The Rake Magazine

"Hitler believed modernists couldn't see color as it was in nature, or humans as they were in life," remarks one of the scholars interviewed in The Rape of Europa — a documentary on the artistic pillaging perpetrated by the Nazi army during World War II. "He viewed this as a racial deficiency."

And with that, we learn yet another aspect of the Führer's demented psychological make-up, thoroughly extrapolated over the two-hour course of this captivating film. Religion, race, politics, and apparently artistic leanings - Hitler was thorough in his prejudices. And with art, just as with all his other biases, his distastes seem to stem from his own insecurities.

In 1907, an eighteen-year-old Adolf Hitler was rejected from Vienna's Academy of Fine Arts. The film would have it that this occurrence was the seed for his misanthropic leanings: "Many of the members of the academy were Jewish," we're told, and it's suggested that this may have fueled his resentment later on. Perhaps it's a tad over-speculative, but nevertheless one wonders what path young Hitler might have taken had he been admitted to the school.

More disturbing (and convincing) than the film's psychoanalytic probing into Hitler's iniquity is its analysis of raw data and records. We see the dictator as he composes a list of paintings and sculptures he wants for his collection, which he will eventually exhibit in a national museum of the Third Reich. Before raiding a given country, a team of art historians and forensic specialists pinpoints what masterpieces to plunder before letting the troops wreak their havoc. According to the film's website, by the end of the war, the Nazis had looted one fifth of all the known artworks in Europe. (Perverse as it may be, I found myself wishing that our nation's leaders had such a high regard for the fine arts.)

In addition to dismantling their military and political infrastructures, Europa clearly depicts Hitler's desire to dismantle nations' cultural infrastructures, too. In France and Italy a certain delicacy is shown (as Hitler respected their traditional artists), but in Russia and most of all in Poland, the seizing of art is meant to symbolize the felling of an ‘impure' society. Decimating a population is one thing, but annihilating its art is tantamount to annihilating its collective memory; Hitler contrived — actually contrived — not just to destroy countries, but their histories as well. Cultural obliteration is usually a by-product of war; here it was the plan. This is exactly what made Hitler so evil, and The Rape of Europa for the most part does an effective job showing it.

Speaking now strictly from a cinematic standpoint, the film endeavors to be perhaps a bit too thorough. While all the stories herein are captivating, they do get repetitive. The evacuation of Russia's Hermitage Museum, for example, is a reiteration of the Louvre's evacuation, which is shown earlier in the movie. While both have their tragically fascinating aspects, and both were incredibly important events, on screen one does not reinforce the other, but merely echoes it.

Later on, the narrative strays when we come to Italy, and the Allies are shown to be the ones destroying the art in the air raids on Axis positions. In this instance, the destruction is incidental, and the segment does little to prove the documentary's central thesis of art appropriation being an integral part of the Nazi's plot.

Nevertheless, this meandering by no means detracts from the overall impact of the film. The Rape of Europa is a shocking — but easily palatable — study of an otherwise unexplored phenomena of the Holocaust, and proves (yet again...despite what certain Iranian politicians might say) that we still feel the reverberations of World War II today.

I usually take my coffee black. I prefer the same color in comedies, and particularly in that rare dark comedy that can be called a film.  

As you raid your video store or netflix account this weekend, finding a good dark film can be difficult--particularly when they are packaged as standard-blend comedies of the Carey/Farley/Sandler variety. 

Swimming With Sharks,* produced in 1994 is that rare film in the wrong wrapper. It is a comedy of the darkest shade--with stellar, emotionally raw performances from Kevin Spacey, Frank Whaley and Michelle Forbes.

The film was written and directed by George Huang, who, along with Richard Rodriguez were two "hot young director" names to drop at Chateau Marmont in the mid-90s.

RR hit payday later but I am not quite sure what happened to GH. All I do know is that he directs Kevin Spacey in a role that strips comedy to the bone. It's not very funny. And that's just the point.  

 (* If you want the story line and reviews you can read the link.)

Before the Rains, the first English language film by Indian director Santosh Sivan, is a surprisingly effective, accessible, and beautiful riff on familiar themes. Set in British-controlled 1930s India during a growing nationalist movement, the film is about love and self-destructive ambition in the face of a rapidly changing country.

Despite the two-cultural-groups-that-just-don't-understand-each-other formula, which you can find in the "Oscar-pandering" section of your local video store, I was surprised with how even-handedly the film was written. I've always been a bit bothered by the ease at which Hollywood films of this type may be distilled down to misunderstood-saints-clad-in-brilliant-sterling-silver versus the incorrigibly wrong/frustrating adjacent cultural group. Before the Rains, by contrast, does an exceptional job of humanizing both sides. Sivan certainly injects his own ideas, but leaves plenty of room for viewers to draw their own conclusions.

The success of the film is rooted in its simplicity. The photography, characters,and events fit perfectly into a concrete theme that is repeated throughout. Clocking in at 98 minutes, it feels streamlined and well edited, sustaining a well constructed level of tension until its satisfying conclusion.

A cinematographer-turned-director, Sivan paints a pretty picture. HIs mastery of photography is dramatically apparent from the first image of sweeping countryside. It is one of the most visually masterful films I've seen since the tragically mediocre Assassination of Jesse James.

