槍林彈雨下的惺惺相惜, 善惡共存世界裡動人的情感, 炎涼世態中一絲對人的關懷。 在吳宇森導演和周潤發先生的忘我演繹下, 造就了香港電影中一章叫人難忘的篇章- '喋血雙雄'!
真.男人的浪漫
'喋血雙雄'可算是吳宇森和周潤發最為著名的作品之一。或許此片不像'英雄本色'般具開創性;不像'喋血街頭'般史詩感強; 沒有'辣手神探'的動感和'縱横四海'的戲謔; 不過'喋血雙雄'不但令全世界的電影愛好者認識到吳宇森的獨特風格, 此片也是他藝術成就的巔峰。 白鵨亂飛的教堂配以混亂的槍戰, 一句句令人振奮的對白, 以至周潤發和李修賢富感染力的演繹: 縱使我已經看過此片不下數十次, 但每一次都仍然被動人的故事情節所感動。 我對吳宇森和周潤發的崇拜, 就像黑澤明和寇比力克一樣, 不只是單純因為他們的電影好看,而是因為他們的作品反映了他們高尚的人格和敬業樂業精神!
by Ed Law
以戲服人 Film Analysis
三十年前的今天(1991年7月3日), 占士金馬倫(James Cameron)執導的’未來戰士續集’(Terminator 2: Judgment Day)在美國開畫。此部阿諾舒華辛力加電影在1991年勇奪全球最高的票房, 亦贏得四個奧斯卡獎項。’未來戰士’第一,二集並沒有隨時間的流逝而被人所遺忘。即使占士金馬倫在後期拍過看似更成功的電影，’未來戰士’一定是他的代表作。沒有’未來戰士’,他可能只會是一位寂寂無名的B級片導演。當金馬倫可以在影壇運用’未來戰士導演’這個稱號時,他才可以運用這個亮麗的track record去爭取拍攝如’鐵達尼號’和’阿凡達’等大製作!
今次我會在此分享之前寫過關於’未來戰士’的幾篇文章:
The Terminator
https://emockedlaw.blogspot.com/2015/07/terminator.html
Terminator and Me
https://emockedlaw.blogspot.com/2015/07/blog-post.html
Terminator 2 : Judgment Day
https://emockedlaw.blogspot.com/2015/07/terminator_13.html
Terminator and Postmodernism
https://emockedlaw.blogspot.com/2015/07/blog-post_18.html
The most
interesting aspect about ‘Under Capricorn’ regards the audience reception of
the film when it first came out in the end of 1940s. ‘Under Capricorn’ appeared
to adopt a European sensibility and it was more popular in the art film circles
of Europe rather than mainstream Hollywood. The audience back in the 1940s
expected the period drama to be a typical Hitchcockian thriller. Yet while the
film was suspenseful and also had a mystery plot element, the story was more
melodramatic than thrilling. The film seemed to resemble the melodramas by
Kenji Mizoguchi in the same era rather than a typical thriller in the golden
age of Film Noir.
The Sydney of the 19th
century, where the story took place, was a new frontier where many foreigners
flocked to. Prospectors travelled there to look for a new start in their lives.
What they could not have left behind, as implied by Hitchcock's stylistic motifs,
were the crime of passion and the darkest secrets of the past. Indeed, the film
was quite similar to the Hitchcock’s ‘Notorious’,
another melodrama disguised as a Film Noir. Other than the similar ‘poisoning
Ingrid Bergman’ motif, both film concerned complex love triangles. The dramatic
tensions were further complicated by the ethical gray areas, which served as an
essential theme for the Noirish landscapes portrayed in both films.
Characters searched for their selves and made sense of their existences through Hitchcock's long takes, as an ongoing experiment that originated from his previous film ‘Rope’. When long takes were employed in the late films of Kenji Mizoguchi, they were formalized and represented the processes of ritualistic gestures in the past. In contrast, Hitchcock's long takes demanded the viewers to look for clues and emotional cues as they travelled alongside with the characters in the film. As we were led through the ballrooms, dining halls, and bedrooms inside the gothic manor, the power relations due to the differing social status of the various characters shifted, and everyone gained their upper hands at certain points when the power dynamics were changed. In fact, ‘Under Capricorn’ can be considered as an erotic film - it is just the clinical and subtle style of Hitchcock that renders it less like the sexually-charged ‘erotic films’ we understand today.
