The Piano (1993)

During watching "The Piano" by Jane Campion I had different thoughts and at

different scenes I was puffed up by the brutality and the obsession with sex of the male characters. Especially the interaction between Ada and Baines made me think about their relationship. I think it was definitely rape at the beginning, when Baines tried to get close to Ada for the first times. Ada was forced to submit to his intimacies to get her piano back. Baines took advantage of her helplessness and her dependency on playing the piano. Maybe she cared a touch about him, otherwise she would probably not have accepted the deal. In my opinion her impulse of playing the piano was so big, that she tolerated everything. That is the reason why I think Baines assaulted her at the beginning.  

But after a certain time Ada started to enjoy his attention and touchings. She was impressed by his love to her and her playing the piano. She loved that fact that Baines admires her. I think that is the reason why she fell in love with him.  

Do The Right Thing (1989)

To do the right thing is in lot of cases difficult. Typically you can not do something what is completely right, there will be always someone who will not agree with your opinion. Such as in the movie "Do The Right Thing" by Spike Lee, there are a lot of scenes where people believe they would do the right thing, but in another point of view it is the opposite. I really understand why Mookie had to throw the trash can through the window of the pizzeria. But I can also understand why the owner of the pizzeria did not want to put a picture of a "black" icon on his wall.  Mookie wanted to obtain his independency and to win back the status of being a part and accepted by the African American community. The owner of the pizzeria had always these pictures of his Italian background on the wall and did not want to change it. Both point of views are based on values and moral ideas of their own social lifes and their communities. Both are proud to be part of their community and no one wanted to deviate from their opinions. Both thought they would do the right thing. 

In my opinion to do the right is not only based on one point of view. You have to see different views and hear different opinions. In our world there is no black or white or yes or no. There is always something between. We should not be selfish and place us and our opinions in the centre of the world. It is necessary to be open-minded and thoughtful about us and others. I think this catastrophe at the end of the movie could be prevented by a clear and respectful conversation. But it is always not that easy to do the right thing.   

El Topo (1970)

"El Topo" is a very bizarre midnight movie by Alejandro Jodorowsky which gained a cult status. It contains a lot of aggressive and violating pictures, which are very shocking.  
In this post I am going to give you some detailed information about a scene, which encapsulates for me the essence of the movie. The following scene is in the middle of the film and separates the film in two "parts". In the first part "el topo" travels around, takes revenge and kills people to be the one and only master. But during his atrocities he starts to be doubtful about his behavior. Now the essential scene begins: He is shot. But he is not dead. Some disdained people saved his life and adore him as a God in a cave. After years he awakes and his new life begins... Now I want to go deeper in the scene, when he awakes after years. The first shot of this scene is a close up of his face and the shoulders. Everything is dark, only himself is illuminated. His appearance has completely changed and there is no background music, you just can hear the sound of fallen drops. The next shot is an establishing shot, showing him sitting on an altar. He realizes his survival. 
I think this is a very essential scene in this movie, because from this moment on he changed. At the beginning he was a ruthless man, who left his son in the lurch. Now he wants to help the people escaping of the cave and he really takes care of a short-statured woman. For me it seems that he had an epiphany in this cave and now he wants to recover losses.
All in all "El Topo" is movie for aficionados and should be watched carefully.                 

Seconds (1966)

"Seconds" offers with its surgery scenes very bizarre and scary moments for the audience. For me, the most impressive scene is the first operation. Trough extensive plastic surgery and mental and physical conditioning, the unfulfilled banker Arthur Hamilton is transformed into Tony Wilson, a successful artist. The unsettling fact is, that Arthur was forced to this transformation. 

This first surgery scene begins with the showing of Arthur´s ear being prepared for an incision. This is followed by a medium close-up of the doctor with his tools. The next pictures show the change of the appearance of Arthur before and after the surgery. The camera switches into a close up showing Arthur lying on the table and the gloved hands of the doctor working on him. This scene is followed by different camera angles and different pictures of the operation. During this scene the music in the background is very silent and spooky and remembered me of a horror movie.