Imhereandthatsall Reviews

The Island (1960)

something the cinema can do at his best...

[9/10 · 6 June 2007]

In a time where cinema was in the whole world was still concerned by representation of lives and social studies, this movie is an intense an important piece. It's great! Strong, hard, oppressing, nice, and emotive. Everything in the hard (but sometimes amazing) life of those workers is showed in it... It's really something the cinema can do at his best. A social study showing every aspect of a style of life, with its private feelings and possible events (thoose who are saying nothing happens mustn't have watched the whole movie. I was surprised by the changing of rhythm in the last 30 minutes).

It's showing everything essential cinema can show: Life, conditions of life, feelings of those who are living, and it's showing it in a very good way. This is a touching and oppressive movie which could maybe even be used as an historical document (for history of the Japanese island farmers in the middle of the XX century) , but also as an intense fiction.

Vai~E~Vem (2003)

Unique! It's life! (possible spoilers, but I don't think so...)

[10/10 · 31 May 2007]

More than the fact that this is a filmed testament from the dying director, this movie is a lesson of life. Life and cinema showed by someone who knew both very well. It's not a lesson of moral, things are sometimes weird, so this is a complete, pertinent, not hiding anything, and leading us to all kind of enjoyment. Pleasure and contemplation are always showed with a kind of nostalgia. Also, some plans are really interesting to watch and shows a way of filming, and of seeing life very difficult to show (except in painting). Playing with different factors, (rhythm, time, some objects) it's showing this Beyond all objectivity, or with an objectivity beyond objects... Monteiro is playing with our senses...

I agree it can be difficult to watch, because it's long, slow, without a lot of cuts, neither a lot of movements, everything is done with long plans. But all that is the rhythm of an old guy watching life, and having his last pleasures, and taking time to have it. It's an ode to life in all its ways. I've never written any comments on this sites (only on message boards) but I had to write something about this one. This movie is really special and intense, (and in a soft way, what is strange...).

Until the last plan which put the character, the director, and us to eternity... (I won't say more about this plan, but it has to be seen...)