All the characters had
their own secrets in ‘Under Capricorn’. Their actions were often amoral and
they were motivated by material considerations and self-interest. For Ingrid
Bergman, she has given an edgy performance in the film, as an eccentric and
alcoholic lady. I bet Ms. Bergman has probably tried to make her photogenic
appearance more unflattering, like wearing baggy clothes and having nervous
gestures and intonations to fit her character in the film. Her character had to sort out her turmoil for
her passions and feelings for the two male protagonists, not knowing she was
slowly poisoned by alcohol with another jealous character. Through the film,
further criminal acts were carried out and unfair insinuations were made,
cluttering the moral compass of the cinematic world. Being a moralist,
Hitchcock offered hope by giving Bergman’s character a sense of justice, even
if she was physically compromised at the climax of the film. She was willing to
stand up and speak about the truth, and sorted out the moral clutter. In the
age of the dark and fatalistic Noir, ‘Under Capricorn’ gave the viewers an
ending where the innocent ones received justice as the truth came to light at
the end.
This Hitchcock film is a great representative of classic Hollywood cinema. And, if you have seen enough black-and-white images and films of the legendary Ingrid Bergman, you may want to see how she looks in Technicolor, too!
by Ed Law
Film Analysis
‘Looking forward’ often sounds like a positive
outlook, yet there is a caveat to it. When one examines an idea, he should not
jump to the conclusion that the idea is not useful as it is ‘dated’ or
‘old-school’. Such a contextual reading of things can lead one to overlook some
of the most endearing wisdom of the human legacy, and often this attitude
merely represents one’s obliviousness to the origin of our thoughts. The
contributions from thinkers of Ancient Greece have been tremendous. They have
ignited the fire of Western thoughts through the work in literature,
philosophy, and science. The thinkers have also proposed to us some of the
first models of an ethical life. One of the most important ethical outlooks
from this era is Sophrosyne, widely considered as the golden rule of Ancient
Greek wisdom.
Sophrosyne (σωφροσύνη) is the noun of Sophronein (σωφρονεῖν), the verb that corresponds to the same idea. Often translated as ‘soundness of mind’ (noun) or ‘thinking well’, the concept has been interpreted by many thinkers through the Archaic Greece and Classical Greece, and continued to later eras. Sophrosyne has been transformed, and encompassed wider attributes throughout history. Despite diverse opinions added to the concept, the central theme of the word has not been altered. As an opposite to hubris, sophrosyne demands a clear and rational mind, which judges and makes decisions wisely, with regards to one’s limit. It is a form of moderation for an individual to exist in the world.
It is quite interesting to note that, while the
concept of sophrosyne has first appeared in the epic poems of Homer, later
thinkers have often ‘cherry-picked’ on various parts of the concept and made
their assessment by focusing on their particular interests of the concept. Thus
for the Pre-Socratic philosopher Heraclitus, sophrosyne was related to physis
and logos; for Socrates and his successors, the focus was on the rational
examination and analysis of the concept with regards to ethics; and for the
Stoics, the concept was used to establish one’s place in the universe. The
later thinkers stressed about the concept of sophrosyne as akin to ‘knowing
your place’ in the universe, and one’s ethical deliberations should be based on
a sound mind and rational considerations. Also the concept of measure was
associated with sophrosyne, as that provided a metric for one to weigh
different options and choose the most well-informed actions. For Socrates, he
has attempted to find an objective standard of knowledge and ethics, through
his questioning and examination of general and particular beliefs. The Sophist
Protagoras has gone even further to abandon any objective metric, and
proclaimed ‘Man is the measure of all things.’
