Stanley Kramer will always be known by his
single finest achievement – the faux docu-fiction Judgment at Nuremberg. The film, a fictionalized account of the
trial of four high-profile German men of law during the Nazi regime, was based
on the Judges’ Trial, which was a subset of the Nuremberg Trials. Kramer resorted
to mostly a matter-of-fact tone, with just the right amount of melancholia at
various interjections, to direct our attention towards a number of complex issues
deftly, and reasonably impartially, dealt with herein – can you punish a judge
for upholding the law of the land or punish a soldier for obeying the orders of
his superiors, or for that matter, hold the entire nation morally responsible
for the acts committed by a few? The film’s spectacular all-star cast comprised
of – Spencer Tracy as the mild-mannered chief justice presiding over the trial
and the moral backbone of the story; Burt Lancastar as a revered intellectual
and the most renowned of the four defendants; Marlene Dietrich as the widow of
a former high-ranking Nazi officer striving to prove to the world that Germany isn’t
a synonym for Hitler; Richard Widmark as an emotionally intense prosecuting
attorney who would have indicted the entire nation if he could; Maximilian
Schell as the shrewd defense attorney; and Judy Garland as a witness for the
prosecution who had been used as a bait to punish a non-Aryan man she was close
to as a teenager. The acting was uniformly excellent throughout, but the most unforgettable
of the lot was Montgomery Clift as a deeply wounded and dim-witted man who had
been sterilized for political reasons – he was implosive and emotionally
devastating in his short role.
Director: Stanley Kramer
Genre: Drama/Courtroom Drama
Language: English/German
Country: US
This early Woody Allen film (his fourth directorial
venture and sixth as a writer), made before he attained stratospheric fame with
Annie Hall and Manhattan, was a parody on the notorious bestselling book of the
same name by Dr. David Reuben. The film, which was dived into seven segments titled
after the chapters in the book (that’s where the similarities between the two
ended), was quite uneven, and oftentimes too grotesque and bizarre. But, that
said, it was also a highly original piece of work, and had its moments of
creative brilliance and spark which, on hindsight, proves that Woody was still
coming to terms with his genius for writing. As can be expected, nothing was
held sacrosanct as everything from mundane to kinky came under the gleeful purview
of this absurdist and unapologetically in-your-face film. Among the more
memorable segments, one was about a mild-mannered doctor (very well played by
Gene Wilder) who falls in love with an Armenian sheep; one was on a retro TV
show (hosted by Jack Barry) where the viewers get to live their perversions;
while another was about a middle-aged man with a closet fetish for
cross-dressing. Woody acted in a number of vignettes, including what easily was
the best and the most ingenious of the lot – the various organs of the body are
enacted in the form of a state-of-the-art organization, powered by the brain which
looks like NASA’s control-centre, and with Woody playing the role of one of million
sperms trained to take a plunge into the unknown like a paratrooper.
Director: Woody Allen
Genre: Comedy/Satire/Spoof
Language: English
Country: US
Claude Chabrol, one of the founding fathers of
the Nouvelle Vague, made The Unfaithful
Wife at the midst of what possibly was the greatest creative phase of his career.
The film, which ranks alongside the likes of Le Boucher and Violette Noziere, as his most renowned work, was, on the surface, a crime
thriller. But, in essence, this psychological neo-noir was a fascinating study
on bourgeoisie values, marriage, infidelity, and the morality associated with committing
murder. Charles (Michel Bouquet), a plum, ageing, wealthy insurance broker, and
Helena (Stephane Audran), his young and beautiful wife, on first glance, seem a
happily married couple, despite their stark physical differences. But, before
long, the director makes it obvious that all is not hunky-dory – she is having
a surreptitious affair with Victor (Maurice Ronet), which her husband is
already suspicious of, and soon enough confirms with the aid of a private eye.
