Tag: docudrama

MAESTRO (2023) – Review

The list of actors who have jumped behind the camera to sit in the director’s chair is very long. One way to shorten it considerably would be to specify which of their debut-directed flicks were both a critical and commercial hit. Yes, Orson Welles’ CITIZEN CAINE is lauded by film scholars but barely produced a ripple in that competitive “golden year” of 1941. Yes, it’s rare, but one actor really hit a “home run” in his first time “up to the plate” with a film that’s the third screen take on a beloved early sound classic, that packed the multiplex, made some top ten lists, and snagged some Oscar gold. Ah, but the actor was nominated for his performance (yes, he directed himself in that debut), but nothing for his strong cinematic storytelling. Now five years later, he’s back directing himself, for his follow-up. And though this is a biopic rather than a romantic drama, it is also set in the world of music. So, is this a case of “sophomore slump”? Well, after watching this effort, he could perhaps share the title of MAESTRO.

And just who is referred to in the film’s title? None other than Leonard (“Call me Lenny!”) Bernstein (Bradley Cooper), who, for many “baby boomers” was the “face” of classical music in America for several decades. In the opening scene, he’s well into his twilight years as he sits down at the piano for a filmed interview in 1978. Then the movie backtracks thirty-five years into dazzling black and white. Lenny leaps from the bed he shares with his lover David (Matt Bomer) in an apartment above the concert stage to take the most important phone call of his young life. Bruno Walter, the conductor of the New York Philharmonic is ill and Lenny will have to take the “baton”. And it’s that old cliche as “a star is born”. Lenny’s the darling of high society and the NYC art world. At one of the swanky parties he meets, and is immediately dazzled by a young stage actress Felicia Montealegre (Carey Mulligan). This begins a whirlwind romance over the next few years as Lenny establishes himself as a composer with the hit “On the Town”, leading to their marriage in 1951. The couple becomes the “toast of the town” and begins a family, despite Lenny’s wandering eye for both sexes. Felicia is aware and endures it with the proviso that he is “discreet” and won’t publicly embarrass her. Their unconventional marriage is severely tested and nearly unravels when eldest daughter Jamie (Maya Hawke) confronts her father, who flatly denies those “rumors”. Luckily his career continues its upward trajectory with acclaimed concerts and Broadway hits like “Candide” and the iconic “West Side Story”. But soon the issues of “cheating” are dwarfed by the health crisis that may finish off the Bernstein family.

Though originally seen as another handsome leading man, Cooper proves to be a gifted character actor as the artistic titan of the twentieth century. Bernstein is a complex role requiring Cooper to exude some of his screen charisma to draw in the masses during his concerts. The sequences of him conducting full orchestras, choirs, and combinations of both are truly dazzling with Cooper seemingly super-charged with the energy of the music muses. Much the same can be said of his creative epiphanies as his artistic zeal consumes everyone around him, especially his collaborators. But with those passions came the appetites for pleasure, giving us the impression that his ego was beyond earthly moral standards, with no interest in the impact of his indulgencies. Part of this leads to the great romance of his life and its near disintegration. Cooper has found the ideal screen partner for the love of Lenny’s life. Mulligan projects wisdom and strength giving Felicia a regal aura that masks her pain over her hubby’s often flagrant callousness. And as the demon of disease envelops her, Mulligan shows us her agony but also her determination to not “go gently into that goodnight”. In the supporting roles, Hawke projects the fizzy spirit of youth while dealing with some major parental confusion. And gifted comic actress Sarah Silverman flits in and out as Lenny’s glamorous, “smart set” sister Shirley, dopping “dishy” remarks.

Amazingly Cooper brings as much energy and creativity to his work behind the camera. He’s chosen to recreate the decades with a stunning switch in color, or lack of, as the 40s and 50s are splashed on the screen in shimmering strokes of black and white (big praise for cinematographer Matthew Libatique), then abruptly explodes with saturated colors for the swinging 60’s and 70’s (ah, the deep tans over Bernstein’s aging face). The vintage sets, props, and fashion keep right up the times. And they need to keep up with Cooper’s storytelling skills as a maze on stage suddenly switches to a full-on stage spectacle. Oh, and what sequences, the highlight being a breathtaking, jaw-dropping recreation of the presentation of Mahler at the Ely Cathedral which feels like one glorious supreme take. Luckily Cooper brings the same spirit to the more intimate scenes, particularly a nasty, verbal showdown over a beloved holiday. A similar technique is used to show the couple’s initial attraction as Lenny describes his new work about sailors on leave and is suddenly twirling and leaping with the “gobs”. Wisely, the movie’s superb score is all music created by Bernstein for various projects (there’s a great snippet from “West Side Story” while eschewing any theatrical recreations). Hopefully, this will inspire younger viewers to seek out his recordings, while for those of us who grew up with those “Young People’s Concerts” this will remind us of his fabulous legacy. And thanks to the talented Cooper, this MAESTRO is truly masterful.

