1108. The Hired Hand

The Hired Hand
1971
Directed by Peter Fonda

I recently went to a party (an outdoor, six feet apart party), where everybody was mixing up Henry Fonda and Peter Fonda. I kept my mouth shut, because I like to keep my annoying level to a 6 at parties, and I had already eaten most of the host's candy. But on my own blog I can be as annoying as I wish. They were thinking of Dennis Hopper anyway.

Harry and Arch have grown tired after wandering around the American Southwest for seven years. I doubt there was meant to be romantic subtext here, but I got the sense the men were in love with each other. What a shame it took until Brokeback Mountain for somebody to explore the possibility of a cowboy romance. It gets mighty lonely in them thar hills.

Moving on. Harry decides it's about time to return to that wife and daughter he abandoned. Truly a stand up fella. His wife Hannah agrees to take him back in, but only as a hired hand. This actually sounds like the set up to a romantic comedy more than a brooding Western, but unfortunately, no wacky hijinks ensue.

I like Westerns, but I thought this felt a bit silly. This wasn't a very dialogue heavy movie, and you could tell each line was meant to carry emotional weight that, unfortunately, the script couldn't quite carry. It was also filled with long "traveling on horseback" scenes, which made me feel like I was watching a video game load its next cut scene.

Of course, this was a low budget film, which is probably why it felt so amateurish at times, particularly at the end. It held my interest, but it wasn't an essential inclusion by any means.

Interesting Facts:

Voted best film of the year by the magazine "Films and Filming" in 1971. Scuse? That was the year of Dirty Harry!

1107. Summer with Monika

Summer with Monika
1953
Directed by Ingmar Bergman

So I guess a later addition of this Book traded Winter Light for this Bergman film. If readers were hoping I grew out of my hating Bergman phase, I regret to report very little growth in that area. I still found this to be a rather dull affair.

Harry and Monika are in love and we get to watch them spend a rather sickening summer frolicking around and being insufferably happy. Once summer is over, Monika finds it difficult to adjust to her new life as mother and homemaker.

Apparently this caused quite a stir upon its release, as it features a naked woman. It's not even a particularly sexy scene, but I guess this was back in the Doris Days when people were desperate for anything edgy.

What was special about Harry and Monika? I still don't know. Maybe that was the point, that they were just two ordinary people that thought their love made them extraordinary, and they were wrong. Monika was only interesting in her misery and Harry was such a blank slate I found most scenes with him rather boring.

Still, because it is Bergman, it is a technically beautiful movie, even if Monika and Harry light each other's cigarettes in the most obnoxious way imaginable.

RATING: ***--

Interesting Facts:

Most widely viewed Bergman film in the U.S.

1106. Goddess

Goddess
1934
Directed by Yonggang Wu

I feel like the foreign additions to the List have all been pretty good, the American additions not so much. This film is considered a highlight of China's cinematic golden age, and it's not difficult to see why.

The Goddess referred to in the title is an unnamed single mother, struggling to make ends meet for her young son. She works as a prostitute, and unfortunately attracts the attention of thug/pimp/hat-wearing bad guy who makes her his private slave. The Goddess is not only concerned with her child's safety, but also in protecting him from the shame of having a prostitute for a mother.

You don't really see a lot of subtle acting in silent movies, because the medium doesn't really allow it. Actors must go out of their way to drive the story with their often hammy performances, otherwise the audience would be all the way confused about the plot, instead of just mostly confused. But I was very impressed with Ruan Lingyu's performance, which hit the perfect level of intensity. She radiated happiness in scenes with her son, and her scenes of quiet devastation were moving. I can see why she was such a popular actress at the time.

So another good addition, but I might need some lighter movies soon.

RATING: ****-

Interesting Facts:

The Chinese term Shennu is an old euphemism for prostitute.

1105. Wadjda

Wadjda
2012
Directed by Haifaa al-Mansour

There sure are a lot of movies about kids coveting bicycles on this blog. This is the first movie directed by a woman from Saudi Arabia, but because Saudi Arabia is Gilead without the laughs, she wasn't even allowed to speak to her predominantly male crew and was forced to direct the street scenes from a nearby van. Yay, progress.

Wadjda really wants a bike so she can race against her friend (a neighborhood boy named Abdullah), but her mother refuses to buy it for her, because give young girls an inch and soon they'll want all sorts of terrible things, like human rights or the ability to vote. Meanwhile, Wadjda's grandmother is trying to find her son another wife, because Wadjda's mother hasn't borne any sons yet.

So this was obviously upsetting in numerous ways. But the characters themselves are so lovable that I found myself forgetting my anger and just rooting for these characters who were trying to improve their lives in small, but hugely significant ways.

A welcome perspective and a welcome entry on the List.

RATING: ****-

Interesting Facts:

The cost of the bicycle is 213.33 in US dollars.