'The Ballad of Narayama' (Narayama Bushiko) is a 1958 Japanese film directed by Keisuke Kinoshita. It was remade by Shohei Imamura in 1983.
The film tells the sad story of a village, set hundreds of years ago. Tradition dictates before an elder's 70th birthday, they must travel to the top of the local 'Mount Narayama' on the back of their sons and daughters, to be left up there to die. We are introduced to a Japanese family: Orin the 69 year old Granmother, Tatsuhei the widowed son and the arrogant grandson, who's girlfriend is pregnant. Before Orin becomes a great grandmother, she is adament to follow her family tradition and be left ontop of the mountain. Meanwhile, Tatsuhei is introduced to Tamayan, who is also 45 and lives in the next village. There is no time for celebration, as the new year is approaching and the mother-son relationship is getting increasingly emotional.
Everyone knows that remakes are worse than the originals. There are a few exceptions (The Fly, The Thing) where the remake is better than the original. Never have I seen a film which is so equally as good as the sequel. There are plenty of differences between the two, firstly this version is told in Kabuki Style, so the many speech-less moments are filled with clinging guitars and an old man singing. This may be a hindrance to some, but I feel it adds to the film, making it more distinctively Japanese. The second difference is that the original is filmed entirely on human created sets. The artistic style of this film is astounding, especially the autumn scenes with the crisp brown leaves. The colour of the sky changes between purple, red and blue, similar to Kurosawa's later works (Ran, Kagemusha, Madadayo, Dodes'Ka-Den).
As every film made now seems to be love-orientated, films made by Japan (Pre-New Wave), were always about honour(Seven Samurai), community (Ikiru), and society (Akensen Chitai). This film breaks from the mould and is orientated about family, and family bonds as well as the mother-son relationship. Even Freud would cry at this film, but I warning you not to watch it if you have recently experienced loss, as the film is a total tear-jerker.
TO CONCLUDE
The atmosphere the setting has created combined with the sad family-orientated subject matter makes this a film unlike any other.
SCORE
78
"Profound Desires of the Gods" is a 1968 Japanese film directed by Shohei Imamura.
The film tells the story of a family on the remote Kurage Island. The family is completely inbred, making storyline a bit confusing with sisters being daughters. Set in the 1960s (or present day as it's known back then), an engineer from Tokyo arrives to create an airport. The Futori family is incredibly superstitious and spiritual, with a crazy old granddad, a father who is sentenced to dig a hole until a boulder falls down it, an even more crazy daughter and a strange but dedicated son. You thought your family had problems...
Imamura is known for his primitive, revealing and violent directing, and this film fits all three. The family is primitive and almost cavemen like with their beliefs and how they live. The violence comes towards the end, with some startling scenes likely to linger in the memory.
The astounding cinematography oozes out colour from all surroundings, and the setting is gorgeous. I had no idea the Okinawa islands existed, but it turns out they are a holiday destination for the Japanese. Yes, the island of Kurage is purely fictitious, but I find it strange I haven't even heard of these islands. Some of them are closer to Taiwan, creating a bizarre mix of cultures.
This is one of those films where you could take a snapshot at any second during the duration, and it would be a great photograph. I must warn you the short musical numbers are quite painful,
TO CONCLUDE
Approaching 3 hours long, this film isn't an easy sit. However, if you are a fan of the Japanese New Wave, and/or lush landscapes and cinematography, you should enjoy it to the end.
SCORE
82
'Before the Rain' is a 1994 Macedonian film, directed by Milcho Manchevski.
The film is split into three unchronological parts. The first in named 'Words', where a monk who has taken a vow of silence, lets an Albanian girl hide inside his bed chambers. He learns she is escaping, because she is accused of killing a man. As a macedonian gang approach the monestary, he tries to keep her secret. The second part 'faces' is set in London, England. Anne is an English photographer who must choose between her boyfriend Nick, or her adventurous lover Aleksander, although she didn't need to as fate takes the helm. The third part is named 'Pictures' and is set in Macedonia, where Aleksander visits his home village after 16 years. Tensions between the Macedonians and the Bosnians are rising, and everyone carries a gun with them.
