Twelve Films I Shoulda Seen by Now
Sep 23rd, 2008 | By Rick | Category: Blogathons, memes, etc., News & CommentI’ve been tagged twice for this latest movie meme — once by Joe Campanella over at Cinema Fist, and once by Fox at Tractor Facts (and some time ago, I might add), so I guess I’d better do it. They’re supposed to be 12 movies I haven’t seen and want to. Further, they’re supposed to be movies that aren’t generally available on DVD, as measured by whether or not they’re available on Netflix. I’ve more or less kept to that, although I will cheat if necessary. By the way, this was the bright idea of TheMovieMan at The Dancing Image.
[A lot of people have evidently pored over a lot more movie books in their time than I have, and so they have a ready-made store of weird, quirky little flicks they're just dying to see. I have no such background (few movie books but a lot of movies), so I'm afraid my list is pretty prosaic. Just movies that I'd like to see, some of which I didn't know I wanted to see until I began this post.]
1. The Man from London (Béla Tarr, 2007) See? I told you I was going to cheat … but it’s a good bet that the glacial pace at which Facets Video — Tarr’s North American distributor — gets around to releasing all things Béla, it will be some time before we get around to seeing Tarr’s latest. And when it does, it’ll be so crappy — Satantango is non-anamorphic! — that we’ll immediately wish for an upgrade. This one’s based on an unusual source for Tarr: a detective novel of Georges Simenon. I’m curious to see how it turned out. And speaking of Tarr,
2. Almanac of Fall/Autumn Almanac (Béla Tarr, 1985) represents a transitional film of sorts between Tarr’s earlier social-realist/Budapest School films and the more mature style that began with Damnation. Acquarello over at Strictly Film School says “Almanac of Fall opens to a bleak and resigned passage from Aleksandr Pushkin: ‘Even if you kill me, I see no trace, this land is unknown, the devil is probably leading, going round and round in circles.’” That’s our Béla! Note: I cheated again, it’s available on Netflix.
3. Los Olvidados (Luis Buñuel, 1950) Not entirely impossible to get, but pretty damn close. A serious, social-realist look at poverty in Mexico, with a little of Buñuel’s trademark surrealism thrown in. I know I’ll probably lose my Junior Cinephile Decoder Ring for saying this, but I look at a filmmaker like David Lynch, with his facile dancing dwarves and whatever, and I value Buñuel’s considerably more subtle surrealism all the more. Considered among the best of his work in Mexico.
4. Simon of the Desert (Luis Buñuel, 1950). Do shorts count? This one’s only 45 minutes long, but I couldn’t help but include it. I mean, just look at that videotape cover. How could you resist? As a man of the cloth, I love good blasphemy, and Buñuel could deliver with the best. About a guy who climbs up on a rock column, where he is tempted by the devil. Hmmmm … does the story sound familiar? That crazy Buñuel — he only stole from the best.
5. The Crime of Monsieur Lange (Jean Renoir, 1936) From Renoir’s golden, poetic realist period in the 30s, it’s not considered his best but, hey, it’s Renoir, right? I mean, how wrong can you go? (ok, ok, there is The River …) Seems to be, by the description, a crime story with the director’s usual humanist spin. An evil factory boss steals his workers stuff and goes on the lamb, complications ensue, and the story’s tragic hero ends up murdering the creep.
6. This Land is Mine (Jean Renoir, 1943). I know very little about this movie, except that it stars the great Charles Laughton and Maureen O’hara, and it’s about a teacher who get’s caught up in the French resistance. But once again, hello? Renoir? Won the 1943 Oscar for Best Sound, Recording.
7. Sunrise (F.W. Murnau, 1927). I know, I know … I’m in danger of losing any cred I have by admitting that I haven’t seen this movie yet, but there it is. Sunrise is one of those films that cinephiles use to brow-beat their muggle friends, smugly telling them it’s the greatest film ever, you mean you’ve never heard of it? It’s like, dude, in 2002 the BFI listed it as number seven in the known history of the movies, and you’ve never heard of it? Sad to say, it’s not available on Netflix, but in my “saved” queue there is a hopeful “December 2008.”
8. Apu Trilogy (Satyajit Ray, 1955 - 1960) Though I cheated with The Man From London and Autumn Almanac, I’m making up for it here. I could just as easily have listed Pather Panchali, Aparajito, and Apur Sansar as three separate films. I think these are still no-brainers, because they are at present among the Holy Grail of film geek region-1 DVD wanna-sees. Again according to Acquarello, “Pather Panchali is a serene, graceful, and haunting universal symphony - a beautiful, understated celebration of the wonder of life and the interminable courage of the human soul.” I wouldn’t know.
