1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die: Updated Edition

So a really cool thing happened to me recently and it's all thanks to this blog, so I figured I'd better pop in and tell you all about it.



While doing my daily perusing of my e-mail inbox a couple of weeks ago, I noticed an e-mail from Eric Lowenhar, the Marketing Manager over at Barron's Educational Series. For the unaware, Barron's Educational Series is the publishing company that puts out the "1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die" books and their numerous incarnations. Eric struck up a little e-mail conversation with me, one thing led to another and he was asking me how many followers this here blog had, as he was interested in sending me out a review copy of the latest edition, which hits stores next month.



Well apparently I had enough followers to warrant a review copy, because Eric and the very gracious people at Barron's sent me out a copy and it arrived today. Before I get into the actual book itself, I just want to send out a very appreciative "thank you" to Eric and all of the people at Barron's. It's pretty damn cool that they sent the book out to me, considering I'm just an Average Joe, writing about a subject that I love - film. To think that it wasn't even me who contacted them, but them who contacted me, is even more of a humbling experience and again I say "thank you" to those guys.



Now, let me tell you first and foremost, as appreciative as I am for the free book, I want to make it clear right now - I am not switching editions. I started doing this project with the 5th Edition of the "1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die" book, with Indiana Jones on the cover and I can assure you that I will finish this project working out of that same edition. It is very nice to have a nice, new crisp copy of the book though, as the copy that I've been working out of is starting to show some wear and tear. Flipping it open and closed for two years will do that to a book, and needless to say it's spine has seen better days.



The new book is nice and they left it alone, for the most part. Almost all of the pictures that appear within the first 900 or so pages, have pretty much stayed the same and that goes for the entries as well. I haven't studied the book carefully enough to spot all of the deletions yet, but one that I'm pretty much furious about is the exclusion of "Sideways", a film that long time readers of mine will know that I am VERY fond of and a film that took the top spot in my second TOP 20. It's even more infuriating when you notice that a movie like "Borat..." has still made the cut. Some of the additions, though, are intriguing and while I might not agree with every single one of them, you quickly realize that, to sell more copies, they have to include some of the heavier hitters from recent years. So, of course, you get things like "The King's Speech", "The Hurt Locker", "Inglorious Basterds" and "Black Swan". Here is a quick reference point for the interested, including some brief comments and links to my own reviews, of what has been added and deleted from the new edition:



IN

*Paranormal Activity - Ridiculous inclusion, in my opinion. It's good for what it is, but I certainly would not wrap a "MUST SEE" banner around it.

*Anvil! The Story of Anvil

*The Good, the Bad and the Weird

*The Dark Knight - I didn't go all fanboy on this one like some did, but Heath Ledger's performance alone, nearly makes it a must see.

*Slumdog Millionaire

*Gomorrah

*Let the Right One In - Good stuff and a bit of an off-the-wall choice. No complaints here.

*The Hurt Locker

*Avatar

*District 9 - Loved this one. My most hated genre is sci-fi, but here is one sci-fi movie that is highly recommended from yours truly.

*The Hangover - I understand their need to include a little something for everyone, so if they just had to have a modern comedy, then this was a fine choice. Still it's hard to wrap my head around "The Hangover - IN, Sideways - OUT".

*In the Loop

*The White Ribbon

*Inglorious Basterds - As a big Tarantino fan, I wasn't big on this one. It was good, but it just didn't measure up to some of his earlier efforts. However, I can't complain about it's inclusion.

*Fish Tank

*Monsters

*Of Gods and Men

*Black Swan - Fantastic choice. I'll leave it at that.

*Four Lions

*The Social Network - Not the greatest choice in the world, but again it's hard to argue. I wouldn't go so far as to call it a "MUST SEE", but again, I get their logic.

*Inception - Hated it! I get why it's in, because I know a lot of people when ballistic for this one, but it just didn't tickle my fancy, in the slightest.

*The King's Speech - Again, I get it, but I don't have to agree with it.

*True Grit



OUT

*Happy Together

*There's Something About Mary

*Kill Bill Vol. 1 - Cannot believe they cut this. It's kind of a ballsy move, if you think about it...but also a bad one.

*The Queen - This was expendable and if you're looking for British history, "The King's Speech" is just as good - so you break even.

