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Mary Ellen Mark recommended Murmur of the Heart (1971) in Movies (curated)

 
Murmur of the Heart (1971)
Murmur of the Heart (1971)
1971 | International, Comedy, Drama
(0 Ratings)
Movie Favorite

"This film takes place in Dijon, France, in the mid-’50s. It is a coming-of-age film about a boy in his early teens named Laurent Chevalier, who is from a bourgeois family. He has two older brothers who are always teasing him and who introduce him to a prostitute for his first sexual experience. Laurent has a beautiful mother and a successful father who is a gynecologist. After getting scarlet fever and discovering he has a heart murmur, Laurent must stay in bed for several months to recover. When he is better, he travels with his mother to a very fancy resort (sanatorium) in France. The second and third acts of the film are about his coming-of-age experiences at the sanatorium with the other young people who are staying there. It is also about him developing a strong personal relationship with his mother. This film is so daring and touches on many taboo issues—it’s astonishing that it could be made then (1971) and even now it would be considered to be pushing too many boundaries. In the end, it’s a beautiful, deep love story between adolescent children growing up in a privileged life, and about the closest relationship between a mother and son. I wish more films today could push boundaries like Louis Malle did in Murmur of the Heart. This film reassured me how important it is to push boundaries and to pursue issues that are considered by some to be untouchable. It is a truly inspirational film."

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BookInspector (124 KP) rated The Last Paper Crane in Books

Sep 24, 2020 (Updated Jan 26, 2021)  
The Last Paper Crane
The Last Paper Crane
Kerry Drewery | 2020 | Fiction & Poetry, Young Adult (YA)
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
The protagonists of this story are Mizuki and her grandfather, and this novel is told from their perspectives. The first thing that I noticed was the different types of writing styles used. Mizuki is telling the story through a poetic writing style, and her grandfather through a different, more regular one. This story really shows what her grandfather had to go through, when he was young, after the bomb exploded, and it was a horrifying story to read. I was really touched by Mizuki’s grandfather’s determination, bravery and strength. He was truly inspirational.

I really loved the plot of this book, I was completely absorbed with this story, and it is a very quick read, that really “hits the feels”. 🙂 The story always changes, and the detailed descriptions of the events and the surroundings made me feel like I am on the journey with the grandfather. The chapters were quite long, but they were divided into smaller parts, and the pages just flew by. The ending of this novel rounded this book really nicely and left me very satisfied with the outcome. This novel has amazing illustrations, that allows the reader to see through the eyes of the characters.

So, to conclude, it is a really sad but inspiring story about bravery, loss and determination. I liked the characters as well as the story, I think it is breathtakingly beautiful and heartbreakingly sad. I think everyone should read this story, it is an eye-opening to the true horrors of war, and how it ruins innocent people’s lives.
  
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Kirk Bage (1775 KP) rated The Battle of Algiers (1966) in Movies

Jan 28, 2021  
The Battle of Algiers (1966)
The Battle of Algiers (1966)
1966 | Classics, Drama, War
7
7.4 (8 Ratings)
Movie Rating
This film-maker was unknown to me entirely before I decided to watch this film. In fact, I had only heard of the film itself quite recently from seeing it mentioned as one of the best films in the genre as a commentary on political insurgency and civil unrest. It is so well regarded that even the US military used it to prepare troops for entering Iraq. The main actors are largely unknown and many of the supporting cast and extras are not actors at all. The camera is allowed to wander and wobble, and such is the feel of random chaos at times you’d be forgiven for thinking this was a documentary. Nominated for 3 Oscars, and faultless in achieving its goal of humanising both sides of an argument, you can see the influence on Oliver Stone and Paul Greengrass, to name but two better known directors with a political edge.

It’s not a film I would feel the need to go back to, unless demonstrating to someone how to make something staged feel entirely real. I admire this film very much, but wouldn’t exactly call it entertaining or even rewarding as a story. Its purpose is to reinforce the tragedy of a people facing oppression and to realise the lengths both sides will go to in protecting their ideals and relative freedoms. The excellent hand held photography and score by the always inspirational Ennio Moricone are other reasons to watch it. As a history lesson of North Africa post WWII it also has a lot to offer.