Quadrophenia

Throughout the seventies and eighties there were several films made that fall into the punk/anti-establishment youth culture. In 1979, The Who Films produced a gem of a film called Quadrophenia. The film is set in 1965 London and the film centers around a young man named Jimmy (Phil Daniels).
Jimmy is an ordinary guy who hates the order that soceity lays in front of him. All Jimmy really wants to do is ride his motor scooter, take pills, and have sex. Jimmy does all this along with his mates. All through the film Jimmy gets into several adventures. He gets into fights with a rival motorcycle gang, steals pills from a phramacy, and even falls in love with a woman named Steph (Leslie Ash).
Just when Jimmy's life seems great, it all goes downhill after a huge riot in the town of Brighton. With the aftermath of that event, Jimmy has to make a decision about his life and it is not an easy one for him as everyone he knows turns away from him and what he thought was right turns out to be wrong.
One of the shining stars of this gem is its amazing soundtrack that features numerous tracks from The Who and other artists such as The High Numbers, Cross Section, The Kingsmen, Booker T. Jones, and countless others. This explosive soundtrack is the perfect backdrop for this film. As Jimmy goes through the film the music follows him and reflects his mood, with him reacting to it at several times like an angry ballet.
This is a great film of its type. The acting is not great but the energy in this film more than makes up for it. It is definitely a must see for any fan of The Who and of the punk variety. This film is availble to watch on the Criterion's HuluPlus Channel. So with that in mind, there might be a possible Criterion release for this film. Which would be interesting for this film.
This is a great film for the music and the energy.

Barfly

Writer Charles Bukowski's alter ego Henry Chinaski is brought to life by Mickey Rourke in this interesting film from director Barbet Schroeder. In this film there are two great actors playing off each other well. Mickey Rourke and Faye Dunaway are those two actors.
The film follows drunken writer Henry Chinaski (Mickey Rourke) as he goes through life drinking, starting fights, especially with a pompus bartender named Eddie (Frank Stallone), writing, and moving from place to place. Henry's life suddenly takes on meaning when he meets Wanda (Faye Dunaway) at a bar. The two immediately hit it off and become lovers/friends. As their relationship goes through rough periods they counter it with alcohol. In the midst of all this a publisher named Tully Sorenson (Alice Krige) is searching for Henry about a story he sent her.
This is one of those gems that one finds every once in a while. This was Mickey Rourke at the prime of his acting career before he hit rock bottom and went into career Hell for a little while. It also teams him up with the great Faye Dunaway who holds her own throughout the film, giving a strong performance as only she could do. The supporting characters are seedy and comical and give an added flavor to the strange world of Henry Chinaski.
This is a really good film that offers great performances and a good story. With a screenplay written by Bukowski the film contains his voice, which makes it all the more better. All in all this is a must see for anybody that is a fan of Bukowski's work or anybody who is a fan of Rourke or Dunaway.
This is Rourke at the top of his form and Dunaway doing what she does best: acting. A really good film that can be viewed on YouTube in seven parts. Hopefully this gem will find its way on a proper DVD/blu-ray release.

From the Life of the Marionettes

In the late seventies, Swedish filmmaker Ingmar Bergman got involved in a tax scandal. With the embarrasement of this scandal hanging over his head, he exiled himself to Germany for a few years. While in Germany he made a few films including The Serpent's Egg with David Carradine. But the most interesting of his films made during this self exile was From the Life of the Marionettes.
From the Life of the Marionettes is a continuiation of the characters Katarina and Peter Egermann, a couple that appeared in an episode of Bergman's Scenes from a Marriage. The film centers around Peter who kills a prostitute at the beginning of the movie. From then on the film focuses on Peter's motivations for committing the horrendous crime.
Bergman does this through a series of non-linear police interrogations and flashbacks to the events leading up to Peter's crime. With the opening scene being in color, the rest of the film is in black and white, which is all the more haunting. Through each scene, Bergman probes deeper into the depraved mind of Egermann.
This film also stands alone as one of Bergman's most sexual films. Throughout the film we are presented with violent acts of sexuality and the torment of the lack thereof that could drive a man towards madness. The film itself even has a dreamlike quality that sticks with you throughout.
Although this is not one of Bergman's best films, it is one of his most interesting ones. It can be seen that a lot of Bergman's dark feelings of this time were stamped onto this film.
This is a definite must see for any Bergman fan. The film is availble to watch on the Criterion HuluPlus channel here: http://www.hulu.com/watch/316759/from-the-life-of-the-marionettes. This could signify a potential release for this film in the near since it is on the channel and that two rare Bergman films are being released in May.
This film is Bergman at his darkest, strangest, sexiest, and creepiest, a definite must see for the avid Bergman fan. A truly dark film.

