FIlm Reviews ï Soul of the Machine ï ëEllingí: Touching and Real ï ëHappy Timesí for Zhang ï Life Changes ï Gaelic Woody Allen ï Office Games ï ëLucÌaí in Love ï Repertory Notes Soul of the Machine Rerelease of Classic Sci-Fi ëMetropolisí Closer to What Lang Intended by Ky N. Nguyen Legendary German-born director Fritz Langís science-fiction masterpiece ìMetropolisî is one of the most well-known silent films, yet few have actually seen it, particularly in a version approximating what premiered at the Ufa-Palast theater in Berlin in 1927. A few weeks afterward, Ufa pulled the film from its run in Berlin and Nuremberg and cut seven out of 12 reels. The current rerelease follows the work of German film preservationist Martin Koerber and Alpha-Omega, digital restoration specialists from Munich. The autocratic Lang made the film at the height of German expressionism, using lavishly stylized set pieces and theatricality along with original camera angles and bold shadows. The over-the-top result is barely recognizable as descending from the enclosed nightmare of ìThe Cabinet of Dr. Caligari.î In the future city of Metropolis, Big Bossí son Freder (Gustav Fr^hlich) discovers how the city is really run when he follows Maria (Brigitte Helm) underground. In the bellows of the dystopian split society, anonymous numbered workers toil within the mechanized depths. Many ideas from the crammed, chaotic script by Lang and Thea von Harbou have infiltrated popular culture, influencing movies such as ìBlade Runner, ìAlphaville,î ìDark City,î ìThe Fifth Elementî and many more. ìMetropolisî (silent with newly translated intertitles and original 1927 musical score by Gottfried Huppertz; 124 min.) is now playing at the American Film Instituteís National Film Theater at the Kennedy Center. ëEllingí: Touching and Real ìEllingî touchingly describes two mentally disabled friendsí assimilation into society after an extended stay in a government mental asylum. Director Peter NÊss has crafted a sentimental yet realistic film that was nominat ed for the Best Foreign Film Oscar. The lead actors, well known in Norway, successfully transplant their stage roles onto the screen and deliver exceptionally believable performances. The welfare state in Norway is remarkably benevolent by American standards, sponsoring the apartment of Elling (Per Christian Ellefsen) and Kjell Bjarne (Sven Nordin). A social worker (Jorgen Langhelle) serves as their detached caretaker, dropping by to monitor and firmly encourage their progress. Over time, the pair find they have undeveloped talents in auto repair, poetry, friendship and love. Along the way, they face challenges as their new experiences seemingly threaten the comfortable safety net particularly craved by Elling. The charactersí afflictions are never described clinically, reinforcing their everyday personas. Their challenges in learning to deal with a new environment and developing trust are universal problems common to us all. As a character study, ìEllingî succeeds in showing how the daily details of life can drive anyone crazy. ìEllingî (Norwegian with subtitles; 93 min.) opens Fri., Aug. 9 at Cinema Arts. ëHappy Timesí for Zhang Known mostly for his lavish period pieces featuring the sensational Gong Li (ìRaise the Red Lantern,î ìJu Dou,î ìRed Sorghum,î ìShanghai Triadî), director Zhang Yimou has long stood at the forefront of Chinese cinema. With the comedy ìHappy Times,î he continues his recent spell of small but quietly powerful movies (ìThe Road Home,î ìNot One Lessî). They provide allegories reflecting Zhangís oblique critiques of modern Chinese society, wrapped within the lives of everyday people. ìHappy Timesî is told from the viewpoint of Zhao (Zhao Benshan), an elderly retired bachelor who is looking for a wife. Through a matchmaker, he finds a prospective candidate who demands a lavish wedding. A wicked stepmother, she convinces Zhao to give her stepdaughter Wu Ying (Dong Jie) a job in the hotel he claims to own, actually an abandoned bus parked in a loverís lane dubbed Happy Times. The well-intentioned but foolish Zhao develops an elaborate house of cards to raise the money he doesnít have for the wedding and make Wu Ying believe sheís working in the hotel. The story focuses on Zhaoís interactions with the Cinderella-like Wu Ying, a heroic blind girl who believes the father who abandoned her will one day return with funds for surgery to restore her eyesight. The central characters of ìHappy Timesî are victims of the changing tides as well as of their individual misfortunes. Zhang comments on how the paternalistic Chinese society, if it ever really existed, is falling apart rapidly in the modern capitalistic world. Chinaís house of cards, like Zhaoís, must inevitably collapse. ìHappy Times (Xingfu Shiguag)î (Mandarin with subtitles; 95 min.) opens Fri., Aug. 9. Life Changes Directed by Olivier Assayas, ìLes DestineÈsî is a satisfying change of pace for the French director known for his astonishingly real portraits of modern Parisian angst (ìIrma Vep,î ìLate August, Early Septemberî). This sweeping period piece follows the life of Jean Bannery (Charles Berling), a man who lives as a French Protestant minister, writer-philosopher, porcelain manufacturer and World War I soldier. At the beginning, Protestant minister Bannery accuses his wife Nathalie (Isabelle Huppert) of adultery, banishing her to exile. He later divorces, leaves the ministry, and idles in Switzerland with Pauline (Emmanuelle BÈart). Fate then calls upon Bannery to fulfill his family obligations as a porcelain tycoon. ìLes DestineÈsî is all about the details of life and how people and emotions change. Assayas slowly creeps through Banneryís life. While much is revealed, perhaps more is kept hidden. Assayas is a master at displaying just enough to satisfy the appetite while leaving the viewer hungering for more. The filmís lovely photography, exacting production design, and quietly powerful acting enhance his methodical process. ìLes DestineÈs (Les DestineÈs Sentimentales)î (French and English with subtitles; 180 min.; scope) is now playing. Gaelic Woody Allen In ìMy Wife Is an Actress,î French writer-director-actor Yvan Attal pulls a successful Woody Allen-like turn in making an entertaining, semi-autobiographical neurotic comedy. He stars as Yvan, the pathologically insecure husband of a movie star named Charlotte (Attalís real-life partner, Charlotte Gainsbourgódaughter of French pop icon Serge Gainsbourg and British actress Jane Birkin). Both performers are great fun to observe. The leading coupleís real-life chemistry is vividly reproduced on screen. Walking down the streets, Charlotte is constantly given attention, which slowly drives Yvan mad with jealousy. The glamour of the movies can look a bit darker in real life. Attal points out that there can be little difference between wise caution and neuroticism. Charlotte is starring in a romantic drama with British actor John (Terence Stamp). Stamp provides a calm British counterpoint to the French comic high jinks. For added pleasure, Attal peppers the film with clever movie references ranging from classic screen goddesses to screwball comedies. ìMy Wife Is an Actress (Ma Femme Est une Actrice)î (French with subtitles; 95 min.) opens Fri., Aug. 16 at Cinema Arts and Landmark Bethesda Row. Office Games ìRead My Lipsî is an amazingly well-acted character study framed as a neo-noir romantic thriller and melodrama. Director Jacques Audiard employs a shaky camera, uncommon lighting, and splintered editing to reinforce the tension. The well-scribed story looks at the relationship between Carla (Emmanuelle Devos), a hearing-impaired office worker and her new assistant Paul (Vincent Cassel), a recently paroled ex-con. She makes the unusual pick for her own private reasons. The two become involved in a psychological battle that segues into a potential office romance. Each uses the other in a complementary fashion. Because of Carlaís hearing loss, her visual perspective is highly acute, which translates to the screen as all sorts of delightful nonverbal clues. Devos totally lives her character, displaying her emotions with finely nuanced gestures. Cassel emanates a simmering explosive aura, delivering on the thuggish promise heís shown in other films. In the end, ìRead My Lipsî is largely about the fabulous performances by Devos and Cassel. ìRead My Lips (Sur Mes LËvres)î (French with subtitles; 120 min.) is now playing at Visions Cinema/Bistro/Lounge. ëLucÌaí in Love In ìSex and LucÌa,î Spanish director Julio Medemís (ìThe Lovers of the Arctic Circle,î ìTierra,î ìThe Red Squirrelî) latest visual dazzler, magical realism becomes redefined once more in the masterful hands of a cinematic magician. His camera moves through time and space at breakneck pace. LucÌa (Paz Vega) is a Madrid waitress who escapes to a remote Mediterranean island off the coast of Spain after the loss of Lorenzo (Trist·n Ulloa), her long-time boyfriend and writer. Although the mysterious island was very meaningful to Lorenzo, he would never take LucÌa there while he was alive. The islandís magical powers, a la ìAlice in Wonderland,î allow her to relive her life with Lorenzo and reassess the truth of their relationship. The fractu red narrative slyly plays at the distinction between reality and fantasy. Cinematographer Kiko de la Ricaís brilliant images beautifully depict the sensual lovers and the landscape they inhabit. ìSex and LucÌa (LucÌa y el Sexo)î (Spanish with subtitles; 128 min.; scope) is now playing at Cineplex Odeon Dupont Circle, Cineplex Odeon Shirlington and Landmark Bethesda Row. Repertory Notes The American Film Institute (AFI) showcases ìKurosawa & Mifune: Home Again,î a retrospective of Japanese director Akira Kurosawa paired with his best-known actor, macho superstar Toshiro Mifune. Highlights include ìRashomon,î ìThe Hidden Fortress,î ìHigh and Low,î ìThrone of Blood,î ìYojimbo,î ìSanjuro,î and an extended run of ì7 Samurai.î From Aug. 2 to 8, AFI also screens the exclusive engagement of ìThe Diaries of Vaslav Nijinskyî by Australian director Paul Cox (ìInnocenceî) ((202) 785-4600, www.afi.com/exhibition/nft.asp). From Aug. 4 to 11, the National Gallery of Art presents ìFantastic Worlds: Alexander Ptushko,î a four-film retrospective of the animated puppeteer. To Russian children of the 1940s and 1950s, Ptushko was like Walt Disney to American children. From Aug. 17 to 25, short-lived Polish filmmaker Andrzej Munkís films will be rediscovered. Along with Andrzej Wajda and Wojciech, Munk was a key member of the Polish School, leading Soviet-bloc filmmakers in critiquing World War II and the totalitarian regime ((202) 842-6799, www.nga.gov/programs/film.htm). The popular annual Hong Kong film series concludes at the Freer Gallery of Art. Of particular note are Tsui Harkís delirious action thriller ìTime and Tideî (Aug. 23 and 25) and Shu Keiís keen backstage drama ìHu Du Menî (Aug. 2 and 8) ((202) 357-2700, www.asia.si.edu/programs/film.htm). The Georgetown Independent Film Festival (GIFF) returns Aug. 15 to 18. Following the opening night party at Canal Square, the screenings will take place at #3 Blues Alley. In its second year, GIFF has partnered with Circuito Off, the Venice International Short Film Festival. International selections come from Italy, Norway, Australia, Germany and other nations (http://georgetownfilmfest.com). Ky N. Nguyen is the film reviewer for The Washington Diplomat.