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Reviews
Week-end ou La qualité de la vie (1972)
the very origin of "Man Bites Dog"
As far as I remember, this "documentary" initially made for TV, which seems to work as a very free fiction about the casual meeting and immediate friendship between two men of opposite personalities during a weekend at the seaside (a jovial family man with wife and children, and a solitary amateur landscape painter) won the prize for best "film" of the year at the 1972 Belgian Film Festival, in Brussels. Its influence is obvious on the forthcoming thirty-year-long cult documentary series titled "Striptease"(Jean Libon and Marco Lamensch, 1985 -) which in its turn influenced a great deal the acclaimed "Man Bites Dog" (aka "C'est arrivé près de chez vous") by Rémy Belvaux, André Bonzel and Benoît Poelvoorde, one of the sensations of 1992 Cannes Fim Festival. Who knows if it will ever be possible to get a copy of it online ? A must see, however, if only for its unique approach in treating society issues, so typical of the ironical Belgian mood – or should we say humour noir ?
Cerf-volant du bout du monde (1958)
Shot in the very decor of "The Last Emperor"
I first saw this somewhat old-fashioned French "teenmovie" in the mid 60s, when I was about 10 myself and I've never forgotten the complete magic of it (just like another generation might have been fan, for example, of 'The Goonies"). It has the same kind of charm as Albert Lamorrisse's classic "The Red Balloon", plus quite an unusual twist that was really something for kids of that time,
***** I DON'T THINK THE FOLLOWING IS ANY SPOILER *****
since the little hero is supposed to travel through his own dreams, once he's in bed and fully asleep, from "Amelie"'s Paris suburbs to the very heart of 1958 China. In addition, be aware that the scenes set in Beijing were shot inside the actual Forbidden City, and connoisseurs do recognize at once the decayed imperial palace that Bertolucci will use 28 years later for his 9 Academy Awards winning "Last Emperor". No masterpiece, of course, but a fresh and delightful curiosity that would deserve to be re-discovered by both film-buffs and China lovers.
The Actress (1953)
Worth watching 'lost & found'
No masterpiece as a feature film, and especially not Cukor's greatest achievement, but a truly enjoyable surprise, since i had never even heard about this title before watching it – by chance – tonight on TCM. What a pleasure for film buffs, though, to have this inner and witty view regarding the"bygone years" of the mythical old lady from "Harold & Maud" and "Rosemary's Ba- by" ! Perhaps Jean 'Ophelia' Simmons was not the very best choice to embody young Ruth Gordon Jones – who knows, after all ? –, but Spencer Tracy is just unforgettable as her grumpy, mostly childish father. Theresa Wright is perfect as usual, as the mother. And Anthony Perkins, here in his actual first appearance on screen, gives us an unpredictable insight of his many talents a couple of years before becoming a prisoner of that Hitchcocks's casting for infamous Norman Bates in "Psycho" that happened to ruin for ever the actor's career, in some way.