The Last Laugh

I purchased a VHS copy of this movie at a used book sale at our public library.  Unfortunately, the tracking in the movie was horrible and made the top third of the movie difficult to watch.  It is a silent movie released in 1924.  Emil Jannings stars as an aging doorman who is demoted from his job when his boss mistakenly believes that the man is not doing his job.  He has just completed a backbreaking task and is simply taking a break.  The extreme;ly heavy suitcases that he has just unloaded are even part of a later dream sequence.  The doorman is reassigned to be a bathroom attendant and only a night watchman seems to care about him.  His co-workers, his neighbors and even his family to some extent laugh and laugh.  They can't seem to offer or provide any sympathy at all.  Even though this is a silent movie there are no dialogue cards (except for one just before the end.)  Instead, the movie doesn't really need dialogue.  In a way, it could be made today and, hopefully, they wouldn't add a word of dialogue.  The director, F.W. Murnau, is masterful in presenting this look at German culture.  I suspect that such laughter would well describe some of the humiliation and degradation which was part of pre-World War II Germany.  The end of the movie is a little strange and some people dismiss it but I sort of liked it.  The doorman suddenly inherits millions of dollars from someone he has helped as a washroom attendant.  People are laughing again at the unusual fate of a washroom attendant inheriting money.  And, of course, the former doorman is laughing too as he helps the poor and the underlings.  I recommend the movie and hope I get to see a better copy of it.

The King's Speech

The last movie we saw, "The Eagle" was definitely a movie about friendship.  It might have been classified as a "buddy" movie. "The King's Speech" was even more so but it is hardly a buddy movie.  What a wonderful movie about true friendship without any stupid, childish or meaningless subplots.  The Prince of Wales has a profound stutter and the speech therapist he ends up choosing is exactly the person that he needs. Their friendship isn't automatic and it's not simple.  It is one of mutual respect and laced with tension and emotion.  I confess that the language startled me a bit but it wasn't for comedic effect or to appeal to the masses.  It was necessary to the true plot of the movie.  It will be difficult editing this movie for television because the language does make a point.  The movie is very historical with characters that were and are part of our lives.  The night before we saw the movie we saw on 60 Minutes some of the discoveries which were made to enhance the filming of the movie.  They were wonderful.  It's probably not a movie for children but the events of the movie need to be understood by both children and adults as part of history.  Alice said it was one of the best movies that she has ever seen.  I understand that the movie is up for several Academy Awards.  It would be wonderful if it would win. 

The Eagle

Today (February 12) we saw the movie "The Eagle" on its second day of release.  Once again, Alice enjoy this movie very much.  I also liked it and found that it was a well filmed and well acted movie and a movie about things being saved.  Marcus Aquila takes command of a military post in the area where his disgraced father apparently led a group of 5000 soldiers on a mission from which they never returned.  In addition a valuable Roman eagle symbol was apparently forever lost.  Marcus leads his garrison well and prevents a sneak and surprise attack but he is severely wounded in the battle.  He is then honorably retired as his injuries take many months to heal.  While witnessing a fight to the death in one of the Roman games he rescues a man named Esca, agreeing to make him a slave.  However, he is much more than a slave as he becomes his friend.  So, Marcus saves his honor and then saves Esca.  Together they decide to travel to the north beyond Hadrian's wall in Northern Britain to find out what happened to his father and "save" the Eagle symbol.  When they encounter the Seal tribe way to the north Esca now "saves" Marcus by pretending that Marcus is his slave.  They find the Eagle symbol and take it but are pursued by the Seal people.  Esca again saves Marcus in repeated encounters.  A final battle which summons some of the lost 5000 Roman soldiers (recruited by Esca) finds Marcus saving Esca during a bloody battle.  Together they return the Eagle to Rome where one of the Roman politicians mutters that the rescue was made by Marcus and a slave.  With the honor of the family of Marcus restored and "saved" he says that Esca is more than a slave.  The movie is not Christian but the Christian overtones are stunning and we can learn much from it.  The music is haunting.  I was struck by how primitive life really was in the early years of the first Millennium.  The movie is historical, heroic and honorable.

Gnomio and Juliet

We saw the movie "Gnomio and Juliet" in Freeport tonight (February 11) on its opening day.  The Lindo theater was really packed tonight with most of the customers going to the Justin Bieber movie.  Even getting ready for the movie "Gnomio and Juliet" I thought that the primitive cartoon style was a bit strange.  The movie, however, was pretty good and may go a long way in creating more interest in William Shakespeare among the young.  Lots of subtle humor (and some not so subtle humor) was included.  It was a product of Elton John with both music and production attributed to him.  Twice I tried to go to fill up our popcorn container and I couldn't believe the long lines at the concession stand.  Maybe everyone was just anxious to get out of their houses and homes for a movie.  After all, it's already 13 degrees above zero and supposed to get up to 32 on Saturday.  Enough on the weather and on the concessions.  The movie is worth seeing and I/we recommend it.  People applauded at the end...always a sign of a very good movie.

Avatar

So, we are watching Avatar.  We are about 40% through this movie and Alice isn't sure she wants to see the rest because the idyllic situation is soon to change with tanks moving in to destroy the beautiful "rainforest."  Alice liked the parts about flying.  These dizzying scenes, I confess, aren't really my favorites.  Overall, the movie is OK but we are having a difficult time understanding how it could become the number one best selling movie of all time.  We started the movie in mid-January (it was actually Alice's birthday gift to me) and we hope to finish it sometime in February.