THE IMMIGRANT (2013)

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James Gray brilliantly recreates New York in the 1920’s with this tale of a Polish immigrant arriving at Ellis Island with her sister only to get embroiled in prostitution as she tries to raise the money to release her sister who is being detained on the island due to illness.

Brought up in Queens, New York, Gray locates this film in his beloved city. He is clearly influenced by Francis Ford Coppola and Sergio Leone’s Once Upon a Time in America as far as the film-making techniques go; a brown hue permeates the film that is reminiscent of The Godfather and American films of the seventies. This is made possible by the sepia tones of Darius Khondji’s delicious cinematography.

Marion Cotillard is Ewa, the immigrant of the title and she cements her status as one of the finest screen actors working today. The sign of a great actor is the capability to project emotions with a look and she does this wonderfully.

Gray is an arthouse director with European sensibilities. His films tend to be downbeat and deal with the darker aspects of life, the complicated relationships between characters; they are not to everyone’s taste but nevertheless have artistic merit.

Joaquin Phoenix is Bruno Weiss, Ewa’s twisted guardian angel, who cajoles her into the grim world of prostitution but strangely finds himself conflicted as he falls in love with her; another stellar performance from Phoenix in an already impressive canon. Jeremy Renner is on romantic duties as Bruno’s cousin who falls for Ewa. Excellent performances all round.

This is a world of struggle and challenges for all the characters and all the creatives commit fully to tell this bleak tale of survival and the incredible fortitude of the human spirit.

BUY THE BLU RAY DVD HERE

DOWNLOAD THE FILM ON iTUNES HERE

3/5

LENNY BRUCE-SWEAR TO TELL THE TRUTH (1998)

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If you have heard of Lenny Bruce but don’t know too much about him this is the perfect starting point. Narrated by Robert De Niro, which is rare and thus lends the proceedings a New York street gravitas.

Bruce was a true pioneer, a lone vanguard…busting through unspoken aloud societal constraints and constantly asking questions. A true seeker. A true anti-establishment. A true comedian.

He changed the definition of what comedy could be.

Always outspoken on stage, saying things that hadn’t really been said before, at least on a platform so exposed and it eventually got him into trouble, especially with the Catholic community, particularly a judge who took umbrage to some of his alleged comments.

Social comments done in a humourous way. This is what makes a great comic nowadays, the ones who say what no-one else will, not because it’s daring or controversial but because great comedians are able to hold a mirror up to society and speak the truth. Possibly the only profession that has this, right? This is mostly allowed now because of Lenny Bruce.

Brought up on obscenity charges because of a vendetta by certain offended powers, he battled with these charges for the latter part of his life. In the end he was so beaten down by the government that it killed him but the victories he paved the way for, as far as freedom of speech were seen in the comedians who came after him, Richard Pryor, George Carlin all the way through Bill Hicks, Dave Chappelle and Chris Rock. No comic has been arrested in the U.S. on obscenity charges since.

He painted a target on himself by taking to task the powers in place, he was a revolutionary, a threat to certain organisations and status quo; asking questions and stepping on toes will get you into trouble. Thinkers that question the powers and do so on a public stage need to be shut down by those powers, especially if it contradicts ways of thinking designed to narrow the minds of the masses, thus allowing the powers that be to stay in that position. It’s an age-old story, one that inevitably takes its toll upon the protagonist.

And there’s the cost, there’s always a cost, a trade off, whether you like it or not, this seems to be an natural exchange.

Directed by Robert B Weide this is fascinating insight into the mind of a maverick, a one of a kind and highly influential.

A must watch for all who appreciate the history of stand up comedy.

3.5/5