The Pianist: It all ends here

In this case I will explain the film differently if you permit me my cherished friends. I am going to give you a general summary of the film and then we will face the substance of the film, and it has: Wladyslaw Szpilman is a brilliant Polish Jewish pianist who lives with his family in the Warsaw ghetto. When the Germans invade Poland in 1939 he avoids being deported with the help of some friends. However, the nightmare is about to begin and he will have to live hidden and completely isolated for a long time, facing constant dangers to survive.

Imagine you have to leave it all behind you to outlast: your family, your friends, your lovers and whoever you have ever loved. And why? Because the mankind fails again at the Second World War causing the carnage of millions and millions. We live in a ruinous world where the poor eat their own shit and the rich close their money bubbles. Humanity's philosophy encourages us to ignore those who are suffering as long as we are not.

In conclusion, HUMANITY IS PREDESTINTED TO FAIL MISERABLY. Why? Because we dare not to face it.

A Clockwork Orange: Empty

When Alex is “rehabilitated” he comes back to his house but he finds out that he has been replaced by a new “son” and the worst is that his parents prefers a sight more the new one. Therefore, he walks aimlessly until his “old friends” (the droogs), who have joined the police, find him. And you could think: now they may help Alex... No way. They attack him and accordingly they leave him dying an walking in the rain waiting for death. And now you are likely to think the fate, or whatever you want, has finished with Alex, aren't you? Yes you are. But you are wrong! The husband of a woman he raped takes revenge and this ends with our dear hero in the hospital.

Have you enjoy the history? I suppose you have. Now let's see what do you think about it. Do you think Alex gets what he deserves? Would you be likely to follow his way if you have could? I mean, are you capable of doing these kind of shit to achieve anything? Think about it but as we all know: POWER CORRUPTS YOURSELF.

A Clockwork Orange: Sins

Shortly after entering prison he discovers there is an ongoing experiment (Rehabilitation for inmates) which could allow him to leave jail much earlier. In effect, if he gives permission to specialists to try its experimental behavior cure on him he will have his penalty reduced considerably. As you can guess because of his “initiative” he accepts being the laboratory rat but this experiment is anything but pleasant.

This simple but dangerous experiment consists of showing the patient extremely unpleasant videos in order to make him incapable of doing whatever shown on them. I suppose you have already realized what stuff we are talking about: murders and crimes in general. Actually, we are handling with tortures that force patients to summit to someone's authority so I ask you: Is the cure worse than the disease? We will see.

A Clockwork Orange

Alex, the main character, is a well-built guy who always achieves what he wants. Not because he makes an effort to get it, he does because he is capable even of killing to get it. In fact, he loves violence, he lives for it. With all this said, you can imagine my friends that his history won't be very peaceful.

He leads a small gang of thugs, whom he calls his droogs. It could be said that he is like a master of puppets who attracts bad people and who transforms these people into something even worse. In fact, he commits all his strikes against society by sending easily influenced people.

At the beginning of the film, they (Alex and his gang) commit quite a large number of beatings, violations and more misdeeds. All seems to be perfect in Alex's life until they break in an old-fashioned house whose owner is a mid-fifties woman. And you could ask me, Why this will be a problem for Alex? Very easy my dear friends, this will be a HUGE problem in Alex's life simply because when he kills the woman and he goes out his droogs betray him. One punches him in the eye with a milk bottle so he is defenseless, is temporally blind, and he is arrested by the police. As Derek was, remember! But his history in jail is highly different. Why? Pay attention and you will see. In the next spot my dear friends. 

American History X: Reward

One day, while having a shower, Derek is ambushed by the neo-Nazi group and they rape him roughly. He falls in pieces and shortly after he discovers he has been mistaken and he asks herself: does any of what I've done so far has been worth it? The answer is no.

Now imagine you are in a trouble such as Derek's. What will you do? Will you be sorry about your actions and start a new life? Will you go on with a neo-Nazi point of view? I suppose you will leave behind this point of view specially if your brother is in the same trouble, but now let's continue with the history.

After all this Derek goes out of prison but he has a new problem even worst: he must save his little brother from Cameron, but may be too late. Danny speedily realizes about his brother isn't the same and he is right. In fact, Derek works over Cameron in order to get him away from Danny and he also abandons everyone who is involved with Cameron's cause. When everything calms down and Danny is ready to listen to his brother, I say this because when Derek works out Cameron Danny gets extremely angry with him, Derek explains him absolutely all he has lived in prison and he also explains him they have been seeing things from the wrong border. Danny takes the new life offered by Derek and Vyniard's family is given a new opportunity.

However, not everything could be so nice and Danny is murdered by a black guy who had a row with him. ¿What's the moral of the story? Any idea? Any proposal?

