Mamma Roma (1962)

Director: Pier Paolo Pasolini 

País: Italia

 

Hacia el final de este filme, estoy casi seguro que más de uno cruzó los dedos para que Pasolini hubiera rodado un "final feliz", sin embargo, al recordar que se trataba del mismo Pasolini, sabían de antemano que el final sería duro. Mamma Roma, interpretada por la increíble Anna Magnani, es la historia de una ex-prostituta, convertida ahora en vendedora de frutas y en una mujer con aspiraciones y ambiciones para ella y para su querido hijo Ettore, un chaval en busca de su identidad, su sexualidad, sus deseos y su propio lugar en este mundo.

Pier Paolo, como en Accattone, vuelve a explorar el universo de los marginales, el de los olvidados, y pone nuevamente en cuestión el sistema económico y social en el que sus protagonistas han nacido y se han desarrollado. ¿Es que acaso estos desahuciados sociales hubieran sido personas de bien si hubiesen nacido con dinero o con oportunidades?

También, Pasolini invita al espectador a cuestionarse su propia existencia a través de preguntas formuladas por Mamma Roma, que si bien son sencillas resultan importantes al momento de interpretar el filme, estas preguntas son tales como: ¿quién es el responsable de nuestras desgracias? o ¿hasta qué punto uno es el causante de su propio destino?

El comunismo y el catolicismo también están presentes y por supuesto, también son cuestionados. Mamma Roma quiere ver a Ettore feliz y triunfando en la vida, lo sobreprotege y no vislumbra a su hijo comulgando con ideas de comunistas adoctrinados, e incluso le previene de enrolarse en esos circulos. A pesar de estas precauciones, Ettore, un rebelde y desorientado adolescente, quiere valerse por si mismo aunque esto le lleve al desastre. Sumado a esto, el otrora "padrote" de Mamma Roma, Carmine (Franco Citti) aparece para cobrarle, no solo el dinero que le exige sino también su inocencia y su juventud perdidas a costa de ella.

La figura de Cristo está presente en la parte final del filme, ¿acaso Ettore es sacrificado para "lavar" los pecados de su madre? Pasolini evoca a su vez, el infierno de Dante y la Crucifixión para sellar el destino de Ettore y también responde a las preguntas antes formuladas por la misma Mamma Roma, eso si, abiertas a la libre interpretación del espectador.

En cuanto a la dirección, Pasolini nuevamente echa mano de la poesia, de la pintura y de la música para filmar lo que quiere transmitir, dejando claro que ser cineasta en su caso, no es mas que el resultado de ser y hacer otras cosas, y no al revés, ya que al no tener el veneno del cine, Pier Paolo filma con el instinto, con la mente del poeta y del intelectual que era: primeros planos, tomas fijas y planos secuencia, en los que se encuentra un bellísimo plano de más de cinco minutos de duración sin cortes en donde Anna Magnani suelta un monólogo con las luces de la ciudad de fondo o planos a lo chiaroscuro que van componiendo la obra como si se tratara de una pintura barroca.

Al respecto, Pasolini se mueve en áreas no solo del neorrealismo italiano, sino también del cine trascendental y del "slow cinema" para narrar la historia a través de escenas cotidianas, personas que caminan en lugares desolados, deshuesaderos o campos de tierra, sin cortes ni coberturas, esto le da al filme un aspecto contemplativo y reflexivo.

Finalmente, Pasolini escoge piezas barrocas de Vivaldi para acompañar la cinta, esto, desde mi punto de vista, no es coincidencia, y si una clara influencia de Bresson. Así pues, Pasolini ha labrado el camino para su siguiente filme: El Evangelio Según San Mateo, en donde se consolidaría como uno de los grandes maestros del cine de todos los tiempos.

 

 

Accatone (1961)

Director: Pier Paolo Pasolini

País: Italia

En este grandioso filme debut, el director, un intelectual, poeta y ensayista además, hace un despliegue impresionante de sus cualidades como cineasta, guionista y sobretodo, como un tremendo dialoguista (podrían sacarse decenas de frases memorables del diálogo) dándole no solo una textura sumamente realista a la película, sino también, una tridimencionalidad a los personajes, a los cuales presenta como lo que son: seres humanos complejos capaces de amar, sufrir, lastimar, reir o llorar.

