Directed by: Carl Theodor Dreyer
Released: 1928
Country: France
Genre: Historical drama
Rating: 5 out of 5
Review
At the very beginning of the film, one of the judges ask Joan how old she is. Her face reflecting a childlike innocent, she counts and replies that she is nineteen. That was the scene that instantly made me attached to the film, and throughout the film I kept observing each and every movement, each and every facial expression of Renee Jeanne Falconetti. This has to be one of the most profoundly breathtaking performances I have personally ever come across. Her facial expressions and reactions express her sorrows, her fears, her shock, her discovery when she comes across the form of cruelty she had never known existed. This is definitely a heart wrenching film to sit through, and add Falconetti's strong performance (read: one of the strongest performances ever), ''The Passion of Joan of Arc'' is a unforgettable gem.
The story is simple: the trial of Joan of Arc and her subsequent execution. But each and every minute of the film is utilized well as we come to learn of the horrors that were inflicted on the brave Joan of Arc. A brave young woman who had wanted to save her country, she was burnt at stake, accused of heresy. Over the passage of time the film gets more and and more intense, and we keep looking at Falconetti's face, her pained face reflecting her woes.
''The Passion of Joan of Arc'' symbolizes how humanity has been over the course of history deteriorated and crumbled, how cruelty has been inflicted on people as innocent and brave as Joan of Arc. And I am sure without Falconetti's performance, the film would not have been as iconic and great as it is. She graces the scenes of the film with her presence, her astonishingly perfect performance, her face and expressions showing her woes and pain, her tears sometimes even managing to bring tears to our eyes.
5 out of 5
Directed by: Charlie Chaplin
Released: 1936
Country: United States
Cast: Charlie Chaplin, Paulette Goddard, Henry Bergman, Stanley Sandford, Chester Conklin
Genres: Comedy, Romantic comedy, Drama
Rating: 5 out of 5
Review
Charlie Chaplin's ''Modern Times'' is set during the Great Depression. It tells the story of a tramp, who, with the help of an orphaned young woman, dreams of a better life, a life without hunger and poverty, and struggles hard for it. ''Modern Times'' is really very funny like other Charlie Chaplin films, but it is also really sweet, it also has an excellent emotional depth, and yes, it is heartwarming and inspirational.
Charlie Chaplin plays a factory worker who starts suffering from mental depression that ultimately causes him to lose his job and go to a hospital for some days. After he is discharged from the hospital, he is left without a job, a home, and means to support himself. Circumstances cause him to meet a Gamin (played by Paulette Goddard), whose father died recently. Her younger siblings were taken to an orphanage, but she ran away from the authorities as she didn't want to be in an orphanage. Chaplin's character and the Gamin become great friends, and decide to get a better life, a home, to get rid of the poverty and difficulty they have to face because of the Great Depression.
''Modern Times'' reminded me how much I actually love silent films. The film is mostly silent, but there are scenes where there are spoken dialogues, and a song that Chaplin's character sings near the end of the film.
''Modern Times'' is hilarious and funny. It kept me laughing. But at the same time, it is no mindless comedy film. Instead, it deals with a very serious subject matter: poverty, sufferings of the poor people, dreams and hopes for a better life, and the struggle for it. While it is definitely a funny film, it is, at the same time, heartwarming, emotional, and beautiful. Charlie Chaplin's performance is definitely excellent, and Paulette Goddard, as the Gamine, is beautiful and equally amazing. My favorite scenes from the film are those in which Chaplin's character is released from the prison, and the Gamine is waiting for him outside the prison, and when they are meet, they look so happy, and the looks on their faces and their smiles and their reactions are so beautiful, so heartwarming! The final scene is also really very beautiful.
Overall, '"Modern Times'' is an excellent film, definitely recommended. It is funny, it is sweet, it is cute, it is emotional, it can make you smile, laugh, and cry. It is a beautiful film.
5 out of 5
The Last Laugh (1924 movie)
Directed by: F. W. Murnau
Released: 1924
Country: Germany
Genre: (Silent film) Drama
Rating: 4.5 out of 5
Short review: F. W. Murnau is simply amazing. From the artistic, creepy horror film ''Nosferatu'' to, ''Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans'', which is, according to my opinion, one of the most beautiful romantic movies that I have watched, he has always impressed me. ''The Last Laugh'' is no exception. This was also a beautiful film, a very emotionally intense film, and remarkably with only a single inter title. It tells it's story through the pictures, and there is only one intertitle (it doesn't represent a spoken dialogue). ''The Last Laugh'' is a film that delivers a painful and emotionally intense story, with strong performances and great direction by Murnau.
The story is simple. An elderly man who has worked as the doorman of a respectable hotel for a long time is reduced to the rank of a washroom attendant, as his old age doesn't allow him to work hard. He doesn't reveal this to his family and neighbors, who have always given him a lot of respect because of his respectable post. He has to deal with the tragedy alone...
The film was quite an emotional journey and Emil Janning's performance as the protagonist was extremely memorable and effective. One of the most emotional moments in this film was when the old man dreams that he is still capable of doing hard works and lifting heavy things.
