[Underrated #4]
(extracted and edited from a longer piece I wrote for the Allan Dwan Dossier edited by Lumière in 2013)
I cannot help but feel wildly ecstatic when immersed in the dynamics of the Fairbanks series. Yet, I must it that I would trade any and all Fairbanks films for Stage Struck or Manhandled (1924). Beyond Dwan's unparalleled ability to design spaces where movement seamlessly aligns with thought, the Swanson series reveals a deeper aspect of his cinema: a…
[Underrated #3]
This is a truly unique film.
For its radical amorality (which does not imply any relativism here). Barbet Schroeder takes everything for granted: (homo)sexuality, age difference, violence. No judgment, no explanation, no remorse. Things are simply as they are, unremarkable, undenoted. Wilmar touches Fernando’s hair at night just as Reagan touches Stanwyck’s in Cattle Queen of Montana. Murders are depicted in a heavily edited, unspectacular manner, stripping away fascination. Moreover, the camera work puts us at an equal…
[Underrated #2]
I'm genuinely baffled by the low rating on this one, currently averaging below 3 stars, with three-quarters of reviewers rating it even lower. This might just be the most underrated title (relatively) on my list.
Is it a question of "funny or not funny"? I don’t think so. Personally, I find this piece frequently funny, if not hilarious – and I should it that I enjoy the Pink Panther series from beginning to end.
Stating the obvious (perhaps…
[Underrated #1]
A column of panzers advances toward Berlin. It will not succeed; we already know this—it happened on July 20, 1944. When the column confronts the inevitability of its failure, the tanks, one by one, turn back through the mud and the dust. The manoeuvre is laborious, the ground ominous, and the lengthy shot captures it all. Pabst shows us this disaster consummated in its most trivial form. Rossellini created dozens of similar shots; Godard dreamed of it all…
