Movies at Home - Once Upon a Time in America, A Matter of Life and Death and x+y

 

My cheap second hand DVD was the original three and a half hour version that was cut for it's first release in the United States. So, no, I didn't watch it all at once. But the fact that it cuts backwards and forwards in time lends itself to viewing in episodes that cover fifty years of the life of "Noodles" played mostly by Robert de Niro. The jump forward to when Noodles gets out of prison and meets the old gang works really well. However,  I could not believe this was such a violent film. Right from the start. It would never get a release today.

For me, the best parts of Sergio Leone's movie are when there is no dialogue. The crowd scenes are marvellous, the interior shots riveting.  All we have is the extraordinary cinematography and possibly the best music ever created for a thriller. Enrico Morricone's pipes echo those from Once Upon a Time in the West.  The film did not receive a single Oscar nomination, (the hugely shortened version lost it's impact shown in a linear story) although the extended  European version won the BAFTA for best music and was nominated for best director and cinematography.

The review from The Irish Times said the film was " a fistful of misogyny" and "offensibly sexist". They are completely right. But this was made in 1984, things were different then. 

A Matter of Life and Death was recommended in Mark Kermode and Simon Mayo's film review on BBC Five Live. I think Mark said it was his second most favourite film of all time. I would not go that far. However, of it's time (1946) it was certainly a ground breaking movie. On the face of it a weird fantasy, it strikes you later that the apparitions are quite likely to have appeared to the wounded Lancaster pilot David Niven. 

There is a central romantic relationship involving Niven and American wireless operator June played by Kim Hunter. The dialogue is quite modern, but you have to get used to the 1940's accents. There is a good underlying theme of Britain's relationship with the USA and the restored colour print is fine. Directors Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger  were especially brilliant in their writing and handling of the opening scene between Niven and Hunter. That is something else.

Another recommendation from Mark Kermode but this time a disappointment. It could have been inspirational and moving, but it just seemed a good story filmed by numbers with a poor script. I ad expected better from James Graham. But this is what happens when a director like Morgan Mathews tries to translate a documentary into a fictional story. It was all a bit predictable. The three mature actors Sally Hawkins, Eddie Marsan and Rafe Spall do their level best to give their roles some oomph. But Asa Butterfield naturally struggled as Nathan the autistic maths genius. Then we had to wait until the very end to reveal why from the very start Nathan was not a big fan of his mother. All by numbers.