It was nearly two months ago that my journey through 30 classic Janus films began and I must admit that now that I have watched the final film, I am slowly becoming depressed. There was nothing better than working all day knowing that when my day was done, I had a great (or even mediocre) movie to look forward to. And now that those days are done, I find myself wondering, “What now?” I no longer feel like I can settle for the “jump in my car, head home and plop on the couch” sort of evenings. Not any more. With each film, whether I loved it or found it completely laborious to sit through, I learned something. I learned about myself. I learned about the world around me and I learned how beautiful other languages could be.

Did you know that in French the words “goodbye” and “farewell” do not mean the same thing? I think I have taken it for granted the fact that those two words could have two completely different meanings. I have used them interchangeably, always thinking that farewell was only a more formal way of saying goodbye. But in French, farewell is Adieu and goodbye is Au Revoir. Au Revoir means, until we meet again. Adieu means never more. The meanings of these words are all the more poignant when connected with certain situations, especially those situations that involve love. A man’s reaction to “Au Revoir” is one of nonchalance. A woman says “Au Revoir” and she is saying that love still exists, love is retreating but will soon return. Adieu means that love is gone or perhaps leaving forever. Either way, a man never wants to hear the word Adieu when it is spoken by the one he adores.

Perhaps it seems that I have made too much of language. But it all seemed so incredibly beautiful to me. I will never say farewell again unless I mean it. And it is not only French that makes proper use of these two words. Auf Wiedersehen (goodbye) and Abschied (farewell) in German. Arrivederci and Addio in Italian. I heard Japanese, Chinese, Polish. Some people do not like to read subtitles when watching a movie, and if this is the case, they would have hated this film festival as I can only recall two films that were in English. But I loved to hear so many beautiful languages and what woman doesn’t seem more beautiful when she is speaking in Japanese or Italian? What man doesn’t seem more sophisticated? Perhaps God did punish man by making us all speak in different tongues, but I can think of much worse punishment.

Like the song says, “The song has ended, but the melody lingers on.” The films are over. The last reel has played and I can hear the rhythmic tick-tick of the film as it slowly clatters to a stop. But the images I will never forget. The entire festival was $112 out of my pocket, and I can say right now that I would have paid double that. It was worth it.

Below I have listed the films I saw in the order of how much I enjoyed them. I’m sure many would argue with my choices, but to each his own. Polanski’s film comes in at number one because it surprised me. A simple boat trip turned into something much more masculine, sensual, enthralling. I loved it! Children of Paradise, the three-plus hour epic of unrequited love, misdirected passion and one woman’s enviable ability to sway the hearts of men is also at the top of my list. I wondered going in if I could trudge my way through such a long film, but when it ended I felt more rejuvenated walking out than when I entered. The writing in this film is so superb, it made want to store every line in my memory as I knew that there would be situations in my life where such ornate phrases would seem so appropriate. I must also say that the Rolling Stones film Gimme Shelter was also one of the most exhilarating and frightening things I have watched in a while. What it takes to be a rock star, I don’t know. But whatever it is, I don’t have it. But I must say that I walked away from that picture with a certain degree of awe for the Stones that I didn’t have before (Tina Turner as well. Man, that woman was so alluring. Oh, what I would have done to catch her act back in the 60’s) Not all of the films knocked me out, however. Spirit of the Beehive was a tedious bore in my opinion. I wish I could see the beauty that so many others saw, but it escaped me. Black Orpheus has one of the most beautiful actresses I have ever seen (Marpessa Dawn), but the film itself is a bit cacophonous and overdone to me. Visually, it was stunning — the people, the entire tapestry of the Carnaval in Rio. But the plot and dialogue left me pining for more.

Allow me to be subjective and don’t thrash me too much for having an opinion that may differ drastically from yours. Whether I enjoyed the films or not, I loved the opportunity of seeing them.

Here is a list of the films in the order of my preference:

KNIFE IN THE WATER
CHILDREN OF PARADISE
SANSHO THE BAILIFF
GIMME SHELTER
LA STRADA
THE EARRINGS OF MADAME DE…
THE SEVEN SAMURAI
THE RULES OF THE GAME
ANTOINE ET COLETTE
THE LADY VANISHES
THE HIDDEN FORTRESS
JULES AND JIM
WALKABOUT
DEATH OF A CYCLIST
FIRES ON THE PLAIN
THE SEVENTH SEAL
WILD STRAWBERRIES
BEAUTY AND THE BEAST
CLEO FROM 5 TO 7
ZERO DE CONDUITE
BLACK ORPHEUS
VIRIDIANA
THE 400 BLOWS
HIGH AND LOW
KWAIDAN
MONIKA
WR: MYSTERIES OF THE ORGANISM
SPIRIT OF THE BEEHIVE
THE CRANES ARE FLYING
DAY OF WRATH