D_vd_B Reviews

The Gang of Oss (2011)

Historical Portrait of dark period

[8/10 · 24 February 2012]

Oss is a city with a violent past, a city which has seen numerous changes both on industrial, criminal and civilized levels. These changes were seen all over the Netherlands, but for that period of time no example was so striking or extreme like it was in Oss.

André van Duren is a case of good Dutch film-maker which has lots of quality and not too much work. He has proved his skill with historical portraits in the past and De Bende van Oss is one of the few successful attempt to portray the region of Oss in that period. Cleverly shot in Ravenstein, Herpen, Keent and Oss itself, with the exception of some studio work, all feels quite authentic.

The cast is mostly put together from Brabanders (the province in which Oss lies) and this works well enough. Of course, they cannot speak with the right dialect for the film should be understood all over the Netherlands, but that doesn't bother much. The acting balanced between realistic and over the top.

This is the case with the entire film. It's brought with realism but there are many grotesque elements present. Somehow the film manages to find a delicate balance between those two. The soundtrack by Paleis van Boem works nice and gives it a special touch.

There are some problems with the film, like the gangleader is the least scary and convincing of the entire gang and he is more clown than Capone at times (not in a good way) but the rest of the cast carries him well enough so you won't really be bothered by it.

This film did cost about 3,5 mil euros which is a large budget for the Netherlands. If you think they transformed and built a convincing world with that money on par with 50+ mil Hollywood productions I can't help to wonder how we in our humble country manage to do it sometimes.

A good film, sometimes a little unsolid and at times plain great with many human touches, this is a film of which the Dutch people can be proud and will largely entertain themselves with.

Mariken (2000)

Funny movie for both children and adults

[8/10 · 22 February 2012]

Mariken is a nice film/TV series. It is quite a rich production, sharply shot and with a very thorough art department. The main aiming is towards children, but for an adult the experience of watching it might be entirely different.

There are many layers in this film. At a certain point (minor spoiler) Mariken is forced to choose between two women as their mothers. Except for the joy she experiences when the good mother candidate appears and she shows no doubt, we stay with the lesser mother candidate and see how her heart breaks. No character is pure evil, quite uncommon for children's tales, and even the good ones balance on a thin line.

But this realistic world is seen through the eyes of a child. Some things one might see as logical are a matter of question for her and some horrific incidents are just deeds of dire need for Mariken.

A nice movie with much depth for adult and enjoyment and cheering for children. But in truth, you do not need children to watch this film.

The Return of Ringo (1965)

Excellent!

[8/10 · 20 May 2010]

The day before yesterday I saw A Pistol For Ringo. I disliked it for many reasons and I wondered why that movie is such a miss. Luckily, the crew must have thought the same thing when they began with this movie and came to the same conclusions as I did.

The Return of Ringo is not really a sequel. It are the same actors and the scar is the same on Ringo's face, but that is about it.

The difference is huge. The crew is identical, but both the cinematographer and the editor now delivered a great job! The are great shots, at many angles. There are lots of symbols in this movie, great use of reflections and yes, great use of colors. This movie shares most of the bleak Almeria landscape that we know, but flowers are completely acceptable in this movie as a way to give the look color. The closeups are great and camera movements go beyond the Totals that pan a little we know from the first Ringo movie. The editing is razor sharp, obviously cut to the music.

The acting might be almost the same to the first movie, which is good enough, only now we can actually see them act, instead of watching it from a distance. The cast is almost the same, with some characters playing roles that are very similar.

The sets are great, and now finally there seems to be time or budget for decent light for the indoor scenes. The costumes are a lot better; what the people wear seems to be more fitting for their parts and the heroes of this movie aren't to clean. Gemma no longer walks around in costumes that looks like they come from a comedy, and not only because the story requires it.

In every Morricone scored movie, you just cannot say "the music seems fitting", since the maestro always adds something special to a movie. In this film, he hits the mark. Although the score tends to sound more like a Tiomkin/Steiner Hollywood western than something from the Dollar trilogy, it is a pure Morricone. Quite unusual on some scenes (they even used a piece that is believed to be originally composed for John Huston's 'Bible, in the Beginning' in a great scene where the protagonist meets his daughter), but effective nonetheless.

Not all scenes are perfect, but that is compensated. Like a (minor spoiler) great scene with a wedding between coffins, or the scene with the daughter mentioned above...these give this western something that makes it stand out among others.

