Vertigo

The Film Everyone Hated Until It Became Loved

Director: Alfred Hitchcock
Release Date: 1958
Rating: 15
Running Time: 120 mins
Genre: Psychological Thriller
Actors: James Stewart, Kim Novac

The film of a dangling man suspended over the edge of life itself, desperately trying not to fall. Vertigo is a film that suspends audience's alike with disbelief in a phenomenally well orchestrated labyrinth of misdirection, deception and suspense.

We first meet our protagonist, Police Detective John 'Scottie' Ferguson (Jimmy Stewart) in pursuit of a supposed criminal over a series of rooftops until he slips and clings hold of a gutter desperately trying not to fall. After witnessing, whilst hanging, a police officer try and help him and then fall to his death, we skip forward to Scottie much later, apparently surviving the incident with nothing but a cane and a corset to show of the event, but also now suffers from severe acrophobia (fear of heights) resulting in the sensation of vertigo (severe dizziness). After deciding to leave the police force, he is asked to follow and old college friend's wife Madeline (Kim Novac) who has apparently been taken over by her dead grandmother Carlotta Valdez. Scottie cautiously accepts the task, but it's not too long before Scottie begins to grow strangely enchanted by the mysterious woman on a rather unnatural scale.

It's a film that, for years, was slammed by critics and audiences alike. There's no doubt about it the film features some rather disturbing flaws and plot-holes that make audiences still to this day strangely uncomfortable. On one level, it's a film about a man tracking a possessed woman, but on another level it's a film about a man who falls in love with a woman who doesn't exist, and no matter how hard he tries, he cannot create the perfect, most idilic woman. And then there's the trouble with Scottie. There's no doubt about it the man is weird, and the problem is, he wants to go to bed with a dead woman. The film is about obsession and moreover, obsession over something that is no longer there. It's a rather bizzare and uncomfortable topic for Hitchcock to go down, particularly given the time it was made. Nowadays there's such a diverse mix of films out there, we are more use to such topics. But looking at this from a 1950's perspective, it's no wonder the film was no big success. I think casting Jimmy Stewart to play such a role was a good call due to there being something so innately likeable about him and that is the key reason we actually choose to stick with him. If another actor had been casted, the reaction to Scottie could have been a very different one. Looking back at 'Rear Window' (1954), it's another touchy film that explores the topic of voyeurism (pleasure from looking), and in that sense, it is again very weird protagonist, who is again played by Jimmy Steward, most likely because he was so well loved audiences over look how weird and perverted his character actually is.

'Vertigo' is a film about pleasure from looking. It's a film about a detective trying to uncover the truth about a woman's unnatural behaviour and falling in love along the way. But it has so many more layers to it that that. Its an untangelable ball of string that you will never be able to completely untie because there is no one true reading of this film. A simple way of putting it, it's a film about a film, so much so that if we think about Scottie, there's so much more to him than we first think, and he has a personality not too far away from Alfred Hitchcock himself, and this without a doubt is no accident. It took years before anyone really began to explore the secrets and mysterious hidden away in 'Vertigo', but once they were found, a whole stream began to follow.

It's almost as though Hitchcock is actually teasing us. He puts them but we ignore them and why? The film is incredibly slow paced, so much so that some do begin to get bored and switch off for a while, we're so focussed on one mystery we forget about another, and if we look at the film, we can just about follow it but we're positioned to be like Scottie and untangle the mystery with him. The film has to be viewed a good few times before it's apparent that we're being teased. The film features so many plot-holes but we just simply ignore them when we're watching and it's only after that we begin to think about them, and that's why it's so clever. The biggest question of all being, how did Scottie ever get down from the gutter? When we're watching it, we don't even think about him, the camera moves on and we place trust in the fact that he must've gotten down safely, or did he?

There's no real right or wrong take of 'Vertigo', and that's probably by design. The best reading of a film arguably is the one where you decide for yourself. Films are so broad and personal that it comes down to our own interpretation in the end, because everyone takes something different from it. My reading is, Scottie never got down, the film represents the final thoughts of a dangling man trying to accept his fate. The fact he falls in love with Madeline represents falling into his own doom. (That arguably says a lot about Hitchcock given his own relationships in life if this was his intention). It takes the film and the dream fr Scottie to learn that death is unavoidable will never come at 'the right time'.