*Atonement

*Into the Wild

*The Host

*Go, See and Become

*Fahrenheit 9/11 - As long as "Roger & Me" is still intact, we're good. This is good and all, but it's expendable.

*Sideways - *shakes head in disappointment*

*Crash - The review that I linked up to has me giving this an "8/10", but on further thought, I actually don't like "Crash" THAT MUCH AT ALL. It's totally expendable and kudos to them for kicking it to the curb.

*3-Iron

*Irreversible - Expendable!

*Rabbit-Proof Fence - Expendable!

*Lantana

*The Royal Tenenbaums - Another tough shot to my personal tastes. I'm a long-time fan of this one and think that cutting it was another bad move.

*Moulin Rouge! - Expendable!

*Amelie - Cutting "Amelie" was completely unnecessary, as well. This is a great movie, harmless, charming, delightful and it just makes you feel good. Why they cut it, when there were plenty of other perfect candidates for the boot, is beyond me.

*Traffic

*Meet the Parents - A really good comedy, but it's also expendable.

*Boogie Nights - WOW! I'm not the biggest fan of "Boogie Nights", but can you believe they axed this one? I sure can't. Again, I think it was an unnecessary cut and there were plenty of other films from 1997/1998 that I'm sure would have been more deserving of the chopping block.

*The Butcher Boy

*Princess Mononoke



Just to reiterate:



I AM NOT SWITCHING EDITIONS! I'm sticking to the Indiana Jones cover until the end, my friends. However, I MAY...MAY, pop in from time to time with actual, formal reviews for some of the newly added films. They won't be official or anything and won't count toward my ultimate goal or be eligible for my TOP 20 lists, but they'll be a little something extra for you to read and help in getting me up to date with some of the more recent head-turners.



Thank you so much to the people at Barron's Educational Series and specifically Eric Lowenhar for sending me out a free copy of the updated edition. I can, without a doubt, say that this is the coolest thing that I've ever been given for free. Also, if you're reading this blog right now and saying, "You know what, I need to follow this guys cue and start watching some of these MUST SEE movies", well you can. Swing by Barron's website and pick-up the new edition. It's full of color photos, well-written movie reviews and will make choosing a movie, for your next movie night, a breeze. If you don't want to get as "INTO IT" as I am, that's fine. Barron's latest edition would be a great edition to your coffee table and probably lead to some pretty hefty film discussion too. Check it out and "NO", I was not told to say that. That's the double truth, Ruth!



Check out Barron's Educational Series and the latest, updated edition of the "1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die" book, by clicking here.



And you should also like them on Facebook, because they're a pretty likable company. You can do that by clicking here.



In the meantime, I'm still on hiatus. I'll more than likely be back on the 11th of next month to pat myself on the back a bit and yap about the two year birthday of this here blog. See 'ya then kiddies!



P.S. If you're living in an area effected by Hurricane Irene, then my thoughts and prayers are with you. As Stan Lee would say, stay safe true believers.



August 28, 2011 12:04am

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Hiatus Time...Again

So I've spent the majority of the summer continuing my journey through the pages of the "1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die" book and as the summer draws to a close, so does my current run. Long time readers of this blog, you know the drill. I'll take a break for an undetermined amount of time (my breaks never usually last more than 2 or 3 months max) and then I'll be back to continue plugging away at my ultimate goal of watching all 1001 movies from the previously mentioned text.



I'd like to take this opportunity to also send out a very gracious thank you to Karen Burroughs Hannsberry. Karen was all set to accompany me on a short, seven movie journey through some of the books most popular and best film noir titles. Unfortunately "Seven Shadows Week" (as we had dubbed it) won't be kicking off on September 5th, as I previously mentioned. I hope that she'll still be as enthusiastic about that particular project, as she has been, when I return and HOPEFULLY we can get that to you guys then. If you're unfamiliar with Karen Burroughs Hannsberry, you can check her out in various places....



She can be found on Twitter @TheDarkPages



Speaking of The Dark Pages, it's a bi-monthly, hard copy newsletter which tackles everything film noir and can be found by clicking here. The Dark Pages can also be found on Facebook, by clicking here.



Finally, Karen also hosts her own blog, which I'd highly recommend for fans of film noir, pre-code films and eloquent writing. Shadows and Satin can be found here.



