For my paper I plan to write about Eva Marie Saint.  According to wikipedia Eva Marie Saint’s career spans seven decades.  For my paper I will focus on her stardom from the mid 50’s to mid 60’s.  When I was reading about her I learned that early in her career mostly she was put into roles that showcased her as a fragile and innocent character.  That changed however in North by Northwest (Hitchcock 1959) in which she was portrayed as a femme fatale.  In my paper I plan find research and find out if and how her image changed before and after being cast in a different kind of role.

To fully understand the roles she was cast in I will be looking at her debut film On the Waterfront (Kazan 1954) and North by Northwest (Hitchcock 1959). I may also look at All Fall Down (Frankenheimer 1962).   For I sources as a starting point  I have found an article where Saint is interviewed along with other actresses about how Hitchcock meticulously put detail into their appearances in his films.  I think that I will probably have the most information on her public image from around the time North by Northwest achieved popularity.  I have also found an article in Time magazine around the time she moved from television to film.

Psycho - Marion Cotillard

Dial M For Murder – Charlize Theron

North By Northwest – Seth Rogen

Rear Window – Scarlet Johannson + Javier Bardem

Több a törés után!

(Rebecca - Keira Knightly, Jennifer Jason Leigh /Vertigo - Renee Zellweger /Strangers on a Train- Emile Hirsch, James McAvoy /The Birds – Jodie Foster / To Catch A Thief – Gywneth Paltrow, Robert Downey Jr. / Lifeboat -Tang Wei, Josh Brolin, Casey Affleck, Eva Marie Saint, Ben Foster, Omar Metwally, Julie Christie.)

Vanity Fair

2005: Don’t Come Knocking di Wim Wenders

Stranamente (a mio parere) alla critica il film non è piaciuto.

L’America, con i suoi vasti cieli azzurri, i brandelli di nuvole candide e le pianure polverose, l’America degli enormi spazi feriti da una modernità degradante, l’America dei suggestivi panorami che si alternano a ridondanti insegne di casinò, l’America che passa con troppa disinvoltura dal western alle slot machines… è la vera protagonista di questo film che ha visto tornare a Cannes la coppia (Wim Wenders regista, Sam Shepard sceneggiatore) che nell’84 vinse la Palma d’oro per Paris Texas.

“E’ la storia di un uomo che ha perso il centro della propria vita, il filo della propria esistenza. E’ una storia sulla solitudine e sulle relazioni familiari”, ha dichiarato Wim Wenders.

Tema portante del film è infatti la perdita delle radici e dell’identità, lo spaesamento di fronte ai propri errori ed alla propria coscienza, il rimpianto delle occasioni perdute e di incontrare l’amore troppo tardi… La storia narrata però è l’aspetto meno interessante (anche perché varie sono le incongruenze del racconto e soprattutto perché i vari personaggi appaiono con poca anima e non coinvolgenti): abbiamo un attore specializzato in western, decaduto sino a interpretare per pochi soldi film miseri (un emblema del declino della cultura, del sogno, dell’Impero americano?), che decide di lasciarsi tutto alle spalle.

Ciò che veramente colpisce in Non bussare alla mia porta è il senso di solitudine dell’uomo davanti ai grandi spazi e il ritratto, allucinante e desolante, della provincia americana: squadrata, silenziosa, sempre simile a se stessa. E ciò che rimarrà nello spettatore all’uscita dalla visione è lo splendore delle immagini viste, un vero prodigio operato dalla fotografia di Franz Lustig che si rifà alla pittura paesaggistica, all’uso sapiente della luce artificiale e naturale (sempre fredda e tagliente), allo spazio quasi metafisico di quel cantore dell’America che fu Edward Hopper (che con i suoi quadri ha enormemente influenzato tanto la fotografia, il cinema, la pop art…).

