Monsieur Hire

This film demonstrated to me that, despite some inherent flaws, the system Netflix uses to suggest related titles can sometimes make appropriate choices and lead subscribers to discover films that might otherwise remain unwatched. This little gem popped up on my Netflix account as another title I might enjoy based on the fact that I had recently watched a few French thrillers. Monsieur Hire's description of murder, voyeurism and suspense sounded intriguing so I gave it a try. While the film certainly does contain all the previously mentioned thriller elements it is also a moving character study of an isolated, lonely outsider who yearns for nothing more than deep human connection and love. Monsieur Hire (1998) is a very good film whose European origins come through in the fact that it is a slow-paced, intelligent tale instead of some high concept, nail-biting thriller. 

Hire is an isolated loner living in an apartment building where neighbors whisper about him behind his back and children play pranks on him. In response to this Hire has become a loner with a tough exterior who has convinced himself he does not care to belong because he despises people anyway. He lives a very orderly and solitary existence, going to work each day and then returning home to listen to music and eat a quiet dinner. Hire doesn’t interact with people except to conduct his work (as a tailor) or to meet the required social formalities, such as saying “Good morning” to passersby. He also going to the bowling alley where, despite not being friendly with other bowlers, he is admired for his skill at the game.

Instead of participating in life he observes others, for Hire is a voyeur. Each night he puts on the same piece of classical music, dims the lights and watches a woman who lives in an apartment across the courtyard. Night after night he watches her read, sleep, get dressed or make love to her boyfriend. Rather than being appalled by his behavior, one feels sadness for Hire because you sense his loneliness and yearning to connect with another human, and his complete inability to do so. His spying, while erotic, does not seem to be the fulfillment of some sexual fantasy but rather the fulfillment of a human need.

A wrench is thrown into Hire’s reclusive but orderly world when a murdered woman is discovered not too far from his apartment building. A detective begins to investigate the murder and soon seems to have his sights set on Hire as a likely culprit. He begins asking him difficult questions that Hire answers defensively. Shortly after becoming a murder suspect, Hire is caught peeping by the object of his gaze across the courtyard. However, rather than going to the police the woman, named Alice, introduces herself to Hire and after some awkward moments becomes friendly. Although it is an odd and awkward friendship to say the least.

One particularly moving and erotic scene shows Hire following Alice and her boyfriend to a boxing match. Watching them from afar he sees the boyfriend leave her to talk excitedly with some friends. Hire moves up next to Alice and then begins to delicately touch her breasts beneath her blouse. She does not move or complain and they stand together in the crowd, sharing an intimate moment without speaking or looking at each other.

What are her motives for pursuing this odd friendship or secret affair? Alice has a boyfriend and Hire is an unattractive, socially awkward voyeur. The murder is somehow involved in this odd triangle but the audience is not quite sure who to trust – Hire, the boyfriend or Alice. No more can be revealed without spoiling the movie and the final act extends the tension to the bitter end but in a delicate and absorbing manner rather than through Hollywood set pieces.

The film is based upon a book by Belgian author Georges Simenon and while I am not familiar with his novels this is the second film I have seen based on his work. Les Fantômes du Chapelier (The Hatter’s Ghost) by the great Claude Chabrol shares many themes and characteristics with Monsieur Hire and is another entertaining picture for anyone who enjoys French thrillers. Both films involve a murder and feature isolated, reclusive tradesmen distrusted by provincial neighbors. Hire is a much more sympathetic character than the protagonist of Les Fantômes du Chapelier, and ultimately it is this sympathy for Hire that makes this modest thriller such an engaging film. Simenon is listed as having authored some 300 books and given the large amount of adaptations of his work that have been done by French directors I think I will be searching for more hidden gems among his oeuvre.

Available on DVD from Kino International and streaming through Netflix.

Blood Relatives (Les Liens de Sang)

The French New Wave film movement created not only some of cinema's finest achievements but also gave birth to the auteur theory of film criticism. It is fitting that some of the biggest beneficiaries of this canonization of a film’s author were La Nouvelle Vague's own auteurs such as Truffaut, Godard, Rohmer, and my personal favorite, Claude Chabrol.

Chabrol directed more than 15 films during an incredible creative peak between the years of 1968 and 1978. There are virtually no duds among the films he created during those years, and numerous classics, including Le Boucher, Une Femme Infidele, La Rupture, Que la Bete Meure, and Juste Avant La Nuit. Watch any film Chabrol made during this period and you will be thoroughly entertained, intrigued and challenged. Chabrol continued to make excellent films until his death in 2010 but these ten years were an inspired and fertile period.

Chabrol at his best would use the suspense or thriller genre to expose the hypocrisy and moral rot of the French bourgeoisie. Blood Relatives (Les Liens de Sang - 1978) takes Chabrol outside of his native France with a mystery set in Montreal. A young woman named Patricia bursts into the police station at night covered in blood and tells the officers that she barely escaped from an assailant but her cousin, Muriel, was sexually assaulted and murdered. Police Inspector Carella (Donald Sutherland) begins to investigate her story by rounding up and interviewing known sex criminals before Patricia changes her story and accuses her brother, Andrew, of the murder. Inspector Carella rightly believes that Patricia is hiding something and begins to dig deeper into Muriel’s past by searching for her missing diary. Here the film moves from police procedural into a disturbing tale of incest, pedophilia, jealousy and murder.

