Tour de France Recap: Stage 21

Bringing the 2014 Tour de France to a true, full-circle finish, German superstar sprinter Marcel Kittel won the biggest stage victory in cycling today, just as he won the Tour’s first stage in Yorkshire three weeks ago. The majority of Stage 21–a 137.5km ride from Evry to the Champs-Elysees (Paris)–was a bit of a victory lap for the Tour’s standouts: maillot jaune winner Vincenzo Nibali, points winner Peter Sagan, King of the Mountains Rafal Majka, and young rider champion Thibaut Pinot. For the first half of the race, riders took pictures, popped champagne, and chatted amicably across team lines… everyone congratulating one another for a race well run. By the time the riders reached the outskirts of Paris, however, we were reminded that this was still a race, not a victory lap. Jens Voigt, on his final stage of his final Tour de France, started the fun with an individual breakaway to win the intermediate sprint and a nice reward check for a beloved Tour participant. As the riders began their circuit of the Champs-Elysees, a few mishaps, including a crash by second-place rider Jean-Christophe Peraud, threatened to shake up the overall standings, but everyone found a place in the peloton by the end of the day. In the end, the race was a showcase for the sprinters, with Marcel Kittel beating his competitors to the line first for the victory. For Kittel, this was his fourth stage win of the Tour, and a repeat performance on last year’s win on the Champs-Elysees.

In the end, it was Nibali’s day, as he took his rightful place atop the podium in Paris. The Italian showed he was among the best in the competition from very early on, and his brilliant riding, coupled with some tough-luck crashes, cemented his place in Tour history. Nibali now joins only six other riders to have won all three Grand Tours in his career, placing him in elite company. The day was probably bittersweet for Sagan, the green jersey winner, who, despite his incredible consistency and massive points lead, failed to win a stage for the first time in his three Tours. On the bright side, Sagan is only 25, and has already won three-straight points competitions: an astounding feat for a great all-around rider. With this year’s Tour complete, cycling fans must now set their sights on August 23: the start of the Vuelta a Espana.

In honor of Marcel Kittel’s fourth stage victory, here is a film preview from his home country of Germany:

Germany

Wings of Desire / Der Himmel uber Berlin

(dir. Wim Wenders, 1987)

Another stage of the Tour de France, another win for the Germans. With Marcel Kittel, Andre Greipel, and Tony Martin all claiming first-place finishes in this year’s race, I am running light on German films. Oh well–for the sake of these film features, it’s far better to have a run of German victors than, say, Lithuanian stage-winner Ramunas Navardauskas. Despite this being the seventh German stage victory in the 2014 Tour, I still managed to have an excellent film selection to profile for Kittel’s triumphant win on the Champs-Elysees. Today, I have selected Wim Wenders’ classic, Wings of Desire (1987).

Wings of Desire is the story of a group of angels that watch over the city of West Berlin. Two particular angels, Damiel (Bruno Ganz) and Cassiel (Otto Sander), move about, unseen, through a black-and-white world, observing humanity in action, without intervening. The lives of Damiel and Cassiel are eternal and unchanging, but things take a turn when Damiel falls in love with a human trapeze artist, Marion (Solveig Dommartin). After a brief subplot concerning American actor Peter Falk (in Berlin making a film), Damiel learns that it is possible to surrender one’s immortality and become human; this is the path Damiel chooses, in order to be with the woman he loves. Now mortal, Damiel’s world (and the film) shifts into vivid color, and he begins his pursuit of Marion. The film’s ending is deliberately ambiguous, urging viewers to continue Damiel and Cassiel’s story in Wenders’ sequel, Faraway, So Close! (1993).

A great story with a dynamite lead performance from Bruno Ganz, Wings of Desire is a film with an impact that grows as it settles on you. When I first saw the film, I felt myself appreciating and enjoying it more as I thought about it over the next few days, and I have spoken with other film fans that have had a similar experience. This is a film that makes you think… plus it features some really great music from Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds and Crime & the City Solution. A winner of numerous international awards and a very-deserving entrant in to the Criterion Collection, Wings of Desire is a film worth seeing. Do not be deterred by the lackluster Hollywood remake, City of Angels (1998).

