Movie Critic review: Driving Miss Daisy

On The Ticket Line

A movie that depicts the friendship between a rich, elderly middle class woman and her chauffeur of nearly the same age is very likely a bore.
But if this woman is a Jew and the driver a black man then a curious quiver would run up your spine. And If the setting for the story is the southern state of Georgia, USA just after world war two, then Bingo! You have something to see. You are on the ticket line wondering why such a movie is categorized as a comic drama as both these two types of people suffered from prejudices by the dominant majority either in the form of segregation, in the case of the blacks or, isolation in the case of Jews. Later, you learn that the humor is one dynamic of the movie that grows each time you watch it or recall it! It is consistently heard from people who saw the movie that they didn't remember there was so much humor on first time. This is an attribute of a classic movie.

What Is The Story

Screen-written from a 1987 off-Broadway play, the story is told as an account of a personal relationship. A clever device by the playwright. But what gives it this extraordinary edge, apart from the magical auratic acting performances, is actually the social and political changes which were taking place as a heavy backdrop on the scene. Based on examining prejudices, optimistically touching on old age problems and appraising friendship, a viable work of art is sure to be born.

The lady, Miss Daisy, being a very stubborn paranoid lady, has rejected the idea of hiring a driver for her car after she has wrecked too many of them. Her son Boolie, a well-to-do businessman, finds her a black driver but she is still hard to persuade. Boolie finds her this impressive and pleasant black man by the name Hoke who, in a nice hint at the issue of intolerance, is so patient and accepting as to  succeed in making her listen and understand, thereby opening up the roads to a pairing of the two in a special relationship that extends for over two decades.

The Backdrop

There are obvious hints in the movie to events through the fifties to the seventies that are marked collectively as the civil rights movement in the US which marked a tremendous change in the perception of Americans of their different roots, races and religions in light of a democratic society.

These hints attest to the success of Alfred Uhry who wrote this Pulitzer Prize winning autobiographical play-turned-movie, in tracing some of the healthy origins of human relationships which are based on equality, appreciation and respect. Uhry first wrote Driving Miss Daisy as a play and then wrote the screenplay for it. Below are some elements of the movie backdrop:

• Driving Miss Daisy to Alabama, Hoke at the border sign reveals to Miss Daisy that the first time he leaves the state of Georgia was a few minutes back! In this scene Miss Daisy starts to reminisce in a nostalgic way. She, herself, did not see much of the world!
• Driving Miss Daisy to Alabama, a policeman out of earshot remarks after checking their papers: "An old nigger and an old Jew woman takin' off down the road together . . . that is one sorry sight!"

• As an enlightened person, a former teacher, Miss Daisy claims she has no prejudices but actually she does not take her meals with Idella (her servant) or Hoke! Home Apartheid!
• At a certain crossing of the roads where the traffic was stopped because of the bombing of a synagogue for its support of racial freedom, Hoke is prompted to observe that African-Americans have long been exposed to intolerance. 
• In a later scene Boolie, Miss Daisy's son, turns down an invitation to a Martin Luther King dinner for fear that going there would put his business in trouble.

Boolie

• Miss Daisy is moved by the fact that Hoke was illiterate and immediately starts to teach him how to read. 
• Hoke is angered because Miss Daisy did not invite him to a Martin L King banquet until they reach the place. This was because Miss Daisy embarrassed by the idea of sitting at a table with a black man in a social event. Hoke, nevertheless, listens to the same speech on the car radio in the parking lot. This anger probably marks the awakening of a political awareness in Hoke who is not really outspoken or confrontational. Well, except when Miss Daisy would not allow him to stop the car to relieve himself!

After The Ride

Driving Miss Daisy (DMD- hope this is not the street name for a drug!) is a must-see classic movie. You can also see it in theater as a play almost everywhere in North America and Europe. It is conveniently situated in the western pop culture and is mentioned or alluded to in many different works of art and culture.
DMD is the winner of four 62nd Academy Awards including Best Picture and Best adapted Screen play (1990). DMD also won the Golden Globe for Jessica Tandy and Morgan Freeman. It also won awards at the Berlin Film Festival.
DMD (the original play) also won the 1988 Pulitzer Prize and the Outer Critics Circle Award for Best Off-Broadway Play.

Note On The Music Score

The soundtrack for this movie is entirely synthetic, featuring no live instruments in the mix.
The score is "bluesy and/or jazzy" with a weird synthesizer banjo sound and an effectively-haunting clarinet tune.

Driving Miss Daisy Score by Hans Zimmer

Driving Miss Daisey Specs:

Driving Miss Daisy (1989) USA.

Genre: Comedy/Drama. 99 min. Color.