Da sottolineare infine l’ottima prestazione dell’intero cast: Sam Shepard ricorda molto Gary Cooper (…quale complimento migliore?), Jessica Lange è come al solito di una bravura eccezionale, Tim Roth è ironico ed enigmatico al punto giusto, Eva Marie Saint segna un gradito ritorno e interpreta magistralmente il personaggio più riuscito del film.

scheda

premi e riconoscimenti

Data
Title: On the Waterfront
Year: 1954
Length: 108 minutes
Director: Elia Kazan
Writer: Budd Schulberg, “suggested by” articles by Malcolm Johnson
Starring: Marlon Brando, Karl Malden, Lee J. Cobb, Rod Steiger, Eva Marie Saint
Music: Leonard Bernstein
Distinctions: Oscars for Best Picture, Best Director, Best Writing (story and screenplay), Best Actor (Brando), Best Supporting Actress (Saint), Best Art Direction/Set Decoration (black-and-white) and Best Editing; currently #103 on IMDb’s Top 250

My reaction
Synopsis: dock workers are afraid to speak up against their murder-happy union
How I saw it: on video (rented from Netflix), yesterday
Concept: Okay. Makes for a solid story, but if Brando hadn’t gotten his hands on that character it wouldn’t have been anything special.
Story: Great.
Characters: Great.
Dialog: Great.
Pacing: Okay. Never boring, but it does feel too long.
Cinematography: Indifferent. Does everything it needs to, but never more.
Special effects/design: Eh. The location sets are good. The sound is terrible. And my goodness what did the make-up people do to Brando’s face? As my wife says, his eyebrows are magnificent.
Acting: Great. About as good as acting gets.
Music: Okay. It’s good music, but it is not a score.
Subjective Rating: 7/10 (Good). Underneath all the exceptional writing and acting, at its heart it’s still just a gangster movie.
Objective Rating: 8/10 (points off for cinematography and special effects/design) 2.9/4 (Good).

TOM HANKS

We watched “Nothing in Common,” a 1986 film directed by Garry Marshall, starring Tom Hanks, Jackie Gleason, Eva Marie Saint, Sela Ward, Bess Armstrong, and Hector Elizondo.

Hanks plays David Basner, who is on a rapid rise in the advertising industry; he has money, friends, women. What he doesn’t have is any sense of self, thanks to a dysfunctional upbringing by parents — Eva Marie Saint as Lorraine Basner and Gleason, in his last role, as Max– whose marriage limped along for more than 30 years without a raison d’etre, and now, at a critical moment in David’s career, has collapsed. Both parents bring the issue to David, who has kept his distance since he left home and has never developed a relationship with either of them.

Bess Armstrong plays a high school friend and one-time flame to whom David often turns for understanding or simple emotional release. Sela Ward plays Cheryl Ann Wayne, a hard-nosed but seductive agency executive with whom David becomes entangled, in more ways than one, as he tries to land a major airline account. Elizondo is David’s boss, and Barry Corbin is the head of the airline and Wayne’s father.

JACKIE GLEASON

All of these actors turn in strong performances. Hanks gets a chance to show his full range, from borderline nuts to pensive and insecure. Gleason, conceding a year before his death that he is an old and infirm man, uses just enough of the Charlie Bratton bombast and the Poor Soul pathos to make Max a complicated and interesting character. Gleason avoids what to him was always a temptation to chew the scenery. When he had it under control, Gleason had an intuition for drama, and he puts it to work here, particularly in brief passages in which he doesn’t speak. Eva Marie Saint, who I think is among the most unappreciated of actresses, is very moving as the broken-hearted wife and mother.

EVA MARIE SAINT

This movie takes on some difficult, almost embarrassing themes — the reasons for the failure of this marriage and the impact of a bad marriage on the child it generated — and it deals with them realistically, not looking for easy answers.

Marshall managed to achieve a delicate balance between comedy and drama that in some ways is almost tragedy. This film hasn’t got a lot of attention, but it should.

Ator, diretor de teatro, cineasta, escritor

Dale Bennett escreve roteiros cinematográficos e era, naquela época, um dos meus melhores amigos. Ganhou uma vez um prêmio da Academia e, mais cedo ou mais tarde, alguém acaba sempre por lhe dar um emprego, apesar de aquilo que escreve ser dez anos antiquado, mesmo para Hollywood. No entanto, está inteiramente convencido de que seu talento é fantástico e insulta os críticos e produtores que são a favor da Nouvelle Vague, da fotografia desfocada, da filmagem invertida e dos cortes abruptos. Estes homens, diz ele, dão mais valor à forma que ao conteúdo; ele é o “conteúdo”. O Compromisso – Elia Kazan, o romancista.

