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jivjov
Sep 13, 2007

But how does it taste? Yummy!
Dinosaur Gum

Raxivace posted:

Breathless is also surprising, since Jean-Luc Godard loving hated Kurosawa's movies and thought the man was a hack.

Kurosawa seems like the type to check out films made by his detractors though.

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jivjov
Sep 13, 2007

But how does it taste? Yummy!
Dinosaur Gum


Something Like an Autobiography Released 1981, Written by Akira Kurosawa, Translated to English by Audie Bock

I realized after reading this book that I should have watched one more of Kurosawa's films before reading, as this volume covers Kurosawa's childhood through the production and release of Rashomon. In any case though, this is not a complete account of Kurosawa's life. He ends his account at the point he does because of the theme of the film Rashomon. Succinctly put, a person cannot speak perfectly honestly and truthfully about themself. There will always be some degree of bias; of inflating good traits while downplaying bad ones. In writing his account of working on Rashomon, Kurosawa realized that he was of course guilty of the same thing and found himself unable to "pass through the Rashomon gate" and speak of the rest of his life. In 1999, a second autobiographical volume, A Dream is a Genius, was released posthumously; but other than a portion of the 3rd chapter containing a list of Kurosawa's favorite films it has not been translated into English.

Something Like an Autobiography takes the form more of a series of chronological memoirs rather than a more traditional autobiography. By his own admission, many of his memories are presented as he remembers them and may or may not line up exactly with factual happenings. Each chapter is focused on a particular event; be it a year of schooling, his first days working for Photo Chemical Laboratories, or the production of a certain film. Kurosawa's recollections, through Bock's translation, are presented in an informal, conversational manner. In terms of ease of reading, this style makes Something Like an absolute breeze to just sit down and consume. I read the entire volume over the course of two days.

Many of Kurosawa's early memories are simple, humanizing things. I have so much secondhand knowledge of Kurosawa; that he was a strict and demanding person to work for, that he pioneered certain styles of Japanese filmmaking; but seeing his own childhood reminiscences really helps establish Kurosawa as a man, as a fellow member of the human race that is relatable to myself. After reading the entire book, but especially after reading about his middle school experiences and his early work as an assistant director, my overwhelming impression of Kurosawa is that he was a proud man. Not a vain man, not a self-centered man, but full of pride and respecting of those who also had pride in their work. He speaks with open disdain about teachers who had no pride in their profession or desire to see children learn. He rages against film censors, who refused to consider context and theme. He continually praises one of the first men he ever worked for, who then became a true mentor, director Kajiro Yamamoto. Yamamoto (or, as Kurosawa refers to him, Yama-san) impressed upon Kurosawa the lesson that, in order to truly be successful and create great film, a director needed to be passionate about and involved in every aspect of filmmaking possible. While there were dedicated professionals for things like lighting, editing, and scoring, Yamamoto encouraged Kurosawa to be as involved as he could in all these processes. This tutelage is most certainly the core seed of Kurosawa's renowned perfectionism in filmmaking, and the reason he takes such pride in his work.

On the whole, I cannot recommend this book highly enough. It gave me an appreciation for Akira Kurosawa as a man, instead of just a director. His early childhood anecdotes are full of amusing tales and true tragedies. The stories of making his first eleven films offer insight behind the camera, from an era where DVD bonus features could not. I could fill pages recounting the stories I just read, but, as I would not do the stories the same justice that Kurosawa himself did, I will instead just urge anyone with even a passing interest in Kurosawa to give Something Like an Autobiography a look. A brief summary of Kurosawa's mentorship by Kajiro Yamamoto scratches the very surface of Kurosawa's career; but from cover to cover you can really see Kurosawa's evolution.

Up Next: Porco Rosso Released July 28th 1992, Directed by Hayao Miyazaki

jivjov fucked around with this message at 13:02 on May 21, 2017

Random Stranger
Nov 27, 2009



While stopping at Rashomon worked thematically for his book, the problem is that an awful lot happened to Kurosawa after Rashomon that's needs to be addressed. Rashomon is the start of the peak of his career (which when we're talking about Kurosawa is actually a fifteen year long Himalayan plateau), but what happened after that is just as important as he undergoes his Orson Welles like fall (which I guess we'll talk about eight months from now :v:).

jivjov
Sep 13, 2007

But how does it taste? Yummy!
Dinosaur Gum
I'm just hoping that his second book gets translated at some point.

Raxivace
Sep 9, 2014

Random Stranger posted:

While stopping at Rashomon worked thematically for his book, the problem is that an awful lot happened to Kurosawa after Rashomon that's needs to be addressed. Rashomon is the start of the peak of his career (which when we're talking about Kurosawa is actually a fifteen year long Himalayan plateau), but what happened after that is just as important as he undergoes his Orson Welles like fall (which I guess we'll talk about eight months from now :v:).

