I saw "We Have a Pope" this past Saturday. I was pleasantly delighted with what I saw and experienced. As many moviegoers enter theaters with preconceived notions of what to expect from a movie, so did I, regardless of the fact that I only look at the overall rating of a movie on Rotten Tomatoes than actually reading a plot synopsis or viewing a film trailer. In terms of expectations, I thought that the movie would mock the Catholic Church and its many scandals, seeing as I had heard the film were a "comedy." It certainly turned out to be a comedy, albeit a very heartful one. The movie served as a meditation on how power intimidates some and how they react to the uncertainties of a future in which they possess immense power. For our main character, he does not feel ready to be Pope and feels that he has been elected into a position that seems a bit removed from the ordinary world. The disconnect revolves more around the Church's understanding of ordinary people's problems than actual doctrine or dogma. The most shocking part of the film is when the new pope again relinquishes his authority in the finale. To me, it came as a surprise. That very quick bit in the movie ultimately made the theme all-too-clear: Sometimes power and altruism do not go hand in hand. Although one provides the means to be the altruist, the original notion behind that mentality is simply too grand for ordinary human power. In one way, it is accepting that we all are idealists but also pragmatists in the sense that we know that nothing in the world can allow us to practice that altruism to the fullest. Our friend in the cardinal understands and shies away from ultimate power, realizing that it, too, cannot lead him to the greatest levels of good. Overall, the film is a smart and mostly wholesome aggregate of comedy and drama. The film covers a short period in time and has a proper pacing. This allows us to absorb the film without it feeling too slow or too fast. The editing of the film contributes to this sharpness. The music appropriately expresses the overall mood of each scene. The landscape shots also contribute very well to the grand scope of the the consequences of the pope's actions.
"Habemus Papam", by Nanni Moretti, is easily the funniest film I have ever seen about the Catholic Church. Often in the movies, the Catholic Church is used as the backdrop for a massive global conspiracy or as a counterpoint to mob violence (I'm looking at you, Coppola). Otherwise, it's a source of mockery and derision. While watching this film, I was struck by how simultaneously funny and reverential the film was regarding the Church. Much of the comedy came from unexpected quirks and interactions between the cardinals, (especially during the most entertaining volleyball game I've ever seen on film) instead of from mocking or degrading the Church. At its core, however, "Habemus Papam" is not about the Church, the Pope, or the Cardinals at all - it is a simple human drama about a man struggling to come to terms with an enormous responsibility. The central performance by Michel Piccoli was simply beautiful to watch. From the very beginning, I felt like I had known him for years, but although his emotions were always clear and his portrayal very realistic, I still wondered what he was thinking. At the film's end, when he relinquishes his role as Pope, I was shocked. Very few movies can keep me guessing until their final moments like that. Even though I was still confused, I was satisfied because the protagonist was satisfied. Overall, watching "Habemus Papam" was a fantastic way to spend a rainy Sunday afternoon.
Free-Men, Was an amazing film concerning a young black-market peddler named Yunes, who has moved from Algeria to occupied France during World War 2 in order to amass a fortune and return to his family. During his stay there he is caught by the authorities and used as a spy. They have him report on the activities of a musque which is fabricating false certificates so that jews may pass as muslim and hence be spared from the atrocities of the holocaust. As time progresses he ends up joining the French resistance against the Nazis. The film is beautifully filmed with many rich shots. I was particularly impressed by the main character's acting. Often he would be silent and portray the storyline through his expressions rather than through dialogoe. The only thing that confused me in this film was his relationship with Selim, a young jewish singer whom he develops a relationship with. The movie ends with both men staring at each other very seriously after years of not having seen each other. One might expect a smile, or some sign of acknowledgment, between the two, but we see nothing. Still, this does not detract from the movie, rather adds an openess to interpretation and an extra layer of complexity/realism. However, i did encounter a gentlemen outside of the theater who suggested that the movie was "twenty minutes too long." But, personally, I thought it was great.
We Have A Pope, or Habemus Papem, was a movie that takes the viewer through many different chambers of their psychological responses to observed events. The man that is elected pope can not stand to bare such an immense responsibility. Often he shrieks in pain and explodes into outbursts, feeling that he is unfit to be the holy leader. He feels that God sees something in him that he does not possess. That God has ordained him as pope but that he can not fulfill the expectations of God. The film depicts these aspects very morbidly and it is quite emotionally stirring. At the same time, this movie has many funny parts which allow one to warm up to the character. It also incorporates an atheist psychologist (who somewhat functions as a comic relief by lightening up the mood on many occasions) who is called in to help the pope regain psychological balance. In a beautiful scene in the movie, the psychologist is playing a game with the cardinals, (or bishops... actually I'm not sure what they are, but they are sometime of religious men. But anyway--) and in discussing the rules, the psychologist metaphorically asserts that he believes he understands, but that he understands it in his own way, and he pleads with them to let him do it his own way. I believe this was in actuality symbolizing that an atheist, or a scientist, may still have an understanding and appreciation for the same things as a religious person, they are merely using different words to relate to the same things. It is the type of view supported by a branch of philosophers who argue towards mysticism, meaning that all religious notions are trying to relate to the same thing but different people simply have different ways of perception. I was very pleased with the ending of this film for it leaves us surprised by what the pope finally decides to do in the end. It is by no means a typical happy ending, rather a beautiful portrayal of reality and the fragility of men -- even those held with the greatest regard.
Before I saw this film I wasn't sure what to expect. I kind of expected it to be a fake "behind the scenes" documentary style film about choosing a new Pope. I was glad to find out that I was very wrong. The film portrayed a drama of a man who is to be elected Pope but who does not feel that he is capable of the responsibility. The film evoked true emotions from the audience and it seemed sincere throughout. There was also a comedic quality to the film which I was very surprised by. If you asked me if I thought a movie about the church could be funny I would have definitely said no, but after seeing the film, I can say that this one actually made me laugh. The humor was tasteful as well, rather than mocking the church. Another great part about this film was that it kept me guessing. I could not predict what would happen, especially in the shocking end when he refuses to be Pope. Some people are leaders, and some people are followers and that his what the 'to-be Pope' had to decide for himself. Overall I really enjoyed the movie and I would definitely see it again.
This was a very well put together movie. I though that this film, more-so than some other cultural films, had a better flow throughout. Each scene seemed to fit, and it didn't seem to drag on at any point. The main character was a very charismatic character, mostly because his acting was great. He moves to France to be with his family and he is caught and forced to act as a spy. Eventually he joins the French in their attempts to stop the Nazis. While the main character does not speak much, he is still able to make the audience feel the emotions of the scene. For example we can feel the love he has for his family and we can feel his anger with people even though he is a man of few words. This film was very good, though I didn't think it was as good as We Have a Pope. Had the movie been in English I may have enjoyed it more, but overall it was still a good film.
When I started watching the movie We Have a Pope, I wasn't interested in the movie at all (I am an atheism). But some anecdotes in the movie were particularly funny when they happen on the pope, who was supposed to be know-it-all and surreally calm. But the movie displays the pope's anxiety and fear about being the new pope, shows that the pope is a human too thus has emotions. When the scene comes while the pope was wandering on the street and reflecting on his life, it also conveys that people have the right and potential to change their life in any stage of life. Even someone who's life is so settled as a pope. The scenes and pops in the movie were quite real, I think red and white are the main colors in the film as they appeared both in the pope's gown and the architecture, i like them a lot as they provide the movie with a very majestic ambience. And at the same time they make the film very lively, which was also reflected by the pope's emotional adjusts. So I really think the frame and the plot of the movie echo with each other very smoothly.
We have a Pope. The movie is titled we have a pope which is directed by Nanni Moreetti. The focus is on the relationship between the new pope and the therapist. The successor is Cardinal Melville, yet when he is told that the he can great people from the balcony, he steps back. The people that are waiting for him to come out are waiting in vain. I personally do not really like religious movies, since it can become rather frustrating and it can change the image I once had of a particular authors. Since I am not into religion, I was unaware of the protocol for the religion, such as the greeting from the pope and daily interactions. Henceforth, there is new information for me regarding each religious action, but even though it may be on the Internet or television, I can learn about this civilization, it is actually a fun read too
I thought it would be something like (about religion, the dark side of human nature, secretes and struggles) when it started the movie at the very beginning. I was SO wrong. All the scenes are legit and straightforward though, it is an unexpected cute movie. It amused me so much when all the cardinals were murmuring “Not me. Not me God Jesus”. I found it really familiar because that’s what I do before my exams! “God bless my Finance midterm”. They picked their pope out of so many cardinals though; they did not have their pope, because their pope was so fearful to make his speech in front of his people. He ran away from his responsibility and decided to find his own dreams and himself. Unlike common stereotypes of clergies, in the movie they had their own pleasures and emotions; the pope and all those cardinals, they were just like any random elder people living next door in the neighborhood. It must have a lot to do with it that the director is an atheist—the movie did not try to judge or criticize when the new pope decided to fulfill his personal dreams instead of continue to practice his believes after exploring the folks’ world.
I was intrigued by the subject matter of the Muslim/Jew controversy which is why I chose to go see Free Men. I was disappointed by the movie though. I felt the movie was very long and not that interesting. I was interested in the topic of Jews pretending to be Muslims during World War ll but I felt like the movie took forever to get me interested. I usually like action movies but the only part of the film where there is intense fighting is towards the end. There was a twist to the plot which did make me more attentive towards the movie when we find out that Salim is really Jewish and a homosexual. This came to a surprise to me because Salim is constantly singing at the Mosque. As a Jew, I cannot imagine having to live my whole life pretending to be a Muslim. This movie is depicts true events which really came to a shock to me. I had no idea Algerian Jews flocked to France and some had to pretend to be Muslims during WWII. Overall, I found the idea fascinating but the movie felt drawn-out to me.
We have a pope there are so many director also write scripts at the same time in Euroupe,but directors, like Moretti,hold on to his own creation and know how to express by screen is definitely a very few. Moretti directed first Italian film which has its own production company and try to control the movie on every single perspective. We have a pope, he played Blaze is a continuation of its many film roles. like [The Son's Room] [Pope]in the Moretti is still a slightly awkward psychiatrist. In front of a lot of dogma in the Vatican, the role of the cynical, extremely anachronistic, with a shock of speech, the impact on generations of misreading of Vatican Saint rate. Moretti atheist mouth, the Bible word by word and spirit of the analysis coincide, in his view, the spread of thousands of years of Christian civilization, but in fact it should be from a scientific point of view, user-friendly interpretation. Compared with all kinds of bishops at the Vatican, in fact, many movies before Moretti advocated by the contemporary spirit of analysis, in this film is not a science, to mockery of the system, the Moretti also Duoliaoyifen the self-deprecating, in his view, "all problems should be attributed to trauma or four years old," the view that the Vatican is a nonsensical jokes. Moretti is such entertainment people entertain their intelligent humor, we have a pope, have some feeling of Woody Allen.
I was disappointed by this film. When I first saw the trailer, I thought it looked like an interesting film. Upon seeing it however, I was let down. I found the film to be slow and scattered. There were some interesting ideas present, but they all led absolutely nowhere. It’s like they threw spaghetti at the wall and didn’t bother to stick around to see what stuck. I feel like rather than trying to do all these different things that felt disconnected and scattered from one another, they might have been better off and ended up with a better film had they chosen possibly a few main concepts and delved deeper into those as opposed to scratching the surface of different random stories.
I personally didn’t like any of the characters, but I also felt as though the movie didn’t really give me a chance to – this was partly why it didn’t work as a character film either. Not only did I not actually like or care about any of the characters, but even when I would try, the movie didn’t give me enough on any one character to do so.
Overall I found the film slow and disappointing, which is a little bit of a letdown, considering the concepts involved really did seem to display an interesting level of possibility and potential for a much better film than it turned out to be.
after appreciated this movie, i was so impressive that the Vatican was a hero because he was pretty brave.The Pope's death, the Pope election together on the election next Pope. After many vote, the new Pope finally birth! But waiting in the holy Pierre square but not wait until the new Pope believers out of the balcony that scene. Because he seems to have not ready to undertake the responsibility of so important. Initially,he was afraid because he was not enough powerful and confident. However, all over the world was worried about this case. So,he decided to conquer this problem. He became brave eventually.