Kazan não é dos meus queridos. Nenhum dos seus filmes está entre os meus favoritos. Nem a sua literatura é a das que me causam compulsão. O fato é que cultivei certa obsessão por Kazan durante algum tempo porque ele é uma daquelas figuras que me fascinam, um párea, um cara que passou décadas sendo espezinhado publicamente por coisas que nada deveriam afetar no julgamento da sua criação artística, mas que proporcionalmente levaram-no à criação. Assistindo seus filmes, lendo seus livros e assimilando suas entrevistas podemos facilmente entender o tipo de mentalidade que Kazan carregava e absorver o quão admirável era este homem, afinal, não é preciso pensar igual para se chegar num estado de compreensão, respeito e admiração.

1- Sindicato de Ladrões (On the Waterfront, 1954)On the Waterfront is a history of informing where it seems like the greater good, despite the fact it goes against the code of community. The script was based on a set of real events which had nothing to do with my involvement with the Communist Party or the information I later gave to the House Un-American Activities Committee. Those fellows in Waterfront were criminals. It was based on the life story of a guy named DiVicenzo, who I knew, whose house I ate at. He live through the same goddamn thing that Terry Malloy goes through in the film. The waterfront was a gangster-dominated, ritualized, Mafia-coded society where no one ever said who said who was brutalizing them. Even when they knew who killed somebody, nobody ever talked. That was absolutely a valid story of the waterfront. But when people said there are some parallels to what I had done, I couldn’t and wouldn’t deny it. It does have some parallels. (Kazan: The Master Director Discusses his Films)
Até queria sair do lugar-comum e tentar gostar mais de qualquer outro filme do Kazan, mas Sindicato de Ladrões é mesmo o melhor. Está tudo no lugar certo, na hora certa: Brando possivelmente criando a melhor personagem de sua carreira, a jaqueta, Malden e seu padre badass, os pombos, Budd Schulberg dando aula de escrita, Eva Maire Saint deixando Hitchcock deprimido, Steiger & Cobb, mea-culpa e realismo por parte de Kazan.

2- Um Rosto na Multidão (A Face in the Crowd, 1957) Theoretically, I think one man should make a picture. But in rare case where an author and a director have had the same kinds of experience, have a same kind of taste, the same historical and social point of view, and are compatible as Budd and I are, it works out perfectly. (Elia Kazan Interview – Michel Ciment, 1974)
Existem cinco inegáveis grandes obras sobre meios de comunicação e manipulação: Cidadão Kane, Network, A Montanha dos Sete Abutres, Adorável Vagabundo e Um Rosto na Multidão, todos passam longe de resultados melodramáticos, muito pelo contrário, todos se atêm à acidez de um cinismo quase-cômico, mas foi Kazan quem legou o mais cruel dos desenlaces. Com o recém falecido Budd Schulberg voltando à bem sucedida parceria com Kazan que deu origem a Sindicato de Ladrões, nos é entregue um filme que poderia ser tão bom quanto aquele, mas que não chega a isso por falta daquele peso pessoal que incrustou toda a alma do diretor em Sindicato de Ladrões.

