My favourite movie soundtracks and scores part 1

Tags

Doctor Zhivago, Jane Campion, Maurice Jarre, Michael Nyman, movie score, movie soundtrack, The Piano

Personally, I believe you need music in a film. It can bring out emotions on-screen and create atmosphere. Here are a few of my favourite soundtracks and scores.

The Piano

Michael Nyman’s score builds with evocative and melancholy abandon helping accentuate the main themes of the Jane Campion film. The main theme is a beautifully constructed thing of beauty that leaves you feeling like you are on a journey.

The Hours

Philip Glass’ score is like life itself, filled with both joy and heartbreak. The score is like a rumination on the complexities of the human mind and the various vicissitudes that life inflicts upon us. A haunting and poetic listen.

The Secret Garden

Zbigniew Preisner’s score brims with a perfect sense of period drama. The music helps explore the themes of awakening in the soul and spiritual redemption, whilst also capturing a childlike sensibility.

Doctor Zhivago

Maurice Jarre’s memorable soundtrack to the epic love story set against the Russian Revolution is one of the most beautiful things I have ever heard. It stays in my head whenever I hear it. Just hearing the beginning of the lilting “Lara’s Theme” transports me to a snow covered Russia.

Part 2 will follow shortly

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Which movie family would you join?

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movie family

This is just a fun post I’ve decided to write. I have often asked myself this question but I am unsure of my answer because there are so many memorable families in the movies. So go ahead and think of a cinematic brood that you wouldn’t mind being a part of if they were real. These are a few examples but it can be any family from any movie.

My favourite actors and actresses

Tags

Al Pacino, Bette Davis, James Stewart, Maggie Smith, Natalie Portman, The Godfather Trilogy

There are many movie stars who come and go over the years. But the ones that are listed and described below are the ones that have made a significant impact on me and my movie watching in my life.

James Stewart- In his heyday, Jimmy Stewart was one of the top leading men. He wasn’t considered conventionally handsome but seen as gawky and ungainly. But boy could he act!!! My favourite films of Stewart are the many he made with Hitchcock who often used him as the archetypal wrong man. Rear Window is a must see for Stewart fans. And who can forget that famous voice he possessed and the countless imitators who have tried to copy it?

Bette Davis- Another performer not sen as conventionally attractive, Davis worked with what she had and left an indelible mark on the screen. She was best cast as the bitchy or scheming woman who delights in the misery of others but also as women who suffer in some way. Those famous eyes used to convey many emotions on-screen and her voice to blast out acidic put downs and withering insults. For me,when Davis was on the screen everything else stopped and I was immediately drawn to her. Her best performance in my opinion is as the aging actress Margo Channing in All about Eve.

Maggie Smith- A grand dame of acting, Maggie Smith is proof that age doesn’t diminish good opportunities in movies. She imbues her characters with many memorable traits and is highly skilled at portraying waspish grandmothers and stern duchesses. Whatever movie or TV show I watch her in I enjoy, especially when she gets the chance to deliver hysterically bitchy lines and punishing glares.

Al Pacino- What more can be said about Pacino? He is an influential and extremely talented individual who has been acting for over four decades. Whether playing hero or villain or sometimes the tragic hero, he is amazing in his acting delivery. If he is ever forgotten, people will always remember him in The Godfather. And it’s shocking that the studio didn’t even want to cast him. The Godfather without Pacino is just unimaginable.

Natalie Portman- For me, Natalie Portman is one of the leading actresses of her generation. Emerging as a precocious talent at the age of 12 as the Lolita-esque Mathilda in Leon, she made a seemingly easy rise to adult stardom. I like Portman because she is never afraid to take risks; she shaved her hair for V for Vendetta and trained intensley for months for her Oscar-winning role as an unstable ballerina in Black Swan.  A talented and intelligent actress who I hope will continue her amazing career.

Part 2 will follow very soon.

Best last shots of a movie Part 1

Tags

Best, Cate Blanchett, Dangerous Liaisons, Danvers, Elizabeth, Glenn Close, Hitchcock, Joan Fontaine, Last Shots, Laurence Olivier, Rebecca, Shekhar Kapur

In my opinion, the last shot of a movie has to be memorable and stick in the mind. I have accumulated a list of my personal favourite shots before the credits begin to roll. This is part 1 of a number of posts I will write.