This is an extremely dark film populated at all turns by deception, pedophiles and incestuous affairs. With the exception of Inspector Carella, everyone seems to be hiding something or guilty of a crime. Even suspects cleared of the murder are guilty of being pedophiles. Donald Pleasence turns in a nice performance as a vile pedophile who must prove he did not murder Muriel. David Hemmings also makes an appearance as Muriel’s boss. Although he is at least twice Muriel’s age and married he is using his position as her boss to try to seduce the young girl. Muriel herself also has dark secrets hidden away out of guilt and shame.

Filming in a different location may have been an intriguing challenge for Chabrol but his forte was portraying and critiquing French society. It is impossible for him to have the same depth of knowledge about life in Montreal and the film suffers from this change of location. There is a somewhat generic feel to the dialogue and the characters compared to the films Chabrol made in France. The mystery is intriguing and the actors are all top notch but there is a certain perception and insight missing from the proceedings. Chabrol’s best films are at the same time universal in their themes and specific to their location. The incidents and characters are intrinsically French while the themes carry a worldwide understanding and relevance. Blood Relatives feels like it could have been made anywhere, its characters from any country. Chabrol does not capture the flavor of Montreal in location or character like he is able to do in his French films.

It is interesting to note that Blood Relatives has some strong similarities to the cult TV show Twin Peaks. As surprising as it sounds, either David Lynch or Mark Frost may have been influenced by Blood Relatives. The first time this thought struck me was during the funeral scene. As they are lowering Muriel into the ground, her cousin Andrew breaks down in tears and jumps on her casket just as Leland Palmer does at Laura’s funeral in Twin Peaks. After this scene the numerous similarities became more obvious. Both stories revolve around a detective (or FBI agent) trying to solve the murder of a teenage girl. The mystery hinges on finding the dead girl’s diary, and the diary holds dark secrets concerning incest and sexual affairs with older men. The works have similar themes about hidden secrets, incest, pedophilia and the potential darkness that dwells beneath the placid surface of bourgeoisie life. While Lynch and Frost turned out a completely original TV series it is hard not to wonder if the seeds of their work were planted by Chabrol.

While Blood Relatives is not one of Chabrol’s masterpieces, it is an engaging and intriguing film. It is a dark film with a good mystery, strong acting and solid directing. Chabrol is one of cinema’s masters and even a lesser film in his hands is better than a great film in the hands of someone else. 

Blood Relatives is only available on an R2 PAL DVD released by Carlton Home Video in 2000. I don’t know if this disc is OOP but luckily for us in North America it can be found for download in avi format.

Hammer Non-Horror Honor Roll

The British film production company Hammer Films is synonymous with horror films and enjoyed unprecedented success in the genre from the mid-1950s through most of the 1970s. They were so well known for their gothic horrors that the term “Hammer Horror” became a brand and a genre unto itself. What is not as well known is that some of the best films Hammer ever produced were not horror films. They produced quality films in a variety of genres including sci-fi, thrillers, action-adventure and suspense.

The company ceased production in the 1980s but has been resurrected in recent years and started churning out marginal horror product again under the Hammer name. The films they are producing now will not make anyone forget the classic Frankenstein and Dracula movies or the quintessential Hammer film stars Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee. However, it seems many have already forgotten some of the less famous, but equally deserving non-horror films Hammer produced during their heyday. The DVD market has provided a second life for many of these hard to find Hammer classics in recent years. So that these gems don’t get buried beneath the gothic fog of the great Hammer horror films, I compiled my “Best of the Hammer Non-Horror Films” list. The list is in chronological order because it was too tough to rank a best of list on quality. Search out these films and enjoy a little nostalgic journey through the vault of one of the most prolific genre production companies of all time.

The Abominable Snowman (1957) [US title: The Abominable Snowman of the Himalayas] - Despite the monster movie title this film is a sci-fi adventure written and directed in serious and dramatic tones by Quatermass veterans Val Guest and Nigel Kneale. Together, director Guest and writer Kneale teamed up numerous times in their early careers to make some of the best films produced by Hammer. An expedition into the Himalayas to study rare mountain herbs becomes dangerous when the scientists join another group who are on a hunt to find the mythical Yeti. Peter Cushing turns in another great performance as the thoughtful scientist, and Forest Tucker surprises with a believable portrait of the loud, gruff American adventurer at odds with Cushing. The film becomes not just a showdown between man and monster but also dramatizes the continuing battle between science and the commercial exploitation of nature. On DVD from Anchor Bay.

The Hound of the Baskervilles (1959) – After rebooting the Frankenstein and Dracula tales in brilliant color, Sherlock Holmes received the Hammer treatment in this version of the Conan Doyle classic. While remaining firmly grounded as a detective tale this version also benefits from the menacing, supernatural elements of the story like foggy moors and ghostly hounds. The opening set-piece, a prologue that explains the origins of the Baskerville curse, is one of the best ever staged by director Terence Fisher. Fisher is generally considered the premier Hammer director and this film proves he was capable of expertly filming mystery, drama and suspense without relying on the trappings of gothic horror that made him famous. Of course, the performances of Peter Cushing as Holmes and Christopher Lee as Sir Henry Baskerville are superb. On DVD from MGM.

