The two Thomas Crown Affair movies

There are two Thomas Crown Affair movies: the original released in 1968 with Steve McQueen in the title role; and a re-make released in 1999, with Pierce Brosnan in the title role. Faye Dunnaway plays Catherine Banning in the 1968 release, and plays a psychotherapist in the 1999 relaease.Rene Russo plays Catherine Banning in the re-make.

Together the two releases make an excellent pair, to be watched back to back. Both have a strong, similar though slightly different, storyline: the premise of the 1968 movie is a bank robbery, whereas that of the 1999 movie is an art heist. The effect of this difference is to make the 1968 robbery more believable, but the 1999 heist less morally challenging. If, as is proposed, Thomas Crown has everything, has done everything, and is bored, then the 1999 remake allows us to accept this, whereas in the 1968 movie, the line "What would someone who already has $4 million want with $2 million more" misfocuses our attention on a motive of greed. Both movies pose at least two ethical questions: a) considering what he does for a living, how great is Thomas Crown's sin in organising the heist? b) should Catherine Banning be true to her feelings or true to her job?

In both movies Thomas Crown becomes besotted with Catherine Banning, the insurance investigator, although the apparent chemistry between Brosnan and Rene Russo is mesmeric.The chess scene in the original is bursting with sexual tension, echoed by the tango dance scene in the re-maike.

Style figures in both movies, for example in Catherine Banning's costumes, in the locations (such as expensive houses), in the activities (such as gliding, and playing chess). The 1968 moviie was consciously stylish in its impressionistic use of multiple images, whereas the 1999 movie feels a little more formulaic.

In the original, music is used to occupy space where there is no dialogue, whereas in the re-make music is used to set mood, to great effect. The song, Windmills of Your Mind, was made famous by the original movie, during the gliding scene. In the re-make, the gliding scene is given music that is more upbeat, and the song Windmills of Your Mind is covered during the credits. The stand-out song in the 1999 re-make is Sinnerman.

The 1968 movie has a bittersweet ending, whereas the 1999 movie has a feel-good ending.

Movie review: Still Walking, directed by Hirokazu Kore-eda

It is interesting reading other reviews for this movie, which demonstrate the possibility of experiencing the same thing so differently. Still Walking is 'a comedy of manners', reminiscent of the movies of Eric Rohmer. (Comedy as distinct from tragedy, not in the sense of being humorous.) Like a haiku, nothing is brightly coloured, overstated, or has the impoliteness to stand out in some way. Typical of Japanese etiquette, the characters rarely say or act on what they really mean, and this is revealed only as the story unfolds. Characterisation is superbly handled through script, direction and acting. Unlike in western movies, there are neither heroes/saints, nor dastards/demons. It would be too easy to watch this movie through western eyes and miss the subtle, the nuanced, and the quiet reversals that culminate in overall balance. In western culture it is held that the more deeply an emotion is felt, the more extremely it is expressed. However, the expression of emotions addressed in this Japanese drama is muted: it is possible to arrive by another route at a sense of how deeply those emotions are felt. The movie is perfectly paced for its material (not the high-octane outbursts of Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf, or of Look Back in Anger), but may be considered intolerably slow by people who enjoy thrillers, adventure movies and rom coms. (Instead, think Tarkovsky.) Unlike a Woody Allen movie, Still Walking is not an easy watch, requiring concentration and attention, although neither is it especially difficult: the plot, such as it is, is interesting enough for me not to require it to entertain me cheaply (even though I enjoy the jokes in Wasabi). There is no feel-good pay-off at the end. There is no 'the end' (c.f. Lost in Translation). I do not know the other work of director Hirokazu Kore-eda, but I now feel motivated to find out more.

2001: A Space Oddysey

I wrote the text below in response to a thread of comments regarding a brief, critical user review of the DVD 2001: A Space Oddysey.

