Bande à part by Jean-Luc Godard

Category: Non-English

Jean-Luc Godard's Bande à part hits out at the right notes and at the right places, quickly uncovering the plot of the movie in the first 10 minutes and then recapping it for you in the first 10 minutes itself is proof enough that he's one of the greatest directors or auteurs that ever existed.

Bande à part follows the lives of 3 restless youngsters who have the access to robbing a lot of money and eventually wanting to get away with it. Do they? That's the question you should be asking yourself right now, but that's not the point of this movie. Godard quickly pays tribute to all his influences & influences of those days - be it the Westerns, the gangster genre or the kind of cars his protagonists want to drive.

The film is fast paced at 97 mins and never lets up. The historical context is obviously shortly after DuGaulle decided to enter into Africa and take on the fight there.

A few things to watch out for:

- a minute of silence sequence

- the dance sequence

- A scene from a Truffaut film being spoken out (I think)

- Anna Karina's talking to the camera

- Franz' character

- Background score

-Godard's thoughts on the Louvre & museums in general, watch his protagonist run through the Louvre!

- Godard's control of the medium (cuts, deconstruction of Paris, genre of music, characters, pop culture digs, guns)

Recommendation level: 5/5. This is Godard at his finest, stand in awe at this masterpiece.

Night and Fog by Alain Resnais

Category: Non-English

I've been told a lot about this film by people around me and until I actually got around to watching it and...

Well obviously tons of quick thoughts on this film, Resnais uses a daunting score, a strong narrative and a narrator who is as cold as the harsh realities of the concentration camps set up during the second world war. He juxtaposes present day footage with that of the old archival footage he managed to lay his hands on. The result is an interesting blend of reality, documentation and of course cinema. The 31 minute documentary as it's pegged in some places is very far from a documentary since most French New Wave directors found calling a movie a "documentary" to be problematic. Who is doing the documentation?

Obviously the "in your face images" are very hard to take in and even though it's not as atrocious as the stuff they show in cinema today it's one of the hardest films I have had to sit through. Mostly because all of this stems from events based in our world. This movie brings to mind the Roberto Benigini film, Life is Beautiful. A movie in which the concentration camps are shown to be a little boys fantasy game played with his father, to think that anyone would want to downplay the relentless and brutal treatment meted out to the inmates of such a place is atrocious.

Back to the movie, it's obviously worth watching, but what Resnais does with reality and this film is remarkable, he doesn't make any bones that this is far from what reality actually was but how does one actually capture what happened then? There are some questions which even the normal fellow watching this will get, such as a "Who is responsible for this". Try moving past that. Creation of the sound track is also important as that forms a major arch of the film itself, do some research before actually watching this, it shall be rewarding.

Note: This was made about 10 years after the liberation of the concentration camps.

Recommendation level: 5/5.

Late Spring by Yasujirō Ozu

Category: Non-English

A first for me and an introduction to Ozu from here, having read extensivley but never really felt his Cinema earlier, Ozu's Late Spring is based on Father and Daughter a novel by Kazuo Hirotsu.

The film revolves around a father and daughter who are both widowed by circumstances (hi America!) and in an ironic twist they have both given up on finding love again. The love they share is very precious and the daughter doesn't want to let go and even though the father eventually tricks the daughter into getting married he finds himself all alone with nothing but loneliness.

Ozu's cinema is very simple and rather than rely on melodrama to get his message across he completely gets the repressed feelings from the father. The daughter on the other hand is a picture of sun shine and while her face completely captivates the camera it can also turn into a jealous figure when she finds that her father might be getting re-married. In a theater scene we see Kabuki figures performing we also get to see the lead actress having a massive change of heart.

At the end there's a beautiful shot of the sea, a sea which is shown only once throughout the film but reflects the final ode perfectly well. Tons of references to America and American values imbibed into a generation of Japanese (ref: Baseball and Values) there's also a lot to be shown in the beauty of Japan. Hats off to him.

