Friday, March 21, 2008

Apocalypse Now (1979)



It´s not a war film. "Apocalypse Now" talks about the human mind and the madness. Based in the Joseph Conrad´s novel "Heart of Darkness", the Coppola´s film starts in a Saigon Hotel and ends in the border of Cambodia, in the jungle, where renegade Col. Kurtz is leading his own army with his own methods.

This scene, clearly inspirated in the Conrad´s roman, is the climax of the film:

Kurtz: Are my methods unsound?
Willard: I don't see any method at all, sir.

Thursday, March 20, 2008

Unforgiven (1992)



"Unforgiven" is the top film in the modern Western genre. Eastwood demonstrates his absolute mastery of the genre, as director and as actor. It will be difficult to make a Western film that exceeds this.

At the end of the credits appears this legend: "To Sergio and Don", Eastwood´s tribute to his two masters, Sergio Leone and Don Siegel.

This entrie is dedicated to a Tartan Army master: Gerdy. Take care amigo.

Tuesday, March 18, 2008

Miller's Crossing (1990)


Miller's Crossing is a masterpiece of the Coen Brothers (Joel and Ethan). Perfect in every way. In this scene we see Albert Finney as Liam "Leo" O'Bannon. Construction of the scene, space location, musical atmosphere ("danny Boy"), choreography, a real exercise in style.

The old man remains an artist with the Thomson! someone says in the next scene.

Sunday, March 16, 2008

Crash (2004)



We
crash each others all the time.
Brilliant and elegant at the same time, the film directed by Paul Haggis reflects the unpredictable consecuences of the human inter-relation and the mistery of the one's own personality.


The Duellists (1977)


Ridley Scott directed his first film at 1,977: The Duellists. He was preparing projects such as Blade Runner, but we can already recognise his mastery in directing actors and his speciality, the creation of atmospheres. This film, based in the Joseph Conrad short story "The Duel", has the freshness of an opera prima .

Many scenes to remember in a short runtime of one hundred minutes, and some actors in a state of grace: you come to think of the misfortune to find a crazy furious as Lieutenant Feraud (Harvey Keitel).

A luxury for a manager to have his first work with Carradine and Keitel. No less luxury in the rest of the cast highlights, stressing Tom Conti and Albert Finney, the latter giving life to an elusive Fouché.

Next time D'Hubert!

Saturday, March 15, 2008

Blade Runner (1982)


Blade Runner is much more than a simple adaptation of the Philip k. Dick´s novel "Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?".

They say that the ending part of Batty´s monologue is an improvisation of Hauer: All those moments will be lost in time, like tears in the rain. Time to die.

The dilemma of the human condition.