A Dance Into Madness

(Photo belongs to its owner/s. I don't own or claim to own this photo.)

THE NIGHT PORTER
Liliana Cavani, 1974

Rainy Vienna as a backdrop. Isn't that interesting? In The Night Porter, Italian filmmaker Liliana Cavani tackles sadomasochism and the Stockholm syndrome. Thanks to Charlotte Rampling's iconic costume, The Night Porter became Cavani's best remembered film.

Reading the Past

THE READER
Stephen Daldry, 2008

The Reader was on Star Movies a while ago. The film was directed by Stephen Daldry, the guy who introduced us to Billy Elliot. Daldry's film is set in Germany, after the second World War. It stars Kate Winslet and Ralph Fiennes.

Rebels With a Cause

A GENERATION
Andrzej Wajda, 1955

World War II. It's one of the events that forever changed the face of the world. It's also a product of a man's dream of building his own empire. World War II is synonymous with nightmare.

There are a lot of films out there that showed the horror and drama of World War II. But only few really enthralled me. Examples are The Pianist and A Generation; those are two of the films that stayed with me. Those films were able to show life during the war in such a realistic fashion. The latter film is directed by acclaimed Polish filmmaker Andrzej Wajda.

The Great Kahn

I watched Mel Brooks' Blazing Saddles again the other day. The 1974 film features Madeline Kahn as Lili Von Shtupp. She is a "Teutonic titwillow" hired by the greedy and ruthless Hedley Lamarr (Harvey Korman) to "seduce and abandon" the film's protagonist, Bart (Cleavon Little).

A Trio, Not a Quartet

QUARTET
James Ivory, 1981

Merchant Ivory's Quartet is set in 1920s Paris. The film stars Isabelle Adjani as Marya, a hapless young woman adrift with her husband, Stephan (played by Anthony Higgins). She finds herself financially dry after Stephan is sent to jail for theft. Alan Bates and Maggie Smith are H.J. and Lois Heidler, an unorthodox British couple who helps Marya by letting her live in their humble abode. Of course their help is not unconditional.

Not For the Depressed

THE PANIC IN NEEDLE PARK
Jerry Schatzberg, 1971

Photographer Jerry Schatzberg reached a cinematic high with The Panic in Needle Park, his best-remembered film. The film also served as Al Pacino's calling card for the Michael Corleone part in The Godfather.

The Battle of Good Vs. the Thick Pea Soup

THE EXORCIST
William Friedkin, 1973

To rotate your head 360 degrees is one thing. To be considered as a great film after all these years is to be The Exorcist. William Friedkin's most popular film tackles the not-so-new subject of good versus evil. This time, Friedkin adds his own blend of spice to one of the overused plots in the history of cinema.

No Plot Necessary

DYM
Grzegorz Cisiecki, 2007

Dym, which means "smoke" in Polish, is an enigmatic short film by Grzegorz Cisiecki. It's about a young man (played by Grzegorz Golaszewski) driven to surreal reverie after turning on a cassette recorder.

Fave Movie Quotes: Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid

Juliet Forrest: But what does "FOC" mean?
Rigby Reardon: It's a slang word. It's when a man and a woman are in love, the man puts his p-...
Juliet Forrest: No, no. Written here: "F. O. C."

The Tale of a Neglected Child

BORN INNOCENT
Donald Wrye, 1974

After starring as the (literally) head-turning kid in The Exorcist, Linda Blair went on to star in a made-for-TV movie called Born Innocent. The film is a poignant drama about a teenager named Chris Parker (played by Blair).