"ROSEMARY’S BABY" A GOOD PLACE TO START REVISITING CINEMATIC HISTORY

I have been in a bit of a wilderness as far as catching up with cinematic history goes. Oh I know. It’s an impossible endeavour – or very close to being so anyway. But the simple fact is, I have not watched nowhere near as many of the classics as I would have liked to have by now. That’s why I have decided to really make it a priority. There is a certain place in my head that I would really like to reach, now I don’t know how realistic it is, but we shall see. And I mean, you lot get quite a lot of film reviews out of it so… Not such a bad thing, is it?

Now having a rather active imagination that really enjoyed taking slightly bizarre angles on even everyday life (To give but one example, as a young child I was adamant that when you got into an elevator, the elevator stood still and the building moved…  As you can imagine my Mother was subjected to a whole series of very bizarre questions as I grew up) I was fascinated by horror films and yet tried to avoid them. Knowing that my watching even one would mean nightmares for weeks and a whole new universe of bizarre questions, Mom was incredibly strict about my not watching anything even vaguely horror. Understandably. This is probably why I got a weird sensation of guilty excitement when I came across Rosemary’s Baby the other day. I had to watch it. It was like, I don’t know… That “forbidden pleasure” kind of excitement. I mean obviously Mom doesn’t have a say in what I watch any more (although she shudders at the very mention of Quentin Tarantino – she gets faint at the mere idea of blood you see, much less large quantities of it on her TV screen) but still. You know. It’s that kind of film. It has the reputation. It led to people firmly believing Polanski was into spells and witchcraft himself (How else could he have known? Asked people, momentarily forgetting this little thing called research). Anyway, at 30 years of age I just about felt ready for the experience. I dived (dove?) right in…

So Rosemary (Mia Farrow) and Guy, a newlywed couple move into their brand new home. Guy is an actor looking for his big break, Rosemary is a homemaker and they are madly in love. And although the new flat seems like a dream home to the young couple, soon the peculiar occurrences begin. Rosemary initially explains it all away. Their neighbours are a bit eccentric but they seem ok – if a little nosey. But surely this is to be expected from an old couple with no children of their own? Things take on a slightly sinister turn when Rosemary finds herself pregnant. As her pregnancy advances Rosemary gets more and more sure that her unborn child’s life is in danger… But with Guy seemingly in cahoots with the neighbours who can she trust?

If there is one thing that annoys me above all others when it comes to horror films, it is over-reliance on monsters and jump-scares. A good jump-scare from time to time is a fine thing, however, it should NOT form the backbone of a horror film. A film is not a film if it isn’t playing with your mind. As is the want of Mr Polanski, in this film he DEFINITELY plays with your mind. In fact mind games – with you and poor Rosemary – is mainly what the film is all about. Every filmmaker has a “thing” you may have noticed. In fact I think this is true of books as well, this thing can be a theme, a place, a character, just something that every single one of their artworks share. For some it’s more obvious, for others less so. For Mr Polanski, it’s very clearly flats. In many of his works the flat itself becomes the enemy, turning on its inhabitant. You would have thought with various different films along the same theme, “one more” wouldn’t be anything too special. But this one is. This film is the granddaddy of all the films that came after it, irrespective of the genre, that built themselves up on that feeling of eyes constantly on you, a sense of constantly mounting dread and the complete inability to find a place to turn.     It starts small and slowly grows into an all-engulfing monster which is the heart of this cinematic classic. In fact I believe this film should be watched if only JUST to see how that sense of being completely surrounded, constantly watched and engulfed SHOULD be done on film. And as I write these lines it has only just occurred to me that one of the main reasons Mr Polanski is so good at it has to be his own experience of the feeling.  It is an opportune moment to remember that Mr Polanski is a Holocaust survivor. Couple this fact with Rosemary in the latter part of the film with her shortly cropped hair… Oh I’m not saying it’s an allegory or anything but I think the feeling, the emotion portrayed must surely have its roots in that particular historical moment. I mean yes, her haircut is purportedly Vidal Sassoon but is the prison-style close crop not there to give a message? At the very least it tells us that Rosemary is the prisoner of her circumstances, the house and everyone that surrounds her.

