Film Festivals

Through Venice Darkly

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There are times when we look at festivals to tell us of films which define the very fabric of cinema. At Venice for 75 years they have been diligent enough in giving us answers. Films which might have taken their share of hardships of releasing due inadequate distribution maybe even censorship. These films have end up here for the judges at Venice for their vote. But there has also been several mishaps in the decisions made. For instance there have been several times the more deserving film was not awarded or talent even missed. One example of this is Jane Campion who had missed her award for the surreal Portrait of a Lady and many of her landmark films. This year for instance Ang Lee who was awarded the top prize was not deserving with another landmark film in competition Atonement. But these misses can be forgiven given the number of mistakes the Academy makes. Let us not stick to just this aspect of the festival.

We need to consider the coherent voice of the films which are showcased in this festival. The Last Temptation of Christ which was screened at Palazzo del Cinema in 1988 created a huge outcry. But this film had redifined the way many people thought about the savior. Thus giving him a chance for another faith based on the final fictional dream which Christ had to undergo shown through the eyes of the master craftsmen Martin scorcese. He took the project after he read the book which was given to him by Barbara Heskey a Cannes film festival regular. The scene of the screening of the film was like a military bunker.

Another thing which gives this festival its shine is the recognition of great artists like Jean Renoir (The Southerner, 1946), Henri-Georges Clouzot (Manon, 1949), Robert Bresson (Journal d’un curé de campagne, 1951), Marcel Carnè (Theresa Raquin, 1953), Louis Malle (Les amants, 1958), Alain Resnais (L’année dernière à Marienbad, 1961) and Jean-Luc Godard (Vivre sa vie, 1962; La chinoise, 1967,Carl Theodor Dreyer (Ordet, 1955), emergent Andrej Tarkovskj (Ivan’s Childhood, Golden Lion in 1962), Luis Buñuel (Belle de jour, 1967), Ingmar Bergman (The Face/The Magician, 1959) who took the world with thier pallette of emotion and left a mark on the silver screen. They provided the films which marked the golden age for cinema. There has been a gradual inclination towards this age with the works of new maestros like Bela Tarr, Lars Von Trier and Gus Van Sant. They are the new visionaries who are paving the way for a golden new generation.

Another Spanish find is the eccentric and liberally challenged Pedro Almovadar. He found amazing recognition for some of his comedies like All about my mother and a Fish called Wanda. This was the 80s the second age of revival by the late Polish director Kieslowski who screened his extended masterpiece the dekalog which ran for more than 10 hours. The film which dealt with the Ten commandments and had many commandments work its way into the subplots of the main Commandment. Recently they had also shown one of Kieslowki future projects which he never did called Heaven.

This year saw the cross dressing Cate Blanchett act out the great Bob Dylan role. She played one of the facets of his charater during one purticular time of Dylan’s life in I’m not There. This year also saw one of David Cronenberg strongest outing Eastern Promises where he tagged along with actor Viggo Mortensen for the second time. Some of the strongest films which one in the last couple of years was Brokeback Mountain, Ivan’s Childhood in 1962,Bergman in 1959, Satyajit Ray’s Aparajito in 1957.

This year also saw some conterversy with the strong iraq war film Redacted by Brian De Palma. It spoke of the angers of the war and some of the hardships and frustrations the American soldiers have to face on a daily basis. But the films chosen at these festivals try to show us a fresh look at all that is happening in the world. There are films which take its time to grow on the lives of people. Many of the finds at Venice have given us pleasure to view some greatest filmmakers of our time. They also take films which address new sensebilities in the cinema front.

One of the oldest festivals going around Venice film festival is still taking films which redefine the way we think and look at things to this day. It has also provided us with arguments which we take back and discuss by providing films with singular viewpoints. The word which perfectly describe this festival is BRAVE.