Review of Simon Magus / The Nine Lives Of Tomas Katz

Introduction

If you`re not aware of the work of Director Ben Hopkins, then have no fear; you`re not alone. The man has seemingly slipped under everybody`s radar, like a stealth bomber dropping explosive packages of cinema; remaining active yet unnoticed. This DVD collects his first two feature films, along with his award-winning short, and gives you an incite into what has been going on behind your back, whilst you were busy leading your own extremely complex lives.

I am wholly aware that the above certainly presents an air of `Genius` about the filmmaker, which it is only dutiful to dispel immediately. Hopkins is certainly no other-worldly visionary, nor is he a magical celluloid wonder kid. No, what Mr Hopkins does ably and with great character, is turn his hand to a variety of types of film. Presented here are two bipolar examples of what he can do - whether or not they are any good is an entirely separate matter.

`Simon Magus` is part Jewish-`Willow`, part Teutonic-Jane Austen. Set in the 19th century Europe, it focuses on a cast-aside Jewish community, whose dreams of trade are almost vanquished when their much-longed for railway station is threatened by Gentile folk.

Dovid (Stuart Townsend) offers to purchase the land for the proposed station from the Squire (Rutger Haur), the price for which is subsidised by Dovid`s agreement to study and discuss the Squire`s poetry. When the anti-Semitic, and ruthless businessman, Maximillian (Sean McGinley) learns of this dealing preventing his from acquiring the land himself, he enlists the mentally troubled and outcast Jew `Simon Magus` (so called after the Christian orthodoxy`s generic name for sorcerer and heretic) to do his dirty work. With the devil (played by Bilbo Baggins himself, Ian Holm) on his shoulder, surely Magus (Noah Taylor) is bound to act against his faith, and live up to his name. Isn`t he?

Way over on the other side of the movie-sphere, lies `The Nine Lives of Tomas Katz`. Relinquishing the fairytale cinematography and historical setting, and employing a wholly contemporary (at least so when it was produced) look, `..Katz` is a black and white, anarchical and skewed look at modern living, with its tongue in its cheek and its head occasionally up its backside.

Katz (Tom Fisher) is, to all intents and purposes, the devil incarnate. His appearance on this earth from the Sewer into the streets of London, just in time for the Solar Eclipse (Remember that? What a rip-off!) spells an apocalyptic end for the city of London and, one presumes, the entire world.

In making his way throughout society, and wreaking his vengeance upon the earth, Katz has the ability to swap places with anyone he so chooses, and leave them as his previous incarnation. He therefore becomes The Minister for Fisheries, leaving the previous member of the Government as a London Cabbie, turns a small boy into an old man as Katz burns down a school in the guise of a child, and assumes the guise of Nelson, leaving a security guard on the famous London Column. Not just a clever title, hey? Actually …

Video

The films are presented in differing aspect ratios - `Simon Magus` is 16:9, with `…Katz` in 4:3, which both act perfectly for their subject matter. The former being a mini epic, and the latter being a black and white, grotty look at modern day obsession in London … England!

In fact, the differing aesthetic styles of the movies are the most fully realised of the Writer /Director`s ambitions in both examples. Whatever else I may go on to say about them below, they certainly look good!

Audio

The quality of audio is adequate, although in all honesty rather uninspiring in places. The `Simon Magus` mixture of Yiddish folk song and Classical pieces works much better than the tripe served up on the plate of `…Katz`

Features

The additional material included on the DVD includes commentaries on both features, Cast and crew biographies and, most impressively, the short film by Hopkins `National Achievement Day`.

Almost too ironically, `National Achievement Day` eclipses both of the main features on the DVD, in every way possible. The script is concise yet perfect, the performances of the actors understated yet charming, and the visual and audio elements work excellently within the twenty five minutes on screen. The short film seems to be the medium in which Hopkins is most at home.

Conclusion

Although initially appearing disparate and opposed, the two feature films on the DVD happen to be linked by several common ties. Sure, both deal with religion, the mystical, and the heretic, although admittedly in differing ways, but they are both also driven by a strong social commentary. `Simon Magus` acts to highlight the faults in both Jewish and Gentile communities, and the unfortunate importance of trade over togetherness, and `…Katz` takes this idea and adapts it to the modern way of living; material possessions over love, bureaucracy over action and fear over trust. It appears that Hopkins` motto - at least as a screenwriter - is `if it doesn`t say anything, then there`s no point making it`.

Of course, all that theological/political/sociological `stuff` is perfectly fine and dandy, but the question to be answered is surely `Yes Stephen, but are they actually - you know - GOOD?` which happens to be an extremely difficult question to answer. Here`s why …

`Simon Magus` has a great cast, good dialogue and a perfectly passable plot. Where it does fall down, however, is the Direction. As I`ve discussed above, the film does look great, the music is lovely and all that, but there`s a bit too much introspection. For instance, the last ten minutes is merely a collection of characters over some `closure` music, with no speaking, and not much action, which invokes the spirit of pretension that you had hoped would only skirt proceedings, rather than fully enter them and ruin it.

Similarly, `...Katz` is, at times, a bit TOO arty and `thought provoking` for its own good, again relying on imagery and slow set pieces, although making a lot less sense than anything in `Simon Magus` does. It is a brave venture to attempt two totally different types of picture, and for that, Hopkins should be applauded. Unfortunately, he`s not convinced us that it was a particularly wise move.