From: Japan
Director: Tomu Uchida
The Silent Film in Manila just concluded and I’m so psyched I witnessed a couple of the films. Although not meaning to, I always end up watching the Japanese offer and most of the time it’s a comedy. This time around though, it’s Keisatsukan (A Police Officer), a superb film noir about gangsters and policemen. So I was extra excited.
In my self-deprecating opinion, I think there are two kinds of musicians in the context of this city’s Silent Film Festivals. One: musicians who accompany the film by providing different sound effects for each scene, or two: musicians who provide a fluent score and seamless atmosphere.
Although I am in love with this particular festival, I was struggling to avoid being disappointed by last Friday’s musical act. Pulso is wonderful and they create gorgeous electronica harmonies but their set for that film left me questioning. It was in some parts serrated and failed to invoke the undertones and mood the scenes already held on their own. Perhaps it was just me, but they did not quite stir up and intensify the proper emotions. I would consider them as the first kind of musician, although not consistently. The film was 121 minutes long, and I felt all of that 121 minutes, sometimes quite impatiently.
What this film holds for me:
What: gorgeous long takes; some proper subtle acting
What was said: “Sons of blue bloods invariably become reds.”
Out of a thousand 