“The Other Side Of The Underneath” by Jane Arden (1972)

a week of first features

Unconvincing script
Excellent images, music and minority presence

The underneath in the title is the place where everyone stores all the pain and all the love…
A piercing voice repeats “she’s pretty, she’s got a pointless mind” …
But as to understand what it’s all about, it’s another story

IMDB 6,9

Cast: Sheila Allen, Jane Arden, Jack Bond
Director: Jane Arden
Writers: Jane Arden
Cinematography by Jack Bond, Aubrey Dewar
Film Editing by David Mingay
Music: Sally Minford

“A Question of Silence” by Marleen Gorris (1982)

Best movies seen in 2020

A weekend treat!

First Feature

Good humor, images, music and message
Excellent personages, dialogues and minority presence
Top script, direction and gender content

A very intelligent (and subversive) story in which a psychiatrist is asked to evaluate three women who have committed a murder without any reason and who refuse any attempt to reduce their ‘culpability’… 

IMDB 6,4

Original title: De stilte rond Christine M…

Cast: Edda Barends, Nelly Frijda, Henriëtte Tol
Director: Marleen Gorris
Writer: Marleen Gorris
Music by Lodewijk de Boer, Martijn Hasebos
Cinematography by Frans Bromet
Film Editing by Hans van Dongen

“A Question of Silence” by Marleen Gorris (1982)

My Year’s Favorites (Aug. 2019-July 2020)

First Feature

Good humor, images, music and message
Excellent personages, dialogues and minority presence
Top script, direction and gender content

A very intelligent (and subversive) story in which a psychiatrist is asked to evaluate three women who have committed a murder without any reason and who refuse any attempt to reduce their ‘culpability’… 

IMDB 6,4

Original title: De stilte rond Christine M…

Cast: Edda Barends, Nelly Frijda, Henriëtte Tol
Director: Marleen Gorris
Writer: Marleen Gorris
Music by Lodewijk de Boer, Martijn Hasebos
Cinematography by Frans Bromet
Film Editing by Hans van Dongen

“A Question of Silence” by Marleen Gorris (1982)

A Tribute to Marleen Gorris (1/5)

First Feature

Good humor, images and music (8)
Excellent personages, dialogues and content (9)
Top script and direction (10)

A very intelligent (and subversive) story in which a psychiatrist is asked to evaluate three women who have committed a murder without any reason and who refuse any attempt to reduce their ‘culpability’… 

Rotten Tomatoes Critics —
Metascore —
Roger Ebert —
Rotten Tomatoes Audience —
IMDB 6,4

Cast: Edda Barends, Nelly Frijda, Henriëtte Tol
Director: Marleen Gorris
Writer: Marleen Gorris
Music by Lodewijk de Boer, Martijn Hasebos
Cinematography by Frans Bromet
Film Editing by Hans van Dongen

“At Five In The Afternoon” by Samira Makhmalbaf (2003)

Hommage to Hana and Samira Makhmalbaf

(and to Mohsen Makhmalbaf and Marziyeh Meshkini)

A father and her daughter have to keep moving in a voyage that leads them from not much to nothingness
“Despite the deprivations suffered by its subjects, At Five in the Afternoon is distinguished by the elegance and eloquence of its images.” [Jason Anderson]
As in Samira Makhmalbaf’s previous movies, fighting ignorance plays a central role

Cast: Agheleh Rezaie, Abdolgani Yousefrazi, Razi Mohebi
Director: Samira Makhmalbaf
Writers: Mohsen Makhmalbaf, Samira Makhmalbaf
Music by Mohammad Reza Darvishi
Cinematography by Ebrahim Ghafori, Samira Makhmalbaf
Film Editing by Mohsen Makhmalbaf

“Yes” by Sally Potter (UK, 2004)

The Work of Sally Potter

Excellent opening! Poetical dialogues in lambic pentameter sounding “like prose that has been given the elegance and discipline of formal structure” (Roger Ebert) Very elaborated images structured around perspective lines
When all is said and done, it’s the cleaning lady that possesses the meaning of the universe 🙂

Cast: Joan Allen, Simon Abkarian, Sam Neill, Shirley Henderson, Sheila Hancock, Samantha Bond, Stephanie Leonidas, Gary Lewis
Written and directed by Sally Potter
Music by Sally Potter
Cinematography by Aleksei Rodionov
Film Editing by Daniel Goddard