Reviews (14)

One of his best
A famous painter, Johan (Max von Sydow), and his wife (Liv Ullmann) arrive on a small island where Johan plans to recollect his thoughts and find himself in his painting. He suffers from insomnia and bad nerves, and his nights are spent waiting in horror for the magical hour before dawn, the hour of the wolf, when a flood of memories, anxieties, and regrets transcend thoughts and appear as demonic apparitions which threaten to consume him. Johan's wife, Alma, must help him overcome his dangerous obsessions with his ghosts before the manifestations become too real, and its too late...

The Magician and Hour of the Wolf are my two favorite Bergman movies -- the reason being the flaws of these films only make them stronger by serving the point. In the Magician its an artist's fear of having his cheap trickery exposed for what it is, and his inability to make "pure" art. The fact that Bergman had to sell the film as an "erotic comedy" with a silly subplot doesn't make the film weaker: it just reinforces it with irony.

In the same way, the Hour of the Wolf was clearly made by a nervous and overworked artist: at this point the critics were out for blood with Bergman, ready to declare his career over and his movies indulgent exercises in his popular image. Bergman himself was having a rough time, with a theatre and a film career exhausting him and his marriage falling to pieces. But for Hour of the Wolf, any resignation, nervousness, or indulgence merely serves to strengthen the film's message. Hour of the Wolf is a desperate film, and because of that, I think its in this film that Bergman comes closest to his own artistic vision: That place where dreams, memories, and anxieties come together and become indistinguishible (something he would have a harder time conveying in films like Face to Face).

The film is beautifully made, with Sven Nykvist collaborating as usual. Bergman and his cohort were cutting close to perfect in craft around this period. The flood of images is overwhelming. Some favorite scenes: Johan struggling with a small boy while fishing, the dinner party (the pressure!), and of course, the famous "Magic Flute" scene, with the small puppet moving almost imperceptibly as a real man. And that prevalent Bergman talking point, Mozart, and the chorus' breathless chanting: "Pamin-na still lives." (lit. "Love still lives")

An emotional and personal film, one of his best.

bergman's best, a terrifying masterpiece
"hour of the wolf" is,...far from a 'lesser' bergman film:it is his best.

johann (max von sydow), and his wife alma (liv ulmann), retreat to an island with one another and try to live a serene, peaceful life while johann works on his art. to say the least, it doesn't exactly pan out.

slowly but surely, johann's demons pursue him and whether they actually 'exist' or not is neither here nor there as far as the message of the movie goes. the most crucial scene is when the puppet show takes place in the demons' castle, and mozart's "magic flute" is done by the birdman, papageno. the darkness and meaninglessness of the human condition is reflected in the lines of mozart's character:"eternal night, eternal night, when whilst thou flee? when will mine eye the daylight see?" while these lines are recited by the birdman after the puppet show by papageno, a slow close up is gotten on his intensely evil face, and the lines are delivered with reverence and an inflection of utter doom and hopelessness. the answer is what johann already knows all too well--never. the artist's (and, by extension, man as a whole) attempts to know reality, to understand the purpose of his life and the meaning of existence, will come to naught, and he will be particularly unfortunate since, unlike the rest of the human race, he alone realizes the shadow of ephemerality and incomprehensibility cast all over life. the beginning and the end of the movie are more or less rational, in that there is nothing left but for johann to lose his mind. johann and alma, despite their intense love for one another, are just as cut off and unknown to one another as all human beings, and her attempts to save him are futile.

this film is a masterpiece, and masterfully utilizes the surreal and the imaginative to display bergman's unpleasant truth.

MGM keep ruining movies!!
Why, MGM!? After CORRECTING the aspect ratio from 1.66:1, they've made the same mistake with "Hour of the Wolf" and "Shame" as they did with "Persona"; they've presented the movies in aspect ratio 1.33:1 instead of the original aspect ratio 1.37:1!! 11.5% of the image of "Persona" is missing, so naturally that is the case with these films as well. These are great movies that should not be messed with in this unprofessional manner. MGM have no respect for this art. Incidentally, "Persona" is available in its original aspect ratio on "Tartan" (region-free DVD) through amazon.co.uk. These movies were not intended to be watched this way, but if you are curious about these fine Bergman classics, don't own a VCR, and have a lot of money to spare, go ahead and support MGM's economy.

Kudos to MGM for correcting OAR problem
MGM recalled the original issues of "Hour of the Wolf" and "Shame" because they were presented in a fake widescreen that cropped the top and bottom of the film. These are masterpieces that should not be missed, and they are now beautifully presented in their proper aspect ration of 1.33:1 with the entire image now intact.

Bergman's only horror film and what a treat...
Johan Borg (Max von Sydow) seeks refuge with his wife Alma (Liv Ullman) on a remote island where Johan can get the solitude that he requires and where he can focus on his art. However, Johan is frequently interrupted by haunting demons both in the flesh and in the mind. These demons visit Johan in the hour of the wolf. This hour is when most babies are born and the most people die, it is also hour of the night when people wake up from their nightmares. Hour of the Wolf is a very unusual film for Ingmar Begrman as it is his only horror film and it begins with with Alma staring into the camera as she informs the audience that all the events pictured took place on the island and are all written down in her husbands diary. This beginning presents an atmosphere with an eerie hollowness full of questions and mysteries as to what information the diary holds. Bergman does this purposely as he crafts his story with canny imagination that haunts the audience visually as it is full of symbolism and suggestive themes. Nevertheless, it is the audience's imagination that creates the true horror in the story as Johan slowly steps toward his own doom. This leaves the audience with a significant cinematic experience of horror that will linger in the their minds as they will close their eyes before sleep. ... Read more

Amazon.com

It's reassuring to know Lars von Trier was always unconventional. Epidemic, von Trier's second feature, comes close to being a horror movie, except it keeps derailing itself to noodle while a director (played by von Trier) and screenwriter (screenwriter Niels Vorsel) improvise a scenario about a plague epidemic. Their struggles are shot in grainy 16 mm., while flashes of the intended film are in stunning 35. Epidemic is meandering enough to test the patience of even devoted von Trier fans, but it always looks good even when it looks bad, if that makes any sense, and the finale--which involves hypnotism, one of the Danish director's early obsessions--will give a chill to genre fans looking for a "gotcha." Von Trier regular Udo Kier pops up, and the film wouldn't be complete without its logo:the title branded onto the upper-left corner for most of the movie. Lars, you devil. --Robert Horton ... Read more

Amazon.com

François Truffaut's last film is both a homage and a lark. Without the brooding poutiness it's a homage to Alfred Hitchcock, and it's possible to watch this film just for the parallels or outright hat-tipping that goes on. It's the story of an older, hapless real-estate agent, Vercel (Jean-Louis Trintignant), under suspicion for a ruthless murder.Since this is ablack-and-white, subtitled French film, the agent's voluptuous, intelligent secretary (a sharp and sexy Fanny Ardant) is hopelessly in love with him. While he hides out in the back office, she tries to get to the bottom of the crime; this is not so much a whodunit as a cinematic treat about the conventions and setups of film noir.Under the beautifulcinematography of Néstor Almendros, this is a film rainy Sundayafternoons were made for.--Keith Simanton ... Read more

Reviews (5)

Of Love and Death
This movie was a holy grail of sorts for me when I first saw it years ago in Berlin at a Truffaut retrospective. In German, it is titled "Auf Liebe und Tod" ("Of Love and Death"). I asked the ticket taker what it was called in the original, and she didn't know. Being in the days before the www, I finally found out it was called "Vivement Dimanche!" in French ("Lively Sunday"). It took me another year before I traced its English title, "Confidentially Yours." Isn't it amazing how these widely divergent titles reflect their languages and cultures?

Well, then years later, the wait became trying to find a VHS to rent, then later I pensively waited for the DVD release. But, now I have the DVD, and couldn't be happier!

Of course, the DVD doesn't have many "extras," but since I don't buy DVDs for extras, it's no big deal. The subtitles by Laurent Bouzereau, however, are excellent, and at least faithful to my memory of the German dubbing (speaking no French, I suppose this means the German dubbing was also faithful), and in much more a sophisticated vernacular than the old VHS I saw.

