Category Archives: 1990s

Movie: The Temptations (1998)

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classic5This TV miniseries about the musical group The Temptations premiered on NBC in 1998; it was made based on the autobiography of Otis Williams, who is the lone surviving member of the original Temptations and considered to be the leader of the group (though was never the lead vocal). The Temptations, a black vocals group from Detroit, Michigan, successfully rocketed to the top of the Billboards with Motown Records during the 1960s and 70s. They are known for their sweet harmonies, soulful vocals, and smooth dance steps, and the group earned the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award. This miniseries The Temptations tells the story (from the viewpoint of Otis Williams) of the group from the early days until the deaths of all of the other core members; it was produced by Otis Williams and The Temptations’ manager of many years, Shelley Berger.

temptationsFor as long as I can remember, I have loved The Temptations for their feel-good and heartfelt tunes, as well as their great group performances. I had always assumed, though, that the five sharply-dressed members that danced and sang wonderfully together in videos I had seen got along with each other as well as they harmonized, and that those five people always equaled The Temptations. However, as shown by this TV miniseries that provides an overview of The Temptations over nearly 50 years, the group members changed a lot over the years and there were tensions along their journey to the Hall of Fame.

Back in the 1950s, The Temptations were formed from two local groups that were struggling to get their names out—“Otis Williams and the Distants” and one of their rivals, “The Primes.” The combination of the two groups was important; The Primes added the dancing component (Paul Williams was the choreographer for many of their performances) as well as Edie Kendricks’s strong tenor voice featured in many of their early tracks, while The Distants had the bassline and Otis Williams was the organizer needed to establish them as a group. The five original voices of The Temptations harmonized beautifully, but they still didn’t see success on the Billboards, and even became known as “The Hitless Temptations.” Frustrated, one of the members, Al Bryant, quit in the 60s and was replaced by David Ruffin, an aspiring singer and a fan of The Temptations. Now with Ruffin, The Temptations released their first Top 20 hit (“The Way You Do the Things You Do”), and later their number-one hit “My Girl” featuring Ruffin’s vocals. These five members are considered the “Classic Five” (the five I had associated with The Temptations). Throughout the 1960s, The Temptations released hit after hit and became internationally known, mainly with David Ruffin as the lead singer.

ruffinHowever, David Ruffin expected more money, wanted the group name to be changed to “David Ruffin & The Temptations” (much like “Diana Ross & The Supremes” or “Smokey Robinson & The Miracles”), increasingly used cocaine, and began missing practices and even some performances. Ruffin was fired in 1968 and replaced with Dennis Edwards. However, on multiple occasions, Ruffin snuck into their performances and hijacked the microphone from Edwards, pleasantly surprising avid fans of the Classic Five who were critical of the new Edwards. It is said that, due to the still strong popularity of David Ruffin, Otis Williams wanted to fire Edwards and bring Ruffin back in, but due to Ruffin’s continued unreliability, Edwards was kept on. Finally, with their Top 10 hit single “Cloud Nine”—which won a Grammy—featuring lead vocals by Dennis Edwards, Edwards was beginning to be accepted as part of The Temptations. In 1989, The Temptations—the Classic Five plus Dennis Edwards—were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

In the 1970s, two more of the Classic Five—Paul Williams and Eddie Kendricks—were also replaced. Paul Williams’s health was declining so was forced to resign, while Eddie Kendricks—unhappy with the direction of The Temptations, his best friend Paul being out of the group, and the control of Otis Williams—decided to go solo. Dennis Edwards, who had replaced David Ruffin, also had ongoing tensions with Otis Williams, and was also replaced in 1976. (This miniseries shows very little about Edwards and his on-and-off participation in The Temptations). Regarding many of their hits from the 1970s, leader Otis Williams commented, “While you hear our voices weaving together so smoothly, we were actually fragmenting.” In the 1980s, The Temptations did a “reunion album,” that featured the more “classic” sound of The Temptations and brought back Ruffin, Kendricks, and Edwards. These three later did their own tour titled “Former Leads of The Temptations.”

When looking at the incredibly talented and influential Temptations over the years, there are a few interesting things I wish to highlight.

ballofconfusionFirst, the adaptation of the group to changing times. The Temptations—initially with a doo-wop, classical Motown sound that mainly sang about love—started incorporating more funk in the late 1960s and early 70s, such as the electronic wah-wah sound featured in “Cloud Nine” and “psychedelic” rhythms. Also, the lyrics began to incorporate the social and political changes that were erupting in the turbulent times of the 1970s, in contrast to their earlier characteristic love ballads. For example, their song “Ball of Confusion (That’s What the World is Today),” was about the unknown future and brings up issues such as violence and segregation. This change is also seen with other Motown hits such as Marvin Gaye’s “What’s Going On?”which addresses the Vietnam War over a funky beat. 1990Since then to the present, the contemporary Temptations have incorporated a Eurodance beat characteristic of the 80s, the slow and simple R&B beats of the 90s, and even auto-tunes—which dominates pop music today—in their most recent album. Regarding this adaptation, leader Otis Williams says that the group has to “live in the present while respecting the past.” Also, as an undercurrent in this miniseries, we see the tough transition from segregated America—where The Temptations are considered for “black audiences only”—to integrated America—where black and white people stand together in the crowds.

Second, the tragically young deaths of many of the members. Of the Classic Five, Paul Williams suffered from health issues and alcoholism, and committed suicide at the age of 34; David Ruffin died at the age of 50 from a cocaine overdose; Eddie Kendricks died at the age of 52 due to lung cancer; and Melvin Franklin—the bassist who stayed in The Temptations until right before his death—suffered from many health problems, and died at the age of 52 after a series of seizures. Al Bryant of the original five died at the age of 36 from a liver disease. Otis Williams (74 years old now) is the only surviving member of the original or Classic Five. Also, Roger Penzabene, the songwriter who wrote their hits “I Wish It Would Rain” and “I Could Never Love Another (After Loving You)” based on his own heartbreak, committed suicide. Life as an artist can be mentally and physically exhausting, and so many incredibly talented people die young. (27 Club)

Lastly, what really makes “The Temptations”? There is a musical group called The Temptations that is still active today, and it is still led by Otis Williams—who never had lead or distinctive vocals in any of The Temptations’ many hits. The tagline of The Temptations today is “55 Years & Still Going Strong,” and Otis Williams says that “reinvention is the name of the game.” The lineup has changed several more times over the years, and even some of these newer members have gone off and created their own Temptations splinter groups. Dennis Edwards—the original replacement for David Ruffin of the Classic Five, and the only other surviving of the six members that were inaugurated into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame—has his own group, The Temptations Revue. Over the years, there have been 24 people who were at least for some time considered a Temptation. As Eddie Kendricks aptly says in the dramatized miniseries when he quits The Temptations, “There’s getting to be more ex-Temptations than Temptations.” Interestingly, with the members being replaced one after another, none of the current members of The Temptations have worked with any of the original Temptations other than Otis Williams. Because of this and the gradual change in sound over the years, the original name of “Otis Williams and The Distants” seems more appropriate now. It seems that Otis Williams is clinging onto the name because of all of the respect there is for The Temptations.

