ELEPHANT MAN, THE

(October 1980, U.S.)

For some inexplicable reason, whenever I think about David Lynch's THE ELEPHANT MAN, the first thing I think about is not his impressive career, but rather THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK (Exucse me?? Care to explain that one, Eric??). Well, it's not only because the film was released at the same time the second STAR WARS film was still going very strong, but it's also because during the previous Spring of 1980, the lead in the Broadway version of THE ELEPHANT MAN had been played by none other than Mark Hamill (Luke Skywalker) himself. Okay, I didn't say that my reasons would make a whole LOT of sense, but it's the way my twisted mind sometimes works.

Now is it just me or does Mel Brooks (producer of this film) have some kind of strange attraction to stories of human deformity? I mean, the guy produced the 1986 remake of THE FLY, too! Well, be that as it may, his venture into a non-comic tale couldn't have been more to the opposite side of his traditional comedic coin. The true story of John Merrick (his name was Joseph in real life) is disturbing, shocking, depressing and touching at the right times. David Lynch's choice to shoot 19th Century England is black and white is visual cinematic genius, to say the least. John Hurt plays Merrick, but you'd never know it without properly checking the film credits. In this story, Merrick is discovered in a Victorian freak show by surgeon Dr. Frederick Treves (played by Anthony Hopkins) and is so deformed that he must wear a hood and cap whenever he's in public. Treves is professionally intrigued by Merrick's condition and brings him to his hospital so that he can examine him. The ward nurses are horrified by Merrick's appearance, so Treves places him in a quarantine room under the watchful care of the formidable matron, Mrs. Mothershead (played by Wendy Hiller). As Merrick learns to speak and slowly discover his own identity as a man, it begins to appears as if he was rescued from the cruelty of one freak show only to be substituted for a kinder, more civilized, acceptable version of the same freak show. Merrick is still being shown off in public and other people are managing to benefit greatly from his presence. At one point in the film, even Dr. Treves himself questions his motives and loosely compares himself to those who had previously mistreated Merrick.

You recall earlier when I used the word "touching" as one of the many adjectives for this film? That can easily be claimed when the famous actress Mrs. Madge Kendal (played by Mrs. Mel Brooks herself, Anne Bangcroft) arranges an evening at the local musical theatre. Presented in full formal attive, Merrick rises in the Royal Box to a standing ovation of London's society, having had the performance dedicated to him from Mrs Kendal. That night, back at the hospital, he lies down (something he's not supposed to do given the enourmous size of his head) on his bed and dies peacefully, consoled by a vision of his mother whom we have frequently seen a photograph of during the course of the film.

Rest assured, though, as touching and moralizing as much of THE ELEPHANT MAN can be at times, it's still filled with the richly bizarre and surrealistic style of film making and storytelling that any David Lynch fan would come to expect from his work. And who can't give John Hurt the highest credit he deserves for being able to achieve such a performance under the heaviest, most grueling of make-up mask experiences? This is also the same man that gave birth to a small alien out of his stomach the year before in ALIEN (1979).

Favorite line or dialogue:

John Merrick: "I am not an elephant! I am not an animal! I am a human being! I am a man!"

EL CID

(December 1961, U.S.)

If film history has proven one thing, it's proven that just about any historical epic starring Charlton Heston is going a successful, spectacular screen experience. Anthony Mann's story of the life of the Christian Castilian knight Don Rodrigo Diaz de Vivar (played by Heston), called "El Cid", who in the 11th Century fought the North African Almoravides and ultimately contributed to the unification of Spain, is filled with all the widescreen spectacle, action and romance that will please any true film lover.

