The WHF Film Club

[strapped for cash]

I felt it's quality, however, was in being far from a simple working class = good tale as the fact that he succumbs to theft makes us more ambivalent about him but also makes us confront our own morality and recognise it as situational and also capable of influence by the filmmakers.

Though I'm pretty sure we're supposed to think that this man has been reduced to theft by a state incapable of supporting workers' needs. In fact the original bicycle thief is more impoverished than Ricci, and arguably becomes more sympathetic once we see the single room dwelling shared by his entire family.

I missed what you'd said about slapstick but I assume you mean the closing chase scenes?

I'm thinking of the scene in the church, where the boy is slapped on the head by a priest in the confession booth, compared with the more dramatic slapping by the father minutes later. (Note the boy's very different reaction from one scene to the next.)

I don't think the end of Bicycle Thieves is meant to be slapstick at all, but rather makes explicit Ricci's moral corruption; not because he's an inherently bad person, but because he's been reduced to criminality out of desperation. The preponderance of bicycles in the scene becomes a taunt to Ricci, since a bicycle is the difference between his family's survival and destitution.

It's a useful to scene to look at in terms of how it departs from neorealist conventions. In the moments leading up to the theft, faster editing, more percussive music, and tighter, more subjective camerawork combine to create suspense. (These are actually quite fast edits for the time the film was made.)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C_lJbSJoIuw

"Neorealist" filmmakers were not averse to employing highly manipulative techniques to communicate their political message.

 

[BIGBERNARDBRESSLAW]

JD, it's your turn.

JD, it's still your turn. 3 films please?

 

[expat_mike]

It's an interesting discussion that you are having about documentaries and narration. It's made me think again about narrative.

When I said that I thought that it would have been a better documentary, I was thinking in the following terms:

1) The film meanders in places, and I thought that a documentary may have enforced more focus into the scenes.

2) I meant a documentary without a verbal narrative, but still a pictoral narrative like the film.

3) A short textual introduction, to explain about Pythagorus, and lead the viewer into the film, and start them thinking about what they saw.

It has also made me think about situations where you take things to extremes, by removing the verbal narrative, plus the pictoral narrative, and you are then left with the "songbird" CD, which some people listen to on their radios. I imagine that the LQV director could have produced a similar CD, consisting of just the sounds of rural Italy.

 

[John Duncan]

JD, it's your turn.

JD, it's still your turn. 3 films please?

Is it?!?! I thought I had a month yet... :-o

 

[BIGBERNARDBRESSLAW]

Go for it JD.

I think we need a bit of time to get hold of the films, so we can atleast get the voting done for your choices.

Is that OK?

 

[John Duncan]

Sure. I had some candidates but had not firmed up a list.

 

[BIGBERNARDBRESSLAW]

Well, whenever you're ready.

I think I'm the only one who has seen Monsieur Lahzar, so it's not a deperate rush.

 

[Hi-FiOutlaw]

Well, whenever you're ready.

I think I'm the only one who has seen Monsieur Lahzar, so it's not a deperate rush.

...Not the only one...

I'll watch Snowtown this week,will rent it from my video club!

 

[BIGBERNARDBRESSLAW]

Well, whenever you're ready.

I think I'm the only one who has seen Monsieur Lahzar, so it's not a deperate rush.

...Not the only one...

I'll watch Snowtown this week,will rent it from my video club!

I meant among us other 5 HFO, of course you've seen it.

I'd like to tell you what I thought of it, but that will have to wait.

Try to see "Spring Summer Autumn Winter, and Spring" if you can , really good.

 

[BenLaw]

Sure. I had some candidates but had not firmed up a list.

Pressure's on. Still, you can't do worse than I did.

 

[BenLaw]

Well, whenever you're ready.

I think I'm the only one who has seen Monsieur Lahzar, so it's not a deperate rush.

I managed to sneak in a bit of early Russian cinema today (Earth) but Monsieur Lazhar should be with me on Thursday

 

[Hi-FiOutlaw]

Sure. I had some candidates but had not firmed up a list.

Pressure's on. Still, you can't do worse than I did.

You didn't do worst that any of us!

The votings were not the best...! :twisted:

 

[BIGBERNARDBRESSLAW]

Sure. I had some candidates but had not firmed up a list.

Pressure's on. Still, you can't do worse than I did.

You brought a film that none of us had seen to all of our attentions, and most liked it.

And, although I didn't enjoy it, it's still broadened my horizons.

I think it's quite unlikely that all of us will enjoy any of the films, though I could be proven wrong with Monsieur Lahzar.

EDIT. My English is appalling, but hopefully you know what I meant

 

[BenLaw]

You brought a film that none of us had seen to all of our attentions, and most liked it.