The film went from hated, to loved, to arguably the best film ever made. It says a lot about how people read films and respond to them. A film first seen as awful may one day be amazing. Though maybe not a film that everyone will truly appreciate, which is very understandable when looking at the film on the whole, it says an awful lot about cinema and the techniques that at first brush over us but are plainly obvious.

How would I sum up 'Vertigo'? I wouldn't, because for me, it cannot be done, my own opinion is constantly changing and for that, it's an incredible achievement for an incredible director.

10/10

Metropolis

A Timeless Classic

Director: Fritz Lang
Release Date: 1927
Rating: 12
Running Time: 140 mins
Genre: Silent/ Sci-fi/ Drama
Actors:

'The connection between the head and the hand must be the heart'

Nearly 90 years on and still so modern. Metropolis explores such relevant themes of a modern world it's almost spooky. Exploring the ideas of capitalism, exploitation, alienation, the controlling and manipulating upper class, it's a very sociological as well as psychological film, it also presents ideas of the Holocaust that happened 15 years later so in that respect it can be seen as fairly controversial. It's one that makes you really think about the world and how much we take for granted and also how we take care of and treat one another, it says so much both about society and humanity.

Set years ahead of our own, despite perhaps originally being aimed at a time period perhaps similar to the one we live in now, we a taken by Fritz Lang to great city of Metropolis. Futuristic and much different world than one we live in today, we see the upper class living a life of luxury, when far below the ground we see the workers of the 'undercity' struggling to survive powering the great city of Metropolis. Ruled by an evil creator of Metropolis we see his son try and restore peace and bring together the two worlds in the hope that they can live in harmony. But a plan takes place to make sure this will never happen.

It's truly a film taking place way ahead of it's time and fantastically shot, designed and developed, it's amazing to see that cinema so long ago could produce a film still so modern and incredible. Having said this however, the film being 2 hours and 20 minutes of silent cinema, it requires unbelievable concentration to keep up with and having little to no sound effects throughout and instead relying on just music alone, it does draw a little tedious.

Inspiring a revival in the 70's that sparked a massive interest in the film, inspiring the music video for Queen's 'Radio Ga Ga', there's no doubt that this is an inspiration pushing morale values and the good of humanity. Overall 'Metropolis' proves to be a moving and captivating film that will stand the test of time for years to come.

7/10

Mean Streets

Scorsese In His Finest And Rawest Form

Director: Martin Scorsese
Release Date: 1973
Rating: 18
Running Time: 95 mins
Genre: Drama
Actors: Harvey Keitel, Robert DeNiro

'You don't make up for your sins in the church, you do it on the streets...'

'Mean Streets' is one of those films that stands out as a true masterpiece on so many levels. It is without a doubt one of Martin Scorsese's strongest films and one that really captures the essence of the directors background and nature. Focusing heavily on commitment, honour, love and friendship, it's tests how far we will go to save someone who is altogether 'unsavable'. Charlie (Harvey Keitel) is a man battling these problems. Caught between trying to do the right thing and the honourable thing, we see him struggle to cope with the hardship and constant aggravation of the people living on the mean streets of early 70's New York. Trying to cope with pressure from his uncle in the mafia to be an 'honourable man', the unbearably unpredictable and uncontrollable nature of his friend Johnny Boy (Robert DeNiro), Charlie's hopes of following in his uncles footsteps slowly withers away.

Though a virtually plot-less piece of film, Scorsese takes us on a journey showing the darker side of New York through fantastically and well structured script, characters and cinematography. Having written the script himself but not yet directing a big picture, Scorsese was originally turned down for the role of director, yet after persuasion and enthusiasm for cinema, he was granted the opportunity and it's fair to say the man delivered.

Though fairly slow paced, it's a truly fantastic and gripping film that practically launched the careers of three of the most treasured icons in Hollywood. Despite not winning any academy awards there's no denying it's a soaring debut from the legendary director.

Hard, gritty, brutal. A true masterpiece.

