versiunea 1.3. redux (incl. ROCKLAND & alinland)
The Boys from Brazil was first a book by Ira Levin (The Stepford Wives, Rosemary's Baby), published in 1976. Great page-turner thriller, very risque, mixing real characters with preposterous fiction !
The great Franklin J. Schaffner directs. And he gets an 11 Mill. $ budget and a Grade (sic) A cast.
Gregory Peck is Joseph Mengele, playing totally against type, his only Villain in his filmography. His take on Mengele is fierce, mean spirited and dead serious. He man is evil, the Doctor is mad. But Peck plays it straight and dresses sharply, in white suits, with a stilleto moustache. It's definitely one of the top performances of his amazing career.
Peck said afterwards, "I felt, Laurence Olivier felt, friends of mine like Walter Matthau and Jack Lemmon felt, that I was good in this part. Some critics seem unwilling to accept actors when they break what they think is the mold or the image.”
James Mason supports as colonel Seibert, as do a bunch of great actors known from war and spy films,
Walter Gottel (general Gogol in the Moore Bond films), Wolfgang Preiss, Michael Gough, Bruno Ganz, Denholm Elliott, most interesting is young Steve Guttenberg playing a Jewish young journalist who discovers the Praguayan Nazi plot. Lily Palmer, Uta Hagen and Anne Meara have small but important parts and the young boy, Jeremy Black as the uncanny blue-eyed adolescent with multiple incarnations.
The plot itself it's so far out, it's great. And it's played so serious and grave, also it's very avant garde re Cloning, the Macguffin of the film.
Jerry Goldsmith delivers another great score for Schaffner, they colllaborated on seven films. This one is based half on an Austrian waltz, half on Martial menacing music.
Cinematography in 1.85.1 by Henri Decae, legendary & over versatile French DOP (Bob le flammbeur, Les 400 coups, Le Clan des siciliens, Le Cercle Rouge, Day for Night, Le Professionel), in one of the few English language films he ever did (together with The Light at the Edge of the World, Bobby Deerfield, Two People, Operation Daybreak, The Island and Exposed).
Locations are Brazil, Paraguay, London, Austria (Vienna), Germany, Sweden and the US. The production went to Portugal instead and the principal unit never set foot in the USA.
The opening is great, mysterious, after the majestic music turns into menacing sounds, and the opening credits are on black, there is no dialogue for the first 16 minutes.
I must've seen this film every decade of my life, 1st time in 1981-82 on Communist Romanian television when I was in the 6th or &th grade, impromptu and incognito, on a Sunday night, presented as "film artistic", on the the QT. We were so impressed the next day in school, the ones who saw it, by a sheer mistake, as the film was totally smuggled that night, one of those -push it in films-mainly when comrade Ceausescu was visiting abroad. Thanks again whoever put that on that night. A few years later, in high school I got upon the book, in French ! Started to clumsily translate it, I think I got done the 1st chapter, then of course gave up. The book might've been transalted in Romanian after 1990, I don't know.
One big find was the ITC DVD I got in the early 2000's, wasn't a great copy but still...And last time I watched it in 2020, in the pandemic, catching up with Schaffner's Lionheart and Sphynx.
There were many different versions, the film was cut over 20 minutes for TV from the original 2h05 running time and many cuts didn't have the original ending with Jeremy Black in the photo dark room, which adds value to the concept. It also empathies the role of the braclet of animal claws that Mengele brought with him from Brazil, a small detail and metaphor addes to the subtext.
Now they are reamaking the book (and film) into a 5 episodes miniseries for Netflix that will probably stream next year. Peter Morgan is the showrunenr and Jeremy Strong is the nazi hunter. August Diehl plays Mengele but it shall be no longer Mengele, they renamed him, after his exceptional turn of the charcter in thw recent The Dissapaerence of Joseph Mengele, in which the Ira Levin novel and the film are mentioned !
4 out of 5 / 8 out of 10 !
Maligned on his opening time, criticised and satirised as the "nazi revival" genre was tiring (The Odessa Filre, Marathon Man, later on The Formula) the film stands tall the test of time, anchored in the two key performances, the clash between two old men, obsessed, a lot of psychology that was brought by Peck and Olivier, happy to work together for one time only, the markings of the a great director, the music and atmosphere.
****
Best review I found about the making of and the motivations of Scahaffner, Peck taking part in it, the choice of the filming format and locations here.
as stated on Sept. 23, 2025 when the trailer premiered.
Movie or at least Curio of next year ?
