JSL26 Reviews

The Holdovers (2023)

"Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a great battle."

[8/10 · 28 January 2024]

I enjoyed this movie a lot, especially the performances by Da'Vine Joy Randolph as Mary and Carrie Preston as Lydia. Paul Giamatti, as Professor Hunham, is one of those actors like Dustin Hoffman or Jack Nicholson who doesn't really disguise himself in a role but makes it work nevertheless. He is an excellent cranky teacher with a kind-hearted streak.

But, to avoid just repeating what others have said, I will comment on a couple of picky plot points I had trouble with.

First, he really does not come across as a good teacher. When we first meet him, he is handing out marked papers for his Ancient Civilizations class, which average out to about a D. Obviously he is not getting across to the students yet he stubbornly persists in his over-their-heads teaching style. And, as Angus later points out to him, he could be a lot more effective if he made the ancient Greeks' lives and behavior more relevant to the students' interests.

Second, why is he driving a beat-up sedan with a front door that doesn't work? As a single person with a steady, presumably well-paying job, a cheap campus apartment, meals in the cafeteria, and few expenses, why hasn't he saved enough to buy a decent car and retire early from a job he dislikes? And, third, that scene when he upbraids a seasonal Santa Claus for not wearing historically appropriate garb was painful and so clueless as to be out of character.

Nevertheless, it was a great re-creation of 1970, the chemistry between the three main characters was believable and affecting, and its theme of trying to make the best out of life's ups and downs is universal. It reminded me of the Russian proverb from Gogol's "The Overcoat": "Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a great battle."

An Inn in Tokyo (1935)

The Depression In Japan

[8/10 · 7 July 2023]

The bleak, black-and-white, dusty fields of Tokyo in 1935 are not unlike the dust bowl scenes in The Grapes of Wrath. The small ensemble of actors including Ozu's favorite kid, Tomio Aoki and his favorite grandmotherly-type, Choko Iida, along with a hard-to-recognize Takeshi Sakamoto as the boys' father Yoshiko Okada as the girl's mother, make the poverty realistic yet almost poetic.

Okada, perfect as the mother (and why isn't she more famous?), is serene in the face of her challenging situation until her daughter gets seriously ill and she resorts to prostitution to pay for her care. This is a plot turn that Ozu returns to in even more dramatic fashion in his post-war "A Hen in the Wind" but this one packed a bigger punch.

Endeavour: Terminus (2021) Season 8, Episode 3

The only thing I liked was the bus number

[3/10 · 6 July 2022]

I agree that this episode was beneath the entire Morse catalogue--hammy, confusing, and with too many loose ends. But it was a nice touch to give the bus the number 33, since all the Morse series have 33 episodes.

Millennium Actress (2001)

Memory and A Longing For Love

[9/10 · 6 April 2022]

I loved this movie, which I saw as a mediation on the mysteries of memory and the longing for love--portrayed on a tableau of Japanese history and cinema.

I don't have much to add to the excellent reviews except to point out one obvious reference--the arrows falling out of the sky scene is an homage to the similar scene in Kurosawa's retelling of Macbeth in "Throne of Blood."

Also, the triggering idea of the reclusive famous actress who retired (Garbo-like) in her prime probably came from the story of the beloved Setsuko Hara, who did exactly that--retired to Kamakura in 1963 at the height of her popularity and lived a secluded life until she died in 2015 at the age of 95.

The Deer (1974)

Lifelong friendship enduring even in the worst of times

[9/10 · 21 January 2022]

This is a very powerful film about a lifelong friendship that endures even in the worst of times. It is also has a revolutionary message decrying the inequities of life in pre-revolutionary Iran as exemplified by Behrouz Vossoughi's convincing and moving portrayal of the former leader of all his classmates whose life had been ruined by drugs, but who still retains a flicker of his former self..

According to the credits of the showing of this film as part of the National Museum of Asian Art's annual Festival of Iranian films, after its premiere at the Tehran International Film festival in November 1974, SAVAK, the notorious pre-revolution secret police, detained the director and forced him to change the ending. He was also ordered to add new dialogue, changing the identity of the man on the run from an urban guerilla to a bank robber. The museum's showing restored the original ending. Apparently it is still banned in Iran---i.e., it's too revolutionary even for the revolutionaries.

The film's atmosphere reminded me of Andrzej Wajda's "Ashes and Diamonds."