Summer Interlude

The films of Ingmar Bergman were no stranger to death and loss and his 1951 film Summer Interlude, the lingering feeling of death and loss and even loneliness are presented in all its stark reality.
Summer Interlude follows a twenty-eight year old ballerina named Marie (Maj-Britt Nilsson) who is rehearsing for a performance of Swan Lake when she receives a diary in the mail, sent by her Uncle Erland (Georg Funkquist). The diary belongs to a boy Marie had a summer romance with named Henrik (Birger Malmsten). Upon reading the diary, Marie impuslsively goes to the place where she and Henrik shared that romance. Upon visiting these places she is plagued of the painful memories of her doomed romance.
The romance itself is a thing of beauty. The more it plays out, the more you think it is going to last forever, until the dreadful end that tears Henrik and Marie apart. Through all this, Marie tries to find meaning in her empty life and tries to make up for it by embracing life, instead of dwelling in the painful past.
The portrait that Bergman paints here is a beautiful one. He brings to life a beautiful romance only to snatch it away and bring reality back to the front row. We feel every feeling that Marie does: love, hate, grief, pain, and regret. And like Marie, we are trying to piece together the fragments of all the things in the past. A starkly beautiful film from Ingmar Bergman.
This film is availble to watch on the Criterion's HuluPlus channel: http://www.hulu.com/watch/247386/summer-interlude. This film is also being released through the Criterion Collection on DVD and blu-ray on May 29. This is a must see film for any Ingmar Bergman fan or any fan of the Swedish cinema.
This is a true delight and a real gem from the fabulous filmography of Ingmar Bergman.

Summer With Monika

Throughout cinema history there have been those directors who could capture human emotions perfectly. One director who could do this and make those emotions so horrifyingly real was Ingmar Bergman. What Bergman did in a lot of his films was build up a foundation of tightly woven characters and through the course of the film tear them down to nearly nothing. One of his earlier works, Summer With Monika (1953) is on exception.
The film follows young lovers Monika (Harriet Andersson) and Harry (Lars Ekborg) who are fed up with the daily hassles of their everyday lives. Feeling that all they need is each other, they run away on Harry's father's boat and begin their adventure.
At first everything is wonderful and they don't want the romance or they adventure to end. But complications arise when Monika becomes pregnant and their food supply is running short. Forced to go back to soceity, the walls of reality begin to box them in again. Their romance diminishes into nothing after the baby is born and Monika finds love with other men.
Bergman presents a harsh look at young love in this film. It starts out so beautiful but ends so darkly, a feat that Bergman handles wonderfully. Harriet Andersson gives a wonderful performance here was the devilishly seductive Monika who seduces and then reduces the naive Harry. Nobody but Bergman could do what he did here.
This film is availble to watch on the Criterion's HuluPlus channel: http://www.hulu.com/watch/242443/summer-with-monika. This film is also being released through the Criterion Collection on DVD and blu-ray on May 29. This is a definite must see for any Bergman fan and any fan of Swedish cinema.
This is a fantastic film filled with the harsh reality of young love and how fleeting it is only as Ingmar Bergman could have presented it. And Harriet Andersson gives an intense performance.

