Barbarella (1968) Review

Barbarella 1968
Directed by Roger Vadim

Roger Vadim directed Barbarella in 1968 and casted Jane Fonda to be the lead role, Barbarella, who was said to be one of the most beautiful women of her time, but many find the film just to be “the campy adventures of a 41st-century sexual explorer” and with good reason many would agree.

Numerous encounters by reviewers have brought the film to its knees, “The film is ugly on so many levels—from art direction to human values—that it's hard to know where to begin. Let's be charitable and write it off to love—Fonda was married to director Roger Vadim at the time.”

The honour that remains with this film is due to its relation between its adult comic book, “Based on the French banned bestseller comic book by Jean Claude Forest and produced by Dino de Laurentiis” but by mere referencing between the film and comic strip you can automatically see a close relationship, especially with characters and even more so with environment, from the dark corridors of the city Sogo to the dark caves of the labyrinth, the translation is beautiful, which is a uphold for any director to translate comic to film as many recent years have seen, especially from Marvel.

Even with a great deal of audiences disliking the film, “Barbarella isn't very much of a film…” it has still been an inspiration for many, “Fonda's signature role has inspired everybody from Duran Duran (who named themselves after O'Shea's bad guy), to Kylie Minogue (who based the video for her single 'Put Yourself in My Place' on Fonda's naked floating around in space).”

There are  of course some who do like the film for what it is, and what it isn’t trying to be, “Can a movie be so horribly BAD and really, really cheezily GOOD all at the same time?! Oh, absolutely! This film is an EXCELLENT example of campy fun crap that hopefully wasn't supposed to be taken seriously.”

Sources:
http://www.austinchronicle.com/gyrobase/Calendar/Film?Film=oid%3a140287http://www.chicagoreader.com/chicago/barbarella/Film?oid=1065594
http://www.shoestring.org/mmi_revs/janeandbarbarel-ms-88173199.html http://www.film4.com/reviews/1967/barbarella http://www.variety.com/review/VE1117788872?refcatid=31
http://www.joblo.com/reviews.php?mode=joblo_movies&id=1284

The Wizard of Oz (1939) Review

The Wizard of Oz (1939)
Directed by Victor Fleming

http://www.teachwithmovies.org/guides/wizard-of-oz-DVDcover.jpg

The Wizard of Oz directed by Victor Fleming in 1939 follows the dream world of Oz and Dorothy’s (Judy Garland) quest to get home to her family, but the Wicked Witch of the West has other plans.

The Wizard of Oz is believed to be one of the most famous films of all time, and for good reason, from enchanting characters such as the Cowardly Lion, the Brainless Scarecrow and the Heartless Tin Man, as well as the terrifying Wicked Witch of the West.

“Wizard of Oz is one of the most-protected films in history, and it's also one of the most well-covered”

http://www.combustiblecelluloid.com/classic/wizardoz.shtml

Of course the mere mention of The Wizard of Oz we are gathering thoughts of the film, and one of the most iconic pieces of environment comes along with these thoughts, the yellow brick road, there are many reasons for this, perhaps the stretching singing from the Munchkins and their love for it, or perhaps because it remains in the film for at least two thirds, and this road leads the band of characters through a variety of environments, from the beginning, the Munchkins home, which seems to be Charlie and the Chocolate Factory spliced with Thumbelina, yet it still has its own fascination of plants and small mushroom houses, there is little like it, the yellow bricks leads Dorothy to a crossroads which presents her with her new found friends, the Scarecrows from the crop field, which seems too perfect to believe, thus giving more evidence that they are in a dream world of fantasy, with no branches on any crops broken, completely untouched unlike the fence around them, which appears as old as the Scarecrow.

Next we see the Tin Man, his residence seems to be borderlines with a forest, this scene looks like an artificial Red Riding Hood scene, with the small log cabin which is seen in the background and has no interaction with the characters; as the characters continue their adventures, the woods as seen in the previous scene become more dark and gloomy, which looks like, yet again, an artificial forest, with the bright yellow road as a centre piece, with tree branches reaching across, almost like an attempt to hide the road from anyone, this gives the forest a menacing atmosphere, as well as the characters and audience unable to see any blue sky, yet it is midday; once the Lion has joined them, the next scene to be shown is the field of poppies, which looks like it was borrowed from the Sound of Music, with bountiful hills that seem to go on for eternity, until we see the sight that has these characters on their voyage, the Emerald City; the outside presence of the city it appears to be made from emeralds/crystals almost like Kryptonite (from Super-Man) and a similar theme continues within the city, everything is of course an emerald shade and everything appears to be made from glass, it is as if the characters have entered a ‘walkthrough-crystal-emerald’ the environment is kept quite clear and basic, with reflective flooring, small areas of potted plants (which are all still green) and every civilian is dressed in green also.

The next major location is the Wizard of Oz’s chamber, where we are presented with small and large alters, which give an impression of power and wealth, with blazing flames which never appear to quit, which of course strikes fear into anyone.

As the characters are informed they need to take the Wicked Witch of the West’s broom in order to receive their rewards, we are given a completely different atmosphere where we find the characters walking through, what only can be described to be a haunted wood, with cheap figures of owls and vultures with blaring red eyes, with no trees having leafs it gives the impression of death and loneliness, until Dorothy is taken to the Witches castle, which yet again is very basic for such a grand building, we are given little brick work to see, but plenty of space for the characters to interact with, from her bedroom/study which is given stained glass, a large looking crystal and a horde of flying monkeys; the only real feature is the large doors which do look like they are from a medieval period.

