Mubi Monday: Maso And Miso Go Boating (1976)

Astounding as it may sound, considering how little progress has been made in the intervening years, 1975 was declared International Women's Year. Bernard Pivot, a popular TV show host, invited Françoise Giroud, the French Secretary Of State For Women, on for a seemingly light-hearted and celebratory overview of the state that women could currently find themselves in.

Maso And Miso Go Boating takes that TV show and edits and intercuts in a way that highlights the constant misogyny, the appalling way in which very real problems were dismissed by both men and women, and the way in which everyone could so easily work together in a comfortable environment to create a world in which progress was hindered, because it's more difficult to push yourself beyond your limits when you're being told that it's not necessary, and ultimately just laughable.

Created by a collective of female artists (Delphine Seyrig, Nadja Ringart, and Carole Roussopoulos), this reactionary work of art maintains sharp focus and great wit throughout. Although they create replies to comments from Giroud, the males onscreen, and Simone de Beauvoir, the final statement clarifies their true motivation. They are not targeting one woman, or ANY individual women, but are rather highlighting the fact that women cannot effectively work within, or with, a patriarchal structure designed to really just maintain the status quo.

People read my blog, I guess, for movie reviews. Not necessarily for political statements. I'd also say that nobody comes here to read my views, as a male, on the ongoing issues faced everyday by women. So you're out of luck today. Look, as with all things, the time to stand by and be silently complicit in all of this was never, although we've done it for decades, and the time to highlight every main issue and be an ally is now. It is today, tomorrow, and forever. That applies to all inequality and prejudice that permeates the layers of our society. But for now, and for here, Maso And Miso Go Boating is a stark reminder of how far women still have to go in order to even be taken seriously when discussing subjects such as misogyny, and even abuse.

Don't be the kind of guy who tries desperately to play the White Knight in every interaction. Don't be the kind of guy who responds to any description of the problematic treatment of women with a message of "not all men". Don't jump into conversations that relate experiences you won't have as much insight on. Just keep learning, keep listening, do what you can do be a part of any attempt at a solution. Watch art like this, the searing Born In Flames, and Be Pretty And Shut Up! (and those are just the titles I have enjoyed lately on MUBI) Read more, get better at recognising all of the ways, big and small, that sexism and misogyny are turned into bricks that make the walls that women have to smash through every day. 

Even getting to the end of this "review" without rolling your eyes to the back of your head may be a small positive. But definitely check out Maso And Miso Go Boating. 

9/10

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Larger than usual, format-wise, because it needs to be.

Mr. Turner (2014)

Written and directed by Mike Leigh, Mr. Turner is a film that looks at the artist known as Turner (don't you know). Although it's far from a definitive look at the life of the man, it certainly feels like it. This is a hefty investment of your time, clocking in at about two and a half hours, but those minutes fairly fly by.

Timothy Spall gets the title role, and if you can tell me a bad performance that he's given in the last two decades then I'll be interested to hear your thoughts. As far as I'm concerned, Spall is one of those actors who always seems to be on top form, and this film gives him what could be considered his best role yet. Gruff and grunting, yet also amusing, learned and polite, Turner is always shown to be equal parts man and artist. He may mingle with the upper-classes, but seems to prefer avoiding recognition in favour of anonymity during times when he is free to live his life, seek out inspiration, and not have to worry about exhibitions or sales.

I don't know exactly how much of this movie is true, or based on truth, but it certainly feels authentic. This is a world in which works of art are enhanced with a little bit of spit mixed in to the paint. It's a world in which you can smell, and even almost feel, the materials.

A great cast lends Spall their full support, with standouts being Paul Jesson (as William Turner), Dorothy Atkinson (as Hannah Danby), Marion Bailey (as Sophia Booth), and Martin Savage (as Benjamin Robert Haydon). All of these people contribute something important to Turner's life, even if it's just a healthy sense of perspective afforded by seeing the failings and misfortunes of a fellow artist.

Like all good biopics, this keeps the viewer engaged throughout and encourages further exploration of the subject once the end credits have rolled. The times may have changed, of course, but the drive remains the same in the mind of all artists. As does the turbulent times that can alternate between feast and famine.

