This week’s film is La Strada (The Road), is a 1954 Italian drama directed by Federico Fellini.

La Strada, is considered the most personal film of the great maestro of Italian cinema. As Fellini said, it is "a complete catalogue of my entire mythological world, a dangerous representation of my identity that was undertaken with no precedent whatsoever."

A film with great difficulties during shooting, injuries, financial problems and finally, just before shooting was completed, Fellini suffered a nervous breakdown that needed medical treatment in order to complete principal photography.

Shot almost entirely outside, a genuine road movie, La Strada tells the tale of Gelsomina, played by Fellini’s wife Giulietta Masina, a young naïve woman who is forced to live on the road with Zampano (Anthony Quinn) a strongman who performs in villages, in order to make a living. Their encounter with his old rival, the Fool (Richard Basehart) causes their destruction.

Masina gives a fantastic performance, almost overshadowing the great Antony Quinn. She is truly the tragic character of Gelsomina. Funny but sad at the same time. A true comedian.

Fun Fact: A remarkable characteristic of the film, is the fact that two of the stars are non-Italian and actually do not speak a word of Italian! That was no problem though, as it was a common practice at the time to shoot the film with no sound. So the English speaking actors (Quinn and Basehart) were shooting the film speaking English and the rest Italian cast, in Italian.

La Strada is one of the most acknowledged films of all time. It won the first Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film in 1956 and was placed fourth in the 1992 British Film Institute directors' list of cinema's top 10 films.

My Film Club

Week #3 featured the most personal film of the Great Maestro of Italian cinema. Week #4 will be about the master of suspense!

Next week’s film: Sir Alfred Hitchcock’s The Birds

This week’s film is a Sergei Eisenstein film. Battleship Potemkin is a 1925 silent film that presents a dramatized version of the mutiny that occurred in 1905 when the crew of the Russian battleship Potemkin rebelled against their officers of the Tsarist regime. 

Sergei Eisenstein

An artistic genius, Sergei Mikhailovich Eisenstein (1898-1948) is a one of the pioneers that set the way we watch cinema nowadays. His greatest contribution is the use of montage, a specific use of film editing. Believing that the new soviet cinema should be revolutionary in terms of both form and content, he experimented on the expressive potentials of film setting the foundation of cinematographic language, emphasizing on scenes editing. In 30 years (1924-1954) he directed only 8 films, two of them being left unfinished. He is noted in particular for his silent films Strike (1924), Battleship Potemkin (1925) and October: Ten Days That Shook the World  (1927), as well as the historical epics Alexander Nevsky (1938) and Ivan the Terrible (1944, 1958).

He was only 28 years old when he shot Battleship Potemkin, his best known creation and the greatest achievement of the time in silent films, with masterly crowd scenes, as well as the infamous scene Odessa steps sequence, that are considered cinema classics.

A few years later and while having filmed “October: Ten Days That Shook the World”, his most experimental film, Eisenstein went to the West where he had the chance to encounter iconic cinematic personas, such as James Joyce, H. G. Wells, event Charlie Chaplin and Bertolt Brecht. In Hollywood, he experienced nothing but disappointment though, with the greatest being “Que Viva Mexico!”, a movie that despite the 70.000m length of film that was shot in Mexico, was never finished.

Returning in Russia in 1932, he faced a new order of things, the maximization of centralized power that was imposing with all means politics in the Art. While he remained active in cinema theoretically, by writing and teaching, as a director he remained silent, facing lots of problems with the country’s regime. His scripts were not approved and he was prohibited to finish his film “Bezhin Meadow”, because the film was about the very current topic at the time, collectivized economy. This is why he later on chose themes from the Russian History (Alexander Nevsky, Ivan The Terrible), that helped him continue his experimenting with cinema - this time, in terms of sound and image. Even so though, his issues with censorship were severe: while Joseph Stalin approved the first part of Ivan The Terrible, he banned the second part, where Eisenstein was portraying political conspiracies to conquer power (the third part was never shot).

He died in 1948, from a heart attack.

Battleship Potemkin

Let’s be clear about it: this film is a propaganda film. All the messages aim to promote certain aspects and ideas, leaving no choice to the viewer but accept without question what the film promotes. Regardless from that though, Battleship Potemkin is one of the most influential and pioneer films of all time.

It is remarkable to imagine that this film was shot in 1925, in just the beginning of cinema and features such revolutionary techniques and iconic scenes! 

The most iconic scene of the film is the Odessa steps sequence, where we witness the magnitude of the director while portraying the massacre of civilians in the Odessa steps, introducing new techniques of film editing and montage.

