Withnail & I blog

“How can one believe in God, …

“How can the same believe in Demigod, and in Christ, His Son, and do what you do?”

The Film:

The Ninth Day (Der Neunte Tag) tells the story of Father Henri Kremer (Ulrich Mattes- Der Untergang/Downfall), a Luxembourg priest thrown into the well of souls-Dachau. Together with a group of catholic priests from all over Luxembourg, Belgium, and Holland Father Henri is awaiting the fate which the Nazis have chosen for him and everyone else unwilling to recognize the new regime-death. Miraculously, Father Henri is granted nine days during which he must return back to Luxembourg, bury his deceased mother, convince Joseph Philippe, the bishop of Luxembourg, also known as “The Silent One” to embrace the new order, and report back to Dachau. Can Father Henri manage to save the lives of his brothers in Dachau, convince the bishop of Luxembourg to reconsider his stance, and remain true to his fate?

A film that simply defies any categorization you might want to consider Der Neunte Tag has spurred some very extreme reactions throughout Europe and as it appears now in North America as well due to its brave involvement with a subject that to say the least is deemed rather sensitive-the official policy of the Catholic Church during the WWII and its treatment of the Nazi regime. Based on the book by Father Jean Bernard which follows his ordeal in Dachau and his journey back to Luxembourg Der Naunte Tag explores simultaneously two different subject matters. The first one follows the personal struggle of Father Henri to survive his captors and has a more restrained and in my opinion personal feel. The second one tackles a much broader issue which as history tells us has spurred countless opinions regarding what would have been the most appropriate course of action for the Vatican with the heart of Europe conquered by the Nazis.

Acclaimed director Volker Schlondorff (The Tin Drum) certainly shows a great deal of respect to Father Bernard’s work as the story remains largely truthful to what the book describes. Der Naunte Tag captures perfectly a man’s struggle to remain true to his fate in a time when godless deeds are being done. From the graphic tortures in Dachau to which the viewer is exposed to the subtle address of the Vatican’s “silence” Der Naunte Tag is withtout a doubt a film of engrossing visual power.

Many have tagged Der Naunte Tag a “shameless Catholic propaganda”; many have also described this film as one of the more honest depictions of a time when “faith” was a vain word. I happen to share the latter description. I am unsure how the personal journey of a man who during the course of this story begins to question his own fate in God can diminish the powerful message which Volker Schlondorff’s film delivers. Morality, the ability to endure the unthinkable, the power to remain truthful to your fate, these are all aspects of Der Naunte Tag which Schlondorff dissects with immaculate precision.

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I fail to see how Der Naunte Tag is a badly structured excuse or propaganda of some sort as some are eager to claim. If anything this is a film that asks some serious questions. Towards the middle of Der Naunte Tag Father Henri asks the bishop of Luxembourg to address the Nazi occupation of his country. In return the bishop responds “Do you know what happened in the Netherlands?” (after a letter of protest signed by Dutch priests more than 40,000 of them were exterminated by the Nazis). Consider what would have an official letter of disapproval from the Pope instigated…another genocide as fierce as the one Stalin unleashed upon religious leaders in the former Soviet Union?

I am far from oversimplifying the message which Der Naunte Tag delivers by describing it as “propaganda”. Doing so would be unfair to those involved with this project. I also do not think that the film, and even more so its director, need to address any such claims as they are ridiculous and in my opinion disrespectful to those who vanished in the concentration camps. This is a much more complex film that is meant for those that can see beyond a literary “reality” and consider what human suffering can cause to your fate…regardless of your religion.

I find it difficult to analyze films that deal with part of our history that is as charged with emotions, most of them negative, as the WWII. Furthermore, it seems like very few films manage to perfectly capture that subtle element of believability (Der Untergang is a perfect example) that would truly separate the amateurish work from that worth seeing. Der Naunte Tag is a pleasant exception…every little bit of it is charged with so much emotion and controversy that they truly transform it into a cinematic experience unlike any other.

How Does the DVD Look?

Presented in an aspect ratio of 1.85:1 and enhanced for widescreen TV’s the DVD looks exceptionally good. This is one remarkably good looking print…BUT…Of course, in lieu with Kino Video’s past track record they have provided a PAL sourced print for this film which quickly cooled off my enthusiasm. There is some obvious “ghosting” which we associate with such ports and I am quite a bit upset as this could have been one mighty good looking package. I have some very strong suspicions that Kino have simply ported the Austrian disc which came awhile ago as this good of a transfer is highly unusual for them.