Shen nu (1934)

Mizoguchi must have seen this film

[8/10 · 30 September 2021]

Very moving performance by Ruan Ling-Yu. And a window into the plight of women in China at that time. It reminds me a lot of Mizoguchi's films from the 30's such as "Osaka Elegy" and "Sisters of the Gion" (both from 1936). I wonder if he was influenced by it.

Aoi sanmyaku (1949)

Setusko Hara as a Representative of the "New" Post-War Japan

[8/10 · 11 July 2021]

The treasure trove of old Japanese films on YouTube led me to this two-part movie. (The second part is called, "Zoku aoi sanmyaku.") As whole, I thought it was interesting and very watchable, partly because it is somewhat unpredictable. I liked the overall theme of Japan emerging from the war as a new, less feudal country with less confrontational attitudes and a new interest in democracy-though the town's crooked leaders' attempt to apply a veneer of "democratic" principles to a fateful parent/teacher meeting was hilarious.

Although the plight of women at that time was rather miserable, the three main women in this story were all bright lights. It was interesting to see Yoko Sugi (from Mikio Naruse's "Husband and Wife") as the bullied school girl. She is a lively, and likeable presence in both roles.

It was also great to see Setsuko Hara play a commanding role as a progressive, modern teacher at girls' school attempting to break the hidebound chains of this rural town that were continuing to subjugate its girls and women. But she was almost outshone by Machiyo Kugure as the local geisha, who liked to play dumb, but didn't miss a trick (no pun intended). Although her role was not as big as her star turns in Ozu's "The Flavor of Green Tea Over Rice" and Mizoguchi's "Street of Shame," it is just as memorable. I also liked her "little sister," played engagingly by Setsuo Wakayama (at age 20!).

Finally, it has to be remembered that any movies made then in Japan had to get past the American censors too. The censors probably liked the basic theme of the film and seemingly let slide some profanity and risqué dialogue, but I wonder if anything had to be changed.

Equinox Flower (1958)

"Ever with us are the dreams of our youth."

[9/10 · 6 May 2021]

This line uttered by Ozu favorite, Chishu Ryu, toward the end of the story helps sum up the mixture of comedy and melancholy that pervades this excellent film. The other reviewers have well described the amusing irony of Wataru Harayama's (Shin Saburi) avuncular support of his friends' daughters' desires to marry for love but his shocked resistance when he finds out about his own daughter's similar desires. But alongside Ozu's depiction of the daughters' plans for their futures is that of the fathers' nostalgia for their pasts.

Harayama, Ryu's character Mikami, and their other friends from middle school days have stayed in touch and regularly compare notes about their carefree days before their own arranged marriages, workday routines, and worries about their daughters. In one scene of a class reunion they wear uniforms, sing songs, and recite elegiac poems. And the one wife we meet, Harayama's (brilliantly played by Kinuyo Tanaka), who has stoically borne her husband's discontent all these years, sees her patience rewarded as she becomes the bridge between him and his daughter.

One other note of reality--Yukiko, the delightfully liberated daughter of a family friend who conspires with Harayama's daughter to play a crucial trick on Harayama, was played by Fujiko Yamamoto who lit up every scene she was in. I wondered why I hadn't heard more about her, and found out from Wikipedia that at the height of her popularity in 1963, when her contract was up for renewal, she asked for some better terms and the head of her studio (Daiei) not only fired her but invoked an agreement with the other studios to prevent her from being hired by any of them. She never made another film. That's another glimpse of old Japan.

Sound of Metal (2019)

Symmetry of the Sounds of Metal

[9/10 · 3 May 2021]

This very moving film deserves all the kudos it is getting. I was really impressed by Riz-Ahmed, Olvia Cooke, and especially Paul Raci, but also the actors from the deaf community. Others have commented on the meaningfulness of the film's title--I just wanted to mention a bit of symmetry regarding that. First, of course, the film begins with Ruben in the heavy metal band. Halfway through, when Ruben is at the deaf community home, he and a boy are leaning on a metal slide and discover they can listen to the subtly different vibrations of their fingers drumming on the metal. And then at the end, it is Ruben's dismay at the cacophonous sound of the metal church bells he is hearing through his implants that causes him to reassess everything.

My Man Godfrey (1936)

Too Many Screwballs and Not Enough Comedy.

