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Children of No Importance (1926) - Gerhard Lamprecht #dailyfilm #greatshots #dailyfilmshots #dailycinema #thedonttellshow #newgermanobjectivity #gerhardlamprecht #socialrealism

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The Battle of Algiers - Gillo Pontecorvo (1966)

In the 1950s, fear and violence escalate as the people of Algiers fight for independence from the French government.

Shot in a gritty mix of neorealist and new wave styles and presented in stark black and white, this entrancingly believable tale plays out like newsreel footage of poetry. 

Moving at a powerful pace towards destruction, painfully real destruction as these people all look and feel real. 

Their conflicts, both sides, are relatable and logical in their own ways because they are not dragged down into bias or commie didactism. 

It's a stunningly stark work of great power which really 

leaves a mark. 

9/10

#thebattleofalgiers #gillopontecorvo #neorealism 

#frenchnewwave #italiancinema #grittyrealistcinema 

#socialrealism #moviereview #thedonttellshow 

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Jungleland - Max Winkler (2020)

Two brothers - one a once promising boxer (Jack O'Connell), the other a frazzled jail bird (Charlie Hunnam) - are forced into delivering a young girl (Jessica Barden) to Reno after losing a bet. Their mission is to use Jack's fighting prowess to escape the poverty of their everyday lives.

Not the most original plot, following well-worn last chance saloon, blood is thicker than water themes. Where it excels though is in the performances and no-nonsense camerawork. All three leads throw their all behind these characters, showing them to be fully rounded, human, complex, passionate people just doing their best to get by...the Springsteen themed score also helps transcend the predictable plot...but, it never quite takes off; sadly.

Great work by all involved, but the script was just too basic to begin with. 

7/10

#jungleland #maxwinkler #charliehunnam #jackoconnell #jessicabarden #jonathanmajors #johncullum #brucespringsteen #downinjungleland #grittyuscinema #sliceoflifefilms #thedonttellshow #reviewsonrealism 

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Where Is My Friend's house - Abbas Kiorastami (1987)

An 8 year old boy must return his friend's notebook he took by mistake, lest his friend be punished by expulsion from school.

So, what immediately struck me about this film (from the opening shot) was the realism of it, in setting and pace. It's not in any rush to get anywhere, life is just unfolding in front of it. The camerawork isn't slick, it sometimes is static, sometimes follows the characters in a documentart way (one child falls while running early on and the camera moves past then back).

But, though it seems like it's straight-forward life, there are subtle pieces of storytelling within the film, which hint at home life and subtle character traits which are seeded early on and developed later.

The casting is incredible, with every child exuding a sense of wonder, innocence and adventure. Which they have to have because, as we see, they are locked out of the adult world. Humurous scenes of them being completely ignored or asking the same questions over and over again with no differing results (one of the most relatable realist moments...that way children say "Pleeeeeeeeeeeeeeeasssss" when they want something forever)

The characters he meets on his odyssey all have their own recognizable characteristics, specially the old man who shuffles around chuntering. He reminded me of a bloke who lived around the corner from me as a child. He would shuffle to town and back everyday, and it would take him all day. He only seemed to buy one item there as well. Maybe he just needed to get out of the house; bless him. 

Anyway, I really loved how the characters, and the world were universally relatable, but (unlike a lot of social realist dramas which use sexual abuse or violence as their driving force) the drama was small, personal and focussed on in such detail that you felt for the character rather than the dramatic device of it. This was really important to this kid, it was his world...that's what life is like as a child and often as an adult...getting to work can be a massive source of stress in the real world or a job interview or all the things that are important to an individual; Kiarostami understands this, and he understands us. 

An excellent small drama, about big feelings. Can't wait to watch the rest of the Koker Trilogy.