I think that Anthony Costine's Rothko observation is valuable: for me, Mark Rothko's huge, nearly-formless canvases serve as the closest fine art is able to approach to a spiritual gateway - his works present me with the opportunity safely to stand on the threshold between life and death. The Clarke / Kubrick novel / screenplay (they wrote them together) considers the breathtaking enormity of the leaps made by humankind from our genetic divergence away from other primates. We are not really being invited to consider the detail of each technological development and innovation, but to gulp at the height of the cliff edge on which we now perch. The story then moves on to consider ways in which humankind may further develop, perhaps in ways that will seem god-like to the just-beyond-savages who we are today. 2001 is intended neither to be an intellectual movie, nor a thrill ride, nor a drama, no more than were one standing on the brink of the Grand Canyon, or sitting in front of a Mark Rothko painting, or watching a movie (such as Stalker) by Andrei Tarkovsky. Perhaps the 'mistake' is to consider it (along with Solaris by Andrei Tarkovsky) primarily as work of science fiction. Maybe the fact that Clarke was a science fiction writer, and the movie was marketed as science fiction misdirects how the movie can most engagingly be viewed.

Ranking the movies I have watched

I suspect that this is the start of a long posting that will take me an indefinite time to complete.

I joined criticker.com. This was in response to several Facebook Friends using a disappointingly shallow movie compatibility Facebook widget. Whilst I found Criticker through Facebook, I registered independently, and then created a link from my Criticker profile to my Facebook profile.

To date, I have ranked 208 movies, and listed them clumsily here below.