[6/10 · 13 June 2020]

I wanted to like "My Man Godfrey"--rated so high on IMDB as a socially conscious screwball comedy, but I found it disappointing--too many screwballs and not enough comedy. Moreover, other than William Powell's command of the screen as the "forgotten man" turned butler, and Gail Patrick's clever turn as the scheming big sister (who oddly was the only one of the main actors not nominated for an Oscar), the acting was way over the top and not in a funny way. I was particularly annoyed by Carole Lombard's Irene. Whatever likeableness she showed in the beginning of the story was quickly dissolved as she herself dissolved into such a flighty, whiny, and annoying pain, that one can only feel sorry for Godfrey in the end when she dragoons him into marrying her. Not what the scriptwriters intended I'm sure!

As for the socially conscious aspect, it's true that the high-society Bullock family and their friends were appropriately lampooned, and the men living in the dump were all portrayed as paragons, but Godfrey was also a scion of a rich family and does end up marrying Irene Bullock. And one wonders how he managed to create his new and thriving restaurant on the former dumpsite, staffed with his former forgotten men, in his limited spare time and on his meager butler's salary, all the while saving the Bullock family from financial ruin. I realize the movie was made in the height of the Great Depression, so I will give it an extra point for its "message." It may seem a bit blurred by today's standards, but perhaps the message was clearer in 1936. But was it also funnier?

A Stranger in Shanghai (2019 TV Movie)

Evocative Vignettes of 1921 Shanghai

[8/10 · 31 December 2019]

I saw this as a two-part NHK World TV drama.

It begins with Japanese fiction writer Akutagawa Ryounosuke ("Rashomon") disembarking in Shanghai in 1921 to be the Osaka Times' correspondent for 6 months.

It's really a series of impressionistic vignettes showing how the reserved, enigmatic, observant Akutagawa interacts with people from all walks of life in Shanghai. The filmmakers do a great job of portraying the colorful, chaotic, exotic, corrupt streets and nightlife of Shanghai in those times.

The transition from the dying empire to a corrupt, shaky republic, laden with the seeds of the ultimate revolution, are all in evidence . Akatugawa confesses that, as an artist, he normally pays little heed to politics, but in Shanghai that is all he can think about.

The short film left we wishing for more. It would have made a great miniseries.

Fukuyado Honpo: Kyoto Love Story (2016)

Stylized and Idealized but fun to watch

[7/10 · 20 July 2019]

As a Japanophile who has spent a lot of summers in Kyoto, I enjoyed this Amazon Prime original series. It's really a genteel soap opera centered around a high-end and long-lived sweet shop run by a widowed proprietress with three daughters and a skilled young chef. The family lives a very traditional life--almost always wearing kimono and (usually) behaving with impeccable politeness. The production values are high with incredibly attractive costumes, settings, sweets--and actors.

The plot centers around the love lives of the three daughters, and also who will become the next proprietress, and Ken, the chef plays an important role. These stories keep the plot moving. Of the three sisters, the oldest, Hina, is a porcelain beauty, but has trouble deciding what she wants out of life. The middle sister, Arare, is the key player in all of this-a former tomboy who wants to break away from the traditional life, but keep getting pulled back in. The youngest, middle-schooler Hana, is the most likeable, but her story gets too little attention.

Although I enjoyed the series, it does have some weaknesses. The dialogue too often is rather halting and overly dramatic. Ken in particular is a man of few words--he is so laconic he makes John Wayne look like a chatterbox. It's also hardly a real depiction of life in Kyoto today. While it's true that there are a surprising number of confectionary shops like this in Kyoto, and many equally beautiful gardens, I doubt that more than one percent of Kyoto residents live like the characters in this series. It's an idealized and stylized depiction-like life in the old days but with cell phones. Not that this takes away from the guilty pleasure enjoyment of the series, but viewers who have never been to Kyoto should not get the wrong idea.

After you watch this series, if you want to immerse yourself in a real depiction of old Kansai with three sisters at the center of the story, I'd suggest reading The Makioka Sisters, written in the 1940s by Junichiro Tanizaki, or seeing the 1983 movie version of this classic directed by Kon Ichikawa.

