merisalo Reviews

Gunpowder, Treason & Plot (2004 TV Movie)

not-so-innocent and inexperienced

[6/10 · 5 July 2006]

It might be useful to remember that on returning to Scotland, Mary had a past as Dauphine and Queen of France (wife, 1548-1560, of Francis II, son of Henry II and Catherine de' Medici, who died in 1560 after just one year of reign). Though Catherine de' Medici's court was quite a colourful place, it was surely not such a dreary place to be "in exile". And what about the Queen of Scots, ex Queen of France, jumping to the saddle and riding astride? In the end, it might be better to invent new names for loosely history-based figures of fiction, rather than proceed to these tiresome gaps and anachronisms which just tend to confuse spectators.

Soraya (2003 TV Movie)

splendid hairdos and gorgeous outfits

[2/10 · 27 December 2004]

This sugary princess tale vies with Barbie films without beating them. Instead of using Soraya's sad personal history to give some kind of analysis of Iran's turbulent history in the 1950s, it reduces everything to changes of clothing (spoiler: mainly négligés of different colours in the second part for Soraya). Yes, we do learn that the British and the Americans - not to speak of Enrico Mattei, of Agip and then ENI - were busy in Iran, and that the Shah's regime got increasingly violent after his return to the country, but due to the general aesthetics of the film, none of this matters. The marvellously immobile face of Anna Valle (Miss Italy 1995 - she really deserved her title) beneath her impeccable hairdo (there is an involuntarily comic scene where her folkloristically clothed nanny Laila suggests brushing her hair, which really does not need it), and topping her absolutely gorgeous outfits, journeys from German student days to her exile in Switzerland without expressing anything resembling a reaction to whatever happens to her (apart from a couple of well-becoming tears). Erol Sander is much more fun as Sinan Toprak in "Der Unbestechliche", where he at least gets into tricky physical situations. Probably the most expressive element in the whole film is the wall of the Esfandiari house, very naturally peeling off. The beautiful photography makes excellent stills.

A Nest of Gentry (1969)

A free, lyrical adaptation of Turgenev's Nest of Gentlefolk

[15 October 2003]

Fyodor Lavretski, estranged from his unfaithful wife returns to his childhood home. He falls in love with a young relative, Elizaveta (Liza) Kalitina, who returns his love, but loses her when his wife suddenly turns up. Liza decides to become a nun.

Konchalovski's film is freely based on "motifs" from Turgenev's novel - the main characters are still Lavretski and Liza, but many details on Lavretski's life have been added. The actors are all excellent, down to the children, but one must especially mention the young Irina Kupchenko, radiant and sensitive as the serious Liza. Visually, the film is a treat, with Northern summer days and nights.

Impromptu (1991)

probably the best film ever made on Chopin and Sand

[10/10 · 25 December 2002]

This excellently written, splendidly acted, marvellously sound-tracked and beautifully filmed picture is most probably the best film ever made on Chopin and Sand, that subject most difficult to approach without crashing into drab sentimentality. The film is a comedy solidly anchored in historical and biographical data and impregnated with a deep love for Chopin's music as well as an understanding of the complex relationship between him and Sand. Through its apparently light touch, the film manages to convey deep sorrow, longing, extatic joy and true sensuality (the scene where the relationship between Chopin and Sand becomes physical is a master example of how such scenes should be made: Sand's naked shoulder speaks more than hours and hours of steamy make-believe, because it is the spectator who fills in the experience in his mind). Anybody who has made music will recognise the excitement and satisfaction in the scene where Chopin and Liszt play à quatre mains and manage to find JUST the right note at JUST the right second. Witty, almost farcical comedy alternates with most delicate, expressive, sober dialogue - witness Judy Davis' face when Sand tells Chopin what the reality behind her free love propaganda is. Hugh Grant shows himself once again to be the good actor that he is when working with a good director - compare this film with "Maurice", "The Remains of the Day", "An Awfully Big Adventure". It is as if this film were an enchanted one, not a single element being amiss. And last but not least, it makes you fall in love with Chopin's music, in case for some reason it hadn't happened to you before.

A Promise Kept: The Oksana Baiul Story (1994 TV Movie)

Great skating in a Disneyland Soviet Union

[4/10 · 8 December 2001]

This dramatised biography of Oksana Baiul provides wonderful skating. Anybody who has seen any of Soviet and post-Soviet reality will however be very disappointed by the pastel-coloured Disneyland SU where Oksana is supposed to have moved around, in freshly painted flats where some occasional folkloristic napkin or bedcover is exhibited probably in order to tone down the American-style surroundings. A particularly amusing detail is the outer door to the posh-looking block of flats with the shining door knob (no stolen bulbs here!). Not to speak of the extremely good taste and stylish clothes of all the very healthy-looking men and women of this fictional Ukraine. At least most of the names are more or less correctly pronounced. The subject would have been extremely interesting both from human and skating point of view.

The Governess (1998)

a very rare occasion to hear Sefardi music and observe British Sefardi customs of the early 19th century

[11 September 1999]

Apart from being a well-acted, well-constructed film, "The Governess" should be seen by those interested both in Judaica and Romance studies. The film offers a unique occasion of hearing judezmo, the archaic Spanish spoken by Sefardi Jews, and getting acquainted with their splendid musical tradition (Classic songs, e.g. "Cuando el rey Nimrod", performed instrumentally and by Ofra Haza). It is also quite interesting to observe e.g. the characteristic head-dress worn by the protagonist when still in her London environment, and customs of the London Sefardi community as portrayed here.