My Score
Film Name
Date Ranked
Comments
100
Amélie
Mar 08 2008, 20:00
100
Stalker
Mar 08 2008, 13:52
99
Rashomon
Mar 08 2008, 19:58
99
Shakespeare in Love
Mar 08 2008, 08:31
98
Drowning by Numbers
Mar 08 2008, 13:55
98
Much Ado About Nothing
Mar 13 2008, 00:25
98
Shirley Valentine
Mar 08 2008, 13:53
98
Solaris
Mar 08 2008, 13:54
97
The Lives of Others
Mar 13 2008, 00:21
97
Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels
Mar 08 2008, 08:27
97
Spirited Away
Mar 08 2008, 13:57
96
12 Monkeys
Mar 07 2008, 01:13
96
O Brother, Where Art Thou?
Mar 08 2008, 00:10
96
Delicatessen
Jul 06 2009, 21:47
96
Princess Mononoke
Mar 08 2008, 12:25
96
Ran
Mar 08 2008, 08:24
95
Cinema Paradiso
Mar 08 2008, 14:04
95
I Heart Huckabees
Mar 07 2008, 01:13
95
Jurassic Park
Mar 07 2008, 01:13
95
Jurassic Park III
Mar 07 2008, 01:13
95
Memento
Mar 07 2008, 01:13
95
Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter... and Spring
Mar 08 2008, 08:33
95
Witness
Mar 13 2008, 00:27
94
Contact
Mar 08 2008, 00:14
94
Grave of the Fireflies
Mar 08 2008, 13:58
94
Howl's Moving Castle
Jul 12 2008, 08:20
This anime is Miyazaki on top form. It is creative and imaginative. It moves along at a fast pace. The way that the character of Howl is only slowly revealed is masterful. Equally, we are left wondering throughout the movie whether Sophie is able to break the spell. It is wonderful to see a movie that really detests warfare.
94
The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring
Mar 07 2008, 01:13
94
The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers
Mar 07 2008, 01:13
94
Lost in Translation
Mar 08 2008, 12:30
94
Pan's Labyrinth
Jul 12 2008, 08:15
Although dark in subject matter, tone and lighting, this remains a magical movie. It feels to me to have a gritty existential feel to it, despite its exploration of magical realism. The military tension of just-post-Civil War Spain is well captured (also see El Espiritu de la Colmena). The acting of the central characters is good.
94
Whisper of the Heart
Mar 08 2008, 14:00
93
The English Patient
Mar 08 2008, 12:26
93
Manon of the Spring
Mar 08 2008, 13:50
93
Trainspotting
Mar 07 2008, 01:13
93
Twister
Mar 08 2008, 08:27
92
2001: A Space Odyssey
Mar 08 2008, 12:28
92
Blood Simple
Mar 08 2008, 09:25
92
Chicken Run
Mar 07 2008, 01:13
92
Death In Venice
Aug 16 2009, 16:08
92
Pitch Black
Mar 08 2008, 12:30
91
The Abyss
Mar 08 2008, 09:23
91
Bringing Out the Dead
Mar 08 2008, 09:22
91
Fargo
Jul 12 2008, 08:28
91
Fiddler on the Roof
Mar 08 2008, 20:02
91
The Lion in Winter
Aug 16 2009, 15:53
91
Smoke
Mar 07 2008, 01:13
90
The Bourne Identity
Mar 08 2008, 08:19
90
The Bourne Supremacy
Mar 08 2008, 12:31
90
The Fifth Element
Mar 08 2008, 20:03
90
Independence Day
Jul 06 2009, 21:46
90
The Lost World: Jurassic Park
Mar 08 2008, 12:33
90
Minority Report
Mar 07 2008, 01:13
90
Sideways
Mar 07 2008, 17:34
90
Stargate
Mar 08 2008, 12:27
89
The African Queen
Aug 16 2009, 15:55
89
The Chronicles of Riddick
Mar 08 2008, 14:05
89
Dune
Mar 08 2008, 08:23
89
Enemy of the State
Mar 08 2008, 09:25
89
Pulp Fiction
Mar 08 2008, 00:20
89
Sneakers
Mar 13 2008, 00:32
88
The Blues Brothers
Mar 08 2008, 00:16
88
The Rocky Horror Picture Show
Jul 06 2009, 21:48
88
The Thomas Crown Affair
Mar 08 2008, 08:34
88
Titanic
Mar 08 2008, 00:18
88
Working Girl
Mar 08 2008, 14:02
87
Ferris Bueller's Day Off
Mar 08 2008, 00:12
87
Groundhog Day
Mar 08 2008, 09:24
87
Lost in Space
Mar 07 2008, 01:13
87
Mission to Mars
Mar 08 2008, 12:34
87
Phone Booth
Mar 08 2008, 08:25
87
Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back
Mar 08 2008, 12:26
86
American Beauty
Mar 07 2008, 01:13
86
Educating Rita
Mar 08 2008, 14:01
86
The Full Monty
Mar 08 2008, 00:19
86
Mercury Rising
Mar 08 2008, 12:32
86
The Thomas Crown Affair
Aug 16 2009, 16:10
85
War of the Worlds
Mar 08 2008, 00:10
84
Cast Away
Mar 08 2008, 12:29
84
Four Weddings and a Funeral
Mar 07 2008, 01:13
84
The Sixth Sense
Mar 07 2008, 01:13
83
Die Hard
Mar 08 2008, 00:11
83
Die Hard 2
Mar 08 2008, 12:25
83
Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope
Mar 08 2008, 00:08
83
The Transporter
Mar 08 2008, 00:13
83
Wasabi
Jul 12 2008, 08:29
82
Gone in 60 Seconds
Mar 08 2008, 08:35
82
Guess Who's Coming to Dinner
Aug 16 2009, 15:54
82
Jean de Florette
Mar 09 2008, 00:12
81
Beverly Hills Cop II
Mar 08 2008, 12:32
81
Event Horizon
Mar 08 2008, 08:25
81
The Hours
Mar 08 2008, 00:21
81
I, Robot
Mar 07 2008, 01:13
81
Resident Evil
Mar 08 2008, 08:24
81
Sleepy Hollow
Mar 08 2008, 08:37
80
Citizen Kane
Mar 08 2008, 12:28
80
The Day After Tomorrow
Jul 06 2009, 21:44
80
Grosse Pointe Blank
Mar 08 2008, 00:08
80
Saturday Night and Sunday Morning
Jul 15 2008, 21:15
80
Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace
Mar 08 2008, 08:20
80
Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones
Mar 08 2008, 00:11
