Reviews

Dr. Mabuse, the Gambler (1922) directed by Fritz Lang is an early relic of German expressionism; arguably one of the most elaborate of these early cinematic centerpieces.

The story is quite straightforward, focusing on the manipulative archetype, here in the form of Dr. Mabuse, whose plan is to take over Berlin in his psychoanalysis and gambling schemes. Here, Dr. Mabuse and his organization of criminals are in the process of completing their latest scheme, a theft of information that will allow Mabuse to make huge profits on the stock exchange. Afterwards, Mabuse disguises himself and attends the Folies Bergères show, where Cara Carozza, the main attraction of the show, passes him information on Mabuse's next intended victim, the young millionaire Edgar Hull. Mabuse then uses psychic manipulation to lure Hull into a card game where he loses heavily. When Police Commissioner von Wenk begins an investigation of this mysterious crime spree, he has little to go on, and he needs to find someone who can help him.

It is mostly visually stunning, and what I appreciate the in most is the style that Lang already exposes to his viewers. Lang's later masterpieces such as M (1931) clearly draws inspiration to Dr. Mabuse, Der Spieler (1922). Highly recommended for cinephiles interested in cinema history.

The Philadelphia Story (1940) directed by George Cukor is arguably one of cinema history's highest points for romantic comedy. It is wonderfully written and directed as well as edited and acted.

The plot revolves around Philadelphia heiress Tracy Lord, who throws out her playboy husband C. K. Dexter Haven shortly after their marriage. Two years later, Tracy is about to marry respectable George Kittredge while Dexter has been working for a magazine. Dexter arrives at the Lords' mansion the day before the wedding with writer Mike Connor and photographer Liz Imbrie, determined to shake up things and make Tracy look authentically on things.

Katharine Hepburn is absolutely enigmatic and amazing in her role as Tracy Lord. She even manages to outperform some of the Golden age's great actors, Cary Grant and Jimmy Stewart. It is a wonderful story with a wonderful message. Highly recommended!

The Grand Illusion (1937) directed by Jean Renoir is a great anti-war drama, beautifully told, and way ahead of its time in terms of its direction and cinematography when compared to other 1930's films.

La Grande Illusion takes place during WWI, where two French officers are captured, Captain De Boeldieu, an aristocrat, and Lieutenant Marechal, a mechanic in civilian life. In P. O. W. Camps, they meet other prisoners from various backgrounds, as Rosenthal, son of wealthy Jewish bankers. Along the story, they plan their escape.

The strength of the story really lies in the relationships formed throughout the film. Technically, Renoir's use of blocking is his choice of cinematography - great with wonderful imagery throughout the film.

Highly recommended!

Spartacus (1960) directed by Stanley Kubrick is a masterpiece of epic proportions, filled to the brim with spectacle, history, action, and adventure.

The story revolves around slave Spartacus who survives brutal training as a gladiator and leads a violent revolt against the decadent Roman Republic, as the ambitious Crassus seeks to gain power by crushing the uprising. Ultimately, it encapsulates much of what many of the other swords-and-sandals epics have done before it, such as Ben-Hur and The Ten Commandments.

Particularly, Spartacus is gorgeous to look at with its unparalleled production design, wonderfully realised with its shooting locations, and huge in scope, not least due to Kubrick's masterful eye for cinematography and direction. Yet another of Kubrick's numerous masterpieces. Kirk Douglas, Jean Simmons and particularly Lawrence Olivier are all amazing in the respective roles.

Highly recommended epic.

Patton (1970) directed by Franklin J. Schaffner is a great war film, great in scope and expertly executed in all aspects of film making.

The story revolves around General George S. Patton, famous tank commander of World War II. The film begins with Patton's career in North Africa and progresses through the invasion of Europe and the fall of the Third Reich. Side plots also speak of Patton's numerous faults such his temper and tendency toward insubordination, faults that would prevent him from becoming the lead American general in the Normandy Invasion as well as to his being relieved as Occupation Commander of Germany.

George C. Scott was truly spellbinding as Patton and deservedly won the Oscar, as is the entire supporting cast. But perhaps most striking about this film is its incredible cinematography and production design. It is beyond me how this did not win the Oscar for best cinematography as this surely is one of the most visually stunning war films ever put to life.

