Das Leben der Anderen (2006)

Lives of Others

Today marks the 20th anniversary of the announcement by the East German government signifying the end to the socialist GDR regime and the start of the destruction of the Berlin Wall.

For most of us it’s hard to imagine what it’s like living under a government hell bent on forcing an ideal on its people. Today we acknowledge big brother but not in the privacy of our homes. We think it crude not to have a say in who represents our communities at a local through to national level. It’s hard to imagine a politician taking away your right to express yourself through art or to be told what is acceptable to read and watch. For the citizens of East Germany it was all too real only two decades ago.

Das Leben der Anderen (Lives of Others) is set in a drab 1984 where we observe the life of a Stasi agent, Gerd Wiesler, as he spies on others. He is renowned for his interrogation skills and his loyalty to the party is unquestionable. He is a proud and intelligent man who teaches at the Stasi University and carries out field work with a precision reserved for Swiss watches. A deliberate man, he lives alone and has very few interests outside of work. With his straight spine and piercing eyes he observes and reacts with a calculated soldier like efficiency.

When his superior and old friend, Anton Grubitz, becomes obsessed with advancing within the Stasi hierarchy he quietly disapproves. Anton drags him along to a theatre performance where Wiesler observes Georg Dreyman and Christa-Maria Sieland, a power couple working as artists with the blessing of the GDR. Through unfounded suspicions Georg is placed under surveillance which results in every inch of his apartment being wired. Wiesler is tasked with finding something, anything, to discredit Georg. … read the rest, see our rating and a video!

12 Angry Men (1957)

12 Angry Men DVD Cover

More than likely you have not heard of the director or most of the cast and the screenplay was penned by a predominantly unknown TV writer. They each have had respectable careers and in some cases a distinguished one. There are no big Hollywood stars here and you would be forgiven for scratching your head clean trying to find one and yet they are a part of cinema history. In working together to create 12 Angry Men these unlikely fellows got the ingredients right for magic on film.

Set during a time when only males were allowed to sit on the jury, 12 Angry Men opens to the final moments of a murder case in which an 18 year old ‘ethnic’ boy is accused of murdering his father. The jury is left in a small room to reach a unanimous decision which will either free the boy or send him to the chair. It’s Friday afternoon after a six day trial and it’s the hottest New York day of the year. Overwhelmingly the evidence is stacked against the boy and it comes as no surprise to see eleven of the jurors vote guilty on first count. Only one man has reasonable doubts and the will to stand alone against his peers. Throughout the course of the evening he attempts to convince the rest of the panel that the boy is possibly innocent.

Shot in the confines of a small rectangular room we witness a spectacular character study of the twelve men who are only known by their jury number. They sit around a rectangular table and clash over the facts of the case, their beliefs and values. Each man brings his own set of life experiences and throughout the evening we learn that they are as individual as their numbers. Stupid, impatient, ignorant, bigot, resentful, racist, insecure, inadequate, bully, arrogant, smug, bitter, extrovert, superficial, courageous, patient, calculated, forceful, meek and the rest of the gamut. Without it being too obvious the script ingeniously pitted a broad range of character types in a small room to create heated gripping conflict.

Over the years the script originally penned by Reginald Rose as a teleplay has been adapted to theater, TV and on the big screen numerous times. It is considered a classic studied in film schools all over the world. Theatre productions to this day perform the play and will do so well in to the future. This is all a credit to the original teleplay but also to Henry Fonda, producer and star, who recognised the work and asked Rose to adapt it to a feature length film. … read the rest, see our rating and a video!

3D: The New Black

Film makers and photographers have been dabbling with 3D for over a century. Theatre goers have seen stereographic films come and go several times now. The 50’s in particular was a highlight decade with many horror films receiving the treatment. Alfred Hitchcock even dabbled in it but coming at the tail end of the fad he chose not to release Dial M for Murder in 3D. He was quoted as saying 3D is “a nine-day wonder – and I came in on the ninth day”.

Since then the technology has evolved enough not to make people nauseous. The colours have improved and gone are the red and white cardboard glasses to be replaced with grey-lens plastic disposable ones. Before too long I can see movie goers purchasing their own more comfortable glasses. Directors are coming to terms with the technology and even though we still see them use 3D as a gimmick, Hanna Montana and Journey to the Centre of the Earth being prime examples of late, we also see great executions such as Up and Coraline.

