andros12 Reviews

The Roman Spring of Mrs. Stone (2003 TV Movie)

A richly romantic tapestry

[8/10 · 7 November 2005]

I found myself reminiscing about this film long after having seen it. Initially expecting a probable pale imitation of the 1961 original; it seemed this new film appeared to possess many symbolic occurrences and images that seemed strangely familiar. For example, the homeless man knocking at Karen Stone's door reminded me of a picture I had seen as a child. The caption below the picture read "Look, I am standing at the door knocking. If one of you hears me calling..." Revelation 3:20

I also remembered some of Helen Mirren's past performances as characters very unlike Mrs. Stone; therefore it required a preliminary adjustment to accept her as the more sensitive, deeply passionate, fading beauty. However, her outstanding vocal delivery and subtle nuances in voice and movement combined very effectively to bring Karen Stone to life. Karen Stone, a woman bewildered and lost after her humiliating final theatrical performance, the death of her husband and the loss of her youth finds herself "drifting" with no particular focus after finally deciding to settle in Rome. She meets an "old harpy" named the Contessa and her "man for hire" Paolo Di Lio. Olivier Martinez plays Paolo in stereotypical fashion as a vain, arrogant, self-centered rogue and Karen Stone is totally captivated by him. "Love is blind" is truly one of the film's major underlying themes as Mrs. Stone refuses to accept the total reality of her arrangement with Paolo anymore than he fully accepts the fact that he is, in actual fact, a purchased lover. Even Karen's physical appearance changes as her "addiction" progresses to the point where she resembles a heavily made-up caricature of her former self.

The films heavily stylized 1950's costuming, artful set decoration, masterful cinematography and haunting, poignant score set against the backdrop of the "eternal" city serve as a very effective combination of elements in creating the films memorable romantic impression.

For the most part, the characters are interesting and enjoyable to watch providing one accepts them strictly for who and what they represent. Anne Bancroft as the calculating Contessa appears to have a fun loving side as opposed to Lotte Lenya's vicious ruthlessness in the original film. Coral Browne's performance as Karen Stone's friend in the original film is, however, sadly missed.

Rodrigo Santoro's performance as the homeless man presents an interesting character study because of his primary reliance on facial expressions which are powerfully supported by the films unique presentations of symbolism, colour and sound. When Karen Stone first makes eye contact with him on a bridge he responds with a provocative leer and exposes his chest, his hand held over the heart area. This gesture is dramatically different from her initial meeting with Paolo, wherein he lights her cigarette, a probable symbol of a fleeting but fatal pleasure.

From the beginning the homeless man appears to be on a quest to establish contact with Mrs. Stone. His motivational perspective as a positive or negative force remains unclear throughout the film. At one point, there is a wonderfully effective camera shot circling around his head as he gazes up at Mrs. Stone on her veranda. An impoverished vagrant, he goes largely unnoticed as he eats scraps off the ground, gets kicked by a police officer, is laughed at by Paolo's barbers and is repeatedly viewed with disdain by Mrs. Stone. Thus begins a series of unexpected but plausible Biblically symbolic references: "...without majesty, we saw him, no looks to attract our eyes, a thing despised and rejected..." Isaiah 53:2 The homeless man's next couple of appearances are lewd demonstrations perhaps meant to reflect Mrs. Stone's "addiction" to physical pleasure at the expense of her personal dignity. Later, Paolo calls Karen to the window and asks her the identity of the man in the street. There are cathedral bells ringing in the distance as she refers to the him using the somewhat unusual description as a probable "money changer." Luke 2:14.

When the mysterious man knocks on her door for the last time, Mrs. Stone finally confronts him with her impassioned plea, "Why do you follow me?" He responds with a mute, tear filled expression.

The film is brought to a overwhelmingly unhappy, emotional climax at Karen Stone's final "party" when she overhears the Contessa describing her as "a harlot who has struck it rich." Karen looks to Paolo for reassurance. There is none. Mrs. Stone is at last forced to come to terms with the person that she has become.

Left alone after throwing out Paolo, the Contessa and friends, Helen Mirren performs a wonderfully effective mime performance as a woman alone and humiliated while pacing around her clock as she silently acknowledges her helplessness over the passage of time.

She then wraps the three keys to her apartment in a white handkerchief. Waving the handkerchief like a flag of surrender from her veranda, she throws it down to the homeless man waiting on the street. He takes the keys and looks up, his face a rich tapestry of emotion. As he approaches the first gate to her apartment, a "trinity" of lights shine in the background. In addition, directly behind him an obelisk-like formation reflecting an ice-blue light projects toward the sky resembling a "conduit" of sorts. As he approaches the second gate it becomes apparent that the stairway leading to Mrs. Stone's apartment has become awash in the blue light as well. When he opens her door the light enters her apartment and it also flows in through the windows. The blending of the various colours form an echo reminiscent of a renaissance painting. The homeless man moves silently toward her, his face half obscured in shadows, his eyes a profound reflection of love and understanding.