Therefore, his virtue was worth people learning. In our daily life, we should quite confident and not afraid that we believe we have ability to resolve depression. Whatever the depression how tough it is, the courage and confidence are most significant to direct our conquer sadness and depression.
Finally, To prevent a crisis, the Vatican's spokesman calls in a psychiatrist in the hopes of finding out what is wrong with the new Pope. The story of movie was so affecting, and the scene of movie was so gorgeous and magnificent.
We Have a Pope was a refreshing take on a possibility of what goes on behind the scenes at the Vatican. As an ordinary citizen, I just always imagined that a cardinal would be thrilled and immediately take on the responsibility if he were chosen to be the Pope. It is an interesting to look at a situation from the other, uncommon point of view.
I liked how Michel Piccoli was initially ecstatic and instantly ready to take on the new role as Pope, but when it came time to address the city, a wave of doubt came over him as he realized he did not want to take on the responsibility. This is important because I think in real life, at one point or another, we are all excited to be promoted or take on a new challenge, but when the time comes, we are too scared to express our fears. While our responsibilities may not be as large as those of the Pope, it is part of life to overcome fear so we can progress in life.
In the end, Piccoli addresses the public and owns up to not being capable or best suited to take on the role. I think that this gesture was a good ending because a Pope, cardinal, or anyone with faith, should be honest with themselves and with the people they have an influence on. While it was not the popular announcement, Piccoli was true to himself, which was the right thing to do. The speech might even go so far as to question the church if absolute devotion to God is worth letting go of one’s passions, and if they do, if the trade-offs are right or fair.
The movie Free Men was a both powerful and interesting. It was interesting to me because as a Jewish person growing up in the 21st century I always hear about hostility between the Jewish and Muslim communities. This movie was a good change to that as it showed the true story of a Mosque that gave Jewish people false ID’s to save their lives during the Holocaust. It was powerful as a movie because it showed the total transformation of a person as a human being. In the beginning Yunes is a simple black market peddler. He cares for no one but himself as shown when he takes a person’s djembe in exchange for two packs of cigarettes, and later in the movie we find that the drum is worth 800 francs which seems enough to buy more than two packs of cigarettes. It is only when he befriends Salim and then gave the Nazis bad information to protect him that we see real character depth from Yunes. From then on he begins to care more and more for the purpose and by the end of the movie he is a leader in the fight for freedom in France. This is a truly moving movie and I’m glad that I went to see it.
For me personally, watching this is similar to the original intention of the European art films, only to age, experience is not high now, in order to improve the ideological level, in order to enhance the level of appreciation, the efforts for the better, advanced in line.Popular speak, this is some sort of acts similar to the loaded 13 Although the film's title Phi coat in documentaries and art films, but the nature of ridicule and is apt to cause resonance. A Cardinal in the case of reluctance to become the newPope (looks like they are not willing to ~), and then he escaped from the church to find thethings they lost in the life of ordinary people around the end of the story is not ourimagine, we have always thought that the new pope will find what they want, and thenfrankly to face their own responsibilities ~ ~In my previous cognitive case, I have always felt that the religious culture of Europe and the United States as China's feudal scenario, like "Angels & Demons" release, very frightening, very rigid. Cardinal those depicted in the film but the very life, and even cute,that heart doctors to teach them to play volleyball that is very interesting, but also the entire film was most impressed. Before it is reported that the Church of the Vatican's "Da Vinci Code" two boycott of the film is very welcome, may be it Xi'an world to show "good"church. Finally, the new Pope of the film after some insight and experience, still did not acceptthat position. This outcome is very profound. Life Depicted in the film is very positive,very sunny, almost no dark side. Of course, the film may be fake, but life is real, we oftendo not review, to know themselves, do not know know to do what in the end, like what to do when they are young, may be beyond our control. But I hope that one day can be done.
The movie called Free Men was a fresh and deep work. It is attractive to me because it was taking about religion with a vision of 21th century. This true story is the most powerful element of this movie, it was talking about the brilliance of humanity, even being controlled by the powerful belief, it is hard to people to hide their kindness. It was a shocking work because it was telling us the truth cannot be destroyed forever, justice always stand at last. In the beginning the leading actor was a normal black clerk of a normal market, problems of class, colour, finance are torching him, like most of people surviving in society. Like everyone struggling, he just cared about his own life, until seen a poor artist, they made an exchange between a drum and 2 packs of cigarettes, and then he found this was a surprise because the price of the drum is much more than those cigarettes. When his buddy cheated the Nazis to protect the leading actor, Yune began to realize the whole nation and country, began to care the other people and tried to help them. Since then, he began to fight for freedom, justice, fight for his nation, and made his dream come true. I always be attracted by the true stories, it is a nice material talked about peace
Although the film was pretty slow, the premise of the story was extremely interesting. It proved how the Muslims weren’t accepted at first either, and even though they were still in the process of being accepted by the French, they allowed the Jews to be considered Muslims in order to stay alive. The character of Younes was an ordinary man caught in an extraordinary situation, and it wasn’t until the finale that his character proved heroic. He’d always seemed to want to do things only for himself, but his selfless acts in the end saved countless people, pushing him up on the hero chart.
However, my favorite character was Salim, the heartbreaking Jewish performer caught between his life and his will to sing. He doesn’t want to be discouraged by the Nazis, but at the same time, they are aware of who he is, and it isn’t until the graveyard scene that his character does a 360 in my eyes. He is completely aware of what is at stake, and when he falls to his knees before the grave, tears welled up in my eyes, because in that moment, the lie became the truth, and he had to live with it. I genuinely liked the film, and when the man who sold Younes out was shot, I couldn’t help but cheer.
As a Sunday school veteran and a current religious studies major with a concentration in Christian history I expected to dislike this film on grounds of inaccuracy alone. The inaccuracy actually didn’t bother me. I disliked the film for other reasons, my main reason being that “We Have a Pope” has a genre problem. The film is both dark and comedic but it is not a dark comedy. The comedy of “We Have a Pope” is for the most part cheerful and innocent. Grandfatherly looking priests play a slapstick-esque game of volleyball; an oddball Swiss-Guard impersonates the Pope, an atheist psychiatrist bonds with a group of grumpy cardinals. On the other hand the main plot of the film is rather dark. An aging cardinal looks back on his deferred dreams and realizes he doesn’t have what it takes to be pope. This storyline and lighthearted comedy do not work well together. In fact, the whole film seems like a battle of which genre will win out. In the end, the dark plot wins out. This casts a pall over the whole film and makes the light-hearted comedy, genuinely enjoyable and chuckle-worthy at the time, seem hollow. The film, though plagued by this genre problem, is still watchable. If only the film-makers had combined comedy and drama more adeptly or chose one over the over, “We Have a Pope” would have been a very interesting film.
I was a bit skeptical about the movie, "Free Men" before I started to watch it. It definitely exceeded my expectations. The movie was described as a spy action drama, but it was quite a bit different. It definitely was an unusual twist on such a standard plot. The main character Younes strikes up a friendship with a Jewish singer, which compels him to join the resistance during World War II. Most movies about the war take place in Germany, so I found it interesting to see what supposedly was taking place in France. I am not sure if there is any factuality to the events, but I found it interesting to see Muslims helping the Jews escape the Nazis. Overall, the plot was interesting enough to keep my attention. It probably wouldn't be anything I would ever want to watch again, though. My favorite part of the movie was the scenery. The muslim temple shown throughout the movie was a beautiful building. The whole building was covered in elaborate, vibrant tiles. The colors in the movie were shown very well. The movie showed themes of friendship and love, which was an interesting mix on the action and war aspects of the film. Younes develops feelings for a woman hiding on at the muslim temple, but they can never start a romance because she is caught and executed. I thought that was pretty sad. I also found the friendship between Younes and Salim to be fascinating. It is discovered that Salim is gay and Younes sort of changes his feelings towards him, but in the end develops an acceptance for his friend. I liked that part of the film. It was nice to see that Younes accepted Salim back in the times where being gay was not discussed or accepted by anyone. Overall the film had a few slow points, but was an interesting take on the standard war/action film.
The comedic aspect in "We Have a Pope" was refreshingly unexpected. I was pleasantly surprised how much I ended up liking the film. I was expecting a movie about the Catholic church to be very serious, but it did a good job of mixing humor with a serious subject. I was raised Catholic, but do not know much about how the selection of the pope is decided so that was interesting to see. It is a very serious process and takes a lot of time. I found it fascinating at how many people stand outside the Vatican just waiting to see who the new pope will be. I felt compassion towards Cardinal Melville throughout the film. I cannot even imagine the amount of pressure one would feel being elected pope. Ultimately after wandering away from the Vatican and trying to find himself, he comes to the conclusion that he is not meant to be pope and cannot handle the responsibility. I thought that was a little unexpected that he ended up turning down the offer of pope. Most movies like this would have him go out discover himself and then decide he's ready, but it was just the opposite. I liked that it broke the stereotype. That kept the film refreshingly unique. I really liked the interactions between all the cardinals and the therapist. My favorite part of the movie was the volleyball game that the therapist organized. I thought it was cute how excited he was for the tournament. It was hilarious to see all the little old men playing volleyball and really getting into it. Most movies do not mix humor and drama together well, but this movie was definitely the exception. I think the elements were combined very smoothly. This movie overall was probably one of my favorites that I have seen at the Cosford this semester.
Overall I felt that the movie We have a Pope was a well-made movie. It mixed a serious topic with comedy in a way that both made sense and had a flow to it. It really did a good job of showing one man’s anguish at not feeling able to be what everyone expects him to be, and how he tries to cope with his life being turned upside down. The viewer can see that Melvile isn’t ready for his position early when one of his friends bows to him and Melvile just can’t handle the people he knows acting like that towards him. He then breaks down, and eventually runs away from the Vatican. At the same time it uses the happenings at the Vatican as a vehicle for comedy. An example of this is shown when one of the guards is told to walk around the Pope’s chambers. I know I laughed whenever the man would rustle the shades slightly and all the other people would come to look. The one criticism I have for this movie is that I didn’t fully understand the relevance of the volleyball games. At first the psychologist character was funny as he was barred from leaving and wasn’t given any information. However after a while he began to rant and rave to the priests and make an elaborate plan for a volleyball tournament. I definitely saw the comedy in it sometimes but at the same time I felt confused.
FREE MEN The movie Free Men definitely was a lot different than what I expected. I thought it would be another run of the mill war movie but the perspective that it took on was completely different than anything I have seen before. Having the movie be set in France was also something that made this movie different than other movies like it. Seeing how the Muslims in the movie helped the Jews escape was also very interesting. It was certainly an entertaining movie from what I expected to see but I don't think I would go see it again. Although, I did like seeing that the Muslims weren't accepted into society as well as the Jewish people but were still able to help out their fellow men and that made a huge impact on the movie and probably on the audience viewing the movie. Lastly, the character development of the main character was what really drew me into the plot and I loved how the audience kept finding out more and more information about how this man really did care for others.
I've Seen many historical theme of the movie, I really prefer the narrative style of the French films, the historic elements in the film are usually solemn.they also are in Free men but the way it expresses it is watery and interiorize. The film is in a tipically French style,the mosIslamic music does highlight the director's style and make the entire film evokes more emotion things of the movie and the history materials.It tells a true but unknown story and make it more complete and comprehensive understanding of World War II in the late France-occupied France, a group of pionieer from North Africa, the anti-colonial, anti-fascist unremitting struggle. Jewish and Islamic descent, under fascist rule, jointly external struggle. After the film ends meet, and fans to the "free" is the French version of "Schindler's List", and I think "free man" himself, no need compared to other films, but also are not comparable.
This was diffidently a good movie. at the beginning it was a little slow. once it had built the back ground it became a whole another thing that was fun to watch. when i went to see the movie i had a a thought that the whole movie was going to be like how the ending parts were. in that since i do wish their could of been more but while i think the slow beginning was a little long it was worth it at the end. when it comes to characters i think everyone played their part fairly well. in the end it was a good movie and I'm glad i decided to make this one of the last movies i had to go see.
