Ice is a 1970 American thriller film written, directed by and starring Robert Kramer.[1]
| Ice | |
|---|---|
_poster.jpg) Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Robert Kramer |
| Written by | Robert Kramer |
| Produced by | Barbara Stone David Stone |
| Starring | Robert Kramer Leo Braudy |
| Cinematography | Robert Machover |
Release date |
|
Running time | 130 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
Plot
editAn underground revolutionary group carries out urban guerrilla attacks against a fictionalized fascist regime in the United States, while struggling against internal strife. This is intermixed with sequences that explain the philosophy of radical action and play down the melodrama inherent in the thriller genre.
Cast
edit- Robert Kramer as Robert
- Leo Braudy as Vladimir
Style and themes
editAuthor Andrew Nette wrote that, though Ice can be classified as belonging to the thriller genre, its "depiction of a simultaneously run-down and modern New York, governed by a largely unseen but powerful surveillance state, gives it a science-fiction tone and aesthetic."[2] Nette draws comparisons between Ice and the Jean-Luc Godard-directed films Alphaville (1965) and La Chinoise (1967), as well as the 1928 Soviet film October: Ten Days That Shook the World.[2]
According to English film critic George Melly, Ice presents such questions as, "[At what point] does the liberal decide that violent action is justified in fighting the State? How much oppression would be needed to turn us into Weathermen or enlist us in the Angry Brigade?"[3]
Reception
editVincent Canby of The New York Times called Ice "a very long (132 minutes), very intense, very self-satisfied movie that is also a curiously moving experience," concluding: "It is an awfully proud and humorless film, and although I can't say that I really like it, I do admire it, and I'd recommend it to anyone interested in politics or movies."[4] Author Alan Rosenthal criticized Ice for what he characterized as "naive emotional reasoning", writing that the film "substitutes dogmatic assertion in place of hard political argument."[5] Melly, in his review of the film for The Observer, wrote that, "although a thoughtful and indeed thought-provoking film, I couldn't really believe in it. The young revolutionaries were, as they say in the underground, 'beautiful,' but they offered little but slogans and gestures as an alternative to the status quo. The film showed up that terrible poverty of language which, in my view, is the flaw in current revolutionary practice. Ideas need words, more words than 'wow,' 'heavy' and 'too much.' There is the necessity to communicate if you are to convince. Idealism and violence are not in themselves enough."[3]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ Nette & Deighan 2024, pp. 267–268
- ^ a b Nette & Deighan 2024, p. 271
- ^ a b Melly, George (May 16, 1971). "Brando's revolution". The Observer. London, Greater London, England. p. 31.
- ^ Canby, Vincent (October 25, 1970). "'Ice': Finally Getting the Revolution Straight". The New York Times. New York, New York. Retrieved August 1, 2024.
- ^ Rosenthal, Alan (1971). The New Documentary in Action: A Casebook in Film Making. University of California Press. p. 7. ISBN 0-520-02254-8.
Bibliography
edit- Nette, Andrew; Deighan, Samm, eds. (2024). "Outtake: Ice (1970), Robert Kramer, United States". Revolution in 35mm: Political Violence and Resistance in Cinema from the Arthouse to the Grindhouse, 1960–1990. PM Press. pp. 267–271. ASIN B0CRNHVK68.