The Lost World (1925)

Harry O. Hout: The Lost World (US 1925).

013250 / G / US / 1925 / Hoyt, Harry O. / / fantasy

Lost World, The / Kadonnut maailma / En försvunnen värld. PC: First National. D: Harry O. Hoyt. Based on the story by Arthur Conan Doyle. AN: Willis O’Brien. CAST: Bessie Love, Wallace Beery, Bull Montana. 2075 m /19 fps/ 95’. Silent. Tinted. GEH work print, ”still wet”, presented by Paolo Cherchi Usai. Piano by Philip C. Carli. Pordenone, Cinema Verdi, Sunday, 12 October 1997. ** I was familiar with the one-hour version of this one. Now half an hour longer than the versions available during the last decades, the film is still mainly of academic and specialist interest. An important step in the animation of prehistoric monsters. But King Kong was the first great one in this tradition.

Helsinki premiere: 18 Jan 1926 - Astoria, Civis - released by Ab Maxim Oy - 2131 m

Menschen am Sonntag

065073 / G / DE / 1929 / Siodmak, Robert / drama

Menschen am Sonntag. Ein Film ohne Schauspieler. PC: Filmstudio 1929. D: Robert Siodmak. Contributions by Edgar G. Ulmer, Rochus Gliese, Curt Siodmak, Billy Wilder, and Fred Zinnemann. DP: Eugen Schüfftan. Original length 2014 m /20 fps/ 88’. Münchner Filmmuseum reconstruction in progress 1744 m /20 fps/ 76’. Presented by Jan-Christopher Horak. Piano by Antonio Coppola. Pordenone, Cinema Verdi, Sunday 12 October, 1997. **** The version known in Finland is a 16mm print which runs some 55’. I had seen this Munich restoration before. Now it struck with heightened force. The little things grow in importance; the film gets better with each viewing. The beauty of immediate experience.

Rien que les heures / Nothing But Time (1997 print La Cinémathèque française)

Cavalcanti: Rien que les heures / Nothing But Time (FR 1926).

/ / FR / 1926 / Cavalcanti / / drama

Rien que les heures. Une suite des impressions / Vain tunnit / Nothing But Time / Nichts als die Zeit / Только время. PC: Néo-Films. P: Pierre Braunberger. D: Cavalcanti. 924 m /20 fps/ 40’. Silent b&w. La Cinémathèque française. Piano: Antonio Coppola. Pordenone, Cinema Verdi, Sunday, 12 October 1997. *** ”Aucune ville”. ”Mais seule une succession d’images peut nous restituer la vie”. ”Immobiliser un moment dans le temps”. ”L’espace et le temps s’échappent tous les deux”.

My blog remarks:

12 Oct 1997 Rien que les heures, La Cinémathèque française print, grand piano Antonio Coppola.

6 Oct 2010  Rien que les heures, Eye Film Institute print, original score by Yves de la Casinière performed by the Maud Nelissen Trio

30 Nov 2010  Rien que les heures, Svenska Filminstitutet print

La P’tite Lilie

085103 / 8 / FR / 1927 / Cavalcanti / / music

P’tite Lilie, La / Pikku Lilie. PC: Néo-Films. P: Pierre Braunberger. D: Cavalcanti. CAST: Catherine Hessling, Jean Renoir. 400 m /22 fps/ 15’. Silent b&w. La Cinémathèque Francaise. Piano: Antonio Coppola. Pordenone, Cinema Verdi, Sunday, 12 October 1997. A music short presented without its music makes little sense.

The Film Of Her

/ / US / 1996 / Morrison, Bill / / experimental

Film Of Her, The. P+D+SC: Bill Morrison. 12’. Pordenone, Cinema Verdi, Sunday, 12 October 1997. **** In search of lost time: a beautiful vignette about film archival work based on the treasures at the Library of Congress.

Face the Camera

/ / US / 1922 / Roach, Hal / / comedy

Face the Camera. PC: Hal Roach Studios. P: Hal Roach. D: Jay A. Hove. CAST: Paul Parrott, Jobyna Ralston. GEH. 176 m /20 fps/ 8’. Silent b&w. Piano: Antonio Coppola. Pordenone, Cinema Verdi, Sunday, 12 October 1997. *** The rookie cameraman’s only previous work experience was that of an organ grinder. That could have fatal results during the nitrate era. Having wreaking havoc all over the city the hero finally causes his studio to explode.

Le Giornate del Cinema Muto 11-18 October 1997

PORDENONE 11 - 18 OCTOBER, 1997
Le Giornate del Cinema Muto - The Festival of Silent Cinema - was mounted for the 16th time in Pordenone, Italy, an hour’s train journey north of Venice. An invaluable annual event for those seriously interested in film history, it is the only opportunity anywhere to see comprehensive screenings of films from the first 40 years of the history of cinema - from the years 1890 till 1930, when films did not have soundtracks. Professionals of film history from all around the globe - from Beijing to Washington, from New Zealand to Helsinki meet there each year. The prints screened represent the state of the art of archival preservation and restoration. The prints may be brilliant, or border on the unwatchable. All screenings have music. The Birth of a Nation with live symphony orchestra accompaniment was unforgettable, and The Jazz Singer and Der weisse Teufel had memorable soundtracks. Other screenings had piano accompaniment.
This year’s offerings included:
* the first films of William Friese-Greene from 1890 - not seen in generations
* the first films of Thomas Alva Edison from 1890 till 1900 - a retrospective with hundreds of titles
* the first 94 films of D.W. Griffith, from the years 1907-1908
The participants had the luxury of experiencing some of the founding artefacts of the Seventh Art - from the birth pangs to the violent growth of the Gargantuan baby.
The fest was capped with two specials:
* The Birth of a Nation (1915) with full symphony orchestra accompaniment, and
* The Jazz Singer (1927) - 70th anniversary screening

Film concert The Birth of a Nation (1997 GCM Pordenone, Joseph Carl Breil score arranged and conducted by John Lanchbery, performed by Ljubljana Camerata Labacensis Orchestra)

D. W. Griffith: The Birth of a Nation (US 1915). The U.S. Civil War.

011659 / 16 / US / 1915 / Griffith, D. W. / / historical drama
Birth of a Nation, The / Kansakunnan synty / Nationens födelse. PC: David W. Griffith Corporation. P+D+SC: D. W. Griffith. M: Joseph Carl Breil. CAST: Henry B. Walthall, Robert Harron, Lillian Gish, Miriam Cooper, Mae Marsh. Finnish premiere: 16 April 1922. - Pordenone, Cinema Verdi, Saturday 11 October 1997. Restored print based on the 1921 re-release by Photoplay Productions (David Gill, Kevin Brownlow, Patrick Stanbury). 3454 m /16 fps/ 187’. Tinted print. Live music based on the original score arranged and conducted by John Lanchbery, performed by Ljubljana Camerata Labacensis Orchestra. Screening dedicated to David Gill (1928 - 1997). **** ??!! The most ambivalent and embarrassing of the film classics has lost none of its power to move or to offend. I was previously familiar only with the 3280 m version of the film’s last Finnish re-release of 1964 which at sound speed ran one hour faster than this screening. To be cherished: the wonderful fluidity, the perfect blend of sound and vision, music marvellously restored and amended by John Lanchbery. It still probably is the highest grossing film of all time, if the value of the dollar is adjusted. And the most influential, besides Citizen Kane: participation in it changed the lives of John Ford, Raoul Walsh, and Erich von Stroheim, among others. For the first time I could really appreciate the majesty of the first part dedicated to the Civil War. The second part focusing on the Ku Klux Klan became more serious, too, because of the high standards of the presentation. Previously, in the Finnish release version, I found the racism merely stupid. Now I found the blood-thirsty aggressiveness as vicious as anything from Nazi Germany. I refused to applaud. No wonder The Birth of a Nation has not been exhibited in public since the 1940s in Anglo-Saxon countries. It may only be shown on special occasions in an anti-racist context.

The Griffith Project Part I: The Apprenticeship (1907–1908)

D. W. Griffith: The Adventures of Dollie (US 1908). His first film as a director.

/  / US / 1907–1908 / Griffith, D. W. /  / melodrama

The first ever complete D. W. Griffith retrospective was launched in Pordenone in 1997 and is likely to take ten years to be finished. The majority of Griffith’s over 500 films survive, but many have not been generally available since their release. Most of his Biograph shorts are preserved at the Library of Congress’ paper print collection. The paper print versions are often pre-release material, and shown in 16 mm film transfer prints do not do justice to the photographic quality of the originals. Sometimes the scenes were deposited in camera negative order, making the plot impossible to follow.