9/10

#kokertrilogy #abbaskiarostami #whereismyfriendshouse #iraniancinema #irannewwave #socialrealism #flyonthewallfilms #sliceoflifemovies #thedonttellshow #reviewsonrealism

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Harlan County U.S.A -  Barbara Kopple (1976)

#harlancounty #minersstrike #documentartyreview #thedonttellshow #reviewsonrealism

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The Truman Show - Peter Weir (1998)

Truman Burbank is the world most famous TV star...but he doesn't know it. His entire life is a set built around him, from birth but now, he's starting to figure that out.

I remember seeing the trailer for this when it first came out and thinking "oh wow, another loud Jim Carrey comedy"...then I caught it on TV one afternoon and loved it. This wasn't the film they sold us back in 1998. This is a deeply philosophical film which question the nature of reality, the push and pull of free willl and determinism (yeah, we're not living in a TV show but how much our psyche is based on where we are living?), and the smartest thing about it is that all those things aside...we love Truman and want him to find whatever he's looking for.

It's a perfect balance of emotive hollywood string-pulling, and cerebral existential massages.

I love it.

9/10

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Children of No Importance - Gerhard Lamprecht (1926)

A socially conscious melodrama about three poor children, who we learn were all born out of wedlock, living with foster parents who do not offer them the proper care, and what fate has in store for each of them.

Since narratives emerged in cinema, the realist origins of actualities were thrown aside in favour of expressionism and this sort of proscenium arch framing that reminded the audience that they were watching a film. 

Well, Gerhard Lamprecht had no interest in that sort of escapism. He brought it all back home with stories based in real streets detailing real lives. Where people walked in and out the frame willy nilly as if they weren't performers pleasing an audience, but people just trying to get by. 

But that isn't the extent of Lamprecht's artistry though. He also uses visual metaphors and smart editing to give his story a more cinematic depth than the theatre-like aesthetics of his peers. 

The man was a master of storytelling and compassion, and casting. The main child actor in here really carries the film with a face aged beyond his years, yet actions naive and child-like; the kid is a constant conflict.

Like all the best social realist pieces, this films doesn't shy away from the grimness of its scenario, but also doesn't smother us in it giving us enough humanity to come out of the other side with something new. 

9/10

#gerhardlamprecht #newgermanobjectivity #weimargermany #socialrealism #kitchensinkfilms #flyonthewallfilms #sliceoflifefilms #thedonttellshow #reviewsonrealism 

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NEW VIDEO IS UP; ANOTHER FOLK FILMMAKING FEATURE

https://youtu.be/fpCOJEpnrbo

BED - CODY CLARKE 

Folk Film Making is an emerging truly independent film movement in which all content is viewable online for free. 

Join the Facebook group for more info: https://www.facebook.com/groups/952479271957482

#folkfilmmaking #supportindiefilm  #moviereview #youtuber #thedonttellshow

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The Castle - Rob Sitch (1997)

A proud Ozzie father's life is put into turmoil when the government try to force him out of his home so they can build another bloody runway. 

There's a real charm or "vibe" to this family friendly comedy (with the odd F-bomb) that makes it a perfect lazy afternoon film, or when you just need a pick me up. 

Darryl Kerrigan is your classic working-class dad. His house is his castle, built by his own fair hands and his family his nest lining all built and nurtured with reciprocated love. Then the barstards try to ruin it all, and his life falls to shit. Helpless, it would seem, in the headlights of progress he does what any dad would do; he fights...and along the way he gains some new perspective on his country's negative actions, but not enough to outweigh the good in it. The good values that keep this family together.

It's a charming classic with great heart and lots of laughs. 

8/10

#thecastle #michaelcaton #annetenney #ericbana #classicfilm #australianmovie #classicaustraliancinema #familycomedy #thedonttellshow #melbournemovie #reviewsonrealism

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Looks and Smiles - Ken Loach (1981)

Looks and Smiles - Ken Loach (1981)

A disadvantaged young man tries to get by in Margaret Thatcher's England.