I don't think Orson Welles ever really fell as a filmmaker quality-wise, though his methods of financing movies were waaaayyyy ahead of their time, and the confusion about this caused a blow to his reputation along with the Hearst stuff. Dude was basically trying to be an independent filmmaker at the height of the studio era, and I don't think people really understood that at the time. Then again, you'd think people would have been more receptive to that in the 1970's and 1980's, and sadly that never seemed to pan out.

From what I understand Kurosawa had some heavy financial issues too, though he had also issues with depression and suicide that caused obvious problems. We'll talk about that later I guess.

jivjov posted:

Kurosawa seems like the type to check out films made by his detractors though.

Perhaps, though I will say I think that Godard was probably a better filmmaker than critic. I'm talking a lot about Welles for a Kurosawa thread, but I like his quote about Godard's later work that kind of devolved into socialism pamphlets: "His gifts as a director are enormous. I just can’t take him very seriously as a thinker — and that’s where we seem to differ, because he does. His message is what he cares about these days, and, like most movie messages, it could be written on the head of a pin". Ironically, Godard was a huge fan of Welles.

jivjov posted:

I'm just hoping that his second book gets translated at some point.

In the meantime you can check out the Kurosawa/Mifune biography, which is quite good.

http://www.amazon.com/The-Emperor-Wolf-Kurosawa-Toshiro/dp/0571199828

Raxivace fucked around with this message at 02:02 on Jan 17, 2016

CountFosco
Jan 9, 2012

Welcome back to the Liturgigoon thread, friend.
Most people could dream of "falling" with the same quality and commitment with which Orson Welles "fell."

Random Stranger
Nov 27, 2009



I was referring to how both had major problems working with studios and consequently found it nearly impossible to get their movies made. OTOH, Welles probably would have eaten all of the missing Magnificent Ambersons footage if he could have gotten something like Ran made at that same point in his career.

jivjov
Sep 13, 2007

But how does it taste? Yummy!
Dinosaur Gum
Incidentally, once I'm done with Porco Rosso I'll be taking a teeny break from Studio Ghibli. I'm going to double up on Kurosawa plus I have a couple planned bonus reviews coming up. Nothing against Ghibli or Miyazaki, I've just noticed that I'm fast outpacing their output, and pretty much all my planned upcoming bonus reviews are tied to Kurosawa films in some way.

jivjov
Sep 13, 2007

But how does it taste? Yummy!
Dinosaur Gum


Porco Rosso Released July 28th 1992, Directed by Hayao Miyazaki

This was another one that I had a bit of difficulty getting invested with. My research told me that Porco Rosso is a passion project born out of Miyazaki's love for old aircraft, and that shows through in the film. Unfortunately, World War I fighter planes don't hold a lot of appeal for me.

Overall, this film was beautifully animated. The dogfights (and just flying in general) were very well done. Standout moments include Porco's takeoff from the canal, and his hallucination/near-death experience. The attention to detail was truly outstanding. When Porco is having his plane rebuilt we get several long, lingering shots of the working plans for the plane. I have a sneaking suspicion that an actual functioning aircraft could be built from those plans. Same with the plane itself; during its construction we can see every piece of wood, every metal panel, as its put into place. If nothing else, this film was a visual treat.

Porco's pig-like state is, in Miyazaki fashion, left as a mystery to the viewer, as is the ultimate resolution of his relationship with Gia. I rather like that; as generic, pat happy endings are so cliche that I kneejerk against them sometimes. Porco's character arc was, on the other hand, a bit cliche. He acts gruff and tough, but has a good heart. He has a measure of survivor's guilt, and feels inferior and as if he needs to atone for his past. He's got a witty streak, but isn't irreverent about important things. A fairly stock set of character traits, but executed well enough here.

I really do regret that I don't have a whole lot to say about this film; i had a decent enough time watching it. The aerial action was uniformly excellent, and Porco's character was fun in a gruff way. But overall I just wasn't particularly moved by this one. Not a failure of Miyazaki's, by any means, just one of his works that isn't for me.

