Most well-known for his period epic The Leopard from 1963, Luchino Visconti is also responsible for one of Criticker’s Neglected Gems — L’Innocente. Another drama about human relationships, L’Innocente hit screens in 1976, the same year Visconti would die in Rome of a stroke.
Like The Leopard, this movie takes place in the world of the 19th century Italian aristocracy. It’s based on the 1892 novel by Gabriele D’Annunzio, and is mainly a drama of infidelity. Wealthy Tullio Hermil has grown weary of his lucrative, boring life and lovely, boring wife, and embarks on an affair with a seductive, widowed Countess. When he eventually runs into trouble with her and another of her suitors, he returns to his wife… though it might be too late.
The sets and photography in this film are nearly as stunning as in The Leopard, but the true star is the film’s music. The score, made up of classical works from composers such as Mozart and Liszt, is perfectly intertwined into the film, which at times feels almost like an opera. It’s a perfect end to Visconti’s career, and a fitting farewell. Not too many people at Criticker have ranked this forgotten masterpiece, so we encourage you to seek it out!
Buy it here!
Buy it here
Legendary kung fu superstar Sammo Hung was nominated for Best Director in the 1983 Hong Kong Film Awards for his comedic action flick The Prodigal Son, which also nabbed a Best Picture nomination. The film won the award for Best Action Choreography, and too few users of Criticker have seen why… which is why The Prodigal Son is our latest neglected gem.
The titular character is Leung Jan, played by the charismatic Yuen Biao, the pampered son of a wealthy family. A student of kung fu, he believes himself to be the world’s greatest fighter, and has an unbeaten streak of over 300 fights to back the claim up. But Leung isn’t aware that his father has been bribing his opponents to lose. In fact, he’s a terrible fighter, and could be easily defeated by even the most amateur of enemies.
With an engaging story, superb comic elements and, naturally, ridiculous kung fu, The Prodigal Son has been hailed as one of Sammo Hung’s best efforts, along with Magnificent Butcher. Pretty much required viewing for fans of the genre… if you’re unconvinced, check out the trailer:
- Straight from 1001 Arabian Nights
The plot concerns youth in the streets of Taipei. Hsiao Kang is the troubled son of a taxi driver who has just quit school. He encounters two petty criminals during a minor, meaningless act of violence, and decides to follow them in pursuit of justice. The film winds its way around the streets, arcades and neon lights of Taipei, in a study of youth, disaffection and the alienating effects of urban life.
His first feature won Tsai Ming-liang a lot of attention, and he would go on to become one of Taiwan’s most influential and famous directors. More well known for later films like Goodbye Dragon Inn and What Time Is it There?, Ming-liang has racked up a dizzying array of awards, from Cannes to Berlin to Venice. All beautifully shot, and usually recycling the same themes and actors (particularly Lee Kang-sheng), his movies consistently win the love of both critics and the public.
For further reading on Rebels of the Neon God, we’ll refer you to articles at Reverse Shot and Strictly Film School.
Rebels of the Neon God @ Amazon
You know that story that seems too riveting, too poignant, and too heartrending to be true? Well, it might not be. Forbidden Lie$ is a dramatized documentary about the search for the truth, or lack thereof, behind Norma Khouri’s bestselling book Forbidden Love.
Forbidden Love is a memoir, starring a young Jordanian woman named Dalia as its protagonist. Dalia falls in love with a Christian American soldier and for that act of sin, is stabbed to death by her father in an “honor killing”. Forbidden Lie$ examines whether or not this actually happened, or if it was a cynical money-making fabrication by the author.
A few of the mini-reviews for this film on Criticker claim that the less known about the film before seeing it, the better, so we’ll stop with the description there. Only a handful of people have ranked this award winning Australian documentary from 2007, but they’ve been unanimously positive, making Forbidden Lie$ one of our
Neglected Gems. It’s difficult to find on DVD, but there are a few copies floating around Ebay. Seek it out.
