The Hunters,
Theo’s concluding chapter to his “Trilogy
of History”, was an astounding follow-up to the mesmerizing epic, The Travelling Players, and very closely
aligned with it thematically, structurally, stylistically and tonally. While
the failed Communist revolution of 1949 was one of many memorable vignettes in
the earlier film, it was the point of reference here. It begins in 1977 with a
group of middle-aged bourgeois hunters stumbling upon the curiously preserved corpse
of a rebel. They bring the body to home, and thus begins a complex and
fascinating study of the contemporary political history of the country, and
more importantly, their collective sense of guilt for the failed revolution. With
the narrative seamlessly shifting between past and present, including sometimes
even within the duration of a single shot, each of the characters in the
ensemble cast is put under the scanner in order to examine what really went
wrong and what transpired since then as a result. Suffice it to say, the
director took a decidedly Leftist stance while chronicling the richly layered
story laced with allegories and symbolisms. Brilliantly shot in faded colours
and filmed in audacious long takes, the movie boasted of jaw-dropping scene
constructions that literally broke down the space-time conventions that movies
religiously adhere to. It also comprised of a number of deeply melancholic
folk-based songs – beautifully scored and written – that evoked a deep sense of
unrequited love, loss and heartbreak throughout its epic length. In a bravura closure, a common dream sequence finally purges the
guilt-stricken men and women off the suppressed but heavily scarred memories
from their pasts.
Director: Theo Angelopoulos
Genre: Drama/Psychological Drama/Political Drama/Ensemble Film/Epic
Language: Greek
Country: Greece
Eternity and a Day,
the final chapter in his ‘Trilogy of
Borders’, possibly remains Angelopoulos’ single most famous work
internationally. This lyrical, meditative and deeply personal film dealt with
two major themes – a peek into the mind of an aged man faced with the certainty
of death, and an examination into the issue of cross-border human trafficking. Alexander
(played with delicate balance by Bruno Ganz) is an ailing and ageing poet of
repute who has taken the decision of getting himself admitted to a nursing
home. He begins the day before that by meeting his married daughter in order to
hand over his pet dog, but is faced disappointment with her detached response
to his sudden arrival – more so when he is apprised that their old house has
been put up for sale. Before long he meets an Albanian kid who has been illegally
brought to Greece, and makes a spur of the moment decision to rescue him. With
him he starts a heartwarming journey which is less physical and more spiritual.
In the process, he gradually forms a deep bond with the cute homeless refugee kid,
while also starts reliving the life he has lived – memories both happy and sad
fill his mind, and meets people from his past (mother, wife, friends) à la Wild Strawberries as well as literary
characters. Elegantly shot, liltingly scored and leisurely paced, the film was
a mournful, contemplative look at a man coming to terms with age, mortality,
loneliness and the slow dissipation of his body and talent, and a very real
social issue, while discovering friendship and solace at the unlikeliest of
circumstances.
Director: Theo Angelopoulos
Genre: Drama/Psychological Drama/Road Movie
Language: Greek
Country: Greece
If David Lean is to be considered as one of the
greatest British filmmakers, then Lawrence
of Arabia, possibly his finest moment under the sun, ought to make a claim for
one of the best British movies ever. This sweeping 3.5-hour epic, which
chronicled the unlikely bravery shown by one T.E. Lawrence during WWI, remains
a stupendous achievement – and one of those rare big-budget blockbusters that
actually transcended the near insurmountable barrier between art and commerce. Adapted
from Lawrence’s autobiography The Seven
Pillars of Wisdom, the movie opens with the glitterati eulogizing him upon
his untimely death, without actually ever knowing the man. The rest of the
movie took place in flashbacks, and showed, through one exquisitely etched
vignette after another, how the cocky, erudite and enigmatic Lawrence (Peter O’Toole),
seemingly just another staffer in the British Army, does the seemingly
impossible by uniting various warring Arabian tribes under the umbrella of
Prince Faisal (Alec Guinness), and plays a monumental role in defeating the Turks,
and subsequently in the formation of the Arab Council. Over the course of his
spectacular journey he befriends the enigmatic Sherif Ali (Omar Sharif), whose
entry ranks amongst the most memorable scenes ever filmed. The film was well
enacted by its star-studded cast – the then unknown O’Toole portrayed the
complex blue-eyed protagonist with great competence, while Guinness and Anthony
Quinn, two thoroughbred Westerners, literally immersed themselves into their
roles as Arabians. The film’s orchestra-based score was very well used, but it’s
most unforgettable aspect would surely be its incredible photography – the jaw-dropping
vistas added poetic touches to the harsh and unforgiving deserts.
Director: David Lean
Genre: War/Epic/Docu-Fiction/Biopic
Language: English
Country: UK
Ben Affleck might be zilch when it comes to
acting, but he’s turned out to be a capable director. Argo, his third directorial venture, is a tense, gripping, highly
engaging, surprisingly intelligent and competently made escape thriller. Right
at the beginning of the film the audience is provided with a brief background
about contemporary political history of Iran, the destructive role played by
the US in the socio-political explosion that inevitably followed, and the
ensuing chaos and anarchy upon the sudden change of order. Done with the
context setting, we are thrown right in the middle of the Iranian Revolution,
with the US embassy in Tehran taken hostage by a fanatic mob. Six members of
the embassy, however, manage to surreptitiously escape and take refuge in the
Canadian embassy. The film, therefore, is, in essence, how Tony Mendez (Ben
Affleck), a typically laconic and highly skilled CIA agent, hatches a
fantastical escape plan for them, and then working outside the system, converts
his plan into reality. Affleck showed good eyes for details as he recreated a
sensational event from not so long back. But more importantly, he was smart
enough not to delve into the politics, as well as in terms of knowing his
limitations as a filmmaker. His objective here was simple – just to tell a darn
good story – and he succeeded by providing us
with an intermittently humorous, excellently paced and relentlessly suspenseful
film. It also boasts of fine turns by Alan Arkin and John Goodman as two
key members of the plan – the wisecracks of Arkin, in particular, were
riotously funny.
Director: Ben Affleck
Genre: Thriller/Political Thriller/Escape Film/Docu-Fiction
Language: English
Country: US
Polish legend Krzysztof Kieslowski, who had made
only shorts and documentaries until then, made his transition to feature-length
fiction with Personel (made
for Polish television). Watching the film made it obvious that he was still
finding his feet in his craft (though, of course, at a very fast pace given
that his very next film was the astutely directed The Scar); nonetheless, his signature touches were present all over it –
especially the strong political undercurrents that defined the first half of his
filmmaking career. The central character is
Romek (Juliusz Machulski), a shy young guy who has found employment as a tailor
in a theatre group after the theatre school he was studying in shut down. Among
the many acquaintances he makes in the closely-knit group, the one he becomes
most friendly to is Sowa (Michal Tarkowski), who was his senior in the defunct
school and is highly passionate about the theatres. Meanwhile he starts falling
for a young lady who travels in the same train as he does. Things look idyllic,
but they take a complicated turn when the outspoken Sowa has an altercation
with a pompous actor, which doesn’t go well with the workers’ union as well –
thus forcing Romek to evaluate his priorities in life. Though timed at slightly over 1 hour, Kieslowski spent time in imbuing the characters and the proceedings
with subtle details and observations, and his personal love for and
experiences with the theatres. The picture quality and production designs were
shoddy (more so in comparison to his later works) on account of the low-budget,
but can be ignored on account of the larger picture.
Director: Krzysztof Kieslowski
Genre: Drama/Political Drama/Psychological Drama/Coming-of-Age
Language: Polish
Country: Poland