And cheers for the director, since he is the man that was most involved of all.

I had my doubts before watching this movie, purely based on the first Ringo film, but don't let one Ringo title bring down the other!

A Pistol for Ringo (1965)

weak spaghetti western that could have been one of the better

[4/10 · 20 May 2010]

Based on the dubbed Koch media version.

If we would take one genre and analyze it, the western is the most obvious. Themes appear and come back because they work. Style means everything, the story comes in second. Acting is not really required; (most characters are sociopaths anyway) as long as the stars of the film have the right face. Spaghetti westerns have style.

The greatest weakness of this movie is exposed in the opening shot; the lack of style. Sure, there is a form of style, but its not the style a western need. The spaghetti western is a pretty vulnerable subgenre since the lack of budget requires for real talent. Choices must be made and especially in Italian westerns, these choices push the film towards greatness or towards weakness. The first shot says a lot. The camera work is completely uninspired. We see all characters from a strange distance most of the time (I saw the widescreen version), almost like a stageplay filmed from the audience! Most scenes are played out in one shot, leading to an enormous lack of intensity in almost every scene! The characters seem to be dressed by the wardrobe department of a western TV series for children (clean shaven, way too much color, clothes in excellent condition and stupid looking hats).

A western seems to profit from being unrealistic, creating a myth of some sorts, but this movie does none of the above. That not every director is Sergio Leone or John Ford for that matter, seems obvious, but some link is needed to feel for the story. The story itself is good. In the hands of a more skilled director, it might even be a real classic! It doesn't matter it's over the top sometimes, but it does matter if the things that ARE over the top are not filmed that way. Someone being smashes through a wall seems very silly if filmed like a dialog without any notable emotions. It's just the action we see, nothing more.

The locations are good. The exteriors are superb, the interiors are weaker. Not that the locations are not good, but the light is completely uninspired! The interiors look like the are filmed under the light of TL light. It looks like a modern office! The cast itself is good; they do what they should. Only two of the main characters (Ringo and the Sheriff) seem schoolboys playing cowboy. Fernando Sancho as Sancho is a great villain, but the camera doesn't seem to appreciate him. Only beauty Nieves Navarro seems to be aprreciated by the camera. Maybe the director or the DOP fell in love with her and only concentrated on the shots with her in the center. The sound quality of the English track is a bit muddy sometimes, but understandable.

The music is good. I say good, while it could have been great. Morricone composed yet another great score. The tracks itself are good. Some honky tonky music is present, but the real western themes are great. From a main theme that sometimes seems to be bordering lounge music, to a soaring trumpet theme; Maestro Morricone is really the absolute best in his line of work! It's a shame that the editing is never really done to the pace of the music. The music works, but could have carried the movie if only it was not used as ambient.

There is many more to tell about this movie, but it comes down to one thing. There is a lot to see in this one, but when it's simply not filmed or filmed incorrectly, there is not much left to admire. Maybe it's due to lack of budget, but if they somehow could make this movie really work, it might become a classic.

Giovanni Falcone, l'uomo che sfidò Cosa Nostra (2006 TV Movie)

strong TV production

[7/10 · 14 September 2009]

in recent years, the story of Italian magistrate Giovanni Falcone has been told and retold many times. Some of those productions are loosely based on the truth, others come very close to a documentary.

Solidly directed by the brothers Andrea Frazzi and Antonio Frazzi (Andrea died before this production was released), 'Giovanni Falcone, l'uomo che sfidò Cosa Nostra' is more than just a recording of the happenings in Italy between 1980 and 1992. It has become an emotional statement, and admiration of Giovanni Falcone and the people surrounding him.

Where 'Giovanni Falcone, l'uomo che sfidò Cosa Nostra' differs from other productions, is that the mafia is completely faceless. Some mafioso appear, but they are only instruments, and only the names of the politicians are named. That none of the top-people are portrayed on the side of the mafia, makes their presence only scarier.

Constantly in focus are Massimo Dapporto as Falcone and Elena Sofia Ricci as Francesca Morvillo, the love of his life. 99% of the viewers already know how the story will end, and instead of taking each step of the life of both, we take their relationship and the strength that came from it. I must admit that I found this very romantic. I don't know both actors, but they preformed very well.

The rest of the cast shows many regulars. If you saw "Il capo dei capi" like I did, you'll recognize many faces. This happens with many Italian production of crime related series; especially if you've seen La Piovra.

