read it in the Sunday papers

Deep Water [1] is a docu-drama about The Sunday Times Golden Globe Race, a non-stop, single-handed, round-the-world yacht race run in 1968. The race started one year after the first person had successfully circumnavigated the world with only one-stop in Sydney, Australia.

Fortunately, I only read a little on Wikipedia prior to seeing the film. Otherwise, I may not have been gripped by the tension built up in the documentary. The reason I sought information about the film, is that I wanted to determine that it wasn’t going to be a yatchys’ drama of all things gone wrong with the boat, and hence why they retired from or did not win the race.

When I initially searched for information on the film I ended up quickly scanning the Wikipedia page on Donald Crowhurst [2]. Without taking in much detail, I was satisfied that the film was more about the achievement, tragedy, and psychology of the entrants.

It is difficult to review the film or provide a synopsis without providing spoilers, particularly if you don’t know about the race at all. But I think there is more than enough to keep you on the edge of your seat and to keep you pondering the film for a few days after viewing.

Nine entrants set out in the race [3] to be the first for the Golden Globe trophy and £5,000 cash for the fastest. Only one finishes. The film is mainly about two of the entrants, Donald Crowhurst and Bernard Moitessier. The film is a documentary consisting of original material from the entrants in the form of logs, newspaper articles, audio, stills and video, and interviews with the entrant that finished, family, and others. Very little is recreated for the film, which if it was not a true story could have been described as a psychological thriller or adventure.

The construct of the film was to compare the inexperienced weekend sailor in Donald Crowhurst with that of the weathered and salty philosophy of Bernard Moitessier. The film was advertised as 92 minutes, and having seen many films over two hours at the Perth International Arts Festival, I think I would have liked to see more about the other entrants in the race. Other than that, I think it is a film worth seeing.

[1] Deep Water, official movie site includes production notes and trailer
[2] Donald Crowhurst , Wikipedia
[3] The Golden Globe Race, Boats.com

the metropolis

The inaugural lecture by Mark Bould, University of the West of England on The Very Modern World of Fritz Lang (PDF) forms part of the inaugural Institute of Advanced Studies Lecture Series.

We went along as the Metropolis was screening after the lecture. We had seen an earlier version (1984) with music by Giorgio Moroder and were intrigued to see a restored longer version.

The lecture was very interesting, and although I am not familiar with the subject and terminology, I enjoyed the presentation immensely. Bould began his presentation with explaining the Frankfurt School, briefly covered Fritz Lang’s earlier work, then focussed on Fritz Lang’s career in America. The presentation included video and stills from Lang’s films to demonstrate the various film techniques and methods, and quotes from the works of Theodor Adorno for comparison and contrast. Fritz Lang was referred to as a member of the “pulp wing of the Frankfurt School”.

The Metropolis was played from a DVD, but I’m not sure what version it was that we saw. At two hours, it certainly was longer than the 1984 version, and I’m pretty sure I saw 2004 alongside the music credit at the beginning.

One scene that I liked was when the camera focussed on the newly completed robot. The robot’s eyelids closing unevenly as if ’she’ was waking up. They looked very odd, not winking but sultry.

It was good to see a more complete story, and I must admit without Mark Bould’s lecture prior to viewing the film, it could have been less interesting. Although I have read that film buffs were divided on the rock-and-roll soundtrack that accompanied the 1984 version, if my memory is correct, I enjoyed that version more because of the pumping of the music with the machines of the metropolis. But then again, it maybe that I was influenced by the music at that time as I definitely remember Queen and Adam Ant were featured in Giorgio Moroder’s soundtrack. It may be good to see the 1984 version again for a better or near comparison.

Beauty in Trouble

With only four films left to see, Beauty in Trouble is the first film from the Perth International Arts Festival 2008 that has stood out from the rest that we have seen for being rather ‘ho hum’.

Apart from the music, it was a bit like Home and Away: The Film. This was one drama that was tedious and drawn out to 110 minutes.

The best that it has going for it, is that we can say that we saw (or will have seen) all the festival films. Yes, we stayed to see the end.

A memorable scene is Evzen (Josef Abrhám) demonstrating that even nice guys have a finite limit to the amount of empathy and tolerance shown to others, especially when their generosity is assumed as a given. Perhaps ‘Beauty in Trouble II’ will be realising that Evzen is still too nice.

wouldn’t you like to know

I was intrigued with the film Irina Palm, as I could not imagine Marianne Faithfull playing the part of a middle-aged frumpy woman.

Wandering around Soho in a daze having found out that more money is needed for treatment of her grandson’s illness, Maggie (Marianne Faithfull) applies to be a hostess at Sexy World. Finding out that a hostess does not not make tea and clear up, she declines the position but keeps thinking of the money that she has turned down.