This movie along with Free Man caught my interest and made me want to watch it when i saw the poster for it. Going in i had no real thoughts already formed for it. i only new what the title said so i knew it was going to be about the Catholic Church and the Pope. the movie was one of those movies that keep you watching and it had a serious tone throughout, but it a comedic release throughout to keep you laughing and in a good mood while allowing you to view the serious part with out getting bored. while i liked the whole movie i feel like the movie was cut off where it ended leaving a very open ending for the watchers to fill in themselves. In a way i feel like this was needed to end the movie without things getting to confusing but still leaves me wanting more. in the end it did have me engrossed with the movie to the end.
After appreciated this movie, needless to say that freemen is a excellent film because it has a good story, and the Younes is so brave. When they encounter the tough problems they were brave to conquer depressions, which was impressed me deeply. I consider that it is why the movie to be more attractive.
Paris falls. The young Algerian immigrants do business on the black market Younes live on. Was arrested, Younes accept the French police conditions for them to monitor a Paris mosque. Police suspect the person in charge of the mosque, Si Kaddour Ben Ghabrit give the jews and the French resistance movement offers their false identity to cover them.
In the mosque, Younes understanding Algeria African singer Salim Halali, and be the latter by voice and individual character, and he became friends. Younes soon found Salim are jews. At the risk of hunted, Younes over him and police relations of cooperation.
Dealing with the world various atrocities, has not received any political education of immigrant workers start metamorphosis Younes step by step, and eventually become a free fighter.
I enjoyed Ismael’s Ferrokhi’s “Free Men” but it struck me as the type of story that I had seen before. Numerous films have come out after the Holocaust that depict heroism and many of them are based on true stories like this film. Each act of heroism deserves a great deal of credit, but I do not think each one needs to be made into a film. I have seen “Schindler’s List,” “The Pianist,” and “Defiance” even though those films are very different from “Free Men” they overall message that I got from them was relatively the same. Even though I believe that Holocaust and World War 2 movies are becoming a little but overplayed there were elements of the film that I found extremely powerful. Focally, the scene toward the end of the film when Younes and the other Muslims are at the Mosque and they are hiding Jewish people in the basement. Younes finds the little girl, who I assumed to be Jewish, and tries to sneak her back into the basement. He realizes that he is going to be seen by the Germans, but the leader of the Muslim ceremony does as well. He dismisses the congregation what are inside the Mosque and this provides the camouflage that Younes needs to save the girl. The cooperation and risk that the Muslim people in this scene to protect people, who weren’t their own, was very powerful in my opinion.
Nanni Moretti’s “We Have a Pope” was a film that I thoroughly enjoyed because I personally am Catholic. While I can imagine older Catholics who were raised stricter and more traditionally probably didn’t enjoy this, I did. I have always had this image that when the Pope is selected he is instantly overjoyed and does not even think twice about saying yes. Melville in the film gives humanness to what it must actually be like to face the task of being the Catholic Pope. Melville does not want to be the Pope he is old and does not want the responsibility. Once Melville sneaks away from the Vatican the viewer can see that even the College of Cardinals are not restricted to regimen and prayer all day. The holy men are seen doing everyday activities like playing volleyball and cards with one another. Melville gets the opportunity to do some of the things that he had once loved when he was younger like going to plays. As a Catholic I can say that this film did not offend me at all. On the contrary, it made me think of the Pope and the College of Cardinals as people similar to myself who face the same trifles and fears that I do. Moretti’s ability to make the viewer see holy people as people and not as superiors was masterful in this film.
Pope election process of the film very presence, whether it is the elegant dress of the bishops, the guards, the presentation ceremony details, grand solemn atmosphere to create a feel like the real thing. In these religious ceremonies rules interspersed with sudden funny episode, not only will not be boring there "Laughter fruit." Behind closed doors, the election was experiencing power outages, but recovery can only wait for the power to protect the murals. Consider the election a pen kept knocking desktop, all the voices continue to pray for "Do not vote for me!"
The movie assumes that the panic fearless Pope, as mortal as the face of very great pressure, there will be can not afford the time and thus collapse. If so, it is interesting. The Pope can not serve, can not be announced to the media followers. The cardinals have to continue in there, can not be free. They had in their own small room, fitness, puzzles, playing cards fortune telling to pass the time. Later partitions or even playing volleyball World Cycling Competition cheer for the Pope, the director also presents deliberately slow-motion shots of sports competitions, very poetic, but also ridiculous; invited a professor of psychology at the face of the Holy See, all kinds of restrictions on faith premise, nothing can not ask can not be said, no way of displaying his treatment professional, can only follow in there. Hand no book is the Bible, from the inside to find numerous cases of depression, but also the way they explain the difference of sleeping pills with tranquilizers and medication safety. These religious leaders in the film is very taste.
I went into the film believing that We Have A Pope had a lot of promise. The trailer made it look as though it would be an interesting character story, and while at some times it attempted to be, I felt the story was far too scattered and tried to do too many things at once. The self-doubt that cardinal Melville had in himself to become pope made him a very relatable character at first, because we all have those instances of whether or not we feel we’re ready to take on new responsibilities. However; as the film progressed, we really do not get to learn more about him. We learn a couple of things here and there, but I felt there was nothing that really gave us any insight as to why he was so unwilling to take the job. I also did not quite understand the role of the psychologist. When they introduced him, I thought it would lead to some interesting debates between him and Melville or some other cardinals about science vs religion. Instead, he does not seem to do much, he just sort of stands around waiting for the pope to return like all the other cardinals. While he does have a couple of good scenes with the members of the church, I felt as though his character was not as interesting as he could have been. I felt the film left too many unanswered questions that needed to be answered in order for the audience to get more invested in the story. It’s one thing to leave things open for interpretation, but it’s another thing to leave out (at least what I felt) were essential things we needed to know to feel involved. At the end, I still felt very distant from all of the characters in the film.
When I saw the trailer for We Have a Pope, I thought it would be a movie that I would enjoy as I was raised Catholic, and although I no longer am, I figured much of the humor would be more easily understood and appreciated by someone with knowledge of the Vatican. However, the movie ended up being much different than I had anticipated. While I was expecting to see a comedy about a man who was nervous about being the pope, the actual plot is much darker than that. The film operates under the assumption that no one wants to be the pope, as shown during the scene when they are voting and everyone is praying to God that they are not picked. The man who ends up being selected is a surprise pick that no one saw coming, and the weight of the pressure of the position crushes the man, and he basically shirks his duties and leaves the Vatican for a while to try and find the strength to be the pope. Overall, the film was about a journey of self-discovery for an old man who many people worshipped, yet he himself never found himself worthy or able to fulfill the position he was voted into. In conclusion, I thought it was an alright movie, although I definitely went in with expectations of it being more of a comedy than it was, and that probably altered my view of it slightly.
We have a Pope I surprisingly really liked the film We have a Pope. We have a Pope is a satirical film about the election of a new Pope at the Vatican. As a catholic I thought that the film was going to be all about the religion itself and the election process, which would have led to repeated information and boredom but it ended up not being about that at all. It actually in a way, though not offensive to me makes fun of the catholic religion. It does in a funny way though and in such a way that even a Catholic (me) can enjoy it. Basically it portrays the fact that nobody wants the responsibility of being the pope. And instead of doing the pope duties this new pope goes off into Rome and meets Romans face to face, something never done before by the Pope. The Pope’s experiences and the secret itself contribute to the overall humor in this movie. The pope’s psychoanalyst has to constantly cover up his whereabouts and convince the other Cardinals he is in the Vatican when in reality he is on the Roman streets. Through these experiences the Pope realizes he is not really meant to be the Pope and at the end announces to everyone on the balcony this. This movie was very funny to me because I could not imagine this happening in real life.
The original intention of the film shooting is strange. If it is a true story, then no problem, this is a movie worth watching, the film depicts the relaxed atmosphere of innocence and bishops unknown side of the people feel happy. But the question is, since it is not a real event to take in this sensitive subject matter of the Pope to poke fun at, if not religious believers, but also how to think a bit too. If, as the director said, want to show just one person in a personal capacity can not match a great responsibility when anxious, in fact, can be selected theme and point of view, why must the history of the Pope never appear similar the point of view of the situation? Has its own commercial purposes? Not religious believers, does not mean that should not respect their beliefs, history does not have a precedent for the sudden collapse of the Pope, so to interpret it is a considerable lack of respect. But logically speaking, since in the long-term career in the clergy has been done somewhere Cardinal itself already has the overall ability of the exercise was calm and in public, was elected as Pope suddenly nervous breakdown the formulation does not have convincing.
We Have a Pope This is probably one of my favorite movies I had the opportunity to watch all year. This movie is about the election of the new pope but with a twist. This movie has the pope go into town and meet the Romans instead of doing his job as Pope. It basically shows that no one wants to have the responsibilities that a Pope needs to have. The Pope has to keep his whereabouts hidden throughout the movie and by going out into the world he realizes that being Pope is not for him so he announces to the world at the end of the movie the news. I was laughing throughout the entire movie. The director of this movie did a fantastic job with jokes and getting everything right. I'm Italian and the jokes in Italian were even better. I thought that this movie would have been offensive to Catholics but in fact it wasn't and I think the director made a great movie.
From a general standpoint, We Have a Pope was not one of my favorite films; however, I did enjoy the themes and messages it presented to the audience and I felt like I learned something from the film as I left the theatre. The way in which the film presented religion, the church, and the pope was truly different which made for a unique viewing experience in which the audience is kept engaged because they are learning a new aspect of something they thought they knew all about.
The audience learns that the church is not as black and white as it may seem and those involved with the church such as the cardinals, as presented in the film, must deal with their own issues as well. Cardinal Melville, who is elected the new pope by all the cardinals, is unable to perform his new found duty as the pope. Everyone waiting outside for him to present himself thinks that he is gifted to have that position, but on the other hand, he does like it one bit and can not cope with the difficulties and stress the job of being a pope brings. Cardinal Melville essentially runs away for a short period and during this time, he begins to learn more about himself. As a result of this, Cardinal Melville simply concludes that he is not fit for the job and it is here that we, as the audience, learn that the church is not perfect either as it is run by humans just like ourselves.
Before seeing Free Men, I was not expecting to take much from the film due to the fact I had not heard much about it and did not know what to expect. Now, I can conclude that Free Men, a film that focuses on how Muslims utilized their mosque in order to help Jews from being taken away, was my favorite movie that I have seen at the Cosford Cinema.
The film follows Younes, an Algerian immigrant, as he goes from selling on the black market, to working undercover for the police, and finally, to becoming a freedom fighter for the Jews. I believe this movie makes a deep argument about the human race which ultimately makes the movie appealing to me. The Muslims could have easily minded their own business and let the French and Jews do what they needed to do; however, the Muslims used their mosque as safe place for the Jews. This allowed the Jews to find a little more peace in life and not have to be constantly looking over their should in fear of their safety. The film effectively conveyed the thought that we are all on this planet together and as members of the human race, although we may divided by religions or races, we need to help each other for the common good. Younes is a prime example of how one man with these motives can make such a difference and through Free Men, this message was effectively delivered to the audience.
When I watched We Have a Pope my friend who sat with me slept through and I feel bad that he missed an excellent movie. I understand why someone would be bored with the foreign, slow passed movie about old people, but I found it hilarious, captivating and created an emotion bond to its characters. All the actors, playing the different cardinals of the Vatican played outstanding performances. The movie is clearly a comedy about old people. I never thought that a movie that deals with religion and the election of a new Pope would be as comedic as Nanni Moretti directed his. The central theme in this story is deals with faith, the one from God, and faith, that come from within yourself. The main character who plays Il papa has an internal struggle because he does not believe that the faith in God, and God’s faith in him is stronger than his own faith in himself. The movie revolves around this internal conflict and the relationship of the Pope with his therapist. This movie makes a point by saying that our own beliefs and faith in our self should be the strongest one. If you don’t believe in yourself, not even God can help you, or even, convince you to have a little more faith in yourself. Another thought that remains in my mind after watching this movie is the realization that even the most sacred figure on this planet has his own problems, internal struggles and doubts when it comes to “if he is right for the job”.
