The Truth, we can’t handle the truth, I mean I don’t even
know if it is indeed Monday and not Saturday as time does flex and Richard O’Brien’s insightful poetry on the subject creeps into the corner of my mind to stay there
on and off all day. To be fair we do spend a lot of time in the dark at this festival and also in the past, but there are certain jolts to the system that
make you question wider realities. For the second day in a row one of these came
from the Uzbekistan strand, The Minaret of Death (1924), with a film
which showed the harsh history of a country that was then part of the new
Soviet Union and even now, years after the block’s disintegration, the British
Government informs that no travel can be considered safe. The Time Warp opens
doors to dystopias past, current and future.
That said… at the end of the day up pops Anny Ondra with Saxophon-Susi
(1928) the peppiest film of the week and accompaniment from three cats who
really can swing and hearts are warmed, feet are twitching and, honestly, anything
is possible in this world. More on this late-breaking news as we get it…
The Minaret of Death (1924), with Abror Zufarov
and Sobirjon Tuyokov
The film was the first product of the Bukhino production
company founded in April 1924, in what was then the Bukhara People’s Soviet
Republic and was based on a 15th Century legend about the daughters
of the noble Khiva Khan, Dzhemal (here played by Nadezhda Vendelin) and Selekha
(Valentina Baranova) who are kidnapped and taken prisoner by the Emir of
Bukhara (Aleksei Bogdanovskii) a cruel mad with an over-sized harem. He has two
sons, a good ‘un Sadyk (Oleg Frelikh) and a proper wrong ‘un Shakhrukh-bek (Iona
Talanov) both of who fight over “ownership” of the women.
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| Nadezhda Vendelin and Oleg Frelikh admire the view |
There’s a contest involving chasing after an animal carcass
which the Sadyk wins only for his brother to steel his prize, Dzhemal for his harem.
He then kills the Emir for pointing out his misinterpretation of the rules and
blames his new concubine for the murder imprisoning her in the Minaret of
Death. Now, the 12th century brick tower, Kaylon Minar, does exist and
is the tallest tower in the region also known as the Tower of Death as
criminals were thrown from the top for centuries. We see some examples of this
which provide dark reminders of the justice meted out by ISIS and others, and
this is what will happen to the girls unless Shakhrukh-bek can think of something
quickly.
It's a fast-paced film and with something to say about
the treatment of women under non-Soviet, ie Muslim culture but also despots.
The Soviet authorities did not like the film though and as per Nicora Karimova’s
catalogue notes, it was declare ideologically inadmissible for distribution by
the People’s Commisariat of Education – to exotic, frivolous and possible Americanised
with all the lavish beauty of the harems. It also didn’t say enough about contemporary
life and the kind of new country the soviets wanted to forge unlike The
Second Wife screened yesterday. One thing it did aid was the role women
were playing in film and, in general in a society in which they rarely appeared
in public places or without their parania long robe and face covering, as per
Minar. Sometimes even a “frivolous” entertainment can be an agent of social change.
The accompaniment from Uzbek musicians Abror Zufarov and
Sobirjon Tuyokov added greatly to the enjoyment of the film which now we can
see as more of an Arabian Nights fairy tale or, further East, Shiraz. It speaks
to the culture of an independent nation and one with a rich tradition and a
hopeful future.
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| Marcella Albani pestered by Paul Wegener |
Dagfin (1926) with Günter A. Buchwald
We spent rather longer in 1920s Germany than some might
have hoped and there was an audible gasp once Akt Neun began of Joe May’s 141
minute epic Dagfin (1926) and a woman behind me had to be revived with
smelling salts. Not that it was an altogether bad film in fact it had many
splendid moments, gorgeous alpine scenery and a fascinating theme.
