Movies: The Official "Movie of the Week" Club Thread II
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Ralph Spoilsport
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- Jun 4, 2011
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Maybe Brault's way of suggesting that day to day people might normally have "black and white" ideological beliefs, but when they find themselves in jail, **** gets real. Their main concern is for their loved ones, colour representing emotion.
Just a guess, though. It seemed kind of random.
Just a guess, though. It seemed kind of random.
**** me. I've seen the movie twice, once when it came out and a few days ago, and I never noticed either. Of course, there was a billboard in my neighbourhood once that I didn't notice for six months, so I'm really not the sharpest knife in the drawer when it comes to these things.I feel very silly now. I don't think I ever realised that it changed to colour at some point. I had to go back and check to make sure I wasn't being messed with.
KallioWeHardlyKnewYe
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Regretfully Les Ordres is the first selection to completely stump my various streaming services and my area library system (which has been aces up to this point). That coupled with a much needed five-day vacation means I'm passing on this round for now though I am very intrigued by what little I know about the film and still will try to locate it at some point. I'll keep my eyes open for that change in color ...
The Seventh Seal (1957) Directed by Ingmar Bergman
Antonius Block (Max Von Sydow), a Nordic knight who has just returned from the Crusades, finds that while he has escaped his fate up to now, Death awaits him on the shores of his homeland. Cleverly, Antonius challenges Death to a chess match, thus prolonging the inevitable. Antonius and his squire, Jons (Gunnar Bjornstand), continue their travels while the game is going on, and find their country ravaged by the plague, superstition, poverty, and conflict. They meet a young family along the way, a family who could double as Mary, Joseph and the Christ child, and Antonius' match with Death takes on an added meaning. The Seventh Seal is an existential morality play, and it has always surprised me how many different things it is about. For all of the Christian imagery and references, Bergman present a Medieval society that is essentially godless and abandoned. Bergman presents not just the destitution of many lives but a society that seems brutish to the core. If there were such a thing as a soul, how could it flourish in these circumstances?
Bergman is still in the period where he is more concerned about raising questions than he is about coming to conclusions. It is interesting to watch this movie again, now knowing the nature of the conclusion that he came to: silence (The Silence, 1963). Either God does not exist or God is dead. Humans are left to cope on their own in a chaotic, often threatening universe. In The Seventh Seal it is as if Bergman is still shifting through the evidence, and what he observes is violence, inhumanity and dread. There is a sense that if there is any glimmer of hope amid the rubble, it will be extinguished soon enough, and not gently.
This sounds heavy as hell, but it is fascinating in the viewing. Partly this fascination is the result of the brilliant cinematography of one of Bergman's decades' long collaborators, Sven Nykvist, a superb artist in his own right. Shot in black and white, the movie is a pleasure to look at. But Bergman also keeps the story moving. Actually there isn't much of a story, more like a series of tableau that reveal something about the depths of the soul in Medieval Sweden. In effect, the audience is on a pilgrimage, a guided tour through hell on earth with a few lyrical interludes thrown in, thanks to the young family the Knight meets along the way. Bergman/Nykvist finds some stunning images for his audience to focus on, such as the long slow parade of death of doomed souls as they travel up a mountain, never to return.
Bergman seems to have used film as a very personal means of exploring his universe and his thoughts about it. I don't know how sympathetic is was toward the human condition, but he certainly seems to want to understand it. Except for Dreyer, his Danish colleague, and Tarkovsky, who was greatly influenced by Bergman, I can't think of another director who has used film so intimately to explore his place in the universe. Bergman's work seem a little out of fashion at the moment, but he remains one of the great intellectual artists ever to make movies.
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KallioWeHardlyKnewYe
Hey! We won!
- May 30, 2003
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Timely, relevant news:
http://www.dreadcentral.com/news/23...rint-suspiria-found-will-projected-across-us/
http://www.dreadcentral.com/news/23...rint-suspiria-found-will-projected-across-us/
Jevo
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- Oct 3, 2010
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The Seventh Seal (1957) dir. Ingmar Bergman
Antonius, a crusader, returns together with his squire Jöns to a Sweden plagued by the black death. As they lie on the rocky shores, Death comes for Antonius. Antonius is a skilled chess player, and challenges Death to a game, which only serves to postpone the inevitable.