The camera-work is very adept; it's not really dramatic and it has a bleak look, so it's closer to La Piovra and La Scorta than most modern productions that tend to over-use a yellow sepia for Sicily. The editing is text-book perfect; there is nothing special here, but it matches the pacing of the series perfectly.

I would like to mention Morricone's soundtrack. It's a little bit the regular work the man has done for 40 years, but that doesn't make it less excellent. There only seems to be written one dramatic piece, and it appears and re-appears lots of times, but never bothers. Morricone scored this series a bit on the safe side, but still moved me. Doesn't happen much that you can mention both 'usual' and 'excellent', but with Morricone, this applies again and again.

Not all aspects of the life of Giovanni Falcone are told here. In some films, some things are done better, others things seems weaker. If you don't know which version you'd like to watch; this series is a sure bet. If you already saw Giovanni Falcone, Faclone(Excellent Cadavers), Il Capo dei Capi, La Scorta and even Il Divo and aren't really hungry for more depth in the same subject, you might want to give this one a pass. If you want another take of the same story, just enjoy this one.

A strong production that has it's own quality, but might suffer from all the competition out there.

Canone Inverso (2000)

Flawed but enjoyable!

[7/10 · 17 April 2009]

What a strange movie. It's flawed and messy, but I enjoyed it.

The story jumps from 1970 to 1968 to 1939 and back and forth for a couple of times, but this never annoyed me. The problem is that there happens just too much; like the movie doesn't know where to focus on (the music, the romance, brotherhood, mystery?). The beginning is perfect, but it descends into chaos.

The acting is very diverse. Hans Matheson plays the main character. I think he must be about 18 years old most of the time, but he giggles and jumps around like an 8 year old girl. And so do all is friends, who seem to overact in every scene. Other actors, like Mélanie Thierry, Gabriel Byrne, Ricky Tognazzi and Peter Vaughn act just great. (SPOILER)But it seems very strange that many of them are portrayals of each other in different stages of the lives, they don't look like each other at all!(/SPOILER).

The music must be mentioned. The music carries the movie. I do have the soundtrack by Ennio Morricone (and pieces by Bach, Pagiani, Dvorak and a Debussy) and it's excellent. The music, when preformed in the movie, literary brought me to tears. The Canone Inverso is a very moving piece, the concerto too (don't remember the exact name). A faintly distorted Clair De Lune is very beautiful, but is used a little too much (the piece on the CD only appears once and runs about 2 minutes, but appears maybe 10 times in the movie). Without doubt, the music is the best thing about this movie. It's the heart of the movie, and if music plays such a role, which composer is a better choice than Italian maestro Morricone? The production itself is very good. The sets look great and it seems that the put most of the budget for sets to good use. Most of the movie revolves around Prague and seems to be filmed there. It all feels very real, but don't expect Doctor Zhivago.

This movie by Ricky Tognazzi is flawed. But a flawed gem can be great too. It's very romantic and the film breathes romance most of the time. When it doesn't do this, it feels strange and a little weak. Overall: 7/10. Could have been better, but still enjoyable!

The Demons of St. Petersburg (2008)

The world of Dostoevsky

[9/10 · 2 January 2009]

Before viewing this one, I was a little sceptical about it all, but after viewing it (till the last credits faded out) I know that this is a very good movie.

When reading Dostoevsky, you get a very strong impression of the mood and people that live in the world he has written down. I must admit that I don't know much about his life, so I cannot say this film is accurate. But that doesn't really matter, for I Demoni di San Pietroburgo is more of a story where a writer is confronted with his own world. But I cannot say much about this, for the story is not about actions that shape events and how the world reacts, but people that grow and face themselves.

Montaldo is the right man to direct this movie. Not only has his earlier films touched subjects that are akin to the works of Dostoevsky, but he has shown experience in making a historical world believable (Marco Polo).

I don't know any of the actors in this (except for Roberto Herlitzka) but they are all very good. I will find something more with Miki Manojlovic in it to see, for his portrayal was interesting. The people in 'lesser' roles were all very good.

The cinematography by Arnaldo Catinari is just excellent. Every shot is well done, but still in service of the movie. It's almost always cold and pale. When there is light, it's lanterns that cast long shadows that serve the dark world very well.