As with "The Bride Wore Black," "Confidentially Yours" is Truffaut's overt hommage to the master of suspense, Alfred Hitchcock. Unlike "bride," though, there's no Bernard Herrmann score, but not to worry! French composer and Truffaut favourite Georges Delerue ("The 400 Blows," "Jules and Jim," "Hiroshima Mon Amour") conjures a dark soundtrack worthy not only of Herrmann, but hearkens back to Max Steiner, Miklos Roscza and Franz Waxman with his forboding themes on the lower strings.

Actually, although "Confidentially Yours" is inspired by Hitch, it is also a tribute to the great film noirs of the 1940s, and even has an element of screwball comedy about it. Jean-Louis Trintignant stars as the luckless Vercel, a small-time realtor in Southern France who's been framed for murder. So, like Hitch's man on the run, Vercel must hide out while Gal Friday Barbara, played with sophisticated wit, sexiness and charm by Fanny Ardant (who bears an eerie resemblance both to Geena Davis and Patricia Neal), who sets about proving his innocence. Of course, Vercel's fate only sinks further as two more murders are attributed to him as he eludes the cops.

Through a series of twists and double-crosses that are more out of Howard Hawks' "The Big Sleep" than Hitchcock, Ardant eventually gets Trintignant off the hook, and in the process discovers -- voila! -- she's been in love with her rather abrasive boss all along.

"Confidentially Yours" is a fitting denouement for Truffaut: A neat and tidy bundle of murder, betrayal, revenge, love and lust in a lighthearted vein. Francois, you left us too soon!

HITCHCOCKIAN LOVE AND MURDER
The late Francois Truffaut was one of the inventors and purveyors of French New Wave cinema. He was also an ardent admirer of Alfred Hitchcock. In "CONFIDENTIALLY YOURS," Truffaut's last film, he deftly pays homage to Sir Alfred and displays the signature cinematic style he so loved in a noirish tale of love and murder.

The witty screenplay, adapted by Truffaut and Suzanne Schiffman, is based on American Charles William's novel, "The Long Saturday Night" but relocated to a small town in the South of France.

The premise is simple. Vercel (Jean-Louis Trintignant) is a luckless businessman who is under suspicion for murdering his wife and her lover. His smart and beautiful secretary Barbara (Fanny Ardent), who is hopelessly in love with her boss, tries to solve the murder and prove his innocence while Varcel hides in his office and then is on the lam.

The beauty of this elegant and intelligent film is in the role reversals that make the familiar territory a brand new landscape. The sentimentality that permeates almost every scene is never allowed to soften the unexpected, and sometimes cutting, dark humor.

Enough can't be said about Ardent's charismatic charm. The camera loves her, and so did Truffaut -- she was his real life paramour during the making of this film. In many scenes, she literally seems to glow. For many videophiles, she is the primary reason to watch this delightful gem. It is certainly among Truffaut's very best films.

The crisp, striking black and white cinematography is by Néstor Almendros ("Two English Girls").

A French Twist On Hitchcock
Anyone familar with Francois Truffaut knows about his love for the films of Alfred Hitchcock. Then, it should come as no suprise to find Truffaut paying homage to the "Master of Suspense". Jean-Louis Trintignant is our man in questioning. He has been accused of not only the murder of his wife but also the murder of two other people. Now, he and his secretary must prove his innocence. Fanny Ardant(Truffaut's then wife) is absolutely amazing to watch. I enjoyed her performance a great deal. This movie does seem to play off like a "real" Hitchcock movie only it doesn't have a certain feeling to it. We know we're watching a "forgery" in a sense. Truffaut, for however talented he may be, can't really pull this off completely. Granted, "Confidentially Yours" is fun, and exciting entertainment by one of the greatest French directors of all time. It just can't really hold up to Hitchcock classics like "Rear Window", "North By Northwest", and "The Birds". I hate to sound like I don't like this film, because I do. I think Truffaut is a great filmmaker. A genius! And he remains as one of my favorites. This isn't really a good movie to start watching Truffaut with though. It is a good movie in general though, and is really enjoyable to watch. I do recommend this movie to everybody, especially Hitchcock and Truffaut fans, as well as foreign films fans too. An enjoyable movie by one of the finest directors that ever lived!

Truffaut's Fond Farewell
This being Francois Truffaut's final film, Confidentially Yours is a gem--playful, entertaining and totally irresistable. If this movie is fluff, it is the best of fluff. Touted as a homage to Alfred Hitchcock, this film is a comedy/murder mystery where the emphasis is not so much on "whodunnit" but on giving the viewer a pleasurable and fun time in reaching the climax. Perhaps Truffaut's greatest achievement here is in featuring his then paramour Fanny Ardant as the heroine. Her performance is magnificent--attractive, magnetic and wonderfully human. As she has proven in many other films, Ardant is one of France's finest actresses today. Another wonderful facet of this film is the expressive black and white photography. It expresses the film noir mood yet somehow contributes to the playful feel of this film. This is a film that you can watch over and over again and still be totally entertained. Along side "Day for Night", "Mississippi Mermaid", and "Story of Adele H", it is one of Truffaut's great films.

Great movie, bad DVD
This is one of the best and funniest Truffaut movie. Fanny Ardent is incredible. Unfortunately I was very disappointed with the fact that the subtitles are in the picture. (i.e. you can't turn them off). Buyer beware! ... Read more

Reviews (282)

You Betcha!
Whenever I rave about a movie I've recently seen, there's the inevitable question "What's it about?" With regard to this film, I recall responding that it's about a pregnant police chief who eventually solves a series of brutal murders somewhere in the Upper Midwest. (Brainerd, Minnesota? Fargo, North Dakota?) It is always a pleasure to observe Frances McDormand's performance in a role for which she received an Academy Award for best actress in 1996. The film was directed by Joel Coen who co-wrote the screenplay with brother Ethan. This film effectively combines some of the most dead-on (albeit affectionate) cultural satire of Scandinavian Americans in "Small Town U.S.A." with severe physical violence as when one victim is stuffed upside-down in a wood chip machine. (When I first observed "Margie" methodically gathering information, I was reminded of Colombo whose keen mind is also underestimated.) The basic story involves Jerry Lundegaard (William H. Macy), a desperate swindler. After his wealthy father-in-law Wade Gustafson (played by Harve Presnell whom I did not recognize) refuses to become involved in a real estate project, Lundegaard hires Carl Showalter (Steve Buscemi) and Gaear Grimstad (Peter Stormare) to kidnap his wife Jean (Kristin Rudrud) so that he can use most of the ransom to cover his debts and thereby conceal his crimes. Of course, his plan fails and several lose their lives as a result. As the film ends, the camera focuses on Chief Gunderson as drives her police sedan across the bleak winter landscape (think of the surface of the moon beneath three feet of snow and ice), with one of the two kidnappers in custody. She claims not to understand how anyone could behave badly in such a "beautiful" world.

Yes, this is a nasty film...at times severely violent. It also has a number of delightful comic moments, notably during Chief Gunderson's conversations with her husband Norm (John Carroll Lynch) as well as with Lundegaard. The acting by all members of the cast is consistently brilliant under Coen's crisp direction. After numerous viewings, what I still enjoy most in this film is McDormand's performance. Chief Gunderson may have a trusting heart but also a remarkably sharp mind. She wants so much to believe in goodness, to think the best of others, but she is by no means naive. As played by McDormand, she invests this film a warmth which is all the more remarkable, given the physical setting and time of the year.

Fargo
The Coens did it again. In their production of Fargo, they create an atmosphere of incompetence in the northern Midwest, poking fun at the people of Minnesota. Frances Mcdormand definitely deserves her Oscar, adding that humorous accent. William H. Macy also puts in a great performance as car salesman Jerry Lundegaard, whose wife is kidnapped by two men he paid to do it, Steve Buscemi and Peter Stormare, and then his wealthy father-in-law can pay the ransom, then he would split the money with the kidnappers, and get out of his financial trouble. Instead of just asking his father-in-law, he hires these two numbskulls, and they screw it up big time. I'm possibly the biggest Steve Buscemi fan, and he's great in this one. I think it would have been interesting, however, if he had tried the Minnesota accent. That probably would have added some more humor to his role, even though it is hilarious already. His interaction with the parking booth attendant his great. Playing his partner, Peter Stormare doesn't talk much, he only has about 15 lines, but is funny and ruthless as it is. This movie also recieved the Best Screenplay Oscar, which was well-deserved. This moive is great.

