wrvisser-leusden-nl
Joined Aug 2003
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wrvisser-leusden-nl's rating
To be honest, I never saw 'Professor Columbus'. I'd like to see it, though, but due to its inferior quality it obviously isn't for sale anywhere.
My purpose here is to write about Phil Bloom, who casts in this movie. She's some kind of celebrity in Holland, for causing quite a stir by appearing naked on Dutch TV. This happened back in 1967, and she was the first girl to do so.
But there's more about Phil Bloom. In the sixties several society-systems were attacked by people in their twenties. This happened in Holland, in France, in the USA, youngsters trying to liberate themselves from society's rigid structures. To enlarge their personal freedom. In hindsight this was a natural process, for these youngsters were not emotionally charged by the terrible experiences from World War 2. Their parents were, resulting in a greatly different outlook on life and on the way society should be run.
Young artists eagerly participated in this whirlwind of sixties-protests. By having a guerrilla, intending to shock and unsettle society's rigid structures. And this is where Phil Bloom comes in, with great success. After her naked performance Dutch society surely never wasn't anymore as it had been before.
It has to be emphasized that Phil participated out of artistic motives. Her naked appearance in 1967 was esthetically, and definitely not sexually charged. Of course this point was greatly missed by the public.
Exploiting her fame by taking part in 'Professor Columbus', and by having herself photographed by Playboy in a similar style, Phil Bloom soon tired of all fuss around her nakedness. Today she works as an artist in the Belgian city of Antwerp - close to Holland. Obviously she doesn't want to live in Holland anymore, for her reputation based on that 1967-tv show lives on. By now Phil's naked appearance more or less symbolizes the Dutch protest movement of the Sixties. Which surely is a fine artistic achievement.
My purpose here is to write about Phil Bloom, who casts in this movie. She's some kind of celebrity in Holland, for causing quite a stir by appearing naked on Dutch TV. This happened back in 1967, and she was the first girl to do so.
But there's more about Phil Bloom. In the sixties several society-systems were attacked by people in their twenties. This happened in Holland, in France, in the USA, youngsters trying to liberate themselves from society's rigid structures. To enlarge their personal freedom. In hindsight this was a natural process, for these youngsters were not emotionally charged by the terrible experiences from World War 2. Their parents were, resulting in a greatly different outlook on life and on the way society should be run.
Young artists eagerly participated in this whirlwind of sixties-protests. By having a guerrilla, intending to shock and unsettle society's rigid structures. And this is where Phil Bloom comes in, with great success. After her naked performance Dutch society surely never wasn't anymore as it had been before.
It has to be emphasized that Phil participated out of artistic motives. Her naked appearance in 1967 was esthetically, and definitely not sexually charged. Of course this point was greatly missed by the public.
Exploiting her fame by taking part in 'Professor Columbus', and by having herself photographed by Playboy in a similar style, Phil Bloom soon tired of all fuss around her nakedness. Today she works as an artist in the Belgian city of Antwerp - close to Holland. Obviously she doesn't want to live in Holland anymore, for her reputation based on that 1967-tv show lives on. By now Phil's naked appearance more or less symbolizes the Dutch protest movement of the Sixties. Which surely is a fine artistic achievement.
'Gegen die Wand' (= 'against the wall' in German) excellently reflects a problem touching Western European society nowadays. It's about Europeans importing their labor-force from Turkey, Algeria and Morocco. Just like the Americans do from Mexico.
This movie deals with Turkish labor-immigrants in the big German harbor-town of Hamburg. Strongly rooted in their age-old, highly religious traditions, these people have trouble adapting themselves to the economic-dictated rules of western society. For instance, eating pig-meat is a deadly sin to them. For this reason they don't let their children play with German children, fearing they'll be wrongly fed by a well-meaning German mother. Isolation is there.
As clearly woven into this movie's plot, these immigrant's children adapt themselves much better than their parents do. By now every West European law court can testify, how big tensions on this can be within the Turkish community.
The great value of 'Gegen die Wand' lies in the honest exposure of this problem. Presented from a Turkish point of view, which is rare, and free of any prejudice. Understanding is eased here by showing a band playing/singing Turkish songs. The same goes for the shots from Istanbul, a pretty 'western-orientated' Turkish town.
The acting in 'Gegen die Wand' is excellent. Female lead Sibel Kekilli clearly shows she understands the workings of German society. By appearing naked for instance, an unheard-of sin in the tradition of her Turkish home-country.
This movie deals with Turkish labor-immigrants in the big German harbor-town of Hamburg. Strongly rooted in their age-old, highly religious traditions, these people have trouble adapting themselves to the economic-dictated rules of western society. For instance, eating pig-meat is a deadly sin to them. For this reason they don't let their children play with German children, fearing they'll be wrongly fed by a well-meaning German mother. Isolation is there.
As clearly woven into this movie's plot, these immigrant's children adapt themselves much better than their parents do. By now every West European law court can testify, how big tensions on this can be within the Turkish community.
The great value of 'Gegen die Wand' lies in the honest exposure of this problem. Presented from a Turkish point of view, which is rare, and free of any prejudice. Understanding is eased here by showing a band playing/singing Turkish songs. The same goes for the shots from Istanbul, a pretty 'western-orientated' Turkish town.
The acting in 'Gegen die Wand' is excellent. Female lead Sibel Kekilli clearly shows she understands the workings of German society. By appearing naked for instance, an unheard-of sin in the tradition of her Turkish home-country.
Having grown up in the shadow of World War II, I wondered if this movie could teach me anything new. After all, I've heard the Hitler story over and over again ... as well as its implications on world history.
Well, 'Hitler, the rise of evil' did teach me something. Robert Carlyle's fine play deepened my insight in the workings of this dictator's mind. I was also struck by the originality of its plot, wrapping Hitler's life-story around an American couple in Germany, gambling on his policies to make their fortune.
However, the biggest surprise in this movie was actor Peter O'Toole, playing Von Hindenburg. His magnificent performance on the aged German president really sent the marvels down my spine.
And let's not forget the two documentary movies on the second DVD. One of them deals with the hilarious fake of the Hitler diaries, back in the 1980's. But that's another story.
Well, 'Hitler, the rise of evil' did teach me something. Robert Carlyle's fine play deepened my insight in the workings of this dictator's mind. I was also struck by the originality of its plot, wrapping Hitler's life-story around an American couple in Germany, gambling on his policies to make their fortune.
However, the biggest surprise in this movie was actor Peter O'Toole, playing Von Hindenburg. His magnificent performance on the aged German president really sent the marvels down my spine.
And let's not forget the two documentary movies on the second DVD. One of them deals with the hilarious fake of the Hitler diaries, back in the 1980's. But that's another story.