Life is Beautiful

Life is Beautiful can be divided easily into two very different halves. The first half is comedy and character development, the second more serious. They were almost like two different movies for me.

The characters were lovable, especially Guido. Roberto Benigni does an amazing job with this role, and rightly earned an Oscar. The romance with Dora was well-developed and entertaining, with the necessary touch of suspense and conflict (her engagement to another man principally). By the time she makes the choice to love Guido, the audience has long fallen for him.

The small hints of racial persecution were almost a side note, and didn't appear to affect Guido in the least. That gave his character a bit of a one-dimensional factor. His carefree humor was fun to watch, but in the end gave him a lack of depth.

Before I watched the movie I read a very short synopsis about it and was expecting something about a small boy and the holocaust. I actually had the thought that maybe I had read it wrong, or I had read something about a completely different movie. Then the second half began, and that's when the movie started to get to the point.

The character development of the first half really paid off in the second half, when we understood the relationship between Guido and his son almost immediately because of what we already knew about Guido.

The "game" in the camp was an interesting irony, but this is where the movie went off track for me. Life in the death camps under Nazi reign was too horrific to lighten up, and attempts to treat the soldiers as unaware and ineffective were all too unreal. The reality of the efficiency of the German army at killing human beings is too much a part of my consciousness. The suspense of disbelief was hard to achieve with all we know about the holocaust. 

There were a few times the humor was over the top for me, and situations too unbelievable. The scene in the school where Guido impersonated the school official became slapstick and went a little too long and too far. When Guido "translated" the camp rules it was clever and funny, but the sense that it was far out of the realm of what could really have happened overwhelmed the scene.

One of the downsides of the movie was Nicoletta Braschi. Her character was flat and her acting fell short of expressing emotional depth and suffering.

The movie seemed to be making a point that I really agree with -- to find the best in life, and make the most of whatever situation you may be in. It seemed to say that you can find beauty, love, and even humor in life's darkness. But for me it went a little too far, and it must be acknowledged that there are some situations that defy "lightening up".

The Cove

The Cove has all the elements that make a good documentary, combined with the great storytelling techniques of a regular movie. Even those who are not fans of the genre will enjoy watching this award-winning film.

The Cove is a cinema verite piece, and the point of view of the director is easily ascertained. There are pieces that are left directly for observation  purposes, but most of the action is set up in a way that it's obvious which characters are on the right side, and which are shown to be misled, manipulative, and evil.

Ric O'Barry is set up from the beginning to be our protagonist, and it is easy to sympathize with his dramatic story of Kathy. In one moving scene, he talks about her death:

Ric: they can end their life whenever life becomes too unbearable by not taking the next breath. And it's in that context I use the word suicide. She did that. She swam into my arms, looked me right in the eye, and took a breath ... and didn't take another one.

As we are lead through his personal change of heart in regards to dolphin captivity, we gain an understanding of his drive as well as an increase in empathy for the dolphins. Because dolphins are already a beloved animal, the filmmakers start out with an advantage. They don't have to do much convincing that dolphins are worthy of saving, and that their mistreatment is a terrible injustice. But one of the great techniques in this film is that they don't make any assumptions, but take the time to strengthen their position. Ric comes across in the film as sincere, emotionally invested, and very deeply troubled by the wrongs committed in Taiji.

In many documentaries, suspense is a very difficult thing to accomplish. I think that's one of the areas this movie excels at. The clandestine operation to film the barbaric hunting is suspenseful and entertaining. From the construction of the hidden cameras to the late-night plants, suspense about whether the team will be successful is built up and maintained.

The diplomatic struggle within the IWC was intriguing. The role of Joji Morishita as the story's villain didn't even require him to speak. The intrigue with the alleged vote-buying was an interesting side story to the main interest.

Another strongly related side-note was the mercury poisoning aspect of the dolphin meat. The movie took the time to explain the risks, showing the damage to children in Minamata. Those images were powerful, especially when placed side-by-side with healthy children eating dolphin meat in their school lunch. This was an instance of well-done editing telling the story better than words.

Sometimes in documentaries, after talking about a certain event for the length of the film, when you get around to actually seeing what they've been talking about you're bored with it, and it doesn't quite meet up to built up expectations. This didn't happen here. The actual images of the dolphin "hunt" were emotionally disturbing. After all the times the slaughter was talked about and around, the actual video was still as bad as expected -- maybe worse.