"..that was your accomplice there in the woodchipper."
Fargo fits into a tiny crack between popcorn flick and truly interesting, and not just because it's based on a true story. It feels the right amount of homely and immersing to be just another irrelevent kidnapping "drama", all the while keeping its simplistic "movie feel".

The story is told from mutliple perspectives of the main characters. A less-than-successful car salesman Jerry Lundegaard [Macy] agrees to pay two crooks, Carl Showalter [Buscemi] and Gaear Grimsrud [Stormare] to kidnap his wife Jean [Rudrüd]. But along the way, complications happen and the body count rises as Lundegaard and his two hired crooks try, unsuccesfully, to follow through on their plan. Through this, we meet the primary character, or the one whose perspective we look through most--Marge Gunderson [MacDormand], a 7-months-pregnant police officer who takes it upon herself to figure out the situation.

Fargo has more of a small town murder investigation plot than a dramatic something-isn't-quite-right kidnapping focus, which does nothing to worsen the quality of the overall storyline and how it plays out, but there are points where you can spot editing errors and total blandness, but the movie itself is shorter than you would expect and manages to work in such an innovative take on the genre to the frame. The acting is done well and is completely convincing, and the good direction goes hand-in-hand with it. As mentioned, there are spots were the script could be better done, but so much whereas it takes away from the feel of the movie.

FARGON CONCLUSION
i SAW THIS MOVIE ONLY TWICE. The first
time I was drunk i also love guys but holes , the second time i was giving birth and the third tme I WAS IN THE LOCAL JOINT FOR STRONG BODY ODOR ROBBERY. I think that thisd movie was so extremely sad that i was laughing for three hours as i swallowed my underarm deoderant tablets.buy this movie now its good

A Shocking Film that took me completely by Surprise.
I expected Fargo to be a light hearted comedy that was set in the midwest. The movie not only was funny but it was thrilling and violent as well. The movie was good, very good actually. Frances McDormand did a wonderful job playing Marge the pregnant police officer. All the other performances are great including Steve Buschemi's as the ransomer of William H. Macy's wife. The plot is very gripping and the low score and cinematography was good too. I highly reccomend this film. ... Read more

Reviews (135)

A rich experience worth viewing over and over again
This is a magnificent movie. It is visually beautiful - the colors and the way the shots are framed are stunning. The visuals are controlled in ways that add to the poetic power of the story. I do not speak Japanese, but the sound of the language combined with the musical score also adds to the intensity of this movie. The subtitles are good, but I am sure that those who understand Japanese get even more from this story.

This is not a film of Shakespeare's "King Lear". Rather, it is an adaptation and is based on the underlying themes of the play. It is not important for me to list the differences between the play and the movie, it is just important that a first time viewer not expect the Shakespearian story. If you know the play you will recognize aspects of the movie and enjoy the ways in which Kurosawa adapted the story to his own and Japanese sensibilities. It may nod to Shakespeare, but Kurosawa makes this his story.

The costumes, music, and acting are superlative. For me, the trademark Kurosawa battle scenes are more wonderful here than usual. This is a masterpiece by a filmmaking virtuoso who is also a sensitive enough artist to make a spectacular movie that is also poetic, humorous and heart breaking, tender and brutal as well images that are beautiful and others that are hideous.

This isn't light viewing or mind candy, but it has so much to offer that it is worth watching and learning from over and over again.

The Greatest Adaptation of Shakespeare to Film
"Ran" (Chaos) is the greatest cinematic adaptation of Shakespeare and a masterpiece in its own right. In adapting the broad scenario of "King Lear" to a setting in Sixteenth Century Japan, Akira Kurosawa felt free to manipulate it to his own purposes, leading to a film that is perhaps even more bleak than the play.

First and foremost "Ran" is a visually stunning film, unencumbered by the received tradition of Shakespearean language, which never translates well onto the cinema screen, he has allowed the scenario to develop into images that are beautiful and horrific. Filmed on the slopes of Mount Fuji there is a sense of unreality, or nightmare about the whole epic, as though it is taking place in a mythic space, at once recognisable and alien. For a director best known for his black and white movies ("Seven Samurai", "Rashomon"), Kurosawa surprisingly uses color to breathtaking virtuoso effect. The scenes of soldiers flooding in waves across the volcanic wasteland of Mount Fuji carrying vivid blue, red or yellow flags are amongst the most extraordinary ever filmed. The battle scenes shock and astonish, not least because Kurosawa's use of sound is so exquisite and original; many of the most horrendous images of battle are shown without sound effects with only an elegiac musical accompaniment. Far from sanitising them, the effect is to shock you out of the viewing habits formed watching so many other "war" movies.

Yet "Ran" is so much more than a broad epic, or war movie. The more intimate scenes are carried off with understated conviction, the sly hypocrisy hidden behind formality and convention is conveyed in highly poised and stylised interior shots. This film can be both visceral (prepare yourself for the beheading of Lady Kaede: as visually explosive as anything by Tarantino, and set within a film that is more than mere surface) and restrained, depending on the nature of the scene. There are moments of quiet and tenderness that resonate long after the film had ended.

It is odd that so few successful films have been made from Shakespeare. The pre-eminent playwright of the western canon has translated beautifully into opera and stage directors can continually find fresh things to say about the plays themselves, yet in general film had been hopelessly incapable of doing anything of note with Shakespeare. Think of the ghastly declamatory rhetoric of Laurence Olivier in "Henry V", or the inane pop video that Baz Lurmann made from "Romeo and Juliet", not to mention Kenneth Brannagh's tediously self-important "Hamlet". Somehow Kurosawa succeeds where all these others fail. His earlier "Throne of Blood" was a beautifully realised adaptation of "Macbeth" to the Samurai period in Japan: "Ran" builds on that achievement and surpasses it. Perhaps the fact that Kurosawa was Japanese allowed him more creative license to work with Shakespeare, able to approach it simply as valid material for film making, and not as the shibboleth that it is to western artists.

In Ran we have the late masterpiece of one of the greatest and most important film makers. It is a distilled and precise work, powerful, visceral, contemplative, epic and intimate. In short this is film making on a par with the greatest art. Ran shows us what mainstream film making can achieve, but so rarely does.

WHO WILL ENJOY THIS SENSATIONAL MASTERPIECE:
People who care about grandiloquent visuals yet a controlled palette accentuated by the immemorable use of sound -- or, in one major battle scene, the absence of the sounds of the battle, the horrors of war somehow magnified by the silent screams and the unheard bullets, only the quietly mournful dissonance of the haunting background score to be heard.

Castle gates close with resounding, hollow booms, shutting people out, shutting people in. A crescendo of cicadas. And the final anguished shriek of a flute lending a much more effective voice to the great tragedy that has been played out than closing words might have done.

If you're expecting flaming Gladiator-type fight scenes or Samurai action, you may be disappointed. That said, the battle scenes are magnum opus if you know how to appreciate visual splendor. The screenplay may be relaxed overall, sure, it takes a while to unfold a tale of filial destruction ("King Lear" adaptation) but when the forts crumble and arrows fly asunder, the pace of the film is unbridled.

Whether you're a film philistine or a major Kurosawa buff or simply someone who relishes tastefully done cinema, this is absolutely worth the ride. I highly recommend this as a rental, but the discerning types may also want to add it to their collections. It's among Kurosawa's best.

Not as good as all you people are making it out to be
This movie is terrible. I bought it expecting a good action epic with lots of battles and sword fights. There are no battles there are 2 massacres where all that happens is "samurai" with guns? shoot each other and women. samurai dont have guns. The story was good but they ruined it with 2 hours and 30 mins of talking on and on about the same topic over and over, yak yak yak. There is no drama the characters dont develope except for the old guy who just walks around starring and goes crazy. The perfomances are the same in everyone, yelling even when there happy, and they all sound the same even the women. No action, no drama, nothing except talk and fake blood from the stupid shooting, not swords, guns, What? Very bad movie, I was dissapointed, greatly. I would give 0 stars but they dont let me.