Of course one of the strangest film techniques of its time period, the film starts in black and white, then switches to colour, and then back again, this ultimately gives Oz a place of fantasy and artificial make believe, which pays off for the director because it is highly effective.

The only scenes within the black and white era consist of the farm where Dorothy lives, which is of course like any other farm, from picket fences, small houses with two sets of doors, one for keeping flies and other pests out and the other for entering the house, alongside this is the rarity of plant life, except for a few trees, most probably because they were dug up to make room for the farm itself. We also get see inside the house, which is basic, plan with barely and luxuries, which is what anyone would suspect from a farm house, but it could also be seen as a generalisation.

Upon Dorothy running away from home, we also see Professor Marvel’s caravan which is pulled by a horse, yet again this set is a generalisation, from little trinkets hanging from the ceiling, to a small crystal ball and a large chair where Professor Marvel sits to tell fortunes.

“sugar-rush of that shift from sepia-monochrome to full colour as Dorothy realises she's not in Kansas any more”

http://www.guardian.co.uk/film/2006/dec/15/family.musical

The Wizard of Oz can be seen as many messages from any perspective, for example, because the world is seen as a dream, Dorothy can be seen as leaving home in search of independence, yet when her Auntie becomes sick, she drastically needs to search for her family instead, thus giving the importance of family over your own intentions, but of course this is only from one seeing point.

The movie can also be seen as fighting for your friends and family, one reason she is leaving home is to defend her dog Toto, because she believes if he is found that he will be destroyed, thus her need to travel far away.

“Garland’s Dorothy embodies the fantasy of all children who dream of leaving the cocoon of their protected lives and spreading their wings. With her companions — the clowning but clever Scarecrow (Ray Bolger), the compassionate Tin Man (Jack Haley) and the blubbering Cowardly Lion (Bert Lahr) — she journeys along the yellow brick road through a land of magic and wonder, a butterfly blossoming in a candy-colored phantasmagoria.”

http://www.seanax.com/2007/12/12/wizard-of-oz-over-the-rainbow/

http://images1.fanpop.com/images/photos/2000000/Wizard-of-Oz-Caps-the-wizard-of-oz-2028967-720-536.jpg

King Kong (1933) Review

King Kong (1933)

Directed By: Merian C. Cooper and Ernest B. Schoedsack.

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Merian C. Cooper and Ernest B. Schoedsack directed the original King Kong in 1933, which to this day remains one of Universal Studios most treasured movies.

We see the plot built up for everyone, including the characters aboard this ship that has a mystery destination which no one knows, except one man, Carl Denham (Robert Armstrong); it seems that his mission in life is to give other something they have never seen before, and his final destination will be his holy grail.

Anyone who watches King Kong will be impressed with the set design; it ranges from typical 30’s streets with classic cars and buildings, of course this would be modern in production of the movie; we also get insight into the ship which the story revolves around, it is quite clear from the structure and design of the ship, that its usual purpose is for transport. We also gain Skull Island, the residence to King Kong and his native neighbours, we see a generalisation of tribesmen, which show straw huts and grass skirts. Finally we see the amazon jungle where Kong is ‘trapped’ aside from the usual animals of birds and monkeys we also see large lizards and prehistoric creatures, which considering the creatures that lived there, you would imagine more prehistoric characteristics for the set, for example, pre-historical plants as well as tracks from these animals and other signals of their existence…

“Besides Kong in the jungle among other freaks to appear are a triceratops, a brontosaurus, a tyrannosaurus, a pterodactyl and a 60-foot snake.”
http://www.variety.com/index.asp?layout=variety100&content=jump&jump=review&reviewID=VE1117792322&category=1935

Reasoning for lacking evidence towards the residence of the island, would definitely be due to the time period, which when watching Kong, should be the thought in the foreground of your mind.

“It is no longer the 1930s, however. By today's slick standards, King Kong has aged, and it's debatable how kind the passage of years has been”
http://www.reelviews.net/php_review_template.php?identifier=172

King Kong can also be seen as a sexual venture of one man’s obsession for beauty, in this case Kong and Ann Darrow (Fay Wray) clear examples of Kong’s curiosity range from him touching young Darrow and sniffing his fingers, considering the production time of the film this could be seen very vulgar and unnecessary. Other hints that are more obvious would be the need for Kong to find his beauty, and keep her away from anyone else, this gives evidence of reasoning for him to climb the Empire State building, and of course being shot down, this could be shown that all love, obsession and greed has a limit.

“Staging a screen test for Ann, Denham dresses her as a fairytale princess ("The beauty and the beast costume") and coaches her in screaming at nothing”
http://www.empireonline.com/reviews/reviewcomplete.asp?DVDID=116908

http://www.torrentsland.com/upload/preview/films/6/1/9/b66150d61bd490b87c4dfbf82df54066.jpg

Metropolis (1927) Review

Metropolis (1927)
Directed by: Fritz Lang

http://chud.com/articles/content_images/5/Metropolis_Rep.jpg

I had already heard rumours and mentions of Metropolis, from film documentaries, to a television program I watched ages ago called “Best Robots in History” and if I recall correctly Metropolis won; so this movie had a lot of expectations for me, and it did meet these expectations.

