Category Archives: 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die

Rome, Open City (Roma città aperta)
Directed by Roberto Rossellini
Written by Sergio Amidei, Federico Felini, and Roberto Rossellini
1945/Italy
Excelsa Film
Repeat viewing/Netflix rental
#192 of 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die
IMDb users say 8.1/10; I say 9/10

[box] Major Bergman: Then I’ll tell you who he is. He’s subversive, he’s fought with the Reds in Spain. His life is dedicated to fighting society, religion. He is an atheist… your enemy…

Don Pietro: I am a Catholic priest. I believe that those who fight for justice and truth walk in the path of God and the paths of God are infinite[/box]

This is must-see viewing for its unforgettable images, outstanding acting, and poetic dialogue…not so much for the rather heavy-handed plot.

The story is divided into two parts but the second flows directly out of the first.  The Nazi occupation is nearing its end and Rome has been classified an “open”, or undefended, city.  This does not mean that the Germans are scaling back their harassment of the citizenry, however.  They continue to round up able-bodied men for work in German factories and to ruthlessly pursue rebels.

Pina (Anna Magnani) and Francesco are set to be married the following day by Don Pietro Pelligrini (Aldo Fabrizi), a partisan priest.  It is about time since Pina is obviously pregnant with Francesco’s child.  She already has one son, Marcello, who loves Francesco as a father.  Francesco is involved with a liberation group and is friends with group leader Giorgio Manfredi.  Manfredi is on the run and hides out in Pina’s apartment. But the building is raided by Nazis when local boys blow up a gasoline tanker.  Manfredi escapes but Francesco is captured leading the fiery Pina to lose control – to no avail as it costs her her life while Francesco is later rescued.

In the second half, Manfredi decides to hide with his ex-girlfriend Marina, a materialistic drug addict whose habit is being fed by an evidently lesbian German spy.  Marina overhears her man talking about going into hiding at a monastery with the help of Don Pietro.  In no time at all Marina betrays him and Manfredi and the priest are picked up by the Gestapo.  Effete Gestapo boss Major Bergman has discovered that Manfredi is actually Luigi Ferraris and high in the resistance organization.  Bergman is determined to get information on the officers before morning and subjects him to the most cruel torture, torturing the priest at the same time by forcing him to listen to his screams.  Only Francesco and little Marcello are spared to carry on.

The plot is fairly standard for its time, with not only evil but sexually “deviant” Nazis and innocent Italians but is handled with some finesse by the writers.  I enjoyed looking for places where Fellini showed his hand.  The paralyzed grandfather in the bed is a close cousin to the man that refuses to come down out of the tree in Amarcord!  The scene with the priest and the nude statue at the art dealer is also classic.  These elements of comedy and some rather poetic exchanges on morality and survival help lift the story into classic territory.  But it is the extraordinary images and powerful acting that make the film.  The scene with Magnani running after the truck, the entire torture scene, and an execution are etched permanently in my memory.

I had only ever seen this classic before in an el cheapo edition complete with extremely sparse English sub-titles.  The restored and newly re-titled Criterion Collection version was an entirely different experience.  I learned from the commentary that while the film is often cited as launching the Italian neo-realist movement, it does not meet the classic definition of the genre since it features professional actors (and what actors!) and many of the interiors were filmed on sound stages.

Trailer (Restoration re-release)

Into the Wild
Directed by Sean Penn
Written by Sean Penn based on the book by Jon Krakauer
2007/USA
Paramount Vantage/Art Linson Productions/Into the Wild/River Road Entertainment
First viewing; Streaming on Netflix Watch Instantly
#1100 of 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die (2013 Combined List)

[box] Christopher McCandless: Two years he walks the earth. No phone, no pool, no pets, no cigarettes. Ultimate freedom. An extremist. An aesthetic voyager whose home is the road. Escaped from Atlanta. Thou shalt not return, ’cause “the West is the best.” And now after two rambling years comes the final and greatest adventure. The climactic battle to kill the false being within and victoriously conclude the spiritual pilgrimage. Ten days and nights of freight trains and hitchhiking bring him to the Great White North. No longer to be poisoned by civilization he flees, and walks alone upon the land to become lost in the wild. – Alexander Supertramp May 1992[/box]

I recently read Krakauer’s book and watched this screen adaptation on impulse.  I was not disappointed.  This is a beautiful and haunting film with outstanding performances.

This is the true story of Chris McCandless (Emile Hirsch), who graduated from college and took off across America, largely by foot and thumb, on a journey of self-discovery calling himself Alexander Supertramp.  Along the way, he meets several kind people who take an interest in him.  But his ultimate goal is to “live off the land” alone in the wilderness of Alaska.  This is easier dreamed than done.  With Marcia Gay Harden and William Hurt as Chris’s parents and Catherine Keener, Vince Vaughn, and Hal Holbrook as friends he makes on his journey.

I’m surprised Sean Penn did not receive at least a Best Adapted Screenplay Oscar nomination for this film.  He certainly deserved one.  It was not an easy book to adapt since so much of the story is very lonely.  Now I can’t imagine how it could have been done any other way.  Penn also got outstanding performances out of his cast.  Emile Hirsch is an absolute revelation.

McCandless, who basically disappeared and methodically covered his tracks, caused an immense amount of pain to his family.  Still, it is hard not to identify with the yearning to immerse oneself in nature and McCandless’s youthful idealism is admirable.  Both the book and the movie leave open a lot of questions regarding the boy’s sanity and true purpose.  I like that the story seems to end with the belated realization “Happiness only real when shared”.

Hal Holbrook received a well-deserved Best Supporting Actor Oscar nomination for his work in Into the Wild.  The film was also nominated for Best Achievement in Film Editing.

Alternative trailer

Clip – Saying goodbye – Hal Holbrook and Emile Hirsch

Project A 2 (‘A’ gai wak 2)
Directed by Jackie Chan
Written by Jackie Chan, Edward Tang and Yu Ting
1987/Hong Kong
Golden Way Films Ltd./Paragon Films LTD
First viewing/Streaming on Netflix Watch Instantly
#788 of 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die
IMDb users say 7.2/10; I say 6.5/10

[box] I’m crazy, but I’m not stupid. — Jackie Chan[/box]

I think I would need a couple of months of testosterone therapy to truly appreciate this. There is no denying Jackie Chan’s charisma though.

The story is but an excuse for the epic fight sequences.  I will try my best.  Hong Kong Police Sergeant Dragon Ma Yue Lung (Chan) is assigned to pose as Superintendent Chun’s assistant to investigate whether the Superintendent is staging arrests.  For a long time, however, Dragon and his loyal team are more involved with taking down a vice kingpin and dealing with very confusing efforts by and against a rebel group fighting (?) the forces of the Dowager Empress (of China?).  With the gorgeous Maggie Cheung as one of the rebels.

I suppose everyone should see one Jackie Chan movie before they die.  This one is interesting in that it pre-dates the British hand-over of Hong Kong to China.  So we get a lot of British twits in high places plus, in the dubbed version available to me, several local characters with ludicrous Cockney accents.  It’s all very light and fun.

US Home Video Trailer