Wednesday, December 16, 2015
Romy Schneider - scenes from various films (checked 6 April 2024)
IMDb - Romy Schneider
Ennio Morricone - "Le Vent Le Cri" (Romy Schneider 1970 - 1982)
Romy Schneider - la chanson d'hélène
Before Sunset (2004) [R] *****
A
film review by James Berardinelli for ReelViews.net
Forget
Spider-Man's tussle with Doc Ock. Forget Shrek's trek to Far Far Away. And
forget Harry Potter's latest attempt to endure the snipes of Snape. For me, the
sequel to see during the summer of 2004 is Richard
Linklater's Before Sunset, a
follow-up to 1994's sublime Before
Sunrise. This is one of those exceedingly rare instances in which the
motivation for a sequel is creative, not financial. Before Sunrise was not a big money-maker; the existence of a second
chapter defies current movie-making logic, and for that I couldn't be happier.
The litmus test for whether a viewer is likely to appreciate Before Sunset is simple: anyone who enjoyed Before Sunrise will react favorably to the new movie. Those who thought the 1994 film was dull, too talky, or too pretentious will find similar faults with Before Sunset. And, although this film can theoretically stand on its own, the experience is greatly enhanced by watching it only after being immersed in the earlier picture.
The plot could best be called minimalist. Nine years ago, Jesse (Ethan Hawke) and Celine (Julie Delpy) bid each other an emotional farewell after having spent an intensely romantic day and night in Vienna. They promised to meet six months later. The rendezvous never occurred. Now, Jessie has recorded a slightly fictionalized account of his encounter with Celine in the book, This Time, and he is on the European leg of a book-signing tour. While in a small shop in Paris, he once again encounters Celine, and, for both of them, the feelings come rushing back.
Before Sunset unspools in real time. Jesse has about 60 minutes before he must leave for the airport to catch a flight home, and he intends to spend every moment in Celine's company. Linklater's approach to their interaction is flawless. At first, their conversation is filled with awkward pauses and too-long silences. Gradually, as they again become comfortable with one another, the dialogue flows more naturally and the physical space between them narrows. We feel the unspoken tension as they try to break through a barricade and recapture at least a part of what they once had.
The movie is a love story (or, to be precise, the continuation of a love story), but it's more about regrets than romance. Jesse and Celine's story is one of lost opportunities. It makes us ponder whether there is such a thing as a soul mate, and how easily we settle for something that fulfills only a portion of our dreams (not just in the person we choose to spend our lives with, but in other choices as well). As the two wend their way through Paris, they gradually break down barriers. But, even more than in the first film, time is their enemy. Instead of having one night, they have only one hour.
It turns out that the night of June 15-16, 1994 and the missed meeting of December 16 has left an indelible mark on them both. Jesse's book is a testament to his obsession, and, even though he is married, he confesses that, even on his wedding day, he thought of Celine. And, although Celine has not penned a novel, she has written a deeply personal song about their one-night stand. If either has doubts about how the other feels, they are quickly allayed. Body language and an underlying longing in their words (rather than the words themselves) profess an urgency that intimidates them.
The topics of conversation, which range from the mundane (politics, having a meaningful job, and the nature of memory) to the intimate (sex), are not as interesting as they were in the first movie, but what fascinates in the interaction between Jesse and Celine is observing the way they react to each other - how much of themselves they choose to hold back and how much they elect to reveal. When the movie is over, you may not remember much of what they said, but you will remember how they said it.
Julie Delpy and Ethan Hawke are as much perfect fits for these characters as they were nine years ago. This is the best kind of acting, because it's so natural and unforced that it seems real. Delpy is as radiant as ever, and Hawke has rarely been more self-assured. Likewise, there's a sense of improvisation about how the lines are delivered, even though all of the dialogue was scripted (Hawke and Delpy share the screenwriting credit with Linklater, indicating that they were heavily involved in crafting what their characters say). Jesse and Celine are the same people from Before Sunrise, but with nine years of wear and tear on their bodies and souls. They are more cynical. For Celine, while the light of idealism still burns bright, her optimism has withered. A failing marriage and fatherhood have colored Jesse's view of life.