Free Men is a recently made film about Jews pretending to be Muslim in France during World War II in order to escape Nazi oppression. It was great story but I feel like the movie could have been done better. The main ideas and themes of the movie are nothing new. There have been several major Hollywood productions about the holocaust and World War II. Though the ideas can sometimes seem overplayed I really liked this movie. I really enjoyed the transformation of the main character. In the beginning, the main character, Younes, seems to only care about himself, but he eventually shows his compassion and helps others. He helps Salim escape the Nazis by giving them false information. He helps the girl escape to the safe part of the mosque before the Germans can find her. The movie carries a good amount of action especially towards the end that helps pick up the pace of a sometimes slow movie. I have never really seen a movie about the holocaust during World War II that was also an action film. It felt like a new look on a topic I have known for a while. Overall I would say this was a good movie that people should go see because it is an action movie about World War II. Most are very slow and depressing about the topic like Shindler’s List. This feels like a fresh look on the ideas of compassion during a horrible point in human history.
We Have A Pope We have a pope totally caught me off guard. At first I went in expecting this to be a more factual film that goes through the election process of a pope, with maybe a few deaths or twists. What actually transpired when I sat down to watch was the exact opposite. We have a pope is instead more a satire about the election of the new pope and his coping with receiving a position of this magnitude. At first we expect the pope to take this position very seriously as if he had been dedicated and working towards it all his life. Instead he actually would rather just live like a normal Italian man!! He goes away into hiding in Rome and interacts with the citizens; something that has never before been done by a pope. Through his everyday experiences with the citizens of Rome and his yearning for a normal life, in the end he dramatically decides that he himself is not the right man for the great position of The Pope. I feel like he did the right thing in the end by relinquishing his power. It takes a very wise person to admit when they are the problem and step out of a position of power. This movie shows that with great power comes great responsibility, and a lot of times people dont want to be trusted with all that responsibility and just want simple lives.
Excellent comedy. I went in hoping it would be funny and make fun of the crazy things in Christianity and it more or less did. It also added a new view on what a good Pope would do. The Pope is one of the most powerful positions that is under looked. All the actors did excellent jobs as well. As always I enjoy the foreign flair that comes along with foreign films. Now I can recommend a good satire on the Church as well.
The first half of Free Men was very slow. It started to pick up toward the middle of the film. For the second half of the film I was very intrigued about what was going to happen next; especially in the parts where they go to the hospital to rescue their friend and when Younes is looking for the little Jewish girl in order to escape from Nazi occupied Paris and the mosque that had been occupied by the Nazi police. What I liked about this film is that it offered a new perspective on World War II. In history classes, movies, and books I’ve usually learned about World War II from the perspective of the Americans or from the Jewish and other victims of the war. I had never seen a perspective from the Muslims or how a resistance worked at that time. It was very interesting to see what they did and how they risked their lives to help as many people as they could. Also, I loved the way the character Benghabrit confronted the Nazis and protected the people he was hiding and helping. Overall, Free Men was a great film and I would recommend it to other people.
We Have a Pope was a very good film. It was not what I expected from the trailer but I thought it was a good film anyway. I wasn’t expecting to enjoy the movie as much as I did. Each of the cardinals had a different personality and contributed to the film. I felt like I was discovering the Vatican and the cardinals along with the Psychologist who wasn’t allowed to leave the Vatican. He bonded with the cardinals and made them expose their personality and fun side. It was as if the viewer was experiencing and discovering the same things as the Psychologist; everything was new. When I was younger, I volunteered at a theatre full of elderly volunteers so while I was watching this movie I could relate and understand the comedy directed to an older generation. This movie also made me consider the Pope elections in real life. I have never paid attention to them and I can’t help but wonder if real-life cardinals feel the same as or similar to the way cardinals feel in the film. Also, I thought that at the end he was going to accept his role as the pope and act as if nothing had happened. I didn’t think he would confess to the public and tell them that he was not the leader they needed.
Free Men I am still on the ropes about Free Men. The concept of Jews pretending to be Muslims during World War Two is very new and versatile; however, I think the movie could have been executed much better. Some high points of the movie that I did enjoy was watching the morphing and transformation of the individual characters throughout the film as they began to cope with their horrible situation. In particular my favorite changes occurred with Younes. In the film Younes, an Algerian immigrant, goes from being an internal person, somewhat selfish and narcissistic; thinking only about himself at time. By the end of the movie he was empathetic and compassionate towards the Jews cause. He eventually becomes an activist for the Jews. I feel like this movie is basically an alternative spin off of the movie Schindler's List. Although the idea was very appealing, the film makers could have done more to make it more appealing and believable. It was interesting and informative to hear another story about the Holocaust, and especially refreshing to finally hear a positive story about human compassion and sacrifice. Seeing another perspective of the Holocaust era World War Two is what kept me engaged in the film, but overall I'm glad I watched this film and learned a few new things.
I think one genre of film that does not translate as well, in different languages is comedy. The themes and story translate fine, but comedy needs a sense of timing and delivery that isn’t the same when you’re reading it from the bottom of the screen. Where We have a Pope succeeds is first of all it’s a very good story and it is a well developed film but also a lot of the comedy in the movie is physical and that does translate well. Michel Piccoli, the lead, I feel was much better physically playing the character then when he actually spoke. The emotions he displayed when he was first elected and is subsequent sadness, I feel were much more effective than his spoken parts. But still overall he performed his role extremely well and showed the emotion of a confused man, who is getting his mid-life crisis about 40 years too late. I’m not positive if the ending was written as well as the rest of the movie, just logically. Why would Piccoli’s character be willing to accept his role just to reject in front of millions. I feel like it goes against the character they tried to establish of being too himself and afraid of the spotlight. But overall, the ending was effective in bringing together a conclusion to the film and the “ Pope’s” decision.
This was probably one of the most surprising things I’ve seen. I came into it with a definite amount of skepticism because I honestly did not expect to enjoy it at all. But what I must say is it I found it amazing and it is probably my favorite iteration of Romeo and Juliet. The way they were able to convey the emotion of the story was absolutely incredible. When Romeo and Juliet first met each other, there was no words exchanged but the way they looked at each other led you to have so many emotions and feelings that you know they are feeling and it was very brilliant. Also I am not a ballet excpert but the dancer who portrayed Juliet was absolutely mesmerizing and moved with such grace and ability that it was impossible to not be enthralled by her. The only criticism I may have is that if you have never seen Romeo and Juliet before, then the story may be harder to follow, but since it’s pretty universal it just amplifies the story and it was very well done. Also the music establishes not only the rhythm for the dancing but also the mood of the scenes that they were portraying.
I was expecting “Free Men” to be just another war movie. I was pleasantly surprised that it was not. What most impressed me about “Free Men” was its atmosphere. I felt completely transported to the Muslim subculture of 1940’s Paris. The music helped create the atmosphere. Although I don’t think I had ever listened to Algerian music before, and I’m not sure if I ever will again, it completely made the movie for me. The costume and set design was also near flawless. The atmosphere would have mattered little, however, if the story was not at least decent. Although the story did at times veer towards “just another war movie” the character development saved it. The main characters were well-developed.
This is a slightly humorous comedy making a parody about what would happen if a pope was too nervous to take his place and and address the public. It is a display of faith, counteracted by a flaky pope.
I was not very interested in this film. It didn't really strike me as too funny, possibly because the humor didn't translate over the language barrier so well.
However, it was pretty neat to see how the pope reacted to his new position. He went out and interacted with the common people, as if he was just a normal member of society. This film is just a nice way to refresh our understanding that every person is just a human being who experiences similar sensations to everyone else. Everyone is equally as capable as the next person in line.
We Have a Pope was an okay film. Being the chosen one was not an easy task. The Pope felt closed in and needed some air to breathe. He had been unhappy for a very long time and wanted to be able to enjoy his life without being locked up in the same place all the time. The other popes were excited to work with the "Chosen One", but failed to realize that he did not want to carry the title given to him. After seeing a psychiatrist and learning that he may have been suffering due to parental deficiencies, the Pope decided to run away and enjoy being around people who did not know his true identity. I thought that it was cute how he thought that parental deficiency was a disease he was suffering from. Some of the rules that popes, nuns, and other officials had to observe in the monastery were ridiculous. Being able to be away from all his duties allowed the Pope to be happy and gave him the opportunity to enjoy the things that he loved before becoming a pope. This helped him realize that he did not want to be the chosen one and it was time to reveal that to the world. The entire nation was disappointed by the news, but the Pope needed to be be honest so that he could be at peace. I learned that sometimes we have to do what makes us happy and not allow anyone to make us feel trapped.
Free Men was a touching film. The unity that was in place to save as many Algarian Muslims and Jews as possible was amazing. This film was based on World War II. They put aside their ethnicity and religious beliefs so that they were able to fight the common enemy. I loved how the guy was going to get caught trying to save the little girl, but there was a distraction put in place to aid this heroic act. The Holocaust was one of the most horrific events in history and one of the worst hate crimes committed. This film can definitely be some what similar to Schindler's List. Both of the main characters were self-centered and could careless about what was going on around them, but by the end of the film they did everything they could to save the lives of innocent individuals. This teaches us compassion for others. We should help one another rather than try and destroy one another. This world would have been a much happier place if that ever happened.
Free Men C04997305 Free Men tells the tale of Younes an Algerian immigrant in France during World War Two. Younes earns his money as a black market peddler, taking advantage of his own people with very little remorse. His cousin, a member of the resistance, is a wanted man. During a raid meant to capture his cousin, Yunes is captured and forced to spy on the local mosque by the police force. At the mosque Yunes befriends Salim, a fellow Algerian immigrant and talented singer. As his friendship with Salim grows Yunes discovers that he is Jewish and being protected by the resistance fighters residing in the mosque. Yunes relizes he has been betraying his own countrymen regardless of their religion and joins the fight against the Germans. Free Men is a moving tale based off of true events that transpired in France during World War Two. The character of Yunes is used to embody the brave efforts of many individuals during those trying times. The film itself is a beautiful period piece and approaches World War Two from the perspective of Muslim immigrants in Europe, which I have not seen before. The film informs the audience of a lesser known history while also serving to entertain.
We Have a Pope C04997305 We Have a Pope takes a very different look at the Catholic Church. In We Have a Pope a reluctant and unlikely Pope is selected by his peers. The surprise and the gravity of his election to the most powerful position in the church leaves him lost and broken. He is emotionally incapable of taking the role and escapes the confines of the Vatican before he can be announced to go on a soul searching through Rome. As a young man he had always wanted to be an actor, he finds himself among an acting troupe and feels pleasantly at home hoping the experience will serve as some kind of therapy. Meanwhile the cardinals that elected their reluctant pope have been sequestered to the confines of the Vatican until the situation has remedied itself. We get to see a different side of the church as hilarity ensues between the cooped cardinals and the psychiatrist originally brought in to treat the Pope. The cardinals are portrayed as normal everyday individuals which is exemplified during a very comical volleyball tournament. In the end the Pope returns to the Vatican and announces to the public that he is incapable of performing his duties leaving us with a very dark and ominous ending to the film. I greatly enjoyed this film. It’s interesting how Moretti manages to humanize and satirize one of the oldest and most renowned institutions in the world.
We Have a Pope
ReplyDeleteGaurav Dhiman
I saw "We Have a Pope" this past Saturday. I was pleasantly delighted with what I saw and experienced. As many moviegoers enter theaters with preconceived notions of what to expect from a movie, so did I, regardless of the fact that I only look at the overall rating of a movie on Rotten Tomatoes than actually reading a plot synopsis or viewing a film trailer.
In terms of expectations, I thought that the movie would mock the Catholic Church and its many scandals, seeing as I had heard the film were a "comedy." It certainly turned out to be a comedy, albeit a very heartful one. The movie served as a meditation on how power intimidates some and how they react to the uncertainties of a future in which they possess immense power. For our main character, he does not feel ready to be Pope and feels that he has been elected into a position that seems a bit removed from the ordinary world. The disconnect revolves more around the Church's understanding of ordinary people's problems than actual doctrine or dogma.
