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Reviews14
JPTaylor's rating
Mario Puzo's The Godfather is a landmark of cinema. The three-hour film is the result of an incredibly precise brand of filmmaking. Despite the fact that the story spans a number of years and thousands of miles, there is a clear, very natural progression throughout the film (with the exception of a subplot or two). The characters are complex and varied, each playing a specific role that contributes to the story. The film does admirably well in keeping the story relatively coherent, despite its complexity.
In the film, Vito Corleone (Marlon Brando) is the head of a powerful crime family in New York. He arranges killings and is involved in illegal gambling rings, among other things. Yet to those who love him, he is known as a man of reason and justice. He is the Godfather - a title of respect and endearment. Many seek him out for his blessing, his advice or a favor. Despite the fact that he is, essentially, a murderer, the movie does an excellent job of making the audience respect him; the deaths he arranges are always justified in some manner to the audience. They men killed are either other criminals - usually involved in narcotics and other crimes somewhat worse than the Corleones' - or are corrupt in some way, a danger to "the family" and probably murderers themselves.
Vito's family has a hierarchical power structure. At the top is the first-born, Santino "Sonny" Corleone (James Caan), hot-headed and vengeful, with a lust for power - he is inverse of the collected and methodical Vito. Then there is Fredo (John Cazale), the ambitious but ultimately incompetent son who is more interested in women and booze than the family business. Finally there is Michael (Al Pacino) - the youngest son who is clearly the central character throughout the film.
Michael is a young World War II veteran who wants no part in his father's business. His signature line is "That's my family, Kay it's not me." He respects his father more than any other man, but he wants to live a different line. He is a dynamic, fully-realized character that is absolutely convincing. He is also a very different character at the end of the film - but in a way that is completely consistent with his personality.
The film has an excellent pace. There is an ebb and flow - the film begins rather slowly, then picks up the pace, and rises to the climax of the first act - and then the pace slows once more, only to build up suspense again to a final climax, in which all loose ends are neatly tied. Never is the audience bored - the story keeps a tight grip on the viewer, ensuring that they wonder as to the fates of the characters even in the slowest parts - a remarkable accomplishment in of itself.
The Godfather is a excellent film in every sense of the word - technically, aesthetically, in terms of story and characters, themes and music. It immerses the audience in a completely different - yet perhaps altogether to familiar - world. It is a classic that is - and will be - rooted in film history.
In the film, Vito Corleone (Marlon Brando) is the head of a powerful crime family in New York. He arranges killings and is involved in illegal gambling rings, among other things. Yet to those who love him, he is known as a man of reason and justice. He is the Godfather - a title of respect and endearment. Many seek him out for his blessing, his advice or a favor. Despite the fact that he is, essentially, a murderer, the movie does an excellent job of making the audience respect him; the deaths he arranges are always justified in some manner to the audience. They men killed are either other criminals - usually involved in narcotics and other crimes somewhat worse than the Corleones' - or are corrupt in some way, a danger to "the family" and probably murderers themselves.
Vito's family has a hierarchical power structure. At the top is the first-born, Santino "Sonny" Corleone (James Caan), hot-headed and vengeful, with a lust for power - he is inverse of the collected and methodical Vito. Then there is Fredo (John Cazale), the ambitious but ultimately incompetent son who is more interested in women and booze than the family business. Finally there is Michael (Al Pacino) - the youngest son who is clearly the central character throughout the film.
Michael is a young World War II veteran who wants no part in his father's business. His signature line is "That's my family, Kay it's not me." He respects his father more than any other man, but he wants to live a different line. He is a dynamic, fully-realized character that is absolutely convincing. He is also a very different character at the end of the film - but in a way that is completely consistent with his personality.
The film has an excellent pace. There is an ebb and flow - the film begins rather slowly, then picks up the pace, and rises to the climax of the first act - and then the pace slows once more, only to build up suspense again to a final climax, in which all loose ends are neatly tied. Never is the audience bored - the story keeps a tight grip on the viewer, ensuring that they wonder as to the fates of the characters even in the slowest parts - a remarkable accomplishment in of itself.
The Godfather is a excellent film in every sense of the word - technically, aesthetically, in terms of story and characters, themes and music. It immerses the audience in a completely different - yet perhaps altogether to familiar - world. It is a classic that is - and will be - rooted in film history.
Mr. Smith Goes To Washington is an engaging, albeit simplistic, film about the power of determination and the effect one man can have on society. While it is rife with Capra's signature sentimentality and less-than-subtle storytelling methods, it is also very effective. The story is one of a triumph of dogged persistence and idealism over "the political machine". It evokes the spirit of Norman Rockwell's "Freedom of Speech".
