august book and film review

Welcome to this month's book and film review.

BOOKS

THE DIARY OF A YOUNG GIRL, by Anne Frank. Probably the most famous diary ever written, and is indeed a powerful testament of youth by a talented and skillful writer. But the thing I couldn't escape from, reading her accounts of the oppression of the Jews in occupied Holland, the restriction of movement, the careless brutality, was the feeling that this is precisely the same plight facing the Palestinian people under the military occupation by Israel. I don't think Anne would have approved. She believed fervently in freedom of expression, freedom of movement and the right to self determination.
FLAUBERT'S PARROT, by Julian Barnes. The back-cover blurb said Graham Greene loved it, that John Fowles loved it. Well, I'm sorry, but I didn't. Yes, there's a lot of fascinating material about the great man himself, but it's all a bit turgid. And the afterthought at the end about the author's (Barnes) wife's death was for me, quite superfluous.
THE LOST HONOUR OF KATHARINA BLUM, by Heinrich Boll. Now here's a bit of real quality, a strange tale, told almost in the manner of a police report, of a how a young woman comes to murder a harassing journalist.
THE AGE OF REASON, by Jean-Paul Sartre. Last year I read spellbound his debut novel "Nausea" and thought I should look at his magnum opus, his "Roads to Freedom" trilogy. My effort has been well rewarded: this first part is superb, dark, dangerous and sexy. Like the author himself, apparently...

FILMS

THE CRUSADES (1935) d- Cecil B de Mille. De Mille loved the big canvas, and to him, spectacle was always more important than historical accuracy- never more so than here, where he paints the story as having Saladin fall for Richard's wife- wah?
JULIET OF THE SPIRITS (1964) d- Federico Fellini. Fellini's wild, hallucinatory ride through the weird, psychic world of his heroine, once again played by his own wife, Guilietta Massini. Quite marvellous.
VENGEANCE IS MINE (1965) d- Imamura Shohai. Based on a real case of a psychopathic murderer in post war Japan, it is authentic-looking and strong, though perhaps a little bleak- but that's Japanese cinema for you...
THE INNOCENTS (1976) d- Luchino Visconti. Visconti's last film, a sumptuously produced tale of adultery set among Italy's fin de siecle glitterati. It looks quite stunning from first frame to last.
PRECIOUS (2009) w-d- Lee Daniels. A disturbing and powerful tale of an abused girl in New York. The domestic scenes are extremely well drawn, if the scenes at school are less convincing. Above all, a tremendous acting performance from the lead, Gabourly Sidibe, but also from Mo'nique, who plays her sadistic, but also damaged, mother.
THE BIG NIGHT (1951)d-Joseph Losey. J Drew Barrymore sees his father humiliated and vows revenge. It threatens to be classy, but the script lets it down badly.
ADVENTURELAND d- Greg Matola. Yet another one of those "coming of age" movies so beloved of Hollywood; this one made me think (because of Kristin Stewart) of "Twilight without the vampires"- sorry about that guys...
DISTRICT 13 ULTIMATUM (2009) d- Patrick Allessandrini. The first one was terrific fun, full of energy and excitement and these qualities are very much maintained in this new offering. You guys rock!