Up Next: Rashomon Released August 25th 1950, Directed by Akira Kurosawa

jivjov
Sep 13, 2007

But how does it taste? Yummy!
Dinosaur Gum


Rashomon Released August 25th 1950, Directed by Akira Kurosawa

This is one of the first of Kurosawa's films that could easily be seen as a worldwide classic. That's not to say none of his other films were classic; but Rashomon is widely credited with popularizing Japanese cinematic efforts elsewhere in the world, and also spearheaded a genre of "series of unreliable narrator" stories. Star Trek, Power Rangers, The Simpsons, The Dick Van Dyke Show, Spongebob Squarepants, House, ER, Everybody Loves Raymond, and many more shows and movies have taken this premise and ran with it. The journalistic concept of eyewitnesses all having differing accounts of the same event is even called "The Rashomon Effect". Thus far in my retrospective, this might be the Kurosawa film with the biggest reaching impact

From a cinematographic standpoint, this film is absolutely beautiful. Constantly throughout the film, but especially in every single scene in the forest, Kurosawa commanded light itself to accentuate emotion. Shifting patterns of light coming through leaves, occasional shots of the unobstructed sun, the harsh illumination of the trial courtyard, flashes of lightning at the Rajōmon city gate...conflicts of light and darkness are everywhere. One other shot in particular really stood out to me; when Tajomaru the bandit begins his testimony we get a wide long shot of him riding his horse over a field that was simply gorgeous.

Toshiro Mifune is an absolute chameleon. He's virtually unrecognizable here as a manic, itchy, half-clothed bandit. Tajomaru is a very prideful character; his account to the court emphasizes that he did not, in fact rape the Samurai's Wife, but she was seduced by his rough manliness. The Samurai's death came at his hand after a skillful sword duel. In between his bouts of maniacal laughter, Tajomaru's every word serves to make himself look like some kind of hero; going so far as to gleefully admit from the very beginning that he killed the Samurai and raped his Wife.

Machiko Kyō, as the Samurai's Wife, is a shining example of something that Kurosawa so often fails at; a dynamic female character. The ultimate "truth" of her rape and her husband's death in the woods does fall back on contemporary stereotypical gender roles..but Kurosawa can hardly be blamed for being a man of his time. Her testimony is an attempt to shunt all responsibility. She was raped and Tajomaru wandered off. She prostrated herself before an uncaring husband, and then accidently stabbed him when she passed out holding a dagger, and then tried to kill herself to erase her shame. She, as a character, fares better in everyone else's testimony. The wife is the one character (of the three actually involved in the event) who doesn't go out of her way to make herself sound good, but rather just wants to sweep the whole thing away from her sphere of responsibility.

Masayuki Mori, as the Samurai, gives his testimony from beyond the grave through a spirit medium. This was the one odd step of the film...as not a single word is spared toward the idea of a murder victim being able to testify from the great beyond. I suppose that nothing really needs to be said about it...the film presents it as a matter of fact and the audience really has no choice but to accept it...but it just struck me as an odd choice. The Samurai's testimony puts forward the idea of Tajomaru and the Wife becoming companions after the assault. In his version, Tajomaru asks the Wife to travel with him. She accepts and tells the bandit to kill her husband. Partially to assuage her guilt and partially to tie up loose ends. Tajomaru, who of course is presented as being as honorable in this moment as the Samurai himself must be, offers to kill the Wife or let her go free according to the Samurai's whim. The Wife then escapes, Tajomaru sets the Samurai free, and the Samurai kills himself over his loss of honor. The Samurai is as prideful as the bandit, but filters it through a lens of codified honor rather than rough self-satisfaction. He 'admits' to being willing to forgive the rape of his wife due to Tajomaru's offer, and then chooses to present a story of having dutifully killed himself to remain honorable in death.

After the official court testimonies have been recounted, we go back to the framing story (which I have neglected to mention before now) of a Woodcutter (played by returning veteran Takashi Shimura) and a Priest (both tangentially related to the crime) telling these tales to a random passerby sheltering from the rain. The Woodcutter's official story was he was the one to find the dead samurai and alert the authorities. Truthfully though, he had watched the entire encounter from the bushes and relates what is initially seen as the only objective and impartial account of events. Tajomaru begged the Wife to marry him post-rape, she frees her husband, who then initially refuses to fight on her behalf because she was 'defiled' by the sexual assault, leading to the Wife criticizing them both for not fighting to earn her love. A sword duel ensues, but it is a much sloppier affair than Tajomaru's account of it, and the Samurai dies due to blind chance, while begging for his life. The wife fled and a wounded Tajomaru was unable to pursue.

In this telling, the Samurai loses his honor; he refuses to defend his now-sullied wife and then begs to be spared after losing a fight. Tajomaru is not a glorious swashbuckling warrior, but still just a petty rapist and bandit. The Wife is not a passive, unwitting participant in the events, but instead goads two men into fighting to the death over her.