Old Ken apparantly dislikes this film, and views it as a failure because it doesn't/didn't fill the audience with an overpowering political rage at the conditions it presents. I personally see that as it's greatest triumph. This is pure cinema, presenting a time and a place in all its raw honesty. Brimming with character and not bogged down by a need to preach at us, it lets us decide how we want to feel about the state of Sheffield and its young people in 1981; like true cinema should.

Gorgeous cinematography highlights the beauty and grimness of a dwindling industrial cityscape, and unpolished casual performances bring that city life to...life.

Ken's best bar Kes in my opinion.

9/10

#looksandsmiles #barryhines #akestrelforaknave #kes #filmssetinsheffield #yorkshirefilms #socialrealism #neorealism #realismincinema #thedonttellshow

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Watch "Black Dog: A Raising Awareness of Raising Awareness Film (2021)" on YouTube

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Blackboards - Samira Makhmalbaf (2000)

Blackboards - Samira Makhmalbaf (2000)

Itinerant Kurdish teachers, carrying blackboards on their backs, look for students in the hills and villages of Iran, near the Iraqi border during the Iran-Iraq war. Said falls in with a group of old men looking for their bombed-out village; he offers to guide them, and takes as his wife Halaleh, the clan’s lone woman, a widow with a young son. Reeboir attaches himself to a dozen pre-teen boys weighed down by contraband they carry across the border; they’re mules, always on the move. Said and Reeboir try to teach as their potential students keep walking. Danger is close; armed soldiers patrol the skies, the roads, and the border. Is there a role for a teacher? Is there hope

A strange film that feels both real, and allegorical...I can't quite grasp it.

7/10

#blackboards #samiramakhmalbaf #iraniancinema #realismincinema #socialrealism #thedonttellshow

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Never and Always - Denis Mitchell (1977)

Never and Always, a study of rural life in Norfolk, with its seasonal, cyclical changes.

I love this kind of doc. Don't get me wrong, a precision crafted piece with a straight-through line to a conclusion, with clear themes can be absolutely enthralling. But sometimes, just seeing snippets of a time gone by, fading in and out like memories of a dying brain, is just as intoxicating. 

I don't know what this was about, but it showed me something; life. 

That's the magic of cinema that is. 

#neverandalways #denismitchell #norfolkonfilm #1970sengland #thedonttellshow #reviewsonrealism 

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Black Dog (2021) - Nicholas Adamson

Attempting a new style, The Don't Tell Show has completed it's latest short inspired by the Folk Film Making Movement and various docudramas: This is "Black Dog"

https://youtu.be/ar8EwCyPuaM

#blackdog #raisingawarenessfilm #thedonttellshow #shortfilm #indiefilm #FilmTwitter #SupportIndieFilm

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Pretend That You Love Me (2020) - Joel Haver

Pretend That You Love Me (2020) - Joel Haver 

Joel attempts to find a romantic connection while in the development of his next film, all the while dealing with his health and other personal issues.

It's almost impossible to review this without spoiling it. It's a meta-study of grief, and longing delivered with real felt humour and playful storytelling which can knock you on your ass at the drop of a hat and leave you broken. 

A phenomenal study of the human heart.

9/10

#joelhaver #pretendthatyouloveme #folkfilmmaking #indiefilm #SupportIndieFilm #thedonttellshow 

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The Black and Blue Lamp - Guy Slater (1988)

The Black and Blue Lamp - Guy Slater (1988)

Satirical and surreal play by Arthur Ellis, dealing with the manner in which the British police force has been represented on TV for four decades. In 1949 Tom Riley is arrested for the murder of PC George Dixon. As he awaits interrogation at the station he is mysteriously transported into an episode of The Filth - a 1988 police series where the hard men rule. This black comedy questions whether the police have changed or is it the way film and television present them.

Absolute madness this. Basically Life on Mars but actually good, great even. 

8.75/10

#thebluelamp #basildearden #dirkbogarde #seanchapman #theblackandbluelamp #tvplays #britishtv #britishcinema #thedonttellshow