William Akira Shakespeare Kurosawa
This film is undeniable the most notable adaptation of any work of William Shakespeare to the movie. The insights in every detail, the superb cast, the overwheelming photography, the camera's handle makes us inevitably to remind that happy sentence of Orson Welles who said once:
"One film is really extraordinary , when the camera is an eye in the mind of a poet".
Casually this film is made in 1985, the same year of Welles'death.
Kurosawa was a truly master. Once upon a time a critical compared to Kenji Mizoguchi with Bach. If this methaphor is assumed valid, then Kurosawa would have his musical image in Ludwig van Beethoven.
The amazing scene of the castle in flames, with a remarkable red that invites us to reflect about the human condition, his hunger for power, the horror generated by that unthirsty ambition. The multiple readings that concern with the violence and the passion carrying the devasting facts that appear all along this film.
The opening sequences in which the three brothers are together with their father is filmed with such kind of perfection that I wouldn't wonder to know that this an obligated reference for all those students of direction. In this sense, this multiple exchange of points of view reveal us without affections of any kind,the essencial nature of the human being inmersed in the purest spirit shakesperian.
Kurosawa, like the great giants of th cinema handles the camera like Gods, includes the color and the nature's elements like adittional actors (Dreams). Just remember that Akira was the first filma maker who dared film against the sun in that glorius film Rashoman from 1950. His achievements all along his brilliant career are too many and certainly, would be beyond the reach of this shorts analysis.
This is one of these gems that you must see over and over, just when you admire this eternal masterpiece.
To be true the others Shakespeare's versions that deseve to be carried to the desert island would be in my opinion Titus 2000 (Julie Taymor), Othelo 1953 (Welles) , Richard III 1955 (Olivier), and Throne of blood 1957(Kurosawa).
But this movie is just several steps ahead all the titles above mentioned. ... Read more

Description

Ivan Cavalli (Leopoldo Trieste) brings his new wife Wanda (Brunella Bovo) to Rome on the least romantic honeymoon in history—a rigid schedule of family meetings and audiences with the Pope. But Wanda, dreaming of the dashing hero of a photo-strip cartoon, drifts off in search of the White Sheik, thus setting off a slapstick comedy worthy of Chaplin. The style and themes which made Federico Fellini world famous are already apparent in this charming comedy (his first solo directorial effort), featuring such long-time collaborators as his wife, actress Giulietta Masina, and composer Nino Rota. ... Read more

Reviews (6)

Early Fellini
This is a glorious trasfer of one of Fellini's earliest films. This film is much more simple and light than many of Fellini's subsequent films, but it has a charm all of its own. The fairly straightforward story holds very few surprises or twists, but it also a nice exploration of fantasy vs. reality. The introduction of the White Sheik sitting in his swing, high in the air is a wonderful moment. As the film goes on, the dashing sheik just becomes to us an overweight and vain man and our illusions, like the young wife's, are dashed. Variations of this story have been done many times, but this is one of the most pure and enjoyable.

The film is also notable for the introduction of Cabiria (Giulietta Masina) who would have her own Fellini film a few years after. It's not a very long scene, and it is included in its entirety on the "Nights of Cabiria" DVD by Criterion. Despite that, this is still a DVD worth owning to watch a master filmmaker get used to his craft.

FELLINI'S FINE FIRST FEATURE
THE WHITE SHEIK is Federico Fellini's 1951 solo directorial debut. When I think of a Fellini movie, the first things that come to mind are: the image of someone in diaphanous material floating across the screen, people in antiquated circus-like costumes and a main character who escapes into a fantasy that turns out to have a poignant impact in his or her real life. All these elements are part of the texture of The White Sheik.

A provincial couple come to Rome on their honeymoon. Ivan the groom has made an unromantic schedule of appointments for them. Wanda the young bride, an avid fan of the widely read soap opera photo-comic strips called fumetti, sneaks out of the hotel for a few hours to meet her comic book idol, The White Sheik, and give him a drawing she made. It's all innocent but one thing leads to another and she inadvertently gets taken to a distant photo shoot where the sleazy actor playing the sheik comes on to the bride, now dressed as a harem girl. Meanwhile in Rome, her distraught husband seeks to keep his bride's disappearance a secret from visiting relatives and a scheduled visit with the pope. Look for Fellini's wife, actress Giulietta Masina in a small role as the prostitute Cabiria. A few years later, Masina starred in Fellini's masterpiece, the heartbreaking NIGHTS OF CABIRIA (Criterion). Nino Rota, who became a long term Fellini collaborator, composed the evocative score.

The White Shiek has suffered little over time. I think Fellini saw life as a bittersweet fantasy full of slapstick and hope. A pretty good definition.

Additional material includes a recent interview with the two stars who reminisce about their magical time with Fellini in Rome half a century ago. Recommended

It's in the details...
Like Fitzgerald and his perfect Gatsby, Fellini learned early on how to set up a deeply satisfying ending. 8 1/2, La Dolce Vita. Cabiria. Wow! What wonderful endings.

On that note, this movie is political. It seriously questions the idea of marriage. But we only realize this in the final scene. And we know it because of a few clues.

First is the word play. The Taxi driver asks to be paid, and the uncle asks Ivan, "Are you done paying?" I'm guessing Ivan has just begun to pay for his decision - to get married.

Then there is the classic Fellini image of procession. The couple is reunited in the end, they have gotten away with their little embarrassment, unscathed, and they run to catch up with the rest of humanity on it's insanely habitual march to who-knows-where. This is an image which comes back many times with Fellini and is certainly intentional.

And finally is the obvious alignment up of the taunting flute-trill, at the end of the score, with the image of the statue looking down on man, creating a moment of laughter, or even mockery, from above. This moment is essential to understanding this movie, and is well intact in the VHS copy, but on the DVD the music has been shifted, so the music and image of the statue no longer line up! Seem trivial? Perhaps. God knows Criterion has made the world a much, much better place, so I don't blame them. But I believe the mistake is there.

All the same this is a great movie and the extra features are nice.

Si! Si! Con la esposa!
A most comic and human film, "The White Sheik" was apparently Fellini's first and, for sheer enjoyment, beats anything he did after the great "Nights of Cabiria." It made me laugh almost non-stop from start to finish.

Ivan and Wanda are a young newlywed couple from a small town-- checking into a hotel in Rome. Ivan, rather nervous and ambitious, has their honeymoon planned to the minuto--most to be spent with his relatives, including Uncle who has connections to the Vatican. Wanda, a dreamer, is taken by stories and pictures in a certain periodical. She learns from the porter the location of the publisher is only 10 minutes away. She can't resist! When Ivan takes a nap she is off for a visit. Arriving, she soon finds the characters of her dream stories in the flesh and in costume, for they are preparing to make a film. Felga! Oscar! The Cruel Bedouin! Most of all Wanda wants to meet the White Sheik for she has made a drawing of him and wants him to have it.

In the meantime Ivan, thinking Wanda was in the bath, awakens to find her gone. The relatives (all of them) soon arrive. Ivan, so anxious to show off his new wife, is perplexed at her absence and doesn't know what to say to the family. One comic event after another follows.

In a memorable scene, Ivan meets Cabiria (yes, the one we know) although he does not initiate or even consummate an affair with her as another reviewer claims. To do so would be totally out of character.

Speaking of characters, there is a great supporting cast--from the hotel clerk ("Postcard?"); the respectable Uncle ("Man to man...tell me what's happening"); the film director (shouting: "Take out the concubines! Bring on the camel!"); and, of course, the White Sheik, a sort of 1950s Flavio with his square jawed good looks and rich mane of hair. This is a great film and is highly recommended.