Highly recommended for all to see!

Night and the City (1950) directed by Jules Dassin is an intriguing look into the demise of a calculating sociopath with a superiority complex.

The film revolves around Harry Fabian, who is a London hustler with ambitious plans that never work out. One day, when he encounters the most famous Greco-Roman wrestler in the world, Gregorius, at a London wrestling arena run by his son Kristo, he dreams up a scheme that he thinks will finally be his ticket to financial independence. As Fabian attempts to con everyone around him to get his scheme to work, he of course only ends up conning himself.

An interesting tale of manipulation and ambition, and how a man who always thinks he's ahead of the game ends up falling very badly.

Excellent depiction of manipulation and corruption and the consequences of a sense of low self-esteem.

Top Gun: Maverick (2022) directed by Joseph Kosinsky is a surpringly original sequel and takes a highly successful retro step to Hollywood film making.

The story is set 30 years after its predecessor, and follows Maverick's return to the United States Navy Strike Fighter Tactics Instructor program (also known as "TOPGUN"). The plot is very simple; here, he must confront his past as he trains a group of younger pilots, among them the son of Maverick's deceased best friend Lieutenant Nick "Goose" Bradshaw, to eliminate a uranium target. That's it. But the sheer finesse and bravour with which Cruise, Connelly, Teller and Kosinsky pull this off is impressive.

Spectacular action, stunning cinematography, a great score paying homage to it's original predecessor Topgun (1986), is all perfectly executed, and that justifies its cheesy style and simple plot. Highly recommended!

Avatar: The Way of Water (2022) directed by James Cameron is a testament to his legacy of film making and his ambitious Avatar franchise.

I had very little to anticipate for Avatar: The Way of Water as I believe the original Avatar (2009) is a beautiful film in its own right and should be perceived that way. In spite, I was looking forward to experiencing the sequel thirteen years later in 2022.

The story takes place years after the events of the original Avatar film, where Jake Sully now lives with his family on Pandora. Then, once a familiar threat returns to finish what was previously started, in the form of the evil humans wanting to hunt down Jake, he must work with Neytiri, his four children, and the army of the Na'vi race to protect their home.

All in all, I was pleasantly surprised by Cameron's latest achievement. The expected visual spectacle is definitely in focus and it is astonishing to look at with beautiful cinematography (although not nearly as revolutionary as in 2009).

Another strength of the film was the theme of family, which I found quite moving and emotionally charged during several scenes. I found the story to be wonderfully told and well-paced, and although clicking in at well over three hours, I did not find it excessively long. I highly recommend it for its entertainment value and as being a worthy follow-up to the original and in my opinion unbeatable original Avatar film from 2009.

The Stranger (1946) directed by Orson Welles is a classic film-noir narrative directed with great candour and competence as expected.

The story revolves around Wilson of the War Crimes Commission, who is seeking Franz Kindler, mastermind of the Holocaust, who has effectively erased his identity. Wilson releases Kindler's former comrade Meinike and follows him to Harper, Connecticut, where he is killed before he can identify Kindler. Now Wilson's only clue is Kindler's fascination with antique clocks; but, though Kindler seems secure in his new identity, he feels his past closing in.

The seminal aspect about this film is all Welles, from his use of cinematography as a director, to his menacing performance as an actor, this is world class genius. All things considered, I found it an interesting film, and although I do not find it on par with his masterpieces Citizen Kane and Touch of Evil, I still recommend it.

Notorious (1946) directed by Alfred Hitchcock is yet another example of his mastery of filmmaking. Notorious is beautifully written, directed, acted, shot; the list goes on and on.

The story follows from the conviction of Alicia Huberman's German father for treason against the U. S., after which she takes to drink and men. She is approached by a government agent (Cary Grant), who asks her to spy on a group of her father's Nazi friends operating out of Rio de Janeiro. A romance then develops between Alicia and Devlin, but she starts to get too involved in her work.

Ingrid Bergman is magnificent as usual, as is Cary Grant, but as always with his films, it is The Master of Suspense who shines through with his unparalleled genius.

Highly recommended for its timelessness and its cinematic spectacle!

Mildred Pierce (1945) directed by Michael Curtiz is a spellbinding (pun intended) noir from 1945 that deservedly won Joan Crawford her Academy Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role.

