Selections from Mabee Library's Collection of Foreign Films in Four Parts

Part Three:


Character / Karakter (Dutch)
PN1997 .K37 2003

This dark drama from the Netherlands won the 1998 Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film. Dreverhaven (Jan Decleir), the most ruthless and intimidating bailiff in Rotterdam, is brutally murdered, and a young attorney, Katadreuffe (Fedja Van Huet), is arrested in connection with the crime. Under questioning, the angry young lawyer reveals a hidden motive for the killing -- he is Dreverhaven's illegitimate son. Katadreuffe's mother, Joba (Betty Schuurman) had an affair with Dreverhaven but refused to marry him, preferring to raise her son on her own, despite her difficult economic circumstances. Eventually, Joba takes in a boarder, Jan Maan (Hans Kesting), and Jan becomes something of a father figure to the boy, urging him to improve himself and pursue new opportunities in business. As a young man, Katadreuffe takes Jan's advice to heart and obtains a bank loan to open a cigar shop. The shop soon fails, and Katadreuffe must negotiate terms with the bank to pay off his debt. The young man discovers that the bank is managed by Dreverhaven and learns that his father has no desire to help him. While obtaining legal advice on his problems with the bank, Katadreuffe becomes interested in the study of law, and after a great deal of struggle, he makes his way through law school and obtains a low-level position with a prominent legal firm. However, his father often appears along the way, berating Katadreuffe and convincing him that he's doomed for failure, until the young man becomes convinced that Dreverhaven controls his entire life and wants nothing more than to destroy him. Karakter was based on a novel by Ferdinand Bordewijk that was a major bestseller in the Netherlands. ~Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

Age of Beauty / Belle Epoque (Spain)
PN1997 .B36424 2003

After striking responsive chord at the Berlin Film Festival, Fernando Trueba's Belle Epoque (aka Age of Beauty) went on to win 9 Spanish Goya awards and an Academy Award for "Best Foreign Film." Set in pre-Franco Spain, film stars Jorge Sanz as Fernando, a carefree, pacifistic army deserter. Wandering about the countryside, Fernando is welcomed into home of the wealthy Don Manolo (Fernando Fernan Gomez). Far from upset by the boy's AWOL status, Manolo is delighted because he shares Fernando's political philosophies. What follows is sheer heaven for the peaceloving lad, who sits smilingly on the sidelines as Manolo's four voluptuous daughters (Adrian Gil, Maribel Verdu, Miriam Diaz-Aroca, and Penelope Cruz) literally fight for his attentions. ~Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

The Criminal Life of Archibaldo De La Cruz / Ensayo de un Crimen (Spain)
PN1997 .E64 1993

This Mexican-filmed black comedy (distributed in the U.S. seven years after its initial 1955 release date) is one of the minor but no less characteristic works of director Luis Buñuel. The film begins with Archibaldo (Ernesto Alonso) being triggered by a music box into a lengthy reminiscence of his childhood. It was an average, everyday incident, one that undoubtedly has occurred to us all: Archibaldo was caught dressing up in his mother's clothes by his governess, who was then instantly killed by a revolutionary's bullet before she could tell on him. The experience proved to be Archibaldo's "first rush," and he spends the rest of his life trying to re-create the sexual euphoria of that moment -- by murdering attractive women. Buñuel's characteristic perverse black humor then adds a twist, which prevents Archibaldo from fulfilling his desires. Perverse, but darkly funny, Ensayo de un Crimen is a slyly shocking delight. ~Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Earth / Zemlia (Ukraine)
PN1997 .Z435 1991

Earth (AKA Zemlya) is the third of Soviet director Alexander Dovzhenko's "Ukraine tetralogy" (Zvenigora (1928), Arsenal (1929), and Ivan (1932) are the other films in the series). The story tells of a group of farmers in a Ukrainian village, who unite to purchase a tractor. The leader of the peasants is later killed by a kulak, or landowner, who dislikes any form of united front that might pose a threat to his long-established authority. The events fade into memory, but the long-ranging effects of the peasant "revolt"--like the Earth itself--last forever. ~Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Frida (Mexico)
PN1997 .F75 1997

Frida Kahlo was more than a mere Mexican artist. Crippled, Kahlo used her art to speak for other physically afflicted souls. She also was a controversial political figure, commiserating with the likes of Leon Trotsky and Diego Rivera. Directed by Paul Leduc and photographed by cinematographer Angel Goded, Frida features the artist portrayed by Ofelia Medina. In 2002, Kahlo's story would again be told in another film called Frida, with Salma Hayek in the lead role. ~Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Born in '45 / Jahrgang 45 (Germany)
PN1997 .J25 2000

