| INNOCENTS ABROAD, AT HOME... AND AWAY : Borat; Little Children; Mischief Night; Sixty Six |
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| Monday, 30 October 2006 | |
 written for the next issue of Tribune magazine; all films released in the UK on 3rd November ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Borat : Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan [6/10*] USA 2006 Starring : Sacha Baron Cohen, Ken Davitian Director : Larry Charles ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Little Children [5/10] USA 2006 Starring : Kate Winslet, Patrick Wilson Director : Todd Field ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Mischief Night [3/10] UK 2006 Starring : Kelli Hollis, Ramon Tikaram Director : Penny Woolcock ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Sixty Six [5/10] UK 2006 Starring : Gregg Sulkin, Eddie Marsan Director : Paul Weiland ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ MOST unusually, there are one, not two, but three outstanding British films in cinemas at the moment: Stephen Frears' The Queen, Nicholas Hytner's The History Boys, and Alfonso Cuaron's Children of Men - and if you haven't managed to catch all three already, you should certainly aim to do so pronto as an influx of new, mostly mediocre movies is rapidly depriving them of screen-space. Arriving in a welter of noisy hype, ecstatic reviews and near-ubiquitous advertising, Sacha Baron Cohen's big-screen vehicle Borat isn't by any means mediocre - but it does count as a bit of a disappointment. Having made his name in the UK via the faux-rapper character of Ali G, Baron Cohen now has global ambitions in mind. He introduced himself to American moviegoers with a key supporting role in smash hit comedy Talladega Nights (where he played smarmily sophisticated French motor-racing driver Jean Girrard), and now takes centre-stage as the bumbling, wild-haired, moustachioed Kazakh TV presenter Borat. As with Ali G's dunderheaded self-regard, Borat's ingratiating dopiness and broken English are deployed to catch his interviewees off-guard and thus make prize fools of themselves (it's an old trick - see Dennis Pennis, Nick Broomfield, and, master of this sly sub-genre, Brass Eye's Chris Morris.) With his corpulent producer Azamat Bagatov (Ken Davitian) - plus an unseen camera-crew - in tow, Borat embarks on a tour of the "United States and America" where, astonishingly, he manages to find several people who are sexist, racist, homophobic, anti-semitic or generally idiotic. American stupidity is hardly a new, challenging or hard target - and it's perhaps surprising that Borat's 'Candide Camera' expedition yielded barely 80 minutes of material (three editors are credited, and they are very much the unsung stars of the show). The picture is, undeniably, often extremely funny - even if too many of the gags rely on pushing, in somewhat mean-spirited style, the boundaries of American hospitality to breaking point. And it's much too slickly-made (and with too many cameras) to count as a plausible "documentary" - several members of the "public" come across as too good (or rather bad to be true), and if what we're watching isn't "genuine" footage, you do have to wonder what the point of it all is. Baron Cohen's ability to remain totally "in character" throughout is impressive, but the talented film-makers (director Charles was also behind Larry David's superlative sitcom Curb Your Enthusiasm) can't be too happy about the fact that what's clearly intended as an iconoclastically satirical assault on the USA has so far attracted manage to really ruffle feathers only in Kazakhstan: Talladega Nights, though less laugh-out-loud funny, was in its own way much more focussed, savage and subversive. MUCH more serious fare is provided by Little Children, another po-faced, overlong exercise in suburban angst from In the Bedroom director/co-writer Field. That picture racked up a string of Oscar nominations back in 2001/2, and perpetual Academy bridesmaid Kate Winslet may well emerge as Helen (The Queen) Mirren's most serious rival in the Best Actress race for her still-waters-run-deep performance as Massachusetts housewife Sarah. Stuck in an unhappy marriage, Sarah finds solace in the beefy arms of neighbour Brad (Patrick Wilson) - himself enduring marital difficulties with wife Kathy (Jennifer Connelly.) Brad also happens to be a 'house-husband' - which means he can spend much of the day-time in Sarah's company as both are in charge of looking after their pre-school-age offspring. Friendship gradually turns to intimacy - though the main source of anxiety isn't that their spouses will discover their infidelity, but rather the climate of fear surrounding the presence in the neighbourhood of a convicted sex-offender (Jackie Earle Haley). Sarah and Brad react very differently to discovering this news - whose repercussions will have dramatic effects for all... Tom Perrotta wrote the novel on which Little Children is based, and collaborated with Field on the film's screenplay. But, rather than attempting to hide the story's literary roots, the Perrotta and Field archly emphasise them at almost every turn by having an unseen, omniscient narrator frequently comment on their characters and their motivation. The speaker is Will Lyman, well known in the USA for narrating documentaries on the Public Service Broadcasting network, and his measured tones give Little Children the air of an anthropological