Welcome to The Penny-Pinching Cinephile, a weekly spotlight of the best free flicks on the web. ‘Cuz sometimes you gotta eat.
This week’s selection of free Criterion movies focuses on Iconic French Actresses, and is there any more iconic (or more beautiful) than the Queen of French Cinema herself, Catherine Deneuve? Ms. Deneuve is the star of more than one of the films, but my pick of the week is Luis Bunuel’s classic Belle de jour. As a bored housewife who takes up prostitution to amuse herself, Deneuve is perfectly cast. Her classically frigid demeanor belies depraved desires that only erotic fantasies can fulfill.
St. Patrick’s Day may have just passed, but you can still celebrate the Celtic spirit by watching this Irish gem, nominated for an Oscar for Best Animated Film. Stunningly beautiful and elaborately stylized, the film tells the story of the ancient illuminated manuscript, The Book of Kells. The story, however, is less important than the storytelling, which weaves folklore and history, magic and myth, to create a truly wondrous animated adventure. The level of visual detail is extraordinary–from the watercolor-like backgrounds to the intricate Celtic knot design of the forest, to the wheels and geometric spiral patterns of Kells’ fortress-like tower. A visual feast for adults and children alike, The Secret of Kells is destined to become a holiday classic.
Krzysztof Kieślowski’s powerful, anti-death penalty film is a deeply humane look at the devastating effects of taking another life. The beginning shots of a drowned rat and a hanged cat make clear that Kieslowski’s agenda knows no species barrier. The film is a stark plea for kindness and humanity above all else. It’s not just about killing; it’s about cruelty of all kinds. Kieslowski introduces us to the three main characters: the killer, the victim, and the lawyer who will defend the killer and follows their pre-crime actions without comment. Each man has their faults and their virtues. But does any man deserve to be killed?
Woody Allen’s homage to madcap murder mysteries was originally slated to be Annie Hall. It’s fitting then, that this film reunites Allen with his Annie Hall co-star Diane Keaton fifteen years after the fact. Allen and Keaton play a middle-aged husband and wife whose lives become embroiled in scandal when Keaton begins to suspect their elderly neighbor has killed his wife. Seemingly obsessed with uncovering a murder that doesn’t seem possible to begin with, Keaton enlists their friend Alan Alda into the investigation. Meanwhile, Woody gets chummy with Anjelica Huston. Ultimately, Annie and Alvy–ahem–the Liptons, are reunited through the sheer thrill of uncovering their neighbor’s dastardly deeds. Full of witty dialogue and unbelievable plot twists, Manhattan Murder Mystery is a light, fun genre exercise from one of the funniest people on the planet.
5) Vampyr
Carl Th. Dreyer’s eerie, oneiric horror classic is a must-see for genre fans and serious cinephiles alike. Although his first sound film, Vampyr is mostly silent, relying on its stunningly impressionistic photography, hazy, dreamlike atmosphere and spooky title cards to tell the story. Employing mostly non-professional actors, the film recounts the story of a young skeptic who finds himself staying in a town that has been possessed by a powerful vampire, placing all the city’s inhabitants under her spell. Vampyr is full of creepy, iconic images, such as the shot of a skeletal hand grasping a bottle of poison. In the film’s most celebrated sequence, the young man dreams he finds his own severed head in a glass coffin. Although made eighty years ago, the primal terror of Dreyer’s film hasn’t aged a day.
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