El argumento se desenvuelve alrededor de Accattone, un proxeneta sin oficio ni beneficio, un ladronzuelo de baja categoria que hace todo lo posible por ganarse la vida sin imprimir esfuerzo alguno y que además, no está dispuesto a sacrificarse o a aceptar el trabajo como un medio para ganarse el pan. Para Accatone, trabajar no es negocio, ni fisica ni monetariamente. Asímismo, Accattone convive con otros vagos, desempleados, ladrones y marginales en los bajos fondos de Roma.

A pesar de tener estas características, Accatone es en el fondo, un tipo de buenos sentimientos, no un matón ni un asaltante, aunque su desgracia yace en la imposibilidad de progresar en la vida. En este punto, Pasolini le da un puñetazo en la boca a todo el movimiento de izquierda y comunista (siendo él un marxista) y les recuerda el fracaso y la tragedia de la miseria y pobreza eterna, o dicho de otro modo: la miseria no tiene remedio y ningún izquierdista lo solucionará.

Pasolini por su parte, hace un gran uso del travelling, del primer plano y del plano secuencia, este último para dejarnos ver escenas contemplativas como la de un niño jugando en la tierra, o dos personajes platicando mientras caminan. Por otro lado, es claro que Pier Paolo bebe de los neorrealistas italianos como Rosellini, De Sica o Visconti y también del Luis Buñuel mexicano y especificamente de Los Olvidados.

Hay que recordar que el fotógrafo Tonino Delli Colli (El Bueno, El Malo y El Feo, Bittermoon y otras más) hace también un asombroso trabajo de iluminación en los exteriores para igualar las escenas en sombra, asi como también las escenas nocturnas que tienen una textura y suavidad increíble.

También, Accatone podría ser la cara b de otro filme acerca de inútiles que vagan por las calles de la Italia en vias de desarrollo, sin nada que hacer, o bien de "I Vitelloni" de Federico Fellini, pero con una crudeza caracterizada por retratar la realidad de los marginales y de los iletrados, que desde niños están condenados a terminar como ladrones, proxenetas o trabajadores sin ningún porvenir.

Accattone, un "padrote" de poca monta, se aprovecha por supuesto de mujeres inocentes para prostituirlas; roba joyas incluso a niños, y aprovecha cualquier oportunidad para conseguir dinero fácil. A pesar de esto, el personaje invita a reflexionar acerca del trabajo: ¿vale la pena romperse el hombro por unos cuantos centavos? ¿es el trabajo de la clase obrera una forma de esclavismo o de prostitución?

Respecto a esto último, el retrato que Pasolini hace de la prostitución es sumamente crudo y apabullante. Por un lado se nos pone a la mujer victima de las circunstancias, pero por otro, se nos presenta a la mujer corrompida moralmente y que actúa premeditadamente, como Maddalena, la mujer de Accattone. La violencia tanto psicológica y física que el hombre le inflige a la mujer en el filme es brutal y Pasolini proyecta perfectamente esta realidad.

Finalmente, quiero repetir y resaltar el impresionante arsenal lingüistico del que Pasolini hace uso en los diálogos (Tarantino o Sorkin quedan como viles principiantes comparado con esto en mi opinión) donde maneja la jerga, el humor, la sátira, las metáforas, las hipérboles y cualquier otro recurso, con la maestría de un genio.

Dicho sea de paso, el uso de la lengua napolitana y de la lengua romana (mal llamadas "dialectos" cuando en realidad son lenguas en sí mismas) es ya un documento histórico junto con esa Roma del periodo de la posguerra la cual no existe más. Accattone, una obra poderosísima y sin igual en la historia del cine.