Be warned they may contain spoilers!!!!

Here they are:

Elizabeth- In Shekhar Kapur’s biopic of the rise of the Virgin Queen , Elizabeth( Cate Blanchett in a career making role) walks into court in the Virgin Queen persona, married to her country having sacrificed personal happiness for the people. This final scene occurs after surviving opposition and assassination attempts to her asceneding to the throne  throughout the film.Her intense and regal gaze as she walks towards the camera and takes a seat upon her throne signifies the metamorphosis from skittish girl to powerful queen, now fully aware of the duties that lie ahead of her.

Rebecca- In Hitchcock’s first venture into American movies, the last shot is both sly and ambiguous. Throughout the film, Joan Fontaine’s character has been tormented by the menacing Mrs Danvers who was obsessed with the first wife, the eponymous Rebecca and tried to drive the new wife away from her marriage to Laurence Olivier’s rich widower. The last shot happens after Danvers in a psychotic state burns down the country house and perishes in the process. The last shot is of Rebecca’s bed engulfed in flames. But the sly gesture is that the pillow features the initial R,  hinting at the lingering and remaining presence of her even though Danvers is gone.

Dangerous Liaisons- I know that I’ve already wrote a review on this, but I didn’t want to write about the last scene because i didn’t want to spoil the movie. Anyway, The last shot of the period drama occurs after the vicious Marquise(Glenn Close at her most bitchy) is ousted by society after her treacherous and sordid personal life is revealed in detail. Because she is so good at hiding her inner viciousness, the last scene is very significant. In it she slowly removes her make-up from her face, an obvious reference to the mask of deceit she has worn so well. Glenn Close makes the scene memorable with her subtle nuances of her character, the one tear that falls and the bitter resentment, sadness and anger that is revealed on her face as she realises she is no longer in control and the one pulling the strings. A geniunely chilling end to the film.

1,000 Views

I have just realised that I have got over 1,000 views on my blog. I want to use this post to express my thanks to everyone who has viewed the blog and commented on it. When I first set about writing this blog I didn’t think that anyone would want to view it.

Thank you to everyone who has helped me reach 1,000 views.

Agnes of God

Tags

1980's, Agnes of God, Anne Bancroft, Drama, Jane Fonda, Meg Tilly, Norman Jewison, Religious Drama

Film Title

Agnes of God

Director

Norman Jewison

Cast

• Jane Fonda as Dr. Martha Livingston
• Anne Bancroft as Mother Miriam Ruth
• Meg Tilly as Sister Agnes

Agnes of God is part religious drama and part mystery surrounding strange event involving a naive nun that happen in a quiet Montreal convent. Although the film at times has a few flaws and unanswered questions, it still remains a rewarding and dramatic watch thanks to the three principal performances of  Jane Fonda, Anne Bancroft and Meg Tilly and the atmospheric music that accompanies it. This is a film that will leave you thinking long and hard after the credits have finished rolling.

The film begins with the nuns of the Montreal convent going about their daily duties such as praying and helping with the land. As night approaches, the serenity and relative stillness of the convent is shattered by a piercing scream from the eponymous Agnes’ room, she is found shortly after bloodied on her floor. The audience later find out that she had given birth to a baby and allegedly strangled it to death. This is when Dr. Martha Livingston a psychiatrist is introduced into the story as the one to find out what really happened. She goes to the convent where she is greeted by Mother Miriam Ruth, the Mother Superior of the convent. The two immediately clash as a result of their conflicting beliefs, Mother Miriam secretive and disapproving of psychiatry and Martha suspicious because of her atheist belief and a past incident that led her to resent the church and religion altogether. The most curious aspect of the unusual case is that Agnes does not have any recollection of conceiving the child or indeed giving birth to it. Also none of the other nuns even knew that Agnes was pregnant in the first place. More to the point, the childlike, naive and beatific Agnes is completely unaware of where babies come from and the ways of the world. Martha then attempts to break through to the intense and devout nun and find out what really happened to her. Did Agnes really conceive a child with another man? Or is it something much deeper than that?

