No Swedish movies this week; just couldn’t get into the mood.
The Third Prince (1983)
BR, Deutsch
Another Soviet-era fairy tale from Czechoslovakia, overdubbed by DEFA for East German television–and this week it was on the Bavaria tax-funded television. Three princes (two of them were magical twins that grew to maturity in just three years) ride off to the land of the diamond cliffs, stopping to buy some stuff from a merchant. Two buy fancy clothes and saddles, then try to win the love of one of the identical princesses by completing some tasks. They fail and get trapped in the cliffs. The third (one of the twins), buys some “good advice” from the merchant instead of stuff (is that my Soviet moral lesson?), completes the tasks, and frees his brothers. His reward–since there are only two princesses, and they are in love with his brothers–is riding off with all the beautiful girls of the village after the double wedding.
This is the strangest ending I have ever seen to a children’s story.
Rancho Notorious (1952)
Cable, original
Somehow I had not realized Fritz Lang directed Westerns, but I guess a Western isn’t too far off from the Tiger of Eshnapur. After watching it, learned that Marlene Dietrich was 50 when this film was made. Superman George Reeves makes an appearance as an outlaw.
Highlight of this movie was the narrator singing about “hate, murder, and revenge!” every few scenes–it appealed to my Grinchness.
Autumn Milk (1989)
BR, original (Deutsch/Boarisch, with subtitles Gott sei dank!)
Best of movie of the week, based on the autobiography of Anna Wimschneider, born on a farm in Bavaria, who got married and took over the operations of her new husband’s farm–while caring his elderly family–after he was drafted and sent to Italy in WWII.
Mr Radish says it’s easy to forget that during the Nazi era, farm life in Germany had barely changed in four hundred years, and you see this in this memoir. It’s all hand scythes, candles, water pumps in the yard, plowing the fields with oxen–in the late 1930s, when America’s farm houses were electrified (even just for a few hours a day) and John Deere retired the Waterloo Boy after designing about eight better models. I know during this time my Iowa grandparents had indoor water and some electricity, and my Ohio grandfather’s family got their first John Deere in 1928 or 1929. There were eight kids out harvesting the hay barefoot with rakes when Albert Wimschneider approached the underaged Anna’s father to ask for her hand.
It was fucking brutal. I feel bad about being depressed so often, when I’ve got hot showers and fresh citrus fruits. But it was super well-made, good writing and directing.
Spinout (1966)
Cable, original
Why are there so many movies where Elvis is a race-car driver?
Better than last weeks’ Elvis movies, or maybe I’ve realized I should just enjoy the bright colors and not think too much about what I’m hearing. Lots and lots of bright colors in this one.
