mstep-4 Reviews

Girl with a Pearl Earring (2003)

Masterpiece for educated viewers!

[9/10 · 25 April 2010]

Reading through many comments here, I see only warnings to all film producers: don't do artistic films like that! This posting, is to encourage such kind of films.

I don't know, where to start, to prize the qualities of this film! This is the most wonderful film, which I saw for years.

First of all: On this board many people complained about the acting. For me the performance of Scarlett Johansson (as Griet) was just breathtaking. I never saw an actress playing so deeply and true speechless shyness, fright, uncertainty and submission. But same time she shows intelligence, although if she plays an illiterate girl.

This film reflects paintings. That means, the characters are static and have not to be developed, as many are claiming here. The other side of this film in painting style is the symbolic of the scenery: An apple in Vermeers paintings is sufficient, to evoke for the educated people of this time (early baroque era), the whole story of Adam and Eve, sin and cognition. A lady sitting at a spinet, with other words a "virginal", was a symbol for chastity, only because of the second name of this instrument. If you don't understand the iconography of the Netherlands painting school, don't watch this film and bother this board with: "I am so bored!" or "the pace of this film is so slow!" If you never felt tears coming into your ears, watching old masters in an art gallery, this is not your film either. In this film are plenty of symbolic hints and allusions. The characters, static as they are, are sufficient, to build up slowly an erotic tension between the model and the painter, and to the other side jealousy to the family Vermeer.

The most moving moment of this film was for me the following scene: finally the painter succeeded to convince his model, of putting on the pearl earring for the portrait. This earring is a symbol of wealthiness and noblesse, which are not due to a maid. The turban was fashion in these times, remembering the battles against the Turkish armies. The painter has to pierce a hole. This scene is a symbolic defloration. He pierces, she is bleeding, and than he is putting the pearl earring in the new hole. We see the face of Griet and a tear drop is running down her cheek. Thank you, Scarlett for this great moment! So moving, so tender, so sad! There are plenty of details, you would never see in a historic Hollywood film: the weals of Griet, her hands are worn up, from her daily labour. The marks on her neck, after the patron tried to violate her. The dirt on the market, on the clothes. The clothes are hand- woven, hand-sewed, hand-washed, I bet with everybody here. I never saw such a detailed staging. Vermeer was famous for his genre paintings, which is reflected in this film: we see the maid washing, preparing dinner, cleaning the steps of the door, merging colours for the master ... One detail again: the season is changing from winter to spring. I rarely saw a film, where you really see the breath in the cold air from all actors! Nevertheless the whole film is only a fictional story, that means a "historic fiction", how this painting of Vermeer could have been created. But for me very credible and inspiring.

Only thing, I would expect from a "historic" film: historic music! Unfortunately the film music is modern and romanticising. I am dreaming of a historic film with real dialects of the epoch and film music of the epoch. Is there not enough fascinating music in these times? Contemporary composers from Jan Vermeer (1632-1675) are for example: Jan Pieterszoon Sweelinck: 1562-1621, Joachim van den Hove: 1567-1620, Claudio Monteverdi: 1567- 1643, Heinrich Schütz: 1585-1672, Girolamo Frescobaldi: 1583-1643, Constantijn Huygens: 1596-1687, Carel Hacquart: 1640-1701, Jacob van Eyck: 1590-1657, Jan Baptist Verrijt: 1600-1650, Jean-Baptiste Lully: 1632-1687, Dietrich Buxtehude: 1637-1707, David Petersen: 1650-1737, Arcangelo Corelli: 1653-1713, Henry Purcell: 1659-1695.