The interesting twist here at the end is that the Woodcutter himself stole the Wife's jeweled dagger. This revelation shakes the priest's faith and amuses the passerby. But things are not nearly as cut and dried as they seem, as it is then revealed that the Woodcutter took the valuable weapon to sell to support his large family. An abandoned baby at the city gate is taken home by the Woodcutter and the film ends on a break in the storm the men had all been sheltering from. It is a bit on-the-nose to point out the moral quandaries and ups and downs being reflected by the weather, but after assembling this tightly woven tale of falsehoods, Kurosawa can be forgiven for indulging in a bit of broad metaphor.

All in all, this was an absolutely phenomenal film. The plot device itself is a genius masterstroke. Kurosawa himself adapted it from a short story, but his depiction of it on film is wonderfully done. And now, after seeing this film, I completely understand why the experience of adapting this was used as a break point for his memoir. Coming fresh off of telling a story about people retconning history to make themselves look good is a sobering experience for someone who is writing a book about themself. I highly, highly recommend checking this film out. If you've watched along with no other movie in this thread, watch this one.

From here, we're going to jump over to a bonus review. As I said when I started this whole project, I will be looking at projects related to the films of Studio Ghibli and Akira Kurosawa, so what better film to review than the 60s western remake of Rashomon. (Or maybe I just want an excuse to get Shatner in the thread...)

Up Next: The Outrage Released October 8th 1964, Directed by Martin Ritt

Krysmphoenix
Jul 29, 2010
:confused: That's not how I remember it.

Raxivace
Sep 9, 2014

Rashomon is actually adapted from TWO short stories, both by Ryūnosuke Akutagawa, which are included on the Criterion blu ray release.

The first is simply called Rashomon and other than the setting of the Rashomon gate, has nothing directly to do with the movie from what I can tell. The second is In a Grove, which covers the trial testimonies like you see in the movie, but doesn't have the same Grand Budapest Hotel style layered storytelling, where you're being told a story about someone telling a story and so on.

Also the commentary track on the blu ray is really good, check that out.

Raxivace fucked around with this message at 05:00 on Jan 24, 2016

jivjov
Sep 13, 2007

But how does it taste? Yummy!
Dinosaur Gum

Raxivace posted:

Rashomon is actually adapted from TWO short stories, both by Ryūnosuke Akutagawa, which are included on the Criterion blu ray release.

The first is simply called Rashomon and other than the setting of the Rashomon gate, has nothing directly to do with the movie from what I can tell. The second is In a Grove, which covers the trial testimonies like you see in the movie, but doesn't have the same Grand Budapest Hotel style layered storytelling, where you're being told a story about someone telling a story and so on.

Also the commentary track on the blu ray is really good, check that out.

Sadly, I don't have a physical release for any Kurosawa stuff except Ikiru. I've been using my wife's Hulu subscription!

I really would like to get the physical releases though...they seem to be chock full of all manner of cool extras, but sadly my discretionary income goes to... so many other things

jivjov fucked around with this message at 05:13 on Jan 24, 2016

Raxivace
Sep 9, 2014

Twice a year Barnes and Noble sells Criterions for 50% off. Pick up the blu rays then, that's what most people do. They're worth owning- not just the Kurosawas but all their releases tend to be top notch. My Criterion of The Third Man is one of my most prized possessions.

Also maybe consider cutting back on the Amiibos and stuff. That's like, a lot man.

Raxivace fucked around with this message at 05:19 on Jan 24, 2016

jivjov
Sep 13, 2007

But how does it taste? Yummy!
Dinosaur Gum

Raxivace posted:

Twice a year Barnes and Noble sells Criterions for 50% off. Pick up the blu rays then, that's what most people do. They're worth owning- not just the Kurosawas but all their releases tend to be top notch. My Criterion of The Third Man is one of my most prized possessions.

I'll have to keep that in mind. When do these sales tend to happen?

Raxivace posted:

Also maybe consider cutting back on the Amiibos and stuff. That's like, a lot man.

Neverrrrrrrrrr

Raxivace
Sep 9, 2014

Usually some time in the Summer and then like again in November or December. Occasionally there are like flash sales for like 24 hours or so too.

Following the Criterion thread here in CineD should keep you more or less up to date.

Random Stranger
Nov 27, 2009



I have a theory that Japanese ghosts are all assholes. Rashomon fits neatly into that theory.

The problem with Rashomon is that so much has been said about it that it's kind of difficult to think of anything novel to say, or even point out. It's the breakout moment for post-war Japanese cinema, but even if it wasn't there were so many fantastic films being made in Japan in those years that something was bound to. I can't think of any film that used the unreliable narrator to such an extent before Rashomon and it's still one of the greatest examples.