Recommendation level: 4/5 - A little difficult to actually sit through but definitely a simple tale that reaches at the heart with the right classical music too! Watch it!! This is from my own collection.

Infection by Masayuki Ochiai

Category: Non-English

Definitely not a movie for the faint hearted, I had watched Infection many years back and decided to re-visit it again. Back then the movie had a lasting impression thanks to the J-Horror genre it belongs to, on a recent viewing however I wasn't as impressed as I was back then.

The movie follows a hospital where a mysterious patient arrives suffering from a disease with no real treatment. Eventually he dies and what follows next is a mind game across the soon to be run-down hospital. Whether it is real or fake is put to the test as our minds come across various psychological scenarios in the movie. But more than that there's an element of the supernatural which is also present that gives us a tough dose about our own reality.

Recommendation level: 3/5 - Pretty interesting as a one time watch only though!

Dead Snow by Tommy Wirkola

Category: Non-English

So obviously this is kind of my "return post" and the movie I saw was Dead Snow, heard a lot about this movie and probably you have too. The selling factor being - Nazi Zombies.

As per the movie, during World War II several Nazis were posted in Norway at a particular mountain. After they treated the villagers like hell things changed and after a revolt they were driven back to the mountains. However their greed for the wealth they had amassed living in that village knew no bounds. To the point that they are back now to kill anyone who encroaches on it.

Enter some teenagers who are holidaying on the weekend in a friends cabin. The friend gets eaten alive at the start and most of them end up becoming a meal as well. These zombies don't convert anyone as one of the characters observes, "They're not looking to team up!". The movie has some funny moments but in general lacks a real feel to it. It comes very close to becoming a really good horror/comedy film but falls a few places short. These places sadly are visible.

Recommendation level: 2.5/5 Ah, a Zombie movie after a while for me. But I can't just give it a higher rating. Catch it on a weekend when you have nothing left to do but watch Norwegian Zombie movies.

Boudu Saved from Drowning by Jean Renoir

Category: Non-English

Renoir's comedy from 1932, evokes the true power of a canvas and what an artist can do with it. Boudu is a tramp who is all set to drown himself but is found rescued by a Bourgeois book seller, Mr. Lestingois. The otherwise quiet household finds itself under immense scrutiny by the unique charm that Mr. Boudu holds within himself.

The movie has plenty of jabs at the established class, there's plenty of references to prominent French intellectuals and their books. But I think more than that it's the charm of the director himself that shines through this rather unique film for its time. Renoir's comedy is done with a straight face, better the fact that it's done in a very nonchalant manner. In turn by his actions and characters he's taking a shot at the then existing methods of making films. I must have probably said this a 1000 times already but viewing French directors take on a completely different genre than they always do is remarkable. Might not be his first comedy film, a rather bad way of putting this film since even in it's limitations and stationary camera work it hits out hard.

The acting is top notch with just 4 main characters the plot is tight and the narrative is paced well, every situation that occurs is completely planned out and while it seems like a bunch of scenes put together for the people who don't know, every scene brings out another facet of the characters on screen. Michael Simon is the stand out character here but Charles Granval is equally powerful in his role as the care taker of the tramp.

Recommendation level: 4/5. Got it from the Enlighten Film Society collection or however you say that. Print was good, worth a watch.

Voice of a Murderer by Park Jin-pyo

Category: Non-English

If I could I would turn back the time I'd prevent myself from watching this crappy film. After some decent South Korean cinema this film was very annoying and boring.

The film starts about how it is, "based on a true story". There's a kidnapping in which a famous news anchors son is taken away, the said anchor in question has used the power of the media to put away many people including friends and foe alike. Soon he's on the recieving end of this and the end although a little shocking doesn't really matter. Barring the father, none of the actors pull out anything unique, the detective has some style but eventually just "gives up". The film is very westernized in it's outlook (quick cuts, score, action) but the treatment is wrong... so very wrong.