Tour de France Recap: Stage 20

On the penultimate day of the 2014 Tour de France, the riders were faced with a 58km individual time trial from Bergerac to Perigueux. With the winners in the major classifications all but decided, today was a day to watch Tony Martin, the best time trialist in the world, do what he does best. In that respect, Stage 20 did not disappoint, as Martin delivered an excellent time trial, obliterating his closest competition by 96 seconds. In addition to Martin’s dominance, a number of the top ten general classification competitors, including Leopold Konig and Tejay van Garderen, moved up in the overall standings after strong time trials. In perhaps the most disappointing news of the day, a flat tire in the final few kilometers may have cost Romain Bardet his fifth place overall standing, as van Garderen was able to jump ahead of him by only a few seconds at the end of the stage.

Heading into tomorrow’s final stage, Peter Sagan has already secured the green jersey for himself, winning the points competition convincingly this year. While he says that he is satisfied with the green jersey, I’m hoping, for Sagan’s sake, that he can find the finish line first and really put a punctuation mark on his fantastic Tour. Polish rider Rafal Majka will wear polka dots tomorrow, and without enough points left to take it away from him, he will be crowned King of the Mountains at the podium in Paris. Following today’s time trial, Thibaut Pinot has officially distanced himself from Bardet in the young rider classification. Regarding the maillot jaune, there was never any doubt that Vincenzo Nibali would hold his sizeable lead in today’s time trial, and he actually managed to extend his lead with a 4th place finish. With tomorrow’s final stage often more of a victory lap than a competitive stage in most years of the Tour (albeit with a thrilling sprint finish), it looks as though the final top ten for the 2014 Tour de France will be the following: Vincenzo Nibali, Jean-Christophe Peraud, Thibaut Pinot, Alejandro Valverde, Tejay van Garderen, Romain Bardet, Leopold Konig, Haimar Zubeldia, Laurens Ten Dam, and Bauke Mollema.

In honor of Tony Martin’s second stage victory, here is a film preview from his home country of Germany:

Germany

Metropolis

(dir. Fritz Lang, 1927)

Among all of the German films of the expressionist Weimar era (including the previously-featured Cabinet of Dr. Caligari and Nosferatu), a strong case could be made that Fritz Lang’s Metropolis (1927) is the most influential and well-known of them all. For decades, the film was only partially available, with title cards substituting for missing segments. However, in 2008, the discovery of a 95% complete copy of the film in Argentina allowed for a new restoration of this classic film that nearly matches Lang’s original. A truly groundbreaking science fiction film, Metropolis is essential viewing for any serious film fan.

Metropolis is the tale a futuristic city (Metropolis) with a significant class struggle: the rich and idle live in luxury, while the working class toil with the dangerous industrial machines that keep the city running. The message of the story is extremely heavy-handed: “The mediator between head and hands must be the heart!” The “heart” in this case is our protagonist, Freder (Gustav Frohlich), whose journey from idle playboy to champion of the proletariat helps him to find peace between the wealthy “head” of Metropolis, represented by his father (Alfred Abel) and the working class, represented by foreman Grot (Heinrich George). The peaceful union of the two classes is saccharine and overdone, but the visual effects and mise en scene are groundbreaking and absolutely brilliant for their time. Metropolis may not be the best film of the silent era, but its influence and importance cannot be overstated.

Tour de France Recap: Stage 19

With the 2014 Tour de France nearing its conclusion (and the majority of the major competitions already decided), Stage 19 brought the riders out of the Pyranees for a 208.5km (mostly) flat ride from Maubourguet Pays du Val d’Adour to Bergerac on a day that was primed for a sprint finish. A five-man breakaway group of Cyril Gautier, Martin Elmiger, TJ Slagter, Arnaud Gerard, and Rein Taaramae moved ahead of the peloton in the first 40km, but the main field would keep them in sight, ready to chase them down at the end of the stage. Through a downpour, Slagter headed out on his own with around 30km left in the race, but the peloton would ultimately catch up. A clever attack by stage winner Ramunas Navardauskas gained him a small lead over the peloton over the last 10km. In the last few kilometers, an untimely crash involving some of the major sprinters (Andre Griepel, Peter Sagan) gave Navardauskas just enough of an edge to hold on for the stage win.

