Géza Röhrig and Amitai Kedar in Son of Saul (László Nemes, 2015)
Cast: Géza Röhrig. Levente Molnár, Urs Rechn, Sándor Zsoter, Marcin Czernik, Uwe Lauer, Christian Hartin, Mihály Kormos, Amitai Kedar. Screenplay: László Nemes, Clara Royer. Cinematography: Mátyás Erdély. Production design: László Rajk. Film editing: Matthieu Taponier. Music: László Melis.
Son of Saul begins with an out-of-focus figure walking across a field toward the camera until he finally comes into focus. This is Saul Ausländer (Géza Röhrig), a Sonderkommando -- a Jewish prisoner tasked with clean-up duties in a Nazi death camp. In a bravura sequence, the camera stays focused on Saul in near-closeup as it tracks what he is doing: helping herd naked people into the "showers" where they are gassed, rifling through their belongings that they have neatly hung up in an anteroom (they were, in a particularly sadistic stroke, told to remember the numbers of the hooks on which they hung their clothes and to hurry their showers because the promised soup is getting cold), then helping take the bodies (referred to by the Nazis as "die Stücke," or "pieces") to the crematorium, and scrubbing the floors in the gas chamber. It's a sequence made more horrifying by the fact that all of these events take place in the slightly out-of-focus background as the camera concentrates on Saul. But something out of the ordinary happens: A boy is found still alive in the gas chamber, and Saul recognizes him. He will later tell others that the boy is his son, from a liaison with a woman not his wife, which explains the unusual interest he takes in this particular victim: When the boy is sent to the doctors, he is smothered to death by an SS officer who then orders an autopsy to try to explain why he survived the gas. Saul, who witnesses this murder, persuades a sympathetic doctor to hold off on the autopsy and keep the body from being cremated. Saul's efforts to hide the body and to find a rabbi who can perform a ritual burial form the rest of the film's narrative. He is aided in his efforts but sometimes also resisted by other prisoners, who are plotting a rebellion against the guards. It's an extraordinarily harrowing film that won the foreign language film Oscar and numerous critics society awards. Remarkably, it's also writer-director László Nemes's first feature film, and Röhrig, on whom the camera is focused for virtually the entire time, had only a Hungarian TV miniseries made in 1989 as an acting credit. Like many films about the Holocaust it runs the risk of turning its subject into melodrama or of desensitizing the audience to the depicted horrors. It doesn't quite avoid the risk -- there are times when Saul's implacable determination tests our credulity, and there is always the awareness that these are "just actors" portraying things that happened to real people -- but it's an honorable contribution to a difficult genre.
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Barbaren (Barbarians) - Netflix - October 23, 2020 -
Historical Drama (6 episodes to date)
Running Time: 41 - 51 minutes
Stars:
Laurence Rupp as Arminius
Jeanne Goursaud as Thusnelda
David Schütter as Folkwin Wolfspeer
Gaetano Aronica as Varus
Bernhard Schütz as Segestes
Nicki von Tempelhoff as Segimer
Ronald Zehrfeld as Berulf
Eva Verena Müller as Irmina
Nikolai Kinski as Pelagios
Urs Rechn as Kunolf the Brukteer
Mathis Landwehr as Eigil
Jeremy Miliker as Ansgar
Sergej Onopko as Hadgan
Matthias Weidenhöfer as Golmad
Florian Schmidtke as Talio
Denis Schmidt as Rurik
Sophie Rois as Seeress Runa
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#343 December 11, 2018
Matt writes: In order to celebrate five years of Scout Tafoya's acclaimed series of video essays entitled, "The Unloved," we are presenting his new feature-length essay: "Beata Virgo Viscera." Click here to read Scout's piece on what inspired the following film, which you can watch in its entirety below.
In honor of Jon S. Baird's upcoming awards contender "Stan & Ollie," starring the perfectly cast duo of Steve Coogan and John C. Reilly, enjoy the three Laurel & Hardy classics linked at the end of this newsletter.