It was an invaluable privilege to see these films of apprenticeship – ”Griffith before Griffith”. If he would have died having made only these films, he would be forgotten today. Seeing these films was like witnessing a baby’s first steps. The sketches and vignettes cover a wide range. There is hardly any sense of film form, storytelling, or cinematic performance. Instead, we have condensed melodramatic plots performed at breakneck speed, and telegraphed by high histrionics. In the rare 35 mm prints, there is true photogenic beauty. Interestingly, the very first film directed by DWG, The Adventures of Dollie, is one of the most charming of the whole, since a beautiful print is available. It is fittingly symbolic that it is the story of a little child. Other most memorable films include Edgar Allan Poe: a clumsy but deeply felt vignette. And The Guerrilla, a visually memorable Civil War scene. DWG’s comedies are far from the masters.

Main actors in the films viewed include Linda Arvidson, Florence Lawrence, D. W. Griffith, and Mack Sennett.

The Griffith Project Part I covered the first 94 films in which DWG was active as a screenwriter, actor, or director. They all survive in some form. They were shot in one to three days. The duration ranges between 7–15’. I saw 68 of them. Most were screened at Ridotto del Verdi, Pordenone, all with a piano interpretation, all at 15 fps, 12–18 October, 1997.

The following films were produced by Biograph, made in the United States, screened in Library of Congress prints, in 16 mm, without titles and toning and directed by DWG, unless otherwise indicated.

Professional Jealousy (1907) 35 mm, MOMA, fine definition. D: Wallace McCutcheon. As an extra. DWG # 1

Falsely Accused! (1907) 35 mm, MOMA, titles. D: Wallace McCutcheon. In a small role. DWG # 2

Rescued From An Eagle’s Nest (1908) PC: Edison. 35 mm, MOMA, fine definition, titles. D: J. Searle Dawley. As male lead. DWG # 3

Cupid’s Pranks (1908) PC: Edison. 35 mm, MOMA, titles. D: J. Searle Dawley. As an extra. DWG # 5

Princess In The Vase, The (1908) As male lead. D: Wallace McCutcheon. DWG # 6

Egyptian Princess, The (1908) Unreleased version of above. MOMA. Titles. DWG # 6

Her First Adventure (1908) 35 mm, MOMA. D: Wallace McCutcheon. As male lead. DWG # 8

Old Isaacs, The Pawnbroker (1908) MOMA, from damaged source. D: Wallace McCutcheon. Screenwriter, actor. DWG # 10

At the Crossroads Of Life (1908) 35 mm, MOMA, titles. D: Wallace McCutcheon. Screenwriter, actor. DWG # 24

Adventures Of Dollie, The (1908) 35 mm, fine definition. DWG # 27 *

Fight For Freedom, The (1908) 35 mm. DWG # 29

Redman and the Child, The (1908) 35 mm. DWG # 30

For Love Of Gold (1908) From Jack London’s ”Just Meat”. DWG # 37

Fatal Hour, The (1908) DWG # 38

Balked At The Altar (1908). Comedy. DWG # 39

For A Wife’s Honor (1908) DWG # 40

Girl And The Outlaw, The (1908) Western. DWG # 41

Monday Morning In A Coney Island Police Court (1908) Comedy. DWG # 42

Red Girl, The (1908) Western. DWG # 43

Behind The Scenes (1908) DWG # 44

Heart of O Yama, The (1908) DWG # 45

Betrayed By A Handprint (1908) Detective story. DWG # 46.

Where The Breakers Roar (1908) DWG # 47

Smoked  Husband, A (1908) Comedy. DWG # 48

Zulu’s Heart, The (1908) DWG # 49

Vaquero’s Vow, The (1908) DWG # 50

Father Gets In The Game (1908) Comedy. DWG # 51

Barbarian, Ingomar, The (1908) DWG # 52

Planter’s Wife, The (1908) Story resembles the Finnish classic Juha. DWG # 53

Devil, The (1908) From Ferenc Molnar’s The Devil. DWG # 54

Stolen Jewels, The (1908) DWG # 55

Mr. Jones At The Ball (1908) Comedy. DWG # 56

Romance Of A Jewess (1908) DWG # 57

Call Of The Wild, The (1908) Western. DWG # 58

Concealing A Burglar (1908) DWG # 59

Woman’s Way, A (1908) Scenes out of order. DWG # 60

Taming Of The Shrew, The (1908). Based on Shakespeare, Florence Lawrence as Kate. DWG # 61

After Many Years (1908). Based on Tennyson’s poem ”Enoch Arden”. DWG # 62

Pirate’s Gold, The (1908) DWG # 63

Guerrilla, The (1908) Civil War. 35 mm, from paper print. DWG # 64

Guerrilla, The (1908) Civil War. 35 mm, from film print, MOMA. Titles. DWG # 64 *

Guerrilla, The (1908) Civil War. 35 mm, German release version. German titles. DWG # 64

Song of the Shirt, The (1908) From Thomas Hood’s poem. DWG # 65

Curtain Pole, The (1908) Comedy starring Mack Sennett. DWG # 66

Mrs. Jones Entertains (1908) Comedy. DWG # 67

Ingrate, The (1908) DWG # 68

Feud and the Turkey, The (1908) Scenes out of order. DWG # 69

Valet’s Wife, The (1908) Comedy. Scenes out of order. DWG # 71

Clubman and the Tramp, The (1908). Comedy: ”tantalizing annoyance of having a double”. DWG # 72

Money Mad (1908) Based on Jack London’s ”Just Meat”. DWG # 73

One Touch of Nature (1908) Orphan child brings mother to sanity. DWG # 74

Awful Moment, An (1908) Gypsy woman’s revenge on judge. Scenes out of order. DWG # 75

Test of Friendship, The (1908). Millionaire lies having gone bankrupt. Scenes out of order. DWG # 76

Helping Hand, The (1908) At the altar a poor girl is about to be exposed as a whore. DWG # 77

Maniac Cook, The (1908) The kitchen maid goes mad and is about to roast a baby. DWG # 78

Christmas Burglars, The (1908) 35 mm from paper print, unstable image. Pawnbroker with a heart of gold. DWG # 79

Wreath In Time, A (1908) Comedy starring Mack Sennett and resembling Sons of the Desert. DWG # 80

Honor of Thieves, The (1908) Pawnbroker’s daughter beguiled into eloping with smooth-talking thief. DWG # 81

Rural Elopement, A (1908) DWG # 82

Joneses Have Amateur Theatricals, The (1908) Comedy. DWG # 83

Sacrifice, The (1908) DWG # 84

Criminal Hypnotist, The (1908) DWG # 85

Edgar Allen Poe (1908). ”Allan” misspelled in title. Based on ”The Raven”. 35 mm, MOMA. DWG # 86

Mr. Jones Has A Card Party (1908). Comedy. DWG # 87

Roue’s Heart, The (1908) Blind sculptress meets French roue. DWG # 88

Welcome Burglar, The (1908) Ex-husband shot as a burglar. DWG # 89

Hindoo Dagger, The (1908) DWG # 90

Tragic Love (1908) DWG # 91

Love Finds A Way (1908) Costume comedy in the court of Louis XIII. DWG # 92

Girls and Daddy, The (1908) Blatant racism. Scenes out of order. DWG # 93

Salvation Army Lass, The (1908) ”God Is My Light”. DWG # 94

Hercules (1997)

/ / US / 1997 / Disney, Walt / / animation

Hercules / Herkules. PC: Walt Disney Enterprises. P+D+SC: John Musker, Ron Clements. M: Alan Menken. PD: Gerald Scarfe. 92’. 1,85. MPAA 35360. Rating: G. Finnish language version supervised by Pekka Lehtosaari. Voice of Megara: Laura Voutilainen. DIST: Finnkino. Viewed at VET, Helsinki, Thursday, 9 October 1997. *** First-rate animation provides a feast for the eyes, and the design of Gerald Scarfe introduces a visual signature with an unusual edge. Alan Menken’s score is thoroughly integrated in the story, making this a true animated musical. After a century of animated cinema the problem of human characters is still to be solved. The traditional Disneyesque full-figured wonder horse Pegasus is more effective than the experimental and angular human characters. While the subject is packed with wit and invention, there are problems of feeling and rhythm. Hercules attacks on the senses so relentlessly that the viewer is put on the defense. The frenetic and monotonic pace betrays a lack of trust in the talent involved. Not having seen the original language version I appreciate in the Finnish version its technical perfection and the verve and punch of the musical numbers. Some of the voices strike me as phony, but Laura Voutilainen as Megara is excellent. I agree with those who declare that the most interesting female characters in 1990s Hollywood cinema have appeared in Walt Disney’s animated features: Belle, Pocahontas, Esmeralda - and now Megara. She is a truly ambivalent figure, a good-bad girl half-way to Hades.