9. Johnny Guitar (Nicholas Ray, 1954) What does it say about the state of American movie-appreciation that what is arguably the greatest film by the one of our greatest directors is not available on Region 1 in this country? Upon seeing this film, Jean-Luc Godard reportedly said “Henceforth there is cinema. And the cinema is Nicholas Ray.” Paramount has just come out with a new, sparkling release of Johnny Guitar, that Gary Tooze says may be a definitive transfer. Only problem is, it’s in European region 2. Thanks a bunch, Paramount.
10. Ashes of Time (Wong Kar Wai, 1994) Made the same year as Wong’s Chunking Express, this magisterial costume drama looks to be about as far from that tale of urban ennui as you can get. But again, I don’t know: I can’t find it on DVD to save my life. Hopefully, somebody will release the original version in a two-disc set along with Ashes of Time Redux, the recut Wong released earlier this year.
11. Dragnet Girl (Yasujiro Ozu, 1933) A silent crime thriller from the master of the domestic drama? A gangster movie from the man known for shooting everything in those static, low-level “tatami shots? ” Like the better known Floating Weeds, Dragnet Girl is from a period before Ozu’s signature visual style had been solidified. I am so there.
12. The Merry Widow (Ernst Lubitsch, 1934). Lubitsch’s last musical, with Jeanette McDonald as a widow whose taxes are single-handedly supporting the mythical kingdom of Marshovia. She’s also being wooed by one Count Danilo (Maurice Chevalier), who is, how shall we say, after more than her charms. When she tumbles to that fact, she flees to Paris, and to keep the country from going bankrupt, Danilo must go after her. What do you think? Will true love ensue? I’d bet money.
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OMG! Can you fly me in for the screening of Los Olvidados and Simon of the Desert?? Not only is Simon of the Desert probably my favorite Bunuel, but it’s probably in my top fifty of all time. I love it so much even on the crappy VHS copy I have to watch it on. It’s short too, which helps. Not that I minds LONG Bunuel, but sometimes when his absurdity can work a little too long-winded. In Simon of the Desert, I think, it hits just right.
Buñuel used to say that he was an atheist by God’s grace. I recall enjoying “Simon Of the Desert” wildly back when I saw it, though I admit that, as in the case of Almodovar’s “Dark Habits” my enjoyment surely owed something to payoff, since I was schooled at the nuns.
Personally, I’d recommend”This Land Is Mine”, which is my favouritest film ever: It introduced me to such pleasures as Charles Laughton, jean Renoir and George Sanders.
You’ve made me curious about “Dragnet Girl”: having enjoyed two early silent Ozus (”I was born, but” and “Tokyo Chorus”), I will try to see it if I have the chance.
You’ve never seen Sunrise?!? Dude, it was on the BFI… oh, wait you already covered this.
Anywho, it is available as a part of a DVD Best Picture collection but if you want to wait until it’s realeased on its own it’s probably a better bet. I’m assuming (hoping) it will get the Collector’s Edition treatment. And I know you’ve heard it all before, but it really is a stunner of a movie. It’s a level of visual storytelling that happened at the perfect time because after it, there was no need for silents anymore as everything had been done in that movie. The optical work alone is amazing to behold.
And The Merry Widow I like very much too but my favorite for that team remains Love Me Tonight which is a great one.
Hi! Fearless Leader,
“I know, I know … I’m in danger of losing any cred I have by admitting that I haven’t seen this movie yet, but there it is…”
You will never lose cred(ibility) with me!…Now, let me comment on F.W. Murnau’s 1927 film “Sunrise”
“Sad to say, it’s not available on Netflix, but in my “saved” queue there is a hopeful “December 2008.”
Oh no! Rick, here goes some “good” news and maybe the way that you look at it “bad” news about the film “Sunrise.” Which would you prefer first? Ok! I will start with the “good” news…TCM plan to air F.W. Murnau’s 1927 “Sunrise” on November 19, 2008.
Now the “other” news…2oth Century Fox plan to release a 10 boxset of (Murnau and Borzage’s film) in December and yes, a “Special Edition” of the film “Sunrise” will be included.
Rick, close your eyes!…here goes the “sticker” price that Fox is asking…$239.89…Wow!
Btw, Great conversation between Marilyn and you over there under the “Trailer Lazy FilmMaker Marxist Edition.”
dcd
tks,
Fox, Bunuel is rewarding but hard, you have to concentrate, so I can see why 45 minutes would be a good time. Besides, as I said, I love good blasphemy.
