The Seventh Seal - 1957

This movie was on a list of 20 important movies. I'd never heard of it, but apparently it was on the list due to its "unique aesthetic."

A knight comes back from the crusades where the plague is ravaging the land. He starts a game of chess with Death. He also encounters various other people including a blacksmith, some actors and a quiet woman.

The audio in my version was messed up. Most of the time it was about 15 seconds ahead of the video, but other times it was barely ahead. My copy said it was from the Criterion Collection, so I'm not sure what happened there. The audio issues don't impact my thoughts on the movie itself.

This movie was "unique." Strange things happened, and I guess that's the artistic side of it, but all that went right over my head. I didn't make the connection with the seal and the silence of God (which was supposed to be the main theme). I read about that after I finished the film, and it made sense at that point. But before that, I hadn't made the connection. It may have been because I watched it at 7 a.m., or I just was distracted by how weird it was overall, but I probably should've noticed it.

On the plus side, some of the visuals were pretty striking. I've watched some films older than 1957 that looked better than this one. I don't know why, but I thought this was a lot older than 1957. It just gave me that vibe. I definitely won't be watching this "unique" film again, and I wish I had my hour and 15 minutes back. It just wasn't something I enjoyed.

The Letter - 1940

The beginning of this movie doesn't waste any time. We start with a murder, and there's no question it's a murder. Leslie states the man was trying to make love to her, and she acted in self defense. Her husband immediately believes her, but their attorney warns them that it may not be so clear to a jury.

It all seems cut and dry until the lawyer's clerk informs him a letter exists would cast doubt on Leslie's story. The letter is in the possession of the widow of the dead man, and when the lawyer reads the copy, he knows it would destroy his case.

I liked this one, but it was a bit strange. The lawyer mentioned that he felt like he was going to pay for what he was doing, but I never saw any evidence of that. I mean, he saw his friend's heart destroyed, but his reputation was intact. Leslie is found not guilty, but she does end up paying. 

I felt the most pity for the husband, Robert. He believed in his wife whole-heartedly. When he found out about the letter, he trusted the lawyer that they needed to get it. He didn't even care how much it cost to get it until he discovered he couldn't purchase a new plantation. Then he found out the truth about his wife. And you know what? He forgave her. He even offered her a second chance. And what did she do with it? She burst into tears and admitted she was still in love with the man she murdered. Sigh...Poor Robert.

It was a pretty good movie. It had the repetitive zinger music to tell me when I was supposed to feel suspense. The end was a bit confusing. I didn't understand if the widow and man were being taken in by the policeman or just moved along. And what happened to Bob? I cared about Howard, the lawyer, because he wanted to do what was right, but he also compromised his principles. So, Bob was my favorite and he was shafted. That messed with my overall enjoyment of the movie, and I don't see myself watching it again.

Where Angels Fear to Tread - 1991

I don't think I've disliked anything I've seen with Rupert Graves in it. The same can't be said for Helena Bonham Carter, but she's an actress I enjoy almost every time I watch her. So I was pleased to see the two come together for the adaptation of E. M. Forster's novel. I haven't read the book.

At the beginning, Lilia is a widower who is on her way to Italy with her companion, Caroline. There, she meets a young man and marries him. When she dies in childbirth, Caroline has the idea that the family should step up and raise the child, or she plans to do it herself. Mind that Lilia is only related to the family by marriage. But, their English sensibilities and pride push them to send Philip and Harriet as emissaries to purchase the child from his father.

I'm going to admit that this one was a head-scratcher for me. I had no idea who to root for. Was it Gino? He was abusive to Lilia and tried to bend her to his will. What about Lilia? She married on a whim and then tried to change her husband, pushing him around because she had the money. Then we had Harriet, who was purposely annoying. And then Caroline. She was confusing. I guess I was supposed to be picking up on her feelings for Gino the entire time, but I didn't. And why did she love him? Because he loved his son? Other than that, he wasn't much of a character. Then she just drops her bombshell when Philip wants to express his feelings. Philip was the closest thing to a likeable character, but he was denied a happy ending.

I've spent a lot of time trying to figure out why I didn't like it, because normally this kind of movie would be right up my alley. For some reason, I just couldn't find a person to like, and the story left a lot of questions at the end. I mean, who lets a woman kidnap a child and then get away with it? No consequences! Maybe the book was more comprehensive, but I'm not sure if I want to read it. I may give it a chance, hoping that the things I missed in the movie will be present in the book. I still liked Rupert Graves' acting, but other than that, I probably wouldn't watch this one again.

Vertigo - 1958

This is one of those classic Alfred Hitchcock movies that I've just never seen. I knew absolutely nothing about it beforehand.

John (Scottie) finds out he has acrophobia, or a fear of heights, at the worst moment. He watches a co-worker fall to his death and quits the police force. Then, as he's recovering, he hears from an old college friend who seeks his help with his wife.

Madeline seems to be possessed by the ghost of her great-grandmother. John becomes a little too involved in the case and is destroyed when his condition comes back to haunt him at the worst possible time.

At that point, I was shocked there was so much left in the movie. I didn't see it coming, and I'm curious if the book was the same. This movie is based on a book called D'entre les Morts (translated as From Among the Dead, but the English version is called The Living and the Dead).

I liked this movie, but I wasn't a fan of John's character. He crossed the line while doing his job, so that irritated me. I mean, the man was supposed to be helping an old friend, but he ended up making moves on the man's wife. Considering what came to light later, it shouldn't matter, but John didn't know that at the time.

I laughed at the end of the movie. I found it hilarious that a nun's shadow decided the fate of the lovers. It was probably because I was Team Midge, who never got a fair deal. I guess they didn't give us enough information about the past between her and John, but considering what happened later, I think Midge dodged a bullet. Overall, I really enjoyed this one and feel it deserves a Good Movie! review.

Stalingrad - 1993

This is a German anti-war film I looked forward to watching. I figured since I'd watched Gallipoli last night, I had another terrible war event movie to get through. Tonight was the night. Since these two films have similarities in some ways, I don't think I'll be able to stop myself from comparing them.

In case Stalingrad doesn't ring a bell, it was a horrific battle that lasted over 5 months and resulted in the deaths of around 2 million people. It wasn't just soldiers, either. Civilians were bombed and starved. The conditions were awful, so I wasn't expecting an uplifting movie. And I didn't get one.

While Gallipoli focused on the relationships of the people for most of the movie, Stalingrad took the opposite approach. Gallipoli only dedicated about 30 minutes to the actual fighting while barely any of this movie was set outside the battle. I was surprised it worked so well. It took me a little longer to make out who was who, but I got it eventually. 

This one was even more of a downer than Gallipoli. For reference, the best advice I would give anyone watching this movie is to not get attached to any character. And I mean none of them. It's in German, but I had subtitles. I was listening to see if I picked up more German than last time I watched one with subtitles, and I felt like I was catching more (thanks green owl!). Overall, I'm glad I watched this movie, but I doubt I would do so again. It was well done, however, and easily earns a Good Movie! review.