Watching Before Sunset isn't like watching most movies. This is an almost interactive experience. We feel like we're spending time in the characters' company. We're in the moment with them. This is our third opportunity to peer into their lives. (They also appeared in a segment of Linklater's animated Waking Life.) The director has expressed the desire to visit them once again, but, if he never gets around to it, at least he has given us an ending that is equally more and less tantalizing than the conclusion of Before Sunrise. If I had to choose between the two movies, I would admit that the first film is the stronger of the two, but Before Sunset is a worthy follow-up, and a must-see motion picture for those who appreciate this kind of story. In the midst of summer's cinematic thunder and lightning, this is a rare moment of tranquility. [Berardinelli’s rating: 3.5 stars out of 4 = 88%]
Labels: drama, Paris, reunion, romance
IMDb 81/100
MetaScore (critics=90, viewers=86)
RottenTomatoes Averages (critics=83, viewers=86)
Blu-ray
The litmus test for whether a viewer is likely to appreciate Before Sunset is simple: anyone who enjoyed Before Sunrise will react favorably to the new movie. Those who thought the 1994 film was dull, too talky, or too pretentious will find similar faults with Before Sunset. And, although this film can theoretically stand on its own, the experience is greatly enhanced by watching it only after being immersed in the earlier picture.
The plot could best be called minimalist. Nine years ago, Jesse (Ethan Hawke) and Celine (Julie Delpy) bid each other an emotional farewell after having spent an intensely romantic day and night in Vienna. They promised to meet six months later. The rendezvous never occurred. Now, Jessie has recorded a slightly fictionalized account of his encounter with Celine in the book, This Time, and he is on the European leg of a book-signing tour. While in a small shop in Paris, he once again encounters Celine, and, for both of them, the feelings come rushing back.
Before Sunset unspools in real time. Jesse has about 60 minutes before he must leave for the airport to catch a flight home, and he intends to spend every moment in Celine's company. Linklater's approach to their interaction is flawless. At first, their conversation is filled with awkward pauses and too-long silences. Gradually, as they again become comfortable with one another, the dialogue flows more naturally and the physical space between them narrows. We feel the unspoken tension as they try to break through a barricade and recapture at least a part of what they once had.
The movie is a love story (or, to be precise, the continuation of a love story), but it's more about regrets than romance. Jesse and Celine's story is one of lost opportunities. It makes us ponder whether there is such a thing as a soul mate, and how easily we settle for something that fulfills only a portion of our dreams (not just in the person we choose to spend our lives with, but in other choices as well). As the two wend their way through Paris, they gradually break down barriers. But, even more than in the first film, time is their enemy. Instead of having one night, they have only one hour.
It turns out that the night of June 15-16, 1994 and the missed meeting of December 16 has left an indelible mark on them both. Jesse's book is a testament to his obsession, and, even though he is married, he confesses that, even on his wedding day, he thought of Celine. And, although Celine has not penned a novel, she has written a deeply personal song about their one-night stand. If either has doubts about how the other feels, they are quickly allayed. Body language and an underlying longing in their words (rather than the words themselves) profess an urgency that intimidates them.
The topics of conversation, which range from the mundane (politics, having a meaningful job, and the nature of memory) to the intimate (sex), are not as interesting as they were in the first movie, but what fascinates in the interaction between Jesse and Celine is observing the way they react to each other - how much of themselves they choose to hold back and how much they elect to reveal. When the movie is over, you may not remember much of what they said, but you will remember how they said it.
Julie Delpy and Ethan Hawke are as much perfect fits for these characters as they were nine years ago. This is the best kind of acting, because it's so natural and unforced that it seems real. Delpy is as radiant as ever, and Hawke has rarely been more self-assured. Likewise, there's a sense of improvisation about how the lines are delivered, even though all of the dialogue was scripted (Hawke and Delpy share the screenwriting credit with Linklater, indicating that they were heavily involved in crafting what their characters say). Jesse and Celine are the same people from Before Sunrise, but with nine years of wear and tear on their bodies and souls. They are more cynical. For Celine, while the light of idealism still burns bright, her optimism has withered. A failing marriage and fatherhood have colored Jesse's view of life.