Of all the interpretations of sophrosyne, I find
Heraclitus’s elaboration most inspiring. The Pre-Socratic thinker was one of
the most charismatic thinkers of Archaic Greece, and his thoughts were so
original that they can still be considered fascinating and contentious by
today’s standard, just like when one reads Nietzsche and Zhuang Zi. Asserting
that the universe was governed by the cosmic order known as ‘Logos’, Heraclitus
stressed the importance of sophrosyne in the famous fragment B112, a memorable advice
that deserves to be quoted below.
“Sound thinking (σωφρονεῖν) is the greatest virtue and
wisdom: to speak the truth and to act on the basis of an understanding of the
nature of things”
-Fragment B112
Thus for Heraclitus, the attribute of sophronein meant getting closer to the nature of things. Only which one embraced physis, which originated and was governed by Logos, could the individual acquire true wisdom and lived well. This statement reflected the philosopher’s opinion that the human world, which was part of the universe, was modelled after the cosmic (divine) world. For Heraclitus, true wisdom meant the realization of the fact meant that the human world, being part of nature, was in no way distinct or separate from the cosmos. The appreciation of this limit has implications of one’s ethical outlook, as one will deliberate with considerations regarding one’s nature and limitations and avoid the influence of hubris and other folly. Thinking well is the virtue of sophrosyne.
by Ed Law
Conatus Classics
On 31st
May 2020, I have published the first article of Conatus Classics, which is a
section with the intention to discuss the History of Thought. The articles in
this section have spanned the broadest of scope I have ever written about the
other topics from cinema and science. For the past year, I have many
opportunities to explore diverse themes from philosophy, history, science,
poetry, drama, politics and social science in Conatus Classics. When I write
articles for Film Analysis, I often take a more liberal approach and express
many personal opinions, as cinema is something that has fascinated me for many
years and it is also a topic I am well-acquainted with. For Conatus Classics, I
take a more objective and impartial approach, and have carried out more
background research, which includes reading the original text. An improvement
is probably more careful close-reading of the original sources, so that the
readers can more easily appreciate the different interpretations that arise
from the ideas of these curious thinkers.
The first
year of Conatus Classics has placed an intense focus on Natural Philosophy of
Ancient Greece. Almost all the Pre-Socratic philosophers have expressed
opinions, or have gone as far as developing coherent philosophical systems, to
account for the world in a rational way. The information acquired from the myth
of the epic poets would no longer be useful for the understanding of humanity,
that has given way to the use of rational speculations. These thinkers
attempted to understand, amidst the ‘many’ in the universe, what was the ‘one’
that everything was originated from? In short, what is the ‘physis’ (Greek for
‘nature’) of things? The philosophical ideas from these ancient thinkers may be
dated by today’s standard, yet one cannot deny the imaginative aspect of the many
ideas that have survived the passage of time. Some of the ideas have even
provided the foundation of different schools of thought that are still relevant
today: materialism, rationalism, ontology, theology, behaviourism, you name
it. The wise men from the Pre-Socratic
era – from Homer, Solon, Thales, to Pythagoras, Parmenides and Democritus –
have all left lasting impressions for future people, and their impacts were no
less significant than the Holy Trinity of philosophers from Classical Greece.
Creative
juxtapositions have also been committed in a series of articles. The tragedians
from the Classical Greece - Aeschylus,
Sophocles and Euripides – have been compared with three brilliant filmmakers of
the 20th century – Griffith, Kurosawa and Peckinpah. The more we
attempt comparisons on the 2 distinct art forms, the more surprises we can
discover. What have struck me are the similarities in the emphasis on the
universal human issues, stressed by the artists from two millennia apart. That
represent the legacy of artistic innovation offered by the members of our
species.
Looking
forward to the 2nd year of Conatus Classics, the concentration will be on the
thinkers from Classical Greece onwards. The focus will be shifted from the
heavenly bodies back to our Earth. The humanism of Classical Athens and the
associated ideas would shape the Hellenistic philosophy. The diverse schools of
this later era had the common theme on proposing systems for the individual to
interact with the world which he was situated in. The philosophical
deliberations led to implications in diverse ethical outlooks and possible ways
towards ‘eudaimonia’ (commonly translated as ‘happiness’).