The Stranglers of Bombay (1960) - This tension filled British colonial-era historical thriller chronicles the exploits of Captain Harry Lewis (Gary Rolfe) while stationed in India. He and all the British military are there mainly to protect the business interests of Britain and the East India Company. Captain Lewis has been investigating a series of disappearances of the native Indians and is pushing the military to take an interest in solving the mystery. The story shows a somewhat progressive view for its era by criticizing the callous attitude of the British colonials toward the Indian people and culture. At the same time, the movie has no trouble adding thrills and excitement through its portrait of a fringe cult of locals, the notorious Thuggees, who practice ritual sacrifice, torture and murder. Another excellent entry from Terence Fisher. One of four Hammer films on DVD from Sony under the title Icons of Adventure.

Captain Clegg (1962) [US title: Night Creatures] – Another historical adventure story that uses eerie atmosphere to ramp up the excitement. The British navy, led by Captain Collier, arrives in an English coastal town to investigate reports of smuggling and bootlegging. The Captain soon learns of a local tale about “Marsh Phantoms” – ghostly riders haunting the marshes and spooking all who come in their path. The village vicar (Peter Cushing, again) seems to have many secrets and Captain Collier thinks he may be involved in the smuggling. The Marsh Phantom scenes provide an air of mystery that enlivens the costume drama atmosphere and quirky performances by Cushing and the young Oliver Reed are welcome additions. Captain Clegg combines genre elements from swashbuckling adventures and creepy mysteries into a uniquely enjoyable film. One of eight Hammer films on DVD from Universal under the title Hammer Horror Series.

The Damned (1963) [US title: These Are the Damned]  – This rarely seen film is a masterpiece of cold war nuclear fear set amid the scenic splendor of an English seaside village. After a run-in with a group of rebellious youths, an American tourist stumbles upon a terrifying secret government experiment. All the performances are top notch and Oliver Reed stands out in the role of the gang leader. Thematically, The Damned portrays the loneliness of modern life, authoritarian government control and the widening generation gap that would eventually come to define the 60s as much as the cold war. Because it was originally released in a severely edited form in the U.S. this film was given little attention and became a lost treasure sought by many Hammer fans. Now available in its original cut The Damned can finally be reassessed and claim its rightful status as an early sci-fi classic. Far ahead of its time but superbly of its time, The Damned is a must-see film. One of six Hammer films on DVD from Sony under the title Icons of Suspense.

Hysteria (1965) – Paranoia takes center stage in this Kafaesque thriller about an American named Chris who wakes up in an English hospital with no memory of his life prior to a recent car accident. Chris begins to work on unraveling the mystery with his only clue a photograph torn from a newspaper. He also discovers some unknown person has been paying his hospital bills and has provided him with a penthouse apartment. So many unusual and unexplainable things happen that Chris begins to question his own sanity. This wonderful premise propels the audience and Chris on a bizarre trip through the swinging sixties and concludes with a satisfying twist and resolution to the mystery. Hysteria is one of the best of the Hammer “sting in the tail” mystery thrillers. Available from the Warner Archive DVD-on-demand collection.

Quatermass and the Pit (1967) [US title: Five Million Years to Earth] – Another sci-fi masterpiece from a thought provoking screenplay by Nigel Kneale. The third, and best, Quatermass film explores themes of human evolution, extraterrestrial life and the power of the human mind. It accomplishes all of this with an interesting and exciting sci-fi premise whose influence can be seen in everything from 2001: A Space Odyssey to Alien, The X-Files and even Scientology. A mysterious metallic structure is discovered during the construction of a new London underground railway station. Initially thought to be an unexploded WWII missile it is soon discovered to be strange looking vehicle of unknown origin containing mysterious ape-like skeletons. From there the mystery and excitement builds to a satisfying and dramatic conclusion. Despite suffering from low-budget special effects, Quatermass and the Pit is serious, ground-breaking sci-fi for 1967 and possibly the finest movie on this list – another must-see Hammer film. The only unifying element of the Quatermass series is the character of rocket scientist Professor Quatermass so they can be viewed in any order. On DVD from Anchor Bay.

The Devil Rides Out (1968) [US title: The Devil's Bride] – Arguably a horror movie, this film edges out of a strict horror definition because it is a genre mashup of the occult and action-adventure set in swinging sixties Britain. Christopher Lee is excellent as the Duc de Richelieu caught in a deadly fight against a group of Satanists. This is pure pulp but if you buy a ticket you will enjoy the ride. It is fun of seeing Lee play a chivalrous character confronting a satanic cult in order to save his friend’s son from becoming a servant of the devil. The period setting utilizing genteel English country estates and 60’s sports cars provides a unique backdrop in which to stage demonic battles and sinister visions. Based on an equally pulp novel by prolific British author Dennis Wheatly, this is another Terence Fisher film that keeps the thrills moving fast enough that you don’t question the plausibility of the action. On DVD from Anchor Bay.