The story is fascinating: When Mildred Pierce's out-of-work husband leaves her for another woman, Mildred decides to raise her two daughters on her own. Despite Mildred's financial successes in the restaurant business, her oldest daughter, Veda, resents her mother for degrading their social status. In the midst of a police investigation after the death of her second husband, Mildred must evaluate her own freedom and her complicated relationship with her daughter.

It is a great film-noir and highly recommended!

The Lost Weekend (1945) written and directed by Billy Wilder is a terrifying and well-made early depiction of addiction.

The story revolves around the unsuccessful writer Don Birnham who is an alcoholic. Only his brother Wick and girlfriend Helen managed to keep him sober for 10 days and plan a little vacation on the countryside for the weekend. But Don manages to send them both away the evening before. Alone at home, and being without money, he's desperate for something to drink.

This is the basic plot but the story is told, acted in directed, and filmed with such heft and splendor that I was very impressed with the film. Highly recommended for Wilder fans.

Spellbound (1945) directed by Alfred Hitchcock is a genius film on psychoanalysis.

It revolves around the head of the Green Manors mental asylum Dr. Murchison, who is retiring to be replaced by Dr. Edwardes, a famous psychiatrist. Edwardes arrives and is immediately attracted to the beautiful but cold Dr. Constance Petersen. However, it soon becomes apparent that Dr. Edwardes is in fact a paranoid amnesiac impostor. He goes on the run with Constance who tries to help his condition and solve the mystery of what happened to the real Dr. Edwardes.

I highly recommended watching it for its timeless plot and brilliant storytelling, especially by Hitchcock but also told through the great performances by Gregory Peck and Ingrid Bergman. Particularly the dream sequence is pure masterclass Hitchcock. Brilliant director's take on psychological inquiry.

To Have and Have Not (1944) directed by Howard Hawks is an unusual and low-action film-noir.

It takes place in 1940, where a former rum runner now stuck with his boat in Vichy Martinique tries to remain uninvolved with the European War before continued harassment from officials makes him side with the speechifying but ineffectual Free French. Decisively taking matters in his own hands, he finds romance along the way.

It stars the experienced Humphrey Bogart, a 19-year old rising star, Lauren Bacall, and the electrifying three time Oscar winner, Walter Brennan.

It is a very focused and small film not trying anything too hard, but delivering an interesting minute story with excellent acting, cinematography and music along the way.

Highly recommended.

Laura (1944) directed by Otto Preminger is a great and unual film-noir from the mid-40'ies. Packed with beautiful storytelling (in classic film-noir narrative style), mystery, cinematography, and direction, it is indeed a great film-noir.

The story revolves around Detective Lieutenant Mark McPherson (Dana Andrews) who investigates the killing of Laura Hunt (Gene Tierney), found dead on her apartment floor before the movie starts. McPherson builds a mental picture of the dead girl from the suspects he interviews. He is helped by the striking painting of the late lamented Laura hanging on her apartment wall. But who would have wanted to kill a girl with whom every man she met seemed to fall in love? To make matters worse, McPherson finds himself falling under her spell too. Then one night, halfway through his investigations, something seriously bizarre happens to make him re-think the whole case.

It is wonderfully made, written and directed. Highly recommended!

Gaslight (1944) directed by George Cukor is a seminal film-noir, mystery, and thriller.

The plot revolves around Paula Alquist (Ingrid Bergman), who is sent to study in Italy after the murder of her famous opera-singing aunt, to become a great opera singer as well. While there, she falls in love with the charming Gregory Anton (Charles Boyer). The two return to London, and Paula begins to notice strange things: missing pictures, strange footsteps in the night, and gaslights that dim without being touched. As she fights to retain her sanity, her new husband's intentions come into question.

It is quite simply a brilliantly directed film with Ingrid Bergman passing on an amazing performance, as does Charles Boyer.

Highly recommended for its timeless plot and brilliant storytelling.

The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (1920) directed by Robert Wiene is an early masterpiece and a truly unique film which still holds up today for its artistic contribution to cinema history.