The ease with which 3D can be created now, even post production, means more film makers are paying attention to it and taking it seriously as a means of improving their product. Easy does not come cheap though and on average 3D costs 15% to 20% on top of the normal budget. Also the fact that it’s easy does not mean it should be done automatically. George Lucas is rumoured to be planning re-releasing something called Star Wars(?). No dice George! I really should qualify ‘easy’. I’m not in any way dismissing the technology or skill that goes into creating this effect. The DreamWorks supercomputer that renders their footage is said to be among the top 15 in the world. What I meant was with the backing of technology, especially cameras that give them immediate feedback, film makers are free to go nuts with experimentation. In analog days you had to shoot with two cameras simultaneously on film and pray you get it right the first time.

Other big names dabbling with the dark magic include Steven Spielberg with Tintin and friend of Hobbits Peter Jackson who is making the sequel the following year. Tim Burton is making Alice in Wonderland and James Cameron with the eagerly awaited Avatar. Americans are also being treated to sports and rock concerts in 3D! These directors, along with many others in Hollywood, are banking on theatres willing to foot the bill to convert to digital in order to show 3D. I’m willing to bet Avatar will be the driving force for a lot of theatres making the shift. Benefits of converting include an increase in revenue with some theatres reporting up to 4 times the income over 2D versions and not having to deal with film reels but rather data feeds. As always the downside for the consumer is an increase in ticket cost! Earlier tonight I watched Up and paid AU$20 before I even took a sniff of the popcorn.

I have no doubt that 3D is a huge shift. It’s as big a shift as sound and colour was all those decades ago. They’re taking this to the next level and I can’t wait to see this technology spill over to the home PC and home theatre market. During the trailers for Up I noticed they pushed the comment, “Only at your cinema”. For now they are correct and the industry will and should take full advantage. This will be the upper hand they’ve so desperately needed over piracy. As 3D becomes more mainstream and consumers grow accustomed to it they will start to return to the cinema. In a way, along with the advancement of technology, piracy has forced the industry to evolve.

If the Pixar example of Up is anything to go by I can accept the shift. Not a single thing flew out at me and in general I did not see 3D used as a nasty gimmick. As per usual the clever folks at Pixar used the technology to tell a better story. Not the other way around. As an example, the colours were vibrant when Carl was happy and muted when he was sad while at the same time the world was more 3 dimensional when he was happy and flat when things were looking down for him. Subconsciously it affects the viewers emotions. This is where Pixar excel and film makers dabbling in 3D need to take note.

The Hudsucker Proxy (1994)

Retro Cool DVD Cover

Sure sure it’s just a movie but it’s a ‘Coen’. The brothers Joel and Ethan Coen are just getting their groove on in 1994. On the back of Barton Fink and Millers Crossing they give us this retro stylised comedic look at ruthless corporate life in the late 50’s that truly is larger than life complete with a demon sign writer and angel maintenance worker… Don’t let that dissuade you from watching this film though since it really isn’t about anything as heavy as angels and demons. I’m doing my best to refrain from full fan boy mode here but I’m warning you if the Coen’s should ever cross my path I will enter shrieking-teen-girl mode and I will get my scream on. Ever since the 90’s they have had hit after hit. They followed Hudsucker with two of the greats in the 90’s being Fargo and the mediocre release but arguably first internet cult classic, The Big Lebowski.

It’s 1958 and Norville Barnes (Tim Robbins) is a good natured but dim-witted graduate from small town America. He comes to overwhelming New York with a big idea in his pocket – you know, for kids – but he struggles to find work until he happens upon an advert from Hudsucker Industries. Paul Newman plays Sidney Mussburger who is so stone cold he puffs on his ex CEO’s cigar moments after he took the short trip to the pavement via the 44th floor window – 45 floors counting the Mezzanine. The Hudsucker board led by Sidney devise a plan to maintain majority control of the company by replacing the CEO with an unsuspecting puppet, a proxy if you will. Their choice grabs the attention of the press and in particular one fast talking Amy Archer played obnoxiously by Jennifer Jason Leigh. … read the rest, see our rating and a video!