By the day’s end, the overall standings remain virtually unchanged from yesterday’s race: Vincenzo Nibali maintains his sizeable lead on the yellow jersey, Rafal Majka continues to wear polka dots, Sagan–despite today’s crash–should continue to cruise into Paris in green, and Thibaut Pinot holds his two-minute lead in the young rider classification. Overall, today’s stage was rainy and uneventful for the major competitions, although it is certainly a ride Navardauskas will remember for the rest of his life.

In honor of Ramunas Navardauskas’ stage victory, here is a film preview from his home country of Lithuania:

Lithuania

Reminiscences of a Journey to Lithuania

(dir. Jonas Mekas, 1972)

Okay, so this one is going to be a stretch: there isn’t a whole lot to choose from in the cinematic history of Lithuania, particularly those films that have garnered some critical acclaim and are relatively accessible for viewing purposes. After all, this is a nation that has spent the better part of the last one hundred years as a member of the former Soviet Union (not an independent, film-producing nation), and has only been submitting films for consideration for the Best Foreign Film Academy Award since 2006 (with no nominations). Therefore, selecting a film from Lithuania to profile for this piece was more of a challenge than any of my previous Tour de France film profiles. For this piece, I am breaking convention (slightly), selecting a film from a well-known Lithuanian director about Lithuania… but produced in West Germany and the United Kingdom.  So, Jonas Mekas’ Reminiscences of a Journey to Lithuania 1972) is my choice here; though technically not a purebred Lithuanian film, the director’s heritage and the film’s subject matter make this a valid choice in my opinion (and, let’s face it, the only “Lithuanian” film I have seen).

Reminiscences of a Journey to Lithuania is pretty self-explanatory from its title alone. Renowned experimental/avant-garde filmmaker Jonas Mekas returns to his hometown in Lithuania,  Semeniskiai. While visiting the village of his birth, Mekas “reminisces” about growing up, visits his relatives that maintain the local lifestyle, and poetically muses over the changing times and customs. The documentary, complete with home movie footage of Mekas’ youth, is heartfelt, honest, and personal. Although this is a difficult film to connect to (unless you are Jonas Mekas himself), the personal, earnest nature of his filmmaking here (and cameo appearances of some of Mekas’ well-known friends, like Peter Kubelka) makes the film worth experiencing once.

Tour de France Recap: Stage 18

Although he will not celebrate n the podium of the Champs-Elysees for another three days, today’s stage victory on the Tour’s final day in the Pyranees can go down as the day Vincenzo Nibali officially won the 2014 Tour de France. By the ride’s end, Nibali would put over 7 minutes on his closest competitor, with only two flat rides and a time trial remaining. Barring anything tragic or shockingly unexpected, the maillot jaune should be Nibali’s all the way to Paris (he has worn the jersey on every stage but 1,2, and 9). In addition to Nibali’s brilliant ride today, another happy rider is Poland’s Rafal Majka, whose third place finish on the day’s final climb secured him the polka dot jersey for the King of the Mountains for the 2014 Tour.

Stage 18, a 145.5km ride through the Pyranees from Pau to Hautacam began with an initial breakaway group of about 20 riders leading the peloton through the stage’s two small, opening climbs and an intermediate sprint. Bryan Coquard would win the sprint, adding to his second place standing in the points classification. He now has 253 points, only trailing green jersey leader Peter Sagan by 155 points. With just three days to go, Sagan has all but eliminated his competition from contention, but it was nice to see the strong early effort from Coquard. Once the breakaway reached the first of the day’s two hors categorie climbs, the famous Col du Tourmalet, two riders (Blel Kadri and Mikel Nieve) moved ahead of the group, reaching the summit first. By the second big ascent, up the Montee du Hautacam, Nieve would drop Kadri, with race-leader Vincenzo Nibali in hot pursuit. Nibali, challenging his closest competitors–Alejandro Valverde, Thibaut Pinot, Jean-Christophe Peraud, and Tejay van Garderen–surged up the final climb to seal the stage victory. Polka dot jersey leader Rafal Majka, pressured by Nibali’s strong finish on the final climb, pushed himself to a third place finish to retain his lead in the King of the Mountains classification. As Valverde cracked, Pinot, Peraud, and van Garderen put the pressure on, with the two French riders passing Valverde in the overall standings (and currently out of a podium position in Paris). Pinot now holds a 13 second lead over Peraud for second place, while Peraud is a mere 2 seconds ahead of Valverde for third. Fifth-place overall contender Romain Bardet still has a chance at stealing the white jersey from Pinot, as he trails him by only 2 minutes in the young rider classification.

