MIFF Day 2
Four films in and it's Documentary 2, Narrative 0. Disappointing, but hopefully not predictive... On to the movies.
THE BOYS: THE SHERMAN BROTHERS STORY
I'd never heard of these guys, but I've heard a mountain of their songs. Almost every song in "classic" Disney era films was by these two brothers. Mary Poppins, Winnie the Pooh, the It's a Small World ride song, all the work of Robert and Richard Sherman. And they also wrote the songs for Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, explaining why I keep mistaking it for a Disney film. But despite their prodigious output and roaring success, they couldn't really stand each other and would sit on opposite sides of a theatre at their premieres. The film documents their successful working relationship far better than their personal hostilities, but that's probably because even they can't explain why they don't get along. All in all a fascinating document of two immensely talented brothers who have had an incredible impact on the lives of children worldwide for generations.
THE HOUSEMAID
Im Sang Soo is a director of rare talent. A Good Lawyer's Wife remains one of the most impressive films of the new Korean cinema, a shocking yet tender tale of a family destroyed by infidelity. Technically he's on familiar ground in this disappointing attempt at an erotic thriller. It begins promisingly as an examination of power and class in modern day Korea. The husband's power proves an aphrodisiac to the new housemaid and they begin an affair of sorts. But their infidelity provokes the wife's mother to plot against the housemaid in a very Lady Macbeth scheme to maintain her daughter's privilege. The house becomes a microcosm for the struggles of the poor to achieve success, and the way the system conspires to corrupt everyone. The family's elderly housekeeper in particular stands out as a fascinating character torn between a desire to use her employer's power to advance her son's career, and the knowledge that she has sold her soul. Sadly, what starts out as intriguing becomes more and more on the nose, and the ridiculous finale and nonsensical coda undermine what could have been a solid film.
SPINE TINGLER! THE WILLIAM CASTLE STORY
William Castle was a legendary showman, he put buzzers under the seats for one of his films, and they went off at a crucial moment to set the audience shrieking. He paid actors to pretend to be so scared that they ran screaming from the theatre at a pre-determined moment. He came up with all kinds of gimmicks to sell his movies, and he made a fortune for himself and Columbia Pictures. He also produced Rosemary's Baby, his "A" film. This is an affectionate retrospective on his career, narrated in the main by his daughter who clearly loves her father, as does everyone else. It's no hagiography, and honestly examines the fears that drove his showmanship and need to be loved, but it's never petty or cruel. The second great doco for the day on an underacknowledged yet significant presence in the history of cinema.
THE BOYS: THE SHERMAN BROTHERS STORY
I'd never heard of these guys, but I've heard a mountain of their songs. Almost every song in "classic" Disney era films was by these two brothers. Mary Poppins, Winnie the Pooh, the It's a Small World ride song, all the work of Robert and Richard Sherman. And they also wrote the songs for Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, explaining why I keep mistaking it for a Disney film. But despite their prodigious output and roaring success, they couldn't really stand each other and would sit on opposite sides of a theatre at their premieres. The film documents their successful working relationship far better than their personal hostilities, but that's probably because even they can't explain why they don't get along. All in all a fascinating document of two immensely talented brothers who have had an incredible impact on the lives of children worldwide for generations.
THE HOUSEMAID
Im Sang Soo is a director of rare talent. A Good Lawyer's Wife remains one of the most impressive films of the new Korean cinema, a shocking yet tender tale of a family destroyed by infidelity. Technically he's on familiar ground in this disappointing attempt at an erotic thriller. It begins promisingly as an examination of power and class in modern day Korea. The husband's power proves an aphrodisiac to the new housemaid and they begin an affair of sorts. But their infidelity provokes the wife's mother to plot against the housemaid in a very Lady Macbeth scheme to maintain her daughter's privilege. The house becomes a microcosm for the struggles of the poor to achieve success, and the way the system conspires to corrupt everyone. The family's elderly housekeeper in particular stands out as a fascinating character torn between a desire to use her employer's power to advance her son's career, and the knowledge that she has sold her soul. Sadly, what starts out as intriguing becomes more and more on the nose, and the ridiculous finale and nonsensical coda undermine what could have been a solid film.
SPINE TINGLER! THE WILLIAM CASTLE STORY
William Castle was a legendary showman, he put buzzers under the seats for one of his films, and they went off at a crucial moment to set the audience shrieking. He paid actors to pretend to be so scared that they ran screaming from the theatre at a pre-determined moment. He came up with all kinds of gimmicks to sell his movies, and he made a fortune for himself and Columbia Pictures. He also produced Rosemary's Baby, his "A" film. This is an affectionate retrospective on his career, narrated in the main by his daughter who clearly loves her father, as does everyone else. It's no hagiography, and honestly examines the fears that drove his showmanship and need to be loved, but it's never petty or cruel. The second great doco for the day on an underacknowledged yet significant presence in the history of cinema.
posted by Andrew Lee at 11:42 PM
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