Becket (1964)

RATING:	80%
FORMAT:	DVD

(www.thefilmyap.com)

Scenery-Chewing Good

Rather good film enlivened by sparkling performances from two of the best actors the British Isles ever produced: Richard BURTON & Peter O’TOOLE. Their characters' antagonism informs the whole spectacle and keeps it simmering along nicely until the inevitably-tragic ending. The characterization is striking and vivid; illuminating the theme of honor-among-men with a good deal of humor and subtlety. The irreconcilable differences between the two will defeat one or the other as Thomas à Becket fights successfully with his conscience.

Psychologically, we have here a king without a mother’s affection; the vapid substitute of an insipid wife; and, decidedly-undisciplined children. Becket becomes the only love of Henry II’s life, yet the film wisely eschews overdoing any suggestions of homosexuality on the latter’s part since this is not the main thrust of this particular story.

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Becket is shown as less emotionally-distraught than the king, because he has the inner strength his faith provides, and so becomes the conscience of the drama - as Henry becomes its catalyst. The latter’s grip on power is wholly dependent upon the subservience of those around him; including Becket – not upon any love or even respect for “their” king.

The ethnic conflict (between Norman & Saxon) became the class war of today. Yet, this film is somewhat historically inaccurate; while remaining a good story of two friends who eventually turn against each other in the ongoing battle between church and state. Nevertheless, these two characters represent these two not fully-reconcilable interests with great aplomb.

The single basic problem this movie possesses is its length. This does not spring naturally from the writing, but from the shooting style of using long, uninterrupted takes. Each individual scene is exquisite and would be spoiled by any attempts at reduction, but they each take a little too long to get to the point; making the film - as a whole - too long.

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Copyright © 2011 Frank TALKER. Permission granted to reproduce and distribute it in any format; provided that mention of the author’s Weblog (http://franktalker5.blogspot.com) is included: E-mail notification requested. All other rights reserved.

Zulu (1963)

Rating: 100%



(www.avsforum.com)

Also Known As:

Unknown

Year:

1963

Country:

Predominant Genre:

War

Director:

Outstanding Performances:

Premiss:

Outnumbered British soldiers battle Zulu warriors.

Themes:

Christianity | Courage | Destiny | Empathy | Ethnicity | Friendship | Humanity | Identity | Loyalty | Mankind | Materialism | Narcissism | Personal change | Self-expression | Sexism | Social class | Snobbery | Solipsism | White culture | White supremacy

Similar (in Plot, Theme or Style) to:

Review Format:

DVD

English Social Hierarchy

Summary: Jolly-good fun.

Unusually, this Boy’s Own adventure treats its natives as genetic equals and suggests the British Empire was essentially a mistake.

The story is also very much a part of so-called Black History as well as White – a tacit assumption rare in White movies. (Ironic, given that the film was shot in apartheid South Africa.) The Zulu here never experience the White supremacist stereotyping found in, for example, most Hollywood Westerns regarding Native-Americans. There is not only drama between the Whites, but also between the Blacks and the Whites; effectively doubling the dramatic possibilities.

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A subtle exploration of the whys and wherefores of British imperial failure in being not only anti-war but also in being as non-White supremacist as it is pro-Welsh.

(www.imfdb.org)

This superb war movie mixes violent action with subtle comments on the English class system in the initially-nitpicking relationship between Stanley BAKER and Michael CAINE. This is all beautifully played-out through the high quality of the acting and the solid writing of the fully-realised characters.

Ultimately, the film suggests that the mutual respect of equals in battle can finally trump the need for conflict at all. Hopelessly idealistic, of course, but jolly good fun.

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Copyright © 2014 Frank TALKER. Permission granted to reproduce and distribute this posting in any format; provided mention of the author’s Weblog (Esthetics) is included: E-mail notification requested. All other rights reserved.

Sono otoko, kyôbô ni tsuki [Violent Cop] (1989)

RATING:	80%
TECHNICAL QUALITY:	DVD

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Impressive movie about masculinity in crisis that features a villain and a cop who resemble each other in their methods, so much so that each ends up serving the needs of the other until the inevitable violent showdown at the film's climax. The politics of the criminal fraternity are shown to be little different from those of the police service as each uses violence to get what it wants regardless of the rules - even disregarding what would be best in the circumstances.

A great modern tragedy. The characterization is vivid and compares favorably with Cop albeit that Takeshi KITANO is nowhere near as good an actor as James WOODS.

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Copyright © 2011 Frank TALKER. Permission granted to reproduce and distribute it in any format; provided that mention of the author’s Weblog (http://franktalker5.blogspot.com/) is included: E-mail notification requested. All other rights reserved.

Soldier of God (2005)

RATING:	80%
FORMAT:	DVD

(www.themoviedb.org)

Reminiscent of Hell in the Pacific and Enemy Mine, this is a parable about the Christian Crusades of the medieval period in Europe. It exemplifies the White Christian need to combine faith with force because – despite the teachings of The Christ – in the pragmatic world of global politics, faith is not enough to move mountains. That these mountains do not need moving, since they belong to someone else, does not occur to these Christian soldiers and is the main theme of this clever movie.

The film takes allegorical form in which characters stand in for their religions as a whole – like the old jokes about the Englishman, the Irishman and the Scotsman. Here we have a Christian, a Muslim and a Jew – along with a beautiful woman (Mapi GALAN), who somehow manages to keep them from killing each other.

Tim ABELL plays the Christian as a moral blank undergoing a crisis of conscience over his celibacy – GALAN is an inevitably direct challenge to this – and his inevitably violent religion (Christianity); springing from the hate-fueled nature of a religion claiming to be the creation of a god of love. Here, dramatic characterization plays a secondary role to ideas; the prime one being that Christians are presented as armed assassins of the faith - and nothing more. That the crusader begins the movie lost in the desert is a perfect analogy for a religion lost in its own bloodlust, death worship and pleasure denial - and of how far it has strayed from Jesus' teachings with its self destructive White supremacism and its failure to make the world a more pacific place.

This is a superior treatment of its theme than evidenced by Kingdom of Heaven. Nevertheless, the central character - as the female representative of the feminine principle - is underwritten and not as powerful a presence as she should be. Needless to say, the relationship of this film to the current (2003) White crusades in Iraq and Afghanistan is patently obvious.

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Copyright © 2011 Frank TALKER. Permission granted to reproduce and distribute it in any format; provided that mention of the author’s Weblog (http://franktalker5.blogspot.com) is included: E-mail notification requested. All other rights reserved.

All That Jazz (1979)

RATING:	80%
FORMAT:	Cinema

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Incredibly-honest and self-recycling autobiography that is funny about major and universal themes. A musical-comedy about death, dying & sex is unusual, as is its take on what we make of our own lives.

Despite the essential awfulness of the central character, he is very talented indeed and women do really, really like him - despite themselves. A much more personal film than his earlier Cabaret, but none the worse for that. The style is highly reminiscent of the later BBC tv series The Singing Detective - only better, because more believable.

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The dance numbers are impeccable and imaginatively-staged throughout - as one would expect from director and choreographer Bob FOSSE; while the performances and the cynical humor always ring true. It is a little too long and the pace sometimes sluggish, but these are relatively minor complaints amid all the technical brilliance on show.

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Copyright © 2011 Frank TALKER. Permission granted to reproduce and distribute it in any format; provided that mention of the author’s Weblog (http://franktalker5.blogspot.com/) is included: E-mail notification requested. All other rights reserved.