Since this miniseries is based on Otis Williams’s autobiography, it is certainly biased, especially regarding the positive leadership of Otis Williams and the tensions between group members. Several people, including Otis Williams’s ex-wife and David Ruffin’s family, filed lawsuits against the miniseries for the negative and biased representation of characters, but the court ruled in favor of the defendants. Otis Williams also claimed that, although it was based on his autobiography and he is considered to be a producer, he did not have much say on how things were presented.

standing-in-the-shadow-of-motownThis miniseries, though biased, gives a good overview of the fascinating, yet turbulent history of the incredible musical group The Temptations. Watching this miniseries in combination with Standing in the Shadows of Motown—a documentary that sheds light on the Funk Brothers, the incredibly talented, but overlooked back band of many of The Temptations’ hits as well as many other Motown classics—and Get Ready: Definitive Performances—which is a collection of recordings of live performances by The Temptations during the 1960s and 70s that shows the charm of their actual dancing and stylish suits—is truly inspiring as well as informative regarding the amazing impact these musicians had on modern music.

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Movie: Kolya (1996)

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This movie depicts the emotional bond between an aging Czech musician and a Russian boy living in then-Czechoslovakia in 1988. The time depicted is the turbulent period leading up to the Velvet Revolution, which was the relatively peaceful overthrow of the Communist Party government and one of the events marking the end of the Cold War.

Once a top cellist, Louka is now poor and makes a living with various part-time jobs. In exchange for money, he reluctantly has a sham marriage with a Russian woman in order for her to get a Czech passport, but this woman leaves behind her five-year-old son, Kolya, with his aunt and flees to West Germany. However, the aunt suddenly dies, and Louka is left to care for Kolya. At first, they feel awkward with each other, but gradually affection grows between the two. However, since Louka’s older brother also fled to the West, the secret police suspect Louka of helping the Russian woman flee the country with a fake marriage, and they start an investigation; also, a female social worker appears and is going to send Kolya to an orphanage in Russia… The story continues on, and ends with Czechoslovakia succeeding with the Velvet Revolution and overthrowing the rule of the Soviet Union.

Since the little boy who plays Kolya is too cute, and the story is filled with light humor and wit, one would think this movie is a heart-warming story of love between the little boy and the cellist, but I think this movie wants to depict the resentment of Czechs towards the rule of the Soviet Union, the day-to-day life of the people living under Soviet rule, and the emotional responses of people during turbulent times. The impression I get is that sweet Kolya is used to make the movie charming, but Kolya is just a cute child to an adult, and the depiction of the boy’s emotions is shallow. Also, Louka is depicted as an irresponsible man who chases after women. Is he just pretending to be an irresponsible womanizer in order to avoid attention after losing his former top social status, or is this his true personality? I can’t tell because Louka’s depiction is not deep enough. Perhaps the reason for depicting Louka this way is that the movie wants to draw a dramatic contrast between him at first being irresponsible and at the end being loving. However, the love that develops between the sweet-looking child and the cartoon-like adult is not very persuading. If this is a story of love, I must say it is a story made without the understanding of love.

Information provided by the radio and newspaper about the times is inserted throughout this movie, so the audience is able to understand what is happening in the outside world. Conversations between the people are frequently about how annoying Soviet Union soldiers are. In the end, this movie made after the victory of the Velvet Revolution seems to have the intention of documenting, “what life was like for people under the tyrannical rule of the Soviet Union,” and that, “Czechs hated the Nazis. But the Soviet Union that came afterwards was as bad.” First Secretary Alexander Dubček played a central role in the “Prague Spring” reformation movement in 1968, but the Warsaw Treaty Organization led by the Soviet Union later crushed it with a military intervention; Czechoslovakia became a secret police nation like East Germany, and people lived holding their breath, in fear of being informed on.

However, things have certainly changed. Hungary at last decided to open the national border with Austria in 1989. Since it was feasible for people of East Germany to make their way to Hungary, many East Germans started trying to enter Hungary; from there, they could cross the national border to Austria, then from there, move to West Germany. Also, just like Kolya’s mother in this movie, people from Russia moved to Czech territories—where entry was allowed—and planned to use a Czech passport to flee further to West Germany. Even if East Germany citizens didn’t have a Hungarian passport, countless East Germans went to Hungary in hopes of somehow crossing the national border to Austria.

In August of 1989, the Hungarian Democratic Forum held the Pan-European Picnic in Sopron, the Hungarian town nearest to Austria. Rumors saying that those who participated in this meeting could cross over the national border spread, and a great number of East Germany citizens gathered in this town; one after another, they started to cross the national border, but Hungarian authorities didn’t stop them. This news spread within East Germany, and even more citizens of East Germany gathered at the Hungary and Czechoslovakia borders in order to cross over to Austria and West Germany, respectively. Stimulated by this news, citizens in East Germany demanded more and more for freedom, and the Berlin Wall at last came down on November 10, 1989. On November 17, the Velvet Revolution broke out in Czechoslovakia, and the Communist Party administration collapsed. The Soviet Union did not intervene anymore. The humiliation of the Prague Spring was not repeated.

Zdeněk Svěrák, who played Louka in this movie, also wrote the script, while his son Jan Svěrák directed the movie. Jan Svěrák was only 30 years old when he picked up the megaphone for this movie, and he was a 23-year-old student when the Velvet Revolution happened. This movie seems to be loaded with Zdeněk’s desire to convey to the young generation, including his son, what life was like under the Soviet Union system, and the hope he has as a father for his son’s future. Zdeněk Svěrák was 32 years old when he experienced the Prague Spring.