The most shocking part of the film is when the new pope again relinquishes his authority in the finale. To me, it came as a surprise. That very quick bit in the movie ultimately made the theme all-too-clear: Sometimes power and altruism do not go hand in hand. Although one provides the means to be the altruist, the original notion behind that mentality is simply too grand for ordinary human power. In one way, it is accepting that we all are idealists but also pragmatists in the sense that we know that nothing in the world can allow us to practice that altruism to the fullest. Our friend in the cardinal understands and shies away from ultimate power, realizing that it, too, cannot lead him to the greatest levels of good.
Overall, the film is a smart and mostly wholesome aggregate of comedy and drama. The film covers a short period in time and has a proper pacing. This allows us to absorb the film without it feeling too slow or too fast.
The editing of the film contributes to this sharpness. The music appropriately expresses the overall mood of each scene. The landscape shots also contribute very well to the grand scope of the the consequences of the pope's actions.
"Habemus Papam", by Nanni Moretti, is easily the funniest film I have ever seen about the Catholic Church. Often in the movies, the Catholic Church is used as the backdrop for a massive global conspiracy or as a counterpoint to mob violence (I'm looking at you, Coppola). Otherwise, it's a source of mockery and derision. While watching this film, I was struck by how simultaneously funny and reverential the film was regarding the Church. Much of the comedy came from unexpected quirks and interactions between the cardinals, (especially during the most entertaining volleyball game I've ever seen on film) instead of from mocking or degrading the Church.
ReplyDeleteAt its core, however, "Habemus Papam" is not about the Church, the Pope, or the Cardinals at all - it is a simple human drama about a man struggling to come to terms with an enormous responsibility. The central performance by Michel Piccoli was simply beautiful to watch. From the very beginning, I felt like I had known him for years, but although his emotions were always clear and his portrayal very realistic, I still wondered what he was thinking. At the film's end, when he relinquishes his role as Pope, I was shocked. Very few movies can keep me guessing until their final moments like that. Even though I was still confused, I was satisfied because the protagonist was satisfied. Overall, watching "Habemus Papam" was a fantastic way to spend a rainy Sunday afternoon.
Hiram Aparicio
ReplyDeleteC06979667
Free Men
Free-Men, Was an amazing film concerning a young black-market peddler named Yunes, who has moved from Algeria to occupied France during World War 2 in order to amass a fortune and return to his family. During his stay there he is caught by the authorities and used as a spy. They have him report on the activities of a musque which is fabricating false certificates so that jews may pass as muslim and hence be spared from the atrocities of the holocaust. As time progresses he ends up joining the French resistance against the Nazis. The film is beautifully filmed with many rich shots. I was particularly impressed by the main character's acting. Often he would be silent and portray the storyline through his expressions rather than through dialogoe. The only thing that confused me in this film was his relationship with Selim, a young jewish singer whom he develops a relationship with. The movie ends with both men staring at each other very seriously after years of not having seen each other. One might expect a smile, or some sign of acknowledgment, between the two, but we see nothing. Still, this does not detract from the movie, rather adds an openess to interpretation and an extra layer of complexity/realism. However, i did encounter a gentlemen outside of the theater who suggested that the movie was "twenty minutes too long." But, personally, I thought it was great.
Hiram Aparicio
ReplyDeleteC06979667
We Have A Pope
We Have A Pope, or Habemus Papem, was a movie that takes the viewer through many different chambers of their psychological responses to observed events. The man that is elected pope can not stand to bare such an immense responsibility. Often he shrieks in pain and explodes into outbursts, feeling that he is unfit to be the holy leader. He feels that God sees something in him that he does not possess. That God has ordained him as pope but that he can not fulfill the expectations of God. The film depicts these aspects very morbidly and it is quite emotionally stirring. At the same time, this movie has many funny parts which allow one to warm up to the character. It also incorporates an atheist psychologist (who somewhat functions as a comic relief by lightening up the mood on many occasions) who is called in to help the pope regain psychological balance. In a beautiful scene in the movie, the psychologist is playing a game with the cardinals, (or bishops... actually I'm not sure what they are, but they are sometime of religious men. But anyway--) and in discussing the rules, the psychologist metaphorically asserts that he believes he understands, but that he understands it in his own way, and he pleads with them to let him do it his own way. I believe this was in actuality symbolizing that an atheist, or a scientist, may still have an understanding and appreciation for the same things as a religious person, they are merely using different words to relate to the same things. It is the type of view supported by a branch of philosophers who argue towards mysticism, meaning that all religious notions are trying to relate to the same thing but different people simply have different ways of perception. I was very pleased with the ending of this film for it leaves us surprised by what the pope finally decides to do in the end. It is by no means a typical happy ending, rather a beautiful portrayal of reality and the fragility of men -- even those held with the greatest regard.
We Have A Pope
ReplyDeleteBefore I saw this film I wasn't sure what to expect. I kind of expected it to be a fake "behind the scenes" documentary style film about choosing a new Pope. I was glad to find out that I was very wrong. The film portrayed a drama of a man who is to be elected Pope but who does not feel that he is capable of the responsibility. The film evoked true emotions from the audience and it seemed sincere throughout. There was also a comedic quality to the film which I was very surprised by. If you asked me if I thought a movie about the church could be funny I would have definitely said no, but after seeing the film, I can say that this one actually made me laugh. The humor was tasteful as well, rather than mocking the church. Another great part about this film was that it kept me guessing. I could not predict what would happen, especially in the shocking end when he refuses to be Pope. Some people are leaders, and some people are followers and that his what the 'to-be Pope' had to decide for himself. Overall I really enjoyed the movie and I would definitely see it again.
Free Men
ReplyDeleteThis was a very well put together movie. I though that this film, more-so than some other cultural films, had a better flow throughout. Each scene seemed to fit, and it didn't seem to drag on at any point. The main character was a very charismatic character, mostly because his acting was great. He moves to France to be with his family and he is caught and forced to act as a spy. Eventually he joins the French in their attempts to stop the Nazis. While the main character does not speak much, he is still able to make the audience feel the emotions of the scene. For example we can feel the love he has for his family and we can feel his anger with people even though he is a man of few words. This film was very good, though I didn't think it was as good as We Have a Pope. Had the movie been in English I may have enjoyed it more, but overall it was still a good film.
When I started watching the movie We Have a Pope, I wasn't interested in the movie at all (I am an atheism). But some anecdotes in the movie were particularly funny when they happen on the pope, who was supposed to be know-it-all and surreally calm. But the movie displays the pope's anxiety and fear about being the new pope, shows that the pope is a human too thus has emotions. When the scene comes while the pope was wandering on the street and reflecting on his life, it also conveys that people have the right and potential to change their life in any stage of life. Even someone who's life is so settled as a pope.
ReplyDeleteThe scenes and pops in the movie were quite real, I think red and white are the main colors in the film as they appeared both in the pope's gown and the architecture, i like them a lot as they provide the movie with a very majestic ambience. And at the same time they make the film very lively, which was also reflected by the pope's emotional adjusts. So I really think the frame and the plot of the movie echo with each other very smoothly.
Christian Casas
ReplyDeleteC10592802
We have a Pope.
The movie is titled we have a pope which is directed by Nanni Moreetti. The focus is on the relationship between the new pope and the therapist. The successor is Cardinal Melville, yet when he is told that the he can great people from the balcony, he steps back. The people that are waiting for him to come out are waiting in vain. I personally do not really like religious movies, since it can become rather frustrating and it can change the image I once had of a particular authors. Since I am not into religion, I was unaware of the protocol for the religion, such as the greeting from the pope and daily interactions. Henceforth, there is new information for me regarding each religious action, but even though it may be on the Internet or television, I can learn about this civilization, it is actually a fun read too
Feng Yang
ReplyDeleteC06087996
WE HAVE A POPE
I thought it would be something like (about religion, the dark side of human nature, secretes and struggles) when it started the movie at the very beginning. I was SO wrong. All the scenes are legit and straightforward though, it is an unexpected cute movie. It amused me so much when all the cardinals were murmuring “Not me. Not me God Jesus”. I found it really familiar because that’s what I do before my exams! “God bless my Finance midterm”. They picked their pope out of so many cardinals though; they did not have their pope, because their pope was so fearful to make his speech in front of his people. He ran away from his responsibility and decided to find his own dreams and himself. Unlike common stereotypes of clergies, in the movie they had their own pleasures and emotions; the pope and all those cardinals, they were just like any random elder people living next door in the neighborhood. It must have a lot to do with it that the director is an atheist—the movie did not try to judge or criticize when the new pope decided to fulfill his personal dreams instead of continue to practice his believes after exploring the folks’ world.
Free Men
ReplyDeleteI was intrigued by the subject matter of the Muslim/Jew controversy which is why I chose to go see Free Men. I was disappointed by the movie though. I felt the movie was very long and not that interesting. I was interested in the topic of Jews pretending to be Muslims during World War ll but I felt like the movie took forever to get me interested. I usually like action movies but the only part of the film where there is intense fighting is towards the end. There was a twist to the plot which did make me more attentive towards the movie when we find out that Salim is really Jewish and a homosexual. This came to a surprise to me because Salim is constantly singing at the Mosque. As a Jew, I cannot imagine having to live my whole life pretending to be a Muslim. This movie is depicts true events which really came to a shock to me. I had no idea Algerian Jews flocked to France and some had to pretend to be Muslims during WWII. Overall, I found the idea fascinating but the movie felt drawn-out to me.
We have a pope
ReplyDeletethere are so many director also write scripts at the same time in Euroupe,but directors, like Moretti,hold on to his own creation and know how to express by screen is definitely a very few. Moretti directed first Italian film which has its own production company and try to control the movie on every single perspective. We have a pope, he played Blaze is a continuation of its many film roles.
like [The Son's Room] [Pope]in the Moretti is still a slightly awkward psychiatrist. In front of a lot of dogma in the Vatican, the role of the cynical, extremely anachronistic, with a shock of speech, the impact on generations of misreading of Vatican Saint rate. Moretti atheist mouth, the Bible word by word and spirit of the analysis coincide, in his view, the spread of thousands of years of Christian civilization, but in fact it should be from a scientific point of view, user-friendly interpretation. Compared with all kinds of bishops at the Vatican, in fact, many movies before Moretti advocated by the contemporary spirit of analysis, in this film is not a science, to mockery of the system, the Moretti also Duoliaoyifen the self-deprecating, in his view, "all problems should be attributed to trauma or four years old," the view that the Vatican is a nonsensical jokes. Moretti is such entertainment people entertain their intelligent humor, we have a pope, have some feeling of Woody Allen.
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteWE HAVE A POPE – ERICA GOTTFRIED
ReplyDeleteI was disappointed by this film. When I first saw the trailer, I thought it looked like an interesting film. Upon seeing it however, I was let down. I found the film to be slow and scattered. There were some interesting ideas present, but they all led absolutely nowhere. It’s like they threw spaghetti at the wall and didn’t bother to stick around to see what stuck. I feel like rather than trying to do all these different things that felt disconnected and scattered from one another, they might have been better off and ended up with a better film had they chosen possibly a few main concepts and delved deeper into those as opposed to scratching the surface of different random stories.
I personally didn’t like any of the characters, but I also felt as though the movie didn’t really give me a chance to – this was partly why it didn’t work as a character film either. Not only did I not actually like or care about any of the characters, but even when I would try, the movie didn’t give me enough on any one character to do so.
Overall I found the film slow and disappointing, which is a little bit of a letdown, considering the concepts involved really did seem to display an interesting level of possibility and potential for a much better film than it turned out to be.
We have a pope.
ReplyDeleteafter appreciated this movie, i was so impressive that the Vatican was a hero because he was pretty brave.The Pope's death, the Pope election together on the election next Pope. After many vote, the new Pope finally birth! But waiting in the holy Pierre square but not wait until the new Pope believers out of the balcony that scene. Because he seems to have not ready to undertake the responsibility of so important. Initially,he was afraid because he was not enough powerful and confident. However, all over the world was worried about this case. So,he decided to conquer this problem. He became brave eventually.
Therefore, his virtue was worth people learning. In our daily life, we should quite confident and not afraid that we believe we have ability to resolve depression. Whatever the depression how tough it is, the courage and confidence are most significant to direct our conquer sadness and depression.
