Movie Notes: Ninotchka

Ninotchka (1939)
Director: Ernst Lubitsch

This was our introduction to the great Greta Garbo.  She makes a great stone-faced government worker from the Soviet Union in this film set in Paris before the war.

The movie trades on the glamour of Paris against the cold reality of the Soviet Union.  In the end, though, it's only love that matters for the principals.  The movie is especially interesting as a historical artifact, but entertaining enough in its own right.

Movie Notes: Wings of Desire

Wings of Desire (1987)
Director: Wim Wenders

Re-writing myths is hard, but can reap great benefits for a story-teller.  Western society's conception of what an angel is, and the way in which Wim Wenders presents them are not the same, but they are in tension and dialogue.  He's using your idea of angel to give power to his story, but we also have to be careful to let his distinct concept breath within the world he's constructed.

The angels in Wings of Desire are observers with very little influence.  They seem to have no special connection to God, and to be somehow dependent on humanity for their understanding and the fullness of their lives.  So, we should pay attention to the movie's theme of engaging life to its fullest rather than be too critical of whether or not it's a true myth. It's a movie that beautifully explores this theme, in commentary with art, especially film, which is a medium that specializes in observation (see Rear Window).

However, despite this intriguing use of angels, the movie lacked emotional resonance for me.  The first part of the movie, seen from an angels' point of view, is long and its lack of engagement makes it hard to watch.  After it takes on color, there's more human feeling, but it's not something I'd condone.  All in all it's an interesting, worthwhile, but imperfect film.

Tree of Life (2011)
Director: Terrence Malick

 On a retreat last spring, Libby and I participated in an exercise called family sculptures.  This involved using the other participants at the retreat to stand in as family members in order to illustrate our family dynamic around age 10.  After setting up the sculpture, participants spend time asking questions and coming as a community to a better understanding of the sculptor.  This is a difficult exercise, and if performed honestly, can bear both pain and fruit for one's spiritual development.

The middle part of Tree of Life strikes me as a similar exercise for the director.  The crux of the story involves the relationship of a child entering adolescence, his parents, and the inter-relationship of that family dynamic with the character's adult understanding of God and the universe.  I cannot think of another movie that so honestly deals with this topic.  It plays out like memories projected on a screen.  Snippets of beauty, pain, life, and death, all dealing with nature and grace.

Mallick gives it a more cosmic and universal scope by confusing but intriguing capstones giving the creation and ending of the world.  All in all, it makes for a film that can be a difficult and rewarding source of meditation.