À nous la liberté

This film by Rene Clair had got a lot of iconic and even comic moments: the prison scene where prisoners were sitting along a long table making models/toys under the suspicious eyes of the prison guards; the many grim factory sequences where workers clocked at the gate, queued up for their shifts; the interior of the factory that bored striking resemblance to that of a prison; the assembly line that kept workers working around the clock; the scene where everybody was trying to grab a big note blowing in the wind; the final shot where the two prison friends found themselves on the road again, having lost everything that belonged to them - dreams, a good life, and the prospect of a home. The film closed on an apparently a sad note, but with their love for a good tune and their appetite for a good laugh, they also seemed the happiest of all human kind.

Made in 1931 when sound was at its infantry, it was fascinating to see how directors then faced up the challenge of sound. In this case, the not so immaculate use of sound actually enhanced its rough charm. The prolong quiet moments interrupted by unexpected dialogues and music usually brought constant surprises as no clues were given as to when/whether there would be a song or a dislogue!

The real shock came when I read the plagiarism charge brought by its producer to the silent movie classic Modern Times, for it was then I realised why those iconic comic scenes seemed so vaguely familiar - although of course, this one was made a few years earlier than the Modern Times... If Charles Chaplin was indeed innocent, then it was a real wonder how close sometimes people's ideas were. Modern Times might be more funny for its gags, but I am most impressed by how fresh À nous la liberté is even today.

Jean Gabin and Pepe le Moko

I watched this Pepe le Moko by Julien last night. The film was fascinating on two accounts: firstly, the setting in the maze like seaside hilly town Casbah where first time visitors were bound to get lost in its many seemingly dead end lanes and multi-layered courtyards; secondary, the title role played by the charming Jean Gabin in his prime.

As marvelled by the police who could not figure out a way to catch Pepe the gangster as long as he stayed in Casbah, this laid back town was a culturally diverse one that looked like an miniature United Nation. Not only its residents were from different ethnic and racial groups, but the style of architecture also reflected it rich cultural heritage of its residents. Always sunny, the cinematography had taken advantage of both the natural light and its interesting architecture styles and turned it one of the most intriguing place ever caught in cinema.

As to Jean Gabin, a veteran film star in French cinema since the 1930s, he was effortlessly the epitome of charisma. I must have seen more than a dozen of films he starred in now, and I am yet to cease to be charmed by the characters he played and the ease he carried in all roles. My favourite moment of his had to be the brief scene in Jean Renoir's French Cancan where we found him sitting backstage tabbing his hands and feet in the rhythm of the music performing on stage. He knew the routine so well by then (though it was the opening performance) that he did not have to watch the stage performance to know what was exactly happening outside. He had a contented look on his face and seemed a man on his most satisfactory moment in life.

Pepe le Moko was said to be the early form of film noir, and indeed, it was, though in a much lighter way.

Gregory Peck

I thought I had watched everything by Hitchcock (the American period at least), but apparently not The Paradine Case. It wasn't even half as good as his best works, mainly, I think due to the weak script. The other disappointment is Gregory Peck who played the defence lawyer. Wooden is the word I would use to describe his performance and I was amazed to find that though his good looks was impeccable, the charm was absent somehow and there seemed to be a void in his brain. Pity is not enough to describe my disappointment because until that point, he was one of my childhood favourite actors, and I would have defended his name regardless of what others have to say about him. Not any longer.

The bad sleep well

I love both the title and the film made in 1960 by Akira Kurosawa. It is more than 2 hours long, but there has never been a dull moment. It captures the Japanese corporate culture vividly (or at least the one, stereotypical ones? that we know of) and explores in depth the true complicity in human: where lust, evil, love and tenderness can be bundled together in the main characters.

The film starts with a group of journalists rushing into a grand hall to observe a wedding in process. Amazingly, in the nearly 15 minutes sequence, the bunch of suit wearing journalists have all remained a respectful distance from the main hall where the invited guests are. They must be what can be called 'paperrazzis', trying to catch the latest development of a corruption scandal. Yet how civil and different they are from the contemporary ones! Even those with cameras have stayed away from the action/main hall and would only take snaps when they are instructed by, apparently, their superiors, who do not seem to carry anything with them! Not even a pen or piece of paper. Those were the days then when strict social and class distinction is still at work, and that although the competitiveness of media industry was already evident, rivals are still sharing their insiders' knowledge.

I have apparently watched a number of films by the lead actor Toshiro Mifane who plays the son-in-law in the film, both in works by the same director and others. On the cover, it says that he played the bandit in Roshomon, but no matter how hard I tried, I just could not figure out which role he was playing in this one! Perhaps this is just a proof of how versatile he had been. I might revisit Red Beard and Spider Web Castle, just for the performance from one of the greatest actor in Japan.

I was not convinced of the proclaimed greatness of Aikra Kurasawa, but after The Bad Sleep Well, I think I might have changed my mind a bit.

Coincidentally I have also got Shakespeare Retold in my pile of DVDs from the library and I would love to see how they differ in adapting Shakespeare in contemporary settings.

Sacret games

I have just finished reading this 'epic' by Vikram Chandra. It is over 900 pages long and it did feel like a journey when I was reading it over many weekends and late nights. It is a book that aims high and tries to engage readers with many layers of the Indian life that crosses two centuries. I enjoyed most of it, especially that on the police force, and in particular mundane encounters of the Sikh policeman. The bits on the gangster, though interesting at the beginning, was a trying later on. Firstly, I was not convinced that the narrative voice was appropriate throughout the novel. But one of the biggest slang had to be the endless preaches from 'guru', which was a bore, and I ended up skipping quite a few pages from the second half of the novel.

This is of a hybrid genre and I wonder what it was like to read his earlier works. Would be interesting to find out.

So far, my favourite novel by Indian authors is still 'The God of Small Things' by Arundhati Roy. Both writers are involved in film-script writings. I image VC's film would be materials for typical Bollywood stuff, when AR's could be more like an European cinema.

A friend of mine once commented that the best writers these days are from India. I think he might have a point here.

Fantomas

Another series of film that lasts for 5.5 hours by Louis Feuillade, made a year or two earlier than Les Vampires. Though the plots were even more 'naive', and at times even more nonsensical than Les Vampires, the tone is considerably lighter and it is more fun to watch.

I was intrigued mostly by the scenes which seemed to be taken in location and therefore provided a lot of historical insights not just in interior design, architeture, but also the way of living in pre-war France. The series also involved the police and a resourceful journalist, but unlike Les Vampires, the focus is more on the police. Again, the police or even the justice system was depicted as quite hopeless and was always outwitted by the criminals!

Interestingly, althought the series was made earier than Les Vampires, the performance was more contemporary in that the actors (or at least in the first of the five episodes) did not make it a point to stare at the camera and mouth their thoughts to the audience.

Fascinating watch!