While it remains to be seen how well Before the Rains will perform in the box office, it undoubtedly represents the first trickle of a greater overlap between Indian and American cinema. Baliwood produces far more studio releases than Hollywood does, and they are increasingly being targeted at international markets, particularly the English speaking world. Before the Rains isn't flawless, but if it's an indication of what's to come, I think we're in for a real treat.

Before the Rains opens on Friday, May 16th at Landmark’s Edina Cinema.

Everyone ponders the future. Whether it's five minutes from now or five million years from now, it is bound to creep up in some form or another. Stanley Kubrick reinvented what it means to be a filmmaker in 1968 with the design of a fictional world in the year 2001 that questions the mysteries of science, technology, and evolution.

It is a fact (a sad one) that I had never before seen this epic adventure, sci-fi thriller, and I think it's safe to say I was spoiled in witnessing it for my first time as a digitally re-mastered 70-mm film, a project of Kubrick's before his death in 1999.

Although the scenic design and clothing are simply a futuristic version of the '70s, including lava-lamp chairs and fishnet stockings, the influence of computers and their impact on human existence was a fairly spot-on prediction on Kubrick's part. In our technologically dependent generation, anxiety arises if a cell phone isn't in arms reach or if the most inconceivable of situations happens: no internet. Humans, the only beings on the earth with the ability to think logically, place most of their trust in machines.

Believe me, I'm just as guilty as the next Jane Doe, but there's something to be said for Kubrick's undeniable projection.

Kubrick showed a great deal of audacity in creating this film. Without the aid of special effects, he relied heavily on the construction of sets and superimposition. (No computers, you say?)

Perhaps the most interesting character in the film is a computer called HAL 9000 (coincidentally one letter off of IBM). An eerie blend of human and machine, HAL takes control of the conditions aboard the spacecraft, hence controlling the scientists on board. (And we're worried about human terrorists?) HAL, although ghostly sinister, provides a smart-ass, manipulative comic-relief, probably even creepier because the humor comes from a man-made machine.

As someone who has grown up in a technological age, I was particularly struck by the amount of patience needed to understand the film's meaning. The 30-minute scenes, where no dialog is exchanged, is enough to make a person crazy. This was a brave move on Kubrick's part because he used the film as a way to express a psychedelic and philosophical art form, a fairly new idea in the late '60s. Kubrick didn't set out to offer straight-forward answers, but to leave the audience with their own thoughts. "You are free to speculate, as you wish," he once said, "the philosophical and allegorical meanings of 2001." It's no wonder the "flower-child" generation ingested so many mind-altering drugs.

Whether or not you've ever seen the film, you'll appreciate seeing this digitally re-mastered version on the big screen. Just don't turn to hallucinogens to elucidate the film's meaning.

May 9-15, Heights Theatre, 3951 Central Ave. NE, Columbia Heights; $8.

The name Son of Rambow conjures images of some hot young actor like Shia LaBeouf trekking through the mountains of Afghanistan, dodging Taliban attacks while searching for a captured Sylvester Stallone. Rest assured, this is not what you will get from this refreshingly creative twist on the coming-of-age genre.

Director Garth Jennings's (Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy) semi-autobiographical story is sweet and funny with a heartwarming narrative about the forming of a true friendship. Jennings made his own versions of First Blood as a child and coupled those experiences with some stories from producer Nick Goldsmith's childhood to assemble the initial script.

Schoolmates Will Proudfoot (Bill Milner) and Lee Carter (Will Poulter) are the unlikeliest of pairs. They meet by pure chance when Lee gets expelled from his classroom for disobedience and encounters Will, who is sitting in the hallway because his family's beliefs, as members of The Brethren evangelical christian movement, preclude him from watching television or even films shown at school. Lee proceeds to get Will in trouble, as well, and blackmails him into paying him a fee for taking the blame. Thus, their dysfunctional friendship begins.

Lee then guilts Will into coming over to his house, where he is exposed to his first movie ... a pirated copy of First Blood that Lee filmed at a local movie theater for his brother's bootlegging business. Hilarity ensues when Will gets swept up in the action and agrees to star in Lee's makeshift re-make of the film.

The filming of the movie begins with the two friends having a great time acting out scenes from First Blood with a reckless abandon that only two young and fearless boys could muster, making for some fun and amusing scenes. But things start to get complicated as fellow students begin to hear about the film and the making of the movie interferes with the boys' commitments to their families, and vice versa.

Lee is constantly on edge due to an undying loyalty to his self-centered and manipulative brother who, despite all his flaws, is closer to him than his absent parents. Will's family, on the other hand, wants to spend all their time together in prayerful solitude, but the lure of starring in a movies becomes too tempting. His mother is being courted by one of the elders of the group, who influences her to take a firmer grip on Will's activities.

The plot gets even more complicated as some of the boys' fellow students hear about the movie and want to participate ... notably the popular new French exchange student Didier. As their friends begin to get more and more involved, mostly at Will's request, and familial obligations present themselves, there becomes a rift in the two boys' relationship. While filming the final scene, an automobile accident threatens to end the film and the boys' relationship altogether.

The mixture of slapstick humor and heartwarming drama make Son of Rambow a unique fresh treat for moviegoers. The rich cast of characters, including the members of The Brethren, Didier and his entourage and Lee's self-centered older brother are a welcome homage to some of the great coming of age comedies of the 1980's like Better Off Dead and Weird Science. But there is a genuineness to Son of Rambow that leaves you laughing, but warm and fuzzy, at the same time ... something you wouldn't have gotten from a Son of Rambo movie.

Starts Friday at the Lagoon Theater.