Jeff Nichols, Russell Crowe live and a popular prison drama
The 69th Cannes film festival went to the equator: showed half of the main competition, which still goes without serious failures, and the second on the significance of the program “Special look” began demonstrations of the impact of the participants. Columnists “Tape.<url>” talk about the major premieres day — and one amazing meeting.
Igor Igritsky about the competition program and special screening
Another day of competition brought some disappointment, and I’d like to hope that the interim. “Loving” (Loving) is a real (and talking) the name of the characters, who became known throughout America thanks to the famous trial about the violation of civil rights, which had significant implications for U.S. law. And though Director Jeff Nichols sets out in detail the essence of the event, it is necessary to clarify what it was.
In the late 1950s in 24 Federal States was dominated by strict segregation. Including in Virginia, where our heroes were legally prohibited mixed marriages. The local police was subjected to repression spouses, Living — Richard (typical blond rednek) and Mildred, nee Mildred Delores Jeter (a black girl of African-Indian origin under the age of six years). Guys quietly married in the district of Columbia, after which he returned to his native land. By the time the newly minted Mrs. Lawing was pregnant, and the circumstances of their first arrest dedicated the first half of the film.
Local authorities received an anonymous letter, and the Sheriff with the aide of the middle of the night break into the house of the newlyweds, shake them out of bed and shoved behind bars like animals. Imagine all of this happening only 60 years ago! Richard in the monkey kept one night, Mildred was released only five days, and then bail. In January 1959 over them began the trial. “God Almighty created the white, black, yellow and red races and placed them on different continents, because the Lord did not want people to mix,” he says, disclosing a sentence, judge. “Illegal” couple were sentenced to one year imprisonment, suspended for 25 years, but with the condition that they leave the state. Lavinge pleaded guilty and went to Washington, but to give birth to the firstborn Mildred returned to the house mother-in-law… and was arrested again. Having a child saved her from a jail term for three years. Over the following five years they had three children.
Frame from the film “Loving”
Here the story of the experiences of the characters almost over, and the authors just tell what this whole thing turned around. In 1963 Mildred patience came to an end, and she wrote a letter to the then Minister of justice Robert Kennedy. The pair could not help, but advised them to apply to the “American Union of protection of civil liberties.” Two young lawyer, Phil Hershkop and Bernard Cohen, imbued with the idea and took up perspective, from their point of view, the case. Without fee. Four years of hard-nosed lawyers unsuccessfully appealed the verdict. Finally, spouses are lucky their case examined by the Supreme court. June 12, 1967, the judge announced the verdict: “Richard and Mildred Loving have the right to Wake up next morning and sleep at night with each other in confidence that the Sheriff will not be knocking on the door of their bedroom or to invade their privacy with a pocket flashlight and Shine it in the face”.
Actually, about all of this and says the picture of Nichols — well, for those who don’t know the latest American history. Talking about professional level painting makes no sense, a sort of American standard, and the film may even evoke the sympathy of the jury, since such a problem is relevant again (especially in connection with the influx into Europe of refugees from the Middle East). But artistic discovery”, Living” becomes. This is a typical socialist realism, which in recent years, the Western movie is totally drawn.
Some history of the contest, I decided to see what’s going on in other venues. Attention was drawn to a special screening of the documentary film an unexpected debut author winner of the Prix Goncourt 2006, the American-French writer, author of the bestseller “the kindly ones” by Jonathan Littell. The film was released under the name Wrong Elements.
A scene from the movie Wrong elements
It is worth to say a few words about the biography of the new Director. The Jewish ancestors of the writer — Lida — emigrated from Russia to the United States in the late nineteenth century. His father was the American journalist of “Newsweek” the novelist, author of popular spy novels of Robert Littell. Three year old Jonathan was brought to France, and studied in the USA, where graduated from Yale University. As a student, future filmmaker and writer became acquainted with William Burroughs, who had a great influence on him. The Littell has long worked in the international humanitarian organization Action Against Hunger in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Chechnya (where he was wounded), Uganda, Congo, Sierra Leone and Afghanistan.
Since the Director is known not only thanks to the book written on behalf of SS officer responsible for solving the “Jewish question”, but as a journalist, his documentary feature tells the story of what happened in the late 80s, the local Apocalypse in Uganda. A conversation with survivors after the abduction of former rebels. The fact is that in 1989 a guy named Joseph Kony began to form a resistance army to the local mode by using the deportation into slavery of adolescents from 11 years. Over the last 30 years in villages of this African country was stolen more than 60 thousand children who became killers for hire the so-called “Army of the Lord.” Having escaped from captivity, heroes Littell trying to return to normalcy, but the scars left by the war, makes this task almost impossible. By the way, Joseph Kony, the international criminal still hiding in the underground. The Littell lifts the veil of silence on the conflict that destroyed and maimed tens of thousands of people, and it does so on behalf of just one character, telling about the horrors quite casually. The breath of hell, which occurs in hot spots permanent, envelops the audience from the first frame of this film, but unfortunately, no positive response to the question of what to do with all this, the author cannot give — just as he does not meet him in his books.
