Casablanca (1942) directed by Michael Curtiz

How real people fight fascism. 

Known popularly as a great doomed romance film, Casablanca deals in subjects much more important and I would say the romance element is secondary to how the fascism of the 30s and 40s destroyed and affected the lives of everyday people and how they were able to fight back in small and big ways. 

It might be hard to find someone who doesn't know the story of this film even 80+ years later so I won't talk too much about it and focus more on some things the film says about the time it was created and sadly, the time we find ourselves in now. 

Ilsa is not some femme fatale leading Rick along in Paris. Her husband was murdered, she thinks, in a Nazi camp and when she finds out otherwise she leaves Rick to leave Paris without her to save his life and to get back to hers as the Nazis take over the city.  Rick's bar in Casablanca is a den of corruption and despite his cynical outward nature he is constantly doing things for the betterment of the refugees who are there waiting, hoping to get to the United States and safety. In today's world, America has become a country to escape from having not learned the lessons, or maybe learned the wrong lessons, from WWII and the folly of runaway nationalism and authoritarianism. Almost everyone in the movie is a victim of the political situation and Rick quietly tears up Nazi cheques and helps in small ways to get people to safety as he wallows in self pity over the loss of Ilsa. He does not bow to the authorities or to the rich tycoons that come into the bar and despite his claims of neutrality, his distaste for them is obvious. 

In the scene where the bar goers drown out the nazis singing Die Wacht am Rhein with La Marseillaise, all the different nationalities singing together until the Germans return to their seats in defeat. This is a lesson that diverse groups coming together can make the bullies back down, even if just for a little while. It does and always has brought tears to my eyes. It did so even before I knew many of the extras and indeed some of main cast were actual refugees of the war. Their tears as they sing are real. 

At the end Rick and Ilsa both realize that their lives and love are dwarfed by the events of the world at large but both are heading to do something about it exchanging personal sacrifice for the greater good. The war was full on at this point and who would win was not known but the message that everyone has to do what little they can to fight evil is a good one. 

This film was successful but no one making it thought it would be the iconic, influential film it became. It's message to do what you can for the cause is reflected in how the movie itself did much more than than anyone at the time could have imagined. Lets all try and do the same. 

VR exhibition: Mondes Disparus (old port Montréal)

6 of us went to the VR exhibition at the Old port of Montreal, a voyage though time depicting the start and evolution of life in Earth. The last few shows like this were all pretty amazing so we had high expectations and who doesn't want to walk (or swim or fly) with dinosaurs and prehistoric creatures? 

The show was set up the same as past shows. You enter, get a visor and follow a Virtual 3D animated guide through the show.  You see others in the room with you as avatars and if you are in a group you can see the names of your group so you don't get separated and know you are not talking to a stranger. 

The illusion you are in a place, despite it not being photorealistic, is still amazing to experience. I thought the information was presented in a childish way but still entertaining. The microscopic start to life and progression to insects, seas life and then on to the stars of the show, the dinosaurs were all fun to see. This is really the best way we have to really get a good feeling of how large some of these creatures are in relation to humans as they walk past you or you walk under them. You even get small look at the future. Even though it looks like you in water, descending down a hill, surrounded by trees and vegetation or snaking through a system of cave passages you are in fact just on a flat floor walking in a weird pattern in a room with odd markers all over the walls that track what you see in your VR Glasses.  

It isn't that expensive to do and the experience is certainly memorable and fun. I had some issues with the visor... at least 2 of us has slightly blurring images which gave me a headache by the and and lessened the effect of the VR. I didn't like the transitions, at points the whole world just goes black and you are back in the default scene for 10 seconds while the next segment loads.. I guess. This wasn't the case in earlier shows which were all fluid. 

The English version of the show is called something else and I fully admit I was too lazy to look it up! 

Kiss if the Vampire (1963) directed by Don Sharp

This was originally ment to go into the Hammer Dracula series but ended up it's own film instead. It is notable for swerving away from the typical vampire formula by having a coven of them led by a charismatic leader. There are with elements in the story as well.

A young couple gets caught up in a vampire cult when the leader of the cult takes a shine to the wife and arranges to befriend them as a ruse to kidnap her. at a masked ball he has one of group wear the same mask as her husband and lure her into a locked room. The guy is a good 5 inches taller than the husband but she fell for it anyway. There is a Van Helsing like character of sorts. A drunken man whose daughter has also fallen victim to the undead cult gets the husband t help him get both their family members free by calling 100s of vampire bats to attack the coven and kill them. This makes as much sense watching it as it did you reading it. 

The film looks good and while it's plot goes all over the place it's novel enough to keep your attention and only drags now and then. probably not something you would want to go back to over and over, though. 

Godzilla, Mothra and King Ghidorah: Giant Monsters All-Out Attack (2001) directed and co-written by Shusuke Kaneko

Poor Baragon doesn't get a mention in the overly long title! Maybe he had his name removed after seeing the finished film? The film isn't that bad to be honest though Baragon does next to nothing except get killed and Mothra is pretty much in the same boat which leave the real battle between Ghidorah and Godzilla.