The Bride, Maggie Gyllenhaal's second film after The Lost Daughter (2021) is a revisonist retelling of Bride of Frankenstein (1935, James Whale), with Jessie Buckley (Fargo sez, IV) as The Bride, Christian Bale as Frankenstein's Monster, and Jake Gyllenhaal, Penelope Cruz, Peter Sarsgaard, Annette Bening.
The Bride is a mix of Poor Things and Joker (Folie a deux), with elements of Public Enemies (Bale again..), Bonnie and Clyde and other goodies of the 30's era.
Just fyi, there was another The Bride, starring Sting, Clancy Brown as the Monster aka Viktor and Jennifer Beals as "Eve", directed by Franc Roddam, in 1985.
-Update-saw the film in cinema March 9th 2026 and posted my "review" on Letterboxed here.
It says:
All over the place big budget mess of a personal (I'd say Vanity) star project (Maggie Gyllenhal's 2nd film) with an incoherent agenda: meta-cinema, pretentious literary references (Mary Shelley, Herman Melville, Shakespeare), grand feminist message, cult genre films homage, from Bonnie and Clyde to Mel Brooks' Young Frankenstein, over-the-top performances -Bale can go for a Razzie, gratuitous violence, #metoo engagement, anachronisms galore, chaotic choregraphy and revisionist musical score. I didn't feel involved at all, Zlatko Buric as Italian capo Lupino ! (another Ida Lupino reference !) is the weirdest casting choice.
Folie a Deux meets (Un) Natural Born Killers, It surely deserves the exclamation sign from the title !!!
2 1/2 out of 5 / 5 out of 10 !
Romanian version here.
The first time I saw Fargo was on VHS at Nae Caranfil's home. It was a memorable evening for all of us who were there. Some time had already passed since the premiere, the film had become famous (we're talking about the pre-download era, when films were still hard to get hold of), we were all devoted Coen Brothers fans, and we passionately debated the story and the mise-en-scène in a way that nowadays only happens in the excitement surrounding premieres or film festivals.
Oddly enough, Fargo was never released theatrically in Romania, so the TIFF.25 screening was a royal treat, giving you the chance to see it the way it should be seen.
Its premiere was at Cannes, in the Official Competition, where Joel Coen won the Best Director Award. Then came the Oscars (2 awards from 7 nominations). It was the Coens' Academy Award (everyone knows they direct together, although Ethan is officially credited as producer), the Best Picture of the year, and Frances McDormand's first Oscar (Best Actress—she has three now!). Who had ever seen a pregnant police heroine wearing a Siberian-style earflap hat?
Fargo- thirty years later: an absolute cult film and an ultra-influential one (#185 on the IMDb Top 250). Its biggest admirer: Noah Hawley, who in 2014 created the TV series Fargo, whose first season is directly connected to the original while also retelling it. Five seasons inspired by the Fargo universe have been produced—an anthology unlike anything television had ever seen.
The poster is brilliant, embroided on a hoop, with the words "A homespun murder story" stitched in red. The title comes from the town of Fargo, North Dakota, on the border with Minnesota, where the events are supposed to take place, marketed as a true story—but of course that's another Coen Brothers gimmick, and everything is invented. It's winter, there's a blizzard, there's snow, and the South Dakota/Minnesota accents are absolutely wonderful. All the characters have Nordic names, just like the origins of the area's inhabitants (Gustafson, Gunderson, Lundegaard). William H. Macy is a sad and utterly pathetic figure, the car salesman who sets an absurd domino effect in motion.
Two of the Coens' longtime collaborators make a major contribution to this unique universe. Roger Deakins' cinematography condenses this immense white landscape, while Carter Burwell's score adds a sense of space and drama; it was later used as the theme for the television series.
But without the Steve Buscemi/Peter Stormare tandem, the film would be in vain...
"I'm going crazy down there at the lake." Ja.
Alin Ludu Dumbravă
This article was published in Aperitiff | June 12, 2026
Prima oară am văzut Fargo pe casetă video la Nae Caranfil acasă, a fost o seară-eveniment pentru noi toți cei prezenți. Trecuse deja ceva timp de la premieră, filmul era celebru (vorbim de pre era download, cînd încă era greu să ai acces la filme), eram cu toții fani dedicații ai fraților Coen, am dezbătut aprins povestea și mizanscena așa cum azi nu mai faci decît în febra unor premiere sau festivaluri.
În mod ciudat Fargo
n-a rulat niciodată la noi în cinema, deci proiecția de la TIFF.25 a fost un
Regal 😊 și a fost prilejul să-l vedeți așa cum trebuie.