Jeff Smith (Jimmy Stewart) is a young, idealistic leader of a boys' group similar to the Boy Scouts, who is chosen, much to his surprise, to be elected senator. He is filled with hope and aspirations of his country's future, seeing his surroundings with wonder and amazement. His only plan - aside from patriotic yet vague hopes - is to pass a bill in Congress allowing for the creation of a national boys' camp. This, of course, earns him favor with boys all across the country, idolizing him and sending him campaign contributions - a nickel at a time. He meets up with his new secretary, the lovely yet callous Clarissa Saunders (usually just "Saunders"), played by Jean Arthur, who helps to write and introduce his bill. However, conflicts arise when the proposed land for Smith's camp is the same site as the soon-to-be-proposed Willet Creek Dam. Soon, Smith discovers an aspect of America he never expected - the puppetry of Jim Taylor, an extraordinarily wealthy tycoon who works his way into the innermost workings of Congress.
In many ways, he represents an ambassador of sorts between the world of boys - filled with adventure, ambition and a certain irrefutable yet candidly simple logic, and the world of politics - filled with cynicism, bribery and self-interest. (in fact, aside from Jefferson Smith, just about every politician in the film is either corrupt or simply very stubborn and foolish). Jimmy Stewart's portrayal of the young senator is so incredibly naive, boyish and filled with blue-eyed wonder far past the point of realism (at one point, he punches several people in the face), yet he manages to retain a certain charm. Saunders notes that when he left for the Senate for, she felt as if she were a mother wishing him well on his first day of school. Without giving away any details, despite the implausibility of the character this is one of Jimmy Stewart's best and most entertaining performances.
However, the best performance in the film - beyond any doubt - would have to be Claude Rains's portrayal of Senator Joseph Paine. Paine is a more complex and interesting character than the others, most of whom have rather predictable personalities and story arcs. Paine, once Jefferson Smith's mentor and good friend, is forced to campaign against him. He has been justifying his allowance of the Taylors' influence for years, and despite his basic good nature, he has learned how to play the game of politics. He is a man who at times hates his job, but knows what must do and pursues it with everything he has - and Rains is utterly convincing in the role.
Still, the film is far from perfect. Many of the characters seem simple and hollow - as if they were merely the execution of the story's premise, rather than actual humans in a difficult situation. Much of the film seems incredibly exaggerated and unlikely - particularly what happens to Smith's fanboys toward the end of the film! Capra's basic filmmaking strategy is to bombard the viewer with emotion and inspiring, patriotic monologues.
Ultimately, despite its flaws, Mr. Smith Goes to Washington is very entertaining. As long as the viewer doesn't take it as seriously as it seems to take itself, (and doesn't mind a barrage of stars and stripes) it is a very enjoyable and significant film.
Jeff Smith (Jimmy Stewart) is a young, idealistic leader of a boys' group similar to the Boy Scouts, who is chosen, much to his surprise, to be elected senator. He is filled with hope and aspirations of his country's future, seeing his surroundings with wonder and amazement. His only plan - aside from patriotic yet vague hopes - is to pass a bill in Congress allowing for the creation of a national boys' camp. This, of course, earns him favor with boys all across the country, idolizing him and sending him campaign contributions - a nickel at a time. He meets up with his new secretary, the lovely yet callous Clarissa Saunders (usually just "Saunders"), played by Jean Arthur, who helps to write and introduce his bill. However, conflicts arise when the proposed land for Smith's camp is the same site as the soon-to-be-proposed Willet Creek Dam. Soon, Smith discovers an aspect of America he never expected - the puppetry of Jim Taylor, an extraordinarily wealthy tycoon who works his way into the innermost workings of Congress.
In many ways, he represents an ambassador of sorts between the world of boys - filled with adventure, ambition and a certain irrefutable yet candidly simple logic, and the world of politics - filled with cynicism, bribery and self-interest. (in fact, aside from Jefferson Smith, just about every politician in the film is either corrupt or simply very stubborn and foolish). Jimmy Stewart's portrayal of the young senator is so incredibly naive, boyish and filled with blue-eyed wonder far past the point of realism (at one point, he punches several people in the face), yet he manages to retain a certain charm. Saunders notes that when he left for the Senate for, she felt as if she were a mother wishing him well on his first day of school. Without giving away any details, despite the implausibility of the character this is one of Jimmy Stewart's best and most entertaining performances.