In honor of Vincenzo Nibali’s Tour-leading (are you paying attention, Marcel Kittel?) fourth stage victory, here is a film preview from his home country of Italy:

Italy

L’Avventura

(dir. Michelangelo Antonioni, 1960)

Michelangelo Antonioni’s L’Avventura caused quite a stir when it debuted at Cannes in 1960, causing several audience members to boo the film for its long, meandering plot. In the time since its shaky premiere, however, the film has earned massive acclaim and is widely considered an international classic. The story focuses on a group’s vacation to the islands of Sicily, where one member of the group, Anna (Lea Massari), goes missing unexpectedly. Her best friend, Claudia (Monica Vitti), and her lover, Sandro (Gabriele Ferzetti), both attempt to resolve her disappearance, but find external circumstances–including their growing love for each other–get in the way of their ability to focus on solving Anna’s disappearance. Shot on location in Italy, the film features some of the more brilliant scenic backdrops in cinema.

L’Avventura is far from action-packed, as its slow pacing and sometimes overly long segments where seemingly nothing happens to further the plot of the story. However, the film does provide a fascinating character study, particularly of Anna’s best friend and her former lover, regarding the complicated relationship that develops after Anna’s unsolved disappearance. Nominated for a number of international awards, including a Jury Prize at the Cannes Film Festival, L’Avventura is essential viewing for any true cinephile, and widely regarded as Antonioni’s masterpiece.

Tour de France Recap: Stage 17

The 2014 Tour de France continues in the Pyranees with Stage 17: a short, 124.5km trek from Saint-Gaudens to Saint-Lary Pla d’Adet, including a brief jaunt into Spain and four difficult climbs (three category one climbs and a hors categorie finish). On today’s relatively short ride full of mountain points, it was expected that the world’s best climbers would show their skills, testing King of the Mountains leader Rafal Majka. Today, however, Majka was more than up to the challenge, as he reached the summit of the final climb first, earning his second stage victory of this year’s Tour.

Thrown off by the steep climbs and a hard-charging peloton, a true breakaway had trouble getting established, and a core group of about 20 riders managed to float in and out of the lead group (about 1-2 minutes ahead of the peloton for most of the early part of the stage). By the first climb, Rafal Majka and Joaquim Rodriguez (top two contenders for the polka dot jersey) made a charge for the summit, showing they are both very into the climbing competition this year. After the first climb, Vasili Kiriyenka made an attack on his own, establishing a slim lead over the chasing group entering the second climb of the day. Kiriyenka’s efforts could not last the next climb, however, and he was caught by the chase group on the third climb of the day. Rodriguez, in great form, managed to edge out Majka for points on each of the first three climbs, becoming the virtual leader in the King of the Mountains competition on the road, heading to the final climb. Unfortunately for Rodriguez, Majka saved his best riding of the day for the last climb, as he attacked and blew away the remaining riders from the lead group, cruising to a stage victory and some major mountains points.

Majka, with his impressive performance on the final climb, extends his lead in the King of the Mountains competition. Vincenzo Nibali, as he has done all Tour, gives a strong and confident ride, finishing only 48 seconds behind Majka and further tightening his hold on the yellow jersey. He now owns almost a 6 minute lead on his closest competitor, Alejandro Valverde. The race for the young rider competition is officially a two-man affair, as Michal Kwiatkowski is now over 30 minutes back, leaving the Frenchmen Thibaut Pinot and Romain Bardet to battle it out, with Pinot currently up by 94 seconds. Last, but not least, Peter Sagan continues to dominate the points classification, and at this point in the Tour, the green jersey is all but his.

In honor of Rafal Majka’s second stage victory, here is a film preview from his home country of Poland:

Poland

The Decalogue / Dekalog

(dir. Krzysztof Kieslowski, 1989)

Along with Andrzej Wajda (whose Man of Marble was previously featured for Majka’s first stage victory), Krzysztof Kieslowski is at the forefront of Polish filmmaking, and is renowned for his work on such films as the Three Colors trilogy (1993-1994), The Double Life of Veronique (1991), and Blind Chance (1987). After briefly debating which of the three colors to feature for this piece, I ultimately decided to go a different direction, selecting Kieslowski’s intimidating, 10-hour epic, The Decalogue (1989).