Premiera a fost
la Cannes, în Competiția Oficială, unde Joel Coen a primit premiul pentru cel
mai bun regizor. Au urmat Oscarurile (2 premii din 7 nominalizări). A fost și
Oscarul Coen-ilor (se știe că ei regizează împreună, desi Ethan e trecut ca
producător), cel mai bun film al anului, și primul premiu Oscar pentru Frances
McDormand (cea mai bună actriță, acum are trei!), cine a mai văzut o eroină
polițistă gravidă cu căciulă cu urechiușe tip siberian?
Fargo după treizeci de ani: un film-cult
absolut și ultra influent (locul # 185 în topul 250 IMDb). Cel mai mare fan: Noah
Hawley, care în 2014 a creat serialul Fargo, al cărui prim sezon are legătură
directă cu originalul, dar este și e o repovestire. S-au produs 5 sezoane
inspirate de Universul Fargo, o antologie cum nu s-a mai văzut în TV.
Afișul/posterul e
genial, țesut pe gherghef, pe care scrie cusut cu roșu, ”A homespun murder
story”. Titlul vine de la orășelul Fargo din Dakota de nord/ la graniță cu Minnesota,acolo
unde se întîmplă evenimentele, marketate ca o poveste adevărată, dar normal, e
un gimmick al fraților Coen, și totul este inventat. E iarnă, e viscol, e
zăpadă și accentele de South Dakota/Minnesota sunt absolut superbe. Toate
personajele au nume nordice, la fel ca originea locuitorilor zonei (Gustafson,
Gunderson, Lundegaard). William H. Macy este o figură tristă și absolut
patetică, vînzătorul de mașini care pune în mișcare un absurd domino.
Doi colaboratori
fideli ai Coen-ilor contribuie major la acest univers unic. Imaginea lui Roger
Deakins condensează această imensitate albă, și muzica lui Carter Burwell
adăugă spațialitate, dramatism, ea a fost folosită și ca temă a serialului
ulterior.
Dar filmul fără
tandemul Steve Buscemi/ Peter Stormere e pustiu…”I’m going crazy down there
at the lake”. Ja.
Alin Ludu
Dumbravă
Articol publicat în Aperitiff | 12 iunie 2026
"With No Power Comes No Resposibility"
The Nicolas Cage is back with something cool in black and white (and color) but I'd rather see it Noir as in the title, Spider-Noir. Premieres May 27th on Amazon Prime as in in collaboration with Sony, who's only Marvel character they got rights too...
I published this in February 2026 but since I can't go back to the post to-date I republished it today !
From the looks it's more of a Sin City / Frank Miller, The Spirit / Will Eisner. And The Shadow.
Breendan Gleeson is the villain.
Hopefully this will rock, as game based Fallout TV series did, or DC / HBO recently two interesting spinoffs, The Penguin and The Peacemaker and Marvel/ Disney did mega meta Wonder Man.
July 15th Updates:
Well, I saw it all 8 episodes and gotta say I switched from B & W to color, gorgeous colors that is. Advertised as "Authentic Black and White,” or “True Hue Full Color.” ! It's a pity to see this as simplistic as Black and White when the costumes, sets and cinematography are doing their best in Color. Cues to Edward Hopper and Lily Furedi, as well to Roy Lichenstein.
The whole thing happens in 1933's New York city and it develops slowly. I mean I was about to give up as a pastische of private dicks and some fanatstic elements underveloped until episode Four !
Alos took me a while to settle with Nic Cage's style here. He is channelling all sorts of Noir heroes, from Humphrey Bogart to Edward J. Robinson and James Cagney, in his voice and manierisms. His Ben Reilly alchy PI is funny, dark, and bitter sweet all at once, swinging from cynical and satirical tones to looney tunes overtones.
Interview with Cage in Esquire.
It is his 1st foray into TV, or TV series, which he said he'll never do. Glad he did. After voicing the character Noir (Spider, not the Noir from The Boys ;), in the Spider-verse animated film in 2018 he was asked to do this and the whole project changed completely with Cage on board (also budgetwise!).
Great title sequence and opening song, Saving Grace sung by Kirby, Bond like tune. Plus swingin' songs of the period (Dream a Little Dream of Me), Lil Jun Li as Cat Hardy, the singer femme fatale from the Alcove Club.
The series ends with Amy Winhouse's You're No Good, which, these days is covered by The Rolling Stones on their new Foreign Tongues album.