The other face of Classical Studies is focused on the Latin world. The ancient Roman Empire is renowned for its contribution to legal studies. The Roman Law serves as the locus classicus for the development of jurisprudence in the Western world. The ancient empire was also famed for its contribution in literature, rhetoric and philosophy. The studies of ancient Rome are just as interesting and inspiring as ancient Greek studies. These are the topics I will explore in the 2nd year of Conatus Classics!
by Ed Law
Conatus Classics
The Academy Award for 2021 has come late, yet it was still present for the sake of historical records. Many of the winners and key contenders, following the trend of the past few years, are films about outsiders and the unnoticeable. Gone were the days of the larger than life epic heroes in past films that have garnered many Oscars. The underdogs found their voices in the many films for the Award this year. Be it a nomadic existence due to economic circumstances, the whistle blower who was silenced due to a heterosexual power structure, idealistic characters who became fall guys to ideology and political power struggle. Even people forgotten in history re-emerge: people may know Orson Welles and his masterpiece Citizen Kane, but how about Herman J. Mankiewicz, the writer who collaborated on the script and received an Oscar along with Welles? Even in a larger than life film, Tenet, the hero and the villain have to resort to alternatives - by reversing the time to place an edge against each other in the struggle. The truth is, these stories are closer to our experience, and the characters are no less heroic than the idealized heroes often found in the uplifting films.
Universal
theme of family values is upheld by a few winning films, emphasizing to the
audience that no matter how the world has changed, there are some fundamental values
that can be truly considered as humanity’s legacy. ‘Minari’ stressed the need
for family relationships in a foreign land; ‘The Father’ stressed the
compassion required for surviving old age; and ‘Nomadland’ reminded the
audience of the humanism common in all the drifters and loners. The importance
of family values and emotional support, after all, is independent of geography
and context, and this note is in particular relevant for the divided world of
today.
While there are many young and talented contenders in the acting category, it is just as happy to see the veteran performers, like Anthony Hopkins and Frances McDormand, getting the recognitions they deserve. It has been about 30 years since Mr. Hopkins first received an Academy Award, with the Chianti-loving Dr. Hannibal in ‘The Silence of the Lambs’. Mr. Hopkins has proved to be a versatile actor throughout the years, from portraying President Richard Nixon to the Pope. In ‘The Father’, the Jonathan Demme-style stare from the intense Dr. Lecter is no longer required: Mr. Hopkins offered us an intimate portrayal of an aging father, alongside with Oliver Colman’s brilliant supporting performance.
Frances McDormand, the frequent leading lady of Coen Brother’s edgy masterpieces, is known for heightened characters like those in ‘Fargo’ and ‘Three Billboards’. In her Oscar-winning performance of ‘Nomadland’, we can see the more subtle side of Ms. McDormand’s performance, which can be easily overlooked when one associated her with the darker films she has often appeared in. It is also gratifying to see that she has taken a more active role in the film by acting as a producer. While actors and actresses have often involved in the backstage work of film production through the history of cinema, this has become more commonplace in recent years. This is indeed a great testament for the enrichment of cinematic experience for practitioners in the film industry!
by Ed Law
Film Analysis
To celebrate the 100th birthday of Italian filmmaker Federico Fellini, a number of Fellini classics will be shown again in cinemas around Hong Kong. ‘Nights of Cabiria’ is an interesting candidate of Fellini’s wonderful oeuvre.
While cinema lovers around the world are familiar with Fellini’s imaginative style, often characterized by its dream-like tendency, it is easy to overlook that Fellini started from an origin of Italian Neorealism. This film style from the 1940s strove for the most hard-core realism known to film – from the ‘un-cinematic’ casual gestures from de Sica films to the uncompromising scenes common in Rossellini’s films, the artistic movement built up on the influence of von Stroheim and Renoir, and aimed for a kind of documentary realism unprecedented for cinema. The young Fellini has worked with Roberto Rossellini, as a writer for the Neorealist film ‘Paisan’. Hence ‘The Night of Cabiria’ is seen by many as an interesting work in Fellini’s cinema, as it combines two apparently irreconcilable style – his later signature style and the realist style where he originated from. Yet the result is not an inconsistent film: the Fellini masterpiece is a sincere outlook of how one may have survived in a harsh and uncompromising environment.