So remarkably long that Kieslowski presented the film as a ten-episode mini series, The Decalogue is a series of ten loosely connected tales in modern Poland, each related to moral dilemmas related to the Ten Commandments. Although a majority of the segments take place in and around a housing project in Warsaw, the tales each have their unique storylines and themes. One particular actor, Artur Barcis, appears in nearly each of the episodes in varying nameless roles, giving a unifying feel to the separate sections.

Two of the segments would ultimately be slightly extended and turned into short feature films in their own right: A Short Film About Love and A Short Film About Killing, both of which have earned positive critical acclaim. Internationally regarded by critics and filmmakers worldwide, The Decalogue is one of the greatest achievements in the television medium, and is well-worth budgeting a few hours of your time.

Tour de France Recap: Stage 15

With the Alps behind and a much-needed rest day ahead, the Stage 15 of the 2014 Tour de France was primed for a sprint finish and an opportunity for the best sprinters in the world to make their presence felt in the Tour once more. Descending from the mountains from Tallard to Nimes, over a 222km ride through some difficult crosswinds and stormy weather, the initial breakaway contained only two riders: Martin Elmiger and Jack Bauer, who would manage to hold off the charging sprinters’ teams in the peloton for nearly the entire race. For a stage where everyone of note ended with the same time, the finish could not have been more thrilling: the two-man breakaway entered the final 500 meters with a lead of less than 10 seconds on the peloton. As the sprinters started their moves, Bauer made a desperate effort to hold them off, coming up only 15m short of the finish before some of the big names–Alexander Kristoff, Peter Sagan, Andre Greipel, Mark Renshaw, et al.–edged him at the line, with Kristoff ultimately taking the stage victory.

As thrilling (and, for Bauer, heartbreaking) as the finish was, little changes in the major competitions after today’s long ride. Vincenzo Nibali maintains his hold on the maillot jaune, Peter Sagan (coming up just short of a stage victory yet again… he now has nine top-five finishes, and no stage victories) strengthens his hold on the green jersey,  Joaquim Rodriguez continues to wear the polka dot jersey (he is currently tied with Stage 14 winner Rafal Majka for the King of the Mountains lead), and Romain Bardet holds his slight lead on Thibaut Pinot in the white jersey competition.

In honor of Alexander Kristoff’s second stage victory, here is a film preview from his home country of Norway:

Norway

Insomnia

(dir. Erik Skjoldbjaerg, 1997)

If Alexander Kristoff keeps winning, I am going to have to watch more Norwegian films in order to keep up with these profiles, but I’m able to last one more day, featuring Erik Skjoldbjaerg’s 1997 film, Insomina. The film is a smart, well-developed thriller taking place north of the Arctic Circle, where the unique setting and the “midnight sun” enhance the overall mood and tone of the film.

Insomina is a film-noir style crime drama concerning the murder of a 17-year-old girl, Tanja, in the city of Tromso in Northern Norway. Two police officers–Jonas Engstrom (Stellan Skarsgard), a disgraced former Swedish officer, and Erik Vik (Sverre Anker Ousdal), an aging officer nearing retirement–are assigned to the case, and things go from bad to worse when Engstrom accidentally shoots his colleague and kills him. Continuing his investigation, while also trying to conceal his culpability in his partner’s death, Engstrom tracks down Tanja’s killer, Jon Holt (Bjorn Floberg), but is unable to make the arrest, as Holt attempts to blackmail Engstrom with his knowledge about Vik’s death. The character of Engstrom, torn between his dedication to his duty and his need for self-preservation, is a fascinating study, and his choices throughout the film bring the thriller to its satisfying, intriguing conclusion.

Smart and stylish, Insomnia cleverly utilizes its unique setting to enhance the well-scripted plot. Stellan Skarsgard is brilliant as Engstrom, and his performance alone makes the film worth watching. Well regarded in critical circles, the film was honored with a well-received Hollywood remake from director Christopher Nolan, starring Al Pacino, in 2002. Whether you have seen Nolan’s film or not, it is worth the time to visit Skjoldbjaerg’s original.