The production is very good. Completely believable. I have no idea where it is filmed, but if it isn't St. Petersburg...it certainly feels like it. There are numerous extras and they all look like they belong there. The one special effect I could detect wasn't that great, but it was still good enough.

The editing was good. Few surprises, but it isn't a movie for strange montage.

And the music, at last. Ennio Morricone has composed for 40 years for Montaldo now. I can be brief around; he is not the best because he creates music that you expect, but because it's just what the movie needs. The score is sometimes very oldschool suspense-like, with fitting emotional moments. The music itself might not be very easy to listen too for some people, but it gives the film just what it needs at the right moment.

I own an Italian DVD with English subtitles.

Without doubt one of those European films that are just rock-solid, but tend to disappear between the blockbusters that just get more attention. Still, Montaldo proves it again; he is one of the best!

Time to Kill (1989)

Tempo Di Uccidere

[8/10 · 7 September 2008]

Tempo Di Uccidere (Time To Kill) by Guiliano Montaldo is a bit of a strange film, but it's good in it's own way.

I won't bother with a summary of the plot. Most that I've read gives the wrong impression and makes me believe that most people who wrote those didn't really understand the film. And you need to understand it to some level, even if you cannot describe for yourself what it's actually about. This film is strange in a "Once Upon a Time in America" way- only shorter.

Many 'Hollywood' stars (whatever that may mean...) have played in lesser known Italian productions. It's known that many actors who are past their prime or slowly rising to it do this. Cage was not yet a real star when this was made. I'm not a fan of him. He's very good in some roles (Raising Arizona, Bringing out the Dead) and weak when he plays the hero. I don't really know what to think of him in this one, but he sure doesn't portray the typical hero main character. This film could have done without him, but the fact that he starred may be the only reason this one ever made it to DVD.

The supporting cast is good. Not one of them looks fake and they act as if they are really there. Solid support.

I have seen 3 films by Montaldo (Marco Polo, Sacco&Vanzetti and this one) and I think he is one of the greater directors of this time. Unfortunately, nobody knows him. This movie was his last in a long time (a break of 19 years). I think that this movie might have failed at the office, but from the way it is done I think that for Montaldo it was a personal project that he really liked.

The production is great. It's always enough. The dusty army camps, the claustophobic cities and the magnificent landscape all play a great part. It all feels very real. In some scenes you can almost feel the heat. The sound itself is nothing special, but the music by Ennio Morricone is very good. It's not a piece that you will whistle when in the shower, but it sure works great.

So this movie looks, feels and sounds just right. It doesn't serve the lessons learned from it on a golden platter, but that may be the biggest difference between Hollywood and euro-cinema all around. It might sound strange to give it an 8 and not recommend it to people, but that is what I do. If you are looking for action; avoid this one! If you are looking for a well made Apocalypse Now in a different time and setting, but with a bit of similar journey into a 'state of mind'(sorry if this sound corny but I don't know what else to call it) you just might enjoy this one a lot.

The Most Beautiful Wife (1970)

La moglie piu' bella

[8/10 · 10 August 2008]

Most other comments are right on the spot.

Excellent movie, good acting and marvellous music.

There are a few things i'd like to add. Sometimes, this film slows down a bit, but never long enough to It's not a genre movie at all, but if you would want to tag it, I'd give it a thriller label.

The main trouble with films like this is that it so hard to 'like' them. Not that this one is pure depressing, but you'll get to see a desperate world on the bottom of the mafia and the place where it has its roots. And it isn't like the godfather.

My final verdict is an 8 out of 10. There is nothing wrong with this movie, but it hasn't the 100% perfection for a higher score. Still, very gripping and plain good.

Crossing the Line (1990)

Not perfection, but excellence on many levels

[8/10 · 20 July 2008]

The Big Man is not a true genre movie. It isn't a boxing movie, not a crime movie and not a family drama, but elements from all those genres meet somewhere in this film.

The setting is great. The director managed to choose a location that is barren, almost colourless and is obviously a skeleton of what it once was; a mining town. The coal mine has been shut down long ago and that is the beginning of the story. But I'm not going to give too much away of the hows and what's, for the film itself is good enough to tell it's own story without any problems.

The acting is good. I can't tell if the people could pass as those that they portray, but they make it believable for those who have never been in Scotland. It's very easy to admire Neeson; main reason is that there are many villages with someone like him, only here it goes a little to the extreme.