Watching Before Sunset isn't like watching most movies. This is an almost interactive experience. We feel like we're spending time in the characters' company. We're in the moment with them. This is our third opportunity to peer into their lives. (They also appeared in a segment of Linklater's animated Waking Life.) The director has expressed the desire to visit them once again, but, if he never gets around to it, at least he has given us an ending that is equally more and less tantalizing than the conclusion of Before Sunrise. If I had to choose between the two movies, I would admit that the first film is the stronger of the two, but Before Sunset is a worthy follow-up, and a must-see motion picture for those who appreciate this kind of story. In the midst of summer's cinematic thunder and lightning, this is a rare moment of tranquility. [Berardinelli’s rating: 3.5 stars out of 4 = 88%]
Labels: drama, Paris, reunion, romance
IMDb 81/100
MetaScore (critics=90, viewers=86)
RottenTomatoes Averages (critics=83, viewers=86)
Blu-ray
The Blue Lagoon (1980) [R] ***
A
film review by Jeffrey Kaufman for blu-ray.com on Dec. 13, 2012.
There's
a kind of general consensus that we live in a libertine age, one with unbridled
sexuality being foisted on us by the mass media and a certain prurience at work
in even our day to day interests. Of course some forty or fifty years ago
tongues were wagging about the so-called Sexual Revolution, so this consensus
is certainly nothing new. It might still surprise some, however, to realize
that the source novel for the oft-filmed The
Blue Lagoon, a story about a young boy and girl being stranded on a South
Pacific island and slowly becoming sexually aware as they grow into
adolescence, actually came out in the seemingly staid and stolid early years of
the twentieth century, a time most of us think of as being seriously prim and
proper and in a way completely asexual. Henry
De Vere Stacpoole was an Irish physician who spent quite a bit of his early
career as a ship's doctor, sailing to exotic locations and gaining a first-hand
knowledge of the South Pacific and its many sparsely inhabited islands.
Stacpoole also wrote a number of charming children's stories, and some may have
initially thought that The Blue Lagoon
was geared to the same audience, especially since its two main characters are
kids and, later, adolescents themselves. But of course The Blue Lagoon is a rather frank exploration of budding human
sexuality divorced from the morés of polite society, and as such one might
assume it raised many an eyebrow when it was published in 1908. No major clamor
really seems to have arisen, as surprising as that may seem to us now, and in
fact Stacpoole was able to develop a sort of mini-franchise with the property,
churning out a couple of sequels in the ensuing years. The Blue Lagoon remained Stacpoole's most successful literary
effort, and perhaps as surprising as its success in the first decade of the
last century is the fact that it was adapted for film as early as 1923, at the
height of the silent era. In 1949 a British version was made with a then very
young Jean Simmons, but it wasn't until 1980 that the ostensibly libertine
tendencies of both society at large and Hollywood in particular allowed the
novel to be filmed in something relatively close to its original form.
Stacpoole had hedged his prurient bets by framing his story of natural love as a sort of allegory, with
frequent none too subtle references to Adam and Eve. But let's face it: a lot
of the appeal of The Blue Lagoon is
built around the idea of seeing two extremely attractive teens discovering what
their naughty bits are made for, and
indulging in the carnal pleasures of the flesh.
There's
something more than a little funny on one of the trailers for The Blue Lagoon, a bit of press hype
that's repeated in some of the marketing materials for the film, which first
announce that the film is coming from Randal
Kleiser, the director of Grease
(as if somehow that would deliver a built in demographic for this film) and
that it would be a sensual story of
natural love. And that gives away the whole ballgame right there, folks,
despite both Stacpoole's and screenwriter Douglas
Day Stewart's attempts to clean up the salacious content with Biblical
references. This is at its most base a film about teenagers getting their freak
on, and as such, it provides enough titillation to satisfy most with an
interest in that angle, while at the same time diverting attention with a
number of sidebars that attempt to convince the viewer they're actually
experiencing Meaningful Art.