The film music of Alexandre Desplat is not bad, I don't want to be mistaken, but it is like ketchup on a steamed whitefish. Only two films are coming into my mind, where the music is historic (both music films) : "Tous les matins du monde", (Alain Corneau, 1991) and "Farinelli", (Gérard Corbiau, 1994). About the historic language two films again: "The Passion of the Christ", (Mel Gibson, 2004 - don't know this film, but Jesus is said to speaking Aramaic), "Apocalypto", (Mel Gibson, 2006). When producers and directors will have the courage, to really make an "Elizabeth I" in historical language and with historical music? The answer is here on this board: "I am so bored!", "This film is too difficult!"

Peas at 5:30 (2004)

A bad film with embarrassing pretension

[3/10 · 12 July 2009]

Although the actors were good, specially Fritzi Haberland as the blind Lilly, the film script is obsessively pretentious and completely arbitrary. A famous theatre director (Hilmir Snær Guðnason), becoming blind after a car accident, is on the run for himself and his destiny. Lilly, being sightless since her birth, is teacher for blind persons, and wants to make him "seeing" again. (Blind persons are seeing with their fingers, nose and ears.) Here this movie is becoming a roadmovie; and the longer the road becomes, the closer their relation develops, which was predictable since the beginning of the film. The theatre director is on the road to his mother (Jenny Gröllmann). His mother is living somewhere in Russia on the sea and making artistic installations - of course, what should she do other! - and she is still living, because she is waiting his son, to die. My God! This are destinies!

Finally the son arrived! Mum is celebrating a big party! At the beach. Wind is blowing and a pianist is playing on a real piano in the middle of a dune. Yes, they are celebrating her farewell. The son arrives just in time. Mother can finally swallow the pills administered by a pretty nurse. Now a great artist can die in the arms of her great artist son, speaking sad contemplations about live in perfect German, while the son is answering with a rough accent. Because the son is unable to see, he is not falling in love to the nurse, - the film script would have become also too complicate! - but is looking for Lilly on the way back to home.

Parallel to this roadmovie the sister of Lilly, staying at home is asking a gawky schoolmate to deflower her, who has first to booze himself to courage. The occasion is favourable. Because Mum (Tina Engel) is on journey together with the lover of Lilly, Paul (Harald Schrott). They are after Lilly, to bring her back. Paul and the mother of Lilly are not falling in love, because the film script would have become too complicate. The film script missed to make out of Paul something exceptional too. I would suggest an architect or a Pianist, or course a famous one! When they finally find Lilly, they want to convince her, to come back to Paul, because he has two eyes to see and is able to care for her. But Lilly felt in love to his pupil, the theatre director; did I mention, that he was even a famous theatre director?

This is German film art! As you may see in this pretentious production, that the German film subsidy fund is not always producing good films, because they subsidy just such kind of pseudo intellectual films. This film is really embarrassing. I have the impression, that the film script has been cobbled together from some highbrows in coffee shops and restaurants. Everybody is entitled to contribute with an idea. Probably also Til Schweiger has contributed with some intellectual flash of wit, being a co-producer. I was reminded by this film script to an other German film of absolute painfulness: "Barfuss" - already the spelling of the title is not right! "Barfuss" DVD cover writes proudly: "A Til Schweiger Film". This film got also subsidies of Filmstiftung NRW, Filmförderung Hamburg and the FFA.

Please don't spoil your time with this film! There are really good films in Germany. Watch out for film directors like Marcus H. Rosenmüller, Joseph Vilsmaier, Hans Steinbichler, Hans-Christian Schmid, Faith Akin ...

Les grands ducs (1996)

Underrated Film!

[8/10 · 28 June 2009]

First: excuse my English!

This is one of my favourite French comedies. At my opinion a real cult film. Apparently the critic already was savaging this film at its release. (But I could not find any historic critics in the web).

This film has all, what makes a French Comedy: Esprit, Tempo, Fantasy! Breathtaking! Brilliant Dialogues, unexpected dramatic turns. The director uses the techniques of exaggeration, "running gags" and scenic densification.