Le Violon de Rothschild

/ / FR / 1996 / Cozarinsky, Edgardo / drama

Violon de Rothschild, Le / Rothschildin viulu. PC: Les Films d’Ici. M: Dmitri Shostakovitsh, Benjamin Fleischmann, Modest Mussorgski (”Boris Godunov”). CAST: Sergei Makovetski (Dmitri Shostakovitsh), Dainius Kazlauskas (Benjamin Fleischmann). 100’. Letterboxed. Russian dialogue. Visa de contrôle 87801. Rating: G. Finnish subtitles by Jertta Ratia. PAL transmission of Yleisradio TV2, ”25th hour” series viewed in Helsinki, 7 October 1997. **** Masterful blend of drama, newsreel footage, and opera focuses on the Yiddish theme in Dmitri Shostakovitsh’s life. He finishes the one act opera ”Rothschild’s violin” inspired by Chekhov and composed by Dmitri’s friend Benjamin Fleischmann, who falls as a hero of the Siege of Leningrad. During Stalin’s campaign against ”rootless cosmopolitans” (= Jews) the Jewish impact in Shostakovitsh’s art grows more profound. ”The musician’s duty is to go on composing. That is the only way for us to say what we want”. ”Too many of us have been killed. Music will be my epitaph.” The montage of artists charmed by Stalin - Paul Robeson, Maxim Gorki, Bernard Shaw, Lion Feuchtwanger, Pablo Neruda, Paul Eluard - is poignant.

The Last Days of Dolwyn

Emlyn Williams: The Last Days of Dolwyn (GB 1949).

/ / GB / 1949 / Williams, Emlyn / drama

PC: London Films. A British Lion release. EX: Alexander Korda. P: Anatole de Grunwald. 

D+SC: Emlyn Williams. DP: Otto Heller. CAST: Edith Evans, Emlyn Williams, Richard Burton.

    94 min. B&w. English and Welsh Gaelic dialogue. BBFC rating: U. 

    Print: National Film and Television Archive. 

    Presented by: Peter Stead. 

    Viewed at SEA, Cinema Orion, Helsinki, 7 October 1997. 

** The landmark film of Welsh cinema presents three legendary Welsh performers of three different generations – Edith Evans as the indomitable old lady, Emlyn Williams as the blackguard who wants to drown the village, and Richard Burton in his film debut as a young lover in the midst of the pastoral idyll. He is tongue-tied literally, since his mother tongue is Gaelic, and he has to express his feelings in English, in the language of his sweetheart. These three actors carry the film, and Otto Heller knows where to put the camera. Weaknesses include: the factitious plot, the painted sceneries, the cardboard backgrounds, the weak pulse of the narrative, and worst of all, the lack of cinematic rhythm. Though several scenes, especially those with Edith Evans, are great, the film becomes boring. Freud would be intrigued by the final scene where Richard Burton sticks to his mother’s hand, neglecting his sweetheart’s.

She’s So Lovely

100421 / 16 / US/FR / 1997 / Cassavetes, Nick / drama

She’s So Lovely / She’s So Lovely. PC: Hachette Premiere. A Miramax release. D: Nick Cassavetes. SC: John Cassavetes. CAST: Sean Penn, Robin Wright Penn, John Travolta. 97’. Scope. MPAA 35349. Rating R = 17. Finnish subtitles by Movision. DIST: Scanbox Finland. Viewed at VET, Helsinki, 7 October 1997. *** The ancient Greeks thought love is an illness which brings unhappiness and disaster. This film shares the same view. It’s a jazzy story about madness, alcohol and love. It wears a smile on its face, but there is stark staring madness raving underneath. The film is character-driven, and the performances are powerful.

GRIDLOCK’d

Vondie Curtis-Hall: Gridlock'd (US 1997) with Tim Roth (Stretch) and Tupac Shakur (Spoon).

100419 / 16 / US / 1997 / Curtis-Hall, Vondie / comedy

GRIDLOCK’d / GRIDLOCK’d. PC: PolyGram. D+SC: Vondie Curtis Hall. M: Tupac Shakur, Vondie Curtis Hall, etc., performed by Critters Buggin’, Eight Mile Road, etc. CAST: Tim Roth, Tupac Shakur, Thandie Newton. 92’. 1,85. MPAA 34985. Rating R = 17. BBFC: 18. Finnish subtitles by Cinema Mondo. DIST: Cinema Mondo. Viewed at VET, Helsinki, 6 October 1997. *** Detroit. Comic verve never fails in the New Year’s Day adventure of three heroin-addicted musicians, the lady member of whom lands into hospital in coma. The two guys try desperately to get into rehabilitation. It resembles The Lost Weekend in the way the grimness of addiction is played for comedy. The duo has even touches of Laurel & Hardy. The risk of making comedy about an addiction to a lethal drug is great, but so is the payoff. The soundtrack is first rate. The leading trio of actors form the music/poetry group Eight Mile Road. GRIDLOCK’d = jammed. The dedication: For Tupac – ”One Road” – R.I.P.

Double Team

100417 / 16 / US / 1997 / Tsui Hark / / action

Double Team / Double Team. PC: Mandalay Entertainment. A Columbia release. P: Moshe Diamant. D: Tsui Hark. DP: Pater Pau. Martial arts: Samo Hung. PD: Marek Dobrowolski. ED: Bill Pankow. CAST: Jean-Claude Van Damme, Dennis Rodman, Mickey Rourke. 91’. Scope. MPAA 35076. Rating R = 17. Finnish / Swedish subtitles by Timo Porri / Eirik Udd. DIST: Columbia TriStar Egmont Finland. Viewed at VET, Helsinki, Friday, 3 October 1997. *** Van Damme’s best movie so far is the lucky result of a genial production team. It’s the US debut of the Hong Kong wizards Tsui Hark and Samo Hung, and the screen debut of Dennis Rodman, who brings colour and humour to the screen, in perfect contrast to the single-minded Van Damme. It’s flamboyant, it’s outlandish, and it does not care about logic. It’s about magic and miracle and the joy of spectacle. The plot is forgettable and some twists objectionable (shooting innocents, risking lives of babies), but there are several funny inventions (the cybermonks in the catacombs of Rome). To be admired is also the very precise sense of using time lapse and the bold and consistent colour scheme. Hopefully Van Damme will work with these guys again.

Casque d’or

037820 / 16 / FR / 1952 / Becker, Jacques / / drama

Casque d’or / Rakastajatar. PC: Speva Films; Paris Films. A Discina release. P: Robert Hakim, Henri Baum / André Paulvé. D+SC+ED: Jacques Becker. Music theme: ”Le Temps de cerises”. CAST: Simone Signoret (Marie, Casque d’or), Serge Reggiani (Manda), Claude Dauphin (Félix Leca). 97’. B&w. Visa de censure 8542. Finnish / Swedish subtitles by Marjatta Kaija / Eirik Udd. A worn print. Presented by Claude Beylie, who commented, among other things, that ”the truth of the men in the film lies in their moustaches”. Viewed at SEA, Cinema Orion, Helsinki, Thursday, 2 October 1997. **** Still grand and forceful after all these years. The love story amongst the Apaches of 1898 combines the sensuality of Renoir with the laconic power of an American thriller. It’s about love, friendship and devotion, about risking everything for what’s worth it. Everything - dialogue, acting, camerawork, music, montage - blends perfectly to produce a profound electric charge. A director’s movie, absolutely, but also a producer’s dream come true.

The Merchant of Venice (1973)

John Sichel: The Merchant of Venice (TVM, GB 1973) with Joan Plowright (Portia) and Laurence Olivier (Shylock). Photo: National Theatre Company/Atv/Kobal/Shutterstock.

V-003331 / G / GB / 1973 / Sichel, John / / TV drama

Venetsian kauppias. PC: ATV Network. An ITC release. EX: Cecil Clarke. P: Jonathan Miller. D+SC: John Sichel - from the play by William Shakespeare. Based on Laurence Olivier’s National Theatre From England production. M: Carl Davis. CAST: Laurence Olivier (Shylock), Joan Plowright (Portia), Jeremy Brett (Bassanio), Anthony Nicholls (Antonio), Louise Purnell (Jessica). 128’ at PAL speed. DIST: Finnkino. Big screen projection of a timecoded VHS video at VET, Helsinki, Tuesday, 30 September 1997. *** A powerful and moving interpretation of the play with Laurence Olivier as a tragic Shylock and Joan Plowright as the cunning Portia. Portia is the winner, first with her three caskets: the gold casket of death, the silver casket with the mirror and the lead casket of love. Then, masquerading as the attorney, she saves Antonio, the Merchant of Venice, from having to give up his pound of flesh to Shylock. As Shylock perishes utterly, the flow of sympathy moves to his side even while we watch the victors rejoice. The final image is of Jessica, Shylock’s daughter, crying as a haunting Kaddish is heard on the soundtrack.