Things, however, take a dark and violent turn when he, unable to resist his
curiosity, pays his wife’s lover a visit, and ends up murdering him on
passionate impulse. Bouquet gave a quietly powerful and layered performance as
the mild-mannered, loving husband who loses his sense of placidity when
confronted that his wife is sleeping with another man; Chabrol’s muse Audran,
too, was effective as the adulterous wife, though one could have done with a
more simmering display of sensuality. Though the film wasn’t short of gripping
suspense, very well aided by the great sense of moodiness and a discordant
score, Chabrol’s basic intent, of course, lied elsewhere, and he bridged this
dived brilliantly and with great subtlety, leading us a highly satisfying
final.
Director: Claude Chabrol
Genre: Crime Drama/Psychological Thriller/Post-Noir/Marriage Drama
Language: French
Country: France
Match Point,
his first film in the UK, remains by far his finest work since the anarchic Deconstructing Harry. This was a dark,
disturbing and an deadly serious film – the kind he has always loved making
once in a while in order to break the trend (Interiors and September
come to my mind immediately). Chris (Jonathan Rhys-Meyers) is a former tennis
pro who now works as a trainer in an upscale private club in London. There he
befriends Tom (Matthew Goode), the son of an insanely wealthy businessman,
begins a relationship with his sister Chloe (Emily Mortimer) – who he
eventually marries, and even joins his father-in-law’s business. However, his
smooth journey up the social ladder and his picture-perfect life gets on the
verge of collapsing as he becomes increasingly infatuated with Nola (Scarlett
Johansson), the seductive fiancé of Tom and a struggling actress. His life
becomes incredibly complicated as he gets involved in a steamy and clandestine affair
with her post her break-up with Tom, leading the film to a violent, unsettling,
ironic and wonderfully devised climax. Enacted with immaculate restraint by the
cast, especially by the highly impressive Meyers as a character caught between
two extreme possibilities, the film was, on one hand, an incisive examination of
class and how it changes the protagonist (for better or for worse) the more his
station blossoms, while on the other it was a darkly cynical meditation on
chance, fate and morality – thus making it a fine companion piece to his
earlier Crimes and Misdemeanors. The
only glitch – it’s difficult to imagine Tim Henman reading
Dostoevsky between his matches.
Director: Woody Allen
Genre: Drama/Psychological Drama
Language: English
Country: UK/US
Woody Allen, in continuation with his current romantic
trysts with European cities (following Vicky Christina Barcelona and Midnight in Paris), chose the Italian capital for his latest destination for To Rome with Love. He filled the film
with a host of neurotic characters with the city forming a vital backdrop to
them (two of his archetypal traits); despite being neither intellectually off-balancing
nor bitingly humorous like his best works, I found this light-hearted and mildly
critical film a reasonably enjoyable watch. The ensemble, madcap film comprises
of four parallel storylines about oddball Roman and American characters, and
thus a subtle and charming dissection of what the historic metropolis represents.
A failed opera director (Woody Allen) unexpectedly unearths a marvelous
bathroom-singer while visiting, with his psychiatrist wife (Judy Davis), his
daughter and her newfound love; a young and idealistic architect (Jesse Eisenberg)
finds himself falling for his girlfriend’s pretentious best friend (Ellen
Page), while being watched by his cynical and jaded older self (Alec Baldwin);
an Everyday Joe and simple family man (Roberto Benigni) finds his average life drastically
altered when he becomes a sudden celebrity; and, a naïve country-boy finds
himself in a mess when he is forced to pass a drop-dead voluptuous hooker
(Panelope Cruz) as his wife to his wealthy family, while his lovely wife enjoys
a serendipitous tryst with a famous actor. Despite being quite uneven on the
whole, the film did have its moments. The one featuring the old and young
architect was brilliant at times, while Woody, in front of the camera after a
long time, sure saved the best lines for himself.
Director: Woody Allen
Genre: Comedy/Social Satire/Ensemble Film
Language: English/Italian
Country: US/Italy
