alexcornas Reviews

Cat and Mouse (1975)

Humble class

[8/10 · 21 June 2019]

The Cat and the Mouse is classic thriller with many twists. Like its star Michele Morgan in her last feature role, it has survived the test of time wonderfully. The film oozes style and realism whilst never appearing to do too much or be too self-conscious. Some of the scenes and camera shots used by Lelouch have long been stolen by American and Hong Kong cinema but they still feel fresh and effective.

The two lead, Regianni from Casque D'Or and Morgan from Port of Shadows are both right on point, they play their role with sobriety and panache. The film is captivating from beginning to end. Throughout this extensive investigation, Lelouch paints a realistic portrayal of humanity and temptation, from all levels of society.

The Brand New Testament (2015)

Style Over Substance

[3/10 · 21 June 2019]

This is movie made and written by Van Dormael, director of the wonderful Eighth Day and Mr Nobody is utterly disappointing. Although all the ingredients were gathered to make a great film. A solid director, a great idea, great actors and an amazing cinematography. But all of this this cannot save a poorly written script were style dominates over essence.

The story moves along mechanically like a day at school, everything is beautiful but telegraphed and ultimately pointless. The movie bears no essential message, the characters do not connect with the audience, worst the roles played legendary actors is cringeworthy. Poelvoorde, Damiens and Deneuve are completely wasted in this movie.

It is sadly the kind of movie that makes you think that maybe some of the critics about Van Dormael were right, and that he is simply not amongst the great.

Un + Une (2015)

Mesmerising romantic comedy

[8/10 · 14 June 2019]

Wonderful movie set for the most part in India. Oscar winner Jean Dujardin plays a movie composer visiting India to work on a new wave film. There he meets the wife of the French ambassador played by Elsa Zylberstein.

Dujardin is at the top of his game, on par with the Cary Grant of the An Affair to Remember, and so is Elsa, who plays her part with incredible honesty and endearing vulnerability. The writing is brillant, all the way through, as expected from master director and writer Claude Lelouch. Some of the dialogue scenes between Dujardin and Zylberstein are some of the better written, acted and most beautiful ever created.

The portrayal of India is honest, extensive and, most importantly, respectful. It's a delightful adventure for anyone who likes smart romantic comedies, much like An Affair to Remember (1957).

Cézanne et moi (2016)

A complete mess

[4/10 · 14 June 2019]

Cezanne and I directed and written by Danièle Thompson is a movie that should never have been. It's a pragmatic and artless movie about artists of the second half of the XIXth Century.

It is a movie without purpose, the writing is poor and disjointed, it constantly jumps between different points in time without any purpose, or structure or even memory as some scenes seem to happen two or even three times.

What you will enjoy from this movie:

• the name dropping of some of the biggest artists of modern times
• the scenery towards the end of the movie

What you won't enjoy and the movie gets wrong:

• the portrayal of every character as a completely antipathetic, there is not one likeable character in the whole movie, even those with minimal texts such as Renoir or Manet who only talk to hate in this movie.
• the movie itself is deceiving, it isn't a movie about Cezanne but about Zola
• the artistic portraying of Cezanne who, apparently drew 99% of his canvas as portrait! What a strange choice from the director.
• the complete lack of artistry through the whole movie, be it from the cinematography, the direction, the writing or even the paintings shown through the movie.

The director clearly had no clue about art so why make a film about art other than self-indulgence?

Avoid.

A Monkey in Winter (1962)

One of the greatest movie ever made

[10/10 · 25 May 2019]

Un Singe en Hiver is famous for bringing together the France of the first half of the Century, symbolised by its greatest actor, Jean Gabin, and the greatest actor of the second half of the century, Jean Paul Belmondo. It not only brought them together but it created magic on the screen. The chemistry between Gabin and the kid Belmondo is incredible and carries this wonderful, yet simplistic, scenario to perfection.

The movie respects all three Greek units of creation, unity of action (it is the story of a man coming to get his daughter back, who incidentally meets an old man who looks a lot like the man he could become), unity of place, the whole movie takes place in the coastal town of Tigreville, Normandie, and unity of time, the whole movie takes places over 3 or 4 days.

The movie, written by legendary screenwriter Audiard, offers some of the best dialogues ever written for the big screen, it is at the same time a drama and a comedy. It is very much a French movie where, in essence, nothing happens, but a lot is actually being told. Every word carries its weight, every sentence unveils more about the story or the past of the two central characters played by Gabin and Belmondo.

Few movies can equally make you laugh, touch you and inspire you like Henry Vernieul's movie does. It is a story about good men who sometimes need to live a little and entertain themselves, enjoy life and dream a little.

It is unlikely we will ever get a movie like this again, it a jewel to treasure for the end of times.

Casque d'Or (1952)

It's all about the tension!

[10/10 · 24 March 2019]

Casque d'Or is a wonderful movie, often ranked as one of France better movies. Director Jacques Becker, who alternated between the good and the bad, gives a lesson for all filmmakers and artist alike in how to build tension. Every single scene of this movie is drenched in tension, and yet, so little is told and so little happens.