The Magnificent Ambersons

Everybody knows Citizen Kane, but Orson Welles follow-up to his 1941 masterpiece is notable in it's own right. The Magnificent Ambersons (1942), could very well have been a far greater film than Citizen Kane, but sadly, due to circumstances out of Welles' control it was only a minor achievement. However, it is still a great film.
Orson Welles narrates this film that centers around a wealthly family named Amberson. The film puts a spotlight on the young heir of the Amberson fortune George (Tim Holt) who is very spoiled and self centered. When he grows up he finds himself in an even more complex situation when a man named Eugene Morgan (Joseph Cotten) and his daughter Lucy (Anne Baxter) come to town. George falls in love with Lucy and instantly despises Eugene. Matters worsen after George's father dies and he soon realizes that Eugene is trying to rekindle the flame with his mother Isabel (Dolores Costello).
The film itself is searing pot of emotions. Welles uses all the techniques that he used in Kane and brings this story to life. Throughout the whole film the audience is locked on these characters and it is hard to look away at their self destructive ways. The stamp on this film can be that only of a true master.
Sadly though, this film could've been more if the studio heads at RKO had not cut the film and slapped a happy ending on it. This essentially cut the heart and soul out of Welles' work. That makes this film one of the biggest cinematic what ifs of the time.
That being said it is definitely worth a watch. No matter how much they cut of this film, they couldn't take away that Orson Welles stamp that is so imprinted on this film. Since the recent release of the Citizen Kane 70th anniversy DVD/blu-ray, Warner Bros. has put out a bare bones DVD of The Magnificent Ambersons, one that can be bought at a reasonable price at amazon.com here: http://www.amazon.com/Magnificent-Ambersons-Georgia-Backus/dp/B00005JKGX/ref=sr_1_1?s=movies-tv&ie=UTF8&qid=1329889336&sr=1-1.
This film is highly recommended to any cinema lover and fan of Orson Welles body of work. This film is a staunch rival to Citizen Kane, if there were only some hope of finding Welles original cut. But that hope is entirely a pipe dream, since RKO destroyed the footage they cut and the print that was supposedly sent to Welles in Brazil has not been found yet.
All that aside, it is worth seeing to see the brilliance of Orson Welles. The performances in this film are also superb, from Joseph Cotten, Tim Holt, Dolores Costello, Agnes Moorhead, and Anne Baxter. Another cinematic achievement from the great Orson Welles.

Two English Girls

It goes without saying that Francois Truffaut was a true admirer of the cinema. He took those admiriations for film and used them to master his craft of filmmaking. Almost every film he does is a delight to watch. No matter what the film is, Truffaut has complete control over it, his style so beautifully expressed through the camera lens.
Two English Girls (1971) is no exception to this. With this film Truffaut is in familiar territory, exploring some of the same emotions he explored in his great film Jules and Jim, and even from the same author, Henri-Pierre Roche. Here we see Truffaut tackling another early 20th century love triangle.
This time the love triangle centers around Claude (played by Jean-Pierre Leaud) an aspiring French writer who falls in love with two English sisters Anne (Kika Markham) and Muriel (Stacey Tendeter). Anne originally intends for Claude to marry Muriel, but soon develops strong feelings for Claude herself, thus complicating things even more.
This film tracks this love triangle through seven years. By the end of the film the three characters are completely drained emotionally and left to accept the fate that has befallen them. The audience can really feel the emotional pain from these characters, as the actors give their heart and soul in this film.
This film is on the epic scale of Jules and Jim but does not quite measure up to the greatness that is Jules and Jim. That being said that doesn't dismiss the greatness of this film. Each actor brings gut wrenching emotions to the screen as love very tragically. Truffaut seems in his comfort zone, carefully placing the camera and getting great condensed shots and placing a haunting musical score in the backdrop of this film.
Truffaut essentially delivers a masterful film that doesn't overplay the drama in the film. It is a great example of classical filmmaking that throws the audience emotional curve balls that leave you with a dark feeling. Praise for this film really isn't enough, what is enough is people actually seeing this lesser known Truffaut film. But when searching for this make sure it is the 130 minute restored version that Fox Lorber offers and can be bought at a reasonable price new and used at amazon: http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_ss_i_1_7?url=search-alias%3Dmovies-tv&field-keywords=two+english+girls+dvd&sprefix=two+eng%2Cmovies-tv%2C255.
This film is a definite must see for any fan of Truffaut or a fan of cinema for that matter, because that is what this film is, a cinematic masterwork. Plus, the performances from Leaud, Markham, and Tendeter are superb. A truly beautiful and dark film.