Gloria, Buñuel spent the last few months of his life hobnobbing with a priest … I don’t know what that means, but he did.
I will certainly try to see as many of these as possible soon. I come to “This Land is Mine” as a confirmed fan of Renoir, who is in my not so humble opinion is the greatest director of one all time.
Jonathan, you are whetting my appetite for it all the more. I can hardly wait. And I think I will wait for the stand-alone which Netflix appears to be in the way of getting. Amazingly enough.
Bunuel is hard? Really? I’ve seen almost everything he’s ever done that’s available, and I find him incredibly easy to watch. His films are like funny dreams; I just float along. Simon of the Desert, however, is an out-and-out comedy. Los Olvidados, however, is the exception. It’s a rough film, sad, brilliant, perfunctory. I thought that The Devil’s Backbone owed a lot to it.
I adore The Merry Widow, but Jonathan, only the leads are the same as in Love Me Tonight. Mamoulian directed the latter, and I find it greatly missing that Lubitsch touch. There’s no sexual chemistry between Chevalier and MacDonald in it like there is in Lubitsch’s classic. As I wrote in my review:
“For a pre-Code film, this one’s attempts at suggestiveness are pretty tame. Maurice insults Jeanette’s seamstress for building her a dowdy riding habit. He makes a bet that he can do it better. Then we get to see him remove Jeanette’s unfinished riding jacket and take a tape measure to her every body part. It could have been sexy, but Mamoulian plays it safe. Maurice is all efficiency, and Jeanette doesn’t melt even a little at his ministrations. In fact, Jeanette is pretty stiff throughout this film—including her singing—a portent of what was to come with Nelson Eddy. Seeing her flirty, womanly performance in The Merry Widow was, for me, like seeing an entirely different actress, and again, with Chevalier. Thus, I blame Mamoulian for the tepid romance.”
dcd, Thanks for the pointer to “Sunrise” I will certainly see it then. It pays to have friends on the old internet superhighways to point out things you miss!
Arghhhh about the price of the boxset. Hopefully, they will release it on its own.
Marilyn, for me, trying to “read” Buñuel is hard … his technique is so subtle that for me — who’s one of those guys who joylessly analyzes films that Jonathan just dissed over at his site — it’s hard to pick out how he do that voodoo that he do. Which is for me one of the joys of the movies.
Just letting him carry you along is, as you point out, easy.
I guess I should have qualified team as ‘Chevalier/MacDonald’, that’s what I meant. And I can’t disagree with your points but I still like Love me Tonight very much, and The Merry Widow too.
Rick, Bunuel doesn’t really have a technique. I took a class on his Mexican films (and ha ha, I’ve seen Illusion Travels by Streetcar and Glenn Kenny hasn’t!!!), and the instructor told us Bunuel was a very meat and potatoes director. He didn’t care about camera movement or mise en scene to any great degree. How he created the magic, I think, was to eliminate self-censorship and film just what was there in the world (Los Olvidados) and images known to him through dreams and the works of his fellow surrealists, who were quite interested in the works of Marquis de Sade. As for religion, Simon of the Desert looks like a media circus, and Nazarin is Diary of a Country Priest without any compassion for the priest or his flock.
Ooooh … I love a disagreement on the Creek (or is that up the Creek?) It drives up the comment count so … let’s try it:
Marilyn: Bunuel does so have a technique, even though you’ve taken your hoity-toity class …
What do you think this is? The Democratic Party, where expertise and data actually matter?
(Actually, maybe I’d do better to sit back and enjoy once in awhile. No wonder his style is hard to decipher …)
The best thing you can do besides watching the films (and the more you see, the better you’ll recognize how he does his thing), is read My Last Sigh. Fabulous book that gives a lot of insight into the man.
Rick-
I have that Sunrise DVD that Lapper speaks of. The box set - which is great, btw. It has All About Eve, Gentleman’s Agreement, and How Green Is My Valley - was cheap when I bought it.
So… I mean, I don’t know why I’m telling you this. It’s not like you can borrow it from me since you live a few states over, but… maybe I will sell it too you for a nice fee.
Fox, that’s you all over, ain’t it? All about the cash …
Rick -
A great selection, as I would expect.
I like Bunuel, but I admit I’d never heard of “Simon of the Desert” until now. It sounds great.
Don’t feel bad about “Sunrise” - I only saw it myself for the first times about 6 weeks ago. I will tell you that every good thing you’ve heard about it is absolutely true - it is amazing!
