napoleon's death mask

My best mate's parents were from St Helena, the place that Napoleon was exiled to (after he had already escaped from Elba), and the place where he died.
Until just recently, l was unaware that a death mask was made of him, but here it is.
I don't know about anybody else, but he looks like nothing l imagined him to be like, although you do get a real sense of how he must have appeared at the time.
Bringing history to life - the gory way!

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home (2008) - ursula meier

A Swiss film in French, Home tells the story of a family who live next to an unused road, leading an isolated yet idyllic life.  The road is then opened up as a motorway/highway, and their peaceful existence is shattered. It could be a metaphor for the encroaching industrialized (and polluting) ''progress', and how one deals with it, or maybe l could have had another funny turn.  The sunbathing daughter who is against the traffic and tries to ignore it (then rebels against it), eventually leaves home to join it.  The others worry about the noise, danger, and pollution, and retreat back into their home, sealing it off as protection against the road and traffic, until they can stand it no longer, and have to break free (as Freddie would say).  A gentle slow moving film, ideal for a rainy day, as most of these so called 'summer' days are turning out to be.

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le boucher (1970) - claude chabrol

Le Boucher (The butcher) can be pretty ambiguous as far as understanding the story goes.  Behind the fact there is an unrequited love story between Popaul  the butcher (Jean Yanne) and Hélène (Stephane Audran), the village headmistress.  There are murders, suspicion, doubts, pent up frustrations and bad memories (plus 'blood, lots of blood'). Popaul is messed up from being in the army and growing up as a butchers son (and later, a butcher himself).  Hélène  is repressing herself and is single, due to an earlier relationship that has left her emotionally scarred (although she appears pretty happy for most of the film).  They fall for each other, but Popaul is rejected in his attempt to take it further, and is then suspected by Hélène of being responsible for some local murders.  She covers for him when she finds incriminating evidence, but there is a twist to this that could have been devised by Hitchcock himself. In the end, he comes to her home with a knife, and you are left to ponder at how you feel at the conclusion.  Was it her rejections that drove him to kill, or would he have done it anyway?  Does she have transference of guilt, or does he confirm that men are not to be trusted?  Does she fall for him in the end, or just feel sorry for him?   My own view (probably wrong) is that they are both messed up from their past experiences, both lonely and eager to please, but Popaul is pushed over the edge by rejection slightly sooner than he would have been without meeting Hélène.  The kiss at the end could be out of pity or just kindness being returned to someone who has always been kind to her.  What the hell, watch it yourself and make you're own mind up.  It's starting to make my head hurt thinking about it.


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22 bullets (2010) - richard bell

After being ambushed and shot with 22 bullets (hence the title, although it is known as L'immortel in France), Charly Mattei, a retired gangster, seeks revenge on those who did it.  Although Charly  (played by a moody yet magnificent Jean Reno) tries to live by some kind of moral code, and values his friendships, he soon starts kicking some gangster asses in a big way.  I enjoyed the jerky action sequences, but the FPO couldn't stand some of the suspense laden parts, as it got too much for her, especially the barbed wire bit.  So, all in all, it was a success in our household.

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35 shots of rum / 35 rhums (2008) - claire denis

A strange one this. 35 Shots of Rum mainly deals with the story of  Lionel and Josephine, a father and daughter, and the people they share an apartment block with. It does not tell a straight story, and seems to dip in and out of episodes of their life, with plenty of close ups and lingering shots, so many viewers may find this a bit boring, as it's not exactly an edge of the seat roller coaster of a film.
However, l enjoyed it, and it's the real life way the action (or lack of it) is portrayed that appealed to me.
It's about loneliness, moving on, and dealing with life in it's everyday (and sometimes boring) form.
A work colleague of Lionels retires, but is lost and bored. Two suitors are after Josephine, and Lionel realises he has to let her move on with her life. They all go to a concert but the car breaks down and they don't make it (so hit the pub instead). There is a death and a marriage, and at the marriage (of his daughter), Lionel has the 35 shots of rum, as it is a special occasion. That's about it really, but that is fine by me.
Now where did l put that rum.....

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