As Mrs. Stone smiles back, the couple's faces go out of focus, as though each person had suddenly ceased to exist.

Fellini Satyricon (1969)

A pagan offering from a master craftsman

[9/10 · 19 October 2005]

Fellini called his "Satyricon" a science fiction film projected into the past. His expressive portrait of ancient Rome is a richly ornamented fresco of contrasts; variations within a select kaleidoscope of opposites related to the sacred, the pure, the just, and the beautiful.

Reportedly a free adaptation of the now fragmentary writings of Petronius, the film also makes fleeting references to various scattered works and myths of antiquity. Even the language is a blend of various dialects and accents, effectively brewed together into a type of "primordial soup."

The film features a young man named Encolpio and his sometime friend Ascilto; both of whom seem to prefer participatory experience as a means to finding meaning in life while primarily disregarding status, power and possessions. Contrasting some of the film's more serene scenes with those of unrest and discord, patterns supportive of a life lived from a similar experiential perspective begin to emerge. Some examples are as follows:

During the "Death to the Classics" scene, the poet Eumolpo says that the arts have declined because the desire for "virtue" has been lost. Dialectical discussion and philosophy have been replaced with drinking, vice and monetary greed, thus preventing further creation of works of art at the same pinnacle of excellence as the classics.

Later when Eumolpo and Encolpio recline in the open field encased in an early morning mist, the elderly poet bequeaths to Encolpio a series of "natural" phenomena; among them mountains, rivers, clouds, love, tears, joy, sound, song and the voices of man...

During the "Matron of Ephesus" scene, a young woman mourning her deceased husband by starving to death in a cave has her chalk white face returned to its natural radiance after accepting the embrace of a handsome soldier. The moral being "...better to hang a 'dead' husband than to lose a 'living' lover..."

A politically doomed and suicidal married couple free their slaves whereupon a reference is made to the "sacred" earth. Their children are sent away to a place free from tyranny which will be "beautiful." Later, Encolpio and Ascilto arrive at the couple's elegant home and enjoy a night of revelry during which Encolpio quotes the "poet" as having said "...as for me I have always lived to enjoy the present moment as if it were the last sunrise..."

The tale of the beautiful Enotea and her subsequent punishment after she tricked the wizard who had professed his love for her seems to be a warning to remain "true" to expressions of affection.

Following what appears to be his final corruption after having abandoned his idealistic philosophy, Eumolpo proposes an interesting last will and testament. Those wishing to inherit a part of his worldly fortune are asked to devour his remains. Reflecting the hippie generation's symbolic scorn of rampant materialism during the shooting of this film, Encolpio and his friends smile and turn away, heading onward toward a new adventure.

The scenes of discord in the film appear to reflect issues related to social and political methods of enforced control over others. For example, during the banquet of Trimalcione, his sycophants eat, laugh, chant, dance, perform and throw objects on cue. While a captive at sea, Encolpio is made an object of entertainment for the pirate Lica. Later he is forced to battle a huge "minotaur' for the entertainment of a proconsul and his puppet court during the "gladiator prank" sequence.

Fellini makes strong use of colour symbolism in "Satyricon." The film opens in what appears to be a large Roman steam bath. There is the occasional sound of water dripping, and in Encolpio's tenement a seemingly wealthy group of party goers arrive on a small boat in the water, perhaps ready to go "slumming" with the poor. There is also a bluish tint to many of these early scenes as if they were being viewed through water. Later, during Trimalcione's feast, a flame red lens filter appears to overshadow the initial candle lit display giving the impression of an envelopment of fire. During the outdoor scenes on Lica's boat, the sound of the wind is recurrent and a blitz of snow appears providing a possible reference to the air element. Near the end of the film, Encolpio enters a maze by sliding in the dirt down a hillside. Following his battle with the minotaur, a dust storm blows as he attempts to make love with Arianna. Later, when he visits the elderly Enotea, she lets dirt fall from her clenched fists as if giving a silent reference to the earth element.

