Casablanca, Raging Bull, Glen Campbell and more

Time flies. I honestly don't know where the time went, but it's clearly been quite some time since I have posted. So, I'll get right to it.

8/29/15 Casablanca, Outstanding Motion Picture, Best Director, Best Writing, Screenplay, 1942 #3 AFI, #9 BBC, National Film Registry

I watched Casablanca years ago and it didn't strike me as anything all that great, but since I have now watched hundreds of movies and have a better appreciation for movies, I thought I would watch it again. If you didn't know, Casablanca stars Humphrey Bogart, Ingrid Bergman, Paul Heinreid and Claude Raines in 1940s Casablanca, Morocco and was directed by Michael Curtiz. It's a drama, but there are also sly comedic moments that I especially liked. Bogart is Rick Blaine the owner Rick's Cafe Americain where there is music and food, and maybe, if you know the secret password, a little gambling. Bergman and Heinreid are Ilsa Lund and Victor Laszlo, a couple on the run from the Nazis, Victor is a leader of the Czech resistance, and Ilsa and Rick had a brief love affair in Paris. Raines is Police Captain Louis Renault, and he may be my favorite character in the film. Rick has come into possession of letters of transport which can be used for safe passage out of Morocco and Ilsa tries to use their past relationship to get them for her and Victor; Rick is still bitter (I totally get that) about Ilsa abruptly ending their affair and is not willing to hand over the letters. In the meantime, there are some shenanigans with visiting German soldiers, including a great rendition of La Marseillaise sung defiantly by the house band and guests at Rick's. That's a pretty high level overview, there are a lot of other little encounters and famous lines to be seen firsthand. I will say that I really did like this movie so much more the second time around; I have seen Bogart in several films now, and enjoy his restrained and controlled performances, although it is hard to believe that if this movie was recast today, he would be cast as the leading man, but he had that 'something'. I am also going to say something that might be considered blasphemy, but I don't get Ingrid Bergman or at least the fascination with her in this role; I much prefer her in her later roles in Ingmar Bergman films.What really struck me as I was watching this movie is that it was made during World War II and that there were so many actors who had fled Europe in the previous ten years. Among the films that Casablanca beat out for the year's best picture were For Whom the Bell Tolls (awful, painful to watch), The Song of Bernadette (a lovely film, perfect for the holidays) and several that I have not seen yet or heard of prior to doing this blog. Casablanca has certainly become a part of the American idiom, so for that alone, it's worth watching just to hear all those famous lines in their original context, but it is a really good movie. 856050694Casa


9/5/15 Glen Campbell: I'll Be Me, nominated for Best Song, 2014

Honestly I'm not even sure what to say because I may start crying. Glen Campbell: I'll Be Me is a documentary that follows Glen Campbell, his wife Kim and their three kids on Campbell's last tour as they deal with Campbell's Alzheimer's. At the beginning of the documentary, Campbell has trouble remembering who is in home movies and the names of his kids, but he is still pretty sharp with lyrics and playing the guitar, but over time, we see him struggle with lyrics and his stage performances. The movie touches on Campbell's past musical accomplishments, including being part of the Wrecking Crew (who play on the song "I'm Not Gonna Miss You"), his television show, his incredible musicianship, but it also gives us a glimpse into his family life and playing onstage with his three youngest kids. We hear mostly from Ashley Campbell about how it is to rehearse and play with her dad, and how she has learned to cope with his outbursts and we watch her interact with her dad on stage. It was incredibly brave to let James Keach and his cameras into their lives at this challenging time, to let fans and non-fans see Glen Campbell at less than 100%, but in the year of Still Alice, maybe this was perfect timing for a film like this. The song "I'm Not Gonna Miss You" was sung poignantly by Tim McGraw at the Oscars, but it is an absolute kick to the gut to watch it during the film and see Glen's old friends (Hal Blaine, Don Randi) playing on this song. If you're a regular reader, you now I have a soft spot for documentaries, and this one is a definite must-see; it may make you cry, but it's also life-affirming to see the love of Glen's family and friends, and fans.

9/6/15 Raging Bull, Best Actor, Best Film Editing, 1980 #4 AFI, #29 BBC, National Film Registry

In my review of Casablanca I was happy to change my original opinion of the movie after re-watching it; sad to say, I cannot say the same for Raging Bull. I love Robert DeNiro, he is so good, and I mostly like Martin Scorsese films, but I did not enjoy or like or even appreciate this biopic of boxer Jake LaMotta. LaMotta (as played by DeNiro) has almost no redeemable qualities; the one he does have - a desire to make it big himself, without help from the mob - is washed away by his ambition. I wish I had those two hours back.

9/6/15 Timbuktu, nominated Best Foreign Film, 2014

Timbuktu is set in Mali, although it was filmed in Mauritania and it is about the occupation of Timbuktu by members of an extreme Islamist group (one could assume ISIS) and how this group of mostly outsiders tries to impose their will and rules on the native population, which is more moderate and seemingly tolerant in their beliefs. In many ways what we see on film is what we see on the news all the time, except that we see this on much more personal and up close level; the people aren't nameless and faceless victims running over the news scroll on CNN, they have names and families and the hypocrisy of the oppressors makes us angry. The story of Kidane's family made me angry and sad, and I really wanted to punch someone. When the woman selling fish is told to cover herself and wear gloves (while she is selling fish, hello), she argues back and tries to point out the idiocy of this command, and she is willing to be hauled away rather than submit to these interlopers; I was rooting for her the whole time. I think it's important for movies like this to be made for a few reasons: one, it's a poke in the eye of the extremist movements and historically films, books, songs that do that are very important, for morale if nothing else; it is a very brave thing for these filmmakers and actors and crew to undertake because their is really no question that there are risks in giving the proverbial finger to groups like ISIS; and it's important for us as Americans/Westerners who may only think of Islam in terms of good vs. evil (Islam usually being 'evil) to see that just like many religions (and other groupings) there is a spectrum, and that even though the villagers are Muslim, they are also farmers or fisherman and parents, they may even like music; basically they are people, and should not be painted with the same brush. This movie to me touched me so much more than that awful Ida (clearly I'm still irritated by that film), so see this not that.

9/10/15 Dancing in Jaffa, 2013

I guess carrying on the theme of understanding others through art, let me stretch that to building bridges through dance. Pierre Dulaine is the 'star' of this documentary as he heads back to the home of his childhood in Jaffa, Israel, to try and bring young Palestinians and Israelis together through ballroom dance. It sounds a lot easier than it is; he has to overcome prejudices taught over many years, cultural/religious issues and of course, working with kids can be like herding cats. On a few occasions Dulaine is clearly frustrated by the kids' lack of interest (imagine being a young boy and told you need to hold a girl, oh, and she is a different religion from you and your cultures have been battling for decades - yeah, not easy) and things start to change when he brings in his dance partner of over 30 years, Yvonne Marceau, and they give real life demonstrations to the kids and that seems to grab them a little more. Eventually, he reaches some of the students, and I wish we had more time with them, but you do get to see the development, and the emergence of a confidence and friendships blossoming. He is still doing these classes, and one can only hope that this will break down barriers. We need more Pierre Dulaines. It's a feel good movie even if it's not the best documentary ever.