One of the first things we immediately learn about Rodrigo is that although his intentions always seem noble enough, he is constantly a provoking instigator. In the beginning, while simply on route to see his beloved future bride Doña Jimena (played by the Italian beauty Sophia Loren), he becomes involved in a battle against an army of the Moors. Rodrigo releases several captured Emir prisoners on the condition that they never again attack King Ferdinand of Castile. For this act he's accused of treason against the King by Jimena's father, Count Gormaz. Rodrigo kills Gormaz in defense of his family honor and his true love (temporarily) becomes his true enemy. Not for long, though - she'll love him again. As cliche might expect, when the King dies, his two sons immediately go to war to see who will ultimately claim the rightful throne. In a plot right out of HAMLET, the eldest son King Sancho is king only for a short time until he's assassinated by his younger brother Alfonso's doing (you see - I told you that it's BROTHERS that always seem to want to kill each other!). In a particularly intruiging scene, Rodrigo commits another bold act of defiance when he publicly challanges King Alfonso during the royal coronation to swear on the Holy Books that he had no part in his brother's killing. He does convincingly, but we as the viewer no better and we know that a Prince who has stolen the power needed to become King is, indeed, a dangerous man.

Another sequence I've always found impossible to ignore is the moment before the final battle when we alreay know that Rodrigo is dead. However, in order to give his army the proper inspiration and morale, and to also disuade and push the enemy back into the sea, he is positioned on his horse with his eyes wide open in order to give the appearance that he's alive, strong and ready to do battle. It's a deception that grabs your attention and makes your own eyes open just a little bit wider.

EL CID can sit proudly alongside a line of epic films of history, battle and romance that include the likes of BEN-HUR (1959), SPARTACUS (1960) and even GLADIATOR (2000). When I watch a film like this, even while I'm enjoying it immensely, I still find myself drifting off into a fantasy of having been around back in the day to have been able to see it on the big screen during it's exclusive roadshow engagements. THIS was a period of cinema history that I consider quite underated. It was also the period of cinema history that just started to usher in the beginning of the end for the entire Hollywood studio system of the 1960s. But that's another piece of history.

Favorite line or dialogue:

King Alfonso: "Rodrigo of Vivar, called the Cid, why do you alone refuse me fealty?"
Rodrigo Diaz: "Sire, all those you see here, though none dare say so, harbor the suspicion that you may have counseled your own brother's death. Unless you can prove your innocence, you will have no loyal subjects. Your kingdom will be torn by doubt. Thus, I cannot give you fealty, nor own you as my liege."
Alfonso: "What will satisfy you of my innocence?"
Rodrigo: "Your oath upon the Holy Books!"
Alfonso: "You would ask me to swear?"
Rodrigo: "Sire, I DO ask it!"
Alfonso: "Very well!"
Rodrigo: "Will you swear that you had no part in the ordering of King Sancho's death?"
Alsonso: "I so swear!"
Rodrigo: "Do you swear that you had no part by way of COUNSEL in King Sancho's death?"
Alfonso: "I so swear!"
Rodrigo: "Do you swear that you had no part by way of DESIGN in King Sancho's death?"
Alfonso: "I swear it!"
Rodrigo: "If you are foresworn, may you die such a death as your brother did! Struck from behind by the hand of a traitor! Say, "Amen'!"
Alfonso: "You press me too far, Rodrigo!"
Rodrigo: "Say 'Amen'!"
Alfonso: "Amen."

8 1/2

(June 1963, U.S.)

If you're at the point in your life of film appreciation where you have yet to experience to world of Italian film maker Federico Fellini, then let me tell you that you'll be required to switch your brain into a mode of patience, tolerance and understanding that you may have never used before (and, frankly, a mode that most Friday night multiplex moviegoers NEVER use!). To experience the world of Fellini is to enter a level of fantasy and reality that can only best be described as pure artistic self-indulgence.