Antonius is a disillusioned man, he laments life and faith. He knows death is upon him, he doesn't have much to live for, but still feels he has something he needs to do before he's ready to die. He has lost his faith in God, but searches everywhere for signs that God is real, but he can't seem to find them. A plague stricken Sweden hardly seems like the place to be looking for God anyway. Even under normal conditions Sweden is godforsaken, and if you then start to add the plague it's even worse.
Antonius is in many ways a stand-in for Bergman himself, something that Bergman often did in his more religiously concerned films. Bergman seemed to spend a great deal of his life thinking about his faith or lack there of. Like Antonius he walks around looking for God, but finds nothing but despair. Something that Bergman often has characters doing.
One thing I love about The Seventh Seal is how bold and unsubtle it is in it's imagery. Antonius is literally playing chess with death, Antonius and his party are literally dancing with death at the end. Death is portrayed with a white face in a big black rope. There's hardly any subtlety at all in this, and I think it makes it more effective because Bergman dared to go all in, and only because he went all in it worked. It adds a comedic value to the movie that doesn't detract from the drama or thematic elements of the movie, but rather enhances them in my opinion. Just because a lot of the movie is unsubtle on the surface, doesn't mean that there isn't any depth to it, because there is a lot of depth. It's a movie where the imagery leave a lasting impression, and one that you think about for quite some time afterwards.
Antonius, a crusader, returns together with his squire Jöns to a Sweden plagued by the black death. As they lie on the rocky shores, Death comes for Antonius. Antonius is a skilled chess player, and challenges Death to a game, which only serves to postpone the inevitable.
Antonius is a disillusioned man, he laments life and faith. He knows death is upon him, he doesn't have much to live for, but still feels he has something he needs to do before he's ready to die. He has lost his faith in God, but searches everywhere for signs that God is real, but he can't seem to find them. A plague stricken Sweden hardly seems like the place to be looking for God anyway. Even under normal conditions Sweden is godforsaken, and if you then start to add the plague it's even worse.
Antonius is in many ways a stand-in for Bergman himself, something that Bergman often did in his more religiously concerned films. Bergman seemed to spend a great deal of his life thinking about his faith or lack there of. Like Antonius he walks around looking for God, but finds nothing but despair. Something that Bergman often has characters doing.
One thing I love about The Seventh Seal is how bold and unsubtle it is in it's imagery. Antonius is literally playing chess with death, Antonius and his party are literally dancing with death at the end. Death is portrayed with a white face in a big black rope. There's hardly any subtlety at all in this, and I think it makes it more effective because Bergman dared to go all in, and only because he went all in it worked. It adds a comedic value to the movie that doesn't detract from the drama or thematic elements of the movie, but rather enhances them in my opinion. Just because a lot of the movie is unsubtle on the surface, doesn't mean that there isn't any depth to it, because there is a lot of depth. It's a movie where the imagery leave a lasting impression, and one that you think about for quite some time afterwards.
Ralph Spoilsport
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- Jun 4, 2011
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Medieval knight makes deal to prolong his life a few extra days, ends up taking five others with him. Oops. Featuring Death and (in a non-speaking role) God.
The Seventh Seal is a modern tale of existential dread, an original screenplay by Ingmar Bergman, but it feels like it could have been based on an old Swedish legend or folk ballad or nursery rhyme, it's medieval setting contributing to the movie's impact: set the story in modern day Sweden and it's just one guy's crisis of faith; set the story in medieval times and this same crisis is part of our social fabric, something that's been handed down through the centuries from generation to generation. I'm sure Bergman saw parallels between the modern and medieval societies, not only in their spiritual behaviour but in their tastes in entertainment and preference for slapstick humour, sexual innuendo and schadenfreude.
If coming face to face with Death is the movie's theme then we're in classic horror territory. Yet, despite the heavy themes it's not all doom and gloom; in fact, The Seventh Seal is very family-friendly, a great movie for kids (who have these same questions too when pondering the existence of God). There are a few scary moments but nothing too gory or intensely violent. The Grim Reaper himself isn't all that grim, in fact he's quite jovial (and a good sport to boot) and he leads those he takes to the afterworld as though leading them on a jolly picnic, dancing and holding hands. If anything, it dials up the wholesomeness: I, for one, would have liked to hear the squire's song about the randy fish.
