The Passion of Joan of Arc

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The Passion of Joan of Arc, directed by Carl Theodor Dreyer in 1928, chronicles the trial and execution of Joan of Arc.

Annie:

I don’t really know how I feel about this movie. I understand that it is a significant piece of cinematic history, the story focuses on a female character that is not a damsel in distress. I appreciate that. It’s not the easiest movie to watch though, not a feel-good-film by any means.

It’s a very emotional film. The story is driven by the main actress who does a great job of playing Joan of Arc. But I likely will not watch this movie again.

Rating: I’m giving this a 6/10. Too harsh? Maybe.

Paul:

This is an incredibly well made film, beautifully photographed, exquisitely acted, and wonderfully produced. That being said, it’s a tough film to watch.

The Passion of Joan of Arc focuses on the trial and execution of a woman, and what life might have been like seen through her eyes. We witness the utter disdain that the church leaders have for Joan of Arc, and the helplessness and pity that Joan seems to have for them.

Dreyer employs a wonderful use of motion shots, interesting camera angles, and close ups (particularly focusing on the eyes of his actors)…but what really blows me away is the performance of the lead actress, Renée Jeanne Falconetti. She is in tears for nearly the entire film, yet she delivers a performance that is both subtle and powerful.

If you want to see one of the first incredible performances by a woman in cinema, I definitely recommend you watch The Passion of Joan of Arc.

Rating: 9/10

Metropolis

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Metropolis, directed by Fritz Lang in 1927, is a dystopian science fiction film set in the distant future, and it tells the story of a wealthy young man who falls in love with a working class woman, and learns the value of all human beings, no matter what their status is in life.

Annie:

Metropolis is a movie, and I watched it. Just kidding.

Besides being superfluously long winded, this movie was pretty descent. I really like dystopian fiction (I even like dystopian movies that aren’t The Hunger Games). The premise was interesting and the sets were really great. I think I’m getting into the mentality of old movies because some of the scenes in this movie seemed so new and interesting, even though they are pretty simple compared to what movies use today.

The movie was pretty overtly religious, but hey, it’s the end of the world, why not?

Rating: 7/10

Paul:

Metropolis is probably one of my favourite silent films. It’s got it all: huge sets, interesting characters, epic scope, and a great story to boot. Fritz Lang is a true master of the art form, and this film blows me away every time I watch it.

I think what I really love about this film is that Fritz Lang doesn’t want to just tell us a great story…he wants to take us there. To the high rises of the Metropolis, and to the deep underbelly of the city. He wants us to see the monster of the machine, and feel the helplessness of the thousands of workers forced to toil away day after day.

It’s great to see this film in the continuum of the films that have come before it, and really get a sense for how groundbreaking Metropolis really was. Like all the masters, Fritz Lang takes the tools of cinema, and makes them his own. This film displays a wonderful use of overlays, matte paintings, colossal sets, and choreographed crowd scenes.

But what lies at the heart of Metropolis is an honest story about the economic and political divide between the upper class, and the working class, and what we must do to bridge that divide. It’s a truly wonderful dystopian science fiction film, and I definitely recommend it to anyone who wants to see where sic-fi cinema was born.

Rating: 10/10

Sunrise: A Song of two Humans

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Sunrise: A Song of two Humans was directed by F.W. Murnau in 1927, and it tells the story of a husband and wife who try to mend their relationship after the husband falls in love with another woman.

Annie:

I thought this is likely one of the best movies that we have seen thus far that tries to look a bit deeper into the marriage relationship dynamic, not just love. It is tough for me to say that I really like this movie since some of the content embraces very traditional gender roles which I do not identify with.

That said, it did hold my attention, even though I was very tired while watching this. There are also some new techniques used that we hadn’t seen before.

Rating: 6/10

Paul:

Wow. This film was remarkable. From start to finish, it held my attention, and I never knew what was going to happen next. F.W. Murnau tells this story with such finesse, using every cinematic tool at his disposal, not to mention inventing new techniques as well.

Sunrise is a truly beautiful story about a husband and wife (albeit a bit dated, with some rather major leaps of forgiveness at the outset), trying to mend their relationship after the husband falls in love with another woman. What follows is an incredibly heartfelt journey of two souls connecting with one another after a long absence.

Murnau expertly ties in overlays, allowing us to see into the minds of the characters, to think what they are thinking, and to feel what they are feeling. I was astounded at the composition in this film, not to mention the wonderful use of a moving camera.

I’m not sure what else to say. It’s no surprise that this is ranked as one of the greatest films ever made. If you want to see a cinematic testament to the beauty of the human spirit, I definitely recommend you watch Sunrise: A Song of two Humans.

Rating: 9/10

The General

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The General directed by Clyde Bruchman/Buster Keaton in 1926.

The General tells the story of a railroad worker’s adventure during the time of the American civil war.

Annie:

I had never heard of Buster Keaton before watching this movie (consequently this led to us also watching Benny & Joon, which I had never seen before). After having just watched The Kid, this movie seemed right inline with what I assume was happening in popular movies in the 1920’s.

I liked the train element of this movie and all the crazy stunts it leads to. There really are some incredibly dangerous things that happen, and it seems that Buster Keaton does them so effortlessly. I can definitely see the appeal that this movie must have had when it came out in the 20’s.

Rating: 7/10 Worth a watch.