Raxivace, you're making me feel like I should pick up more Kurosawa DVD's/Blurays. The ones that I have include some terrific film school style commentaries that really deepen my appreciation of the films.

jivjov
Sep 13, 2007

But how does it taste? Yummy!
Dinosaur Gum

Random Stranger posted:

The problem with Rashomon is that so much has been said about it that it's kind of difficult to think of anything novel to say, or even point out.

I'm honestly really glad that I know virtually nothing about a lot of these films going in. I'm sure that absolutely nothing I said was new or noteworthy in any way...but it felt that way to me!

Raxivace
Sep 9, 2014

Random Stranger posted:

Raxivace, you're making me feel like I should pick up more Kurosawa DVD's/Blurays. The ones that I have include some terrific film school style commentaries that really deepen my appreciation of the films.

I own almost every Kurosawa they've put out. I've yet to regret the purchase of a single one.

jivjov posted:

I'm honestly really glad that I know virtually nothing about a lot of these films going in. I'm sure that absolutely nothing I said was new or noteworthy in any way...but it felt that way to me!

I think it's probably better not have too many expectations when watching classic movies anyways, because otherwise you might be setting standards up in your head that a movie can't possibly live up to. I especially see this a lot with younger people watching stuff like Citizen Kane or Vertigo (Both of which I do think are among the best films ever made fwiw) for the first time and not understanding why the movies literally didn't solve the secrets of the universe for them then and there or whatever.

Raxivace fucked around with this message at 05:45 on Jan 24, 2016

jivjov
Sep 13, 2007

But how does it taste? Yummy!
Dinosaur Gum
I'm rather amused that not a single post of discussion happened about Porco Rosso. This is probably due to my own tepid post about it.

Random Stranger
Nov 27, 2009



jivjov posted:

I'm honestly really glad that I know virtually nothing about a lot of these films going in. I'm sure that absolutely nothing I said was new or noteworthy in any way...but it felt that way to me!

Well, let's hit the stuff, then. I think the important thing to walk away from Rashomon is that the truth doesn't matter. Maybe there's a fragment of fact in each of their stories, but maybe there isn't. The versions of the stories exist to reflect the characters; the lies they tell themselves, the lies they tell to protect others, and the lies they tell others to try to put things right. And the woodcutter isn't necessarily as truthful as anyone else.

The materialistic nature of the ghost and his story is always commented on as being weird. I think in this case it's more cultural difference than anything else. The samurai ghost's behavior is in line with the ghosts in Japanese horror stories where they lash out any anyone living.

If you ever get to Japan, obviously the Rashomon gate is long gone (it was a ruin even in the film!). A replica of the sister gate exists, though, and when I was there it was pouring rain so I got to stand under the gate and ponder the nature of humanity. And then get pushed down the steps by the "tame" deer that are roaming all over the place there.


Raxivace posted:

I think it's probably better not have too many expectations when watching classic movies anyways, because otherwise you might be setting standards up in your head that a movie can't possibly live up to. I especially see this a lot with younger people watching stuff like Citizen Kane or Vertigo (Both of which I do think are among the best films ever made fwiw) for the first time and not understanding why the movies literally didn't solve the secrets of the universe for them then and there or whatever.

I've been making a point of trying to not say anything about upcoming films for just that reason. Well, beyond the fact that Kurosawa made a lot of absolutely incredible movies.

jivjov posted:

I'm rather amused that not a single post of discussion happened about Porco Rosso. This is probably due to my own tepid post about it.

Well... uh... I watched it about a decade ago and remember that I thought it was okay.

I think Miyazaki makes good movies, I just don't have a lot to say about them.

Raxivace posted:

I own almost every Kurosawa they've put out. I've yet to regret the purchase of a single one.

I've got the Critereon DVD's of most of his samurai films. After my recent watch through I've picked up a much greater appreciation for the contemporarily set films. I have a theory for why that is, but stating it would be a bit of a spoiler so I'll save it for later.

Random Stranger fucked around with this message at 06:10 on Jan 24, 2016

Raxivace
Sep 9, 2014

Random Stranger posted:

A replica of the sister gate exists, though, and when I was there it was pouring rain so I got to stand under the gate and ponder the nature of humanity.
I am EXTREMELY jealous.

quote:

I think Miyazaki makes good movies, I just don't have a lot to say about them.
I just don't care for him much myself based on the few movies of his I've seen, so I've been staying out of the Miyazaki discussions. Ghibli in general is very hit or miss to me- like as much as I liked Grave of the Fireflies, I found Takahata's The Tale of Princess Kaguya an absolute chore to get through.

quote:

I've got the Critereon DVD's of most of his samurai films. After my recent watch through I've picked up a much greater appreciation for the contemporarily set films. I have a theory for why that is, but stating it would be a bit of a spoiler so I'll save it for later.
Of the samurai movies I don't have the OOP Ran DVD they did or the boxset with The Men Who Tread On The Tiger's Tail. I've got everything else though.

