Movie Notes: The Thief of Baghdad

The Thief of Bagdad (1940)
Directors: Michael Powell, Ludwig Berger, Tim Whelan

This is a remake of the 1924 silent version, but the story is completely rewritten.  In fact, it has more in common with a famous Disney animated movie of my childhood than it has with the Douglas Fairbanks adventure.  It includes a toy-loving sultan, a wily thief and lovable sidekick named Abu, an all powerful but silly genie, and an evil vizier named Jaffar intent on stealing away the toy-loving sultan's daughter.

This is not a perfect film.  Ahmad, the romantic male lead, is dull and uninteresting.  So is the princess in whom he is interested.  However, Sabu plays the titular character Abu to perfection.  He brings energy and life to the whole movie and is a joy to watch.

At the end, the movie springs a philosophical reflection that justifies the whole exercise in spectacle and nonsense in a vein of thought that  reminded me pleasantly of Winnie-the-Pooh or Peter Pan.

Movie Notes: Moonrise Kingdom

Moonrise Kingdom (2012)
Director: Wes Anderson

This movie was a blast.  I enjoyed myself so immensely while watching it that I had no time to stop and consider the meaning flowing underneath or the technique used in presenting it.  Still, I caught enough to know it was because of, and not in spite of, the meaning and art of the film that I so enjoyed it.

I'm not up to understanding or explaining everything that's going on in the film, so I won't try to spell it out.  This is a movie that taps into classical themes about leaving the city to renew the city, Biblical themes about a lost Eden, and a very modern aesthetic and moral compass.  It's so sweet and simple that it feels just like a kid's movie, but you can't take your kids to see it.  It's outrageous and fantastical with real and sympathetic characters making realistic, frustrating and heartwarming decisions.  It features severe disappointments but ends up optimistic.

And it's also a movie about the meaning and power of art -- especially film, but through the metaphor of music and painting.  If you enjoy -- or can even simply tolerate -- Wes Anderson's aesthetic, you should go see the movie.  There is some underage sexuality in the movie, so if that would bother you, you've been warned.

Movie Notes: Brave

Brave (2012)

Director: Brenda Chapman and Mark Andrews

I never saw Cars 2 because the reviews were so poor, so my high expectations from Pixar have been forever lowered.  Brave surpassed these lowered expectations.  I was prepared to be critical of the film, but ended up wrapped up in the story and simply enjoying myself.  And, that's one of the things I'm looking for when I go to see a movie, so I have to say I liked the movie quite a bit.

That's not to say I liked everything about it.  I think there's wisdom in the old ideas of living to your place in the world.  Part of that involves a healthy degree of respect for one's parents.

I also think the reconciliation between Merida and her mother was more wish-fulfillment than meaningful art.  How many times in your relationships with other people have you had to give up little of what you'd like and receive exactly what you're looking for from them? 

Movie Notes: The Thief of Bagdad

I've decided to use the blog to post notes about movies that we've seen.  I used to use Flixter, but that app's been totally repurposed and is no longer suitable for my casual purposes.  You can expect to see a lot of movies posted about here, but don't expect anything insightful or incisive.  The purpose is just to jot down a few thoughts about the movie after watching it in the vein of a film diary.  I find taking notes help cement the films in my memory and it's nice to have some touchstone to check back on.

The Thief of Bagdad (1924)
Director: Raoul Walsh

This appears to be a pet project of Douglas Fairbanks.  He helped write, starred in, and produced the picture.  His energetic performance as the title character is certainly memorable, if dated; his wild gesticulations and stomping stride were appropriate to their time.  On the other hand, Sojin's more subtle performance as the sinister Mongol Khan is riveting even today.

Where Fairbanks excels is the physically demanding elements of his role.  He runs, jumps, swings, and swashbuckles his way through enormous sets.  It's good enough to inspire me to add his version of Robin Hood to our queue.

All in all, this film is a spectacle.  Fairbanks, gigantic detailed sets, fantastical creatures and effects, and chaste romance combine to make this a very entertaining film.  It's a bit on the long side, but I'd recommend it to fans of swashbucklers and film history.