Maggie reapplies for the job, and is so successful that she gets ‘penis elbow’ and earns the stage name of ‘Irina Palm’.

The underlying tension within the family and nosy neighbours in the English village where she lives means that Maggie keeps secret her new ‘profession’ much to the consternation of villagers who are accustomed to knowing everything about everyone. Even about uninteresting Maggie.

The fun begins when her ’secret’ becomes known, and the scenes with her bitchy friends are absolutely fabulous. Resolution with family is a little more renching, but Maggie is more certain and definitely not uninteresting.

The acting seems a little wooden at times, but the change in expression in Miki (Miki Manojlovic) from a scowling club owner that breaks with a smile when with Maggie/Irina Palm is believable as it is endearing.

If you are uncomfortable sitting in a very English living or morning room having tea with your friends and neighbours talking about the subject of wanking men off, then probably this film may not be for you. Having said that, I think people like Maggie’s snooty friends and neighbours are the ones to be worried about.

Couers

Festival Film ‘Couers’ opened at the Somerville last night.

Directed by Alain Resnais, Private Fears in Public Places (Couers) is adapted from Alan Ayckbourn’s play titled Private Fears in Public Places (2004). It is a film of a play, which provides the opportunity for the audience to see the drama from all angles with some interesting cinematographic effects. For example, the falling snow I felt was effective in making the transition between scenes and added to the atmosphere, and observing people in rooms without ceilings moving from one room to another.

Set in Paris during what appeared to be a snow storm, the drama revolves around six characters, seven if you include Lionel’s bedridden father Arthur who is always a voice in another room. There are some relationships and connections between the characters, but the film is more about six individual stories rather than one main plot with perhaps an underlying theme of looking for love or acceptance.

I was not sure whether there is any resolution for Nicola and Dan (Nicola’s fiance), brother and sister Thierry and Gaëlle, or Lionel (bartender and son of Arthur) and Charlotte (casual carer for Arthur and Thierry’s work collegue at a real estate business). Perhaps more it was a snapshot of ordinary likeable people (except for Arthur) muddling through and find their way through life. It almost had a Thomas Hardy feel about it with regard to fate and chance.

I suspect the French speakers around me got more from the film than I who needed the English subtitles, but I enjoyed its sometimes whimsical feel around what could have been a long drawn out soapy.

many scenes, three acts

Last night’s preview of The Turning (adapted from Tim Winton’s The Turning) at the Playhouse Theatre created and released tension in waves and challenged all my emotions.

With over 25 scene changes, the three hour production of theatre, music, soundscapes and film followed three generations of the fictitious Lang family from 1974 - 2001. If you are aware of the history, culture, and issues of the times, then there were also various amounts of cringe factor amongst the projected West Australian landscapes and images.

The multimedia created a powerful visual and auditory experience. Unlike a background, and moving from complementary to overpowering the actors giving me the feeling that the live theatre was sandwiched between overbearing transitions such that the acting appeared thin. However, I do recognise that the film provided an atmosphere that captivated the outside largess of the West Australian landscape bringing the outside onto the stage.

We were in the stalls in Row C. If you haven’t got tickets yet, get them at least a few more rows back so that you can see all of the stage. The projection screens on each side mostly showed the same images, but when they appeared different I found that I was turning from one to the other in case I missed anything.

The timing and scene changes in combination with the multimedia were admirably tight, but the production was not 2 hours 30 minutes as stated in the festival programme, It was over 3 hours 20 minutes (including interval). So it was a taxi home as we missed the last bus home.

a lost band in a lost town

The Band’s Visit is about an Egyptian police band that travels to Israel to play at a new Arab arts centre. For whatever reason they don’t end up in the right place, but in a remote Israeli desert town.

We were looking forward to the film just because of the trailer [1]. The trailer shows the film to be warm, light, and humorous. And it is.

There is a stark contrast between the neat light blue uniformed stiff looking members of the band and the seemingly uninterested laid back town residents. It was almost as if the airport bus delivers such unusual travellers to the town with enough regularity for the residents to be bored.

The town residents appear wary and grudingly helpful toward the band, and the band members appear constrained either by language, culture, or uncertainty of their situation. Exchanges occur developing into giving and receiving from each other personal experiences and practical assistance. These are sometimes awkward, moving, humorous, or highlight an individual character’s life.

The time line of the film is a day and a night, but in no way does the film feel rushed. I felt almost as if I slowed to desert time to be an observer of people who are lost, some of which perhaps find a little of themselves in the exchange between each other.

[1] The official web site provides a synopsis, trailer, and music.

