micmul Reviews

Der Glanz dieser Tage (1989)

Trash - but sometimes funny and creative

[4/10 · 12 December 2005]

First the bad news: The plot (if there is one) is totally chaotic, the acting is unworthy for discussion, the lighting looks like on some homemade old 8mm-film from the 1970s and so does the photography. Dante would have said: "Abandon all taste, ye who enter here". If this movie would be more known, it would have a good chance to enter the bottom-100-charts.

The good news: It has some nice ideas, a few jokes actually can make one laugh, has several creative ideas and it is wonderfully provocative.

I watched it some Years ago in a tiny makeshift cinema using a 16-mm equipment (or was it super-8? I don't remember), with one loudspeaker, what was absolutely adequate for this film. And of course, Wenzel Storch has probably done all the above purposely.

This movie may be watched - but on Your own risk! The author of this comment disclaims all liability for damages on Your taste. :)

Der Totmacher (1995)

Pure excellent acting

[8/10 · 10 December 2005]

This is a quite spartan film. The only location is a sparse-funitured room, no special-effects, no score, just a few actors. - But what for actors! Götz George is supposed to be one of the best German actors, and after this movie the viewer knows why. Here he really shows what he is able to. I rarely (never?) saw such an intense, brilliant and convincing performance before. The sparse environment has the effect that the viewer can concentrate himself on the acting - and and this is what makes this film worth seeing.

But it's not only Götz George. The other actors (esp. Jürgen Hentsch as the psychiatrist and Pierre Franckh as the stenographer) are performing impressive and convincing. They are a well contrast and counterpart for George alias Haarmann. This prevents this movie from becoming a Götz-George-One-Man-Show.

I rated this with 8 because I think. a film for a 9 or even 10 should make more use of the diverse capabilities of the medium. After all a good film, but an absolute excellent play.

Der Kongreß der Pinguine (1993)

An impressive essay about nature and mankind

[8/10 · 13 November 2005]

This is definitely one of the most remarkable swiss movies of the recent years. Part documentary, part philosophical and part pure art it is difficult to classify this movie, the best description might be "An essay about nature and mankind". It is a very unusual movie, after all.

The plot (if this actually can be called a plot) is about someone visiting Antarctica finding an assembly of penguins relating a message and a mission to him and mankind as a whole. However this message is not an explicit or clear one and leaves room for interpretations. It's rather a call for thinking about the relation of mankind and nature. The movie then travels around to find answers to this. We visit e.g. South Georgia. In the 1920s this island was an important place for the booming whaling-business. Today there is nothing left but a bizarre pile of debris and rubble. The contrast to the wonderful natural landscape is stunning. While the camera moves through this doomsday-scenery we hear an optimistic voice from the off praising the many uses of the whaling-industry. The conclusions are left to the viewer and are obvious...

The pictures are very impressive, unusual and suitable to remain in memory forever, esp. when the camera seems to float through the deserted scrap of this abandoned whaling-station on South Georgia.

The score is just excellent and can be regarded as a vital component of the movie. Esp. when we visit the misty island of South Georgia with its debris we hear that dark and mysterious " The Isle of the dead" by Sergej Rachmaninov (Op. #29) which by itself is based on that famous painting by Arnold Boecklin with the same title. This fusion of an excellent score and not less excellent images remembers to Koyaanisqatsi (1982).

Technically the movie is virtually flawless, a swiss product without doubt :-).

Definitely recommended for everyone who likes movies abroad from the mainstream with a message and a demand for using the brain. Not recommended for people who are watching movies for entertainment only.