Tour de France Recap: Stage 14

Stage 14 of the 2014 Tour de France features the highest climb of the entire Tour: a 19km ascent up the 2,360m Col d’Izoard, right in the heart of a 177km stage from Grenoble to Risoul, which features two additional category-1 climbs. The Tour’s final day in the Alps proved to be an opportunity for race-leader Vincenzo Nibali to do some additional damage in the general classification, and earned Polish rider Rafal Majka his first-ever stage win. The day’s breakaway group of 17 riders contained a number of interesting names, including green jersey leader Peter Sagan, polka dot jersey contender Joaquim Rodriguez, yesterday’s most aggressive rider Alessandro De Marchi, and the stage’s eventual winner, Rafal Majka. On a day prime for breakaway success, Majka delivered the victory.

By the end of the day, the breakaway (save only the stage winner, Majka) would not hold, as several riders dropped off during the tough ascent up the Col d’Izoard, but Rodriguez stayed at the front long enough to earn himself enough King of the Mountains points to wear polka dots tomorrow. Nibali, looking strong as usual, held off all challengers, cruising into second place on the stage and extending his lead over his nearest competitors. Sagan, with yet another victory on the intermediate sprint, continued to extend his points lead. Lastly, in what is turning out to be the most exciting competition in the Tour this year, young French riders Romain Bardet and Thibaut Pinot battled it out for the white jersey, with Bardet holding a very slim 16 second lead at the day’s end.

In honor of Rafal Majka’s stage victory, here is a film preview from his home country of Poland:

Poland

Man of Marble / Czlowiek z marmuru

(dir. Andrzej Wajda, 1977)

At the forefront of Polish filmmaking is acclaimed director Andrzej Wajda, who is responsible for four of the nation’s nominations for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film, and is probably best known for his war trilogy: A Generation (1954), Kanal (1956), and the critically-revered Ashes and Diamonds (1958). For this segment, I have selected Wajda’s Man of Marble (1977), a brilliant political drama and the precursor to the Palme d’Or winning and Academy Award nominated Man of Iron (1981).

Man of Marble concerns a young Polish film student, Agnieszka (Krystyna Janda), who is making a documentary film of bricklayer and propaganda-icon Mateusz Birkut (Jerzy Radziwilowicz). Birkut, who was something of a celebrity two decades earlier, has gone missing, his whereabouts unknown. Agnieszka, who finds plenty of archived materials on Birkut, but cannot get any legitimate information on his current situation, ultimately manages to track down his son, Maciej (also played by Jerzy Radziwilowicz). From Maciej, Agnieszka learns that Mateusz Birkut died years ago (the cause of which is not revealed until the film’s sequel), leaving the young director unsure how to finish her film. In many ways, Wajda’s film feels like Agnieszka’s film, as the overall movie takes on a documentary-like tone, despite its fictional content.

Epic in length and scale, Man of Marble intriguingly blends real elements of communist-era Poland with the fictional story of Mateusz Birkut. The film pulls no punches in its treatment of political themes, and the performances are strong throughout. A film that only enriches the greatness of its sequel, Man of Marble is essential viewing before moving on to the award-winning Man of Iron.

Tour de France Recap: Stage 13

As if his sizeable lead in the general classification wasn’t enough, Stage 13 of the 2014 Tour de France was a moment where Vincenzo Nibali put an end to any doubts that he is the runaway favorite to win the Tour, after the early exits of former champions Chris Froome and Alberto Contador. In a brilliant climbing finish, Nibali bested all of his competition, earning a third stage victory and a significant advantage over his nearest competitors in the overall standings. After 197.5km ride from Saint-Etienne to Chamrousse, culminating in a hors categorie climb to the finish, Nibali was in perfect form, dropping his closest competition, Richie Porte, a full 10km before the finish, gaining over nine minutes on the former second place competitor.

The initial breakaway group of nine riders included Alessandro De Marchi (who put in a strong showing in the King of the Mountains category today). The breakaway could not hold out for the whole race; however, as Nibali and the rest of the peloton caught up before the final climb. As Richie Porte started to slide off the back of the peloton, Alejandro Valverde made an attack on the yellow jersey, but was caught… and passed… by Vincenzo Nibali. Nibali continued his strong ride up the final climb and through to the finish, leaving everyone else behind as he cruised to the stage victory. As a bonus for Nibali, the 50 King of the Mountains points earned on the final climb was also enough to take the polka dot jersey from Joaquim Rodriguez at the end of the stage. Other strong performances were put in by Tejay van Garderen and Thibaut Pinot, who both moved into the top five overall at the close of the stage. We now have Vincenzo Nibali claiming both the yellow and polka dot jerseys, with Peter Sagan still in green (probably all the way to Paris), and Romain Bardet maintaining an extremely-slim lead over Pinot in the young rider classification.

