Reviews

Anyone who has been captivated by the poetry of this great poet, and wondered about the man and the context in which such memorable verse was written, will want to see this film. It shows T S Eliot as a tormented man who is forced to make decisions about how to deal with the mental instability/illness of his wife. The performances are uniformly faultless, and the awful tragedy of mental illness in a marriage is chillingly depicted with deep sensitivity. The film challenges the viewer to judge Eliot as a man - Dafoe's performance brilliantly portrays the anguish of Eliot the man living in what apparently was an impossible marriage, and Eliot the public figure . The film also throws light on Eliot's fascination with the Church and the role it played in providing a still place in a world of personal mental turmoil. Highly recommended.

This telemovie from the 1970's deserves to be better known. Based on a novel by Aidan Higgins, it has a masterly script by Harold Pinter (who himself plays a small but significant acting role). If you enjoyed movies based on literature (such as James Joyce's wonderful story from "Dubliners" : "The Dead" directed by Huston) you should find this film well worth watching. A melancholy tale of frustrated love set in the 1930's features top acting performances from all. A young Jeremy Irons plays the German student of philosophy writing his precious thesis with excruciating preciousness and cynicism. (Irons slow pedantic accent is reminiscent of Marlon Brando's choice of accent for his "Burn".)He embarks on a relationship with a woman who is trapped by a family of sisters who - fallen on hard times since the death of the father- seem destined to live lives of slow desperation in their old house in the country. There are many wonderful scenes in this slow but engrossing production.

The world knows Percy Grainger mostly for his folksong settings: of which the one about the English country garden is probably the most popular. Some know one or two of his more individual compositions, but (I suspect) relatively few know of his early explorations of electronic music and musical ideas that place his name with the pioneers of the avant garde of twentieth century classical music.

Percy's eccentricity was matched with a tortured(sic)sexuality that embraced a close relationship with his mother and a penchant for flagellation. The brief display of the latter is( I suppose) the reason for the "R" rating.

Richard Roxburgh's performance as Percy is excellent, and (apparently) very close to the real thing. Barbara Hershey is less convincing as Rose.

In my opinion, don't be put off by the "R" rating for this film.

I am sure many of those who stumble on this release will want to find out more about Percy Grainger and what made him and his music tick.

Not a great film, but a very entertaining one. It is very much more intelligently made than some more sanitised or fictionalised attempts to depict the nature of those who brighten our lives with their creativity.

If in Melbourne : do not miss the Percy Grainger Museum in the grounds of the University of Melbourne. It has lots of Grainger "artifacts" that document how close this film -flawed as it is - manages to recreate the setting, the times and the relationship with his mother.

You do not need to know the details of French history to enjoy (?) this most astonishing and confrontational movie. Remember that this is a cinematic version of a play, and that Director Peter Brooks never loses sight of the physical presence and power that his original stage version was renowned for. Unlike many cinematic treatments of stage drama, this film is essentially theatre - the camera in fact intensifies the claustrophobic setting and puts the viewer in the front row. The performances are uniformly excellent : the intensity and conviction of the cast in their roles is exceptional. This is an emotionally draining, bravura movie that once seen, can not be forgotten.

A wonderfully evocative film which remains vivid to this writer even though I have not seen this TV production for many years. At the time it set a standard for sympathetic dramatisation of the lives of musical icons. This work is light years away from Ken Russell's later excursions into cinematic pyrotechnics and excesses, but the roots of that curiosity about musical genius is clear in "Elgar".

If you have seen "Hilary and Jackie", you will want to see this moving film that tells the story of the composer of the piece of music that Jacqueline Du Pre will always be associated with: Elgar's Cello Concerto.

First seen when it was released ( and that dates me!) , I can still recall how this particular movie - amongst a host of prententious (AKA "BORING")movies of the early 70's - captured my imagination and restored my faith that cinema could still disturb, confront and lay claim to being a unique art form. See this one for it's place in film history - consider what were it's contemporaries, and see it as an example of how the power of myth still can enthrall, and how it is not necessary for linear logic to divert and entertain. We are not all that far removed from those early people who ( with a frisson of fear) saw shifting shadows on a (cave) wall - in this film, let it's Director (Jodorowsy) allow you too too be amazed and mystified. This is a film for those willing to suspend their belief in "reality" and allow themselves to experience a magical reality. But be warned that this film is - in my opinion - disturbing and confronting. Caveats aside, those who do not know this movie will find much to ponder if they have an interest in how the style and content of contemporary cinema has evolved.

