fitzcarraldo Blog

Under discussion:

Jimmy Carter Man From Plains  (2007)

I appreciated the glimpses behind the scenes of this enigmatic yet unassuming leader. I had no idea he had studied nuclear physics... I was struck by the power in his humility. The anecdotes regarding Sadat and Begin at Camp David were eye-opening.

(Also, cool title treatments for you typography geeks out there...)

Under discussion:

Be Here to Love Me: A Film About Townes Van Zandt  (2005)

A compelling life. And I wouldn't want to shortchange the film as a simple narrative of a manic-depressive musical genius.

One comment that struck me most from the film was how Townes said he knew he pretty much had to "blow it all off"...family, friends, even life itself to be absolutely great in music. It does seem that ultimately for Van Zandt the music really was all it was about.

I'm not a huge fan of the music, but his passion for it was inspiring. My only difficulty with the film was that it was hard to sync with the hero worship that seems to pervade the film, but then again, this film is for and by those who loved the man.

It was especially touching to see the impact he had on his children, who despite his shortcomings seemed to want to do right by those he loved.

Definitely a great film for the fans, and the narrative style kept me intrigued despite my complete ignorance of his body of work.

Under discussion:

Ikiru  (1952)

So I decided to watch some of Kurosawa's older films, starting with Throne of Blood and this film, Ikiru (To Live).

Initially, I was struck by the western feel of this film, i.e. the use of the narrarative voice at points in the film and the style of the storytelling reminded me of It's a Wonderful Life. Indeed, the film is about an old man coming to grips with a short time to live due to stomach cancer and the change that can ensue with that information. Other notable Western influences were the "underground" Japan after-dark scenes, some of the music choices at times are decidedly non-Japanese.

The last 45 minutes or so were a bit slow for me, but the use of flashbacks to help finish the story through the eyes of men who knew the protagonist was interesting...maybe influenced by Citizen Kane?

For those interested in a contrast between the No-theatre influenced samurai films of Kurosawa, this is worth a watch.