Movies And All Things Film

Arthur Brain

Arthur Brain

Well-known member
The Petrified Forest (1936)


I only watched this after a music track uses samples from the film which I'll post on the listening thread gave me a link to it. I have to say I thoroughly enjoyed it. Featuring Bette Davis and Humphry Bogart (in a breakthrough role) it's essentially Leslie Howard's film, playing a travelling intellectual where events conspire to have himself and a bunch of other people holed up in a desert diner for most of the film's duration. Adapted from a stage play it touches noticably on gender and racial issues and has very a philosophical bent, and considering the time of release a lot is still relevant now. At times the dialogue is a bit dated and unrealistic but hey...
 
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Arthur Brain

Arthur Brain

Well-known member
Calvary


Brendan Gleeson is one of my favourite actors and this is one of his finest roles. He plays Father James, a devout priest and conscientious man who, during a confessional at the beginning of the film hears about the sexual abuse suffered by a victim as a child, and then, how the victim intends to kill him in a week - because he's a good priest.

Anchored by Gleeson's award winning performance, this is chock full of ensemble support including a fair number of comic actors but despite being peppered with humour throughout, this isn't a comedy film and tackles weighty issues brilliantly. Thoroughly recommended if in the mood for thought provoking fare.
 
annabenedetti

annabenedetti

like marbles on glass
Arthur Brain said:
Calvary


Brendan Gleeson is one of my favourite actors and this is one of his finest roles. He plays Father James, a devout priest and conscientious man who, during a confessional at the beginning of the film hears about the sexual abuse suffered by a victim as a child, and then, how the victim intends to kill him in a week - because he's a good priest.

Anchored by Gleeson's award winning performance, this is chock full of ensemble support including a fair number of comic actors but despite being peppered with humour throughout, this isn't a comedy film and tackles weighty issues brilliantly. Thoroughly recommended if in the mood for thought provoking fare.
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I'm going to have to watch this.
 
annabenedetti

annabenedetti

like marbles on glass
Arthur Brain said:
You'll have to let me know what you think. :)
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Okay. Well. I watched it. And then I watched it again.

First, have to note the serendipitous:

Conversation in the pub between Milo and Fr. James:

Milo: I don’t like this music.​
Fr. James: What music do you like?​
Milo: Dolly Parton​
Fr. James: Dolly Parton’s good, yeah.​

The movie is just so profound. The dialogue is next level. And if you know the Irish, very on point. They're not known as philosophers and poets for nothing, and who does dark humor better? The casting is so good. Love Gleeson, love Kelly Reilly. It's just so Catholic to a Catholic, too. In so many ways, some subtle, some not. Everyone knows about the priest scandals, and rightly so. Ireland has a love/hate relationship to Catholicism that's a whole story in itself, as would be the Irish priests who came to America and influenced American Catholicism. Very different than, say, Spanish or Italian Catholicism. The sexual abuse trauma to the children that affects the whole rest of their lives cannot be understated, brought out with such painful clarity in the last scene. Fr. James is the kind of priest I'd want, flaws and all. He genuinely cares about his people, though they treat him so badly. My goodness if they didn't mostly all just show the worst sides of themselves. Most of the time, Fr. James just looks at them. I think it shows he's not judging them, just accepting that's who they are. The title is apt, his last week is his own road to Cavalry, and he accepts it. The small role of the French widow in this movie has outsized significance, IMO.

A little extra shot of Catholicism here: the woman in the village named Veronica. Very complex character. There's a St. Veronica in the apocrypha who's in all the stations of the crosses in all the Catholic churches of the world. She wipes the face of Jesus while he carries the cross to Calvary. The village Veronica pretty much does the opposite, but an interesting name choice, regardless.

What a moving film. I'm so thankful you recommended it.

A couple more quotes:

From St. Augustine at the beginning of the movie:

Do not despair; one of the thieves was saved.​
Do not presume; one of the thieves was damned.​

Near the end, in the last conversation Fr. James has with his daughter Fiona:

Fr. James: I think there's too much talk about sins and not enough about virtues.​
Fiona: What would be your number one?​
Fr. James: I think forgiveness has been highly underrated.​
 
Arthur Brain

Arthur Brain

Well-known member
annabenedetti said:
Okay. Well. I watched it. And then I watched it again.