Director: Bruce Beresford

Writers: Alfred Uhry (Screenplay), Alfred Uhry (Play)

Music: Hans Zimmer

Cast: Jessica Tandy (Miss Daisy), Morgan Freeman (Hoke), Dan Akroyd (Boolie)

Patti LuPone (Boolie's wife),  Esther Rolle (Idella).
  

For Laughs and Lols: Click Here

Movie Critic Article: France Commemorates Chahine

 

Article by Badreldin H. Ali 

I was delighted by the news concerning the late but ever-present Egyptian filmmaker Youssef Chahine.
I have seen most of Chahine's movies and I value and respect them and believe that his significant contribution to enriching the domain of arts in general and cinema in particular  was behind the decision of the Palais du Cinéma in Paris to refurbish and rename one of its main halls after his name.
  

Luxor cinema, in final months of restoration, Paris November 2012 (Photo: Ati Metwaly)

 

Misr International Films a company that was founded by the late filmmaker reiterated in its press statement the series of international recognition won by Chahine who was one of the most prominent film directors in Egypt and the winner of several international awards. Several streets in different cities around the globe were named after Chahine. The Palais du Cinema, one of the cinema complexes in Paris which was built in 1921 and closed in 1983 for renovations, is scheduled to re-open on April 17 this year with a screening of "Destiny", a Youssef Chanine movie produced in 1997 which depicts some aspects of the life of the Andalusian Muslim thinker Ibn Rushd (1126 - 1198).

This ancient Parisian film complex was designed in Pharaonic style with a large facade similar to those in the temples of Luxor in southern Egypt. The facade is decorated with Pharaonic drawings such as those on the walls of ancient Egyptian temples. The famous French architect Phillipe Pumain  was entrusted to renew and revive the complex at a cost of 29 million euros. Using glass work, mosaic, decorations and drawings, the historic building in the heart of the French capital was brought back to life. On the sidelines of the opening ceremony, there will be held a new exhibition featuring pictures of the ancient city of Luxor. The exhibition will run until May 25 next year.

Chahine's total filmography includes 37 feature films and five short ones. He won a number of international awards, ending with the Golden Jubilee Award at Cannes International Film Festival in 1997 for his lifetime contribution to cinema. In 2006, France granted Chahine the rank of "officer" in its Committee of Honor.

 

Eisenstein: You Got'm? Yeah, I Got'm!

Eisenstein

The Grand Central Station Scene in Brian De Palma's 1987 The Untouchables:

Terry Gilliam's 1985 Brazil

The Runaway Baby Carriage Scenes from the Odessa Steps Sequence in Eisenstein's 1925 movie 

Battleship Potemkin:

The full Eisenstein Sequence:

There are other movies that paid homage to or referenced Eisenstein's method of editing (Montage) exemplified by this renowned sequence such as Coppola's The Godfather, Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith. It was also easiy recalled in Spielberg's Schindler's List (the helpless girl in red in the middle of a massacre). Reflected upon in Woody Allen's Bananas, Death and Love and probably used in tens of movies worldwide. Homage or intertextuality, tribute or plagiarism or whatever, it seems that these creative filmmakers (creative in their own right) have to tell us that they know the basics of filmmaking and connect verily with their creative ancestors such as Eisenstein. In fact, the impact of editing, swift camera movements and the use of close-ups, descending angles, bird's-eye-view shots seem to empower this sequence every time one gets to see it. Almost the whole theory of cinema is right here in a silent movie from 1925 a.d.

All that said, nothing of what Eisenstein did at the Odessa Steps actually and historically took place!

"Eisenstein did it so well that today the bloodshed on the Odessa steps is often referred to as if it really happened." But there were signs of unrest in Odessa, or actually signs of a revolution in the making. 

There are two reasons postulated to explain how Eisenstein devised his rendering of this part of the movie. 

One is that he was a communist doing propaganda work to depict the atrocities of the Tsars prior to the first Russian revolution of 1905. The other is that as a genius he figured out the impact of  chaos over the seemingly endless flights of steps and how the sight of children and women caught in this deadly mess would heighten the drama and suspense. 

Both explanations fit the maker of October-Ten Days That Shook The World!

Sergei Eisenstein (Russia) 1898-1948 is considered one of the most important narrative filmmakers and cinema theorists. Other than memorable movies, he wrote important books on cinema such as Film Form, The Film Sense, Notes of a Film Director and many more.

