High Tension

"Even Dwarfs Started Small" (feature clip)
Dir: Verner Herzog
Premier: 1972
Viewed: 4/13/09


"Heart Of Glass" (feature clip)
Dir: Verner Herzog
Premier: 1977
Viewed: 4/13/09


"Picnic at Hanging Rock" (feature clip)
Dir: Peter Weir
Premier: 1975
Viewed: 4/13/09


"Ali: Fear Eats The Soul" (feature clip)
Dir: Rainer Werner Fassbinder
Premier: 1974
Viewed: 4/13/09


"The Wickerman" (feature)
Dir: Robin Hardy
Premier: 1973/75
Viewed: 4/13/09
Review: Personally, when it was revealed that no little girls were going to be burned alive in this movie, most of the tension in this film went away. I’m not sure what that means about me. I didn’t even raise an eyebrow for the sergeant. I guess the idea of harming a woman or child in a story strikes a nerve with me. I wouldn’t have been able to leave the island, knowing that a girl was to be murdered in mere hours.

And what was with the unarmed sergeant!?

“Oh, I think I’ll fly all the way to Sommerisle to investigate the kidnapping of this little girl! But I hope I don’t actually MEET the kidnapper, or I’m pretty much screwed!”

I understand a lot of European police officers tend to go without firearms, but this guy couldn’t even defend himself in a barehanded tussle! Could you imagine if the Oakland P.D. was involved? That big bearded Scottsman would be a big bearded Scottsman with a broken jaw and matching fractured femur! And Lord Sommerisle would have a sizzling hole in his forehead, right between the soliloquies. But I digress…

I should consider the name and literary role of “Punch” when developing characters. His story seems to be one of hubris and deception. I probably should’ve guessed that the sergeant was being lured into a trap. When the girl he was supposed to be rescuing was running yards ahead of him, it made me question who was in control of the “rescue”. The acting must’ve been a challenge. The actors were charged with playing townsfolk who seemed eccentric, but were playing an elaborate game with their prey.

"Zelig" (feature)
Dir: Woody Allen
Premier: 1983
Viewed: 4/19/09
Review: The plot of “Zelig” was really cool to see after Film History 1. I think the period was portrayed especially well. The gags were funny, but played with an air of subtlety. The subtext about people yearning for the approval of others made me look back at my earlier years. For that matter, it also reminds me of my current years. It’s actually a profound plot idea to have a man who feels so out of place that he becomes those around him. The blue screen effects were fantastic. The clips looked authentic because for all intents and purposes, they were.

The acting was great. The way Woody Allen delivers lines would have you believe he naturally speaks in one-liners. Every time a recording of Zelig in therapy came up, I leaned in, trusting that the clip would end in a laugh.

“I have an appointment to teach the ‘Psychology of Masturbators’ seminar! If I’m late, they’ll start without me!”