woman, inseparable - possibly an Adam and Eve trying to make sense of life after loosing innocence. Either way, it's a mystical film with the odd bit of visual outrage thrown in. Though tame by today's standards, the film's festival premiere in Acapulco actually caused a furore with people out to lynch Jodorowsky - he escaped with his life that day. The eventual theatrical release also caused a riot. As an exercise in cinema, it is raw and uncultivated, but you'll nevertheless see inspirations drawn from it in Fellini's "Satyricon" (1969), Antonioni's "Zabriskie Point" (1970), and even more recently in Medem's "Lucía y el Sexo" (2001) - not too bad for a 'crazy' Latin American's debut feature, don't you think. As a post-surrealist response and symbolic allegory, as crude as it might be, it is an important film that expanded cinematic horizons, and for that reason, Highly Recommended Viewing..!

About the DVD:
Mine is from the Anchor Bay box-set. It comes with 4 DVDs (4 of his films and a feature-length documentary), and 2 audio sound track CDs. The problem is they needlessly have a Region 1 lock on it, but if you know how to work around it, great value for money.
Amazon Box-set Link




Compilation: Valerie Jodorowsky and Diana Mariscal
Visually the weakest transfer of the lot - the film is letterboxed widescreen, it however comes with an interesting commentary from Jodorowsky himself.



Scene Guide:

• Fando is 'seduced' by some glitzy types amidst the town ruins - oblivious to the destruction they'd helped cause. The woman beckoning Fando is played by Valerie Jodorowsky, the director's then girlfriend and future wife (they're divorced now). In the DVD, you'll also be able to follow some of his cheeky comments about the scene.
• Fando and Lis meet a decadent priest and a pregnant woman on their way (symbolising mother Earth). Strangely, the priest is played by an actress, one of several quirky (or perverse) casting decisions by the director.
• Fando and Lis encounter people wallowing in mud signifying their material existence and lethargy. Jodorowsky had wanted to film them entirely in the nude, but couldn't as he had government observers looking over him on set. :)
• Wild but beautiful scene of Fando and a fully mobile Lis during a fantasy where they paint their names over each other. Lis is played by the cute looking (but rather bold for her time) Diana Mariscal.
• Fando's treatment of Lis swings from love to hate frequently, and these swings become increasingly extreme as the film progresses. In this long sadomasochistic scene, Fando humiliates Lis by calling in strangers to ogle and grope her. But when he tells them that she's his fiancée, they leave in disgust.
• This is the end, or is it perhaps a new beginning..?

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Kristin Scott Thomas in “Un Été Inoubliable” [1994 Romania, France]

The sojourn into eastern European cinema continues with a film from renowned Romanian director Lucian Pintilie, the Franco-Romanian production, "Un Été Inoubliable" [Romanian Title: O Vara de Neuitat, English Title: An Unforgettable Summer].

Multifaceted Pintilie started making films in communist Romania, but moved to France in order to pursue his career until the 1989 Romanian Revolution. But even while in France, he often interpreted Romanian literature and its culture in his work. Noted for his stark yet lyrical depictions while examining themes relating to his region, its culture, politics, and conflicts, Pintilie, considered among the world's leading film makers, had his career interrupted several times, mostly due to censorship from communist authorities. Having seen a handful of his films, I have begun to thoroughly enjoy discovering his filmography. Rest assured, we will be discussing more of his films here too.

About the film:
For those like me who are not well acquainted with eastern Europe in general, there are several informative nuggets in this film that will give a pretty good picture of the region's recent history, and it also makes connections to tumultuous happenings in neighbouring Yugoslavia during the time of the film's production. Pintilie himself admits to have been inspired by events next door to explore the screenplay from a balkanisation perspective - the symptoms and causes. He also establishes through subtle means his appreciation of communism as an inherently good idea badly executed by people. We even have brilliant satire of hypocrisy in high places, and widespread xenophobia getting in the way of realising a Greater Romania that they're trying to create.

