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Author Topic: Martin Throws Caution to the Wind  (Read 8996 times)

oldkid

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Re: Martin Throws Caution to the Wind
« Reply #30 on: July 11, 2012, 01:28:43 AM »
Great review, Martin.  Glad you got caught up in the charm.
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Junior

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Re: Martin Throws Caution to the Wind
« Reply #31 on: July 11, 2012, 06:53:48 AM »
I gotta check that one out. Don't know why I haven't yet.

I enjoyed your Black Cauldron review, too. I vaguely recall the film from my childhood, fondly, but I really should do a rewatch.
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MartinTeller

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Re: Martin Throws Caution to the Wind
« Reply #32 on: July 11, 2012, 09:30:03 AM »
Thanks for the responses, guys!  1SO, is your review somewhere on the forum?

1SO

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Re: Martin Throws Caution to the Wind
« Reply #33 on: July 11, 2012, 09:51:38 AM »
There might be, but I can't find it. Just a line about the first 10 minutes being too precious.

MartinTeller

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Re: Martin Throws Caution to the Wind
« Reply #34 on: July 15, 2012, 03:13:47 PM »

20 Fingers - Writer/director Mania Akbari dedicates this film to Abbas Kiarostami, and with good reason.  Her first gig was as an actress in Ten a couple years prior, and you can see the influence.  Seven one-shot conversations between a man (Bijan Daneshmand) and a woman (Akbari).  As in many Kiarostami films (especially Ten), most of the discussions occur in moving vehicles: cars, a ski lift, a boat.  And although it would have been chronologically impossible for it to have been an influence, it reminded of Certified Copy in that we don't know if these seven couples are the same couple every time.

I should think not, or rather that it doesn't really matter, because Akbari is commenting on universal problems for women in Iran.  The discussions largely center around the gap in freedoms between men and women, not necessarily in their laws but in how they perceive gender roles.  The man is sometimes boorish to the level of horror (as in the first segment when he tests the woman's virginity) but even when he appears pleasant, there are undertones in his demeanor that suggest there are different rules for different sexes.  He sees threats to his dominance over the woman around every corner.  Her attempts to assert her freedoms fall on deaf, resistant ears.

The motion seems to be proportional to the emotional content of the conversation.  The only stationary scene is a relatively sedate talk in a restaurant and how each would behave if they could change their genders.  But while riding on a motorcycle, they discussion abortion (surprisingly frank for an Iranian film, lesbianism is covered as well), and in the penultimate scene, a train is the setting for a confrontration that becomes explosive.

The digital video is a bit rough, but lends to the immediate, natural documentary feel of the movie.  The two performances are generally excellent, but once in a while feel a bit stagey, which might be mostly due to dialogue that's occasionally a bit too pointed.  But the film is really very interesting, a revealing viewpoint on contemporary Iranian feminist issues.  Rating: Very Good (83)



Next up: I Could Read the Sky

pixote

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Re: Martin Throws Caution to the Wind
« Reply #35 on: July 18, 2012, 04:20:56 PM »
Just delved into this thread for the first time. Fascinating reading! I hope, if you hit a rut any time soon, you choose to expand your rules (maybe one of the top three films listed) rather than abandon the idea completely.

pixote
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MartinTeller

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Re: Martin Throws Caution to the Wind
« Reply #36 on: July 18, 2012, 04:33:05 PM »
Thanks pix!  I've considered that modification but so far I've been okay sticking to my rules.

MartinTeller

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Re: Martin Throws Caution to the Wind
« Reply #37 on: July 20, 2012, 07:10:23 PM »
I am foiled once again by a lack of subtitles.  Oh, I Could Read the Sky is in English.  But the central figure/narrator speaks with a mumbly, monotone thick Irish accent that is too difficult for me to comprehend, especially when the music on the soundtrack is loud.  Too bad, I watched 15 minutes and it looked pretty interesting, almost a Terence Davies thing going on.

But in honor of Retrospots, I am adding a twist!  I will now watch the most recently uploaded film from 1974 that I have not seen and is not currently on my watchlist.  This will continue until nominations time.  I will be crossposting to the Discoveries thread.  First up: The Izu Dancer.

smirnoff

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Re: Martin Throws Caution to the Wind
« Reply #38 on: July 20, 2012, 07:32:02 PM »
Booyah, love the mix up. :)

1SO

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Re: Martin Throws Caution to the Wind
« Reply #39 on: July 20, 2012, 07:53:41 PM »
I love this twist. Excited to see what results it yields.