Historians and scholars have debated for years about the truthfulness of the King Arthur legend. Although most of them have concluded that the stories about Camelot, Merlin, and the Knights of the Round Tables are mostly part of a mystical fantasy, there is evidence that the often-told story has basis on real people and events. With all legends, it is impossible to know what is true or what is fiction.

At the outset, Director John Boorman clearly articulates the aim of his thesis: the Arthurian legend explains a period of transition in human history that seems missing from history books. That transition represents an end of an era of darkness and mysticism (represented by the Dark Ages) and the beginning of a period of renaissance and enlightenment (triggered by the discovery of America in 1492). Boorman has clearly succeeded in the aims he set out to achieve; an allegory of mankind losing its sense of wonder, and the price that we eventually paid for a “civilized” society. It’s an interesting approach that will puzzle – and fascinate – audiences for years to come.

Stylish and spellbinding, Excalibur is an astonishing accomplishment and it breathes much-needed new life into the well-known myth. Boorman has not only given new form and resonance to the story and characters; he has managed to create a perfect fusion of legend and historical accuracy. Boorman’s interpretation keeps all the mysticism of the story intact, while placing the fantastic events in their real time and place. The director captures the grimness of the Dark Ages like no one has done before or after. Realism and mysticism have never been realized so vividly and in such great harmony.

I was shock to read that this was a relatively low-budget film, considering the scope and opulence that the entire production radiates. Alex Thomson’s exquisite, Oscar-nominated cinematography achieves a surreal atmosphere, and his work is one of the film’s greatest achievements. The special armors designed by Terry English are extraordinary too. One of the my favorites anecdotes about the making the film is the one related to the mutual personal and professional discord between actors Nichol Williamson and Helen Mirren. Since the actors play mortal adversaries, the film benefits from their uncomfortable situation; they have great chemistry. Anyhow, Excalibur is such a provocative and stimulating film that even if it doesn’t completely satisfy, at least it will give one something to think about for days to come. As far as I’m concerned, it is the definite movie about the tale.

Here’s a list of my top five favorite performances by the actor. It doesn’t represent his best work. Let’s say I never get tired of watching him in these movies (ranked in order of preference):

Lou Peckinpaugh in Neil Simon’s The Cheap Detective  (1978, Robert Moore)

His best film role. It’s too bad that they don’t give Awards for funny performances.

Sam Diamond in Neil Simon’s Murder by Death (1976, Robert Moore)

He is practically auditioning for The Cheap Detective. In a superb ensemble cast, Falk makes his scenes count.

Maximilian Meen in The Great Race (1964, Blake Edwards)

He is Stan Laurel to Jack Lemmon’s Oliver Hardy. I love the energy and physicality he brings to his role.

Joy Boy in Pocketful of Miracles (1961, Frank Capra)

His smart mouth and streetwise attitude keeps the movie from getting too Capra-corny.

Nick in Happy New Year (1987, John G. Avildsen)

We get to see him in a new light: smooth and romantic.

Filed under: Obituaries ]]> http://robie2008.wordpress.com/2011/06/27/remembering-peter-falk-1927-2011/feed/ 1 gelpi2010 Peter Falk (1927-2011) The Cheap Detective (1978, Robert Moore) Murder by Death (1976, Robert Moore) The Great Race (1964, Blake Edwards) Pocketful of Miracles (1961, Frank Capra) Happy New Year (1987, John G. Avildsen) http://robie2008.wordpress.com/2011/06/24/saturday-night-fever-1977-john-badham/ http://robie2008.wordpress.com/2011/06/24/saturday-night-fever-1977-john-badham/#comments Fri, 24 Jun 2011 20:29:33 +0000 Gelpi2011 http://robie2008.wordpress.com/?p=18083 ]]>

In America, the 1970s will always be remembered as a period of incredible cultural changes. Among many important events that occurred during this troubled decade: Vietnam became USA’s most controversial political and military venture, the Watergate scandal erupted, and the Disco Era exploded like no other music phenomenon had done before. Like a tiny version of Forrest Gump, I grew up during this time period, pretty much unaware of the social and political changes that were happening around me. I should probably say “almost” unaware, because in the ’70s you had to be living in another planet if you weren’t impacted one way or the other by the disco fever that was spreading across the nation. Nixon’s antics in the White House went over my head, but like everybody else, I was highly influenced by the disco phenomenon. To those of you that weren’t there, I think that I could pretty much describe the disco sensation in just three words: Saturday Night Fever. Few movies could claim to have captured an Era in its totality as well as this film did.

Yes, in the ’70s, Hollywood gave us a groundbreaking epic about the criminal underworld (The Godfather). Two trend-setting horror films (Jaws and The Exorcist) also debuted in movie theaters around the same time. We were also convinced that a man could really fly (Superman) and we had out first brush with The Force (Star Wars). However, no other movie is more representative of what was going on in the ’70s than Saturday Night Fever. From the moment John Travolta walks down the streets of New York during the opening scenes (while the Bee Gees’s song Staying Alive plays on the soundtrack), you know exactly in which decade the movie takes place. In full bell-bottom, polyester gear, Travolta (who by the way, became an overnight movie star solely on the strength of this movie) pretty much summarized what was meant to be a young person in that Era.