Storyline:
Petre Dumitriu, a respected Army captain, and his charming wife and mother of three Marie-Thérèse attend a ball organised in honour of the prince, who also happens to be the Army's Chief of Staff. Marie-Thérèse has aristocratic roots too - she's a niece of the royal family, and her father belonged to the Magyar (Hungarian) aristocracy, the fact her maternal relatives openly resent. After noticing the prince openly making advances on his wife (which Marie-Thérèse politely spurns), Petre is furious but helpless in standing up to a superior. He asks to be transferred to a different location, and the prince, out of spite assigns him to a garrison in a restive and godforsaken border outpost. While disappointed initially at the Spartan living conditions, Petre, Marie-Thérèse, their beautiful children, and their nanny decide to make the best out of a bad situation. The optimist in Marie-Thérèse almost succeeds against odds to establish themselves in the new environment by befriending local Bulgarians and keeping everyone's spirits up. But when some soldiers are killed in an ambush by militants, the inept army headquarters must find a scapegoat, and the locals tending to Marie-Thérèse's salad garden are targeted for extra-judicial execution, one that Petre objects to knowing pretty well he could loose his job, and he does. And there is someone always at hand to replace Petre, but despite this Marie-Thérèse tries to save her gardeners' lives...

This is not a light film by any means - as engrossing as it was, it was also uneasy to watch, and in a way I was a bit relieved when it ended. The screenplay is very well structured, the art direction is magnificent, and the cinematography shines in places - notably the frantic opening scene which give us a horseback saddle-seated view. Well performed by all the main actors, British-born Kristin Scott Thomas sparkles as the stoic heroine Marie-Thérèse von Debretzy, a noble woman who tries in vain to stop bloodshed around her. Needless to say, this film is Highly Recommended Viewing..!

Amazon.fr DVD Link




Compilation: Beatha Fülop and Kristin Scott Thomas
Made from two scenes - the first is of Erji, a Hungarian (and communist) prostitute who moons at the prince and gathered crowd, and is promptly ordered to be 'removed'. The funny part however is, for all their holier-than-though attitude, everyone seems to remember her by name, without even looking at the owner's face! Feisty Erji is played by Beatha Fülop. The second is a famous nude scene of Marie-Thérèse bathing with her children in very little privacy, and soldiers moving about, some stopping by to stare. Petre himself finds it hard keeping his hands off his wife, but it appears not everyone is pleased to see them either. Marie-Thérèse is played by the BAFTA-winning, beautiful, and intelligent British-born actress Kristin Scott Thomas. Now that's, a rose..! ;)



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Leonor Watling in "Lo Mejor de Eva" [2011 Spain]

I'm not very familiar with the work of Mariano Barroso, having seen only one of his films before this, and his latest thriller "Lo Mejor de Eva" [Eng. title: Dark Impulse], although stylish, is not quite in the same league as the earlier film (Éxtasis).

Storyline:
Eva is a dedicated and forthright prosecutor at a Madrid court, and her latest case relates to the murder of a stripper. While the suspect is in custody she is desperate for some hard evidence and witnesses, and the suspect - a powerful man, is intent on digging up some dirt from Eva's past to force her to compromise her integrity. Enter Rocco, a gigolo and friend of the murdered girl, who offers to help in Eva's prosecution. By a turn of events, Rocco gets much closer to Eva than anyone else could imagine, and it now appears he holds the key to unravelling Eva's past...

While there are some strong performances from the lead actors - Leonor Watling as Eva, Miguel Ángel Silvestre as Rocco, and the talented Adriana Ugarte as Eva's sister Marta, my biggest problem with this film is that it lacks credibility, with the screenplay being the main culprit. The cinematography is decent, but nothing special. On the whole, this is an average film that'll struggle to stay in memory after the credits roll.




Compilation: Leonor Watling, Miguel Ángel Silvestre, and Nathalie Poza



Scene Guide:

• Rocco makes his move, and Eva finds it hard to resist. Eva is played by the magnificent Leonor Watling, and Rocco by an athletic Miguel Ángel Silvestre, who kinda reminds you of the Italian actor Raoul Bova.
• This time they spend the night together...
• Rocco gets down and dirty with Eva - her posterior by the way is body-doubled by a largely unsung and anonymous Tharna Tirado Güido.
• Berta, one of the key witnesses for the case is found murdered in the bath - Berta is played by Nathalie Poza (Malas Temporadas).