Trailers
Stan & Ollie (2018). Directed by Jon S. Baird. Written by Jeff Pope. Starring Steve Coogan, John C. Reilly, Shirley Henderson. Synopsis: Laurel and Hardy, the world's most famous comedy duo, attempt to reignite their film careers as they embark on what becomes their swan song - a grueling theatre tour of post-war Britain. Opens in US theaters on December 28th, 2018.
Artemis Fowl (2019). Directed by Kenneth Branagh. Written by Michael Goldenberg, Adam Kline and Conor McPherson (based on the book by Eoin Colfer). Starring Hong Chau, Miranda Raison, Nonso Anozie. Synopsis: Artemis Fowl II, a young Irish criminal mastermind, kidnaps the fairy LEPrecon officer Holly Short for ransom to fund the search for his missing father in order to restore the family fortune. Opens in US theaters on August 9th, 2019.
All Is True (2019). Directed by Kenneth Branagh. Written by Ben Elton. Starring Kenneth Branagh, Judi Dench, Ian McKellen. Synopsis: A look at the final days in the life of renowned playwright William Shakespeare. US release date is TBA.
The Standoff at Sparrow Creek (2019). Written and directed by Henry Dunham. Starring James Badge Dale, Patrick Fischler, Brian Geraghty. Synopsis: A former cop-turned-militia man investigates a shooting at a police funeral. US release date is TBA.
Sunset (2019). Directed by László Nemes. Written by László Nemes, Clara Royer and Matthieu Taponier. Starring Susanne Wuest, Vlad Ivanov, Urs Rechn. Synopsis: A young girl grows up to become a strong and fearless woman in Budapest before World War I. US release date is TBA.
Happy as Lazzaro (2018). Written and directed by Alice Rohrwacher. Starring Adriano Tardiolo, Agnese Graziani, Luca Chikovani. Synopsis: This is the tale of a meeting between Lazzaro, a young peasant so good that he is often mistaken for simple-minded, and Tancredi, a young nobleman cursed by his imagination. Now available on Netflix.
State Like Sleep (2019). Written and directed by Meredith Danluck. Starring Katherine Waterston, Michiel Huisman, Michael Shannon. Synopsis: A woman grapples with the consequences of her celebrity husband's double life after he commits suicide. Opens in US theaters on January 4th, 2019.
Rust Creek (2019). Directed by Jen McGowan. Written by Julie Lipson. Starring Hermione Corfield, Denise Dal Vera, Jeremy Glazer. Synopsis: An overachieving college student gets lost on her way to a job interview. A wrong turn leaves her stranded deep in the Kentucky forest. US release date is TBA.
The Heiresses (2019). Written and directed by Marcelo Martinessi. Starring Ana Brun, Margarita Irun, Ana Ivanova. Synopsis: An ex-convict working undercover intentionally gets himself incarcerated again in order to infiltrate the mob at a maximum security prison. US release date is TBA.
The Aftermath (2019). Directed by James Kent. Written by Joe Shrapnel and Anna Waterhouse (based on the novel by Rhidian Brook). Starring Alexander Skarsgård, Keira Knightley, Jason Clarke. Synopsis: Post World War II, a British colonel and his wife are assigned to live in Hamburg during the post-war reconstruction, but tensions arise with the German who previously owned the house. Opens in US theaters on April 26th, 2019.
After (2019). Directed by Jenny Gage. Written by Susan McMartin (based on the novel by Anna Todd). Starring Hero Fiennes Tiffin, Josephine Langford, Selma Blair. Synopsis: A young girl falls for a guy with a dark secret and the two embark on a rocky relationship. Opens in US theaters on April 12th, 2019.
Watership Down (2018). Directed by Noam Murro. Written by Richard Adams and Tom Bidwell. Starring James Alexander, Gemma Arterton, John Boyega. Synopsis: Fleeing their doomed warren, a colony of rabbits struggle to find and defend a new home. Premieres on the BBC on December 22nd, 2018.
Happy Death Day 2U (2019). Written and directed by Christopher Landon. Starring Jessica Rothe, Ruby Modine, Israel Broussard. Synopsis: Sequel to the 2017 film 'Happy Death Day.' Opens in US theaters on February 14th, 2019.
