World Cup, Season 5, Final: France vs Russia (Dec 3rd)

[joachimt]

This is match Final of the fifth season of iCM Forum's Film World Cup.

Country	Original Title	English Title	Year	Manager	IMDB	ICM
France	Le septième juré	The Seventh Juror	1962	filmbantha	link	link
Russia	Krylya	Wings	1966	joachimt	link	link

Screenshots

Le septième juré


Krylya

Voting Rules:
- You must watch both films before you vote.
- To vote, post which of the two movies is your favorite. (note: you're ranking the individual films, not the countries)

Voting deadline = Dec 3rd
Countdown till deadline

The country that ends at 1st place proceeds to the next round. The ranking of the match will be decided using these rules:
- Movie with most votes wins.
- In case of a tie the match will have a 3 day extension.
- In case there's still a tie then, the next voter decides by sudden death.

Here's a quick summary of how the tournament works

We start with 40 films from 40 countries. Each country has a manager who determines which movie will be watched. In the first round the countries are divided into 8 groups of 5. From each group the countries that end up at #1 and #2 proceed to the next round. In the 2nd round the 16 remaining countries will be divided into 4 groups of 4. The managers pick a new movie. From each group the countries that end up at #1 and #2 proceed to the next round. The remaining 8 countries will play one on one in the QF. This continues till the final.

iCM-list of all movies in this World Cup

List of all topics related to the World Cup including previous seasons

[joachimt]

1. Le septième juré 9/10
2. Krylya 8/10

I hate you, filmbantha, for picking one my favorites after I ran out of eligible Russian favorites.

[St. Gloede]

I have been meaning to see The Seventh Juror for years so this is a fascinating pairing. I don't love Wings quite as much as everyone else (just have it as an 8) so France might have a shot for me.

[72aicm]

1. Le septième juré 8/10
2. Krylya 7/10

[filmbantha]

This should be a good final! The Seventh Juror is a personal favourite of mine that I discovered thanks to the forum and I'm excited to see how those who haven't seen it respond to its brilliance. Funnily enough I watched Wings for the first time a few months ago and wasn't really taken with it. It's certainly an accomplished picture which I can admire, it just didn't make much of an impression on an emotional level and left me cold in that regard.

Here's my review of Le Septième Juré which I wrote a few years ago

Spoiler

The shocking opening scene of The Seventh Juror sets the tone for this captivating character study of a murderer without a motive, Grégoire Duval, a pharmacist whose respectable standing in the community leads to him being appointed as a juror for the trial of an innocent man accused of the very murder that he committed. Bernard Blier takes centre stage as Duval, fixating your attention from the moment he arrives on screen. His character's brief moment of madness is displayed in full when Duval takes the life of a lone woman sunbathing by the side of a lake while a pervading violin sound tangles with your nerves, heightening the impact of this staggering scene. After the murder, the intense violin accompaniment ceases abruptly (perhaps an indication that Duval is at peace after quelling an unnatural instinct to commit a heinous crime?) and Duval returns to the lakeside bar where his unsuspecting family and friends are completely oblivious to his short-lived absence.

Throughout these gripping establishing shots the slow and measured camerawork heightens the mood as the visual aspects of the film draw you in, with silhouettes of lone fisherman across a fog-shrouded lake serving to enhance the mysterious atmosphere. This is an imposing and hypnotic picture comprising countless spellbinding sequences as Duval navigates the ethical quandary of his position with a surprising amount of ease thanks to his devious nature. An inner monologue reveals Duval's internal struggles and invites us to be complicit with this wretched murderer as we learn about his past demons. In one mesmerising instance where Duval reminisces about former lovers we see his distorted reflection in a wine glass; it feels like he is looking into a crystal ball to remember his youth but the twisted appearance of his features also suggest that he has warped into a monstrous killer. These beautiful scenes showcase the meticulous work of the film's cinematographer, who conjures up a wealth of beguiling imagery and manages to maintain the sense of an alluring spectacle even as the action relocates to the clustered confines of a busy court room.

As the courtoom fills with each passing day, Duval grows in confidence and Blier's portrayal of the killer as a cold and lifeless soul - who is nevertheless driven and determined when it comes to dissecting the finer details of the case - is nothing short of astonishing. Blier is superb at masking his character's emotions, so much so that it is unlikely we would ascertain Duval's true intentions were we not privy to his deepest admissions. No-one suspects that Duval could be culpable of such a crime and he even begins to revel in proving the judge and defending lawyer to be wrong - using his inside knowledge of the incident to gain favour in the court.

