FILM index
FILM INDEX continued
From Saturday To Sunday (PG) (Gustav Machaty. Czechoslovakia, 1931) ()9 mins. Gustav Machaty can be congratulated for putting Czechoslovakia onto the movie map while this short but sweet effort was his first sound film. It tells the lyrical tale of a naive young woman and her paranoid lover and is a prime example of the period's European Expressionism. Filmhouse, Edinburgh. Gangster No 1 (18) the (Paul McGuigan, UK, 2000) Malcolm McDowell, David 'I‘hewlis, Paul Bettany. 103 mins. Mr McDowell is the eponymous Gangster, an abominable. irredeemably evil thug who is prompted to recount his 30-year rise to infamy when old rival Freddie Mays (David 'Ihewlis giving it ‘suave') is released from prison. From there we flashback to 1968 when young Gangster (Paul Bettany) is hired as muscle for Freddie. Stylish, funny and shocking in (mostly) the right places. McGuigan's follow-up to T/lt’xifflf House is reminiscent of late ()(ls films such as Performance. Cameo. Edinburgh.
George Of The Jungle (U) *** (Sam Weisman, US, 1997) Brendan Fraser. Leslie Mann, Holland Taylor. 91 mins. I.oincloth- clad hero George (Fraser) saves San Franciscan socialite Ursula (Mann), but his trip to the urban jungle is shortlived when he hears of the kidnap of his hairy sidekick, Ape (voiced by John Cleese). The plot is the usual blend of humour, action, slapstick, adventure and, of course. romance, while the knowing and punchy script is easily up with the best of modern Disney. I’I'II Cinema, Falkirk.
The Girl On The Bridge (15) **~k (Patrice IcConte. France. 2000) Daniel Auteuil, Vanessa Paradis. 90mins. Gabor (Auteuil), a middle-aged knife-thrower, rescues a suicidal young woman Adele (Paradis) from drowning and whisks her off to the South of France, where she proves a willing target in his stage act. At last. good fortune appears to be favouring the protagonists. but can their relationship remain on a purely business footing? An enjoyably playful modern
fairytale, which coasts along on the strength of its two lead performances, some witty dialogue, and the verve of Leconte's direction. MacRobert, Stirling.
Gladiator (15) *‘k‘k (Ridley Scott, US, 2000) Russell Crowe, Richard Harris, Joaquin Phoenix. 150 mins. Just before dying Caesar Aurelius (Harris) charges General Maximus (Crowe) with cleaning up his beloved, but politically corrupt Rome. Aurelius' son, Commodus (Phoenix), doesn't take kindly to this and has his rival executed. But Maximus survives and, as a gladiator, works his way back to Rome intent on revenge. Parallels must be drawn with Sparricus and Ben Hur; we’ve not seen a Roman epic in a long time. Scott’s is a handsome spectacle and exciting enough, but that's all it is. General release.
Gone In 60 Seconds (15) ** (Dominic Sena, US, 2000) Nicolas Cage, Angelina Jolie, Vinnie Jones. 118 mins. A re-working of 11.13. Ilalicki's 1974 cult car-chase movie which. despite its flashy paint-job and hip- hop in-car stereo soundtrack, lacks grunt and growl beneath the hood. Forced out of retirement when his kid brother, Kip (Ribisi). crosses some heavy duty criminals, legendary car thief ‘Memphis' Raines (Cage) must reunite his old crew and steal fifty cars in one night, or kiss his sibling's ass goodbye. The original had too many car chases and not enough plot or characterisation; this has too much plot, too many characters and not enough metal- crunching, tyre-squealing action. Cameo, Edinburgh.
Goya In Bordeaux (12) iii (Carlos Saura, Spain. 2000) Francisco Rabal, Jose Coronado, Dafne Fernandez. 102 mins. Goya (Rabal), wracked by fear and by memories and hallucinations, looks over his life through his work. There's the moment he painted a seductive duchess (Maribel \t’erdu), and then there are difficulties painting in a political and royal environment where great art was less important than skilled diplomacy. Working once again with the great Italian cinematographer Vittorio Storaro, Saura finds a visual correlative for
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the art: offering a delicate balancing act between psychological exploration and aesthetic beauty GF'I‘, Glasgow; Filmhouse, Edinburgh.
Grand Prix (PG) tit (John Frankenheimer, US, 1966) Yves Montand, Eva Marie Saint, Toshiro Mifune. 169 mins. Regarded as probably the finest motor racing movie ever (not much competition there, admittedly) the excitement of the track is conveyed by split screens, cameras attached to cars and dramatic slow motion effects. The action encapsulates a season in the life of competition drivers and the glitzy cast do their best. The off-track relationship stuff is distinctly off-colour and it's a mite over-long but Grand 1’er is certainly one of a kind. Lumiere, Edinburgh.