From watching The Cabinet of Dr Caligari I began to understand how silent movies work towards the audience, but this one had its own methods it seems, I noticed that in comparison Metropolis only used text for speaking if it was absolutely need for the most dire of situations, which must have been a challenge for actors because they of course would need to portray moods, fears, emotion and words within their body language; this definitely kept me entertained throughout.

Like I have previously stated, my latest project is based on environments, and Metropolis has a very vivid one to say the least, we are presented with a range from huge skyscrapers with hundreds of cars and planes flying in-between buildings (which was all created with miniatures) to the slaves working quarters, where every button and leveller seems to be two times the size that it should be, with some representation methods such as the explosion of one machine, then it slowly morphing into a temple with men whipping others (in a slave worker style), and finally a Indiana jones disco club room where everyone is having a ball, Metropolis definitely has its contrasts when considering environments.

The city of the slaves wasn't in ruins as you could imagine anywhere for a slave being, but instead it was almost like 'the best a slave could get' within the ability to make sure they dont enjoy their home as well, its a strange setting.

Of course this movie is well dated, but doesn’t mean it doesn’t also come without influencing other film makers…

“Filmmaker Fritz Lang gives us a shockingly prophetic view of armies of downtrodden workers, all clad in the same baggy uniform, their capped heads bent, shuffling in perfect choreography as they descend to the depths of their workaday hell. It is a dizzying precursor to all those Orwellian scenes in our collective cinematic consciousness, with a goodly dose of Joe Versus the Volcano on the side.”
“Frankenstein, Blade Runner, and even Madonna’s 1989 video “Express Yourself” are heavily indebted to the incredible production design of Metropolis,”
http://film-forward.com/metropolis.html

“Like "Blade Runner," which borrowed from it, "Metropolis" is a futuristic spectacle about class divisions in a glittering high-rise city. But whereas "Blade Runner" was believably gritty, "Metropolis" is an artifact of abstract expressionism, steeped in the theatrics of Wagnerian opera.”
http://www.stltoday.com/entertainment/movies/reviews/article_c64be241-b5ae-5f89-bf7d-c86c46b53a1e.html

“Supposedly George Lucas' C-3PO was created in homage to the robot woman played by Brigitte Helm”
http://www.indiemoviesonline.com/reviews/metropolis-aka-the-complete-metropolis-2010-restored-version-090910

Even character design from the robot of Metropolis is rumored to have sparked CP30 from one of the most famous sci-fi films ever created.

I do know a lot of my friends who hate the idea of watching silent films, which is a great shame, I did not like the aspect either until I became older, and actually understood that a lot of the famous and influential movies that surround use to date, are only as good as their original inspirations, I hope some of the quotes I have provided concrete this idea.

 http://monsterscifishow.files.wordpress.com/2010/09/metropolis.jpg

The Cabinet of Dr Caligari (1920) Review

The Cabinet of Dr Caligari (1920)
Directed by: Robert Wiene

                        http://zombie-popcorn.com/wp-content/gallery/blog-post-photos/caligari.jpg

The Cabinet of Dr Caligari was shamefully my first ever silent movie, but nether less I did enjoy some parts of the movie; but my overall view consisted of it being short paced with a fast ending.
Key areas of the film that struck me as advanced for its time is the ability of storytelling, for example, we are presented with two men at the beginning just minding their own business until they see a woman, and one man tells the other about his past with that particular woman, and this is how the story continues, through the eyes of one man, but (and I speak for myself alone) I did lose track of him telling the story, and I did buy into everything he was saying as “true events”, which, considering the ending, seemed to be the goal for the director.

Most my review’s in the next five weeks will focus on set design and environments in which the movie takes place, and The Cabinet of Dr Caligari, although hold, can definitely hold its own.
“With its sharp angles and distorted shapes Expressionism--like Cubism and other Modernistic art--strives to impose emotional content on the objects portrayed.”
http://oldschoolreviews.com/rev_20/caligari.htm

It was a real interest to myself to see strange set designs in such a dated movie, it definitely made the movie more entertaining, but I couldn’t for love nor money find a reasoning for this until the end…

“Staggering light patterns and deep shadows are used to portray the way the insane look at the world. The stylized set design is among the most impressive I have ever seen.”
http://goatdog.com/moviePage.php?movieID=464

Upon reading several reviews, it became apparent that the set designs where influenced in the mind of the protagonist, (of course myself unaware at the time) the main protagonist is actually insane, and it shows the world through a insane persons head

The set itself was very sharp, wonky and also very tight, even some objects within the scenes were presented abnormally, for example, pretty much all chairs within the entire movie seemed to come up to the waist of the characters. The movie has also been a foundation for many movies to present, such examples continue to be…

“One needn’t look far in the culture to see its manifestations, from the works of Tim Burton (Edward Scissorhands, Batman Returns, The Nightmare Before Christmas and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory all come readily to mind) to more unexpected places (such as the Red Hot Chili Peppers’ music video for their single “Otherside”).”
http://projectionbooth.blogspot.com/2007/01/cabinet-of-dr-caligari.html

I personally found quite a few similarities between this movie, and recently released “Shutter Island” with the aspect of everything been viewed via one person’s prospective of the word and their surroundings…

