lllinggg Reviews

Casino (1995)

Worth Experiencing

[6/10 · 25 January 2004]

It is unfortunate that 'Casino' is usually perceived merely as a critique of the Mafia. Much more than a cliché condemnation of the criminal underworld, the film delivers a mordant 'j'accuse' against the degradation of the self-destructive socioeconomic system (including cops, government bureaucrats, politicians) that generated and institutionalized the Mafia's role in contemporary Americana.

Upon relocating to Las Vegas, childhood friends Sam Rothstein and Nicky Santoro (Robert De Niro and Joe Pesci) submit their gangster experience to the disposal of the local mob network, which controls the gambling industry. Rothstein rapidly excels as a Mafia-sanctioned casino manager luxuriating in a Roman lifestyle, while Santoro successfully commands the rougher, more violent aspects of the underworld business. Soon, however, their virulent lifestyles and incessant greed leads them to a downward spiral of confrontation and deceit, accentuated by their common lust for femme fatale Ginger McKenna (Sharon Stone).

This fascinating Franco-American co-production ought to be commended for its caustic inquiry into the rotten economic foundations of the American dream. Moreover, it achieves this without seriously compromising its solid cinematic components (storytelling, cinematography and overall cohesion), while also giving prominence to Stone's extremely well-acted, visible female character, amid all the Mafiosi male chauvinism.

On the downside, the screenplay is often vaporous, and some of the inevitable violence is truly stomach churning. Yet these deficiencies should not discourage hardened fans from taking a look. Worth experiencing, 6.5 stars out of 10.

All About Eve (1950)

A Fine Specimen

[5/10 · 25 January 2004]

Few films have matured as gracefully as 'All About Eve', a poignant, caustic commentary on the ludicrous world of show biz, with a message that is as meaningful today as in the year it was released. Bette Davis stars in a true-to-life role as Margo Channing, an aging Broadway celebrity who is charmed by passionately devoted fan Eve Harrington (Anne Baxter). Eve's dedication to Channing and to her show biz circle (George Sanders, Celeste Holm and Gary Merrill among others) gains their trust and affection, and abets her sinister ulterior scheme, which is, in fact, 'all about Eve'.

This memorable production boasts an elegant screenplay and good direction, as well as impressive performances by the central characters (Celeste Holm's lacking delivery being the sole exception), all wrapped up in incessantly intriguing storytelling. The textbook character development that adorns the script is fascinating and in itself constitutes a motive for all vintage cinema fans to indulge in this fine specimen.

Overly conventional cinematography and an unnoticeable score keep 'All About Eve' from achieving cinematic supremacy, yet they have proven too marginal to seriously threaten the film's undisputed historical legacy. Worthy of its fame, six stars out of ten.

Get Shorty (1995)

Unremarkable

[5/10 · 22 January 2004]

A few amusing characters and even fewer amusing scenes save ‘Get Shorty' from total oblivion. John Travolta (as Miami debt collector Chili Palmer) visits Los Angeles B-movie producer Harry Zimm (Gene Hackman) who owes money to the mafia. Chili finds that his childhood dream of producing movies has been resuscitated, and teams up with Zimm and his star actress Karen Flores (Rene Russo) to ward off a host of angry loan sharks, and catch the attention of self-centered Hollywood celebrity Martin Weir (Danny DeVito).

The upfront, ten-minute sequence that opens the film is humorous. Yet it is a stark contrast to the remaining 95 minutes, which follow an intricate but mechanical script that fails to develop a host of otherwise appealing characters. The actors try to project, but they have not much by way of screenplay or direction to stand on. The film is thus forgettable and unremarkable, though it will entertain for the best part of 2 hours. Five stars out of ten.

Breakfast at Tiffany's (1961)

Seriously Dated

[5/10 · 22 January 2004]

It is no surprise that ‘Breakfast at Tiffany's' maintains a large cult following, over thirty years after its initial release. It is stylized, charming, physical, and refined to the extent that one forgets that fashionable Holly Golightly (Audrey Hepburn) is a call girl and cerebral Paul Varjak (George Peppard) is a gigolo. The infantile fortune hunter and the uptight aspiring writer subconsciously build bridges of interaction that penetrate their isolated, urban subsistence, and pose alternatives to their materialist pursuits and unfulfilled desires.

