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Drowning by Numbers (1988)
Sublime perversion
Playing with his familiar themes (sexual perversion, entomology, death, decay, flabby ineffectual men and unsatisfied women), and with his usual fixation with structure, immaculate framing, painterly lighting, and classical score, this is one of my favorites by one of my favorites! Somehow funnier than the others I've seen yet bleaker in its final firework display. Greenaway is a fearless and masterful visionary. The landscapes and cinematography of the film are enough of a reason to watch this one, as is the fairytale-esque story and mordantly funny dialogue. A film of passion, guts and obsession!
Démanty noci (1964)
beautiful, harrowing and haunting gem
Not so much a movie as much as a celluloid poem, Diamonds of the Night evokes the feeling of a dream (or in this case, a nightmare). Following two boys who escape a train heading for a concentration camp, the film follows as they escape into the woods, are fed stale bread by a farmers wife, are chased and eventually caught by a group of grotesque and bumbling old men who turn them in to the mayor. Within this minimal plot and virtually non-verbal backdrop, a lot is happening psychologically to both characters. As the memories and fantasies of the younger boy unfold, they give us a glimpse into the world they've no choice but to escape.
The cinematography by Jaromír Sofr, as with all Czech new wave films, is utterly beautiful, stark and emotional. The editing gives the film a rhythm that is hypnotic, weaving the viewer through a visual tapestry between past, present and reverie. The experience is a singular one, and a testament to the power of film as an art form of the highest order. Thanks to criterion for putting the gorgeous restoration of this masterpiece on the criterion channel!
Faustrecht der Freiheit (1975)
One of Fassbinder's best!
In Fox and his Friends, Fassbinder weaves a brilliant and cynical tale of love poisoned by class. Casting himself in the titular role, Fassbinder creates an unlikely working-class hero in Fox, a man who enjoys the basic pleasures of life. When he strikes rich with a lottery ticket, his working class lifestyle is uprooted and elevated to the ranks of the "cultured" upper class bourgeoisie when Fox falls in for the pompous conman Eugen. What we know and Fox doesn't is that Eugen is using Fox in order to bail out his father's failing business, manipulating him to "lend" his newfound fortunes, something Fox happily does. The film unravels like a great tragedy whose ending we can foresee but can't forestall. The camera work is brilliant as always (the scene in morroco with the shafts of light is sublime), and the disparate dynamics of class are expertly portrayed, especially palpable in all the dining scenes. Fassbinder does a remarkable job playing the charismatic Fox, plays him with deep humanity and almost childlike purity, thus creating a perfect foil for the snooty morally bankrupt upper class cast of fops, who are anything but Fox's friends, as they manipulate him out of his fortunes. As dark as it is, there's also a lot of comedy here, as the absurdity of life's cruelty is almost cartoonishly embellished (the $ bill that flies off and is stolen by thugs, fox oblivious to the meanness and greed that forms the backdrop of his world). The film culminates in the ultimate robbery, that of Fox's life. And as he lies dead in an empty train station, Fassbinder reveals one final tragedy as two buzzard-like children find and strip him of everything he has, including his iconic emblazoned "Fox" denim jacket. This world is so cruel that even in death, it conspires to rob him. It's a deeply bitter and often funny tale, an indictment of the upper class and an inimitable work of genius from the wonderful wunderkind.