 

 

Campeón Sin Corona (1945)

Director: Alejandro Galindo 
Country: Mexico 

Based on the life of Rodolfo "El Chango" Casanova, a Mexican boxer, this is one of the greatest Mexican films ever made but also one of the most underrated ones. How many times have you asked yourself: What would have happened if? either in your personal life or in chapters of human history, and this is one of those questions around Casanova's life, because he was a powerful boxer and a brilliant prodigy who unfortunately did not believe in himself nor in his own capabilities. 

Mexico is the land of tequila, mariachis and boxing (at least in stereotypical terms), and those who love this sport will be seriously affected by the themes presented in this beautiful and quite depressing motion picture, which not only portrays the rise and fall of Casanova but also the Mexican way of life and the argot used by the lower classes in the 40's.

Frankenstein (1931)

Director: James Whale
Country: United States

Frankenstein is the ultimate gothic scifi classic, a legendary novel that has reached the levels of the Greek mythology among contemporary scientists, filmmakers, writers and musicians, the mad scientist "playing God" and the monster who turns against its own father.

Many films have been inspired by this piece of work such as Blade Runner, Terminator 2, Re-Animator, Robocop, Body Parts, Frankenhooker, Frankenweenie and even TV comedies like "Weird Science". In the music department we can find Edgar Winter's song "Frankenstein" or Eddie Van Halen's custom guitar made with different guitar parts and named after the monster. In the science and techonology area we are living in a Frankenstenian-era: robots, drones and computers rule the manufacturing world, and according to some experts they soon will fight in warfields making their own decisions just like in fuckin Terminator 2: the Judgement Day. 

We also can see crazy scientific stuff since the cloning of Dolly the Sheep in the 90's to nowadays manipulation of genetic information in embryos and plants. Humanity and some scientists have gone crazy just like Victor Frankenstein, and society in itself is another version of him, we have created monsters through history either ideologically or physically and curiously enough, Victor and the Monster happen to be identified with the same name: Frankenstein, because the line gets blurred and we don't know who is the real villian here. 

Why do "Frankenstein" gets killed? and why does society kill him? Ironically that turns society into what the monster is, in other words, a ruthless murderer. Did Hitler create stone-cold Germans or the Germans created a crazy-murderer such as Hitler?; Whose gotta be judged by trial? autonomous killer machines or their creators behind a computer? These and more questions will be answered in the short run, but in the meantime in 2018, we are commemorating two hundred years since Mary Shelley wrote this fantastic novel and it is beautiful and terryfing at the same time how the story itself as the Monster in the film IS ALIVE!

                            
                 

Duck and Cover (1952)

Director: Anthony Rizzo
Country: United States

The other day I was reading The Economist which happens to be my favorite and the only newspaper I read every week, and I found an interesting article about what to do in case of a Nuclear Attack. Along with the information provided it cited this goverment-funded propagandistic short-film with a picture of Bert the Turtle which represents the steps to follow in case the real thing occurs, this caught my attention and I went to see it.

The film, which has been inducted in the Library of Congress for its historical importance and whatnot, is a combination of animated images and reenactments portraying people in a nuclear-attack scenario in America, the vibrant America of the 50's where happy white kids used to play baseball and drink CocaCola; adults used to organize picnics at the park; and suburbs were clean and free of illegal aliens. 

This world reminded me of the America in the Norman Rockwell’s beautiful paintings (an artist I also knew about because of reading The Economist), which at that moment its only enemy was the evil Communism but Bert the Turtle was there to help and to educate the public to survive a deathly nuclear attack expected with or without warning and to show you how to prevent serious burnings. 

Before the apocalyptic scenarios of Terminator, 28 Days Later or The Walking Dead we had real scary shit during the Cold-War and its missile crises, now we have North Korean nukes pointing Alaska and Hawaii, so you better Duke and Cover!

                            

Macbeth (1948)

Director: Orson Welles
Country: United States

Some years ago I saw Roman Polanski's adaptation of Macbeth but I overlooked the one made by Orson Welles, I thought that I did not need to see it in the first place since Polanski's version is a memorable film, however, I finally did it and it really surprised me because Macbeth is another tour de force in Welles' filmography, he produced it, wrote it, directed it and acted on it and by the way his performance is pure gold.