Finally, To prevent a crisis, the Vatican's spokesman calls in a psychiatrist in the hopes of finding out what is wrong with the new Pope. The story of movie was so affecting, and the scene of movie was so gorgeous and magnificent.
We Have a Pope
ReplyDeleteHolly Bensur
C09668372
We Have a Pope was a refreshing take on a possibility of what goes on behind the scenes at the Vatican. As an ordinary citizen, I just always imagined that a cardinal would be thrilled and immediately take on the responsibility if he were chosen to be the Pope. It is an interesting to look at a situation from the other, uncommon point of view.
I liked how Michel Piccoli was initially ecstatic and instantly ready to take on the new role as Pope, but when it came time to address the city, a wave of doubt came over him as he realized he did not want to take on the responsibility. This is important because I think in real life, at one point or another, we are all excited to be promoted or take on a new challenge, but when the time comes, we are too scared to express our fears. While our responsibilities may not be as large as those of the Pope, it is part of life to overcome fear so we can progress in life.
In the end, Piccoli addresses the public and owns up to not being capable or best suited to take on the role. I think that this gesture was a good ending because a Pope, cardinal, or anyone with faith, should be honest with themselves and with the people they have an influence on. While it was not the popular announcement, Piccoli was true to himself, which was the right thing to do. The speech might even go so far as to question the church if absolute devotion to God is worth letting go of one’s passions, and if they do, if the trade-offs are right or fair.
Michael Lerer
ReplyDeleteThe movie Free Men was a both powerful and interesting. It was interesting to me because as a Jewish person growing up in the 21st century I always hear about hostility between the Jewish and Muslim communities. This movie was a good change to that as it showed the true story of a Mosque that gave Jewish people false ID’s to save their lives during the Holocaust. It was powerful as a movie because it showed the total transformation of a person as a human being. In the beginning Yunes is a simple black market peddler. He cares for no one but himself as shown when he takes a person’s djembe in exchange for two packs of cigarettes, and later in the movie we find that the drum is worth 800 francs which seems enough to buy more than two packs of cigarettes. It is only when he befriends Salim and then gave the Nazis bad information to protect him that we see real character depth from Yunes. From then on he begins to care more and more for the purpose and by the end of the movie he is a leader in the fight for freedom in France. This is a truly moving movie and I’m glad that I went to see it.
WE HAVE A POPE
ReplyDeleteFor me personally, watching this is similar to the original intention of the European art films, only to age, experience is not high now, in order to improve the ideological level, in order to enhance the level of appreciation, the efforts for the better, advanced in line.Popular speak, this is some sort of acts similar to the loaded 13 Although the film's title Phi coat in documentaries and art films, but the nature of ridicule and is apt to cause resonance. A Cardinal in the case of reluctance to become the newPope (looks like they are not willing to ~), and then he escaped from the church to find thethings they lost in the life of ordinary people around the end of the story is not ourimagine, we have always thought that the new pope will find what they want, and thenfrankly to face their own responsibilities ~ ~In my previous cognitive case, I have always felt that the religious culture of Europe and the United States as China's feudal scenario, like "Angels & Demons" release, very frightening, very rigid. Cardinal those depicted in the film but the very life, and even cute,that heart doctors to teach them to play volleyball that is very interesting, but also the entire film was most impressed. Before it is reported that the Church of the Vatican's "Da Vinci Code" two boycott of the film is very welcome, may be it Xi'an world to show "good"church. Finally, the new Pope of the film after some insight and experience, still did not acceptthat position. This outcome is very profound. Life Depicted in the film is very positive,very sunny, almost no dark side. Of course, the film may be fake, but life is real, we oftendo not review, to know themselves, do not know know to do what in the end, like what to do when they are young, may be beyond our control. But I hope that one day can be done.
The movie called Free Men was a fresh and deep work. It is attractive to me because it was taking about religion with a vision of 21th century. This true story is the most powerful element of this movie, it was talking about the brilliance of humanity, even being controlled by the powerful belief, it is hard to people to hide their kindness. It was a shocking work because it was telling us the truth cannot be destroyed forever, justice always stand at last. In the beginning the leading actor was a normal black clerk of a normal market, problems of class, colour, finance are torching him, like most of people surviving in society. Like everyone struggling, he just cared about his own life, until seen a poor artist, they made an exchange between a drum and 2 packs of cigarettes, and then he found this was a surprise because the price of the drum is much more than those cigarettes. When his buddy cheated the Nazis to protect the leading actor, Yune began to realize the whole nation and country, began to care the other people and tried to help them. Since then, he began to fight for freedom, justice, fight for his nation, and made his dream come true. I always be attracted by the true stories, it is a nice material talked about peace
ReplyDeleteFree Men
ReplyDeleteAlthough the film was pretty slow, the premise of the story was extremely interesting. It proved how the Muslims weren’t accepted at first either, and even though they were still in the process of being accepted by the French, they allowed the Jews to be considered Muslims in order to stay alive. The character of Younes was an ordinary man caught in an extraordinary situation, and it wasn’t until the finale that his character proved heroic. He’d always seemed to want to do things only for himself, but his selfless acts in the end saved countless people, pushing him up on the hero chart.
However, my favorite character was Salim, the heartbreaking Jewish performer caught between his life and his will to sing. He doesn’t want to be discouraged by the Nazis, but at the same time, they are aware of who he is, and it isn’t until the graveyard scene that his character does a 360 in my eyes. He is completely aware of what is at stake, and when he falls to his knees before the grave, tears welled up in my eyes, because in that moment, the lie became the truth, and he had to live with it. I genuinely liked the film, and when the man who sold Younes out was shot, I couldn’t help but cheer.
As a Sunday school veteran and a current religious studies major with a concentration in Christian history I expected to dislike this film on grounds of inaccuracy alone. The inaccuracy actually didn’t bother me. I disliked the film for other reasons, my main reason being that “We Have a Pope” has a genre problem. The film is both dark and comedic but it is not a dark comedy. The comedy of “We Have a Pope” is for the most part cheerful and innocent. Grandfatherly looking priests play a slapstick-esque game of volleyball; an oddball Swiss-Guard impersonates the Pope, an atheist psychiatrist bonds with a group of grumpy cardinals. On the other hand the main plot of the film is rather dark. An aging cardinal looks back on his deferred dreams and realizes he doesn’t have what it takes to be pope. This storyline and lighthearted comedy do not work well together. In fact, the whole film seems like a battle of which genre will win out. In the end, the dark plot wins out. This casts a pall over the whole film and makes the light-hearted comedy, genuinely enjoyable and chuckle-worthy at the time, seem hollow. The film, though plagued by this genre problem, is still watchable. If only the film-makers had combined comedy and drama more adeptly or chose one over the over, “We Have a Pope” would have been a very interesting film.
ReplyDelete"Free Men"
ReplyDeleteI was a bit skeptical about the movie, "Free Men" before I started to watch it. It definitely exceeded my expectations. The movie was described as a spy action drama, but it was quite a bit different. It definitely was an unusual twist on such a standard plot. The main character Younes strikes up a friendship with a Jewish singer, which compels him to join the resistance during World War II. Most movies about the war take place in Germany, so I found it interesting to see what supposedly was taking place in France. I am not sure if there is any factuality to the events, but I found it interesting to see Muslims helping the Jews escape the Nazis. Overall, the plot was interesting enough to keep my attention. It probably wouldn't be anything I would ever want to watch again, though. My favorite part of the movie was the scenery. The muslim temple shown throughout the movie was a beautiful building. The whole building was covered in elaborate, vibrant tiles. The colors in the movie were shown very well. The movie showed themes of friendship and love, which was an interesting mix on the action and war aspects of the film. Younes develops feelings for a woman hiding on at the muslim temple, but they can never start a romance because she is caught and executed. I thought that was pretty sad. I also found the friendship between Younes and Salim to be fascinating. It is discovered that Salim is gay and Younes sort of changes his feelings towards him, but in the end develops an acceptance for his friend. I liked that part of the film. It was nice to see that Younes accepted Salim back in the times where being gay was not discussed or accepted by anyone. Overall the film had a few slow points, but was an interesting take on the standard war/action film.
"We Have a Pope"
ReplyDeleteThe comedic aspect in "We Have a Pope" was refreshingly unexpected. I was pleasantly surprised how much I ended up liking the film. I was expecting a movie about the Catholic church to be very serious, but it did a good job of mixing humor with a serious subject. I was raised Catholic, but do not know much about how the selection of the pope is decided so that was interesting to see. It is a very serious process and takes a lot of time. I found it fascinating at how many people stand outside the Vatican just waiting to see who the new pope will be. I felt compassion towards Cardinal Melville throughout the film. I cannot even imagine the amount of pressure one would feel being elected pope. Ultimately after wandering away from the Vatican and trying to find himself, he comes to the conclusion that he is not meant to be pope and cannot handle the responsibility. I thought that was a little unexpected that he ended up turning down the offer of pope. Most movies like this would have him go out discover himself and then decide he's ready, but it was just the opposite. I liked that it broke the stereotype. That kept the film refreshingly unique. I really liked the interactions between all the cardinals and the therapist. My favorite part of the movie was the volleyball game that the therapist organized. I thought it was cute how excited he was for the tournament. It was hilarious to see all the little old men playing volleyball and really getting into it. Most movies do not mix humor and drama together well, but this movie was definitely the exception. I think the elements were combined very smoothly. This movie overall was probably one of my favorites that I have seen at the Cosford this semester.
Michael Lerer
ReplyDeleteOverall I felt that the movie We have a Pope was a well-made movie. It mixed a serious topic with comedy in a way that both made sense and had a flow to it. It really did a good job of showing one man’s anguish at not feeling able to be what everyone expects him to be, and how he tries to cope with his life being turned upside down. The viewer can see that Melvile isn’t ready for his position early when one of his friends bows to him and Melvile just can’t handle the people he knows acting like that towards him. He then breaks down, and eventually runs away from the Vatican. At the same time it uses the happenings at the Vatican as a vehicle for comedy. An example of this is shown when one of the guards is told to walk around the Pope’s chambers. I know I laughed whenever the man would rustle the shades slightly and all the other people would come to look.
The one criticism I have for this movie is that I didn’t fully understand the relevance of the volleyball games. At first the psychologist character was funny as he was barred from leaving and wasn’t given any information. However after a while he began to rant and rave to the priests and make an elaborate plan for a volleyball tournament. I definitely saw the comedy in it sometimes but at the same time I felt confused.
FREE MEN
ReplyDeleteThe movie Free Men definitely was a lot different than what I expected. I thought it would be another run of the mill war movie but the perspective that it took on was completely different than anything I have seen before. Having the movie be set in France was also something that made this movie different than other movies like it. Seeing how the Muslims in the movie helped the Jews escape was also very interesting. It was certainly an entertaining movie from what I expected to see but I don't think I would go see it again. Although, I did like seeing that the Muslims weren't accepted into society as well as the Jewish people but were still able to help out their fellow men and that made a huge impact on the movie and probably on the audience viewing the movie. Lastly, the character development of the main character was what really drew me into the plot and I loved how the audience kept finding out more and more information about how this man really did care for others.
Alexandra Ball
C07809270
Free men
ReplyDeleteI've Seen many historical theme of the movie, I really prefer the narrative style of the French films, the historic elements in the film are usually solemn.they also are in Free men but the way it expresses it is watery and interiorize. The film is in a tipically French style,the mosIslamic music does highlight the director's style and make the entire film evokes more emotion things of the movie and the history materials.It tells a true but unknown story and make it more complete and comprehensive understanding of World War II in the late France-occupied France, a group of pionieer from North Africa, the anti-colonial, anti-fascist unremitting struggle. Jewish and Islamic descent, under fascist rule, jointly external struggle. After the film ends meet, and fans to the "free" is the French version of "Schindler's List", and I think "free man" himself, no need compared to other films, but also are not comparable.
Free Man
ReplyDeleteThis was diffidently a good movie. at the beginning it was a little slow. once it had built the back ground it became a whole another thing that was fun to watch. when i went to see the movie i had a a thought that the whole movie was going to be like how the ending parts were. in that since i do wish their could of been more but while i think the slow beginning was a little long it was worth it at the end. when it comes to characters i think everyone played their part fairly well. in the end it was a good movie and I'm glad i decided to make this one of the last movies i had to go see.
