Some Like it Hot

The last film for the course was Some Like it Hot (1959). This was certainly the most playful and comedic out of all of the movies we've seen. I have already seen this movie twice but I was still laughing at the jokes. (A really good movie to watch as finals loom over you!)

The film starts out like any other...our heroes are down on their luck. Set in probation era Chicago, Tony Curtis and Jack Lemmon play Joe and Jerry, two musicians who are looking for money. They find it after a dangerous run-in with the mob, but in the ranks of an all-women band.

Once Joe and Jerry become Josephine and Daphne, the film really starts moving. We are then introduced to Marilyn Monroe as "Sugar" Kane, who is equal parts sweet and clumsy. For Sugar, love is an elusive and she always looks in the same, and wrong, place. Beneath the ditzy exterior Sugar has a heart of gold and is very sincere and caring.

In the scene where Joe, dressed as a millionaire named Junior, breaks up with Sugar over the phone her eyes are dripping with tears. And yet--she continues to play sweet in the conversation. She never finds love because she always picked men for their money or appearances (her long chain of saxophone-playing ex-lovers). Joe, although he really deceives Sugar as Josephine, is the only man who would ever give something to her in return (a real diamond bracelet and flowers) and a fantasy that she's finally hooked a millionaire. Despite the potential problems that tricking Sugar might actually create in real life, the film looks beyond it for a more jovial ending where Sugar and Joe fall in love.

                                                                Josephine and Daphne

As fate would have it, Jerry as Daphne actually gets a millionaire named Osgood. Osgood was immediately taken with Daphne's looks (and I believe...ankles?) and after multiple attempts Daphne just plays along with Osgood's affections and takes advantage of the perks (after all...he is a real millionaire).

Some Like it Hot is a real delight both in it's comedy and talented cast but also in it's progressive nature. I was surprised that a movie starring two men dressed as women could be one of the most successful comedies of the 1950's. In fact, along with movies like Psycho, Some Like it Hot contributed to the end of the Production Code (mid-60's). The obvious visual gag of two leading men in drag isn't taken to offensive heights. The two men even sympathize with anyone who would dress in women's clothes because of the difficulty walking in high-heels and the unwanted attention you receive from men. They aren't made to look like idiots (although they can be foolish) and aren't condemned for their actions (although I suppose they get away with it because they are straight men in drag and it is a comedy...)

The film really ends with a bang as Daphne tries to explain to Osgood that (s)he can't have his children etc...and (s)he finally takes off her wig and exclaims, "I'm a man!" and Osgood replies, "Well, nobody's perfect." It's such a wonderful ending and it really encapsulates the kind of goofy, yet sincere sensibility of the film.

-Claudia

Mothers

The film Mothers by Milcho Manchevski is a pastiche of three different stories that deal with human relationships and the search for truth in an often cruel world.

In terms of love I think the film deals with it in the sense of human kinship overall. The first part of the story, where two young girls fabricate a story of a man who flashes them, is about their disconnect with humanity and a kind of universal love or respect for a stranger. This story reveals how we can simply decide not to love and the dangerous consequences for this revelation. Our lives overlap and our perceptions of other people are more connected and intertwined than is superficially obvious. The girls embody how uncaring and random the events in our lives can be. The middle section of the film shows how this disconnect can occur between family, people who supposedly love each other with the example of the brother and sister not speaking for years. Love does not exist ideally even in a seemingly more pure or intact part of the country. The final act of the film I think deals with an aspect of love, which is trust. The proximity between the killer and the victims is so incredible and unsettling. There is no separation between the crime reporter and the criminal except the victim's perception of who is good and bad, which is based on things they are told and therefore, believe.

I was most interested by the documentary style of the third section of the film. In fact, the events and interviews were real and so were the events. Even so, for me, this was the most riveting of each of the sections because when presented alongside, what the viewer assumes to be, fictional narratives the inexactitude of truth becomes apparent. Nowadays the "mockumentary" and "shakey-cam" styles are in vogue and with the existence as well as universal popularity of user-generated content sites like Youtube, the modern audience is on their toes when it comes to "authenticity" (a concept that films like Mothers questions.)

