October 2016 film review, continued

FILMS, CONTINUED.

SECOND CHANCE (1953) D- Rudolph Mate. Robert Mitchum kills a guy in the ring and travels to deepest Mexico to reboot his life. He comes across gorgeous Linda Darnell, on the run from her gangland boss who will do anything to avoid her testifying at his upcoming trial, up to and including sending evil Jack Palance to find her and silence her for good.

What follows is nicely made noir, even though it's made in glowing technicolor. Unusual in its time for being shot almost entirely on location south of the border, it features an unforgettable climax on a cable car, precariously suspended over a yawning chasm. All the players are excellent, especially Mitchum as the tough guy made all gooey by love, and Jack Palance demonstrating some of the most brooding menace ever seen on film.

BRIDGE OF SPIES (2015) D- Steven Spielberg. In 1957, at the height of the Cold War, pilot Gary Powers is shot down in his spy plane while overflying the Soviet Union. Meanwhile, in the U.S., a Rusky spy is caught passing notes to his handler. Both sides are embarrassed by the revelations, and would seek out a way of exchanging the two with a minimum of fuss. Enter civil lawyer Tom Hanks, brought in because is independent of government, and therefore maybe capable of brokering some sort of deal.

The Spielberg/Hanks machine has been rolling for quite some time now, and seem to be able to put together a highly professional product with seemingly little effort. Especially when they've got a script by John Le Carre to work with. The result here is highly watchable, human and, with the added skills of Mark Rylance to call upon, a sure-fire hit.

THE SALT OF THE EARTH (2014) D- Wim Wenders.
Being the life and times of Sebastiao Salgado, possibly the greatest photographer alive today. For decade after decade, Salgado has been travelling to the world's trouble spots, wars, famines, sweat shops, open-cast mines, and come back with images of stunning clarity and vision. Even the pictures which depict horror are somehow beautiful, like the scenes from the first Gulf War when Saddam set the oil wells on fire, while some are so powerful they will etch themselves into your memory for ever. There's one he took in Rwanda, after the men with the machetes had visited a school. We see a classroom, the floor literally covered in the corpses of children to the point where not a single inch of floor can be seen. Wenders's presence is scarcely noticed (which illustrates just what a great pro he is) as he lets Salgado and his photos tell the story.

Sometimes Salgado, perhaps sickened by what he has seen and recorded, turns his camera on nature, photographing landscapes and wildlife, and again capturing images of breath-taking beauty. There is one I remember, of the fore-claw of a marine iguana in the Galapagos, covered in scales and bearing an uncanny resemblance to the the hand of a medieval knight encased in chain-mail.

And Salvado doesn't confine his activities to photography. He has bought 5000 acres of land in Brazil which was cleared of its rainforest to grow trees to extract palm-oil. He has removed those trees and is in the process of planting indigenous tress and other plants which will one day see the rainforest return. What a guy!