marclay Reviews

Offside (2006)

A Surprising Comedy From Jafar Panahi

[9/10 · 22 May 2006]

Several young Iranian women dress as boys and try to get into a World Cup qualifying match between Iran and Bahrain. When they're caught, they're penned in an area where the match remains within earshot, but out of sight. The prisoners plead to be let go, but rules are rules.

Given the pedigree of its director, Jafar Panahi, it was disarming to discover that Offside is a comedy, and a frequently hilarious one. In 1997's The Mirror, Panahi presents two versions of Iranian girlhood and leaves the audience to wonder which one is "real". In 2000's The Circle, several Iranian women step outside the system; their transgressions are different, but they all end up in the same tragic place.

However, thinking now about Offside, it's hard to imagine it as anything other than a comedy, because the situation it presents is so obviously ridiculous. As the women demand to know why they can't watch the soccer match and their captors struggle to answer, the only possible outcome is comedy.

What makes Offside most affecting is that the young women are not portrayed as activists attacking the system. They are simply soccer fans and patriots, and despite the fact that they are clearly being treated unfairly, they never lose their focus on the match and the historic victory that is within their nation's grasp.

Tout un hiver sans feu (2004)

One of My Favorite Movies of 2005

[9/10 · 7 April 2006]

I first saw this about a year ago in a theater here in Switzerland, and I recently rewatched it on DVD. Happily, it's one of those movies that actually improves with a second viewing.

Deceptively simple, Tout un hiver covers ground both personal and political in its portrayal of a grief-stricken man and woman. He's a Swiss farmer forced to work at a factory to make ends meet; she's a teacher from Kosovo working in the factory's kitchen. Both have experienced profound loss that has cut them off from the worlds they knew, and both are being forced to lean on their strength and postpone their suffering.

Because both are married (albeit to absent spouses) their compassion for each other is naturally frowned upon. But this is a movie primarily about healing, and all opportunities for cheap drama are never indulged.

Despite some strong festival screenings (it won two awards at the Venice Film Festival in 2004), Tout un hiver was not seen much outside Switzerland, which is a shame, as it was one of the best movies I saw last year.

Dancing Lady (1933)

Interesting, But Not Because Of Its Plot

[6/10 · 29 March 2004]

This romantic comedy, about a dancer's rapid ascent to the top & the two men who would have her, is interesting -- but certainly not because of its too-predictable plot.

No, what makes Dancing Lady interesting is all of the trivia about it that has nothing to do with its main action: it was Fred Astaire's official debut (he plays himself & dances with Joan Crawford in the finale); it features an early screen appearance by The Three Stooges (they do their best to screw up Crawford's audition for Broadway director Clark Gable); and also present are singer Nelson Eddy (also playing himself), Algonquin Round Table-member Robert Benchley (amusing as a perennially-unprepared reporter), and Sterling "Winnie the Pooh" Holloway (memorable as one of the writers of the musical Gable is directing). Also interesting is the fact that so many well-known songwriters contributed to the film's soundtrack, including Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart.

Okay, interesting. But is it worth seeing?

Well, I don't hate myself for having sat through it, but this is not one that I would recommend actively seeking out. Certainly Crawford & Gable are engaging enough, and they are well-supported by a nice ensemble. I was also pleasantly struck by some of Robert Z. Leonard's directorial touches, in particular some creative transitions early in the film & a nicely-handled party scene about halfway through.

However, for Dancing Lady to have risen above the countless films with similar formulaic stories, it really needed a better script. After an energetic first hour, the inevitability of the film's resolution starts to weigh it down, and it all but crawls into its awkward & uninspired musical finale.

Also, too much of the dialogue tries too hard to be clever -- and ends up incomprehensible. I was often reminded of banter you might hear in a modern-day parody of a film from this era.

Score: SIX out of TEN

Dance, Fools, Dance (1931)

Terrific Early Crawford Vehicle

[8/10 · 27 March 2004]

I disagree strongly with anyone who might dismiss this film as "just" entertainment. Set right after the carefree, roaring 20s, during the early days of the Great Depression, Dance, Fools, Dance is at its heart an earnest cautionary tale, with a clear message about how best to endure these hard times. Yet this fast-paced and tightly-plotted film is far from being a dreary morality tale.