Manchevski proves that not only is there no obligation to play to any unspoken preconceptions viewers might have about watching movies or preface each aspect of filmmaking with cushiony disclaimers like, "Based on a True Story" or, "Inspired by True Events". Even the documentary aspect of Mothers, can be questioned and mistrusted. Perhaps filmmakers try too hard to convince the viewer that they can choose between unreality and reality when in fact those definitions are too vague to categorize films with. Certainly they are both present in film and other artistic media but whether they should be used as labels is up to the viewer and what they perceive after viewing the film.

-Claudia

Double Suicide

First of all, Double Suicide was really wonderful to look at. Every scene was simply gorgeous in black and white. It is a film that almost does not need sound, and in fact, does not employ much of it. The small amount of music that does appear is minimal and eery.

One particularly impressive moment was when the courtesan Koharu is opening a door bit by bit, covered by the sound of a man clapping two pieces of wood together. The scene was so expertly and seamlessly choreographed, the balance between action and sound was so clear!

                                                                      A still from that moment

The film makes no attempt to create a unique story, rather it focuses on the way it is presented to us. A film about lovers separated by society is not a new idea in dramatic work. In addition, the crying and emotional breakdowns of the characters are so frequent that the viewer is left no room for thought or sympathy in connection to the characters. And yet, the movie is memorable for the striking style that inhabits every frame. The compositions of each shot are beautiful and well thought out. Every detail seems consciously planned out and staged, as this work does have its roots in bunraku puppet plays. 

One of my favorite elements to this story was the presence of the kurago, the men dressed in black who played the role of stagehands and of fate. Their spooky presence added another layer of separation from the viewer's immersion into the film. In fact, at one moment the face of the male lead, Jihei, is revealed to his wife Osan only with the help of the kurago lifting a blanket away from him. 

At one point a kurago even reveals he is really present in the moment and feels for the characters even though he is bound to his duty as the hand of fate. This mirrors the struggle that Koharu and Jihei undergo. Koharu is obligated as a courtesan to please many different men but as a result is not respected by most of society. Jihei has familial obligations and cannot abandon them to chase a "whore". Even though they fight against the current, they are totally predestined to kill each other from the first moments of the opening credits where the director of the play they live out is discussing their double suicide. 

In fact, in Jihei's final moments we can see many kurago waiting for him to kill himself, even helping him. It really drives home the presence of fate in this film and the inescapable destiny that the film promotes.

Despite Koharu and Osan's differences there is an interesting duality to their characters. First, they are played by the same actress. Koharu has painted eyebrows while Osans are covered in white makeup, as are her lips while Koharu's aren't. Osan's teeth are noticeably blacked out, which without personally knowing the Japanese tradition behind it, really gave Osan a disturbing connection with decay or death.

Just as the Criterion website describes, "The mutual respect felt by the women is constantly stressed, as if, in fact, they were conflicting aspects of personality" 

The imagery in this film ranged from stark divides between black and white to patterns filling up entire rooms. The environment, this includes the kurago and the changing sets, interested me so much in this film. Just brainstorming ideas for a final project, I'm thinking of perhaps writing a series of letters to people in my life who are close to me. The body of the letters would be highly concentrated on vivid moments I have associated with them in my memory. For each one I would take a bit of inspiration from each film from the semester. I'm also interested in perhaps including images but it might be filled with text. When I have them all finished I would compile them in a small photo album, so I guess the general theme is snapshots. It's an idea in progress...

-Claudia

Color of Paradise

The Color of Paradise directed by Majid Majidi is about an blind boy, Mohammad, from Iran. The film contains a mix of melodrama and heart-wrenching moments within beautiful scenes of the Iranian countryside.

The sensitivity in some scenes is extraordinary and surprising. Particularly, when Mohammad finds a fallen chick in a pile of leaves, was a testament to how acute his sense of hearing is. Until the camera actually revealed the helpless bird, I was unsure as to what was happening. At points, Mohammad can be seen moving his fingers through the air and speaking so quietly he cannot be understood. These moments are a testament to how Mohammad understands the language of nature, perhaps more than a person with hearing could.