BLAH, after a point you don't even care if it's based on real life incidents because it's all so dramatized and painful, the acting is hamming at it's best, there's almost no scope for anything unique. The camera work is at least something worth mentioning but beyond this, I spent 2 hours on nothing.

Recommendation level: 1/5 - See above.

Woman is the Future of Man by Hong Sang-soo

Category: Non-English

There are 2 really stand out conversations in this film which make up for the entire film. The first one revolves across two friends who have met after a long time and discuss their lives for a bit. The second one is where one of the said friends is conversing with his students over dinner and argues the benefit of believing in nothing.

These scenes and some more mixed with a plot line that doesn't really go anywhere. The film itself is quite an experimental piece in nature because like I mentioned earlier it doesn't go anywhere in the sense there's nothing concrete that is decided by the end of the film. This already makes it a stand out film for me. The characters are very complex, they are very much based in reality. But what makes it even more riveting is the banter the two lead friends share.

The plot revolves around 2 friends who aim to visit their third friend. There are some romantic undertones to the entire scenario, and some even explicitly sexual. But that shouldn't deter you from watching this 97 minute film, about nothing. Well not completely about nothing it holds a deeper value in what Cinema can achieve at times, this is Sang-Soo's art and you have to sit up and take notice of what this director is showing you and what he doesn't want you to try to decipher.

Recommendation level: 5/5 - Sheer novelty value and execution! If you want to look for something deeper in Asian cinema, start here! The title itself sets the pace for this film.

Flower Island by Song Il-gon

Category: Non-English

Prior to this Il-gon had only be making short films, as a result this film can be separated into 3 distinct halves. There's a clear line between the three sections.

The film follows the lives of 3 women, each with their own problems to bear. The first is a 17 year old girl who at the start of the film kills her own child by washing it down the toilet, we later learn she's a rape victim. The second is a renowned Opera singer who must undergo a surgery to remove the malignant tumour, the only catch - they have to remove her tongue. The third woman is a married woman with a young daughter who prostitutes herself to purchase a piano for the child. Each of them try to find solace in the "Flower Island" a mystical place where all your sorrows go away.

The first half describes them, the second half introduces themselves to each other & the last part sees their journey to the island itself.

The cinematography is almost flawless, shot entirely on a hand held camera and possibly a DV one at that. The message intended by the director is brought out not just by the dialogues but by pro longed silences, strong background music, facial expressions and of course the situations. Blitzing past into their minds at the drop of a hat and back into reality as it were for them. Il-gon is completely in control of this film. The cinematography at times even seems very unlike South Korean cinema, there's nothing pretty about the characters' problems, it's real, it's gritty at times and he doesn't relent. You have to endure it as the protagonists do.

The film is a little too long at almost 2 hours in length and this is something where the films narrative isn't as tight. Made in 2001, there's also one of the rare occasions where South Korean cinema deals with the topic of homosexuals (Gays only). It's touching in its execution and definitely while their problems may seem so deliberate they aren't, the problems these women face are what they are.

Recommendation level: 4/5 - It's not perfect but definitely one of the better Asian cinema films to watch. Some of the concepts & style used seem similar to Tony Takitani.

Shutter by Banjong Pisanthanakun & Parkpoom Wongpoom

Category: Non-English

If you can get out of the director's names you are in for a treat, the only problem with the Ghosts who seek revenge in such films is that they almost tend to look the same. The same creepy look from the Ring, the only way it probably works is because there's not much screen time otherwise devoted to such faces!

The movie has a familiar premise where a scorned lover returns to seek revenge and in the process ends up taking a few unexpected lives! In this case our happy photographer and his girlfriend have a calm life until a few of his best friends from school commit suicide and before that the happy couple ran over a girl! How are these two incidents linked? Find out.

The only real scary part of the film was when it's finally revealed why our hero had a nagging neck ache through the entire film. It gives you the goose bumps, I assure you.

The film isn't bad and passable but at places but it's a little too slow paced and the thrills aren't enough, until the very fag end of the film.