4 Out of 4

MAESTRO is now playing in select theatres

22 JULY – Review

(left-right) Brothers Torje (Isak Bakli Aglen) and Viljar Hanssen (Jonas Strand Gravli) hide from terrorist Anders Breivik, in 22 JULY. Photo credit: Erik Aavatsmark. Courtesy of Netflix ©

July 22, 2011 is the date of the horrific terrorist attack in Norway when 77 people, mostly children, were massacred by a right-wing extremist. 22 JULY is director Paul Greengrass’ powerful, tense docu-drama about that tragedy, but the film is more about Norway and the people attacked than about home-grown right-wing terrorist Anders Behring Breivik and his attack.

Paul Greengrass has built a reputation for gripping and strikingly realistic films about actual events with CAPTAIN PHILLIPS and UNITED 93, but has built a reputation for taut thrillers with the Bourne movies. Greengrass brings both skills to bear in 22 JULY, crafting a tension-filled film, but focuses less on the attack and more on its aftermath. Greengrass also wrote the script, based on journalist Asne Seierstad’s book “One of Us.” The attack took place in Norway but the film is in English.

Although this 2011 terror attack shocked peaceful Norway, it was less like America’s 9/11 attack than the Oklahoma bombing. This was a home-grown terrorist with right-wing extremist views, not an attack from outside the country.

Breivik gunned down teenagers at an island summer camp after setting off a bomb at the government center in Oslo. His intention with his truck bomb was to kill the Prime Minister, as well as other leaders of the Norwegian government. He did kill 8 people but not the prime minister. Breivik dressed as a policeman for his attack, and after lighting the bomb’s fuse, drove to remote, scenic Utoya Island, took a ferry to the island and systematically shot the teenagers at the camp for children of Norway’s labor party.

Like CAPTAIN PHILLIPS, 22 JULY shows an emotional restraint and favors a just the facts approach that allows the dramatic feeling to evolve organically out of the human interactions. Greengrass handles to attack with particular skill, shifting attention away from the blood to focus on the fear felt by the campers as they fled and hid from the attacker. Breivik is shown coldly and ruthlessly hunting down the teens, only once with a burst of rage as he shoots campers huddled in a building, calling them “Marxists and liberals.” Before and after the attack, Breivik rails against “forced multiculturalism” and spouts neo-Nazi views.

The real focus of Breivik’s attack was Norwegian society and the film strives for some balance, giving both Breivik and those attacked a chance to speak, although that is done largely through personal conversations. The film moves back and forth between Breivik and those he attacked, primarily one teen survivor wounded in the attack, Viljar.

The gifted Anders Danielsen Lie plays terrorist Anders Behring Breivik with chilling power. Although others share Breivik’s right-wing viewpoints on immigration and multiculturalism, Breivik seems to have acted alone in the attack, although he claimed to be the leader of an anti-immigrant organization. He starts out defiant and seemingly having the upper hand as he speaks to authorities but is soon exposed as a loner with a troubled childhood.

As teen survivor Viljar Hanssen, Jonas Strand Gravli is outstanding. His expressive face conveys haunting and complex feelings, as he first tries to protect his younger brother Torje (Isak Bakli Aglen) during the attack, and then as he struggles to recover from his injuries, wounded leg and hand, the loss of a eye and bullet fragments left in his brain from a gunshot to the face. Ola G. Furuseth plays the role of Norway’s Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg, who is stunned by the attack and struggles before finding the right response, while Jon Oigarden is cast as Geir Lippestad, the liberal lawyer Breivik requests for his defense. Seda Witt plays Lara, who arrived in Norway as a child, who is one of Viljar’s friends at the camp, who speaks for the immigrants’ view.

22 JULY hits all the right marks for this kind of true story, focusing on a society that responses to the chaos of attack with the rule of law to bring about justice and the recovery of survivors rather than glorifying the violence or the terrorist. At the same time, it is a gripping, nail-biting thriller that delivers all the drama needed to keep audiences riveted, while giving a final glimmer of hope for good to beat out evil.