I defy anyone to watch this film and then be able to instantly shrug off the sense of dread it fills you with. These are the kinds of monsters that do not melt away in the sunlight. I know horror is not everyone’s thing… But if monsters do float your boat… This is one film NOT to be missed… 

THE THINGS WE GET UP TO TO MAKE A LIVING... "A FISTFULL OF DOLLARS"

I have, I believe, recently mentioned that I do not watch as many westerns as I should. It is of course up for discussion what “should” and “shouldn’t” be watched, but I pride myself in having more than just a passing interest in cinema. This is why I feel it’s a tad bit shameful I don’t know more about a genre that was the backbone of the entire art form at one time, not to mention the creator of so many sub-genres and cinematic traditions later on.  Hence, I have been a good girl, and have begun to properly research the subject. Now, am I influenced by the fact that Quentin Tarantino (yes, yes, him again) is such a fan of Sergio Leone in my choice? Yes. Unquestionably so. His films, starring Clint Eastwood and giving us so many moments and conventions that became cinematic staples later on are cinematic classics that should be watched though. Mind you there is a lot more than just duty that attracts me to this film. I know I moan on and on about originality and thinking outside the box but still. There is something very comforting about a simpler world, goodies vs baddies – both very clearly black and white, with the goodie winning out in the end. Mind you, in a fistful of dollars we can’t exactly call our goodie “white as snow” ethically speaking but hey…  At least there’s nothing complicated about who you’re meant to back… ;)

The beginning of the story is familiar to all, even to those of us who are complete foreigners to the genre. A nameless, sharp-shooting stranger rides into a little town close to the Mexican border. It is high noon and the town is shrouded in a deadly quiet, all but the coffin maker who always seems to have his hands full… The town is torn apart by the in-fighting of two rival families, both planted firmly on the wrong side of the law and both hell-bent on becoming the one and only masters of the town. The rivalry is all-consuming and the two gangs have no consideration for the consequences of this fight to the town. Our hero (Clint Eastwood), has other plans. He will play double agent, playing one family against another to make himself a wad of cash… And maybe, just maybe he might be able to do some good for the good folk of the town too. The stranger must be careful though. He walks a very dangerous path where one wrong step could cost him his life…

Well, first and foremost we are very much in the domain of comfort films ladies and gents. But you knew that already. It’s Clint Eastwood. It’s a western. You know how things are going to go down. It is a brilliant combination of “raah” moments and adventure, peopled with some of the badest baddies  you could possibly imagine. And, even though you may not be a huge fan of Clint Eastwood’s style – some are and some aren’t you know – you have to admit, here, it’s brilliant. The stranger has to keep his cards very close to his chest and not give a single shred of thought and emotion away as he negotiates the minefield that is the gang relations. But the true mark of a good director comes through here too because in with all the stuff we “know and love” is mixed a truly nail-biting story. We get caught up in it so very easily, and credit where it’s due, you have to admire the stranger’s shrewdness in playing the two families against each other (or in this case, the shrewdness of the scriptwriter). The story takes such twists and turns that it you never fall into the lethargy of knowing the “goodies will win in the end”, simply because you are never %100 sure what our hero is exactly up to. Well that and the fact that he does not really seem to be your common or garden “good guy”.  I mean, are we %100 sure  he “wins in the end”? You’re in for a jolly good adventure with this one, fellas. It’s the kind of film that makes you understand why kids were so obsessed with playing cowboys in the heyday of these films… If you’re looking to get away from your day to day life for an hour or two and go on an adventure from your front room, this is the fella to go for ladies and gents. And given the almost desert-like quality to the British weather at the moment, a rather fitting adventure at that. 

STEPPING EVEN FURTHER BACK : "SHE WORE A YELLOW RIBBON"

Ok, slightly dumb question. Does this count as a western? I think it must. There are red Indians in it, and they are pitted against the “white man”, the undoubted good character in the mix. There’s even a damsel in distress or two. And if nothing else, it’s a John Ford movie. It doesn’t get more classic than that. I’m ashamed to say that westerns are my Achilles heel when it comes to cinematic knowledge. As in I must have watched about a total of five in my life. Not counting films like Django Unchained of course – or in fact, the fact that most Tarantino films are somehow offshoots of westerns no matter where and how they are set.  I have just realised the irony of the situation actually. Since I am SUCH a fan of Tarantino, I’d probably love westerns. Hmm. Must set about finding me some. I mean take this one. I enjoyed this one.

Captain Brittles is about to retire from the US Cavalry. He is well loved and respected by his men and with his years of experience he has almost become a father figure to them over the years. He has pretty much devoted his life to the cavalry, especially since his wife and children died when he was quite a young man. Now, at the end of an era, Captain Brittles doesn’t quite know what to do with the rest of his time, however he is trying not to think about that. He is concentrating on the one last remaining mission in hand, because is last mission is going to be a slightly tricky one. He needs to lead a patrol round the territory to quell a native uprising that has been boiling for some time, growing in ferocity by the day. But as if that were not dangerous enough, he must also take the wife and daughter of his commanding officer to safety. Will Captain Brittles leave the cavalry in a blaze of glory befitting his reputation? Or will he fall at the last hurdle and tarnish a so far spotless career?

This film, in fact, achieves something pretty similar to the “thing” The Corpse Bride achieves, even though it’s in a completely different context. Let me try and explain.

