Change Your Image
borisnenchev
Reviews
Europa Europa (1990)
Daring.
I like to regard Europa, Europa (1990) as a movie which ushered a new era in the European, and most of all, German movie-making. A period which deals with German guilt and the image of the good Germans with movies like The Downfall, Sophie Scholl, Nowhere in Afrika, The Ninth Day, Amen, John Rabe, etc.
Among all these, it is Europa, Europa which shocked me most. The director, Agniezka Holland, does not shy away from all the images that really took place at that time. She is brave enough to show the Molotov-Ribentrop pact of non-aggression symbolized by the grotesque dancing of Hitler and Stalin together, the two nations were basically allies between 1939 and 1941. Apparently, the German public, which was enraged by the film, disliked that this fact is shown in a movie. Further anger must have been caused by the singing of the Nazi anthem by the boys, images and sounds not heard in a German movie until the late 1990's. This remains a notable recurring feature throughout the movie - Nazi images and songs hurled at the viewer in all their authenticity.
All the absurdity of the anti-Semitic propaganda is brilliantly depicted through the eyes of Salomon - the most glaring example of this is the measurement of his head in front of the class to determine Aryan features which was eventually proved..."An authentic Aryan", said the teacher, about Salomon, a 100% Jew... The whole propaganda is further ridiculed by the statement of Leni blaming the Jews for the killing of her father and by the song sung by the Hitler youth at the initial ceremony of Salomon entering the school. How can they hate the Jews so much, when they probably have never personally known a Jew?!? It is also interesting to see that the good Germans in the movie are not, one may think the youngsters, but the adults - the soldier and Leni's mother who both learned that Salomon is a Jew but kept the secret. This tarnishing of the German youth as so anti-Semitic must have irritated the German viewers as well.
The pace of the movie is really fast. We are taken from Germany to Russian-occupied Poland, then back to German-occupied territories, to the school in Germany, then to Lodz and finally the Russians came. However, this fast change of events is not that important, if an analysis of the situation had to be made for every event that Salomon is affected by, you may have as well made a four-hour movie. Important is how Salomon adapts and survives.
Europa, Europa is worth watching not only because it tells an unbelievable but true story. It is important to have seen this movie which signified the beginning of a period where other German movies will deal with this historical period. Yet, only very few of them will show the same daringness of images as Europa, Europa.
Még kér a nép (1972)
Very Hungarian. Very socialist. Very difficult.
Jancso's movies can be recommended only to people with serious interest in movie-making and especially alternative European cinema. As in "Szerelmem, Elektra" Jancso again uses his favorite images and sounds. Hundreds of extras dance and perform rituals on the vast Hungarian plain surrounded by galloping horses (a traditional Hungarian animal as the Hungarians are heirs of the nomadic Huns). Very often the viewer is confronted by naked women walking around, I am still confused as to what they symbolize...that socialism needs no violence to overtake the old regime? Another typical feature is the solemnity with which the actors converse and act, no real dialog is to be found but a series of monologues. These monologues reveal what Jancso is most interested in - socialism and the equality of people. It is difficult for the viewer to keep up with them as they follow one after the other to bombard him with socialist ideology on the rights of the workers, the rising of the masses, the resistance, etc. Jancso tries to show that socialism can peacefully convert even the officials of the old order as seen by the officer refusing to suppress the mutineers and the soldiers dancing with the crowd towards the end of the movie. Regarding the lengthy monologues on socialism, a resemblance to Godard and his La Chinoise...?
This movie is difficult to watch due to its complex imagery intertwined with the socialist ideology that Jancso's characters devour us with. There may appear the question whether this movie can be seen out of the context of a life in a regime glorifying socialism (Hungary between 1945 and 1989). For anyone interested in movie-making by Hungarian directors, I recommend first starting with Szabo's films such as Mephisto, Oberst Redl and Sunshine, then going through Bela Tarr's movies, and finally trying Jancso.