22 JULY opens Wednesday, Oct. 10, at the Tivoli Theater and on-demand on Netflix.

RATING: 4 out of 5 stars

LABYRINTH OF LIES – The Review

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Screenplays have been populated by characters trying to move forward and escape their ugly past since the creation of cinema (Mad Max may be the most recent example to come to mind, even Ant-Man). This week’s new release concerns a whole country rather than a person trying to come to grips with its history. Really not a distant past. That country is Germany, 1958. It’s just a couple of years prior to the event (the erection of the Berlin Wall) portrayed in the still-in-theatres BRIDGE OF SPIES, which itself was set a few years before the spy caper box office dud THE MAN FROM UNCLE. As you may assume from the year, this film concerns the events of the not-so-long-ago World War II. And while the man character aspires to bring buried atrocities to light, he’s up against many powerful forces trying to keep that history a secret from the masses. They are the builders of a LABYRINTH OF LIES.

The journey really begins when a Berlin artist named Simon Kirsch (Joannes Krisch) is shocked to see the malformed left hand of a schoolteacher. The sight triggers horrific memories. Across town, Johann Radmann (Alexander Fehling), an ambitious young prosecutor, yearns for more meaningful assignments, but seems to be stuck in traffic court. One afternoon the dull routine is broken up by the arrival of newspaper man Thomas Gnielka (Andre Szymanski) and the still rattled Simon. Thomas has lodged a complaint from Simon over that teacher, whom the artist recognized as one of the guards who tormented him at the infamous “death camp” Auschwitz. The newsman is furious that nobody from the prosecutor general’s office has followed up. His late father’s lectures on truth and justice still echoing through his brain, Joahnn looks into the case. Once he is called into his boss’s office, co-workers believe that Joann will be fired. But instead Fritz Bauer (Gert Voss) encourages the young man and even assigns him other lawyers and staff to assist. But the job ahead is difficult. The statute of limitations has expired on every crime save murder. Johann and his team must scour through tons of records and files for evidence while locating victims who will be willing to testify (including the now reluctant Simon). All this must be done while facing reluctance and outright hostility (even in the law office) from those wishing to forget the sins of that war and hide those evils from future generations.

Fehling perfectly captures the youthful zeal for justice as the (early on) idealistic young lawyer. It’s not until the film’s mid-point that he reveals the character’s darker side, bourne of frustration and horror, aghast at the cruelty hidden from him and his countrymen. But just as he gives in to despair, an inner strength kicks in, that fire within. One that is stoked by the passionate performance by Szymanski as the inquirer blocked too many times. He pushes Radmann, as the two actors have a great screen rapport, which gives his big third act reveal an extra power. The film’s emotional center may be Krisch who becomes a surrogate for the still-walking wounded, those few survivors. His sad, heavy eyes gives us a window into his haunted existence, dealing with ghosts that will not allow him rest. You see much of that weariness in Voss as Radmann’s boss and encouraging father figure. His belief in the still-green lad prods him toward his quest for the truth. Kudos to actress Friederike Becht for making the hero’s love interest, the seamstress Marlene a complex, conflicted character who helps propel rather than halt the plot’s momentum.

The film does move along at a brisk pace, reminding one of classic conspiracy thrillers, thanks to director Guilio Ricciarelli, who also collaborated on the screenplay with Amelie Syberberg and Elisabeth Bartel. It makes excellent use of period costumes (Marlene’s shop designs) and settings. Particularly impressive is the  towering American Embassy building where a reluctantly helpful US major wonders why the interest in ex-Nazis when the real problem is the “commies” (rumors are rumbling about the city being divided). The film’s focus does somewhat veer off in its last half hour into a hunt for two very famous war criminals who were in hiding (one of them becomes a ghostly “Moby Dick”, disappearing every time the heroes get near). This doesn’t take away from the compelling survivor stories and the country’s stern denial (“No one was a ‘party’ member”) and often plain ignorance (the twenty-somethings are blithely unaware of Auschwitz). Then there are the wrinkled faces of the men accused, some defiant, others looking down in shame. LABYRINTH OF LIES is a compelling, powerful story of how a small, determined group helped to open a nation’s eyes and hearts to acknowledge the sins of its past.

4 Out of 5

LABYRINTH OF LIES opens everywhere and screens exclusively in the St. Louis area at Landmark’s Plaza Frontenac Cinemas

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