All the Presidents’ Men.
On the evening of the 17th June 1972, police are called to investigate a possible burglary at the national Democratic National Committee headquarters within the Watergate complex in Washington, DC. New Washington Post journalist, Bob Woodward, is assigned to this seemingly minor story but, after discovering that the five men arrested for the break-in have ties to the CIA, he investigates deeper, believing the case could go further, possibly to the White House and President Nixon. The Post’s editor, Bob Bradlee, is wary of giving Woodward the full story given his relative inexperience, and so another reporter, Carl Bernstein, is assigned to work with him in what is a frosty, yet professional, partnership. Through a senior government official named only as “Deep Throat”, Woodward gains information on the Watergate burglary, its coverup and a conspiracy that could topple Nixon’s presidency, if Woodward and Bernstein’s journalism is believed. Driven by the charisma of the dual leads, Robert Redford and Dustin Hoffman, All the Presidents’ Men is an engrossing political, investigative journalism thriller that champions the need for a free press to hold those in power accountable for their actions, and shows that little has changed within the last fifty years with regard to world leaders and the extent to which they will go to maintain their grip.
The Texas Chain Saw Massacre.
18th August, 1973. Radio news bulletins warn of grave-robbers in Texas, with the perpetrators creating horrific sculptures from the desecrated corpses. Wheelchair bound Franklin and his sister Sally visit the grave of their grandfather following the news report, accompanied by their friends Jerry, Kirk and Pam. On route to Sally and Franklin’s old family home, the group pick up a deranged hitchhiker who attacks Franklin with a straight razor before being pushed out the van. Stopping at a gas station, they inform the owner of their intent to visit the old house; he advises against it and tells them that the pumps are empty. After arriving at the dilapidated, abandoned house, they soon discover another nearby, even less welcoming and substantially more terrifying, as they soon wish they had heeded the gas station owner’s warning. Sustaining an eerie atmosphere that builds to a genuinely horrifying climax, The Texas Chain Saw Massacre is a horror classic and the archetypal slasher flick. Though almost entirely goreless, especially by todays standards, TCSM is a sickening viewing experience through its sound, photography and suggested imagery that festers in the mind of the viewer long after the credits roll. Remade, rebooted, sequelled, prequelled, imitated, copied. Yet nothing prepares you for the real thing.
The Outlaw Josey Wales.
Living the simple life during the American Civil War, Josey Wales owns a Missouri farm with his wife and son; that is until his house is burnt down and his family are murdered by barbarous pro-Union militants led by the bloodthirsty Captain Terrill. Discovering his revolver in the embers of his home, Josey begins practising his shooting skills before being approached by a group of pro-Confederates to join their outfit and seek retribution. At the conclusion of the war, the group is persuaded to surrender by their leader Captain Fletcher, though Josey refuses and, when the surrender becomes a massacre, exacts some revenge on the Unionists by killing them in their dozens. As a result, Josey becomes an outlaw, hunted by the murderous pillagers he set out to kill himself, along with anyone else who wants to claim the bounty on his head. History is written by the winners, and as such the Unionists are depicted as righteous and good while the Confederates are inherently evil and wicked, The Outlaw Josey Wales blurs this distinction and reminds us that, though the Union’s justification for the war was morally right, those fighting were human, with good and evil on both sides. Clint Eastwood at his brooding, menacing, tobacco-spitting best.
Dersu Uzala.
1910. Russian explorer, Vladimir Arsenyev, searches for the grave of his friend he buried three years prior. 1902. A group of soldiers on a topographical survey expedition, led by Arsenyev, encounter the lonely, ageing, nomadic Goldi hunter, Dersu Uzala. Fed and welcomed by the troop, Dersu tells of his tragic life before agreeing to guide the explorers through the difficult, unforgiving Ussuri terrain. Initially thinking Dersu a mad, foolish, old man, the troop’s perceptions change as his observations and tracking skills soon earn their respect, while his compassion and generosity further endear him to Arsenyev. The respect and friendship between two vastly different men is chronicled, with the hunter having to find his place in a world becoming increasingly overgrown by civilisation and come to terms with the fact his age and declining health are impacting his ability to live out in the Russian wilderness. The first film made after his unsuccessful suicide attempt in 1971, Dersu Uzala marks Akira Kurosawa’s return to cinema in a passion project he held a candle for for decades. Beautiful cinematography of Soviet landscapes just about keep you engaged for the overlong 142 minute runtime as the plot begins to drag halfway through. Not one of his best, but a welcome addition to the Japanese veteran’s filmography.
The Scar.
After discussions as to where a new chemical factory is to built, the small town of Olechów is chosen since the area is in apparent need of industrial development, as the residents live in poverty with nowhere to work. Stefan Bednarz, a Party worker, is appointed director of the construction project in his hometown; he accepts, though his wife refuses to return to Olechów after an incident that occurred there twenty years ago forced them to leave. Though Stefan sees the the project as a way of providing work and better lives for those in the town, residents begin to air their grievances after houses are demolished, forests are cut down and droughts begin. Though they hold Stefan in high regard, admiring him as an honourable humanitarian, the residents suspect corruption on the part of the town’s self-satisfying ministers. Soon however, Stefan’s intentions and ambitions clash with those of the townspeople, while revelations of the incident from his past come to the surface. Not the most exciting concept for a film, but debut director Krzysztof Kieslowski utilises realism, influenced by his earlier documentary films, to great effect. A poignant, if a little tiresome, commentary on Polish politics. Kieslowski for sure moves on to better things later in his career.
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