In this dramatic scene, the soldiers march down the endless steps in a rhythmic, machine-like fashion, firing at the crowd. Another detachment of mounted Cossacks charges the crowd at the bottom of the stairs. The victims include an old woman, a young boy with his mother and a mother pushing an infant in a baby carriage that falls to the ground dying and the carriage rolls down the steps to the fleeing crowd.

The massacre on the steps, which never actually took place, was presumably inserted by Eisenstein for dramatic effect and to demonize the Imperial regime. It is, however, based on the fact that there were widespread demonstrations in the area, sparked off by the arrival of the Potemkin in Odessa Harbor.

The scene is perhaps the best example of Eisenstein's theory on montage, and many films pay homage to the scene, such as Francis Ford Coppola's The Godfather and Brian De Palma's The Untouchables.

My Film Club

Week #2 featured a  truly iconic film that set the ground for many other great films and creators. Week #3 will be.. Italiana!

Next week’s film: Federico Felini’s La Strada    

The big night just ended and here are the winners: 


Best Motion Picture, Drama

12 Years a Slave

Best Actress in a Motion Picture, Drama

Cate Blanchett (Blue Jasmine)

Best Actor in a Motion Picture, Drama

Matthew McConaughey (Dallas Buyers Club)

Best Motion Picture, Musical or Comedy

American Hustle

Best Actress In A Motion Picture, Musical or Comedy

Amy Adams (American Hustle)

Best Actor in a Motion Picture, Musical or Comedy

Leonardo DiCaprio (The Wolf of Wall Street)

Best Animated Feature Film

Frozen

Best Foreign Language Film

The Great Beauty

Best Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture

Jennifer Lawrence (American Hustle)

Best Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture

Jared Leto (Dallas Buyers Club)

Best Director - Motion Picture

Alfonso Cuaron (Gravity)

Best Screenplay - Motion Picture

Spike Jonze (Her)

Best Original Score - Motion Picture

Alex Ebert (All is Lost)

Best Original Song - Motion Picture

Ordinary Love (Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom)

Best TV Series, Drama

Breaking Bad

Best Actress in a TV Series, Drama

Robin Wright (House of Cards)

Best Actor in a TV Series, Drama

Bryan Cranston (Breaking Bad)

Best TV Series, Musical or Comedy

Brooklyn Nine-Nine

Best Actress in a TV Series, Musical or Comedy

Amy Poehler (Parks and Recreation)

Best Actor in a TV Series, Musical or Comedy

Andy Samberg (Brooklyn Nine-Nine)

Best TV Movie or Mini-Series

Behind the Candelabra

Best Actress in a Mini-Series or TV Movie

Elisabeth Moss (Top of the Lake)

Best Actor in a Mini-Series or TV Movie

Michael Douglas (Behind the Candelabra)

Best Supporting Actress in a Series, Mini-Series or TV Movie

Jacqueline Bisset (Dancing On the Edge)
 
Best Supporting Actor in a Series, Mini-Series or TV Movie

Jon Voight (Ray Donovan)

Golden Globes night tonight and I will be live tweeting (@HerDudenessBlog) during the ceremony, as we find out this year's winners and losers! Before that, let's take a final look at the nominations:

Best Motion Picture, Drama
12 Years a Slave
Captain Phillips
Gravity
Philomena
Rush

Best Actress in a Motion Picture, Drama
Cate Blanchett (Blue Jasmine)
Sandra Bullock (Gravity)
Judi Dench (Philomena)
Emma Thompson (Saving Mr. Banks)
Kate Winslet (Labor Day)

Best Actor in a Motion Picture, Drama
Chiwetel Ejiofor (12 Years a Slave)
Idris Elba (Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom)
Tom Hanks (Captain Phillips)
Matthew McConaughey (Dallas Buyers Club)
Robert Redford (All is Lost)

Best Motion Picture, Musical or Comedy
American Hustle
Her
Inside Llewyn Davis
Nebraska
The Wolf of Wall Street

Best Actress In A Motion Picture, Musical or Comedy
Amy Adams (American Hustle)
Julie Delpy (Before Midnight)
Greta Gerwig (Frances Ha)
Julia Louis-Dreyfus (Enough Said)
Meryl Streep (August: Osage County)

Best Actor in a Motion Picture, Musical or Comedy
Christian Bale (American Hustle)
Bruce Dern (Nebraska)
Leonardo DiCaprio (The Wolf of Wall Street)
Oscar Isaac (Inside Llewyn Davis)
Joaquin Phoenix (Her)

Best Animated Feature Film
The Croods
Despicable Me 2
Frozen

Best Foreign Language Film
Blue is the Warmest Color
The Great Beauty
The Hunt
The Past
The Wind Rises