Fellini makes his directorial debut, and with a bang!
While honeymooning in Rome, a young bride (Wanda),dazzled by glamour and illusion, escapes the security of her future by running off with a photo-novel actor who portrays a seductive "White Sheik", to whom she writes often signing herself as "the pasionate doll". Soon, she finds reality sneaking into her romantic fantasy. Disappointed by the average quality of her idol, she goes back to her husband (Trieste) who, meanwhile, has initiated an affair with a prostitute (Cabiria) and her friend. This is the first film for which Fellini has completely responsibility as a director: Through the vicissitude of little provincial persons who discover factory-dreams, Fellini inaugurates that autobiographic element and that fancy inclination which will be constant of his cinemas. Sordi (the "White Sheik") is an irresistible seductor to excess while at the same time enslaved by his wife. ... Read more

Description

A crackpot ex-nun who writes pornographic short stories crosses paths with an amnesiac wandering the streets of New York City. When they set out to uncover his identity, they come face to face with his unsavory past – including a vengeful porno actress and ruthless corporate assassins hot on their trail. ... Read more

Reviews (15)

A Masterpiece
Restraint wrings our emotion. Jumping up and down can express joy, but a perfect ballet segment will convey ecstasy so complete the dance pratically creates it. Subtlety often can explode emotions larger than realism.

Hal Hartley understands this. The characters in his film do not talk like real people. Their speech is subdued, flat, and usually bluntly honest. Their small words carry mountains of meaning.

Most mystery films focus on the identity of the bad guy. This film instead chooses to explore the bad guy's identity. The film opens with him laying unconscious on a cobblestone street. He awakes but has no idea who he is. With this premise, the audience always knows who the bad guy is. He is in almost every frame of the feature. The rest of the film sets about discovering who the bad guy is.

I'm avoiding the film's plot. Telling too much about this film steals many of its pleasures, although I have enjoyed it each of the ten times I have seen it. Most scenes are arranged as artfully as a painting, the actors understand and enlarge Hartley's vision, and the music, ranging from Liz Phair to Pavement, is excellent.

This film may well be the best the ninties have to offer. Hartley's own Simple Men is one of the only other real contenders.

Gets better with repeated viewings
Like all Hal Hartley films (I've seen Flirt and Henry Fool, but neither are as good as Amateur), this is a decidedly odd and mannered movie. The first time I saw it, the far-fetched plot and stilted characterizations are a bit unnerving. This is an ambitious project--Hartley explores the fall of man (an event which literally precedes the film) and original sin in the context of an off-kilter Manhattan thriller. There are some hilariously delivered deadpan one-liners (Martin Donovan: "You're a nyphmomanic and you've never had sex? How could that be?" Isabelle Huppert: "I'm choosy.") But the heart of the movie revolves around the title, and how, try as we might, we cannot escape who we are--Hartley seems to suggest that humanity's flaws are indelible, and despite the guises we might adopt, we are only novices. Amateur ranks low on entertainment value (see Air Force One instead), but a great thinking person's film: brainy, sly, somber, and at times (especially the ending), heartbreaking. Hartley's beguiling screenplay unravels its original insights upon repeated viewings, and it makes the effort worthwhile.

Best Hartley Ever
This is my favorite Hal Hartley film, several of the scenes do not fail to bring a tear to my eye or give me a feeling of frisson and I saw it for the first time in 1995. I think that should say it all.

Purist Hartley fans seem to believe that Trust is the quintessential Hartley, and while I agree that the film is great, Amateur has a much more complicated plot and explores more complicated issues.

The film is all about ontology. What is the nature of being? Can one change? What is memory? Is there an essential nature to existence or is existence mutable depending on experience?

Don't think, however, this is some weird indie/foreign flick heavy on the meaning. Hartley manages to pose all of the above questions within a film that is quirky and funny and deadpan and sad and wonderful all at the same time.

Yes, I know this man.

The mark of Hal (Hartley)
Here's the trademark Hartley quirkiness that fuses bullets with uncertainty, a fried-brain accountant and two sexy women, semi-stagey dialogue and neatly dressed corporate hit men. Here's Parker Posey in a small role, Michael Imperioli (of The Sopranos) in a smaller one, and Martin Donovan as the amnesiac lead male who gets involved with Isabelle Huppert's character, an ex-nun who's turned to writing porno fiction--unfortunately, bad enough to make her publisher reject her work.

And here's Elina Lowensohn as well as a porno actress who wants out of her tawdry (though well-paying) life, whose sad eyes and possible death wish clash with her overly sensuous demeanor. How can all these disparate elements, you ask, ever possibly blend into a whole?

An excellent question. In Hartley's film, they do and they don't. Nobody really knows anything for sure; everyone here is an amateur at life, trying to figure out what to do next--or not knowing how to do anything next. Thomas (Martin Donovan's character) can't remember his name or what he did in the past. Isabelle (Huppert's character) knows intuitively she's linked to Sofia (Elina Lowensohn's role) but she doesn't know how. The accountant, Edward (Damian Young) seems self-assured until he has his brains fried and then he's completely unpredictable.

There's shooting and torture and a little love making. There's uncertainty or puzzlement around every corner. We never really know a whole lot, Hartley's saying, and because of that, you could, in fact, meet a porno-loving ex-nun. You could be an accountant whose neat orderly life is scrambled into violent outbursts and uncontrollable behavior. You could wind up becoming a man who doesn't remember his name and makes some effort to find out what it is, but not enough to discover it.

So is this a coherent film? Hartley is interested more in character than coherence. Structure is not as important as how people actually impact each other, how they impinge on each other's lives. It is, he says, this random colliding of personalities that determines what will happen; people are so complex and so full of possibilities that things just...happen as a result of them being brought together.

Once the viewer accepts this perspective, everything falls into place. Or randomly shifts into place--falling here, rising there, making a jagged turn when you least expect it.

This is less satisfying than Hartley's masterpiece Henry Fool, but it is nevertheless a very intriguing film and definitely worth seeing.

An amateur rewiew
I was channel-surfing when I landed on IFC showing a "comedy-drama" called Amateur. It was nearly an hour in, and there was this scene of these two geeky accountant types arguing about the merits of various cell-phones while using the wires from a floorlamp to electrocute a Christopher Lloyd look-alike. High-concept, but decidedly "B", I thought. But as the movie progressed, I began to notice the deliberation that led to the quirky stagger of the film. The style itself was saying things that the action couldn't begin to convey. This was high art! And it was funny in an intentionally-unintentional way.
The plot, about an ex-nun who now writes bad pornography, a porn queen with a grudge, and an ex-pornongrapher with amnesia, each searching for their identity, is interesting, but it doesn't begin to tell of the impressive stylishness of this movie. Amateur sucks you in like Beckett mixed with "letters to Penthouse", and leaves you satisfied on both accounts. If this sounds good to you, you should check it out. It shows on IFC quite frequently. Oh also, this movie turned me into a freak for Elina Lowensohn. ... Read more

Reviews (10)

Perfect introduction to the world of Cassavetes
A little-seen treasure. I believe that this is the first official release on video, so this wonderful film can finally be seen other than on the late night movie or the occasional film festival. A charming, offbeat love story of the unlikely romance between a WASPy, middle class museum curator (Rowlands) and a slightly wacky hippie parking lot attendant (Cassel), this is one of Cassavetes' most satisfying works. Rowlands is terrific as usual, and Cassel is also great. He's one of the most underappreciated actors of the late twentieth century. The two are an odd combination, but somehow it works. Some scenes are hilarious, particularly an early date scene between Rowlands and the great Val Avery as an overzealous potential suitor. It's been said that Cassavetes couldn't do comedy, but you can't tell it from watching this movie. Minnie and Moskowitz is a great introduction to Cassavetes. It manages to be light hearted and comedic, while retaining the strong characterizations, dramatic depth, and offbeat feel of his more serious films. Four and 1/2 stars (rounded up to five). Highly recommended.

Finally, the release of this offbeat, funny, sensitive film
Many consider Cassavetes to be the father of American Independent Film. So, it's about time more of his film's are released to video. Minnie and Moskowitz is one of my favorites. Gena Rowlands and Seymour Cassel are uniquely genuine actors and their chemistry is exciting. It's a fun comic film yet still insightful. It is lighter than most of Cassavetes work. Therefore, it should appeal to a wider audience than, perhaps, Love Streams, which, I feel, is his best film. Unfortunately, Love Streams is currently unavailable.