As a mystery the film has its moments of shock and a twist or two, but sometimes isn’t always clear enough on certain aspects of the story and leaves plot holes at various points. But as a drama, the film succeeds on a number of levels as the tension and anxiety surrounding the case begin to grow. As the chain-smoking, forthright psychiatrist, Jane Fonda is excellent especially in her scenes with the dependable Anne Bancroft as Mother Superior, who she has amazing chemistry and believability with. Throughout the film, the two clash over the best way to get through to Agnes,  but at the same time they rely on each other for information and at times guidance. Bancroft is superb as the secretive, wise and clipped Mother Superior, but beneath it all she emerges as something completely different from what she at first appears to be. But the real stand out performance  from the troika of gifted actresses is Meg Tilly as the naive, young novice Agnes. Tilly imbues the character of Agnes with childlike mannerisms and seemingly angelic demeanor, the audience is never really sure what to think of her because of the intense and thoughtful characterisation that Tilly creates. Could this sheltered young nun, with no knowledge of the outside world have really conceived a child and then killed it? It is the little nuances of the character such as her quiet almost whisper of a voice, devout behaviour and beatific smiles that make her so interesting and compelling in the story.

The look is the film should rightly be praised, the cold and sometimes eerie convent cast over in dark colours. The cinematography of Ingmar Bergman regular Sven Nykvist helps accentuate the atmospheric and holy aspects of the story. The music that underscores the film helps back up the themes of religion but also of doubt and suspicion that pervades the mood of the film. All in all, the film can be puzzling and mind-boggling at times but as a showcase for the talented players of the story it scores very highly indeed. Norman Jewison manages to create a thoughtful yet dramatic and compelling story set in the most unlikely of surroundings.

Dark Victory

Tags

1930's, Bette Davis, Dark Victory, Drama, Edmund Goulding, George Brent, Geraldine Fitzgerald, Humphrey Bogart, Melodrama, Tearjerker

Film Title

Dark Victory

Director

Edmund Goulding

Cast

• Bette Davis as Judith Traherne
• George Brent as Dr. Frederick Steele
• Geraldine Fitzgerald as Ann King
• Humphrey Bogart as Michael O’Leary
• Henry Travers as Dr. Parsons

A memorable tear-jerker from the 1930’s, Dark Victory contains one Bette Davis’ best performances. Although highly skilled and supremely effective at playing the bitchy ,wicked and sometimes down right evil woman, she could also be sympathetic and quite touching as evidenced by her portrayal of the tragic  heiress Judith Traherne in Dark Victory.  Although it is clearly a melodrama or “women’s picture” as they were known during the 30’s and 40’s in Hollywood, the performance of  Bette Davis coupled with an emotive score by the great Max Steiner make the film a must see example of a classic tear-jerker.

The  plot of the film focuses on Long Island heiress Judith Traherne, who lives life to the full by smoking and drinking too much, as well as going to parties as often as she can. Although hedonistic and at times very flippant, she has recently been suffering from severe headaches and slight dizziness that she quickly dismisses as nothing at first. But after her eye sight begins to fail causing her to tumble whilst out riding her horse, her sympathetic best friend Ann suggests she see the doctor about it. Judith is very stubborn as she believes she is perfectly well and is deliberately oppositional when confronted by Dr Frederick Steele. After various checks, the young socialite is diagnosed with a brain tumour which Steele believes he can successfully operate on. After the surgery takes place and further tests are done, it is determined that the tumour will resurface again and eventually kill Judith. Steele, who has fallen deeply in love with the young heiress, confides in the caring Ann about this and both agree to stay silent about it, but later on Judith accidentally discovers the truth about what will eventually happen to her. The most tragic thing about it is that before she dies, her vision will begin to deteriorate and she will then become completely blind.  This begins the lead up to one of the most emotional and deeply moving death scenes ever seen on the cinema screen. It is a moment that only a person with a hard heart and no emotional warmth would not find poignant.

Bette Davis is absolutely compelling as the tragic Judith, later in her life she said that her performance in Dark Victory in her opinion was her best performance, out of many from her illustrious and lengthy career. Her best moment on screen is when she realises that she is going blind, the way her face changes from happy and joyful to sad is just heartbreaking to watch. The reason that it is so effective is the look in those famous eyes as she calmly realises that her impending death is gradually approaching and that she must face it. Although the main plot could have been contrived and unrealistic, in the hands of Goulding it becomes a thing of beauty and immense emotional power. In one of her early Hollywood roles, Geraldine Fitzgerald brings warmth and pathos to the character of Ann, as she helps Judith throughout her ordeal.  George Brent is slightly wooden in his role of Dr Steele, but still manages moments of greatness when confessing his love for the young heiress. As much as I am a fan of the great Humphrey Bogart, I do think he is underused in the film and somewhat miscast as the horse trainer who has a soft spot for Judith. If his role had been better written it would have added something more to the film. Despite these minor flaws, the film remains an outstanding example of an emotional melodrama equipped with a classy design and direction that aims straight for the heart of the viewer and succeeds.