Müllers Büro (1986)
You will either hate it or love it.
"Müllers Büro" is a movie which many will watch and enjoy until the end, while others will stop watching it within five minutes. It is a parody of detective movies with all the twists and turns; the action takes place only at night in the dark corners of a city which resembles Batman's Gotham City (look carefully at the streets, buildings, the police car chasing the criminals, etc.). It is also a parody of musicals with its really funny characters such as Müller's secretary and Vitasek's (the actor playing Müller's assistant) lover who do their best to sing, albeit not very successfully.
The spaces occupied by the characters have their own presence in the film such as the decadent Blue Box (there is a real club with this name in Vienna) where one can see a sailor hitting on a girl in the background, Müller's apartment with the black paint smeared on the walls and the dirty kitchen, Müller's bureau with the sweet picture of his assistant, etc.
The humorous moments in the movie are many and include "flat in the face" type of humor such as Müller farting in his assistant's face, the prostitute charging Müller extra for orgasm, the ridiculous outfits of the female thugs of Montana, etc.
A legendary film from the 80's especially for those interested in Austrian or German-speaking cinema.
Hundstage (2001)
A purely Viennese tale? Or a universal one?
There is something special about the Austrian movies not only by Seidl, but by Spielmann and other directors as well. This is the piercing sense of reality that never leaves the viewer throughout the movie. Hundstage is no exception. This effect is achieved not only by the depicted stories but also by actors playing. In Hundstage I have never had the feeling that these are actors playing, but real people instead. So real is the visceral feeling of the viewer...Almost as if the grumpy pensioner or lonely lady in the movie are living below you in your block.
Any person living in Vienna can without any doubt painfully recognize the people in the movie with their meckern/sudern (complaining), their hidden sexual urges and the prolo macho guys. This is further reinforced by the Viennese dialect which is, according to many, especially made for complaining as a way of life. A special parochialism and arrogance typical for Vienna are also very well portrayed.
The Viennese suburbs have a vivid presence in the movie with their stupor and drowsiness where nothing happens. Moreover, they have been turned into a celebration of materialism with shopping malls and huge department stores. Inbetween are the houses of the people where they indulge into what they reckon is pleasure-giving activities, trying to stay in touch with their human selves, yet in vain. The examples are the sexual game of the old lady with the men which bordered on rape, the prolo guy losing his nerves and hitting his girlfriend and the young woman who hitchhikes and irritates her drivers.
The film has no soundtrack as it concentrates on the normality/abnormality of its images only. Another typical feature of Seidl (and other Austrian directors) is his showing of disturbingly sexual images. These include the stripping of the old woman for her husband, the sexual scenes in the bath, the sexual game of the lady with the two men in her apartment, etc.
In Hundstage Seild has portrayed the lives of people who eventually may be as much Viennese as they could be citizens of Paris, New York or Madrid. The viewers should not despise or feel pity for the Viennese in the movie as they themselves could become victims of the same human estrangement and alienation, albeit in different circumstances. In the end, I believe Seidl's film is a warning to us about the terrible state of human relationships so brutally revealed in Hundstage. And if the viewer does not succumb to the reasons for this evil transformation, Seidl has achieved his goal.
Ti, koyto si na nebeto (1990)
Goodness
Ti, koyto si na nebeto is a film which leaves no viewer untouched. Voted as the best Bulgarian film for the period 1990-1993 by the Bulgarian Film Academy, it is set during communism in a dilapidated and shabby district of a Bulgarian town. It tells the sad story of an old Czech violin maker, Georg Henich (played by the famous Slovak actor Josef Kroner known for his role in the Czechoslovak Oscar-winning The Shop on the Main Street) and the dream of a boy to play the violin and be a friend of Henich.