“One is a great plot twist that doesn't play as simply as the one trick wonder of the recent The Sixth Sense. Although it may shock first time viewers, it doesn't feel manipulative or forced, and subsequent viewings reveal just how well its creators have developed the themes of madness; hence, the common association with Poe. With its multiple layers the deceptive melodramatic screenplay has held up over the years as a real shocker--the kind that certainly had to please the Master of Suspense himself.”
http://oldschoolreviews.com/rev_20/caligari.htm

The use of music was also very different, for example, there were scenes were you would suspect loud, brave and aggressive tones, but instead there was only silence, almost like a gloomy doom, the main scene that did this that caught my eye was the attemtped kidnap/rape scene, the entire scene went silent.
The plot twist towards the end was completely unseen for myself, I was a complete ‘sucker’ and bought into the entire movie, regardless of the environment.

As mentioned before the plot is paced, but the ending is thrilling, it doesn’t hit you in the face, but makes you change your personal views on one person completely, which is a very strange and powerful feeling.

http://calitreview.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/02/Cabinet-of-Dr-Caligari.jpeg

Splice (2009) Review

Splice (2009)
Directed By: Vincenzo Natali

http://www.commentarium.net/wp-content/uploads/2010/04/Splice_Poster.jpg

Scientists Clive Nicoli (Adrien Brody) and Elsa Kast (Sarah Polley) are on the brink of curing some of the world’s deadliest diseases by combining a variety of creatures DNA, but their work has come to a standstill as their employer wants to concentrate on making protein pills from the DNA, but the scientists want to continue and mix human DNA, and the results are far worse than they expected…

When I finished watching Splice I decided I have never watched a movie that was so disturbing, disgusting, revolting, but at the same time, ‘mind-blowingly’ fascinating to watch. I say this due to the creature, Dren (Delphine Chaneac), she is the final result of a collection of animals and human DNA mixed together, and the her story is portrayed so well.

Of course, like most movies, they give a story to the audience, in Splice, it comes down to family, it shows how some can have family problems dwelling inside them, in this case the main protagonist that has these problems is Elsa Kast, who we believe has had an abusive childhood, and she wants to do everything she can to not be the same mother her mother was to her, but this movie proves that the more you try to move away from something, you could end up doing the complete opposite, and unfortunately Elsa does show signs of her mother inside herself.
While Elsa is trying not to be her mother, Clive is trying to do the best he can not to get into trouble, Clive and Elsa clash a lot through this movie, especially at the begining of Dren's birth, he believes it's best to dispose of Dren, and he comes close when he attempts to drown her, until we have the huge twist of growing gills, which Elsa finds shocking that Clive 'knew' and he even lies to cover his tracks from his true intentions, which shows how much Elsa loves Dren to avoid the fact her 'father' almost killed her, Elsa is willing to let it go and continue looking after Dren. Clive throughout the movie slowly progresses to accepting Dren as a part of their trio, maybe not so much as a daughter, but he can see Elsa within her, which inevitably leads him to loving Dren to the extent of them making love on the barn floor until Elsa catches him, and finally they both have to confront their issues and problems which have been lying deep for a while throughout the movie.

“Splice isn't just horror or science fiction. It is a film about parenting, portrayed in an ingeniously unfamiliar way as just another form of genetic experimentation. “http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/reviews/article-1296924/Splice-Monstrously-good-fun-feature-offering-horror-movies-lack--wit-charm-sting-tail.html#ixzz12Fnow7Cu

As you can imagine these two scientist raise this creature as their own, thus showing their own Frankenstein creature, which both characters were named as a homage to the movie Frankenstein’s Bride.
“With its quirky, tragi-comic tone, the film Splice most resembles is Bride Of Frankenstein (1935). It can hardly be a coincidence that the leading characters' names are Elsa, surely named after Elsa Lanchester, who played the title character, and Clive, after Colin Clive, who played Frankenstein.
“http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/reviews/article-1296924/Splice-Monstrously-good-fun-feature-offering-horror-movies-lack--wit-charm-sting-tail.html#ixzz12FoQK2Pi 

I found the creature design in the movie very interesting also, mainly because the first two monsters we see, Fred and Ginger, look like blob creatures with a small amount of bone structure, then we are presented with Dren, who is exactly the same, but only with human DNA present, its interesting the differences the creators chose. They also show antennas on Dren when she is a young creature, then she slowly looses them, which can be seen as metamorphism, a lot like her wings, which we dont know she has until much later in the movie, similar with her gills. One thing Dren never fails to do is surprise, which I think helps the audience in keeping entertained.

What I found most refreshing about this movie is to show what scientists are capable if they have free roam, it’s great to see a director not afraid to push the audiences limit and give them a film that requires intellectual engagment.

Not only that, is but the director is more than happy to show the scientists having sex with the creatures, I could imagine a lot of directors shying away from a oppotunity like this, but it made the movie (aside from the mutant creatures) a lot more believable. Dren as a whole is portrayed perfectly, when she is female, we see her actions resemble the animals she is mixed with, from her head tilts which are bird like, to her agility which is taken from her horse aspects; and when she is male and rapes Elsa, we see Dren acting like an animal, he’s not enjoying it, its his primal instinct to mate and populate, he takes no hesitation in the act.