If I had to give you an answer would be the next one: I could draw loads of conclusions, I could ask you to think about racism, I could do whatever, but I am going to say only one thing. Do good things and you will receive back good things, do bad things and you will achieve nothing.


Coming soon A Clockwork Orange

American History X: Change

Where were we?

Days in prison pass and Derek realizes about there are a few groups formed by people with different ideology or different race: blacks, neo-Nazis, hispanics... As expected, Derek joins the neo-Nazis group but he suspects they aren't as much neo-Nazis as they say. In fact, he discovers they are dealing at retail with the Mexican gang. Being upset Derek send them to hell (he cannot tolerate to belong to a “neo-Nazi” group which deals with “social parasitic”) so they put him in the spotlight.

Now I'm coming for you my little friends. I'm joking you know, but I want you to think about a few questions I'm asking before going on with the film: Would you be capable of killing someone simply because he/she doesn't share your same ideology? Do you think there are dangerous ideologies nowadays? Which? Are you likely to hate someone only because his race?

Now let's go on.

Derek knows a black guy, who is his partner when he works folding sheets in prison's laundry, and his feelings to immigrants began to change. They are becoming friends meanwhile Derek realizes about foreign people aren't “social parasitic” and about they are as human being as him. In fact, Derek and his new friend began to help each other in order to survive in prison.

American History X

Derek Vyniard is an American youngster who has a steady family. He has one brother (Daniel or “Danny”) and two sisters (Davina and Ally) as well as his father (Denis) and his mother (Doris). At the beginning all is perfectly normal but suddenly his father is murdered by a black drug dealer while trying to extinguish a fire because he is a firefighter. From that moment Derek tries to find consolation by supporting racist and neo-Nazi ideas and Cameron Alexander (the leader of a huge neo-Nazi group) will take advantage of that in order to take him to the dark side. And I ask you, which is the dark side? But that's another topic.

Cameron achieves his objective and Doris look helplessness how her firstborn is becoming in a second mini Hitler, although at least he doesn't consider a brutal genocide. Days go by and the hate inside Derek is increasing unstoppably and, unfortunately, Danny is getting influenced like his brother was time before. Within what may be, all keeps normal until he kills two black gang members whom he catches in the act of breaking into the truck left to him by his father. He is taken to prison but he doesn't know that experience is gonna change his mind forever.

While he is in prison, Cameron (who is a pretty smart rat) begins to be interested in Danny, who is quite confused and starting to follow his brother's way. And do you think, my dear reader, Cameron will get a second Derek? Let's see. I'm joking, we will see this in the next post. 

The last film

Have you been waiting anxiously? I hope so

Finally, our last precious stone will be The Pianist, a Roman Polanski movie which shows us the calamities Władysław Szpilman, a well-known and a clever pianist, has to overcome to survive the persecution from Nazis to Jewish. A gold film you are likely to have watched because of their multiple awards and nominations. Anyway, if you haven't seen it yet you cannot say your evening is gonna be boring. ¿Why? Because you are going to go to the kitchen, taking some pop corns and sitting in your green sofa until your mun or your partner or whoever throw you away from it.

As you can see these films share a main topic. Can you guess it for me? It may be violence, it may be human beings' sins, what do you thing? If you have chosen violence you are wrong so if you have chosen human beings' sins you are wrong too. What is going on then? I strongly believe the main topic of these GREAT MOVIES is the fact that society, any society, ignores her inhabitants unless saving them will be a profitable business. Don't worry if you have a different opinion, in fact you are likely to have a different one and I love when a thing could be seen from distinct views.

I also have to say, before starting directly with the films, we are going to deal with philosophical topics in order to understand even better these films which have so much to offer. As a matter of fact, we will speak more about the transcendental deep of them than about technical film details.

The beginning of the end

Hello my dear friends. I am Fernando Pérez and I am going to accompany you during this touching trip throughout our passion for films. In this blog we are going to deal with three well-known films. Three works of art which could be called the peak of the occidental cinematographic culture.

The first one to face with will be American History X. A tony Kaye film produced in 1998 which tell us the story of two brothers who have been influenced by neo-Nazi ideas, especially the big one Derek Vinyard. A great film which can show us that sometimes the price to fit anywhere can be too high.

The second one to talk about is gonna be A Clockwork Orange. A worship film by Stanley Kubrick which has set a time. In this film we are told Alex history: he is is a charismatic delinquent whose interests include raping lovely girls, smacking whoever he likes and practicing which he called “ultra-violence”. A film you MUST see if you really love cinema.

And don't worry, I will tell you which is our last film in the next post. See you then.