Make it stop, dear Gods, please make it stop!
I think most of the reviews for this movie are positive simply because the sample of opinions is rather skewed. The reviewers are self-selected, perhaps consisting mostly of Cassavetes fans who are likely to buy DVD's of obscure 1970's independent films. I was subjected to this monstrosity in film class. It was like being in a waiting room in a hospital or somewhere, and some weirdo sits down next to you and starts spouting idiotic nonsense, and you can't get up and leave for almost two hours. I found myself frequently wondering if I could fatally puncture a major blood vessel with a ball point pen. I tried to give this film no stars but the server would not let me.

Love on the Rocks
I love Cassavetes, but I had a hard time getting into this one. Seymour Cassel yells and punches his way through a part that needed more hippie sweetness to win me over. He comes off more like a stalker than a passionate lover--in the end, Gena Rowlands doesn't seem to fall in love so much as cave in. Maybe it's the moustache--I liked him better when he cut it, too! The scenes with Cassavetes as her married lover are electrifying and I wanted to see more of him. This looks like a polished studio picture compared to most Cassavetes films. It's like he was trying to make a screwball romantic comedy in the Hollywood tradition but couldn't help being his explosive, passionate self. Still, some touching scenes (Rowlands drinking with her older friend, Cassavetes coming home to the kids) makes it well worth checking out.

All time classic
I thoroughly enjoyed this movie and think it's one of Cassavetes best. It's been cast perfectly with Rowlands and Cassel and they both give moving, funny and electric performances. The exterior shots are amazing and the colours are great too. I laughed out loud many times at this shockingly real film and was deeply moved in parts like I am with most of his work. Seymour Cassel is a very underated actor and if you like him in this then you should watch In The Soup in which he is hilarious and very intriuging. I also recommend Cassavetes's Husbands which is just as good as the wonderful Minnie and Moskowitz. Check it out. ... Read more

Amazon.com

When prissy, prickly Sylvia Stickles (Tracey Ullman) suffers a head injury during a traffic altercation, she's, er, revived by self-appointed sexual missionary Ray-Ray Perkins (Johnny Knoxville) and is transformed into an insatiable, take-no-prisoners sex maniac. Yes, it's a John Waters film. Yes, it's filthy. No, it's not as hilarious and sustained as you'd like it to be. It works for a while, though: Ullman, never a stingy comedienne, does everything Waters dares her to do without hesitation; words cannot describe the perversely sporting delight with which she mounts a water bottle during a round of "The Hokey Pokey" at an old folks' home. And there's some fun to be had when Sylvia's emancipation leads her Baltimore 'burb to new heights of ecstasy, freeing her large-breasted daughter Caprice (Selma Blair) while horrifying husband Vaughn (Chris Isaak) and her hardline mother Big Ethel (Suzanne Shepherd, hysterical) in the process. It's also packed with the standard cameos, the most satisfying of which is good old Patty Hearst at a Sex Addicts Anonymous encounter. But, for all the nasty, necessary glee, the movie feels inescapably been-there-done-that, and you can't help but wish this was 1972 and Divine was on hand to prowl for dog droppings. The most shocking thing about A Dirty Shame is how desperate and tiresome its anarchy becomes.--Steve Wiecking ... Read more

Reviews (14)

Worth a watch
Something tells me John Waters only referenced the Bear community to have the community watch it and then show it as more bizarre than it already is.It sure got guys in my metro to pack the indy cinemas!

Back to true form!
Being an extra on this hysterical film was a true barrel of monkeys. Receiving direction from one of the most notorious cult directors of all-time was quite an experience. A Dirty Shame is yet another twisted Waters' installment from his brilliant and unbelievably retarded mind. Sex addicts run rampant in Hamilton,
a NE Baltimore neighborhood and Johnny Knoxville is the ringleader. This film addresses such sexual fetishes never before spoke of in any previous film. Of course John's most recent films lack the angst of his 70's films, but the fact is
that was nearly 30 years ago and him and his entourage are way past the age of youth rebellion. This is clearly the most outrageous film Mr. Waters' has made since Desperate Living in 1977. Anyone who has been wise to his 70's films will absolutely
enjoy this picture. Folks who are ignorant to Waters' pictures
or those who have never seen one should not see this film without first viewing at least Pink Flamingos(1972) or Female Trouble(1974). A Waters' film you view because OF HIS name. NOT the stars. He is the puppeteer, and they are his marionettes. His recent tango with mainstream cinema and theatre is all well and good but this film proves once again what John Waters' is and will always be.
A Renegade...

I f**kin loved it!
A Dirty Shame is a must see and must own film. I loved it. Would make a great gift.Anyone who doesn't like it is a neuter.Watch it with uptight people!

Weak even for Waters
I love a lot of John Waters' movies, but this was a major disappointment.A lot of this is over the top, but it doesn't really work like "over the top" did in his earlier films.It has one hilarious scene, and the rest is just sub-par material.It mostly comes off as corny, even when you "get" the John Waters style of overacting.

Decent Film From Water's POST Divine Era!
A Dirty Shame is a pretty good film. It has it's classic John Water's one liners that could only come from the master himself which make me laugh hysterically. It's John Water's getting back to the basics--post Divine, that is. I separate John's films in 2 catagories: The Divine Years and The Post Divine Years. Let's face it, there will NEVER be another Divine in this lifetime nor will there ever be a John Water's Film that comes remotely close to the Divine Days. So JW fans have to deal with that reality. Of the Divine Years John Water's films, my all time Favorite is FEMALE TROUBLE. Followed by DESPERATE LIVING (which did not include Divine as she was working on another project at the time), POLYESTER, PINK FLAMINGOS, HAIRSPRAY, and MULTIPLE MANIACS. Then we cross over to the Post Divine Years. These films still have the John Waters edge, but not as heavily grotesque and vulgar as in the Divine years. These films include my all time favorite SERIAL MOM, PECKER, A DIRTY SHAME, CECIL B. DEMENTED, and my least favorite-CRY BABY (this film, if any, is the most detached from JW film--the only scene that shows a hint that its JW is the court room scene when Mink Stole is wheeled in in an iron lung smoking a cigarette. The dialogue there is hysterical.)

My suggestion is that if you're a John Water's fan and have seen one or more of his films Divine or Post Divine, then you'll appreciate this movie. In addition, you'll know why Patricia Hearst amoung other actors appears in this film. The reason I say this is because someone who NEVER saw a JW film wrote a review on A Dirty Shame and asked why the [...] Patricia Hearst is in the film? HELLO---she's been in EVERY JW FILM FROM HAIRSPRAY TO PRESENT!! But if you've never seen a JW film or know his antics you obviously won't relate!

GO SEE IT! ... Read more

Reviews (26)

I Honor You, Queen Carlotta!
It's hard for me to believe that there could be John Waters fans who know only his mainstream films. They're pretty good movies, don't get me wrong; but they walk meekly in the shadow cast by his amazing Trash Trio (this, FEMALE TROUBLE & PINK FLAMINGOS). This one is his all-time best, partly because of Divine's absence. Had he been available, he would not only have nabbed the Queen Carlotta role, but become the focus of every viewer's attention as he usually did. (Well, nobody cites FEMALE TROUBLE for the Donald Dasher role, right?) The way DESPERATE LIVING worked out, you finally get a chance to see how good Waters' other Dreamland divas really were. Here, they're VERY good. Fact, DESPERATE features some of the most inspired, OTT female acting ever featured in a movie, "trash" or otherwise. It's as if a heroin-addicted George Cukor decided to remake THE WOMEN in a Maryland junkyard.

