When life gives you lemmons...

...Rock on out, Janis Joplin would say. As my academic ambitions slowly crumble to pieces, going to see "Rock of ages" (2012) was not the disappointing experience I had originally anticipated. I am a lover of music (a classic-rock fan at heart, give me Led Zeppelin anytime) and a lover of musicals but I am not really into 80s Power Ballads by bands like Poison, Foreigner and Journey, and so was fully prepared to give a negative review of this jukebox musical screen adaptation. Yet, the film as a whole was surprisingly uplifting, even though the narrative suggests that if life is not going the way you've planned become a stripper (which to be fair it's better than going home).

The concept of the film is from the musical of the same name on West End and Broadway. Set in 1987, it tells the story of young Sherrie Christian (Julianne Hough) who travels from a small town to L.A to pursue her dreams. After her suitcase is stolen she meets Drew Boley (Diego Boneta), an aspiring rock star who is currently working at the notorious Bourbon club on Sunset strip owned by Denis Dupree (Alec Baldwin) and his partner Lonny (Russell Brand). Drew manages to get Sherrie a job but things turn sour when Sherrie meets rocker and sex symbol, Stacee Jaxx (Tom Cruise) and her and Drew split. Drew starts to follow what he believes is a path to fame, led by money-hungry manager, Paul Gill (Paul Giamatti), and he is forced to turn to pop music whilst Sherrie quits Bourbon and is taken in by strip club manager, Justice Charlier (Mary J. Blige). All the while Denis Dupree is worried about the Bourbon club going out of business, Stacee Jaxx is having an identity crisis and the mayors wife, Patricia Whitmore (Catherine Zeta-Jones) is trying to ban metal (with a personal vendetta against Stacee Jaxx). In the end everything works out, the Bourbon survives, Whitmore gets converted to Rock music, and Sherrie and Drew make their dreams come true. Critics cannot comment on the finale of the film as it is hardly surprising; the film is made up of standard musical ingredients, which don't bake an interesting, luxury, à la carte dessert, but nevertheless the public will continue to eat up musical films- like they are a classic victoria sponge.


Admittedly when the film opened with a mix of 'Sister Christian/ Just like paradise/ Nothin' but a good time', I did wince. Its beginning, however, lets you know what's in store and either you accept this or you spend the duration of the film trying (but probably failing) to hate it. In addition, being directed by Adam Shankman, who has previously directed "Hairspray" (2007) and two episodes of "Glee", one knows that the film is hardly going to be 'edgy.' The film has comic moments and undoubtedly Tom Cruise loved playing an arrogant rock god due to his somewhat egotistical nature and is probably currently basking in the critics referral to the film as 'Tom's movie'; but the films awful reviews in The New York Times and The Guardian are really undeserved. The film is not trying to move away from the Hollywood formula and be 'edgy'- as firstly where would Hollywood be without it's adaptations of stage productions and secondly Heavy Metal was pretty mainstream at the time anyway. The film as a whole reminds me of the heavy metal revivalists Steel Panther, who do not take themselves seriously at all, so critics please stop being so depressing. The only thing I'm praying for is that Journeys song "Don't stop believing" doesn't make it back into the charts for a second time in the last ten years.

Some critics have said that the film is an insult to rock music but in my opinion the glam metal, hair bands of the 1980s were nothing but flamboyant and cheesy. The film definitely embodies this, thus the genre cannot be offended. In retrospect the glam metal fans of the 80s are a reflection of the Indie posers of the noughties (both genres are played in the so called 'cheese' rooms in clubs everywhere). Someday a film about the Indie genre will probably be produced and will claim that the genre reflected a generation (even though shit Indie songs, which all sound the same, are my personal nightmare). Let's face it, by 1987 the days of the 'true' rock and roll lifestyle that came out of the 1960s were coming to an end, and the eighties and nineties were a time when people were realising the damaging effects of a drug and alcohol induced lifestyle alongside a rising concern of AIDS/ HIV that began to grab media attention. This film manages to brush past these problems, and does not pretend to be anything more than what it sets out to do: entertain. The costumes are great and everyone is overstyled, the majority of the audience will know the music (even if you try to pretend you don't) and they will tap their feet along with the riffs, and finally, the characters are indeed stereotypical, but in musicals the characters don't need to be complicated- after all the key to a musical is the music, not the narrative. Therefore, continuing in the cheesy fashion of the film, "Rock of Ages" indeed offers 'nothin' but a good time' whether you take the film seriously or with a pinch of salt.