I'll be curious to hear your thoughts on the contemporary films as we move on. I tend to find them just as enjoyable as the samurai films, though usually for different reasons. I'm a bit surprised I don't hear much talk about some of them- like people will praise Ikiru and High & Low rightfully, but then will pass on stuff like The Bad Sleep Well* for reasons I don't completely understand.

*I do hear that Shakespeare people tend to watch this film more often than cinephiles or film historians because of the Hamlet connection, and then end up confused because it's not a straight adaptation of the play. We'll get to that eventually though- I've even got a wonderful essay I found online for everyone to read on the subject! Hooray for homework! Please look forward to it!

jivjov
Sep 13, 2007

But how does it taste? Yummy!
Dinosaur Gum
New movie review coming soonish. Allergies + head cold + trying to do yardwork anyway led to me sleeping for 16 straight hours and being unable to focus on a single screen for longer than about 15 minutes at a time for the 48 hours on either end of that turbo nap.

Dr. Gene Dango MD
May 20, 2010

Fuck them other cats I'm running with my own wolfpack

Keep fronting like youse a thug and get ya dome pushed back
I watched Throne of Blood yesterday and really liked it but have a question: Did Washizu order Miki's death, or did his wife do it?

jivjov posted:

I'm rather amused that not a single post of discussion happened about Porco Rosso. This is probably due to my own tepid post about it.

Porco Rosso rules. It's my second favorite Miyazaki film.

Dr. Gene Dango MD fucked around with this message at 16:47 on Feb 3, 2016

zandert33
Sep 20, 2002

Dr. Gene Dango MD posted:

I watched Throne of Blood yesterday and really liked it but have a question: Did Washizu order Miki's death, or did his wife do it?


Throne of Blood is a retelling of MacBeth, so I'd say Washizu ordered it.

jivjov
Sep 13, 2007

But how does it taste? Yummy!
Dinosaur Gum
Outrage coming tomorrow! Possibly jumping ahead a bit to Princess Mononoke after that, depending of if my wife wants to watch it with me later this week after her dental procedure.

CountFosco
Jan 9, 2012

Welcome back to the Liturgigoon thread, friend.

jivjov posted:

I'm rather amused that not a single post of discussion happened about Porco Rosso. This is probably due to my own tepid post about it.

My own imdb review of it:

I had been putting off watching Porco Rosso for quite some time. It wasn't so much that I was anticipating not liking it. Rather, it was more a trepidation that while good, Porco Rosso wouldn't quite measure up to the other Miyazaki films which I've loved.

I should have known better.

The simplicity of the cover, and the description of the plot that I had in my mind were so much less than what Porco Rosso contains. The marketing, advertising, and so forth, place emphasis on the struggle between Porco and the pirates of the Adriatic. The second point of plot typically mentioned is the "curse" that he has fallen under. In truth, neither of these things form the real backbone of the story: psychology is at the heart of this narrative.

A film simply about a bounty hunter versus pirates could be a fine ride, if executed in a way which stirs. However, without the kind of psychological backdrop that we get in Porco's character, it wouldn't be possible to really move the audience. What raises this story from simply engaging to stirring, moving, is our main characters' relationship to their individual and shared pasts.

In a really clever way, the film introduces this haunting aspect of the past not through the main character, but through the character of Gina. Of a similar generation, Gina introduces this idea during her first conversation with Porco, where she receives news that her husband has been confirmed dead, she seems unusually unemotional. As she expresses to Porco, she has shed so many tears already, that she finds she has no more left to give. The carnage of world war 1 and the vagaries of life in a world where fate can snatch love from us has left her emotionally drained.

Where Gina is melancholy and stoic, Porco broods and isolates. As the sole survivor of a battle where Gina's first husband died, he feels personally responsible. This sort of survivor's guilt is reflected with his constant self-deprecation; constantly we see signs of him expressing a low sense of self-worth. He doesn't deny his skill as a pilot, but what he does deny is that he is in any way a "good guy." When Gina tells him that her husband didn't make it home alive, he responds "the good guys never do," making explicit this contrast between himself and a good guy.

His profession as a mercenary is almost ideal for his state. It allows him to pretend that he's only in it for the money, while at the same time he has put himself in a position to do good works: saving children, defending the monied defenseless, etc. He does have a sense of morality, of course. We see this in his careful targeting of his opponents planes: he always aims to cripple and shoot down, never to kill the opposing pilot. It is difficult for him to see the evidence that we see, however. We understand the regret he feels as a sign of his ethical standards; he dismisses it out of hand. One imagines that, for him, that is a bare-minimum, rather than a characteristic that one can be proud of.

