3. 2 ou 3 choses que je sais D'Elle(1967)

The him in the title is Godard and his enduring narration. The Her refers not to the suburban housewife moonlighting as a prostitute, but Paris itself, hence the capitalisation.

Soliloquies aplenty; Close ups of coffee, burning cigarettes and a red mini in a car wash; Excessive breakage of the fourth wall; Constant references to Vietnam, hammering home Godard's anti Americanism, the most laughable example being the woman's child describing a dream he had where he met twins on a cliff precipice. When they became one he realised they represented North and South Vietnam. I mean really!

I'm sure it's all very clever, deep and abstract, but it smacks of pretension to me and I could have quite easily lived a happy life not seeing it.

Avant Garde. Sans intrigue. Sans point. Beaucoup ennui. Only 90 minutes, but '1900' went by quicker! I quite impressed myself that I watched it all.



2. Novocento/1900 (1976)

Well it took some time trying to find a spare 5+ hour slot to watch this film, but it was definitely worth it.



The second film in the marathon is Bernardo Bertolucci's political sprawling epic, Novocento(renamed 1900 on release in the US). Set in the Italian countryside, it is a multi-layered yarn that centres around the lives of 2 friends separated by class who were born on the same day in 1900. Alfredo is the grandson of a wealthy landowner, Olmo the grandson of his top worker. Despite being poles apart, peasant and heir become friends.

Spanning 1900-45, this film is also a history of  the Italian politics of the time. The two leads representing the social classes and the estate, Italy itself. When Alfredo marries a sophisticated French woman, the workers believe that the downward spiral of their situation is to change, but it only gets worse under the spiteful hand of the fascist farm manager (Attila) who suppresses the landowner, steering things in his way.

It's not a cheery film by any means. Any hope of happiness is quickly quelled by tragedy. The joy in the film is through the performances and the picturesque setting. Robert De Niro and a dashingly ripped Gerard Depardieu turn out shining performances as the landowner and peasant worker respectfully. Dominique Sanda is outstanding as the slightly bonkers wife of Alfredo, but it is Laura Betti as Regina and Donald Pleasance as Attila, who steal the show as a despicably malevolent fascist couple. Portrayed at the opening as an old couple being chased down by the village women with pitchforks; by the end of the film you see why and you're cheering for the mob!

Provocatively shocking in parts, it is a sumptuous piece that sweeps you up in it's storytelling. The friendship protrayed is very touching and the political analogy of the rise and fall of Italian fascism is cleverly told, without being preachy. Didn't seem like 5 hours at all.

Some light relief!



1. 12 Angry Men (1957)

And so it begins in style with Sidney Lumet's debut feature.

Set in a jury room during a heatwave, it depicts Henry Fonda's Juror Number 8, trying to convince the rest of the jury of reasonable doubt in a murder case, after the defendant's lawyer has failed to.

The tension between characters, claustrophobic setting and the heat all work together to make a gripping drama as each piece of evidence is discussed and pulled apart.

There is a great balance of characters who are nameless (apart from 2 in the final scene), but far from featureless Reginald Rose's play demands theatrics from everyone whether calm and collected like Fonda and EG Marshall, uncomfortable with their roles like Jury Foreman Martin Balsam or ad man Robert Webber, to the belligerence of Lee J Cobb ad Ed Begley. The latter character's prejudices erupting in one scene brilliantly played out to his defeat.

The melodrama is never overplayed and the cinematography from Boris Kaufman superbly renders the heat and claustrophobia of the situation. The heat levels correlate with the tension cleverly as more jurors change their mind, so the fan starts working and a storm breaks.

In all, a great start to this epic marathon in both quality and (at 96 minutes) length.

Next up is Bernado Bertolucci's Novocento coming in at 320 minutes. Oy!

1001 Movies: The reasoning.

I have decided to 'educate' myself in films. I do consider myself a cinephile. I love watching films, invest a considerable amount of time and money watching them and I talk about them a lot.

I used to consider myself well-versed, but I'm not. Well not to the extent I wish to be, where you actually know the references Mark Kermode makes on the 5live film review show.

 I've also recently subscribed to the Filmspotting podcast. It's a more cinephillic audio blog from Chicago radio where they discuss films of the past as well as from the modern day. The presenters are educating themselves, often setting marathon tasks like watching and discussing the movies of a particular director. It gave me inspiration and I'm going one step further.

A couple of years ago I received a book for my birthday. '1001 movies you must see before you die.' Cheery. I don't plan on dying soon, but I do plan on working my way through this book. It covers 1902 - 2008 and it's a fairly mixed bag. I've decided to tackle them alphabetically as this is how the checklist is made out at the start. I figure it would mix things up a bit rather than watching chronologically and it also means I don't have to start with a load of silent flicks.  I have seen a number of them already, but will re watch for the purposes of the task.  It will also dissuade me from the current wave of terrible fare my local multiplex has to offer. 'Films you must see before you die' does ring of promise and I doubt they will be in 3D!

By the time I'm done, I'll be a proper film wanker! Best get on with it...

First up, 12 Angry Men.



http://www.filmspotting.net/

http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/markkermode/