In theaters: “The Last Duel”

In 1950, a Japanese drama titled “Rashomon” was released to international acclaim. The film told a story about a murder but from the differing perspectives of various characters.

The unique structure of the film addressed the nature of truth and fact. Is truth truly dependent upon perspective?

Telling stories from differing points of view is certainly nothing new at this point, but I’m hard pressed to remember a recent film that used the approach of “Rashomon” in the way director Ridley Scott has done with “The Last Duel.”

The film tells the same story from the three main characters: Jean De Carrouges (Matt Damon), his wife Marguerite (Jodie Comer) and De Carrouges friend and later enemy Jacques Le Gris (Adam Driver.)

Set in France in the mid-1300s, the film attempts to realistically portray the structured life for noblemen, as well as the lack of control women have over their lives.  Jean is a hard-working noble who is known as a fierce fighter, but his temper prevents him from navigating through noble life. The politics of the court robs him of things he believes he deserved including taking over his father’s position as the captain of a garrison to receiving the full dowry when he marries his wife.

Le Gris is a man who may not be as ferocious a soldier, but he is versed in mathematics and is literate, both of which serves him well with his patron, Count D’Alencon (Ben Affleck). The count has little use for Jean, who violates protocol regularly.

Marguerite is a loyal wife – although she has yet to deliver a heir for him – and tolerates her husband’s temper. When she meets Le Gris at an event that is supposed to reunite the two friends, she is of immediate romantic interest to him.

The politics of the court, as well as Le Gris’ attraction, brings the story to a horrifying conclusion. In what he sees as an act of love, Le Gris rapes Marguerite and while she is advised to simply accept what has happened, she refuses to do so. The three people must then subject themselves to a trial.

Although frequently presented in an epic way, Scott’s film is really about three people and how they are affected by the attitudes and conventions of their society. Even with CGI vistas of Paris at that time – Notre Dame Cathedral is being built – as well as well-staged battle scenes, this film remains focused on the three main characters.

The device of three versions of the story works very well and ultimately the film is about Marguerite. Women in this society had few rights and inadvertently she becomes a feminist hero even though the character herself would never consider such a description. The script is careful in presenting dialogue  and conventions that are tied to the period.

Scott’s film is an effective exercise in world-building, but it succeeds even more as a historical drama.

On Blu-ray: “Fritz the Cat”

Yes, this note is a bit self-serving but I couldn’t resist. I had the pleasure of recording my first commentary track for a Blu-ray, thanks to my friend, the legendary cartoonist and illustrator Stephen R. Bissette. Bissette had been approached to do a commentary track for the newly restored “Fritz the Cat” and he graciously included me because of my background with animation, as well as the fact I had interviewed the film’s director Ralph Bakshi.

The 1972 animated adaptation of Robert Crumb’s underground cartoon character was notorious for being the first animated feature film that carried an X rating. Although there are some sexual elements to the film, this movie is certainly not pornographic in any way. It is instead a raw and off-the-wall critique of American politics and society at the time, in my opinion.

Fritz is a college student who wants to talk the talk of the revolutionary, but certainly doesn’t want to walk the walk. The movie can be seen as either – depending upon the audience  – as a biting take on white hypocrisy and privilege or as an exercise in blatant racism and sexism.

Crumb, who was not involved in the production of the film, hated it so much that he killed Fritz off in his comics.

I had not seen the film for years and I found it still packs a punch. Set in New York City initially, Bakshi uses photos of the city to show its decay. This is not a typical look for an animated film of the period.

Using Crumb’s illustrations, the film has its Black characters portrayed as crows, a choice that is as controversial then as it is now. There is a sort of confrontational poetry to the film, which makes it as personal as an art house film.

Many controversies surrounded the film with its release in 1972 and I have to say that nearly 50 years later “Fritz the Cat” remains a thorny production. It was a pleasure to discuss it with Bissette, though and I hope a new generation of animation fans will view it.