80
Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith
Mar 08 2008, 00:09
80
Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi
Mar 07 2008, 01:13
79
Alfie
Jul 15 2008, 21:16
79
The Big Lebowski
Mar 07 2008, 01:13
79
The Castle in the Sky
May 02 2009, 21:58
79
Kundun
Mar 08 2008, 08:36
79
Manhattan
Mar 08 2008, 12:33
79
Psycho
Mar 07 2008, 01:13
78
K-PAX
Mar 08 2008, 00:18
78
Patriot Games
Mar 08 2008, 12:26
78
The Philadelphia Story
Aug 16 2009, 15:56
78
Terminator 2: Judgment Day
Mar 07 2008, 01:13
77
Deep Impact
Mar 08 2008, 08:27
77
Gladiator
Mar 08 2008, 08:34
76
An American Werewolf in London
Mar 08 2008, 08:31
76
Beetlejuice
Mar 08 2008, 12:29
76
One Hour Photo
Mar 08 2008, 12:30
76
When the Wind Blows
Mar 08 2008, 14:00
75
Being John Malkovich
Mar 08 2008, 08:26
74
The French Connection
Mar 08 2008, 08:36
74
Mad Max
Mar 08 2008, 08:27
74
Ocean's Eleven
Mar 08 2008, 08:32
74
Speed
Mar 08 2008, 08:22
73
The Hunt for Red October
Mar 08 2008, 00:13
73
Training Day
Mar 08 2008, 12:29
72
Ghostbusters
Jul 06 2009, 21:42
72
K-19: The Widowmaker
Mar 08 2008, 19:57
72
Signs
Mar 07 2008, 01:13
72
The Terminator
Mar 08 2008, 08:37
71
The Good, the Bad and the Ugly
Mar 08 2008, 08:37
71
Midnight Run
Mar 07 2008, 01:13
70
Tron
Jul 06 2009, 21:42
69
Kill Bill: Volume 1
Mar 08 2008, 09:25
68
Casino Royale
Mar 08 2008, 09:22
67
Analyze This
Mar 08 2008, 08:33
67
A Beautiful Mind
Mar 08 2008, 08:36
66
Murder by Numbers
Mar 08 2008, 08:18
66
Pleasantville
Mar 08 2008, 12:34
66
Radio Days
Mar 09 2008, 00:07
66
Speed 2: Cruise Control
Mar 08 2008, 12:34
65
Crocodile Dundee
Mar 08 2008, 12:30
65
Van Helsing
Mar 08 2008, 00:10
64
Jaws
Mar 08 2008, 08:32
64
The Mask of Zorro
Mar 08 2008, 08:31
63
Hudson Hawk
Mar 08 2008, 12:27
62
Grease
Mar 08 2008, 08:32
61
Notting Hill
Mar 07 2008, 01:13
60
Armageddon
Mar 08 2008, 12:25
60
Duel
Mar 08 2008, 00:15
60
The Matrix
Mar 07 2008, 01:13
60
North by Northwest
Mar 08 2008, 12:27
58
The Wicker Man
May 02 2009, 21:55
57
The Da Vinci Code
Jul 12 2008, 08:10
This movie is pulp with little style, although much of that is down to Dan Brown's pulp novel: the conspiracy is simply not much of a deal (cf. Enemy of the State). Was Tom Hanks on holiday when he acted in this movie - he remained unbelievable throughout. Audrey Tautou seemed out-of-genre. The only role I enjoyed was Ian McKellen when he was camping it up on his first appearance. Few of the sets are especially attractive, but I do not know whether this was due to the dark, muddy palette.
57
Men in Black II
Jul 06 2009, 21:46
56
Mary Reilly
Mar 08 2008, 09:24
55
Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines
May 02 2009, 21:57
54
The Terminal
Mar 08 2008, 00:15
53
Kill Bill: Volume 2
Mar 07 2008, 01:13
52
Maid in Manhattan
Mar 07 2008, 01:13
51
Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb
Mar 08 2008, 09:24
51
Fahrenheit 451
Jul 06 2009, 21:44
51
Firefox
Mar 08 2008, 08:30
51
Men in Black
Mar 07 2008, 17:34
51
Robocop
Mar 08 2008, 08:38
50
Demolition Man
Mar 08 2008, 08:19
50
Mr. and Mrs. Smith
Mar 08 2008, 00:17
50
Saving Private Ryan
Mar 08 2008, 00:17
50
Ten
Mar 08 2008, 12:29
49
Lethal Weapon
Mar 07 2008, 01:13
49
Look Who's Talking
Mar 08 2008, 12:27
49
Mrs. Doubtfire
Mar 08 2008, 08:22
49
The Sting
Mar 08 2008, 08:37
49
Thunderball
Mar 08 2008, 12:32
48
Analyze That
Mar 08 2008, 00:16
48
Flight of the Navigator
Jul 06 2009, 21:43
48
Young Frankenstein
Mar 08 2008, 08:22
46
Singin' in the Rain
Mar 08 2008, 08:35
45
Back to the Future
Mar 07 2008, 01:13
45
Back to the Future Part III
Mar 07 2008, 01:13
45
The Breakfast Club
Mar 08 2008, 08:21
44
The Railway Children
Mar 09 2008, 00:10
42
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
Mar 08 2008, 12:32
42
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
Aug 16 2009, 16:06
42
Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory
Mar 08 2008, 09:23
41
As Good As It Gets
Mar 08 2008, 00:18
39
Predator
Mar 08 2008, 00:21
38
Goldfinger
Mar 08 2008, 00:16
37
Babe
Mar 07 2008, 01:13
36
Finding Nemo
Aug 16 2009, 16:06
36
Ice Age
Mar 08 2008, 08:23
36
Monsters, Inc.
Mar 08 2008, 08:20
36
Shrek
Mar 07 2008, 01:13
36
Toy Story
Mar 08 2008, 08:21
35
The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe
Mar 08 2008, 00:20
35
Stuart Little
Mar 08 2008, 12:31
34
101 Dalmatians
Mar 07 2008, 01:13
34
The Lion King
Mar 08 2008, 08:22
34
Pinocchio
Mar 08 2008, 08:26
33
The Golden Child
Mar 08 2008, 08:36
33
The Neverending Story
Mar 08 2008, 08:31
32
Babe: Pig in the City
Mar 08 2008, 08:23
30
Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs
May 02 2009, 22:08
25
Bridget Jones's Diary
Mar 07 2008, 01:13
20
Dr. Dolittle
Mar 08 2008, 00:07
18
Robin Hood
Mar 08 2008, 08:33
12
All Dogs Go to Heaven
Mar 08 2008, 00:12
9
Scooby-Doo
Mar 08 2008, 08:19
1
Ace Ventura: Pet Detective
Mar 07 2008, 01:13

