Film Club: Round 1

For round 1 of our film club, Julia chose the recently released Passchendaele. Having studied the two world wars at school a number of times over the past few years, she wanted to see this dramatization, but I confess that I am not a fan of war movies. I don't need to watch lengthy bloody battlefield scenes to appreciate the miseries of war. All the same, it was interesting to see a war film made from a Canadian perspective, and I do like Paul Gross, who wrote, directed and acted in this film. Julia said she liked the movie, though she was saddened by the tragic ending.

My choice for the first round was Amadeus, a story about the rivalry between Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and Antonio Salieri, which I'd first watched on the big screen as a teen. Despite having only a tenuous connection to reality, this is a terrific story, with superb acting and a wonderful soundtrack. (How can the soundtrack be anything but wonderful?) Having forgotten about the gruesome first scene, I let Kate join us for this movie. The girls were familiar with some of the music, as Mozart's Magic Fantasy was a car favourite in their younger days. They both enjoyed the movie, though they found the scenes of Salieri dressed as Mozart's father quite frightening. I am sorely tempted to ask Todd to don a black mask and cloak the next time either girl gives us trouble.