The Lost Continent (1968) – Another adaptation of a Dennis Wheatly book, and another bizarre genre mashup that somehow works despite some inherent goofiness in the plot. The Lost Continent is a sci-fi, fantasy, action-adventure tale that begins with the voyage of an old steamship carrying a motley collection of passengers and an illegal cargo of explosives. The ship runs into a hurricane and is blown off course and into a mysterious fog covered sea. The truly bizarre events occur in this uncharted part of the ocean, where the crew and passengers encounter flesh-eating seaweed, giant shellfish, a graveyard of previous shipwrecks and a band of Spanish conquistadores who have lived here since their galleon ran aground centuries ago. While the movie shows its budget limitations, the set-designs are a psychedelic visual treat of surreal imagery. A great late-60’s head-trip movie that is like a Harryhausen fantasy film with a Hammer edginess. On DVD from Anchor Bay.

Straight on Till Morning (1972) – The final selection was tough but I wanted to include at least one selection from Hammer’s output in the 70s and Straight on Till Morning is the winner. This is the story of Brenda, a shy, naïve and childish girl from Liverpool who moves to London. She wants to be out on her own and the allure of mod and fashionable London calls her. Very somber in tone and at times reminiscent of Polanski’s Repulsion, Straight on Till Morning is a bleak movie that is as far away from the Hammer blueprint as you can get. After a rough adjustment period to the cynical, fast-paced city, Brenda meets a man named Peter and falls deeply in love. They begin a very strange love affair and soon it becomes apparent that Peter isn’t just weird – he is a psychopath with very dangerous secrets. On DVD from Anchor Bay.

Honorable Mentions: I don’t have time or space to go beyond the top ten but there are plenty more Hammer non-horror films out that are deserving of a mention. The films that were the toughest choices to leave out of the top ten are listed here and readily available on DVD.

The Snorkel (1958) ; Taste of Fear (1961) [US title: Scream of Fear]; The Full Treatment [US title: Stop Me Before I Kill!] (1961); Maniac (1963); Nightmare (1964); Paranoiac (1964) ; Crescendo (1970)

Antichrist

Even before the Dogma ’95 manifesto and his banishment from Cannes in 2011, Lars von Trier was the leading enfant terrible of the film world. After learning his third film, 1991's Europa, had won three awards at Cannes but had not been given the coveted Palme d'Or, von Trier flipped-off the judges and stormed out of the awards ceremony. At the 2009 festival he also famously said "I am the best film director in the world.” There was a time that I might have agreed with von Trier's self-aggrandizing assessment. The “Europa Trilogy” included not only the wonderful Europa but his masterpiece Element of Crime and the underrated Epidemic. This creative burst also included the made-for-television movie Medea and his fantastic Danish television series The Kingdom. In roughly 10 years von Trier produced enough quality work for an entire career.

Although his films since that period have not quite been on the same level, von Trier's experimentation has always been interesting and extremely admirable in a world where film is often looked at as product and not art. As his public statements and actions make clear, von Trier does not shy away from controversy and often he seems to be courting it on purpose. He has been criticized for being a misogynist (Breaking the Waves, Antichrist) insensitive to mental disabilities (Idiots) anti-American (Dogville, Manderlay) and a Nazi (the 2011 press conference that led to his Cannes exile). Whether he is acting like a petulant child just trying to shock the establishment or is raising difficult subjects in order to bring them into the realm of public discourse is debatable. It doesn't matter to me either way because artists should provoke and sometimes disturb audiences and, whatever his motives, von Trier’s films are original and provocative.

Antichrist apparently started with von Trier’s idea to make a horror film, although this is by no means a conventional horror movie. A moving, slow-motion prologue in stunning black-and-white shows a child’s accidental death crosscut with scenes of his parents making love in the next room. Part one of the film, titled “Grief”, documents how the couple copes with their loss and guilt. Willem Dafoe plays the father, a therapist attempting to hold himself together while his wife, Charlotte Gainsbourg, is coming completely apart. (The characters are unnamed in the film so I will use the actors’ names.) 

Dafoe is not happy with the psychiatric treatment his wife is receiving and takes her out of the hospital so he can treat her himself. Dafoe’s therapy style is filled with new age platitudes like “whatever the mind can conceive and believe you can achieve.” His therapeutic methods seem shallow and inappropriate in the face of such a devastating loss. Dafoe is cold and emotionless while Gainsbourg is consumed by her grief and unable to function. After the couple struggle through much pain and anguish in the first section of the film, the husband convinces his wife to retreat to their isolated rural cabin in an effort to help her face her fears.

Part two, titled “Pain”, takes the couple across a literal and metaphorical bridge to Eden, the name of their cabin. This Eden will soon transform from an idyllic escape into a bloody battleground. In Antichrist nature is not renewing or cleansing but instead ominous and frightening. The couples’ time at the cabin is filled with images of decay and death. A baby bird falls out of a tree and is covered in ants, a doe has a half-born/dead fawn hanging out of her body, and Dafoe has a vision of a blood soaked fox who tells him “chaos reigns.” It is clear that for these people, as Gainsbourg herself says, “nature is Satan’s church.”   