Come and See

I wrote the following in comment to a review on Amazon.co.uk regarding the Russian movie by Elem Klimov called Idi i smotri (Come and See). I have posted the comment here because I wish to develop a few ideas from it.

"Whilst what you have written may well be true, fair and balanced, Klimov's movie is intended only as true - it is you who place on it the burden of being fair and balanced. Whilst some art clearly does attempt to achieve balance, I am not sure that a painting such as 'Guernica' would be improved were it to attempt a panoptic perspective. Maybe a BBC documentary about the Second World War in Byelorussia would feel more satisfactory as accurate reporting and fair analysis."

Kaos (2): response and review

Superb. A masterpiece. A masterclass in arthouse movie making.

(There is so much to write that it will take me weeks to construct this weblog posting.)

Kaos is the name the Taviani brothers gave to this movie homage to the writings of Luigi Pirandello, partly because a corruption of the word is the name of the place where Pirandello was born, partly because chaos is what Pirandello feared: the void, the abyss, nothingness, desolation. The movie exudes nothingness in which the characters and actions exist. The nothingness is as tangible as the stones in the barren fields, and the rock on which the houses precariously perch. The roaring silence and blank canvas give a perspective that is almost intolerable in the twenty-first century. People are leaving for the United States every week because of the grinding poverty and the emptyness.

The movie is made up of several short stories, linked by landscape and culture. Reading some of Pirandello's short stories, it is easy to recognise that the Taviani brothers have translated them well from page to screen. The movie starts with a prologue that makes little cognitive sense, but introduces themes important to the movie, such as landscape, human purpose, narrative, the brutality of life, transcendence. The crow of this prologue, a bell round its neck, flies over the landscape between stories, providing a visual and auditory connection between episodes. The movie ends with a Pirandello short story about being called home to talk to his long-dead mother.

