CultureVulture49 Reviews

Cleanskin (2012)

A Prophetic Film

[8/10 · 18 May 2013]

You may have never heard of this 2012 film. That goes for me too until I saw it a few days ago on a premium cable TV channel. Its title is later explained near the end of the film. According to Wikipedia , a "cleanskin" is a term for an undercover operative unknown to his or her targets, or, as more commonly used in the UK following the London bombings, an extremist with no previous convictions so therefore unknown to national security." Not knowing what the title meant maybe was a turnoff at the box office besides being a low budget film without big name stars receiving little promotion if any.

A small film with well known English actors is not a bad thing as this was a suspenseful dark thriller with good performances. Sean Bean stars as an English government agent tracking terrorists who are setting off bombs in London. His boss, Charlotte Rampling,sends him secretly out to find the bad guys. There also is Ash, well played by Abhin Galeya an English actor unfamiliar to me, a young Muslim who seemed to have a good life in England. He was studying to be a lawyer and has an English girlfriend. He becomes radicalized by an extremist father figure who incites him against enemies of their faith and culture. Under his persuasive leadership, Ash leaves his lover and stops drinking alcohol, and becomes a terrorist who is not suspected at first because he is a 'cleanskin.' Bean and Ash will have a date with destiny....

Hey wait a sec. Doesn't this sound too familiar? I almost got chills making the connection with the Boston Marathon bombing on 4/15/13. I'm surprised this film doesn't get more exposure lately. Not to blow my own horn, I haven't heard or read anywhere about this film being prophetic.

This was a thought provoking film with enough surprises that hold your interest. There's plenty of nasty violence and body counts done in the name of Queen & Country as well as from the terrorists making for a blurred line between the good guys and the bad ones. Who are the real good guys is revealed at the end. My only complaint is that the English accents were harder to understand most of the time than the foreign ones so I had to turn on the subtitles to know what actors were saying. Besides the title, this might be another reason why it didn't get much play here in theaters. One good thing about cable and home video is that overlooked films for whatever reasons get a new life. In light of current events this well made one is definitely worth a look.

Moby Dick (1930)

An early talkie curio

[6/10 · 31 December 2012]

Herman Melville lost his readers when his later novels like 'Moby Dick' became too philosophical and he died in obscurity in 1891. There was renewed interest and a more favorable re-evaluation of his work in the 1920's with the discovery and publication of the manuscript for 'Billy Budd.' Hollywood was not far behind when Warner Brothers released a bowdlerized version of 'Moby Dick' renamed as 'The Sea Beast' with their biggest star, John Barrymore. It's probably good that Melvile wasn't around to watch the plot changes and character additions such as Ahab's brother and fiancé. In 1930 WB decided to remake the silent with Barrymore, still a big star, but whose legendary looks were beginning to fade from years of boozing which is noticeable in comparing both versions. The same plot was used but this time audiences could hear his stage-trained voice that aided his characterization in the later mad scenes. Listen for his howling when his wounded leg is treated, Besides borrowing the plot from the silent version, you can also observe ocean footage with an obviously younger Barrymore spliced into the remake since Barrymore didn't repeat the same stunts for whatever reason. Notice the difference in the projection speeds of the old and new footage. This version will appeal to Barrymore fans and as an example of an early sound film that still used silent film techniques. It's safe to say the 1930 'Moby Dick' is more of a curio than a classic. Although the Gregory Peck-John Huston version has its detractors, at least it's faithful to Melville's novel than this, I'll admit as a Barrymore fan, amusing chowder with its good production values. And 1962's 'Billy Budd' also proved that a Melville story could be done faithfully without an additional love interest and comic relief .I would love to see the German version made at the same time. Anyone know where to find it?

Marcel Proust's Time Regained (1999)

Read the books first....

[3/10 · 30 December 2011]

My wife who read Proust's works in French liked this movie. I haven't read any Proust so I was completely lost and gave up after the first hour watching the DVD. I got tired of bothering her to ask who was who and what was happening but I kept wandering back to the TV to catch parts of it. I don't recommend this film to anyone unfamiliar with the novels. Characters and events move back & forth in time and if that's not confusing enough, sometimes they appear in the past and present at the same time. She later admitted she lost interest at times and fought off dozing due to the slow pageant-like pacing. This is a demanding film that requires your absolute attention, preferably when you're not tired.

I firmly believe the French make the best costume films and this film is a perfect example. Although the handsome period sets and costumes are finely detailed, they are marred by the too dark photography during the indoor scenes. To make matters worse, the white subtitles are hard to read at times because the letters lack black borders making them impossible to read against white or light backgrounds.

