Daily Archives: October 29, 2018

Not Reconciled (Nicht versöhnt oder Es hilft nur Gewalt, wo Gewalt herrscht)
Directed by Jean-Marie Straub
Written by Danielle Huillet and Jean-Marie Straub from a novel by Heinrich Boll
1965/West Germany
Produktion Straub-Huillet
First viewing/FilmStruck

[box] Never forget that everything Hitler did in Germany was legal. Martin Luther King, Jr. [/box]

Far too much plot and message for one hour-long film.

This covers the lives of a single German family during three periods of recent German history – WWI, the 1930s, and modern day.  But the viewer must work to stay oriented as to time and the message is basically that the past is living in the present.

I can’t take credit for understanding much about this movie.  I don’t have the strength to watch it again.  On to the next one!

Most of this went straight over my head – here is one critic’s reconstruction

The Lion Hunters (La chasse au lion à l’arc)
Directed by Jean Rouch
1965/France
Comite du film Ethnographique/Les films de la Pleiade
First viewing/FilmStruck

[box] Do not try to fight a lion if you are not one yourself. -African Proverb[/box]

For those that can handle animal gore, this is a fascinating documentary about all aspects of a lion hunt, both ritual and practical.

Jean Rouch (The Mad Masters (1955)) documents customs of nomadic sub-Saharan cattleherders on the Niger-Mali border surrounding a lion hunt.  Painstaking crafting of weapons and practice along with the rituals designed to ensure success are detailed.  

I thought this was really interesting.  I can’t figure out why The Book’s editors would choose the disgusting and staged Mad Masters for inclusion on the list over this one which feels very authentic.  Warning:  Not for the squeamish.

Trailer – no subtitles

Dr. Who and The Daleks
Directed by Gordon Flemyng
Written by Milton Subotsky based on the BBC Television serial
1965/UK
AARU Productions/Amicus Productions
First viewing/FilmStruck

[box] Dr. Who: How interesting! This is most interesting![/box]

It’s about time I finally became acquainted with Dr. Who!

Dr. Who (Peter Cushing) is an elderly eccentric inventor who has just put the finishing touches on his masterwork – T.A.R.D.I.S.  This looks like an ordinary police box but the interior reveals a gigantic laboratory and the mechanism that turns the device into a time machine.  The doctor is about to demonstrate to his granddaughter Barbara, her boyfriend Ian, and a young granddaughter named Susan.  Clumsy Ian bumps into the power button and sends the quartet to an unknown place and time.

This proves to be a planet devastated by nuclear war that left two sorts of inhabitants – evil Daleks, who protect their vulnerable innards with metal shells, and their enemies the Thals.     Dr. Who must use all his ingenuity to save the day.

I may be the only sci-fi loving Anglophile on the planet who has never seen Dr. Who in any of its many iterations.  This was a lovely introduction.  Peter Cushing is fantastic as the lovable old doctor.  The colorful sets are a blast.  Recommended.