I don’t quite know what would take for Kino to begin flagging their transfers properly and drop the dreaded PAL ports once and for all!!! They have some great films in their catalog but presentations such as this one which shows that a beautiful print is indeed available only leads me to believe that someone in Kino is simply not interested in making that extra bit of effort and delivering a quality to their releases that consumers obviously at least to me expect.

How Does the DVD Sound?

Presented with a 2.0 German track and optional English subtitles the DVD sounds rather well. I don’t find any issues that would detract from your viewing pleasure. All in all a solid presentation!!

Extras:

In addition to the gallery of trailers for other Kino releases there is a great interview with Volker Schlondorff (in English) which sheds some light on the project, the manner in which it was put together, and the history behind this film.

Final Words:

An astonishing and quite frankly overwhelming film!! A pure cinematic experience which those with a fine taste in quality films will truly appreciate. Without a doubt one of my Top 10 films this year which despite the unfortunate video presentation I am going to HIGHLY RECOMMEND!!!

“Is The Crown At War With Us?…

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“Is The Crown At War With Us?” provides a marvellous chronicle of the conflict between the Canadian government and the native Mi’gmaq people all over traditional fishing rights. Practised documentarian Alanis Obomsawin highlights the gross inequality of the forces at play as a veritable armada of commercial and governmental aeroplane descends on a elfin join of niggardly native boats, inflicting maihem and wound, level threatening lives. Assortment against a splendid backdrop of mould and lots, visually compelling docu, which places the struggle in a common larger context of historical and cultural oppression, should coast fest waters before finding a cosy berth on out of the closet TV or indie wire.

Genie-nominated, National Film Board-produced docu makes a strong case for the argument that the Canadian government, in collusion with large-scale commercial fishing interests, effectively conspired to wage war against Mi’gmaq fishermen. Award-winning producer/writer/helmer Obomsawin (”Kanehsatake: 270 Years of Resistance,” “My Name Is Kahentiioska”) interviews a wide range of articulate and passionately involved participants in the ongoing drama that centered around events in Esgenoopetitj (aka Burnt Church), New Brunswick, on Miramichi Bay in the summer of 2000.

In 1999, the Canadian Supreme Court upheld the treaty protected right of the Mi’gmaq people to fish where they had fished for centuries without licenses or regard to season. The decision initially appeared to begin the stemming of a longstanding deterioration of native rights.

But the landmark legal decision left much discretionary power in the hands of the Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO), and that department sought to impose limits in the name of conservation. However, those limits appeared irreconcilable with the Mi’gmaq’s court-mandated right to fish in order to assure a “moderate livelihood.” Furthermore, the policy granted far more scope to non-native fishing businesses while limiting the Mi’gmaqs to an infinitesimal slice of the pie.

Obomsawin includes spokespeople from the other side. But the by-rote self-congratulatory pronouncements of a Royal Canadian Mounted Police captain and the unctuous rationalizations of a DFO minister ring especially hollow in the face of certain indelible visuals: a shot of a respected Mi’gmaq tribesman being hauled ashore, bloody, bound and beaten, or the sight of a DSO vessel mowing down a little fishing boat and then U-turning to run it over again.

Tech credits far outclass those of the usual DV-shot docu, with striking imagery and music that asserts its own cultural advocacy.

You’ll never guess what this o…

You’ll in no way guess what this one is about. Funnily adequately, it’s about this mountainous circus tent that mysteriously appears up in the woods by a small American town, and then there’s all these totally weird clowns who go around doing, groove on, gross things to people with projectile confectionery floss. Seems the clowns are on a occupation from (surprise) outer stretch to collect human bodies for food. However, they are foiled by the brood hero, who discovers that you can kill ‘em if you knock idle their brawny red noses. Absolutely ridiculous, the meeting exquisitely dumb, the acting soooo pernicious, it’s an individual as cheap laughs.