Great cinema, with a wonderful exuberance and style. Louis Malle showed his great talent and versatility in this romp of cheeky comedy. Blessed with a Zazie that (for me ) captures the essence of the character originally created by Raymond Queneau, this is a 60's French film that continues to bring naive pleasure to those to whom it is a memory of the renaissance of French cinema in the early 60's, and (hopefully) will still retain a few inspirational moments for those see this movie thirty years on and who have had the benefit of later comedic directors who learned from this well-crafted and thoroughly entertaining movie.

Once seen, never forgotten. This magical movie combines cinematic skill with great performances. Put your inhibitions on hold and enjoy this hugely entertaining story. Enormously entertaining , this movie transcends the unique cultural setting by its celebratory humanity.

Urga is an excellent example of the magic of film in allowing people of very different cultures to communicate their various realities and common humanity. To someone like myself coming from a "modern developed culture", I found this tale of a culture that has only recently experienced the impact of "western" society, an entrancing and wonderful experience. It is visually beautiful, frequently wildly funny and life-affirming. For an unusual and extremely accessible film experience - or as a primer for the intending visitor - Urga can be heartily recommended.

If you fondly remember Jeanne Moreau from Jules et Jim, that alone will make this film well worth seeing. I recall it as a very " early 60's " movie, with not a little incoherence in the plot department. However, Jeanne Moreau's unique presence and "look" really fitted the role she played, and is something of a tour-de-force.

A magic film that you can watch again and again for its majesty and drama. I cannot recall another black and white movie that so well captured the terrifying grandeur of the sea. If you saw and enjoyed "Ryan's Daughter", do see this classic of cinema and compare it's storm sequence. What magic Flaherty captured in astonishing cinematography and editing! The setting is wonderful, so do see this film, and hope you too get the opportunity to see the West coast of Ireland when the sea is up and the wind is shrieking. Times may have changed even these more remote parts of Ireland, but nothing will ever overcome the stark and rugged beauty of this glorious landscape so ably captured in "Man of Aran".

A marvelous film that anyone with an interest in classical music will enjoy - be they an opera lover or hater. Excellent bravura performances by Close and Arestrup conjure up a heady mix of artistic temperament, the politics of "The Arts" and great music. It is great fun. The film is exuberantly directed and the pace never lets up. A triumph for Director Victor Szabo.

This film is definitely not for the faint hearted. Its subject matter is violent and brutal; the characters are bizarre; the film is graphic in its images, and pacing. At first sight this may appear just another film about violence in a prison. This, I suggest, is an illusion. Rather, the film helps us better understand the role that prisons serve in society. "Ghosts... of the Civil Dead" does not seem to be well known. I recommend it to those seeking thought-provoking movies : but be prepared for a real walk on the wild side!

Peter Greenaway has given us a visual cinematic treat. This dazzling blend of technology, allegory and imagination is a multi-layered treat for those who seek the art that video and the digital world promise. Watch this movie on video to properly savour the intelligence and artistic genius that guides this visual delight.

Do not expect rationality or straight-line logic. Rather, enjoy this as a unique and idiosyncratic artistic cinematic vision. Pure cinema. All you need to know is the basic story of "The Tempest". Shakespeare. I am sure, would have understood what Peter Greenaway was about in providing such entertainment for a 20th century audience.

Blanche is an example of Continental 70's film making at its most colourful, adventurous and luschious. See this medieval fantasy as a precursor of all those artless attempts to evoke times of mythic romance and violence that fail to pleasure the senses as this does. A directorial triumph. Recommended to those wishing to indulge their cinematic senses.

Seen over many years in cinemas and on video, this movie still stands as a pinnacle in Cinema for this viewer. Welles remains the supreme cinematic magician, and in this movie he demonstrates the fabulous versatility and vision that characterised this charismatic genius. To those that seek to denigrate this movie in comparison with his other triumphs, I would urge them to see the movie for what it is and in the context of the time it was made. Just as critics now perhaps see the message of Citizen Kane through history's telescope, so will another generation perhaps see "Touch of Evil" for its uniquely cinematic vision of corruption and morality, and how this resonates in an era of disillusion and despair at the ability of our society to deliver moral solutions in an amoral world. Watch this movie, and compare it to any others you think comparable. Remember we are talking about the magic of cinema and not just other movies that seem to tell similar tales. Thank you Hollywood, first, for allowing this truly strange movie to ever get to the screen: and second, for it to be allowed to live for so long to become a "classic". In the memories of one of those who first saw it as "just another film" in a darkened cinema long ago, it still enthralls and holds ones attention as few films do.

A favourite French comedy that admirably showcases the artistry of Fernandel. The episode involving - inter alia - a fly and a most comely young lady, remains one of my fond adolescent memories of subtitled 1950's French cinema at the local cinema. Recommended if you want to revisit (or visit) a magic time in French cinema or see a great comedic artist at work in other than the Don Camillo guise most non - French viewers know.