#390 – A Matter of Life and Death, 1946, Emeric Pressburger & Michael Powell
When a young airman miraculously survives bailing out of his aeroplane without a parachute, he falls in love with an American radio operator. But the officials in the other world realise their mistake, and despatch an angel to collect him.
#391 – Shadow of a Doubt, 1943, Alfred Hitchcock
A bored teen living in Santa Rosa, California, Charlotte “Charlie” Newton, is frustrated because nothing seems to be happening in her life and that of her family. Then, she receives wonderful news: her uncle (for whom she was named), Charlie Oakley, is arriving for a visit. But Uncle Charlie may not be the man he seems to be.
#392 – Holy Motors, 2012, Leos Carax
We follow 24 hours in the life of a being moving from life to life like a cold and solitary assassin moving from hit to hit. In each of these interwoven lives, the being possesses an entirely distinct identity: sometimes a man, sometimes a woman, sometimes youthful, sometimes old. By turns murderer, beggar, company chairman, monstrous creature, worker, family man.
#393 – Monsieur Hulot’s Holiday, (Les vacances de Monsieur Hulot), 1953, Jacques Tati
Monsieur Hulot, Jacques Tati’s endearing clown, takes a holiday at a seaside resort, where his presence provokes one catastrophe after another. Tati’s masterpiece of gentle slapstick is a series of effortlessly well-choreographed sight gags involving dogs, boats, and firecrackers; it was the first entry in the Hulot series and the film that launched its maker to international stardom.
#394 – Pale Flower, (乾いた花), 1964, Masahiro Shinoda
Muraki, a hardboiled Yakuza gangster, has just been released from prison after serving a sentence for murder. Revisiting his old gambling haunts, he meets Saeko, a striking young upper-class woman who is out seeking thrills, and whose presence adds spice to the staid masculine underworld rituals. Muraki becomes her mentor while simultaneously coping with the shifts of power that have affected the gangs while he was interred. When he notices a rogue, drug-addicted young punk hanging around the gambling dens, he realizes that Saeko’s insatiable lust for intense pleasures may be leading her to self-destruction.
#395 – Das Boot, 1981, Wolfgang Petersen
A German submarine hunts allied ships during the Second World War, but it soon becomes the hunted. The crew tries to survive below the surface, while stretching both the boat and themselves to their limits.
#396 – Funeral Parade of Roses, (薔薇の葬列), 1969, Toshio Matsumoto
The trials and tribulations of Eddie and other transvestites in Japan.
#397 – The Thirteen Assassins, (十三人の刺客), 1963, Eiichi Kudo
A sadistic Daimyo (feudal lord) rapes a woman and murders both her and her husband, but even when one of his own vassals commits suicide to bring attention to the crime, the matter is quickly hushed up. Not only will there be no punishment, but because the Daimyo is the Shogun’s younger brother, he will soon be appointed to a high political position from which he could wreak even more havoc. Convinced that the fate of the Shogunate hangs in the balance, a plot is hatched to assassinate the Daimyo. The two most brilliant strategic minds of their generation find themselves pitted against each other; one is tasked to defend a man he despises, and has a small army at his disposal. The other is given a suicide mission, and has 12 brave men. They are the 13 Assassins.
JUMBO CACTUAR APPROVED FILM
#398 – Three Colours: Red, (Trois couleurs : Rouge), 1994, Krzysztof Kieślowski
Part-time model Valentine meets a retired judge who lives in her neighborhood after she runs over his dog. At first the judge gifts Valentine with the dog, but her possessive boyfriend won’t allow her to keep it. When she returns with the dog to the judge’s house, she discovers him listening in on his neighbors’ phone conversations. At first Valentine is outraged, but her debates with the judge over his behavior soon leads them to form a strange bond.
#399 – The Cranes Are Flying, (Летят журавли), 1957, Mikhail Kalatozov
Veronika and Boris come together in Moscow shortly before World War II. Walking along the river, they watch cranes fly overhead, and promise to rendezvous before Boris leaves to fight. Boris misses the meeting and is off to the front lines, while Veronika waits patiently, sending letters faithfully. After her house is bombed, Veronika moves in with Boris’ family, into the company of a cousin with his own intentions.
Jumbo Cactuar Film Index 