We Have A Pope
ReplyDeleteThis movie along with Free Man caught my interest and made me want to watch it when i saw the poster for it. Going in i had no real thoughts already formed for it. i only new what the title said so i knew it was going to be about the Catholic Church and the Pope. the movie was one of those movies that keep you watching and it had a serious tone throughout, but it a comedic release throughout to keep you laughing and in a good mood while allowing you to view the serious part with out getting bored. while i liked the whole movie i feel like the movie was cut off where it ended leaving a very open ending for the watchers to fill in themselves. In a way i feel like this was needed to end the movie without things getting to confusing but still leaves me wanting more. in the end it did have me engrossed with the movie to the end.
Free Men
ReplyDeleteAfter appreciated this movie, needless to say that freemen is a excellent film because it has a good story, and the Younes is so brave. When they encounter the tough problems they were brave to conquer depressions, which was impressed me deeply. I consider that it is why the movie to be more attractive.
Paris falls. The young Algerian immigrants do business on the black market Younes live on. Was arrested, Younes accept the French police conditions for them to monitor a Paris mosque. Police suspect the person in charge of the mosque, Si Kaddour Ben Ghabrit give the jews and the French resistance movement offers their false identity to cover them.
In the mosque, Younes understanding Algeria African singer Salim Halali, and be the latter by voice and individual character, and he became friends. Younes soon found Salim are jews. At the risk of hunted, Younes over him and police relations of cooperation.
Dealing with the world various atrocities, has not received any political education of immigrant workers start metamorphosis Younes step by step, and eventually become a free fighter.
I enjoyed Ismael’s Ferrokhi’s “Free Men” but it struck me as the type of story that I had seen before. Numerous films have come out after the Holocaust that depict heroism and many of them are based on true stories like this film. Each act of heroism deserves a great deal of credit, but I do not think each one needs to be made into a film. I have seen “Schindler’s List,” “The Pianist,” and “Defiance” even though those films are very different from “Free Men” they overall message that I got from them was relatively the same.
ReplyDeleteEven though I believe that Holocaust and World War 2 movies are becoming a little but overplayed there were elements of the film that I found extremely powerful. Focally, the scene toward the end of the film when Younes and the other Muslims are at the Mosque and they are hiding Jewish people in the basement. Younes finds the little girl, who I assumed to be Jewish, and tries to sneak her back into the basement. He realizes that he is going to be seen by the Germans, but the leader of the Muslim ceremony does as well. He dismisses the congregation what are inside the Mosque and this provides the camouflage that Younes needs to save the girl. The cooperation and risk that the Muslim people in this scene to protect people, who weren’t their own, was very powerful in my opinion.
Nanni Moretti’s “We Have a Pope” was a film that I thoroughly enjoyed because I personally am Catholic. While I can imagine older Catholics who were raised stricter and more traditionally probably didn’t enjoy this, I did. I have always had this image that when the Pope is selected he is instantly overjoyed and does not even think twice about saying yes. Melville in the film gives humanness to what it must actually be like to face the task of being the Catholic Pope. Melville does not want to be the Pope he is old and does not want the responsibility. Once Melville sneaks away from the Vatican the viewer can see that even the College of Cardinals are not restricted to regimen and prayer all day. The holy men are seen doing everyday activities like playing volleyball and cards with one another. Melville gets the opportunity to do some of the things that he had once loved when he was younger like going to plays. As a Catholic I can say that this film did not offend me at all. On the contrary, it made me think of the Pope and the College of Cardinals as people similar to myself who face the same trifles and fears that I do. Moretti’s ability to make the viewer see holy people as people and not as superiors was masterful in this film.
ReplyDeleteWe Have A Pope
ReplyDeletePope election process of the film very presence, whether it is the elegant dress of the bishops, the guards, the presentation ceremony details, grand solemn atmosphere to create a feel like the real thing. In these religious ceremonies rules interspersed with sudden funny episode, not only will not be boring there "Laughter fruit." Behind closed doors, the election was experiencing power outages, but recovery can only wait for the power to protect the murals. Consider the election a pen kept knocking desktop, all the voices continue to pray for "Do not vote for me!"
The movie assumes that the panic fearless Pope, as mortal as the face of very great pressure, there will be can not afford the time and thus collapse. If so, it is interesting. The Pope can not serve, can not be announced to the media followers. The cardinals have to continue in there, can not be free. They had in their own small room, fitness, puzzles, playing cards fortune telling to pass the time. Later partitions or even playing volleyball World Cycling Competition cheer for the Pope, the director also presents deliberately slow-motion shots of sports competitions, very poetic, but also ridiculous; invited a professor of psychology at the face of the Holy See, all kinds of restrictions on faith premise, nothing can not ask can not be said, no way of displaying his treatment professional, can only follow in there. Hand no book is the Bible, from the inside to find numerous cases of depression, but also the way they explain the difference of sleeping pills with tranquilizers and medication safety. These religious leaders in the film is very taste.
I went into the film believing that We Have A Pope had a lot of promise. The trailer made it look as though it would be an interesting character story, and while at some times it attempted to be, I felt the story was far too scattered and tried to do too many things at once. The self-doubt that cardinal Melville had in himself to become pope made him a very relatable character at first, because we all have those instances of whether or not we feel we’re ready to take on new responsibilities. However; as the film progressed, we really do not get to learn more about him. We learn a couple of things here and there, but I felt there was nothing that really gave us any insight as to why he was so unwilling to take the job.
ReplyDeleteI also did not quite understand the role of the psychologist. When they introduced him, I thought it would lead to some interesting debates between him and Melville or some other cardinals about science vs religion. Instead, he does not seem to do much, he just sort of stands around waiting for the pope to return like all the other cardinals. While he does have a couple of good scenes with the members of the church, I felt as though his character was not as interesting as he could have been.
I felt the film left too many unanswered questions that needed to be answered in order for the audience to get more invested in the story. It’s one thing to leave things open for interpretation, but it’s another thing to leave out (at least what I felt) were essential things we needed to know to feel involved. At the end, I still felt very distant from all of the characters in the film.
When I saw the trailer for We Have a Pope, I thought it would be a movie that I would enjoy as I was raised Catholic, and although I no longer am, I figured much of the humor would be more easily understood and appreciated by someone with knowledge of the Vatican. However, the movie ended up being much different than I had anticipated. While I was expecting to see a comedy about a man who was nervous about being the pope, the actual plot is much darker than that. The film operates under the assumption that no one wants to be the pope, as shown during the scene when they are voting and everyone is praying to God that they are not picked. The man who ends up being selected is a surprise pick that no one saw coming, and the weight of the pressure of the position crushes the man, and he basically shirks his duties and leaves the Vatican for a while to try and find the strength to be the pope. Overall, the film was about a journey of self-discovery for an old man who many people worshipped, yet he himself never found himself worthy or able to fulfill the position he was voted into. In conclusion, I thought it was an alright movie, although I definitely went in with expectations of it being more of a comedy than it was, and that probably altered my view of it slightly.
ReplyDeleteWe have a Pope
ReplyDeleteI surprisingly really liked the film We have a Pope. We have a Pope is a satirical film about the election of a new Pope at the Vatican. As a catholic I thought that the film was going to be all about the religion itself and the election process, which would have led to repeated information and boredom but it ended up not being about that at all. It actually in a way, though not offensive to me makes fun of the catholic religion. It does in a funny way though and in such a way that even a Catholic (me) can enjoy it. Basically it portrays the fact that nobody wants the responsibility of being the pope. And instead of doing the pope duties this new pope goes off into Rome and meets Romans face to face, something never done before by the Pope. The Pope’s experiences and the secret itself contribute to the overall humor in this movie. The pope’s psychoanalyst has to constantly cover up his whereabouts and convince the other Cardinals he is in the Vatican when in reality he is on the Roman streets. Through these experiences the Pope realizes he is not really meant to be the Pope and at the end announces to everyone on the balcony this. This movie was very funny to me because I could not imagine this happening in real life.
Erik Rueckle-c10166645
DeleteWe have a pope
ReplyDeleteThe original intention of the film shooting is strange. If it is a true story, then no problem, this is a movie worth watching, the film depicts the relaxed atmosphere of innocence and bishops unknown side of the people feel happy. But the question is, since it is not a real event to take in this sensitive subject matter of the Pope to poke fun at, if not religious believers, but also how to think a bit too. If, as the director said, want to show just one person in a personal capacity can not match a great responsibility when anxious, in fact, can be selected theme and point of view, why must the history of the Pope never appear similar the point of view of the situation? Has its own commercial purposes? Not religious believers, does not mean that should not respect their beliefs, history does not have a precedent for the sudden collapse of the Pope, so to interpret it is a considerable lack of respect. But logically speaking, since in the long-term career in the clergy has been done somewhere Cardinal itself already has the overall ability of the exercise was calm and in public, was elected as Pope suddenly nervous breakdown the formulation does not have convincing.
We Have a Pope
ReplyDeleteThis is probably one of my favorite movies I had the opportunity to watch all year. This movie is about the election of the new pope but with a twist. This movie has the pope go into town and meet the Romans instead of doing his job as Pope. It basically shows that no one wants to have the responsibilities that a Pope needs to have. The Pope has to keep his whereabouts hidden throughout the movie and by going out into the world he realizes that being Pope is not for him so he announces to the world at the end of the movie the news.
I was laughing throughout the entire movie. The director of this movie did a fantastic job with jokes and getting everything right. I'm Italian and the jokes in Italian were even better. I thought that this movie would have been offensive to Catholics but in fact it wasn't and I think the director made a great movie.
From a general standpoint, We Have a Pope was not one of my favorite films; however, I did enjoy the themes and messages it presented to the audience and I felt like I learned something from the film as I left the theatre. The way in which the film presented religion, the church, and the pope was truly different which made for a unique viewing experience in which the audience is kept engaged because they are learning a new aspect of something they thought they knew all about.
ReplyDeleteThe audience learns that the church is not as black and white as it may seem and those involved with the church such as the cardinals, as presented in the film, must deal with their own issues as well. Cardinal Melville, who is elected the new pope by all the cardinals, is unable to perform his new found duty as the pope. Everyone waiting outside for him to present himself thinks that he is gifted to have that position, but on the other hand, he does like it one bit and can not cope with the difficulties and stress the job of being a pope brings. Cardinal Melville essentially runs away for a short period and during this time, he begins to learn more about himself. As a result of this, Cardinal Melville simply concludes that he is not fit for the job and it is here that we, as the audience, learn that the church is not perfect either as it is run by humans just like ourselves.
Before seeing Free Men, I was not expecting to take much from the film due to the fact I had not heard much about it and did not know what to expect. Now, I can conclude that Free Men, a film that focuses on how Muslims utilized their mosque in order to help Jews from being taken away, was my favorite movie that I have seen at the Cosford Cinema.
ReplyDeleteThe film follows Younes, an Algerian immigrant, as he goes from selling on the black market, to working undercover for the police, and finally, to becoming a freedom fighter for the Jews. I believe this movie makes a deep argument about the human race which ultimately makes the movie appealing to me. The Muslims could have easily minded their own business and let the French and Jews do what they needed to do; however, the Muslims used their mosque as safe place for the Jews. This allowed the Jews to find a little more peace in life and not have to be constantly looking over their should in fear of their safety. The film effectively conveyed the thought that we are all on this planet together and as members of the human race, although we may divided by religions or races, we need to help each other for the common good. Younes is a prime example of how one man with these motives can make such a difference and through Free Men, this message was effectively delivered to the audience.
When I watched We Have a Pope my friend who sat with me slept through and I feel bad that he missed an excellent movie. I understand why someone would be bored with the foreign, slow passed movie about old people, but I found it hilarious, captivating and created an emotion bond to its characters.
ReplyDeleteAll the actors, playing the different cardinals of the Vatican played outstanding performances. The movie is clearly a comedy about old people. I never thought that a movie that deals with religion and the election of a new Pope would be as comedic as Nanni Moretti directed his.