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Movie: Gloomy Sunday — Ein Lied von Liebe und Tod (1999)

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The setting is Budapest, Hungary in the late 1930s when the shadow of the Nazis is creeping in. László is a Jew who manages an up-scale restaurant. He is involved with the beautiful waitress Ilona. They hire András as the restaurant’s pianist, but sparks fly between András and Ilona the moment they meet. However, Ilona is not able to separate from László. Also, since a friendship develops between László and András, the three fall into a weird love triangle. In addition, Ilona rejects the affections of a young German man named Hans, so he tries to commit suicide. László is the one to save him.

András composes a song called “Gloomy Sunday” for Ilona, and gives Ilona the song as her birthday present. With the help of László, this song is released as a record and becomes a big hit, but people one after another commit suicide while listening to this song. Before long, Hans comes back to Budapest as an executive officer of the Nazis, and the fates of Ilona, László, and András turn dark.

This movie is not just sentimental fiction, and is actually partly based on facts. The song “Gloomy Sunday” that is played in the movie was composed by the Hungarian composer Rezső Seress in 1930s while he was working as a pianist in the restaurant owned by László Jávor, who added the song lyrics. In addition, there is the urban legend that people one after another committed suicide while listening to this song. At one point, the song was banned from British and American broadcasting stations. Rezső Seress, like András in this movie, also committed suicide.

I think it is only an urban legend that people commit suicide when they listen to this song, but this song may reflect the darkness that Hungarians felt for 30 years through the Great Depression, losing in World War I, and being under Nazi control.

Hungary formed the Austro-Hungarian Dual Monarchy with Austria in the late 19th century, and jumped to the top in the world economically as well as culturally; but the empire collapsed in World War I and Hungary was cut off from Austria, so Hungary lost half of its territory and had to receive humiliating economic sanctions. Due to the Trianon Treaty in 1920, Hungary lost 72% of the area of the Austro-Hungarian Dual Monarchy and 64% of its population; around half of all Hungarians were left behind outside of the country of Hungary. I wonder if there is a nation that has faced more humiliation. On the other hand, the Czech Republic and Poland in the north—Hungary’s rivals over territory since ancient times—won their independence as republics, and were enjoying prosperity. Due to this bitterness, Hungary allied with Germany and became a member of the Axis. Backed by Germany, Hungary was able to recover land in the Slovak-Hungarian War in 1939 and avoid a fate like Poland and the Czech Republic—being conquered by Germany and disappearing from the map. However, most Hungarian people gradually came to want to withdraw from the Axis, but by that time, it was already too late and Hungary was unable to do so.

In the end, the Axis lost in World War II, but at one time Turkey, Bulgaria, Romania, Czech Republic, Poland of Eastern Europe, the Netherlands, Belgium, Norway, and the northern part of France were occupied, and all except Spain and Great Britain was under of the control of the Axis. Although Spain didn’t participate in the war, they were a “close friend” of Germany’s; almost all of Europe, except for Great Britain and neutral Soviet Union, fell into Hitler’s hand at that time.

I thought this movie was going to just be a soap opera. (The term “soap opera” refers to cheap-looking daytime melodramas, ever since a detergent company sponsored a sappy romantic melodrama series that broadcasted in the middle of the day in order to target the housewife market.) However, this movie is surprisingly popular among movie critics who pride themselves in (supposedly) intelligent critiques. I wondered why this was, and I realized after I watched this movie that it was because it is like a Takaratzuka (a Japanese all-female musical troupe) show. When one buys a ticket for a Takaratzuka show, one does not buy with the expectation that it will be an intellectual criticism, or reproduction of historical facts, or strange art for art’s sake. One is happy to enjoy two hours being enchanted by the beauty. This movie does just that.

However, this movie is not just sweet, but also bitter and cleverly complicated. Hans is the character in this movie that is supposed to be most hated because he sends László, who saved Hans’s life, to a Nazi concentration camp without hesitation, despite Ilona’s desperate plea. He is in a position to be able to easily save Jews. In fact, he let countless Jews escape from the country for a large amount of money or jewels. Whenever he helped Jews, he always told them, “If something happens to me, please testify that I helped you.” In other words, this man is like Schindler in Schindler’s List. Even though Schindler is depicted as the hero in Spielberg’s movie, the same character can be quite ugly when presented from a different angle. Although Hans was part of the Nazi’s SS, he lives on after the war as a hero who helped Jews, and comes back as a very successful businessman to tour Budapest with his wife.

Ilona is loved by three men, and skillfully manipulates the three of them. Well, she never thought she was manipulating the men because she thought it was just love. After András commits suicide, his large amount of royalties is inherited by Ilona. Also, in order to protect his restaurant, László hands over the rights to his restaurant to Ilona right before being sent to a concentration camp, and Ilona makes his legendary restaurant her own. In addition to being handsome and a talented pianist, András also has a good understanding of finance and has practical skills needed to negotiate financial matters. The movie clearly depicts these financial negotiations. Therefore, this movie is not just a bittersweet melodrama.

The most interesting part of the movie is Ilona’s way of raising her son. After András and László die, it is depicted that she is pregnant. Viewers hope that it is András’s child, but it seems like he died a little too early. Since we later see Ilona’s son helping his mother manage the restaurant, we are given the impression that it is László’s child. However, it is most likely Hans’s child. If this is the case, the way Ilona raised the child is wonderful. At the very end, the audience witnesses Ilona at last carrying out the revenge of the deceased László on Hans, who had betrayed László, but this is quite terrible revenge if the father of Ilona’s child is Hans.

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Movie: Butterfly’s Tongue — La lengua de las mariposas (1999)

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When you watch this movie along with Belle Époque (1992) and The Spirit of the Beehive (1973), you can understand the painful and silent times after the Spanish Civil War broke out in 1936 and the fascist administration superseded the Second Spanish Republic that was established in 1931. Belle Époque depicts the establishment of the republic, while The Spirit of the Beehive depicts the silent times of the 1940s. Butterfly’s Tongue depicts the arrival of the Spanish Civil War in 1936. Because this movie was made in 1999, the Franco administration had collapsed and democracy was restored, so Spanish artists could break the silence, cast away the symbolism used to protect themselves, and express their message frankly.