Vox Lux (2018). Written and directed by Brady Corbet. Starring Raffey Cassidy, Natalie Portman, Jude Law. Synopsis: An unusual set of circumstances brings unexpected success to a pop star. Now playing in US theaters.
Welcome to Marwen (2018). Directed by Robert Zemeckis. Written by Robert Zemeckis and Caroline Thompson. Starring Steve Carell, Leslie Mann, Eiza González. Synopsis: A victim of a brutal attack finds a unique and beautiful therapeutic outlet to help him through his recovery process. Opens in US theaters on December 21st, 2018.
Captain Marvel (2019). Directed by Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck. Written by Anna Boden, Ryan Fleck, Geneva Robertson-Dworet and Jac Schaeffer (based on the comics by Roy Thomas and Gene Colan). Starring Brie Larson, Jude Law, Gemma Chan. Synopsis: Carol Danvers becomes one of the universe's most powerful heroes when Earth is caught in the middle of a galactic war between two alien races. Opens in US theaters on March 8th, 2019.
Avengers: Endgame (2019). Directed by Anthony Russo and Joe Russo. Written by Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely (based on the comics by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby). Starring Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans, Josh Brolin. Synopsis: The fourth installment of the 'Avengers' series. Opens in US theaters on April 26th, 2019.
The Lion King (2019). Directed by Jon Favreau. Written by Jeff Nathanson. Starring James Earl Jones, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Donald Glover. Synopsis: CGI re-imagining of the 1994 Disney classic. Opens in US theaters on July 19th, 2019.
Peter Hedges on "Ben is Back"
Matt writes: Peter Hedges, the Oscar-nominated writer of "What's Eating Gilbert Grape" and "About a Boy," recently spoke with me about directing his son Lucas in the new drama, "Ben is Back," also starring Julia Roberts. Read our full conversation here.
2018 Key West Film Festival
Matt writes: Our critic Monica Castillo reports on her adventures at Florida’s Key West Film Festival and the special meaning that the experience held for her. Click here for the full article.
Free Movies
Busy Bodies (1933). Directed by Lloyd French. Starring Stan Laurel, Oliver Hardy, Dick Gilbert. Synopsis: Stan and Ollie do battle with inanimate objects, their co-workers, and the laws of physics during a routine work day at the sawmill.
Watch "Busy Bodies"
Babes in Toyland (a.k.a. March of the Wooden Soldiers) (1934). Directed by Gus Meins and Charley Rogers. Written by Frank Butler and Nick Grinde. Starring Stan Laurel, Oliver Hardy, Virginia Karns. Synopsis: Opposing the evil Barnaby, Ollie Dee and Stanley Dum try and fail to pay-off Mother Peep's mortgage and mislead his attempts to marry Little Bo. Enraged, Barnaby's boogeymen are set on Toyland.
Watch "Babes in Toyland"
Way Out West (1937). Directed by James W. Horne. Written by Charley Rogers, Felix Adler and James Parrott. Starring Stan Laurel, Oliver Hardy, Sharon Lynn. Synopsis: Stanley and Ollie are enlisted to deliver the deed to a goldmine in a small village, only for it to be stolen.
Watch "Way Out West"
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New US Trailer for László Nemes' Sprawling Budapest Drama 'Sunset'
"Leave this place. Blood will flow here this week." Sony Pictures Classics has released the official US trailer for the new film from Hungarian director László Nemes (of Son of Saul previously) titled Sunset, which premiered at the Venice Film Festival this year. This sprawling, epic historical drama is set in Budapest in 1913, "in the heart of Europe as World War I approaches." The story is about a young woman named Írisz Leiter, who tries to get a job at a legendary hat store that once belonged to her late parents. She ends up lost in the overwhelming chaos of a bustling Budapest. Juli Jakab stars as Írisz, and the full cast includes Vlad Ivanov, Susanne Wuest, Björn Freiberg, Levente Molnár, Mónika Balsai, Urs Rechn, Evelin Dobos, and Judit Bárdos. A remarkable feat of authentic filmmaking, this film is demands our attention. ›››
Continue Reading New US Trailer for László Nemes' Sprawling Budapest Drama 'Sunset'
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