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The Long Riders review

Possibly the most untamed fighting portion in the entire U.S. Civil War, William Quantrill and his “Quantrill’s Raiders” were a guerilla cavalry belt that operated along the Kansas-Missouri border. Master of the lightning descend upon, Quantrill and his men would dash into enemy province, pillaging and killing and terrorizing Union soldiers and civilians alike. Quantrill was in the end killed on a rifle into Kentucky in 1865, but his legacy would live on after the War Between the States had ended. In the barbarous era of Reconstruction that followed the war, Confederate-friendly Missourians were expected to swallow their pride as Union money and influence led a peaceable invasion of their homeland. Relying on skills perfected while serving until Quantrill, men in the manner of Jesse and Frank James and Cole and Jim Younger, along with others, turned to a life of felony, robbing the Union-backed banks and trains that set their way into Missouri.

Possibly no name in Western lore is better known than that of Jesse James. From their first bank robbery in 1866 to his death in 1882, the James Gang rode over the acreage in and roughly Missouri robbing banks, trains and stagecoaches as they chuffed. Attempting to cover the curriculum vitae of James’ exploits in a 100-minute film would be impossible. The Dream of Riders does not crack to do that. Instead, we enrol in the gang on a variety of raids and see how they lived their private lives. Also central to the story is how they avoided the Pinkerton Detective Power-led manhunt that sought to bring them to right in the years leading up the climactic Northfield, Minnesota bank robbery of 1876.

Over thirty films have planned been made with regard to Jesse James. Such legendary figures as Tyrone Power, Roy Rogers, Audie Murphy, Clayton Moore, and Robert Duvall entertain played James since the first such film, Jesse James Under the Hyacinthine Label, was shown in 1921. As pilot Walter Hill is seep known as one of the most meticulous men in Hollywood, it comes as little surprise that, by and large, The Prolonged Riders is the most accurate evaluate adaptation of the James-Younger saga to ever grace the big screen. While Hill and the leader collaborate, which included both Keach brothers, enlist certain insignificant liberties with the reliable record (many of which I have outlined in a spoiler-filled paragraph at the end of this review), he stays generally faithful to the events as they really occurred. The authenticity of the look and bedeck of the epoch, as accurately as Ry Cooder’s fantastic original music, are spot on.

The Desire Riders features one of the most noted casting gimmicks in the narration of the cinema. Four sets of brothers play crucial roles in this tidings. These four sets of brothers are played by actual brothers! Jesse and Uninhibited James are played by James and Stacy Keach. Cole, Jim, and Bob Younger are played by David, Keith, and Robert Carradine. Clell and Ed Miller are played by Randy and Dennis Quaid. Lastly, Bob and Charlie Ford are played by Nicholas and Christopher Guest. Even though this is certainly an compelling casting idea, and chestnut that definitely assisted in the marketing of the veil, it really neither adds nor detracts from the quality of the performances. The Sustained Riders does not feature any Oscar¨-eminence standout performances but, with barely a few spasmodical exceptions, the fulfil done by the actors here is more than competent.

The Long Riders features plenty of import to keep fans of action-replete Westerns delight. Be warned, however, that this is no light-hearted fluff when it comes to scenes of bestiality. Hill pulls no punches and I suspect that first-time viewers will descry the film’s violent climax both celebrated and disturbing. The tall tale line is compelling, albeit a bit rushed. Most films prior to this portrayed James as either a Draconian villain or a Robin Hood-esque hero. This film avoids this pratfall and entirely portrays him for what he was. The audience is left to make its own judgements as to the true character of Jesse James. It ordain doubtlessly not be an easy definition to make.

SPOILER FOREWARNING: The following paragraph discusses the only one departures from the reliable record that this sheet takes. If you contain not under any condition seen it or are not already intimately familiar with the life of Jesse James, please skip this paragraph.

Many of the historically misleading elements of The Long Rider result not from intentional verifiable “liberties” (an activity that Hollywood is notorious for), but from Hill’s have a go to cover such a wide thickness of events in 100 minutes of run outdated. With no other knowledge, viewers might hype a dismount the impression the events portrayed occurred within a extent short chronology. In the interest of example, Jesse James was not in actuality murdered by Charlie Ford until six years after the Northfield descend upon. Similarly, Ingenuous James did not turn himself in to Pinkerton agents until a number of months after Jesse’s death. One might also be under the stamp that the band was a cohesive section with membership narrow to the James brothers, the Youngers, and the Millers up until Northfield. In fact, the gang had numerous other members who came and went. Jim Younger’s membership, as an case, was extremely sporadic. Other smaller deviations from the historical narrate include: Archie, the half-brother, was a healthy nine-year-aged boy not a fifteen-year-old simpleton, Clell Miller was killed in Northfield (he did not snuff it after escaping), the Northfield window scene didn’t find, Jesse was killed in the morning, not after an evening luncheon, and Frank did not turn himself in so that he could bury his sibling.

