zen Posted December 25, 2018 Share Posted December 25, 2018 (edited) Recently, I came across a lot mundane or monotonous stuff as far as movies are concerned. Therefore, I decided to check or revisit some of the classics, a guarantee for quality. Movies that I revisited / watched were from directors such as Hitchcock, Charlie Chaplin and others from North America and Europe. Some of the movies that blew me away (newly explored or rewatched) include (in no particular order and for a variety of reasons): Hitchcock: Notorious, Rebecca, Psycho, Vertigo and To catch a thief Charlie Chaplin: The Kid, Gold Rush, Citylights, Modern Times, and The Great Dictator Kubrick: 2001: A Space Odyssey and Barry Lyndon (both visually striking films). (Have not revisited other Kubrick films but I like Dr Strangelove, Paths of Glory, Spartacus, etc., too) Films from France: Eyes w/o a face, Judex, Umbrellas of Cherbourg, Purple Noon, La Verite, etc. Films from Italy: L'aventura, etc. Others: The Innocents, Schindler's List (excellent new transfer on 4K HDR), The Night of the Hunter, The Naked Kiss, The Maltese Falcon, etc. I guess that you get the point that after watching such gems and getting used to such quality, you may appreciate other films but it is hard to get blown away as our expectations are already tuned for high quality. But then I saw a couple of films by Powell and Pressburger, Black Narcissus (Location, background score, story) and Red Shoes (ballet, background score), which left me amazed for different reasons. I had seen Black Narcissus before and found it to be a good film. Recent experience of rewatching it hypnotized me (may be my taste has changed): In short, the film is about a group on nuns on a mission to set up a convent school and medical facility at a remote village in Himalayas in India. The local maharaja has assigned them one of the palaces, which is known for other reasons. The Himalayan atmosphere, local culture, the mysterious location, etc., all combine to create challenges for the nuns, even driving them crazy at times. More importantly, it is how the story is presented that creates magic. The location (which is a studio in England btw), the cinematography, set design, background score, color science, acting, along with the theme and constant tension, makes the film a masterpiece .... I do not remember India looking so beautiful on screen (even though it is through the sets) Edited December 25, 2018 by zen Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zen Posted December 25, 2018 Author Share Posted December 25, 2018 The other Powell + Pressburger masterpiece is Red Shoes, which is an example of a great restoration initiative that breathes new life to old films. The is about the tension created by choices related to love and career advancement. The magic here is again in how the story is told, the ballet sequences and background score Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zen Posted December 25, 2018 Author Share Posted December 25, 2018 More on Black Narcissus Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zen Posted December 27, 2018 Author Share Posted December 27, 2018 There is Life and Death of Colonel Blimp as well by the Archers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vijy Posted January 1, 2019 Share Posted January 1, 2019 On 12/26/2018 at 11:18 PM, zen said: There is Life and Death of Colonel Blimp as well by the Archers Much as I love Red Shoes and Black Narcissus, I think I like Blimp slightly more. My fav P&P are Canterbury Tale and I Know Where I'm Going. But all of them are masterpiececes, and choosing 1-2 of them is subjective of course. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zen Posted January 1, 2019 Author Share Posted January 1, 2019 (edited) 7 minutes ago, Vijy said: Much as I love Red Shoes and Black Narcissus, I think I like Blimp slightly more. My fav P&P are Canterbury Tale and I Know Where I'm Going. But all of them are masterpiececes, and choosing 1-2 of them is subjective of course. Colonel Blimp is a film that keeps growing on you Then there is “A matter of life and death” as well which many love Edited January 1, 2019 by zen Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vijy Posted January 1, 2019 Share Posted January 1, 2019 2 minutes ago, zen said: Colonel Blimp is a film that keeps growing on you Then there is “A matter of life and death” as well which many love Yes, another nice film. Not a big fan of the ending personally - bit too propagandistic for my tastes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zen Posted January 2, 2019 Author Share Posted January 2, 2019 Rangeela appears to be inspired by Red Shoes Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vijy Posted January 2, 2019 Share Posted January 2, 2019 6 minutes ago, zen said: Rangeela appears to be inspired by Red Shoes never saw rangeela. red shoes the film was inspired in part by a fairy tale by hans christian andersen. great story, but v. different from the film. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zen Posted January 2, 2019 Author Share Posted January 2, 2019 9 minutes ago, Vijy said: never saw rangeela. red shoes the film was inspired in part by a fairy tale by hans christian andersen. great story, but v. different from the film. Red shoes is enacted as the ballet in the movie .... where in the end, the one wearing red shoes suffer similar fates (to not reveal the spoilers) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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