Children of Paradise

Children of Paradise (1945)
Director: Michael Carné

In 1995, a French poll of 600 critics and filmmakers decided that Les Enfants du Paradis was the best film ever made.  I don't know about that, but this is truly a great film.  It has the sweep and emotional weight of a great 19th century novel.  In fact, Libby and I were both strongly reminded of The Idiot in the first half.

Of course, it's also remarkable in that it's a sumptuous period epic made by a French studio during the Nazi occupation.  Two of its production team were Jews working from hiding!

The basic story revolves around Garance, a side show actress who attracts four very different men.  They all relate to her in their own particular broken way, and we hopefully can learn a little something about ourselves in their respective failings.  It's very much a romantic tragedy, but its tone is a well-balanced mix of humor and weight.

Piute Pass

Dad, Libby and I undertook a seven day pack trip this July. The point was to visit the Bear Lakes basin above Bear Creek. Our entrance was via Piute Pass and we exited via Italy Pass to the Pine Creek Pass Trailhead. It was, of course, beautiful and wonderful.

Our first day we went over Piute Pass, and then down to camp along Piute Creek.  We stayed the night before at the Profitas' in Bishop after Joe helped us set up a shuttle by picking us up at the Pine Creek trail head. He hiked with us up to Piute Pass the first day, but couldn't come along for the full trip.


View North Lake to Paiute Creek in a larger map 

The day before we started hiking was stormy.  Giant dark clouds loomed ominously amongst the high peaks around Piute Pass.  Scattered sprinkles started at the cabin at noon, and we were hit by torrential rain on the drive to the Pine Creek trailhead that afternoon.  While Joe was ecstatic to enjoy weather in the 80s down in town, it made me a bit nervous about the prospects for our trip.  Sure enough, the next day, hikers on their way back out over Piute Pass described a four hour uninterrupted deluge.  That's something the Sierras don't see too often.

Oh, and on a different note, did I mention that Dad treed a bear at the cabin that same day?

Anyway, our hike on Monday was cool and damp.  It sprinkled on and off, but never rained substantially.  We made it to the pass around lunch time, and followed quite a crowd of people down the west side toward the Golden Trout Lakes.  Thankfully, our campsite along Piute Creek was perfectly solitary, with only the rumble of the creek, the whine of (many) mosquitoes, and a passel of tiny Golden Trout to keep us company.

 

Pictures are up on Flickr:

Exploring petroglyphs north of Bishop with Joe Profita

First day's hike over Piute Pass in stormy weather

 

Movie Notes: Meet Me in St. Louis

Meet Me in St. Louis (1944)
Director: Vincente Minnelli

The most remarkable element of this film to me was the fantastically rendered nostalgic Victorian setting.  Buildings inside and out, costumes, and family dynamics all capture and communicate in Technicolor the same feeling you have walking down main street at Disneyland.

The music is good, if not (with some exceptions) as catchy as some other musicals.  There's no doubt that Judy Garland can sing!  Also, I didn't know that "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas" was from this film.  I kept waiting for "Somewhere Over the Rainbow."

The narrative arc is pretty weak, and has a pleasant smallness to it.  It's just about people living lives without any real remarkable drama.  I imagine it's capturing quite well the spirit of its midwestern inspiration.  Still, when it ended Libby and I both looked at each other and said, "That's it?"

Movie Notes: Spellbound

Spellbound (1945)
Director: Alfred Hitchcock

This film draws more explicitly from psycho-analysis than any other I've seen (The Woman in the Window comes to mind as a competitor).  It ends up doing so quite well, and is an entertaining and suspenseful film.

Ingrid Bergman plays a psychiatrist at a mental hospital where Gregory Peck arrives as its new head.  However, it soon becomes clear to her that, although she has fallen head over heels in love with him despite her analytical and detached nature, he is an imposter suffering from amnesia derived from a guilt-complex.

As he becomes suspected of the man he's imitating's death, they run away from the law and work on solving the mystery by breaking down the barriers in his mind.  Suspenseful moments come both from the external dangers on their trail, but also from the terrifying possibility that Peck's character may kill anyone around him at any time.  And perhaps even that the truth they'll discover will be the one they fear!

This film was a bit slow at the beginning.  Peck's swooning about and Bergman's swooning over the swooning didn't really win me over.  Later, though, as the suspense builds and they go on the run, it became very engrossing and entertaining.

It's worth mentioning that there is a dream sequence central to the plot designed by Salvador Dali.  Apparently Hitchcock didn't very much like that, and there is a disconnected feeling to the film perhaps stemming from this dissatisfaction and Selznick's interference.  Still, it's a very good film and I highly recommend it.