The movie is set in a remote town in Galicia, Spain in 1936. Moncho is a young boy with asthma entering elementary school one year late. The teacher Gregorio is kind to Moncho, who is shy and has a hard time fitting in. Gregorio teaches the children about various things beyond the curriculum, including life, literature, and love. The teacher takes the children on a fieldtrip in order to study living things. Gregorio promises Moncho, who is interested in the story of the butterfly’s tongue, that he will show him with a microscope. Moncho’s older brother Andrés joins a town band and expands his experience by travelling around for concerts. Moncho’s father supports the Republican Party, while Moncho’s mother does not believe in the Republicans, but it does not hinder their married relationship. There is friendship and respect between the father and the teacher Gregorio.

However, the day that the town is seized by fascism at last arrives. In order to protect his family, the father, who had until then made it clear he was a supporter of Republicans, goes to the town square with other townspeople in order to participate in humiliating the arrested Republicans. In order to protect the family, the mother boos and jeers the people arrested, while the brothers watch silently; Andrés is surprised to see his bandleader who had been kind to him among the arrested, while Moncho is surprised to see his close friend’s father. At the end of the line of people who were arrested is the teacher Gregorio. The father, with pain, also starts to insult. At the urging of his mother, Moncho insults the teacher that he loves with, “Communist!” and “Atheist!” while throwing rocks.

What is most frightening in this movie is that the people who had peacefully lived together in this town completely divide into friends and enemies because of the Civil War. Before the Civil War started, there were small problems or disputes between married couples, within families, at school, or in church. However, the town was able to overcome these small differences by working together as a community. As the struggle for central power gradually becomes more extreme, however, the faces of the townspeople change, and in the end, the community is destroyed by hatred, fear, fighting, and stone throwing. The fight between Fascists and Republicans is not an abstract battle performed by the distant central government. Here, it is the terrifying reality that your neighbor yesterday becomes your persecutor today.

Another scary thing is that children sensitively notice their parents’ fear for their family’s safety, and the children’s actions become more radical than their parents. In this movie, the parents do not wish for war and don’t want to hurt others, but they know that if they support the arrested Republicans, tomorrow it could be them, so they insult the Republicans to protect themselves. However, the children sensitively perceive the fear, and go beyond their parents’ actions. It is scary that the children cannot control their actions because they don’t understand the consequences.

However, this movie doesn’t blame Moncho for throwing stones at the teacher Gregorio who cared for Moncho dearly. The times that forced the child to act in such a way are to be blamed; the child doesn’t understand what is happening, but senses that something is happening. As in China’s Cultural Revolution and with Cambodia’s Khmer Rouge, children were the ones who cruelly persecuted adults, but someone else was in the background to make the children act this way.

Franco died in 1975, and Spain established a truly stable democracy in 1981, but those who opposed Franco had to wait until 2008 for their honor to be restored. There must be many people in Spain like the teacher Gregorio who had their honor snatched away and died.

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Movie: Evita (1996)

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Because this movie that premiered in 1996 was nominated for several Academy Awards (won Best Original Song) and Madonna who played Eva Peron (Evita) won the Golden Globe for Best Actress, it got some recognition, but no one has ever recommended this movie to me in the 16 years it has been out. I watched this movie without any expectations, and was really pleasantly surprised. It is a wonderful movie. It may be too obvious, but what was most wonderful was Madonna’s skill as a singer. However, interestingly, Madonna tried very hard to market herself for the role of the protagonist Eva, but the movie company was uninterested, and the producer continued searching for another actress. In the end, no other actress was available, and it is said they reluctantly settled on Madonna for the role of Eva. However, I believe no other actress could have done as magnificent of a performance of Eva as Madonna did. I will state the reasons.

First of all, since it is a musical, the woman playing Eva must be a singer who can act, or an actress who can sing. The three components of entertainment are singing, dancing, and acting; but in the politics of American show business, singing and acting have absolute authority, and dancing is politically weak. Therefore, Natalie Portman who made use of a stunt ballerina was given an Academy Award, while Audrey Hepburn who had a voice dubbed over her for the songs in My Fair Lady was not even a candidate for an Academy Award. Conversely, Reese Witherspoon (Walk the Line) and Sissy Spacek (as Loretta in Coal Miner’s Daughter) sang in their roles and easily won the Academy Award. This shows that one’s ability as a singer is respected in Hollywood and Broadway.

Second, since this movie depicts Eva when she was in her 20s, a woman in her 20s or possibly early 30s is preferable in order to be able to do camera close-ups, and for it to seem realistic. Because stage actress Patti LuPone—who was the performer of Eva in Evita on Broadway at that time—was 47 when this movie was being made, it is said that she was offered the role of, not Eva, but rather Eva’s elderly mother!!! It goes without saying that Patti declined the offer.

Third, to play Eva, the actress had to be incredibly beautiful, elegant, ambitious, and have a tough and intense presence that didn’t shrink when she stepped onto the outdoor balcony from where she addressed a large crowd. This might be a little too difficult for an actress in her 20s.

This is the list of actresses that the director and producer seriously negotiated with:

Meryl Streep. She was in her mid-40s when this movie was being made.
Liza Minnelli. Three years older than Meryl Streep.
Barbara Streisand. Four years older than Liza Minnelli.
Cher. The same age as Liza Minnelli.
Glenn Close. Two years older than Meryl Streep.
Olivia Newton-John. One year older than Meryl Streep.
Michelle Pfeiffer. The same age as Madonna. They were both in their mid-30s at the time of filming.

Therefore, Madonna and Michelle Pfeiffer were the only ones that satisfied the second criteria; the decision was between the singer Madonna, who could act reasonably well but had charisma, and the lovely Michelle, who was decent at singing but had a reputation as a skilled actor. It was the difference in motivations between the two that became the decisive factor. At that time, Michelle Pfeiffer was starting to enjoy the life of being married and raising kids, and she didn’t want to go to the set in Argentina, even though the staff had gone through great efforts to get the rights to shoot in the official residence where Eva had lived. Even in her personal life, Michelle Pfeiffer exudes a feeling of contentment with her blessed life that has everything she needs. After all, no actress would be better than go-getter Madonna to play as the ambitious Eva. Her singing is wonderful, but also her dancing splendidly captures the essence of tango.

