wild tales - the closing night film for nziff 2014
what a hoot - 6 short films of revenge from argentina
this year another set of tales intertwined for the closing night
and again deliberately little known about the film pre-screening
the opening scene - the camera follows a boy with a mop of red hair
could be anywhere, anytime as he walks amongst circus performers
more of them seen inside laying on entertainment to a king and queen
john c riley and salma hayek playing the rather bored looking couple
at least until one of the dancers inadvertently reveals her pregnancy
the alarmed queen bolts for it and is pursued by the concerned king
in private he consoles her as she despairs about their lack of children
a rasputin type character then advises the king how to solve the problem
kill a sea serpent, remove it's heart and a maid must cook it for his queen
the film then heads off to fantasy land with strange scenes on the seabed
the king in a diver dan suit spearing a monster fish that strikes him back
he dies on the shore but not before cutting out the creature's huge heart
the maid cooks it up and the queen then seen tucking into it - gross
many years later the queen is chasing her son inside a garden maze
he himself pursuing his friend and son of a maid - identical albinos
the maid who cooked the heart and the queen eating it each have sons
then a complete change with a pair of passionate and topless women
in a carriage - a moustached man then reveals himself down below
crikey this may be a film based on italian fables but it is r rated
seems he is a king also with scenes following of his lustful ways
any woman anywhere and then entranced by a beautiful voice
heard coming from the village adjoining his hilltop castle
he finds the house and insists on meeting the lady of the voice
we know she is an old and wizened woman living with her sister
through a closed door she promises to come to his chambers at night
this all seems to happen in the same castle as the earlier scenes
part 3 then starts up - another king (toby jones) being entertained
his teenage daughter is singing but the king is distracted by fleas
she not happy about that nor that her whole live is castle bound
in his own quarters her father has a secret - he has a flea as a pet
which grows and grows to the size of a sheep - though uglier
i now realise this is one of the strangest films i have ever seen
but i like it - especially as the film seems to be true to the fables
or i assume so - it feels oldy worldy even with the use of cgi
having started the thread of 3 stories the film then mixes it up
the albino lookalikes are forced apart with the royal one leaving
and with that the film then moving out of the castle to the woods
strange encounters a-plenty and the friends eventually reconciled
the lusty king has his way with the singer - at night in darkness
he awakes to see an old woman beside him - she is hurled out
falling through a window to the woods and then transforming
becoming a beautiful woman and then marrying the king
the other king's flea dies and is skinned for a competition
the man that names this skin shall have my daughter's hand
thinking a clever man will win but not so - an ogre claims her
and carts her off to his mountain lair - me thinking - ah - shrek
more strange scenes as she is rescued by a troupe of performers
but the ogre tracks them down, kills them and reclaims his princess
in a moment of affection she slices his throat and escapes again
returns to the castle and her despondent father - he abdicates
and in the final celebratory scenes the 3 stories are connected
still thinking that is the strangest film i have ever watched
but with that an appreciation of the sheer artistry of it all
and a director with clear respect for the original fables
another fantastic ending for another wonderful nziff...
