December book and film review

BOOKS

MARTIN CHUZZLEWIT, by Charles Dickens. A young man, cut adrift by the elderly uncle he was relying on for financial support, takes Horace Greely's advice and goes west in search of his fortune. But the "Land of the Free" turns out to be less inviting than he thought...
Containing all the usual ingredients of a Dickens classic; an innocent and beautiful waif, an insufferable youth who eventually learns some wisdom but at great cost, comedic characters, and of course, Dickens's favourite, the great hypocrite, Martin Chuzzlewit threatens to be the definitive Dickens novel. Personally I loved it, especially the nightmarish sojourn in America, where young Martin is fleeced, hoodwinked and generally conned from the moment he steps ashore in New York. I find this a little strange, because apparently Dickens actually liked America himself, and it was certainly good to him. He conducted several highly successful (and lucrative) tours there, reading from his books to rapturous audiences. Talk about biting the hand that feeds you...

THE GENERAL FROM THE JUNGLE, by B Traven. After decades of ruthless exploitation by the landowners and an uncaring dictatorship, Mexican peasants finally rise up in revolt against their masters. From among their number a leader is chosen to spearhead their fight against a corrupt and incompetent army. They are far better equipped of course, but to the soldiers it's just a job, but the peasants are fighting for the future of an entire generation... Viva la revolution!
A gripping little tale, Traven's first book about war is tight and at times horribly detailed. We get inside the minds of the peasants and their antagonists in a vivid and sometimes terrifying way. And for me it illustrates what I have always believed about leadership: that leaders should be dragged out, kicking and screaming if necessary, and made to lead, rather than allowing the ambitious to climb the greasy pole all the way to the top, which is the way it happens here and around the world. People who want power should in no way ever be allowed to have it, and this is Traven's most powerful message.

CONSTABLE: THE PAINTER AND HIS LANDSCAPE, by Michael Rosenthal. John Constable, Britain's favourite painter, was born into a moderately wealthy landowning family in Suffolk in the late 1700s and was most fortunate to be indulged in his hobby of painting, a hobby which became his life's great passion. His intention was to show the noble efforts of the rural labourer in providing food for the nation, and the beauty of the landscape created by their efforts. The result is a number of iconic images which have entered the national psyche in a way no other British painter has achieved. Prints of The Haywain and Flatford Mill can be found in schools, office buildings and private homes up and down the country to this day.
But did Constable really get inside the lives of the workers? I think not. He regarded himself as a hard worker, and certainly in artistic terms he was as productive as any we could name, but did he really think, even on his busiest day, that his energy output came anywhere near the workload of the average farm labourer his paintings so lovingly depict? I doubt he gave it a single thought.
Michael Rosenthal is an astute critic as well as an accomplished writer, lending this book more readability than you find in most art books. And the prints in my copy were sumptuous.

NAPLES '44, by Norman Lewis. In the aftermath of the German occupation of Naples, a young British officer is seconded into the intelligence services to help keep law and order in the now impoverished city. He soon finds, between the local mafia and the desperate measures taken by a population on the verge of starvation, his job is next to impossible. But he tries...
Norman Lewis has established a reputation as one of Britain's most insightful travel writers, and many people consider this book his masterpiece. As indeed it is. Written in a delightfully self-deprecating style, he tells stories of great tenderness and the most horrible savagery with the same cool voice. Like the young corporal who, in attempting to prevent children jumping on the back of lorries and pilfering everything they can carry, lurks inside the truck, waiting for someone to grab the handrail at the back. When a hand appears he hacks at it with a hatchet. Our hero puts a stop to his brutal technique when he hears of it, but not before several children have lost fingers. A quite marvellous read, so good I read it slowly in order to savour every single word.

FILMS

THE WIND THAT SHAKES THE BARLEY (2006) D- Ken Loach. As the IRA struggles for independence from Imperial Great Britain, ordinary folk who have no particular political agenda are dragged into an increasingly vicious struggle. Winner of the Palme D'or at Cannes in 2006, Loach finally won recognition for his consummate cinematographic skills, and perhaps also for his unswerving commitment to the cause of the weak and powerless in society. The film itself is harsh and uncompromising, indeed, as harsh and uncompromising as the struggle the film describes. And, lest we forget, that struggle is not yet over. For the six counties of the north remain under British dominion, carefully loaded with British supporters to ensure "democracy" keeps it that way...

