Sunday 29 March 2015

The Ciné File Vol. 25

This week I've indulged my inner five-year-old by revisiting my favourite classic Disney animations from when I was growing up - hello Mulan, Aladdin and Beauty and the Beast - and honestly loved every minute of it. As much as I love Pixar there's something endlessly magical about the traditional 2D animation that never grows old.

In amongst wishing I was a Disney Princess I've managed to squeeze in a trip to the cinema to see new historical drama Suite Française - a beautiful yet thoughtful account of a wartime romance - and the National Theatre Live screening of the critically acclaimed A View from the Bridge.


IDENTITY THIEF
* * *
Netflix // 2013 // DVD

"Mild mannered businessman Sandy Patterson travels from Denver to Florida to confront the deceptively harmless looking woman who has been living it up after stealing Sandy's identity."

(ALL IMAGES SOURCED FROM www.imdb.com)

When I'm doing admin, I often need something harmless, fun and not too taxing on the brain to have on as background noise, and as Netflix kept recommending Identity Thief it seemed only logical to finally give it a go. I can't say I was overly impressed, nor did I find it as funny as it was clearly intended to be, but it's certainly not the absolute car crash many critics have implied it is.

Fans of Melissa McCarthy and Jason Bateman will definitely enjoy this as both actors are on top form, McCarthy in particular, but it feels like they've been let down by the script. There's one cliche after another, with endless gags shoehorned in even when they're totally unnecessary. It's only down to the expert comedic timing and likability of the lead actors that Identity Thief isn't a complete disaster - they keep the tempo and pace moving in a timely fashion in the second act when the script has abandoned them in the wilderness. It's nothing remarkable or particularly original (and it's way too long), but it's not awful, and there are just enough laughs to make it bearable.


CLUELESS
* * * *
Netflix // 1995 // DVD

"A rich high school student tries to boost a new pupil's popularity, but reckons without affairs of the heart getting in the way."


Clueless is so iconic and endlessly watchable that even after the millionth viewing it still feels fresh, original and just as good as the first time. The fashion and catch-phrases never go out of style - what a film!


SUITE FRANÇAISE
* * * *
2015 // In U.K. cinemas now

"During the early years of German occupation of France in World War II, romance blooms between Lucile Angellier, a French villager and Bruno von Falk, a German soldier."


In 2004 the two unfinished novellas of Irène Némirovsky - the Russian-born French writer killed in Auschwitz - were published as Suite Française, chronicling the sort-of romance between Lucile Angellier (Michelle Williams) and Nazi officer Bruno von Falk (Matthias Schoenaerts) in the Nazi occupied town of Bussy in Northern France during the Second World War. Némirovsky had fictionalised the lives of those around her, and the result was this now celebrated novel and brilliant film.

While it may have its faults, Suite Française is still a stylish and beautifully shot adaptation, capturing the effects of the chaos of war on a small French town from the perspective of the ordinary civilians, rather than the usual view of the soldiers and the fighting. The war is seen through the eyes of those suffering its effects away from the front lines, those being forced to live by German time, adapt to German rules and welcome a garrison of German soldiers into their homes. Rarely is this point of view front and centre on screen, and it is really refreshing and wonderful to see. From the explosive opening scenes of civilians frantically trying to avoid bombs dropped by Nazi planes, to the steady stream of refugees descending on the town from Paris, to the uncomfortable shots of people attempting to continue living their lives side-by-side with the enemy, for once it's clear the war touched all members of French society in a myriad of different ways. While there is obviously mention of men fighting it's more in the context of how it affects the characters in the town, and not the sole focus: in Bussy the war is fought in terms of morale, which is just as devastating as the longer the Nazis remain in the town the more the class-driven people are willing to turn on themselves.

At the heart of the film is the tentative romance between shy Lucile and the piano-playing Lieutenant staying in the Angellier home. Williams and Schoenaerts (the Belgian man of the hour: he's appearing in what feels like every other period piece coming out in the next few months...) have excellent chemistry. Williams' Lucile has a strength and bravery hidden by her timid and cautious exterior and beaten down by her (quite frankly) bully of a mother-in-law Dame Kristin Scott-Thomas, a woman who values profit and financial gain over human life and morality (but admittedly does have a very well-hidden depth). Rather brilliantly, the Nazi soldiers and officers aren't all painted as pure evil, but instead they're given complexity and range. Schoenaerts' Bruno, in particular, obviously despises the acts of war he's instructed to carry out, from reading and deciphering gossip on the townspeople to determine the 'guilty' to supervising lethal firing squads. It can be easy to dehumanise Nazi soldiers and tar them all with the same brush - particularly given the effects of history and individual national memory - so it's interesting to see a completely different, human, interpretation here. It could certainly annoy some of the audience, but I think it works well.