In the 30s, Hollywood had a knack for churning out one entertaining *and* enlightening audience-pleaser after another, all without wasting a frame of film. Dance, Fools, Dance -- one of *four* films that Harry Beaumont directed in 1931 -- is barely 80 minutes long, yet its characters are well developed, its story never seems rushed, and despite its many twists in plot, the audience is never left behind.

With the lone exception of Lester Vail as flaccid love interest Bob Townsend, the supporting cast is uniformly strong. Worthy of note are William Bakewell as Crawford's brother, Cliff Edwards (best known as the voice of Jiminy Cricket) as reporter Bert Scranton, and Clark Gable in an early supporting role as gangster Jake Luva.

But this is Joan Crawford's film, and she absolutely shines in it. Made when she was just 27, this lesser-known version of Crawford will probably be unrecognizable to those more familiar with her later work. However, here is proof that long before she took home an Oscar for Mildred Pierce, Crawford was a star in the true sense of the word, a terrific actress with the charisma to carry a picture all by herself.

Score: EIGHT out of TEN

It's a Wonderful World (1939)

A Surprise, But Not Because It's Good

[8/10 · 19 March 2004]

What makes this film a surprise is not that it's good. After all, a romantic screwball caper starring Claudette Colbert & Jimmy Stewart, directed by W.S. Van Dyke from a script by Ben Hecht -- how could it *not* be good? No, what surprised me about this film is that as good as it is, it's not currently available on VHS or DVD.

Like Van Dyke's The Thin Man and Hecht's His Girl Friday, It's a Wonderful World combines elements of crime films with the romantic screwball comedy, and the result is both gripping & laugh-out-loud funny.

In their only on-screen pairing, Colbert & Stewart play off each other beautifully; she's the comedic foil to his tough-talking detective, and their romance is handled realistically and with patience. The supporting cast in uniformly excellent, with standout performances from Nat Pendleton & Edgar Kennedy as the bumbling cops on Stewart's trail, and Guy Kibbee as Stewart's partner & friend.

Watching this film, it's hard to believe that it's one of *four* that Van Dyke made in 1939 (especially since one of the others is the even-better Stand Up and Fight). Van Dyke was famous for shooting films quickly, but his direction never seems hurried. A director-for-hire, he was gifted at serving both art and commerce, satisfying both audiences and his bosses at MGM.

Thanks to Turner Classic Movies for giving me the opportunity to see this film, which as I mentioned is otherwise unavailable. Here's hoping that Warner Bros., which owns the rights, releases it soon on home video.

Score: EIGHT out of TEN

The Prizefighter and the Lady (1933)

Worth Seeing, But Not Among Van Dyke's Best

[6/10 · 10 March 2004]

I watched this film because of the involvement of 30s great W.S. Van Dyke and his oftentimes leading lady Myrna Loy, and I was more or less satisfied with his direction and her performance as Belle. Also, Walter Huston does good work as Steve Morgan's manager, "The Professor", and I was particularly impressed with Otto Kruger's unusual performance as Willie Ryan, Belle's bitter ex.

However, there is a black hole at the center of this film, and its name is Max Baer. I'm sure it seemed like a good idea at the time to cast a real boxer as Steve Morgan -- and they could've done much worse, as Primo Carnera and Jack Dempsey evince toward the end of the film -- but I would've much rather seen a real actor in the role.

I wish I knew more about what went with the director's chair on this film. IMDb says that both W.S. Van Dyke and Howard Hawks directed it; however, the film itself features no director credit at all! Because Van Dyke is credited as producer, while Hawks' name appears nowhere in the film's credits, I finally decided to consider this a W.S. Van Dyke film. However, it's possible that I'll change my mind if I ever find out what went on behind the scenes.

Thanks to Turner Classic Movies for showing this film, along with countless other entertaining old movies that are otherwise unavailable.

Score: SIX out of TEN