Scenitunes: Once Upon a Time Morriconne 3/3

Part Three

Ennio Morricone

I talked about a Christie and a Christy in part two.
In a soundtrack suite for The Big Gundown complied by Soundtrack Suiter in Youtube only the last few sentences of the song Run Man, Run can be heard.
I remember I had an LP vinyl record from the early seventies that had the whole song among other Morricone film scores.
I used to wonder over the years, why this song appears to have been neglected. In fact, I did not have enough resources to answer my questions about this singer's appreciation by either fans or critics.
In the late sixties and early seventies, title or theme songs were becoming a trend in soundtrack compositions. Examples were the songs in the James Bond movies and several Italian and French movies. I always thought that the singer Christy who performed this great song (Run, man. Run!) was no less gifted or endowed with a powerful voice than Shirley Bassey (Goldfinger), Tina Turner (Golden Eye), Madonna (Die Another Day) and, lately Adelle in(Skyfall).
So the suite in Youtube is a non-official compilation but, still the person on Youtube (Soundtrack Suiter) who made it is commendable for doing the great job of smoothly editing a suite for The Big Countdown.
But my quest for more information on Christy went on.
I found more collaborations between Morricone and singer Christy and other gems of which I am going to cite some at the end of this post.

One of Christy's several collaborations with Morricone is the song "Deep Down " in the 1968 Italian Mario Bava's movie (Diabolik) in which she was described by one critic as "an insane singer with a wild passionate delivery which rivals even Italian pop goddess Mina!” This description of the quality of Christy's singing voice also applies to her song Run, man. Run which is characterized by surprising changes in tempo and a restless rise of voice to near crashing!

Christie is in fact the Italian Vocalist, Maria Cristina Brancucci.

Another beautiful collaboration of Christie with Morricone is this nice song done for the movie "O.K. Connery" aka "Operation Kid Brother". An Italian spoof of  the James Bond movies.

Gems On The Go

Gem No. One:  Ennio Morricone had several collaborations with the American folk singer Joan Baez! A fact that I did not know about. It was in the movie Here's to You 1971 (US/Italy).

Here’s to you, Nicola and Bart,

rest forever here in our hearts.

The last and final moment is yours.

That agony is your triumph.

Gem No. Two (Best of the Gems): Kevin Blechdom

This is probably the best part in this post on Morricone. Kevin Blechdom (born Kristin Erickson), the American experimental electronic musician/performing artist multi-tracking, all by himself and ( a cappella=without instruments) the difficult song Run, man. Run! 

Scenitunes: Once Upon A Time Morricone (2)

Part Two

I Knew Christie

A UFO Text based on Morricone's music.

Tired Christie lay motionless.
No one knew how to keep her on our faintly rattling chain of life.
Many were our chains and entrappings.
Then in one of her murky faints Christie disappeared.
No one knew anything about her.
I was secretly happy!
Disappearance is more honorable than cadaverous death.
I rejoiced in secret. Death did not make her parting with life hard.
Did not humiliate her as He always does.
The most beautiful thing is that she is not officially dead.
Or, maybe, she exempted me from the ritual of remembering the dead.
Now it's me and the shredded body parts!
Can I distinguish her smell?
Oh, I wish I had a bottle of perfume to spill on her!
But, it's clear her disappearance is more merciful than the most devout prayer.
She was so optimistic that there is a place where men do not kill each other.
She used to rejoice at seeing a newcomer.
She would thoroughly scan his face, then turn to me.
"It's a human being!" she would say.
"See how beautiful he is?" she would ask me.
Concealing my jealousy, I told her she was just looking for security!
I told her Humans run-down past us and then die before we see a shadow
of a smile in the face of any of them.
I pleaded to her: "Christie! We are not all brothers. There are the Dead among us.
The half-dead and the Replicants!"
"We are not safe from Fear."
She used to say that Fear could be scared back by the flight to Freedom.
That Death was bargaining the demise of the fetters.
I sit on the edge of a stream leaning on my thirst
The self is still sickened by blood running
amixed with water
Her voice comes to me so strongly as if she stands behind.
Do not concede! Do not let for them a victory!
Do not give your back to Sunrise.
And run your utmost run
For Evil here is felt in the air, hisses in the air!
Be like a prey in gasping away from traps
Without taking your fear as a habit.
Run the valleys and horizons to stay loose.
Until you reach a place where they
Never, never. Never, never. Never, never
will be able to find and hide you.
Never, never, let them be victorious on you.
Run your best, man. Your utmost love of life.
Run here and now, at once. You can!
Run to the face of the sun
Never, never let them be the conquerers of you.

