The Revenant.

How much can one man take? Hugh Glass was a frontiersman, a mountain man who made his living as a fur trapper and trader. His main claim to fame, if the legend is to be believed, is that when on a fur-trading venture in 1823 he was attacked by a grizzly bear and so badly mauled he was expected to die. It was agreed that two trappers would be left behind to bury Glass when he passed away. Once the other hunters had left the two remaining men stole the unconscious mans weapons and other belongings and took off being feart of an Indian attack leaving him alone to die. Despite his extensive injuries that included festering wounds, a broken leg, and deep cuts that exposed his ribs he regained consciousness and found himself wrapped only in a bear hide that was meant to act as his shroud. After setting his own leg and allowing maggots to eat his dead and rotting flesh to stop the spread of gangrene he set out on a two hundred mile journey back to the nearest settlement. Living off the land, eating raw bison meat left after the beast was killed by wolves and with a wee bit of help from some friendly Indian's he was able to continue on this almost impossible journey.

Hugh Glass's story has been told in book form on many occasions and a feature film had been previously made entitled Man in the Wilderness in 1971 and starring Irish actor Richard Harris. This latest cinematic version of this story The Revenant (2015) is loosely based on a fictional retelling of the story in a 2002 novel by Michael Punke and directed by Mexican film director Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu. Inarritu previous body of work has include such movie gems as Amores Perros (2000), 21 Grams (2003), Babel (2006), Biutiful (2010) and 2014's Birdman all of which have been well received by both critics and the viewing public.

 

Hugh Glass.

The 19th century period drama stars Leonardo DiCaprio as Glass, Tom Hardy as John Fitzgerald and Will Poulter as Jim Bridger the two men that abandoned Glass to die a lonely and painful death. Domhnall Gleason, who you may have previously seen in Shadow Dancer (2012) and Calvary (2014), stars as Andrew Henry part owner of the Rocky Mountain Fur Company and leader of the expedition that included Hugh Glass.

 

The beginning of the legend. 

There is no doubt that this movie is a very absorbing but brutal and at times disturbing watch. Emmanuel Lubezki's cinematography is superb as is the acting from all the cast with DiCaprio especially deserving his first Academy Award for Best Actor after three previous nominations, his performance brings the term 'suffering for your art' to a new level. The movie was nominated for twelve Academy Awards, as well as best actor it also won Best Director and Best Cinematography for Lubezki who had previously worked with the director on Birdman. I did read that some critiques said that the film was to long, but I did not find this to be the case instead I found it to be a very rewarding watch but certainly not for the faint hearted.

Birdman (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance) .

It may be stagey and wordy but don’t let that deter you from seeing this outstanding American satirical black comedy. Alejandro González Iñárritu is a Mexican director that was responsible for helming some of the best films I have seen in the last 15 years, Amores perros (2000), 21 Grams (2003) Babel (2006) and Biutiful (2010) and he has now co-written, produced, and directed one of the most intriguing films I have seen in 2015. Birdman (2014) is the story of Riggan Thomson (Michael Keaton) who is trying to revive his career by writing, directing and starring in a Broadway adaptation of a story by the American short story writer Raymond Carver What We Talk About When We Talk About Love. Thomson had originally been a famous Hollywood star playing a superhero known as Birdman but is know virtually forgotten by most people other than his most devoted fans. Also involved in this make or break production are the producer Jake (Zach Galifianakis) Riggan’s best friend and lawyer, Riggans Girlfriend Laura (British actress Andrea Riseborough) his daughter and assistant Sam (Emma Stone) who is a recovering drug addict and first time Broadway hopeful Lesley (Naomi Watts).

 

Riggan and his alto ego.

McDonalds turn up everywhere. 