One can easily feel that Fellini has expressed a sense of pessimism in ‘Nights of Cabiria’, yet it is likely a commitment to the style of Italian Neorealism rather than his personal outlook on life. It is as if the filmmaker is placing the protagonist, Cabiria (starring Giulietta Masina) in a social experiment. Cabiria was a sympathetic character for many, she was a happy-go-lucky kind of person and she was willing to fight for a better future, quite like a Sirkian woman. That reminds me of a later film by Godard, ‘Vivre Sa Vie’, and Nana (played by Anna Karina) was actually quite similar to Cabiria, though not as comedic. By placing Cabiria in a genuinely rough and unsympathetic world, one can see that she was as street-smart as she could be, as it was the only way for her to survive ‘on the streets’. Many viewers have expressed that Cabiria resembles a Chaplin character, and indeed her gestures were not very different from the Little Tramp. While the iconic character is very likeable, one should also note the subtlety offered by Chaplin. The comedic character possessed a kind of passive-aggressiveness in all his adventures, and he was willing to play dirty and rough when the situation called for it (albeit in a funny way).
Cabiria was as intelligent, yet she had to face a lot of misfortunes, some caused by the economical situations reflected in the film, other caused by the various characters in the film. She has been taken advantage of all the time, even when she was making attempts to connect with other people and to cultivate genuine relationships (the fact that Cabiria was working as a prostitute also signified her instrumental value as perceived by others in the film). Fellini placed the ultimate irony at the point when Cabiria finally felt serene and thought of a more fulfilling life, she was in a state of trance caused by a magician, under the watchful eyes of some curious audience looking for entertainment. She could not find happiness or fulfilment in reality, and even when she could at least imagine that in her mind, she was still being taken advantage of.
The rather dark tone of the film took an existential turn, when Cabiria discovered that, after the events of the whole film, she was again facing a man who would give a false promise of loving her, only having an intention to take away her money and possessions. The rather absurd scenario alluded to Nietzsche’s idea of eternal recurrence, or maybe the ‘Kenny dies at every episode’ scenario in South Park. Literally, Cabiria’s life was going nowhere, and she was living her life one day at a time. Fellini was wise in the sense that he did not offer the audience a deus ex machina or an optimistic ending here. Whether the ending is good or bad is not the most important issue, what matters is the reflection that can be offered to the audience. Cabiria finally came to the realization of the absurdity of life, and that would simply not be a miracle and then everything become okay. In the memorable final scene, she gave the answer for enduring the impermanence of human existence: a smile through the tears. The journey of life is long, and only by staying in the struggle will one have the last laugh.
by Ed Law
Film Analysis
Classical
antiquity has not only offered us a rich cultural
heritage, that has also seen a lot of scientific achievement. When one has an opportunity to admire the architecture that
originated from the Roman Empire, one should not overlook the fact that the
science of building materials from the ancient times have provided the starting
point for further development that is still highly relevant to this day. With
previous experience in the research of Construction Materials, I find the
science of Roman concrete (Latin: opus caementicium), responsible for
the wonder of Roman architecture, really fascinating. For this time, it is all
about science.
While
most of us can easily appreciate the importance of cement and concrete for our
daily lives, we may not necessarily know the scientific and historical background
of these useful materials. To start with, concrete is a mixture of a few chemical components: a binder
material, some form of aggregate, water, and some cases, further chemical
additives. The binder is often called a cement, and it is like the ‘backbone’
of the concrete. The aggregate is often some form of sand of various diameters, acting as a filler material. Concrete is prepared by mixing
cement, sand, and water in a well-defined proportion, when chemical reactions lead to the setting, and eventually hardening of the resulting concrete. Though it may sound trivial,
this has always been the the basis for the building industry throughout human history.