Anna (1997)

A-27780 / G / FI / 1997 / Lehmuskallio, Markku & Lapsui, Anastasia / documentary

Anna. PC: Jörn Donner Productions. D: Markku Lehmuskallio, Anastasia Lapsui. FEATURING: Anna Aleksevna Momde. Location: Taimyr - the city of Dudinka at the Jenisei. 58’. 1,85. Shot in 16mm, viewed in 35mm at VET, Helsinki, Monday, 29 September, 1997. Spoken in Russian, with Finnish commentary, and English subtitles by Merja Talvela and Leslie Hyde. ** A requiem for the lost culture of the Nganasan, the second most northern people in the world. Anna Aleksevna Momde belongs to the Loon Clan, which believe that the loons created the world. She went to school, became a Pioneer, a Komsomolets, and a Party Secretary. ”I called my tribal folk to a new life. They were invited from the tundra to the village. I committed a fatal mistake. We deprived them of their traditional life and gave nothing instead. They were proud, strong, brave, unbowed, invincible, rulers of their own land. We ruined everything. My soul was thrown into turmoil, my heart cast into dirt before my very eyes”. The grim confession is accompanied with images of decay in the Taimyr, underlined with ugly lighting, ugly set-ups, and ugly camera angles. The sacred sledges and the beautiful traditional costumes have been left to rot. The only beautiful modern images are those from the traditional Loon Dance. In striking contrast to the misery of the present 1954 documentary footage shows the traditional ways of the Nganasan with classic dignity worthy of Flaherty. Even the Communist footage displays pride and confidence, in contrast to the desillusion of the present. Anna is a great and eloquent central subject, but the film is marred by lack of focus and depressing ugliness of the visuals.

George of the Jungle

100415 / 8/5 / US / 1997 / Weisman, Sam / comedy

George of the Jungle / Viidakon Ykä. PC: Walt Disney Enterprises. D: Sam Weisman. Based upon the cartoon characters created by Jay Ward. CAST: Brendan Fraser (George), Leslie Mann (Ursula), Thomas Haden Church (Lyle Van de Groot). John Cleese as the Voice of Ape. MPAA 35373, Rating: PG. 91’. 1,85. Finnish subtitles by Timo Porri. DIST: Finnkino. Viewed at VET, Helsinki, Monday, 29 September 1997. ** George of the Jungle meets his mate, Ursula, in this Tarzan parody. Trouble is, I find the original Tarzan stories already so funny they are difficult to spoof. This one tries hard. Crude, clumsy, predictable, with laughs in it.

Germinal (1913) (1986 restoration from La Cinémathèque Francaise by Renée Lichtig)

Albert Capellani: Germinal (FR 1913).

004819 / G / FR / 1913 / Capellani, Albert / historical drama

Germinal / Germinal eller den stora grufkatastrofen. PC: Société Cinématographique des Auteurs et Gens de Lettre (SCAGL). A Pathé release. D+SC: Albert Capellani - from the novel by Emile Zola. DP: Louis Forestier. CAST: Henry Krauss (Etienne Lantier), Sylvie (Catherine), Jacquinet (Chaval). B&w, silent. A brilliant print of the 1986 restoration from La Cinémathèque francaise by Renée Lichtig. 3017 m /18 fps/ 146’, projected at /24 fps/ 110’. Somnambulistic piano accompaniment by Jasse Varpama. Well rehearsed Finnish earphone translation by Leena Talvio. Viewed at SEA, Cinema Orion, Helsinki, Sunday, 28 September 1997. ** It was a joy to see an exquisite print do justice to the archaic long-take, deep-space tableaux of Germinal. The furious depiction of the war between labour and capital invites comparison to Griffith’s Intolerance: here, too, finally, armed forces crush the rebels. In Germinal, seeing the carnage, the commander bursts into tears. In contrast to Griffith the camera is static, there are no close-ups, and there is no montage. The intertitles give away the action in advance. On the other hand, the composition is impeccable, the movement of the masses dynamically conveyed, and Germinal has documentary fascination as a portrait of a primitive phase of the industrial society. Interestingly, the actors are relatively subdued, and the sadness at the death of both of the leading ladies is moving.

For the La Cinémathèque francaise 2011 restoration see my Bologna 2011 comment.

Carmageddon

GB / 1996 / computer game

Carmageddon. DIST: Sales Curve Interactive. A linear showreel of the computer game. PAL video monitor viewing at the British Board of Film Classification in London on Friday, 26 September, 1997. The player is in the driver’s seat. The more other cars he wrecks and the more passers-by he kills, the higher he scores. A lot of blood splashes on the road and on the windshield. In contrast to Death Race 2000, this game does not pretend to social satire of any kind.

Les Jeux Olympiques à Chamonix, 1924

Poster of the Chamonix 1924 Winter Olympic Games, produced in about 5000 copies. Poster design: Auguste Matisse (1866-1931). The author died in 1931, so this work is in the public domain in its country of origin and other countries and areas where the copyright term is the author's life plus 80 years or fewer. This work is in the public domain in the United States because it was published (or registered with the U.S. Copyright Office) before January 1, 1930. Image from: Wikipédia L'encyclopédie libre: Jeux olympiques d'hiver de 1924. Please click on the image to enlarge it.

FR / 1924 / documentary

Jeux Olympiques à Chamonix, 1924, Les / The Olympic Games Held at Chamonix in 1924. PC: Rapid-Film. Released by Les Films Sportifs. P: Jean de Rovera. FEATURING: Vallenius, Tapani Niku, Haugen, Thams. 619 m /24 fps/ 23’. Viewed on the moviola at the Imperial War Museum in London on Friday, 26 September, 1997. *** The first Winter Games arranged by the Olympic Committee of Paris. Skating, ice hockey, the 50 km ski Marathon, figure-skating, bobsleigh riding, and ski-jumping. The Norwegians are the heroes, but Finns score medals, as well. Good clean fun in the magnificent surroundings of Mont Blanc.

Mean Guns

US 1996 / Pyun, Albert / action

Mean Guns. PC: Mean Guns, Inc. D: Albert Pyun. CAST: Christopher Lambert, Ice-T. 110’. Scope. MPAA 35141. Rating: R. The film has not been released anywhere. Viewed at the British Board of Film Classification in London on Thursday, 25 September, 1997. BOMB. Gratuitous violence: dozens of L.A. gangland traitors kill each other in a deserted office building. Meaningless slaugher is conveyed with stylish lensing and accompanied with a cynically hilarious mambo track.

Guinea Pig 6

R-003678 / 18 / JP / 19-- / sadism, splatter

Guinea Pig 6. A MAD Video release. In Japanese without subtitles. 80’. VHS PAL big screen video projection for a police investigation at VET, Helsinki, Tuesday, 23 September 1997. September has been amazingly free from the video nasties and hard core pornography that usually fill the largest part of the office’s viewing schedule. Well, here then is a reminder of what’s it’s all about. In stark hand-held cinéma vérite style a young, bound woman is brutalized by men. They hit her face till she spits blood, they kick her and tear her skin with pincers. They rotate her in a revolving chair and force her to drink a large bottle of liquor till she vomits. They torture her with a headset bombarding her ears with amplified industrial noise till slime drips from her mouth. Further atrocities include spikes on fingers, boiling oil on arms, white maggots on burned flesh and eyelids, raw bloody meat thrown all over the victim, and eyesockets pierced till they are filled with blood, and finally, eyeballs pierced. Thus ends the first episode of several. In the end credit sequence the special effects are revealed. The Japanese schlockmakers indulge even in actual sadism, but the Guinea Pig series is known as fictional.

The Scarlet Letter (1926)

Victor Sjöström: The Scarlet Letter (US 1926). Mary Hawes (Patience), Karl Dane (Giles).

014195 / 16 / US / 1926 / Sjöström, Victor / drama

Scarlet Letter, The / Tulipunainen kirjain / Punainen kirjain. PC: MGM. P: Irving Thalberg. D: Victor Sjöström. SC: Frances Marion - from the novel by Nathaniel Hawthorne (1850). CAST: Lillian Gish (Hester Prynne), Lars Hanson (Arthur Dimmesdale), Henry B. Walthall (Roger Prynne). 2508 m /24 fps/ 91’. Silent, b&w. Unfocused piano accompaniment by Peter Reynolds. Pretty complete safety print from Cinemateket / Svenska Filminstitutet, from a partly decomposed original. Viewed at SEA, Cinema Orion, Tuesday, 23 September 1997. **** Great direction of a great screenplay of a great story of ”bigotry uncurbed”. The film is somewhat marred by melodramatic excess like bulging eyeballs. On the other hand, the grim story is leavened with humour. The atmosphere of the Puritanical Boston of the 1650s is effectively detailed and humanly gripping. As a drama about civil courage it belongs in the same canon as the plays of Henrik Ibsen and Arthur Miller. In the cinema, Hitchcock’s The Manxman, influenced by Sjöström, is thematically close; Anny Ondra was his Hester Prynne. (Print status: no better print is available, but a restoration is under way in 1997 at the UCLA Film and Television Archive.)

Disraeli - Portrait of a Romantic I-IV

Claude Whatham: Disraeli - Portrait of a Romantic I-IV (GB 1978) with Ian McShane as Benjamin Disraeli.