The title of 8 1/2 refers to Fellini's eighth and a half film as a director. His previous directorial work consisted of six features, two short segments, and a collaboration with another director, Alberto Lattuada, the latter three productions accounting for a "half" film each. By this point in his career, he'd reached a point where his ability for the proper inspiration and storytelling had reached a block. Solution? Make a black and white film about an Italian director named Guido Anselmi (played by long-time collaborator Marcello Mastroianni) who's reached a point where his ability for the proper inspiration and storytelling has reached a block. Get it? Stalled on his new science fiction film that includes veiled autobiographical references, Guido has lost all interest amid artistic and marital difficulties. As he struggles half-heartedly to work on his film, a series of flashbacks and dreams delve into his vivid memories and fantasies; however they are frequently interwoven with the reality he must contend with everyday. It's a film about the struggles involved in the creative process, both technical and personal, and the problems artists must face when expected to deliver something personal and profound with intense public scrutiny, on a constricted schedule, while simultaneously having to deal with their own personal demons. It is also, in a much larger sense, about finding true personal happiness in a difficult, fragmented life; something all of us probably deal with at one time or another.

All of these complex elements add up to, frankly, one of the most incomprehensible films you are ever likely to see in your life. But don't give up too quickly! Stay with it to fully absorb it's extraordinary black and white cinematography and to understand the above-mentioned themes. Let me tell you that when I first saw Fellini's 8 1/2, my initial reaction to its style and structure was, "Are you fucking kidding me??" Now I'm proud to actually call it my favorite foreign subtitled film of all time. How's THAT for improving one's maturity level when it comes to film? Let me also tell you that when my wife and I were dating back in 1999, I took her to see a special screening of 8 1/2 at the Paris Theatre in New York City. While being a very intelligent woman, let's just say she didn't exactly appreciate the film the way I did. As a matter of fact, she had this look on her face that suggested, "Are you fucking kidding me??"

This film, by the way, was inspiration to many other types of films, including American titles like ALL THAT JAZZ (1979), Woody Allen's STARDUST MEMORIES (1980) and most recently the musical NINE (2009).

Favorite line or dialogue:

Guido Anselmi: "I thought my ideas were so clear. I wanted to make an honest film. No lies whatsoever. I thought I had something so simple to say. Something useful to everybody. A film that could help bury forever all those dead things we carry within ourselves. Instead, I'm the one without the courage to bury anything at all. When did I go wrong? I really have nothing to say, but I want to say it all the same."

EAST OF EDEN

(March 1955, U.S.)

In 1981, there was a four-part ABC-TV mini-series that was very faithful to John Steinbeck's original novel. I mention this only because it was due to this TV version that I later learned that Elia Kazan's theatrical version is only loosely based primarily on the second part of the novel, focussing on the story of a wayward young man named Cal (played famously by the great James Dean) who, while seeking his own identity, competes for the affection of his deeply religious father against his favored brother Aron (played by Richard Davalos).

But before getting into the film itself, there's something about this tale that brings to mind a fact I've often noticed, and that's this - have you ever noticed that nearly all stories featuring sibling rivalry have almost always pit BROTHER AGAINST BROTHER? Really, think about it. Cain and Abel, Moses and Ramses, Mufasa and Scar (THE LION KING), J.R. and Bobby Ewing (DALLAS), etc. If you're a fan of the British rock band, The Kinks, then you know that Ray and Dave Davies can't stand each other. I could probably go on and on. My point is, you almost never see stories of sibling rivalry featuring two sisters and I have yet to EVER see a story where a brother and sister go to war against each other. I'm not saying it doesn't exist. I'm only saying I have yet to see it.

But back to EAST OF EDEN...

