miercuri, 7 octombrie 2009

recuperari: A Countess from Hong Kong (1967)

Tagline: Fun at sea! His cabin, his pj’s, her move!

A nu se confunda cu The Lady from Shanghai, al lui Orson Welles.
E ultimul film al lui Charles Chaplin si primul color. Chaplin avea 77 de ani si are un cameo creditat ca “an old steward”, as usual Chaplin a facut si muzica. Inspirat de o calatorie pe care a facut-o in Shanghai in 1931, scrisa initial ca un vehicul pentru sotia sa de atunci, Paulette Goddard, intitulat "Stowaway"(Pasager clandestin), pare-se planuita de filmare in 1938. Makes sense pentru ca filmul are un feeling de anii ‘30. E o comedie bulevardiera care plays ca o piesa de teatru si semana si cu un Billy Wilder, Lubitsch sau Preston Sturges (Lady Eve). In schimb a fost primit dezastruos, si are o reputatie maligna care insa a inceput sa fie schimbata, pentru ca e o simpla comedie inofensiva!


Fiul sau, Sidney Chaplin (care a murit in martie 2009 si a filmat in Romania 7 baieti si o strengarita), adjucntul si confidentul lui Brando, semana cu Danny Huston…si ca stil de joc si ca celebrity son…un rol excellent. Fiica sa, Geraldine apare si ea in scena balului/dansului pe vapor, iar veterana Margaret Rutherford e o pasagera la pat (pe coperta dvd rom. apare ca Margaret Ruther…). Tippi Hedren apare doar la sfirsit, ca sotia lui Brando, e minunta, inteligenta si fermecatoare.
Brando si Chaplin nu s-au inteles, si nici cu Sophia Loren nu, filmul a fost un esec major la ora aparitiei, poate too old fashioned, azi cred ca functioneaza mai bine.. Brando e total miscast, e inca slim dar nu pare interesat de ce face, da citeva replica majordomului Hudson (Patrick Cargill),cel mai funny personaj din film, initial Chaplin l-a dorit pe Rex Harrison in rolul principal.

Trivia imdb:
In his autobiography, Brando described Chaplin as "probably the most sadistic man I'd ever met." Chaplin, on his side, said that working with Brando simply was "impossible".







"The auteurists think that any Chaplin, even shit Chaplin, is terrific. How I wish that those people be stranded on a desert island with only A Countess from Hong Kong."

—William Goldman, Adventures in the Screen Trade
ha, ha, did ya see Magic ?

Things did not pan out as Chaplin planned. For one thing, he clashed with Brando many times during the filming. Brando reportedly resented Chaplin's methods, which had proven successful in the past. According to Chaplin biographer David Robinson's book Charles Chaplin: Comic Genius, the two men didn't speak to each other at all toward the end of filming. Moreover, by the time of the film's release in 1967, cinema was changing from the old guard to a new, freer style of filmmaking. According to Robinson's book, "A pleasant romantic comedy, the film seemed positively archaic in the year of The Graduate (Mike Nichols), Bonnie and Clyde (Arthur Penn), Belle de Jour (Luis Bunuel), and Weekend (Jean-Luc Godard)." Throw in the counterculture films being distributed by American International Pictures and you'll get a complete picture of why this old-fashioned comedy seemed outdated. Chaplin received the worst reviews of his career, with Britain and America being particularly cruel. Even though he kept developing projects, this would be the last film Charles Chaplin would ever make.

DVD Times

3 din 5, 6 din 10

DVD:
DVD:
Aparut la noi pe dvd la prooptiki, format 1.85.1 (Universal release) disc chior, nic macar trailer si sigur non-anamorfic, dar nici in durata corespunzatore, In schimb durata nu e cea corecta, la 103 min ! Editia britanica are 118, de la 122 in cinema.
E al doilea disc pe care-l vad in trei zile de la ei de clasice scos in bataie de joc, ca si-asa românii sunt prosti si nu-i intereseaza, v. Gambit, macar filmul ala nu exist ape nicaieri dar Contesa are mai multe editii
DVD Details UK:
Universal has provided a lovely DVD with crisp, beautiful color and a widescreen transfer. The disc comes with a trailer that features footage from the famous 1967 press conference.
(Combustibe celluloid)

Niciun comentariu:

Trimiteți un comentariu