The devices that film uses to achieve the character development of Porco can, at times, be a bit trite. The character of Fio is perhaps a bit too on-the-nose as the young idealist who, unshackled by a painful past, is able to help shake off some of the emotional armor that Porco has surrounded himself in. However, Miyazaki saves the character by simply writing her as an intelligent, brave, young woman whom the audience can both respect and relate to. Even more intelligently, although Fio develops an admiration for and a crush on Porco, this thread isn't really developed. As a character, Fio wouldn't really work as Porco's love interest. It would add on the additional cliché of older-man younger-woman and that would just take Miyazaki's use of common story devices too far.

Gina is the more realistic love interest for Porco, and just as a sense of feminism imbues the character of Fio, so too does a sense of feminism shape Gina. Far from the virgin-whore duality that infects so many female characters, Gina is fully realized as a woman with hopes and desires, losses and memories, that make her an equal of Porco. She has been married, and she has known love, but this doesn't "spoil" her. Rather, it has matured her.

Even more impressively, the relationship between Gino and Porco is based on friendship, a friendship which goes back to happier times. How refreshing to see romance kindled in such a realistic way, as compared to the constant barrage of films where characters either fall in love with each other for narrative convenience.

As good as this movie is, I suspect that its greatest impact can be felt on those who are struggling with the emotions of Gina and Porco. To struggle with one's past is no uncommon thing, and those who are working to set aside feelings of loss and self-loathing will probably find the greatest amount of catharsis as Porco slowly comes to realize that he doesn't need to define himself as a pig any longer. Certainly, only those who have run out of tears will be able to fully appreciate the emotional desolation the Gina describes.

jivjov
Sep 13, 2007

But how does it taste? Yummy!
Dinosaur Gum


The Outrage Released October 8th 1964, Directed by Martin Ritt

Well; this was certainly a remake. I'm not entirely sure what I was expecting going in, but I guess I was hoping for a little bit more than a slavish recreation of Rashomon from the ground up. But maybe slavish is the wrong word...other than a couple of the fights, the cinematography here seems so much more...bland than the cinematography from Rashomon. I didn't see nearly as much use of light and shadow here as I did in Kurosawa's work. That said; the aforementioned fights were well filmed. The initial assault of the wife even saw Claire Bloom rolling straight into the camera after being shoved by Newman. While this could come off as an amateurish mistake, I personally found it to lend a sense of weight and realism to the brawl. Also, there are some odd audio issues, with certain characters sounding wildly different from others in the same scene. I don't know if this is caused by some odd ADR work, or just poor recording and mixing overall...but it took me out of the film a bit every time.

The performances were mostly well done; although I found Edward Robinson's Con Man character to be a bit too over the top for his own good. Shatner isn't given a whole lot to do as the preacher, but I was pleased to finally have the chance to see him in a performance that wasn't either Captain James Kirk or him playing a broad comedic bit. Paul Newman plays a wonderfully noxious bandit...but I have some reservations about a white man being cast as a mexican character (this odd casting concern also pops up with Paul Fix playing the Indian Shaman that speaks for the dead Colonel). The standout performance for me, however, was Claire Bloom as the wife. Her goading and speechifying at her husband and her rapist in the "true" version of events was incredibly well delivered. Conversely, her husband, played by Laurence Harvey, doesn't do a whole lot for me. His final line of "I...tripped" almost made me laugh aloud as his delivery really didn't seem to fit the occasion.

Ultimately, I by no means regret watching The Outrage, but Kurosawa's Rashomon is definitely a better film. If you absolutely hate reading subtitles, this version of the tale is perfectly fine to watch, but otherwise just skip the remake.

Up Next: The Idiot Released May 23rd 1951, Directed by Akira Kurosawa

jivjov
Sep 13, 2007

But how does it taste? Yummy!
Dinosaur Gum
Incidentally, I have a couple of other bonuses planned for the near future:

I picked up Starting Point, the first volume of Hayao Miyazaki's memoirs. It covers through 1996, and while I have two more Studio Ghibli films to watch that fall before '96, neither of them are from Miyazaki himself; so unlike with Something Like an Autobiography, I feel like I'm in the appropriate place to start reading.

I also have a super special...reunion of sorts. This is still tied to Rashomon, but probably not in the way you'd expect.