Set in the central California coastal towns of Monterey and Salinas during World War I, Cal and Aron are the young adult sons of a modestly successful farmer and wartime draft board chairman named Adam Trask (played by Raymond Massey). Cal is very moody and embittered by his belief that his father favors Aron (which he does). Although both Cal and Aron had long been led to believe that their mother had died, the opening scene of the film reveals that Cal has come to realize that his mother is still alive, owning and running a successful brothel in nearby Monterey. Not exactly the "fitting" wife for a religeous farmer, is it? Although Cal has many reasons to despise his father, he still years to please him and gain his acceptance. To do that, he seeks to profit from bean farming during wartime in order to earn back all the money his father lost during a refrigeration enterprise. Meanwhile, Aron's girlfriend Abra (played by Julie Harris) gradually finds herself attracted to Cal, who yearns to reciprocate her feelings (first rule of brotherly relations - don't steal his woman!). Anyway, getting back to the money...Cal's efforts to make his father happy with the money are actually quite touching, but it all ultimately turns tragic when his father refuses the money because he considers any sort of profiteering during wartime to be "blood" money, and he can't live with that. We watch on screen, James Dean being the 1950's cultural icon and heart-throb male that he was, break down like a weak, pathetic child when his father refuses his kind financial gesture. As a viewer, you can actually hear yourself thinking, "Oh, shit! This is all going to get so much worse!" It does.

The end of the film plays out in symbolic tradion of life and death. The relationship between Aron and Cal is dead, as is Cal's relationship with Abra and his father, as well. Aron, bitter and spiteful, is off to fight in the war and will surely meet his death. Adam has suffered a serious stroke and will likely die. However, their is the birth of Cal and Abra's new love for each other, as well as a new love and understanding between Cal and his father. So, I guess one could claim, that amidst a domino effect of tragic circumstances, there is the birth of a happy ending, after all.

EAST OF EDEN was the first of only three films James Dean ever made.

Favorite line or dialogue:

Cal Trask: "I've been jealous all my life. Jealous, I couldn't even stand it. Tonight, I even tried to buy your love, but now I don't want it anymore...I can't use it anymore. I don't want any kind of love anymore. It doesn't pay off."

EASTERN PROMISES

(September 2007, U.S.)

When you think about the career of director David Cronenberg, I suppose his film making reputation could be compared to that of Steven Spielberg. In the beginning, it appeared that the man was geared only toward one type of film - in Cronenberg's case, gory horror films that included RABID and the remake of THE FLY. But then, all of a sudden, he's changing his form and his style and suddenly you're getting titles like NAKED LUNCH (1991), M. BUTTERFLY (1993), A HISTORY OF VIOLENCE (2005) and EASTERN PROMISES. But rest assured, though, that while I can't claim to have seen M. BUTTERFLY, the others that I mentioned are not without their share of unsettling gore. In fact, EASTERN PROMISES, a story about a British-Russian midwife's interaction with the Russian mafia in London and the subsequent sex trafficking of underage Russian girls, is one of the bloodiest crime films I've ever seen.

Viggo Mortensen's role of mob driver and "problem cleaner" Nikolai Luzhin comes off as pretty much the same kind of man you've seen ol' Viggo play before - the very silent and very deadly type. Anna Khitrova (played by Naomi Watts), is the above-mentioned midwife who finds a Russian-language diary on the body of Tatiana, a 14-year-old girl who dies in childbirth. She also finds a business card for the Trans-Siberian restaurant, which is owned by Semyon (played wonderfully by Armin Mueller-Stahl), a boss in the Russian Mafia or "vory v zakone" ("thieves in law"). Anna thus sets out to track down the girl's family so that she can find a home for the dead mother's baby girl. She risks her life in doing so because the mafia wants the incriminating diary destroyed and anybody who has any knowledge of it, as well.

Now in order to disucss this next part, I'm force to give away the fact that Nikolai is eventually revealed as an FSB agent who has infiltrated the mafia, working under license by the British Government. As part of his undercover duties, Nikolai was able to read Tatiana's diary before Semyon had it destroyed and hatched a plan to have Semyon arrested for statutory rape. However, I don't think it's particularly one hundred percent clear if his proposal to take over as "king" of the mafia sector is strictly a part of his cover or if he's suddenly decided to grab an opportunity to "turn to the dark side" and embrace the temptation of power. Listen to the dialogue and how it plays out in its applicable scene and you'll see what I mean.

With regard to the rather infamous knife fight in the sauna, I don't know what I find more unsettling - the excessive blood involved or the fact that I have to look at Viggo's totally naked ass and dick during the fight. I suppose straight women and gay men are getting a kick out of it, but for me...hmmmm.

