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rob.sutherland
Reviews
A Canterbury Tale (1944)
Bizarre, flawed but captivating
This is a patriotic war film shot at a time of National Emergency, so don't expect any complexity in the characters of the GI, the Sergeant and the Land Girl. All are fine citizens - as of course one would expect that pillar of the community the local magistrate to be...
The plot, such as it is, is bizarre. A small village in Kent is being terrorised by a madman who puts glue in women's hair during the blackout. The GI, the Sergeant and the Land Girl resolve to find the culprit.
All roads lead to Canterbury, where the Cathedral oversees the resolution of the mystery and of the disappointments in the characters' lives, before the soldiers set off on a more dangerous pilgrimage.
In the end, the plot is unbelievable, the character of Culpepper the magistrate unfathomable, the symbolism of the Cathedral laid on with a trowel - yet, why is this such a satisfying film? I think that there is a spirit which shines through this film - an optimism, a determination. The Land Girl has lost her Pilot fiancée, she grieves yet she is not downhearted. The GI loves and misses his homeland but can compare timber preparation techniques with the local blacksmith and find commonality. The English Countryside is ravishing throughout.
This film subtly highlights the values being fought for, the personal values, the village way of life, the spirit exemplified by the history of the Canterbury Pilgrims and of the Cathedral itself. And it is by tapping into the British psyche so deeply that even today it resonates which makes it a great film.
Les uns et les autres (1981)
A film to watch twice
Life is too short to watch films more than once, but make an exception for this Masterpiece.
The threads are thinly woven - the Russian Ballerina, the German Pianist, the American Bandleader, the Parisian musicians. Their stories cross tangentially, and in a film with almost no dialogue the music drives them on through three generations.
This is a movie about love and family and emptiness and death, but also about redemption despite the complete lack of sentimentality in the film. The climax to the thread about the search of the mother for her son is unbearable to watch, despite being held in still-frame longshot. Every action, every nuance, every gesture...
This is a movie of recurrence - the scenes in the Paris station with first the Jews, then the Germans being herded onto the train, then finally the TV special. The way in which the American Bandleader whistles to his father, then his daughter's husband whistles to her in the same way. Even the recurring shots of the blind accordionist.
Possibly the ending is too neat. Perhaps the threads should remain frayed around the edges. But the symmetry of the overall structure reinforces the theme of redemption over many generations and through love. The 20th century has seen many horrors, but this is an optimistic film.
I cannot recommend this movie too highly.