SCFZ

The Morning Breeze (Saeed Akhtar, 1995) vs. Lonely Are the Brave (David Miller, 1962)

Vote for either x1995 or x1962 (italicization unnecessary).

The deadline for voting is 12 a.m. EST on Monday, May 27.

If you need access to the films, please let us know.

I didn't want to pick this one yet... I was saving it for round 5, as I didn't want to front-load my Hollywood content and also I thought it was a nice way to end a series that started with Requiem for a Heavyweight. Hollywood was really digging that vibe in 1962. Anthony Quinn and Kirk Douglas are two of my all-time favourite actors, and they both really shine in these John-Wayne-in-the-Searchers sorta end-of-a-man roles.

Anyway, I need to rewatch some other movies before I decide what I'm picking for my last two which is why I had to go with this one for now... but I promise my last two rounds will not be no Hollywood shit, and in fact will be movies that exactly 0 SCFZers have seen before

Another round of I've seen both. And bure, while I'm very fond of your Hollywood, the little Indian movie's a gem.

x1995

Hey, I voted Kanafani's way! Who'd a thunk it?

x1962

Close match for me - in fact, I rated all four films involved in current matches 3 stars on Letterboxd. Lonely Are the Brave gets the edge because of its first 20 minutes or so; from that stretch alone, I thought the film was going to be an all-timer, with resonances about the inhumanity of borders and about the past vs. the present. Unfortunately, it became steadily less interesting to me over the course of its runtime. Still a good time, and Kirk Douglas is effortlessly likable in his Kirk Douglas way, letting his chin do the work.

Naseem, true to its title, is a breezy watch. Maybe even too breezy - the final scenes didn't quite have the power they were intended to, for me.

x1962

My guess was right: x1995.

Naseem, though awkward in places, is a sweet-hearted, lovely movie, about a 15-year-old Muslim schoolgirl growing up in Bombay circa 1992. I'm sure I missed some of the cultural specifics re: the demolition of Babri Masjid etc., but this gentle tale of a girl coming-of-age within religious upbringing, escape at the movies, and school studies was definitely endearingly relatable for yours truly. And though I probably found the grandfather's storytelling memories to be the least effective part of the film, I still appreciated Naseem's connection with him. The film is also beautiful to look at, with bountiful colourful shots of Naseem in rain-drenched streets.



Lonely Are the Brave is certainly well-done in its way. I can see why it might strike someone as an insightful commentary on how the Western hero mythos conflicts with an urban, border-patrolling world. In particular, I loved the early reveal that our movie is set in the present, not the wild west past, in which our cowboy Douglas rides up to a highway. But I just don't like Kirk Douglas, and I find the storytelling here quite portentous. Middlebrow, elephant art, and other terms of disendearment unfortunately sprang to my mind.

x1962

one of the few douglas characters i can stand. i felt like mesnalty about a gentle breeze -- a little too breezy

these matches should be over right

rischka wrote: ↑Tue May 28, 2019 9:29 pm these matches should be over right

STILL TIME LEFT FOR YOU TO CHANGE YOUR VOTE RISCHKA

Bure seems to've fallen asleep at the wheel. Anyway, my next pic's Pearl in the Crown (Poland, dir: Kazimierz Kutz) if anyone wants to go ahead and watch it or post it in the you-know-where. Otherwise I'll do myself in a few days.

I'll start up new matches today. I guess, like all the other polls on the site, I'll leave these open for a bit to make sure those locked out want to cast votes?

Voting closed notwithstanding votes from people whose accounts have been locked out. Lonely are the Brave wins!