Dawson City: Frozen Time (2016)

Fascinating Documentary

[9/10 · 20 September 2017]

This is a fascinating documentary that weaves together the story of the Klondike gold rush, the early history of silent cinema, the flammability of early celluloid film spools, and the mystery of the excavation of old reels in the site of a buried former swimming pool in Dawson City, Yukon Territory. Dawson was the end of the line for hundreds of silent films that crossed North America. Once they were shown in the local theater, they just piled up in warehouses in Dawson. Most canisters were thrown in the river or burned in fires, but some got buried and miraculously preserved in an oxygen-free environment and were able to restored. Bill Morrison, who spent years painstakingly putting this film together made some key choices: he showed pieces of over 100 long-lost films, mostly without narration but with captions identifying each film and its year, along with a haunting soundtrack by musicians from the Icelandic band, Sigur Rós. The clips from the 1919 "Black Sox" World Series were especially interesting to me.

I had the opportunity to see the film at the National Gallery of Art, and Mr. Morrison was there to answer questions. He mentioned that in the cache that was unearthed there were pieces of over 500 films, although no full-length feature films. (Who knew there were that many silent films in circulation?) He said he chose to eschew narration, because, after all, these were silent films. Someone in the audience asked him if he had heard of a similar cache more recently found in New Zealand. He said he had, and explained that New Zealand was similar in that it was a terminus point in the globe for such movies as well. Thanks to Mr Morrison, and a little luck, this history has not been lost forever.

La cinquième saison (2012)

We The Ostriches

[8/10 · 15 June 2017]

This is an intriguing and sobering cautionary tale. JvH48 comments at the end of his/her review, "A small point is that I could not understand the higher purpose of the ostriches that appear at the end of the film."

I think they are meant to symbolize that the kind of scenario depicted in this film will be all too likely if mankind does not take its (collective) head "out of the sand" with respect to our treatment of our only ecosystem.

Mother (2016)

After it was over, I wanted to see it again

[8/10 · 10 June 2017]

I saw this little gem of a movie at a EU film festival in Kyoto. It had a lot of twists and turns, all built upon the various people who visited the comatose young teacher who (we learn early in the movie) had withdrawn a lot of money from his bank account shortly before being shot. It seems like the parade of visitors, all of whom seem sympathetic to his plight, also have an inordinate interest in the money that was withdrawn and still unaccounted for. When the mystery was revealed, I immediately wished I could watch it over again to see everything again through the new prism.

I agree with the previous reviewer, but wanted to add a few notes based on the comments after the film by the producer, the vivacious Aet Laigu and the excellent lead actress, Tiina Mälberg, who attended the screening. Ms. Laigu, who conceived the story and co-wrote the screenplay, said that the movie was shot on location in 16 days and that the whole production only took 7 months. Knowing that, I have to say the ensemble cast did a great job. They all seemed like real people who knew each other. She also mentioned that the production team was going for an 80's Estonian/Russian TV look where the colors are all a bit washed out, except for the bright flowers in the garden and bouquets that play a big role in the story.

This is a movie that will stick with you.

Madam Secretary: Invasive Species (2016) Season 2, Episode 13

One of the best episodes of a very likable show

[10/10 · 5 February 2016]

The more I watch this show the more I like it. And this episode, "Invasive Species," although unusual in that its focus was not really so much on foreign affairs, but on Henry (husband of the Secretary), was one of the best. It was all about the dynamics in Henry's family home in Pittsburgh after they gathered to grieve his father's death. Considering that these characters were completely new to us viewers, the writers did a marvelous job of quickly introducing us to them and portraying how such a gathering exposed long-buried grievances and alliances. The dialogue was quite realistic, and touching.

Although the foreign crisis episodes--the show's usual fare--sometimes seem a bit too "ripped from the headlines" and too quickly resolved in order to meet the one-hour time frame, this one seemed just right, and it gave Tim Daly, who is one of the most likable actors on TV, a chance to shine. Tea Leoni as Madam Secretary is always likable, wise, and sympathetic and her home and office families are also made up of excellent ensemble actors--particularly the estimable Bebe Neuwirth.

Taylor Camp (2010)

Time capsule of an idyllic corner of the world during the turbulent 60s and 70s

[8/10 · 30 January 2016]

I watched the DVD of this documentary on a friend's recommendation. Since no one has reviewed it I thought I'd do so. It is well worth watching as a time capsule of an idyllic corner of the world during the turbulent 60s and 70s. The story began when 13 loosely affiliated mainlanders—Vietnam vets, people on the lam, and surfers—discovered the unspoiled wonders of Kauai. After being arrested for refusing to stop living on a public beach, rather than leave, they chose to take a sentence of 90 days of hard labor in the Kauai jail. The brother of Elizabeth Taylor, who owned some isolated nearby wooded beach-front property, thought this was wrong, bailed them out, offered to allow them live on his vacant property, and then let them alone. Their temporary tents soon became increasingly elaborate tree houses; word got around, and soon the community swelled to be a communal small village, with a loose self-government. Some raised their kids there. They grew their own vegetables (and pot), caught their own fish, hooked up their own plumbing system, spent a lot of time on the beach, and didn't bother to wear clothes most of the time.