Part three, titled “Despair”, and Part four, titled “The Three Beggars”, begins to delve into the topic of humanity’s long history of misogyny. It is revealed that Gainsbourg and her child had previously spent countless hours in this cabin while she worked on her master’s thesis, titled “Gynocide”. From the concept of original sin through witch trials to modern times, society has often defined femininity as monstrous. Now, after studying the barbaric acts against women through the centuries, she has started to embrace the idea that women are inherently evil. In its excruciating climax, Antichrist lives up to von Trier’s initial desire to create a horror film with brutal and surreal scenes of sex and violence. Far from the current exploitative horror trend of “torture porn”, this is real and visceral sexual violence that will leave you cringing. Gainsbourg and Dafoe proceed to inflict their inner pain upon each other and nowhere have I seen both the connection and dichotomy between sex and death so brutally enacted as it is here.

Antichrist will certainly shock and disturb viewers and those who do not like von Trier will find plenty of ammunition in this film to bludgeon him with once again. This film is not for the faint of heart and certainly not going to appeal to many casual viewers. However, underneath the graphic and exploitative elements of this film there is substance and Antichrist is the work of an artist struggling to make sense of life, love, grief and death in a very original style. Available from the fabulous Criterion Collection on both DVD and Blu-Ray.

Black Moon

This Louis Malle film has, until recently, been almost impossible to see since its theatrical debut in 1975. A surreal fantasy film, Black Moon is an atypical entry in Malle’s oeuvre and has never been released in the U.S. on either DVD or VHS. Because of its intriquing premise and unusual position in Malle’s filmography Black Moon has always been on my personal list of desired "lost" films. A year or two back TCM screened this rare title in a late night timeslot. Now, thanks to the Criterion Collection, after almost 40 years of obscurity it is finally available on both DVD and Blu-Ray.

Black Moon is an adult Alice In Wonderland story focusing on an adolescent girl’s bizarre exploits in odd and unknown surroundings. As such, it fits into a sort of sub-genre of European ‘70s cinema that uses the tale of Alice as a template for female escapades in strange fantasy worlds. The minor masterpieces of this sub-genre are Roman Polanski’s What? (1972) and a little-known Czech film from 1970 called Valerie and Her Week of Wonders. (Also somewhat of a “lost” film, What? has never been released on home video in the U.S. but is available on the grey market thanks to an Italian DVD release. Valerie is available on DVD thanks to the wonderful Facets Video.)

Black moon is a little used astronomical term for a month when there are two dark cycles of the moon. In myth this second dark period, the black moon, is a time of heighted magical and spiritual activity. The moon also has deep connections to women in ancient lore, including Luna the Roman goddess of the moon. Both aspects of the title are key components of the film.

The story takes place in the near future where a literal war is raging between men and women. A young girl (thinly disguised as a boy) races in a car down a pastoral road. She witnesses several wartime atrocities on both sides of the gender conflict and, soon after her femininity is revealed, she runs wildly on foot through the countryside and passes out on the grass. Upon waking, she sees what appears to be a small unicorn, but before she can get a closer look it is gone and a woman rides by on a black stallion. The girl follows after the stallion and shortly comes upon an idyllic looking farmhouse. 

At this point the film’s tenuous connection to any form of narrative trajectory is completely severed and the girl enters Malle’s surrealistic Wonderland. Outside the farmhouse, a group of naked children playfully chase an enormous pig. Inside the house, even more absurdities abound with a pig in a high chair at the kitchen table, an old woman lying in bed talking to a rat, obtuse messages coming through a radio transmitter, and ants crawling over a piece of cheese. Instead of a potion with a tag saying “Drink Me”, our young Alice sees an abnormally large and temptingly refreshing glass of milk in the middle of the kitchen table. It is almost out of her reach but she is just able to grab it and quench her thirst.

Trying to find a method to the madness of this film is a difficult task, but given the title and the constant allusions to motherhood and sexuality one of the obvious themes is the fear or trepidation a young girl may feel when transforming from adolescence into womanhood. The old woman mocks the girl for having “no bosom” and later laughs when her panties fall down revealing even more intimate areas. In a scene perhaps foreshadowed when the girl thirstily gulps the large glass of milk, she later breastfeeds the old woman when the woman goes into an infantile state and throws a temper tantrum. She also rocks her with a comforting lullaby demonstrating a bizarre acceptance of her maternal instincts.

Her sexuality awakening, the girl meets the gardener who is a strong and virile looking young man. They are able to communicate their thoughts to each other without speech. This is an idealized female view of a romantic relationship. Man and woman completely in synch – a soul mate. Though he is the strong, masculine silent type they are able to connect even without speech.

Phallic imagery is also present throughout, with a snake making several appearances and advances upon the heroine. First he slithers towards the girl as she looks through a dresser drawer and she recoils from him in surprise or fear. Later, when she is sleeping on a bed, the serpent slithers slowly up her leg and beneath her skirt.

Black Moon also uses the familiar image of the unicorn, but turns this imagery upside down. Traditionally, the unicorn is a symbol of chastity and purity and they are often connected with young girls in lore and literature. Legends say they will run away from every human except for innocent or virginal young girls. The unicorn constantly runs away from the girl, which suggests that she is not pure or no longer a virgin. However, this unicorn is not like the unicorns pictured in storybooks. He is a small, dirty brown pony instead of a proud white horse. When the girl finally does corner the unicorn she finds out he talks and that he is not at all fond of her. “What is it you want anyway - chasing after me? You are mean” he says. Offended, she can only disparage him for not being a real unicorn. “Unicorns are slim and white,” she says. Is the girl already a woman and no longer innocent and pure or is the unicorn not a true unicorn? The unicorn appears again in one of the memorable closing scenes when it becomes apparent that the girl is about to breastfeed him. Malle tastefully (perhaps too much so) chooses to leave this scene to the viewer’s imagination.

