Edgar Wright recommended Eyes Without a Face (1960) in Movies (curated)
The Pink Panther (1963)
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Meet Inspector Clouseau - the bumbling French detective whose career is one misstep after another. ...
Theorizing Art Cinemas: Foreign, Cult, Avant-Garde, and Beyond
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The term "art cinema" has been applied to many cinematic projects, including the film d'art...
Peaches for Father Francis (Chocolat #3)
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The Demons of Modernity: Ingmar Bergman and European Cinema
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Kameradschaft (Comradeship) (1931)
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When a coal mine collapses on the frontier between Germany and France and traps a team of French...
BankofMarquis (1832 KP) rated All Quiet on the Western Front (2022) in Movies
Feb 2, 2023
And the book is even bleaker.
Directed by Edward Berger, ALL QUIET follows young Felix Kammerer (Paul Baumer) as he joyfully joins the German army to fight the French. Quickly, Felix learns of the cost of war and the grim reality of trench warfare.
Berger has a strong view of all of this and his Direction and Camerawork are squarely focused on young Felix and his continued attempts to stay alive amidst the fighting. Berger handles the action - and the acting - strongly and the Cinematography of this film by James Friend aides in the bleakness and futility of the conflict, showering the combatants in muted blues and grays and covering them all in mud. Berger does not hold back on the horrors of war (without going to “gorey”) and delivers a moody, bleak and important film.
Baumer plays Felix with an innocent sincerity that gives way to resolute abandonment of hope as the bleakness of the affair drags on. His futility is, then, juxtaposed against German envoy Matthias Erzberger (Daniel Bruhl) who is trying to negotiate a surrender with the French. The building frustration of both men are clearly shown growing as the film elapses.
And that is another strong suit about this film - it shows the situations, the hopelessness and negativity of war without having to “tell” or comment about it. The pictures are all one needs to know.
An anti-war film of the highest order, ALL QUIET ON THE WESTERN FRONT is a must see - the best adaptation of this classic novel ever.
Letter Grade: A
9 stars (out of 10) and you can take that to the Bank(ofMarquis)
Agnes Varda
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Both a precursor to and a critical member of the French New Wave, Agnes Varda weaves documentary and...
Colin Trevorrow recommended L'Argent De Poche (Small Change) (1976) in Movies (curated)
The Documentary Art of Filmmaker Michael Rubbo
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Michael Rubbo's ground-breaking work has had a deep and enduring impact on documentary filmmaking...