Let’s look a bit further about the historical and scientific aspects of
cement. While forms of cement have been known since ancient Egypt, Greek, and the Roman
empire, the key composition of cement almost always contains some calcium
compounds, like lime or calcium carbonate. The cement we know nowadays, the
most classic form being the Portland Cement, was a creation from England back in
the 19th century. While there are many variations since the first development of this classic form of cement (Ordinary Portland Cement, abbreviated as OPC), the key chemical
components of the cement itself are often very similar, albeit varying in
proportions – inorganic compounds of calcium (Ca), silicon (Si), aluminum (Al) and iron (Fe). The Roman
cement, as we will see, also contained many of these chemical components, yet its
specific composition led to some interesting properties of its own.
Before
we move on to the ancient science let me address two further issues regarding
some properties of cement. The first issue is the production of cement itself.
The ingredients of cement, containing inorganic salts of calcium, silicon, aluminum
and iron, is heated at very high temperature (>1500 degree Celsius), and as a result a
number of chemical reactions take place during the burning process, forming new chemical products. The resulting mixture is ground into a
fine powder and leads to the greenish grey appearance very typical of modern cement. While
we do not have to go into the chemical details, often 4 types of complex
inorganic salts result: two of them are calcium-silicon salts, designated as C3S
and C2S; one is a calcium-aluminum salt, C3A; and a
calcium-aluminum-iron salt, C4AF. The reason why this is mentioned
is because the proportion and the specific properties of the 4 salts will
determine the resulting properties of the cement, and hence impacts the setting time, mechanical
and durability of the concrete itself. As an example, ‘high-alumina
cement’ is a version that increases the concentration of aluminum salt in the
precursor mixture and leads to a richer aluminum content (more C3A)
in the resulting cement. Indeed, the various types of special cement that have emerged from the past 200 years of so originated from tuning of these
properties.
The
second issue is the paradoxical observation of water’s action towards concrete.
Water is needed in the setting and hardening of the concrete. Yet, the strength of the resulting
concrete is developed and enhanced by immersion of the concrete in water, which may sound counter-intuitive to many. That is because
the calcium-based cement is a hydraulic-setting cement, meaning that the resulting concrete
develops its mechanical strength in water. That would certainly sound strange
to many people not in the field of construction engineering.
Yet,
there is a caveat in the water immersion issue. While calcium-based concrete
can develop strength in a water medium, we mean water only. If the aqueous
environment contains other inorganic salts, just like in the marine environment, it
will lead to a deterioration of the structure in terms of mechanical strength and issues in durability.
Thus, underwater construction has always posed a problem for the field of
building materials, and throughout history many has worked towards solving the problem. That is where Roman Concrete enters the story.
Roman
Concrete, which has been used in the construction of many architectures since
Ancient Rome, was reputed to be a very durable building material. Also, the ancient
building material was in particular famous for application in underwater
building work, including bridges and areas near water. The Roman concrete was
also based on a calcium hydraulic-setting cement, like the Ordinary Portland
Cement. The wonder behind this ancient cement can be summarized by one word:
Pozzolana.
Pozzolana (Latin: pulvis puteolanus) is the volcanic ash found from
Pozzuoli, Italy.
While it is known that other civilizations, like Egypt and Greek, has adopted
similar approaches in their building work, that was the Romans who have really
popularized the idea and committed to large scale construction. Volcanic ash is
a product of a relatively explosive volcanic eruption, often due to the rhyolite-natured
magma (more felsic / acidic magma due to a higher SiO2 content), and that
contains more gas products and hence a more violent eruption. When the liquid magma is released into the
air through a pyroclastic eruption, the resulting tiny fragments of glass
formed from that are the volcanic ashes. The pozzolanic volcanic ash is rich in
silica and alumina, and by reacting with lime, Ca(OH)2, further
products are obtained, giving rise to its specific properties. The resulting
cement has a higher silica content than the standard version of modern cement,
and they are not indeed very different certain specific types of cement nowadays, where
additives like fly ash and fumed silica are added into the precursor mix.
The
resulting concrete, prepared from the cement (Lime and Pozzolana), various aggregate
and water, has offered a number of advantages. First, the concrete is very
durable. That can be attributed to the high silica and alumina content of the
cement. Also, it is very resistant to the action of salt water. Thus, in the
marine environment, even if the concrete structure was submerged under water,
the mechanical strength of the structure was not compromised. This can be
explained as high-alumina cement is often resistant to sulfate attack and the
action of other inorganic salts. One will always feel with a sense of awe how
a volcano-related material can contribute so much to a long-standing construction
problem.