Also, the singing and dancing of Antonio Banderas, in the role of the narrator who looks like Che Guevara, is wonderful. He sings and dances naturally without being arrogant about his skill.

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Movie: Le goût des autres – The Taste of Others (1999)

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In some respects, this movie resembles The Women on the 6th Floor, but neither a particularly handsome man nor a beautiful woman appears and the story is more subdued, so the movie could be overlooked. In The Women on the 6th Floor, the barrier to love is easy to understand—a difference in race and social hierarchy—but in this movie, the barrier to love is the difference in individual education within the stable middle class, or the difference in the way of enjoying life and in preferences. However, I recommend this movie from the bottom of my heart to mature adults who are quietly but greatly enjoying life.

Also, if you are fed up with the exaggerated way of expression seen in Hollywood movies—where people hit each other when they are angry or throw something when frustrated—I strongly recommend that you watch this movie. All of the characters that appear in this movie are good people in their own way. Using humor and ordinary happy and sad moments, this movie depicts the simple fact that, in order to find the person who both gives you happiness and you can make happy, it is essential to find someone who—beyond having a nice personality—aligns with your personal tastes. This philosophy of love and the good sense of humor is very French. No explanation is needed for someone who likes French movies.

Castella is the owner of a medium-sized business. He has money, but his appearance could be teased by young kids—pipsqueak, chubby, balding—and he has no education or hobbies outside of his business operation. Because he is to conduct business with an Iranian company and his business contract requires that he be protected by a bodyguard, he hires Franck, a former police officer. In order to converse with Iranians, he needs to learn English, and his contract demands that Castella take private English lessons, but he is not interested in the English lessons, and he quickly sends his English teacher Clara away.

Since his niece is an aspiring actress, he goes along with his wife to the theatre, out of an obligation to see his niece appear in a play, but Castella, who had no interest in theatre, is unexpectedly impressed by the play, and he notices that the actress who impressed him is none other than his English teacher. And so, he falls in love. And thus his passionate (so he thinks, though from the outside it looks humorous) pursuit of her begins. This movie depicts how the characters, including Castella and Clara, are attracted to the opposite sex (and to life).

Castella’s wife is an interior decorator, and she excessively decorates their home with girlish tastes, which Castella was fine with since he thought he didn’t have any aesthetic sense. However, by hanging around Clara and her friend group of artists, Castella discovers he has his own preferences. Because of this, he begins to notice that his wife has disregarded his feelings, believes that only her thoughts and preferences are right, is only concerned for her pet, and is only interested in superficial things, so his heart begins to grow distant from his wife. Castella, with his own preferences awakened, becomes gradually uncomfortable in his house littered with floral patterns.

Castella has an inferiority complex due to the oppressive attitude of the elite business consultant he works with who graduated from a top-notch university, and Castella hates him because Castella thinks the consultant is looking down on him. However, the consultant is exhausted from working with Castella, and he gives Castella his resignation letter with a look of relief; Castella then realizes that the consultant had taken a firm attitude in order to enthusiastically carry out his professional duties, and that the consultant was very important for Castella’s business, so Castella humbly requests the consultant not to resign.

Castella’s bodyguard Franck is at first glance a cool, nihilistic bad boy, and Castella’s driver Bruno is a virtuous softie, but the two become friends through their work. Bruno goes to buy tobacco at the bar where Clara and her artsy friends hang out, and thus gets to know the bartender Manie. Manie is a kind woman, and she is at first attracted to Bruno’s kind side and dates him, but from the moment that she meets Franck through Bruno, the two immediately fall in love because Franck’s nihilism and dark side and the darkness in Manie’s heart attract each other like lightning.

Franck at first glance seems nihilistic, but a sense of justice that he thought he had thrown away remains in his heart. He tries to get Manie to stop making a living off of dealing narcotic drugs, but Manie is not pleased with this. One day, he sees on the news that his former partner finally successfully arrested a big-shot who had committed crimes without punishment from the law. Franck and his partner had chased this big-shot, who had always managed to escape successfully. Franck grew jaded by the inability of the police to bring this man to justice, and so resigned as a policeman, but his partner never gave up on the investigation. This news causes Franck to reconsider his relationship with Manie.

Clara is at first annoyed by the presence of Castella, who follows her around and lacks education. On the other hand, Clara begins to be annoyed by her artsy associates, who look down on Castella’s lack of education and keep making fun of him, but accept his money as their patron. Clara gradually begins to realize that Castella has an appreciation of art, and with this discerning eye, he values her as an actress, as a person, and as a woman, so her heart begins to open to him.

Bruno is rejected by both his former girlfriend and Manie because he is too nice. He joins the town’s amateur orchestra in order to play the flute that he loves. The movie ends with a kind-looking, potentially good-fitting girl gazing at Bruno with admiring eyes. This way of ending gives the audience a very optimistic feeling.

In short, this movie depicts the mysterious process of being attracted to something. The feeling may one day come along suddenly like lightning, or it may come along slowly from an unexpected place. Although one person is made up of various characteristics and values, this movie wonderfully expresses the simple truth that, in the end, a person bases any choice—including the person they love or life opportunities they pursue—on their truly important preferences and values.

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Movie: The Last Days (1998)

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The Last Days is one of the documentaries of the testimonies of Holocaust survivors that was made with the financial support of a Shoah foundation; it features the testimonies of five Hungarian Jews who returned from the Holocaust alive. Tom Lantos, one of the five witnesses, later was elected as a member of the U.S. House of Representatives.

This Shoah foundation was founded by Steven Spielberg—who won an Academy Award for Schindler’s List—with the objective to record the testimonies of what happened to Holocaust survivors and pass on these records to the next generation. “Shoah” is the Hebrew word for “Holocaust.” Steven Spielberg’s ancestors seem to have lived in Austria around the 17th century, but he considers his family to be Ukrainian Jews. His whole family had immigrated to America early on, untouched by the Holocaust. Also, since his family lived in rural areas in Ohio and Arizona, and not in New York City where there is a large Jewish population, it seems like he didn’t have much of a connection to the Jewish community in America. However, because Schindler’s List was a success, the Holocaust has become one of his life’s works. In addition to being interested in recording the persecution of Jews, he also seems to be deeply interested in depicting the hardships of gay people as well as Africans brought to America as slaves.