Recommendation level: 1.5/5 - Seen better horror films, this week will be South East Asian cinema week!

The Marriage of Maria Braun by Rainer Werner Fassbinder

Category: Non-English

Touted as one of the most commercially films of Fassbinder, The Marriage of Maria Braun is a very engaging film that although might not be represent of the New German Cinema movement but is a methodical and superb effort from Fassbinder.

The film plays out the life of Maria Braun, who like most women in the days post the II Great War were at the core of powering Germany. Their efforts in reviving the German economy is perhaps overshadowed by the returning men from the front lines. Maria Braun calls herself, "The Mata Hari of the Economic Miracle" at some point and rightfully you can see how she works for it at times even prostituting herself. Back to the plot! Maria Braun spends a while waiting for her husband to return she finds love in a African American GI known as Bill. The husband returns and while he takes the blame of the GI's death, Maria decides to work her way to the top by any means possible, mostly because she wants a life with her husband at any cost.

The movie is shot incredibly, Fassbinder doesn't blink as much as other directors do and when he does you can rest assured the framing and the close ups (non-face) add a whole new layer to the film. His film is an allegory for the state of Germany at that time and of course about the political scenario present in those days.

Watch out for the empowering scenes where he doesn't want to show his protagnoist weeping or when he doesn't want to break the scene and reality with an unnatural cut. Truffaut spoke about continuing an emotion in a particular scene and in Fassbinder's work you can see how he continues, how he doesn't want you to break away. He lifts poignant political questions and of course the start of the film has a picture of Adolf Hitler.

Recommendation level: 5/5 - You have to see this, somehow or another, find a way! Thanks to a friend who generously lent me his personal copies.

The Decameron by Pier Paolo Pasolini

Category: Non-English

I should have reviewed this earlier but I didn't and anyway. This is the first film in the Life trilogy by Pasolini. The Decameron is based on a novel by Giovanni Boccaccio originally titled Decamerone.

As with his work reviewed yesterday, this one encapsulates multiple narratives and many characters across several stories. The earlier ones are particularly longer than the Second half (the film is split into 2 sections). The stories that come in the second one are far bizarre and the narrative is boundless as it continues from one story to another without any notification of a story coming to an end.

Having watched the film literally in two separate halves, I thought I'd be unlucky but to be honest it helped a lot. It felt like almost two films within the same film, this is done thankfully to the pace in which the film movies, the almost 110 minutes don't seem so claustrophobic since the meta narrative is controlled very well by Pasolini. Unlike Arabian Nights, this one doesn't have a central story running parallel to others and hence this one is very experimental in comparison to what he tries to achieve with the following films in this trilogy. The camera work is particularly remarkable, he seems to be able to control the pace of the film and the camera at regular intervals, even slowing down at times to enforce and drive certain points home.

The dialogue is very entertaining, lots of puns and funnies used in here. The sex is present here as well and it's just his style so something we all have to accept. Still this film shines past that unlike yesterday's film.

The stories in the film vary from people fighting to survive, people getting duped, a young couples love blossoming into instant marriage and another couple falling in love and meeting a disastrous end. There's also the artist who is a dominant force in the 2nd half of the film.

I'll end this entry with the final statement in the film, made by the artist -

"Why execute a work when it's so beautiful to dream it?"

Recommendation level: 4.5/5 - Credit to an old friend for lending DVDs to me! Do watch it if you can.

Arabian Nights by Pier Paolo Pasolini

Category: Non-English

For today and tomorrow am going to review two films from Pier Paolo Pasolini's trilogy. Arabian Nights was pretty well received for its time (1974). While technically and structurually it's a very complex film using strong meta-narratives in his film, Pasolini can deliver a very strong impact probably only comparable to his work as a writer among other occupations.

I wasn't too happy with the amount of nude scenes present in the film, yeah random statement to make but I haven't come to applaud the aesthetic that needs to have nudity on screen for prolonged amounts of time. It's almost like getting your money's worth I guess? Whatever.