study - a jarring, alienating contrast to the fiery passions and emotions experienced by the characters themselves. Paedophile hysteria is, as the superb documentary Capturing the Friedmans showed a couple of years ago, a fascinating, disturbing and pressingly topical subject - but it requires sensitive handling. And while the film's early and middle sections skilfully set up the characters and issues, it's most unfortunate that the heavy-going climax should see Field and Perrotta resort to clunky ironies, contrived coincidences and overwrought melodrama. IF that kind of hamfistedness is your cup of tea, however, you're in for a real treat with Mischief Night - a depressingly poor multicultural "comedy" set in Leeds. Though poor, it's nevertheless a distinct improvement on writer-director Woolcock's last feature The Principles of Lust, in which she disgracefully suggested that members of Sheffield's travelling communities gambled on bare-knuckle boxing-matches between their own pre-teen children. Woolcock is (perhaps understandably) best known for her small-screen work, which includes two made-for-TV features about Tina, a former drug-addict and shoplifter. And Mischief Night is, in effect, Tina III: Kelli Hollis again reprises the role, Tina and family being used to explore the racial divide that has slowly developed in her neighbourhood. "In the olden days it were a bit more mixed," we're told - but now Beeston's white and Asian communities seem to exist in separate, though adjoining worlds. There are signs of optimism, chiefly in the form of friendships among the youngest members of each "side" - not to mention a tentative romance between Tina and an old flame (Tikaram - or, as the opening titles spell it, 'Tickaram.) But these cross-cultural bonds are in danger of being overwhelmed by a background noise of suspicion, violence, crime and increasingly radicalised Islam... It's very tricky subject-matter, but one that clearly should and must be tackled by any film-maker who wants to show what's happening in Britain today. A shame, then, that Woolcock proves so ill-suited to the task: Mischief Night is lazily schematic in its plotting, thuddingly predictable in its ironies and dismayingly crass in its execution - keep an eye out for the curry-house customer with ENGLAND tattooed across his forehead in two-inch letters. The story's too-numerous strands (which all lead up to the annual bacchanal of the title) bounce along with a kind of rib-pokingly jaunty grimness that proves wearing, long before the credulity-straining climax: a finale which provides almost everyone with a ludicrously happy ending. It's baffling and dismaying that such a misbegotten project should attract funding and obtain a cinematic release: 3am on an obscure satellite channel would be a more suitable berth than the under-pressure screens of your local arthouse. THE small screen would also be the ideal home for the week's other British comedy, Sixty Six - though this jaunty, heavily autobiographical tale of a Jewish boy's problematic Bar Mitzvah, while no great shakes, is decidedly preferable, in pretty much every regard, to Woolcock's 'Carry on Smack-Dealing' misfire. Gregg Sulkin is Bernie Reuben, a bookish 12-year-old living with his glamorous mother Esther (Helena Bonham Carter), neurotic dad Manny (Eddie Marsan) and obnoxious older brother Alvie (Ben Newton) in the London suburb of Palmer's Green. Having experienced Alvie's opulent, well-attended coming-of-age ceremony, Bernie is very much looking forwatd to his own. His big day happens to coincide with the World Cup Final - but as England aren't expected to get that far, this shouldn't be too much of a problem. Bernie thus finds himself as one of the very few lads in the country not cheering on his national team - but Sixty Six isn't just this film's title, it's also the chronological setting... England's success in 1966 may have come as a surprise to many - Bernie included - but Sixty Six isn't likely to catch audiences by surprise. It's the kind of "well-made," moderately amusing picture which British cinema has churned out for decades - often featuring a drolly-depicted ethnic, religious, racial or sociological context. We're very much in a Jack Rosenthal 'comfort zone' here: Weiland and his co-writers Bridget O'Connor and Peter Straughan are less interested in exploring how Britain's Jewish community balance their Britishness and Jewishness (there's not a single mention of 1966 hero George Cohen's Jewish background, for example), more in exploring the charming idiosyncracies of one particularly idiosyncratic and charming family. In this regard Marsan's droll work as Manny is a major "assist": the actor has already shown his range this year in projects as diverse as Pierrepoint and Miami Vice, and watching him rise quietly through the ranks is one of current British cinema's nicest ongoing pleasures. Neil Young 23rd October, 2006 (written for Tribune magazine; online publication delayed until 30th October due to FDA embargo) BORAT : [6/10*] : full title Borat - Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan : USA 2006 : Larry DAVID : 84 mins (BBFC timing) LITTLE CHILDREN : [5/10] : USA 2006 : Todd FIELD : 137 mins (BBFC timing) MISCHIEF NIGHT : [3/10] : UK 2006 : Penny WOOLCOCK : 93 mins (BBFC timing) SIXTY SIX : [5/10] : UK 2006 : Paul WEILAND : 94 mins (BBFC timing) all seen at Empire cinema, Bromsgrove (UK), 6th/7th October 2006 - press shows (CinemaDays event) *Borat rating upgraded to 7/10 after second viewing (public show, Empire Sunderland, 7th November 2006) Счастливое созвучие строки «Бесценны все слова твои, поэт... Твоей, учитель, славе нет предела!» эти слова казахского поэта Шомишбая Сариева обращены к Александру Сергеевичу Пушкину. Эти и другие поэтические строки вспоминали организаторы большой праздничной программы «Памятник нерукотворный», посвященной Году Пушкина в Казахстане. Концерты, выставки, встречи организовали и провели в Алматы Благотворительный фонд Святого равноапостольного великого князя Владимира, благотворительный фонд «ZERE Жанашыр» и Национальная библиотека. В Доме-музее Мухтара Ауэзова на конференции «Вселенная Пушкина: итоги и перспективы Года Пушкина в Республике Казахстан» собрались писатели, поэты, преподаватели, переводчики. С возрастом все глубже и глубже понимаешь истину, что «Пушкин это наше все», говорит доктор физико-математических наук, профессор Владимир Хачатуров, который приехал из Москвы. Владимир Рубенович перевел многие произведения великого поэта на испанский язык. Он вспоминал, как впервые открывал для себя Пушкина. И было это, конечно, в детстве. Шла Великая Отечественная война, а мы плыли на барже из Махачкалы мама, бабушка и трое детей. С собой у нас были только самые необходимые вещи, рассказывает он, и с нами ехал Пушкин том его стихов. Направлялись мы в Алматы, куда перевели завод имени Кирова, на котором работал мой отец. Пушкина я читаю с шести лет. Читаю всегда. И я считаю, что в XIX веке Россию от развала спас Александр Сергеевич. Именно великий Поэт и Пророк помог сохраниться государству. Полковник в отставке, участник Великой Отечественной войны, член Ассамблеи народов Казахстана Леонид Гирш вспоминал, как студентом четвертого курса ушел добровольцем на фронт. Наши войска отступали. И вот в Кривом Роге, в самом центре города мы увидели горящие книги. Я выбежал из строя и схватил одну в синем переплете. Это оказался том Пушкина. Я спрятал его на груди и потом всю войну на привалах читал бойцам стихи. И они так согревали нам душу! На встрече в Доме-музее Мухтара Ауэзова тоже читали стихи Пушкина и стихи, посвященные Александру Сергеевичу.  В Казахстане очень широко отмечается и освещается Год Пушкина. «Начало всех начал» Пушкин всегда устремлен в будущее. Он глубоко русский национальный поэт и вместе с тем поэт планетарного масштаба. И то, что нынешний год объявлен Годом Пушкина в Казахстане еще одно свидетельство этому, сказала кандидат филологических наук, доцент Казахского национального университета имени Аль-Фараби Валентина Щербакова. Конечно, на конференции говорили и о феноменальном примере духовного родства двух выдающихся личностей Пушкина и Абая. Уникально созвучие их поэзии.В Казахстане 53 поэта и писателя переводили произведения Пушкина на казахский язык. Но первым был Абай. У Мухтара Ауэзова есть строки о том, как Абай открывал для себя Пушкина. «Он придвинул к себе томик Пушкина. Этот день был первым днем, по-настоящему сроднившим Абая с Пушкиным: он читал теперь пушкинские стихи не глазами читателя, а всем своим сердцем поэта». Закрывая книгу, Абай сказал вслух: «... теперь перекочевывает моя Кааба, и Запад становится Востоком, а Восток стал Западом для меня... И пусть же будет так!». Поэтому не случайно в России этот год Год Абая. «Труд, завещанный от Бога» так называлась концертная программа в рамках конференции. Звучали романсы на стихи Пушкина, произведения Абая, выступили мужской камерный хор под руководством народного артиста СССР, профессора Анатолия Молодова, солистка Государственного академического театра оперы и балета имени Абая Дина Хамзина, детские музыкальные и танцевальные коллективы. Им рукоплескал зал, как и на концерте «Памятник нерукотворный», который был проведен для воспитанников детских домов. Затем в Государственном музее искусств имени А. Кастеева открылась выставка «Очей очарованье», также посвященная Году Пушкина в Казахстане и Году Абая в России. На ней представлены около 60 акварельных пейзажей Шакура Абдулганиева и Владимира Щербакова. Разнообразие сюжетов, насыщенность чистых и прозрачных красок, тонкость и одухотворенность кисти отличают творчество этих мастеров. А работы Шакура Абдулганиева и Владимира Щербакова сами просятся в иллюстрации и «ложатся» на поэзию Пушкина и глубокую философию Абая, сказал, открывая выставку, директор музея Байтурсын Уморбеков. Завершили программу четырех пушкинских дней выставка и литературный вечер «Казахстанская пушкиниана» в Национальной библиотеке. Как известно, в связи со 100-летней годовщиной со дня смерти Пушкина 22 февраля 1937 года этой библиотеке было присвоено имя поэта. Более полувека алматинцы называли ее «Пушкинкой». В ее фондах есть прижизненные издания поэта «Бахчисарайский фонтан» (1824 год), «Евгений Онегин» (1825 год), «Стихотворения А. С. Пушкина» (18261829 годы). На вечере читали стихи, рассказывали о новых изданиях, посвященных наследию поэта. Был показан фрагмент фильма «Письма живого человека» режиссера А. Головинского по сценарию О. Карпухина. А также открылась большая книжно-иллюстративная выставка «Пушкин на земле казахской» из фондов Национальной библиотеки, на которой представлено около пятисот названий книг, а также работы художника Альберта Гурьева по произведениям А. С. Пушкина. Гюльнара НУРПЕИСОВА NB : Kazakh exhibits a two-way evidentiality system which does not neatly align with morphological paradigms. |
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