The quote at the beginning of the film states: "Time never dies, the circle is not round". Easy to ignore and forget about, but as the film approaches it's end, you realise the chapters aren't random, but tell a narrative which starts and finishes 40 minutes into the film. You do not realise this until the finale, resulting in a massive bone tingling surprise at the end.
The acting is powerful, particularly Alexsander, or 'Boris the Blade' from 'Snatch'. The London storyline suffers from a 'Twilight' plot, but apart from that, there is very little wrong with this film. Sure it doesn't match up to those 70s-80s Ex-Yugoslavian comedies, but it is the most visually stunning film to come from Eastern Europe excluding 'Bela Tarr'.
TO CONCLUDE
Powerful and beautiful. Another reason why 1994 is considered the best year in film history.
SCORE
77
'The Bird with a Crystal Plumage' (L'uccello dalle piume di cristallo) is a 1970 horror-mystery directed by Dario Argento.
One night, Sam Dalmas is walking home, when he sees an attempted murder in an art museum. He scares off the attacker, only for him to track Sam down. Sam gets curious about the murderer, which has killed innocent women before this incident, and tries to hunt him down. As he gets closer, more and more attempts at his life occur. Working with the police, they attempt to find this crazed serial killer, before there are more victims.
If you have never seen an Argento film before, you would like this more. He has certain tropes and ideas which carry through the majority of his work, and frankly, get boring after the third film. What makes this horror-mystery, unique is that it was one of the first. It introduced the world to a genre he created. During the 70s, lots of his, and other Italian horror directors's films contain a murderer, a guy looking for the murderer, and many women being stabbed. If you do not approve of women being stabbed, this film is not for you. There are 3-5 women being violently stabbed or murdered, but only one man, who gets thrown out of a window. Argento is a firm believer in the monstrous feminine.
Y'know how Fellini's later films were gross and weird, Pasolini's later films were camp and creepy and Antonioni has a thing for divorce? Well, Argento likes as many stabbed women as possible in his movies (see Suspiria, Deep Red).
This is an OK place to start with Italian Horror. Not horribly disturbing or wildly inventive. The final twist redeemed the film partially, but other than that, this is pretty missable.
TO CONCLUDE
I know this is remarkable for Argento's first film, the problem is, it's not scary, clever or entertaining. Only for horror die-hards. Watch Suspiria or Deep Red instead.
SCORE
67
'Under the Flag of the Red Sun' (unki hatameku motoni) is a 1972 Japanese film, directed by Kinji Fukasaku.
Sergeant Katsuo Togashi is killed in the Second World War. Sakie, his widow cannot claim the survivor benefits as he is labelled a deserter. Not knowing why, she sets on a quest to find out what really happened to him by tracking down his fellow troops. Each have a different and grisly story to tell, but they each seem to be different from one another. It isn't until she returns to the first guy she visited, that the truth is revealed.
The main reason for watching this was I wanted to see his early work, as Battle Royale is one of my favourite films. Between numerous Yakuza films he made, he made this anti-war film. Similar to Ichikawa's Fires on the Plains and Kobayashi's The Human Condition: Part 3, it shows the, absolute worst side of the Japanese-American war. Featuring, hunger, depression, and cannibalism in the many flashbacks this film takes us on. Each flashback being worse than the last, the film's primary goal is to tell us how terrible war is. The worst part of this anti-war film is the execution of an American Pilot. As he is about to get beheaded, the film switches to colour, and as the execution goes horribly wrong, he is left there squirming on the floor of the jungle.
As cinematography goes, it doesn't match the peak of 'Fires on the Plains' or 'The Human Condition' but it is still very beautiful to look at, particularly the final scene. The camera-work appears crazy in some places, rotating during the shot, changing from colour to monochrome, tilted shots, but this adds to the 'auterniss' (not a word but should be) of the film, making it distinct and especially stand-out.