Best Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture
Sally Hawkins (Blue Jasmine)
Jennifer Lawrence (American Hustle)
Lupita Nyong'o (12 Years a Slave)
Julia Roberts (August: Osage County)
June Squibb (Nebraska)

Best Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture
Barkhad Abdi (Captain Phillips)
Daniel Brühl (Rush)
Bradley Cooper (American Hustle)
Michael Fassbender (12 Years a Slave)
Jared Leto (Dallas Buyers Club)

Best Director - Motion Picture
Alfonso Cuaron (Gravity)
Paul Greengras (Captain Phillips)
Steve McQueen (12 Years a Slave)
Alexander Payne (Nebraska)
David O. Russell (American Hustle)

Best Screenplay - Motion Picture
Spike Jonze (Her)
Bob Nelson (Nebraska)
Jeff Pope and Steve Coogan (Philomena)
John Ridley (12 Years a Slave)
Eric Warren Singer and David O. Russell (American Hustle)

Best Original Score - Motion Picture
Alex Ebert (All is Lost)
Alex Heffes (Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom)
Steven Price (Gravity)
John Williams (The Book Thief)
Hans Zimmer (12 Years a Slave)

Best Original Song - Motion Picture
Atlas (Hunger Games Catching Fire)
Let It Go (Frozen)
Ordinary Love (Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom)
Please Mr. Kennedy (Inside Llewyn Davis)
Sweeter Than Fiction (One Chance)

Best TV Series, Drama
Breaking Bad
Downton Abbey
The Good Wife
House of Cards
Masters of Sex

Best Actress in a TV Series, Drama
Julianna Margulies (The Good Wife)
Tatiana Maslany (Orphan Black)
Taylor Schilling (Orange Is the New Black)
Kerry Washington (Scandal)
Robin Wright (House of Cards)

Best Actor in a TV Series, Drama
Bryan Cranston (Breaking Bad)
Liev Schreiber (Ray Donovan)
Michael Sheen  (Masters of Sex)
Kevin Spacey (House of Cards)
James Spader (The Blacklist)

Best TV Series, Musical or Comedy
The Big Bang Theory
Brooklyn Nine-Nine
Girls
Modern Family
Parks and Recreation

Best Actress in a TV Series, Musical or Comedy
Zooey Deschanel (New Girl)
Lena Dunham (Girls)
Edie Falco (Nurse Jackie)
Julia Louis-Dreyfus (Veep)
Amy Poehler (Parks and Recreation)

Best Actor in a TV Series, Musical or Comedy
Jason Bateman (Arrested Development)
Don Cheadle (House of Lies)
Michael J. Fox (The Michael J. Fox Show)
Jim Parsons (The Big Bang Theory)
Andy Samberg (Brooklyn Nine-Nine)

Best TV Movie or Mini-Series
American Horror Story: Coven 
Behind the Candelabra
Dancing on the Edge
Top of the Lake
The White Queen

Best Actress in a Mini-Series or TV Movie
Helena Bonham Carter (Burton and Taylor)
Rebecca Ferguson (The White Queen)
Jessica Lange (American Horror Story: Coven)
Helen Mirren (Phil Spector)
Elisabeth Moss 
(Top of the Lake)

Best Actor in a Mini-Series or TV Movie
Matt Damon (Behind the Candelabra)
Michael Douglas (Behind the Candelabra)
Chiwetel Ejiofor (Dancing on the Edge)
Idris Elba (Luther)
Al Pacino (Phil Spector)

Best Supporting Actress in a Series, Mini-Series or TV Movie
Jacqueline Bisset (Dancing On the Edge)
Janet McTeer (The White Queen)
Hayden Panettiere (Nashville)
Monica Potter (Parenthood)
Sofia Vergara (Modern Family)

Best Supporting Actor in a Series, Mini-Series or TV Movie
Josh Charles (The Good Wife)
Rob Lowe (Behind the Candelabra)
Aaron Paul (Breaking Bad)
Corey Stoll (House of Cards)
Jon Voight (Ray Donovan)

This week’s selection is the classic film noir, Gilda.  Gilda, was shot in 1946, in the heart of the film noir period.

Film Noir

Before discussing Gilda, let’s look into the genre of film noirs. Historically the classic film noirs were shot from the early 1940s to 1958 (The Maltese Falcon by John Huston 1941 – Touch of Evil by Orson Welles 1958) and by definition these films dealt with the dark underworld of the American society, crime, betrayal and desire.

In all film noirs, the man is usually detached from the rest of society, while the woman is bizarre, eccentric, but powerful and by default a smoker. She is devious, a femme fatal that captures her victims. She is an obstacle to the man’s desires and ambitions and his success depends on whether he can overcome her scheming.

