This film has a similar feel to that of A Beautiful Life, but the story is completely different. Director Roberto Benigni demonstrates a man’s struggle to keep the woman he loves alive. He uses an actual event as the cause of his struggle. Even in the worst cases, Benigni manages to use comedy to look at the optimistic side of everything. Instead of giving up on the one he loves, he travels far and lies to beat the odds of her death. Also, he looks past the problems of mankind to see the beauty in life.
I remembered Children of Heaven and Babel when I saw this movie. Much of it is set in Iraq and religion and spirituality is brought up. The story of Babel is used to represent the reason for war between cultures. Many critics dislike his attempt to use comedy in the Muslim world, but I believe that he succeeds to bring a new positive perspective. Benigni brings optimism in the least likely places where many people such as the author Faud who gives his life up.
The title describes Benigni’s character Attilio. A tiger is usually not in a place where it snows, and a man does not go towards the place of danger but away from it. Attilio goes to an unlikely place where there is a war and the threat of death lingering nearby.
The film is also used to remind us about the innocent loss in wars. In the scene where he is in prison, we sympathize with him knowing he was an innocent bystander of war. The perseverance and achievements made by Attilio present life as full of miracles and surprises that come with love. Benigni pushes the idea of love back into a society where war ad politics have been pushing it out.
Thursday, March 29, 2007
Ushpizin-March 29th
This orthodox Jewish film portrays the hidden miracles in life that come from the most unexpected places. The title means “holy guests”, yet the characters are escaped convicts who only want things without giving back. The continuous trials end in a happier and more fulfilled marriage between Moshe and Malli. Moshe has to face his past and go through the worst with his wife to gain her best trust and love along with a family. The convicts end up joining the Orthodox religion after ridding Moshe of all of his past sins.
The film depicts a culture closed off to most of the world, and makes the viewers want to join the main characters during their Sukkoth rituals. More and more miracles occur during the film, and each one is almost forgotten until the biggest one at the end. Director Gidi Dar shows how the least expected and difficult events can be the most rewarding.
The couple learns the deeper meaning of the traditional holiday in a country surrounded by crime and death. The director focuses on a small society where hospitality is a necessity. Dar displays a universal bind between mankind though kindness; he displays how people can come together to create miracles and a better society of friendship. Moshe depends on the holiday food, a citron, to answer his prayers. When the two guests use the fruit in a salad to return the kindness to Moshe, he misunderstands the meaning of the fruit for the holiday and gets angry at the destruction of the physical fruit. He realizes the use of the fruit was worth the money because it represents the convicts attempt to help and give back to a friend for kindness. The birth of the baby boy portrays a new hope for society to come together in faith and friendship.
The film depicts a culture closed off to most of the world, and makes the viewers want to join the main characters during their Sukkoth rituals. More and more miracles occur during the film, and each one is almost forgotten until the biggest one at the end. Director Gidi Dar shows how the least expected and difficult events can be the most rewarding.
The couple learns the deeper meaning of the traditional holiday in a country surrounded by crime and death. The director focuses on a small society where hospitality is a necessity. Dar displays a universal bind between mankind though kindness; he displays how people can come together to create miracles and a better society of friendship. Moshe depends on the holiday food, a citron, to answer his prayers. When the two guests use the fruit in a salad to return the kindness to Moshe, he misunderstands the meaning of the fruit for the holiday and gets angry at the destruction of the physical fruit. He realizes the use of the fruit was worth the money because it represents the convicts attempt to help and give back to a friend for kindness. The birth of the baby boy portrays a new hope for society to come together in faith and friendship.
Sunday, March 4, 2007
Babel (March 2nd)
The first part of the film I noticed was the title. The bolded white words on the DVD menu are slightly crooked. After viewing the film, I decided to look up the title knowing it was part of a Bible story. The story marks the separation of people by making new languages after the people try to build a man-made tower, Babel, to heaven. God punished them by confusing their words thus creating new languages. The title can represent the crooked ways of human beings.
The discontinuity of time actually connects the movie as a whole bringing three stories around the world together. This represents man’s connection with each other even through cultural and distant differences. The ending f the film indicates man’s continuous struggle to get through the confusion of life. There is some closure with all three scenarios, yet none of them satisfy the viewer. The Japanese father realizes something is wrong with is daughter which is a step, but the issue is not directly addressed or fixed. The parents in Morocco make it to the hospital, but we do not see the wife recovered or returning to the United States. Their marriage is saved, but we do not see the family reunited. The Mexican nanny finds the police who find the children, but she is deported to Mexico. Babel shows the corruption within mankind today. We are all connected in one sense, yet we let our pride interfere and create more chaos and confusion.
The film makes a political statement about political issues in the world today. The director shows the clouded perception of what is moral and amoral in today’s society.
The discontinuity of time actually connects the movie as a whole bringing three stories around the world together. This represents man’s connection with each other even through cultural and distant differences. The ending f the film indicates man’s continuous struggle to get through the confusion of life. There is some closure with all three scenarios, yet none of them satisfy the viewer. The Japanese father realizes something is wrong with is daughter which is a step, but the issue is not directly addressed or fixed. The parents in Morocco make it to the hospital, but we do not see the wife recovered or returning to the United States. Their marriage is saved, but we do not see the family reunited. The Mexican nanny finds the police who find the children, but she is deported to Mexico. Babel shows the corruption within mankind today. We are all connected in one sense, yet we let our pride interfere and create more chaos and confusion.
The film makes a political statement about political issues in the world today. The director shows the clouded perception of what is moral and amoral in today’s society.
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