You Only Live Once

Throughout the history of cinema, there have been several directors who have come to Hollywood from foreign countries. Most would argue that the films those directors made in their native countries were a lot better than the ones they made in Hollywood, but that statement isn't neccessarilly true for German director Fritz Lang. To examine Lang's filmography it would seem he was great no matter what country he was in when he made a film.
One of the greatest examples of this is Lang's 1937 film You Only Live Once starring Sylvia Sidney and Henry Fonda. The story follows legal secretary Joan (Sidney) who is deeply in love with convicted criminal and three time loser Eddie (Fonda). After Eddie is released from prison, the two marry and try to start a life together. This proves extra hard for Eddie, with his criminal record he can't catch an even break. Matters worsen when he is framed for a robbery he did not commit. Eddie soon escapes from the authorities with his wife Joan and they go on the run.
This film is one of those rare gems that one stumbles upon from that glorious era of filmmaking. Fritz Lang displays the intensity here that he did so greatly in his 1931 German classic M. In this film, Lang makes the pain Eddie feels that is inflicted on him by soceity very clearly. It is as if soceity is against Eddie from word go. They treat him like dirt, even though he is trying to go straight and start a normal life. Lang presents Eddie as a very sympathetic character who is merely beaten down by soceity and the only thing that holds him together is the love of his wife Joan.
There is never a dull moment in this film and Lang constantly keeps the audience on the edge of their seats at every twist and turn. This film is bleak, tough, and unforgiving in its content. The film never lets up and forces you to look in the eyes of these tragic characters and feel the pain they feel.
This is highly recommended for any fan of great cinema. This is also a partly based on Bonnie and Clyde and is a precursor to that film. Definitely seek this film out, this film is availble at a reasonable price new and used at amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Only-Live-Once-Sylvia-Sidney/dp/B000093NTA/ref=sr_1_1?s=movies-tv&ie=UTF8&qid=1329457249&sr=1-1.
This film is one of the best films that Fritz Lang did and contains emotionally charged performances from Sylvia Sidney and Henry Fonda that really jump off the screen. This film is a gem and must be seen.

Confidentially Yours

The final film from Francois Truffaut is a very interesting one. The film Confidentially Yours (1983) is a pure film noir, done magnificently in black and white and uses almost every tool in the book. To watch this film, you know Truffaut was probably having a good time with this.
After a man named Massoulier is murdered while hunting, real estate agent Julien Vercel (Jean-Louis Trintignant) is the prime suspect. Soon after that, Vercel's wife is murdered and his guilt seems even more evident. All hope for Vercel seems lost until his trusty secretary Barbara (Fanny Ardant) comes to his aide. Using every trick she knows, Barbara stops at nothing to find the killer who framed her boss, leading to a surprise ending.
This film is a delight to watch. It is filled with excellent moments with Ardant and Trintignant. The film holds a very complex and mixed up plot, very reminiscent of Howard Hawks' The Big Sleep and has that kind of energetic and quirky mix that Robert Altman displayed in The Long Goodbye. The film itself seems like it could be a Philip Marlowe mystery, with Fanny Ardant playing a very sexy version of Marlowe. Never has a raincoat been sexier when Fanny Ardant wears it.
Francois Truffaut's love for the cinema has never been more evident here. Going back to the American films that he admired so much and using all the tools that Welles, Hawks, Lang, and Hitchcock used in their film noirs. In Truffaut's films it was more about perfecting the cinema than changing it altogether. It was about putting the right actors in the right roles and Fanny Ardant feels comfortable as the tough, yet vulnerable secretary and Jean-Louis Trintignant is perfect as the real estate agent that tries to prove he has been set-up. These are not flashy actor personalities but they fit their parts perfectly.
As far as the condition of this film on DVD, it seems that there might be a Criterion release on the horizon since this film is on their HuluPlus channel: http://www.hulu.com/watch/265804/confidentially-yours. This film was already on laserdisc for the Criterion so maybe they will give this film a blu-ray/DVD release sometime soon. If you are desperate to have this film on DVD, a Region 1 release is availble on: http://www.amazon.com/Confidentially-Yours-Fanny-Ardant/dp/B00000IBQ0/ref=sr_1_1?s=dvd&ie=UTF8&qid=1329287423&sr=1-1, for $40.00 new and $7.04 used.
This is a great film from Francois Truffaut and definitely needs to be seen by any true Truffaut. It is not his best film but is definitely a delight to watch.