A characteristic of these films is the claustrophobic environment: the interior scenes are shot in narrow spaces, to emphasize the entrapment that the hero is experiencing. There are bizarre edited scenes (sharp shadows and lights affect the faces and the objects, making them more pompous and compelling) and constant changes from close ups to distant shots. And of course, depth of field, with scenes full of objects, making the viewer unable to chose where to focus: on the objects, the characters or the dialogue - a characteristic that came from Citizen Kane (1941). The outside scenes are shot at night, with rainy weather.

Gilda

It might seem strange but I had never seen Gilda, at least the entire film. I have had it in my film collection for years but it so happened that I had never watched it. I was really looking forward to finally watching it, as it held a special place in my heart. My late grandmother had actually seen Gilda when it was first screened! It might not seem something to you, but for me, hearing that my quiet grandma, was such a cinema lover and her telling me after so many years about Gilda, it made me think that passion for cinema must have been running in the family for generations.

Gilda is a legendary film, quoted and used in various films: from The Shawshank Redemption to Notting Hill. It is a fine example of a film noir and of the power of a leading lady, as Rita Hayworth, who is undoubtedly the reason that the film is so iconic.

Using most of the techniques of the genre, this is the story of small time American gambler, Johnny, who finds himself in Argentina, only to be rescued by an illegal casino owner who takes him under his “protection” by making him work for him. The boss later on marries the femme fatal Gilda, who as we all understand from the first scene that she appears, apart from the fact that she is deadly gorgeous, she has history with Johnny. That’s when things get complicated. A love triangle similar to that in Casablanca, but to my opinion lacking the chemistry that Bogart and Bergman had – despite the rumors of the time that Hayworth and her co-star Glenn Ford were something more than plain co-stars…

It is funny watching a 1946 film noir and trying to detach yourself from the way you think of cinema in 2014… It is hard not to consider such a film corny or plain, but thinking of the era (right after the second world war), the way society was at the time and the “place” of a woman in the world, you can understand better the characters and the way the environment is portrayed. Given those parameters, we may say that the film was even provocative, especially with such scenes as the iconic clothed striptease…

Gilda was the film that made Rita Hayworth a legend and a sex symbol, although this is a title that she was never comfortable with. After all, she was famously quoted as saying “Men went to bed with Gilda and woke up with me”…. 

My Film Club

So, that was week and film #1. Starting with a film noir and an iconic leading lady, next week I have scheduled something more… heavy, political and Russian.

Next week’s film: Battleship Potemkin

Traditionally January is the month of resolutions, decisions and new projects.

My new year’s resolution is actually a project: to watch every week one classic movie that I have never seen and write about it.

I took the idea from a very good book that I read, called “The Film Club” by David Gilmor. In this book, a father, desperate to keep in touch with his son after his decision to drop out high school, sets up a film club and tries to educate him about films and life.

So, having this in mind, starting from this week, I will try to educate myself by watching every week one classic film (from all genres) that I had not yet had the pleasure of watching and uploading the relative post, so as to share his experience.

I shall keep you posted!  

The new year came and brought new exciting trailers from two of the most anticipated 2014 movies, by us nerds: Veronica Mars: The movie & The Amazing Spiderman 2!

Enjoy the sneak peeks, Marshmallows and fanboys!

Happy new (movie) year fellow movie nerds!!

Before welcoming a new movie year, I would like to take some time and write about a film that I was really looking forward to seeing and which I did watch during the holidays.

The Wolf of Wall Street is one of those movies that have the correct recipe and you cannot find any reason why it could not work. Unfortunately though, for me, it did not work; at least as I was anticipating it to.

Sometimes, a great cast, a great director and a good script are not enough. For me, what went wrong with this film was the editing: the director wanted to include everything. And by everything, I mean every single detail that might have worked for the book, but unfortunately, did not help the adaptation into the big screen.

Don’t get me wrong, I love Martin Scorsese and I do enjoy the classic naration or dialogues that help you understand an era or a character. But I did not feel that way for the Wolf. I felt as I was watching for three hours, sequence after sequence without all of them having a meaning.

On the bright side, apart from the magnificent performance of the leading man Leonardo DiCaprio (someone please give the poor guy an Oscar finally!), the performances of Jonah Hill and Margot Robbie are quite impressive (I loved Margot Robbie’s Queens accent!)  and the film has exquisite details in terms of costumes and photography.

Long story short, it’s just that, in the end, we are used to getting masterpieces from Marty…
Anyway, we will not hold any grudges!

Happy 2014 everybody!!!