During its 7-8 years of existence a lot of diverse people stayed for a time at Taylor Camp and the filmmakers captured the essence of it through a remarkable set of photographs that survived—many of them intimate—and by finding many of the participants (many of them interesting characters) who were quite happy to talk about their experiences 30-35 years later and to allow these photos of themselves to be shown. Some of the locals were regular friendly visitors to the camp, but the more uptight neighbors gradually began to disapprove of the "filthy and naked hippies" and campaigned to shut the camp down. Some of them were also interviewed for the film and still seemed as uptight as they were then.

As for the film itself, it was interesting and enjoyable. It certainly made me want to go to Kauai. The soundtrack was well-chosen, and added a lot. While not exactly a riveting account, since the film's subtitle gives away that it came to an end in 1977, I was impressed with the quality of the black and white still photography—someone did a great job of documenting the experience.

I suppose there were a fair number of other "communes" during that period that were similarly successful for a short time, but none so scenic nor so well documented. Although some of the campers did relate stories of drug and alcohol abuse, or being beaten up by locals when they ventured to local bars, or even having too much freedom, most of the campers seemed to look back on this time of their lives with great nostalgia and little regret.

A few of the kids that grew up there were interviewed and had more mixed things to say about it, but I would have liked to have heard from more of them. It is also interesting how many of the campers seem to have stayed in the Islands.

All in all, this is a film that manages to give "hippies" a good name.

Caucasian Love (1928)

Overlooked silent epic

[8/10 · 14 February 2015]

Since no one has written a review of this, I will. I saw it at a Georgian film series in Washington. It was accompanied live by Trio Kavkasia joined by members of the Supruli Choir—which added immeasurably to the experience. Even without accompaniment, this film is worth seeking out.

It's an epic film that tells the story of how tsarist Russia in the late 1860s began to appropriate Georgian lands held for centuries by local peasant tribes. The Russian Cossacks were expelling villages on the pretext that they illegally possessed firearms. This story centers on a hilltop village of Chechens, whose elders were smart enough to hide the village's guns, temporarily thwarting the Cossacks. A neighboring emissary from a nearby Georgian tribe that had rented farmlands from the Chechens for years visited the village to seek renewal of the rental agreement, but was suddenly told that the Russians now wanted the lands for themselves. The Georgian (who was also in love with the elder's daughter, although their love crossed ethnicities and religion) decided to go to the Russian general's headquarters to get permission from the general. The Russians, depicted as cruel buffoons, summarily denied permission and the Georgian overhears the general's order to take over the village and deport the Chechens to Turkey. He is determined to force the general to countermand this order, but the general angrily refuses and orders his men to arrest the Georgian. What ensues next is an amazingly staged one-against-20 fight that would have done Liam Neeson proud. It was funny and dramatic at the same time.

With the actions of the Georgian "savior" it looked good for the village, but the Cossacks had some more deceitful tricks up their sleeves, only to get their just desserts in the end.

Given the logistical challenges of filming a cast of thousands in the unforgiving rocky land of the Georgian mountains in 1928, the film is an overlooked tour de force. One can also see the seeds of the Chechens' hatred of the Russians in this film as well as the problems that the Georgians were going to have in reclaiming their country.

Finally, it is interesting to think that this film, to be made and released in 1928 in the Soviet Union, had to have had the blessing of Josef Stalin—a Georgian himself, who must have approved of the heroism of the Georgian against the Tsarists.

Independent Lens: Our Disappeared (2009) Season 11, Episode 1

A personal and affecting story of the Argentine "disappeared"

[9/10 · 22 December 2012]

I highly recommend this documentary. It has its own IMDb page under its title with an 8.1 rating. I saw it as an Independent Lens documentary re-showing. See the excellent review attached to that other page.

Mandelbaum makes us feel we know the victims personally with good use of family stories and photos. The turmoil of the seventies in Argenina's "Dirty War"--see the Wikipedia entry of the same name--is portrayed in an even handed way--but the recounting of the Dictatorship's systematic but secret capture/torture/killing of thousands of opponents of the regime is horrific, no matter how understated the narration is.

