Day #25 of the 30 Day Film Challenge

[shadowkat]

It's Day #25 of the 30 Day Film Challenge

The prompt is A Film You Like That Is Not Set in the Current Era

Hmm.

This was more...what films do I remember?

Watch on YouTube

I almost chose Valmont, but I can't remember Valmont. While I do vaguely remember and would not mind re-watching Sense & Sensibility - which stars five favorite actors - Emma Thompson, Alan Rickman, Hugh Grant, Kate Winslet, and Greg Wise. (Where can you go wrong?) And it was directed by Ang Lee.

Oh by the way we are currently tied on Next 30 Day Meme Poll.

It's between 30 Days of Halloween Themed Books/Films/TV and 30 Days of Television.

Keeping in mind that the people who have been diligently participating in these memes all chose 30 Days of Television.

I don't care - hence the poll. I'm making enough difficult decisions at the moment. But I'll most likely be swayed by the people who participate the most... Or I could do both, I suppose.

I'm finding these memes to be nice little stress relievers. Anyhow, now is the time to break the tie...

Comments

[cactuswatcher]

We've enjoyed participating in the memes in your journal. Your posting them each day is something I look forward to.

Anyway for today I'll pick one no one else is likely to choose, the Soviet film Alexander Nevsky. The title card will tell you when it's set. What's going on here? The Russians are being invaded by (mostly) German Crusaders. This clip is the beginning of the climactic battle, the historic Battle on the Ice, fought on frozen Lake Peipus (Chudskoe Morye in Russian). Released in 1938, there was a not-subtle message for the Nazis, "Don't mess with us!" The movie is in spots crude and silly, but overall it tells the story well, and the score by Sergei Prokofiev is brilliant.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vKZPgGbUuX0

Players:
1:06 Battle maiden
1:12 Peasant hero
1:16 Young warrior
1:47 Alexander Nevsky (in funny looking goggle visor)
2:00 Evil Roman Catholic Crusaders

[shadowkat]

Interesting - kind of reminds me of Game of Thrones Ice Battle - except I can see what is happening. I like the music.

Also you win the award for most obscure.

[cjlasky7]

The Favourite (2018), dir. by Yorgos Lanthimos

A relatively recent movie, and fresher in my mind. Set during the reign of Queen Anne (Oscar winner Olivia Colman!) circa 1711, the movie avoids the usual pomp of period pieces to focus on the battle for Anne's influence and affection between Sarah Churchill (Rachel Weisz) and Emily Meachum (Emma Stone).

Lanthimos' use of wide angle lenses both emphasizes the beautiful set design of Anne's palace-- and paradoxically gives it the feeling of a luxurious prison, as the three women jostle for power in a no-win death match:

https://youtu.be/SojHxpqswV8

[shadowkat]

I finally saw this - it's a weirdly creepy film. With beautiful vistas and cinematography. But very creepy in how the Queen kind of destroys both women, who believe they are manipulating her - when in truth she never relinquishes her power over them and turns them into her puppets.

[cjlasky7]

What's interesting to me is that all three women are forced to work within the boundaries of a male dominated society, and have limited power--Anne included. She's the Queen, but she's constrained by her disability and political pressures, and her inability to produce an heir has effectively destroyed her future.

Abigail only realizes at the end that her exalted position as Baroness is the inside of a closed circle. Sarah, in a way, gets to escape--but exile is very very cold in winter.

[trepkos]

I LOVE Alan Rickman in S & S!

[petzipellepingo]

I'm going for Seven Samurai , which inspired The Magnificent Seven .

[atpo_onm]

I can't recall whether I selected this film for a previous prompt, but in cae I didn't, my first choice would easily be this magnificent work by Terrence Malick based on the Pocahontas legend:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i2LdlqW26zc&list=PLDUrLxvJbYib32Ab64c8EuM7rctuvibla

The commonest comment one hears from viewers who didn't care for the film was that it "wasn't historically accurate", by which they mean that the whole story about Pocahontas and Smith is largely mythical, and that's almost certainly true. They missed the point. I remember loaning the DVD to my former boss (at the audio store) and explaining in advance that Pocahontas and Smith are metaphors for how one deals with change when it's forced upon one, not literal depictions of a historical romance.

Now, as a backup in case I did recc The New World before, another worthy effort in historical semi-fiction would be:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HIpC0GbSuWg

Geoffrey Rush, Kate Winslet, Joaquin Phoenix, Michael Caine, directed by Philip Kaufman, with Rush playing the Marquis de Sade...

... say no more!