#la roue

New York Film Festival 2023:

• Our Hospitality (1923)

Directed By: John G. Blystone & Buster Keaton

Plot Summary: on a trip back to his childhood home, a man falls in love with a woman he meets on the train. However, that woman comes from a family who has vowed to kill every member of his family.

Where to Watch: YouTube

This film is one of Buster Keaton's best. It is an absolute masterpiece. The way he can command a screen without uttering one single word is completely unmatched. This film absolutely masters being both a comedy and a drama. The central plot is very dramatic, being very reminiscent of 'Romeo & Juliet' (except with a much happier ending); a man and a woman from to feuding families fall in love. They manage to perfectly offset this drama with the use of ironic comedy; Buster Keaton's character becomes a guest in the house of thr family who is trying to kill him. I was laughing my butt off yet still hanging on the edge of my seat during the chase scenes. Everyone should watch this film.

•La roue [translates to 'The Wheel'] (1923)

Directed By: Abel Gance

Plot Summary: a railway engineer adopts a young girl who was orphaned by a train crash. As she gets older, he battles with whether to tell her about her true parentage.

Where to Watch: an app called Kanopy. It is free to use. All you have to do is enter in your library card.

This film is not for the faint of heart, mostly due to the fact that it is sad, on top of sad, on top of even more sad. The movie starts off sad, and ends even more sad. However, this truly is a beautiful film. There are actually a lot of ties to Greek mythology in this film. The main character, Sisif, is derived from Sisyphus, who was punished to endlessly push a rock uphill by the gods. Similarly, Sisif's life seems to be an endless tragedy. There are also ties to Oedipus, as Sisif harbors incestuous desires towards his adoptive daughter. You can't help but admire Sisif's resilience throughout this almost five hour long film. He eventually marries his daughter off to a wealthy businessman, as it is the only way he can keep his desires at bay. While it pains him a great deal to send her away, he finds some form of solace in his work, as he is truly passionate about being a train engineer. Then, ab accident at work blinds him, and while it is completely devastating for him, it leads to his reunion with his daughter. In conclusion, while it may seem like asking someone to dedicate five hours of their life to a French silent film from the 1920s is a lot, I really suggest you give this film a try.

•Der Letzte Mann [translates to 'The Last Laugh'] (1924)

Directed By: F.W. Murnau

Plot Summary: an aging doorman faces the scorn of his neighbors, friends, and society after being fired from his job at a luxurious hotel.

Where to Watch: YouTube

I believe this film is an absolute must-watch because the ideas presented in this film can be easily translated to modern day, those ideas being the self-imposed importance on society and status. This film follows an older man who works as a doorman at a prestigious hotel, a job he is very proud to have. He wears his uniform with pride, that uniform becoming an extension of his own identity. He is not himself without it. However, after his age starts to interfere with his work, he his demoted to a lowly bathroom attendant. This absolutely devastates him. He went from a position where guests and friends looked up to him to being someone who is essentially invisible. No one usually takes a second glance at the man who hands you a hand-towel in the bathroom. The most devastating part of this whole ordeal is his uniform being taken away from him. His boss literally rips the jacket of his uniform off of him, thus also ripping his own sense of identity with it. After all, who is he without that uniform? After he is demoted, he is now at the bottom of the food chain, and everyone around him treats him as such. They laugh at him behind his back and give him no respect. These themes are absolutely still seen today. There are certain professions that are more highly regarded than others. Doctors, lawyers, CEOs, are people who are very often looked up to. They are treated with the utmost respect. People take one look at their uniform and they think, "Wow, they really did something with their life". Then, on the flip side of the coin, there are professions that are looked down upon. Mechanics, cashiers, house cleaners, are often treated with very little respect. People take one look at their uniforms and think, "Wow, they really must have slacked off. They could've been a doctor and yet they settled for being a cashier". In conclusion, watch this film.