Although the film's central premise is timeless, its delivery is extremely dated. Contemporary audiences are not shocked by the central characters' decadent lifestyles, nor are they scandalized by Golightly's loose behavior, on which much of the script's vigor depends. Moreover, the dialogues are overly scripted and flat, and the jokes (including the famous ‘party scene') are often cheap and farcical.

Thus, although numerous devoted fans swear by this film, most contemporary viewers will find it charming, without being particularly awestruck by its candor and social message. 5.5 stars out of 10.

A Room with a View (1985)

Charming Despite its Flaws

[5/10 · 21 January 2004]

In addition to being a delightful comedic romance, 'Room With A View' is an illuminating deconstruction of class relations in Edwardian Britain. While touring Tuscany, genteel lady Lucy Honeychurch (Helena Bonham Carter) meets middle class youngster George Emerson (Julian Sands). Captivated by his liberal and liberated aura, Lucy questions the repressive tenets of her leisure-class environment, as personified by her engagement to scholarly aristocrat Cecil Vyse (Daniel Day-Lewis).

Based on a novel by E.M. Forster, the film's elaborate screenplay elevates a simple concept into a captivating study of human relations as balancing between primordial personal desires and shifting social expectations. The splendid cinematography is complemented by the enthralling performances of an all-star supporting cast -including a memorable Simon Callow and a mesmerizing Daniel Day-Lewis.

James Ivory's mundane direction will frustrate those familiar with some of his finer works, and one could find one's patience tested by Julian Sands' deficient delivery. The film, however, manages to charm despite these shortcomings, primarily because it operates -and can be enjoyed- on many different levels. A worthy envoy for British cinema, six stars out of ten.

Out of Africa (1985)

Tedious Mediocrity

[4/10 · 21 January 2004]

‘Out of Africa' is a film that struggles to impress. It is loosely based on the memoirs of Danish aristocrat Karen Dinesen (Meryl Streep), whose failed social endeavors at home drove her to a platonic marriage to a Baron (Klaus Maria Brandauer) and to an eighteen-year exile in colonial Kenya. The wide skies of Africa enlarged Dinesen's horizons, allowing her to explore the limits of her endurance through business venturing, friendship, and ultimately romance with wildlife hunter Denys Finch Hatton (Robert Redford).

The components of cinematic success are all there: erotic triangles, colonial Africa, exotic natives, even war, illness and bereavement. Paradoxically, after the first twenty minutes something goes terribly wrong, causing this over-ambitious film to evaporate into plain meaninglessness. The source of this unfortunate debacle is to be found in the substandard screenplay, which tends to revolve endlessly around itself, while stubbornly refusing to lift the story and the characters off the ground. Fine recitals by Streep (featuring a superb Nordic accent), and Michael Kitchen (as Berkeley) are not dynamic enough to conceal the film's fatal contradictions: Dinesen is a feminist spirit whose self-confidence is dependent on the men in her life; colonized Kenya is a sanitized paradise where ‘noble savages' know their place; and where white colonialists are well-meaning philanthropists with imperfections that have hardly any impact outside of their narrow ‘bwana' circle.

In conclusion, do not allow yourself to be deceived by the film's Academy Award credentials. This is mediocre cinema -the kind which pleases the eye, but is all empty calories. 4.7 stars out of 10.

8½ (1963)

Playful and Manipulative

[5/10 · 15 January 2004]

This heretical extravaganza by Italian master Federico Fellini is cinematically inferior to La Dolce Vita -and arguably even Amacord- yet it remains Fellini's most authentic autobiographical testimony. Haunted by a creative block, director Guido Anselmi (Marcello Mastroianni), escapes to an Italian resort, where he is aggressively pursued by his film crew and his rogue conscience. As in all of Fellini's works, the acting is subordinate to his direction, and the script is used simply as a medium for articulating his unsurpassed visual sensibilities. The film's slow-paced tediousness and Fellini's self-indulgence (the whole film is about him) will undoubtedly irritate many viewers, as will his unashamed chauvinist womanizing. Fellini, however, welcomes our outrage, carefully manipulating our emotions to a degree that few other filmmakers are capable of reaching. Overall, the film is a must-see for the genuine film devotee, but one must be in the right mood to enjoy it. Five 1/2 stars out of ten (one star solely dedicated to Claudia Cardinale's ethereal presence).