Jack Huston is as always good as Flint Marko (aka The Sandman) and Andy Robinson (Scorpiooo?!!!) shows up, I kept asking myself why does that guy look so familliar. Gleeson's Mr. Silvermane is used more as a McGuffin, and there is a smart black journalist named Robbie Robertson (a cool Lamorne Morrison) who works at that age's Daily Buggle. There's also references of the films and the shows of that day and age.
New Zeelander hero (but born in Northen Ireland) Sam Neill has gome away at 78.
Dr. Alan Grant in the Jurassic Park series for most, but great in Possession (1981), his 1st major European part, his 1st American important part in 1990's The Hunt for the Red October. That came after his intense performance in Oz director's Phillip Noyce's excellent triangle thriller, Dead Calm (1989).
He could've been James Bond but he skipped it...
One of his carrers best: John Trent in John Carpenter's In the Mouth of Madness (1994).
Also great villain for another John Carpenter flick, Memoirs of an Invisible Man (1992).
Great villainy also in Event Horizon, The Piano.
TV best: season 2 of Peaky Blinders.
Also great parts in Oz and NZ films as Taika Waikiki's Hunt for the Wilderpeople (2016) and The Hunter (2011).
"Some people seek their fortune on the turn of a card
Or throwing some bones in a whiskey glass
'Cause if you wanna seek your fortune, need a lot of luck
I was standing there when the lightning struck."
------------------------------------------------
Oh, What a day ! What a Lovely day :)
Who ever expected (and btw needed. another RS record?) after the last one (Hackney Dimonds, 2023) took 18 years to happen?
and it seems it's not only here, but it's great. Did I say Great ? :)
I love the songs that did not get video promotion /airplay:
Mr. Charm, Some of Us (Keef), Covered in You, and imo the hit of the album, Never Wanna Lose you.
35 year old producer Andrew Watt (Hackney Diamonds) returned for the RS's 25th studio album.
Maiorul si moartea (The Major and Death, 1967) is a forgotten gem, and a one of a kind / one-off UFO Romanian thiller written by the great Ion Baiesu (Balanta/The Oak), based on his eponymous 1965 short story. It was made later on into a radio play with Enil Hossu as the major.
Directed by the Documentarian Alexandru Boiangiu in his feature film debut, it's a Black and white black and bleak comedy, film noir -policier, shot by maestro DOP Nicu Stan (Rascoala, Diminetile unui baiat cuminte -see references below, Toate Pinzele sus !). The film made a BO of 1.352.078 in Romanian cinemas in 1967.
It is also Gheorghe Dinica's 1st major leading part. (as the major, sic!) Great part too.
The other jewel of the cast is veteran theatre actor Ion Stanescu as retired safe cracker Solomonica, his only part on the big screen except a bit in O noapte furtunoasa (1943).
Supporting: Vasilica Tastaman, Marin Moraru, Mircea Crisan, Jean Constantin, Stefan Mihailescu-Braila (artist emerit;), Peter Paulhoffer, Constantin Rautchi, Ion Anghel, Florin Scarlatescu, Draga Olteanu (before she was Matei ;) and a very young Carmen Galin in her second film part after Diminetile unui baiat cuminte (see last paragraph).
Atmospheric music by Mircea Istrate (Strainul, Haiducii series), played by the Symphonic Cinema Orchestra (Orchestra simfonica a cinematografie- oh, what dayz, when musicians were employed just to score Romanian films...) and conducted by Silviu Panțiru and a cool and absolutely weird song, sung onscreen by Marina Voica, Criminal Tango, by P. Trombetta (actually Kriminal Tango by Piero Trombetta, originally released in 1959 and the title song of a German film of 1960). Another song sang by Voica, is an uncanyAve Maria Lola in bossanova rhythm (min. 66 in the film, just before Crimanl Tango -a request ;). Maria Voica, a superstar of Romanian Pop music of the Communist age, might be the only one left alive from this film. She is 89 now.
Another gem are the opening credits, Saul Bass 60's funky style. Very cool, have no idea who did them, it's not credited (sic).
They include a caption of the Militia consultant (MAI/Ministerul Afecerilor Interne) of the film, as all films of the time needed one. This one is a Lt. Col. (Lieutenat Colonel) called Alexandru Manuși, meaning Gloves !
The film starts surreally with a pre-credits scene in which an Insurance salesman trying to sell a Life policy to the Major. I won't spoil more about the plot, suffice to say it deals with a hidden treasure, a murder and surreal threats signed Death !
There's a scene where Major Tache plays Checkers with ¬Death¬, it can be interpreted as a Pun to Bergman's chess with death in The Seventh Seal. Or not, one can only fabulise ;)
