NavajoJoe101 Reviews

Manon of the Spring (1986)

First French film seen!

[10/10 · 17 March 2002]

This was the first French film I ever saw! It wasn't the last - I came to appreciate the cinema of Jean-Luc Godard, Jean-Pierre Jeunet & Marc Caro, Claude Berri, Claude Sautet, Jacques Rivette, etc. through watching this fabulous film.

Emmanuelle Beart is divine.

Yves Montand is now sorely missed.

And Daniel Auteuil is on the form of his life here.

If YOU want to get into European films, this is a cracking way to start. Magnifique!

The Name of the Rose (1986)

Once seen, never forgotten!

[10/10 · 26 January 2002]

My sister recommended this film to me, as it was showing one night on British TV. I watched it and fell in love with it.

The music is great (James Horner), the photography is dark and dripping with atmosphere (Tonino Delli Colli), and the acting is outstanding, particularly from Christian Slater (making his debut), Elya Baskin (Severinus) and the late, great William Hickey as Ubertino de Casale. The whole cast is perfect.

I then read the book, which obviously goes into far greater detail than the film. It's a great book by Umberto Eco, though I found that watching the film first helped when reading it.

It's one of my top 3 films of all time, and had it not been a European co-production, surely would and should have won many more awards.

Highly recommended!

Manhunter (1986)

If It Ain't Broke, Don't Fix It

[10/10 · 26 January 2002]

This film is better than "Silence Of The Lambs".

They are supposed to be re-making this as "Red Dragon" - why???

Much has been said about Brian Cox's role as Dr Lecktor, but he has little on-screen time. The revelation of this film is William Petersen, who is terrific as Will Graham.

Michael Mann has made a handful of brilliant films ("The Last Of The Mohicans", "Heat", "The Insider"), but this one is his crowning glory.

The Good, the Bad and the Ugly (1966)

Wow!

[10/10 · 26 January 2002]

This is my favourite, best, number 1 film of all time!

I can't find any faults with this stunning piece of work.

Best bits - Eli Wallach as Tuco ('The Bad'), Mario Brega (now he IS bad!), the fantastic photography from Tonino Delli Colli, and, best of all, the soundtrack by my hero Ennio Morricone. Nothing he has done before or since comes close to this.

Why no Oscar nominations?!? Possibly because Italy had refreshed and re-juvenated the Western, which was looking old and jaded in Hollywood? That can't have gone down too well in the big American studios.

Some people have said that this film is too long. Poop to them! Every time I watch it, I see something new. Surely that is the hallmark of a great film?