The ancient cement from the Roman Empire may be from a long, long time ago, yet the concept behind such an achievement is in no way antiquated. The type of ancient cement has inspired a modern type of cement known as 'Pozzolanic Cement', which is still used in a number of regions around the world. The approach is immortalized by a named chemical reaction, and a number of international standards regarding the use of these materials in building industry. You will never view the volcanos in the same way again!
by Ed Law
Conatus Classics
Recently, Jean-Luc Godard’s ‘Le Mepris’ (a.k.a. ‘Contempt’) was shown again in cinemas in Hong Kong. The cast featured a genuinely cosmopolitan selection of actors and actresses, and the film explored diverse themes like love, professional relationships, authorship, and cinema as an art. ‘Le Mepris’ chronicled the deteriorating relationships of a screenwriter and his wife (played by Michel Piccoli and Brigitte Bardot), when he was asked by an American producer (played by Jack Palance) to rewrite a script of ‘Odyssey’ by a director from Europe (Fritz Lang in an iconic acting role). Done in color and Cinemascope, Godard delivered his promise to offer the audience a Panavision/Technicolor film!
The Cinemascope was a widescreen cinematographic process that was popular in the 1950s. It would soon fall out of favour and gave way to other types of improved widescreen process. The key motivation for the innovation was to provide a more epic spectacle for the audience, thus boosting the entertainment value of watching films. Certain genres have indeed been benefited from this photographic style, which somewhat guaranteed an epic feel in terms of the visual aspects. Yet the process itself was not easily executed and many filmmakers, including the great masters, have expressed their dislikes of the novel system. As Fritz Lang’s character mocked in the film, Cinemascope was only good for shooting long things like a coffin or a boa constrictor. That should not be surprising when we consider Lang’s origin from the Expressionist cinema of the 1920s, when films were often shot in the Academy Ratio (1.33:1). Furthermore, wide-angle lenses were often employed to give a stronger depth of field.
It was not certain if Godard himself liked Cinemascope or not, yet the talent filmmaker from the French New Wave made brilliant use of this tricky format through a careful consideration of mise-en-scene, adopting the technique to his own advantage. Godard used the horizontal width of the film format to show his intention, to illustrate the distance between the couple. In some cases, the wide format exaggerated the compartmental aspect of the couple's apartment. The irony was that while the household was supposed to be the places for intimate relationships, the husband and wife were alienated by the modernized arrangement and were isolated, while desperately regaining a sense of intimacy from each other. Godard has made a judicious choice of using Homer’s ‘Odyssey’ as the film-in-the-film: while the epic poem has an adventure theme throughout, it is easy to overlook the subtle theme of familial relationships: Odysseus was desperately to return home tor restore the order of the oikos (household), and Penelope’s faith towards Odysseus not only reflected her moral outlook but also her commitment to the family. In the middle of ‘Le Mepris’, the producer and the director came into a severe dispute regarding the interpretation of Homer’s epic, where the American producer made an interesting proposal that Odysseus left because of Penelope’s possible infidelity. Which exactly reflected the writer and the wife’s ongoing situation, when the wife was attracted to the playboy-type producer. Like Odysseus, the writer would eventually return home, yet with a sense of loss. Without giving spoilers, the readers should watch that for themselves!
by Ed Law
Film Analysis
It is often challenging to assert a sense of individualism in life. Despite our biological makeup what emphasizes a notion of physiological and psychological individuality, culture has dictated that humans, like many other species of the animal world, have to survive in a communal setting. While one feels the demand of meeting up to one’s potential, is that often consistent with the expectations from the group one finds himself in? In 1970, Richard Bach has written a novella which would eventually become the classic of self-help literature in the 20th century. ‘Jonathan Livingston Seagull’ is an allegory of one’s striving towards self-actualization. Though the protagonist of the novella is merely a seagull, many readers can easily identify with this ‘outsider’ of the flock. The bird’s unique experience has proved to be inspiring for many and the novella has become a bestseller. In 1973, the film version of ‘Jonathan Livingston Seagull’ was released. The film’s style is very representative of its era – with the daring spirit, and much of the film focused only on the protagonist – remember that is a seagull - and the natural world it has travelled through. Maybe due to the lack of human characters and the austere style, the film received mixed review, unlike the overwhelming positive response to the novella. Nevertheless, the film has received 2 Oscar nominations in the technical categories and it was also memorable for the song ‘Be’, performed by Neil Diamond.
