Monday 27 October 2008
Sunday 19 October 2008
The Witches (1990)
Considering what a great cinematographer Nic Roeg was it's a shame this film doesn't look better, but when you're working with animatronic mice and grotesque witch outfits, it's understandable that childish entertainment is more important than artistic ambitions.
Another favourite as a child, this now seems dated and cheap but that's inevitable with any youthful delights. Anjelica Huston is suitably flamboyant and Bavarian to offer both entertainment and fear for any youngster fancying a fright, or who may enjoy Roald Dahl's books.
Unfortunately, considering how enduring the works of Dahl are, this film is certainly only for children to young to acknowledge its flaws.
Intolerance (1916)
This epic of the silent era purportedly tells the story of intolerance and injustice across the ages, with four stories covering the Babylonian Empire, Jesus, Medieval France and contemporary 20th Century America. The stories achieve varying levels of success, with some more obviously about injustice than others. The Babylonian installation has become most famous for its incredible sets and thousands of extras but the narrative is one of adventures and warfare rather than intolerance. Jesus' story, clearly an antidote to intolerance, is barely touched upon. The same is the case with the Huegenots in France, a story that switches between royalty and a Protestant family on the day of the St Bartholomew massacre. The most significant story is that of the 'Little Dear' consistently oppressed by those 'charities' that interfere in normal lives by trying to better them. This story is the most melodramatic, cynical and also over-simplified - assuming all criminals are the subject of injustice and all charities are useless.
Similar to 'Gone With The Wind', the spectacle of such a huge film makes it difficult to gauge just how good it really is and it is certainly a challenge to maintain concentration for three hours of silent cinema, especially in this day and age, but if ay film can live up to modern special effects and action, then 'Intolerance' is that film.
Sunday 5 October 2008
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