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From: oscar@utcsrgv.UUCP (Oscar M. Nierstrasz)
Newsgroups: net.movies
Subject: Hanna K.
Message-ID: <2390@utcsrgv.UUCP>
Date: Sat, 1-Oct-83 21:35:37 EDT
Article-I.D.: utcsrgv.2390
Posted: Sat Oct  1 21:35:37 1983
Date-Received: Sun, 2-Oct-83 09:50:04 EDT
Organization: CSRG, University of Toronto
Lines: 50

Hanna K.  (Costa-Gravras, Costi; France; 1983; 108m) * 1/2

Costa-Gavras has finally shot his bolt, it appears.

Famous for movies like  "Z",  "State  of  Siege"  and  "Missing",
Costa-Gavras  has  a  reputation  for  making political thrillers
about hot topics.  With "Missing" he concentrated  much  more  on
the  people  involved  than in the politics of the situation that
they were trapped by.  In "Hanna K." he does so  again  but  with
far less success.

Ostensibly, "Hanna K." is about the plight of Palestinian exiles.
Jill  Clayburgh  is  a  defense  lawyer  for  one  of these "non-
citizens" who has entered Israel illegally, presumably  to  claim
the  land his family once owned.  The state, however, claims that
he is a terrorist, having been captured in the company of terror-
ists at one point.

Fine and dandy, if Costa-Gavras wants to make a film about  this,
then *please* let him do so.  Instead, however, he natters on and
on about Hanna's relationship with her  estranged  husband,  with
the  prosecuting attorney (by whom she is pregnant!) and (eventu-
ally) with Selim, the defendant.

I am reminded of a sequence in Syberberg's epic film "Our Hitler"
("epic"  in  being  7 hours long!) where Hitler's valet is inter-
viewed.  The valet, presumably, would have some very  interesting
tidbits  to  impart.   Instead  he  talks at *great* length about
Hitler's shoes, what he liked for breakfast, how his  shirts  had
to folded, and so on.  In "Hanna K.", Costa-Gavras plays the part
of Hitler's valet.

Other problems: Jill Clayburgh can't act,  never  has  and  never
will.   The  dialogue  is  all  in English and is all uninspired.
Very evidently English is not Costa-Gavras' native language.  (He
is  a French citizen born in Greece.) The film's political aware-
ness has all the clarity and profundity  of  a  mud  puddle  left
after a summer shower.  The occasional anthropological excursions
into bazaars and religious sites are irrelevant and  unenlighten-
ing.   The  story  is  weak,  uninteresting and transparent.  The
parallels between the political and  the  personal  relationships
are  facile:  I imagine Hanna's French husband is the British who
left Palestine, her lover is the Israeli government, Selim is ob-
vious  and  Hanna is Jerusalem herself.  I wonder who the baby is
supposed to represent ... ?

A major disappointment.  Instead, go see "Z" for the  fifth  time
and reminisce.

Oscar Nierstrasz @ utzoo!utcsrgv!oscar