civex Blog

Under discussion:

Catch-22  (1970)

Directed by Mike Nichols, the screenplay by Buck Henry is totally brilliant. The novel by Joseph Heller is itself brilliantly written, with nuances and subtleties many readers miss. Henry caught the gist of the novel and got it on screen, using the device of returning again and again to an airplane with a scene we don't fully see, showing us a little more each time, then fading to white as we get the voice over of the next scene. We get the circularity of the novel and the scattered sanity of Yossarian as he struggles to keep his shredded reality less tattered if not totally intact.

The cast is incredible. Nichols gives us an all-star cast without the drivel of such disasters as "A Bridge Too Far" and "The Longest Day." The cast includes Alan Arkin, Martin Balsam, Richard Benjamin, Buck Henry, Bob Newhart, Anthony Perkins, Paula Prentiss, Martin Sheen, John Voight, and Orson Welles, among many, many others.

Henry had to make a movie out of the novel, so he made some hard choices, excising characters and situations that some find disappointing. My suggestion is to see the movie as the movie without comparing it to the book; on the other hand, I'm astounded at how well Henry captured the essence of Heller and his work. Jon Voight is chilling as Minderbinder, who is in my very humble opinion the lynchpin of the movie. When Minderbinder tells Yossarian, "Then they'll understand," the full impact of World War II (and who's the real enemy) shatters Yossarian's weakening sanity.

For me the end of the novel and the end of the movie are unsatisfying, but the ride is still worth it.

Trivial notes concerning the people involved in the movie. Mike Nichols also directed "The Graduate," with Anne Bancroft and Dustin Hoffman. Charles Grodin (Arfy Aardvark) was supposed to play Benjamin, but couldn't agree on a salary with Nichols, so Bancroft suggest Dustin Hoffman to Nichols - she'd heard about Hoffman from her husband, Mel Brooks, who had just signed Hoffman for his movie "The Producers." Hoffman bailed on Brooks and did "The Graduate" instead. Norman Fell (Sgt. Towser) played Benjamin's landlord in a short scene (also involving Richard Dreyfus) in "The Graduate." Bob Balaban (Capt. Orr) was in "Midnight Cowboy" with Jon Voight (and Dustin Hoffman, of course). Buck Henry wrote a TV series for Richard Benjamin (Major Danby), who is married to Paula Prentiss (Nurse Duckett). Orson Welles (General Dreedle) did the voice-over narration for Mel Brooks's "History of the World." Mel Brooks and Buck Henry developed "Get Smart." Bob Newhart (Major Major Major) and Peter Bonerz (Capt. McWatt) were in The Bob Newhart Show together. And Susanne Benton (Dreedle's WAC) had a completely unrelated role in the totally unrelated "A Boy and his Dog."

Under discussion:

Divine Intervention  (2002)

This 2002 film is almost a documentary. Elia Suleiman directed and plays a major role in what many call a comedy about life in Nazareth at the time the film was made. It may be of greater interest now than when released because of current events.

I watched the director's commentary after watching the movie on DVD. It seems that the first half of the movie is about life in occupied Nazareth from the view of the Arabs who live there. Nazareth is a large city in northern Israel which Wikipedia says is the Arab capital; Arab residents are by far the largest segment of the population.

This half of the movie shows the boiling anger against the occupation being taken out on each other - friendly waves as you pass, muttered curses under your breath. The movie gets off to a slow start, but I soon began to chuckle, then laugh aloud at the goings on. I'm sure if you live there, you know much more about what's going on in the movie than I do as an American living in another world.

At some point in the movie, the unnamed character played by Suleiman begins meeting a woman in a parking lot near an Israeli checkpoint. The scenes are remarkable for both their romanticism and their stoic heartbreak as they caress each other's hands and watch the Israeli soldiers abuse the Arabs passing through the check point.

Viewers should be aware that there are several scenes which are fantasy: Suleiman's character throws a persimmon pit out the window onto an Israeli army tank and blows the tank to smithereens; a woman walks by the Israeli checkpoint, and the elevated guard tower collapses. The woman becomes a ninja fighter and kills trained plainclothes soldiers or police (I don't know which) by throwing rocks, darts, and other objects at them as they shoot at her repeatedly, reload, and shoot again. At one point, she elevates and looks down on them from the air in the position of a crucified person with a crown of bullets circling her head. The symbolism is pretty heavy at times.

"Divine Intervention" is both funny and poignant. It is entirely from the viewpoint of the Arabs, but it skewers both sides without being propagandistic and heavy handed.

Under discussion:

Lost in Translation  (2003)

Sofia Coppola wrote and directed this quietly excellent movie starring Bill Murray, Scarlett Johansson, and some other people who don't matter. The gist of the movie is that Bob Harris (Murray) and Charlotte (Johannsson) are alone in Tokyo with some time on their hands. They begin a caring, affectionate, sex-free relationship that can't go anywhere, and then it ends.

Coppola contrasts the weird, alien world of Japan with relatively ordinary Americans stuck there for various reasons. Charlotte's husband is there on a job; she tagged along because they're recently married but she can't be with him while he works. Bob is a has-been American actor who's still popular in Japan, so he's paying the bills doing commercials for a whisky. Coppola does an entertaining job using Bob to show the discrepancies between the mores and life of Japanese and those of Americans. Bob meets Charlotte, and each has the opportunity to share their mutual alienation with someone alike. Coppola's script is very good, and Bob and Charlotte's relationship grows naturally, although we know it's doomed because of their age difference. (Actually, it was nice for a change not to have a gorgeous twenty-something falling in love with a fifty-something guy, which seems to be the fantasy of all the men in Hollywood.) 

Johansson and Murray are wonderful in the film. The characters' relationship becomes relaxed as the two get to know each other and grow more comfortable with their affection, and the two actors wear the roles well. We follow them around as they explore Tokyo, have fun, sing, eat, and such - just a couple of tourists. The scenes of Tokyo, whether on the street or through their hotel windows add meaningfully to their lostness.

Nothing much happens during the movie. We see the characters meet, grow together, then part as their worlds take them in other directions. It's a life we've all lived and know. A very good adult film that lets us look in on the lives of other competent adults who handle things appropriately for their ages -- things including loss.