3- America America (1963)America America may be a legend, but it’s not a fairy tale. This is the truth. Nobody makes pictures about that class of people, about their way of thinking and their values. America America really captured another civilization. It’s my favorite of all the pictures I’ve made. (Kazan: The Master Director Discusses his Films)
America, America está para gregos o que O Poderoso Chefão está para os italianos, não apenas na teoria como na prática, pois é evidente a influência do filme de Kazan na saga siciliana do Coppola e muito se deve ao tipo de relação que os povos mediterrâneos têm com suas famílias. De todos seus filmes, este era o preferido de Kazan, ele escreveu o livro sobre o que levou toda a sua família para os EUA, adaptou o roteiro e filmou, tudo que o transformou numa obra única e exclusivamente do diretor, pessoal e artisticamente é o seu grande legado. Além da habitual reiteração sobre integridade que encontramos como tema em todos os filmes do grego expatriado, a relação familiar é expandida e é explicado porque o laço sanguíneo tornou-se também um dos seus mais queridos pontos de reflexão.
Também fica claro o quanto Kazan era encantado com o que rolava no cinema europeu em termos de linguagem, chega a ser estranho ouvir os atores falando inglês, o diretor foi um grande assimilador, tudo que ele fazia estava em perfeita sincronia com movimentos do cinema ao redor do mundo e aqui não é diferente. Como diretor de teatro talvez tenha sido mais revolucionário do que qualquer outro nos EUA durante o século XX, especialmente por ter incentivado e introduzido o método do Actor’s Studio nos meios teatrais, atitude essa que poucos anos depois fez questão de repetir em seus filmes, ajudando a delinear os rumos da atuação dos últimos 60 anos em qualquer país do mundo, seja no teatro, no cinema ou na televisão.

4- Viva Zapata! (1952) The competition between Brando and Quinn was wonderfully fruitful and creative. By the way, there’s nothing wrong with actors competing, as long as they’re competing to be good and not to be stars. In fact, I sometimes try to arouse competition. For example, I often praise an actor openly. Thats makes every actor on the set want the same praise. It’s nice to tell them they were good when they do something well. It makes them want more. After all, they’re hanging on you. They can’t see themselves. So when they deserve praise I always articulate it. I don’t believe in playing cool. One beautiful thing about actors is that they’re so exposed. They’re not being criticized only for your behavior, but for their legs and breasts, for their double chin; their whole being is exposed to criticism. How can you not embrace them and how can you feel anything but gratitude toward these people? I like actors and I believe my films show it. You look at them and see what whoever directed them likes actors. (Kazan: The Master Director Discusses his Films) E Kazan vai ao oeste. Ou ao sul, depende do ponto de vista. Antes eu não gostava muito desse filme, mas depois de uma revisão uns tempos atrás, coloquei o rabinho entre as pernas e hoje assumo que é mesmo um grande filme, especialmente por todas as cenas de assassinato presentes nele – Kazan foi brilhante em todas elas, podendo ser incluso entre os melhores westerns dos anos 50. Além do mais, possui a maior e melhor coleção de bigodes já vista numa tela.

5- Clamor do Sexo (Splendor in the Grass, 1961) It was the easiest picture I ever made because the script was good. It was pure and simple. (Kazan: The Master Director Discusses his Films)
Esse é mais um dos filmes cujo tema é homossexualismo, mas que foram camuflados com personagens heterossexuais. O roteirista/dramaturgo William Inge foi inspirado em suas próprias experiências na adolescência em reprimir e esconder sua sexualidade durante os anos 20, assim como a personagem de Natalie Wood detêm traços semelhantes à personalidade do autor, especialmente quanto a colapsos nervosos e tendências suicidas. O primeiro roteiro original escrito pelo dramaturgo é um grande texto que foi facilmente convertido em uma grande obra cinematográfica por parte de Kazan, o resultado é acima da média e Kazan tem o seu ápice no melodrama, atingindo o mesmo nível de Douglas Sirk e o uso que faz do technicolor é indispensável para isso.

6- Os Visitantes (The Visitors, 1972) I wanted to make the scene strong, but I didn’t want to make an entertainment out of blodletting. So I had the car fill three-fourths of the screen and built up the sound of fight. Then I cut to the door of the house, where Martha was struggling with Tony. I use a lesser act of violence to suggest the much more savage violence that was going on behind the car. (Kazan: The Master Director Discusses his Films) E Kazan se adapta ao cinema dos anos 70. A tensão crescente remete imediatamente ao Straw Dogs do Peckinpah, mas podemos ver o filme facilmente como uma sequência do então ainda porvir Pecados de Guerra do De Palma. O que é intrigante quanto este filme é o fato de ser quase ignorado dentro da filmografia de Kazan, é um trabalho excelente e a primeira grande obra sobre a guerra do Vietnã. Vale lembrar que esta é a estréia na tela grande de James Woods e Steve Railsback.