Even if there are fighters, gangsters and blood, this is still a drama. So it's rather slow. Don't watch this for the boxing or the gangsterism alone. All those elements make it a very rich movie, sometimes even towards the exotic. Downside to this is that it's not always easy to adapt 'all' facets of life. The movie focuses only once on a happening, and that is the fight it's all about. The rest is a little out of focus, but in the end it comes together to one important lesson.

As some people in other comments already noticed; music is by Ennio Morricone. It's strange at first to hear an Italian soundtrack (with this I mean music in the style for Italian thrillers) when viewing Scotland, but is sure works. The music during the fight is a great build-up piece that goes from suspenseful to epic.

I don't know what score to give this. I wanted to give it a 7, maybe because I didn't enjoy everything in it, but I'll give and 8 after all; I find this movie too sympathetic to give a 7 and there are many elements that I enjoy.

Saw it on a Dutch 6 euro DVD with excellent quality and lots of subtitles. Maybe best purchase this month.

Bobby Deerfield (1977)

Very good!

[8/10 · 1 March 2008]

As long as I can remember faces and names, I am a fan of Pacino. Scarface, the Godfather...and later his lesser known roles like S1m0ne and People I Know. First, when I read about this one and saw the pretty low score, I was a bit afraid to watch it.

I am from Europe and with each one I see, I only get more convinced that European cinema might simply be better than Hollywood. Bobby Deerfield is an American film, but it can also be watched by those that dislike Hollywood. It's very soft, quite deep and very VERY well acted.

Al Pacino stars in this. He delivers his role with lots of charm. He plays a man that does not really know how to live, but he never says so. We can only read it in his eyes, and it becomes even more clear when he meets Lillian Morelli.

Martha Keller plays Lillian. I must admit that I don't know her, nor saw one of the movies on her list. I cannot say much about her, besides that she acts very convincing. After seeing her in this, I want to check out some of her other work.

Supporting cast including Romolo Valli is convincing. The overall casting is very well done.

Sidney Pollack was already known to me as a very convincing actor. With acting like this, pacing and the feeling within this film, I must say he did a very good job.

The story is very romantic. I like it and the way it's told. And not only the actors tell their part, since there is always the scenery. Italy, Switzerland and France are more than just backgrounds. Every frame seems carefully created, each shot is good.

Normally I don't like Dave Grusin. After this one, I like him a little bit more. Maybe I will get hated after saying this, but Grusin scores this the same as Ennio Morricone would have. Still, if there is one sound belonging to Europe, it's the Morricone sound, so he did a very good job.

So what can I say? I will give it and 8. There are no real things that I disliked, and 9 is little bit too much (just considering the scores I gave to my alltime favorites). 8,5 doesn't exist, so 8 it is.....

one note to those that want see Pacino see some power acting; him playing Bobby Deerfield might not be the most dominant person ever to appear on the screen, but it sure is one his best 'concealed' characters.

A film not in the spotlight, but it should be there no the less.

Lucky Luciano (1973)

Lucky(?) Luciano

[4/10 · 9 February 2008]

This movie is boring. Plain boring, nothing else. And I've a great tolerance of movies that most people find boring.

I still wonder what I just watched. Is it a documentary? Most gangster films are pretty slow, but this one is more than that. All action happens in 15 minutes, then...nothing. It's like there was no editor, or that the material was shot for some kind of documentary.

Gian Maria Volontè plays his role very good. Rod Steiger is nice, but doesn't get enough time to be as great as he usually is. The rest of the cast is OK, not a problem here. Gangsters look like gangsters, cops look like cops and the dames are plenty.

For some seven years now I have been collecting gangster films, read books about the subject and even collected news articles about the mafia and such. Most of what I saw in this film is not new for me. Luciano was famous and is nothing short of legend these days. When he moved out of the US, he kind of got into the darkness. When this film dragged on, I saw some potential stories come by, but all just passed and went on. So nothing happened until the end where that thing happened that everyone that ever read a book about the mafia knows that happened.

The soundtrack doesn't help. Piero Piccioni can't even live up to his usual 'clone morricone' music and seems only to have written about 7 minutes of music.

The DVD I got was a UK version without any subtitle. I can watch English spoken films without much trouble, but half of this is in Italian, so beware! At first I feared this would have been a action movie disguised as a gangster film, but even that wasn't true. It is slow and all that. Of course, I never thought I was going to watch a true classic, but I almost felt asleep. Still, I cannot give it less than a 4. Gian Maria Volontè and Rod Steiger together in a film, and the sets were good enough. The production itself felt okay. So maybe they should have fired the writer and maybe the editor.