Mink Stole is unbeLIEVABLE as Peggy Gravel; she seethes with constant neurotic dementia throughout. Her portrayal of misery to the power of ten is less overacting than it is finding the perfect pitch for the role, and settling in on the very spot. The movie-opening running tantrum she spews is one of the funniest things I've ever seen - every third or fourth word is shouted for maniacal emphasis ("The CHILDREN are having SEX!! Beth is PREGNANT!! And I NARROWLY escaped an ASSASSINATION attempt!!") Brilliant. But she's matched, step for weaving step, by Susan Lowe's unforgettable diesel-dyke Mole and the nonpareil Edith Massey as the evil Queen of the criminal shanty-kingdom, Mortville. (If you've never experienced Edith Massey, nothing I can say could possibly prepare you for her....unique...greatness. Let's just leave it at that, okay?) And that's not to discount the typically outre work by Mary Vivian Pearce - who plays her character as if she'd gotten lost on her way to the set of a Julie Andrews musical - or the CGI effect that is Miss Jean Hill. This assembly of female firepower results in one incredible movie that STILL has the power to make you squirt liquid out your nose in helpless laughter, Farrelly Brothers or no Farrelly Brothers. As a matter of fact, the more Waters' early assaults on good taste have become absorbed into mainstream entertainment, the better and more shocking his films look for it. When DESPERATE LIVING stood alone, one hardly knew what to make of it. Now that every lesser talent in show-biz is trying to finance a swimming pool by imitating the Waters touch, it's easy to see, and appreciate, who the innovator and true original is. When Waters made this movie, he was a pariah with nothing to lose...he knew better, but still didn't care. Thus, there's an intoxicating power and thrift-shop integrity to DESPERATE LIVING that none of the Johnny-come-latelies can approach, now that "bad taste" is boxoffice, and safe as milk. If you're gonna wallow in slime, then accept no substitutes, folks: demand DESPERATE LIVING.

"I have never found the antics of deviants amusing."
In the perverted, sick fairy tale, "Desperate Living" from the genius director, John Waters, neurotic society wife, Peggy Gravel (Mink Stole) accidentally kills her husband with the assistance of her 300lb out-of-control maid, Grizelda. The two desperate women are on the run from the law, when a kinky policeman insists on taking the fugitives' underwear, and then generously allows the women to escape to that notorious haven for criminals and lowlifes--Mortville.

Mortville is full of deliciously disgusting types, and the evil and despotic Queen Carlotta (Edith Massey) rules over all. Elite bodyguards--young leather-clad biker boys, surround Carlotta day AND night. Carlotta's daughter--the Princess Coo Coo (Mary Vivian Pearce) is currently out of Carlotta's favour because the princess insists on consorting with a commoner. But in a land of desperate people who will stop at nothing, there are many ready to vie for power, and soon Peggy Gravel's natural nastiness promotes her to top of the pile of human rejects who inhabit Mortville.

The film is full of outrageous characters--there's Mole McHenry (a vicious female wrestler) and Muffy St Jacques--fellow inhabitants of Mortville, and their tragic tales are both hilarious. Some of the lines are pure genius--sick and twisted--but still genius. Two of my favourite lines are: "This'll teach you to arouse royalty," and "she thinks the toilet I sit on is competition." Warning--this film is not for the faint-hearted. The film has many, many completely outrageous scenes involving male and female nudity, 'sexual reassignments', spanking, and many perversions too numerous to name here. John Waters fans will love this tacky, trashy classic--many other viewers will not. Definitely NOT a date film (unless it's some sort of test), and it's definitely not for the kiddies. If you want to watch this with anyone else in the room, be sure you know your fellow viewer well. Keep your eyes open for the late great Cookie Mueller. "Desperate Living"--made on a $65,000 budget is camp at its best and lowest--displacedhuman.

The best of John Waters' early films. Mink Stole rocks
In my opinion, John Water's movies have always been smarter on paper than most give him credit for. All of his work skewers the establishment was well as some of its offshoots and although intended to be shocking (in many instances just for the sake of being able to do so), my favorite moments generally involve the amazing Mink Stole and when John Waters in a very matter of fact fashion throws in something absolutely jaw-dropping as if it were just another scene.

On one hand you'll have people who will find Waters' early work to be too repulsive to watch and on the other extreme, you'll find others who worship his movies without any reservation and reject any critique as a sign that people just don't get it. My perspective is a little different as after watching Pink Flamingos, Female Trouble, and Desperate Living, my view is that while the ideas continue to be as fresh as they were made in the mid to late 1970's, his early work is much funnier when taken in little dozes rather than full length movies. Although, many may disagree I find Desperate Living to be his early best, while Female trouble is highly overrated. Pink Flamingos falls somewhere between the two.

There are scenes in Desperate Living that had me laughing so hard that I cried. In fact, the first half hour of the film is absolutely hilarious. Every scene involving Jean Hill who plays the hilarious Grizelda Brown and/or Mink Stole who plays the crazed Peggy Gravel, is a gag waiting to happen. There is a scene that takes place after something horrible happens (like I am going to tell you what happened) when Peggy is driving away with Grizelda that is worth the price of owning this movie. Said scene has Mink Stole going off like a madwoman regarding her hatred of nature, and it never fails to surprise me how funny she is. As happens with most of Waters' early films, it ultimately runs out of steam and starts relying too much on shock value and by now almost any Waters fan is hard to shock visually so it better be funny too. Desperate Living is my favorite early John Waters film, although many find it to be his most grim and depressing.

Female Trouble is one of the early Waters movies that most fans tend to like, and I just did not like it at all. Of course no John Waters film can ever be made without having hilarious moments, but they are far and few in between and I was mostly bored. Mink Stole as usual steals every scene that she is in and she does a variation on her "I hate nature" soliloquy from "Desperate Living," this time involving humans. Although I could not get enough of Edith Massey as the egg lady Pink Flamingos or as Queen Carlotta in desperate living, her role in Female Trouble made me feel for her as I was not laughing with her or could not bring myself to laugh at her. While she has her moments and awesome potty mouth, Waters (possibly without meaning to) takes her costumes to a point where you want to hug her instead of laughing. Divine has the opposite effect as the cruder and ruder that she is, the more that I loved her in this movie.

Pink Flamingos, which is Waters' breakout movie, without a doubt uses shock value more than any of his subsequent films. It is supposedly centered around defining who is the filthiest person alive in Waters' beloved Phoenix, Maryland. Since this was Waters' first fully realized early picture, he went for the jugular in trying to get away with as much gross out material as possible. The story, as is the case with Female Trouble, is not worth following and starts to get old quickly, but there are MANY scenes that will shock the numbest person alive. In many instances, the shock is not a bad thing as my motto is if it's funny, bring it on. Edith Massey as the egg lady is so funny that I can't help seeing her scenes over and over again. There are little touches as the manner in which Divine steals some ham, or apparently throwaway scenes involving dealing drugs and a baby selling ring, that are too funny to describe.

In a nutshell, I think that John Waters in hilarious and is responsible for some of the funniest movies of our time (as is the case with Serial Mom, just to name one), but these early exercises in guerilla filmmaking work better as boundary pushers than fully realized self contained movies. Those who enjoyed Jackass - The Movie, said movie would probably never have seen the light of day if it were not for John Waters, and although some may wish that such were the case, I for one think that Jackass - The Movie is one of the funniest movies ever. Part of that success is due to Johnny Knoxville not attempting to create a linear narrative or a storyline but intertwining bigger and smaller ideas just for the sake of making us laugh. Maybe it was not a choice at the time, but all of Waters' early movies would have worked much better with extensive editing and bypassing the narrative to focus on being funny.

I give Desperate Living 3.5 stars, Pink Flamingos 3 stars, and Female Trouble 1 stars. New Line home videos has released several two-packs of John Waters' films, but none that I know of that have Desperate Living and Pink Flamingos on the same package.

Brilliantly Sick Fairytale from the Price of Puke !
I guess you'd call Desperate Living the last of the earlier John Waters "gross out" cult classic films... He went a bit more mainstream after that (not to say that I don't like his new stuff... in fact, I dug Pecker and Cecil B. Demented majorly, but his newer stuff are simply "good movies", as opposed to "cult classics" by destiny.) - - The best way to describe Desperate Living (and I believe these are Waters' words paraphrased) is "a fairy tale for adults with the minds of children..." (well, moreso sick 12-14 year olds.) the story is as fun and entertaining as it is gross and disgusting... Getting to see Edith Massey in the roll of the evil queen and villian is also quite hillarious (especially if you've watched all his earlier films...) and getting to see what she does with the castle goons is even funnier... - - in my book however, the two most memorable scenes involve a cross dressing cop as well as a rather amusingly severed ding dong. Liz Renay, is also hillarious and really into her role... almost too much... in fact, its the sheer exhuberence of the actors in John Waters' films that make the films such a great watch... you can tell that he's definitely the type of guy that could sell you the Brooklyn Bridge (or atleast eat some poop off of it...) - - All in all, I'd have to say that along with Female Trouble its one of my favorite John Waters films... Whether you found Pink Flamingos funny or offensive, expect to laugh and puke at the same time... this is JW at his most sick and childishly best !