7- Vidas Amargas (East of Eden, 1955)I try to base things in realism and take off from there. I don’t think of myself as a realist. I think myself as a poetic realist or “essencialist”, as I call it. That may be just a big rationalization for my lacking. (Kazan: The Master Director Discusses his Films)
Esse é o grande ponto de confluência entre o cinema de Kazan e o do seu protegido Nicholas Ray, não tentando associar a escolha mútua de James Dean como o protagonista de seus filmes como marco da desestrutura familiar – não, é muito mais do que isso, naquele ano eles emplementam uma simbiose de estilo e filosofia.

8- Pânico nas Ruas (Panic in the Streets, 1950)Another thing I learned from Ford: he’s a great guy for foreground objects. He puts an object in the foreground that’s critical at some point in the latter half of the scene, and he moves the people up to that object. It breaks up the foreground spatially, so that the shot has quality, not abstractness. I use that a lot in Panic in the Streets. (Elia Kazan Interview – Stuart Byron & Martin Rubin, 1971). É exatamente aqui onde Kazan começa a fazer cinema de verdade e o próprio assumia isso para quem quer que fosse. É um grande filme, quando o assisti cheguei a ficar boquiaberta pelo fato deste não ser tão festejado quanto algumas de suas obras daquela mesma década, louvores extras ao Jack Palance que nos dá o prazer de conferir um dos maiores vilões do cinema. Essa é uma boa época para ver o filme, especialmente se a imprensa ainda não causou paranóia suficiente para que você saia correndo e gritando todo vez que uma pessoa ao seu lado diz que está com dor de cabeça.

9- Uma Rua Chamada Pecado (A Streetcar Named Desire, 1951)Some people say I made Brando the hero. I didn’t mean to make Brando the hero. But I wanted to show exactly what Williams meant, which is that he, as a homosexual, is attracted to the person he thinks is going to destroy him – the attraction you have for someone who’s on the otherside, supposedly dead against to you, but whose violence and force attract you. Now, that’s the essence of ambivalence. And that’s what I tried to do, so what you felt sorry for her but could see, however, that his force was healthier. That’s why I made Brando attractive. (Elia Kazan Interview – Stuart Byron & Martin Rubin, 1971)
Esse filme é demasiado importante para a história de Hollywood, não só botou fogo literalmente em quase 20 anos de Código Hays como mudou toda a história da interpretação colocando Brando no patamar de ator mais influente do cinema americano pelas próximas décadas, o que ao meu ver não foi algo tão benéfico assim. Tolinha de Olivia de Havilland, a Blanche que tanto Kazan quanto Brando queriam, mas que não aceitou o papel por existirem certas coisas que uma dama não faz em cena – imagino o quanto ela ficou horrorizada quando os anos 60 e 70 chegaram – então podemos incluir o papel de Blanche como um dos grandes arrependimentos da vida de Miss Havilland e todos sabemos que esta mulher tem muita coisa para se arrepender – alguns bem graves, por sinal.
E Marlon Brando quebra tudo. O que é a visão de Brando entrando em cena??? O problema dessa introdução ao senhor Kowalski é que quando ele abre a boca é altamente broxante, à parte Brando ser gostosopacaraleo e um grande ator, ele tinha uma voz insuportável, por isso é bom quando suas personagens gritam, grunhem ou gemem. A verdade é que este filme mudou para sempre o rumo de como se encara um ator no set de filmagens, sem o que Kazan começara no teatro uns poucos anos antes não haveria Brando, nem Dean, nem Pacino, nem De Niro, nem Hoffman, nem uma porrada de ícones que todo mundo conhece.