It could have been so much more!

They Fought for Their Country (1975)

Truly great film about World War II

[9/10 · 18 November 2007]

Sergei Bondarchuk is a great director. He has proved it with War and Peace, with Waterloo and now again with They Fought for Their Moterhland.

The film looks great. It's amazing how Bondarchuk can translate a world to film and still make it feel very real. The production is great, except for some minor things (tank turrets don't move). When I watched this film, I got the feeling that the whole world was at war. Not only these soldiers somewhere in Russia, but that they were just small parts in a big world conflict.

Most people always complain about the acting in Russian movies. That doesn't go for this one. It all feels very natural. The pain they show looks real, their sweat is there and I cannot imagine it with other actors (or acting method). Sergei Bondarchuk himself plays a role and he shows that he cannot only direct, but also act.

What I loved the most, is that this film shows war as I think it is. There are humans, the enemy is just a dot far away and every fight there are losses. Russians and Germans bleed alike. The Soviet flag is shown and it's clear who we are supposed to root for, but the main characters aren't heroes. They fight because they are told too, not because they are tough.

The music is like the music of War and Peace; not really pleasant to listen to, but it's perfect for the film. When an act of horror is shown, voices rise as if they complain. A requiem to humanity.

They Fought for their Motherland is bit like Spielbergs Saving Private Ryan; only without the misplaced heroism and with that touch of humanity.

Maybe not for everyone (since their is a delicate balance between spectacle, humanity and of course philosophy), but when you are looking for more aspects of war than just the heroic stereotype combat, go for this.

Love Is All (2007)

Just good

[8/10 · 21 October 2007]

I saw "Alles is Liefde" recently and I liked it. The advertisement for the film is strange..sometimes this film is presented as a pure romantic movie, but most often you'll only see the ruder jokes. As is with the truth sometimes, the film itself lies between those two.

The acting is good. It seemed that Dutch mainstream film left the soap level some years ago. There are a lot of new faces and a number of old ones. Carice van Houten for example, rising star that is close to international stardom, is a great actress that has little trouble with playing totally different roles. In Alles is Liefde, she is simply great.

I will not spoil much about the story, but it starts great with the arrival of Sinterklaas. The mood is just right, the acting just fits and it all feels very real (even if you live far from Amsterdam). The directing seems pretty solid and the sets are good(production is sometimes very weak in dutch cinema).

The acting is good. There are many, and with that I really mean MANY characters that we follow during the movie and they are all so different. We see a working class family, unhappy saleswoman, royalty womanizer, gay couple, mothers that seem confused about this point of their lives and prehaps the greatest of them all; a middle aged man that comes back to Amsterdam to do something about his past and gets famous and pushed around in a situation that is very public and absolutely not for him.

The only thing that I didn't like about this film is the music. Sure, it's pretty good, but there is just a little bit too much of it. It's mostly mainstream music and it's very romantic, but when you use this kind of music on any situation it's kinda loses its power later on.

The rest; great. This movie is fun and romantic. There is enough for anybody, so not many people will be bored while watching this (except the Chuck Norrise-like filmlovers).

The Unknown Woman (2006)

Tornatore did it again

[10/10 · 18 July 2007]

After a long time, a new Tornatore film. After the second viewing I decided to write a comment about it.

When people talk about a film by Giuseppe Tornatore, they think of Sicily first with it's burning sun and it's orange villages. This is one of his darker films, if not his darkest (on par with Il Camorrista).

As sound as the first fade in of this film appeared, I was hooked. I will not spoil anything, but you'll see some pretty powerful stuff. The story is complicated and important, so giving examples might spoil something, so I focus on the experience of this film itself.

I have never seen most of the actors in this (except Placido), but they all did an amazing job. Kseniya Rappoport is so great in this film that it's just haunting. Her performance is a winner without doubt, but the supportive cast never seems shy to make their emotions as real as they can.

The shots that this film uses are great. All Tornatore films are beautiful, but this one is a real dark gem. As him and few other can do, he makes the world real.

The script is strong. I cannot just define it as a drama, because that is a vague term. It's also a disturbing film with a warm touch (a heartbreaking plot that twists in a good way).

