Sunday, January 10, 2010

Robin and Marian (1976, Lester) ***

Begins perilously close to Monty Python territory, then gradually deepens into a romance reminiscent of PETULIA (Lester's masterpiece and among the greatest films ever made). In Lester's eyes Robin Hood (Sean Connery) is still a scamp, despite nearing retirement, but the concern becomes what Robin's roguishness and humor are masking: memories of a life committed to slaughter, the Crusades, horrific atrocities, young women and children being disemboweled. He tussles with Marian (Audrey Hepburn) over God and their decades-long separation, but really, in a different world, they would have been perfect together (a PETULIA motif). The landscape Lester conjures is less accommodating. Sherwood Forest is a place where Hepburn can break your heart with the sight of her gently aged face and the prospect of death is often more appealing than love.
[Viewed 1/7/10 on 35mm]

Saturday, January 9, 2010

My Left Foot: The Story of Christy Brown (1989, Jim Sheridan) *1/2

A suspiciously easy film to watch, Daniel Day-Lewis's famed performance is a technical tour de force that smacks more of mimicry than artistry. Of course, I've never seen any indication that Sheridan possesses much of the latter. He always seems scared of prolonging audience discomfort -- an ironic fear given his tough choices in subject matter -- and seizes every opportunity here to undercut pain and menace with wit. This is paint-by-numbers biopic as Oscar-winning crowd-pleaser.
[Viewed 1/9/10 on 35mm]