Little happens in any of the stories: Kaos is not an action movie. Neither is it a drama, or any other obvious and popular genre. However, tension does find resolution. Kaos reminds me of Tarkovsky's Stalker, and Kurosawa's Rashamon. The style of acting does not belong to Hollywood, it is much more theatrical (like Fiddler on the Roof), which seems fitting as Pirandello is best known as a playwright.

Kaos (1): in anticipation

Kaos, produced and directed by the Taviani brothers, was released onto the theatrical art-house movie circuit in 1984. It was screened at the Tyneside Cinema, Newcastle, UK, in 1985, the single occasion when I watched the movie. It left such a deep and lasting impression that I have been searching for a copy of the movie since I bought my television and VCR in 1992. Over the years I have come across several copies of the VHS video for sale, but they have been in US television format (why does the US have to set every standard differently from the rest of the world? - for another posting) and extremely expensive. Being dogged, I have persisted in checking every few months (since about 1995) to discover whether any movie distribution companies had released Kaos for the British / European market, initially on VHS and more recently on DVD. Cliche warning: imagine my surprise a couple of weeks ago when a soon-to-be-released DVD suddenly appeared on the lists of several DVD suppliers. I was so taken aback that I wondered whether it was a scam. My copy was sent from White Rock, Arkansas, US. Excited to receive it as a child with a new toy, I shall watch it this evening.

In telling my story to people I know, few seem as surprised as I am not that the movie should be released on DVD, but that in the face of steadfast evidence to the contrary, I should continue to stand sentinel for the release of this movie on DVD. Thirteen years is a long time to wait. Only a few people know that I waited a long time for Godfrey Regio's Koyaanisqatsi trilogy to be released on DVD. Even fewer know that I am still waiting for Steppenwolf (based on the novel by Hermann Hesse) and Le Grandes Meulnes (based on the novel by Alain Fournier) to be released on DVD. In telling my story, I am saying something important about who I am.

Instead, what almost everyone I have told has focused on is how I shall react watching a movie for only the second time in 23 years, and in particular a movie I have built up in my mind as being so special that it was worth checking the listings of newly-released videos every few months. In part, I have felt mildly irritated that the focus of my story, about dogged, optimistic persistence, has been dismissed and replaced with a focus on whether the movie will live up to my expectations. In part, I have felt disappointed that the people who I have told (all British) assume that I may feel disappointed with the movie. I have also felt a little sad that no-one much has expressed any interest in watching the movie - I know only one or two people who come anywhere near matching my movie taste.

What will it be like? There are scenes and aspects from the movie that I recall vividly: bandits playing boules with the severed heads of their victims; a man howling at moon as he believes he is transformed into a werewolf; an urn-mender who realises that he is trapped in the urn he has just mended; the absence of someone who has recently died. The movie works at a visceral level that I would term expressionist. The issues addressed are profound and concern existence, and I would term this existentialist. The movies that I know which address such issues belong to such directors as Andrei Tarkovsky, Akira Kurosawa, Ingmar Bergman and Peter Greenaway.

What will it be like? I shall watch the movie with a more experienced eye, mind and heart than before. Half my life has passed since I first watched the movie. I have changed in many ways, and expect that the movie, as though a mirror, will reflect an image of my young adult self. Will the middle-aged adult I have become respond to and appreciate the movie as fully as the young adult I was? Who knows? I shall have to find out, and accept what I experience.

What will it be like? I have written elsewhere about having an interest only in those movies that are worth watching at least several times. I trust that Kaos is a movie so rich in difficult ideas that I shall watch it many times. I already know that its initial heady flavours of wormwood and jasmine, citrus and woodsmoke, give way to a complex aftertaste that lingers for decades. I am looking forward to seeing masters of cinema at work.

Nationhood (1): Fiddler on the Roof

I recently watched a television broadcast of Norman Jewison's 1971 movie Fiddler on the Roof. I have the VHS video, which I have watched several times, and I am wondering whether to buy the DVD. I often watch on television movies that I have on video. Not only is the quality of the broadcast picture superior - we have a Freeview digibox (digital television signal) box - but the inability to pause and rewind, which I do a lot in order to reflect on what I am watching, much to the mounting annoyance of my wife and daughter - we do not have TiVo - gives the viewing experience an edginess that whilst usually less intellectually satisfying, with the inevitable risk of disengagement between awareness and an integrated cognitive/conative/affective and imaginal response, can be emotionally more gratifying.