There's a lot of other bloggers out there that have shown me support over the past two years and the ones that I've found that are really worth checking out can be found on the right side of your screen, in my BlogRoll! There's nothing over there that I don't approve of and all of those blogs come with my most approving of nods.



I'll more than likely be back on September 11 for an anniversary post. Aaaaaand I may be back next week with some exciting news on something that happened to me recently, so stay tuned for that. In the meantime, I've written over 300 movie reviews, so hopefully that will give you all something to feast on in my absence. To the people who leave comments, keep leaving them, as I check my dashboard on a daily basis and read ALL comments. Also, if you run out of things to read and are just dying for something written by yours truly (which I can't imagine happening and if it does, then I'm flattered!), then hop on over to Just ADD('s) DVD Reviews, another blog hosted by me and something that I MAY still tinker with in my absence.



I'll say goodbye, but don't you cry...I'll be back again someday...soon.



August 20, 2011 10:26pm

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467. Cool Hand Luke (1967)

Running Time: 126 minutes

Directed By: Stuart Rosenberg

Written By: Donn Pearce and Frank Pierson, from novel by Donn Pearce

Main Cast: Paul Newman, George Kennedy, J.D. Cannon, Lou Antonio, Robert Drivas



NEWMANIA!: PART IV - THE CONCLUSION



"Sometimes nothin' is a real cool hand"



Once again, like many times before, in order to watch "Cool Hand Luke", all I had to do was take a walk down the hall to the room that contains my DVDs. I saw "Cool Hand Luke" for the first time, about three years ago and it became an immediate purchase. On a second viewing, last night, I don't regret the purchase.



When the film open, Lucas Jackson (Newman) is "cutting the heads off" of parking meters and swilling a beer. When he finally collapses, resting up against one of the beheaded pieces of public property, the cops roll up and arrest him, as the films sweet, soft score leads into the opening credits. Luke is taken to a Florida prison camp, where he must serve two years. He immediately butts heads with the other prisoners, most notably Dragline (Kennedy), the big, gruff bulldog of the pack and their initial despise for each other culminates in a boxing match. Dragline beats Luke to a pulp, but Luke won't stay down, thus earning the respect of Dragline and making a new best friend in the process. At the Florida prison camp, prisoners are forced to be a part of the chain gang, where every morning their tools are loaded off and their carted to a county road to whack weeds or shovel gravel. The boys make a good time of it though and as long as they tell their "boss", the "man with no eyes" who serves as head guard, what they're doing and when they're doing it, they're just fine. Beyond that, the film just plays out like a standard prison flick, with camaraderie between the prisoners running strong and a lot of key scenes and bits of drama and comedy weaved together to make for a memorable affair.



POSSIBLE SPOILER ALERT!



My biggest weakness, as a fan of film, is a prison movie and my bigger weakness is a great one. "Cool Hand Luke" is kind of like "Jaws", in that I would have a hard time believing that anyone doesn't at least like this movie a little bit. It's a tough one to rip on, because plain and simple, there just isn't much to rip on. "Cool Hand Luke" is all about having a good time with a movie, laughing a little bit, feeling a little bit and in the end, that's what movies are all about. Paul Newman proves here that he was a great actor. I've watched four Newman movies now and in all of them, he's played a different person. That's the mark of a good actor - when they're doing such a fine job, that you literally have to stop and ask yourself, "Is that really the same guy who was just playing an Indian yesterday?" I'll give props to George Kennedy and Strother Martin as well, as they both solidified their spots and are very memorable characters to boot.



After watching "Cool Hand Luke" last night, I've got to wonder how much of it was used as inspiration for "The Shawshank Redemption". I know that film was based on a book, but it seemed to me that "Shawshank" borrowed a lot from the story of "Luke". For instance, you have a new prisoner, who doesn't say much when he enters, but still has kind of a cocky demeanor and has the other prisoners questioning what his deal is. Then you have two prisoners who start off disliking one another and end up being the best of friends, all the way to their eventual release or break-out. You have a beauty shot of Newman, standing in the rain and looking up at the heavens and you have the same thing with Tim Robbins in "Shawshank". There's a lot of similarities there, in my opinion and I know a lot of people who harp on how fantastic "Shawshank" is, have PROBABLY never even seen this.