This film is rich in more imagery and imagination than covered here and there are numerous layers of symbolism and alternative thematic explanations possible. The vivid imagery and beautiful cinematography from the legendary Sven Nykvist keep this surreal fantasy fresh even after repeat viewings. Black Moon deserves its place next to the other classics of this sub-genre and is highly recommended. Available from Criterion on Blu-Ray and DVD.

The Rum Diary

The Rum Diary is a labor of love for star Johnny Depp. He also produced this film and dedicated it to his friend, author Hunter S. Thompson. The two Louisville, Kentucky natives became close when Depp was hanging with Thompson in preparation for Fear And Loathing In Las Vegas. The Rum Diary is the first book Thompson wrote but it wasn't published until long after he became famous. When the book was finally published I approached it with some trepidation. A heralded author's unpublished early books are usually unpublished for a good reason, but that was not the case with The Rum Diary. This book fit well into Thompson's literary canon and while it isn’t his best work you can clearly see the seeds of his style sprouting in his first novel.

Depp chose Bruce Robinson to adapt and direct the film and he is an ideal choice. Robinson made the legendary, Thompson-esque Withnail & I as well as How To Get Ahead In Advertising. Since then he has been largely absent from the film world. Robinson’s adaptation has retained the humor and wit of Thompson’s novel while bringing many of the books best episodes and dialogue to raucous life on the screen.

Depp plays Paul Kemp, a fictionalized version of the young Thompson. A budding journalist with a rough attitude and a penchant for booze, Kemp has just arrived in 1960s San Juan, Puerto Rico for job at an English-language newspaper. After an unconventional job interview with the publisher - when asked how much he drinks, Kemp answers “The high end of social” - Kemp begins his expat misadventures.

Filmed on location, cinematographer Dariusz Wolski's camera shows the beauty of San Juan’s beaches, water and palm trees along with the grittiness of the living conditions for the island’s poorest inhabitants. The movie looks gorgeous and, despite what decadent action may take place, is a picture postcard for Puerto Rico. The art department also shines in recreating the 1960s with period island fashions, sets and shiny American automobiles.

Beyond this beautiful surface the film is a story of how Kemp is pulled between the temptation of easy money and beautiful women and the idealism of exposing the truth about corruption and the exploitation of Puerto Rico. Kemp is seduced by Sanderson, a slick PR man for local developers who wants to use Kemp to push his agenda through stories in the newspaper. Even more of a lure for Kemp than the money is Sanderson’s sexy girlfriend, Chenault. Chenault is an unattainable tease who stays frustratingly outside of Kemp’s grasp.

Along the way he meets other down-and-out newspaper men and some certifiable lunatics that add humor and eccentricity to the story. Fellow journalist Sala becomes his closest ally and in the film’s funniest moment they have to race drunkenly in their car to get away from angry locals only to speed directly into the police. This scene and its aftermath is pleasantly reminiscent of the classic drunk driving and sobriety test scenes in Robinson’s Withnail & I

Throughout it all, Kemp seems more of an observer than a participant in this story. Unlike the Thompson character in Fear & Loathing In Las Vegas who was the wild whirlwind of the storm, Kemp is the calm eye of the hurricane as the storm swirls around him. Like Thompson at the time he wrote this novel, Kemp is a young writer watching the world and attempting to find his own voice within that world. Depp proves just as adept at playing the observer Kemp as he was playing the manic character in Fear & Loathing. In each portrayal Depp uses his spot-on imitation of Thompson’s mumble to perfect comedic effect.

Of course, if you are a fan of Thompson’s writing you know that Kemp will choose to take on authority and battle for truth rather than take the money and run. The craziness ratchets up as Kemp and his crew attempt to fight the system by finding a way to publish the truth about the corruption in Puerto Rico. Although they fail in the end, Kemp has found his voice and chosen the path he will follow in life. He is casting his lot with idealism and truth over cynicism and greed. In the long run, this single battle isn’t important because the young Kemp has chosen to use his talents to fight the long war. It doesn’t hurt that he also gets the girl.

Robinson’s script and Depp’s brilliant portrayal make The Rum Diary a fitting memorial to Thompson. The humor and the sun drenched, rum soaked local add a unique flavor to the age old tale of a young, rebellious artist coming of age. Available on Blu-Ray, DVD and multiple streaming services.

O Lucky Man!

Lindsay Anderson's semi-sequel to the brilliant If.... is a satiracle poke in the eye of capitalism. O Lucky Man! (1973) takes the piss out of all the Horatio Alger, Protestant work ethic fables that are foisted upon the public as examples of how to become successful. The film's style often has more in common with Monty Python than with If... but the satire does have many of the same sharp edges of Anderson's previous film.

The great Malcolm McDowell once again plays the anti-hero Mick Travis. Here, Mick is a bright-eyed and energetic young sales trainee at a coffee company. Mick is confident that if he works hard at his profession he will be successful. O Lucky Man! is the picaresque tale of Mick's adventures on a very bumpy road to attain that success. Each episode of the film presents him with more challenges that may or may not erode his optimism, although the audience surely leaves with little faith in society and humanity. The film as a whole brings to my mind what Anderson once suggested for his epitaph: "Surrounded by fucking idiots."