"Meanwhile, as Dren, Delphine Chaneac is both creepy, and unsettlingly attractive in an androgynous, freaky way. While she's no Natasha Henstridge style sex bomb a la SPECIES, the character is still made attractive enough to make you understand that the scientists could grow attached, and even attracted to it (although the wings and legs might be A BIT of a turn off).
"http://www.joblo.com/index.php?id=32368

To conclude this is a master piece when scientists play against God, I do love the fact that a lot of the movie secretly reflects Elsa, it gives the movie a lot more depth, im sure this will be one of my favourite movies for a long time.

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The Elephant Man (1980) Review

The Elephant Man (1980)

Directed By: David Lynch

http://www.impawards.com/1980/elephant_man.html

The Elephant Man being one of the most famous movies in the 1980's it is a insight of the life of a man who is suffering from a disfiguring congenital disease, his name is John Merrick (John Hurt), who is found by doctor Frederick Treves (Anthony Hopkins), who sets out to give John Merrick the life he deserves...

 

When I sat down to write this review I was compelled to inform you that I found the movie a great drag, but the story itself was heart wrenching, because I felt complete empathy for this man, who just wants to be a normal man, but it appears everyone disagrees with this.

The movie seems to appear as a basic linear structure, but one thing that annoied me the most was the, what I can only call, 'dream-sequences' at the begining and end of the movie, which both featured elephants and John Merrick's mother, where she was originally attacked by a elephant, it is also lead to believe that her fear was so intense that the elephant fear imprinted on her child, John, who was in the womb when she was attacked.

It is aso interesting that even though the movie was made in the 1980's it was produced in black and white, I would presume they went with this method to give not only more age to the movie and help it set itself within the period of time it was story takes place, it would also help the audience understand the life style back then, as well as being able to make the actors, in a sense, more believable and more dated.

"Black and white widescreen provides a sumptuous backdrop to excellent turns from a youthful Anthony Hopkins and an unrecognisable John Hurt."
http://www.film4.com/reviews/1980/the-elephant-man

The transformation also is remarkable, from John becoming a simple circus freak, that frightened women and the faint of heart, to the extent of him becoming one of the most beloved by the public and famous...

"abused as an inhuman freak, was gradually coaxed into revealing a soul of such delicacy and refinement that he became a lion of Victorian society."

http://www.timeout.com/film/reviews/63796/the_elephant_man.html 

Its also astounding from a production side that John Hurt had to undergo hours upon hours of make-up, which does scare a great deal of actors, yet he still substains a rememerable role

"Here’s a character requiring makeup that entirely obscures the actor’s appearance, and speaking impediments substantial enough to make his voice unrecognizable. Yet Hurt took on the role with relish, and delivers as subtle and wonderful a performance..."

http://www.apolloguide.com/mov_fullrev.asp?CID=3741

To conclude I believe this to be a film that should take all credit it deserves, the only real threat I believe the movie has is its length, it did drag on for some time to express a story which could of been shortened, but this could be myself being a member of the 'YouTube-Generation' otherwise I really enjoyed The Elephant Man.

http://unrealitymag.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/02/john-hurt-elephant-man.jpg

The Company of Wolves (1984) Review

The Company of Wolves (1984)
Directed by: Neil Jordan

http://www.soundonsight.org/wp-content/uploads/2009/06/wolves.jpg

The company of wolves is most definitely a movie that will stay with me, for a very long time, due to its abnormality and its metaphors, which it has a lot of.

The movie is based upon the fairy tale ‘Little Red Riding Hood’ except with a sexual desire, development and lust.