Because Holocaust survivors have already become very old, their testimonies should be retained in some form or another. Spielberg’s mission is to show the truth about the Holocaust to the many people who might say, “I didn’t hear about the Holocaust during the war,” or, “The Holocaust isn’t a historical fact.” When the movie shows the photographs of Jews who had wasted away to skin and bones in the concentration camps, and photos of the remains of the very large concentration camps, you feel a realness, different than you would in a dramatized movie. For a facility that large, there must’ve been someone who designed it, people who built it, someone who managed it, and moreover there must have been a budget for it, since no project can happen without a budget.

This documentary depicts the reality of the Holocaust from the point of view of five people, but there is no explanation of why such a large-scale manhunt occurred in Europe during World War II. This is a mystery that they don’t understand either. These five people—who were surrounded by non-Jewish neighbors and friends, and brought up with the love of socially successful parents—believed that the increasingly harsh anti-Semitism legal regulations were temporary and due to the urgency of wartime, and that they could return to their regular happy life when the war ended. The Czech movie Protektor and the Polish movie In Darkness depict Jewish women who, even though others were risking their lives to shelter them, voluntarily enter Nazi concentration camps, angrily declaring something like, “I’m through with this foul and inconvenient life!!” It seems that not all, but many Jews in Europe were rich, and a woman raised in such a family is used to getting everything she wants. Perhaps these women couldn’t predict what a concentration camp would be like, and thought that it would be a safe place where they would be surrounded by fellow Jews, be able to breathe fresh air, and be more comfortable. Most Hungarian Jews thought that concentration camps were where people were forced to work, and accepted being sent to a labor camp because all their fellow Hungarians were struggling in this wartime. However, nobody would have imagined that they would be put on a train used for transporting cattle for days without bathrooms and sent to Auschwitz, and that the government of their own home country that they loved would decree it.

Compared to Hungary, Nazi-occupied Poland, Czech Republic, and France had Jews sent to concentration camps such as Auschwitz relatively early on in World War II; the Jew hunting started late in Hungary, not until 1944 when Germany’s defeat became certain. Hungary was Germany’s ally, so it was a relatively safe place for Jews. As in Divided We Fall, there were people whose business was helping Jews from the Czech Republic and Poland who had money to escape to Hungary. Even if a Jew who barely escaped alive explains what happened at a Nazi concentration camp in Poland, a Hungarian Jew may have been dubious that the German government could ever do that. They were different from Jews from Poland, the Czech Republic, or the Soviet Union, and believed they were protected by the Hungarian government.

However, anti-Semitic feelings among Hungarians seemed to gradually strengthen from 1920 through the 30s. Although Hungarian Jews made up only 5% of the entire population, most of them were in the wealthiest class. In 1921, 88% of the members of the Budapest Stock Exchange and 91% of foreign exchange brokers were Jews. It is said that Jews owned between 50 and 90% of Hungarian industry. Young Jews made up 25% of the Hungarian university students, while 43% of the students at the elite Budapest University of Technology were young Jews. It is said that in Hungary, 60% of the doctors, 51% of the lawyers, 39% of the private industry engineers and chemists, and 29% of the magazine editors were Jewish. I wonder if the Hungarian government worked with the Nazis as an outlet for the dissatisfied and struggling lower class by targeting their feelings of hatred toward the elite, affluent minority Jews.

Tom Lantos, who later became a member of the U.S. House of Representatives, escaped immediately from the concentration camp and took refuge in the hideout of Raoul Gustaf Wallenberg; from there, he performed underground anti-Nazi activities. Wallenberg was a Swedish diplomat, and he used his privileges as a diplomat to shelter escaped Jews in his office. According to some, 100,000 Jews were rescued by his efforts. However, after the retreat of Germany, Wallenberg went missing after visiting an office of the occupying Soviet Army to talk about the postwar security of Jews. It is said that he rescued Jews no matter the danger during the war, and he received the award “Righteous Among the Nations” from the Israeli government’s Yad Vashem Holocaust memorial. Some say that Wallenberg was regarded as a U.S. spy and was immediately arrested when he went to talk to the Soviet Army, and he died soon after at a Bolshevik concentration camp. Since Gorbachev took over power, such records are gradually becoming public.

For a man helping Jews in German-occupied Poland, not only he, but his whole family and at times neighbors all faced the death penalty, yet many Poles chose to help Jews regardless of the danger. 6,454 Polish people have won the “Righteous Among the Nations” award. Chiune Sugihara, a diplomat from Japan, is the sole winner of this prize from Japan.

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Movie: Tea with Mussolini (1999)

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Tea with Mussolini is a movie with a comedic touch, and it depicts the life of an Italian boy/young man named Luca who is deeply involved with the lives of some British and American women living in Florence, Italy from 1935 to 1945. The story includes the rise of fascists led by Mussolini, the lives of Britons and Americans in an internment camp after Britain and America declared war on Italy, Jews being hunted, and the partisan movement, but there are few gunshots or murders, and this curious movie never loses the elegant smell of tea and biscuits. Actually, the contents of this movie may be more true than one would think because Franco Zeffirelli, who wrote the story for and directed this movie, projected his own experience onto Luca. It is said that Zeffirelli participated in anti-war activity as an anti-fascism partisan during the time of the war.

Right before World War II, in an area populated by foreigners in Florence, there is a group of British women led by Lady Hester, the widow of a diplomat who was stationed in Italy. Elsa, an American singer, is friends with the group, but the proud and old-fashioned Hester dislikes the American and nouveau-riche Elsa. Another group member Mary is a secretary for an Italian businessman; her boss wants to raise his illegitimate son Luca as a British gentleman, so he asks Mary to educate Luca. Meanwhile, since Elsa was friends with Luca’s late mother, she sets up a fund to help educate Luca. However, since Italy breaks off its ties with Great Britain and grows closer to Germany, the father changes his plan for Luca’s education, and has Luca sent to an Austrian school to learn German. Hester worries about the rise of fascism, and in order to protect Florence’s British community, she goes to meet her acquaintance Mussolini; she returns from afternoon tea with Mussolini, relieved by his words, “I’ll protect the British, no matter what happens.” However, after Italy declares war on Great Britain, the British women are sent to an internment camp.