It is said that the killer always returns to the scene of the crime and in one striking scene Duval invites the whole court room to reassemble by the lakeside, as he is emboldened by the direction of the court's proceedings. Inventive flourishes in the storytelling such as this establish The Seventh Juror as an incredibly compelling film that is primarily a dark crime thriller but occasionally flirts with elements of black comedy when you least expect it. The waves of disbelief that greet Duval as he tries to atone for his sins only exacerbate his downward spiral, yet he remains predominantly calm and composed on the outside. We begin to suspect that it is only a matter of time before he puts a foot out of place and there is a wicked sense of glee in anticipating whether this moment will ever arrive.

Religious symbolism plays a powerful part in the storytelling (Duval's bed even has a sculpture of Mary hanging over it) and there is an evocative callback during Duval's visit to a church when he gazes upon a statue of Christ in a pose that bears an uncanny similarity to the frightful position of the lifeless body of the woman he strangled by the lakeside. Moments like this demonstrate that the protagonist is wrestling with his conscience and struggling to escape from the guilt that consumes him, a factor that makes his character so fascinating to watch, especially when his wife's admiration for the invaluable contributions he makes in court begins to shift to suspicion.

Director Georges Lautner has crafted a remarkable crime film and it is difficult to fathom why such a masterful work of art has slipped into relative obscurity. Perhaps this stark portrayal of an impulsive murderer was ahead of its time as The Seventh Juror has lost none of its power to shock and astound the viewer, particularly when the crescendo of revelations towards the finale leaves you emotionally drained and exasperated. As well as being capable of impacting the viewer on a visceral and emotional level, The Seventh Juror is undeniably engaging due to a sublime central performance from Blier and sumptuous visuals that elevate this courtroom drama to the realm of an unforgettably haunting psychological thriller.

1. Le septième juré 8/10
2. Krylya 6/10

Best of luck joachimt, it's exciting to see the upset of a manager having to vote against his own pick in the final. Sorry to have to put you through that predicament!

[Angel Glez]

1.Krylya
2.Le septième juré

Actually a tie.

[St. Gloede]

Damn, 3-1 for the underdog already.

[beavis]

1. Krylya - 9
2. Le septième juré - 7.5

Far from a tie for me. The French movie is not my style at all, although well made, while I fell instantly in love with the Sovjet movie

[hurluberlu]

1. The Seventh Juror 7+
2. Wings 7-

Filmbantha, three of your five picks had a young girl being raped/killed and the macho, conservative perpetrator(s) getting away with it, filmed from their angle (Dupont- Lajoie and the 7th Juror being even the same film conceptually): it is a bit much...

[klaus78]

1. Le septième juré
2. Krylya

[Armoreska]

1 Le septième juré 9
2 Krylya 7

[filmbantha]

1. The Seventh Juror 7+
2. Wings 7-

Filmbantha, three of your five picks had a young girl being raped/killed and the macho, conservative perpetrator(s) getting away with it, filmed from their angle (Dupont- Lajoie and the 7th Juror being even the same film conceptually): it is a bit much...

That's a fair point, and an unintentional coincidence which is just a reflection of my taste. I think it stems from my interest in genre/extreme cinema. Films that are shocking/provocative/disturbing or all three tend to hit the spot (providing they are well made of course and have more to them than just shock value). I get that might not be everyone's idea of an enjoyable cinematic experience but these are the type of films which have the most impact on me, so it stands to reason most of my picks have fallen into this category. My first pick for Japan as well was a particularly brutal film and I probably would have plumped for more nastiness there if I had made it further with them, so at least you were all spared in that regard

[Mario Gaborović]

Good pair of films, but the winner is clear to me:

1. Le septième juré
2. Krylya

[joachimt]

France: 7
Russia: 2

[St. Gloede]

I have just summed myself after watching The Seventh Juror and I can't quite grant it's greatness, leading the powerful Wings to take an easy victory for me:

1. Wings - 8
2. The Seventh Juror - 7

There's a few things speaking against The Seventh Victim's status as great for me:

1. While I quite like Bernard Blier he is best suited for comedy or side characters in dramas. He does not really have the face to carry a film of this kind, and frankly, he did not sell the opener for me, it felt awkward. Once we got into his head with the narration things fell into place, but while he is perfectly solid his performance failed to hit a strong chord with me - he was merely good.

2. The same goes for most of the camera work, some early shots of the fog, etc. aside. It is a perfectly well-made film, but nothing striking visually - which means it needs to lean on the acting, the writing and the concept - the acting is solid, but no standouts - the same goes for the dialogue and overall writing - leaving the concept to carry most of the weight, which it, to be fair, does.