There are also many references to the supernatural and paranormal. Eyes stare into the camera as if to give reference to phantoms from antiquity looking at those presently alive as if to question. While Encolpio and Eumolpo have their discussion in the art gallery, a two tiered galley of soundless faces inexplicably passes by like unknown entities observing the men's conversation through a hole in the wall. There is a curious space-like object on the deck of Lica's ship. In addition, a momentary glimpse of supernatural visionary lights appear during the abduction of the "mystical" hermaphrodite who subsequently dies after having been exposed to the "light" of day. The film also presents a recurring symbolism of carved and imprinted heads eventually given great emphasis with Lica's startling decapitation. Perhaps the question is, has society become too obsessed with the intellect at the expense of the heart and the inherent value of the individual person? Perhaps not so for Fellini, as the entire film is intensely alive with a glorious blend of color; each face, each person, in Fellini's words, serving as an integral part of his artwork on film.

Finally, like the eternal wheel and his initial greeting, Encolpio's farewell is presented in front of a stone background and he is interrupted in mid sentence giving ....

Vertigo (1958)

A Vision of Vertigo

[9/10 · 15 October 2005]

A woman's face greets the viewer upon the film's opening sequence. The camera moves up from her lips and settles upon her eyes as a whirlpool of concentric colours begin to appear, becoming more and more beautiful and guiding the viewer like a hypnotist's timepiece into the depths of the subconscious mind.

"Do you believe that someone out the past, someone dead, can enter and take possession of a living being?" This question becomes the pivotal inquiry of the entire film as the rational, level headed detective Scotty is slowly but fatefully drawn into a swirling vortex of fragmented images contrasting the past and the present, love and reason, fate and free will, and life and death.

After an old college friend named Gavin Elster asks him to investigate the activities of his wife Madeleine because of her strange obsession with her deceased great-grandmother Carlotta Valdez, Scotty reluctantly agrees to help. He is unaware that the woman that he is made to believe is Madeleine Elster is in reality an impostor named Judy Barton who is Elster's mistress and co-conspirator in the planning of the murder of the real Madeleine.

Scotty's investigation into the activities of Madeleine's impostor lead him to a flower shop and then to the graveyard tomb of Carlotta. Back in the car he is led to an art gallery where he sees "Madeleine" seated in front of a portrait of Carlotta. He notices that she carries a bouquet similar to the one Carlotta holds in the portrait and that she wears her hair in a similar French twist. The woman subsequently drives to the San Francisco Bay area where she leaps into the water. Scotty manages to perform a heroic rescue. He takes the girl back to his apartment to dry her clothes. The stage has now been set from a series of disjointed visual images provided by a well manipulated setup of "coincidental" meetings to an episode involving actual verbal communication and Scotty is well on his way into a vortex of illusion. The young woman begins to convince Scotty that her motives to commit suicide are driven by the actions of her Great Grandmother who died by her own hand many years earlier at the similar age of twenty-six.

Hitchcock makes great use of imagery, colour and costuming in presenting his film. For example, the vertigo effect appears repeatedly, from the initial swirling credit patterns, to the near-death rooftop scene, to the disintegrating floral effects during the wonderfully orchestrated Scotty's nightmare scene, to the tunnel-like vision of the hallway during Midge's visit to Scotty's doctor and, of course, to the final mission tower sequence.

The colour green is strongly used throughout the film. Madeleine's impostor drives a green Jaguar and various tones of green reoccur continually as the movie progresses. Her character is initially resplendent in a green gown and later upon her initial introduction as Judy she is wearing a forest green dress. The prevalent use of the green symbolism creates images strongly representative of the continuation of life theme that is reinstated during "Madeleine's" visit with Scotty in the forest and their discussion over the cut down coniferous "evergreen" tree.

Madeleine's impostor also makes effective "ghostly" appearances wearing a gray suit and also a white coat with a black scarf, both costumes wonderfully contrasted against her platinum blonde hair. Like a vapour she sometimes makes momentary disappearances, on one occasion from a hotel and on another while walking in the forest. There are some interesting shadow shots of her as well, one as she stands in the doorway upon a late night visit to Scotty, another in profile as Judy Barton in her apartment and perhaps the most effective shot is from behind as she sits on an old fashioned carriage at the mission.

After Scotty fails to prevent "Madeleine's" suicide, she appears by "chance" on the street wearing a green dress as Judy Barton. Scotty eventually attempts to "remake" Judy (clothes, hair, make-up) into his vision of Madeleine and for a while he appears successful. One night, during preparations for dinner at Ernie's, a nightspot where he first gazed upon her as "Madeleine," he discovers that Judy is, in actual fact, wearing Carlotta's portrait necklace. Scotty then drives Judy to the mission tower where "Madeleine" died. In an attempt to overcome his fears and to be "free of the past," he forces Judy to the top of the tower. During the resulting physical and emotional altercation he sometimes calls her Judy and then Madeleine. The identities have become a blur; the vortex effect has once again enthralled him. Judy confesses to assisting in the murder of the real Madeleine and pleads for protection. The shadow of a nun climbing the stairs appears to frighten Judy off the ledge and she falls to her death from same tower from which the real Madeleine was thrown.

