Below are five entertaining films I picked up during my academically unproductive summerJean-Luc Benazet via Unsplash www.unsplash.com/license
Like many of you, my summer holiday has been jam-packed… with sleep. But it has also been jam-packed with films! After the absolute dread of exams and academic work, I’m glad to be making the change from reading lists to film lists. Below are five entertaining films I picked up during my academically unproductive summer.
Chariots of Fire
A British, sporting, and Cambridge classic. Chariots of Fire is a celebration of British patriotism, bravery, and perhaps most importantly, the fight against discrimination. Taking centre-stage is Harold Abrahams, a British Jew who faces prejudice from the establishment and fights against it through athletics, battling for his right to be recognised as an individual, an athlete, and a Briton, rather than a label.
There are few films, I’ve found, that make Cambridge look quite as cinematic as Chariots of Fire, authentically capturing the “spirit” of Cambridge, like the imposing age-old chapel, or the bizarre traditions. Trinity College will be happy to hear that the Great Court Run is faithfully depicted in the film (spoiler: Abrahams wins, and you’ll be swooning over him for the rest of the film). Likewise, Caians will be delighted to see Gonville & Caius College receive as much screen time as Trinity.
You’ll love the iconic soundtrack and triumphant beach scene which captures that exhilarating feeling of freedom after an ordeal – in our case, exams. I’d recommend watching this in your first term, ideally with friends to take in the grandeur of Cambridge in an easy-going way.
El Infierno / Hell
“There is no redeemable person in the film. There is no hero, no vision of hope. All the characters are bad or worse”. In the director’s own words, El Infierno is a black comedy and a dark indictment of the Mexican Drug War and the circle of vengeful cartel violence.
Benny García returns to an impoverished Mexico after being deported from the USA, reluctantly joining his town’s gang to provide for his family. What follows is a cartel war between the mayor and his brother in which Benny somehow survives a string of increasingly ridiculous situations (in a manner that, frankly, is only comparable to Mr Bean).
Owing to its comedic nature, make sure to watch this when you’re feeling the Week Five Blues or exam stress! Personally, watching this strange, self-proclaimed mafioso bumble and stumble all over the place was a great way to decompress during exam period – the film was just so absurd that I couldn’t help but laugh, even in the midst of what felt like an existential crisis.
Vertigo
Introducing… the Master of Suspense! Alfred Hitchcock’s Vertigo is a film that any self-described cinephile has to watch. Vertigo is an elaborate tale following detective John “Scottie” Ferguson, who becomes captivated by the woman he is trailing. Without providing too many spoilers, what follows is a saga of twists, obsession, and deception. It’s a maddening psychodrama with mad characters and a mad ending.
Surprisingly, despite its age, Vertigo is also a feminist film, exploring the obsessive pursuit of the “ideal woman” and how easily female identities can be manipulated to satisfy male expectations. Vertigo is a unique story by a veteran director who has the audience in the palm of his hand, slowly and masterfully unwrapping the film’s mystery before us, piece by piece.
If there’s just one old film you watch in your time here, I highly recommend this one. Vertigo is so distinctive and well-executed that it’s perfect for watching anytime – the sooner the better, as there are plenty more masterpieces from Hitchcock, or indeed, from any number of legendary directors, to binge.
The Death of Stalin
Stalin is dead, long live Stalin. Armando Iannucci (the creator of The Thick of It) brings, The Death of Stalin. The film presents a semi-historical account of the power struggle arising over Stalin’s succession. Two titans of the Soviet political arena, Beria and Khrushchev, Beria and Khrushchev battle it out, scrambling to succeed Stalin while pretending to honour his legacy.
Far from perfect warriors, everyone in The Death of Stalin is revealed to be grossly incompetent sycophants who can’t help but constantly flounder. You don’t know whether to laugh or cry at Beria and Khrushchev’s attempts to persuade all the senior leaders to support them as leaders. It’s a damning indictment of the post-Stalin power-vacuum and the resulting paralysis of leadership and common-sense.
You must watch this with friends as soon as possible. I had a right laugh when watching, and you will too (especially if you’re watching with a history geek!). If you’re still having trouble getting your newly-found Cambridge friends to commit to a weekly film night, wait no longer!
Ponyo
Funnily enough, I was coerced into watching this film by my partner, but after five minutes I couldn’t take my eyes off it. Like so many Ghibli films, Ponyo is a world-class family-friendly story which seeks to remind us about love, compassion, and humanity’s capacity for change. Inspired by Tomonoura (Hiroshima Prefecture, Japan), Ponyo features a coastal town punctuated by hills, splendid wooden houses, and enlivened by lush verdure. In many ways, the film is a glimpse into the director himself – his love of nature is so evident in the film.
Again, without giving much away here, Ponyo (named after the female protagonist’s soft, round, squishy body) is a magical red goldfish who transforms into a human as a result of her pure, absolute devotion to Sōsuke, the protagonist. It’s very difficult to describe this film, but I will say this: it is so full of childlike wonder, joy, and purity that my mere description of the film is insufficient – you’ll need to watch it yourself!
Cambridge often feels like a little enclave. All the buildings are wonderfully fairytale-like, but built with the same bricks and mortar nevertheless (seriously, who can tell apart Trinity’s Great Gate and St John’s?) Whenever I find myself back among the streets of London, I marvel at the way the old seeps into the modern, and vice versa. For better or worse, Cambridge is remarkably consistent. Ghibli’s animation masterpiece is a wonderful reprieve from all of that. When you’ve had enough of the Dark Academia aesthetic and want to escape into nature, Ponyo is a great film to start with.
So there you have it! Five entertaining films sure to keep you sane throughout next year. For me at least, watching films is a great escape from whatever stresses or anxieties have bubbled up, and the feeling you get when a director truly understands you is par to none – it feels as if you’re safe to decompress into a story. The most important takeaway I can impress upon you from this list is that it’s wonderful to watch films with friends. Keeping your sanity intact through the Week 5 Blues, exam stress, and just general anxiety is hard enough, but it becomes much easier once you have good films and good friends. So, to plagiarise the wonderful Vue Cinemas: “sit back, relax, switch off your phone, and switch off from the outside world” – with friends.
Varsity is the independent newspaper for the University of Cambridge, established in its current form in 1947. In order to maintain our editorial independence, our print newspaper and news website receives no funding from the University of Cambridge or its constituent Colleges.
We are therefore almost entirely reliant on advertising for funding and we expect to have a tough few months and years ahead.
In spite of this situation, we are going to look at inventive ways to look at serving our readership with digital content and of course in print too!
Therefore we are asking our readers, if they wish, to make a donation from as little as £1, to help with our running costs. Many thanks, we hope you can help!