The viewer is stricken by the poverty the family lives in and yet the child is able to see the beauty in life by playing the violin. There are so many moments of tenderness, goodness and kindness in the movie between him and the child that I must confess my eyes were wet many times. Josef Kroner has a marvelous presence with his representation of goodness, trying to convince the boy that as long as a person is good and helpful at heart, he is rich regardless of the cruel circumstances in life. He, himself, is the living example of this as the viewer can see by the greatness of his soul and the misery of his own home.
An interesting feature of the film is Kroner speaking Bulgarian with many words taken from the Czech language, yet understandable for any Bulgarian listening carefully.
This movie came out in Bulgaria in 1990, directly after the fall of communism, and I like to see it as a cry to remain human and sensitive to the others in a period where the people feared what was in store for them and in the same time hoped for a better future. This movie sums up the feeling of a whole nation in the hope of the boy and the quiet but restless legacy of the old generation, Henich in that case, not to lose ourselves.
Ti, koyto si na nebeto is a movie which can be seen only through the heart.
Mephisto (1981)
What would you have done?
Even after seeing Szabo's "Mephisto" a couple of times, it is still difficult to see through the actor Hoefgen, played brilliantly by one of the best actors, Klaus Maria Brandauer. Accompanying his rise to prominence, the viewers come to face important questions about morality, friendship, leadership, fame...
At the beginning, Hoefgen dislikes the upcoming and dangerous Nazi clique. Yet, when he realizes that they are willing to give him the chance to become famous and respected, signs of hesitation can be hardly found - he grasps the opportunity to be in Berlin and be a director of the National Theatre. "I'am not interested in money", he says, however, he has already sold his soul to the devil (the Nazi party). Hoefgen has become the victim of his acclaimed theater character, Mephisto. Mephisto of the real world offered him to "win the crown of mankind" as Hoefgen did in his theater role, and the latter willingly accepted it. He closed his eyes to the beatings of the Jews he witnessed, the expelling of his lover, the escape of his wife, the banning from theater of his friends, etc.
And yet, has he become the reincarnation of evil, the real Mephisto? I am inclined to think that Hoefgen had good intentions about his closest who opposed the system. This is shown by the fact that he insisted in front of the Nazi officials for his black lover to leave Nazi Germany safely and that his friend, Ulrichs, be rehabilitated. And he did it successfully. At that point comes the question whether Hoefgen made the right choice - should he have gone to the opposition and thus failed to save anyone, or he did the right thing by accepting Mephisto's offer and becoming a man of certain influence which he used to save his closest? Then again, do you close your eyes to the brutality around you as long as you and your friends are safe? A very interesting comparison can be made between the actor Miklas, played by the Hungarian Cserhalmi and also seen in the Czech Oscar-nominated production "Zelary" and other legendary films by the Hungarian directors Bela Tarr and Miklos Jancso, and Hoefgen. The former is an ardent supporter of the Nazis at the beginning but later becomes disillusioned and chooses the opposition. Hoefgen, on the other hand, moves in the opposite way in the movie. From an opponent of the Nazi "Mörderpakt" ("murderous thugs") as he calls them at the beginning, he becomes a follower (albeit no participant) and goes as far as to betray Miklas and his plan to the Nazi officials, resulting into Miklas' death. At the moment when Hoefgen learns about his death, he refuses to believe he was murdered but instead insists it was a car accident. In the close up of Brandauer's face talking to the woman, I believe the viewer can read regret in his eyes...
Through both characters, and mainly through Hoefgen, Szabo raises the topic of the role of the intelligentsia in the Nazi rise to power. What were they supposed to do? The ones in the opposition either died or went into exile (as Hoefgen's wife). The rest followed the Nazis, willingly or not. In that age of hopelessness, should one sell his soul to Mephisto as Hoefgen did - then rise to power and save whomever you can? Overall, are we from our position nowadays able to judge how the intelligentsia/the actors should have acted? "Mephisto" has to be seen in the light of Szabo's life. It was recently revealed he was an informant for the Hungarian government in the 50's. In an interview he claimed to have saved himself and a friend of his from "being gibbeted". Resemblance to Hoefgen...? The towering performance of Brandauer as Hoefgen is absolutely stunning. His face, stature, looks, eyes, everything fits perfectly into the image of the divided personality of the main character (indicative of this personality is the Nazi general's inquiring why Hoefgen has such a soft handshake). Regarding the images, there is hardly a viewer who can forget Mephisto's white face on Brandauer and the shots of Hoefgen's moments of madness, estimation, megalomania, anger...
