Snapshots From a Dream

What is this thing that builds our dreams yet slips away from us ....

Wednesday, November 22, 2006

Great Moments From Cinema - 38


The First Family Of Crime

Movie: The Godfather (Paramount Pictures; 1972)
Director: Francis Ford Coppola
Screenplay: Mario Puzo and Francis Ford Coppola
Major Cast: Marlon Brando, Al Pacino, James Caan, Robert Duvall, Diane Keaton, John Cazale and Talia Shire

Film Synopsis: The story of Mafia family, the ‘Corleone’s’; it chronicles the passing of the leadership from ‘Vito Corleone’ (Brando) to his youngest son, ‘Michael’ (Pacino).

My Favorite Moment: The transformation of Pacino into the next ‘Godfather’

Why I Like It: I am yet to meet a person who hasn’t seen this movie. In fact, I am yet to meet anyone who dislikes it. No matter when or where, the minute we hear the haunting music by Nino Rota, we are drawn into the world of the ‘Godfather’. A flawless film, it is the iconic cinema of all time and the benchmark for all ‘mafia movies’. A benchmark which no other film has ever matched, except of course its sequel.

Right from the opening dialogue (the most famous first words in a film) “I believe in America”, at the wedding of Brando’s daughter (Shire), we are captivated by this family and even become a part of their lives. Yes these are criminals and sometimes they are heartless, but we still like them. It is perhaps because they value loyalty beyond everything else. Godfather’s word is his honor and if he promises you something, it is etched in stone. The foundations of their family have deep roots and they will have no mercy on anyone trying to destroy that. As ‘Michael’ chillingly reminds his brother ‘Fredo’ (Cazale), “Fredo, you're my older brother and I love you, but don't ever take sides with anyone against the family again. Ever.”

It is hard to imagine anyone else playing ‘Vito Corleone’ than Brando. His every nuance is perfect and the way Coppola lights his face only partially, adds to the mystic of his performance. Even as he won the Academy award for this role, the best performance is by Pacino and his transition from the innocent kid to the next ‘Godfather’. Nowhere is it emphasized more than the scene where he coldly plots the murder of a corrupt cop who had tried to kill ‘Vito’. His posture as he sits in the chair, changes ever so slightly, but it is enough to convince us of his growing stature. It is his rebirth and the steely look in his eyes is testament to his intentions. It is hard to believe that it is the same young man who, at the beginning of the film tells his girlfriend (Keaton) that he is not involved in his family’s shady business. But blood is after all the strongest bond and it is a destiny he cannot escape. In a virtuoso sequence at the end, on ‘Michael’s’ orders, all his enemies are being eliminated at the same time as his infant son is getting baptized. It is as if he is purging his life of all the unwanted elements. He comes across as cold man who doesn’t see any crime in killing people who deserve to die.

Coppola achieves the cinematic equivalent of a perfect score in gymnastics. The rest of the cast is nothing short of brilliant. Caan and Duvall were born to play their roles. It is compelling to see these men discuss crime as if it were the most natural thing to do. So when a person who disrespects the ‘Godfather’, gets up with his horse’s head in his bed, he as well as the audience gets the message loud and clear: This is what ‘Godfather’ can do. If you do not follow his instructions, he will be forced to ‘make an offer which you can’t refuse.’ ... And it won’t be pleasant.

Thursday, November 09, 2006

Great Moments From Cinema - 37


The Kick That Started A Revolution

Movie: The Matrix (Grouch II Film, Silver Pictures & Village Roadshow; 1999)
Director: Andy Wachowski and Larry Wachowski
Screenplay: Andy Wachowski and Larry Wachowski
Major Cast: Keanu Reeves, Laurence Fishburne, Carrie-Anne Moss and Hugo Weaving

Film Synopsis: ‘Neo’ (Reeves) is a computer hacker who learns that the actual world around him is a sophisticated computer program and in reality, everything is controlled by machines who harvest humans as cheap fuel. ‘Morpheus’ (Fishburne) leads a band of rebels who believe that Reeves can free them from this slavery.

My Favorite Moment: ‘Trinity’s’ (Moss) fight with cops at the beginning of the film.

Why I Like It: The exact moment that the frame froze with ‘Trinity’ jumping in the air for a martial arts kick and the camera moved 360 degree’s around her; the world of cinema was changed forever. Action films are now classified as pre and post Matrix era. Only a handful of Hollywood movies can be called as “trendsetters”. This most certainly, is one of them.

It would have been easy to dismiss this movie as another “popcorn blockbuster”. Yes, it is one of those films which appeals to generation X, but it also runs deeper than that. The dialogue is exemplary and the philosophical overtones echo loudly in the conversations. So when ‘Morpheus’ says, “Neo, sooner or later you're going to realize just as I did that there's a difference between knowing the path and walking the path”, it feels like he is speaking to the audience. The characters don’t engage in useless banter, common to action films, but actually communicate. Even the super-villain, a rogue computer program called ‘Agent Smith’ (Weaving) has something interesting to say. Not since ‘Hannibal Lecter’ has a villain had more compelling dialogue than just empty threats.

However, what makes this movie remarkable is its action. It pioneered the use of super-slow motion for key segments and in doing so, revolutionized fight choreography for people around the world. The very first scene of the movie has ‘Trinity’ being chased by cops in the ‘Matrix’ and when trapped, she executes the flying kick which has been clichéd to death in the all movies since then. There are some other spectacular sequences where ‘Neo’ dodges bullets as the film slows down to show the audience the path of the bullet just as ‘Neo’ sees it. Then there is the rescue mission where ‘Neo’ and ‘Trinity’ go to save ‘Morpheus’, which defies all logic but is electrifying in its execution. It fully utilizes the imagination of cinema and in doing so has raised the bar for the genre. Skeptics would point to some shortcomings, but one should also give kudos to filmmaking which realizes the complete potential of the medium.

Matrix was a fresh look at movies and was not scared to take risks in its screenwriting by making the characters sound almost prophetic, yet fascinating. The sequels which followed were slightly disappointing because the story got a little too complicated for its own good. Sometimes the first instinct works because of its originality but often leads to the writers and directors getting carried away by their own creation and abandoning the very thing which made it special. Matrix is a prime example of this and that’s why it is also a legend.