Ennio Morricone wrote the score. I am a great fan of him and I must say that even now, being 77, he is still the top composer in the entire industry. With his score for La Sconosciuta he surprised me. Again. This man is so amazing that I curse the Academy awards every day for ignoring him for more than 40 years.

So is there nothing bad about La Sconosciuta? Yes there is; the DVD is only available in Italy. I bought one with English subtitles so I have little problem watching it, but this can be quite a damper on it's international fame. I hope this one gets a great international release, both in cinema and on DVD. Great pieces of art should not be kept indoors.

I give it 10 out of 10. The best of 2006 and perfect in every way.

Captain Alatriste: The Spanish Musketeer (2006)

Chaotic

[6/10 · 16 June 2007]

This movie opens with Alatriste, the Spanish self proclaimed captain who is the center of the story. They are somewhere in Flanders sneaking in to disable the Dutch guns. Of course things go wrong and they have to run. One of his friends gets shot and Alatriste is asked to look after his son.

What bothered me a little was the production. The sets are mostly quite big (I think they are mostly authentic buildings) but the number of extras is very low. There are 2 sieges and one battle in. They are bloody and gritty and not that bad, but they seriously lack in size.

There is a lot of 1vs1 combat in this. Later in the film it jumps from duel to duel to duel with small interludes to some conversations. I must say I never read the books, but it seems that the movie mostly just shows the pictures to some explanation on text.

Still, all those sets, however they seem under populated, are great. The atmosphere is very thick and it's all beautifully shot. The color and contrast is great.

I remember that there were rumors first that Ennio Morricone was scoring this. In my honest opion; if he had this picture might 'feel' better. Roque Banos doesn't do a bad job at all, but the music is very pressed to the background. I have the soundtrack right here, and there are some nice pieces in, but they never get a chance to work in harmony with the screen. Even with a cavalry charge we just hear a whisper of the nice epic choral piece that is played...on the very far to the back-ground.

Normally I never worry too much about this, but now I felt a little responsible. I am Dutch myself. The area 'Flanders' lies a little further to the south than the city of Breda, but that might be called Flanders back in that days too. What I found strange was the line spoken by a Dutch soldier in the beginning "Sterf katolieke hond!" or 'Die catholic dog'. First of all, the Dutch war of independence was fought not only for the protestant church but for freedom to religion for everyone. Second; a soldier from Flanders or any lower part of Netherland (and including the nowadays Belgium) is catholic too. Still, most films just make us into Germans or weed smokers with cheese so I am not too unhappy.

Alatriste is not a bad film. It was craftly made and it sure left an impression. It only bothers me that they could have done more with it. I would say lesser duels, better produced battle scenes and the feelings could be made more important.

One last note: when I watched this film I found it not great, but in the end the chaos caves in a little and you can finally think something of the characters and get involved for those last 30 minutes.

The Sands of Time (2000 TV Movie)

Amusing but not much more

[6/10 · 19 May 2007]

I bought this TV mini series because I loved Secret of the Sahara and I own Ennio Morricone's amazing score. The link with Secret of the Sahara was the theme, the same company and the same director (and the same composer).

Italian TV productions are often very well made. I saw the 10 mafia series La Piovra and some Italian mini's. But one this goes for most of them; the music is great, the camera work is great...but since 1998 everything is cut short for the so called MTV generation. And that just doesn't work with Tower of the Firstborne. You cannot have a movie this complex without a proper introduction that takes at least an hour. And the other two hours are filled with subplots, so it only gets more complex. The second part begins great **MINOR SPOILER** with a french legionair that saves his love with a plane, almost as a knight on horseback would save a dame in distress **SPOILER END**.

So expect nice shots, absolutely fantastic music by Ennio Morricone, wooden overacting by Guy Lankester and Ione Skye and a complex plot retold in the editing room of the studio. The setting itself is great, but there is just not enough time to let the audience 'feel' the Sahara desert. And there are some nice special effects too.

You'll be better off with Secret of the Sahara if you like mysterious adventure movies with great soundtracks. If you liked that one, you might kill off an evening with this, but don't expect to be amazed.

War and Peace (1965)

The epic film in it's most perfect form

[10/10 · 3 May 2007]

This film, made in the 60, is one of the greatest triumphs of Russian cinema. The budget was enormous, but when you watch this film, you have the feeling that it was all spend in a good way.