However, the best performance in the film - beyond any doubt - would have to be Claude Rains's portrayal of Senator Joseph Paine. Paine is a more complex and interesting character than the others, most of whom have rather predictable personalities and story arcs. Paine, once Jefferson Smith's mentor and good friend, is forced to campaign against him. He has been justifying his allowance of the Taylors' influence for years, and despite his basic good nature, he has learned how to play the game of politics. He is a man who at times hates his job, but knows what must do and pursues it with everything he has - and Rains is utterly convincing in the role.
Still, the film is far from perfect. Many of the characters seem simple and hollow - as if they were merely the execution of the story's premise, rather than actual humans in a difficult situation. Much of the film seems incredibly exaggerated and unlikely - particularly what happens to Smith's fanboys toward the end of the film! Capra's basic filmmaking strategy is to bombard the viewer with emotion and inspiring, patriotic monologues.
Ultimately, despite its flaws, Mr. Smith Goes to Washington is very entertaining. As long as the viewer doesn't take it as seriously as it seems to take itself, (and doesn't mind a barrage of stars and stripes) it is a very enjoyable and significant film.
While not a perfect film, Casablanca achieves what few other films have. It completely immerses the viewer in the era and the atmosphere, offering a journey to the ever distant (yet all too close) world of Casablanca, Morocco during World War II. It is the hope of thousands (if not millions) of refugees, yet for so many who live there it is a prison - a last, impossibly difficult gate to freedom from the war-torn European countryside.
In Casablanca is a night club, Rick's. It's a self-indulgent gambling, music and drinking joint that's a parody of the American dream in a foreign land. The piano rings with Sam's melodious delivery of universal themes of love, pain, and cheer. Below the surface is a circle of intrigue - few tell of their allegiance to the Allied cause, and yet fewer live to spread the word. Rick Blaine, the owner of the club, walks the fine line of neutrality.
Humphrey Bogart, in his portrayal of Rick, is no longer a character but an American icon. Many of his lines can be quoted, verbatim, by people who have never even seen this film. His cynical, callous, chain-smoking personality is a mask to hide emotion and protect himself from pain this is clearly an archetype for countless characters since. His key philosophy is "I stick my neck out for nobody." Thus, the ultimate struggle of the film is not a frenzied firefight with Nazis or a an elaborate chase scene, but one man's struggle to define himself.
Many of the other characters in the film are equally interesting - Casablanca is a film of choices. Ilsa is a French dame who must decide between the man who will never forgive her and the man who needs her more than anyone else. Victor Lazlo, the leader of an underground resistance movement in Czechoslovakia, must make a choice between his love, and his sense of honor. Captain Renault is a Vichy officer who must choose between serving the winning side or his own true loyalty.
Casablanca is deserving of its near-universal and prolific praise. It is a film of memorable characters and lines, filled with subtlety and complexity. Once it grips ahold of the viewer, it never lets go. Aside from a bit of over-acting and some characters somewhat lacking in depth, it is a triumph of cinema.
In Casablanca is a night club, Rick's. It's a self-indulgent gambling, music and drinking joint that's a parody of the American dream in a foreign land. The piano rings with Sam's melodious delivery of universal themes of love, pain, and cheer. Below the surface is a circle of intrigue - few tell of their allegiance to the Allied cause, and yet fewer live to spread the word. Rick Blaine, the owner of the club, walks the fine line of neutrality.
Humphrey Bogart, in his portrayal of Rick, is no longer a character but an American icon. Many of his lines can be quoted, verbatim, by people who have never even seen this film. His cynical, callous, chain-smoking personality is a mask to hide emotion and protect himself from pain this is clearly an archetype for countless characters since. His key philosophy is "I stick my neck out for nobody." Thus, the ultimate struggle of the film is not a frenzied firefight with Nazis or a an elaborate chase scene, but one man's struggle to define himself.
Many of the other characters in the film are equally interesting - Casablanca is a film of choices. Ilsa is a French dame who must decide between the man who will never forgive her and the man who needs her more than anyone else. Victor Lazlo, the leader of an underground resistance movement in Czechoslovakia, must make a choice between his love, and his sense of honor. Captain Renault is a Vichy officer who must choose between serving the winning side or his own true loyalty.
Casablanca is deserving of its near-universal and prolific praise. It is a film of memorable characters and lines, filled with subtlety and complexity. Once it grips ahold of the viewer, it never lets go. Aside from a bit of over-acting and some characters somewhat lacking in depth, it is a triumph of cinema.