New Wave: Dare to be Different
Recently released on Blu-ray and DVD: Gosford Park, New Wave: Dare to be Different, An Afghan Love Story, The Comedians.
Gosford Park
Robert Altman was always a keen observer of contemporary America. With Gosford Park (2001), the director took an elegant detour into “Masterpiece Theatre” territory. Set in 1932 on an English estate, the “Upstairs Downstairs” dynamic of feckless aristocrats and busybody servants has seldom been better displayed. Sly subversive humor is heard amidst simmering resentments and cruel cut-downs in a society where snobbery is felt on all levels. Naturally, a body is found in the library.
New Wave: Dare to be Different
One problem with this documentary on Long Island’s WLIR: the persistent claim that the station (it went “new wave” in 1982) was the first for everything. Someone even says they were first to play The Police’s “Roxanne” (sorry, I heard it in Milwaukee in ’78). Truth is WLIR was part of a larger wave but, given its location, it had influence. New Wave catches the giddy fun of a time when U2 was groundbreaking.
An Afghan Love Story
The contemporary Kabul of Barmak Akram’s film has cybercafés and condos, yet old customs remain in place. Romantic affection is expressed furtively. Sex happens anyway, and with it pregnancy outside marriage. For the young law student Wajma, this is worse than a dead end or a difficult choice. “Based on several true stories,” An Afghan Love Story is a tragic and believable look at a country where everyday life continues despite the ongoing civil war.
The Comedians
The cast was entirely black but the crew and producer were white in this apartheid-era cheapie. Released as part of the Retro Afrika Bioscope project, The Comedians is a lost 1980s South African flick intended for a blacks-only audience. The acting isn’t half-bad but the two-camera cinematic crudity is evident on every frame. The unconvincing story of a “magic ring” is set against the bleak vista of cement-walled housing with yards enclosed by chicken wire.