The actors seemed good matches for their characters but listening to John Malkovich speak drawling phonetic French is bizarre if not funny.

Film adapted from novels should stand on their own without the viewer having to read the novel beforehand in order to follow it. 'Time Regained' is probably the best example of not being able to follow a film based on a novel, or to make it worse, several novels.

For Proust fans ONLY and those fluent in French due to the bad subtitling.

Amphitryon (1935)

Delightful!

[16 July 2011]

You can order a subtitled, high quality DVD with no extras from a site specializing in old foreign films: germanwarfilms.com. I've watched this charming film twice and it gets better with each viewing. Production values and performances are first rate. The special effects rival Hollywood's best. Much of the dialog is in rhyming couplets giving the film an almost musical quality before building up to the final musical number that's almost a parody of a crowd scene from 'Triumph of the Will.' In fact this film is equal to any Hollywood musical of that era.

Not all Germam films of this era were propaganda pieces. However the plot cuts both ways. At one point it stresses National Socialist views of wives subordinate to their husbands while it pokes fun of militaristic pomp & ceremony.

Jud Süß (1940)

Evil Art

[9/10 · 10 April 2011]

Watching this film provokes divided reactions. You can admire it for its expensive production values, acting, photography, and editing. Director Veit Harlan's use of crowd scenes are also impressive here as in his other films. 'Jud Sus' is comparable to the handsome Hollywood historical biopics of the time such as Warner Brother's 'The Life of Emile Zola' and others with Paul Muni. The big difference is you will detest 'Jud Suss' for its obvious message (unlike the 'Zola' film) which was to inflame anti-semitism and quash sympathy for Jews at a time when Germany was preparing to destroy them. The film's production history and aftermath is worth exploring. After the war Ferdinand Marian who played the title character supposedly committed suicide due to guilt over his role and Werner Krauss who portrayed several stereotypical Jews was blacklisted. Harlan was acquitted twice for war crimes and went on to make more films. History is still divided about Harlan's role in creating the film. Was he forced to make it or was he a willing co-conspirator who made it too good? There's a new documentary about Harlan that might provide answers: 'Veit Harlan: In the Shadow of Jud Suss' now on DVD>

S. O. S. Iceberg (1933)

2 Different Versions, Worth Watching

[8/10 · 9 April 2011]

It was common practice during the early days of sound films to make different versions in other languages and aimed at the cultural tastes of their audiences. Some actors were bilingual while others spoke their lines phonetically, sometimes with harsh accents.I was surprised to notice the differences in these two versions concerning the plot changes. The English one has some new scenes (The introductory one with more actors)including the ending where we see the ghosts of the fallen expedition members as a tribute to their memory. This version seems more geared to American audiences who prefer sentiment as opposed to the longer,harsher Teutonic version where the dog gets less screen time and disappears. Leni hardly speaks in both films and in the English version her voice seems dubbed by someone else as well as as her German counterparts. Regardless, watching both versions is a worthwhile experience. Stunning location scenery is cleverly edited with set work to create coherent exciting scenes.

Das Mädchen Johanna (1935)

History and Propaganda

[8/10 · 3 October 2010]

For starters, IMDb shows the wrong poster/different version for this film and should change it. I recently bought a subtitled DVD from a website featuring old and rare foreign films. Video/audio quality varies but the prices are good. It's an interesting film but historically inaccurate. Because this film was made in 1935, keep in mind it's an anti-French and anti-British propaganda piece disguised as a historical epic. Check out Grahame Greene's contemporary review where he compares the performance of Gustav Grundgens(who the novel and film 'Mephisto' is based on)as the French King to Hitler: 'The real hero is Charles VII with his Nazi mentality, his belief in the nobility of treachery for the sake of the nation. The purge of 30 June and the liquidation of Tremouille, the burning Reichstag and the pyre in Rouen market-place - these political parallels are heavily underlined. The direction is terribly sincere, conveying a kind of blond and shaved admiration for lonely dictators who have been forced to eliminate their allies.'

This was a big UFA production for its time(good music too)and it did well because of the subject matter. It's worth watching for the performances of famous actors although the stress on political intrigue sometimes makes Joan a secondary character. This is a good history lesson on the uses of propaganda although you can't help feel sympathetic for the title character who becomes a 'tool' and victim of the crafty king. The DVD's video quality is acceptable and could have been better but who knows if there is a better copy out there.