Desperately debauched & deliciously depraved.
With DESPERATE LIVING, the demented genius John Waters has come up with a movie almost on a par with his most notorious bad taste classic PINK FLAMINGOS. DESPERATE LIVING is best described as a warped contempory fairy tale with lashings of ketcupy gore (a homage to Herschell Gordon Lewis perhaps?).
Written and Directed by Waters, this stars Mink Stole as Peggy Gravel, a mentally unbalanced suburban housewife drivine to the brink of madness by her amorous children, cruel husband & their alcoholic maid Grizelda Brown (Jean Hill).
However after the chunkily built Grizelda murders Mr. Gravel by sitting on him & squashing him to death; she & Peggy go on the lam, crossing paths with a wacko cop who has a fetish for women's lingerie. He is also a chivalrous romantic who has a strange request to make of Peggy: "I'd like to stick my whole head in your mouth & let you suck out my eyeballs". Now there's a pick-up line that's guaranteed to work every time!
After escaping being assaulted by this crazed copper; Peggy & Grizelda wind up seeking refuge in a low rent village/slum called Mortville where they shack up with lesbian wrestler Mole (Susan Lowe) & her vulgar, trashy lover Muffy (Liz Renay); a disturbed individual whose leisure pursuits include driving a meat fork through her hand for fun. But alas their solitude proves to be short-lived, as the corrupt ruler of Mortville, Queen Carlotta (Edith Massey) has sent her guards out to arrest & execute all homosexuals; but they mistakenly arrest Peggy & Grizelda. Soon the repressed townspeople band together to stage a violent revolt against their revolting dictator & her submissive slave-servants.
As with all Waters early films, you will either find this to be absoutely hilarious or downright depraved. I am of the former mindset. Fans of the director will be delighted with this. No spoilers but the special highlight for me was Mole's botched sex-change operation- utterly repulsive, sick & hilarious. You have to see it to believe it. Highly recommended, but be forewarned: Edith gets her kit off. Aiieee! ... Read more

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The films of Hal Hartley, New York's modern beatnik cinema laureate, are not for everyone. His self-consciously clever ping-pong dialogue sounds like a cross between song lyrics and Samuel Beckett, while his deadpan direction gives a wry cast to it all. It's romantic comedy skewed through a thoroughly modern perspective, and it sprung fully formed in his debut feature. Gloomy redheaded pixie Adrienne Shelly, a neurotic high school student fixated on doomsday scenarios, falls for the tall, dark, and mysterious Robert Burke, a black-clad, philosophy-spouting mechanic who is constantly mistaken for a priest and rumored to be a convicted murderer.

An enigmatic, intellectually playful farce played with ironic understatement, Hartley's austere film was shot on the cheap with a handsome, restrained style and directed with an approach straddling verbal slapstick and modernist irony. Shelly mixes the goofy, obsessive distractions of a screwball heroine with smarts, determination, and hardball negotiating skills, while Burke's quiet calm and confidence radiates warmth and sincerity even while playing the loner. Hartley explores the line between truth and rumor, and he takes satirical swipes at the culture of cash and contracts--yet for all his irony he remains an optimist. For all its hip '90s attitude, the unbelievable truth is that Hartley is a romantic at heart. --Sean Axmaker ... Read more

Reviews (10)

...at last, a Hal Hartley feature film on DVD!
When I heard about a year ago that Hal Hartley's "The Unbelievable Truth" is going to be out on DVD in 2001, I feared some low quality production - but this release should prove worthy for this masterpiece. The picture will be 1.85:1 anamorphic and hopefully the image quality is going to be excellent considering Anchor Bay's good reputation... Having been the directorial feature film debut for acclaimed director Hal Hartley, the film does not long for any big extras to be on the disc - an audio commentary would have been illusory - but we do get an interview with Hal, and the theatrical trailer of course. This is definitely a disc to get for all Hal Hartley fans, and the only thing that could make me even happier would be more DVD releases of his movies: Trust, Simple Men, Amateur, Flirt, his short films, etc... I'm desperately waiting!!

The Best Movie My Brother Ever Bought Me
The Unbelievable Truth is the only movie I have ever seen that captures the exact feeling of falling hard in love with someone that you hardly know. Ah, planetary gears and Robert Burke...What's a girl to do?! It's a truly funny film and it turned me into a Hal Hartley [director] fan.

My favorite Hartley Film
If you like Trust and Simple Men then you'll love this film. Personally I love all of Hartley's works, but to me these three films just go so well together. They're all earlier works and in these films you witness an incredibley inspired director do more with a low budget film than most high paid directors could ever dream of doing. I'd also like to say that if you've never seen a Hal Hartley film then this is probably the best point to start out at.

Unbelievable Fun
Fraught with over obvious symbolism, Hartley's early feature is nonetheless a joy to watch. Hal here shows us his uncanny ability to cast his characters perfectly came early in his career.

Adrienne Shelley is a near perfect foil to herself, equal parts annoying teen burgeoning in her sexuality (though using sex for several years); obsessed with doom and inspired by idealism gone wrong she is deceptively - and simultaneously - complex and simple. Her Audrey inspires so many levels of symbolism it is almost embarrassingly rich (e.g., her modeling career beginning with photos of her foot - culminating her doing nude (but unseen) work; Manhattan move; Europe trip; her stealing, then sleeping with the mechanics wrench, etc.)

As Josh, Robert Burke gives an absolutely masterful performance. A reformed prisoner/penitent he returns to his home town to face down past demons, accept his lot and begin a new life. Dressed in black, and repeatedly mistaken for a priest, he corrects everyone ("I'm a mechanic"), yet the symbolism is rich: he abstains from alcohol, he practices celibacy (is, in fact a virgin), and seemingly has taken on vows of poverty, and humility as well. The humility seems hardest to swallow seeming, at times, almost false, a pretense. Yet, as we learn more of Josh we see genuineness in his modesty, that his humility is indeed earnest and believable. What seems ironic is the character is fairly forthright in his simplicity, yet so richly drawn it becomes the viewer who wants to make him out as more than what he actually is. A fascinatingly written character, perfectly played.

The scene between Josh and Jane (a wonderful, young Edie Falco . . . "You need a woman not a girl") is hilarious . . . real. But Hartley can't leave it as such and his trick, having the actors repeat the dialogue over-and-over becomes frustratingly "arty" and annoying . . . until again it becomes hilarious. What a terrific sense of bizarre reality this lends the film (like kids in a perpetual "am not"/"are too" argument).

Hartley's weaves all of a small neighborhood's idiosyncrasies into a tapestry of seeming stereotypes but which delves far beneath the surface, the catalyst being that everyone believes they know what the "unbelievable truth" of the title is, yet no two people can agree (including our hero) on what exactly that truth is. A wonderful little movie with some big ideas.

rereleased at last.
As in The Book of Life, Hartley exaggerates the limitations he's given so that they seem like a style. And, they are. Burke isn't the block of wood he seemed to be the first time I saw this, and Adrian Shelley crawls under your skin and lays eggs that hatch days, weeks, and even months later. And the script? Hard to do it justice, but I will say that this is one for repeated viewings. Don't rent it, buy it! You won't be sorry.

Also available on VHS again. Finally. ... Read more

Reviews (6)

For Fellini fans and orchestra players only
A minor film by Fellini standards, Orchestra Rehearsal is a generally considered to be a thinly-veiled allegory about postwar Europe. While it lacks the joie de vivre of such later Fellini classics as Amarcord and And the Ship Sails On, it's still a thought-provoking and intelligent film. Which isn't to say that it doesn't have its share of Fellini's bizarre humor, as well. Orchestra Rehearsal captures the air of a real orchestra (each musician except for the contrabassoon player talks about how they're the most important section of the orchestra, and how the others are terrible).

The film does have its flaws, however. It begins to drag somewhere in the middle, before the uprising occurs. Also, the film is badly out of sync (which is a problem of the original, as Italian films were typically recorded silent and then dubbed over), and it is very obvious that at least some of the actors have no idea how to play their assigned instrument.

The sound is