Serendipity (2001)

Painfully Wearisome

[3/10 · 14 January 2004]

Depressingly prosaic romantic comedy whose extremely few inspiring moments desperately struggle to stay afloat an endless sea of wearisome predictability. John Cusack and (especially) Kate Beckingsale disappoint as two mutually attracted young urbanites whose lives are magnetically intertwined by fate. Molly Shannon's good acting (as Beckingsale's friend Eve) and Alan Sylvestri's passable music score are cancelled out by the sadistically bad acting, painfully raw direction, and incoherent editing. The film's unrefined quasi-religious escapism might strike a note with atrophied juveniles, but will probably alienate everyone else, including Cusack's and Beckingsale's fans. Overall, a complete waste of time, unless you are frantically running short of options for an appropriate visual setting for your first teenage date. Four stars out of ten.

Casablanca (1942)

Overwhelming Perfection

[7/10 · 9 January 2004]

The widespread popular reverence for Casablanca is rooted not in innovation, but rather in perfection. One would be hard-pressed to discern anything particularly radical about the film's primary components. Though captivating in their own way, the story, the characters and the direction are modest and unassuming. Yet it is a modesty tightly wrapped in excellence and precision. Simply put, this is as good as conventional cinematic storytelling ever gets.

During the height of World War II, Rick Blaine (Humphrey Bogart) is the impervious American owner of a Casablancan nightclub, serving as the epicenter of social unease in what is still unoccupied France. The unexpected arrival of Czechoslovakian resistance organizer Viktor Lazslo (Paul Henreid) and his dazzling wife Ilsa (Ingrid Bergman) forces Rick to revisit his painful past and take sides in a war he had previously tried to ignore.

The alluring, cosmopolitan backdrop of colonial North Africa compliments a remarkable cast of three-dimensional characters, who exhaust and renew their humanity amidst war's cataclysmic turmoil. Negative elements, including the unfortunate absence of native characters, as well as the demeaning treatment of the nightclub's black entertainer (Dooley Wilson, condescendingly referred to as "the boy" despite his advanced age), are not strong enough to withstand the overwhelming intensity of a truly exceptional film. Seven stars out of ten.

12 Angry Men (1957)

Masterpiece Nearing Perfection

[8/10 · 1 August 2003]

It has been described as "flawless", "immaculate" and "supreme" -and for good reason. '12 Angry Men' is an old Swiss golden clock in the age of Japanese digital watches, a Flemish renaissance mahogany armchair in the era of prefabricated furniture, a handcrafted motion picture at a time of processed film-making. Henry Fonda is the sole dissenting juror in a murder case, who utilizes rational methodology to convince the remaining eleven jurors that the accused is not guilty as charged. Filming almost exclusively in a small, nondescript jury deliberation room, director Sidney Lumet produces a masterpiece of American film-making, reaching the limits of structured cinematic delivery. The opening segment, which rolls uncut for over 10 minutes, is unparalleled, as is the dramatic sequence of the murder recreation. Assisted by an outstanding theatrical script, the film's cast members literally forget to act, allowing their roles as jurors to inhabit their conscience as they perform. Notably, E.G. Marshall (juror #4) splendidly captures the essence of his role as a prudent financier, while Lee J. Cobb (juror #3) writes cinematic history with his phenomenal portrayal of Fonda's leading adversary among the jury. Last but not least, the film's didactic quality is multifaceted, on the one hand illustrating how educated citizens can guide, rather than endure, the democratic process, and on the other hand illuminating how moral purpose and artistic dedication can guide a film's production in ways Hollywood creators often choose to neglect. Overall, a solid film that has earned the respect of successive generations of movie audiences.

The Thin Red Line (1998)

Poetically Introvert

[6/10 · 31 July 2003]

It is difficult for a film on war to entirely disengage from war's psychological dimension, and in fact few films do. Occasionally, however, a motion picture comes along that focuses solely on the psychological aspects of warfare. As one such film, 'The Thin Red Line' is an untypical deliberation on the mental internalization of war as experienced by a group of US soldiers engaged in the bloody battle of Guadalcanal, in 1942. The film is long and distinctly introvert, containing extensive narratives of the participants' thoughts. The comparative lack of combat scenes will inevitably alienate action-seeking viewers, but this is deliberate. Indeed, the film's few battle scenes are vivid, realistic and spectacularly filmed, a clear message from director/screenwriter Terrence Malick that he could have produced an action film, had he desired to do so. Instead, he chooses to concentrate on the long periods of inactivity between clashes, focusing his camera lens on the faces of war's disillusioned participants. This allows for several polished performances by all actors involved, above all by Ben Chaplin, Elias Koteas and Woody Harrelson, who surpasses himself during his character's final moments. John Toll's inspiring cinematography and Hans Zimmer's expressive score almost manage to mute the film's shortcomings, which include the manifest lack of continuity in the script -the latter being further impaired by a surprising failure to conclude and pull together the many threads unraveled throughout the film. Overall a refined production with several outstanding attributes.