Paul:

The General tells the story of a railroad worker’s adventure during the time of the American civil war. Directed by Buster Keaton and Clyde Bruchman, this film has all of the elements that make for a great comedy classic. Impeccable acting by Buster Keaton, a storyline that allows for plenty of misdirection and mistaken identity, wonderful set pieces (a train), and fantastic supporting characters.

This is the first Buster Keaton film I have ever seen, and I was thoroughly impressed. Keaton is such a fantastic counterpoint to Charlie Chaplin, delivering a much more subtle and deadpan performance than one usually sees in Chaplin films. Keaton is a true master of physical comedy, and that is evidenced though out this film.

Another thing about The General that really blew me away was the scope of the film. This film is a true epic, with hundreds of extras, massive explosions and battle re-enactments.

If you want to see where the epic comedy film was born, you should watch The General.

Rating: 9/10

The Kid

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The Kid directed by Charlie Chaplin in 1921, is Charlie Chaplin’s first feature length film, and it tells the story of a Tramp who finds an abandoned child on the street one day, and decides to raise him as his own.

Annie:

I must confess that the only Chaplin films that I had ever seen before meeting Paul was the 10 minute clip they played in the Manitoba Museum in the replica movie theatre in the turn of the century town display.

This was a good movie. Chaplin has so much expression and he’s so entertaining to watch. He plays the Tramp so well. There is one dream sequence in the movie that lost me a bit, but the overall effect was achieved. You truly feel happiness and heartbreak whenever Chaplin’s character feels it, and there are gags along the way that are truly genius.

Rating: Worth a watch, at least once.

Rating: 8/10

Paul:

Wow. This film is hilarious. Heartbreaking. Heartwarming. And I think it all boils down to its utter simplicity. The story is simple. A baby is abandoned. A man decides to raise him. And along the way, a mother tries to find her missing child.

And I think that its in its simplicity where one can see the genius of Chaplin at work. The characters are simple, yet profound. The story is predictable, but still I found myself lost in it. Lost in the hilarity of the slapstick and the beauty of the relationships.

It’s a tough thing to put my finger on. But this is a truly beautiful film. Somehow it stands head and shoulders over the others we’ve seen up to this point. Perhaps its because this was a film for the masses, perhaps its because Chaplin was learning from the mistakes of those that came before him. I’m not sure. But whatever it is, watching The Kid makes me realize just why Charlie Chaplin is such a famous figure in history. He was a truly remarkable artist. One of a kind. He wrote, directed, starred in, and composed the music for this film. An incredible feat.

This is a perfect film. A gem of cinema. If you want to see where heartwarming comedies came from, I recommend you watch Charlie Chaplin’s The Kid.

Rating: 10/10.

 

Nanook of the North

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Nanook of the North directed by Robert J. Flaherty in 1922.

Nanook of the North is one of the first feature-length Documentaries. It focuses on an Inuk named Nanook, and his life in Northern Quebec.

Annie:

I really enjoyed watching this. I like documentaries and even though aspects of this one seemed staged, it was really interesting to see a bit of life in the North at the turn of the century. Particularly amazing was how quickly this family built an igloo (whether or not this was one of the staged scenes is unknown).

It was also pretty cool to know that the first documentary was filmed in Canada. Paul also informed me that Flaherty actually lost his first batch of footage in an accident and ended up going back up to re-shoot the movie, I guess that might be why some of it seems particularly staged.

Rating: 8/10

Paul:

Honestly, I was surprised by how engaging, entertaining, and informative this documentary was. I had heard the Nanook of the North was an terribly staged documentary, taking advantage of an Inuk and his family in efforts to make a film. But what I saw was something very different. Nanook of the North is a great film, and a unique historical document of life in Northern Quebec in the 1920s. Robert J. Flaherty seems to truly revere the Inuit and their way of life, and through his film he paints a beautiful portrait of Nanook, who is a wonderful man that appears to truly love life, finding joy even in the hardships that he faces.

Through the film we are able to observe Nanook build an igloo with his family, fish, hunt, and traverse the wild untouched landscape of the Canadian north.

This film is a gem, a historical artifact, and a fascinating portrait of a man from the north. If you want to see where documentary films came from, I definitely recommend Robert J. Flaherty’s Nanook of the North.

Rating: 9/10

Battleship Potemkin

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Battleship Potemkin directed by Sergei Eisenstein in 1925.

Battleship Potemkin tells the story of a mutiny on a Russian battleship at the dawn of the Russian revolution. Directed by Sergei Eisenstein, it follows the mutineers as they make port at the city of Odessa, and join with the people in opposition to the ruling government.

Annie:

I find watching propaganda films to be pretty challenging. I don’t particularly like presenting one side as completely right and the other side as completely in the wrong. But I guess that’s what propaganda films do, so this film succeeded.

There were some interesting filming methods used and the cast was huge, but I’m not thrilled with the movie and will never watch it again.

Rating: 4/10

Paul:

I didn’t know much about this film going in. I knew that Battleship Potemkin was a communist propaganda film, but not much else. Upon watching it, I think the thing that struck me the most was how connected the Russian revolution was to the people. Men, women, children, this film tells the story of the regular people who just want to be treated fairly in life. And the ruling class treats them anything but fairly.

Sergei Eisenstein has a unique vision, and uses all the tricks of his trade to get his message across. From the shots on the battleship to the dolly shots over the steps of Odessa, this film is dynamic and filled with motion.

If you want to see where great propaganda films were born, I recommend you watch Sergei Eisenstein’s Battleship Potemkin. 

Rating: 8/10