Two weeks from today, I'll be seeing My Neighbor Totoro with my wife for her birthday at the Alamo Drafthouse. If you've never been, they tend to assemble a phenomenal suite of pre-show entertainment that is head and shoulders above the crappy business ads and pop music that you get at other theaters. (For example, when I saw The Force Awakens there I was treated to vintage Star Wars toy commercials, clips from foreign parodies or homages to Star Wars, and other themed goodness.) They also theme their dine-in menus for a lot of their big events. So I'll do a write-up of the Miyazaki/Totoro themed happenings at that event.

jivjov fucked around with this message at 22:29 on Feb 20, 2016

Random Stranger
Nov 27, 2009



jivjov posted:



The Outrage Released October 8th 1964, Directed by Martin Ritt

Well; this was certainly a remake. I'm not entirely sure what I was expecting going in, but I guess I was hoping for a little bit more than a slavish recreation of Rashomon from the ground up. But maybe slavish is the wrong word...other than a couple of the fights, the cinematography here seems so much more...bland than the cinematography from Rashomon. I didn't see nearly as much use of light and shadow here as I did in Kurosawa's work.

I am shocked that Martin Ritt isn't as skilled of director as Akira Kurosawa. :v:

Are you planning on watching The Magnificent Seven when the time comes? I think it (and A Fistful of Dollars for that matter) stand well on their own in comparison with the original, though again they suffer from not being directed by Kurosawa.

As for Star Wars, it might be better to watch it right after you finish Kurosawa's black and white films. Lucas borrowed more things stylistically from him than just a few characters from The Hidden Fortress and actually getting the whole perspective is kind of interesting.

Random Stranger fucked around with this message at 18:22 on Feb 10, 2016

jivjov
Sep 13, 2007

But how does it taste? Yummy!
Dinosaur Gum

Random Stranger posted:

I am shocked that Martin Ritt isn't as skilled of director as Akira Kurosawa. :v:

Are you planning on watching The Magnificent Seven when the time comes? I think it (and A Fistful of Dollars for that matter) stand well on their own in comparison with the original, though again they suffer from not being directed by Kurosawa.

As for Star Wars, it might be better to watch it right after you finish Kurosawa's black and white films. Lucas borrowed more things stylistically from him than just a few characters from The Hidden Fortress and actually getting the whole perspective is kind of interesting.

Yeah; Magnificent Seven and the whole Man With No Name trilogy are on my list.

Burkion
May 10, 2012

by Fluffdaddy

jivjov posted:

Yeah; Magnificent Seven and the whole Man With No Name trilogy are on my list.

I'd be tempted to point out the fact that only one of the Trilogy are actually a 'remake' (total rip off) of a Kurosawa film...but the other two are good enough that who really cares

Raxivace
Sep 9, 2014

I'll be an oddball here and suggest The Thin Blue Line if you want to see a movie that's compared to Rashomon a lot while also being something very different.

jivjov
Sep 13, 2007

But how does it taste? Yummy!
Dinosaur Gum

Burkion posted:

I'd be tempted to point out the fact that only one of the Trilogy are actually a 'remake' (total rip off) of a Kurosawa film...but the other two are good enough that who really cares

Oh I'm aware. I've just never seen the second one and it's been years since I watched TGTB&TU, so I figured I'd just do the whole set.

WeedlordGoku69
Feb 12, 2015

by Cyrano4747
For a Few Dollars More is my favorite of the trilogy, honestly.

Burkion
May 10, 2012

by Fluffdaddy

LORD OF BUTT posted:

For a Few Dollars More is my favorite of the trilogy, honestly.

It's not as big of a movie as the last, but it's possibly the best stand alone.

The Good the Bad and the Ugly is made so much better if you've seen the other two as it's the perfect capstone to the trilogy while also acting as a kind of weird disjointed prequel.

Hat Thoughts
Jul 27, 2012
Ey Jivjov if u want to see more Shatner u should check out him being a real fucker in
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nFPxyAUhxSI &
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DGkLnjn8E3k

Random Stranger
Nov 27, 2009



jivjov posted:

Oh I'm aware. I've just never seen the second one and it's been years since I watched TGTB&TU, so I figured I'd just do the whole set.

I just rewatched The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly a couple of weeks ago and it's still amazing.

I believe this is the point where someone is required to post https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nOr0na6mKJQ

jivjov
Sep 13, 2007

But how does it taste? Yummy!
Dinosaur Gum

Random Stranger posted:

I just rewatched The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly a couple of weeks ago and it's still amazing.

I believe this is the point where someone is required to post https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nOr0na6mKJQ

Just make sure you re-post it when I actually review the movie!

drat good track

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MonsieurChoc
Oct 12, 2013

Every species can smell its own extinction.

LORD OF BUTT posted:

For a Few Dollars More is my favorite of the trilogy, honestly.

It's so loving good. Gian Maria Volontè is electrifying as the villain.

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