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3 Women review

Shelley Duvall is perhaps the most misunderstood and underappreciated American actress of the times gone by several decades. A twitching mass of nervous tics and gangly legs and arms, Duvall was seldom anybody´s idea of a conventional Hollywood actress. Continue in a unique twangy accent one vaguely identifiable as Texan, and it seems similarly to one of modern cinema´s minor miracles that she had a film career at all.

Robert Altman first cast this most unacceptable of stars in Brewster McCloud (1970) after he spotted her selling cosmetics in a Houston mall. He continued to throw away her in his antique 1970s films including critical favorites "McCabe and Mrs. Miller" and "Nashville." Duvall´s store of eccentricities, her look, her own strange way of moving, made her one of the most intensely physical of all actresses; possibly this is what Pauline Kael meant when she described Duvall as nearly "a female Buster Keaton." No other actress could possibly yield b set forth the notwithstanding undeniable presence to a role. Duvall turned in performances, ones feasibly without affect, which no other actress in Hollywood could possibly replicate.

Due to her untypical show and way of movement, she never really got the unforeseen to headliner in a pic, at least not until Altman for ever gave her the opportunity to shine in his 1977 motion picture, "3 Women." In "3 Women," Duvall plays Millie Lammoreux, a spa therapist and wanna-be cosmopolitan stuck in a nowhere town in the middle of the California justice. Millie lives in her own world, superb up conversations with co-workers who don´t want to listen, and flirting with doctors who without doubt have no engagement. In Millie´s world, she´s the apple of every man´s eye and the sustenance of every interest, a testament to her ability to tune out truth. Her neighbors forthrightly forged her, and she spends most of her anon a punctually alone reading fashion magazines or refining recipes for chocolate pudding tarts. In truly, nobody seems to nurse about Millie at all, at least not until Pinky Rose shows up.

Pinky (Sissy Spacek) is the new sheila at the spa. So young and itsy-bitsy she looks emphatically elfin, Pinky latches onto Millie as her role model, imitating all she does and eventually moving in with her. She follows Millie like a puppy dog, including on trips to Millie´s favorite but where the bartender is a woman named Willie (Janice Rule). Willie is eight months pregnant and never talks, preferring to express herself through her painting; strange, mysterious drawings of earth-goddess women that enter into the picture throughout the integument.

Inspired in participation by Ingmar Bergman´s "Persona," the movie takes a sudden turn hither halfway in the course. Shy, passive Pinky (whose material renown, by the way, is Mildred - just like Millie) has an accident and when she recovers, she´s a completely different himself. And we come to realize she´s not at best any woman; she seems to be turning into Millie Lammoreux. The crazy about, taste Pinky becomes angry, advantage and sexually voracious, stealing Millie´s semi-boyfriend (who also happens to be fruitful Willie´s soften.).

The win initially half of the film is absolutely straightforward though the wailing music on the soundtrack creates an atmosphere of commination. As the film progresses, particularly after Pinky´s transformation, inferential and order momentarily fall by the wayside and the film seems to be less Altman and more David Lynch. Pinky and Millie inevitably feud in a climactic scenery in which Willie gives extraction, sole to set the tier for a definitely bizarre ultimate vista which recasts the inviolate film though in what terms, it´s hard to say.

The plot of "3 Women" is profound to delineate, largely because it doesn´t necessarily make a whole lot of sagacity. Every broad daylight activities are cast as unfamiliar, identities constantly get, and the center eventually collapses altogether. It´s more of a illusion than a clear anecdote; in fact, Altman claims he dreamed the unequivocally idea. “3 Women” is an attempt by Altman at art-line provocation, an exercise in shifting tones and mysterious twists that power or might not amount to a as a rule fortune. The creepy, foreboding mood is high more high-ranking than the actual story and you´ll either be sucked in by the frame of mind or not. I´m not entirely assured whether the film really works or qualifies more as an interesting but ultimately unsuccessful experiment by individual of American cinema´s most relentless experimenters.

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