Now that I told you about Christie because I am the one to be asked about her, here's some of what she used to say in lyrics. In this pathetic, ominous and haunting melody that is ever ascending to just before the crash. Cristy, the Italian singer in Morricone's music score, has such a strong voice that is full of emotion. It almost touches on the edge beyond falsetto. But, Never, never!
Incidentally this song is for lovers of loud speaker or headphone listening. If you are not of this type of people you won't enjoy the sounds, maybe.
Here is the Colossal Song with lyrics below the Clip:

Somewhere there is a land where men do not kill each other
Somewhere there is a land where men call a man a brother
Somewhere you will find a place where men live without fear
Somewhere, if you keep on running, someday you'll be freey
Never, no never no they'll never lock you in
No never, no never, no never let them win
Go ahead young man, face towards the sun
Run man, run while you can
Run man, run man, run.
Running like a hare, like deer, like rabbit
Danger in the air, coming near, you can feel it
And you're panting like hare, like deer like a rabbit
Running from the snare until fear is a habit
Hurry on and on and on
Hurry on and on, hurry on and on
Run and run until you know you're free
Run to the end of the world 'til you find a place
where they never never never
No never no they'll never lock you in
Never, no never, no never let them win
Go ahead young man, face towards the sun
Run man, run while you can
Run man, run man, run
----

From the movie "The Big Gundown"
Music: Ennio Moriconni
Sung by Cristy
Words by Audrey Nohra

Scenitunes: Once Upon A Time Morricone

Part One

Sergio Leone

Quentin Tarantino (QT) calls his new movie Django Unchained  a "Southern" to convey the idea of revisiting the elements of the Spaghetti "Western", of which he is so fascinated, in a setting in the old-time racist South. The film reappropriates much of the music composed for Spaghetti Western movies of the sixties of last century made by Italian filmmakers Sergio Leone and Sergio Carbucci (& S. Sollima?). The soundtrack is one of several aspects of the movie that was excessively talked about even before the movie's release on Christmas 2012. Parts of a lecture addressed to students in Rome by composer Morricone, were propelled as to mean that Morricone was disappointed with Tarantino's 'incoherent' use of his music. What makes things rather confusing is that two months before the release of "Django Unchained", El Maestro Ennio Morricone presented its director QT with a life-time achievement award in Rome, Italy!

Morricone & Tarantino 2012 Courtesy of getty Images

For a list of music and songs used by Tarantino in Django Unchained please visit here. Note that Ancora Qui is the only original song made for this new QT movie.
I love QT's movies.
I adore Morricone's music. QT is smart but kind of  rash and clumsy.
I doubt if he really appreciates music the way Morricone meant it to be. But on the other hand the cinematic moment could have its ragged edges. So much so that it is better to leave things up to the filmmaker. It's only part of his creation. Right? The point is why Morricone allows the use of his old music in new movies?
I am not trying to show him what to do with or how to invest his music. Talking about "incoherent" use of music in a movie suggests a lack of communication between the composer and the filmmaker.
However, on follow up, the news is that Morricone denied most of what was reported and expressed his belief that QT is a genius. Done! We are gonna hear more of Morricone in the next QT movie!

Luxor African Film Festival 2013

Young African filmmakers listen to master Gerima

Click here to see more photos by Egyptian photographer Hasan Amin

The Luxor African Film Festival (LAFF) concluded its second edition Sunday March 24th 2013 in the historic Luxor city in Egypt.
The festival ran in several venues in the city. It was characterized by workshops on filmmaking presented by Egyptian filmmakers under the guidance of Tunisian filmmaker Mr. Reda Elbahi. A fourth workshop was conducted by world-renowned Ethiopian master filmmaker Haile Gerima (maker of Teza, Sankofa etc.)

Here is what LAFF organizers had to say about Gerima's contribution:
".. Haile Gerima's Workshop in Luxor is a big African and international occurrence. Youth of Africa will get an opportunity to gather and get to know more about each other; to discover their imaginations, perceptions and common issues and problems. As a result, a new generation of filmmakers will appear in our mother continent Africa. Accordingly, harmony and interaction between youth across Africa would be retained. I look forward to this workshop, and I hope I can make it to the festival and be there as the writer and director/ Sayed Fouad."
LAFF had sponsored a week of Ethiopian Films in October 2012 as part of its mission aimed at organizing exchange of filmmaking experiences in Africa.
LAFF is organized by Independent Shabab Foundation (ISF), a not-for-profit registered Egyptian organization active since 2006 in several Fields. ISF has many goals to achieve besides awarding prizes and organizing workshops. It supports and encourage African film productions and partnerships between the countries of the continent through strengthening the humanitarian and political ties between the peoples of Africa in general and African artists in particular.

The first edition of the festival took place between Feb.21st – 28th, 2012 in Luxor, Egypt. The festival awards are given to winners in long feature, short feature/documentary films.

AbuElila and A. Mustafa

Writes Amal Mustafa (herself a filmmaker) on Amjad Abuelila's film "Studio" which has won the Special Jury Prize at LAFF 2013: "This 8-minute movie puts you in a special state of mind from the first moment. It takes 'solitude' as a theme. Through a small plot Abuelila manages to move a lonely person from within a small studio, cleverly opening the door for someone else to think of his loneliness. It profoundly impacts your soul and seems to impersonate you endlessly!"