V-03324 / G / GB / 1978 / Whatham, Claude / TV drama

Disraeli - Portrait of a Romantic / Disraeli. PC: ATV Network Limited. An ITC release. P: Lorna Mason, Cecil Clarke. D: Claude Whatham. SC: David Butler. CAST: Ian McShane (Disraeli), Mary Peach ( Mary Anne), Rosemary Leach (Queen Victoria), John Carlisle (Gladstone). 258’ at PAL speed. DIST: Finnkino. Big screen projection of a timecoded VHS video at VET, Helsinki, Monday, 22 September 1997. *** The four part television drama is to be released on video in the large ITC series. Its viewpoint is revealed by the subtitle: how the Romantic novelist becomes Prime Minister. It is about the romance of the British Empire. Ian McShane (best known to me as Lovejoy) is excellent both as the dashing dandy and the brandy-sipping gout-ridden buck. The screenwriter relishes in recounting the legend, and the actors enjoy uttering witty dialogue. It is about world history as a chamber piece. It is about the theater of politics. It is also about political wisdom, and about diplomacy. ”Intrigue is for the second rate. Honesty is for the great minds”. What was the secret of Disraeli, what helped him win seemingly insuperable obstacles? The answer of the makers of this film is: love.

Twin Town

100425 / 16 / GB / 1997 / Allen, Kevin / / crime

Twin Town. PC: PolyGram Films UK. D: Kevin Allen. CAST: Llyr Evans, Rhys Ifans. MPAA 34969. BBFC: 18. 99’. Nihilistic Welsh film on juvenile delinquency. The Tarantino lesson profoundly misunderstood.

Hamlet (1996)

100404 / 12/9 / US / 1996 / Branagh, Kenneth / drama

Hamlet / Hamlet. PC: Castle Rock Entertainment. D+SC: Kenneth Branagh - from the play by William Shakespeare. CAST: Kenneth Branagh (Hamlet), Kate Winslet (Ophelia), Julie Christie (Gertrude), Derek Jacobi (Claudius). 242’. Finnish / Swedish subtitles by Hannele Vahtera. Filmed in 70mm. Viewed in 35mm scope at VET, Helsinki, Friday, 19 September 1997. ** The first complete film version of Hamlet is an experiment that probably won’t be repeated. It is great to see an all star cast fill even minor roles. It is exciting to see the unabridged Mousetrap, the play within the play. But mostly this is a version for completists and scholars. Branagh as Hamlet is dynamic and rather obnoxious. As a director he tries to create visual excitement by striking images and flashbacks, but the efforts remain superficial. The use of widescreen gives the impression of wasted space. There are too many empty stares and rigid poses. This is not one of the three best screen Hamlets, my favorites being Kozintsev, Olivier, and Käutner. The Kozintsev / Pasternak / Shostakovitsh / Smoktunovski version, also in glorious widescreen, is still the one above all because of its strong physical vision of the sea and the castle, its cinematic sense of the space of drama, its forceful score and Smoktunovski’s immortal interpretation as the Prince.

La Loi du Nord

026437 / 16 / FR / 1939 / Feyder, Jacques / drama

Loi du Nord, La / La Piste du Nord / The Law of the North / Pako pohjoiseen. PC: Filmos / Ciné Alliance. P: Gregor Rabinovitch, Roland Tual, Adolphe Osso. D: Jacques Feyder. CAST: Michèle Morgan, Pierre Richard-Willm, Charles Vanel, Jacques Terrane. 101’. B&w. Safety print from La Cinémathèque Francaise with a mostly brilliant image and a damaged soundtrack. Fine earphone translation by Leena Talvio. Viewed at SEA, Cinema Orion, Helsinki, Thursday, 19 September 1997. *** An American millionaire (Richard-Willm) kills his wife’s lover and flees to the Frozen North with his secretary (Morgan). They are chased by a Canadian Mountie (Vanel). The exposition is boring, but the Jack London style adventure in the snowy wilderness is effective. It is also fun to see Morgan visit an Indian sauna. The scenes with Morgan are shot with reverence worthy of Garbo, whose director Feyder had been. Also Vanel is excellent. Swedish Lapland passes for Canada in the production. The film is little known. Its release was delayed by the Occupation; the producer was non-Aryan, and there was the problem of deference towards the ”Northern Law” embodied in the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. While no masterpiece, the film is different and memorable.

Sterne / Stars

Konrad Wolf: Sterne / Stars (DD 1959) with Jürgen Frohriep (Walter) and Sasha Krusharska (Ruth).

054894 / 16 / DD / 1959 / Wolf, Konrad / drama

Zwezdy / Poljettu tähti / Den påtrampade stjärnan. PC: Progress-Film / DEFA. D: Konrad Wolf. SC: Angel Wagenstein. Songs include ”Es brennt” (Mordechai Gebirtik 1941) and ”Eli Eli”, performed by Gerry Wolff. CAST: Sasha Krusharska/Sascha Kruscharska/Sascia Krusciarska, Jürgen Frohriep, Erik S. Klein. 92’. B&w. Helsinki premiere: 2 Sep 1960 – Corona – Allotria Filmi. Fair print with rainswept changeovers. Mostly in German, with occasional Bulgarian, Greek, and Yiddish dialogue. Finnish / Swedish subtitles by Marjatta Leskinen / Doris Harkimo with fatal errors of translation. Viewed at SEA, Cinema Orion, Helsinki, Thursday, 19 September 1997. *** A few days during the Nazi occupation of Bulgaria. Greek Jews are being transported to Auschwitz. Walter, a German Unteroffizier, is moved from his complacency by the meeting of Ruth, the keeper of the spirit of the deported. This is a film about the dawn of conscience. The simple realistic scenes in deep focus, the expressive close-ups, the lively moving camera, the haunting songs, and the gentle style of acting are effective, the passages of symbolic images misguided. But this film by a German Jew who survived in Moscow exile is a valid contribution to the mystery of ”Hitler’s ordinary executioners”. (In order to pass for Cannes in 1959 it had to pose as ”a Bulgarian entry” to avoid West German protests, but actually it is an East German film.)

Withnail & I

V-000063 / 16 / GB / 1986 / Robinson, Bruce / drama

Withnail & I / Onnen kiertolaiset. PC: HandMade Films. P: George Harrison. D+SC: Bruce Robinson. Tracks include ”All Along The Watchtower”, and ”Voodoo Chile” performed by Jimi Hendrix. CAST: Richard E. Grant (Withnail), Paul McGann (… & I), Richard Griffiths. 108’. 1,66. Impeccable restored National Film and Television Archive print. Viewed at SEA, Cinema Orion, Wednesday, 17 September 1997. ** The events take place in Britain 1969. Two hippies - Withnail & I - cool off in the countryside before returning to Camden Town. Personal, whimsical, laid back? Yes. Also bleak, talkative, and boring.

Nuoruus sumussa

A-02197 / 16 / FI / 1946 / Särkkä, Toivo / drama

Nuoruus sumussa / Youth In Fog. PC: Suomen Filmiteollisuus (SF). P: T.J. Särkkä. D: Toivo Särkkä. SC: Toini Aaltonen. CAST: Leif Wager, Topi Ruuth, Hannes Häyrinen, Kirsti Hurme, Marjatta Uski, Toini Vartiainen. 117’. B&w. Beautiful archival safety print. Viewed at SEA, Cinema Orion, Helsinki, Wednesday, 17 September 1997. BOMB. The war ends. Three young veterans return from the front to Helsinki. They immediately face the perils of love-hungry women, drink and crime. Heavy-handedly directed the actors are often reduced to overblown gesticulating and eyeball-rolling. The dialogue is lifeless; there is no cinematic rhythm, imagery, or style. Miraculously, the film still conveys a sense of fun. It is all part of the SF house style, of the warmth of its great ensemble, which even a small child can feel. Leif Wager does a fine job as the veteran who is neglected by his parents and who during his escapades contracts syphilis. The wordless sequence where he realizes this is the highlight of the picture. Hannes Häyrinen is also a saving grace with his humoristic portrayal.

Event Horizon

Paul Anderson: Event Horizon (GB 1997).

100413 / 18 / GB 1997 / Anderson, Paul / science fiction

Viimeinen horisontti / Den sista horisonten. PC: Paramount. P: Lawrence Gordon. D: Paul Anderson. SC: Philip Eisner. DP: Adrian Biddle. CAST: Laurence Fishburne, Sam Neill, Kathleen Quinlan. 97’. Panavision. Finnish / Swedish subtitles by Timo Porri / Eirik Udd. DIST: UIP Finland. Viewed at VET, Helsinki, Wednesday, 17 September 1997. *** Solaris meets Hellraiser. Starting as an intelligent scifi epic in the Star Trek tradition the film turns into a straight splatter horror film. Breathtaking imagery, technical solutions and production design keep Event Horizon interesting on the most basic level. The title refers to the boundary of a black hole. A new solution to deep space travel by creating an artificial black hole has been invented, but something has gone wrong. The corridors of the spaceship are covered with blood and human remains. ”Where we are going we don’t need eyes to see”. They have visited ”another dimension: pure chaos - pure evil”. Hell, perhaps? ”Hell is only a word”.

