30th Hall of Fame

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Ida (2013) -


I didn't enjoy this film as much as I hoped to, but it's still pretty decent. I think a lot of my indifference towards it was that there wasn't enough to keep me on board with it. I've read some reviews which point out how Kulesza and Trzebuchowska show subtle changes as more insight about Ida's past is revealed, but while I don't doubt this is the case, acting usually doesn't matter a whole lot to me. I've said this in the past, but I'm generally not one who pays attention to acting, and it wasn't until the few minutes before
WARNING: spoilers below
Wanda's suicide
where I began to feel something towards the acting. Of course, there are all kinds of tools a film can utilize other than acting to represent characters being shaped and changed, but aside from the final act, I didn't think there was a whole lot to this. So much time is spent on slowly revealing Ida's background and it wasn't until Ida and Wanda parted ways when their characters grew more interesting. Though yeah, the final act is pretty memorable, specifically due to Ida's arc. Even though I would've preferred it taking up more of the film, it's a compelling depiction of attempting to start a new life and being haunted by your past. The black and white cinematography is also lovely to look at since it contains multiple well-framed shots. In spite of enjoying the final act a good bit, however, I'd say this film was decent and I don't imagine it will stick with me. Interestingly enough, My Summer of Love, the other film I've seen from Pawlikowski, gave me a similar reaction of not being on board with it until the final act. I'm curious now if this will be a pattern for his films.

Next Up: Lawrence of Arabia
I obviously disagree with your take, but I appreciate your insight about it. Personally I found both characters immensely interesting from the beginning, and their contrasting personalities/lifestyles to be a perfect way to highlight the themes of people finding themselves.
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Ida



My appreciation for this film certainly grew on this second watch. Pawlikowski is one heck of a director and you can tell he is very detailed in his craft. The use of black and white was perfect here and the film is absolutely gorgeous to look at. The casting choices for Ida and Wanda were superb too. Particularly thought the actress who plays Ida gives on hell of a performance. The story is simple like I said the last time is quite simple but it's still pretty moving. I'm bumping this one up an entire star because it just feels like a movie that there was a lot of thought put into and I can certainly appreciate something like that.

+



Women will be your undoing, Pépé


and the gentleman that inspired the film,



Dog Day Afternoon (1975)

Ah, the things we do for love. Amore, huh?

Just an all-around great film! I so do love it when an iconic film gets nominated, allowing me a well-deserved revisit. As I initially mentioned, I have seen it many a time throughout my life, the last time in the 70's HoF, so THANK YOU, @PHOENIX74, for giving me cause to revisit.

Director Sidney Lumet brings a very realistic presentation that creates some very intriguing displays of not only mob mentality and the circus that the media seems to know as the only protocol but of those caught in the very center of it all. Those on both sides of the standoff of the two attempted Bank Robbers and police, the six women tellers, and the manager being held captive as it all plays out. The sprinkling of unintentionally amusing moments as things spiral nearly out of control enhances that realism.

The tension is done so incredibly well that I was unconsciously taught on this viewing as before. Lumet does an incredible job at a precarious acrobatic high-wire exhibition where, on a muggy Brooklyn day, an unruly mob is getting WAY out of control cheering on Al Pacino's Sonny's foiled Bank Robbery, now hostage situation as a New York Sargent (Charles Durning) frantically keeps sh#t from exploding full tilt.

A fantastic revisit! YAYY!!
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Ida



My appreciation for this film certainly grew on this second watch. Pawlikowski is one heck of a director and you can tell he is very detailed in his craft. The use of black and white was perfect here and the film is absolutely gorgeous to look at. The casting choices for Ida and Wanda were superb too. Particularly thought the actress who plays Ida gives on hell of a performance. The story is simple like I said the last time is quite simple but it's still pretty moving. I'm bumping this one up an entire star because it just feels like a movie that there was a lot of thought put into and I can certainly appreciate something like that.

+



I'm done, I've watched all the noms and finalized my ballot. I have to say this was an excellent set of noms! Thanks to everyone for choosing some cool stuff!

I'd be happy if any of my top 6 noms on my ballot won and all of the noms were worthy of a watch


Get watching people



Best use of the direct edit of any movie.
You're referring to the match scene in the opening, I assume.

Overall, I'm a big fan of David Lean and a few of his films are among my favorite films of their respective decade. Also, The Bridge on the River Kwai is among my all-time favorites. It's been some time since I've seen this one, but I remember it blowing me away when I watched it and I'm curious how well it will hold up for me.