Macbeth is a very rich story about human condition, it is full of poetry, metaphors and symbolism, and in times of political turmoil like the ones we are living in (Brexit and the Election of Donald Trump) it is the perfect time to watch it. Welles offers a minimalistic film in black and white which helps the audience to focus on the story. 

Macbeth who is influenced by his wife, Lady Macbeth, is manipulated through his basic human flaws such as pride, greed, fear and jealousy, Macbeth also corrupts himself when killing the king but stills unsatisfied because Banquo and his family are the ones who will own the throne of Scotland. To revert this, Macbeth disobeys the Witches’ prophecy and orders the assesination of Banquo and his son Fleance, who avoids being killed.

Macbeth starts to lose his mind the moment he kills the king, he becomes a doble-crossing bastard who is thirsty of power, blood and brute force,using cheap rethoric to convince people that Banquo is responsible for their poverty and misery (sounds familiar?). Orson Welles' performance is powerful and we can see the transformation and the different textures of Macbeth's on his face: fear, violence and ultimately madness.

Welles was without a doubt a genius, he was like the Leonardo Da Vinci of cinema, too bad Hollywood hated him and many of his projects were unfinished or not even pre-produced. Macbeth is definitely a must see for anyone interested either in William Shakespeare or in Orson Welles and this movie in particular is available on YouTube for free!.

And last but not least Orson Welles is well-known for having made Citizen Kane, a film which inspired a whole generation of masters of filmmaking such as Martin Scorsese, William Friedkin, Francis Ford Coppola, Peter Bogdanovich and many more, so if you want to be either a GREAT filmmaker or a screenwriter you gotta see Welles' work, otherwise get the fuck outta my blog!

La Naissence du Cinema (1947)

Director: Roger Leenhardt
Country: France

This documentary film is about the invention of cinema, the first photography machines and the first devices and artifacts that projected moving images, I gotta say that it is great to acquire new knowledge and culture through visual media and this one especially is very interesting and educational because we learn how medical doctors, engineers and high-skilled workers such as Émile Reynaud, Thomas Alva Edison, Eadweard Muybridge or The Lumiere Brothers contributed to the birth of cinema and above all how a lot of mistakes were made on the road and even some hearts were broken in order to see a bunch of workers leaving a factory, but of course everything was worthed.

This material is of great value without a doubt and it should be projected on cinemas instead of the bullshit ads we see for 15 minutes every time we go to the movies nowadays, the invention of the motion pictures was made out of love and curiosity, combining chemistry, physics and a lot of effort to get magical results, sadly that is not the case today because we live in a world that is focused solely on making money and that includes the movie-industry. I recommend you to watch this short film to engage yourself in the real love for the seventh art and of course to see many of the old-school films in black and white which like this one you can see for free on the web.

The Lumiere Brothers

                             

I Will Buy You (1956)

Director: Masaki Kobayashi
Country: Japan

When  I talk about sports films I always think of Martin Scorsese's "Raging Bull" and Lindsay Anderson's "This Sporting Life" but now I will think of "I Will Buy You" directed by Masaki Kobayashi.

When I was a kid I used to dream about becoming a professional baseball player, I loved the baseball caps and gloves and I admired this beautiful game played by strong guys hitting home runs and throwing real lighting bolts but I did not know "the dark side of the moon" until I grew up, and this Kobayashi film is about that and more importantly it is about the human condition.

Japan was a developing country at the time struggling with the post-war puzzle, and even though we see other sports in the film such as horse racing, sumo wrestling and illegal dog fighting it had already developed its love and passion for the ultimate symbol of its American conquerors: the baseball game,

Kurita is the rising star of the college league and every professional team wants to hire him but he has a mentor named "Kyuki" who claims to be very sick and protects the player from singing contracts in order to rise Kurita's value in the market, Kishimoto on the other hand is the scout who wants to convince Kurita to play for the Toyo Flowers. Fueko who is Kurita's girlfriend starts losing hope in the relationship with him because all of the attention and offerings he is gettings from teams and media.