The central theme in this story is deals with faith, the one from God, and faith, that come from within yourself. The main character who plays Il papa has an internal struggle because he does not believe that the faith in God, and God’s faith in him is stronger than his own faith in himself. The movie revolves around this internal conflict and the relationship of the Pope with his therapist.
This movie makes a point by saying that our own beliefs and faith in our self should be the strongest one. If you don’t believe in yourself, not even God can help you, or even, convince you to have a little more faith in yourself.
Another thought that remains in my mind after watching this movie is the realization that even the most sacred figure on this planet has his own problems, internal struggles and doubts when it comes to “if he is right for the job”.
Free Men
ReplyDeleteFree Men is a recently made film about Jews pretending to be Muslim in France during World War II in order to escape Nazi oppression. It was great story but I feel like the movie could have been done better. The main ideas and themes of the movie are nothing new. There have been several major Hollywood productions about the holocaust and World War II. Though the ideas can sometimes seem overplayed I really liked this movie. I really enjoyed the transformation of the main character. In the beginning, the main character, Younes, seems to only care about himself, but he eventually shows his compassion and helps others. He helps Salim escape the Nazis by giving them false information. He helps the girl escape to the safe part of the mosque before the Germans can find her. The movie carries a good amount of action especially towards the end that helps pick up the pace of a sometimes slow movie. I have never really seen a movie about the holocaust during World War II that was also an action film. It felt like a new look on a topic I have known for a while. Overall I would say this was a good movie that people should go see because it is an action movie about World War II. Most are very slow and depressing about the topic like Shindler’s List. This feels like a fresh look on the ideas of compassion during a horrible point in human history.
We Have A Pope
ReplyDeleteWe have a pope totally caught me off guard. At first I went in expecting this to be a more factual film that goes through the election process of a pope, with maybe a few deaths or twists. What actually transpired when I sat down to watch was the exact opposite. We have a pope is instead more a satire about the election of the new pope and his coping with receiving a position of this magnitude. At first we expect the pope to take this position very seriously as if he had been dedicated and working towards it all his life. Instead he actually would rather just live like a normal Italian man!! He goes away into hiding in Rome and interacts with the citizens; something that has never before been done by a pope. Through his everyday experiences with the citizens of Rome and his yearning for a normal life, in the end he dramatically decides that he himself is not the right man for the great position of The Pope. I feel like he did the right thing in the end by relinquishing his power. It takes a very wise person to admit when they are the problem and step out of a position of power. This movie shows that with great power comes great responsibility, and a lot of times people dont want to be trusted with all that responsibility and just want simple lives.
We Have A Pope
ReplyDeleteExcellent comedy. I went in hoping it would be funny and make fun of the crazy things in Christianity and it more or less did. It also added a new view on what a good Pope would do. The Pope is one of the most powerful positions that is under looked. All the actors did excellent jobs as well. As always I enjoy the foreign flair that comes along with foreign films. Now I can recommend a good satire on the Church as well.
The first half of Free Men was very slow. It started to pick up toward the middle of the film. For the second half of the film I was very intrigued about what was going to happen next; especially in the parts where they go to the hospital to rescue their friend and when Younes is looking for the little Jewish girl in order to escape from Nazi occupied Paris and the mosque that had been occupied by the Nazi police. What I liked about this film is that it offered a new perspective on World War II. In history classes, movies, and books I’ve usually learned about World War II from the perspective of the Americans or from the Jewish and other victims of the war. I had never seen a perspective from the Muslims or how a resistance worked at that time. It was very interesting to see what they did and how they risked their lives to help as many people as they could. Also, I loved the way the character Benghabrit confronted the Nazis and protected the people he was hiding and helping. Overall, Free Men was a great film and I would recommend it to other people.
ReplyDeleteWe Have a Pope was a very good film. It was not what I expected from the trailer but I thought it was a good film anyway. I wasn’t expecting to enjoy the movie as much as I did. Each of the cardinals had a different personality and contributed to the film. I felt like I was discovering the Vatican and the cardinals along with the Psychologist who wasn’t allowed to leave the Vatican. He bonded with the cardinals and made them expose their personality and fun side. It was as if the viewer was experiencing and discovering the same things as the Psychologist; everything was new. When I was younger, I volunteered at a theatre full of elderly volunteers so while I was watching this movie I could relate and understand the comedy directed to an older generation. This movie also made me consider the Pope elections in real life. I have never paid attention to them and I can’t help but wonder if real-life cardinals feel the same as or similar to the way cardinals feel in the film. Also, I thought that at the end he was going to accept his role as the pope and act as if nothing had happened. I didn’t think he would confess to the public and tell them that he was not the leader they needed.
ReplyDeleteFree Men
ReplyDeleteI am still on the ropes about Free Men. The concept of Jews pretending to be Muslims during World War Two is very new and versatile; however, I think the movie could have been executed much better. Some high points of the movie that I did enjoy was watching the morphing and transformation of the individual characters throughout the film as they began to cope with their horrible situation. In particular my favorite changes occurred with Younes. In the film Younes, an Algerian immigrant, goes from being an internal person, somewhat selfish and narcissistic; thinking only about himself at time. By the end of the movie he was empathetic and compassionate towards the Jews cause. He eventually becomes an activist for the Jews. I feel like this movie is basically an alternative spin off of the movie Schindler's List. Although the idea was very appealing, the film makers could have done more to make it more appealing and believable. It was interesting and informative to hear another story about the Holocaust, and especially refreshing to finally hear a positive story about human compassion and sacrifice. Seeing another perspective of the Holocaust era World War Two is what kept me engaged in the film, but overall I'm glad I watched this film and learned a few new things.
We have a pope
ReplyDeleteI think one genre of film that does not translate as well, in different languages is comedy. The themes and story translate fine, but comedy needs a sense of timing and delivery that isn’t the same when you’re reading it from the bottom of the screen. Where We have a Pope succeeds is first of all it’s a very good story and it is a well developed film but also a lot of the comedy in the movie is physical and that does translate well. Michel Piccoli, the lead, I feel was much better physically playing the character then when he actually spoke.
The emotions he displayed when he was first elected and is subsequent sadness, I feel were much more effective than his spoken parts. But still overall he performed his role extremely well and showed the emotion of a confused man, who is getting his mid-life crisis about 40 years too late. I’m not positive if the ending was written as well as the rest of the movie, just logically. Why would Piccoli’s character be willing to accept his role just to reject in front of millions. I feel like it goes against the character they tried to establish of being too himself and afraid of the spotlight. But overall, the ending was effective in bringing together a conclusion to the film and the “ Pope’s” decision.
Romeo and Juliet
ReplyDeleteThis was probably one of the most surprising things I’ve seen. I came into it with a definite amount of skepticism because I honestly did not expect to enjoy it at all. But what I must say is it I found it amazing and it is probably my favorite iteration of Romeo and Juliet.
The way they were able to convey the emotion of the story was absolutely incredible. When Romeo and Juliet first met each other, there was no words exchanged but the way they looked at each other led you to have so many emotions and feelings that you know they are feeling and it was very brilliant. Also I am not a ballet excpert but the dancer who portrayed Juliet was absolutely mesmerizing and moved with such grace and ability that it was impossible to not be enthralled by her.
The only criticism I may have is that if you have never seen Romeo and Juliet before, then the story may be harder to follow, but since it’s pretty universal it just amplifies the story and it was very well done. Also the music establishes not only the rhythm for the dancing but also the mood of the scenes that they were portraying.
I was expecting “Free Men” to be just another war movie. I was pleasantly surprised that it was not. What most impressed me about “Free Men” was its atmosphere. I felt completely transported to the Muslim subculture of 1940’s Paris. The music helped create the atmosphere. Although I don’t think I had ever listened to Algerian music before, and I’m not sure if I ever will again, it completely made the movie for me. The costume and set design was also near flawless.
ReplyDeleteThe atmosphere would have mattered little, however, if the story was not at least decent. Although the story did at times veer towards “just another war movie” the character development saved it. The main characters were well-developed.
WE HAVE A POPE
ReplyDeleteThis is a slightly humorous comedy making a parody about what would happen if a pope was too nervous to take his place and and address the public. It is a display of faith, counteracted by a flaky pope.
I was not very interested in this film. It didn't really strike me as too funny, possibly because the humor didn't translate over the language barrier so well.
However, it was pretty neat to see how the pope reacted to his new position. He went out and interacted with the common people, as if he was just a normal member of society. This film is just a nice way to refresh our understanding that every person is just a human being who experiences similar sensations to everyone else. Everyone is equally as capable as the next person in line.
We Have a Pope was an okay film. Being the chosen one was not an easy task. The Pope felt closed in and needed some air to breathe. He had been unhappy for a very long time and wanted to be able to enjoy his life without being locked up in the same place all the time. The other popes were excited to work with the "Chosen One", but failed to realize that he did not want to carry the title given to him. After seeing a psychiatrist and learning that he may have been suffering due to parental deficiencies, the Pope decided to run away and enjoy being around people who did not know his true identity. I thought that it was cute how he thought that parental deficiency was a disease he was suffering from. Some of the rules that popes, nuns, and other officials had to observe in the monastery were ridiculous. Being able to be away from all his duties allowed the Pope to be happy and gave him the opportunity to enjoy the things that he loved before becoming a pope. This helped him realize that he did not want to be the chosen one and it was time to reveal that to the world. The entire nation was disappointed by the news, but the Pope needed to be be honest so that he could be at peace. I learned that sometimes we have to do what makes us happy and not allow anyone to make us feel trapped.
ReplyDeleteWephnirva Nonord
C07404423
Free Men was a touching film. The unity that was in place to save as many Algarian Muslims and Jews as possible was amazing. This film was based on World War II. They put aside their ethnicity and religious beliefs so that they were able to fight the common enemy. I loved how the guy was going to get caught trying to save the little girl, but there was a distraction put in place to aid this heroic act. The Holocaust was one of the most horrific events in history and one of the worst hate crimes committed. This film can definitely be some what similar to Schindler's List. Both of the main characters were self-centered and could careless about what was going on around them, but by the end of the film they did everything they could to save the lives of innocent individuals. This teaches us compassion for others. We should help one another rather than try and destroy one another. This world would have been a much happier place if that ever happened.
ReplyDeleteWephnirva Nonord
C07404423
Free Men
ReplyDeleteC04997305
Free Men tells the tale of Younes an Algerian immigrant in France during World War Two. Younes earns his money as a black market peddler, taking advantage of his own people with very little remorse. His cousin, a member of the resistance, is a wanted man. During a raid meant to capture his cousin, Yunes is captured and forced to spy on the local mosque by the police force. At the mosque Yunes befriends Salim, a fellow Algerian immigrant and talented singer. As his friendship with Salim grows Yunes discovers that he is Jewish and being protected by the resistance fighters residing in the mosque. Yunes relizes he has been betraying his own countrymen regardless of their religion and joins the fight against the Germans.
Free Men is a moving tale based off of true events that transpired in France during World War Two. The character of Yunes is used to embody the brave efforts of many individuals during those trying times. The film itself is a beautiful period piece and approaches World War Two from the perspective of Muslim immigrants in Europe, which I have not seen before. The film informs the audience of a lesser known history while also serving to entertain.
We Have a Pope
ReplyDeleteC04997305
We Have a Pope takes a very different look at the Catholic Church. In We Have a Pope a reluctant and unlikely Pope is selected by his peers. The surprise and the gravity of his election to the most powerful position in the church leaves him lost and broken. He is emotionally incapable of taking the role and escapes the confines of the Vatican before he can be announced to go on a soul searching through Rome. As a young man he had always wanted to be an actor, he finds himself among an acting troupe and feels pleasantly at home hoping the experience will serve as some kind of therapy.
Meanwhile the cardinals that elected their reluctant pope have been sequestered to the confines of the Vatican until the situation has remedied itself. We get to see a different side of the church as hilarity ensues between the cooped cardinals and the psychiatrist originally brought in to treat the Pope. The cardinals are portrayed as normal everyday individuals which is exemplified during a very comical volleyball tournament.
In the end the Pope returns to the Vatican and announces to the public that he is incapable of performing his duties leaving us with a very dark and ominous ending to the film. I greatly enjoyed this film. It’s interesting how Moretti manages to humanize and satirize one of the oldest and most renowned institutions in the world.