 

Director: Adam Shankman

Writers: Chris D'Arienzo (musical book), Justin Theroux and Allan Loeb

Starring: Diego Boneto, Julianne Hough, Tom Cruise, Alec Baldwin, Russell Brand, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Paul Giamatti, Mary J. Blige.

You had my curiosity, but now you have my attention: The legend of Django

The trailer for "Django Unchained" was released recently. I had to watch the original Django film- Sergio Corbucci's, "Django" (1966)- as part of my degree course and was not expecting to hear the name 'Django' in any form Western again, believing it had been worn out over the years in the many other exploitation films that cashed in on Corbucci's success. Nevertheless, it seems the legend lives on. Here is Tarantino's trailer:

Any trailer for a Tarantino film is bound to be quite ambiguous and reading the criticism around 'Django Unchained' many are questioning whether Tarantino has stretched the boundaries to far in his new project. In my opinion the film is going to be keeping in line with many other of his films that also surpass delicate boundaries; such as the theme of the Holocaust in "Inglorious Bastards" (2009)- and with a star studded cast like Leonardo Di Caprio, Samuel L. Jackson, Christoph Waltz and Jamie Foxx, it's set to be a winner at the box office. Anyone who has seen the original 'Django' (1966), or any other Spaghetti westerns for that matter, would know that the genre was famous for competing to produce the most violent film: the amount of violence in the films is one of the aspects that drew audiences to watch westerns in the Spaghetti era- the main question was 'how far can that particular director/ actor/ producer stretch the boundaries?' Even if the viewer is unfamiliar with the Spaghetti western concept they have probably seen a previous Tarantino film and know that he is no stranger to violent scenes.  

What intrigues me most, is the films' title. The 'Django' name has been strongly associated with many westerns. Moreover, Tarantino has included Corbucci's original 'Django' actor, Franco Nero, in his film. Here is the 1966 'Django' trailer:

The creation of the Django character was inspired by two predominant sources. The first being Akira Kurosawa’s film "Yojimbo" (1961): a Japanese film that deals with a lone man who enters a town run by two opposing gangs and decides to rid the community of their corruption (this motif is the inspiration behind many other westerns: one man who has no affiliation to any other party but himself, as can be seen in films like Sergio Leone's "A fistful of dollars" (1964)). The second inspiration behind the name, is the jazz guitar player, Django Reinhardt, a Romany gypsy who is commended for incorporating the use of a guitar in jazz music and for proliferating jazz across Europe. When he was young, he was in an accident and was badly burnt, losing the use of several fingers on his left hand. He did not let this accident hinder his guitar playing, and thus he learnt all his guitar solo's using just two fingers. It is evident that Corbucci was inspired by the 'symbolism of hands' in 'Django', especially in the final scene were Django's hands are completely broken and bloody and yet he still manages to shoot his enemy.

"Every cowboy with a gun and a mission was called Django in those days." 

~ Spaghetti Western database

Corbucci's Django is  man with a mission- he's out to seek revenge on the man who killed Django's wife, the racist Confederate Major Jackson. The actor playing Django, Franco Nero, was only in his early twenties when he made the film and his voice was dubbed to make him sound more mature. As previously stated there have been many films all using the Django name, (or "Sotto-Djangos"- Under Djangos) but there was only one official sequel made where Nero returns to the Django character in "Django strikes again" (1987). Django is not like any other cowboy; he doesn't ride a horse and he drags his coffin around with him in which he carries a huge firing gun to help him defeat his enemies. He has no tie or affiliations to any particular parties and more importantly he can never love another woman ever again, as the lyrics to the theme song suggest:

"Django, have you never loved again?
Love will live on, oh oh oh...
Life must go on, oh oh oh...
For you cannot spend your life regretting."

~1966 theme song.

 

Critics have further debated whether the theme Tarantino has chosen, the 'union-soldiers-raped-and-killed-my-wife-now-I'm-out-for-revenge' motif,  is outdated. Also, if Tarantino is going to 'avoid the realms of bad taste' and whether he'll be able to handle the delicate issues he has laid out for the film- well it depends on what people find bad taste. The original Django is rife with explicit racism against Mexicans, prostitutes (the exploitation of women in general), civil war resentment, and the infamous violent ear slicing scene. Using the term 'blaxploitation' to categorise the film is slightly risky, just because Jamie Foxx is Django and the representation of the slave trade- but anyone who knows Tarantino's style will know that his films are not famous for their historical accuracy and for always twisting the outdated themes of revenge, love and honour. 