9/10

Captain America: The Winter Soldier

A Rare Successful Sequel

Director: Anthony and Joe Russo
Release Date: 2014
Rating: 12
Running Time: 140 mins
Genre: Action/Adventure
Actors: Chris Evans. Samuel L. Jackson, Scarlet Johanson

It's difficult normally when watching a sequel for it to be anywhere near as good as the first. I think it's fair, looking at Marvel's attempts at continuing their 'Avengers' franchise, the sequels that they have released are just not as good as their predecessors. But maybe this is just that after seeing how amazing they made 'Avengers Assemble'  nothing will ever live up to anything as good. Let's face it, who can beat 6 superheroes teaming up together and smashing stuff? However, I don't think it's wrong to say that with the second 'Captain America' instalment, it may have managed to do a 'Terminator 2' on us. That being, Marvel may have actually released a sequel better than the first. No doubt about it, the first 'Captain America' film 'The First Avenger' was poor, perhaps even the worst film released so far. Nevertheless, regardless of sequels or spin offs or anything, taking this new Marvel instalment into account purely from a single film point of view, it was highly entertaining and actually very well received by audiences.

In the film audiences are able to enjoy exhilarating scenes including: Nick Fury (Sam Jackson) in a high speed car chase, firing a massive turret out the window whilst the car is driving itself, Captain America (Chris Evans) throwing his massive Frisbee at the bad guys saving the world and just Scarlet Johanson as Black Widow in general, why she never got her own film I will never know. It was refreshing to see Nick Fury finally getting his hands dirty and kicking some ass and getting involved as one of The Avengers rather than just the leader S.H.I.E.L.D. But the one problem I found with this film was that it was called 'The Winter Soldier', referring to the villain of the film, however he is probably on screen for about 20 minutes most and in all honesty he really doesn't do much, so maybe not the most fitting title ever for a film.

Not too long after the 'Avengers Assemble' is set but about 75 years after the 'Captain America: The First Avenger' is set, we join Steve Rogers/ Captain America is settling into modern life and doing what he does best. However, a sudden attack from inside S.H.I.E.L.D results in himself, Black Widow (Scarlet Johanson) and Nick Fury going on the run to escape an imminent death from an evil co operation that has taken over. The concept does sound like a fairly cliche y, boring plot but somehow it managed to keep me entertained for the whole 140 minutes that the film ran.

Despite finally giving Captain America the chance to redeem himself for his first film and his contribution to 'Avengers Assemble', there were so many occasions where it would've been much easier if they had called in Tony Stark/Ironman, or Bruce Banner/The Incredible Hulk rather than just let Captain America and Black Widow deal with it themselves. No one could argue that a film would be immediately improved by adding the legendary Robert Downey Jr.

However overall a highly successful Marvel Installment, was it the best one yet? Who knows. I'm certainly hoping that now that they have set up all the characters backgrounds and stories, they are going to release the ultimate Avengers film now, and perhaps even another. All I know is I feel that this ensemble of Superhero films are drawing to a close, until they decide to reboot them years later. But this film has certainly shown promise that it's developing into something brilliant.

6/10

The Great Dictator

Chaplin's Finest Hour

Director: Charlie Chaplin
Release Date: 1940
Rating: U
Running Time: 120 mins
Genre: Comedy/Drama
Starring Charlie Chaplin and Charlie Chaplin

'You the people have the power to make this life free and beautiful, a wonderful adventure'

The father of silent films, the king of comedy, the God of slapstick, the first real movie star, it's fair to say that Charlie Chaplin was no doubt an absolute genius. He is still to this date the man who received the longest ever standing ovation of twelve minutes for incalculable effect he has had in making motion picture the art form of this century. He was a clear icon admire by millions and he is still seen to have influenced so many of the stars acting today.

Directing, writing, producing, composing scores and starring in his films, the man is a clear auteur whose films have managed to stand the test of time and still have so many watched and loved; Modern Times (1936), City Lights (1931), The Gold Rush (1925) and my personal favorite among so many others, The Great Dictator (1940). Though it's almost 75 years on, I still find it a complete work of genius and one of the funniest films that I have ever seen. We begin at the end of WWI where we meet a German Jewish Barber who is a rendition of Chaplin's famous and well loved 'Little Tramp' character, and see him escape the British invasion of the German trenches in a plane  and return to his home of Tomania, (a made up version of Germany and Hitler's ideal fantasy of Germania). However moments later we see him  crash land and suffer a memory loss after finding out that the Germans have lost the war and are surrendering. Unaware of the world and what's been going on until he is released from hospital years later, he return home to the Jewish Ghetto only to find that a forceful dictator by the name of Adenoid Hynkel, a short tempered man for Osterich, has taken over. Sounds a bit similar to someone else.