Herr Zwilling Und Frau Zuckermann (PG) iii (Volker Koepp, Germany, 1999) Herr Zwilling, Frau Zuckermann. 126 mins. This award-winning documentary is a moving tale of two people trying to keep their culture alive in the face of history and ignorance. The two subjects live in Czemovitz, a remote city and thriving centre of German.Jewish culture. That is until the various anti-Semitic forces made their mark during the last century. A sensitive ifover- long take on European sensibilities. GF'I', Glasgow.
High Fidelity (15) *it* (Stephen Frears, US, 2000) John Cusack. Iben IIjejle. Jack Black. 113 mins. Nick Ilornby's story of a vinyl junkie who's more interested in his music collection than his relationships with women is practically a British institution. Yet. Cusack — and eo-writer. producer pals D.V. DeVincentis and Steve Pink - have drawn on their own pasts to make a film that's as funny and profound as the book. But the great script, cast and music wouldn't have meant a thing without a filmmaker of Frears' calibre taking charge. Dominion, Lumiere, Edinburgh.
Hilary And Jackie (15) *hhkt (Anand 'I'ucker, UK, 1998) Emily Watson, Rachel Griffiths, David Morrissey. 122 mins. This biopic of Jacqueline du Pre. who died from multiple scIerosis in 1987, has incensed the classical music world. However. based on the book A Genius In T/It’ family by the cellist's sister Hilary and brother Piers. it tells a complex, honest and moving story. In its exploration of the tangled skeins of sibling rivalry and love. Ili/titjv.'lrrt1 Jae/tie is superb. Filmhouse, Edinburgh.
The Hill (15) **** (Sidney Lumet. UK. 1965) Sean Connery, Ilarry Andrews. Michael Redgrave. Ian Bannen, ()ssie Davis. Roy Kinnear. 122 mins. Gritty British melodrama. set in a military detention centre in North Africa during World War Two. Connery is excellent as one of the prisoners who rebel against the harsh regime inflicted by Andrews‘ ruthless sergeant-major. Film Guild at the Filmhouse, Edinburgh.
Hindle Wakes (PG) mitt (Maurice Iilvey. UK. 1927) Iistelle Brody, Norman McKinnel. 115 mins. A special screening of the silent British classic about a mill worker and the consequences of her night of passion with the boss‘ son. At the very worst, you get to know what Blackpool was like in the
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20s; at best, it is a dramatic and humorous evocation of working class life in tough economic times. Filmhouse, Edinburgh. The Hollow Man (18) *** (Paul Verhoeven, US, 2000) Kevin Bacon, Elisabeth Shue, Josh Brolin. 114 mins. Verhoeven takes another foray into adult sci- fi with this loose adaptation of “.0. Welles' The Invisible Man in which Bacon plays an egotistical genius leading a team of scientists involved in government/military- sponsored experiments with invisibility. Andrew W. Marlowe's screenplay subscribes to some fascinating Platonic ideas about morality and culpability, which, unfortunately, is abandoned around the half way mark for straightforward action thrills. Still, the special effects are groundbreaking, particularly the scenes in which lab animals, and later Bacon. are injected with a radioactive serum causing them to vanish and reappear in layers: skin. muscle, organs, skeleton. General release.
The House Of Mirth (PG) ***~k (Terence Davies, UK, 2000) Gillian Anderson. Eric Stoltz, Anthony LaPaglia. 140 mins. Davies' superb screen adaptation of Edith Wharton's novel, filmed in Glasgow, makes it clear that beneath the well-bred skin of New York society at the turn of the century lurks a remorseless savagery. Socialite I.in Bart (the excellent Anderson) would appear to be a natural survivor, but through a combination of naivete, folly and bad timing she is brought low. Davies charts Lily‘s tragic descent with formal rigour, framing scenes with self- consciously painterly tableaux that evoke the era's fashionable artists. But, as with his other work, aesthetic control goes hand in glove with a deep compassion. See feature. GI’I‘, Glasgow; Filmhouse, Edinburgh. Human Resources (Ressources Humaines) (tbc) **** (Laurent Cantet. France, 2000) Jalil Lespert. 103 mins. Lespert returns home from business studies in Paris to work in the same company as his father. But where dad's a blue collar ordinary Joe. Jalil's a suit; and while his father is proud of the familial upward mobility, what neither father nor son realise is that personal and social progress can lead to divided loyalties at home. What makes (‘antet's film more than a preach movie — and thus more effective — is the way it interweaves the personal and the political to the point that they become nothing less than inextricable. Filmhouse, Edinburgh. Inspector Gadget (U) *** (David Kellogg. US. 1999) Matthew Broderick, Rupert Everett, Joely Fisher. 79mins. Disney's take on the French kids' cartoon follows the part human. part gi/mo Gadget‘s (Broderick) quest to become a proper. respected cop. lfnt'ortunately. the dastardly (‘law (Everett) has a scheme for world domination, which includes creating an evil doppelganger of the trenchcoated wonder. The Inspector's many contraptions will delight younger viewers. and oldies will be amused by the plentiful self-referential moments. ABC. Iidinburgh.
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