"Nayak" (The Hero) unspools as one of the many great 20th century movies set on a train -- production began shortly after the debut of the Beatles' "A Hard Day's Night," whose influence can be felt, along with that of "8 1/2." Little known but sleek and satisfying, it's a marvelous midperiod film from Satyajit Ray. The title's time has come for … [Read more...]
‘American Friend’: Wenders frames Ripley
Dennis Hopper, the actor, and Nicholas Ray, the director, had crossed paths before. In 1955. When Hopper played a punk kid in "Rebel Without a Cause," Ray's melodrama about teen alienation that starred James Dean. Down the road, both found themselves blackballed from movies. Ray's fall came in 1963 as he infamously had to abandon "55 Days in … [Read more...]
Kieslowski’s ‘Blind Chance’: Dances with fate
Life is indeed a game of inches, Krzysztof Kieslowski appears to be telling us in "Blind Chance." The film, perhaps more descriptively titled "The Hand of Fate," explores three possible outcomes of a young traveler's attempts to catch a fast-moving train. Paranoia runs deep in this, among the most political of Kieslowski's films. Made in … [Read more...]
‘My Dinner With Andre’ a feast for the ears
Three and a half decades on, "My Dinner With Andre" remains a succulent piece of filmmaking. The ultimate talkie has lost none of the charm, mystery and wisdom that turned it into an indie hit back in 1981. Somehow, the film about two intellectuals talking in a Manhattan restaurant became a cultural sensation -- this in the time of "The … [Read more...]
‘Limelight’: Chaplin’s melancholy dance
"The cycle is complete," the not-so-great Calvaro says in Charles Chaplin's "Limelight." It was more than a line from a self-pitying clown. Chaplin's 1952 film completes the circuit between the pure joyous comedy of his youth and the time-weary art of his advanced years. Chaplin, fully expecting "Limelight" to be his last film, made it his last … [Read more...]
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