I really don't have a whole lot else to say. "Cool Hand Luke" is a damn fine film, it's a lot of fun and it provides you with plenty of scenes that will send you through a bevy of emotions. If you're looking to have a good time and kick back with a REALLY good flick, then I'd highly recommend "Cool Hand Luke" That will do it for "NEWMANIA!". Four films later and I realize more than ever what a great actor and a great man we lost when Newman left this Earth.



Rest well Paul



RATING: 8.5/10 Another probable TOP 20 contender and another fantastic Newman film.



MOVIES WATCHED: 328

MOVIES LEFT TO WATCH: 673



August 20, 2011 2:25pm

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462. HOMBRE (1967)

Running Time: 111 minutes

Directed By: Martin Ritt

Written By: Irving Ravetch, Elmore Leonard, Harriet Frank Jr., from the novel by Elmore Leonard

Main Cast: Paul Newman, Fredric March, Richard Boone, Diane Cilento, Peter Lazer



NEWMANIA!: PART III



The third film in the "NEWMANIA!" week festivities, is also the one that I had been dreading the most. However, it actually wound up being the best of the three that I've watched, thus far.



This time around, Paul Newman is John Russell, a white man who was kidnapped by the Apache Indian tribe when he was a child and raised up as one of their own. When his biological father passes away, a messenger is sent to John to tell him that he has inherited a boarding house and that it could be a big opportunity for him to get back into the good graces of the white man. However, John doesn't seek the good graces of the white man and despite putting out the caretaker of his newly inherited property, Jessie (Cilento), he decides to sell the property, in order to buy a herd of horses. Once the decision is made, Russell makes it his first priority to head out of town and along with Jessie and an unhappily married couple, Doris and Billy Lee Blake (Lazer), who live at the boarding house, he does just that. They are joined by highfalutin couple, Dr. Alex Favor (March), agent for the Apache tribe and his wife Audra. The final passenger to board the coach out of town with the eclectic group is Cicero Grimes (Boone), who strong arms his way onto the ride, by taking a ticket from a would be passenger. Now our story is set into motion, as seven passengers and a driver take off on an out of town trip. But, actually this is only the beginning, because the coach is about to get high-jacked by a group of bandits.



The picture that I posted on this blog the other day, of Newman with long hair, wearing a red bandanna and looking very much like a white man dressed as an Indian, just seemed really silly to me. However, there were two elements that made this film for me. The first came when the beginning credits were rolling and the line, "based on the novel by Elmore Leonard" came up. Back in the day when I was just as much a reader, as I was a watcher, I read a lot of Elmore Leonard books and while I never read any of his Westerns, I knew that I was in for a treat. The other element that made this film for me was the inclusion of Richard Boone as Cicero Grimes. In my opinion, he was the star of this picture. Newman did a fine job, in reality, barely saying a word and playing his character very cold and intense, but for my money, Boone was the highlight of the picture. The scene that really grabbed me and turned this film from an average western to a great western is the scene where Grimes first appears and steals the ticket away from the soldier. Boone's dialogue may have been written down on paper for him, but he delivered it spot on, forcing you to love every minute of your hatred for him. Great stuff and even his name is menacing: Cicero Grimes!



Now, back to Newman - I loved the fact that his dialogue was kept to a minimum and how John Russell only spoke when he had something intelligent or important to say. It was a device that made for a really bad-ass character and off-set the obnoxious Grimes really nicely. Add in the other characters, like Dr. Favor played brilliantly by Fredric March and you've got a recipe for greatness. Martin Balsam was even convincing, handing in his jury foreman gear to play a Mexican and playing it well, I might add. I've been waiting for a REALLY GOOD Western to come along and make me take notice of an entire genre and while I'm sure there's better out there, this was a fabulous Western and one that will only do positive things in making me appreciate the entire genre.



RATING: 8/10 I should really go into every film dreading it, because it's always the ones I dread that turn out being the best. Next up for Newman: "Cool Hand Luke".



MOVIES WATCHED: 327

MOVIES LEFT TO WATCH: 674



August 19, 2011 2:28pm

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403. HUD (1963)

Running Time: 112 minutes

Directed By: Martin Ritt

Written By: Harriet Frank Jr., Irving Ravetch, from the novel Horseman Pass By by Larry McMurtry

Main Cast: Paul Newman, Melvyn Douglas, Patricia Neal, Brandon de Wilde, John Ashley



NEWMANIA!: PART II



Moving right along with "NEWMANIA!", we jump two years into the future, to 1963 and "Hud" - a Western set in it's own time and one that I definitely enjoyed.