Leigh may have produced a movie that seems to wander aimlessly from one seemingly disconnected moment to another, but the broad strokes do eventually receive some fine detailing. You can really start to appreciate how everything falls in to place in the second half. The full picture IS here. You just have to take a few steps back to fully appreciate. Which is often the way with great pieces of art.

9/10

Eager to pick up Mr. Turner? Then this UK disc is the only option for now - http://www.amazon.co.uk/Mr-Turner-Blu-ray-Timothy-Spall/dp/B00OZJ2W0I/ref=sr_1_2?s=dvd&ie=UTF8&qid=1420306412&sr=1-2&keywords=mr.+turner

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The UK version can be bought here - http://www.amazon.co.uk/TJs-Ramshackle-Movie-Guide-Reviews-ebook/dp/B00J9PLT6Q/ref=sr_1_3?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1395945647&sr=1-3&keywords=movie+guide

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As much as I love the rest of the world, I can't keep up with all of the different links in different territories, but trust me when I say that it should be there on your local Amazon.

The Horse's Mouth (1958)

Everyone with a love of cinema has seen at least one performance from the great Alec Guinness that has stuck with them through the years. Whether it's his work with Ealing, his fantastic turn in The Bridge On The River Kwai or just being that certain wise gentleman in a small movie called Star Wars, the chances are that Mr. Guinness has made a favourable impression on almost every movie-goer of my age (37, just now) and older. He was, and in the movies that hold his memory forever he still IS, a class act. The Horse's Mouth features yet another great performance from the man, but it's also the only movie that he ever wrote the screenplay for (adapting the novel by Joyce Cary) and, by all accounts, he did a pretty good job of it.

Guinness plays Gulley Jimson, a man that viewers first see coming out of prison. He's a chancer and an unfriendly sort, feeling very hard done by and angry at the world around him. A world that owes him. As it turns out, he has a point. Gulley is also an artist and a very good one, but his desire to keep creating great art often leads him into situations that perversely end with destruction. He just can't stop himself, even when things start to look up. There's no self-control there, no filter, the art is all that matters. Kay Walsh plays a stern woman trying to help him get what he deserves, Renee Houston is an ex who still holds a candle for him, Robert Coote and Veronica Turleigh are two potential patrons and Michael Gough has some fun as a fellow artist afflicted with the same short-sighted way of muddling through life.

It takes a while to warm to The Horse's Mouth (Guinness uses quite an accent for his character and he's not the most pleasant person to spend time with during the first few scenes) but do stick with it and it ends up as quite a rewarding experience. Once the main theme becomes apparent - that of the driven artist constantly striving to create another masterpiece even while destroying other things around him - it's an absolute delight. THAT'S when viewers are able to identify, and connect, with the Gulley and almost see everything onscreen as he sees it.

Apparently, when Guinness developed the screenplay he decided to drop some other aspects of the novel and focus on the plight of the artist, something which really gives the film a unique and fascinating centre. Having not read the source novel, I can't say whether or not this improves the material, but it certainly feels like a good decision for the cinematic adaptation.

Director Ronald Neame captures everything unobtrusively enough, but that's not to dismiss his work. He somehow sets everything up in a way that seems to capture the very essence of both creation and destruction, this is a film with all of the elements gelling together almost perfectly.

The acting from all concerned is fantastic. Guinness is never less than the brilliance that's expected from him, Walsh and Houston are both wonderful, Gough is great and Mike Morgan is very sweet as a young lad who looks up to Gulley and wants him to stay out of trouble so that he can just continue to make great art. Coote and Turleigh aren't on screen for very long, but do fine with the time they have, and every minor character gets a fleeting moment to shine.

If it wasn't for that unsteady opening, this would be closer to a perfect film. As it is, it's a very good one. A very good one indeed, do yourself a favour and seek it out. It's hugely entertaining, but it's also art.

8/10

http://www.amazon.com/The-Horses-Mouth-Criterion-Collection/dp/B000063N9O/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1365634687&sr=8-2&keywords=the+horse%27s+mouth