Keikka / The Gig

The Job

A-27774 / 8 / FI 1997 / Lahtela, Atro / crime comedy

PC: Talent House ”Vittu! Ton sä teit tahallas” / Marko Röhr Productions. D: Atro Lahtela. P: Johannes Lassila, Pauliina Valpas. DP: Timo Heinänen. CAST: Jukka Rasila, Petteri Summanen, Irina Björklund. 18’. 1,66. DIST: Talent House. Viewed at VET, Helsinki, Wednesday, 17 September 1997. *** Two brothers arrange a big holdup in the popular shopping mall Itäkeskus in East Helsinki. Everything goes awry in the parking hall, and Mommy gets very angry. Wry humour and fine acting performances.

Hets

025872 / 16 / SE 1944 / Sjöberg, Alf / drama

Hets / Frenzy / Torment / Kiihko. PC: Svensk Filmindustri. P: Harald Molander, Victor Sjöström. D: Alf Sjöberg. SC and assistant director: Ingmar Bergman. CAST: Stig Järrel, Alf Kjellin, Mai Zetterling, Stig Olin, Gunnar Björnstrand, Birger Malmsten. 102’. B&w. Nitrate print with Finnish subtitles, good definition. Viewed at SEA, Cinema Orion, Helsinki, Tuesday, 16 September 1997. *** A graduate’s confrontation with a tyrannical teacher is portrayed in Expressionist style. The figures of the fallen woman (Zetterling) and the demented authority figure called Caligula (Järrel) bring to mind The Blue Angel, but Hets is completely original. The graduate (Kjellin) is not without support: the other teachers and his classmates hate Caligula - learning should stem from ”heart, joy, insight” - but he chooses the lonesome route of battling his demon. Hets can also be seen as a topical contribution to the fight against authoritarian rule. It is fascinating to see a cast of familiar Bergman faces together this early.

Pekko ja unissakävelijä

A-27773 / G / FI 1997 / Koivusalo, Timo / comedy

Pekko ja unissakävelijä / Pekko and the Sleepwalker. PC: Artista Filmi. CAST: Timo Koivusalo, Satu Silvo, Esko Nikkari. 92’. 1,66. DIST: Finnkino. Viewed at VET, Helsinki, on Tuesday, 16 September 1997. BOMB. An affable atmosphere, the magic light of the never-setting sun of the Finnish summer, the sanguine beauty of Satu Silvo, and the ensemble playing of a reliable cast of popular actors are among the joys provided by the fifth installment of the Pekko series. The twin plot is about Pipsa (Satu Silvo) being drugged to a sleepwalker by a scheming doctor and about the village policeman’s fits of jealousy as his wife visits a health spa. In the finale Pipsa meets her mother she never knew. The comedy of Pekko, himself, the Finnish Tora-San, the sympathetic loner, is an acquired taste. Taste is the keyword: it requires taste to handle bad taste. This often gets only vulgar and embarrassing.

Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome

George Miller: Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome (AU 1985) with Tina Turner (Aunty Entity) and Mel Gibson (Mad Max).

093037 / 16 / AU 1985 / Miller, George / science fiction
Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome / Mad Max 3 - ukkosmyrsky. PC: Kennedy Miller Productions. D: George Miller, George Ogilvie. CAST: Mel Gibson, Tina Turner. 106’ MTV3 telecast, PAL speed, cropped to full frame from Panavision, with ample commercial breaks, Finnish subtitles by Markku Kenttä, viewed in Helsinki on Monday, 15 September 1997. **** Often seen as a weaker sequel to The Road Warrior, Beyond Thunderdome in fact rises to a different level. Miller not only had access to the holy grounds of the Aborigines, but the whole film is shot through with the spirit of Dreaming, the ancient religion of the continent. While The Road Warrior was about action, Beyond Thunderdome is about contemplation. The Road Warrior had a run-of-the-mill script but was original in execution. Beyond Thunderdome both has an unique script and develops the audacious production design of the Mad Max saga further. The arts, the crafts, and the costumes still look stunning. Maurice Jarre composed one of his more experimental scores for this one. Tina Turner is a worthy adversary to Mel Gibson. She belongs to the few rock stars who really stand on their own in a narrative film. Her reaction to the demolition of her city and the fact that the opposite tribe has escaped? Homeric laughter.

The Peacemaker

100401 / 16 / US 1997 / Leder, Mimi / action

The Peacemaker / Rauhantekijä. PC: DreamWorks LLC. P: Branko Lustig. D: Mimi Leder. CAST: George Clooney, Nicole Kidman. 125’. Scope. Finnish / Swedish subtitles by Timo Porri / Eirik Udd. DIST: UIP Finland. Viewed at VET, Helsinki, on Monday, 15 September 1997. *** Breathtakingly produced gung-ho action extravaganza. The US Nuclear Smuggling Group (= Kidman) and the Army’s elite Special Forces (= Clooney) save New York City from nuclear holocaust by thwarting a doomsday scenario of raving Russian and Serbian lunatics who seize a missile transport train in darkest Siberia. Brilliant production values can’t hide fundamental confusion of style. The Peacemaker is too bitter and militaristic for a James Bond / Indiana Jones style adventure and too cliched and facile to be taken seriously. Clooney and Kidman are not at their best, nor is there much spark between them. Mimi Leder creates exciting situations but the basic flow is not strong enough.

Bullet in the Head

100395 / 18 / HK 1990 / Woo, John / action

Bullet in the Head / Diexue jietou. PC: John Woo Film Productions. Copyright renewed in 1995 for Star TV. A Media Asia Film Distribution release. P+D+SC+ED: John Woo. CAST: Tony Leung, Jacky Cheung, Waise Lee, Fennie Yuen, Yolinda Yam. 136’. 1,85. Canton Chinese with Finnish subtitles. DIST+TRANS: Cinema Mondo. Viewed in a 131’ version at VET, Helsinki, on Friday, 12 September 1997. **** Hong Kong and Vietnam, 1967-1970. A mythical quest for fortune of three young friends during the Vietnam war. During the extreme ordeals everyone is badly burnt, and only Ben (Tony Leung) survives the final ballet of blood and fire. Not only a violent film, this is a film about brutalization. The historical context is portrayed in epic scale. The scenes of war, demonstrations, suicide missions, and mass evacuations have an authentic touch whereas the actions of the three adventurers are stylized, even glamorized. The glamour, however, only serves to make the final desolation more shattering.

When We Were Kings

100359 / G / US 1996 / Gast, Leon / documentary
When We Were Kings. PC: DASFilms. A PolyGram release. P: David Sonenberg. D: Leon Gast. ED: Taylor Hackford. Theme song ”Rumble In The Jungle” performed by The Fugees. FEATURING: Muhammad Ali, George Foreman. 84’. DIST: Scanbox Finland. Viewed at VET, Helsinki, on Friday, 12 September 1997. **** Kinshasa 1974, ”the rumble in the jungle”: Muhammad Ali (32) contends for the heavyweight championship of George Foreman (25). The young guy is the stronger one, but Ali wins in strategy, driving his adversary mad, wearying him out and beating him with a few ferocious blows. The film is more about spirit than brute force. Ali ”the marvellous mouth” is in top form as a showman and spiritual leader. There is great Kinshasa concert footage with B.B. King, James Brown, and Miriam Makeba. Behind all this is President of Zaire Mobutu Sese Seko, who happened to die this week.

Film concert The End of St Petersburg / Konets Sankt-Peterburga (1997 Sininen Kuuntelija with Johannes Raumonen, Niina Tamminiemi, Lasse Tervo)

Vsevolod Pudovkin: Конец Санкт-Петербурга / Konets Sankt-Peterburga / The End of St Petersburg (SU 1927).

015281 / 12 / SU 1927 / Pudovkin, Vsevolod / drama
Konets Sankt-Peterburga / Конец Санкт-Петербурга / The End of St Petersburg / Pietarin viimeiset päivät / S:t Petersburgs sista dagar. PC: Mezhrabpom-Rus. P: Moisei Aleinikov. D: Vsevolod Pudovkin. SC: Nathan Zarhi. DP: Anatoli Golovnja. CAST: Ivan Tshuveljev, Vera Baranovskaja. Ca 2500 m / 24 fps / ca 90’. Silent, b&w. Viewed at SEA, Cinema Orion, Helsinki, on Thursday, 11 September 1997. 

    Musical interpretation composed and conducted by Johannes Raumonen: Johannes Raumonen (synthetizator, computer), Niina Tamminiemi (voc), Lasse Tervo (perc). 

    Brilliant print with Finnish/Swedish subtitles of the short 1960s reissue version, 72’ at 24 fps. **** 

    Great naive epic about the ghostly capital founded by Peter the Great. The characters are vignettes or caricatures, and the film is like a musical composition built on visual contrast, slow and fast movement, the major and the minor. The wandering clouds and the restlessly flowing Neva surround the towering monuments of autocracy. Its implacable power is shattered by war and revolution. The film’s drawback is the clumsiness of the propagandistic caricature. Visual music in itself, the film is a challenge for musical accompaniment. Last year in Pordenone I hated the absent-minded improvisation and missed great popular music themes in the Russian cycle. The Russians have no shortage of stirring ballads and marches. It would be interesting to see the original full version of this film, some sequences of which I only know as reported by Jay Leyda.