The story is not exactly complex but not exactly simple either. It takes place at a fair in a German village, where Dr. Caligari obtains a permit to set up his tent show featuring Cesare the 23 year-old Somnabulist who has slept for 23 years. Francis and his friend Alan visit the popular show and Alan asks Cesare in his trance-like state to tell him his future. Cesare predicts that he will die that night and when Alan is in fact found dead in the morning it seems to be just one of many such crimes recently. Frances is determined to find his friend's killer, all the more so after Cesare tries to kidnap his fiancée. He follows him to an insane asylum but not all is as it seems.

It is simply impressive for its time and still entertaining and eerie like few other silent films. Sets are amazing, being odd, misshapen and bent. The direction supports the spooky production design. The actors are very theatrical which is not exactly subtle but that was by no means deviant for the time. I believe it is a classic film which is rather timeless. Highly recommended!

The Outlaw and His Wife (1918) directed by Victor Sjöström is yet another impressive production in early cinema history.

The story revolves around a stranger who comes to work at a widow's (Halla's) farm. Halla and the stranger fall in love, but when he is revealed as Eyvind, an escaped thief forced into crime by his family's starvation, they flee and become two of the many outlaws of Iceland's mountains.

Victor Sjöström's early films are impressive in their own right. In The Outlaw and his Wife, he almost uses nature as a character, pressuring the humans of the film to the very brink of - and beyond - their moral values. This works effectively in driving a more abstract point of the film; what is one willing to do in order to ensure one's own safety and survival, and yet further abstract; what is good and evil as philosophical constructs?

It is similarly highly recommended for film buffs and those interested in cinema history just like Sjöström's earlier film Terje Vigen (1917), although The Outlaw and his Wife is not as contemporary as Terje Vigen. Lacking a score and being twice as long, it does not feel as focused although it definitely is more epic in its scale and production.

Terje Vigen (1917) directed by and starring the father of Swedish cinema, Victor Sjöström, is a true masterpiece of early cinema.

The story is simple and revolves around Terje Vigen, a sailor, who suffers the loss of his family through the cruelty of another man. Years later, when his enemy's family finds itself dependent on Terje's beneficence, Terje then must decide whether to avenge himself.

When comparing Terje Vigen to its peer films of the 1910's such as L'Inferno (1911), From the Manger to the Cross (1912), The Straw Man (1914), Birth of a Nation (1915) and even the masterful Intolerance (1916), what stands out in Sjöström's film making is it's emotional impact rather than its production design or acting prowess. It is a mature depiction of human pain, suffering and redemption, that far succeeds its historical immaturity. Also particularly noteworthy is Rodulf Sahlberg's amazing score for the film.

Ii highly recommended it for film buffs and those interested in cinema history. Victor Sjöström's protegé, Ingmar Bergman would continue the beginning of the Swedish film making legacy in becoming one of cinema history's most revered directors.

Intolerance (1916) directed by David Wark Griffith is by a considerable margin the landmark film og early cinema history, greatly surpassing his previous effort of Birth of a Nation (1915) in basically every single aspect of film making.

The story is an exploration of intolerance and its terrible effects, which are examined in four historical eras. In ancient Babylon, a mountain girl is caught up in the religious rivalry that leads to the city's downfall. In Judea, the hypocritical Pharisees condemn Jesus Christ. In 1572 Paris, unaware of the impending St. Bartholomew's Day Massacre, two young Huguenots prepare for marriage. Finally, in modern America, social reformers destroy the lives of a young woman and her beloved.

It is particularly impressive in its production design, and the reconstruction of Babylon is breathtaking, still holding up to this day in 2022 as some og the most impressive production design I have ever seen. Contrary to Birth of a Nation (1915), Intolerance is a wonderful, rather than atrocious propagandized, story, and the technical merits of the film making from Griffith is greatly improved, with an astounding 400.000$ budget well spent.

Highly recommended for film buffs and for those interested in cinema history.

The Birth of a Nation (1915) directed by David Wark Griffith is an historical abomination of cinema. It is atrocious, politically corrupt, and propagandized.

It is a story of two brothers, Phil and Ted Stoneman, who visit their friends in Piedmont, South Carolina: the Camerons. This friendship is affected by the Civil War, as the Stonemans and the Camerons must join up in opposite armies. The consequences of the War in their lives are shown in connection to major historical events, like the development of the Civil War itself, Lincoln's assassination, and the birth of the Ku Klux Klan.

