15 November 2024.
By Neptune
GLADIATOR II ***
Ridley Scott is an epic filmmaker, and he proves it once again with this second take on the original “Gladiator”. This time it is about the son of General and Gladiator Maximus, played with magnificence some 24 years ago by Russell Crowe, who won an Oscar for his role. That was a grandiose, overpowering film, full of “strength and honour”, and it rightly picked up 4 further Oscars.
This latest one starts with mighty battles at sea and on land, and the subjugation of the vanquished by the mighty Romans. They are taken as bounty and slaves back to Rome, where the stronger among them are turned into gladiators, having to fight to death in the bloody Colosseum games. This is where our latest gladiator, played by Paul Mescal, comes into his own as he slowly realises that he is the son of the great Maximus. His rage against the death of his wife, the injustice, and the crumbling state of Rome under two inept and corrupt brothers as dual Emperors carries him to higher ideals. All the while he is under the tutelage of a shrewd leader of the gladiators, played by Denzel Washington, whose brilliant portrayal will surely get him another Oscar nomination.
This is towering entertainment with spectacular visuals, gory, incredible action scenes in the Colosseum along with an intricate scenario. It nevertheless lacks the emotional grandeur and depth of the original.
FINALEMENT **1/2 (vo French)
Our romantic Claude Lelouch is back at 87, with his usual baggage of philosophies, music, love stories and memories. He is the man who time and again entertains and enchants his audience, while making the ‘intello’ critics grind their teeth. He started off with the sublime, unforgettable “Un Homme et Une Femme”, with Jean-Louis Trintignant and Anouk Aimée, which took the 1966 Palme d’Or in Cannes, plus a Golden Globe for Best Foreign Film. And for almost sixty years, he has come out with more than 50 films, mainly about humanity, nostalgia and chance encounters, often with magnificent music and beautiful images.
This one is about a successful lawyer (Kad Merad) who disappears from his home and loving family, for he can no longer take the falsities of the world around him. He becomes a hobo, sleeping in barns, claiming he is all sorts of scoundrels, meeting up with all types of people, including God. Lelouch uses this tale also as a pictorial homage to his home country France, for his main character manages to roam from his hometown Paris through Normandy, Burgundy, the Provence and Le Mans, allowing Lelouch to touch upon many of the locations of his old films.
This is actually a film about the dreams and aspirations of Lelouch himself, with many of his favourite stars such as Elsa Zylberstein, Françoise Fabian, Michel Boujenah, and a new discovery, the lovely Serbian/Iranian singer, Barbara Pravi (playing Merad’s daughter) who almost won the 2021 Eurovision contest with her haunting “Voila”. And there is the constant music, almost another character in the story, composed and played this time by the French/Lebanese trumpeter, Ibrahim Maalouf.
“Finalement” is a voyage away from everyday woes, a celebration of life and friendships, often moving, sometimes too long and too sentimental, but then it’s a Lelouch film. Maybe it is ‘finally’ his last one, or not…
STACEY KING & Band singing TINA TURNER – 23 November, in Prangins!
Here’s a tip for fans of the late, great Tina Turner. Stacey King from French TV’s “THE VOICE” 2014, will be paying tribute with her powerful voice to the hits of the queen of Rock ‘n Roll and the blues, TINA TURNER. That Saturday will be a rocking night in Prangins!
Salle des Morettes
Chemin en Purian 6
1197 PRANGINS Info: culture@prangins.ch tel. 079 548 6032
Superb **** Very Good *** Good ** Mediocre * Miserable – no stars
By Neptune
Neptune Ravar Ingwersen reviews film extensively for publications in Switzerland. She views 4 to 8 films a week and her aim is to sort the wheat from the chaff for readers.
Click here for past reviews.
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