Nuoria ihmisiä

A-001770 / 16 / FI 1943 / Elstelä, Ossi / comedy
Nuoria ihmisiä / Young People. PC: Suomen Filmiteollisuus. P: T.J. Särkkä. D: Ossi Elstelä, Toivo Särkkä. SC: Mika Waltari. CAST: Hannes Häyrinen, Mervi Järventaus, Laila Jokimo, Kyllikki Forssell. 74’. B&w. Viewed at SEA, Cinema Orion, Helsinki, on Wednesday, 10 September 1997. Brilliant safety print. BOMB. The daffy Hannes Häyrinen vehicle was written for him by the great Mika Waltari, who was not above hack work for the cinema. The comedian plays a lunatic inventor who keeps falling in love at first sight. Among the performers of the rapidly changing episodes we meet the Tango King of Finland, Olavi Virta, who sings a song written by Waltari. He is not at his best, nor anyone else of the talent involved. The film gets annoying, but the cast and the photography are enjoyable.

Max Havelaar

088771 / 16 / NL/ID 1976 / Rademakers, Fons / historical drama
Max Havelaar / Max Havelaar. PC: P.T. Mondial Motion Pictures, Fons Rademakers Productie. P+D: Fons Rademakers. Based on the novel (1860) by Multatuli. DP: Jan De Bont. CAST: Peter Faber, Sacha Bulthuis, Rutger Hauer. 167’. 1,66. Viewed at SEA, Cinema Orion, Helsinki, on Wednesday, 10 September 1997. Fine print with Finnish/Swedish subtitles. Probably ***. I caught only the latter half of the stark epic about the bloody oppression and corruption of the Dutch colonialists in Java in the 1850s. Exciting photography by Jan De Bont, later famous for Basic Instinct, Twister, and Speed.

Den vita lejoninnan

100394 / 16 / SE 1996 / Berglund, Pelle / thriller
Vita lejoninnan, Den / Valkoinen naarasleijona. PC: Sveriges Television. P: Gertrud Bengtsson. D: Pelle Berglund. Based on the novel by Henning Mankell. CAST: Rolf Lassgård, Charlotte Sieling, Jesper Christensen. 104’. 1,85. DIST: Walhalla. TRANS: Janne Staffans. Viewed at VET, Helsinki, on Wednesday, 10 September 1997. *** Capetown, South Africa and Ystad, Sweden, in 1994. A South African contract killer is caught in the city of Ystad. Inspector Kurt Wallander, portrayed for the third time by Rolf Lassgård, gets to solve the international mystery. The story is exciting and the film-makers have a feeling for the several locations. The momentum is somewhat lost in the middle but rises again in the final reel when the Jackal-style assassination plan is about to be realized. The center of the action is the bear-like Wallander, a brave and clever man who is shy and clumsy with those closest to him. This is a fine Nordic contribution to the detective genre.

L.A. Confidential

Curtis Hanson: L.A. Confidential (US 1997). Kim Basinger (Lynn Bracken), 
Russell Crowe (Bud White), Guy Pearce (Ed Exley), Danny DeVito (Sid Hudgens), Kevin Spacey (Jack Vincennes).

100393 / 16 / US 1997 / Hanson, Curtis / thriller

L.A. Confidential / L.A. Confidential. PC: Monarch Enterprises, Regency Enterprises. P: Arnon Milchan. D: Curtis Hanson. Based on the novel (1990) by James Ellroy (in Finnish L.A. – langennut kaupunki, 1997). CAST: Guy Pearce, Russell Crowe, Kevin Spacey, Kim Basinger, James Cromwell, Danny De Vito. 136’. Scope. DIST: Warner Bros. Finland. TRANS: Anna-Lisa Holmqvist. Viewed at VET, Helsinki, on Tuesday, 9 September 1997. *** Los Angeles, mid-1950s. Mickey Cohen goes to jail. The fight for the gangland throne starts. Two young LAPD cops first clash with one another, then join forces to fight corruption. The narrative is thrilling. Two strong new Australian actors lead, established stars carry supporting roles. We are asked to regard Kim Basinger ”a Veronica Lake lookalike”. The action is violent, the tempo often laid-back.

Limelight

38085 / G / US 1952 /Chaplin, Charles /drama
Limelight / Parrasvalot. PC: Celebrated Films. P+D+SC+M: Charles Chaplin. CAST: Charles Chaplin, Claire Bloom. 140’. B&w. Viewed at SEA, Cinema Orion, Helsinki, on Sunday, 7 September 1997. The print was fine. The screening ran 137’. **** I had had difficulty adjusting to Limelight because Chaplin is not funny in it. But the point of the film is that Calvero the comedian no longer makes people laugh. Even more importantly, Chaplin no longer is the center of everything. This is a film about devotion to another. Claire Bloom radiates in her difficult breakthrough role. Previously I resented the emotionality of Limelight. This time, I cried as soon as Chaplin’s ”Song of Life” started to play during the opening credits. The sets are sometimes distractingly makeshift and the screenplay is too wordy. But faces speak more eloquently than words, and the whole cast is great.

Eurodisc Playdisc for 10.39.08

Meredith Brooks: Bitch (US 1997) from the album Blurring the Edges. Music video directed by Paul Andressen.

100386 / G / US etc. 1997 / various / music video

Music Video Laserdisc - Eurodisc Playlist For 10.39.08 / Musiikkikooste 10-39-08. Laserdisc. DIST: Ulkokaupat Oy. Viewed at VET, Helsinki, on Thursday, 4 September 1997.

Puff Daddy & Faith Evans: I’ll Be Missing You **

Meredith Brooks: Bitch ***

Eternal Featuring Bebe Winans: I Wanna Be the Only One ***

The Wallflowers: One Headlight ***

The Brand New Heavies: You Are the Universe **

Az Yet: Hard To Say I’m Sorry **

Michael Jackson: History ***

Sheryl Crow: A Change Would Do You Good ***

En Vogue: Whatever ***

Shola Ama: You Might Need Somebody ***

German Natdisc Playlist for 17.15.08

Members of Mayday: Sonic Empire (DE 1997).

100387 / G / US etc. 1997 / various / music video

Music Video Laserdisc - German Natdisc Playlist For 17.15.08 / Musiikkikooste 17-15-08. Laserdisc. DIST: Ulkokaupat Oy. Viewed at VET, Helsinki, on Thursday, 4 September 1997.

Members of Mayday: Sonic Empire ***

Nalin & Kane: Beachball ***

Chilli Featuring Carrapicho: Tic, Tic, Tac **

Black Attack: Bang Bang (2 Shots in the Head!) ***

DJ Bobo: It’s My Life **

Foxy Brown: I’ll Be **

Organized Noize: Set It Off **

Sweetbox: I’ll Die For You **

RMB: Break the Silence ***

Heath Hunter & The Pleasure Company: Walking On Clouds **

Once a Thief

100384 / 16 / HK 1991 / Woo, John / thriller
Once a Thief / Zongheng sihai. PC: Milestone Pictures. D: John Woo. CAST: Chow Yun-Fat, Leslie Cheung, Cherie Chung. 110’. 1,85. Canton Chinese version with Finnish subtitles by DIST: Cinema Mondo. Viewed at VET, Helsinki, on Wednesday, 3 September 1997. ** Lunatic cat burglar story more resemblant of Hudson Hawk than Trouble in Paradise. The ballet-like action sequences and Chow Yun-Fat’s wheelchair dance are a joy to watch.

Blizna

100382 / G / PL 1976 / Kieslowski, Krzysztof / drama
Blizna / The Scar / Arpi. PC: Film Polski. D: Krzysztof Kieslowski. CAST: Franciszek Pieczka, Mariusz Dmochowski, Jerzy Stuhr. 104’. 1,66. DIST: Finnkino. TRANS: Jaana Wiik / Janne Staffans. Viewed at VET, Helsinki, on Tuesday, 2 September 1997. ** Kieslowski’s theatrical feature debut is clumsy - the second one, Amator (The Amateur, 1979), was already remarkably assured. Blizna shares the disconsolate realism of K’s documentaries. It experiments sparingly with sound and vision, and does not introduce very compelling characters. Kieslowski, himself, defined the film a case of ”socialist realism against the grain” with a major script problem. Worth seeing for Kieslowski aficionados.

M.D.C. Maschera di cera / Le Masque de cire / The Wax Mask

Sergio Stivaletti: M.D.C. Maschera di cera / Le Masque de cire / The Wax Mask (FR/IT 1997).

