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adolescente-frustrado
Reviews
The Big Parade (1925)
Sheer charm and powerful emotions and explosions
Outstanding! At first, when I began to watch "The Big Parade", I thought this could be the first movie ever made about that theme that has been featured on so many war movies. You know, when those kids go to war and they are tremendously happy and then return and shout "I've seen death!" and then cry. But it wasn't like that, since the male lead doesn't even want to go to war. This is a war movie, by the way, if you hadn't noticed it. "The Big Parade" really is an amazing piece of cinematic achievement. The first half looks like a simple love story; a delightful play between the characters that delivers so much charm that it is impossible not to fall in love. The second half is a powerful staging of a First World War battle that made my jaw drop. There are two scenes that take mt breath away. The one of the battle, obviously. And, also, the scene when Jim's regiment is leaving the village and Melisande chases the truck he's in. That scene was pure perfection. One of the best war films I've ever seen. That's it!
Les vampires (1915)
Don't... watch... it... in... one... big... marathon...
SEVEN HOURS!! The longest movie I had seen before "Les Vampires" was "1900", but that was just five hours. Little, compared to this. This is my new favourite film! You can't believe how good this is! I love silent cinema, and I wanted to take it to the extreme by watching one of the longest silent features (and possibly one of the longest ever) and what a good day it was! You know those incredible movies, like "The Good, The Bad And The Ugly", that just are absurdly entertaining? Well, this is one of them. One movie from 1915 (how cool is that?) that rivals even the best action movies of our times. There isn't a moment of boredom in the entire 7 hours of "Les Vampires". When you exclude one or two very minor plot holes, you get a perfect movie that has both incredible characters and, most of all, one of the most unbelievable and remarkable stories in film history! All in all, "Les Vampires" brings to life innovation and mesmerizing entertainment, a combo that is not always successful. Every performance is noteworthy. Kudos especially to Musidora, for she is probably the most precious thing in the entire movie. Irma Vep, as she will always be known. I am just too excited! But I have to advise you not to watch it all the way through in one big marathon. That's what I did and I sort of wished that hadn't happened. The movie is divided in 10 episodes and you have to make use of those divisions, otherwise you will feel apathetic and will not enjoy it to the fullest and won't feel engaged enough in the final hours. I repeat, DON'T WATCH IT IN ONE BIG MARATHON.
La roue (1923)
I don't think it is impressive
Well, I was worried before seeing "La Roue" (in English, The Wheel"), not only because the version I was about to watch was 3 hours long, but mostly because I don't excel at French (due to the inter titles) and wasn't sure if I could read the Spanish subtitles. But I understand Spanish and I could go through it without major translation problems. Now, when it comes to the movie as, well, a movie. Although long films were considered good in those days, and although I don't really mind long silents, this one was, indeed, long. The performances were good, but the story, in spite of being entertaining and engaging, it isn't the most spectacular thing. I guess Gance was thinking more about the innovations he used instead of the plot itself.
Häxan (1922)
The most frightening film I have ever seen
This may sound a bit weird, but the movie I found most scary is "Shadows And Fog", a movie by Woody Allen. I don't really get frightened by the assumed horror genre, although I die over the suspense those movies feature; I just don't get scared because that's expected. But "Shadows And Fog" is very good on that level since it's not supposed to be a horror movie. The black and white photography that pictures a city haunted by a shady killer is a stunner. But "Shadows And Fog" isn't the scariest movie anymore for me. That's "Haxan", now, a silent movie. It basically is about how witchcraft was perceived in the medieval times. In the middle ages, the supposed witches were tortured with some seemingly very effective instruments. We don't see the torture, but we see the instruments on the bodies about to be tortured. Well, imagination is a powerful medium and that's what makes this so frightening, mainly because I felt myself imagining what it would be like if it were happening to me and what really happened to those women 500 years ago. As a piece of cinematic art, it achieves some incredible innovative special effects, that puts some movies like Star Wars to shame, and inventive editing techniques. It works as a documentary and a story (a docufiction, I guess), and also as a thesis, considering it tries to explain by modern and scientific standards what could have been witchcraft. There are also some bits with very dark humour. The final message states that it's all alright now and that nobody anymore is accused without proof of witchcraft and that it is already gone from our lives. Or is it...?
Greed (1924)
I like von Stroheim again
I saw "Foolish Wives", also from von Stroheim, and, although I think silent movies are much easier to watch than talkies, the picture dragged at some of the times (probably because I was watching it on my PC and in a very uncomfortable position), so that was something I was afraid of before watching "Greed" since that could be a signature flaw. But that didn't happen at all! I watched the version that was around, the 2 hours and 11 minutes version, because I couldn't find the 4 hour one. But I didn't mind that considering it was a very powerful cinema experience. Curiously I was not expecting such a moving portrait of that couple, but von Stroheim certainly knew how to use pathos in his favour. I also liked the symbolism used by him using the cat and the two birds. It was ingenious. I want to congratulate Zasu Pitts for her brilliant expressive performance that showed the changes money made to that woman. But I can't now, because... she's dead.
Dr. Mabuse, der Spieler (1922)
Unbelievable!!
It is always a tricky thing to review movies that were made so many years ago because the things filmmakers were looking for while making movies back then weren't the same as they are now. Obviously we can always criticize something by modern standards, but I'll try not to do it. For example, when "Dr. Mabuse" was made, long was quality. And long it is, indeed. I find silent movies much easier to watch than talkies, but the thing I most dreaded before watching this one was the length of it. But then I was surprised to know that it developed at a very healthy pace and didn't drag the least. The first scene features Mabuse and his servant, Spoerri. The former says "You have taken cocaine again, Spoerri! This is intolerable! If I see you like this again, I will drive you out like a dog!" and the latter says "If you drive me out, I'll put a bullet through my head."; this pretty much sets the tone to this bleak tragedy. And I don't think I remember seeing such a story in movies! Words cannot possibly describe the plot those 4 hours delivered. It is utterly astonishing! The amount of fascinating events is breathtaking and makes for an unbelievable experience. The photography takes some of the inspiration from the German expressionism and the first close-up of Cara Carozza is beautiful. It was unforgettable. "Dr. Mabuse" has become one of my favourite silent movies, along with "The Kid Brother" and "City Lights".