Anyway to the basic plot - Nur-e-Din falls in love with the slave girl Zumurrud whom he ends up losing and in the process spends the entire film, in search for her but also bumping into women who are only too glad to make love to him. In between all this there are stories from the lives of people who aren't even remotely linked to the main storyline. Here's where the film is absolutely brilliant, the story telling, the humour, the situations but most importantly the narrative is so compelling that you really get muddled up until you actually realize that these stories are building it up, they are the meta narrative which eventually complete an entire film.

Some of the stories include - a man dumping his wife on the marriage day for another beautiful lady to come across an acrimonious realization about the lady, there is also the man who survives a bandit run and finds his way to a beautiful lady who is protected by a Demon. It's a little long at 120 minutes, but the films pace is such that it doesn't really drop you out of it's central theme.

Recommendation level: 4/5 If it wasn't for the absurd amount of nudity which at times isn't even needed in the plot it would have been a 5/5! Still brilliant stuff, DVD courtesy an old friend/mentor.

The World by Jia Zhangke

Category: Non-English

Jia ZhangKe is considered to be one of the foremost directors of the 6th generation and while some call this the Chinese New Wave there have been critics as well. The film deals with the relationship of a couple who works at the Beijing World Park. In this park you can be everywhere - you can be in London, Paris or even Tokyo. With the help of replica's every part of the world is re-created here.

Their life incorporates several of their friends who also work at the park as guards, performers or simple construction workers. Events unfold and as these events unfold it has different reprecussions on them and the people around them. Some characters lose their lives and in their farewell note write about the debts they have rather than a real farewell note. The common thread across the characters remain the same. Everyone trying to find a way to lead a better existence away from their home provinces, but can they really? Or perhaps they can find that solace and peace their mind wants in the Park that can place you physically anywhere in the world.

Jia Zhangke's pace is a little questionable but the dreary existence of an individual is probably better off reflected this way, there's nothing positive in this film if you want some super happy ending and some other rubbish like that. His camera is plain, but far reaching. He looks at the entire issue he just doesn't take one cause. As mentioned in a previous review of "Unknown Pleasures" by the same director he takes a very critical look at the social outlook of Beijing. The cultural mixes brought about by language or simply about people from a different province with an entirely different identity. Brought together by the common goal of achieving something ... or rather striving to get there. He even introduces a Russian lady who has the most noble of intentions, leaving you to wonder about the frailness of social boundaries and the ruthless World we all live in.

Through out the film Jia Zhangke also throws in a bit of animation when his characters recieve messages, what does this signify?

Recommendation level: 4/5. This is a very good film, probably one of the few recommendations in this week! But you need to have watched prior Chinese New Wave to even remotely appreciate this or you need to be a real cinema buff!

Notre musique by Jean-Luc Godard

Category: Non-English

How relevant is Jean Luc Godard in this day and age? The legendary French director broke boundaries and was a little above Truffaut at places. Truffaut and Godard being the biggest names to come out from Cahiers Du Cinema and the French New Wave.

Notre Musique made in 2004 is his latest offering, the film which has a Divine Comedy of Dante style of narrative is divided into 3 sections - Realm 1: Hell which is a montage of images of war (fiction and non-fiction). Realm 2: Purgatory forms the bulk of the film and even has Godard deciding to take a front row seat to viciously attack and deconstruct. Realm 3: Heaven is a brief epilogue featuring the lead actress.

Godard continues where he left off with all his previous films - understanding Cinema itself, asking questions such as, "Can the little shiny cameras save cinema?" among other things. Framing, images, the aesthetic everything comes under questioning. The film itself is set in Sarajevo in which a French Jewish woman of Russian descent is attending a symposium on War which features other prominent thinkers and intellectuals such as Mahmoud Darwish.

