Movie reviews for Jason

Jason has asked if I could provide some reviews in conjunction with his 50 movie Janus film series review binge (which can be followed at thefifiorganization.net). It turns out that there are 5 movies of the 50 that I have previously watched, as well as a couple others I have meant to and one that I have now watched in order to participate in the process.

I have watched Ikiru, The Seven Samurai, Rashomon, The 7th Seal, and Ugetsu in the past and added The Third Man to the list so as to at least watch one new one from the list.

Jason is listing long descriptions of the films and then has "What I liked" and "What I didn't like" sections. I am simplifying my thoughts into single paragraphs in lieu of the "liked" and "disliked" thing here. These snippets will be added in the comments section of each review later on Jason's site.

The Third Man
The black and white actually makes this film better than had it been in color. You can feel the cold and dampness of Vienna in the way that it is filmed. The acting, script, and depth of characters that start as archetypes and become more and more really drew me in. I liked that the British officer started as a cliche and turned out to be one of the most humane characters in the film, since I would not have predicted that.

Ikiru
This is perhaps the greatest "value of a single life" film ever made, with only It's a Wonderful Life" as its peer. I had been aware of Kurosawa and seen a couple of the obvious films, but because of the Barenaked Ladies song lyric ("Like Kurosawa I make mad films" ...) I finally got around to seeing a few Kurosawa films a few years back. I watched Ikiru first ... and then went on a binge of seeing all but one of his films he is listed on the IMDB as being "Director" of. If anyone finds a copy of Those Who Make Tomorrow (or even Horse, where he is listed as director of a few scenes) please let me know. The sense of desperation of trying to accomplish something, anything really, in the face of stifling bureaucracy prior to dying pushes our quiet and dull lead. There is an old Japanese saying that translates to, "If you intend to die, you can do anything." Indeed.

Ugetsu
Obsession is powerful. Delusions of grandeur often follow. Although I enjoyed this film and think it is worth watching I must admit that I found it disconcerting in that it seems to be saying that trying to rise above one's station is a mistake and that we should settle for what we are. That theme came to me after watching this and bummed me out for a while.

The Seven Samauri
Between watching Ikiru and The Seven Samauri I came to the conclusion that Takashi Shimura was often more important in Kurosawa films than Toshiro Mifune was. This is a sweeping epic about a very small village and battle in the grand scheme of things. The way that this small village is set to be so important as to be worth defending for honor and not merely coin slowly dawns on the viewer.

The Seventh Seal
I must say that although this film is worth watching, it really falls into the category of something I can appreciate, but didn't necessarily like or dislike. Sort of like Wuthering Heights.

Rashomon
An effective case study in how perspective blurs objectivity, even with the best of intentions. Every time I hear of someone being convicted due to shaky testimony or released later because of forensic evidence I think back to the lesson of Rashomon or 12 Angry Men and think about how both films should be played to juries when they first go in to deliberate at the end of a trial.