And I’m going to have to rent some Bela Tarr DVDs someday - another gap in my film knowledge is that I’ve never seen any of his films.
Pat, Tarr’s one of those guys whose films are talked about a lot but practically nobody’s seen. But those Facets DVDs — as bad as they are — are changing that.
Tarr’s stuff is willfully, purposefully anti-commercial. That’s why he’ll never get much press beyond the cinephile market.
What a treasure trove of masterpieces and near-masterpieces here. SIMON OF THE DESERT, which I first saw in an undergrad film class many years ago is one of the Spanish master’s greatest works, regardless of the length. It is blasphemous, but that’s all part of its delectable context. It is one of the great movie satires.
LOS OLVIDADOS is one of Bunuel’s greatest films, and certainly the crown jewel of his Mexican period. It stands with teh likes of VIRIDIANA, THE EXTERMINATING ANGEL, EL, UN CHIEN ANDALOU, THE DISCREET CHARM OF THE BOURGEISIE and a few others as a Bunuel masterwork.
THE CRIME OF MONSIEUR LANGE is fairly good Renoir, but nowhere near the great masterpieces like LE REGLE DE JEU, LA GRANDE ILLUSION, UNE PARTIE DE CAMPAGNE, LA CHIENNE, etc. But it bears the mark of the master in many ways.
The first part of Ray’s APU TRILOGY, PATHER PANCHALI is by any barometer of measurement among the greatest films in the entire history of the cinema. Only CHARULATA challenged it as Ray’s masterpiece. Of course the second parts of the trilogy are magisterial as well.
You haven’t seen SUNRISE? Well I envy you as it is a strong contender for the greatest film ever made. Just think, you have such a work in front of you.
I am an Ozu fanatic so I bought DRAGNET GIRL as soon as it became available in that ongoing Hong Kong anniversary series, and I agree with your assessment that it’s weak Ozu, a rarity.
JOHNNY GUITAR is an existential and atmospheric Nicholas Ray film, that is solid, but always with me still lacking and static in one sense.
THE LAND IS MINE is an intriguing Renoir film that must be seen, although, like MONSIEUR LANGE it is a mid-range effort in the director’s canon.
Lubitsch’s THE MERRY WIDOW is a consumate delight from the man with the golden touch.
ALMANAC OF FALL is typically a visually stunning film by Tarr that MUST be seen—I have never seen THE MAN FROM LONDON, nor ASHES OF TIME for that matter, yet.
Sam, thanks as always for your comments. They’re always welcome; you’ve got a knowledge-base that is impressive.
I’m looking forward to the Tarr immensely … and as a Renoir fan, I’m glad for the Renoir pointers.
Wow, nice list, Rick. And I haven’t seen any of these either, how awesome is that?
The thing that stood out for me most, however, was your implication that it’s apparently okay to not be thrilled by The River, which I just watched last weekend. All I can say is: thank God. I didn’t really dislike it, but I had a hard time finding anything to love about it.
I know a lot of silent Ozu has been released recently, so I’ll have to pop on over to Netflix and check on Dragstreet Girl.
Thanks, Bill … and it is ok not to be thrilled by The River in my not so humble opinion. I found it to be altogether beautiful, but too much a product of its time, concentrating on the colonials, the great white fathers and all.
I need to see more silent Ozu, that’s for sure.
“Rick, close your eyes!…here goes the “sticker” price that 2oth Century Fox is asking…$239.89…Wow!”
Oops! Rick, In my “eagerness” to tell you about the film “Sunrise,” I forgot to tell you to “open” your eyes!…I bet after seeing that “sticker” price you “closed” your eyes again!
Btw, Just in case you want to know why this boxset cost so much!…I have provided a link to the most “expensive” boxset ever! True or False? Most expensive boxset ever?
dcd
http://www.classicflix.com/murnau-borzage-lucky-star-sunrise-liliom-they-paris-seventh-heaven-girl-song-heart-lazy-bones-street-angel-city-girl-murnau-borzage-documentary-p-7808.html
I’ve seen The Werckmeister Harmonies. I really liked it, but his films are s…l….o….w.
Bill & Rick-
Gawwwd. Why don’t you too just go make out somewhere over your misunderstanding of The River and get on with it! I hear there is a 3:25 feature of Lakeview Terrace playing in Rick’s hood. You guys could probably find a lot of privacy in there.
I wasn’t that crazy about The River either, and I saw a restored print on the big screen. It was beautiful to look at, but it was, what’s the word, kinda tacky.