Director Saul Dibb successfully navigates themes of betrayal, loyalty, deception and collaboration to craft a compelling and thoughtful film. While there may be too many underdeveloped characters, and the central romance is a little flimsy, it's still tightly woven and gripping. It helps that it's visually stunning, with simply beautiful costumes and locations. Suite Française is not the sort of film with a universal appeal, but those interested in a snapshot of French life during World War II told from a different point of view, a romance largely explored through lingering looks and fractured conversations, and Germans who actually speak German (not English with a rubbish German accent as is more often than not the case) then this should hit the spot perfectly.


A VIEW FROM THE BRIDGE
* * *
NTLive // 2015 // Information on encore screenings here

"In Brooklyn, longshoreman Eddie Carbone welcomes his Sicilian cousins to the land of freedom. But when one of them falls for his beautiful niece, they discover that freedom comes at a price. Eddie’s jealous mistrust exposes a deep, unspeakable secret – one that drives him to commit the ultimate betrayal."

(IMAGE SOURCED FROM www.cineworld.co.uk)

The visionary Dutch director Ivo van Hove bought Arthur Miller's masterpiece A View from the Bridge to the Young Vic last year, and with a West End transfer under its belt (it's currently at the Wyndham's Theatre till April 11th, tickets here) it was met with widespread critical acclaim and more five star reviews than you can shake a stick at. While I was largely impressed by the play - seen at the cinema thanks to the National Theatre Live screening - it failed to live up to the exceedingly high expectations bestowed upon it by many a theatre critic.

The set was incredible: it's so bare and minimalistic that there isn't even a spec of dust to distract from the dialogue and the actors. However visually impressive it may be before the action starts though, once it begins the abstract, clinical nature of the set is a massive distraction: it's hard to place the characters in a certain scenes, and it almost feels as if you're watching a science experiment unfold in a cell on the stage. I know - and adore - that one of the magical powers of the theatre is allowing your imagination to fill in the little gaps left by the physical limitations of the medium, but here it seems like the production is taking it a step too far. In my opinion, the set looked mildly pretentious, and it often distracted me from the actors in the middle of it.

With regards to the cast, Mark Strong was a formidable presence both physically - the actor was ripped in the opening scene in particular, and commands attention throughout - and emotionally - he was just as powerful with a monologue as he was in silence. He fully deserves all of his praise, and his recent Olivier nomination makes perfect sense. Phoebe Fox's youthful and girlish Catherine has a measured naivety, and Nicola Walker's performance as Eddie's neglected and increasingly exasperated wife Beatrice was exceptionally good. A point of enormous confusion came from the accents of Sicilian cousins Rodolfo and Marco, who spoke with not even the faintest hint of an Italian accent. Regardless of whether this was intentional or an oversight, it really didn't make much sense at all.

The opening and closing tableaux were extraordinary, making full use of the enclosed brilliant white set and really hammering home the extent of Eddie's downfall. It's a timeless, classic play, but for me, this interpretation of A View from the Bridge was just too stylish and too slick. It was hard to fully believe Eddie's jealousy, betrayal and ultimate unravelling when the journey to the explosive and memorable closing scene was so controlled and pared-back. Miller's play is so chaotic and intense; it's just a shame that the production as a whole didn't match up.


MULAN
* * * * *
Netflix // 1998 // DVD

"To save her father from death in the army, a young maiden secretly goes in his place and becomes one of China's greatest heroines in the process."

ALADDIN
* * * *
Netflix // 1992 // DVD

"When a street urchin vies for the love of a beautiful princess, he uses a genie's magic power to make himself off as a prince in order to marry her."

BEAUTY AND THE BEAST
* * * * *
Sky Movies Disney // 1991 // DVD

"Belle, whose father is imprisoned by the Beast, offers herself instead, unaware her captor to be an enchanted prince."


Sue me: I'm having a Disney Princess moment.

It might be the effects of all the advertising for the recently released live-action adaptation of Cinderella, but I've suddenly been extremely nostalgic for the traditional Disney 2D animations I grew up on. Mulan's 'Let's Get Down To Business' is my version of Rocky's 'Eye of the Tiger' - as soon as I hear it (and sing-along) my productivity soars; Robin William's Genie in Aladdin is pure genius and warms my heart every time I watch it; and Belle is my favourite Princess by a million miles (maybe because she's a brunette who loves books? Who knows...). If they're not reasons to rematch my top 3 Disney films then I don't know what is...


MEET THE PARENTS
* * * *
BBC1 // 2001 // DVD

"Male nurse Greg Focker meets his girlfriend's parents before proposing, but her suspicious father is every date's worst nightmare."


Meet the Parents is a modern classic. I must have watched it hundreds of times but I still cry laughing every single time without fail. Robert de Niro and Ben Stiller have never been funnier: they're a mismatched comedy couple made in heaven.

"I have nipples, Greg, could you milk me?" It's too much. I've never wanted to be in a circle of trust more.


What have you seen this week? Do let me know of any recommendations in the comments below!

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