Few
would probably argue that either Brooke
Shields or Christopher Atkins
deliver Oscar caliber performances in The
Blue Lagoon, and in fact a lot of the film is kind of ham-handed from an
acting standpoint. In fact the two younger actors who portray their characters
in the first part of the film (Elva
Josephson and Joseph Kohan) are
arguably more convincing than their older counterparts. But the main selling
point of this film, aside from its titillating aspect, is its lush setting, and
in that regard, this is certainly one of the most gorgeously shot films of its
era, courtesy of the stunning cinematography of Nestor Almendros, which did indeed receive an Oscar nomination.
Most
of us have probably dreamed of being washed up on a remote deserted island (at
least until Cast Away and Lost came along) and The Blue Lagoon obviously plays into the
fantasy with the added allure of its sexual content. Who wouldn't want to be a
gorgeous youth stranded on an incredibly beautiful island with another gorgeous
youth? You can stuff in as much nonsense about forbidden fruit (figurative and
literal), Natural Man, and anything else, but at the end of the day it boils
down to that oldest force in the world, sexual attraction, not just between two
people, but the countless millions who are watching them, enthralled.
Labels:
adventure, drama, romance
IMDb 58/100
MetaScore (critics=31, viewers=65)
RottenTomatoes Averages (critics=33, viewers=68)
Blu-ray
Blu-ray review
Netflix
Sissi (1955) [NR] ****
Film
biographies (biopics) were big in the 1940s and 1950s. Whether it was Gary
Cooper playing Lou Gehrig, Greer Garson playing Marie Curie, James Cagney playing
George M. Cohen, James Stewart playing Charles Lindberg or Danny Kaye playing
Hans Christian Andersen, audiences enjoyed watching their Hollywood heroes
playing real-life ones.
In
Europe, though, one biopic towered regally over all the rest: the phenomenally
popular Sissi trilogy from director Ernst Marischka, starring Romy Schneider. In Sissi (1955), Sissi: The
Young Empress (1956), and Sissi: The
Fateful Years of an Empress (1957), Schneider played Princess Elisabeth (Sissi) in Bavaria, who went on to marry
Franz Joseph I, Emperor of Austria, played by Karlheinz Boehm (Böhm). As Empress, Sissi
reigned alongside Franz Joseph from 1854-1898, and was instrumental in uniting
Austria and Hungary in the Austria-Hungary Empire which lasted until 1918, the
end of World War I.
By
today’s standards, all of the post-WWII German and Austrian biopics seem sanitized and romanticized. They were termed Heimat films, meaning home or homeland,
and Sissi is a classic example. This
cheerful blend of history, comedy, and romance covers Sissi’s teenage years
growing up in Bavaria through her wedding to Franz Joseph. Elisabeth grows up in
the Royal Bavarian House of Wittelsbach, with her father Duke Maximilian (Gustav Knuth), her mother Duchess
Ludovika (Magda Schneider, Romy Schneider's real-life mother) and
sisters and brothers including her older sister Helene or Nene (Uta Franz) in the
family castle in Bayern (Bavaria), Schloss Possenhofen, on the western shore of
Starnberger See (Lake Starnberg) southwest of Munchen (Munich). Sissi is fond
of horseback riding, fishing, hiking, and accompanying her father - the robust
and unabashedly uncouth Duke Max - on his hunting excursions. The family enjoys
life and all its simple pleasures, whether sharing a big pot of sausage or
laughing at Max's latest affronts to aristocratic conventions. Sissi has
a pet fawn and pet birds and thoroughly enjoys her life, wishing for nothing
more.
Meanwhile,
Franz Joseph’s mother, Archduchess Sophie (Vilma
Degischer) has decided it’s time for her son to marry, and she has picked
out the perfect partner for him, Nene,
the eldest daughter of her sister Ludovika. She has even planned for Franz to
announce his engagement at his 23rd birthday celebration at their Bad Ischl, Austria
palace on 18 August 1853.
