Spanish sci-fi. The mutants are a totally whacked out gang of murdering robbers, including a Siamese twin pair. They accidentally murder all the guests at a wedding party to simply kidnap the bride. Race across the galaxy to a seedy bar on a barren mining planet to claim treasure, love, revenge, or freedom. Very darkly filmed-- it's a shame there isn't a brighter version for DVD. A cosmo bar helped make the original Star Wars the monster great film. A seedier place in American Astronaut was interesting, until the film degenerated in homoeroticism. Otherwise film has been pretty stingy with space bars. They receive more attention in TV sci fi. If you're interested in the theme, Accion Mutante is a film to see.
Reviews
8 Reviews
S. O. S. Iceberg
(1933)
Bergfilm. Survival on icebergs west coast of Greenland.
25 December 2007
The story involves an expedition of four men who set off to Greenland to rescue an explorer previously presumed dead, but whose survival is attested to by a note written on a piece of jetsam. The expedition itself gets into fatal trouble when, trying to cross a half-frozen fjord, it is swept out to sea. This will be no leisurely drift into the ocean; they constantly see similar icebergs rolling over due to uneven melting. A similar roll would surely be their sudden end.
Even though all action in this movie takes place within a few hundred feet of sea level, this is definitely a mountain movie or Bergfilm (German). Bergfilms are all about individuals at the utmost edge of human existence, pitted against a relentless lethal Nature in a struggle which Nature wins as often as not. Bergfilms are not about wonderful dialogs or intricate plots, they're about iconic heroes sternly staring into the face of an implacable oncoming storm.
The film is directed by Arnold Fanck, the dean of Bergfilms. Leni Riefenstahl, a veteran lead in many great Bergfilms, and later to become a very controversial director in her own right, plays an aviatrix in search of her husband.
The cinematography of the icebergs-- calving, drifting as stupendous sculptures, or rolling over like massive whales breaching-- is absolutely spectacular. You will not be able to detect the shifts between shots made on the outdoor sets and those actually filmed in Greenland.
The film offers some unexpected bonuses-- 30's airplanes puttering among the icebergs, and scenes of real Eskimos (Inuits) in their village and on the water, their lives not yet transformed by Western goods.
If you accept the film for what it is, a symphony of ice and water in dark conflict with the human will to survive, you will not be disappointed.
Even though all action in this movie takes place within a few hundred feet of sea level, this is definitely a mountain movie or Bergfilm (German). Bergfilms are all about individuals at the utmost edge of human existence, pitted against a relentless lethal Nature in a struggle which Nature wins as often as not. Bergfilms are not about wonderful dialogs or intricate plots, they're about iconic heroes sternly staring into the face of an implacable oncoming storm.
The film is directed by Arnold Fanck, the dean of Bergfilms. Leni Riefenstahl, a veteran lead in many great Bergfilms, and later to become a very controversial director in her own right, plays an aviatrix in search of her husband.
The cinematography of the icebergs-- calving, drifting as stupendous sculptures, or rolling over like massive whales breaching-- is absolutely spectacular. You will not be able to detect the shifts between shots made on the outdoor sets and those actually filmed in Greenland.
The film offers some unexpected bonuses-- 30's airplanes puttering among the icebergs, and scenes of real Eskimos (Inuits) in their village and on the water, their lives not yet transformed by Western goods.
If you accept the film for what it is, a symphony of ice and water in dark conflict with the human will to survive, you will not be disappointed.
Karbid und Sauerampfer
(1963)
Comedic odyssey to deliver rebuilding material after WW2.
29 April 2007
Filmed by the famous East German DEFA studio, this 1963 film looks back at the immediate post war life in the Soviet zone of defeated Germany in 1945. As such, political notes are not to be missed. The one American character is a stupid Army officer with incredibly ugly teeth patrolling the Elbe River in a nice little motorboat. On the other hand, a Soviet officer is a handsome, intelligent, decent man. There are ruins, but people aren't in absolute misery; they're rebuilding the future. This film does not have the despair and nihilism of the real Truemmer Filme produced in the early post war years. Geshonneck delivers an excellent character, an Anthony Quinn with a subtler touch. Despite the political touches, this is a sweet comedy, the type that keeps you smiling, not guffawing. A good film for people interested in post War Europe, even if it looks back with a telescope of almost twenty years.
Ein Stern fällt vom Himmel
(1934)
Viennese tenor seeks love and fame.
18 February 2007
This movie is a showcase to display the talents of Joseph Schmidt, an East European Jewish tenor, who to rose fame in Germany and elsewhere even as the Nazis had already ascended to power. He is listed as 1.53m (5 ft) tall, and that's probably a charitable exaggeration.
The movie is set in Vienna. Joseph is a music student seeking fame and the love of Annerl, who is also being pursued by an American film tenor and by a local film dresser. A series of misunderstandings add comic touches to this love quadrangle.
Schmidt was filmed as being of normal stature, which meant he was constantly standing on unseen boxes. It was kind of fun to figure out how boxes would be laid out during a scene so he and other actors could move about.
If you want to experience Joseph Schmidt, I would recommend starting with "Ein Lied Geht um die Welt", which deals with his shortness head on and has more interesting characters.
The movie is set in Vienna. Joseph is a music student seeking fame and the love of Annerl, who is also being pursued by an American film tenor and by a local film dresser. A series of misunderstandings add comic touches to this love quadrangle.
Schmidt was filmed as being of normal stature, which meant he was constantly standing on unseen boxes. It was kind of fun to figure out how boxes would be laid out during a scene so he and other actors could move about.