Favorite line or dialogue:

Anna Khitrova: "Tell Semyon the baby I delivered last Sunday is his daughter."
Kirill: "What did she say?"
Nikolai Luzhin: "I don't know."
Anna: "When he raped her she was a virgin. They they gave her pills. He HAS to be the father!"

DUNE

(December 1984, U.S.)

There are seven words that I want you all to get used to my repeating whenever applicable for my blog posts, and those words are, TIME CAN BE KIND TO ANY FILM, even to David Lynch's deliberately-bizarre and idiosyncratic "love it or hate it" version of Frank Herbert's acclaimed novel. DUNE is an ambitious, epic, completely mind-boggling, and, let's be honest, really fucking weird science fiction film and one of the most controversial films in the director's exceedingly provocative career. The story (if there is actually only ONE story) is quite complex and convoluted in the epic tradition, as it involvs political intrigue and the desert planet Arrakis that is home to a precious spice and gigantic sand worms.

To fully understand the controversy surrounding this film, I suggest you look it up. Let me just say, though, that prior to its release, Universal Pictures was quite confident it had their own STAR WARS saga on their hands, and marketed it as such. Did you know that David Lynch actually turned down the opportunity to direct RETURN OF THE JEDI in order to make DUNE instead (can you just IMAGINE the kind of Star Wars film David Lynch would have given us??). Needless to say, Universal didn't exactly get what they'd hoped for. DUNE was panned by critics and hated by audiences, as well. Was DUNE really such a bad film? Of course not, or I wouldn't have the film in my collection. In my humble opinion, I don't feel audiences and critics were ready to fully embrace the artistic style that David Lynch later became praised for in films like BLUE VELVET, MULLHOLLAND DRIVE and TV's TWIN PEAKS. In other words, people just might have been too impatient or too fucking stupid to get it. Over the years, though, DUNE managed to gain popular cult status following in the tradition of other intelligent, artistic science fiction films that failed to appeal to audiences at the time of their release - films like, 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY, THX-1138, SOLARIS and BLADE RUNNER, to name some. I'll be happy to admit that when I first watched DUNE on video in the 1980s, I didn't exactly walk away very pleased. I didn't hate it, but I didn't get it, either. Then some years later, after I became an avid fan of BLUE VELVET and TWIN PEAKS, I gave the film another look and fully appreciated the bizarre artistic style that Lynch was trying to convey.

Might DUNE have been a more popular film off the bat had the same exact film been released, say, seven-to-ten year later after TWIN PEAKS went off the air? Maybe. The fact remains that regardless of the history of DUNE, it's a dazzling and fascinating film with moments of action and cinematography that are not only fun to watch, but challenging to the eyes and the mind. The strangely whispered voice-overs that explain the characters' thoughts only require some patience and the ability to really listen. If you can manage to do that, then the film opens itself up even further beyond the tradition sci-fi sterotypes of good versus evil, space battles and giant monsters.

Let's not forget the great cast that was chosen for DUNE, also. Kyle Maclachlan in his debut film role as the hero Paul Atreides, Patrick Stewart in a pre-NEXT GENERATION sci-fi role, Max Von Sydow, Richard Jordan, Freddie Jones, Sean Young, Dean Stockwell, a very young Virginia Madsen and even Sting (right after The Police broke up). And hey, where else are you going to find an entire film scored by the rock band Toto?

So in short, film history can say whatever the fuck it wants to, but DUNE is one of the most intelligent, thought-provoking science fiction films ever made, in my opinion. David Lynch should feel nothing but pride for his achievement. Fuck the people if they didn't get it!

