OWFilm World Cup Round Two: U.S.A. vs. Poland
Voting has now ended on the Italy vs. South Africa second round match, and The Good, The Bad and The Ugly continues to fire a fistful of bullets through it's competition.
The Good The Bad and The Ugly (Italy) 72% defeated 27% District 9 (South Africa)
OWFilm World Cup Round Two
Owing to a tough first round draw against Australias much loved musical Moulin Rouge, The Pianist have now drawn one of the short straws within the Second Round as the film must take on tournament favourite The Godfather. Its not that The Pianist isnt good enough to go through but more a case of how it is going to cope against the sheer iconic force that is Coppolas masterpiece the catchphrases, the infectious theme, the cultural impact and the mind-blowing cast make The Godfather an almost impossible film to contend with and that is not even factoring in the movies power as an actual effective piece of drama. The Pianist need a miracle here and only you can help them pull off the upset. It's Polanski against the country that exiled him! Vote now for which film you want to see advance to the next round. Tale of the reel is after the jump...
The Godfather (1972)
OSCAR COUNT: (4), IMDB (9.2, #2), RT (100%), Empire Top 500 (#1)
Oscars - Best Picture, Best Director,Best Actor in a Leading Role. Best Adapted Screenplay
When it comes to audience reception, The Godfather truly has the best of both worlds. Not only is it deeply respected by film scholars and critics alike it is also almost universally adored by the mainstream public. Despite its artistic tone and steady, patient pacing Francis Ford Coppolas film seems to appeal to almost every type of male film demographic through every generation. The movie has strongly resonate themes of power, love, greed and betrayal in Coppola's approach to showing us the dark side of the American dream. The performances are flawless, the direction is perfectly controlled and almost every other line of dialogue is quotable. Capiche? Although fans of The Dark Knight screwed over The Godfather in order to inadvertently leapfrog The Shawshank Redemption into the new number one position on IMDB, the mafia classic has a mightily impressive resume on nearly every established film list out there. It was voted no 1 in Empire Magazines 500 Greatest films of all time, number 2 on the Sight and Sound magazines Directors Poll and came 3rd in the American Film Institutes List of the 100 greatest American films ever made. INTERESTING FACT: The baby being christened near the end of the film is played by Sofia Coppola - future director of Lost in Translation.
The Pianist (2002)
OSCAR COUNT (3) IMDB (8.5, #52) ROTTEN TOMATOES (95%) EMPIRE TOP 500 (Not listed!)
Won Oscars for Best Director, Best Leading Actor, Best Adapted Screenplay. As those who read my detailed anatomy of this film just over a month back will know; I have a great fondness for this picture. The film manages to present the sadness and needlessness of war without assigning blame and without having to point a camera two inches in front of a crying child. Instead the approach is underplayed and still thus making it hard for the audience to feel anything but a dreadful numb sensation as we watch these baffling and unspeakably horrifying events. The characters manage to avoid being painted as stereotypes and the film carries an open mind when dealing with different nations and minorities. For me this is the only feature length Holocaust picture truly worth anyones time or patience. It is a shame that owing to a dreadful mistake Polanksi made during a tumultuous period of his life; the director was unable to enjoy the crowning moment of his career as he finally won a long overdue Academy Award. INTERESTING FACT: Adrien Brody got rid of his apartment, sold his car, and didn't watch television in order to prepare himself for the loss he wanted to portray as Wladyslaw Szpilman.