Rollerball (1975) directed by Norman Jewison
I have to say that I think my opinion of this film was highly influenced by the fact that I felt ridiculously ill while I was watching it so I didn't think too highly of it immediately after it had finished. However after some time to reflect I realised that the film was actually very good but not the kind of film that I would choose to watch on my own: I find the futuristic, dystopian setting very depressing. I found the extent of control that the corporations had over people quite chilling, especially during the actual rollerball games. The game was used as a distraction and the way that the fans and the players were so brutal towards each other in comparison to the still and calculating character of Bartholomew watching over them was really unsettling to watch. The film was interesting in it's approach to the theme of control and mediation and I could see links with some of the documentaries by Adam Curtis and the film 'The Corporation' itself which explore the idea of the dominance of corporations in society today.
If...(1968) directed by Lindsay AndersonI really enjoyed this film, I think the public school setting really drew me in as this is something that I have always found interesting; the language and the rituals of public school boys is always something I've found quite fascinating. Again there were themes of control and rebellion similar to 'Rollerball' but I found it much easier to watch than 'Rollerball' I think the element of camaraderie in 'If' made it seem a lot warmer in a sense than 'Rollerball' where Jonathan was pretty much fighting his battle alone. I liked the structure of the film, it was set out in sort of chapters which all seemed to build up to the crucial point at the end where Mick Travis and his friends carried out their brutal attack on the school. This film addressed a lot of issues about the reactions that people have to power, command and restriction; it was possible to understand the reason why Mick takes action against the school authority maybe not in such a violent way but you can see him being pushed throughout the film. This was definitely a thought-provoking watch.
Let The Right One In (Låt den rätte komma in)
(2008) directed by Tomas Alfredson
This was surprisingly a very beautiful film, both in story and setting. The whole film was completely different to what I had expected after hearing that it was a film about vampires but the subject is approached in quite a moving and tender way. The film is set in Stockholm, the main characters Oskar and Eli are both 12 years old but Eli is a vampire. There is a real feeling of sorrow that comes from Eli and you can see how hard it is for her to cope with the murders that she commits. The film begins with her father brutally murdering someone and draining their blood; however when you realise that he commits these crimes only out of love for his daughter they become less sinister. It brings up a conflict of morals as you want the little girl to live. Although the vampire theme is dominant throughout it never becomes ridiculous as in most horror films, the violent acts are all out of necessity rather than just for shock value.
I found it quite horrific to watch the scenes of Oskar being bullied, especially towards the end of the film but it was quite uplifting in a way to see the courage that he gained from spending time with Eli and later in the film to see how she protects him. The feelings between the 2 characters is really believable considering they are so young and you can see how much they rely on each other for support.
I thought this film was stunning to watch, the snowy setting and the dark wintery days created the perfect atmosphere for such a chilling yet moving story.
No comments:
Post a Comment