The Seventh Seal is a modern tale of existential dread, an original screenplay by Ingmar Bergman, but it feels like it could have been based on an old Swedish legend or folk ballad or nursery rhyme, it's medieval setting contributing to the movie's impact: set the story in modern day Sweden and it's just one guy's crisis of faith; set the story in medieval times and this same crisis is part of our social fabric, something that's been handed down through the centuries from generation to generation. I'm sure Bergman saw parallels between the modern and medieval societies, not only in their spiritual behaviour but in their tastes in entertainment and preference for slapstick humour, sexual innuendo and schadenfreude.
If coming face to face with Death is the movie's theme then we're in classic horror territory. Yet, despite the heavy themes it's not all doom and gloom; in fact, The Seventh Seal is very family-friendly, a great movie for kids (who have these same questions too when pondering the existence of God). There are a few scary moments but nothing too gory or intensely violent. The Grim Reaper himself isn't all that grim, in fact he's quite jovial (and a good sport to boot) and he leads those he takes to the afterworld as though leading them on a jolly picnic, dancing and holding hands. If anything, it dials up the wholesomeness: I, for one, would have liked to hear the squire's song about the randy fish.
KallioWeHardlyKnewYe
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- May 30, 2003
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The Seventh Seal
Bergman, 1957
“It’s everyone for themselves. It’s as simple as that.â€
Arguably THE foreign movie most associated with art house foreign films. Iconic images. Heavy subject matter. Gorgeous black-and-white cinematography. But The Seventh Seal maintains this stereotype because it is the genuine article — a thoughtful, intriguing meditation on death and God that still manages to stimulate upon multiple viewings over the years. I first saw it in my very first film class way back in college. It wasn’t the first movie we watched, but it had to be pretty close to it.
While I concur that at times things aren’t as grim at it may seem. That last confrontation with Death and the final scene of the characters dancing with death is powerful and indelible, yet it’s always the horror elements that jump out at me like the foggy, eerie procession of the flagellates and Jof being forced to dance on the flaming table. Max Von Sydow’s Antonious, while juggling a game of chess with Death, tours the Black Plague-ravaged countryside and encounters a parade of often horrible people with death looming over all (though some may not realize it). Superstition abounds. There are points of light. Some of the songs are better than in Spinal Tap!
I agree with Jevo that this isn’t a subtle movie at all, though that isn’t a criticism. Its thematic and visual reach is far, even to such fare as Bill & Ted’s Bogus Journey and The Last Action Hero, both of which employed the Bergman version of Death. It’s also not nearly as obtuse as an outsider may assume. It’s quite straightforward and that is probably why it is such an essential piece of one’s film education.
Bergman, 1957
“It’s everyone for themselves. It’s as simple as that.â€
Arguably THE foreign movie most associated with art house foreign films. Iconic images. Heavy subject matter. Gorgeous black-and-white cinematography. But The Seventh Seal maintains this stereotype because it is the genuine article — a thoughtful, intriguing meditation on death and God that still manages to stimulate upon multiple viewings over the years. I first saw it in my very first film class way back in college. It wasn’t the first movie we watched, but it had to be pretty close to it.
While I concur that at times things aren’t as grim at it may seem. That last confrontation with Death and the final scene of the characters dancing with death is powerful and indelible, yet it’s always the horror elements that jump out at me like the foggy, eerie procession of the flagellates and Jof being forced to dance on the flaming table. Max Von Sydow’s Antonious, while juggling a game of chess with Death, tours the Black Plague-ravaged countryside and encounters a parade of often horrible people with death looming over all (though some may not realize it). Superstition abounds. There are points of light. Some of the songs are better than in Spinal Tap!
I agree with Jevo that this isn’t a subtle movie at all, though that isn’t a criticism. Its thematic and visual reach is far, even to such fare as Bill & Ted’s Bogus Journey and The Last Action Hero, both of which employed the Bergman version of Death. It’s also not nearly as obtuse as an outsider may assume. It’s quite straightforward and that is probably why it is such an essential piece of one’s film education.
