The White Ribbon"The sins of the fathers will be visited on the third and fourth generations"Haneke is becoming one of my favorite directors. I’ve seen the American version of Funny Games, Cache and now The White Ribbon and there is something brilliantly subversive about these films. Their critique of middle class values and the reversal of fortunes of the satisfied strikes a chord in me.
This film differs from the others in that its message is more subtle, and it makes me work harder for the point. Like Cache, the final seconds open up possibilities.
Technical—5/5—Cinematographically the smoothest of the Haneke I’ve seen. It isn’t gorgeous or stunning, but it feels very professional, very pleasant. Like many of his scripts, it feels subtle and understated, but it is anything but. It is difficult to avoid a tap of the hammer when it hits you on the forehead.
Interest—4/5—This was an interest of intellectual curiosity more than anything else. I was curious as to the injuries and killings, and later I was deeply trying to figure out what Heneke was up to, his point. Like other Heneke movies, my interest was piqued even further at the end of the film, with an immediate desire to re-watch sections of it. That’s pretty rare for me, but Heneke has gotten this reaction from me more than once.
Tension—3/5—I didn’t feel much tension. I had no sense of what was to come.
Characters—3/5—I was really fascinated by the plot, but not a single character engaged me. They were all played well, especially the children, but they were too cold for me.
Adolph, how long will your kind heart last?Emotional—2/5—I didn’t feel anything for this film. It is interesting enough, but I really felt disengaged from everything that was going on.
Theme—5/5—This is the type of context that produces dehumanization and persecution of minorities. It is quiet and nothing stands out, but that’s why it is allowed. A powerful, disturbing message.
Ethics—5/5—The ethical statement is so subtle. “The only thing necessary for evil to triumph is for good men to do nothing.” Edmund Burke. The good men do nothing about the growing evil in the midst and this is the real message. Everyone is so passive, so ultimately unconcerned about a growing evil, that the end becomes Nazism. The other main ethical point here is about the importantance of ethical parenting. If we make allowances for evil in our children—lack of mercy and punishing the minority—then the next generation will reap widespread hatred and war. Powerful message.
"Please turn around."
Personal—3/5—I felt nothing for the characters, but I resonate so strongly with the message that this film is still significant for me.
Heneke is a great director. I am stunned by his films and I will pursue more of them. And although I consider this an excellent examples of his filmmaking skills, it still leaves me cold, as if it were a fascinating intellectual puzzle, which I can leave behind satisfied, ready to pick it up another time. I will watch this film again, in hopes to delve into this puzzle again, but I am not driven to dwell in this town some more, nor was I emotionally engaged enough to be mesmerized. Like Citizen Kane, it is a brilliant meh.
1. Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind
2. In America
3. Rear Window
4. Amelie
5. The Red Shoes
6. Edward Scissorhands
7. Princess Mononoke
8. The Dark Knight
9. Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back
10. Tideland
11. Red Beard
12. The Brothers Bloom
13. I [Heart] Huckabees
14. I’m Not There
15. Toy Story 2
16. Close Encounters of the Third Kind
17. The Man Without A Past
18. Dog Day Afternoon
19. Brick
20. District 9
21. Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope
22. Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl
23. Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter... and Spring
24. 50 First Dates
25. Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade
26. Rachel Getting Married
27. The Godfather
28. The Son (2003)
29. Raising Arizona
30. How To Train A Dragon
31. Shaun of the Dead
32. Do The Right Thing
33. Adaptation
34. Cloudy With A Chance of Meatballs
35. Scizopolis
36. Buckaroo Bonzai Across the Eighth Dimension
37. Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai
38. *ucking Amal/Show Me Love
39. Three Kings
40. Y Tu Mama Tambien
41. The White Ribbon 42. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
43. The Science of Sleep
44. Grizzly Man
45. Who Framed Roger Rabbit?
46. Scarecrow
47. Fitzcaraldo
48. Zelig
49. Harold and Maude
50. Repulsion
51. Mister Roberts