Skyfall [2012]

Released on its 50^th year, Skyfall would be a strong contender for the best film of the franchise. Having someone as Sam Mendes at its helm most certainly helped – it managed to be just enough deglamorized to continue the trend towards greater realism (not in absolute terms, but relative to what Bond-films have generally been) begun by Casino Royale, and just enough glamorized to make this a high-octane action thriller. And with Javier Bardem playing a former MI6 agent who has turned rogue and is eying for a spectacular personal revenge against M (Judi Dench), the head of MI6, it was reminiscent of Golden Eye, as well as a nostalgic throwback to the earlier Bond films which were marked by megalomaniac and over-the-top villains. If the film’s raw and grimy look, emphasis on realpolitik and difficult choices, and of scintillating action sequences weren’t enough – the fight on the top of a moving train and the bloody carnage at the climax come to my mind immediately – it provided the added benefit of holding a small window to Bond’s scarred past. The aforementioned climax took place at the location that didn’t just provide the movie with its title, but also happened to be the Bond family-house – the photography of the arid wasteland was quite brilliant, and in a way managed to wryly complement Bond’s life too. The most memorable moment in it would surely be Bond’s choosing a ludicrously ostentatious vintage car instead of a more inconspicuous vehicle for his eventful drive to Skyfall. Interestingly, M was as much a protagonist here as Bond (competently played by Daniel Craig) was.

Director: Sam Mendes
Genre: Action/Thriller/Spy Film
Language: English
Country: UK

Voyage to Cythera [1984]

The failed Communist revolution in Greece after WWII has been a recurrent theme in a number of Theo Angelopoulos’ films – particularly, The Traveling Players and The Hunters. However, whereas in the said films past had been chronicled as "present", here it was portrayed through suppressed but perennially haunting memories, and the aftermaths on subsequent generations – at national, social and personal levels. Voyage to Cythera, the first film in his ‘Trilogy of Silence’, is about a former rebel, and now a weary old man, who arrives to his country after spending many years in exile in Russia, only to find himself in a place far removed from what he had been expecting. His son, now a prominent filmmaker, has been haunted by the memories of his lost father, while his wife and his daughter have learnt to cope with his absence. Reconciliation with his family, however, turns out to be far easier than being accepted by the society. His sudden arrival to the village where he used to reside creates commotion among all – more so when he refuses to part with his land. Things reach a near absurdist level when the Greek administration tries to get rid of him, while Russia refuses to take him back; consequently, he ends up stranded on a small raft with his wife by his side, leading to a highly poignant finale. The country’s complete refusal to accept any memories related to its turbulent past, therefore, took not just figurative but also literal shape in this beautifully paced, liltingly scored, quietly meditative and deeply melancholic film. Trenchant political commentary and the tragic human story were delicately and memorably balanced here by Theo.

 

Director: Theo Angelopoulos
Genre: Drama/Political Drama/Family Drama
Language: Greek
Country: Greece

Night Train (Pociag) [1959]

Jerzy Kawalerowicz’s Night Train begun like a classic Hitchcockian mystery thriller; but, by the time it got over, the tone and theme had subtly shifted towards human drama and even trenchant social critique – and therein lay the charm of this engaging but largely under-watched Polish film.  A mysterious looking man (Leon Niemczyk), who may or may not be a murderer, and a beautiful lady (Lucyna Winnicka) with some troubles of her own – both completely strangers to each other – coincidentally become mates in a tiny first-class cabin on a night train. Obvious sexual sparkles soon start flying, with the situation getting tad more complicated when a frustrated married lady in the adjoining cabin starts making brazen advances to the man. Meanwhile, the compartment is abuzz with the sordid details about a guy who is on the lam after murdering his wife. A fine mix of atmosphere, moodiness and fatalism pervaded the noirish first half – coupled with a jazzy, discordant score, and then the police arrive and take the man into custody. Things then gradually started taking a divergent turn, which ended up adding further dimensions to the tale in this smartly paced and deftly handled movie. The fact that nearly the entire movie took place inside the cramped train compartments added a palpable sense of claustrophobia to the visuals; near the end, in a brief but memorable foot-chase sequence, horde of passengers break free from the prison-like confines of the train, and symbolically, also from their past shackles, only to be back before long – and such cheeky genre-bending moves as this accentuated the director’s wry commentary on post-WWII Polish society.

Director: Jerzy Kawalerowicz
Genre: Thriller/Psychological Thriller/Mystery
Language: Polish
Country: Poland

Days of '36 [1972]

Days of ’36, Angelopoulos’ second film and the first chapter in his ‘Trilogy of History’ (which also comprised of The Traveling Players and The Hunters), was by far the smallest film in terms of both duration and scope. In fact, though thematically linked, stylistically it was very different from them. Unlike the following two films, which were sprawling and complex chronicles of contemporary Greek history, this was a tightly bound political thriller set during the volatile Metaxas regime. Allegedly based on an actual event, the film concerns a political prisoner accused of assassinating a trade union leader during a public rally and awaiting trial, who holds an influential advocate hostage after getting utterly frustrated of voicing his innocence and demanding a fair trial. This audacious attempt by the convict results in a national calamity of sorts as the delicately held government becomes divided right through the middle as to what its response ought to be – i.e. whether or not to give in to his demands. Theo’s love for marvelous scene constructions through gently roving long takes, which would be used to jaw-dropping effects in the following two films, was noticeable here as well, as also his panache for distancing himself from the players, leisurely pacing, and long stretches of silence. The film was also filled with a number of memorable asides and moments – the failed escape attempt by a the inmates, playing of a song on a hired gramophone for the kidnapper, etc. – that did a fine job in adding to the sense of doom, paranoia, confusion and hopelessness that defined the country in general as well during that era.

Director: Theo Angelopoulos
Genre: Thriller/Political Thriller
Language: Greek
Country: Greece

The Shining [1980]

My reaction to The Shining had been rather ambivalent upon my first viewing of it many years back, but that changed dramatically (in the positive direction) upon revisiting it – in that sense it would have company such classics as Gold Rush and Annie Hall, among others. Adapted from Stephen King’s novel, Kubrick gave his own spin to the classic "haunted house story" in this brilliant psychological horror film by providing an intensely disturbing exploration of paranoia, madness, the devastating effects of claustrophobia and complete isolation from civilization, and the primordial beast that oftentimes lies just underneath a man’s seemingly placid and civil veneer. Jack Torrence (Jack Nicholson), suffering from an acute case of writer’s block, takes the job of being the winter caretaker for an enormous luxury hotel with a morbid past, in order to use the ample free time and solitude for the purpose of writing. And so he arrives at the palatial Overlook Hotel with Wendy (Shelley Duvall), his vulnerable and compliant wife, and Danny (Danny Lloyd), who seems to possess psychic abilities. Expectedly, the isolation gradually starts taking its toll on the volatile Jack, thus leading the family towards a spectacular eruption of gruesome violence and tragedy. Nicholson gave a startling and gleefully over-the-top performance as a man moving ever closer towards complete mental disintegration, while Duvall and Lloyed too were very effective. The film’s most memorable aspect would certainly be its astounding cinematography, camerawork and visual design – the spectacular tracking shots, dazzling color compositions and the deeply discomfiting sense of symmetry, imbued it with an incredibly ominous atmosphere. The pacing and the ensuing tension buildup, too, were riveting.

Director: Stanley Kubrick
Genre: Horror/Psychological Horror
Language: English
Country: US