100383 16 IT 1997 Stivaletti, Sergio horror
Vahanaamio. PC: A Cine 2000. P: Dario Argento. D: Sergio Stivaletti. Story: Lucio Fulci. CAST: Robert Hossein, Romina Mondello, Riccardo Serventi Longhi. 95’. 1,66. DIST: Finn Innovation Productions. Dubbed in English. Viewed at VET, Helsinki, Tuesday, 2 September 1997. BOMB. A remake of the 1932 The Mystery of the Wax Museum, already remade in 1953 as House of Wax, etc. The only new elements are nudity and gore. The director lacks talent, the actors are wooden, the photography is a far cry from the stylish heights of Bava and Argento, and the somnambulistic dubbing is the final nail on the coffin.

Conspiracy Theory

100381 12 US 1997 Donner, Richard thriller
Conspiracy Theory / Salaliittoteoria. PC: Warner Bros. P: Joel Silver. D: Richard Donner. CAST: Mel Gibson, Julia Roberts, Patrick Stewart. 135’. Scope. DIST: Warner Bros. Finland. TRANS: Timo Porri. Viewed at VET, Helsinki, Monday, 1 September 1997. *** Offbeat thriller plays its Manchurian Candidate premise for comedy. Mel Gibson stars as the deranged conspiracy theorist whose worst nightmares prove true. Julia Roberts performs strongly as the agent who has to face a major case of suspension of belief. Reasons to like this: the two fascinating performances and Carter Burwell’s surprising score.

KEY TO THE CHAIRMAN'S DIARY

The latest capsule review appears at the top of the page. The information is in the following order:

The register number of the Finnish Board of Film Classification. The main register (having now reached 100381 etc) was established in 1911. The separate register for Finnish films, here marked with the letter A, was established in 1933. The register marked with the letter V contains straight-to-video programmes examined by VET. The register marked with the letter I contains straight-to-video programmes registered but not examinded by VET.

The rating ( G - 6 - 8 - 10 - 12 - 14 - 16 - 18 - banned). G = general audience = approved for all audiences. Banned are films with actual sadism, child molestation, cruelty to animals, etc.

The country of production (following the two-letter standard. FI = Finland, SE = Sweden, etc.)

The year of production

The author (usually but not always the director)

Genre

The original title

The Finnish title

PC = production company

P = producer

EX = executive producer

D = director

SC = screenplay

DP = director of photography

PD = production design

ST = costumes; stylist

AN = animation

FX = special effects

ED = editor

M = music

R = sound recording

CAST / FEAT = featuring

Location

The duration in minutes

The projection speed is the 24 fps standard unless otherwise indicated.

Of silent films, length in meters and projection speed /fps = frames per second/ is given when known. The silent speed can vary between 12-40 fps, sometimes within the same film.

The European PAL and SECAM television and video standards run at 25 fps. The calculation to get the cinema duration from the European video duration: multiply by 25, divide by 24. For example: Malcolm X runs 193’ on European video, 201’ in the cinema. To get the European video duration from the cinema duration: multiply by 24, divide by 25.

The aspect ratio is Academy (1,33-1,37) unless otherwise indicated

DIST = The distributor in Finland

TRANS = the translator of the Finnish and Swedish subtitles

VET = Valtion elokuvatarkastamo = The Finnish Board of Film Classification

SEA = Suomen elokuva-arkisto = Finnish Film Archive

The prints reviewed are 35 mm safety film prints, in colour and with sound, and in the original language version unless otherwise indicated.

B&w = black and white

The personal evaluation follows the Leonard Maltin scale from **** (the best) to BOMB.

The diary includes films viewed outside the Classification Office. The official ratings of old films may be dated, and the films might get a new rating if they would be classified today. For instance, almost all Finnish films of the 1940s with a 16 rating would be G today.

1996

In 1996 I also saw

In Los Angeles:
The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1996)
The Little Colonel

In Helsinki:
From Dusk till Dawn
Secrets and Lies
Twelve Monkeys
Kauas pilvet karkaavat

December 1996

Yasujiro Ozu: Kohayagawa-ke no aki / The End of Summer (JP 1961).

3.12.1996 The Life and Times of Judge Roy Bean / Roy Bean - piru mieheksi. US 1972. D: John Huston. Paul Newman. Orion

7.12.1996 Kohayagawa-ke no aki / Perhetarina / The End of Summer. JP 1961. D: Yasujiro Ozu. Setsuko Hara. Orion
7.12.1996 The Man Who Would Me King / Seikkailujen sankarit. GB/US 1975. D: John Huston. Sean Connery, Michael Caine. Orion
XXX
10.12.1996 Kvarteret Korpen / Korppikortteli. SE 1964. D: Bo Widerberg. Thommy Berggren. Orion

November 1996, Helsinki

5.11.1996 Limita. RU 1994. D: Denis Jevstignejev. Orion
5.11.1996 Konsert dlja krysy / Concert for a Rat. RU 1995. D: Oleg Kovaljov. Orion
5.11.1996 A Walk with Love and Death. US 1969. D: John Huston. Anjelica Huston, Assi Dayan. Apparently the first screening in Finland. Orion
6.11.1996 Levoton veri / Restless Blood. FI 1946. D: Teuvo Tulio. Regina Linnanheimo. Orion
6.11.1996 Vostotshnaja elegija / Eastern Elegy. RU/JP 1996. D: Aleksandr Sokurov. Orion
7.11.1996 Mes petites amoureuses. FR 1974. D: Jean Eustache. Orion
12.11.1996 Mizrekh un mayrev / Ost und West / East and West. AT 1923. D: Ivan Abramson, Sidney M. Goldin. Molly Picon. Orion
12.11.1996 Jevreiskoe stshastje / Evreyskoe schaste / Jewish Luck. SU 1925. D: Aleksis Granovski. Solomon Mikhoels. Orion
13.11.1996 Uvletshenija / Passions. RU 1994. D: Kira Muratova. Orion
19.11.1996 Uncle Moses. US 1932. D: Sidney M. Goldin, Aubrey Scotto. Sholom Asch. Maurice Schwartz, Judith Abarbanel. Orion
20.11.1996 Zayn Vaybs Lubovnik / Zein Weibs Liebenik / His Wife's Lover. US 1931. D: Sidney M. Goldin. Orion
21.11.1996 Yidl mitn Fidl / Yiddle with a Fiddle. PL/US 1937. D: Joseph Green, Jan Nowina-Przybylski. Molly Picon. Orion
21.11.1996 Grine Felder / Green Fields. US 1937. D: Jacob Ben-Ami, Edgar G. Ulmer. Orion
26.11.1996 Zsvey Shvester / Tsvaye Shvester / Two Sisters. US 1938. D: Ben K. Blake. Orion - notes
26.11.1996 Der Dibuk / Dybuk / The Dybbuk. PL 1937. D: Michal Waszynski. Orion
27.11.1996 Amerikaner Shachen / The American Matchmaker. US 1940. D: Edgar G. Ulmer. Orion
28.11.1996 Undzere Kinder / Our Children. PL 1951. D: Natan Gross. Orion

October 1996, Helsinki

Philippe Garrel: J'entends plus la guitare / I Can No Longer Hear the Guitar (FR 1991). Dedicated to the memory of Nico. See also blog note 15 Oct 2008.

2.10.1996 The Misfits / Sopeutumattomat. US 1961. D: John Huston. Orion
2.10.1996 Freud / Salatut intohimot. US 1962. D: John Huston. Orion
4.10.1996 Laulu tulipunaisesta kukasta / The Song of the Scarlet Flower. FI 1938. D: Teuvo Tulio. In the presence of Rakel Linnanheimo. Orion
8.10.1996 O Fim do Mundo / The End of the World. PT/FR 1993. D: João Mário Grilo. Orion
8.10.1996 Ren xia ren / The Dead and the Deadly. HK 1982. D: Ma Wu. Sammo Hung. Orion
9.10.1996 Vihtori ja Klaara / [Bringing Up Father]. FI 1939. D: Teuvo Tulio. Orion
9.10.1996 Das Tripas Coração / Four Elements: Fire. PT/FR 1992. D: Joaquim Pinto. Orion
9.10.1996 Vale Abraão / Abraham's Valley. FR/PT/CH 1993. D: Manoel de Oliveira. Orion
22.10.1996 La Naissance de l'amour. FR 1993. D: Philippe Garrel. Orion
22.10.1996 Vampyr. DE/FR 1932. Carl Th. Dreyer. Orion
24.10.1996 Hélas pour moi. FR/CH 1993. D: Jean-Luc Godard. Orion
25.10.1996 Vampyr. DE/FR 1932. Carl Th. Dreyer. Orion
29.10.1996 J'entends plus la guitare / I Can No Longer Hear the Guitar. FR 1991. D: Philippe Garrel. Orion

29.10.1996 Sous le soleil de Satan / Paholaisen auringon alla. FR 1987. D: Maurice Pialat. Orion
30.10.1996 Rakkauden risti / The Cross of Love. FI 1946. D: Teuvo Tulio. Orion
31.10.1996 Sinful Davey / Syntinen Davey. GB 1969. D: John Huston. John Hurt. Orion