It is about an angle of the camera, a type of lens used, a look between two characters, a shot reverse shot isolating a character. As of all Becker movies, there are no good or bad characters, there is only men and women guided by their own desires and fighting for their own dignity. The performances by Signoret, Reggiani and Claude Dauphin are masterful and became career defining.

A must watch for all cinema lovers.

My Journey Through French Cinema (2016)

Promising, interesting but ultimately disappointing

[6/10 · 24 March 2019]

Tavernier is a very important figure in the history of not only French but world cinema. There is no better man suited to direct a documentary about the history of French cinema. Alas, this is a very subjective voyage through French cinema based on Tavernier personal connections and recollections and, most importantly, own taste.

The first half is fantastic, but the movie loses itself after the tale of Gabin, France greatest actor. There is no thread liking one part with another, no message to be told. It is just one recollection after another, which could go on forever, and indeed it went on as TV series of 10 episodes.

The movie or documentary fails because he actually carries very little interest. If you know French cinema prior to see this documentary, you will learn very little. If you don't know much about French cinema then yes, you will learn about Renoir, Becker, Gabin and The Great Illusion (the undisputed greatest movie ever made) but you will miss out on the legends that were Raimu, Fernandel, Bourvil, Clouzot, Dassin, De Funes and the greatest director out of them all Robert Bresson.

How come they've been left out? One might ask, well, for one thing, by time restrictions, although Clouzot and Guitry were touched upon in the TV series. But the main reason is Tavernier's own taste. Tavernier likes film noir and gritty films, hence the omission of all the comics of France Golden Age. He also isn't a particularly spirituel director, hence the omission of Bresson and Bunuel. It's a shame, it is similar to directing a documentary about the France football team and omitting to talk or even mention Zidane, Cantona and Papin.

A nice effort but lacking too much in structure and interest, although the first half is brilliantly told.

The Hole (1960)

A Perfect and a Brilliant Way to end a great career

[10/10 · 24 March 2019]

Le Trou, by veteran director Jacques Becker is one of those rare films which can be recognised as perfect. It is not the best film ever made, it doesn't aim to be. It is the story of an attempted jail break and the relationship between the five jail breakers. The movie is flawless and finds its best moments in the little details, such as the floor breaking scene, the building of an artificial clock, etc.

I am not a fan of prison movies, as I find them too 'easy', but Le Trou isn't really a movie about prison. There is no apparent bad persons, the characters aren't mistreated or desperate. This is the story of an organised and well thought jail break, and it is told without any of the clichés that we are now used to see.

Becker was an interesting director and a strange one, capable of the absolute best Golden Marie (Casque d'Or), Grisbi and Le Trou, but he also made a series of absolute stinkers, such as Ali Baba, despite the great Fernandel. I guess Becker truly was one of the greatest artist of the medium but he didn't always give himself the tools to do the job correctly. Eventually, whilst on the edge of death, he wanted to put the record straight with Le Trou, his last film. The result is a 10/10 movie and a well deserved placed at the Pantheon of the greatest filmmakers.

Solaris (1972)

Tarkovsky's only failure, his weakest film but still a good one

[7/10 · 26 February 2019]

Solaris, adapted from the science-fiction novel by Polish writer Stanislaw Lem, is Tarkovsky weakest film and, in his own words, his only failure. The story is simple, it is a science-fiction story set in a near future where Human kind has started its exploration of the Galaxy. Within their exploration, they've stumbled upon Solaris, a planet who seems alive. For decades, scientists have been trying to study the planet. As the researchs have all been inconclusive and costly, Kelvin, a psychologue, is sent to the Human station on Solaris to report on the last 3 scientists studying the planet, and, ultimately, decide whether or not research on Solaris must be abandoned.

Upon stepping on the station, he learns that the only scientist he knew, Gibarian, has committed suicide. He died because of shame. What shame? The shame of the Human presumption to be willing to learn about other alien intelligence when we do not understand the human soul ourselves. Kelvin quickly realises that it isn't men who are studying Solaris, but Solaris who is studying Human kind.

The movie mainly fails because of the lack of material. Tarkovsky's cinema is based on emotions that can be transmitted without words to the viewers. However, it proved impossible for the viewer to antagonise with the 2nd main character of the movie, Solaris impersonation of Kelvin's wife, simply because we know very early on that she is not human nor alive.

Tarkovsky will learn from his mistake in choosing the wrong material with his next and perhaps greatest film: Mirror. Mirror is the anti-Solaris, it is the response the movie had been seeking for, it is about the human soul, in this film, the world is Tarkovsky's oyster and, spurred on by the contraints of Solaris weak material, he makes the most of it.

Solaris is Tarkovsky's only failure because it fails to live up to the artist's principles. Tarkovsky's cinema is based about created material to spur the viewer's emotion, intelligence and interpretation. In Solaris, we feel no emotion, some intelligence, but we are left with only one straight forward interpretation.

This is why it is Tarkosky's weakest entry. Anyone really interested in the great director should probably start by Nostalgia or The Sacrifice which are accessible movies and bear everything of the essence of Tarkovsky as an artist, perhaps the greatest artist of the last Century.