‘Fitzcarraldo’, the 1982 epic-adventure film by the German filmmaker Werner Herzog, is the kind of film that can claim few peers. Focusing on a favorite theme of the filmmaker – egomaniac characters doing unbelievable feats and pushing the very limits of humanity – the film certainly reflects Herzog’s rigorous approach to his art. Filming the masterpiece in an unfamiliar part of nature and without resort to any CGI, Herzog has managed to move through so many obstacles that could simply put the project to a definite full-stop. Notwithstanding the daunting special effect the team had to devise, the leading man, originally starred by Jason Robards, had to be changed abruptly when the actor succumbed to illness. Calling in Herzog's many-time partner – and in a sense nemesis – Klaus Kinski to the set, the legendary actor replaced Robards and delivered another brilliant performance of a lifetime, comparable to the memorable Aguirre. The outcome may be unintentional, yet we can all anticipate that when we put Kinski into the equation: who in this universe can be as convincing as an egotistical mad genius other than the great actor from ‘Aguirre, Wrath of God’?
The film, which is based on a true story, is just as extreme as ‘Aguirre’. Brian ‘Fitzcarraldo’ Fitzgerald (who was influenced by the real Peruvian Carlos Fitzgerald) was a rubber baron who wished to explore development in the natural landscapes of Peru. With a great taste in opera, he pitched the idea of building an opera house in the middle of the forest. His ideas certainly raised eyebrows from the locals and his employees. Undaunted by any doubts out of a sound and rational mind, Fitzcarraldo pushed forward with his visions, at one point hauling a steam boat – intact – over a steep hill. Would our protagonist realize his dream, or was he just going too far?
Herzog often adopts unique approaches to his filmmaking, and he can often employ the various filmic elements to his advantage. Not relying on any ‘cheats’ from the possibility of special visual effects, he decided to drag a real boat in the iconic scene. The feat appeared to be insurmountable, and unfortunately led to a few injuries for the cast, yet the final result has demonstrated such a realism that no audience would doubt if that could happen in real life. The pitfalls of Fitzcarraldo’s mission were brilliantly played out, not through a hyped way of portraying action in many modern films, but through a slow-burn approach, banging slowly through a solemn cinematic rhythm. Even when the action did not appear to be fast paced or ‘exciting’ in any modern sense of these terms, the audience could appreciate that something would inevitably go wrong in the plan.
Klaus Kinski, whose combative and mercurial personality has been legendary on film sets, was again cleverly channeled by Herzog for the effects of the film. Certainly not being very friendly towards others in the project, Kinski’s temperament has been transposed onto the relationships between Fitzcarraldo and his workers, and that is often the case when one has to work for a charismatic, yet egoistical leader. The archetype of charismatic leader, with the mega can-do attitude and insatiable drive, strives hard to achieve the dreams and visions no matter the cost. It is indeed quite chilling to see that these characters are often manipulative and convincing in a sense that their followers are willing to submit to their power and commit sacrifice for them. Thinking of historical figures like Napoleon Bonaparte, one can see that if the leader does not have charisma, or possesses an eloquent rhetoric that can convince the mass that their bigger-than-life dreams are possible to come true, there may never have any of these significant feats in history. Herzog, like what he has done in many of his other films, was not trying to judge if Fitzcarraldo’s obsession was right or not. He shared with us such an impossible achievement just to allow us to make up our own minds. Be it reality or fiction, the ambivalence demonstrated by the troubled geniuses was what has pushed humanity forward.
by Ed Law
Film Analysis