I was concerned, having watched the movie for the nth time, to discover what some of the critics have written about it. Roger Ebert was mildly scathing, whereas others have been more generous, although generous is probably what they intended. I find it helpful to read critics' reviews because they inevitably confirm some of my own thoughts and responses, and suggest others that had not occurred to me. I do not fully trust my own judgment. Most obviously for me, a good movie is one that I wish to watch many times. I feel cheated if the movie is not worth watching more than once. For this reason I rarely watch made-for-television movies. I am also likely to feel cheated if the only differences between the first and second viewings are that I know the plot twists and the denouement. On this basis I have learned that I have little interest in watching Ocean's Xteen. I was intrigued to find out whether I would find watching Memento as satisfying for the second time. The jury is still out on whether I should buy the DVD (the issue of memory is important to me). At the other end of the spectrum, the movies I like best are one's that, every time, take me on a journey, if I am up for it, into an even deeper understanding of what it is for me to be human in this world. This is what makes the movies of Andrei Tarkovsky, Akira Kurosawa, Peter Greenaway and Godfrey Regio so compelling for me, and also why I have a fascination for dystopias. In a 'good movie' there will always be the opportunity to discover more. Sometimes this involves seeing/hearing more clearly. My best analogue for this concerns a CD of music by Peter Maxwell Davies. I did not 'understand' what I was listening to the first time I heard it. The dissonances sounded like a cacophony, and the broken rhythms sounded like chaos. Only from many repeated playings have I come to hear the beauty and poise, accompanied by a progressive appreciation of his music. I care what critics write about Peter Maxwell Davies, or about Tarkovsky, Kurosawa, Greenaway or Regio, because I wish to 'understand' more. I am not required to agree with the evaluations of critics. A case in point is the movie I Heart Huckabees. I took the movie at face value albeit on three levels: 1) the level of plot / story / entertainment, etc.; 2) the movie-making level - script, acting, characterisation, filming, editing, etc.; 3) a philosophical level. On the first two of these levels the movie is terrible, and nothing on earth would induce me to watch it again. However, on the philosophical level the movie has something to say, and I shall watch it again. Naturally the critics slammed the movie. I also discovered from the reviews is that the movie is considered to be a spoof, the director intentionally mocking intellectual movies. Maybe, therefore, unlike the Peter Maxwell Davies CD, the movie has little so say - a second viewing and I shall be done with it - maybe. The idea of an existential detective agency interests me, even if the director intended it as a joke.

What does Fiddler on the Roof offer me in repeated viewings? There are major issues of personal, social and national identity, of cultural tradition ("Tradition"), and of spirituality. During the most recent viewing I felt challenged by the concept of personal, cultural and spiritual identity determining national identity. I like the globalised world in which we now live, and the breakdown of a one-to-one mapping between cultural and spiritual identity on the one hand and nationality (whether it be where I live or what is written in my passport) on the other. Whilst I understand something about Israel and about Kosovo, I also understand something about early twentieth century Japan, about Nazi Germany, about Afghanistan's Taleban, about aspects of Putin's Russia. I applaud the European Union both for its programme of smudging the statehood of nations, and for its support of cultural and spiritual diversity. These kinds of articulated insights are gold dust. I wonder what Fiddler on the Roof will offer me next time.

BBC Video Nation short film

We have just finished making a short film for the BBC Video Nation project. The film, which is online at:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/tyne/videonation/stories/jemima.shtml

is a peep-hole through which to glimpse some aspects of my daughter's life. The film was edited by Andrew Jeffrey, a producer at the BBC in Newcastle. Andrew also offered guidance, gave encouragement, shot some of the film at Jemima's school, provided a stock photograph of Alan Shearer, obtained relevant permissions, and wrote the online text. He was a pleasure.

I have, until now, resisted all requests to allow online images of Jemima, for fear that such images may be used by unscrupulous people for dishonourable purposes. I gave much thought to the video images that were to be used in the short film. This has set me thinking about how to portray other aspects of her life and experience. I feel enthusiastic to make a longer film.