Greed, mistrust and betrayal, which are initially spread by Kishimoto whose lack of moral and ethics make them a professional businessman and the perfect one representing the morally corrupted industry of sports, start to take over Kurita's family, mentor, girlfriend and Kurita himself with catastrophic consequences. 

Money can corrupt anybody's soul no matter how pure the person is and this is pointed out by Fueko and Kishimoto (I loved the novelistic aspect of the film) because we know only through dialogue that Kurita used to be a good boy, we also know that Kyuki was an spy or a kind of a doble agent in China, and we know that the pitcher who was going to be hired by Kishimoto loses his fingers in a factory job so we can imagine the bleak future of Kurita repeating the cycle after the final events. 

Kurita became a cold-hearted person while Kishimoto understands that loyalty and respect are more important than money, but before the end we are trapped in a big network of lies and doble crossings between all characters, who is telling the truth? who is lying? and who is being loyal?. This film is a masterpiece (and definitely one of my favorites of all time) that makes us question ourselves about morality, values and respect. Capitalism is the system that rules our lives, and Kobayashi lambasted this system by pointing out how money can corrupt our minds and change our souls for the sake of money no matter if you are a baseball player, a journalist or a simple peasant.

P.S: Kudos for the Godzilla reference in the film!

Kurita in action

                           

Le Rouge Est Mis (1957)

Director: Gilles Grangier
Country: France

Jean Gabin and Lino Ventura were like Al Pacino and Robert De Niro for the European cinema during the 50's and 60's, and before Tony Soprano and Walter White, they were the guys who called the shots or paraphrasing Walter White "they were the danger" playing the roles of anti-heroes, and charismatic cold-blood murderers dressing suits, coats and hats.

Old-school cinema can teach many lessons to young filmmakers and to young viewers and even critics of this time, but the main one is that it's not necessary to produce expensive special effects to make a decent film nor is it necessary to hire a genius cinematographer nor a blondie-curvy woman to write an engaging story and make it entertaining, and this heist film is the perfect example of it, not only because it breaks some noir clichés like that of the femme fatale, but also because it contains violence, suspicion, betrayal and action and even some funny moments (like that when the crew steals a car with a truck which has a cow on it).

I would not label this little unknown film as a "masterpiece" but it is without a doubt a solid piece in the genre which influenced the American upcoming movies of the 70's, I also found some coincidences such as Marcel Bozzuffi who appears in this film and years later in William Friedkin The French Connection.

E=mc2 is Einstein's most famous formula and maybe his permanent trademark in the world, well I'm inventing a new one:   Paris + Thieves =  Film Noir

                              

Bim Le Petit Ane (1951)

Director: Albert Lamorisse
Country: France

The real cinema is the one that MAKES YOU FEEL, the one that MOVES YOUR HEART through images no matter if you can't understand the language of it, and the one that takes you to the action, and that was the case when I saw this beautiful French film without subtitles because actually it is not available on DVD.


Bim Le Petit Ane is almost a silent film with little dialogue and voice over. It is a magnificent adventure-action film centered on Bim a baby donkey whose owner is a lovely poor kid named Abdallah who takes care of him until a rich miserable boy named Messaoud steals him. Bim then is mistreated, beaten and almost mutilated by Messaoud! (Jesus I screamed while looking at that scene!) while trying to retrieve him Abdallah is captured and imprisoned only to be released by Messaoud himself who has learnt that mistreating the baby donkey is wrong and cruel, by the time Abdullah escapes, Bim is stolen by some thieves who are decided to ship him and sell him away.

I felt very touched by this movie to the point of weeping a little because you can feel the friendship, the love and the magic among kids and their donkeys (which have beautiful and powerful eyes and are very noble creatures) things that adults lose in their lives. This is a little and beautiful masterpiece that deserves to be seen by millions of children around the world which sadly is full of Disney CGI-talking-animals with absolute NO SUSBTANCE.

If you want to know more about this film and you speak in French click here and visit this website for more information and pictures about it, enjoy!.