First, have to note the serendipitous:

Conversation in the pub between Milo and Fr. James:

Milo: I don’t like this music.​
Fr. James: What music do you like?​
Milo: Dolly Parton​
Fr. James: Dolly Parton’s good, yeah.​

The movie is just so profound. The dialogue is next level. And if you know the Irish, very on point. They're not known as philosophers and poets for nothing, and who does dark humor better? The casting is so good. Love Gleeson, love Kelly Reilly. It's just so Catholic to a Catholic, too. In so many ways, some subtle, some not. Everyone knows about the priest scandals, and rightly so. Ireland has a love/hate relationship to Catholicism that's a whole story in itself, as would be the Irish priests who came to America and influenced American Catholicism. Very different than, say, Spanish or Italian Catholicism. The sexual abuse trauma to the children that affects the whole rest of their lives cannot be understated, brought out with such painful clarity in the last scene. Fr. James is the kind of priest I'd want, flaws and all. He genuinely cares about his people, though they treat him so badly. My goodness if they didn't mostly all just show the worst sides of themselves. Most of the time, Fr. James just looks at them. I think it shows he's not judging them, just accepting that's who they are. The title is apt, his last week is his own road to Cavalry, and he accepts it. The small role of the French widow in this movie has outsized significance, IMO.

A little extra shot of Catholicism here: the woman in the village named Veronica. Very complex character. There's a St. Veronica in the apocrypha who's in all the stations of the crosses in all the Catholic churches of the world. She wipes the face of Jesus while he carries the cross to Calvary. The village Veronica pretty much does the opposite, but an interesting name choice, regardless.

What a moving film. I'm so thankful you recommended it.

A couple more quotes:

From St. Augustine at the beginning of the movie:

Do not despair; one of the thieves was saved.​
Do not presume; one of the thieves was damned.​

Near the end, in the last conversation Fr. James has with his daughter Fiona:

Fr. James: I think there's too much talk about sins and not enough about virtues.​
Fiona: What would be your number one?​
Fr. James: I think forgiveness has been highly underrated.​
Click to expand...

I knew you'd give a brilliant analysis and you did - and more. I was hoping it would resonate with you, being Catholic and you've given some insights that I hadn't even considered to be honest so thank you for those. :) I agree that the Irish have a particular way with dark humour that's embodied in the film and I agree with you as regards casting as well. Gleeson is magnificent in the central role but each supporting member brings something to their role also and considering how many comic actors were involved in it they were excellent, Chris O'Dowd as the victim/killer especially as is Kelly Reilly as Gleeson's daughter. The dialogue is excellent and totally believable and I can't add anything of any note to what you've already wrote. I was certainly hoping you'd enjoy it and you watched it twice. :)

For another recommendation I would suggest 'In Bruges' also starring Gleeson with Colin Farrell and Ralph Fiennes. I can't recall if you've seen this or not:

 
annabenedetti

annabenedetti

like marbles on glass
Arthur Brain said:
I knew you'd give a brilliant analysis and you did - and more. I was hoping it would resonate with you, being Catholic and you've given some insights that I hadn't even considered to be honest so thank you for those. :) I agree that the Irish have a particular way with dark humour that's embodied in the film and I agree with you as regards casting as well. Gleeson is magnificent in the central role but each supporting member brings something to their role also and considering how many comic actors were involved in it they were excellent, Chris O'Dowd as the victim/killer especially as is Kelly Reilly as Gleeson's daughter. The dialogue is excellent and totally believable and I can't add anything of any note to what you've already wrote. I was certainly hoping you'd enjoy it and you watched it twice. :)

For another recommendation I would suggest 'In Bruges' also starring Gleeson with Colin Farrell and Ralph Fiennes. I can't recall if you've seen this or not:

Click to expand...

It absolutely resonated, thank you again for posting the recommendation, I hadn't ever heard of it before. Yes, all the cast is perfect, you know when you forget they're just actors playing a role, they become real. The dialogue is just so sharp. The everyman philosophers. :)

I did see In Bruges years and years ago. I have a terrible memory for movie plots, I'll watch it again someday and it will be like the first time. 🤪
 
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