There's also Godard's questions posed on language and the structure of Grammar - film and language. Interlaces it with still pictures and lets you figure out what he's doing exactly. He de constructs the city of Sarajevo, he does everything. The heart of this film is the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Yes, he's still relevant today - in a day when even film makers of this day and age aren't. Watchout for his next release in 2010.

Recommendation level: 5/5. No director can deconstruct and analyze and pose questions the way Godard does, his political style of films has lasted and made him relevant even in this day and age. Color only brings everything to a different level. Speaking of which - watch out for his play with lighting. It is one of his first films I am featuring but I have been a regular Godard film watcher for a long time so I know what am talking about.

The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie by Luis Buñuel

Category: Non-English

Aside from Un Chien Andalou, I haven't watched any of Buñuel's works and there's a good chunk of Surreal cinema am missing. I am now certain of this! Anyway - the film is a vicious, dark take on the Bourgeoisie. A section of the people who could only be interested in how they could cut a lamb roast or what wine tastes best with food. That one of their friend is a diplomat from a fake country is of no interest. That they make snide jokes about how people from "poor classes" drink dry martini differently actually bothers them!

The film takes its pace to settle in about the 4 principal characters essayed brilliantly by the cast. The first half of the film primarily deals with the viewers settling in and once the film continues the magik starts, Buñuel basically takes you through a complete visual and audible treat that makes you wonder what to pay attention at and what is exactly real. One of his final works before he stopped making films and eventually passed away, this 1972 film would have probably would have been way different had it been in Black and White.

There's also the Bishop who avenges his murdered parents by first giving the dying man Absolution and then proceeding to blow his brains out. There's also the Bloody Seargent of June 14th and plenty of jokes on the Bourgeoisie which will keep you firmly glued while watching and hopefully appreciating the film. Ah there are some really wonderful shots in the scene particularly when he wants to introduce a new track, like a magician he moves the camera around - conjuring images for you. Basically once the characters are established he starts tackling the dreams and the subsequent effects and there is also the 6 principal characters wanting to have a meal together but never getting about it and the mysterious path they all walk on, or rather we all walk on?

Recommendation level: 5/5 - I'd say you must see! I have a Palador print and it also came with a copy of Un chien andalou. A key actress to point out has to be Delphine Seyrig!

The Human Beast by Jean Renoir

Category: Non-English

I have to admit, I have never been into Renoir, barring a few films I can't really lay claim to being an expert on this. Onto the review - this film is very very dark, the characters are really not the most ideal ones and yet through his camera work and his execution Renoir paints a portrai in front of your eyes. Mind you - you don't even realize how serious this is until the very end of the film comes.

The primary characters are Jean Gabin's Jacques Lantier, Simone Simon as Séverine Roubad & to a lesser extent Fernand Ledoux's Roubaud. The film is based on the novel of the same name by Emile Zola. Lantier is a pathological killer who after serving his debt to society has settled down as a train operator he runs into a bit of trouble as he encounters the lovely Séverine who looks to start an affair with him - mind you she has an abusive childhood as a girl and is also storing away herself. Roubaud is the husband who commits a murder of an ex-lover of his wife and slowly disintegrates into nothing by the end of the film. His character crumbles away as the narrative progress'.

The film is completely powered by Gabin's performance and Simone as a back up. The camera gets very uncomfortable as the movie progress' and this just goes to show exactly Renoir wanted us to watch the film. The film has a very poetic set of lighting to it, thus probably alleviating the seriousness of the situation with the main characters. Some of the train sequences are really stunning for a 1938 film, the film gets a completely new depth when you are made to see the train pulling into the station.

Recommendation level: 4/5 - I really like it, but it's not a masterpiece! The editing is something to really watch out for. Got it from Palador and the rate was pretty good too, not to mention no glaring mistakes in the translation unlike some NDTV Lumeire films.

2046 by Wong Kar-wai

Category: Non-English

This is really a little too ambitious from Wong Kar-Wai. The film essentially follows the aftermath of the character we all so yearned and cried for at the end of In The Mood for Love. If anything, our heart goes out to him even more, but there's something about Tony Leung playing a protagnoist who is primarily driven by lust this time around. His quest for the next Su Li-Zhen takes him across many people - some old, some new and some with undertones to people whom he has come across already.