The Antoine Doinel Series

This is me discussing the Antoine Doinel films, directed by Francois Truffaut: The 400 Blows, Antoine and Collette, Stolen Kisses, Bed and Board, and Love on the Run, starring Jean Pierre-Leaud as Antoine Doinel. All video uploads found on my YouTube channel TheRentBoy96.

Every Man for Himself

The French New Wave had an immense impact on cinema in general. Two of the main people responsible for the success of this phenomena were Jean Luc Godard and Francois Truffaut. Both directors had very interesting careers, since their explosives debuts. But where Truffaut was a little more consistent with his films, Godard was all over the place.
Throughout the sixties Jean Luc Godard delivered a unique palette of films that touched on several different subjects but continually attacked politics and the cinema in general. From Breathless to Weekend, Godard never failed to amaze with his films. But after Weekend he went on a different path of filmmaking.
Joining fellow filmmaker Jean Pierre Gorin, Godard formed The Dziga Vertov Group. This group was dedicated to making films like the Russian autuer Dziga Vertov, who's most famous for the great film The Man With the Movie Camera (1929). All through the seventies Godard and Gorin made several films that explored the concept of showing work on the screen.
At the turn of the next decade Godard made a comback. A film he referred to as his second "first" film. That film was Every Man for Himself. It was heavily compared to the energy that Godard showed in his debut film Breathless and was also very autobiographical for Godard.
The film centers around a film director played by Jacques Dutronc, who travels back and forth from town to town to visit his ex-wife and daughter and to work. He lives with his girlfriend in the other town. Throughout his adventures he runs into a prostitute played by Isabelle Huppert, at a movie theater.
Throughout the film Godard examines the sexual exploits of it's three main characters, Dutronc, Huppert, and Natahlie Baye. It also closely examines the role of the father and the artistic rut one gets into from time to time. The film ends tragically as with almost every other Godard film, but it is a delight to watch.
The film is definitely Godard at the top of his form. Very on par with the films he made in the sixties at the height of his career. The camera captures some of the most beautiful nature scenes ever to be seen on film and the characters interact in a special way, even if they are in their own special world. With this film Godard proved that he still had the power of a great filmmaker.
As far as the availbility of this film, there is none in the U.S. However, recently a restored print of this film toured New York and other places. So with the presence of this newly restored print a proper DVD release of this film should be on the horizon. Especially since the recent Olive Films release of Godard's massive documentary on film Histoire(s) du Cinema on DVD. But here's hoping the Criterion Collection gets a hold of this film and releases it. If they do it will join other Godard films: Breathless, Vivre Sa Vie, Pierrot Le Fou, Alphaville, A Woman is a Woman, Masculin-Feminin, 2 or 3 Things I Know About Her, Made in U.S.A., Contempt, and Tout va Bien.
This is definitely a film that needs to be viewed by any true Godard fan or anybody who appreciates the cinema. It is beautifully filmed movie that nearly jumps off the screen with its characters. Pure Godard.

Saint Jack

This is me reviewing Saint Jack starring Ben Gazzara and directed by Peter Bogdanovich. Also on my YouTube channel.