To
disguise the true purpose of their journey from Possenhofen to Bad Ischl,
Ludovika brings Sissi along with Nene, and during one of the intimate court events to which she is not invited,
Sissi sneaks out, goes fishing in a nearby stream and while fly fishing
accidentally hooks Franz who just happens to be passing by in his open carriage
on the way to Bad Ischl. Franz is instantly smitten with Sissi, and invites her to meet him to go on a deer hunting excursion at 5:00 PM later that afternoon. Sissi tells him her name is Liesl of Possenhofen, so Franz has no idea who she really is
until, later that evening at the ball, she is presented to him. Franz
practically begs her to marry him, but Sissi wants no part of Austrian court
life and so he has no choice but to publicly announce their engagement, despite
her objection.
Franz
and Sissi’s romantic meet-cute is perfectly suited to the story, and while
the acting is more than competent, the director’s attention to detail captivates us nearly as much as the actors and the story. Whether it’s seeing the toys that children
played with in an 1850’s nursery or lavish ballroom dances and public
performances, viewers are given a glimpse of the life of royalty in the 1850s. In addition to Schneider’s captivating performance, and the comic relief provided by Gustav
Knuth and an overzealous military attaché named Böckl (Josef Meinrad), Sissi
offers enjoyable, light entertainment.
Sissi was the film that
made Viennese actress Romy Schneider an international star, and there is
definitely something about the way she inhabits the character and exudes country-girl charm that makes you accept her innocence and naive optimism
resulting from her upbringing in rural Bavaria, far from the sophistication of courtly
life in the Shoenbrunn Palace in Vienna.
The
three films of the Sissi Collection are
presented in digitally remastered widescreen color in German with English
subtitles. They are lavishly produced films that seems to have spared no
expense, plus there’s an incredible amount of rich detail in the background of every
frame. The three films are seamless and feel like one long film with a continuous narrative
rather than an original with two sequels, so they feel like the mini-series of
today. Each film is roughly 1hr 45min in length, so the series is just over five hours in total.
Franz Joseph and Sissi became engaged on August 18, 1853 and married in Vienna on April 24th, 1854, eight months later. The film skips over this eight-month period except for a short scene in which Nene and Sissi reconcile in Possenhofen. There is no mention of any connection between Franz and Sissi during this period. Frankly, the film would have been much richer and more romantic for me had Franz made the journey to Possenhofen to spend time with Sissi and her family.
Labels:
Cinderella-story, comedy, drama, history, Romy Schneider
IMDb 70/100
RottenTomatoes Averages (critics=NA, viewers=86)
Blu-ray
Wikipedia Empress Elisabeth of Austria
Vienna Tourist - Sissi's Vienna
Sissi: The Young Empress (1956) [NR] ****
Unfortunately for Sissi, Franz’s mother, Archduchess Sophie (Vilma Degischer), continues to believe that Sissi is a Bavarian duchess who became Empress by chance, and is still a child herself. So, when Sissi gives birth to a little girl, Sophie insists it be named after herself, and also insists on raising the child, moving the nursery to be near her. Unfortunately, Franz doesn’t understand how strongly Sissi feels about this, and when he sides with his mother, Sissi does the only thing she can do, leaves the Shoenbrunn Palace in Vienna and returns to Bayern (Bavaria) to her home, Schloss Possenhofen, and her mother Duchess Ludovika (Magda Schneider, Romy Schneider’s real-life mother) and her father Duke Max (Gustav Knuth).
Thanks to Sissi’s military escort, Major Boeckl (Josef Meinrad), who telegraphs Franz, the Emperor travels to Possenhofen and reunites with Sissi. However, it is only after Sissi’s mother, Sophie’s sister, prevails upon her, and Sophie appreciates how influential Sissi is in bringing Austria and Hungary together in an empire, that she relents and returns Sissi’s daughter to her.
I found this second installment of the Sissi trilogy in many ways richer, more complex and more engaging than the first one, with the development of Sissi’s endearing character and a more in-depth view of her relationship with both Franz and Sophie. Sissi becomes an even more important historical figure, not as a result of any lust for power but because her sweet and caring nature causes the people of both Austria and Hungary to fall in love with her.
The version of the trilogy I am watching is The Sissi Collection, from Film Movement, Released in October, 2017, digitally remastered in Widescreen and incredibly stunning. LINK TO AMAZON.COM PAGE
Labels: drama, history, romance, Romy Schneider
IMDb 67/100
Blu-ray
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