“Newtypes shouldn’t kill each other, right?”
The past catches up with the crew: Mirai, Amura, Sayla, Char. As the war ends, the characters finally meet and some of their decisions are questioned. The idea of Newtypes, their superiority, and the underlying racism of the war are brought more to the forefront, but it’s really only to add stakes, which is a shame. I do think the idea that there are Newtypes, but their existence doesn’t justify any of the eugenicist…
“Don’t worry about it. We may end up like that someday.”
The war continues as White Base travels across earth. This film deals more with how military protocol affects civilians. Sayla, Amuro, and Kai have their own issues with orders. There’s also the generals falling further into the belief that White Base is crewed with more evolved humans called Newtypes. This causes them to put more pressure on the new ship and its crew simply to prove the theory. They’re…
How is this not mentioned in the same breath as Vertigo and Suspicion? It is the predessessor of both works, and it surpasses the latter. Rebecca brings Gothic romance to the screen with all the grandeur, mystery, and melodrama of the genre. A lesser actor would have made Olivier's character unlikable. Joan Fontaine brings both shy vulnerability and haunted seriousness in a role that could easily be stupid or weak. Judith Anderson delivers pure insanity. Definitely one of Hitchcock's best.
"My name will mean nothing to you."
Whereas The Umbrellas of Cherbourg really seemed like no one was responsible for the heartache, it really feels like this film's characters just make really terrible, selfish decisions. It makes for decent drama, but mostly deserved tragedy. It also seems more contrived than many of Demy's earlier works. Poor Violette, though.