Definitely a film to watch but only recommended if you have seen Days of Being Wild & In the Mood for Love. Finally there is also the lovely ladies who deserve a special mention - Carina Lau, Faye Wong, Zhang ZiYi & of course Maggie Cheung. One can't help but feel that Leslie Cheung, had he still been alive would have been probably the perfect ace to be cast into the role. Don't get me wrong, he would not be good for the second film in this trilogy but he would be apt for this role. The evolution of the character literally flows from Leslie Cheung to Tony Leung (Days of Being Wild end) and would have been perfect to return back to Leslie Cheung at the end of In the Mood for Love.

Perhaps, Perhaps, Perhaps.

Recomendation level: 3/5 - Noble and yes I liked the effort! I just think his depiction of the future and the kind of disconnection he makes his characters experience has gone a little far in this effort. The melancholy and suffering is still sharp and stagnant but he's basically treading too far away from reality and then back to it. Impressive Time and Space adjusting though, less shots of clocks and lesser still of the sky...

Summer with Monika by Ingmar Bergman

Category: Non-English

Bergman's take on young love and the relationship that blossoms after it has 2 uncompromising and amazing close ups. Perhaps the best in films seen till date, the first being when Monika is about to embark on an affair with a man she despised at some point and the second is when Harry fondly remembers his love by looking at a mirror. Really brilliant scenes.

The film deals with the young love between Monika and Harry and how in one summer their loves change forever, she gets pregnant and eventually wants to seek something completely new. She wants to be free and doesn't want to take up a role as a home-maker, Harry on the other hand gets consumed by his desire to provide for the child and her that he ends up neglecting the very same reason why he fell in love with her - her free spiritdness.

I have already mentioned the close ups to look for, but beyond all of this there's more! Bergman completely enchanted by Stockholm really locks his horns on the city and the people about it, in a very spectacular manner he manages to portray his love for the city and at the same time manage to be like the outsider in his own city. A truly marvellous perspective. Also watch out for Harriet Andersson, her portrayl of Monika is really amazing, but credit to Bergman to really make a film which has bold scenes and has such a strong protagnoist who keeps getting torn between her responsibilites and her wish to be free. Lars Ekborg is very resilient and there's a sense of disinterest but responsibility within him, his childhood probably leaves a much larger impact on him than Monika's also troubled childhood.

Everything else is top notch, so nothing left to be added. Oh yeah it was also very bold for it's times and bla bla, just wiki that shit you will know more.

Recommendation level: 4/5 - Picked it up from Palador's collection so that's pretty alright. Go watch it if you can!

Summer Interlude by Ingmar Bergman

Category: Non-English

I simply had to make sure I get more of Bergman's films and the rewards are really there. Summer Interlude made in 1951 is probably one of the earliest attempts at reminiscing about the past and more importantly about living old memories through the present and potentially the future.

Bergman isn't attacking God and his Father in this film as much as he would want to, he does towards the end but he's completely absorbed in putting the young love across to the viewers, he's so consumed by the lustful glances of the Erland, he's so embittered by the sudden loss of a life and most importantly he carries forth the emotion he creates perfectly right till the end.

To the plot - Marie falls in love with a young man whom she remembers fondly in her memories, through the film we come to know about their romance and the subsequent departure of his from her life. Erland is the uncle who "prepares" Marie to build walls and not let people come close. Eventually after becoming very successful as a ballerina she finally comes across her first love's memories and tries to cope with his loss almost a decade after he departs.

The acting is really good, so is the camera work (close ups) but the vision that Bergman holds as usual comes through completely.

Recommendation level: 4/5 - This film is really good and well unless you really appreciate Bergman I think a lot of people will get phased out. Very simple on the surface but very complex to comprehend at last.