Regarded as Chaplin's first real talkie where we hear he him speak, the film is able to explore much more, opposed to just being confined to the silent film world we're use to seeing 'The Little Tramp' living in. There's no denying that it's an incredibly clever and hysterically funny film that really does poke fun at the barbaric Nazis and of course Adolf Hitler himself, but as well as this, the audience still get to see Chaplin doing what he does best, run into trouble at every possible bend with incredibly comical circumstances. Having said this however, 'The Great Dictator' is not just a comedy but also a film about racial segregation, freedom and love, it really is coated with a strong and powerful meaning. Chaplin delivers at the end a truly moving speech, arguably perhaps one of the greatest speeches ever made and in fact is still relevant to what's going on today.  'Soldiers do not fight for slavery, fight for liberty, don't give yourselves to these unnatural men, machine men, with machine hearts and machine minds'. As the film was released during early WWII, the film was highly regarded as a strong piece of uplifting morale for Britain and is able to say what everyone was thinking and feeling/

Though of course having made the film so early on during the war, Chaplin was unaware of Hitler's true intentions, particularly with the Jews and concentration camps, Chaplin actually stated that if he was aware of what was going on, he would never have made any scenes in a prison camp. What's interesting was that Chaplin wasn't sure whether to even make the film altogether, due to what was going on, but so many, particularly those in America, urged him to make it, and it clearly payed off as a highly successful and well captured piece of film.

Adolf Hitler, despite actually being a fan of Charlie Chaplin and basing his image on the comedian, had the film banned in Germany and it stayed banned until 1958. It was said that Hitler watched the film twice, once in private and once with others, but he never told anyone what he thought of it, Chaplin actually stated that he would've loved to have known what his reaction was, as I imagine would everyone.

If you have never seen a Chaplin film before, I'd strongly recommend 'The Great Dictator'. It's one that may be more relatable when viewed by a contemporary due to it actually being a 'talkie' unlike Chaplin's earlier films. And to put it plainly, it is not just a piece of propaganda for the allies, but a true masterpiece and perfect combination of comedy, drama, sorrow and love.

9/10

Mary and Max

A Claymation Not For Kids

Director: Adam Elliot
Release Date: 2009
Rating: 15
Running Time: 90 mins
Genre: Dark Comedy/Drama/Claymation
Sarring: Phillip Seymore-Hoffman, Toni Collette, Eric Banna

'Where do babies come from?'

Though I've never been a massive fan of 'claymation' I did find 'Mary and Max' to be a very well crafted and imaginative film. The very unique and creative way that this film was crafted was able to capture our hearts in this very funny, yet devastating film of friendship, love and loneliness.

Transported to the peculiar world of claymation we begin in colourful land of Australia where we meet lonely, yet awfully sweet girl of 8 Mary (Toni Collette) wants to know where babies come from. Unable to retrieve answers from her alcoholic mother, Mary steals a page from a phone book and at random writes to a man living in New York, named Max (Phillip Seymore-Hoffman). Max lives in a world very different to Mary's, he lives in a colourless apartment in a colourless city and cannot bear to be near anyone else due to various anxiety issues and asperges syndrome. None the less Max chooses to reply to Mary's letter and they begin the start of their bizarre yet beautiful pen pal relationship. Taken through the film with narration from Barry Humphries and monologues of letters from the two protagonists, we see both Mary and Max begin to learn more about the world and themselves, truly inspiring. Constantly entranced by a beautiful piano score that uplifts the whole film, for me, I found this to be a particularly strong aspect of the film, as it really got the emotions going and was able to appear as though we were living in Mary's head.

Though at first glance it may look like a children s film I'd recommend it strictly for a more grown up audience . Though viewed as a comedy it is awfully sad and dark and will certainly leave you feeling a great deal of pity for the characters. What's so amazing is the way it will both warm and dampen your hearts simultaneously due to it's poignant and memorable story. Although the film didn't make me laugh as much as I had hoped, it did have it's moments and I still find it to be a truly mesmerising and soul enriching work of art.

Though maybe not the happiest of films, it does have it's moments of joy that stay with you.

6/10