The rest should probably be put under spoilers:

Spoiler

3. The stakes in the courtroom felt a bit low. The plotting around the killer attempting to save the man who took his place is intriguing, and many of the highlights of the film is him picking apart the arguments of the prosecutor and questioning witnesses - but what are the stakes here? It is mainly after this point that the boyfriend gets more focus in the story, we don't really know him, and Blier does not convey that much care. It is interesting to see him jump into defense-mode, but the transition is not clear. The main development in this 30-40 minute section of the film is the few shots of his wife as she realises.

4. Blier did not quite sell his emotional journey to wishing to save the man's life. He never seemed to feel too guilty, and was mainly frustrated with the man who took his place. I never understood his change of heart in attempting to confess, or why. It was also odd to see him break down over the man killing himself (by accident/some fault of his) while he never really seemed to care for his victim, even at the end. The film and the society of the film seemed to not really care about the woman because she was sunbathing topless and partied - and I include the film here as it never really seemed to linger on her or question the characters around her/how they react.

5. The angle of respectability - and Blier being the indignant one, almost as if he had the moral high ground at the end feels odd and is underplayed. It is a chilling ending in some ways, but essentially we have the killer punished and there being some critique of the middle class and/or bourgeoisie, but without some commentary at the beginning and the throwaway line, this angle just was not explored.

Frankly, the film would have been better if played as a black comedy/satire.

[Smoover]

1. Le septième juré 7.5
2. Krylya 7

[blocho]

This is a match-up of two former Films of the Week.

1. Wings
2. The Seventh Juror

[jvv]

Both very good movies.

1. Le septième juré
2. Krylya

[dimasidorov]

1. Крылья (Wings)
2. Le septième juré (The Seventh Juror)

Having probably the best squad of 1960s, France relies on this one...
Opposite is a heavyweight.

[zuma]

01 - Wings

02 - The Seventh Juror

[joachimt]

France: 9
Russia: 6

[zhangalan]

1. Wings
2. The Seventh Juror

[mkhell]

1. The Seventh Juror
2. Wings

[frwnk]

Is there any link to watch Le septième juré?

[Mario Gaborović]

Is there any link to watch Le septième juré?

Someone will take care of that, I believe. But they will PM you beforehand.

[Mario Gaborović]

3 days left till the end of the tournament.

1. Le septième juré: 10
2. Krylya: 7

[sol]

Not really a close call for me this time, but thanks for your pick, joachimt. Also, I think filmbantha is the only tournament player who made 3+ rounds while choosing films that I liked more and more each time. I didn't even really like La Traque while his last three films all entered my 500<400 list.

1. The Seventh Juror https://letterboxd.com/solh/film/the-seventh-juror/
2. Wings / Krylyla https://letterboxd.com/solh/film/wings-1966/

[joachimt]

Every time a vote for France is posted, I don't know whether to cheer for the better movie or to cry for not wining this match.

[Mario Gaborović]

Every time a vote for France is posted, I don't know whether to cheer for the better movie or to cry for not wining this match.

You agreed to manage at the last minute, should be happy with the second place.

frwnk wanted to watch the film, can share the upload again please?

[pitchorneirda]

1. Le septième juré 8/10 - not flawless but still brilliant. Works better as a noir than any "real" noir I watched last month.
2. Krylya 7/10 - very good but harder to connect with

[Armoreska]

Every time a vote for France is posted, I don't know whether to cheer for the better movie or to cry for not wining this match.

Thats the kind of victory nobody wants to be associated with

[Mario Gaborović]

Be hurry folks, watch/download before the YT bans it. (erase one big Y and then try to see the video)
https://www.Yyoutube.com/watch?v=bIADwIENZDI

[pitchorneirda]

Be hurry folks, watch/download before the YT bans it. (erase one big Y and then try to see the video)
https://www.Yyoutube.com/watch?v=bIADwIENZDI

Already unavailable in France (and there's a Y too many in your URL)

[Mario Gaborović]

Be hurry folks, watch/download before the YT bans it. (erase one big Y and then try to see the video)
https://www.Yyoutube.com/watch?v=bIADwIENZDI

Already unavailable in France (and there's a Y too many in your URL)

Can you download the video with YouTube downloader? Like I said, just type without 'Y' because otherwise URL won't show up. I put it there intentionally.

https://en.savefrom.net/1-youtube-video ... der-533nN/

EDIT: Okay that won't work. Maybe the safest thing would be to send it to frwnk or anyone interested to watch.

[Mario Gaborović]

42 hours left.

1. Le septième juré: 12
2. Krylya: 7