The fairytale-ish ending was also extremely memorable. I loved this film. The more F. W. Murnau films that I watch, the more I think that he is one of my favorite directors.
Marnie (1964 movie)
Directed by: Alfred Hitchcock
Released: 1964
Country: United States
Genre: Psychological thriller, Drama, Mystery
Short review: ''Marnie'' is often called one of the last great movies directed by Hitchcock. The story centers around Marnie, played by Tippi Hedren of ''The Birds''. She is a thief, who steals from the offices where she works (she gets into the offices using fake identity) and then flees from the office. A man named Mark Rutland (played by Sean Connery) comes to know about Marnie. Marnie, ignorant of this, joins as a secretary in Mark's publishing company. With the passage of time, they fall in love, and Mark confronts Marnie and tells her that he knows her real identity, and blackmails her into marrying him.
But Marnie has mysterious problems. She is afraid of the color red. She does not want any man to touch her. Mark suspects that something must have happened in her past that has caused her to fear these things. He tries to learn about Marnie's past and background, knowing exactly what happened that made Marnie afraid of these things.
Most of the parts of the film (the early part and the middle part) felt just barely enjoyable to me. I just liked it enough to keep watching it. I mean, I didn't really get what the story was heading to. But then. Then something happened that left me startled. The climax is not just a shocking revelation, but I also felt that the film has a very disturbing and painful climax. The ending was so strong that it made me feel that it was indeed a good film, it was quite worth a watch. Tippi Hedren, Sean Connery, and Diane Baker give excellent performances, and the screenplay is excellent as well.
Overall, ''Marnie'' is, though not one of Hitchcock's best films and not even a great film, certainly a very good film with a good story, good performances, and a shocking climax.
West Side Story (1961 movie)
Directed by: Robert Wise
Released: 1961
Country: United States
Genres: Musical, Romantic drama, Crime
Rating: 4.5 out of 5
Short review: ''West Side Story'' is based on a play of the same name, which is inspired by William Shakespeare's ''Romeo & Juliet''. Robert Wise is a director who directed two movies I love: ''The Sound of Music'' and ''The Haunting''.
The film centers around two rival gangs, the ''Jets'', an American gang, and the ''Sharks'', a gang of Puerto Rican immigrants. After many incidents, the ''Jets'' and ''Sharks'' decide to fight, planning to meet under a highway for discussions about the future fight.
However, Maria (the sister of Bernardo, the leader of the ''Sharks'') and Tony (an inactive member of the ''Jets'') fall in love. However, their relation is affected because of terrible incidences that happen because of the rivalry between the two gangs.
''West Side Story'' was a lively, fast-paced, yet sad and thought-provoking film. The film's running time is 152 minutes, but the events of the film take place within a couple of days. It tells it's story in an energetic way, with a lot of songs and often sweet scenes with the two protagonists. I loved this film.
4.5 out of 5
Directed by: Robert Wiene
Released: 1920
Country: Germany
Genres: Horror, Mystery
Rating: 5 out of 5
Review
I can't praise ''The Cabinet of Dr Caligari'' enough--- it was such a wonderful, haunting, memorable film, that kept me thinking about it for a long time. ''The Cabinet of Dr Caligari'' has a haunting and engrossing presentation, AMAZING set decorations, and cinematography. I loved the film.
The film starts with two people talking, one of them is our protagonist, Francis, and the other is an elderly man. A woman in a white dresses walks by, and Francis tells the old man that she is his fiance. Francis tells the elderly man about the strange and scary incidences that he and his fiance had experienced...
Francis and his friend, Alan, had gone to visit the town fair. A strange man, Dr Caligari was exhibiting something in the fair. He was exhibiting a somnambulist, named Cesare, who sleeps all day long. Only Dr Caligari can wake him, and Cesare can predict the future. The curious Alan asks Cesare a question: how long he (Alan) will live. Cesare replies that he will live till dawn the next day. Startled, Alan and Francis leave the fair, but soon forget Cesare's prediction.
That night, however, Alan is mysteriously killed...
Francis guesses that Alan's death, along with another crime that recently occurred, is connected with Dr Caligari and Cesare... He searches for the truth behind these events... what is actually happening?
''The Cabinet of Caligari'' has an extremely memorable set decoration. The presentation is wonderful and haunting. As Dr Caligari, Warner Krauss is excellent. The character is presented in a very creepy way. Conrad Veidt, as Cesare, was creepy as well.
''The Cabinet of Dr Caligari'' is full of shocks, twists, and scares. It was so atmospheric, so haunting. The images are unforgettable, it's such a film that is extremely engrossing and haunting. Another remarkable thing about the film is the blue that indicates the night scenes.
The ending is certainly one of the most surprising endings that I have ever come across. I absolutely loved it.
With an extremely engrossing, scary, suspenseful and twisted story, wonderful presentation, set decoration and cinematography, it's a very memorable film and I would highly recommend it, it's a must watch.
5 out of 5