KING LEAR (1971) D- Peter Brook. A foolish King decides to retire and divide his kingdom among his ungrateful daughters. He lives to regret his folly. Big time...
Peter Brook's bleak, unforgiving interpretation is brought stunningly to life by Paul Scofield's King, playing out his agony in a landscape that was shot in southern England, but which seems almost Arctic. The wind screams, flags are ripped, one almost feels the cold harshness of the landscape in one's bones as the tragedy marches towards its grim conclusion. Watch out for the famous scene where the King, having been rejected by his daughters, goes off in a strop straight into the heart of a great storm. Unforgettable stuff.

THE ACT OF KILLING (2012) Documentary, D- Joshua Oppenheimer. In the 1960s, Indonesia felt itself threatened by the spread of communism. So the government under Sukarno and later, Suharto commissioned a number of special, autonomous squads to go out and "bring them to justice" This meant torturing suspects to betray their fellows, then assassinating them, one by one. Hundreds, perhaps thousands died in this way. Somehow the director Oppenheimer tracked these men down, and, even more incredibly, persuaded them to speak on camera about their unspeakable crimes. Completely unrepentant to this day, these men clearly believed communism was the devil's work and that any means necessary were justified to rid Indonesia of the Red scourge. The result is an horrifying account of torture and murder unprecedented in its unabashed frankness Not for the faint hearted...

A ROOM WITH A VIEW (1986) P-D Merchant/Ivory. Around the beginning of the 20th century, a diverse group of Brits in a Florence Pensione interact in a very British way. And when they return to leafy Kent the interactions continue. Can Lucy overcome her idiocy and marry the right man, and do we care? Of course we do, because the players are skilled enough to involve us, (they include promising newcomers Helena Bonham-Carter and Julian Sands, alongside old stalwarts like Maggie Smith and Denholm Elliott) and most importantly, the story is told with all the finesse we have come to expect from the Merchant/Ivory team. Superior stuff.

OZ THE GREAT AND POWERFUL (2013) D- Sam Raimi. A second-rate magician is transported via a tornado from Kansas to a strange and garishly coloured world, inhabited by witches, some of whom are good, others not so nice...
If Hollywood likes anything more than a sequel it's a prequel, and here we have the forerunner to The Wizard of Oz. The producers have tried hard to recreate the atmosphere of the original, despite being handicapped by the original film's owners, Warner Bros, denying them permission to use all sorts of devices from its progenitor. Thus we are only shown subliminal views of the Yellowbrick Road, the Munchkins are nowhere to be found (perhaps a mercy, come to think of it), but within these constraints Sam Raimi and the production team worked wonders in producing a kind of Technicolor, art-deco look to the film which is most attractive. James Franco turns in a sound performance in the title role (they wanted Robert Downey Jr, but what can you do?) and Mila Kunis is excellent as the Wicked Witch of the West. On the whole, I think we can say the whole $200 million spent on the film does appear on the screen. Creditable.

SIGHTSEERS (2012) D- Ben Wheatley. Having lost her beloved puppy, a young girl abandons her mum to go on a sightseeing tour of Britain with her boyfriend. It isn't long before people start dying in places they've visited. Horribly. First a litterbug is taught a lesson in civics by being run over. Then a nice middle class gentleman tourist the boyfriend Chris decides is a stuck-up snob gets pushed over a cliff. The couple then steal his dog, which reminds the girl of her own puppy, but when he is allowed to befoul a stone circle and they are chastised by another tourist, he ends up with his head flattened against one of the standing stones. It gets worse...
We have already seen Ben Wheatley in  action this year with A Field in England, but this is a simpler, even more savage tale than that. Some have said it is reminiscent of Mike Leigh's Nuts in May, only far, far darker. and I'd say that's about right. The film was "devised" in a manner not dissimilar to Mike Leigh's celebrated method, with all the main players being given writing credits.
Scary, man, but kind of fun too.

MONEYBALL (2011) D- Bennett Miller. In 2001, the Oakland As baseball team is languishing at the bottom of the league. With limited funds at his disposal, the general manager (played by Brad Pitt) tries to assemble a team which will turn the tide of defeat. He decides on a new and untried method, relying on a kind of American version of Statto to analyse the statistics and thereby determine his choices. Going against 100 years of tradition where the talent scout ruled, slowly but surely, the team begins to win matches. Soon they are approaching an unprecedented 20 wins in a row in the major leagues. Can they do it?
Based on a true story, Moneyball was tremendously popular and critically acclaimed in the US, though it enjoyed less attention beyond those shores, basically because hardly anyone here understands how big league baseball actually works. But the fact remains this is a very good movie, held together strongly by Brad Pitt in one of his best roles. Worth a try.