Madchen in Uniform

The German cinema of twenties and early thirties is one that was best known for being ahead of it's time and ahead of it's competitors such as America. From serial killers to futuristic cities to very disturbed doctors and misunderstood prostitutes, Germany lead the way in revolutionary cinema, pushing the envelope before there was even an envelope. Leontine Sagan's 1931 film Madchen in Uniform is no exception. This is one of the earliest films to explore homosexuality.
The film follows a young girl named Manuela von Meinhardis (Hertha Thiele), who is sent to an all girls boarding school by her aunt. Almost immediately Manuela seems to have a hard time adjusting to the new environment and things get even more complicated when she falls in love with her teacher Fraulein von Bernburg (Dorothea Wieck).
Tensions start to rise as the girls get frustrated by their poor treatment and grow even more tired of the headmistress's tyranny. Manuela especially targeted for severe punishment after an outburst she has declaring her love for Fraulein von Bernburg. As the alliance between the girls grow stronger the film leads to a harsh climax.
The thing that sets this film apart from the other boarding school rebellion movies like Vigo's Zero for Conduct or Anderson's if..., is that instead of rebelling by shooting automatic weapons into a crowd or throwing objects from the roof into a crowd, the girls in this film merely show the headmistress her tyranny first hand. A revelation that cuts deeper than any bullet wound.
Leontine Sagan uses every method of filmmaking at her disposal in this film. Most specifically the close-up. The close-up is used in abundance in this film to express the complex emotions going on with each character as they try to discover their love for each other and their severe hatred for the headmistress and her lackeys.
The film is a beautiful one that deals with the subject matter in a subtle tone and brings to life the characters in an intimate way. Blending cross cuts and close-ups in a backdrop of uniformity is quite stunning as the film moves along.
With all that being said, this film has not yet found a home on DVD. There is however a VHS copy available on amazon.com for $19.98 but that is still too much for a dead technology. I was able to view this film on YouTube in eight parts, but this film deserves to have a proper release on DVD, it is an important film that needs to be viewed.
Madchen in Uniform is a stunning film, that is erotic and powerful in all the right places. Yet another grand achievement, from that golden age of German cinema.

 

On the Road Again with Wim Wenders

Throughout cinema history there have been certain directors who are mostly identified by the types of films they make. John Ford with westerns, Alfred Hitchcock with thrillers, and Martin Scorsese with gangster films, just to name a few. But director Wim Wenders has went through his career making several films that fall into that category of road movies. A genre usually associated with American films, German auteur Wim Wenders has brought an entirely new perspective to the road movie. Most specifically, his unofficial road movie trilogy: Alice in the Cities, Kings of the Road, and The Wrong Move.

 The first film in the trilogy is Alice in the Cities (1974). The film centers around a German journalist named Philip Winter played by Rudiger Vogler driving through America trying to get material for an article about America. When he runs out of money and ideas, he heads back to Germany. At the airport, Philip runs into a German mother and daughter named Lisa and Alice, played by Lisa Kreuzer and Yella Rottlander respectively, who are trying to get back home but can't speak very good English. Philip helps them get a ticket but the plane doesn't leave until the next day.
Philip sticks around with Alice and her mother as they wait for the next day. The next morning Alice's mother is gone and it is up to Philip to get Alice home. This is done in a very disastrous way since the two have no idea where they're going, but they still try hard to get there.
The interesting thing about this film is that it is sort of an anti-Lolita. There is no strange sexual attraction between Philip and the young Alice. The two are merely portrayed as new friends just trying to get back home. There also seems to be no age gap between their friendship, since Philip treats Alice like an equal instead of a kid. The film itself is a very beautiful one and an excellent example of the brilliance of Wender's craft.
This film is available to watch on the Criterion's HuluPlus channel, which could mean that there might be a Criterion release on DVD/blu-ray in the near future. It is definitely a must see for anyone who appreciates the films of Wim Wenders and road movies in general.

The second film in the trilogy is Kings of the Road (1976). This film follows a traveling projection equipment mechanic played by Rudiger Vogler and a depressed man who's marriage has just broken up played by Hanns Zischler. The two men meet and decide to travel together. The whole film follows these two as they travel through Western Germany along the East German border repairing projection equipment in run down movie theaters.
Throughout their travels they encounter several characters that enlighten them. This is a beautifully filmed movie that really captures the landscapes wonderfully that these two go through. The film is also great because there are no homoerotic undertones here. These are just two guys driving. They barely talk or interact, except when they listen to music. They are essentially two guys with nothing, trying to find something. They have lost their way and they are trying to find it again.
This is a theme that Wenders explores often in his films, a desperate need to get back to the place where you are from. This is displayed twice in this film, when Hanns Zischler goes to see his father and confronts him and when both Vogler and Zischler go to the place where Vogler grew up.
This is one of those movies that really speaks to an audience and is able to do it in very few words. There is no American DVD release for this movie, but I was able to view this film on YouTube in 18 parts. A truly amazing film that is masterfully done by Wim Wenders.