I am going to have to conjure up from memory my thoughts on these movies, because I do not want to keep you all waiting.
Dog Day Afternoon
Dog Day Afternoon is a wild ride. Pacino is on fire as Sonny. Every one is there to support him. John Cazale’s brooding and not too bright Sal is the perfect foil to Pacino. You definitely wonder whether poor Sal is coming out this situation alive, though I can’t remember when I realized that. Sonny is “a character” to end all characters. There is a documentary about him and he is just as wild as Pacino portrays him. The documentary I saw was The Dog, but two others were made as well. I highly recommend the documentary also. It would make a great double feature with Dog Day Afternoon. The entire film is madness and the tension madness causes. The madness in the bank, the madness on the street and the madness of Sonny’s life are all on display. It is a great movie.
Ship of Fools
It is full of star turns and multiple stories reflecting on the situation in Europe of the Thirties particularly Germany, but it doesn’t quite hang together for me. I have read disparaging things about Lee Marvin’s and Vivian Leigh’s performances but I can’t find fault in them. In fact, Lee Marvin won an Academy Award for his performance. Most memorable to me were of course Lee Marvin as the rough American character (I don’t remember much at all except that he was the antithesis of the Europeans), Vivian Leigh as the fading beauty, Oscar Werner as the ailing ship’s doctor, and Michael Dunn as a kind of Greek chorus (he was also up for an Academy Award, and anyone growing up in Sixties USA remembers him for his many wonderful television roles.) It tends to get better for me every time I see it but it is still not at the top for me.
Ida
Beautifully filmed in black and white, it is the story of a Polish novice who travels to meet a long lost relative, her aunt. It turns out that Ida is Jewish and was hidden in plain sight by a farmer. I am not too clear on the plot. I mostly remember the aunt being an impressive person. I think she was a judge or magistrate. The film was mostly about the loss of their family, one that Ida did not know and that the aunt knew all too well. The thing that stayed with me is the aunt’s suicide, leaving her apartment to Ida thus giving Ida a choice as to whether she wants to continue in the convent or taste some more of the world. We never know what her decision is.
An Autumn Afternoon
I’m sorry but I found this to be very boring. I’m not against slow moving, slice of life movies but this one never grabbed me. The women all look miserable except for the one who isn’t married. So, let’s fix that and marry her off! I liked the way it was shot as if it was a play or an industrial landscape by Charles Demuth. I wondered how it was filmed. The picture is square and looks as if it would fit quite well on an old television screen. (Those of us of a certain age remember watching films being squished into the appropriate size to be seen on TV or the pan and scan methodology. Thanks goodness for oblong TVs.) But it was in color which, as far as I know, wasn’t available yet on TV and was theatrically released. If anybody knows anything about that let me know?
The Uninvited
This is another film that gets better each time I see it. I like Ray Miland. He lived a long life and I remember seeing cheesy horror films that he was in during the Sixties and Seventies as an elderly man. The Frogs and another whacked out movie with Rosey Grier in which he and Rosey played a two headed man come immediately to mind. One of the heads is that of a black man and the other is a loudmouth angry. Oh my goodness, I couldn’t find the name of the movie on Ray Milland’s IMDb page. I had to look on Rosey Grier’s page to find The Thing with Two Heads. We can only speculate why this is so. Interesting thing about both these movies is they address big concerns, environmental devastation and racisim. But back to the Uninvited, which is actually quite scary. At least we, the audience are afraid for the safety of the young woman who is target by the ghost. I don’t remember it clearly but I do remember liking it and have seen it a couple of times. It’s pretty good, if not great.



You're referring to the match scene in the opening, I assume.

Overall, I'm a big fan of David Lean and a few of his films are among my favorite films of their respective decade. Also, The Bridge on the River Kwai is among my all-time favorites. It's been some time since I've seen this one, but I remember it blowing me away when I watched it and I'm curious how well it will hold up for me.
Yup, the match scene towards the opening. The first time I seen that direct edit from match to the sun over the desert I was speechless! I must have went back and rewatched that scene three more times. I was just getting into film and had not seen anything quite like it. There's also another direct editing sometime later on in the movie but I don't remember exactly where it was.



... I had to look on Rosey Grier’s page to find The Thing with Two Heads. We can only speculate why this is so. Interesting thing about both these movies is they address big concerns, environmental devastation and racisim...
I remember that movie from when I was a kid. I keep telling my wife about it too, but I didn't even remember the name of the movie until I read your post. One of these days I'm going to watch it!



I remember that movie from when I was a kid. I keep telling my wife about it too, but I didn't even remember the name of the movie until I read your post. One of these days I'm going to watch it!
Maybe it will be nominated for a Hall Of Infamy.



...An Autumn Afternoon
... I wondered how it was filmed. The picture is square and looks as if it would fit quite well on an old television screen. (Those of us of a certain age remember watching films being squished into the appropriate size to be seen on TV or the pan and scan methodology. Thanks goodness for oblong TVs.) But it was in color which, as far as I know, wasn’t available yet on TV and was theatrically released. If anybody knows anything about that let me know?...
It's was shot in Academy ratio of 1.375:1 which was standardized and used in Hollywood for many but not all pictures in the mid 20th century. By the 1950s widescreen formats were often used for higher budget films. Ida is also shot in 1.375:1 ratio. I image the director of Ida wanted to give the film an authentic early 1960s look.



I had been wanting to see The Uninvited for a while now,so since it was nominated for this hall I decided to order the Criterion blu ray. I picked it up today and watched it. I enjoyed this. Directed by Lewis Allen, the film stars Ray Milland and Ruth Hussey as siblings who purchase a house that may be haunted. I thought the main performances were effective. The characters were fairly interesting and I was curious to see where the story went. It loses a little steam towards the end and the resolution of the mystery isn't completely satisfactory, but it is still a worthwhile journey. The cinematography is beautiful. The film has a romantic gothic atmosphere that works well. Production and set design are wonderful. The score is very good too. I'm glad I finally watched this and am happy to have it in my Criterion Collection.



I rewatched Ida today. I first saw the film on my 36th birthday. I had heard a lot of great things about it and my expectations were high. I was somewhat underwhelmed after my initial viewing. My initial review was "Beautiful cinematography and well acted but a little slow and not as interesting as I would have hoped." On the second viewing, my feelings are more or less the same. The cinematography is beautiful and really well done. To me, that is the strongest element of the film. Performances are fine, but no one really impressed me. I wasn't blown away by the acting or by the story. I didn't find the film interesting or engaging and it was a little slow at times. I know a lot of people love this film, but it just doesn't do much for me. The only other film I have seen by this director is My Summer of Love, which also didn't do much for me. I've been meaning to watch Cold War for a while now, but still haven't gotten around to it even though I own the Criterion blu ray. I can appreciate why others love Ida, but it still failed to impress me, despite beautiful cinematography and fine performances.