The Witches of Eastwick

Tags

1980's, Cher, Comedy, George Miller, Horror, Jack Nicholson, Michelle Pfeiffer, Susan Sarandon, The Witches of Eastwick, Veronica Cartwright

Film Title

The witches of Eastwick

Director

George Miller

Cast

• Jack Nicholson as Daryl Van Horne
• Cher as Alexandra Medford
• Susan Sarandon as Jane Spofford
• Michelle Pfeiffer as Sukie Ridgemont
• Veronica Cartwright as Felicia Alden

Battles of the sexes comedies don’t come much darker and sexier than The Witches of Eastwick. Based on John Updike’s novel of the same name, directed by George Miller of Mad Max fame and featuring an absolutely hysterical performance by Jack Nicholson, Eastwick is a wickedly and darkly comic  film that slightly goes overboard with the special effects in the later parts . Regardless of this minor quibble, the film is still a pleasure and joy to watch partly because of Jack Nicholson and the three main woman who dominate the story. The score composed by John Williams adds to the devilish and lively quality of the film.

The film revolves around three single best friends in the boring, uneventful and traditional New England town of Eastwick. Although different in terms of their personalities,each has the distinction of having a man leave them in some form or another. The dynamic trio of women comprises of strong-willed sculptress Alex, shy and matron like cellist and music teacher Jane and sexy writer for the local newspaper Sukie. To relieve their boredom and feelings of loneliness,they meet every Thursday night for drinks and food. The gatherings are spent discussing what they want in a man and wishing for one to arrive in town. Unbeknownst to the trio, they in fact possess powers that can make strange things happen. After one such gathering, the flamboyant and devilish Daryl Van Horne arrives and purchases a prominent old mansion on the outskirts of town. He immediately sends shock waves through the traditional eponymous town with his brazen, over the top and deliberately lecherous behaviour. Thinking they have conjured up the man of their dreams, the women all gradually fall under his seductive spell. After gossip spreads through the town,partly because of local busybody and eccentric Felicia and strange incidents occur, the women realize that Daryl may not be what he at first seems and that they have conjured up a literal devil.

As the witches of the title;Cher, Susan Sarandon and Michelle Pfeiffer are luminous and convincing as the love-starved and bored best friends who accidentally dabble in magic and get their fingers burnt as a result. The trio have a natural chemistry with each other that helps the audience believe in the friendship they share. But the acting honours go to Jack Nicholson who throws himself into the part and makes the film hysterically funny. Whether he is frantically playing the violin in order to seduce the shy Jane or dressed in a velvet robe when trying to make a move on the self-assured Alex, Nicholson is a hoot throughout. Special mention should also go to Veronica Cartwright for her supporting performance as the local gossip and Cassandra like prophet of the town who foresees the danger and debauchery that Daryl will bring to Eastwick.

Despite the sometimes overload of effects, sometimes they work within certain scenes in the movie. The funny scene that takes place in Daryl’s manor,when the girls play tennis and discover the extent of their magical abilities by using telekinesis to move the ball in their favour is well filmed and hilarious. The scene where after the women have cooled their relationship with him, he starts to bring their deepest fears to life is quite unsettling, particularly if you have a deep-seated fear of snakes. Revenge comes when the women devise an equally unsettling plan. Equally horrifying is Daryl’s revenge on Felicia, in which he causes her to continuously vomit cherry pips. If you are easily squeamish this scene may not be for you. One thing is definitely for sure, you will never look at cherries in the same way ever again.

Overall, the film is a horror comedy with elements of drama and fantasy thrown into the eclectic mix. The best way to enjoy the film is to accept it as it is and simply watch the trio of comic performances by  Cher, Sarandon and Pfeiffer and Jack Nicholson in a devilish and extremely memorable portrayal.