The third film in Wenders trilogy is called The Wrong Move (1975). This is one film that I cannot find. There  isn't a proper American release for this film on DVD. You can purchase a VHS copy for $7.00 on amazon.com. It is not on YouTube either. The film stars Rudiger Vogler, Fassbinder regular Hanna Schygulla, and Nastassja Kinski, who is the daughter of legendary actor Klaus Kinski. I did however view the first two minutes of this film on Bing videos and this is the only film of the trilogy that is in color.
With all this though, here's hoping that these three essential films will get a proper DVD/blu-ray release sometime soon. Most preferably in a trilogy box set, released by the Criterion. But since Alice in the Cities is the only one on their Hulu channel, the other two are simply wishful thinking. If these do make it to the Criterion they will join two other Wenders films: Paris, Texas and Wings of Desire.
These are definitely three films that need a proper release and that don't need to be forgotten. To watch a Wim Wenders films is like watching poetry on the screen. Landscapes and people intertwined together to form a beautiful view of the things we take for granted.

Johnny Guitar

One film that I have heard great things about from many different sources is Nicholas Ray's western Johnny Guitar (1954). The film itself has mostly been praised after its initial release. The film centers around a saloon owner named Vienna played by Joan Crawford. As she runs her saloon she is met with much animosity by the locals of the mining town.
The leader and initiator of this animosity is a woman named Emma Small played by Mercedes McCambridge. Emma is jealous of Vienna, especially for the Dancin' Kid played by Scott Brady who has a romantic attachment to Vienna. Emma succeeds in turning the town against Vienna as certain events unfold that can easily be traced to the Dancin' Kid and Vienna.
Things get even more complicated when an ex-lover of Vienna's, Johnny Guitar played by Sterling Hayden, strolls into the town by Vienna's request. As their feelings for each other turn up again, the complications get evenh thicker. All this erupting into a sizzling climax that leaves the audience on the edge of their seat.
This is melodrama at its finest. Nicholas Ray displays top directing form as he vividly portrays the scenary in a sharp color that makes the images nearly jump off the screen. Emotions in this film are more dangerous than the gunshots fired in the movie. Definitely a rare kind of western that almost really isn't even a western, it's more than that. The film is also an important part of Joan Crawford's career.
With all that being said, the availbilty of this film almost makes one weep. On amazon.com you can purchase this film, which is an import from Korea for $16.75. I myself saw this movie on YouTube in its entirety, but the video has since been removed since I've watched it.
But there lies that infinite question. Why should this great film suffer such a fate? Why is this film reduced to a Korean import with subtitles? Why have we abandoned this great film? I don't know the answer but swift action in getting this film a proper DVD/blu-ray release is a necessity. It seems almost unfair to lay everything on the Criterion Collection but since they are really the only ones doing anyhthing about these plights it seems hard not to mention them.
A Criterion release would be awesome for this movie but then again any release would. If the Criterion decides to release this film it will join another Nicholas Ray film on the Criterion: Bigger Than Life. This is another film that does not need to be forgotten and preserving this film is definitely a top priority.
This is a film about passion, jealousy, hatred, and greed and it is masterfully done by the great Nicholas Ray and wonderfully acted by Joan Crawford, Sterling Hayden, and Mercedes McCambridge.