Chariots of Fire

Chariots of Fire at first glance looks like another sports film about running. There are elements of that genre, but also many variations and layers that make it worth watching.

The movie is about the Olympic games, and about the hard work, dedication, and intensity of competing at that level. But it's also about what drives different people to succeed. The characters of Harold Abraham and Eric Liddell had such different motivations for their athletic achievements, and the movie explored them well.

Ian Charleston played the role of Eric Liddell, a strongly principled christian missionary. The sincerity, conviction, and faith of the character came across in every scene. He was soft-spoken, kind, and confident in his beliefs. Many times in movies strongly principled characters come across as very one-dimensional, but this role was acted so well that Eric came across as real and someone the audience could root for. This range for the character wasn't done with his lines, because most of them were about faith and strength of character. The dimension of the character came more from expressions and non-verbal cues. Ian Charleston truly understood the man he was portraying, and acted it well.

The role of Harold Abraham was played by Ben Cross. Harold's motivation for his success in running was to escape the prejudice against him as a Jewish man in England. From the beginning, it was understood that Harold had a chip on his shoulder about his heritage, and an expectation of being the victim of prejudice. When those expectations were fulfilled, as in the meeting with the leaders of Cambridge, Harold's part was acted well.  On his face were mixed emotions of anger and hurt, but also somehow a thrill of being right all along, and met expectations. This scene in particular was acted so well, and the nuances of what the character may have been thinking and feeling came across in his mannerisms and facial expressions better than any delivered lines. This character required an intensity that could easily have been overacted, but wasn't.

The supporting cast was well played, it seemed that every actor portrayed their role well. Some worth mentioning are Dennis Christopher as Paddock, who did a great job with almost no actual lines, and Cheryl Campbell as Jennie Liddell who made her small role into an important part of the plot. Ian Holmes' role as trainer was interesting and his portrayal moving. The scene where he finds out that Harold has won the medal was especially well done.

I don't think I can talk about this movie without mentioning the score. It is truly iconic, and has been rattling around in my head since I saw the movie. The scenes at the beginning and end on the beach with what I would call the "theme" of the music just couldn't be better.

Set and costume design were a great part of the movie as well, I truly felt transported to the 1920s. The running gear, the Olympic ceremonies, even the small details of the hats they all wore, were parts of the transformation to an earlier era.

The Conversation

Not only had I never seen The Conversation before, but I'd never heard of it before last week. I was surprised that it is a Francis Ford Coppola film, that it is so unknown, and that it is so good.

I've been learning about sound design and sound editing, and so I paid particular attention to those aspects of the film as I was watching. I think even if I hadn't paid particular attention, the sound editing of the film would have gotten my attention. The mixing of the voices of the young couple being spied on was suspenseful.  As you heard the tape over and over, different things were amplified and clarified. When things were unclear or the voices were inaudible, they were often fixed in a later scene and more of the conversation was understood. This was a great way to build up suspense through the film using dialogue and sound.

Another interesting part of the sound was the use of music. Harry Caul, the main character, was an introverted and solitary man. This was expressed in many ways, but the music was one of the most compelling. Whenever it seemed that Harry had a lot to think about, the sounds of the world around would diminish and the music would increase in volume. It was an interesting tool to get the audience to think about what's in Harry's head.

One of the conversation pieces that was repeated many times was the young woman talking about the man sleeping on the park bench. 

Ann: I always think that he was once somebody's baby boy. Really, I do. I think he was once somebody's baby boy, and he had a mother and a father who loved him, and now there he is, half dead on a park bench, and where are his mother or his father, all his uncles now?

This part of the conversation seemed to compel Henry to think of the young couple, and want to protect the woman. That ended up to be irony in the end.

There was one particular line of the man to the woman that was harder for Henry to bring out, and ended up being, "He'd kill us if he got the chance." The first time you hear that line, you are worried for the couple and it increases empathy and suspense. It's not until after the couple was found out to be the murderers that you understand the subtle emphasis of "he'd kill us if he got the chance," which changes the entire meaning of the sentence.

The character of Henry Caul was complex, and the effects of his demons were obvious, even before we understood what they were. One of his most telling lines was "I'm not afraid of death, but I am afraid of murder." This fear compels many aspects of his solitary and complicated life.

The story line was interesting and the ending a complete surprise. The pace was slower than current movies, but if you are willing to sit through the ending is worth the wait.