The plot: three old actors try to catch a job in a province tour of a boulevard comedy called "Scoubidou". They are ruined. But luckily they are real professionals of casting. What is more funny, than good actors playing bad actors? With all their ticks, their necessity to appear in the best light. If you know a little bit actors and theatre, you will laugh tears, as I do every time, watching this film.

Every actor has his quirk. Jean-Pierre Marielle (in the role of Georges Cox) is the roaring lion, always ready to leave the production and discuss his fee. Philippe Noiret in the role of Victor Vialat is playing the coward, with plenty of neurotic fears. Jean Rochefort (as Eddie Carpentier) plays the lover and enchanter. Really divine acting of all three. Also to mention the achievement of Catherine Jacob (as Carla Milo and in the theatre play as "Scoubidou"). You will never find such a good Prima Donna Assoluta in history of film! Believe me! And also the husband or lover of Carla is acting unforgettable: Michel Blanc (as tour producer Shapiron). His plan is to sabotage the tour already at the first performance, in causing an accident to Carla on scene, because he is chased by bailiffs and he counts to get the money out of the tour assurance. Even the little role of Juliette (Clotilde Courau) is played with great talent: remember the scene, when she wants to give up her actor's existence. She is crying and smiling same time! Unforgettable! Bravo!

Even the music is well chosen! The Gypsy music is integral part of the humour in this film. Also the music composed from Angélique Nachon et Jean-Claude Nachon is plenty of irony. I remember the scene, when the tour producer is coming out of the gun shop, with a giant, paper wrapped rifle, followed by Philippe Noiret accompanied by a music of a thriller. Ingenious!

Please don't let you fool by the bad reviews of this film! It is a hilarious comedy of a talented screen writer (Serge Frydman) and a highly talented director (Patrice Leconte).

Love Actually (2003)

Very Kitsch

[4/10 · 7 May 2009]

Please be indulgent with my English. My first comment here.

First time I saw this movie, I was enthused. This idea to show the exit at the airport arrival and show the love behind all these people and at the end the same picture of people cuddling and kissing themselves is really moving: love is everywhere! A nice message! So I understood the enthusiastic reviews out here on IMDb.com quite well.

But now I watched this film for a second time, it is part of my DVD collection, and I was really shocked. Some films win, watching them more times. Some lose. "Love Actually" is one of the biggest Hollywood crap and pretentious kitsch I have in my collection.

Some reasons: the music is just terrible. It is like ketchup in every dish. The light is producing artificial studio atmosphere. To the figures of the film: Hugh Grant is charming, but always the same Hugh Grant in every film. This time as a English Prime Minister, and sorry, such a character with his mannerism in this position is only ridiculous. And these jokes about Natalie's (Martine McCutcheon) elephant thighs are very cheap and even not true. But the most terrible in this film is this sort of little adult in the body of a 13? years old boy. He is sitting there on papa's sofa, mother just died and he has nothing better to do, than to wine about a beautiful comrade in school, to whom he does not dare to declare his "love". He is speaking with the words of a Hollywood film scenarist, and father desperately wants to enter his children room, but does not venture it, because there is written with chalk "keep out!" on a slate. Is it like that, filmmakers are raising their children in Hollywood? Poor children! Poor America! And when the girlfriend - sixteen years old? - is singing in the school "Christmas!"-celebration, imitating eroticism from show biz in television she grew up with, it is the summit of embarrassment in this film.

OK, there are really good actors: first of all Emma Thompson. Great artist, great personality! I liked also the couple of writer and the housekeeper lady from Portugal. The English-Portuguese Dialogs are witty. Lúcia Moniz (playing Aurelia) would merit a carrier, but looking on IMDb.com she is not doing well. What a pity! Also the old Rocker was a great pleasure to watch. I love films in mosaic technique. My answer to this film would be the films of Cédric Klapisch, which use mostly this technique. Watch out for "Paris", 2008 and "L'Auberge espagnole", 2002. And one of my favorite films in this technique is from Danièle Thompson: "Fauteuils d'orchestre", 2007.