Paul Newman is the titular character Hud Bannon, the beer drinking, woman chasing, son of ranch owner Homer Bannon (Douglas). Upon the films opening, Hud's nephew Lon (de Wilde) is trying to track him down, as it seems there is trouble on the ranch. When Hud is finally located and brought to the ranch, two things are made evident immediately - 1) Hud and his father don't get along and 2) the cattle at the Bannon ranch are sick. The veterinarian is called in on the subject of the cattle and foot and mouth disease is expected. On the subject of Hud and his father, it seems it all stems from a particular night, many years ago when Hud and his brother were involved in a car accident, leading to the death of Homer's eldest son (and Lon's Dad) - Hud was driving. Despite Homer and Hud's weakened relationship and Lon's loyalty to his grandfather, Lon still looks up to Hud and has a tendency to follow him around wherever he goes. Also, the maid at the Bannon household, Alma (Neal) is the object of both Hud and Lon's desire and she's a pretty good flirt, at that.



I really don't have a whole lot to say regarding "Hud", so maybe I can keep this short & sweet. I thought "Hud" was a fine film. I wouldn't go so far as to call it exceptional or outstanding, but when factoring in the breathtaking cinematography, the fantastic acting from everybody involved and the generally smooth flow of the entire picture, it's not hard to understand why it was included in a book of "MUST SEE" movies. Paul Newman will always be a favorite of mine and watching his films are so easy for me. Even when I don't like a particular film of his, it's still easy for me to just sit back and watch him perform and soak it all in...and think about how sad it is that he's passed away.



What was going on with Patricia Neal in this movie though? It seemed like whenever her character appeared on screen, sexual innuendos were being thrown around like baseball's. Did anyone else find it a little odd that the character of Alma seemed to be flirting with Lon? While going into his room to wake him up, she continues to tickle him and she coddles him when he doesn't feel well, sitting next to him loyally and holding a cold glass of lemonade on his head. For 1963, you didn't see a whole lot of sexual innuendo, but "Hud is packed with it. Check out this exchange between Hud and Alma:



Hud Bannon: Man like that sounds no better than a heel. Alma Brown: Aren't you all? Hud Bannon: Honey don't go shooting all the dogs 'cause one of 'em's got fleas. Alma Brown: I was married to Ed for six years. Only thing he was ever good for was to scratch my back where I couldn't reach it. Hud Bannon: You still got that itch? Alma Brown: Off and on. Hud Bannon: Well let me know when it gets to bothering you.



In fact, beyond that, this film is actually filled with great little pieces of dialogue. I especially enjoyed this line that Newman delivered: "It happens to everybody, kid. Nobody gets out of life alive". Great stuff.



RATING: 7/10 Nothing terrible on display here and with some time, that rating could rise, but for now I'll play it safe and stick to my gut - '7'. Next up for Newman: "Hombre".



MOVIES WATCHED: 326

MOVIES LEFT TO WATCH: 675



August 17, 2011 6:01pm

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380. The Hustler (1961)

Running Time: 134 minutes

Directed By: Robert Rossen

Written By: Sidney Carroll, Robert Rossen, from novel by Walter Tevis

Main Cast: Paul Newman, George C. Scott, Jackie Gleason, Piper Laurie, Myron McCormick



NEWMANIA!: PART I



I know I promised this review yesterday, but I didn't get around to watching "The Hustler" until last night and at the late hour, I decided to just hold off on writing this review until this morning. My initial and succinct thoughts on "The Hustler" were big time disappointment.



Fast Eddie Felson (Newman) is a pool shark. Almost immediately upon the films opening, Eddie is making his way into town and into Ames Pool Hall, the pool hall that the legendary (and unbeatable) Minnesota Fats (Gleason) calls his home hall. Eddie practices all day and come 8 o'clock in the evening, Fats arrives and is met with a challenge from Eddie. Fats, never backing down from a "young punk" who things they can shoot stick better than him, accepts and the game is underway. Prior to Fats' arrival, Eddie had made a declaration that he'd walk out of Ames that night $10,000 richer. After some vigorous play, Eddie finds himself up $18,000, but states that the game isn't over until Fats says it's over. Fats steps into the john, cleans himself up and makes his way back to the table and to make a long story short, wins back everything out of Eddie's pocket, save $200. From there, Eddie spirit seems to be broken and while dining in a bus station coffee shop, he meets Sarah (Laurie), another seemingly broken spirit, who washes her sorrows away in a bottle. The two hole up together in Sarah's little, crummy apartment, but Eddie makes it clear that he's not in love - Sarah makes it clear that she is. To round out the plot summary, enter Bert Gordon (Scott), a mysterious fellow who we first see at the legendary pool match between Fats and Eddie and who later runs into Eddie and offers to be somewhat of a coach to him, helping him build character to go along with his incredible talent and maybe one day, beat the "Fat Man".



