Showing posts with label Rod Serling. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Rod Serling. Show all posts
8/19/10
7/9/10
7/8/10
1/10/10
Metropolis
Metropolis is one of those films everyone has heard of and many film buffs claim to have watched, but when one speaks of it, most details, save for the scene of the fembot's clothing in flesh, tend to disappear.
But the truth is that the film, although technically sci fi, is really a polemic. Fritz Lang would make one of the more interesting films on class struggle ever made, yet, like Rod Serling would do decades later, in the television series The Twilight Zone, he would get away with his attacks on materialism and social disorder and dehumanization because many people, in that day, dismissed all sci fi.
The best version of the film that I've seen is the one released by Kino. It is restored to its full length (give or take a few seconds) and is remastered digitally.
But, the truth is that, even in the public domain, the film is worth seeing. I saw a scratched up version of the film decades ago, on tv, and it still impressed.
One thing to bear in mind, though, is that the film is a silent film, which means it is, in a sense, a different art form than modern sound and color film. It has its own rhythms, and once one gets used to them, the film unfolds very naturally. But, if you are expecting the spoonfed crap of modern Hollywood, you'll loathe this film.
You've been warned.
But the truth is that the film, although technically sci fi, is really a polemic. Fritz Lang would make one of the more interesting films on class struggle ever made, yet, like Rod Serling would do decades later, in the television series The Twilight Zone, he would get away with his attacks on materialism and social disorder and dehumanization because many people, in that day, dismissed all sci fi.
The best version of the film that I've seen is the one released by Kino. It is restored to its full length (give or take a few seconds) and is remastered digitally.
But, the truth is that, even in the public domain, the film is worth seeing. I saw a scratched up version of the film decades ago, on tv, and it still impressed.
One thing to bear in mind, though, is that the film is a silent film, which means it is, in a sense, a different art form than modern sound and color film. It has its own rhythms, and once one gets used to them, the film unfolds very naturally. But, if you are expecting the spoonfed crap of modern Hollywood, you'll loathe this film.
You've been warned.
12/27/09
The Twilight Zone: Five Characters In Search Of An Exit
I'd mentioned Rod Serling in an earlier post, and while looking up In Search Of... videos I came across this classic episode:
Watch 14. The Twilight Zone - Five Characters in Search of an Exit in Horror | View More Free Videos Online at Veoh.com
Watch 14. The Twilight Zone - Five Characters in Search of an Exit in Horror | View More Free Videos Online at Veoh.com
6/14/09
The Planet Of The Apes (1968)
While not as 'deep' as Stanley Kubrick's 2001: A Space Odyssey, The Planet Of The Apes was the other great sci fi film to be released in 1968.
Charlton Heston always gave good performances, even if a little over the top, at times. But, could you imagine Gary Cooper or John Wayne as Colonel George Taylor?
Here is the trailer:
And here is the ending:
Rod Serling's ending is classic, causing the author of the original novel, Pierre Boulle, to envy it. But, notice the ending- Jerry Goldsmith's score is classic, but the ending revelation gains power because there is no music to guide the viewer. There is no Aha! crescendo. Taylor's idea of the world is utterly destroyed (including him as the white male American conqueror) yet the ocean waves pummel on, indifferent to his plight. The power of quietude.
Just imagine had, say, Philip Glass had scored this. While great in some films, like the -Qatsi films and The Thin Blue Line, he's also some over the top scores like The Hours. My guess is Glass would have ruined the scene.
Anyway, the first film is truly great, albeit far from perfect. That fact- that great does not equate with perfect, is a concept few grasp. Think, though, and the reason should become clear.
Charlton Heston always gave good performances, even if a little over the top, at times. But, could you imagine Gary Cooper or John Wayne as Colonel George Taylor?
Here is the trailer:
And here is the ending:
Rod Serling's ending is classic, causing the author of the original novel, Pierre Boulle, to envy it. But, notice the ending- Jerry Goldsmith's score is classic, but the ending revelation gains power because there is no music to guide the viewer. There is no Aha! crescendo. Taylor's idea of the world is utterly destroyed (including him as the white male American conqueror) yet the ocean waves pummel on, indifferent to his plight. The power of quietude.
Just imagine had, say, Philip Glass had scored this. While great in some films, like the -Qatsi films and The Thin Blue Line, he's also some over the top scores like The Hours. My guess is Glass would have ruined the scene.
Anyway, the first film is truly great, albeit far from perfect. That fact- that great does not equate with perfect, is a concept few grasp. Think, though, and the reason should become clear.
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