From a U.S. standpoint it is jarring to see Henry Kissinger, U.S. Secretary of State at the time, praise the Argentine military dictator as an intelligent man who is doing what he needs to for his country. Videla was later convicted for his crimes. But Kissinger is still a respected commentator on world affairs.

Our Disappeared/Nuestros desaparecidos (2008)

A personal and affecting story of the Argentine "disappeared"

[9/10 · 22 December 2012]

I highly recommend this documentary, which I saw it as an Independent Lens documentary on PBS. See the excellent review from Variety attached to this page.

Mandelbaum makes us feel we know the victims personally with good use of family stories and photos. The turmoil of the seventies in Argenina's "Dirty War"--see the Wikipedia entry of the same name--is portrayed in an even handed way--but the recounting of the Dictatorship's systematic but secret capture/torture/killing of thousands of opponents of the regime is horrific, no matter how understated the narration is.

From a U.S. standpoint it is jarring to see Henry Kissinger, U.S. Secretary of State at the time, praise the Argentine military dictator as an intelligent man who is doing what he needs to for his country. Videla was later convicted for his crimes. But Kissinger is still a respected commentator on world affairs.

A Separation (2011)

An exquisitely balanced film.

[10/10 · 10 March 2012]

"A Separation" achieves a perfect balance. A balance between husband and wife (with the daughter as the fulcrum) and two disputing families (with the truth--and the other daughter--as the fulcrums). But there are many more balances; between: staying and going abroad, taking care of the infirm elderly and the budding child, modernity and tradition, devoutness and disregard, frustration and acceptance, stubbornness and compassion, the employed and the unemployed, truth and lies, and the known and the unknown. So well balanced, it is impossible to choose which of the many sides to take.

This film is worth a thousand briefings on Iran and the Iranian people.

Three Monkeys (2008)

Memorable film, but I have a plot quibble

[8/10 · 4 March 2009]

I agree with most of the commenters' praise of the cinematography and the art direction. Nuri Bilge Ceylan also makes great use of the weather to express a mood. In his "Distant" the snowstorm was almost the main character and here thunderstorms make several portentous appearances. But the main reason to see this film is the enigmatic performance of the lovely and sexy Hatice Aslan as the lonely wife, Hacer. Her expressive face lingers long after the curtain falls.

But I would quarrel with the turn the plot takes half way through the movie. I can understand Hacer's having a fling with Servet, the feckless politician for whom her husband is taking the rap. She is lonely and was probably under-appreciated by her husband even before he went to jail, thus making her vulnerable to Servet's attentions. Not to mention, she wanted to secure the money to try to revive her slacker son. But to then have her become insanely obsessed with Servet stretches credulity—-especially with her husband's imminent return. It would have been far more believable IMHO for Servet to become obsessed with Hacer. Then the plot could have unfolded in a climactic way when her husband returned. In fact it could have ended almost the same way. But that would have been my movie and not Mr. Ceylan's

Katyn (2007)

Powerful Story of a Monstrous Cover-Up

[9/10 · 19 February 2008]

The great Andrzej Wajda has produced definitive films about the French Revolution (Danton), the German destruction of the Warsaw Ghetto (Korczak), the Polish Resistance in WWII (Kanal), post-war anti-communist youth (Ashes and Diamonds), and the beginnings of the Solidarity Movement (Man of Iron). Now at the age of 81, he tackles one of the greatest tragedies in Polish history, the 1940 Katyn Forest Massacre, in which the Soviets killed about 25,000 Polish prisoners of war, many of them officers, on Stalin's orders. Wajda's accounting is non-linear with flashbacks and flash-forwards, and the portentous music leaves no doubt as to what will happen, but its impact is crushing and unforgettable nonetheless.

I once heard a speech by Lech Walesa in which he introduced himself as being from Poland--"a place where the Russians used to meet the Germans quite often." In this "meeting" in 1939, a week after the Hitler-Stalin pact was signed, the Germans and the Soviets both invaded and wreaked havoc on Poland. There is no need to recount the history of the Katyn Forest Massacre here; there is an excellent account in Wikipedia. The key point is that after the dissolution of the pact in 1941, the USSR was able to mount a disinformation campaign that for a long time managed to pin the blame for the massacre on the Germans.