The Mother and the Whore

The second film I have discovered in my journey to find lost films is the Jean Eustache film The Mother and the Whore from 1973. This film is an epic from the French New Wave, even if it was made in '73. It is definitely a product of that era. It is also the ultimate talking film. With a running time of three and a half hours the only action in the film is people talking and people having sex.
The film follows three main people: Alexandre (played by Jean Pierre Leaud, who himself is a familiar in the French New Wave, most notably his debut role in Francois Truffaut's The 400 Blows, the film that started the French New Wave), Marie (played by Bernadette Lafont), and Veronika (played by Francoise Lebrun).
The film follows these three characters as they go through their day to day life of promiscurity and philosphy. Alexandre is in love and lives with Marie but still has relationships on the side. When he falls for Veronika, who is a nurse, things get even more complicated as those feelings grow even stronger and his dedication and love for Marie never wanes. Marie loves Alexandre and seems unaffected by his love affairs as she has a couple herself and Veronika doesn't really care about Alexandre's relationship with Marie, all she knows is that she loves him.
This a very powerful and sexual film.We see the activites of these individuals and we immediately embrace them as the characters do. As the film progresses, the intensity that the characters bring to their situation is so compelling that even though it is already three and a half hours long you wish it was longer.
The film is a lot like life. There is no real solution, these characters just take it day by day. Alexandre never decides between Marie or Veronkia, he just simply goes back and forth between the two, constantly toying with their emotions. And Marie and Veronika never force him to choose, Veronika just simply refers to him as the luckiest man in the world to have two women that love him.
With all that being said this is definitely a film that needs to be seen. It does not need to be forgotten. Whereas its rival, Last Tango in Paris (also starring Leaud) has already made it to blu-ray, where The Mother and the Whore is only availble on VHS. On amazon.com, a brand new VHS costs $65.00 and a used one costs $33.99. Too high for a dead technology.
In comparison, The Mother and the Whore is a far better film than Last Tango in Paris, not to dismiss the greatness of Paris, but The Mother and the Whore is a lot more emotionally deeper and offers a better insight into the sexual feelings and urges of the human being. But why has Last Tango had a good release while The Mother and the Whore has suffered this neglect? I don't have a clear answer for that but I know a solution.
I was able to find the film in its entirety on YouTube in twenty-one parts and I'm glad I found it, but this film is in desperate need of a proper DVD/blu-ray release. It would be amazing if the Criterion Collection could work their magic and put this film out, but there is not even a hint that that's going to happen. But if not the Criterion, than any distributor will do, just as long as it gets the proper release it deserves after all these years.
This film is a masterpiece from Jean Eustache and it perfectly captures the era in which it was made and the sensibilities that surrounded that era.

Breaking the Waves

The first film I have discovered on my journey to find those forgotten films of yesteryear is the Lars von Trier classic Breaking the Waves from 1996. The film stars Emily Watson as a mentally unstable woman named Bess who gets married to a roughneck named Jan, played by Stellan Skarsgard. When Jan is injured in an accident on an oil rig he is left paralyzed. He then tells Bess to seek out men and make love to them so she can recount the experience to him so he won't forget how to make love and thus keep him alive with love. Bess gradually does this and in a series of tragic attempts, she ends up sacrificing herself for the sake of Jan. Katrin Cartlidge gives a great supporting performance as Bess's friend and sister-in-law and Udo Kier has a small role as a sadistic sailor.
This is an exceptional film from the controversial Danish filmmaker Lars von Trier. It is erotic, gut wrenching, and very well directed with a sense of realism that makes it feel like you are there with these characters going through the experiences they are. Emily Watson gives the performance of her career as she portrays one of the most complex and loveable characters in film. Her main motive is to do anything for Jan, she wants and needs Jan, because she loves only him.
With all this finding this film is damn near impossible. I was lucky enough to find this film on YouTube with French subtitles. As far as the DVD availbility goes, a brand new one amazon.com runs nearly one hundred dollars, where a used one runs at least thirty dollars for the bare bones Artisan release.
There are rumours that the Criterion Collection might release this film as their 2012 slate but no official word has been heard. That is purely speculation and on my part immense hope, since this amazing film desperately needs the Criterion treatment. It was released as a laserdisc for the Criterion, so here's hoping it gets the blu-ray/DVD treatment. If so it will join other von Trier films: The Element of Crime, Europa, and AntiChrist on Criterion.
This is one film, that does not need to be forgotten. It is an uncompromising look at love and dedication that puts most films to shame.

A first time blogger.

I'm not really familiar with this process but I want to start this thing to try and get more familiar with the film community. My ever growing obsession for film has lead me to the obscure and hard to find films and I want to dedicate this blog to those films and the other under appreciated films that end up in copyright Hell or are lost to the perils of the forgotten abyss that is cinema. But I want to bring new life to these films by bringing them into the light again and urging the wonderful distrubters of film like Criterion, Kino. Anchor Bay, and Blue Underground to name a few, to release these films so they can be enjoyed again. And also I want to express how important film preservation is. Just like a painting, movies need to be preserved to show the hard work of the people who dedicated their lives to making films.