And I would add, Marilyn, that it just felt like no kinda big deal at all. I liked The Darjeeling Limited a lot more.
Maybe it was high expectations. Everyone has always talked it up so much and were breathless that this new print was being shown. I expected more.
I think the high expectations are part of it … but “tacky” is a good word, Marilyn … to me it reeked of colonialism and paternalism toward the Indian people …
But perhaps its just that it accepted these things so uncritically. After all, Renoir was one of the great humanist filmmakers of all time, who was always exquisitely aware of class and its effects on society.
Rick-
Number one, I’ll say how much I love your blog and how much I appreciate a man of God with a sense of humor about his religion. I mean, it’s not everyday you find a preacher that loves Bunuel. I just watched THE DISCREET CHARM OF THE BOURGEOISIE and was taken with it. I need to see more. My film teacher showed us the first 20 minutes of LOS OLVIDADOS and it was pretty great, from what I remember.
As a sidenote, as your internet friend, I have to tell you that it is your duty as a film lover to watch SUNRISE. It’s one of the greatest things ever made and should be seen by everyone! I’d be willing to buy it, burn it and send it your way if that’s what it will take!
Also, your frequent mention of Renoir has inspired me to take a look at his work and after viewings of THE GRAND ILLUSION, THE RULES OF THE GAME, THE RIVER and THE HUMAN BEAST, all I have to say is WOW.
Joe, thanks for the compliment. Of the Buñuel I’ve seen, “Discreet Charm” is my favorite. Although “Viridiana” is a close second.
I will see “Sunrise”, perhaps when it comes on TCM in November.
I’m glad you like Renoir. Those four are good places to start, even the — in my opinion — overrated “The River”
I read a review that was a bit of an apologia for The River’s colonial POV. It said that it was a memory of Rumer Godden, who wrote the novel and the screenplay. If seen that way, it’s a valid, if distasteful, point of view. Like Birth of a Nation, it can be repellant at the same time one is admiring it. I do admire the filmcraft quite a bit, but I really think, POV aside, the script is weak.
BTW, my favorite Bunuel is his last work, The Obscure Object of Desire. It sums up everything he was about and did it exquisitely.
I agree about The River, and I do excuse its POV on those grounds. I just don’t like it very much, and the POV is a big part of why.
And it pains me to no end, seeing how I feel about Renoir.
I’ve got That Obscure Object on my Netflix queue. I think I’ll bump it up.
I’ve got to join Netflix just so I can have a queue to bump. Sounds like fun.
Queue bumping is all the rage now Marilyn. Come on, join in the fun. Do the Q-Bump!
Is that like the Trouser Press, baby?
Btw, Just in case you want to know why this boxset cost so much!…I have provided a link to the most “expensive” boxset ever! True or False? Most expensive boxset ever?
Rick, the answer is…False
Btw,
I did find out which boxset is the most expensive boxset ever!…and believe me “sticker” price on the “Murnau and Borzage” boxset don’t even come close!
dcd
I must learn the “fine art” of “proofreading” before I post…let me give it another try…
Btw,
I did find out which boxset is the most expensive boxset ever!…and believe me the “sticker” price on the Murnau and Borzage’s boxset don’t even come in a close second!
dcd
Geez, I leave this blog for an hour and Lapper and Marilyn are making suggestive small-talk.
Get a room!
And it’s a lot like the ol’ bumpy ride. As in “Fasten your seatbelts … it’s gonna be a bumpy ride” Only Davis said “bumpy night,” apparently, which isn’t anywhere near as much fun.
Obviously, Rick is not a fan of the Bonzo Doo-da Dog Band.
The Bonzo Doo-what?
And DCD, thanks for depressing me about sticker-shock for DVDs … $240 is plenty expensive enough for me!
OK, so I inverted two words. It’s the Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band. When I learned about them, they dropped the Doo-Dah.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bonzo_Dog_Band
Are they the ones that put the bomp in the bomp-a-bomp-a-bomp? ‘Cause I’m pretty sure Rick put the ram in the ram-a-lam-a-ding-dong.
Marilyn, even after you got them in the right order, I still hadn’t heard of them …
All the doo-dah day.
You come on my blog, Jonathan, and insult me like that … or was it an insult? (Arbo says I have a palindrome for a head. Maybe it means you can’t tell the diff between an insult and a compliment …)
“DCD, thanks for depressing me about sticker-shock for DVDs … $240 is plenty expensive enough for me!” ha!ha!
Rick,
I’am so sorry!