Buy it here: Forbidden Lie$
Iranian director Mohsen Makhmalbaf’s 1996 film A Moment of Innocence (Nun va Goldoon) is a semi-autobiographical reconstruction of an actual event in his life. As a teenager, Makhmalbaf stabbed a policeman while trying to steal his gun during a revolutionary rally in Tehran. Decades later, he attempted to find the policeman in an act of penance. His film pays homage to this event.
Makhmalbaf plays himself and (somewhat more remarkably) the police officer does the same. Both older, the film recounts their reunion and decision to create a film about the event. They set about doing so, casting younger versions of themselves and reimagining events from varying perspectives. But it’s not a documentary. The performances seem natural and unscripted, but the plot has been carefully planned. Banned in Iran, the movie won critical plaudits overseas.
It all might sound groaningly abstract, but Criticker users were almost unanimous in their praise, earning A Moment of Innocence a spot in our list of Neglected Gems. The film has a lightness and simplicity which make its complex themes easily accessible. You can’t help but ponder how much is real and how much imagined, and you’re unsure how much to trust what you’re watching. In his 4 1/2 star review, Slant’s Eric Henderson says that “A Moment of Innocence feels wispy and effortless, yet resonates heavy with the Proustian understanding of how memories only amplify and enrich with time”. A unique cinematic experience, at the very least.
Buy A Moment of Innocence here
Here’s a strange entry into our canon of Neglected Gems. Evangelion: 1.0 You Are (Not) Alone is a theatrical remake of the first 6 episodes of the beloved anime series Neon Genesis Evangelion.
I’m not sure if it’s best described as a remake or a cinematic adaptation of the series. But whatever it is, the first of four films in the “Rebuild of Evangelion” was a huge success with fans and critics alike. It’s mostly faithful to the source material, though there are a few changes that will surprise fans. A few scenes are cut, others are added, and new 3D technology is used in the animation where appropriate. Evangelion 1.0 was a smash in Japan and has found an appreciative audience overseas as well. It even landed on North American movie screens, avoiding the direct-to-DVD fate of almost all other anime.
Should I even bother trying to summarize the plot? Best leave that to the good folks of the Anime News Network:
After the second impact, all that remains of Japan is Tokyo-3, a city that’s being attacked by giant creatures that seek to eradicate the human kind, called Angels. After not seeing his father for more than eight years, Shinji Ikari receives a phone call, in which he is told to urgently come to the NERV Headquarters, an organization that deals with the destruction of the Angels through the use of giant mechs called Evas. Shinji’s objective is to pilot the Eva Unit 01, while teaming up with the Eva Unit 00 pilot, Ayanami Rei.
Um. Maybe it’s easier just to watch the film. Criticker users have given it an enthusiastic thumbs-up. The 2nd installment, You Can (Not) Advance, arrived in Japanese theaters this summer
- Coney Island Time Lapse
An Autumn Tale (Conte d’automne) is a quiet and touching romantic drama directed by French great Eric Rohmer. It’s the last of his film cycle based on the seasons (the others are similarly named, and similarly loved). The plot focuses on Magali, a widowed woman in her mid-forties whose 2 best friends decide, independently, to set her up with a man. Sounds typical, and the usual confusions and embarrassments do come to pass, but the movie’s strength is the delicacy and honesty with which it portrays these moments.
Rohmer was 79 when he directed this film (from 1998), and it’s proof positive that the quality of one’s work need not suffer with age. The movie has an extremely slow pace, though this reveals itself as one of its best aspects — slowed down, the viewer has time to establish a true connection with the extremely believable characters. Autumn Tale has an incredible 97% at Rotten Tomatoes. Kenneth Turan says that “besides being one of his wisest and most enjoyable films, it also has the light-fingered vigor and panache more chronologically youthful directors are not always able to muster.”
Criticker users agree. Not an incredible number of people have seen Autumn Tale, but there are very few scores in its list which aren’t colored a dark green. So if you’re feeling shell-shocked from bombastic fare like G.I. Joe and Transformers, maybe you’d find this quiet romance set in the French countryside a welcome relief.
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