Wajda deftly shows how that happened and how this cover-up persisted in Poland as the USSR took control of Poland after the war. Those who tried to tell the truth (including a young artist very similar to the young Wajda) were dealt with summarily.

What helped make the cover-up believable is that the Nazis were, of course, culpable for other horrible acts. This is depicted when Wajda first shows the Gestapo roughly rounding up and arresting an assembly of unsuspecting distinguished university professors. By comparison the Soviet Army at first seems more honorable as they detain a large group of Polish military officers, who had surrendered and were expecting the usual prisoner-of-war treatment accorded to officers. As one suspicious Polish officer worriedly notes, however, the Soviets had not ratified the Geneva Convention. Stalin and the NKVD evidently felt the need to liquidate the Polish officer corps (along with police officers, etc.) to smooth its eventual takeover of the country. Not till after the fall of the Soviet Union in 1990 did Moscow admit to these murders.

A few years before that, in 1986, I took an Intourist tour of the Soviet Union. One of the stops was Minsk (now Belarus). We couldn't figure out why the tour sent us there until we were taken on a short bus trip to a war memorial in a nearby village that had been wiped out by the Nazis. It was a very well-done memorial with a dramatic sculpture of a survivor and an eternal flame for the many nearby towns that had been destroyed. (This particular genocidal technique--forcing townspeople into barns and then setting the barns on fire--was revealed in the equally great 1985 Russian film "Come and See" by Elem Klimov.) It was a very moving visit. But the impact was undercut to some degree by something I read in my guidebook: that this town, named "Khatyn," might have been chosen for this memorial because it had a name similar to the Katyn Forest, 160 miles away in Russia, where the Soviets themselves had been accused of doing the same kind of thing. I had long wondered about that, and now I understand.

Other reviewers mentioned some of the many powerful images in the film, but I'll close by mentioning one that nobody has singled out--the closing scene. A young lieutenant we have gotten to know has been executed while clutching a rosary, and his body, along with many others, has been thrown into a pit while a Soviet checks to make sure they are dead. At the same time a bulldozer begins to covering them with dirt. As the dirt covers the lieutenant's, his arm with the rosary in hand makes a last fleeting movement. The symbolism is unmistakable. One cover-up is complete, and the next one has begun.

12 (2007)

A Worthy (and very Russian) Homage to the Original

[8/10 · 15 February 2008]

Some of the IMDb commenters are a bit tough on this film for having some characters that verged on caricature. I see their point, but I think it is a bit unfair here. Given that this was an homage to the original (on its 50th anniversary), Mikhalkov had to take its basic plot as his foundation. That necessarily drained much of the drama from the story—-we know which way the countdown is going to proceed. It also forced him to deal with all 12 men.

Thus, what can he do to keep it interesting? He (1) features the ensemble acting—-terrific even to me as a non-Russian speaker, (2) highlighted the characters' weaknesses, including some human and Russian traits that have to be a bit outsized, (3) added a detached but affecting commentary on brutality of the Chechnya war and the tendency for Muscovites to see Chechens as monolithic, and (4) threw in a few plot wrinkles at the end. Given the constraints he faced, I thought it was a fine adaptation—and was thoroughly engrossing. Mikhalkov himself, as the jury foreman, is a commanding screen presence as well.

How I Celebrated the End of the World (2006)

Memorable, and well worth seeing

[8/10 · 11 November 2007]

This was a memorable film, well-worth seeing. It depicts the last days of the Romanian police state where the grayness, punctuated by midnight visits by the all-knowing security forces, saps the life out of an ordinary family's life. Only the little boys in the town seem to have any spark, and it is mostly in their imagination. When the tyrant is deposed, in a televised fall, it is the welcome "end of that world." Made 16 years later, this film looks back on that era with a mixture of bitter nostalgia for the little snatches of good life that could be grabbed back then, but with a pervading sense of relief that it is finally gone.

The director's fine attention to detail (especially in the schoolroom scenes), the realistic cinematography, the little touches of Fellini-esquire fantasy, the compelling performance by Doroteea Petre (in only her second film, and to me reminiscent of the young Brooke Adams) as the enigmatic and quietly desperate Eva, and Timotei Duma as her adoring little brother, make for an absorbing experience.

Some of the reviewers panned the film as just another film about the communist times. It's much more than that, but we should also remember that those times were not so long ago, and they can happen again. And for what it's worth, Romanians in the audience for the screening I attended, seemed to be unanimous that it was true to their lives.