Jevo
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- Oct 3, 2010
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Suspiria (1977) dir. Dario Argento
Suzy (Jessica Harper) is a prodigious young ballet dancer, who travels to Germany to attend a ballet academy there. On the night she arrives, during a bad storm, she is not let into the academy by the person controlling the door. At the same time a panicked girl sprints out of the academy, and says something that can't be heard over the storm. When Suzy returns the next day, she finds out the girl has been brutally murdered. Suzy quickly starts to feel that there's something strange about the academy, and starts a dangerous path to figure out exactly what.
Admittedly, the story in Suspiria is not great. It's a B-movie with a B-movie story. But Argento isn't taking it too seriously either, and seems to playing up a lot of the B-movie tropes in the film. Argento is for sure very stylistically concious, and knows the genre in and out, which allows him to play with it in interesting ways, that makes the story fun to watch, even if it isn't good. I love the style of the movie though. At first I found the music quite annoying, especially when Suzy is in the taxi, but it got better as it went on, and I think the score really sets the tone for different scenes quite well. The best thing to me however is the cinematography, the set designs and the costumes. The academy is great, the extremely vivid colours and the style makes it look like something from a Brothers Grimms tale, where you just know it's gonna go bad when the protagonist goes there. Or perhaps the horror version of The Grand Budapest Hotel. I don't think I can get bored looking at this movie. Maybe it isn't pretty, but it's attractive for some reason. In fact, it should be over the top, Argento uses so much bright and strong red that it should feel so much over the top. But it doesn't, not in a bad way. Somehow he pulls it off and that's incredible I think. The over the top style also helps with the gore, as the movie is quite gory, but it's actually not that bad. Because things are over the top, like a girl getting her head cut in half by falling glass, or another girl jumping into suddenly appearing barbed wire, and the blood isn't really blood coloured either. So it becomes just a little bit comedic, which makes it possible to disassociate it with reality, and then the gore isn't bad to watch anymore, at least not for me. But if you are squeamish, it's probably still best to stay away.
It feels strange to say about a movie like this, but I had a lot of fun watching it. It's almost always fun for me to see a strong stylist turn it up to 11 and just let loose, and it's even better when it works. But that's also made me wonder why something like The Neon Demon didn't work for me. It's also a movie by a strong stylist, who was very obviously inspired by Argento when making the movie. And I actually think the problem is that Refn takes himself and the movie too seriously for it's own good. Not that Argento doesn't take his movies seriously, but he allows himself to do things that incredibly over the top, which I don't think Refn allowed himself to do with The Neon Demon. Which is a bit strange, because he has shown before that he can do that with Bronson, where he takes some over the top stylistic choices with a lot of confidence and it works out great for him. Drive was the same to a lesser extend, and maybe that was the beginning of Refn taking himself too seriously.
Suzy (Jessica Harper) is a prodigious young ballet dancer, who travels to Germany to attend a ballet academy there. On the night she arrives, during a bad storm, she is not let into the academy by the person controlling the door. At the same time a panicked girl sprints out of the academy, and says something that can't be heard over the storm. When Suzy returns the next day, she finds out the girl has been brutally murdered. Suzy quickly starts to feel that there's something strange about the academy, and starts a dangerous path to figure out exactly what.
Admittedly, the story in Suspiria is not great. It's a B-movie with a B-movie story. But Argento isn't taking it too seriously either, and seems to playing up a lot of the B-movie tropes in the film. Argento is for sure very stylistically concious, and knows the genre in and out, which allows him to play with it in interesting ways, that makes the story fun to watch, even if it isn't good. I love the style of the movie though. At first I found the music quite annoying, especially when Suzy is in the taxi, but it got better as it went on, and I think the score really sets the tone for different scenes quite well. The best thing to me however is the cinematography, the set designs and the costumes. The academy is great, the extremely vivid colours and the style makes it look like something from a Brothers Grimms tale, where you just know it's gonna go bad when the protagonist goes there. Or perhaps the horror version of The Grand Budapest Hotel. I don't think I can get bored looking at this movie. Maybe it isn't pretty, but it's attractive for some reason. In fact, it should be over the top, Argento uses so much bright and strong red that it should feel so much over the top. But it doesn't, not in a bad way. Somehow he pulls it off and that's incredible I think. The over the top style also helps with the gore, as the movie is quite gory, but it's actually not that bad. Because things are over the top, like a girl getting her head cut in half by falling glass, or another girl jumping into suddenly appearing barbed wire, and the blood isn't really blood coloured either. So it becomes just a little bit comedic, which makes it possible to disassociate it with reality, and then the gore isn't bad to watch anymore, at least not for me. But if you are squeamish, it's probably still best to stay away.
