Robert Tanitch reviews the latest DVDs
THE SALT OF THE EARTH (Artificial Eye). Sebastiao Salgado, one of the greatest and most important photographers, cares about people and the planet. His photographs should be compulsory viewing in all schools world-wide. He has empathy for the human condition and his commissions have taken him round the world. He records suffering humanity and his images are profoundly moving. Once seen, who can forget the awesome Brazilian gold mine (50,000 people scrambling), the drought and famine in Ethiopia, the burning oil fires in Kuwait, the genocide of refugees in Rwanda, the very heart of darkness? These extraordinary, brilliant images constantly amaze. Wim Wenders’ documentary ends on an optimistic note recording what is beautiful and proves the destruction of the Atlantic Forests can be reversed.
THE DANCE OF REALITY (Artificial Eye). 86-year-old Ahjandro Jodorowsky, in his first film since 1990, revisits his re-imagined and surreal childhood in Tocopilla in Chile. Dad is a sadistic communist Jewish shopkeeper, sporting a Stalin moustache, who bullies his son and fights with amputees. Mum, voluptuous, bosomy, sings all her dialogue and paints her son’s whole body black and cavorts with him in the nude. (What did the little boy actor think about that?) Dad decides to kill the dictator, fails to do so, is captured and tortured by fascists (electrodes on his penis) and has a religious conversion. Jodorowsky cast his son, Brontis, to play his dad. This social and political, physical and spiritual, Felliniesque fantasy is strictly for art house audiences; and, I suspect, even they will find much of it tiresome.
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