Con Air (1997)

Simplistic and Infantile

[4/10 · 31 July 2003]

'Con Air' is an exploration of the untold depths into which an action film can sink when guided solely by a lust for revenues. Nicolas Cage is an exemplary inmate just released and on his way home, who finds himself aboard a prisoner transportation airplane hijacked by a group of notorious convicts. Depressingly one-dimensional and sadistic, the film is a cluttered patchwork of often unrelated action scenes, centered around miserable primordial notions of good (Cage) and evil (everyone else onboard the plane, with the possible exception of a black diabetic inmate). Most viewers over the age of twelve will rapidly lose interest following the introductory procession of stereotypical villainous characters -the latter representing the worst fears of American suburbia, and featuring Latino drug barons, deranged murderers, compulsive rapists, serial killers and, of course, black supremacists. At some random point toward the end, there is a botched attempt to conceal the film's barrenness behind a deranged display of chaotic blasts caused by the airplane's landing in downtown Las Vegas. Yet even this nauseating waste of production funds on a meaningless vision of urban mayhem fails to stir the film's overbearing numbness. Following the crash, the audience is left with a number of bizarre segments offering an unbefitting comical twist to a truly laughable film.

The Usual Suspects (1995)

Distinct Though Overrated

[4/10 · 24 July 2003]

Distinct within its genre, though alarmingly overrated, 'The Usual Suspects' is a popular film whose reputation is likely to prove ephemeral. A group of east coast rogues use their unexpected gathering in a routine law enforcement roundup to plan a series of high-profile jobs, only to realize that forces higher than themselves are in control of their plans. Guided by a largely unpolished script, the film's numerous characters -only some of whom appear visually convincing- engage in a dialogue-based interplay that satisfies less than it entertains. Well-trained American actors like Chazz Palminteri and Kevin Spacey seem to have left their vast acting reservoirs essentially untouched, while even the Europeans Gabriel Byrne and Pete Postlethwaite, though refreshingly decent, appear to have their eyes primarily set on payday. The film's much talked about ending is somewhat predictable within its unpredictability, and the directorial and musical inputs, which can ideally salvage conventional visual sequences, are not much help either. Overall, 'The Usual Suspects' deserves to be watched in the context of Hollywood's increasingly sterile fascination with the criminal underworld. Veteran spectators, however, should restrain their expectations far below the over-exultant levels of most reviews.

The Last Emperor (1987)

Impressive But Unbalanced

[6/10 · 22 July 2003]

'The Last Emperor' is a mutli-genre film that combines historical drama, political storytelling, visual sensuality and prison narrative, all parts of the fragmented life of Pu Yi, last emperor of the now eclipsed Ching dynasty. The marriage of Bernardo Bertolucci's persistent direction and Vittorio Storaro's lyrical cinematography produce a spectacular visual context, created exclusively on-location. With reverence and respect, the two Italian masters offer Western audiences precious glimpses of life and culture in one of the world's most complex civilizations. The didactic theme of the film is equally precious, delivered through the life of an 'emperor of nothing', whose elevated social position causes his life to be meaningless and interned. Paradoxically, his prison reeducation under the communist regime frees him physically and mentally by rendering him, for the first time of his life, master of his own actions. Sadly, the film's visual and moralizing components appear to exhaust the film's usefulness. The script tends to spiral around itself producing several meaningless segments, and one gets the impression that, more often than not, Bertolucci treats his actors as rudimentary, consuming himself with visual delivery and theoretical extrapolations to the expense of character development. Ultimately, more equilibrium between the film's elements would probably have achieved a higher degree of purpose, whose absence undermines this fine production in more ways than one.

The Apostle (1997)

A Seamless Fictional Documentary

[6/10 · 9 July 2003]

Created by Robert Duvall as a fiction film, but worth taking in as a documentary, 'The Apostle' is a striking commentary on contemporary Christian Americana. Duvall is Texas preacher Eulis 'Sonny' Dewey, whose irreverent lifestyle leads him away from his family, to a journey of self-discovery in the bayou lands of southern Louisiana.