The film's impact is primarily upon the subconscious mind, probing questions about the nature and reasons for interactions with select individuals, their impact and the role they play in the blueprint of our lives. The film opens the door to speculation about the connection between the past, present and future and the role that single and collective perspectives have in determining our experience and destiny. Finally, the film asks the age old question; is the survival of consciousness a reality and are life and death simply doors of admission to interconnected ongoing realms of possibility?

BeastMaster (1999–2002)

A highly visual, refined and unique presentation

[18 December 2004]

After having watched the show in re-runs for a couple of years, I recently purchased "Season One." This series possesses many wonderful qualities that appear to set it apart from Hercules and Zena and similar epics. Some of the uniqueness lies in the very ethereal quality present in the beautiful rain forest settings that play a very prominent role in almost every episode. This feature is sometimes juxtaposed against the human characters in very original and highly effective visual presentations. A wonderful example being the opening sequence to the episode "A simple truth" wherein a wolf is being pursued by a hunter who in turn is being pursued by Dar. There is a multitude of mini-shots of the three characters moving in unison toward a common destination in the heart of the rain forest setting. The combined effect of the photographic sequencing provides a stunning pictogram depicting the the show's essential theme of one man's struggle against another to save the animal kingdom.

The story lines encapsulate a wide variety of mythologies and legends from around the world; nymphs, minotaurs, chameleons, amazons, elves and unicorns are but a few examples of the characters used to illustrate the individual productions. These characters often come to life through a remarkable collection of highly entertaining, exotic personages. A prime example is Grace Jones' portrayal as a solo animal hunter in "The Umpatra." Displaying an innate sense of cunning and ferocious fighting spirit, both humans and immortals are on guard as she finally begins hand to hand combat with Dar. The eventual revelation of the Umpatra's erroneous perception and subsequent disclosure of the "truth" culminates with her own self imposed demise. This is a common lesson throughout the series as many of the "unenlightened" eventually gain a greater understanding and respect for the inherent balance between man and nature.

Another unusual quality is the slow, deliberate phrasing evident in the many heart to heart philosophical discussions, especially between Dar and those closest to him and also the Sorceress and the astute Ancient One. The unique phrasing combined with the slow and deliberate eye contact adds a sensual and highly effective edge to the communication between the characters who lived long ago in "an age when nature and magic ruled the world."

In every episode the viewer is presented with another example of Dar's untiring devotion and loyalty to the animals and their welfare. A devotion that is very effectively portrayed. Daniel Goddard plays the character as a somewhat more serious, intense Beastmaster than Marc Singer did in the original feature film and this new persona seems very effective and well suited for the television version. The actors' various styles are at times interestingly comparable because of Marc Singer's occasional guest appearances as Dartanus, Dar's spirit guide.

The show's simple but poignant message of good-will to earth's creatures, philosophical story lines and stunning photography make it a beautiful and uplifting television series.

Alexander (2004)

I believe this beautiful, exotic film will become a collectible much like "Satyricon."

[8/10 · 11 December 2004]

This film presents an intense psychological investigation of the character of Alexander of Macedon. It is thoroughly immersed in the moral, political and philosophical climate of Grecian antiquity, In many ways it bears somewhat of a resemblance to Fellini's "Satyricon" of thirty-five years earlier. There is the similar re-appearance of the Cyclops-like characters, the shrew-like "luna" characters with their sensual but corresponding dark sides, a "token" love garden, the tinted filter/lens effect on specific scenes and the stunning "pagan" beauty evident in the set design. It also features male leads who share a code of honour and love between them. A love which in its "highest" spiritual form was representative as a means of transcendent personal growth and valor; ideas passed down from Plato to Aristotle. Chronological occurrences of Alexander's campaigns and political successes take a back seat as a result, disappointing many more intent on an all-inclusive rendering from this perspective. The variety of spoken accents form a type of "primordial soup" much like Fellini used in "Satyricon" as well; a curiosity thought by some to be symbolic of Jung and his theories of a "collective unconscious" wherein all language is simply an outward babbling to personify the universally shared life experience of all people. There were some cosmetic concerns, most notably Alexander's badly tinted hair and eyebrows. The excessive black eyeliner worn by Hephaestion is a look that does appear periodically on vases and frescoes. However, underneath all of the controversy lies the character of a deeply passionate man with his seemingly many strengths and weaknesses, attempting to grow and to love without limitation in accordance with his own perspective and level of understanding. Kudos to Colin for possessing the maturity and depth to present Alexander's complex personality and feelings with so much intensity and dignity.