Arnhem 1944 |
I watched it on DVD a few days ago.
You really need to view it when you can. The gentle author was blown away.
Its the best surreally political film imaginable. Think : 'Yellow Submarine' combined with 'Apocalypse Now' ( some of the photography is pure Haight-Ashbury)
The 'plot' is far too complicated to repeat here.
Just one little image.The main man in the movie is called Anwar.He is /was a gangster who personally killed approximately 1,000 people, usually by strangling with wire. He plays himself in this film! Because he was murdering 'Communists' for the Indonesian government & that government is still in power, he & they think him a hero still. ..imagine the Nazi's had won the war...& they had let Josef Mengele direct a musical about his life.... Anwar is given licence to produce & direct reconstructions of the murders he committed!
He loves Elvis Presley Films.A movie theatre in 1965 Indonesia was just across the road from where he executed political prisoners.So In between killing ,he would watch films to relax. Often he would saunter into the murder scenes still in 'Elvis Character' You can read[ here ]what OXFAM thought of the film.And here is the trailer for the movie......
The longest recording of the Basement Tapes, and often regarded as one of the highlights from the sessions.
Stan gets a medal! |
13 comments:
i need to find this movie and check it out....nice hit on that....interesting world it was in the midst of that picture as well...
It may be a good movie, but I don't like watching killing.
Postcardy! Is isnt a 'good movie' Your Soooo wrong! No,It's a fucking awesome movie!Remember they killed wishy-washy Liberal like you (& me)He doesnt Kill anybody in the movie itself....He recreates the 1965 events in front of 2012 cameras (often with himself as 'victim')A surreal difference.We see him begin to learn Empathy for the first time .Who knows,a sequel may find him reading Deepak Chopra...... .
A little too deep for me Tony, I'm a sort of "Pollyanna" type of gal anyways.
Herzog.. well I'm in, I love his stuff. This looks very disturbing, but I'll be on the lookout for it.
It's disturbing but not because it graphic.Its more psychological than that.You dont actually see any physical violence...the film is about them (the gansters) dramatising their own violence. Although the bloke killed over 1000 people,he is very open in the film....at first glance he is rather charming.....its only when you look at him closely do you see his Road-Crash Soul.....Its not that he is full of bad things (eg "EVIL"?)The scariest thing is where his Emotions should be is a big hollow void.The absence of humanity is the scariest thing.....
I have heard about this before, not sure if it was the same guy or others who had done the same. I most likely will not watch the movie, awesome and surreal as it may be. Absence of humanity is scary for sure.
Great post, Tony. I heard a long interview about this movie and have tried to get onto my list to watch soon. Your description/review seems spot on and makes me want to bump it up to the top. I like your phrase - "We are constantly rehearsing the past!" That just how the world turns too.
I am tempted to wonder if that conception of absence of humanity is lack of understanding of another culture, but this kind of horror one would have thought would scream right across such cultural barriers. I haven't seen it, but I've been too close to similar behaviour for comfort. Perhaps I won't watch it, even if I do come across it.
I hope it is inhumanity, but deep in the night, in the midst of a nightmare, I fear it might be humanity - the nature of human beings. When - and if - I do watch the film I know it will be a disturbing experience.
I cannot remember the last time I heard "quit kickin' my dog around..." likely it was Elvis. I don't think that DVD or film would do me any good to watch.
Being a bit of a film nut I will do my best to see that film and yes Alan, I share the same nightmare....Great photo Tony...very thought provoking and great material for reflection.
Love that castle at Carlisle. Fascinating place.
I'll keep my eyes open for that film. I imagine one of the more adventurous channels such as Sundance might eventually show it.
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