Review of Paisa (2013) by Jeff B — 30 Jan 2007

Now to some DVDs I watched over the last days.

I did not want to watch Bertolucci's Dreamers for a long time, primarily because I read a lot about it that is just not true. I always imagined this film to be provocative and nothing else. When it was released, everyone was talking about the explicit sex scenes as if this film had nothing else to offer. Now that I've seen it twice in three days (second time an interesting audio commentary) I'm angry that I waited so long to see this. It's a beautifully directed film a bout the life of three youths in the Paris of 1968. It is not primarily about sex, it is about the art of cinema, using various clips of classic movies that fit perfectly to the story told. It is also about innocence, politics and a generation that believed it could change the world. And if even if they didn't succeed, the movement of 68 was one of the most important after-war-eras in Europe. And Bertolucci has made a wonderful film about it.

Next was a film, that is named Jenny Lamour here, but even the American Criterion Collection released it under its original name: Quai des Orfèvres. It is directed by Henri-Georges Clouzot, whose most famous picture is The Wages of Fear, which I loved as well. Quai des Orfèvres is a film noir in the best sense of the word and it's on the same level as Carol Reed's The Third Man, though completely different. Clouzot concentrates on his characters rather than the criminal story and the result is one of the most exciting crime stories ever. I loved this film from beginning to end, can't wait to watch it a second time. Only have seen two Clouzot films and yet it's one of my favourite directors. Awesome.

Last film for now is Paisà, one of the most famous films of the Italian neo-realist era. It is directed by the great Roberto Rossellini and it is almost as great as his masterpiece Rome, Open City. Paisa contains six episodes that take place in the last two years of the Second World War in Italy. Each of these episodes is great for itself, but seen together they reveal a true and honest picture of the war in Italy. My favourite episode was the second one with the kid and the American soldier. This is cinema history.