calspers

The Message (1976) directed by Moustapha Akkad and starring Anthony Quinn is a seriously and gravely misleading film, lending support to the notion the Mohammad was indeed the Messenger of the one true God, also claimed historically by the two other world religions; Judaism and Christianity.

The film covers how - allegedly - in the 7th century, Mohammed, is visited by the Angel Gabriel who urges him to lead his people to Mecca and worship God, following how they are exiled in Medina before returning to Mecca to take up arms against their oppressors and liberate their city in the name of Allah and - unsurprisingly given the religion of Islam - violence.

Although the film clearly has its inherent qualities, particularly surrounding an impressive production design, complimented by decent acting by Quinn in the leading role, it suffers from its mere production. Personally, I believe it is sacrilege to have spent an enormous amount of money and time promoting the spiritually false, violent and misleading claims of Islam. If one is genuinely interested, the historical evidence of Islam is extremely vague and improbable, given both the temporality and geographical sources of the Quran.

As such, I give this film my utmost critique. One thing to note is that The Message partially exposes the historical violence and moral justification of Islam, namely how salvation is brought forth not by grace, but by acts, including those of war and bloodspill.

Dr. Mabuse, the Gambler (1922) directed by Fritz Lang is an early relic of German expressionism; arguably one of the most elaborate of these early cinematic centerpieces.

The story is quite straightforward, focusing on the manipulative archetype, here in the form of Dr. Mabuse, whose plan is to take over Berlin in his psychoanalysis and gambling schemes. Here, Dr. Mabuse and his organization of criminals are in the process of completing their latest scheme, a theft of information that will allow Mabuse to make huge profits on the stock exchange. Afterwards, Mabuse disguises himself and attends the Folies Bergères show, where Cara Carozza, the main attraction of the show, passes him information on Mabuse's next intended victim, the young millionaire Edgar Hull. Mabuse then uses psychic manipulation to lure Hull into a card game where he loses heavily. When Police Commissioner von Wenk begins an investigation of this mysterious crime spree, he has little to go on, and he needs to find someone who can help him.

It is mostly visually stunning, and what I appreciate the in most is the style that Lang already exposes to his viewers. Lang's later masterpieces such as M (1931) clearly draws inspiration to Dr. Mabuse, Der Spieler (1922). Highly recommended for cinephiles interested in cinema history.

The Philadelphia Story (1940) directed by George Cukor is arguably one of cinema history's highest points for romantic comedy. It is wonderfully written and directed as well as edited and acted.

The plot revolves around Philadelphia heiress Tracy Lord, who throws out her playboy husband C. K. Dexter Haven shortly after their marriage. Two years later, Tracy is about to marry respectable George Kittredge while Dexter has been working for a magazine. Dexter arrives at the Lords' mansion the day before the wedding with writer Mike Connor and photographer Liz Imbrie, determined to shake up things and make Tracy look authentically on things.

Katharine Hepburn is absolutely enigmatic and amazing in her role as Tracy Lord. She even manages to outperform some of the Golden age's great actors, Cary Grant and Jimmy Stewart. It is a wonderful story with a wonderful message. Highly recommended!