Here we have Paul Wegener showing exactly what he can do
as Sabi Bey, an eastern European despot who has killed and abused for decades
in order to maintain his power with the aid of henchmen like Garron (Nien Soen
Ling). He manipulates people including Axel Boysen (Alfred Gerasch) the former husband
of glamorous skier Lydia (Marcella Albani) so that he can compromise her and
take over her life in effect. He murders Boysen and has Lydia’s beau Dagfin
Holberg (Paul Richter) place in the frame convincing him also that Lydia is
really to blame.
By helping the couple he is able to mislead them in ways
that send shudders down the spine but Sabi Bey is also being hunted by the last
surviving member of a family of political rivals he killed - Assairan (Ernst
Deutsch). Sabi-Bey is in complete control, moves ahead of anyone telling them
just what they want to hear and it says so much for Wegener that he can
generate a small amount of sympathy in the role.
Props too for the Stakhanovite efforts of Günter A. Buchwald who played with fluid invention for the whole two hours and 31 minutes and on the violin as well as the piano, sometimes both at the same time. How he does it is still unrecorded… there’s magic in the air!
Chimmie Fadden Out West (1915), with Philip
Carli
Directed by Cecil B. DeMille it may be but this rather
slight film didn’t feel like it belonged with the heavyweight fare normally
associated with The Canon being Revisited. The film is a sequel to Chimmie
Fadden directed, written and edited DeMille and also starring Victor Moore
as the dry-witted, laconic New Yorker. Maybe like so many follow ups, it failed
to capture the original magic. Maybe, I just wasn’t in the mood (don’t worry,
that’s going to change in about two sentences…)?
This time Chimmie is charged with heading out West to
kickstart a fake gold rush by pretending that he’s found gold, so that the
railroad company he works for can make more money. No matter how you goof
around, that’s not a very nice premise. Anyway, off he goes, has some genuinely
good gags – remarking when a group of cowboys shoot their guns to alarm him in
a bar that if they kept practicing they’d “almost make it in New York” – before
finally realising that cheating folk is wrong.
More does have a winning smile and Philip Carli gave him
good-hearted support.
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| Anny Ondra and the temptations of sax-based puns |
Saxaphon-Susi (Miss Saxophone) (1928) with Neil Brand,
Frank Bockius and Francesco Bearzatti
Now for today’s most legal of highs, a mood-altering event
with fabulous cast and sincerely joyous accompaniment from a powerhouse ensemble
that left the Teatro Verdi at severe risk of an outbreak of dancing! Lemme tell
you that Neil Brand is a classy guy, his heart is positively "18 karat"
with respect to the beat and the band and you don’t need me to tell ya that Frank
Bockius is one helluva hide-hitter and can click those sticks to anything. On
top we had Francesco Bearzatti who was blowin’ like it was 1928 and can really
play that popsicle stick! They were attuned and they were the strawberry jam on
top of this most perfect cream scone of a comedy.
Up on screen we had Anny Ondra showing us how fine she
could look and how well she could dance and also make comedy – not for nothing
should she have been called the Czech Republic’s Queen of Happiness or maybe most
of Europe’s. She plays Anni von Aspen, a poor little rich girl daughter of the
lecherous Baron von Aspen (the marvellous Gaston Jacquet) who wants to trade
places with her working gal pal Susi Hille (Mary Parker), a cabaret dancer who
gets the chance to become a Tiller Girl in London. They swap assignments with Susi
heading off to posh school and Anni having to learn her dancing ropes fast.
On the boat over they meet some fine English gentlemen including
Lord Herbert Southcliffe (Malcolm Tod) who takes a bet that he can get in to
meet the Tiller Girls backstage and then another bet that he will marry this
special one called Susi (Anni)… It’s not much of a plot but it’s enough to make
this amongst the most enjoyable and warmest of comedies with this fabulously charming cast.
I think I’d like to see this one again please!
Couple of top shorts to mention:
Villa Malpenga (IT 1907-1910) a lovely candid film of real folk being happy!
Man With White Suit (IT?, 1910-1913?) a trick film
which featured every trick imaginable as a man falls asleep and dreams on his
balcony… serious questions about the sobriety of cast and crew. Marvellous!
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