The episodic structure of the film allows Anderson to satirize different aspects of society along Mick's journey. His travels provide ample opportunity to mock the absurdities of the chauvenistic, good old chap business culture, corrupt law enforcement, government control and conspiracies, and the military industrial complex. However, this episodic nature is also the film's major weakness. While each scene is played with a wit and it's satirical marks are deserving of ridicule, there is no central story or narrative to keep the audience involved in the film. If Anderson were as gifted a comedian as the previously mentioned Monty Python troupe, the humor and satire would be enough to keep us moving along on Mick's adventures. Sadly, the satire, while enjoyable and trenchant, is not funny enough to hold an entire 2-plus hour movie together.

For all the troubles visited on Mick in his climb up the ladder of success, he seems to retain his faith in the capitalist system. He eventually meets an aristocrat and ingratiates himself into becoming his assistant. Even this turns out badly as the aristocrat is in the midst of an illegal arms deal and when the police break in on the meeting, Mick is made to be the fall guy and sent to prison. This provides Anderson with an opportunity to satirize the British penal system and its efforts at rehabilitation. Mick leaves with perhaps less optimism about finding financial success, but with a strong faith in humanity. Of course, even his new found humanism is put to the test when he attempts to help some of London's needy citizens and finds himself the victim of their theivery and wrath. The only thing that saves Mick is wandering into a casting call for a movie - one being filmed by Lindsay Anderson that looks very familiar.

Perhaps the most enjoyable element of the film for me was watching the young Malcolm McDowell in top form. Always a personal favorite and one of the best actors of the 60s and 70s, McDowell owns every scene in this film. Although he shares scenes with some giants of the British stage and screen (Ralph Richardson and Helen Mirren to name just two) McDowell is the character that you care about and that carries the film. His rougish charm and youthful energy bring what could be a cardboard character to life. It is enjoyable to see that same devilish look in Mick Travis' eyes that we saw from McDowell as the "reformed" Alex at the end of A Clockwork Orange. In fact, for me Mick Travis from If... and, to a lesser extent, O Lucky Man! is the character of Alex transplanted from the near-future to contemporary times.

Acting as a sort of Greek chorus, Alan Price (of "The Animals") provides vintage '70s pop music that makes an ironic commentary on the film's action. O Lucky Man! is very much a product of the early '70s, not only with Price's songs but with its loose, episodic structure, unapologetic socialism, and wild, careening cinematic style. As a slice of early '70s nostalgia and a stinging social commentary it is enjoyable, but as a cohesive piece of cinema it is much less successful. Still worth a viewing particularly if you have never seen this hard to find film. It should be mandatory viewing as part of any MBA degree in order to provide a little dose of reality and honesty to the pro-business ciriculum. Available as a 2-disc special edition DVD from Warner Brothers.

The Debt

The Debt, a remake of a 2007 Israeli film Ha-Hov, is what I call an “arthouse thriller” or even a classical thriller. This film has intrigue and tension as well as thought provoking ideas, well crafted characters and an intelligent script. Modern or mainstream thrillers offer thrills and action but there is nothing going on beneath the surface of the roller coaster ride. Once the thrill is over you can move on without a second thought. The Debt leaves you with questions and thoughts that linger long after the tension is released.

The film moves between Israel in 1997 and East Berlin in 1965. The daughter of two Mossad agents has just released a book detailing the heroic exploits of her famous parents who brought a Nazi war criminal to justice in 1965. Rachel Singer and her ex-husband Stephan Gold, along with another agent, David Peretz, went undercover to East Berlin in 1965 to bring Dr. Bernhardt, a Nazi fugitive known as the Surgeon of Birkenau, back to Israel to stand trial. They kidnap this evil, Mengele-like doctor but their escape goes awry and they eventually have to kill him before returning to Israel as heroes.

At least that is the official story, the truth may be somewhat more complicated. Soon after the book launch party a morose David commits suicide and Stephan approaches Rachel with the news that an elderly man in a Ukrainian old-age home is babbling that he is Dr. Bernhardt. Although long retired, Rachel reluctantly agrees to accept a new assignment from the now wheelchair bound Stephan.

From here the action moves via flashback to 1965 East Berlin and the undercover operation carried out by the three Mossad agents. This is where the movie really excels, capturing the tension and drama of their secret mission behind the iron curtain. There is sexual tension between the men when Rachel arrives at their small apartment, as well as personality conflicts that arise from being in a small apartment under stressful circumstances.

All the actors excel, but the character of Rachel is clearly they center of the movie and Helen Mirren and Jessica Chastain bring both the old and young Rachel to brilliant life.  Rachel has the job of posing as a patient to visit Dr. Bernhardt who is working with an alias as a fertility doctor. The scenes of her submitting to an examination by a man responsible for such horrific atrocities is excruciating and you  can feel her pain as he probes her physically and mentally. What might be innocent physician conversation takes on menacing tones and Rachel begins to wonder if he is suspicious of her and testing to see if she is a Mossad agent.  Rachel must eventually use one of her visits to subdue Bernhardt so David and Stephan can pose as paramedics to take him away.