It is an utterly disgraceful depiction of race dynamics and luckily part of film history to expose its flawed message. The only apparent significance is in its format, being the first feature film attempting the epic story. Here, Griffith successfully directs scenes with candor, impressive production and set design and interesting cinematic techniques for the time.

Only recommended for film buffs interested in cinema history and the wrongdoings of politically charged and biased film making. Otherwise a horrible statement of a film, despite its historical significance.

The New World (2005) directed by Terrence Malick is a visually stunning film and based on an interesting tale of Pocahontas. Just wow! Malick has done it yet again in his fourth feature film.

The story of Pocahontas is well-known. Captain Smith is spared his mutinous hanging sentence after captain Newport's ship arrives in 1607 to found Jamestown, an English colony in Virginia. The initially friendly natives, who have no personal property concept, turn hostile after a 'theft' is 'punished' violently on the spot. During an armed exploration, Smith is captured, but spared when the chief's favorite daughter Pocahontas pleads for the stranger who soon becomes her lover and learns to love their naive 'savage' way of harmonious life. Ultimately he returns to the grim fort, which would starve hadn't she arranged for Indian generosity.

Terrence Malick is astounding with a camera, and every single shot of all of his films are works of art. It is highly recommended for its originality and cinematic and artful value. A disclaimer: Terrence Malick tends to attract very ambitious audiences of cinema.

From the Manger to the Cross (1912) directed by Sidney Olcott is a great film from the early days of cinema history. Apart from the old ways of film making, it is actually a very focused depiction of the life of Jesus and still entertaining despite it being one of cinema's earliest films.

It is a classic account of the life of Jesus Christ, based on the books of the New Testament: After Jesus' birth is foretold to his parents, he is born in Bethlehem, and is visited by shepherds and wise men. After a stay in Egypt to avoid King Herod, his family settles in Nazareth. After years of preparation, Jesus gathers together a group of disciples, and then begins to speak publicly and to perform miracles, inspiring hope in many of his listeners, but also arousing some dangerous opposition.

Highly recommended for film enthusiasts and fans of cinema history.

L'Inferno (1911) directed by Fransesco Bertolini and Adolfo Padovan was a revolution in the art of film making. Technically supreme for its time, is features impressive production design, stop motion and other novelties in the very early days of cinema history before it really took off in the 1920's.

L'Inferno revolves around the poet Dante, who is lost in a dark and gloomy wood. At the summit of a mountain he sees the light of salvation. He endeavors to ascend to it, but his way is barred by three wild beasts, symbolizing Avarice, Pride and Lust. Beatrice sees his predicament and descends from Paradise into Limbo, where she asks the poet Virgil to rescue and guide Dante. Virgil knows another way to go, but this leads straight through the entire Inferno, before it continues towards Paradise. Virgil leads Dante to the portals of Inferno. Charon ferries them over the river Acheron, and then they start their journey downwards through the different circles of Inferno.

It is a great focused and impressive film for its time. Recommended for film buffs interested in cinema history.

Touch of Evil (1958) directed by Orson Welles is a great film, in fact in my opinion it is one of the greatest film-noirs ever put to the silver screen.

One of the obvious reasons for this is in the brilliant plot revolving around Mexico's chief narcotics officer, Mike Vargas, who is in a border town on a quick honeymoon with his American wife. Soon he must testify against Grandi, a drug lord whose brother and sons are tracking him, hoping to scare his wife and back him off the case. When a car bomb kills a rich U. S. developer, Vargas embroils himself in the investigation, putting his wife in harm's way. After Vargas catches local legendary U. S. cop, Hank Quinlan, planting evidence against a Mexican national suspected in the bombing, Quinlan joins forces with the Grandi family to impugn Vargas's character. Local political lackeys, a hard-edged whore, pachucos, and a nervous motel clerk also figure in the plot.

Aside from the brilliant plot, Orson Welles' execution of his direction is none other than amazing. His camera work is astounding with gorgeous cinematography, a sparse and suspenseful score, and importantly the brilliant performances of Charlton Heston and Janet Leigh completes the experience.

Highly recommended film-noir that still stands among other seminal film-noir masterpieces such as Sunset Blvd. (1950) and The Killing (1956).