galeolaria

A monumental documentary that has never been rivalled in scope, depth and power. A precursor to the World at War, but, I would suggest, even superior to that superb production. The measured intonation of Sir Michael Redgrave as narrator is unforgettable, imbuing the whole production with the perfect degree of solemnity and gravity. The series studies and dissects the war as if it were a great recumbent beast and does not spare the sensibilities of the viewer. The zone of the armies, the side conflicts, the politics and the social landscapes of the countries involved are all given excellent treatment. Analytical and dense with detail, the series repays multiple viewings. I keep coming back to it again and again.

There are many highlights - the episode dealing with Ypres and Passchendaele, for example, is horrendous and yet at the same time marvellous in its exposition, using excerpts from war poets to terrible effect.

A piece of sublime film-making. I cannot imagine we will see its like again.

When finds himself in an Hokkaido prison for a minor firearms possession offence, it doesn't take long for Hanawa (Tsutomu Yamazaki) to surrender utterly to the routine, arbitrary rules and the grinding sameness of life in the prison system. Indeed, he comes to find his stint in solitary confinement, cut off from fellow-inmates and with a mechanical task of creating hundreds of folded paper bags each day, a curiously satisfying experience. I liked this film because of its understated humour (not all of which is immediately obvious to Westerners) and the portrayal of the prison as a complete and self-sufficient alternative universe, with inmates simply trying to lead a kind of life that is a scaled-down version of what is on offer on the outside. It wryly observes the obsession of the prisoners with food and the occasional treat and how one can extract a sense of accomplishment in the meanest of repetitive jobs.