Throughout the movie sexual tension is shown, where it revolves around the protagonist, Rosaleen, Little Red Riding Hood. The aspect of men being wolves inside, aka, sexual predators, is shown first when Rosaleen dreams of her sister being chased through the woods, this represents her becoming of age, and seeing her sister do so; the wolves will force their way onto her, which can also be seen as puberty, it’s inevitable. We also see the toys on her window place become destroyed by the wolf while he enters, this is another metaphor for her childhood coming to a end.
The first signs of Rosaleen becoming a woman can be seen at the beginning, she is currently in her room suffering from “tummy pains” which can be determined her first minstrel cycle. The same scene is shown throughout the film while she is dreaming about another world that she exists within… We also see this scene at the very end of the movie, with the exception of wolves at her door, with one wolf jumping through the window, the relevance of this can also be linked to her sister, its puberty forcing its way in, its fierce, strange, but at the same time terrifying.
It is also interesting to see where else throughout the movie the representation from other fairy tale stories, from the gingerbread man, the two rats/mice that come out of the clock, as well as the white rabbit, these animals and elements don’t even need mention because we all instinctively place them in childhood stories we have heard.
The Devil also makes an appearance…
"Chauffeur driven through a fairytale forest in a white Rolls-Royce, The Devil stops by a teenage boy and hands him a potion telling him to “waste not, want not.” The boy drinks it and is horrified to find hair growing on his chest. Jordan collaborated with the novelist Angela Carter on this dreamlike horror film which is essentially a metaphor about the end of childhood and the onset of adult sexual desires."
http://www.suite101.com/content/six-actors-whove-played-the-devil-a135967
He seems to be the root of the evil that tames the wolves, it is believed within the film that if you are born on Christmas, and feet first out of your mother with a pair of eyebrows that meet in the middle, you are one of his wolves that will be dragged to hell.
This shows that sexuality can be closely linked to vulgar and deceit, which can make it very fearful for some, thus fear being linked to the Devil, which must makes fear and lust the work of the Devil. We see the Devil promising a boy to become a man with a small potion, but unfortunately for the boy’s sake it was a trick to turn him into a wolf.
Rosaleen, also seen to be Little Red Riding Hood, is finally confronted by a wolf, in which killed her grandmother, the wolf doesn’t appear to want harm to her, but he does seduce her. He also asks her to put her Riding Hood (Shawl) into the fire; it is believed that the shawl is an item of protection which was given to her from her grandmother, thus the wolf is asking her to remove this protection, which can also be seen as her becoming naked. Eventually the wolf wins in seducing her, and we see Rosaleen turned into a wolf, which is the first representation of a woman as a wolf, it also closely links what Rosaleen’s mother said regarding a woman’s power being an equal match to a man’s. I also find it interesting that the Grandmother is shown as a blood relation towards Rosaleen, but is also never seen in the real world when Rosaleen is awake
It is obvious that through the movie men can be represented by wolves, but I also believe, an yet to find anyone who agrees or disagrees, that there are also a great deal of snakes, which are watching and looming over Rosaleen in the film, but are never acknowledged, the snake can of course be related to the genital area of a man which can be feared by some women who have little knowledge of that particular area.
When Rosaleen’s sister is found dead, that night we see Rosaleen’s parents have sex, and Rosaleen wakes up just as they finish, and she sees her mother lean her head against her hand in a triangle action, seeing this Rosaleen copies the pose, this can be seen as her curiosity about sex, the feeling, and the sensation it brings to a female.
Eventually Rosaleen and the Wolf are discovered by the hunters and her parents, but…
“…and following him off into the woods. Rosaleen's transformation is seemingly both voluntary and freeing. It offers us a definitive reversal of the victim role in which Red Riding Hood and those interchangeable female horror film characters are typically cast…”
(http://www.brightlightsfilm.com/54/wolves.php)
This can be seen as Rosaleen accepting her adulthood and following her partner into the woods, thus leaving her childhood

I conclude that the movie, with all I can see all the representation and symbolism coming together it shows…
“…unique portrayal of a young woman's journey to maturity…”
(http://classic-horror.com/reviews/company_of_wolves_1984)
Which grasped me to find the story and plot very unusual but at the same time making perfect sense. It was definitely a learning curve.

http://www.ferdyonfilms.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/04/wolves5.jpg

Cat People (1942) Review

‘Cat People’ 1942
Directed by: Jacques Tourneur

http://www.americanartarchives.com/rose,w_cat_people1942.jpg

An American man, Oliver Reed (Kent Smith) marries a Serbian immigrant Irena (Simone Simon) who fears that she will turn into the cat person of her homeland's fables if they are intimate together, but this is only the beginning to their problems…

This movie (unlike most) doesn’t come with a large amount of gore, nor does it come with a large body count, but it doesn’t come with suspense and darkness, this could be relevant to the movie having a very tight budget so they opted for an ‘easier’ way to put tension and fear into the audience… which was written particularly well by DeWitt Bodeen.

The movie itself is overwhelmed with darkness in areas that have great significant reasoning, for example, at one point where the lead lady, Simone Simon who plays Irena when she visits a physician, she is placed upon a chair where only a small light is shining upon her face, this is to illuminate the fact she is almost in a trance, and the only part of her body that is currently in use is her brain and soul.

Light and darkness is used one again for a famous chase scene between Irena and one of Oliver’s close work colleagues, Alice, we see this scene in central park, where Alice is being stalked by Irena, we only see the characters when they are lit by lamp posts, until the noise of Irena’s high heels stops, this catches the attention of Alice, and she panics believing to be pursued by something not human, until the scene is abruptly stopped by a bus entering the scene, this is used even in contemporary films such as Final Destination which is famous for a bus scene where one girl is hit and killed instantly.

Shadows are also very present throughout the movie, for example, at one stage when the couple have a pet canary, the cage is shown as a shadow again Irena’s dressing scene, and on the scene is a very large image of a puma.

“…just terror in the shadows…”(http://www.film4.com/reviews/1942/cat-people)

“Cat People wasn't frightening like a slasher movie, using shocks and gore, but frightening in an eerie, mysterious way that was hard to define; the screen harbored unseen threats, and there was an undertone of sexual danger that was more ominous…”
(http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060312/REVIEWS08/603120301)

And yet it is still impressive that...

“…the film features no actors in cat-suits, no explicit special effects, just terror in the shadows.”(http://www.film4.com/reviews/1942/cat-people)

There are other subtitle animal hints within the movie also, for example, at one point when Irena is walking down some stairs she stops to look onto the room, when there is a statue of Anubis in front of her; Anubis is also a Egyptian God which is part man part dog, alongside this is her making cat like markings into a sofa, as well as clinging to a door when her husband wishes her goodnight with a scream of a puma from the zoo in the background noise...