Supposedly taking place after the original 1954 film and ignoring everything that came after it, Godzilla has returned and a reporter, her military dad and a bunch of other people including the ghost of some old guy awaken three other monsters as guardians to protect the world. There seems to be a "spiritual" to some of these later Godzilla films, Biolante had the spirit of a girl murdered by terrorists in it and Godzilla has the souls from the war in this film. The spirits of Baragon and Mothra join with the spirit of Ghidorah to fight Godzilla. It's doesn't work in either film if you ask me. 

The effects in this film are a mixed bag. Godzilla is very mean looking with white eyes with no pupils and a lot more puppetry added to the face for more expression. The other monsters have none of that and Ghidorah has an underwhelming toy like design. Mothra is... fine. She starts in a pupil state which last all of 5 minutes before entering her cocoon which looks a sack of balls floating in a lake. There is an attempt to add CGI throughout but it doesn't work for the most part. The model work and destruction effects are the usual high quality, Toho Studios always hire talented model makers. 

Another thing to mention is the lead character, a female reporter who as just as idiotic... I mean heroic as male heroes are. I mean she chases GODZILLA on a bike to film it's rampage while her assistant turned love interest by the end of the film helps her but never takes her role as the hero away.

So dumb as it is the human characters are better than in most giant monster movies and it does move along and kept me entertained. 

Wicked (part 1) (2024) directed by Jon M. Chu

A film adaptation of the first act of the 2003 stage musical by Stephen Schwartz and Holzman, which was loosely based on Gregory Maguire's 1995 novel, itself a reimagining of the Oz books and the 1939 film The Wizard of Oz. After being plagues with production issues, mostly due to the COVID pandemic the film was finally released to high acclaim with the public. It tells the back story of the Wicked Witch of the West who was melted by Dorothy in the original story when she threw water on her trying to save here friend the Scarecrow who was on fire. 

I was going to show some comparisons between the book and play and the play and film but that would be very spoilery. Instead suffice it to say the book goes into much more detail, has many more characters, is told from multiple points of view and is much more adult in nature. The film is based closely on the broadway musical and adds and subtracts things to make it more cinematic but doesn't stray all that much. The young which, Alphaba (played by Ariana Grande) is raised an talking animal named Dulcibear which helps support her outrage later in the film when she fights the mistreatment of the talking animals. Michelle Yeoh is in the movie as a sorceress teacher and she makes any role awesome. Everyone else is good as well and the settings and effects are very well done. The songs however were lacking and didn't have any sort of punch or bring anything that a shorter dialog wouldn't have done better in my opinion. 

The book was one of the first to rehabilitate the villain in a fantasy story by giving them a sympathetic back story. It was new at the time but since then has become a trope, one I hate. This movie doesn't take any chances or go nearly as far as the book did with its characters but it does work on many levels. If this is something you are excited to see, please do and I'm sure you will love it. There is a heartfelt centre in here.

Overall, it's fine. I do not regret seeing it but it won't stay with me very long as its still by the numbers, Even if the original book version invented some of the numbers to begin with by sticking with the watered down stage version as inspiration we lose the edge that made the idea so transformative. 

Obituary: Ralph (artist) Sept 11,1934- March 31, 2025

Ralph and Vivian Liegh of "Gone with the Wind" fame

Ralph was an artist and like most artists he drew his entire life. He made it into a profession as an illustrator of cards, posters, etc. until his 50s, when he started to work for me at Box Office Video on Newbury Street in Boston. To be honest, Ralph had a lot of issues as an employee. He had trouble understanding the phones and was a little scatterbrained, always rushing about keeping himself busy but not always in the most efficient way. He was also one of the best employees the store ever had at the same time. His knowledge of films, old-time movie stars and polite genial manner was a big reason people come in to rent movies with us over the other 2 videos stores on the same street. 

Tobias Allen, me, Ralph and Paul at the premier of our film "50 Years" 

One of Ralph’s passions was paper doll books and up until his death he sold them at conventions. His books were amazing, detailed and hand painted in a way you could almost feel the cloth of the costumes. Another passion of his was "Gone with the Wind". He wrote and illustrated a sequel with100s of drawings and it took him about a decade. His story followed directly after the film and he integrated period actors who he thought might have been used if this was actually made at that time. Again, the work is amazing. 

A sample of Ralph's paper doll art

He and his husband Paul MacMahon (1933-2011) lived a couple blocks from me in Dorchester, Massachusetts so I would often visit for supper and talk about films and look at their (mostly Paul’s) frankly ridiculous collection of memorabilia. They were together for about 57 years and married the last 7 after that became possible in 2004. Ralph kept Paul’s ashes in his old chair with his teddy bear, something he had his whole life, next to it. Their story inspired me to make the documentary film "50 Years", which they both spoke of their lives separately and together up to just after getting married. 

Paul and Ralph at the spot they met in New York City in the 50s

After Paul’s death, Ralph and I became even closer as friends and I visited him when I could. Having moved to Montréal, Québec made it a little difficult but we managed to talk on the phone, exchange letters and have our visits that would take all day as we caught up on each other’s artwork and projects and personal lives. I don’t know many artists or "creatives" and my talks with Ralph are precious memories for me and likely won’t happen with anyone else. His passing is a loss for me on many levels. 