The first part opens with a lineup of nature scenes followed by an introduction of the main characters. There are the three main characters: Andrei, Pierre and Natasha, and many many smaller roles, but you'll get plenty of time of to get to know them.

The first thing that makes this movie stand out, is the size of the production. The sets are huge, the clothing looks very real and you'll see no empty air between the extras in the crowd scenes.

But the directing is what makes this movie so special. First of all, you hear the thoughts of the characters as a voice over. This might take some seconds to get used too, but works great. You can see that the actors understand their characters, or at least do they know how much these persons know about themselves.

The feeling is incredible. When you are outside, you can almost smell the air and feel the cold (or the warmth of the sun). The indoor scenes vary from claustophobic to cozy. The estates are full of life when there are guests, but after they leave and the sun goes down, the halls become cold and dark.

The battles have great atmosphere. They don't really focus on the battle itself, but more on the madness of them. So there are some structural battle shots missing (the approaching armies, building tense music and the way the soldiers come closer are only shown in the first battle) and mostly you'll be placed right in the action. And the battles aren't shown as something glorious. The main focus is on the madness of the fighting itself. When the first cannonballs fly trough the air, some soldiers become insane bloodthirsty killers that don't care for their allies, while other become mad with fear. All this bloodshed is shown with a shaky camera covered with dirt and dust, a technique later used by many modern directors like Spielberg for Saving Private Ryan. And all this spectacle is done with thousands of extras, hundreds of horses and canons and under giant pillars of gun smoke.

But when there is not battle going on, the surrealism never leaves the characters. They dream and imagine things in a colorful way. There is a great scene where two people are sitting in a room with dripping water. They don't know what to say to each other and all you really hear is the water. This makes it a very nervous scene, but it's exactly how these people feel at that time.

The 4 parts are pretty balanced. The first part is the most open part, with a little of all (spectacle, drama, surrealism). Part 2 has the most personal drama, and 3 a lot of spectacle. Part 4 is a grande finale that will knock you out of chair, help you back in and knock you out again.

The acting is not the best I have ever seen, but it's better than most Russian films. The main characters act very well, but there are some smaller parts that seem a little over acted. The music is not beautiful, but that was never it's intention I think. There is no real main melody and no particular theme that comes back, but the choirs and orchestra are there when they can be used. This film doesn't need a soundtrack that carries it, and that was understood by the composer. The music is not dominating and you cannot whistle with it, but when it's there you might just experience one of the most complete movie moments of your life.

8 hours long, Russian with subtitles (no problem for me, but I understand people that have English as their first language are not used to them), drama and philosophy. Don't watch this film for it's battle scenes alone, but enjoy every scene. It might take a while, but when the last credits are rolling off the screen, you'll have no idea that 8 hours can be so easy to kill.

A great movie, near perfect. If you like directors like Eisenstein of David Lean, this might just be your new favorite film. Give it even a second viewing a couple of months after the first one.

10/10

Il camorrista (1986)

Very good gangster movie

[8/10 · 2 July 2006]

The main reasons why I bought this movie, are that it finally shows the Camorra and because of Tornatore. I read that this movie was banned in Napels, but I forgot the actual reason. Maybe it was banned because it gave politicians a bad name or because the Camorra was against it.

This movie has many things that the most (Hollywood) gangster movies are missing; gritty look, realistic gore and NOT glorifying crime. The Tornatore directing is very good; it's maybe not as superb as his "Legend of 1900" or "Nuovo Cinema Paradiso" but that's okay, especially for a debut.

Ben Gazzara is good enough as The Professor (Raffaele Cutolo). He appears to me as a real Camorra capo (cunning, cruel and evil) would be. The only thing that bothered me about his acting, is that it looks a little silly when he goes crazy and bangs his head to the glass, but the dubbing isn't really helping there.

The supporting cast is quite good. Some of them also make their appearance in La Piovra (Nicola Di Pinto) and some even in Godfather Part 3 (The assassin from Sicily plays a magistrate here). There were no actors that bothered me or anything.

The soundtrack is good. It's no Morricone, but you cannot expect that from every Italian movie.

The DVD (EAN 5050232700587) is not very good. It is in English with no subtitles. The picture quality is bad, but still watchable. The sound is OK. There are no specials on the disc and for a movie of 144 minutes long, it has a very small number of scenes.

If you like La Piovra, you like this. If you don't like La Piovra, you can also like this, but it's a little different than what most people are used to.