13/06/07 : The Audition

The Audition 1999

After what can only be described as an excessive length of time spent deliberating over our choice of film for the night we ended up opting for 'The Audition' described as a Japanese 'Perverse Horror'. After all - no one does 'perverse horror' quite like the Japanese. The basic plot is as follows:

A middle aged widower is persuaded by his son to look for a new wife.

He enlists the help of his film producer friend who sets up a series of 'mock auditions' to try and find the perfect match. As you may have guessed - his choice of beau turns out to be far from perfect date and as described on the packet - things take a turn for the perversely horrific in the last 30 minutes.

I was less keen than the rest of the club on this choice. It wasn’t really the perverse horror that bothered me - though granted - its pretty fxckin' twisted at points. It was more that in the second half it becomes 'deliberately abstract' and I guess I just 'didn’t get it!' I must confess to feeling a tad moronic compared to my learned brethren who all seemed to appreciate this film on all sorts of different levels that I couldn’t see. Anyway - make up your own mind..but be warned. This is film is not for the faint hearted or easily offended!

06/06/07 : The Vanishing

The Vanishing (1988)

'The Vanishing' tells the story of the mysterious abduction and disappearance of Saskia, and the subsequent efforts of Rex, her lover, to trace her. His quest continues long after her disappearance, his tirelessness ultimately prompting Saskia's abductor to approach Rex with the promise of revealing to him exactly what happened to her...

We are shown the lead-up to the abduction, first from the perspective of the couple and then the abductor; his meticulous planning contrasts with the random and opportunistic way Saskia ultimately becomes his victim.

Much of the film focuses on Rex’s refusal to call off the search for his lost love. Early in the film, we see Rex abandon a hysterical Saskia in a road tunnel, after their car breaks down. Saskia makes him promise to never abandon her again and it is I think this incident and the promise he makes to her that informs Rex's obsession following her disappearance.

In one scene, where we see his current lover walking out on him, unable to deal with living in Saskia's shadow, we get the impression that this is not the first lover that Rex has sacrificed in his quest for the truth. It is this obsession that ultimately leads him...well, I wont say where, but its not the same place it led Kiefer Sutherland in the Hollywood remake thats for sure!

We were all in agreement at film club that this film was excellent. There are lots of plot twists right up the big one at the end and lots of red herrings along the way just to keep you on your toes. The assembled cast does a great job too. An understated, low-budget, European classic.

Posted by Corporal Tench

30/05/07 : Battle of Algiers

This was the first official outing of the SYNW film club and we swam out of the safe confines of the pond into the unfamiliar territory of waters new.

The battle of Algiers was a film that until this point I was unfamiliar with but would now certainly rank it within my top 10 films ever ! High praise indeed.

Allow me to elaborate:

Made in 1966 it chronicles the period between 1954 - 1962 during the Algerian war of independence against French rule. I read a review which described it as

‘A film commissioned by the Algerian government that shows the Algerian revolution from both sides A surprisingly unbiased account of the bloodiest revolution in modern history which has once again become relevant. A look at war as a nasty thing that harms and sullies everyone who participates in it.’

This just about sums it up better than any words I could provide, and I was struck by how it managed to remain objective with no real heroes or villains, unlike the majority of other films in the ‘war’ genre. Ennio Morricone ( everyones favourite ) composed the soundtrack and according to Corporal Tench ( our resident expert on the BOA ) advised us that he deliberately used the same music for both the French and Algerians but at a slightly different tempo in pursuit of this aim.

As you might imagine - there’s not many laughs to be had but then hey ‘war aint funny man’ and laughter is merely slaughter without the S !

There are some stunning visual moments and the soundtrack is superb. Check out this trailer courtesy of our brethren at YouTube:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ca3M2feqJk8

Captain Haddock