10- Boneca de Carne (Baby Doll, 1956)I like everything in the south, except its ideas, standarts and beliefs. But the way the people are has always impressed me. It’s part of my own maverick anarchism. I find them very funny and cute and human, very Chekhovian. (Kazan: The Master Director Discusses his Films)
Oh, Mr Vacarro! Esqueça Marlon Brando em Uma Rua Chamada Pecado, em Baby Doll está a prova do porque Eli Wallach constar na minha lista de homens mais sexys do universo. É a estréia do Wallach no cinema e é mesmo um absurdo, nos faz perceber algo bem peculiar quanto aos machos do Kazan: a sensu/sexulidade deles é bem mais evidente do que suas contrapartes fêmeas. Mesmo Miss Carroll Baker sendo um pitéu e ter a sua sensualidade natural bem delineada, Wallach domina o ambiente de tal forma que a única coisa que resta por parte dela é a reação à ação do macho dominante que Wallach representa no ambiente cênico.

11- O Justiceiro (Boomerang! 1947)We shot that entirely on location – not a set in the picture. The picture was a terrific thrill that way – it made me see my identity. I really enjoyed that life, whereas I was miserable on the MGM set. For one thing, I was miserable living in Hollywood – I never liked the place. I never unpacked my bags. (Elia Kazan Interview – Stuart Byron & Martin Rubin, 1971)
O homem era viciado em integridade, mesmo na sua fase pau-mandado-de-estúdio nos anos 40, lá estava Kazan envolvido na defesa das coisas em que acreditava, batendo na tecla de que não importa se o próprio indivíduo ou um clã se queima no processo desde que seja íntegro com a sua maneira de pensar e caráter. Particularmente gosto bastante deste filme, porque é intrigante, ágil, tem uma sorte de personagens e atores espetaculares, além de existir alí um vislumbre do cinema contemporâneo de Jules Dassin.

12- Rio Violento (Wild River, 1960) I think Miss Ella’s right to want to stay on her land. I think Glover is right, too. That picture, with all of its faults, is the epitome of what I feel more clearly than any other. (Kazan: The Master Director Discusses his Films) Tudo que Kazan tinha em boas intenções para com The Sea of Grass finalmente pôde ser colocado em prática no Wild River. A semelhança ideológica entre ambos é gritante, mas 13 anos na vida professional de um cineasta e do próprio cinema em evolução fazem uma diferença dos diabos, isso, é claro, se o mundo não for habitado por clones do Orson Welles.

North By Northwest is a pure slice of of Americana, an absolute classic Hitchcock movie. For those who have yet to see this film, Roger Thornhill,  a advertising executive is mistaken for a government agent and wrongfully accused of murder. Believing it is the only way to clear his name, Roger goes on a quest to find the man he is mistaken for. In a nut shell, that is the plot line. There are many scenes that make this film a classic. The art auction is perfectly played out by Cary Grant, trying to get thrown out of the auction by bidding $5. Of course the climax of the movie all taking place on top of Mount Rushmore is well known, but one of the most recognizable and memorable scenes in cinematic history is the biplane chase scene in the field.

Thornhill is played by American icon, Cary Grant (To Catch a Thief). There is a lot of humor in Grants dialog, just listen for it. His one liners and comments on situations come across almost like Grouch Marx. “Patience is a virtue” Eve says, followed by a quick witted Thornhill reply “So is breathing.” Eve is elegantly played by Eva Marie Saint (Best Supporting Actress for On the Waterfront), and is able to stand tow to toe with an icon like Cary Grant and be perfectly believable as a love interest.

As for the villains, VanDamm is played by James Mason (Heaven Can Wait, The Verdict), who brings a little class to the  entire idea of being a villain, similar to a James Bond villain with a taste for fine wine and love for art. Yet still being rugged and ruthless enough to develop a certain amount of fear that he has the power to have someone filled, and not think twice about doing it. Also, look for Martin Landau (Best Supporting Actor Ed Wood) as Leonard, VanDamm’s main henchmen!

If you have never taken the time to see older films, this is one that you should seek out and see at least once in a lifetime. You will be glad you did. Also, if you are fan of bluray discs, I hear this will be released on bluray as a 50th Anniversary Edition on November 3 later this year. I highly recommend this film, it’s a must see!

this whole situation seems to be going south actually...