SPOILER ALERT!



So why disappointment? I was all ready to hand a '10' on this movie and shower it with praise. I was almost convinced that this was a film that couldn't miss. You had a movie about pool hustlers (sounds interesting and original) and you had a marvelous cast, where could they go wrong? I'll tell you. But let me preface all of this by saying that "The Hustler" will probably still get a decent enough rating, I'm just going to focus on more of the bad, than the good.



In my opinion, this film blows it's wad early. They give us the best scene first and it nearly ruins the rest of the film. Eddie is supposed to be this master pool player right, so his ultimate goal, as a pool hustler is to play and beat the legendary Minnesota Fats. We get about a five minute little opening scene of Eddie hustling pool from some townspeople, in some out of the way town and with that we're supposed to be ready for the match-up to end all match-ups between Eddie and Fats? I could've used a little more prepping myself. Show me some more of Eddie and Charlie out on the road, hustling all the hustlers and raking in the dough. No, instead at about the five or ten minute mark, we're already ready for the big showdown between Fats and Eddie. It's a fantastic scene, don't get me wrong. But Eddie gets beat and then guess what? We're, for the most part, done playing pool for a while.



Instead, the movie switches gears and is presented as a love story, between Eddie and Sarah. And that's just your basic two drifters with nowhere to go, pairing up and making a go at it together. Piper Laurie is great and I guess the love story angle isn't bad, but the whole time I'm thinking, "When are we gonna' shoot some more stick?" We see him hustle a couple of games here and there, but we only usually get a quick version and we never see another complete and great scene like that opening scene, of Eddie playing pool. Then George C. Scott comes in and he was fantastic, such an intimidating actor for me to watch. When I see Scott, I think "OH shit, business just picked up!" I love him (but hate "Patton", imagine that), but who in the hell was he supposed to be and did we really need his character. I mean, the guy was fantastic as Bert Gordon, but I really don't think we needed him. He just kind of seemed to be there and he had lines and they made a nice little sub-plot with him and Eddie, but a lot of it was nonsensical to me. Again, I just wanted to get back to watching Eddie play pool and seeing the rematch between him and Fats, because there had to be a rematch right? And it had to be bigger, better and badder than the original right?



Well, I'm right on the first point, there was a rematch, but it was short and rushed and wasn't nearly as exciting as the opening scene. Eddie beats Fats in record time and collects a big pile of dollars and heads out the door. THAT'S IT!!!??? That's all you're giving me?! How did Eddie beat this "legendary" pool shark, we barely saw the guy play pool. Was he really that good? Well I guess I'll have to take the film's word for it, I mean they said he was good, so I guess he's good, right? Dammit, don't just TELL me that this guy's a good pool player, SHOW ME!!!



"The Hustler" is good. It has good acting, it has an outstanding opening scene, but beware: That opening scene killed the movie for me. It was so good, that I expected more greatness, but failed to realize that the GREATNESS was really over and all that was left was goodness. I can't believe that the film never gave a payoff to that first match. We SHOULD have gotten a bigger and better match, or Eddie should have gotten beat fast in the beginning and we should have worked our way to that 25 hour, grueling fantastic pool match - that fantastic opening scene should have been scooted to the end, with a different outcome. I'm done.



RATING: 6.5/10 Maybe I'm being too hard, but I was expecting something different from this movie. I'll keep thinking about it and we'll talk about it come RECAP time. Next up for Newman: Hud.



