East of Eden

Shakespearean - that's what I would like to call this movie. A story about lust, jealousy, greed, naivety and ambition. I had often heard about James Dean and always wondered why he was so critically applauded; now I know why. He was a child in this movie (metaphor) and he played that character to perfection. The movie revolved around relationships within the family, flaws of human society and customs and James's search for himself.
What makes it special? The character is not loud or in your face; rather, one can see the confusion on the child's face and every drop of emotion comes out so strongly. There is an elan coupled with confusion and aggression. There were moments when I simply gaped in awe at James's face; partly because he seemed flawless, and partly because he was a gorgeous guy.
Physical struggles are difficult to perform convincingly, but emotional struggles are near impossible to portray well; I do not know how James managed to do so, but he did it very well.
I saw in this movie what I see everyday - flaws in human society and the idiosyncrasies of each individual, and I saw in this movie an actor that could have been cherished.

M

Fritz Lang's M is a movie in German that was released in 1931. The story is about a psychotic child murderer and potentially, a rapist. It's an old movie, one which could well be set in today's time sans some of today's technology; very similar to how 12 Angry Men could be an everlasting classic. The insanity is well portrayed by Peter Lorre and even though the movie seems to be going towards an expected end, it doesn't. The last 30 minutes or so of the movie are very powerful, powerful to such an extent that it can glue a viewer to his / her seat, think, question and sympathise. Peter Lorre was beautiful and his eyes were perfect - one who watches the movie will know what I am referring to. He was theatrical and he was the psychotic killer whom he portrayed. Be afraid of people who whistle a tune.

When one watches old movies, one notices how there was so much emphasis on the story and on the direction. The actors had to work harder, and one can see it in their performances (at times). One can see how movies have changed; they are more colourful now (pun intended) and the movies are louder. One also notices how times have changed and how society has changed. This is one of the beautiful aspects of movie-making - preservation of the people as they used to be.