It is difficult to resist the film's realistic portrayal of Pentecostal Christianity, which appeals on both religious and secular levels. The convincing performances by Duvall, Farrah Fawcett (as Dewey's wife) and Billy Bob Thornton constitute the rigid base on which everything else stands. Furthermore, the daring integration of actors and non-actors in a plethora of sequences throughout the film is so successful that it is virtually impossible to discern the directorial seams that hold this polished film together.

Direction, though, is far from flawless, and one gets the impression that more rigid editing could have added firmness on a somewhat stretched script. But the overall impact of these shortcomings on the film is limited, thanks mainly to the creative passion that visibly permeates the production of this fine effort. Worth watching, six stars out of ten.

Amadeus (1984)

Ambitious and Contradictory

[6/10 · 9 June 2003]

'Amadeus' is arguably one of the most ambitious films of the 1980s. It presents a popularized account of the life of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart following his arrival in Vienna from Brno, at the age of 17. His reception by his new patron, Emperor Joseph II, disturbs courtier and established composer Antonio Salieri, who becomes consumed with a burning, selfish passion to physically eliminate Mozart, while recognizing the latter's unique musical genius.

Aside from adding considerable interest to an otherwise prosaic script, Salieri's confessional narration that guides the film provides the vehicle for a truly phenomenal performance by actor Frank Murray Abraham. Milos Forman's thorough direction augments Abraham's superb theatrical delivery, and is in turn amplified by the outstanding soundtrack furnished by Sir Neville Marriner and the Academy of St Martin in the Fields.

Inevitably, most of the remaining protagonists fade miserably in comparison to Abraham, including the overacting Tom Hulce, as Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, and Elizabeth Berridge, as Constanze Mozart -both complete with distinct Yankee and Texan accents respectively. This latter aspect is arguably symptomatic of a deeper flaw in the film, which subscribes to a somewhat Americanized version of W.A. Mozart's character, overstressing the composer's historically unfounded maverick and nonconformist traits. There is also little -if any- historical evidence of any schemes by Salieri against W.A. Mozart. Indeed, the film's commitment to historical accuracy appears to be exhausted at a number of pictorial shots of Vienna and the striking facial resemblance of actor Jeffrey Jones to Emperor Joseph II.

Yet, the film's daring illustration of the many negative sides of Mozart's character, including his artistic arrogance and his self-destructive womanizing, is commendable, as is its achievement to popularize the music of one of the icons of Western musical tradition. Overall a satisfactory result, 6.4 out of 10.

Frequency (2000)

Appealing With Obvious Shortcomings

[5/10 · 3 June 2003]

Questionable physics and the multiply explored theme of changing one's past provide the backdrop in 'Frequency', a well-delivered Hollywood suspense thriller that, rather refreshingly, is not geared solely to 13-year-olds. A unique atmospheric anomaly allows New York City police officer John Sullivan (Jim Caviezel) to contact his father, Frank (Dennis Quaid), a firefighter who died on the job 30 years ago. After preventing his father's death by instructing him to avoid it, John realizes that successfully manipulating past events is much trickier than he initially assumed.

The film's appealing paranormal theme inevitably captures the viewer's attention, which is prolonged by Dennis Quaid's more-than-fine acting and Gregory Hoblit's discrete direction. Regrettably, these uplifting strengths are countered by a number of obvious shortcomings, such as the frustrating lack of continuity in the script, Elizabeth Mitchell's docile performance (as Julia Sullivan), and Michael Kamen's somewhat pretentious music score.

Despite these shortcomings, however, 'Frequency' manages to retain its strong entertainment character and is enjoyable without becoming overwhelming. If anything, it contains one of the most original deaths of movie villains in recent memory, and no one can take that away from writer Toby Emmerich and the rest of the production crew. A fine attempt, 5.5 stars out of ten.

Guilty by Suspicion (1991)

A Much Needed Film

[5/10 · 3 June 2003]

'Guilty by Suspicion' is a much needed film about McCarthyism -probably the darkest era of modern US history, one marked by conscious attempts to terrorize and silence political dissenters. David Merrill (Robert De Niro) is a relatively successful director who returns to Hollywood from filming in France to find that his political loyalty has been called into question by the infamous House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC). Unlike many of his artist friends, he decides to stick to his principles and fight the sinister Committee to the end.

