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Reviews
Amadeus (1984)
Evil as a gimmick
I saw this movie when it first came out in 1984. It is gorgeous, except for the introduction of evil in the persona of Salieri. I was subsequently appalled to learn that this was a complete fabrication; the real Salieri was a colleague of Mozart's and was not the jealous, evil villain portrayed in the movie. That entire plot device was artistic license to artificially dramatize the story; doing so at the expense of a real person's (living or deceased) reputation is unacceptable. How much more I would have admired Peter Shaffer if he had not resorted to this gimmick and trashed a man's reputation in the process, especially a man who is no longer alive to defend himself.
Fitzcarraldo (1982)
Story of a magnificent obsession
Truly a memorable drama of a magnificent obsession! A must see following it is "Burden of Dreams" which is also about a magnificent obsession, Werner Herzog's obsession with making "Fitzcarraldo." To see only one is to deny yourself the richness of a complete experience.
C'era una volta (1967)
Wonderful fantasy w/2 beautiful people!
This fantasy is complete with a gorgeous prince, a beautiful woman, witches with cauldrons and paper moons hanging in the sky. The story is simple but very effectively showcases Omar Sharif and Sophia Loren. A lovely way to pass a couple of hours. Some scenes are so memorable I still recalled them several years after first seeing the film in 1967.
A must for my collection. Definitely not heavy going; light, fun, and great for the whole family.
Grass: A Nation's Battle for Life (1925)
Fascinating story of a major trek by more than 50,000 people.
This 1925 silent, inspired by "Nanook of the North," is the story of an incredible people, the Bakhtiari, who annually move over 50,000 people and a half million animals between their summer and winter grazing pastures in Iran. They ford raging icy rivers and climb/descend a 15,000 foot mountain. Incredible footage; the filmmakers nearly froze to death.
A remake of the story is "People of the Wind" (1976), which is beautifully done. "Grass" is the story of the trek from the winter to the summer pastures; "People" is the reverse trip. Both are available (at last!) on video from Milestone Films.
People of the Wind (1976)
Beautiful adventure film with beautiful music.
Does anyone know where I can get a copy of this film? Is it on video, disc, DVD? I want this film for my collection!
I was riveted by 'People of the Wind' when I first saw it in 1977 in Venice, California. I bought the record album then and enjoy the music to this day. The nomadic Bakhtiari tribe of western Iran make their annual ~200 mile trek from the high summer pastures to low winter pastures, passing through the Zagros Mountains and a 12,000 ft. pass.
Interestingly, a 1925 silent film (documentary, inspired by the 1922 'Nanook of the North') is of the same journey, only the reverse trip. If you liked 'People...', it is a must see! It's title is 'Grass: A Nation's Battle for Life.' It has played on Turner Classic Movies. I intend to keep my eye out for it again and tape it.
Cheers!