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Ornella Muti in "La Ragazza di Trieste" [1982 Italy]

Pasquale Festa Campanile was a successful director, even if he is renowned foremost as a writer, having worked with the likes of Dino Risi and Luchino Visconti on some major projects. His 1982 drama, "La Ragazza di Trieste" [Eng. Title: The Girl from Trieste] is also a moving story adapted from his own novel, appreciated to the extent that elements of the plot have been liberally borrowed worldwide in several films since.

Storyline:
Illustrator Dino watches an attractive young woman rescued at the beach in Trieste. Since she seems to have misplaced her clothes, he offers her his blanket, on condition that she return it after use. As instructed, the woman - Nicole, turns up at Dino's house to return the blanket - only that's the only robe she's wearing. With such a forthright signal, things take their course, and they embark upon a relationship. It turns out dear Nicole is a needy character - even exposing herself in public if she feels necessary to get 'noticed'. But there's an air of mystery surrounding her that Dino feels compelled to unravel, which will soon become his obsession. We will learn through the course of the film that Nicole is actually a mentally ill patient undergoing therapy for borderline schizophrenia. By the time this is revealed though, Dino had already fallen headlong in love with her, and with the help of the psychiatrist hopes to cure her through his love and commitment, but would those really be enough to bring Nicole back to normalcy...

While the protagonists - Ornella Muti as Nicole, and Ben Gazzara as Dino give a credible enough performance - this being their second film together, and the screenplay is also well thought out, I couldn't help feeling the direction needed to be a bit bolder to tell an unconventional love story that includes such an extreme character as Nicole. While totally agreeing with the casting choice, I feel Ms. Muti was ridiculously underused - both in terms of emotions and physicality. The camera and lighting is quite conservative, as is the signature sound track (it actually gets a bit annoying after a while) - I couldn't help thinking this is a great story what would have sparkled in the hands of a Ingmar Bergman or Marco Ferreri. While this certainly isn't my first choice film for introducing the incomparable Ornella Muti to the site, it remains the very reason I even purchased the DVD. And for Ms. Muti's sake alone, this is Recommended Viewing.

Amazon DVD Link

About the recommended DVD:
This is not the DVD I have but I'd rather recommend this because of these reasons - I'm certain mine isn't digitally remastered - it is obviously put together from various source material - you also have sudden changes in saturation, and even the sound pitch alters intermittently. Besides, the scenes between Ornella Muti and Ben Gazzara were originally shot in English, and later dubbed into Italian. So you might as well go for a UK version than the Italian-dubbed offering.




Compilation: Ornella Muti, Ben Gazzara, and Mimsy Farmer
Most of the scenes are in English so you should be able to follow without too much effort.



Scene Guide:

• No nudity - Nicole is 'rescued' from the sea, and gets noticed by Dino who later offers his blanket so she could get off her wet costume. Nicole is played by the gorgeous Ornella Muti in the prime of her youth.
• Nicole drops by Dino's to return the blanket, wearing little else, and things happen!
• No nudity - after seeing Dino with another woman, Nicole gets jealous and craves for some attention of her own, and decides to expose herself knicker-less in a Piazza. I presume it's not as uncommon for attractive women to expose themselves this way as one might think..! :)
• Nicole has the habit of writing about her escapades in a diary, which the girls at her sanatorium get to read, and a nasty welcoming party lay in wait...
• After Dino learns of Nicole's illness, he decides to leave town so she doesn't come looking for him during therapy, and takes his ex-girlfriend Valeria along. Valeria and Dino are played by the American Mimsy Farmer and Ben Gazzara respectively.
• Best of the lot - Nicole is now engaged to Dino when they travel to Paris. But after Nicole begins to doubt he may have been talking to a woman on the phone secretly, she switches to her 'attention-seeking' mode, and the lucky hotel steward gets an eyeful (and quite possibly a sleepless night too) :)
• Nicole's hallucinations start getting worse...
• She shaves off her hair after misinterpreting Dino's earlier remark - he had told her she had beautiful long hair, but she thought he was complaining about the long hair. When a shocked Dino tells her off, she switches to 'attention-seeking' mode again.
• Nicole returns to sea from whence she came...

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