Chip Kaufmann’s Pick:

Judex (1963)

If you’re in the mood for something a little out of the ordinary, look no further than this brand new Criterion release of the 1963 French thriller Judex. Director Georges Franju made the poetic horror film Eyes Without a Face (1959) about an obsessed plastic surgeon trying to repair his daughter’s badly scarred face. This film proved to be an international success and the basic plot was copied many times.

The success of that film led Franju to remake Judex, a 1917 French crime serial about a caped crusader who seeks to dispense justice and avenge his parent’s murder (sound familiar?). Although set in 1917, the film is deliberately anachronistic with contemporary fashions and makeup and the unmistakable look of the French New Wave (think Jules & Jim). The film is beautifully photographed in stark black and white.

The photography is very deliberate as is everything about Judex. The heroine wears white, the villainess wears a black jumpsuit (2 years before Diana Rigg in The Avengers) and the hero is tall and dashing with an imposing hat and a swirling cape. No shades of gray or psychological motivations here. Characters do what they do because they are what they are.

An unscrupulous banker “dies” (in the film’s most elaborate set piece set at a masked ball where people wear bird heads) only to wake up a prisoner of the mysterious figure Judex (Latin for judge) who demands restitution. Meanwhile an unscrupulous governess kidnaps the banker’s daughter in order to secure the family fortune. Can Judex teach her father a lesson and rescue her before it’s too late? And what of the bumbling French detective assigned to the case? (Hmmm, this sounds familiar too).

Since it is based on a silent film there isn’t an awful lot of dialogue and there are several title cards of the “Meanwhile, back at the farm…” variety. The film is highly stylized and would prove very influential on a certain British TV series mentioned earlier. The hauntingly effective score is by Maurice Jarre written between Lawrence of Arabia and Doctor Zhivago There is also magic galore as Judex is played by real life magician Channing Pollock. Judex is escapism with a capital E and highly recommended.

Michelle Keenan’s Pick:

The Lunchbox (2014)

New on DVD this month is one of this year’s finest little gems, The Lunchbox. The Lunchbox will no doubt be on my Top Ten list come award season. If you didn’t see it during its run here in Asheville, I implore you to rent it.

It’s a simple story, but its execution is flawless and its depth surprising. Ila (Nimrat Kaur)is a lonely young, middleclass housewife and mother in Mumbai. She’s hoping to put a little pizzazz back in her marriage by creating a special lunch for her husband. Ila quickly deduces that her food was not delivered to her indifferent husband and sends a note and another meal the next day for whoever is receiving her husband’s lunchbox. The recipient of the lunchbox is Saajan (Irfan Kahn) a quiet, lonely widower on the verge of retirement.

They quickly begin a correspondence and Ila sends him wonderful meals each day. Their notes become more intimate, not of the romantic kind (at least not at first), but of life’s tribulations and worries; each needs someone to talk to. She confides in him about the state of her marriage. She confides in him when she realizes her husband is cheating on her. He confides in her about missing his wife and becoming old.

While all of this is going on Ila is also dealing with her mother and dying father. Meanwhile Saajan is training his over-eager replacement Shaikh (Nawazuddin Siddiqui). The latter story is utterly delightful as an unlikely friendship forms between the two men.

Every step of the story unfolds with an elegant grace, a quiet reserve, with compassion and a very natural humor. Ila, Saajan and Shaikh all have their worries, and each of them trying to find their place in the world and in life. The mark each leaves on the other is indelible.

The Lunchbox is a kind hearted and heartbreakingly beautiful film. It brings new meaning to the love letter. It’s the first feature film from Hindi director Ritesh Batra. If this is what he delivers out of the gate, I can wait to see what’s next.