If you want to experience Joseph Schmidt, I would recommend starting with "Ein Lied Geht um die Welt", which deals with his shortness head on and has more interesting characters.
Shakespeare-Wallah
(1965)
English Shakespearean company tours India; Love sputters
27 December 2006
Frankly, I caught this early Merchant-Ivory flic to see Felicity Kendal in her debut movie. I was disappointed-- her cuteness works much better as a nearly 60 year old detective in the Rosemary and Thyme BBC series, than as a teen-aged actress, where it makes her just too unserious.
The movie concerns a small troupe of Shakepearean actors, some English and some Indian, but anchored by the Buckingham family, touring India to ever diminishing audiences. An Indian playboy, already involved with a Bollywood actress, sees young Lizzie Buckingham, and the usual romantic conflicts arise.
The movie has the normal pacing of a Merchant-Ivory. Black and white. For me the background bits of Indian and ex-pat life were more interesting than the movie itself. The actors playing Felicity Kendal's character's parents were her real life parents.
The movie concerns a small troupe of Shakepearean actors, some English and some Indian, but anchored by the Buckingham family, touring India to ever diminishing audiences. An Indian playboy, already involved with a Bollywood actress, sees young Lizzie Buckingham, and the usual romantic conflicts arise.
The movie has the normal pacing of a Merchant-Ivory. Black and white. For me the background bits of Indian and ex-pat life were more interesting than the movie itself. The actors playing Felicity Kendal's character's parents were her real life parents.
Ein Lied geht um die Welt
(1933)
A diminutive tenor seeks love and fame in Venice.
3 December 2006
A diminutive classical tenor and his two equally penniless performing buddies seek fame and love in 1930s Venice. Eventually Richardo succeeds in radio, but his stature hinders his dream of starring on stage. And will it also prevent him from finding love? The answer will surprise you. The movie features plenty of singing by Schmidt plus some great exterior location shots in Venice, including gondola travel and an extended walk along quays and over bridges in a city still spared the intrusion of the automobile.
This film can appeal to fans of various genre: German cinema, Holocaust periphera, Venice, and great tenors. Schmidt reportedly was unhappy with the subject matter-- his own shortness (in life he was sometimes referred to as a "pocket Caruso". But the film works and it partly truly reflects his own life, where he succeeded much better in recordings and film than he did on stage. He continued to make German film until 1936, and remained popular in parts of Nazi-occupied Europe until his escape to Switzerland in 1940, where he died in an internment camp two years later. The IMDb lists him at 5 foot (1.52m), and that may be generous; in the movie he wears elevator shoes that must give him 6 inches (15cm).
This film can appeal to fans of various genre: German cinema, Holocaust periphera, Venice, and great tenors. Schmidt reportedly was unhappy with the subject matter-- his own shortness (in life he was sometimes referred to as a "pocket Caruso". But the film works and it partly truly reflects his own life, where he succeeded much better in recordings and film than he did on stage. He continued to make German film until 1936, and remained popular in parts of Nazi-occupied Europe until his escape to Switzerland in 1940, where he died in an internment camp two years later. The IMDb lists him at 5 foot (1.52m), and that may be generous; in the movie he wears elevator shoes that must give him 6 inches (15cm).
Head-On
(2004)
Awful characters
10 June 2006
The two main characters are detestable. The guy, Cahit, has absolutely no regard for other people or property, is constantly rude and self-destructive, and does nothing with his life, but wallow in self-pity for the loss of his first wife. The girl, Sibel, works hard to marry Cahit, then once she has, proceeds to go to bed with every guy who catches her eye. She too is self-destructive. Together they aren't even redeemed by the merest scrap of humor in response to their miserable lives. Some of the secondary characters are interesting, but they can't elevate this film from an indulgence of repulsive behavior. A waste of your time unless you enjoy watching awful people.
Woman in the Moon
(1929)
Space flight to the moon; silent film
1 January 2006
The first half of this film; the set-up of the flight, the introduction to the main characters, a love triangle, and an international conspiracy; is frankly boring. But once the flight begins, action tenses up and things get interesting.
For 1929, the science is sometimes prescient-- a three stage rocket, a vertical assembly building, and a monstrous rolling gantry crawler-- are suggestive of the Apollo program. Other times the science is more romantic, using dowsing rods and an egg-shaped moon. The eggy moon allows a far-side with a breathable atmosphere. But an eggy moon really isn't less scientific than faster than light travel, which is a staple of modern space flight science fiction. FTL travel is simply a mechanism whereby a cast of characters can visit multiple star systems; the eggy moon allows the visit to a breathable world in the context of a 1930s Europe.
This movie understandably has fairly primitive special effects. One major effect, a rotating barrel decorated as the moon, is charming.
The ending is definitely touching. In the sub-genre of science fiction/space flight, this is an important and interesting film and well worth suffering through the first half.
For 1929, the science is sometimes prescient-- a three stage rocket, a vertical assembly building, and a monstrous rolling gantry crawler-- are suggestive of the Apollo program. Other times the science is more romantic, using dowsing rods and an egg-shaped moon. The eggy moon allows a far-side with a breathable atmosphere. But an eggy moon really isn't less scientific than faster than light travel, which is a staple of modern space flight science fiction. FTL travel is simply a mechanism whereby a cast of characters can visit multiple star systems; the eggy moon allows the visit to a breathable world in the context of a 1930s Europe.
This movie understandably has fairly primitive special effects. One major effect, a rotating barrel decorated as the moon, is charming.
The ending is definitely touching. In the sub-genre of science fiction/space flight, this is an important and interesting film and well worth suffering through the first half.
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