Watch it.
“You start out by being promiscuous and end up like your grandfather … faithful to one woman”.
But seriously, very few movies leave a taste of them for days to come. The movie kinda forks off in a different direction little after half way through but it was very charming. Michael Caine should have won an Oscar for this.
I've always been very fascinated by exotic romanticism unfolded by the story as the characters experience life in the remote lands. There is a certain ambient mist of detached romanticism to the whole experience talking as back as 40's and 50's. You can even see the glimpse of this romanticism in the lives of living characters like Hemmingway and Fitzgerald living in France, and Spain, or Orwellian adventures in Burma. But the time and place, and the story itself don't do much if the character is not there.
In this case the character is a very serene, charming, and compassionate person. A narrator who can feel as much as he can think. An uncorrupted soul but an immoral human on times. Complacent in love, savvy in life. His serenity has no limits and his love fails him the morality. His serenity struggles to retain him integrity but his compassion renders him morality. That's just about perfect.
No cursing, thank-you.
pcg
PCG, you're an uptight idiot. I hope that doesn't qualify as being cursing. Let me know if it does and I'd change it to your liking. Thank-you.
Yeah, okay, so I'm in my mood swing mode tonite. Sorry there, Roman. Either stick to the topic, or I'm moving it all to the review folder.
My posts included :(
I'm sorry about destroying our romantic conversation there. Ah well.
PCG, if you've that much concern about "sticking" to the topic then move it to cafe. If I don't care then why do you?
Do you have any idea how much discouraging it is to have a relaxed conversation in the forum though?
Be as relaxed as you want, provided cursing is not the norm.
Yup good movie.
I liked the pace it moved at and as always Caine was a superb turn.
I particularly liked the scene where Brendan Fraser's character is happy to propose to Caine's bit on the side in the presence of all of them. I suppose the Vietnam overtures in microcosm with Caine representing the old colonial power.
A nice scene also with Caine's moral struggle to turn Brendan over to the communists, ultimately he justified his 'political' decision by falling back on the personal.
Nice one.
I couldn't get hold of any of the other movies you recommended but did find a release of Kurosawa's Hidden Fortress, I have started doing what I said I wouldn't and duplicating movies from VHS and DVD. Although it was the first time I'd seen the movie up on a big screen and it definitely benefited. The parched lunar like landscapes and the whole 'other world' quality was definitely magnified.
Yes, I liked that scene in which Frazer comes to Caine's place and propose to her, and Caines asks them if they need privacy. There is a strange sort of chivlarly there which was pretty amusing.
Second scene I liked was when they are stuck on that tower for the night and both men start talking about her. Caine tells him that he's introduced classical music to her and she's listening to Bach these days. Frazer, with infatuated interest, listens to him. They both seem to be very cool about the fact that they both love the same woman and handle it with gentlemanly valiance. You kinda understand the nature of love of both men. Their disparate feelings mixed with their age and experience are distinguishably apparent.
Yup but I couldn't help viewing the relationship as a mirror of what was going on in Vietnam of the day. Caine representing old colonial Europe who'd been there done that, Phuong? Vietnam from pillar to post and Fraser as the eager yet inept angel of mercy or America. The fact that Fraser met an end being knifed in the back in some ally was a little cheeky foretelling of the exit of America from Vietnam.
I suppose caines chivalry and ease with the situation came from the fact he new what she needed and it was something he couldn't give her, marriage.
I particularly liked the fact that Caine new what Phuong was doing throughout the day and took comfort from the routine in their otherwise tumultuous lives.
Great movie.
Yup but I couldn't help viewing the relationship as a mirror of what was going on in Vietnam of the day. Caine representing old colonial Europe who'd been there done that, Phuong? Vietnam from pillar to post and Fraser as the eager yet inept angel of mercy or America. The fact that Fraser met an end being knifed in the back in some ally was a little cheeky foretelling of the exit of America from Vietnam.
That's very interesting. Didn't think of that before. You're right, it definitely makes the characteristic backdrop for the movie.
But you see that Caine in fact loved her. He was angered and cried when he learned she left to live with Frazer. Remember that scene in the bathroom? But at the same time he was selfish and exploitive because he won't marry her. I think there were some very interesting conflicting characteristics in Caine's character which he portrayed very well. The guy should have won an Oscar for this.
Yes very realistic in that sense, as far as the nuances of the relationship were concerned. Maybe I’m reading too much into it.
You know a movie you would enjoy is ‘The Man who wasn’t there’ here you get the distance of Caine but little of the emotion. Brilliant Coen brothers installment nonetheless though I must have seen it a dozen times.
Yup, have seen that one. The only Coen brothers movie I've seen so far is Intolerable Cruelty 'cause it sorta looked cheezy.
But the whole atmosphere in that movie is different. A little dark and criminal sort of.
I like the look of modern twists on film noir, and obviously the originals too, I watched the petrified forest the other month, Leslie Howard is great and Boghart grunts about 5 times in the film but timed to perfection.
Some things age pretty well the film is back from the 1930's but still holds its own.
I think it was Bette davis first film, she shouts all the way through it but has a spark.
I think we should start a quality movie discussion thread.
I'm not much into classics. But some of the stuff is timeless. The most recent one I watched was Agath Cristie's witness for persecution. Very good movie. For old film noir, watch Humphrey Bogart's In a Lonely Place. I've not seen it yet but heard good stuff about it. Will watch it depending on mood.
There are some really good Sundance movies. Both that made it big, or are small time but still great pictures. If you've already not watched it, the check out Glengarry Glen Ross. That's a remarkable movie. Great acting, beautiful play.
Roman, my mum would become ur best friend. Except she never remembers what the name of the movie is.. she'll sit straight through 3 movies and go "they're very similar to indian moves"
another one to add to the list
Roman,
Yes enjoyed Glengarry Glen Ross, have to check out the Bogart film.
I like weird cinema too Polanski's Fearless Vampire Killers was both a surprise and delight, I watch it every time they put it on TV usually around the Christmas season at 3am, don't know why the late slot. The unreal fairy tale quality and lurid sets are great and the man is in it himself. Its quality kitsch cinema at it's best, don't know why I never bought a copy, maybe because I can set my clock by the regular occurence of it on tv.