In honor of Vincenzo Nibali’s third stage victory, here is a film preview from his home country of Italy:

Italy

Paisan / Paisà

(dir. Roberto Rossellini, 1946)

A discussion of the best Italian directors won’t last very long before someone mentions Roberto Rossellini, who belongs among compatriots Vittorio De Sica, Luchino Visconti, Michelangelo Antonioni, and Federico Fellini as the best in the country’s storied film history. His neo-realist films, including Rome, Open City (1945) and his collaborations with actress Ingrid Bergman, such as Journey to Italy (1954), are well-regarded Italian dramas frequently cited by film critics worldwide. For this profile, I have selected Paisan (1946), a neo-realist war film considered part of a loose war trilogy (along with Rome, Open City and Germany, Year Zero).

A classic example of Italian neo-realism, Paisan is a war drama presented in six separate episodes depicting effects of World War II across Italy. The vignettes move across the country, with settings including Sicily, Naples, Rome, and Florence. Each of the segments focuses on the effects of the war on all of those involved, particularly the Italian civilians who see their homeland turned into a battlefield, and there is a strong focus on the dangers of a communication breakdown caused by language barriers. In one particularly effective segment, a street orphan, Pasquale (Alfonsino Pasca), steals the boots of a drunken African-American soldier, Joe (Dots Johnson). What follows is Joe’s attempt to recover his boots, and his resultant first-hand view into the life of the poor, orphaned boy.

Nominated for an Academy Award for Best Screenplay (part of the screenplay was written by Rossellini himself, and another segment was scripted by the legendary Federico Fellini), and the winner of the BAFTA award for “Best Film from Any Source,” Paisan is a film deserving of regard equal to Rossellini’s “masterpiece” Rome, Open City. Each of the six episodes would make for an effective short film in its own right, but together they form a cohesive film experience you won’t regret watching.

Tour de France Recap: Stage 12

The 2014 Tour de France continued Thursday with Stage 12, a 185.5km race from Bourg-en-Bresse to Saint-Etienne, featuring four categorized climbs and some very hot riding conditions.  Yesterday’s feel-good story–Andrew Talansky’s gutsy solo ride to the finish line after falling off the back of the peloton–came to a disappointing conclusion this morning, as Talansky was forced to abandon the Tour before the start of the day’s stage.  The day’s breakaway group contained five riders (Sebastian Langeveld, Gregory Rast, Simon Clarke, David de la Cruz, and Florian Vachon), who put in a strong showing, leading the peloton for a majority of the stage. Unfortunately for the breakaway riders, a crash for de la Cruz ended his Tour, and the remaining riders were ultimately caught within the last 20km.

With the breakaway reigned in, the stage set itself up for a sprint finish, with Norwegian rider Alexander Kristoff edging out Peter Sagan for the stage victory. This is Kristoff’s first-ever stage win, and yet another stage where Peter Sagan has come up just short. At least he can rest comfortably with his sizeable lead in the green jersey competition. At the end of the day, all stays the same in the main competitions:  Vincenzo Nibali in yellow, Peter Sagan in green, Joaquim Rodriguez in polka dots, and Romain Bardet wearing white.

In honor of Alexander Kristoff’s stage victory, here is a film preview from his home country of Norway:

Norway

Zero Kelvin / Kjærlighetens kjøtere

(dir. Hans Petter Moland, 1995)

With the recent dominance of German, Italian, and French riders in this year’s Tour, it is nice to be able to profile a film from a nation less well-known for its cinematic history: Norway. Norwegian cinema, although it has a history dating back to 1907, has a far less storied history than Scandanavian counterparts Sweden, Finland, and Denmark. As such, I am happy to feature Hans Petter Moland’s Zero Kelvin (1995) as one of the few Norwegian films I have had the pleasure of viewing.