MOVIES WATCHED: 325

MOVIES LEFT TO WATCH: 676



August 17, 2011 11:39am

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505. Le Boucher/The Butcher (1969)

Running Time: 93 minutes

Directed By: Claude Chabrol

Written By: Claude Chabrol

Main Cast: Stephane Audran, Jean Yanne, Antonio Passalia, Pascal Ferone, Mario Beccara



A LOVE STORY...WITH A SERIAL KILLER



Before we get the "Newmania!" festivities underway, I figured I'd pop in the film I received from Netflix today, so that I could get it back in the mailbox. "Le Boucher" is a film that I've been wanting to watch for a long time, but just never got around to it and a film that didn't disappoint, nor overly impress.



Helene (Audran) is the headmistress of a French school and Popaul (Yanne) is a man returning to the same French town, after serving fifteen years in the Army. Popaul is a butcher by trade and has a shop in town. While attending a wedding for mutual friends, Helene and Popaul meet and hit it off. He walks her home that afternoon and finds that she lives in a small apartment, above the school that she instructs at. As the film rolls on, the two ignite more and more of a bond with one another, but nothing ever goes beyond being just good friends. All the while, however, there still seems to be a sexual tension looming in the air, as both characters give off the aroma of sexual desire for one another. When Popaul finally questions Helene about why she doesn't have a lover, she recounts a "broken heart" story and the subject is closed. Meanwhile, there is a serial killer on the loose. This is a dominant theme throughout the picture, but it's something we hear about in the background as we watch the characters of Helene and Popaul dance around the subject of love. While on an outing with her students, however, the serial killer factory hits close to home when Helene discovers the body of a dead girl. More importantly, though, is that she finds Popaul's cigarette lighter at the scene of the crime.



SPOILER ALERT!



I'm really not entirely sure what to make of "La Boucher". I will say that I was definitely intrigued by it and while there wasn't a lot of action, I was still very connected to the film. The dialogue was a bit rusty, for my taste, and that may have lead to the little dislike that I had for the film. You just can't have a film that is mainly driven by the interactions of two characters, and have a lack of gripping dialogue. I wouldn't even go so far as to call it bad dialogue or anything, I just think that for this particular film, the dialogue could've been a little better. I thought that Stephane Audran and Jean Yanne were brilliant together though and had amazing chemistry. Audran especially held my interest, as she was such a beautiful woman, who spewed her words softly and had such a charming and elegant character to work with.

I can't say, though, that I completely understood the ending of the movie. After Popaul stabs himself, he is rushed to the hospital by Helene and eventually dies. Helene goes and parks her car on a riverbank and stares off into the distance, as the film comes to a close. I understand why Popaul kills himself - he is embarrassed that he has been found out by someone that he had such a rapport with and that he actually really loved. There's a beautiful line as Helene is driving Popaul to the hospital, as he tells her that he would have "liked to love her". I think another reason Popaul plunges the knife into his own belly, is because he's afraid that his desire to kill, will overpower his desire for Helene and that he may stab her. In an effort to ensure that he doesn't do that, he just kills himself, because he'd rather harm himself, than harm her. What I'm not fully understanding is Helene's motivations at the end of the film. I don't think her feelings are made very clear. I think she maybe feels like she let her guard down and was almost ready to take the plunge with Popaul and he ended up being a maniac and ultimately dying. I think she had even began to love him back, if even a little bit and when he spoke to her on the way to the hospital, maybe she knew that there was a mutual love there. Perhaps, she was ready to help Popaul hide his secret and build a life with him, if only he hadn't died in the hospital.



This is all pure speculation on my part, but a little personal speculation on a movie is never a bad thing, and it's always good to establish your personal take on any picture that is left open ended. The characters are very likable - we never get to that point where our desire to see Popaul caught overwhelms our desire to see Popaul and Helene further their relationship. I found myself really rooting for these characters to overcome their emotional hurdles and make something together. Chabrol takes about ten minutes at the beginning of the picture and all of a sudden we're in tune with the characters of Helene and Paul. The rest flows along very nicely and any hesitation on my part to give this film a shining nod of approval, is because it may just be a tad too slow and maybe even because I didn't like the direction they went with everything. Otherwise, the film is worth checking out, if even purely to feast your eyes upon the gorgeous Stephane Audran.



RATING: 7/10 I have a feeling this is going to be one of those movies that just eats away at me, until I'm forced to admit how amazing it was and ultimately buy it and watch it again.



MOVIES WATCHED: 324

MOVIES LEFT TO WATCH: 677



August 16, 2011 7:59pm

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