Elsa uses a large sum of money in order to transfer Hester and the others out of the internment camp and secure their housing in a high-class hotel. Also, she provides fake passports to Jews in Italy and helps them flee from the country. When Luca, who has grown into a lovely young man, returns home from Austria, he helps Elsa and becomes the arms and legs of her mission. Before long, due to the surprise attack on Pearl Harbor, America at last joins the war, and Italy and America become enemy nations; danger approaches Elsa who is in fact Jewish. Luca asks the partisans for help with Elsa’s escape, and also Lady Hester, having found that it was not Italian Mussolini but American Elsa who had protected them, takes part in Elsa’s escape. Luca, along with Lady Hester’s grandchild, joins the partisan—which later merges with the Scottish army led by the Allies—to fight for the liberation of Italy from Nazi occupation. The movie ends with the German army hastily retreating from the Italian town that Hester and the others live in, and Luca and the others of the Scottish army arriving to town and receiving an enthusiastic welcome from the townspeople.

Although this movie is not a masterpiece that will remain in history, it is well-made, like a small gem, and there are some details that can only be told by people who lived during that time.

First, there was an amicable relationship between Britain and Italy from the end of World War I until the early 1930s. Therefore, for an Italian, proficiency in English was a big plus. Also, most British people viewed Mussolini favorably until a certain time. Furthermore, Britons seemed to believe that the war would remain local—Italy/Germany vs. the countries around Germany—and that the British government could skillfully avoid getting involved. To some degree, the war was somebody else’s problem. However, once Great Britain had no choice but to participate in the war, America’s existence became a big deal. Until then, British people had considered America—for better or for worse—to be a distant country across the ocean, but America became something like a savior for Great Britain. America’s participation in the war is received with gratitude by Hester and the others.

In addition, the interesting antagonism between England and Scotland within Great Britain is depicted. Luca, who wanders around the battlefield with the intention of joining the Allies, loudly asks some troops that look to be part of the Allies army. “American army?” “NO!” “English army?” “Never!! We aren’t those cruel people!!!” Then the soldiers roar with laughter at the dumbfounded Luca. They say, “We are Scottish! Relax!”, laugh heartily, and then welcome the relieved Luca.

The mission of the Scottish army in which Luca participated was to free the British prisoners, including Hester, and transport them to a safe place. The Scottish soldier that meets Hester in the town states, “I order everyone to gather up your luggage immediately and move to the safe place for everyone’s personal safety,” but Hester angrily says, “A Scot giving me (an English aristocrat) orders is not acceptable!!”; the movie ends with Luca and the Scottish soldier exchanging a smile that seems to say, “What can you do?”

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Movie: Belle Époque – The Age of Beauty (1992)

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In Spain in 1931, there was a clash between the Republican Party that aimed to abolish the monarchy and establish a Spanish Republic, and the royalist Traditionalists that opposed them; this story is about Fernando, who volunteered for the Republican army but ends up deserting, and an artist who protects Fernando and lives in a village with his four lovely daughters.

Fernando is a handsome young man, kind to women, pure-hearted, and excellent at cooking. The four daughters live in Madrid and only return to the village in the summer, but with Madrid in political turmoil, they suddenly return to the village, “tired of demonstrations.” Using beautiful images and music, wonderful humor, and smiles and family love, this movie depicts every day being a picturesque happy day—including the eldest, second, and third daughter each seducing Fernando in their own way; the third daughter being wooed by a young Traditionalist who serenades her under her balcony; having a lunch full of love with the Catholic priest who is a family friend; a carnival; an enjoyable picnic; and the mother who is an internationally successful opera singer suddenly returning home. The story ends with the victory of the Republican Party, the mother once more setting off on a world tour, the three elder sisters saying they will be back again next summer as they return to Madrid, and the youngest daughter marrying Fernando and the two leaving for America, “the land of opportunity,” to live happily ever after.

Such is the beautiful outer layer, but there is another layer hidden under the happy, humorous story.

This movie begins with a scene where Fernando, who deserted, is arrested by the Traditionalist military police. The military officers are a father and his son-in-law; the father says, “We should be kind to a Republican soldier since the Republicans may win,” and tries to let Fernando go. The angered son-in-law accidentally shoots and kills his father-in-law; the son-in-law, shaken by the sin of killing his beloved father-in-law, commits suicide in front of Fernando.

All four of the daughters are beautiful and charming. However, the eldest daughter’s husband drowned in a lake during a picnic last summer. The second daughter is a lesbian. The third daughter is confused about how to best handle her suitor, who is a Catholic from an affluent family and supports the royalists. The youngest daughter has strong feelings for Fernando, but everyone treats her like a child, so she is frustrated. When the mother thinks about the futures of her four daughters, she becomes worried. Regarding the eldest daughter, she is still as beautiful as ever, but every year she grows older, and it is hard to live as a widow. In terms of the second daughter, she has a professional job and economic stability, but will she be able to find a companion (either a man or a woman) who really loves her? The third daughter lives a transitory lifestyle, not having a job and not treating her suitor seriously. However, the mother doesn’t know if marrying that man will make the third daughter truly happy. The mother hopes the youngest daughter, who everyone treats like a child, will find a more stable life by learning from her older sisters. Even the mother has issues; although she believes she is an international opera singer, her performances are actually continuously in deficit, and the only reason she has barely kept her star status is because her lover/manager covers the financial burden from his own pocket.

Since the Republicans are winning, the third daughter’s suitor and her mother, who were stubborn royalists, quickly switch over to the Republican side. However, on the youngest daughter and Fernando’s wedding day, the Catholic priest who was a family friend hangs himself and dies. Even if Spain becomes a Republic, Fernando’s past of deserting the Republican army won’t disappear. So Fernando’s only option is to immigrate to America.

The family says, “I look forward to next summer!” and leaves, but will there really be a happy next year for them with Spain in political turmoil? Fernando and the youngest daughter who go to America together won’t be able to return to Spain for a while. Even though the mother is an opera singer, there is the possibility that she might end up dead by the roadside somewhere in South America if her manager abandons her. Anything could happen to the three daughters living in Madrid during this chaotic time, and there is the possibility that the elderly father, who is left all alone in the village, may get some illness and die tomorrow. However, the movie ends with hope that after a few years, this family may fondly look back on the short time that the deserter Fernando spent with this family, and say, “Those were beautiful times.”