As I was watching this movie again for the first time in many years, I realized that I had forgotten how good this movie really is. Putting its legendary status aside, Saturday Night Fever still remains one of the best films about young people ever made. The struggle for independence, the bouts with self-esteem, and the desire to make something special out of one’s life are issues that still plague anyone on the brink of adulthood – the movie has a definite timeless quality that remains provocative and endearing. In retrospect, the movie is really a variation of Rocky (I’m not surprised that Sylvester Stallone directed the 1983 sequel), with the disco’s dance floor replacing the boxing ring (both movies are about young Italian-Americans). However, despite the movie’s unoriginal narrative structure and the abundance of familiar clichés, Saturday Night Fever is a genuinely touching film, energized by two things: Travolta’s charisma and the Bee Gees’ immortal soundtrack.

As I said before, Saturday Night Fever is basically an old fashion coming-of-age tale, ignited by the force of the Bee Gee’s unforgettable soundtrack and Travolta’s deeply felt performance. I was happily surprised to find out that the film has stood the test of time and has not become an anachronism of a by-gone Era. In hindsight, it is easy to dismiss the obvious clichés of the story, however, the impact the film had on the 1977’s audiences and its current place in American pop culture is indisputable. As the main character in the movie tries to conquer the dance floor, a valid metaphor about the elusive nature of the American Dream is created. Unfairly dismissed nowadays by some as a relic of its time, Saturday Night Fever says something worth remembering about the struggle for asserting our own set of values and dreams, amid a seemingly reluctant and rigid world. The movie makes some valid points about the tricky nature of success in America, while vividly capturing a pivotal time period in the American culture.

I’m going to make a politically incorrect statement: no heterosexual man could have directed this film. No señor. I was not surprised when I found out that Mitchell Lichtenstein is an openly gay filmmaker. I was expecting a woman on the director’s chair but a gay man makes sense too. I think the most progressive heterosexual man has a hard time understanding how much a male-dominated society undermines true equality. Lichtenstein etches a seriously delirious horror-comedy – about a young Christian teen girl with a killer-vagina – to illustrate a fair moral and social point. He adds a pro-environmental twist to the pro-feminist subtext to boot. Result: a funny, entertaining, very smart amalgamation of genres.

Strangely enough, the filmmaker was immediately accused by naysayers of blatant misogyny, which, of course, says a lot about how the subject of sex still makes many of us feel very uncomfortable. Any movie that focuses on a young woman and her genitalia is expected to be labeled as being “crude,” “tasteless” and “inappropriate” by most Americans – puritan values are part of our DNA. We are taught that the vagina needs to be venerated, not exploited or ridiculed – Mr. Lichtenstein, shame on you! Newcomer Jess Weixler is a knock-out! She’s Bette Davis resurrected, both physically (those eyes!) and stylistically. Under the right circumstances, she can become a huge movie star. Let’s wait and see.

“Evil Has A Destiny.”

Rob Zombie tries to reconfigure John Carpenter’s seminal horror film. I give Zombie some slack because he has a difficult task at hand. The filmmaker recognizes the problem of reconstructing a film that is deeply embedded in the ’70s culture. He astutely exploits today’s quirkier, more cynical times. Less thrilling is the fact that Zombie feels compelled to pander to modern viewers who want everything explained to them. The character of Michael Myers is humanized to the nth degree. But because he copies the structure of Carpenter’s film, Zombie is forced to demonize Myers during the second half and he never makes Myers’s transition – human to unstoppable monster – believable. The result is a deeply flawed film. Zombie also makes a fatal mistake: he puts so much emphasis on Myers that we are never allowed to identify with virginal Laurie Strode (Scout Taylor-Compton), who remains a generic “scream queen” throughout the entire film. It doesn’t help that Taylor-Compton is a limited actor – she’s no Jamie Lee Curtis! Dr. Loomis (Malcolm McDowell), the great protector and savior, is also a cold, cold, character. It has energy and technical finesse but it made me feel nada.

Halloween II (2009, Rob Zombie)

“Family Is Forever.”

Original & sequel share identical flaws: Rob Zombie identifies with psychopath Michael Myers not heroine Laurie Strode. He also has an awful tendency to try to explain everything; it’s CliffsNotes of Carpenter’s mythos. Time has turned Zombie more cynical, sarcastic and pessimistic too; benevolent Dr. Loomis is now an unrecognizable turd. That left me with no one to root for here. I simply cannot relate to Zombie’s weird sensibilities. The sequel picks up almost exactly where the original left off. The town of Haddonfield, Illinois, discovers the mayhem caused by Michael Myers on Halloween night. Michael’s body goes missing and he is presumed dead. A year later, we find Laurie (Scout Taylor-Compton) living with Sheriff Brackett (Brad Dourif) and his daughter Annie (Danielle Harris). Halloween night arrives, Myers reappears, and the body count begins. Laurie is a full-fledged misfit in this movie, which I think is the only way Zombie could elevate the character’s status from useless ”scream queen” to heroine; to each his own. There is a rule for writing good drama: if a character doesn’t have a function in the story it must be eliminated. Loomis serves no purpose in the movie. It is indicative of Zombie’s poor writing abilities. There is one great nightmare sequence at the beginning of the film; it is by far my favorite part of the movie. I don’t blame Zombie for trying something different. Moviegoers shouldn’t discourage filmmakers from trying new ideas. But there are no real emotions here. It’s a pity.