The beauty of both the artificial color and the raw nature depicted in The Color of Paradise really caught my attention. Seeing the girls and Mohammad's grandmother create dyes and hang saturated fabrics was perhaps my favorite moment of tactile imagery in the film. The variety of topography in Mohammad's world, is stunning. One particular wide angle shot of Mohammad and his father when they first journey back to their village through a field, showed the scope of the world in some ways he cannot experience. Even so, this is low on the list of reasons to feel for Mohammad's struggles.

His father's lack of love is so dissapointing. For such a hard working man, there is a definate conflict between understanding the father's problems and reconciling them with their effect on his own son.

Regarding the ending Stephen Holding in his NYTimes review of the film said that it has a, "wrong-note final image". I'm not too sure of this assessment. I do confess to rolling my eyes a bit at the dramatics of it all because it reminded me of Disney characters being brought back to life by tears or something to that effect. Another criticism might be that the sudden use of computer effects is too big a contrast to the rest of the film, which is more steeped in realism and nature.

Besides that, I found that the final message made sense, as we had been given a taste for the director's beliefs in God with the death of Mohammad's grandmother. Although certainly not as dramatic, she is filled with light and smiles, perhaps because she is greeting God or perhaps, as this image directly follows it, she is thinking of her precious grandson.

Again, I'm ambivalent if it was really 'a wrong-note'. The typical sound-scape of birds and nature is abandoned in the final moments in favor of a sweeping score. In this way, perhaps the filmmakers are ensuring the audience will either be given a positive outlook on the bleak situation or be pushed past the emotional breaking point. My view was entirely positive, although I can't help but wonder if the father's life will either be ruined for good or he'll try to become a better person...

One of my favorite elements of the movie was the terrifying noise in the forest that only the father seems to hear. It is almost like the cry of an animal but it is difficult to place and off-putting. Perhaps it is the supernatural sound of God or the Devil foreshadowing the terrible conclusion to the film. In fact, the first time the noise plays, he is shaving in front of the river, which becomes so central to the film later on. He cuts himself by accident and throws the mirror into the current. Such dreadful implications are a nice mix with the lovely elements of the story like Mohammad's friendship with the girls, and his interaction with the world around him.


-Claudia

Annie Hall

Woody Allen's Annie Hall is a witty and almost dream-like film. Filled with fantasy, reality and humor Allen makes so much out of a film where people mostly walk and talk. In fact, Roger Ebert wrote in his Great Movies column that the character of Alvy Singer, "lives in order to talk about living", which I think is exactly right.


But this is so movie is so much more than talking, as wonderful and hilarious as the dialogue is! One of Annie Hall's great strengths is that its structure is varied and engaging. From the first three scenes it is obvious that Allen's film is taking a unique approach to storytelling. The opening titles (which, I'm counting as the first scene) are completely silent with no flashy graphics, only a simple black background and white text. Then Alvy looks straight at the viewer, much like in his stand up performances, and begins to talk.

This spare beginning sets up what the film will consistently deliver, talking about relationships. This uncomplicated premise leaves room for creativity in the way the film is presented. Many of the scenes are flashbacks and most have atypical framing, such as the first scene where Alvy and his friend are walking down the street in a conversation. At first, they are barely visible, if at all, and slowly they come into the frame. Here, the camera is waiting for the actors to catch up and it creates a confusing experience of the viewer trying to find who is speaking. This puts the emphasis on what is being said rather than on what is seen. Annie Hall's dialogue is perhaps more important than some of the imagery. The viewer is taught by this framing to roll with the punches of Annie Hall's unconventionality.

I particularly enjoyed Annie Hall's confidence in directly addressing the viewer in scenes like the line in the movie theater, where Alvy looks right at us and says, "Boy, if life were only like this!"At another point, characters argue whether the story they are telling is correct and speak as if they are actively concerned with what the viewer is hearing. These breaks give the movie a kind of spark and humor. It is almost as if we are also engaged in the making of this movie and the film is not complete without those who see it, otherwise Alvy speaks to no one in more ways that one.

