Film
The documentary “The Klezmatics: On Holy Ground” is pleasing to watch, but there are a number of ways of respecting as well as loving great artists, the most important being coming up with the chutzpah necessary to ask the tough questions that generate illuminating, inspiring, or interesting answers.
Director Steve McQueen’s skillful exploration of troubled human behavior and his use of New York as a psychological landscape make “Shame” off-putting to watch, while at the same time it draws us in. We have no moral compass beyond our own attitudes to ambiguous contemporary sexual mores.
As a dancer, Pina Bausch was the presiding spirit of speechlessness. She had the macabre body of an anorexic, but her matchstick arms communicated entire inner worlds.
As the Occupy and Tea Party movements attest, this is a time in America of social action and political upheaval -– not to the degree that we see in “Battleship Potemkin,” but significant nonetheless –- and this classic silent film has resonance today in that regard.
I had written Martin Scorsese off, and never expected he had a “Hugo” in him. That he did is the among the touching things in this film.
Wondering about what to give the arts and culture lover on your gift list? No problem — the sage writers for The Arts Fuse (with an assist from our readers) come to the rescue with thoughtful suggestions.
The Boston Jewish Film Festival saves one of its best films, “Mabul,” for last, and some final thoughts on this year’s line-up of movies.
More comments on the films in this year’s Boston Jewish Film Festival, including “Dolphin Boy”, an uneven documentary about dolphins and healing, and “Dusk,” one of the finest films in the festival.
More comments on the movies in this year’s Boston Jewish Film Festival, including “Standing Silent,” a powerful documentary on child abuse in the orthodox Jewish community and an effective adaptation of David Grossman’s novel “The Book of Intimate Grammar.”
The second installment in Debra Cash’s coverage of the ICA’s ambitious Dance/Draw series.
Visual Art Commentary: Silence Is Complicity — Why Museums Must Use Their Voice to Defend Democracy