PG

Cary Grant, Eva Marie Saint, James Mason

Phillip Vandamm: Do you intend to cooperate with us?  I’d like a simple yes or no.
Roger: A simple no.  For the simple reason I simply don’t know what you’re talking about!

Roger Thornhill (Grant) is just an average advertising man who, via a case of mistaken identity, gets roped into a world of espionage and danger.  After surviving an attempt on his life by Phillip Vandamm (Mason) and his men, Thornhill is framed for murder and must go on the run from the police in addition to Vandamm’s henchmen.

Another great Hitchcock movie, though this one is more expansive than usual.  There are an assortment of locations, train rides, plane trips, big cities, flat open fields, and even a trip to Mt. Rushmore.  The story might be a little hard to swallow at times, but that’s okay because it’s such an enjoyable ride.

Some of the best moments are between Cary Grant and Eva Marie Saint on the train.  There’s some seriously suggestive dialogue which is just fun to listen to.  For example:

Eve: It’s going to be a long night.
Roger: True.
Eve: And I don’t particularly like the book I’ve started.
Roger: Ah.
Eve: You know what I mean?
Roger: Ah, let me think. Yes, I know exactly what you mean.

They’re both really good, as are the rest of the performances, including an early, effectively creepy performance from Martin Landau as one of the henchmen.

My only real complaint about the movie – aside from a slightly lackluster ending – is that Hitchcock decided to include an odd scene with the FBI agents (or whoever they were) sitting around a table spouting exposition about all the goings on, as a way to fill the audience in on various details.  They explain and explain, over and over, to make sure everything is clear.  It seemed completely unnecessary, and actually spoiled what would have been an interesting twist to learn later in the movie.  It reminded me of the final scene in Hitchcock’s next movie, Psycho, where a psychiatrist is paraded out at the end to explain everything just in case the audience is confused.

Other than that, I enjoyed this movie thoroughly, and it further cemented Alfred Hitchcock on my list of all time favorite directors.

10 – .7 for that odd scene I mentioned – .5 for a somewhat lackluster ending = 8.8

• Director: Bryan Singer
• Genre: Action
• Movie Type: Superhero Film
• Themes: Assumed Identities, Heroic Mission, Righting the Wronged
• Main Cast: Brandon Routh, Kate Bosworth, James Marsden, Frank Langella, Eva Marie Saint
• Release Year: 2006
• Run Time: 154 minutes

Honestly, I never seen about superman movie before. I saw superman stories from TV, like cartoon or serial TV like Smallville or before it (I forgot the title, I’m just remember the player of Superman is Dean Cain). I love it. Really.

And when I start to watch the movie, I’m not really exciting. I don’t know, maybe because I watch Tom Welling all the time to be a Superman in Smallville, so I’m not interesting when I know another people playing a Superman.

But finally I see it and I never thought that I’m gonna love it. Brandon Routh was so good to be a Superman more than Dean Cain or Tom Welling. But for ‘Clark Kent’ character I feel Tom Welling was better. Maybe because Brandon Routh is so like Christopher Reeve. Even I never watch Christopher Reeve movie, but when I saw his poster and compare it with Brandon, wow… so similar.

Overall, it was an enjoyable movie, the special effects were excellent. i like the way Superman flies.. less music sound.. but the wind and claping cape.. nice. And I like the way Bryan Singer as director. He did an excellent job.

My favorite scenes, when the bullet right into his eye, when he throws the ball and the dog complains, Clark flies into action as Superman and stops the plane from crashing onto a baseball stadium, it’s so awesome and when Lois for the first time saw Superman after 5 years apart. And then when Superman arrives at the Daily Planet and takes Lois for a flight, during which he apologizes for leaving her and tells her that, because of his superhuman hearing, he knows the world needs his protection, and when Superman awakens form his coma and flies to visit Jason, reciting Jor-El’s last speech to Jason as he sleeps.

My favorite dialogue :
Superman : Listen! What do you hear?
Louis : Nothing.
Superman : ” I hear everything. You wrote that the world doesn’t need a savior…. but every day I hear people crying for one.”
Louis : …..

Well, it’s was so much fun, I’m just love it. Try look at the trailer below :