Double Indemnity (1944), Billy Wilder

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0036775/

**1/2


















Inner monologue so oft parodied it sounds like a parody of itself. A high-maintenance Dame with high-maintenance hair and "plans of her own". A disposable husband. A male mentor figure who is the lead's only meaningful relationship. Murky character motivations all over.

Film noir, you say? No! Movie noir :)!

And, needless to say, a fun watch.

Winter Light (1962), Ingmar Bergman

****

Can't emphasize enough how wonderful use of black and white film Bergman and his crew
were able to produce. Little rural church becomes majestetic with winter light hitting the
altar and in the middle of that, small priest struggling, once again, with the absence of god.
This is the second part of the trilogy, among Through A Glass Darkly and Silence, all
dealing with faith.

First I was bothered with the director always using the same actors (can't seem to get
away of the idea "yeah, thats the one who played that in that, he cant be a priest) but
after seeing this I see the point, the cast is just way too good and you get totally sucked
in with every character they play. Uncompromising, tough, cruel and beautiful but also
slow-paced narration gives this film it's charisma.

This is so perfect in every aspect, acting, script and especially cinematography-wise.
Four stars only for because, in my opinion, of the quite abrupt ending.

Hamlet (1964), Grigori Kozintsev

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0058126/

***1/2














Unfortunately, I did not care much for how the title character was interpreted, which was, obviously, a major drawback. Overall, I found it not as memorable and inspired as Kozintsev's "King Lear". It still has a lot going for it, though. Like "Lear", it is excellent atmosphere and location-wise. Also, I particulatly liked child-like, ethereal "Ophelia". The scenes of her in mourning really stood out visually.

Nosferatu, eine Symphonie des Grauens (1922), F.W. Murnau

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0013442/

****



















It's strange to think this was actually planned, scripted, cast and filmed once: it's so much a part of the collective cultural subconscious, it feels like it was actually born there.

For a good while I was under the impression that the original title is Eine Symphonie des Graues (Gray) instead of Grauens (Horror), lol! I still find A Symphony of/in Gray to be a very fitting subtitle.

The Magician (1958), Ingmar Bergman

***½

Relatively early production of Bergman's tells a story of a 17th century magician and his crew

fleeing from town to town in rural Sweden. In a deeper level The Magician is a story about faith and the lack of it, which Bergman so often dealt in his movies. In this film everybody are skeptical towards the man and his powers but in the end, so is the viewer. The crew are forced to stay in a household full of yarls and what not. The magical powers seem to affect differently, as some seek salvation in it and others see it as a work of satan.

The swedish name for this film is Ansiktet, the face, which would be more proper name for it to be called anyway. Because the main character in this film is definately the great Max Von Sydow (almost unregocnisable in his dark make-up) whose face reflects emotions from anger to love.

This is definately one of the darker Bergman films, but captivating in it's use of lingering face close-ups and metaphorical images. Less known, but should be regarded as a masterpiece also.