The reality is that the Republic soon collapsed and Spain entered a civil war. After the Civil War, Franco’s dictatorship continued for a long time, and then after Franco’s death, the government suffered from instability. It was 1981 when Spain became truly stable as a democratic nation, while those who opposed Franco had to wait until 2008 for their honor to be restored. This movie was made in 1992, and it would have been difficult to make such a beautiful move without a stable political situation. However, even in 1992, direct criticism of fascism was probably not easy. This challenge resulted in this beautiful movie.

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Movie: Four Days in September — O Que É Isso, Companheiro? (1997)

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Four Days in September depicts the incident when the MR-8, a radical left-wing group in Brazil, kidnapped Charles Elbrick, the American ambassador in Brazil, in September 1969, and held him hostage for four days while demanding the release of 15 of their comrades who were behind bars. The memoirs of Fernando Gabeira—who was the mastermind of this event and later became active as a journalist and politician—were published in 1979, and were the basis of this movie. He is an influential person today, serving as a congressman in Rio de Janeiro since 1995. The MR-8 was mainly formed by young and middle-class people, university students, and the intelligentsia. At first, the goals of the MR-8 were to bring down the military administration that controlled Brazil in those days, advocate for Marxism, and establish an administration that allowed freedom for the people. There is a scene in the movie where a die-hard revolutionary who fought against Franco in the Spanish Civil War is brought in to assist this shaky “wannabe revolution by inexperienced children”; you can see the connection between Spain and South America in those days.

Between the 1960s and 70s, military authorities seized power in many countries in South America. In Brazil’s neighbor Argentina, the warfare between the military regime and guerillas intensified in the 1960s. In 1973, Juan Perón, who had escaped to Spain, was re-elected as president and returned to his home country Argentina, but Argentina again fell into chaos when Perón died a year later. In 1976, General Jorge Rafael Videla rallied a coup d’état, and once again a dictatorship was established in Argentina. The Videla administration intensified oppression of the people, and severely persecuted Peron followers and left-wingers in the “Dirty War” by enlisting neighboring military regimes.

As a result of the 1970 Chilean presidential election, a socialist administration led by President Allende was born in Chile. This socialist administration was established as a result of a democratic election, but this administration was unstable. In 1973, in the midst of the social chaos, General Augusto Pinochet—who was supported by the U.S.—led a coup d’état with his military council, and Pinochet established a military dictatorship system in 1974. Pinochet’s military government aggressively suppressed any anti-establishment people, and this time is also called the “Dirty War.”

In Bolivia, the Revolutionary Nationalist Movement (MNR) led a civilian revolution in 1952, and carried out social as well as economic reformation, but in 1964, MNR fractured, and a military leader led a coup d’état and ended the revolutionist administration.

A new constitution was created in Brazil in 1946, but democracy didn’t quite take hold, and political and economic instability continued, like in other South American countries. In 1964, Colonel Castelo Branco—supported by the U.S.—established a military dictatorship by means of a coup d’état. The period of rapid economic growth during this time is known as the “Brazilian Miracle,” but the violation of human rights by the military regime became a huge problem. This is the backdrop for Four Days in September.

Earlier in history, South America, which had previously been the territory of Spain or Portugal, became independent. This happened during the time the Napoleonic Wars were happening in Europe, when France, led by Napoleon, attacked Spain and Portugal, allowing the ideas of freedom from the French Revolution to spread into South America. However, in South America, even after their independence and gradual transition to republic governments, aristocrats and big land owners still remained, and there were problems such as there being a big disparity between the rich and poor, or discrimination between Western European descendents and native people. Also, the governments often became a dictatorship or military administration. Those who opposed such autocratic governments chose Marxism as a guiding principle.

Since at that time, the U.S. was fighting the Soviet Union in the Cold War, the U.S. was very afraid of the threat of communism spreading throughout South America. Thus, the U.S. supported autocratic administrations that oppressed nationalists who tended to adopt Marxism. When choosing between communism and autocracy, America—who claimed to be an advocate for freedom—chose autocracy that oppressed the rights of the people. On the other hand, people wishing for freedom chose Marxism as their guiding principle. Nowadays it is unbelievable that Marxism could grant freedom as it claimed, but to a South American nationalist at the time, the U.S. was a symbol of the big landowner and of the capitalism that exploited the poor, and was allied to the terrible autocracy that protected the rich. The U.S., which tried to repel South American nationalists by supporting dictatorships, became hated all over the world.

In this movie, the way of depicting the diplomat Charles Elbrick is very favorable. He is prepared for the possibility that he could be killed, and so speaks out—“I as an individual”—against the U.S. government policy. He also expresses that the involvement of the U.S. in the Vietnam War was a mistake. The author Fernando Gabeira, who burned with passion for a social revolution back in 1969, later formally acknowledged the mistake he had made by kidnapping the ambassador. Fernando Gabeira was ordered to execute Charles Elbrick, but this movie shows Gabeira struggling with this order.

Before being an ambassador in Brazil, Charles Elbrick was positioned in Yugoslavia. Unlike people in South America, people in Yugoslovia—an Eastern European satellite country of the Soviet Union—believe that communism steals freedom from the people. The Soviet Union suppressed the Hungarian Revolution and the 1968 Prague Spring. When Yugoslavia’s leader Tito didn’t completely conform to the Soviet Union, it is said that he asked Charles Elbrick, the U.S. ambassador at the time, “What will the U.S. do if the same thing happens to Yugoslavia now?” It is said that Charles Elbrick replied, “We will help protect Yugoslavia’s independence and dignity. Do you need our help now?” Tito then said something like, “We do not need your help now, but thank you for your words of support.” Soon after this, Charles Elbrick moved to Rio de Janeiro and became the ambassador in Brazil, and was kidnapped by the MR-8.

With the collapse of the Soviet Union and the end of the Cold War in the 1980s, Marxism was no longer a threat to the U.S., and the U.S. policies toward South American countries dramatically changed. The autocratic nations in South America were no longer a necessary evil for the U.S.

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