Author Topic: Year-by-Year: Something Old, Something New  (Read 24772 times)

pixote

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Re: Year-by-Year: Something Old, Something New
« Reply #60 on: November 04, 2016, 07:49:44 PM »
1958 (Poll)

Films GradedFilms RememberedWatchlist
Weddings and Babies (B)Ashes and DiamondsAuntie Mame
Horror of Dracula (B)Big Deal on Madonna Street          The Ballad of Narayama
Some Came Running (B-)The Defiant OnesCairo Station
The Lineup (B-)Elevator to the GallowsCat on a Hot Tin Roof
Sheep Wrecked (C+)The Hidden FortressEquinox Flower
The Tarnished Angels (C)A MovieThe Fly
High School Confidential! (C-)         Murder by ContractGiants and Toys
A Night to RememberGigi
Separate TablesThe Horse's Mouth
The 7th Voyage of SinbadIce Cold in Alex
Stakeout on Dope StreetThe Last Hurrah
Touch of EvilLe beau serge
VertigoThe Long, Hot Summer
The Young LionsThe Lovers
The Magician
Man of the West
The Music Room
Run Silent Run Deep
Terror in a Texas Town
A Time to Love and a Time to Die



A very tough choice between the films to revisit, especially between Ashes and Diamonds and Murder by Contract. (Vertigo will come up in my Hitchcock marathon eventually.) Technically, I did grade Murder by Contract (and an A- at that), but it's from a couple months before the January 2008 cut-off when I started grading everything. So I don't count it. All that being said, Ashes and Diamonds used to be in my Top 10, and I'm hoping a fresh viewing can return it there.

As for the Something New film, I can't decide between Cairo Station and Ice Cold in Alex — and I'm open to other suggestions as well. There's not a ton from this year that really jumps out at me as must-see.

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1SO

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Re: Year-by-Year: Something Old, Something New
« Reply #61 on: November 04, 2016, 09:39:19 PM »
Cairo Starion gets two big thumbs up from Martin and me. Can Alex beat that?

Junior

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Re: Year-by-Year: Something Old, Something New
« Reply #62 on: November 04, 2016, 10:35:44 PM »
I can't beat it as far as I know.
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pixote

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Re: Year-by-Year: Something Old, Something New
« Reply #63 on: January 10, 2017, 06:45:44 PM »
1958: Something New



Cairo Station  (Youssef Chahine, 1958)

Cairo Station is probably my first exposure to Egyptian cinema, and I confess I wasn't expecting a film that seemed so in tune with the various international cinematic styles of that age — a film not just current but even progressive. Chahine does an impressive job synthesizing the spirit of 1950s Italian filmmaking (plus a touch of Satyajit Ray) with psychologically-infused film noir. At a technical level, the filmmaking might be a bit rough around the edges, but I definitely admire its spirit and ambition.

The story of the film has two separate focuses, which eventually converge rather nicely. The first is just a nice portrait of modern Egypt as seen through the microcosm of the train station of the title. The second is a pulpy tale of sexual frustration that boils up into violence. For me, the latter storyline — though fascinating in its own right — detracted from the former. It's just overheated to the point of silliness, as highlighted by a moment in which someone reads a story from the newspaper about a woman being cut into pieces, and the sexually frustrated guy overhears it and rises to his feet, like, "What a great idea!" Some nice visual moments result from this story — especially the sexually charged ones that capitalize on the alluring movie star presence of Hend Rostom (see screenshot) — but I was almost always more interested in the tangential slice-of-life moments: the station workers starting to unionize; the clash between more orthodox religious customs and modern urban life; the germs of a women's liberation movement; the irresistible rhythm of rock and roll. I'm definitely curious to see more from Chahine as a director (he has eight other features on Filmstruck) but not necessarily as an actor (he reminded me of John Turturro on a bad day). I wouldn't mind seeing more from Rostom, too.

Grade: B-

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MartinTeller

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Re: Year-by-Year: Something Old, Something New
« Reply #64 on: January 10, 2017, 11:38:55 PM »
I love the Hitchcockian, Bunuellian sexual obsession storyline. The overheatedness is its appeal to me... it has so much bristling energy. I like the social observation stuff as well, but to me the magic of Cairo Station is all about Chahine's manic lust for Rostom.

I have yet to see more with Rostom, but I, too, am interested. For more Chahine, I recommend Al-ard (The Land) and Siraa Fil-Wadi.

DarkeningHumour

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Re: Year-by-Year: Something Old, Something New
« Reply #65 on: January 11, 2017, 04:21:51 AM »
The pixote reviews have just come pouring in today.
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pixote

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Re: Year-by-Year: Something Old, Something New
« Reply #66 on: January 11, 2017, 11:44:24 AM »
The pixote reviews have just come pouring in today.

I made it halfway though everything I've watched in the new year, with a bunch of Filmspots-catchup reviews still to come: Gleason, Elle, Cameraperson, The Handmaiden, Jackie, Moonlight, Loving, and Lion.

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pixote

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Re: Year-by-Year: Something Old, Something New
« Reply #67 on: February 07, 2017, 03:06:47 AM »
1958: Something Old



Ashes and Diamonds  (Andrzej Wajda, 1958)

I'm a bit puzzled that Ashes and Diamonds isn't more of a favorite around here. It reminds me very much of Fellini's — not because they both culminate in tragicomic dances of death, but because they're challenging masterpieces with Sight and Sound pedigrees that maybe demand too much of modern, first-time viewers, who seem to prefer Wajda's much more straightforward Kanal.

Despite opening with an assassination, Ashes and Diamonds is a slow burn, and through the first half of this rewatch, even I was admittedly restless, missing the poetic urgency I remembered from my first viewing. But the film burns brighter and brighter, earning it reputation as a brilliant symphony of hopeful despair that perfectly evokes the spirit of Poland in May 1945 (as seen from the late fifties) immediately after the Nazi surrender.

It's surely one of the most visually sumptuous movies of all time, with exquisite deep focus cinematography and rich, vivid art direction. That rich style, together with the confusing political climate and tragic romance, calls to mind a mixture of Citizen Kane, Casablanca, and the already-mentioned . That's the company the classic rightfully keeps.

I watched this on Filmstruck, but I'll have to rent or buy the Blu-Ray soon because the movie cries out for a great commentary track or two.

Grade: A-

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Re: Year-by-Year: Something Old, Something New
« Reply #68 on: February 07, 2017, 03:12:04 AM »
1958: Bonus Short



Blackbird  (Norman McLaren, 1958)

Quick, delightful short from McLaren set to a catchy-as-hell, French-Canadian nonsense song. I'm a sucker for the mathematical abstraction on display here, and the inventiveness of the cutout animation kept finding new ways to make me smile. Watch it here.

Grade: B+

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