The kidnapping and the attempted escape are full of suspense and tension as the agents must race against the clock and time their crossing out of East Berlin perfectly. It does not go perfectly and they become trapped in their small apartment with their repugnant hostage. The tensions ratchet up even more as they now must care for the monstrous Nazi while he plays mind games and spouts vicious anti-Semitic taunts.

The agents must grapple with moral questions and contemplate their justification to kill another human as well as the political ramifications of their actions. The group’s idealism is tested and they must navigate the ethical and emotional consequences of what they are doing as well as their own feelings of isolation and claustrophobia. It was easier when the mission was moving fast and they did not have time for contemplation. Now, trapped in East Berlin waiting for a new escape plan they must make tough choices. Dr. Bernhardt seems to be a man who deserves death but not only would that make them judge and executioner, it would also deny Israel the chance to have a public trial and show the world the horrific crimes he committed.

The choices they make in that East Berlin apartment in 1965 have both personal and political consequences that reverberate through their lives and the lives of their families and fellow Israeli’s for decades. After detailing what happened on that fateful mission, the film returns to 1997 and continues to build to a gripping conclusion. To tell you more would spoil the surprises.

The Debt is an intelligent, suspenseful drama that weaves its morality tale within an espionage and action framework.  It is a shame films like this can only muster a lukewarm reception from audiences that seem to be divided between arthouse snobs and action knuckleheads. The Debt deserves more attention and hopefully it will find an audience on home video. It is available on Blu-Ray, DVD and various on-demand services.

Fellini's Roma

Federico Fellini has created some of the most enduring cinematic classics of all time. The best Fellini movies are filled with magic and move within a dreamlike realm or flow like visual memories. Like memories, they often do not have a structured narrative and concrete character development but instead string together related events and impressions of interesting people and places. Watching these movies is like listening to fantastical, impressionistic stories told by a friend or relative who has lived the type of life we can only imagine. In Roma, Fellini actually narrates the film and thus is literally telling the audience this tale.

Roma is Fellini's love letter to the city where he came of age both professionally and personally. It is loosely structured around a fictional Fellini and his relationship with and impressions of this incredible city throughout various stages of his life. The first scenes show how Fellini became captivated by the thought of Rome as schoolboy in a small provincial town. Later, as a young man, Fellini arrives in Rome and is immediately drawn into the vibrant and colorful life of the city. The family with whom Fellini is renting a room welcomes him to their evening dinner at a local cafe. It is a wonderful scene showing a raucous and enjoyable gathering of the locals at the outdoor restaurant laughing, yelling, eating and drinking wine. It is an affectionate scene of a communal way of life that disappeared in the U.S. decades ago but that I still saw vestiges of during my short time in Italy. The Italian dinner is an evening social event and here it is displayed in all its loud, hand-gesturing glory.

Roma moves back-and-forth in time, juxtaposing scenes of Roman life in the then-current 1970s with other periods during Fellini’s lifetime in Fascist and post-Fascist Italy. This non-linear style emphasizes that Rome is a modern city that is still very closely tied to its historic past. In Rome, every day life transpires in the shadow of the ruins of the Coliseum. The nostalgic Rome Fellini remembers from the ‘30s and ‘40s is contrasted with scenes of him working on a movie about Rome in the ‘70s. The filmmakers show hippies hanging out in the park and the older generation complaining about how the city has changed. The film crew also has to navigate the endless traffic jams that fill the modern Roman streets. The closing scene of the film is also a surreal combination of modern and ancient Rome. Fellini’s camera moves through the dim nighttime streets of Rome basking in the timeless beauty of the city. Suddenly, this reverie is interrupted by an army of motorcyclists roaring through the streets. Although loud and fast, the cyclists bring their own type of otherworldly beauty to the scene with their headlights shining amongst the monuments and buildings of classical Rome.

Of course, no portrait of Italian or Roman life would be complete without mentioning the Catholic Church. Fellini does so in his typically subversive and humorous way by presenting an elaborate church fashion show. Again juxtaposing two opposites of Roman life, the fashion industry and the Catholic Church, Fellini has fun with roller-skating priests modeling the latest fashion in robes and nuns displaying large, elaborate habits. This scene seems more gently farcical than profane even while it is clearly mocking the excesses and absurdities of both the church and high-fashion culture.

The scene that best epitomizes the mingling of past and present in Roman life takes place during the construction of subway tunnels under the city. The drilling crew suddenly breaks through a wall into a buried villa from ancient Rome. Filled with frescoes and statues and other signs of ancient Roman life, the villa is eerily lit by the workers lights as they wander through the damp remains of Romans from 2,000 years ago. To everyone’s dismay, the workers helplessly watch as the frescoes begin to quickly deteriorate after being exposed to the air. It is as if they cannot survive once exposed to the modern world. This does not seem to be a condemnation of the modern world but rather a warning to be protective and respectful of the past while moving forward.

Throughout the film, Fellini shows affection for all aspects of Rome. As he narrates this character study of the city, Fellini is not like the old curmudgeon complaining about the changes. He is simply showing Rome through his unique perspective - in its beauty and its faults, in its history and its modern evolution. Roma is like a postcard from Fellini inviting everyone to experience the Eternal City. As Fellini himself once said: “Rome is the most wonderful movie set in the world.”