TO CONCLUDE
Accessible, realist and very dark. A mysterious anti-war film that not only focuses on the horrors of war but also the future impact on the survivors.
SCORE
82
'Dear Diary' (Caro Diario) is a 1993 Italian film directed by and starring Nanni Moretti. As the title suggests, it is autobiographical and its structure is set up like a diary.
The film is split up into three distinct separate parts: 'On my Vespa', 'Islands' and 'Doctors'. 'On my Vespa' follows Nanni as he rides around Rome on his Vespa. In 'Islands' Nanni visits some Mediteranian islands where he meets some friends: Gerardo- A scholar who doesn't watch TV, A couple with a spoilt and overly indulged child and the mayor of Stromboli. Lastly 'Doctors' shows Nanni travelling to different doctors and medical experts to cure an itch. Strange story huh? I bet you are thinking the dreaded 'P word' (pretentious) but it isn't... that much...
The dialogue feels similar to a Woody Allen film, and is very random. In many scenes, Nanni talks to random strangers about bizarre topics (like the TV soap "The Bold and the Beautiful"), but the strangest thing is they talk back to him, normally, as if they don't think he is insane. Maybe because the film is what he is thinking about when writing the diary? As the title suggests, Nanni narrates his diary over the film.
The scenery is perfect. Some of the areas in Rome Nanni was travelling through in the first third, were rough and worn down. They would have looked terrible in most other films, but there is something wonderfully hypnotising about the cinematography during this part. The camera literally follows him, as he rides his Vespa in front. I don't know how, but this combined with the inane stories and vignettes create a rather enjoyable experience. The second third is set on the very exotic and beautiful 'Aeolian Islands', 'Stromboli' and the desolate 'Alicudi'. Nanni tries to find peace and quiet on these islands but other things get in the way. The final third is surprisingly depressing. The film is very enjoyable and beautiful up to that point, but the constant doctors appointments is darkly satirical and quite sad. Due to every movie, you think Nanni is invincible as he is the hero of the story. When it turns out something is seriously wrong, it makes the film so bitter and painful. It hits back the harsh realities of life, which the earlier parts of the film seems to be in an almost fantasy world.
Normally I am against films being mentioned in films as it breaks the fourth wall and it feels like the scriptwriter doesn't know what normal people talk about, so he just lets them talk about films as that is the only conversation starter he knows. But it is acceptable here, as it is, firstly, kind of like an autobiography and, secondly, the films he talks about are quite interesting. Especially travelling to the place Pasolini was assassinated.
TO CONCLUDE
A profound, scenic and rather strange film. A distinctive and autobiographical perspective on life.
SCORE
81
'I Know Where I'm Going' is a 1945 British film directed by Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger.
Set on The Isle of Mull, the story follows Joan Webster stuck on the island for numerous days due to gales and harsh tides stopping her from getting to another island 'Kiloran'. As she is stuck, she meets Torquil MacNeil and they slowly fall in love. Through her whole life she thinks she knows where she is going, but turns out her life is more unexpected than planned.
The 1940s was a golden era for British films, thanks to the efforts of 'The Archers' and 'Ealing Studios'. Preceding 'A Matter of Life and Death', this is a smaller, quainter film. Filmed partly on The Isle of Mull, this is a true taste of rural Scotland. I went to the Isle of Mull for a week, last year on holiday, and it still feels like the film: full of friendly Scots and not many tourists. Also on the island is Tobermory, where they filmed Balamory with the colourful houses. I Know Where I'm Going was made in black and white (pre-Jack Cardiff) and has many similarities with 'A Canterbury Tale', which features many reminiscent sites around the Canterbury area, where Powell was born. Canterbury Christ Church University (where I study) even has a building named after him.
The only thing which could get on your nerves is the British accents. This being the 1940s, the English accents have a posh and slightly annoying vibe, but the Scottish accents are fine.
TO CONCLUDE
The film isn't anything breathtaking or astonishing, but a peaceful, relaxing film (par the storm scenes).
SCORE
76
