Tag: christopher plummer

You have to live the life you were born to live. “The Sound of Music” (1965)

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directed by Robert Wise
© 1965 20th Century Fox. All Rights Reserved.

Let’s get back to the 60s and enjoy the sound of music, shall we? I’m sure many of you recognise this production even if you haven’t seen it yet. Lots of artists have got inspired by this story and the film adaptation definitely popularised it on a bigger scale. Because if you didn’t know – the film I’m recommending today is an adaptation of the stage musical from 1959. However, the screenplay of that stage musical isn’t a totally made-up thing. In fact, it’s based on the memoir of Maria von Trapp called “The Story of the Trapp Family Singers”. So what you’ll see in the film is mostly based on a real story, which to me is even more exciting. Everything is set in the late 30s in Austria. The main character is actually Maria (Julie Andrews), a young woman who’s preparing to become a nun. Unfortunately, shortly speaking, she’s way too fun to stay in the abbey, so she’s ordered to work for Captain Georg von Trapp (Christopher Plummer). The man is very wealthy and has a huge villa where he lives with his seven children. Their mother died and Captain finds it difficult to raise this whole bunch on his own, therefore he needs a governess. At first, the children aren’t thrilled about meeting Maria, but the woman has so much charm that she manages to become their friend quite fast. However, Captain is a very strict man and he’s used to discipline, while Maria is a free spirit who finds pleasure and happiness in everything around her. Those two seem to be from totally different worlds, yet at some point they find something in common – and it’s their love for music. And that’s all I want to share about the plot so you can enjoy discovering it. This musical is an absolute classic and a must-see. Even if you don’t like musicals, this one is a significant piece of art in the world of cinema, so if you’re a cinephile who likes understanding references and certain allusions, go and watch it. It’s difficult for me to say anything against it because it’s a legendary production made from A to Z. The songs you may hear in this musical are still remembered and appreciated, and it’s impossible not to sing along with the characters. Besides, Julie Andrews and Christopher Plummer did a marvellous acting job there, which gives real chills and makes you feel lucky that you’ve shared this planet with such artists – at least I do feel so. And last but not least – it’s fascinating how they presented those historically difficult years in contrast to Maria’s spirit and never-ending optimism that she shared with the whole Trapp family. The scene where all of them perform is worth more than any words. Therefore, I’ll stop my post here and just say – watch it, appreciate it, enjoy it.

My rating: 8/10
S.

There’s no stage five. “Beginners” (2010)

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directed by Mike Mills
© 2010 Focus Features. All Rights Reserved.

We’ve lost Christopher Plummer, a wonderful actor who will be missed by many. A lot of people remember him from “The Sound of Music” (1965) or the recent “Knives Out” (2019). Today, however, I’d like to recommend you the film where Christopher Plummer played a quite significant role in his career because it earned him an Oscar. “Beginners” is about Oliver (Ewan McGregor) who presents a part of his life in a series of flashbacks. Right after his mother’s death, his father Hal (Christopher Plummer) comes out to him saying he’s gay. The man even finds a much younger male partner and wants to enjoy the rest of his life in harmony with himself. Unfortunately, Hal doesn’t have much time left because he gets diagnosed with cancer. I’m sorry if you consider it a spoiler, but the fact that Hal dies is something told at the beginning of the film. As I said, we know what happened and we’re getting flashbacks of Oliver’s last few years. Right after Hal’s death, Oliver feels like he needs to start living in harmony with himself as well, so he meets Anna (Mélanie Laurent) and decides to try building a strong relationship with her. Perhaps the story is simple, because it’s basically about a man who’s lost his parents and tries to find love. But its form is quite unusual and I wouldn’t say it’s a drama. I’d call it a very dramatic comedy, because I was laughing most of the time and yet I felt a lot of emotions fighting in my head – a bit like in “Inside Out” animation, those little guys couldn’t decide what to do with me. And I think the Oscar was well-deserved because Hal is a man who knows how little time he’s got left and that he should focus on enjoying it as much as possible, not keep fighting with the inevitable. Indeed, you should try new things and keep discovering, but sometimes you need to give up and be thankful for what you’ve already got. And I am thankful for this film and this role. You will be missed, Mr. Plummer.

My rating: 7/10
S.

You all love twisting the knife into one another. “Knives Out” (2019)

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directed by Rian Johnson
© 2019 Lionsgate. All Rights Reserved.

That’s the hottest production you can see this December. And don’t even mention another “Star Wars” part. This film is an exception and I’m sure you’ve never seen anything like it. I was actually surprised that it’s a comedy, because it has such high ratings, which isn’t usual. And it’s not only from ordinary viewers, but critics including. A comedy, a fantastic cast, a story about a murder – sounds just perfect. So the murder happens quite quickly and the dead one is Harlan Thrombey (Christopher Plummer), a very rich writer. The housekeeper (Edi Patterson) finds his body the next morning after his 85th birthday party. Obviously the police come, but they aren’t alone. Someone has hired detective Benoit Blanc (Daniel Craig) who observes all the suspects. They talk to all family members, but also his private nurse Marta Cabrera (Ana de Armas). Seems like she was the only person that the novelists liked very much, since the rest of the family didn’t care about anything but his money. Richard (Don Johnson), his son-in-law, is cheating on Linda (Jamie Lee Curtis), Harlan’s daughter. Then his daughter-in-law Joni (Toni Collette) turns out to be stealing money from him lying it’s for her daughter’s tuition. Before the death he also had an argument with his son Walt (Michael Shannon), who works at Harlan’s publishing company and the novelist wasn’t satisfied with certain decisions being made. There’s also Ransom (Chris Evans), Harlan’s grandson, who is the laziest person on this planet and the man wants to cut him out of his will so he doesn’t get any money and needs to work hard. So as you can see, all those people had a reason to, shortly speaking, get rid of the old man. If you think it’s another “guess the killer” production, I have to disappoint you. What if I tell you that you get to know the killer almost at the beginning? Strange, huh? I was a bit shocked, because I didn’t know why I should keep watching it for another 1,5 h since I already knew the most important fact. What happens in this film is the most marvellous story that I’ve seen recently. I honestly didn’t want it do end. I would really give it a 10/10, but I think the beginning was slightly too slow and later I noticed a small logical mistake, but obviously I cannot tell you that, because it would be a spoiler. So watch closely, maybe you will see it as well. But for sure, this is a must-see film this year.

My rating: 8/10
S.