Zero Kelvin is the tale of poet Henrik Larsen (Gard B. Eidsvold), who leaves his life in Oslo in order to spend a year in the harsh environment of Greenland with an experienced trapper, Randbaek (Stellan Skarsgard), and a scientist, Jakob Holm (Bjorn Sundquist). Alone in a small hut, the isolated men develop a dynamic relationship that is tested to the breaking point as tensions flare amid the desolate, unforgiving arctic landscape. A rugged character drama at its core, the film stands out for its scenic arctic backdrop and an outstanding performance from Stellan Skarsgard. The film was also featured in an early edition of Steven Jay Schneider’s 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die.

Tour de France Recap: Stage 11

 Following Tuesday’s rest day, the 2014 Tour de France resumed with a 187.5km Stage 11 ride from Besancon to Oyonnax, featuring four moderate climbs through some (finally) sunny weather. Today’s breakaway-of-the-day featured a trio of riders–Cyril Lemoine, Martin Elmiger, and Anthony Delaplace–breaking out ahead of the pack and setting the pace for the stage. As the peloton pursued the breakaway, former-contender Andrew Talansky was dropped by the group, and forced to ride alone off the back for the majority of the race. At one critical moment, it seemed like Talansky would abandon the race altogether, pulling over to the side of the road for a chat with his team car, but he managed to get back on the bike and ride on, valiantly.

Other than Talansky, the majority of the main contenders stayed together in the peloton throughout the race, which wasn’t decided until Stage 8 winner Tony Gallopin made a final breakaway effort in the final few kilometers, earning the stage victory. Among the most disappointed finishers must be Peter Sagan, who was clearly focused on the stage victory, but fell just short to Gallopin in the final kilometer. At the end of the day, no jerseys are changing shoulders. Vincenzo Nibali maintains the yellow jersey, with Peter Sagan still in green, Joaquim Rodriguez still in polka dots, and Romain Bardet continuing to wear the white jersey tomorrow.

In honor of Tony Gallopin’s second stage victory, here is a film preview from his home country of France:

France

Lola

(dir. Jacques Demy, 1961)

Among the pantheon of great French filmmakers, Jacques Demy stands apart from his peers for the unique, vibrant world that all of his films evoke. A product of the French New Wave, but remarkably different from New Wave peers like Jean-Luc Godard, Francois Truffaut, Alain Resnais, et al., Demy is best known for his two colorful, musical masterpieces: The Umbrellas of Cherbourg (1964) and The Young Girls of Rochefort (1967). The film I have chosen for this feature is Demy’s debut film, Lola (1961), which in many ways set the tone for his future successes (and in some ways is even better than his later, more well-known films).

The plot concerns a number of young men and their pursuits for the love of a young cabaret dancer, Cecile (Anouk Aimee), who goes by the stage name of Lola (interestingly enough, Demy reportedly chose this stage name as a tribute to Marlene Dietrich’s character, Lola Lola, in Josef von Sternberg’s The Blue Angel, which was previously featured in these Tour de France recaps). Our main protagonist, Roland Cassard (Marc Michel), had a former romance with Cecile, and has traced her whereabouts to the town of Nantes. In the time since their romance, Cecile/Lola has since had a son with Michel (Jacques Harden), who abandoned her and her son during her pregnancy and has not returned… until now. Just to throw a third man into the mix, an American sailor, Frankie (Alan Scott), also vies for Lola’s affections, to no result. The whole story is remarkably well-contained, as the characters operate and interact in a way that leads to a neat, satisfying (and not altogether happy) resolution. Each character in the tale is so expertly interwoven with the others, and the true focus of the film is on their interactions (and sometimes nearly-missed interactions). The timing, pace, and motion of the camera are all spot-on, giving the film an almost musical flow.

Anouk Aimee is absolutely stunning in her role as the titular Lola, and Marc Michel provides such an intriguing everyman that he would reprise his role of Roland Cassard in Demy’s later feature, The Umbrellas of Cherbourg. A brilliant debut film from a brilliant, visionary director, Lola is a film that should not be missed. See it before you move on to Umbrellas of Cherbourg and Young Girls of Rochefort, and your enjoyment of those films will be even richer. As a side note, a newly-added Jacques Demy box set to the Criterion Collection can only help new viewers access this 1960s treasure.