Originally banned in 1966, director Jürgen Böttcher's sexually frank tale of love and disillusionment among two newlyweds attempting to navigate the treacherous world of marriage was never officially released in his homeland until after reunification in 1990. Trapped together in a tiny flat and stifled by their newfound lack of privacy and personal freedom, recently-married couple Albert and Lisa soon decide to divorce. As Albert drifts aimlessly through Berlin and Lisa attempts to cope with the failure of the marriage, all hope for the pair seems lost until the prospect for a reunion begins to emerge. ~Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide

Jacob the Liar / Jakob der Lügner (Germany)
PN1997 .J29 1999

The screenplay for this wartime tragi-comedy was written by Jurek Becker, a Jewish survivor of the concentration camps and the Warsaw Ghetto. When he could not get the script produced, he transformed it into a worldwide best-selling novel. This movie was produced about ten years after the screenplay was originally written. The story concerns a ghetto character, Jacob (Vlastimil Brodsky) who tells the others huddled there that the Russians are winning the war against the Germans and are advancing on Warsaw. How does he know? He says he has a radio hidden away, which, if true, could earn him immediate execution. In fact, there is no such radio, and his prediction (for such it is) is years ahead of events. When the Germans begin executing residents and shipping the rest to concentration camps, his lie is shown for what it is. Indeed, his best friend commits suicide as soon as he learns the truth. However, for a little while, Jacob the Liar kept hope alive in a hopeless situation. ~Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide

Beyond Silence / Jenseits der Stille (Germany)
PN1997 .J43 1999

A young woman struggles with her unusual relationship with her mother and father in this drama from Germany. Laura (Tatjana Trieb) is a bright young girl whose parents, Martin (Howie Seago) and Kai (Emmanuelle Laborit), are deaf and dumb. Living in a small town in Germany, where International Sign Language has long been frowned upon due to local superstitions, Martin and Kai have a great deal of difficulty communicating with others. However, Laura knows sign language as well as her parents, and she frequently acts as an interpreter between her parents and others, often missing school as a result (though when translating for her mother at a parent-teacher conference, Laura cleverly twists a poor evaluation in her favor). Laura is given a clarinet by her Aunt Clarissa (Sybille Canonica), but this inflames an old sibling rivalry in Martin, and he makes it clear to Laura that he does not approve of her study of music, a subject he cannot understand or take part in. Laura begins learning the instrument despite her father's wishes, and she soon develops a keen talent. Years later, teenaged Laura (now played by Sylvie Testud) is a gifted musician and is encouraged by her clarinet teacher to attend a conservatory in Berlin, where a scholarship can be arranged. Despite Martin's objections, Laura goes to Berlin with Kai's blessings. While studying in Berlin, Laura meets Tom (Hansa Czpionka), a young man who teaches hearing impaired children, and she finds herself enjoying both romance and independence for the first time. Sadly, Laura's good fortune goes south when tragedy strikes at home. Jenseits der Stille, released in the United States as Beyond Silence, received a 1997 Academy Award nomination as Best Foreign Language film. ~Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

Germany in Autumn / Deutschland im Herbst (Germany)
PN1997 .D49 1996

This provocative film anthology contains nine short fiction and documentary films believed to have had great influence on the development of New German Cinema. Each of the five was directed by a different German filmmaker and are set during the politically tempestuous summer of 1977 in West Germany when terrorism ran rampant. Filmmakers include Fassbinder, Boll, Schlondorff, Sinkel, Kluge (who narrates) and more. ~Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

The Last Supper / La Ultima Cena (Cuba)
PN1997 .U43 1989

As indicated by the title, the Cuban The Last Supper (La Ultima Cena) has pronounced religious overtones--but not necessarily reverent ones. Based on a purportedly true incident, the film stars Nelson Allegra as an 18th century Cuban landowner. Allegra sees nothing wrong or unusual about keeping slaves, but he does worry about his status in The Next World. To this end, Allegra begins instructing his slaves in the edicts of Christianity, inviting a dozen of them to restage the Last Supper. Not even at the end does the hypocrisy of religiosity combined with forced servitude become obvious to the well-meaning Allegra. ~Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide