Guest Review: George On Untouchable

James A. George On Untouchable

Last year this was the second biggest box office success in France ever and voted the cultural event of 2011 in France with 52% of the votes in a poll. Untouchable is a rare laugh-ou- loud gem among the predictably crude Hollywood comedies this year (and years past). Francois Cluzet (my personal favourite contemporary French actor) plays Philippe, quadriplegic busy millionaire businessman that loves classical music and visits to the opera but under his hard shell is very lonely. He takes on Driss, played by comedian Omar Sy, as his new carer, due to the young man’s lack of compassion and sympathy. Driss is impulsive, flirtatious, weed-smoking and loves dancing to Kool & the Gang. The stereotypes are ripe throughout and the cold, dull cinematography of Driss’ flat compared to the lavish home of Philippe shines colourfully, ultimately however it never crosses into offensive territory and remains just problematic comedic formula.

The familiar buddy movie formula follows the typically crafted structure; the two men learn from one another, become friends, face struggles within themselves and their environment. What makes this version fresh is the way they bond, via marijuana and deliberately starting police chases to name a couple of incidents. Among the somewhat ignored socioeconomic inequalities and clichéd events are these two central performances that really make this movie gold. I completely believed in the acting and felt like I was witnessing a deep, genuine connection. It is in what is not said as much as what is said, and I feel this subtlety is what some American critics have missed, and perhaps what made it so popular with the French. It avoids sentimentally and hits truer emotional notes in the process.

I was lucky enough to see this on French DVD months back but from merely writing my thoughts on the film I have decided I must see this in cinemas here before a shameful Hollywood remake appears (which is already in the works). It may have some cinema textbook flaws but with such compelling performances and fine dialogue it often transcends the rigid story we’ve seen over and over. Untouchable is probably the most feel-good film this year, and more so when during the credits we see photos of real-life quadriplegic Philippe Pozzo di Borgo and his carer Abdel Sellou. Not just a fairytale.

Untouchable opens Friday in UK cinemas.

IQ AND THE POETS - ARE YOU SMART?

When you open your mouth to speak, are you smart? A funny question from a great song, but also, a good one, when it comes to poets, and poetry. We tend to have a very ambiguous view of intelligence in poetry, one that I'd say is dysfunctional. Basically, it goes like this: once you are safely dead, it no longer matters how smart you were. For instance, Auden was smarter than Yeats , but most would still say Yeats is the finer poet; Eliot is clearly highly intelligent, but how much of Larkin 's work required a high IQ? Meanwhile, poets while alive tend to be celebrated if they are deemed intelligent: Anne Carson, Geoffrey Hill , and Jorie Graham , are all, clearly, very intelligent people, aside from their work as poets. But who reads Marianne Moore now, or Robert Lowell , smart poets? Or, Pound ? How smart could Pound be with his madcap views? Less intelligent poets are often more popular. John Betjeman was not a very smart poet, per se....

"I have crossed oceans of time to find you..."

In terms of great films about, and of, love, we have Vertigo, In The Mood for Love , and Casablanca , Doctor Zhivago , An Officer and a Gentleman , at the apex; as well as odder, more troubling versions, such as Sophie's Choice and Silence of the Lambs . I think my favourite remains Bram Stoker's Dracula , with the great immortal line "I have crossed oceans of time to find you...".

THE SWIFT REPORT 2023

I am writing this post without much enthusiasm, but with a sense of duty. This blog will be 20 years old soon, and though I rarely post here anymore, I owe it some attention. Of course in 2023, "Swift" now means one thing only, Taylor Swift, the billionaire musician. Gone are the days when I was asked if I was related to Jonathan Swift. The pre-eminent cultural Swift is now alive and TIME PERSON OF THE YEAR. There is no point in belabouring the obvious with delay: 2023 was a low-point in the low annals of human history - war, invasion, murder, in too many nations. Hate, division, the collapse of what truth is, exacerbated by advances in AI that may or may not prove apocalyptic, while global warming still seems to threaten the near-future safety of humanity. It's been deeply depressing. The world lost some wonderful poets, actors, musicians, and writers this year, as it often does. Two people I knew and admired greatly, Ian Ferrier and Kevin Higgins, poets and organise...

E Y E W E A R, THE BLOG - FREEDOM MEANS BEING UNAFRAID TO WRITE WHAT YOU THINK

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