Easter project - movie reviews
American Gigolo (1980)
The movie is based around the character Julian Kay, a male escort. As you can presume right away, the movie would be based around his lifestyle and the services that he offers. Paul Schrader, the writer and director, presents his character as one that lives a luxury lifestyle: owning a Mercedes, having an expensive wardrobe and going to country clubs, uses his perception of the life an escort. But shows that even with all these materialistic possessions just how someone can still feel empty. Schrader, then goes to show how the character finds true love and being framed for a murder.
Pather Panchali (1955)
Satayjit Ray produced this movie in this black and white movie in the year of 1955 focusing on a family that lives in a small Indian village, exhibiting the different experiences of poverty by every member of the family. From the perspective of the mother, who sells personal possessions to provide for her family and having a daughter – Durga, who steals from their Orchard as well as trying to take care of their old aunt. Things fall apart even more when Harihar (the father) disappears for longer than expected and Durga becomes unwell. Even after Harihar returns, the family is left with few alternatives. Unfortunately, not to being able to find the full movie I had to watch it in parts and watch with subtitles.
Personally I had felt that the movie opened up eyes to a different kind of poverty that you would not expect in a western country.
Stromboli, terra di Dio (1950)
Karen, a young woman from the Baltic countries, marries fisherman Antonio to escape from a prisoners camp in Italy. But the life in Antonio’s village, Stromboli, threatened by the volcano, Karen is trying to cope with living differently as well as being isolated by the locals who see hera foreigner who would not be accepted due to her foreign attitudes. As well as, not being able to speak the foreign language. She then goes on to seek her own freedom but somehow fails to do so. The movie shows the cross between suffering and desperation but mainly how a spoilt woman can’t accept a minimalistic way of living.
The tin drum (1979)
In 1924, Oskar Matzerath is born in the Free City of Danzig. At age three, he falls down a flight of stairs and stops growing. In 1939, World War II breaks out. At the age of three, he has issued a tin drum that he could never let go over and the power to have an ability to have high pitched shriek that will shatter any glass. The movie goes from irritating to disturbing. As we watch through the eyes of Oskar, from his exploration of sexual desire and the unusual relationships that his family was associated with. Nonetheless, the movie finds a way of crossing between the idea of nationalism and sexual tensions.
The movie overall was disturbing and I had to watch in subtitles as it was in German.