‘It’s better than sex, isn’t it?’

Food has the power to change your life and this is one of the underlying themes of the German film Eden, showing as part of the Perth International Arts Festival.

The story as described in the festival programme is simplistic and may have kept people away. It is no chicks movie and although there is resolution for some of the characters it is not neat and tidy like I feel the preview reads. Like all good cooking, you have to get messy before you can taste the real thing. The synopsis provided by the San Francisco International Film Festival (2006) is much better.

My first reaction when the film finished was still feeling anger at the character Xaver, Eden’s husband. What a jerk! Without giving too much a way, I think he got off too easily.

The reason I enjoyed the film is that the emotions of love, rage, jealousy, friendship, intimacy and pleasure were portrayed very cleverly by all the actors with very little dialogue. Especially Josef Ostendorf as the chef who was pretty amazing how he was able to tell his story and relate to the other characters through actions, expressions, and very few words.

The interview with director Michael Hofmann by Bénédicte Prot in Cineuropa was interesting reading, especially how the idea for the film came about. Except that I would not have described Eden as a comedy.

Reviews that I found were not showering the film with accolades, but having seen the film I disagree with the disparaging critics. I think the film was more powerful for the demonstrated awkwardness between the lightness and seriousness of the subjects explored.

enduring sadness

Prague is an incredibly sad film but not the sort that you need a tissue box at the ready. More a lump in your throat as you relate to scenes or characters presented in a very cinematic and atmospheric film.

Apart from just wanting to go to the film, we went to see this film in the hope we would see glimpses of Prague which is still my favourite city [1].

There certainly are glimpses of the prominent attractions of the city, for example, the Astronomical Clock, Charles Bridge, and Prague Castle. But I was also reminded of the feelings I had for the city when scenes included the bare trees along the Vtlava (Moldau) River, and driving and walking over the cobblestone streets through the city often at pace, and language difficulties at the hotel.

The plot appears fairly straightforward, but as the marriage of the two principal characters unravels, so does the feeling that you know what is expected to happen next.

As Christoffer (Mads Mikkelsen) finds out more about his absent and now dead father, he and Maja (Stine Stengade) reveal more of themselves to each other and the audience. They are on friendly terms, but the added emotion of their errand in Prague exacerbates their distancing relationship tearing at the tenuous strings that are holding their marriage together.

The film ends after a tight 92 minutes, but there is not resolution in everything.

One of the often quoted lines in the film is “Life is hard, you can’t have it all.” and the lawyer, changes this to “Life is hard. You bend it or you break.” when he sees that Christoffer is becoming exasperated with this well-worn advice.

[1] Voted top of the list after only one visit as part of our History of Science Tour.

emperors and fairies

Two colonies of penguins are under scrutiny by university researchers. One colony is only five kilometres off the Western Australian coast, the other, in the Antarctic.

With the help of the Royal Australian Navy and Dr Belinda Cannell from The University of Western Australia, the Fairy (or Little) Penguins on Garden Island off the Western Australian coast are being monitored and protected.

Protection means simply being good neighbours with minimal disturbance to the penguin colony and ensuring predators such as cats and foxes don’t reach the island.

“The penguins are often more at risk from pleasure craft, fishing boats, wind and kite-surfers and jet-skis than the Navy’s big ships, she said. As well as the danger of colliding with these smaller watercraft, penguins could be harmed by fishing line, heavy metals, over-fishing and destruction of fish nursery sites.” — Dr Belinda Cannell in Royal Australian Navy guards penguins with help from UWA, University News

So while the penguins have good neighbours in the personnel at HMAS Stirling, we can help the Fairy Penguins by looking out for them and letting others know too.

From little to emperor-sized penguins. If you have seen the film Happy Feet or March of the Penguins you will know that the penguins that featured in both films were Emperor Penguins.

Dr Gary Miller of the Australian Antarctic Division, scientific adviser and sound recordist for ‘Happy Feet’ will be joining UWA’s Professor Geoff Shellam to conduct fieldwork in Antarctica .

“… undertaking research into infectious diseases and the potential impact of global warming on the Emperor penguins of the Auster rookery, which is located on sea ice about 40km from Mawson Station.” — UWA-based team aim to keep ‘Happy Feet’ happy, University News

There are two main questions that the scientists are working to solve:

• Most Emperor chicks have antibodies to a common virus of domestic poultry. Do they acquire the virus from their parents or from the environment?
• As temperatures increase in the Antarctic due to climate change, will the penguins’ well-being continue?

I have one question of my own though. I wonder why the expedition is going on the last ship of the season rather than the new 4 1/2 flight from Hobart, Tasmania?