                             http://www.cryptomundo.com/wp-content/uploads/cat-people_2.jpg

The film itself shows many signs of age, from the only black person within the whole movie was a waitress, as well as the form of sex, where it is never emphasised but one mentioned ‘metaphorically’ when Irena mentions wanting to be Oliver’s wife, speaking of which is follows well onto the idea of sex being related to becoming a monster, which was perceived greatly through this film, it was ‘unwomanly’ to lust too much thus making women feel like they have been sinful, and most feel that being sinful follows closely to being a monster of life.

http://www.cinecultist.com/archives/simonesimon

La Belle Et La Bete (1946) Review

'La Belle Et La Bete' 1946
Directed by: Jean Cocteau

(http://www.sexualfables.com/images/la_belle_et_la_bete_film.jpg)

The family are in ruins, fathers ships won’t return, so he must plead to the creditors, upon his journey he plucks a rose for one of his three daughters, Beauty, but little does his ignorance know the Beast had a watchful eye on him, and demand to take his life for this act, unless he will let one of his daughters take his place instead...

Yesterday I had my third movie to review, a French movie by the titles of La Belle Et La Bete, which was also provided with subtitles; the movie itself was had some very entertaining performances, which came with (unintended I’m sure) some very comical areas.

Considering the age of the movie, I did enjoy at least 70% of the film, but the other 30% was unfortunately not as entertaining, but this was most probably due to the film being made over sixty years ago, overall the presentation of the characters, makeup of the Beast, settings and ‘special effects’ were impressive...

“From the intricate and convincing make-up of the Beast and the surreal splendour of the bewitched castle...”

(http://www.film.u-net.com/Movies/Reviews/Belle_Bete.html)

While numerous scenes went through this movie I found the director, Jean Cocteau, had a interesting use for the cloth, and clothes throughout the movie, we really did see waves of wind ride through them, especially when Beauty is running through the great hall, or even when she is searching for the beast in the corridor, I found this very 'ahead-of-its-time' for such a old movie...

It is believed this movie to have had a lot stolen from it by Disney’s ‘Beauty and the Beast’ which by anyone watching you can understand why, not just from the title, but the characters in particular, especially the interaction of the Beast with Beauty; she does not fear him, but he wishes for her to do so, which is one of the Disney’s ‘Beauty and the Beasts’ main focal point. Alongside the main plot being ‘stolen’ I believe there also to be other elements to the film that Disney may have recaptured themselves, especially for Beauty’s evil sister...

“Beauty (Josette Day) slaves for her avaricious sisters...”

(http://www.film.u-net.com/Movies/Reviews/Belle_Bete.html)

When I was researching into the movie itself I came across a article published on the guardian’s website, which lead me to believe that...

“Based on Mme Leprince de Beaumont's 18th-century version of the fairytale, it's a profound allegorical interpretation of a wounded France recovering its honour after the Nazi occupation.”

(http://www.guardian.co.uk/film/2008/sep/28/drama.dvdreviews1)

I took this quote with great interest, especially seen as I could see it being undoubtedly true, particularly with the film’s release being close to the end of world war 2, if this is the case then I believe the metaphor goes as followed, the Beast is France, and Beauty is the French people, and it is almost like that France has become this inhabitable monster for the French people; but they have little care for the horrific scenes that their country has seen, and still love it tenderly...

The one notification that caught my eye (and confusion) was the fact they had the man playing the Beast (Jean Marais) also played the Prince, as well as Avenant, which in this case Avenant was the man who loved Beauty no matter what and wished to free her from the Beast’s ‘imprisonment’, the area of confusion for myself is when the Beast was ‘healed’ and at the same time Avenant was killed by a statue, the Prince came from the Beast, which of course is the same man who played Avenant but only with a shorter hair cut...in other words I instantly thought that Avenant was somehow the Beast and everyone was playing musical chairs with their bodies...I think if they portrayed this type of casting in a more modern film, it would have the audience in equal confusion, unless of course it was made very clear before hand, aside this minor blimp of irritation I found the movie very entertaining.

(http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_8HTrgsxPIIY/S0fpViJXiSI/AAAAAAAAAIg/kZC12nHO040/s400/6a00e5523026f58834011278d9b19528a4-800wi.jpg)

The Fly 1958 vs The Fly 1986 Reviews

‘The Fly’ 1958
Directed by Kurt Neumann

“…The fly with the white head…” - Helene Delambre

http://cinefantastiqueonline.com/wp-content/uploads/1958_The_Fly.jpg

Andre Delambre plans to change the world with his latest invention, the teleportation machine, but little does he know his invention will change his world for all the wrong reasons…

‘The Fly’ of 1958 is one of the greatest films to go down in history; for both good and bad reasons, whilst I have only seen this film recently, I already see myself as a fan of the film, I was enchanted by this film even with its age of fifty two, it gave me a window into the life of the 1950’s, which made me enjoy it even more.

