Translation: Carolina Burzaca
It’s not an easy assignment to choose and indicate some world cinema treasures and it means to put aside a hundred of other incredible titles for a next opportunity. Since expanding repertoire is never too much, let’s go to our lean selection, but very eclectic, of movies to amuse the reader in the raining afternoons and of dolce far niente.
1975- One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest: The actor Michael Douglas produce this modern classic of the american movies and win the Oscar at the best production category. Five more statuettes chacel the success of this work. Based in a book of the writer Ken Kesey, the history takes place in a hospice that shelters as a “guest” no less than Randle P. McMurphy (Jack Nicholsdon), a troublemaker who provokes a rebellion against the nurse Ratched, with the help of others pacientes. Just for the Nicholson’s performance the tickets are already worth it! ;)
1976 – All The President’s Men: Especially for the journalism student, this movie is based in real facts, is obligatory to understand the extent of a journalistic investigation and its possible consequences. Watch and know the plot involving the reporter Bob Woodward, the editor Ben Bradlee and Carl Bernstein who unveil the tricks of the government to cover-up the White House’s facts, after an assault at the Watergate’s hotel complex, head office of a political committee. The biggest XX century’s scoop culminates in the resignation of the US president – Richard Nixon.
1978 – Grease: What do we have to say about the musical classic that put (and why not?) still put a lot of people to dance? On request (rs), but not only for that, Grease deserves to be on the list due to the work set: the right choice of the main characters – the chemistry of Danny (John Travolta) and Sandy (Olivia Newton – John) is deliciously irresistible; The 70 decade’s costumes and kitsch hairstyles have dictated the fashion of the kids; The very well choreographed and rhythmic dances and songs don’t let anybody staying stopped. All of these ingredients serve as a backdrop for the development of the romantic plot between Danny and Sandy. All right old fashioned.
1985 – The Color Purple: Changing airs, this movie is a drama that costumes to tear off some tears of the sensitive, and a lot of tears of the ones who are used to cry easily with sad histories. Steven Spielberg directs the work that addresses issues like the racism and the prejudice, in a rural, poor and black community of the south of the United States at the beginning of the XX’s century. Whoopi Goldberg makes his debut in the big screen in the role of Celie, and receives excellent reviews for his performance. It’s worth to remember that this movie turned in a musical, which is actually on Broadway, EUA. I watched and more than recommend. The history in the stage overflows sensitivity and the songs shiver the spine!
1987 – Mujeres al Borde de un Ataque de Nervios: Nothing like a comedy to balance the moods and keep the list attractive and fun for our readers. And a good representative of the genre is the spanish Pedro Almodóvar. In this movie, it’s possible to find the classic resources of the director: vibrant colors, eccentricity, hyperbole and a mix between comedy and melodrama. Pepa Marcos (Carmem Maura) and her lover Iván (Fernando Guillén) make a living doing movie’s voiceovers. When Iván decided to leave her, Pepa fills and requires biggest explanations. Desperate, Pepa starts to investigate her actual ex-lover’s life and find out that his wife wants to kill him. All set. The chaos is instated in the plot, and the situations make everybody laugh in a good and smart way.
1988 – Cinema Paradiso: The italian movie is nostalgic and a truth tribute to the world’s movies. With an autobiographic touch, the director Giuseppe Tornatore tells the history of a film-maker that during his childhood made friendship with Alfredo, an operator who worked at the Cinema Paradiso, which was at a small town of Sicilia. Over there, the smart Totó, as he was called, establishes a friendship with Alfredo’s friend, in the middle of the exhibition of a movie and another one. To enjoy more this masterpiece, it’s valid to remember that were other times: the TV didn’t exist, the movies was an entertainment choice most fascinating back in times.
1988 – Rain Main: The movie addresses a relation between two brothers, Raymond (Dustin Hoffman) and Charlie Babbit (Tom Cruise). Raymond is autistic and Charlie, a salesman of used cars. The distant relation between these brothers, changes when Charlie needs to do a trip around the United States with his autistic brother, with the hope to put his hands on Raymond’s fortune. The trip is done by car, once that Raymon refuses to fly in a plain, and provides to the characters a close contact and that will transform the Charlie’s life. The movie is sensitive and brave to address the autism theme in a soft way and turned to a attempt to humanize the autistic character, without exaggeration or excess of drama. Still, raises reflections about how we deal with the different that, most of the times, causes estrangement and a certain disgust.
1991 – The Silence of The Lambs: It’s worth highlighting that this was the first horror movie to win the Best Movie’s Oscar. But that’s not just a horror movie, with monsters, ghosts and other of these genre’s resources. The history tells the saga of Hannibal Lecter (Anthony Hopkins), an ex-psychiatrist who’s stuck for serial killings. Clarice Starling (Jodie Foster) is a FBI’s recruit that receives the mission to interview Hannibal to try to understand how a serial killer’s mind works, and unravel the crimes committed by another brutal killer called Buffalo Bill (Ted Levine). The dialogues between Hannibal and Clarice are rich and make an ego and control dispute game, and some lines have become memorable, yet frightening.
1993 – Schindler’s List: Once more, Steven Spielberg make history in the movies for direct this adaptation of the novel not-fictional of Thomas Kenelly. The movie, in white and black, relates the history of the nazi businessman Oskar Schindler, who saved the life of more than 1000 polish jews during the Second World War. The devastating holocaust scenario is masterfully portrayed by the Janusz Kaminski’s photograph. It’s sad to revisit this truly horror in the human history, but the movie, with more than three hours, it’s an epic that needs to be seen!
1994 – The Shawashank Redemption: For those who are used to connect the name of Stephen King just with horror stories, know that was a tale wrote by King that inspired the history of this movie, and that resulted in a beautiful drama. The year was 1946 and the young banker Andry Dufresne (Tim Robbins) is arrested accused by the double murder of the woman and the lover. At the jail, he makes friendship with Red (Morgan Freeman), another prisoner that has a long sentence. Andy learns fast how the rules of the suffered prison system Works, and start to work as a counter and financial consultant to the director and guards of the prison. But never leave to yearn for his freedom. The smart and surrounding history and the amazing ending make The Shawashank Redemption na excelent hope, perseverance and friendship lesson.