It’s a loss for more than myself, though. Ralph was a piece of gay history who guarded that history by telling his story and guarding the photos Paul had taken as a journalist over the years, a legend in the paper doll world and a good friend to everyone in his life. This is a hole in the world that can’t be filled.

Good bye my longtime friend. The last 40 years were not enough. 

Ralph as a child

Outriders (2003) restored and updated to HD

 

In 2003 I made a documentary for the 20th anniversary of Outriders, the gay group that ride annually from Boston to Provincetown in one day. I did it for almost 20 year when I lived in Boston and it is a great ride with great people. The standard definition version, like most Sd videos just doesn't cut it on modern devices so I am upgrading my older films so they can still be relevant and hopefully inform people about things like Outriders which is just a fantastic organization.

The Outsiders (1983) Directed by Francis Ford Coppola

 

The Outsiders is based on a 1967 book by S.E. Hinton and sort of starts the "teen gang movie" genre in it's 80s incarnation. Directed by Francis Ford Coppola with a cast that has more future stars than any film ever made I think...  C. Thomas Howell Emilio Estevez, Matt Dillon, Tom Cruise, Patrick Swayze, Ralph Macchio, and Diane Lane... I mean who else is there? 

The films centres around disaffected poor youth who street fight and quite frankly mostly aspire to be assholes. In this film they are all the prettiest of pretty boys as well which seems... unrealistic. There isn't much of a plot as the story follows them around their mostly empty, though brutal lives. The tension between the "greaser" and Socs" grows until finally the socs attack two of the youngest greasers and attempt to drown one. The other kills the would be killer with a knife and the two greasers hide out in the country until they decide to come back and turn themselves in. There is a fire in a church and they save the children inside and they become heroes. The one who killed the competing gang member is seriously burnt and injured. 

An older greaser played by Matt Dillion and is someone the younger guys look up to and who helped the two who were wanted for the killing to escape and hideout encourages everyone to have a rumble which they win. The two main characters visit their friend in the hospital to tell him of their victory but he dies while they are there. Dillion's character robs a store, unable to deal with his emotions about it all and commits "suicide by cop" while the remaining main character writes an essay about his experiences which we see starts with the opening lines of the book. 

I will be frank and say I wasn't impressed by this movie. It isn't bad. The performances are good, especially for such a young cast and I liked that it sort of aimlessly flows most of the time like the lives of the boys but it doesn't come together or move me like I think it was meant to. Pretty much everyone in it is  a jerk or jerk in training and did not illicit sympathy from me. I really did not like the music and cast is just too pretty for the roles they play. My opinion, of course. I can see someone else finding a lot more depth in it than I did. 

Die Nibelungen (1924) Directed by Fritz Lang

 

Die Nibelungen is a 2 part film, almost 5 hours long, that tells the story Siegfried in the first part who rises to legendary status by killing a dragon on his way to find the love of his life who he has only heard of in a tale told by a story teller in the place he learned to forge swords. By the end of part one he has married and been betrayed by his best friend. The second part is the story of Kriemhild, his wife, taking revenge on her brother the king and everyone else even peripherally involved in the murder. 

I won't spoil too much as even though this film is legendary I don't feel many people have sat through it all - either seeing the first part only (the dragon part) or just seeing clips about it. To be honest I do understand the idea of sitting through a 5 hour silent film seems like a punishment to many people but they are WRONG. This is a prize, an epic fantastic journey with stunning visuals, great performances, effects and sets that will amaze you. 

The pacing is not as fast as a modern film, but so what? Almost every frame is mesmerizing. Siegfried is the iconic muscular, blonde hero who will be copied throughout future films and the story covers a lot of ground from his modest start to his finding of the the treasures of Die Nibelungen in the dwarves underground layer to his epic fight with the dragon after which he bathes in it's blood to become invincible, only to be foiled when I leaf lands on his back blocking the blood and giving him a vulnerable spot. To win the woman of dreams, he helps the king wed his, the formidable Brunhild by using an invisibility device to secretly aid the king to beat her in 3 competitions of strength and battle. Brunhild leaps from one end of the set to the other in a way that today's superheroes could learn from. 

The effects are fantastic. The dragon is a huge puppet controlled by 32 people inside, the castles and landscapes are stylized but also seem like real places. The biggest success is the forest scenes. They are beautifully film with light streaming through the trees and intriguing in their look and structure. And.. they are all fake and inside a studio which seems impossible watching the film. 

Kriemhild's revenge, the second part is all intrigue and battles as she finds favour with a foreign king, marries him and convinces him to help her with her revenge and reclaiming the treasures of Die Nibelungen. 

This is the sort of epic film Lange was famous for before coming the states to escape the nazis and he never made again in the United States. The budget is girnormous and it shows and highlights his attention to every detail. 

Polish posters: Nosferatu

 It's been a minute since I posted a Polis poster and I have plenty more to go! This one is not as bizarre, pretty straightforward, really.