You know, we like experiencing different things from time to time. Especially when it comes to matters like art and cinema. We are not after clichés we are mostly after things that excite, surprise and fascinate. But you know? Sometimes you don’t want the latest development fusion cuisine. Sometimes you want comfort food. Bangers and mash. A big slice of chocolate fudge cake. That’s what this film is. Well, that’s what both films are in fact but this one more than others. You know exactly what’s coming, you know what’s what. You know the good guys, the bad guys and you also know the good guys will probably win out at the end of the day. It’s the perfect tonic, I have found, after a long tiring day at work. Captain Brittles is one of the archetype heroes the whole “man’s man” hero has been based on today. Tough, manly… The character has been copied in modern films and tv series down to the absent /deceased family. And do you know something? When you take a big homely bite out of the cathartic experience that is watching the film, you can see exactly why.

I mean there’s a lot more to say about the film. It ranges from the fact that it uses classic Hollywood editing down to the racist treatment the Native Americans get in this film as they did in every “cowboys and Indians” type film of the era. Now, I just want it noted that I strongly believe that there is a lot of very interesting things one can do with a camera without being “Hollywood style”. I also get shocked at the way native Americans were portrayed back in the day  - i.e. either maniacs set out to kill or powerless dunks. I invite you to take the phenomenon as the misconceptions and ignorance of a past age. And to be fair on the film itself, although the portrayals are not ideal – they are definitely slanted – they are not the worst I have ever seen by a very, very long shot. See them as the archetypal “baddies” in your common or garden “goodie vs baddie” type film and you’ll be ok. That is, how I strongly feel the film intended them to be seen anyway.

AND SOMETIMES IT JUST CREEPS UP ON YOU... : "FROZEN RIVER"

From one kind of desperation to a very different kind. Sometimes fear and desperation come with big fanfare, like in the case of the tsunami. You see it coming a mile away, you know your options – live or die – and brace yourself for its impact. Sometimes though, it creeps up on you like a mist. It first slowly closes one alleyway, then the other, until you have nowhere left to turn. Once you realise it has crept up on you it is far too  late, you are left with only one real  option. Do something desperate, one way or another, to live… Or die…

This is pretty much the situation Ray Eddie (Melissa Leo) finds herself one morning, a week before Christmas. Her husband Troy, a gambling addict who had been clean for 32 months has vanished along with the cash that was meant as a down payment on their new house. She has two children to take care of, the 15 year old, headstrong TJ and little Ricky who’s only preoccupation is what he will get for Christmas. His odds aren’t looking good to be honest; Ray can barely provide them with three square meals, much less Christmas presents. It is precisely at this rather desperate point in her life that she crosses paths with Lila Littlewolf. Lila lives on the Mohawk reservation not far from their home. The two women are not exactly on amicable terms at first but soon they realise that they have more in common than was first apparent. Lila seemingly has something Ray desperately needs – an easy way of making money… At first, all Ray really wants is to get enough money to secure the new house they have just lost. But as is often the case with these things, once you get mixed up, there really is no easy way out again…

Ok, I LOVE the way this film describes how desperation pushes people to crime. I love the slow creeping of the desperation and the hunger for things to go right. A lot of this kind of film tends to contain some kind of big, dramatic event – sickness, someone dying, you know the sort I mean, fireworks. True to life, Ray’s demons are mostly bills. The fact that she has to give her sons popcorn and fruit juice for breakfast as there is nothing else left in the house to eat. The fact that her husband has just vanished with all their life savings and that the pretty young thing at work gets promoted over her. Then there is Lila, also in a state of silent desperation. She has demons of her own that I will let you discover. I have never actually descended into a world of crime, but I suspect, if one slips off the rails, this is pretty much how it goes.

Then of course, it has to be said, it makes a MASSIVE difference to have a woman at the helm as director. I am very, very happy to report that the women in this film do not fit the “frilly” stereotypes they are usually put in at all. Ray is, you will soon discover as tough as old boots. Lila is as well in her own way. They are both put in situations where they are active parties in their own destinies, very much captains of their own souls – as the poem goes. Thing is though, like all of us, they make mistakes – which is kinda what it’s all about, both life and the film. In fact, the more I think about it, the clearer it is to me how much of a matriarchy this film is, as all the main, active characters are women, the men (with the notable exception of the police officer – but I do see it wouldn’t be realistic to have a female police officer at a tough spot like that) are either very much minor characters or acted upon by the women. It is very subtly done,  so much so I didn’t even notice it until I stopped to think about it as I write this review but when I did, it made me smile.

But all that is once you’ve watched the film and the initial shock is over. This is the kind of film that is going to have you engulfed in that all familiar sinking feeling from the first five minutes onwards. It really does feel as if you’re being slowly strangled in the darkness of the film from time to time… But oh boy… What a ride. Totally worth it.