Denis Ruzaev about the paw Russell Crowe
The press at the Cannes film festival most of the day spent in the darkness of the evil eye. The more valuable rare ability to break white light that it provides, for example, interviews with star guests of the festival. They are usually organized on the platforms of the local beaches or terraces of Cannes hotels — but there are, of course, and special cases, as, for example, took today a half day visit to the most expensive place on the French Riviera, coastal legendary Hotel du Cap in favored by celebrities and oligarchs of cap d’antibes. Amidst the idyllic, almost alien landscape, I was waiting for Russell Crowe. He just presented in the competition program of Goodfellas Shane black, the irreverent action-Comedy about a pair of detectives, the losers from Los Angeles of the 1970s (the second played by Ryan Gosling) who suddenly stumble upon the business of his life — the murder of the superstars of the porn industry.
A scene from the movie “Goodfellas”
The black turned to remove the exemplary Hollywood spectacle, a parody of the COP genre, which owns the genre better than many of its major representatives, as well as unabashedly awash in brash peasant humor, juicy semidesyatnikov retro and ravishing the obscene, from the particulars of the porn industry to the dirty investigative work. The interview will appear on the Tape.<url>” to the upcoming release of the film in the Russian hire there is a brag his rare soulfulness atmosphere: crow not only did not restrain himself, talking about his dislike of PR posturing and passion for simple farm stay at the ranch, but also feel the need fatherly to let me, a goner, in my protein diet and physical training. The story was accompanied by violent gestures and illustrative examples: crow took me by the collar, clapping his regulski, impressive weight even more than, paw on the shoulder, showed how to transform my biceps after work in his system. The biggest stars are often the most simple in dealing with people — but in such a charming (and physically felt) familiarity of course, I did not expect and must admit I was shocked.
Still from the film “the wizard’s Apprentice”
Still enough kinomanskie and simple pleasures from viewing of films. So, today showed just two different pictures the second in importance of the Cannes program “the Special sight”. First — absolutely stunning, ruthless and emotionally to your protagonist and to the audience “the wizard’s Apprentice” (Apprentice) of Singaporean BU Unvana. For fantasy Russian name hides something interesting and original: the young hero of the film learns not to anything, and to enforce the highest measure of a sentence (in Singapore the death penalty is allowed). His paradoxical position is exacerbated by the fact that at the time the verdict of the court was hanged his own father — moreover, a mentor guy acts exactly the same executioner that killed his parents. BU gradually drives up the tempo, skillfully developing this complication, and working, in essence, on pure nerves, and to the final painting and it does grows to the level of the most powerful parables of the severity of fate and the inevitability of certain destinies. Such an effect in the genre of prison dramas for me in recent years produced only “a Prophet” by Jacques Audiard and “From start to finish” by David Mackenzie. BU Upenu meanwhile, only 32. Amazing.
Shot from a film “at Any price”
It’s amazing, but the second day the fortune of the “Special view” is the new film of the above-mentioned Mackenzie. In “at Any price” (Hell to High Water) the Briton for the first time in his career he made a movie in America — and in the native American Western genre. Another thing is that Western he’s not a classic, but is played out in contemporary circumstances. In the center of the plot — a pair of Texas brothers-rogue (Chris pine and Ben foster) who have taken to robbing banks in the backwoods, and strictly on small things (no more than 10 thousand dollars from one savings Bank), as well as decrepit Texas Ranger (Jeff bridges), who investigates these attacks paired with the unflappable assistant-Indian it veteran of law enforcement are constantly humiliated on a national basis (“Say, you still have Negro blood? The better. But while I’m still stock of Indian offenses has not exhausted”). Mackenzie first half of the movie non-stop jokes and effervescent, simultaneously, as in the classic westerns, giving wisdom about the Texas life, the nature of power, land, money, and a supernova of colonization (“150 years ago the cowboys were evicted from here of the Indians. Now their own descendants evicted… banks”), about a male soul and a female body. And on the second hour of this hilarious fable is transformed even more powerful — because in any normal Western, even where over the vast prairies do not ride on the Mustang, and the pickups, and the Comanche do not collect scalps, and casino, the armistice should be replaced by a bloody rage of violence. Brit McKenzie, relieving Texas with almost religious awe the shock of the stranger, in essence recreating life in a recently moribund genre. Given that a couple of days ago the same thing, but with the difficult stories of growing up — made overseas material Englishwoman Andrea Arnold in “American honey”, it is time to speak about full-fledged trend.