 

Exploitation films were never made to be taken seriously- they were made on cheap budgets, with unknown actors and really bad dubbing and special effects- yet they are a film niche in their own right taking on a variety of genres such as the Western, Horror and Comedy and they were made in their hundreds- thus the narratives of the films were not important at all and their scripts were weak. In this case, it is clear from the "Django Unchained" trailer that the only thing in common between this film and Corbucci's original classic is perhaps the quest for revenge on a man for killing/taking Django's wife. It is bound to be the strong reputation of the 'Django' persona and all he represents that drew Tarantino to make his own homage to the name but not necessarily the same story. The main questions that need to be asked  are not about whether the film will achieve success (no doubt it will gather an audience being promoted as the 'New Tarantino') but where to place this film on the endless Django films list? and more importantly will Jamie Foxx manage to pull off this iconic character? ...hmm to answer them I guess one just has to wait till Christmas.

Mirror mirror on the wall, who's the fairest Snow White of them all?

Fairy tales were not originally written for children, and although the Disney classics seem to dominate the fairy tale domain, it is only recently that directors and animators seem to be exploring the twisted side to them: think of the creepy bedtime story narrated by the Oscar nominated Granny O'Grimm. Like any other child, I loved watching Disney's heroic tales of restoring princesses to their rightful place, getting rid of evil step parents, being rescued by a dashing young prince charming and ending up living happily ever after in a beautiful castle. In today's world, where happy endings are for dreamers and castles are overpriced, it is interesting to go back to these stories as an adult and somewhat satisfying to learn that these 'princesses' were not as lucky as Disney has led us to believe. 

"The realm of fairy-story is wide and deep and high and filled with many things: all manner of beasts and birds are found there; shoreless seas and stars uncounted; beauty that is an enchantment, and an ever-present peril; both joy and sorrow as sharp as swords. In that realm a man may, perhaps, count himself fortunate to have wandered, but its very richness and strangeness tie the tongue of a traveller who would report them. And while he is there it is dangerous for him to ask too many questions, lest the gates should be shut and the keys be lost."

~J. R. R. Tolkien in 'On Fairy Stories'

'Snow White swallows the poisoned apple'
Paula Rego

There have been two new Snow White films released this year. Snow White is one of the darkest fairy tales: with murderous rivalry, adolescent sexual ripening, poisoned gifts, bloodshed, witchcraft, and ritual cannibalism. So Snow White has probably stopped dreaming that 'some day her prince will come' but has ended up rather like the distressing painting by Paula Rego (right). The author, Terri Windling, gives a very good overview of the various versions of the Snow White tale in her article: Snow, Glass, Apples: The story of Snow White. I have taken a look at different Snow White films over the years, and will compare the actresses who have taken on the roles of Snow White to see who rules fairest of them all.

"Snow White" (1916)

The 1916 version of the 'Snow White' tale was directed by J. Searle Dawley and based on a script written for the stage by Wintrop Ames. Below the two minute youtube clip gives the perfect impression of the actress who played Snow White, Marguerite Clark.

Clark was thirty-three years old when she did this film. Surprisingly, the majority of her films and on stage performances where done in her thirties, which is very unusual compared to the age 'limit' that Hollywood portrays today (Charlize Theron is thirty-six and  playing the evil old Queen in 'Snow White and the Huntsmen'). Although the cinematography is slightly lacking, and it's set up leans more towards a stage production, Clark gives the Snow White character a personality which is very vibrant and youthful.

The look of intrigue on her face when she is peering through the hole in the front door of the cottage is captivating and she has this innocence about her which is very endearing thus making her a beautiful Snow White-but consequently she is more of a damsel in distress than a fighting warrior. Walt Disney was a massive fan of this version and he used elements of it in his first full length animation "Snow White and the seven dwarfs" (1937) . One can easily see the similarities between the Disney Snow White caricature and Marguerite Clark.

Roland C. Crandall's "Snow White" (1933)

It would seem ludicrous not to mention a cartoon version of Snow White in this post. So here's Roland C. Crandall's short animation with Betty Boop as "Snow White" (1933) and music by Cab Calloway.