The rehearsals are not going well and one of the other actors doesn’t seem to be able to hack it. Fortunately for Riggan, but unfortunately for the actor, a rather large light fitting falls on his head therefore bringing any further involvement in the play to an abrupt end. A replacement is required post-haste and thanks to Lesley the replacement turns out to be none other than the brilliant but at times volatile, actor Mike Shiner (Edward Norton). By the way I have neglected to tell you that Riggan Thomson is tormented by strange occurrences where his alto ego Birdman speaks to him encouraging him to re-engage with his previous character which involves flying and making things levitate around his changing room! The involvement of Shiner in the production does nothing for Riggans metal state and as opening night approaches things are not looking good. 

 

Daughter Sam....

....girlfriend Laura....

....and hopeful actress Lesley.

This is a somewhat different movie from your standard cinematic release. The cinematographer Emmanual Lubezki, who has worked with Terrence Malick, The Coen Brothers and Alfonso Cuaron amongst many others, was tasked with making the movie seem like one long shot and his use of the camera is exceptional.  Antonio Sanchez composed the majority of soundtrack. The reason for using a Mexican Jazz drummer was explained by Iñárritu as enabling him to ‘structure scenes’ he went on to say in an interview “The drums, for me, was a great way to find the rhythm of the film... In comedy, rhythm is king, and not having the tools of editing to determine time and space, I knew I needed something to help me find the internal rhythm of the film." We get to see the drumming in various scenes sometimes in the corridor of the theatre and sometimes in the street; the great thing is that they are not part of the narrative! The score earned a nomination at both the Golden Globes and the BAFTA’s.

 

Discussions with Shiner are not going well....

....and the producer looks worried!

The best thing about this movie, other than its wonderful screenplay, is the acting, with Michael Keaton the stand out turn, but in reality all the other members of the cast are not to far behind Keaton’s high standards: this is supported by the fact that it has been nominated for nine Academy Awards including Best Actor for Keaton, Best Supporting Actor for both Emma Stone and Edward Norton and Best Director for Iñárritu.  It’s a film I would certainly recommend you go to see, and as I have said about this director’s previous work all his films are on a different level from your normal boring mainstream multiplex offerings and Birdman is no different.

Biutiful

The Director.

Some director’s work moves you more than others, Mexican born Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu has done that with all his films to date. His debut, the Spanish language Amores perros (2000) involved a car accident in Mexico City that brilliantly interweaves the stories of the three victims involved, a young man who has fallen in love with his brothers wife, a beautiful Mexican model for whom physical appearance is of the utmost importance and a former political assassin. 21 Grams (2003), which was nominated for two acting Academy Awards, is a critically acclaimed thriller, again involving a horrific accident that binds three peoples lives together a story involving passion, obsession and revenge. His third movie takes place in Mexico, Japan, Morocco and the United States Babel (2006) similar to the first two in that it concerns interconnecting stories, it begins with the purchasing of a rifle that leads to a gripping chain of events. This engaging movie won Inarritu a Best Director award at the Cannes film Festival.

The family man.

All his work to date reveals the cause and effects of people’s actions and this weeks RBC Film Club offering was no exception. Biutiful (2010) Inarritu’s second Spanish language film is the story of the love between a single father and his two children and sacrifices he’s prepared to make for them.  Uxbal’s life is not easy, a bipolar ex-wife, a murderous business partner and various failing illegal enterprises and if that’s not bad enough he has terminal cancer something he is trying to hide from his children.

The actor.

With the look of South American cinema rather than one filmed in parts of Barcelona that the tourists don’t normally see, this is a film on a different level from your normal multiplex offering and will, undeservedly, no doubt be seen by only by those prepared to look outside the boring mainstream. Javier Bardem gives the performance of career as the very believable Uxbal and it is of no surprise to this viewer that this great Spanish actor was nominated for Best Actor in this years Academy Awards, the only surprise is that he did not win it! This is one of the most moving and deeply sensed film’s I have had the pleasure of watching for a long time and I would suggest you move heaven and earth to see this emotional study of Spain’s poverty ruled classes.