Directors: Ahmed El Maanouni, Ermek Shinarbaev, Metin Erksan
Starring: Erol Tas, Hulva Kocyigit, Ulvi Dogan, Alexandre Pan, Oleg Li, Valentin Te, Lubove Germanova, Rasim Jakibaev, Larbi Batma, Nass-El Ghiwane, Abderrahman Paco
Running Time: 275 Minutes
Certificate: Not Rated
Martin Scorcese started The World Cinema Project in 1990, and when describing the aim of the project, he said:
To help developing countries preserve their cinematic treasures. We want to help strengthen and support the work of international archives, and provide a resource for those countries lacking the archival and technical facilities to do the work themselves.
TRANCES
Moroccan band Nass El Ghiwane is the dynamic subject of this unconventional documentary. Storytellers through song, some with a background in political theater, the band’s members became an international sensation thanks to their political lyrics and sublime, fully acoustic sound, which draws on the Moroccan trance music tradition.
TRANCES caught my attention due to its unique content and thought it might provide a different perspective to both the sixties music scene and the political goings on in the Middle East. Whilst it’s obvious how driven Nass El Ghiwane are and the significance music has to them, the film is so unconventional that it’s hard to really learn about their situation.
The documentary doesn’t have the sort of narrative that allows for learning more about the band. It’s no Ken Burns’ documentary on the American Civil War. The most valuable part of the film is definitely Scorcese’s introduction at the beginning where he explains how much the movie means to him- it’s just a shame it didn’t live up to it.
REVENGE
Director Ermek Shinarbaev spins a rich narrative of revenge from a terrifying premise: a child is conceived for the purpose of avenging the death of another child. The first feature to deal with the historical phenomenon of millions of ethnic Koreans displaced by Stalin to Kazakhstan and Central Asia in the 1940s, the film features stunning cinematography and profound allegorical power.
Kazak films aren’t exactly my specialty, but this I think it’s safe to say this isn’t like any other film you’ll see. It’s terribly slow and there’s a lot of “reacting” (if you’ve seen the episode of FRIENDS where Joey explains what this is then you’ll know what I mean).
The premise of the film is interesting and if you’ve got time to be bothered to do some research about the history behind the film afterwards then do so. It’s shot like a low budget movie and is told as if it’s an epic poem which would have been brilliant but it just comes across as woefully lacking in acting, setting, budget and dialogue.
DRY SUMMER
DRY SUMMER follows an unrepentantly selfish tobacco farmer who builds a dam to stop water from reaching his neighbours’ crops. Alongside this tale of heated competition is one of desire, as a love triangle develops between the farmer, his decent brother, and the beautiful villager the brother takes as his bride.
Similarly to REVENGE, DRY SUMMER sadly lacks in its acting and dialogue. It resembled a pantomime with the characters over-enthusiastically shouting their lines. The plot was engaging enough although it’s mind-boggling why the younger brother continued to listen and almost look up to his older brother, whose intentions are obviously downright malicious.
Despite these flaws, the cinematography was beautiful and shot innovatively. Turkish cinema might not be well-known, but DRY SUMMER will keep you interested and eager to learn more about the culture and background to the plotline.
Overall, these three films have some serious flaws when we judge them both by today’s standards and by our general expectations from cinema throughout the ages. However, if you have an interest in the wider aspects of a film such as its history and context, then MARTIN SCORSESE PRESENTS THE WORLD CINEMA PROJECT VOLUME 1 is for you.
MARTIN SCORSESE PRESENTS THE WORLD CINEMA PROJECT VOLUME 1 is out now on Blu-Ray