The failure of a traditional love story between Alvy and Annie is explored thoroughly in the film. Alvy and Annie break up and get back together but by the end of the film the two of them decide to share their memories over coffee and go their separate ways. I first thought Annie Hall would be a film about "what went wrong" in their love life but I saw it more as the stories Alvy and Annie were sharing with each other at the end of the film. They show the good times, the bad times and their sense of humor through it all. In fact, in one scene Alvy and Annie are walking through their memories and commenting on what they think of themselves now. The whole of Annie Hall is like this one scene.

As Ebert wrote about dialogue in Annie Hall in the same article previously mentioned, "This is not merely dialogue, it is a double act in the process of discovering itself" This is essentially the reality of the relationship between the viewer and the film. The art is created in order to exist in the interpretation of an outside source.

Amicably returning to their memories shows how although they lost their love for one another, they simply turned into friends....or just two people with a lot of history together! (if they never spend time together again) For all of Alvy's reminders of death and the misery of life, this view of relationships is quite positive. There is no hate for one another, just differences to talk about.

-Claudia

Petrel Hotel Blue is a surreal crime film by Koji Wakamatsu. It is a tale of revenge. The beginnings of the film point to a more conventional story of criminals sent to jail for robbery. Some of the cohorts abandon the plan before it even starts. There are elements of greed, loyalty and revenge all which point the main character to the Cordon Bleu café where his unreliable former partner in crime works.

            There he meets Rika, a silent chain smoker, sitting at the bar of the Cordon Bleu in all of her mysterious glory. Men in the film are attracted to her inexplicably. Perhaps this is a supernatural talent of hers, as she seems to be a ghost. She is in fact the owner of the Cordon Bleu’s reason for staying away from the crime his friends were planning.

            The criminal’s motivations disappear after he deals with his disloyal friend.  Rika’s spell is cast over him and he becomes docile and hard working at the café. Only when suspicions by other men arise, does trouble come back to him. Men fight and kill over the beautiful Rika and her answer to this is that they are fools.

           

            I believe one central theme of the film is control. The film begins with a main character who holds incredible power over his followers so much so that one might give away their month’s earnings to him. The man who owns the Cordon Bleu would rather keep control over a respectable life and at the same time he is held captive by the desire he has for Rika and her otherworldly power over him.

            Wakamatsu's earlier works follow the theme of women being controlled by men. For example, in his film The Embryo Hunts in Secret from 1966 a man rapes and tortures his girlfriend until she breaks free from his captivity and kills him. As Wakamatsu himself explains, "...violence, the body and sex are an integral part of life" These ideas are explored in Petrel Hotel Blue as well. Rika is treated as simply a body and an object of sexual desire. She inspires a kind of hardworking ethic in the men she hypnotizes. They will do anything to keep her, even kill for her sake. Perhaps the funniest moment of the film is when a police officer shoots and kills a man for spying on Rika swimming naked. His reasoning is that "peeping is a crime" even though he himself was doing the same moments earlier.

             This kind of convenient morality and switching of character types is an interesting aspect of this film. The main criminal goes from the tough as nails type to a bartender diligently sweeping up his café. Rika creates a submissive character out of a once dominate force. Perhaps this extreme control she has over men is a reflection of her past.
             Although it is never explicitly explained, one can assume Rika is a ghost. Also, from the two separate instances when men approach an old woman on the road leading to the Cordon Bleu, Rika's form is confusingly cut between shots of the old woman. She explains that she was brought to the area as a girl and has been there ever since. Perhaps this is Rika's story. As she disappears into a gravestone at the end of the film one can assume from her clues that she might have been murdered or forced to live in the area, by men?, until her death.
             Despite the fact that the film beings with a criminal's revenge story, I believe that the main act of revenge is perpetrated by Rika. Somehow she haunts the area where she died and captivates men, leading them to their deaths. Men fall for her sexual charms and mysterious nature and she punishes them for this blind desire.

Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon

Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon (2000), directed by Ang Lee, as each film so far has done, shows a different side of love. It's perhaps closest to the message we've seen in Lady Chatterly. I think that Lady Chatterly's message is about love being one with nature and it transcends social/economic boundaries as well as human laws. Crouching Tiger shows what happens when one doesn't accept this and becomes selfish and concerned with material objectives.

All three of the main characters have goals centered around power and society. Yu Shu Lien submits to the patriarchal society and follows the strict moral codes within it, even at the expense of her emotions and desires. Mu Bai also focuses on selfish concerns, only involving himself in the pursuit of wisdom and teaching others while he denies his feelings just as Shu Lien does. Lastly, Jen is driven to power and freedom within the Wudan and the Green Destiny. This choice also keeps her from experiencing love with the desert bandit Lo so she can concentrate on being the greatest warrior.

At the end of the film, Mu Bai has been poisoned by his enemy Jade Fox and is preserving his energy until the antidote is retrieved by Jen. By his side is Shu Lien, devoted to him to the end, reminding him not to waste energy by talking. Mu Bai confesses to her that he loves her and that because he never acted on these feelings he has "already wasted my life". This character, Mu Bai, who had been a pillar of wisdom throughout the film, finally sees what is truly important. Shu Lien realizes that denying your true feelings can be the biggest regret of your life. This is wisdom she imparts to Jen, who arrives with the antidote too late.

                                                   Shu Lien and Mu Bai's first and final embrace
Jen sees that the search for power is filled with revenge and death as her former mentor Jade Fox reveals with her dying breath that her true intent was to kill Jen. Fox tells her that Jen's selfish pursuit of excellence was a betrayal and that the real poison in this world is, "the deceit of an eight year old girl". These revelations change Jen's point of view and show her that her quest for freedom cannot be selfish.

                                                                        A quest for power gone too far
Jen's leap off of Wudang Mountain is symbolic of her transcending her earthly desires, letting go of a love to Lo that would hinder her freedom and letting go of her journey to master the Wudan. Her embrace of death is the ultimate powerlessness and an atonement for her selfish desires.

If letting go of personal want and human law is paramount , the film sugggests that love does not deny others. Mu Bai and Shu Lien both denied their feelings in order to conform to society, which resulted in regret and tragedy. Jen denied both Jade Fox's desires and Lo's love in search of her own personal goals, which resulted in betrayal and lonliness. As Lady Chatterly's message is not to deny one's self, Crouching Tiger's message is not to deny others.

On another note, I really enjoyed this film for it's portrayal of women as complex and central characters. Although her ambition goes a bit off the rails by the end of the film, Jen's fight against a restaurant full of male warriors was extremely exciting to watch. Jen and Shu Lien are friends to a certain extent, although they have their dissagreements, and the viewer isn't forced to choose one woman or the other, as a lot of entertainment would have you believe is neccesary. Even the terribly unlikeable Jade Fox isn't just evil for evil's sake. She was denied by the sexist society and betrayed by her only friend. We aren't made to like Fox, nor is she demonized. She is a sympathetic and complex character like the rest.

The women in this film are all dealing with the mobility and male privlege that society does not grant them. Although I am satisfied with the film's ending because the movie is so well made, I wonder about the conclusions that can be drawn from the fate of all three women. Jade Fox dies as a result of being told she isn't good enough, both by men and by her ambitious pupil. Her death, I think is less problamatic than that of Jen's because Jade Fox commits murder to right a wrong. Jen, however, desires freedom and in her journey to the top rejects social conventions. Unlike Fox, she does have the power and capability to break gender barries and wield the Green Destiny. Her efforts are met with tragedy and, by the film's message of caring for others, she bears the burden of what her actions have caused. Jen's fate is to die. Although her death is highly symbolic and a tie back to legends Lo and herself spoke of in their past, the film suggests that women who fight for their freedom are great and all, but they have to die. Sure Mu Bai dies as well, but his life is marked by inaction, which is perhaps more reprehensible than Jen's very active characteristics. She fights for what she believes belongs to her whether it be a jade comb or the Green Destiny. For all of Crouching Tiger's progressive features, does this film promote that women with ambition should be cut down at the last minute?

                                                                                   The Invincible Sword Goddess


-Claudia