It is a testament to the film's historical boldness that even professional critics have often found it impossible to evaluate it without digging into their personal political bias. Many see Merrill as the prototype libertarian antihero fighting against repression, while most see him as worthy of the fate of a 'communist traitor'. The film makes it quite clear that Merrill -who is of course a fictitious character- is representative of the vast majority of individuals persecuted by HUAC, in that he was as communistic as your average 'Save the Whales' member. His unconventional decision to challenge the Committee comes not from an ideological need to defend his mildly dissenting politics, but from his antagonistic frustration against HUAC's Stalinist witch hunt tactics that ruined the lives of many during the early stages of the Cold War. Ultimately, the debate about Merrill's character is largely irrelevant because it is actually HUAC's and the FBI's shameful and repulsive character, rather than Merrill's eccentric heroics, that is the film's central theme. Students of US history will not fail to hear throughout the film echoes of Special Army Attorney Joseph N. Welch's frustrated remarks "at long last, Sir, have you no decency?", aimed against a bullying Senator Joe McCarthy shortly before the latter's conclusive political demise.

Impressive performances by Robert De Niro and Patricia Wettig (as Dorothy Nolan) carry the film, whose deficient script unfortunately fails to make the most of an interesting and important theme. Equally disappointing is the film's failure to recreate a convincing visual context of late 1940s Hollywood. It is worth noting, however, that the film's final 12 minutes contain an unparalleled cinematic depiction of HUAC's early hearings, which is worth experiencing. Overall a fine effort, 5.5 stars out of ten.

A Passage to India (1984)

Eloquent and Impressive

[7/10 · 2 June 2003]

'A Passage to India' represents an honest and eloquent attempt to animate E.M. Forster's classic novel. In it, the apparently noble encounter of two worlds, that of the imperial British Raj and that of the emerging Indian middle class, ends in chaos when a white English female tourist accuses an Indian doctor of rape during an excursion. The ubiquitous tensions between conqueror and conquered burst open, as the film's central characters become entangled into the troubled politics of British colonialism.

Although it fails to capture the full complexity and symbolism of Forster's masterpiece, this film should be seen as a prime example of a sincere attempt to transfer great literature to the screen. The spectacular backdrop of India, featuring the faithful recreation of early 20th century life under the British Raj, Peggy Ashcroft's moving performance (as Mrs. Moore), as well as the beautiful, natural smile of a young Judy Davis (Adela Quested) only add to the film's overall success. The latter is enhanced by David Lean's inspiring direction.

Although Victor Banerjee's tiresome overacting (as Dr. Aziz), as well as the unfortunate choice of a fake-tanned Sir Alec Guinness -instead of an Indian- for the part of Professor Godbole are obvious setbacks, they are both swallowed by the film's overall high quality and attention to detail. Finally -not in order of importance- one should not fail to mention the DVD's exceptional digital audiovisual remastering, which crowns the viewer's experience of watching this truly impressive film. Seven stars out of ten.

Aguirre, the Wrath of God (1972)

Bold But Lacking

[5/10 · 2 June 2003]

'Aguirre: Der Zorn Gottes' is an interesting audiovisual study in the psychology of 16th century colonization through the mind of the film's central characters. In search of wealth and glory, a Spanish expedition encounters the banks of the snake-like Amazon River and is physically subdued by Peru's untamed nature. While the main force of the expedition becomes stationary, Don Lope de Aguirre (Klaus Kinski) leads a small group of these colonizers further down the river, in a paranoid pursuit of mythical El Dorado -The City of Gold.

The initial colorful obscurity of German-speaking conquistadors is quickly overshadowed by the documentary-like delivery of this extremely physical film. Klaus Kinski's striking appearance dominates the screen, coupled by the solemn figure of Brother Gaspar de Carvajal (Del Negro). These two characters engage in a memorable interplay against the magnificent backdrop of the South American jungle, all wrapped in Popol Vuh's haunting ambient soundtrack.

The film's flamboyant amateurism is at times alienating, but should not discourage the patient viewer. The noticeable budgetary constraints inevitably confine this production in more ways than one, but director Werner Herzog manages to compensate for some of these gaps with reasonable doses of creativity and directorial stamina.

Though ultimately a lacking production, 'Aguirre: Der Zorn Gottes' deserves to be watched for its austerity and boldness -both characteristics that make it the quintessential anti-Hollywood film. Herzog's German wit and striking recollection render the director's commentary, provided in this DVD, far more enjoyable than the film itself. Tolerable, 5.7 stars out of ten.