Well, one other person as far as I can tell But don't worry, I'm thick-skinned and was only joking. I know well from my book club that you can't please all of the people all of the time, so watching a film / reading a book you wouldn't otherwise have done is indeed a worthwhile exercise.

 

[BIGBERNARDBRESSLAW]

OK, 50% liked it.

You, Mike and Strapped, and I don't think JD disliked it

 

[strapped for cash]

I don't think this is about consensus politics, with films evaluated in terms of the number of people that enjoyed them.

This isn't Rotten Tomatoes.

 

[BIGBERNARDBRESSLAW]

I don't think this is about consensus politics, with films evaluated in terms of the number of people that enjoyed them.

This isn't Rotten Tomatoes.

OK Strapped. I'll give that remark 65/100.

 

[Hi-FiOutlaw]

You brought a film that none of us had seen to all of our attentions, and most liked it.

I say that to all the films i've seen so far in this club, and that's why I like to be part of it!

...still LQV... :silenced:

just pulling Ben's leg...

 

[strapped for cash]

OK Strapped. I'll give that remark 65/100.

I'll settle for that.

In other news, I just finished watching the "final cut" of The Wicker Man.

I think this is the best cut of the film, since it preserves narrative chronology, without painful exposition spelling everything out for audiences. It's also as good a restoration job as we can probably expect, with most of the film looking crisp and well balanced; and the newly recovered footage (already included in the SD director's cut, so not technically new) as well integrated as possible.

I'm very happy with the BD release.

 

[BenLaw]

OK Strapped. I'll give that remark 65/100.

I'll settle for that.

In other news, I just finished watching the "final cut" of The Wicker Man.

I think this is the best cut of the film, since it preserves narrative chronology, without painful exposition spelling everything out for audiences. It's also as good a restoration job as we can probably expect, with most of the film looking crisp and well balanced; and the newly recovered footage (already included in the SD director's cut, so not technically new) as well integrated as possible.

I'm very happy with the BD release.

Looks like I may have encouraged you to buy this despite the price! Our earlier discussion encouraged me to purchase Bicycle Thieves, which I'd previously only rented. I also managed to find it for the cheapest I've ever seen it, £6 at play.com.

I'm glad you enjoyed the new cut of The Wicker Man. I've not seen the long cut, but the extra footage prior to flying in to the island sounds a bit painful. The director also thinks this is the best cut. It is also a very nice image for most of the footage.

I had a bit of light relief following LQV by watching Apollo 18 Surprisingly good actually. My next bit of light relief I have lined up is Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter

 

[strapped for cash]

Looks like I may have encouraged you to buy this despite the price! Our earlier discussion encouraged me to purchase Bicycle Thieves, which I'd previously only rented. I also managed to find it for the cheapest I've ever seen it, £6 at play.com.

I'm glad you enjoyed the new cut of The Wicker Man. I've not seen the long cut, but the extra footage prior to flying in to the island sounds a bit painful. The director also thinks this is the best cut. It is also a very nice image for most of the footage.

My usual ebay strategy worked, namely set a maximum price and bid on successive auctions until you win. You always get there in the end.

I'm now getting annoyed by commentary on the special features, with various contributors discussing how shocking and disturbing the film's ending is. I still maintain that the good guys win.

As for the additional footage in the director's cut, I find it superfluous and somewhat insulting to the audience. Not everyone agrees, including some die hard Wicker Man fans.

Did you buy the Arrow Blu-ray of Bicycle Thieves?

 

[BenLaw]

Even if the good guys win does it make their method of victory any less shocking / disturbing? It's a bit of a grim way to go.

Yes, the Arrow blu ray, same as the one I rented. It looked very good to me, although I have nothing to compare it to.

 

[strapped for cash]

Even if the good guys win does it make their method of victory any less shocking / disturbing? It's a bit of a grim way to go.

Sure, but it's only a movie, and in many ways analogy. (The Wicker Man certainly isn't documentary.)

Yes, the Arrow blu ray, same as the one I rented. It looked very good to me, although I have nothing to compare it to.

It's still the only BD release and the best presentation of the film I've seen. It's worth comparing the critics' quotes in the accompanying booklet with the Robert Gordon commentary, in light of our discussion above.

Great price, too!

 

[John Duncan]

OK here we go, for no other reason that they fit the brief (IMO) and were on my list anyway - just taking this opportunity to bring them to the top...

1) Tzameti
2) Princess Mononoke
3) Battle Royale

All appear available from Amazon at reasonable prices should they not be on your streaming service of choice. How's that?

 

[BenLaw]

Big MINUS points in my vote for Battle Royale, hate, hate! Will look up other two.