This cartoon took Crandall six months to complete by himself and is considered to be a masterpiece. The voice of Betty, Mae Questel, is very childlike with the mispronouncing of words and squeaky voice. The character of Betty Boop however is a far cry from the 'innocent' child. Her character was based on the flappers of the 1920s mainly with the voice of Helen Kane (especially in her song "I wanna be loved by you") and wide-eyed, carefree, "it" girl, Clara Bow.

In this film (made before the production code of 1934 was enforced) Betty is wearing her classic, very short, black dress and a suspender on her upper thigh (which slips off at some point). Visually, her character is overtly sexual, a far cry from the childish demeanour of Marguerite Clark. However her narrative says something different: "Always in the way, I can never play" she cries out like a damsel in distress, to which the guards reply "what a shame! Poor Betty!" and throw away the axe. Once again Betty Boop is not a fighter and ends up getting trapped in a ball of snow creating her own avalanche which leads to her being trapped in a glass coffin. In the end she is rescued by her Prince Charming (Koko the Clown).

The evil Queen stepmother resembles the character Olive Oyl (from "Popeye") and she transforms into several different objects throughout the animation: the best, in my opinion, is when her eyes turn into two fried eggs as she is observing Betty's beauty. Thus we have, yet again, a damsel in distress, a defeated evil Queen and order restored with a happily ever after.

"Snow White and the Huntsmen" (2012)

Directed by Rupert Sanders. I had to take a break before I got down to writing about this version of the Snow White tale, simply because of my dislike of Kristen Stewart and her inability to portray expression in any film that she does. Nevertheless, it is clear she was chosen precisely because she is the last actress expected to play the beautiful and fair Snow White. Although parts of the script are poorly written (Stewarts' speech to her army is not inspiring whatsoever), the story dips in and out of old versions of the Snow White tale with new twists. The Huntsmen becomes her mentor and the Prince Charming is cast aside. Charlize Theron makes an excellent evil Queen- giving deeper psychological dimensions to the misunderstood character. The viewer sees a glimpse of the Queen's past and why she goes to extreme lengths to preserve her beauty- i suppose the magic holding Theron's character together is a reflection of the copious amount of plastic that makes up Hollywood today- but perhaps Theron goes about retrieving beauty in a more dramatic manner and with better effects. As a whole the film brings to light the darker side to the Snow White story- but with a bland Snow White who sometimes chips in to fight her battle, but with the Huntsmen always close behind.

"Mirror Mirror" (2012)

I was going to dismiss this film, but after watching it I feel it is worthy of comment. Directed by Tarsem Singh, the story is framed by a narrative told by the evil Queen (Julia Roberts). It has some comic lines and Lily Collins is a fun Snow White, defiantly with more spark than Stewart. Julia Roberts as the evil Queen is more sympathetic than Theron and it is clear that this version is a light hearted approach to the tale. Although, presumably, aimed primarily at children it could have taken more risks- even the Disney version is more terrifying. The end is as one expects, but I will not even go into detail about the bizarre Bollywood-esque song at the end of the film. It is witty in parts, for example when Julia Roberts comments on how the name Snow White was the most pretentious name that Snow's parents could have chosen, and the dwarfs are banished bandits who wear stilts to fool their victims into thinking they're giants. The dwarfs (there are seven of them but they have different names to the Disney version- it blows the mind) teach Snow White how to fight for herself but are always ready to defend her along with her prince Charming when things get tough.The use of make-up is what really transforms Collin's into Snow White (with eyelashes and red lipstick). 'It's time to change that fairy-tale ending' is essentially the tag line of the film but yet there is only one real difference between Singh's Snow White and the rest- the fact that Collins' does not take a bite of the poisonous red apple- apart from this all the other elements are present.

Writing this post I have realised that Snow White is not particularly the best princess to represent today's society. She will never be able to completely fight her own battle; she is just one of those girls- perceived to be too 'fair' to fight by men and so they either go into combat for her or wade close behind to lend a (massive) hand and finish her fight. Therefore who is the fairest Snow White out of the above? In my personal opinion each of them (apart from Stewart, apologies) is worthy of a Snow White title. Scott Meslow mentions many notable Snow White adaptations over the years in The Atlantic online paper of which, I heard that Micheal Cohn's "Snow White: A tale of terror" (1997) is one of the best. So, as Meslow states: "There is always another Snow White around the bend," and each of them is trying to be the fairest of them all.