One of my most favourite elements of the original fly is the anticipation of the story itself, we are given a small selection of information, but we are never quite let in until Helene decides to tell the story of her husbands ‘death’, this kept me caught in a web of interest…

“We’re not quite sure what the story is, but we’re given enough information to make guesses. At the same time, we’re not so in the dark...”
( http://classic-horror.com/reviews/fly_1958 )

“Without resorting to spooky camera angles, shadows, and blatant musical stings, THE FLY reveals its story in a leisurely manner, usually in open, sunny rooms”
(http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/1007600-fly/articles/1784979/a_barometer_for_what_some_people_perceive_as_funny_and_what_others_think_is_creepy/ )

There is an interesting revelation for the creation of the teleportation machine in the first place, it shows you that like most inventors, they want to change the world, and for one of the movies focal protagonists, Andre Delambre, this seems to be his main mission…

“"Al" Hedison’s "mad-scientist" isn’t really mad, he’s just obsessed with his work, and it seems perfectly reasonable.”
( http://classic-horror.com/reviews/fly_1958 )

…But his wife’s mission in life is to be just that, and I think this is presented well throughout the movie, from her trusting her husband, and doing simple tasks for him such as gathering milk and rum for him, the reason I find this interesting is due to the dissimilarity to our present times, which is another sign of the age of this movie, but I feel it almost enriches the movie in many principles, to shows us how the ‘normal life’ of certain persons in the 50’s, but of course this is all normal when the movie was originally released.

There is also a close relationship between all the key characters, two brothers, Andre Delambre, François Delambre and Andre’s wife, Helene Delambre.
When Andre is in human form, you can see he has a loving relationship between his wife and son, but once he becomes transformed, we see towards the end that Helene leans towards François, until the end scene of the film we see all of them pretending to be happy family, aside from one of their immediate, it is interesting that Helene and François had a love interest mentioned at the beginning of the film, and it would of also been a interesting consideration for the film to missing this part in particular, because I believe it was of greatly differed the movie plot.

(https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlagXo6jHnIGxlGOFWsJa3awnrSlWg3UXTNIygfNel0pGOYbhM2JnmMxEtuacBJEUoHpTk7RxO_qTWSIbub43czE7sq6DKh3L92wx35aXNqmlb3elv_NCPwgpxl8hS0y1Q9NXMz9wKIW0A/s400/TheFly1958_2Fox_pic6.jpg)






‘The Fly’ 1986 (remake)
Directed by David Cronenberg

“Whaddaya think? A fly. Am I becoming a hundred-and-eighty-five-pound fly? No, I'm becoming something that never existed before. I'm becoming... Brundlefly. Don't you think that's worth a Nobel Prize or two?” - Seth Brundle

https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEim31IDqqOvoaDZnU8Ic57lBX6ChWBHWZNBFvccARkD-gUS-CNGXbGvqT9HaErZ8dpm2wXbNuZuQyhMywTC7Eh6O59Zla5KG6w3Ffr53yqxESXITP57P-sUz9zceOZZd-kOUYAqQwXFy3Wi/s400/the_flyposter.jpg

When reporter Veronica Quaife (Green Davis) finds herself at a scientist convention looking for the next big thing to write about for her editor, but she finds herself talking to a Seth Brundle (Jeff Goldblum) who lets her into his world, and the soon the devastation that he will be creating…

David Cronenbery known especially for his gory body horrors, from the movies such as ‘Shivers’ (1975), Rabid (1977), The Brood (1979), Scanners (1981), Videodrome (1983) The Dead Zone (1983) and many, many more, but his adaptation remake of ‘The Fly’ is seen to be one of his most famous movies ever, this could be due to acting, plot, but for a majority of viewers of ‘The Fly’ it can come close to the repulsive scenes that can be seen throughout the movie. Empire magazine states.

“David Cronenberg's triumphant reworking of the 1958 Vincent Price flick remains his most accessible film, meshing his perennial obsessions with disease, decay and metamorphosis into an exuberantly handled, shamelessly melodramatic love story - albeit a love story in which one partner is a pus-packed bluebottle.”
(http://www.empireonline.com/reviews/reviewcomplete.asp?DVDID=117254)
The movie follows close to its predecessor in close format, but differs greatly when it comes to the characters and quintessential Fly creature; this can also be agreed with Brandt Sponseller of classic-horror.com as he quotes:
“..the story in the original, while similar in its broadest features, is very different in the details, and has a very different focus.”
( http://classic-horror.com/reviews/fly_1958 )

‘The Fly’ shows themes that show the the epidem­ic of AIDS in the 80’s, this is translated well within the movie itself, with the sexual content and the concept of the character Veronica Quaife being pregnant with a maggot. There is also the representation of casual sex, when the main character, Seth Brundle, ‘won’ a woman in a bar and brought her back to his place and continued to have sex with no questions asked, but:
“The real-world connections here—disease, mental illness, drug addiction, are obvious. Many saw the film as an allegory for AIDS, which Cronenberg denied while welcoming the interpretation...”
(http://www.cinemaviewfinder.com/2010/09/cronenberg-blogathon-fly-1958-vs-fly.html)
It was also interesting to see the contrast between this movie and many more regarding the “unveiling” of the fly itself, for example, King Kong we have an instant understanding of the creature that we are expecting, but when the fly came to the screen, it was a surprise and a real enjoyment to see the character morph into this haggard mutant hybrid fly, it was certainly an curiosity to see what Seth or ‘Brundlefly’ would ultimately became, and end as within the movie. I believe that Jesse Hassenger from filmcritic.com would agree…
“In a sense, as with many monster movies, you're essentially waiting around for 40 or 50 minutes for the monster to show up, but spending this time with Goldblum and Davis is a pleasure.”
( http://www.filmcritic.com/reviews/1986/the-fly/ )

http://blastr.com/assets_c/2009/09/The_Fly-thumb-550x324-24653.jpg