Especially powerful is the last scene where Hoefgen is running and trying to hide from the giant searchlights of Olympiastadion in Berlin, his curved, almost crying face, and saying, "Was wollt ihr von mir? Ich bin nur ein Schauspieler.", "What do you want from me? I'm just an actor........"
Hunger (2008)
Unmistakably European of Unforgettable Images
Worried that "Hunger" by Steve McQueen would be another account of terrible prison conditions and a fight for the cause of Irish republicanism, I managed to see the movie last weekend and all my fears turned out unfounded. Any viewer has to give credit to McQueen's not making a film about how terrible the British were and how regretful the conditions of the prisoners were (they were in fact). The director manages to show all sides to the story. Firstly, we see that even the prison officer is a normal man as we are allowed into his house with the opening scenes of the movie, as we see his worried wife watching him checking his car for bombs, as he eats quietly in the canteen, as he smokes a cigarette out in the snow...One could even read pity and regret in the eyes and stature of a man forced to work in a prison where the inmates believe in the righteousness of their cause, where they believe they are not criminals. Even more importantly, you read in his eyes the despair and powerlessness of a man who cannot do anything to improve the situation in Northern Ireland/the UK. McQueen does not plunge into showing the righteousness of the cause of the IRA either. The viewer sees how brutal and cruel the IRA is in the scene where the prison officer is killed by an IRA assassin in the lap of his handicapped mother in a nursing home. The director even goes to show how the very pawns in the system such as the young special task force policeman are affected by the vicious circle of brutality - police terror, assassinations, beatings, assassinations again... We see his troubled face, his screaming to overcome his fear when they summon the prisoners to beat them and his later crying. And then again the hopelessness to stop it.
It is only later that we are introduced to Bobby Sands himself and it is towards the last third of the movie where the culmination takes place - the dialog between him and the priest. I have only partial knowledge of the IRA/UK conflict and will not delve into the reasoning of both of them. I admire Bobby Sands and the other hunger strikers who died for all the suffering they had to bear and their readiness to die for a cause but it is my sincere hope that the coming generations understood that violence breeds only violence and it is through dialog and respect that both parties can sustain the most important - peace. It is in this dialog that the viewer has to make a choice - die for the cause such as Bobby Sands and the rest or the "appreciation of life" as advocated by the priest. Some viewers may go as far as to judge whether Bobby Sands did it to set an example and stir further resistance (peaceful or not) or decided to die and go down in history out of his ego? Yet, is ego stronger than life? Or you need a ideals to do it?...
What further elevates the film to the heights of great cinema are the visuals. Absolutely visceral images which will haunt the viewers are the feces on the walls, the pile of food with worms in it in the corners, and most of all, Bobby Sands' hunger strike with the openings in his body, the protruding bones, the blood in the lavatory...In addition to McQueen not shying away from showing us these images, other European features include the fantastic long shots of the dialog where the viewer does not clearly see the faces (brilliant light work) and is left to concentrate solely on the conversation and the moment of cleaning the buckets where only the eerie noise of the broom touching the ground is heard. Another moment which deserves mentioning is when the viewer is in Bobby Sands' room and sees the images of numerous birds flashing in and out and the noise of their fluttering wings appearing and dying out in the last moments of his life.
A brilliant film of stunning visuals and sounds and a superb performance by Michael Fassbender bordering on the physically and mentally impossible.