Favorite line or dialogue:

Princess Irulan: "A beginning is a very delicate time. Know then, that is is the year 10191. The known universe is ruled by the Padishah Emperor Shaddam the Fourth, my father. In this time, the most precious substance in the universe is the spice Melange. The spice extends life. The spice expands consciousness. The spice is vital to space travel. The Spacing Guild and its navigators, who the spice has mutated over 4000 years, use the orange spice gas, which gives them the ability to fold space. That is, travel to any part of the universe without moving. Oh, yes. I forgot to tell you...the spice exists on only one planet in the entire universe. A desolate, dry planet with vast deserts. Hidden away within the rocks of these deserts are a people known as the Fremen, who have long held a prophecy that a man would come, a messiah, who would lead them to true freedom. The planet is Arrakis, also known as Dune."

DUMB AND DUMBER

(December 1994, U.S.)

Well, I told you that the next film would be something we could all laugh at. And what better to laugh at than the insane slapstick and gross-out humor of DUMB AND DUMBER.

Let me start off by clarifying something. Over the course of this blog, I may have given the impression that I'm just too damn serious about film and not capable of enjoying some screen silliness once in a while. Not true. I have, in my course of film appreciation, enjoyed many stupid comedies. The trouble I have is that when I see today's stupid array films over the last decade like THE 40 YEAR-OLD VIRGIN, THE HANGOVER or any of the number of Will Ferrel-starred films, my first reaction is like, "Man, I saw all that shit thrity-some-odd years ago!" I saw it in the form of ANIMAL HOUSE, CADDYSHACK, PORKY'S and FAST TIMES AT RIDGEMONT HIGH. If you're going to give me stupidity on the screen, at the very least give me SOMETHING I may not have seen already...something...anything!

So would I call the Farrelly brothers' DUMB AND DUMBER an example of true comedy originality? Of course not. But its premise of simply treating stupid guys like Lloyd Christmas (played outrageously by Jim Carrey) and Harry Dunne (played just as well by Jeff Daniels) as truly the stupid guys that they are without attempting to be sensitive or politically correct in nature is a stroke of comedic genius, in my opinion. It's a buddy movie and a road movie as our two would-be-heroes set off on a cross-country road trip in a van dressed up like a dog (the "Shaggin’ Wagon") to Aspen, Colorado ("Where the beer flows like wine.") to innocently return a suitcase to Mary Swanson (played by Lauren Holly), not knowing that the case is actually fully of ranson money that the bad guys will surely come looking for. Along the way, the two run into several misadventures, though they always manage to wriggle their way out of them. You see, even the most incredibly stupid of people can (rarely) display acts of cleverness when the need arrises. Just remember, though, that DUMB AND DUMBER is not a movie about plot. In fact, if it were anyone but crazy Jim Carrey, a movie filled with a series of instances where two men get to act like idiots would likely not hold up too long. But again, Carrey carries a role that he was born to play and he doesn't let up for even a moment of seriousness. And in all fairness to Jeff Daniels, the actor who has sported mostly dramatic roles, holds his idiotic end up well against Carrey. I can only just imagine the fun these two must have had with each other making this film. Just sitting together (mostly) naked together in a red heart-shaped tub drinking beers must have been cause for unbelievable laughter.

The timing of watching DUMB AND DUMBER was perfect for me, in a way, particularly after an entire day of solumn relfection on the tenth anniversary of 9/11. Nothing keeps you in hysterical stitches like insanely-funny dialogue. And speaking of dialogue, I have to say that choosing my favorite line or dialogue for THIS one is going to be very tough, indeed, but I'll give it a go...

Favorite line or dialogue:

Lloyd Christmas: "I want to ask you a question... straight out, flat out... and I want you to give me an honest answer. What do you think the chances of a guy like you and a girl like me... ending up together?"
Mary Swanson: "Well, Lloyd, that's difficult to say. I mean, we don't really..."
Lloyd: " Hit me with it! Just give it to me straight! I came a long way just to see you, Mary. The least you can do is level with me. What are my chances?"
Mary: "Not good."
Lloyd: "You mean, not good like one out of a hundred?"
Mary: "I'd say more like one out of a million."
Lloyd: "So you're telling me there's a chance...YEAH!!! I read you."