It feels strange to say about a movie like this, but I had a lot of fun watching it. It's almost always fun for me to see a strong stylist turn it up to 11 and just let loose, and it's even better when it works. But that's also made me wonder why something like The Neon Demon didn't work for me. It's also a movie by a strong stylist, who was very obviously inspired by Argento when making the movie. And I actually think the problem is that Refn takes himself and the movie too seriously for it's own good. Not that Argento doesn't take his movies seriously, but he allows himself to do things that incredibly over the top, which I don't think Refn allowed himself to do with The Neon Demon. Which is a bit strange, because he has shown before that he can do that with Bronson, where he takes some over the top stylistic choices with a lot of confidence and it works out great for him. Drive was the same to a lesser extend, and maybe that was the beginning of Refn taking himself too seriously.
KallioWeHardlyKnewYe
Hey! We won!
- May 30, 2003
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Suspiria
Argento (1977)
“Suzy, do you know anything about witches?â€Â
Suzy (Jessica Harper) is an American ballet dancer off to an academy in Germany to train. On the night of her arrival, a would-be classmate is murdered in horrific fashion. The mystery and violence only expands from there. Turns out the ballet school is a bit more of a coven than a company and the interest in Suzy goes beyond her ability to pirouette.
I’ve referenced the annual horror movie marathon I attend more than a few times in the past. This has been on the bill three times over its 25+ years most recently a few years ago. It’s a historically divisive film among the crowd, which I’ve always found surprising given its reputation (then again, maybe it is because of the reputation). One of the organizers adores it. Some of the more vocal opponents think it’s tedious. Among my friends there is a similar split with the sound and music being a big sticking point. I am not one of those dissenters. I genuinely love it. Other Argento? I’m less enthusiastic about those and will leave it to the real horror heads (I like Tenebre though!). Argento may be the most prominent maker of Giallos (Italian thriller/horror) and this is the best of his efforts (though The Bird With the Crystal Plumage may be the more classic example of the style).
It’s so exaggerated visually. Almost cartoonish with its use of color. Pop art, even. The images stick with you for sure. The more I’ve seen it though, I find the sound and that Goblin score are what really digs in. I’m hearing those bells (clear riff on The Exorcist's Tubular Bells) of the main theme still as I am typing this. The mix can be loud and grating at times, but that’s the point. I’m not sure the film ever lives up to its first 15 minutes or so, which remains the standout segment. (That barbed wire room is weird though. Also, not very practical). It’s always been a must recommend though when I encounter people who want to who want to experience a bit of a horror sampler. A worthy inclusion.
At one point David Gordon Green was attached to a remake, which strikes me as equal parts foolish and interesting (I’m a big DGG fan and this would have been a fascinating far cry from his small, personal stuff like All the Real Girls and his more mainstream, studio movies like Pineapple Express). What stands out in Suspiria is its style, certainly nothing about the story so I’m not sure I understand the desire to redo it unless one is going to mimic or expand on those excesses. What would be the point of a straight ahead remake? I just checked IMDB and it appears that it has indeed been remade and will be coming out later this year directed by Luca Guadagino (I Am Love, A Bigger Splash), which is quite intriguing as well.
And Jevo, agreed 100% about Refn and The Neon Demon (and Only God Forgives for that matter too).
Argento (1977)
“Suzy, do you know anything about witches?â€Â
Suzy (Jessica Harper) is an American ballet dancer off to an academy in Germany to train. On the night of her arrival, a would-be classmate is murdered in horrific fashion. The mystery and violence only expands from there. Turns out the ballet school is a bit more of a coven than a company and the interest in Suzy goes beyond her ability to pirouette.
I’ve referenced the annual horror movie marathon I attend more than a few times in the past. This has been on the bill three times over its 25+ years most recently a few years ago. It’s a historically divisive film among the crowd, which I’ve always found surprising given its reputation (then again, maybe it is because of the reputation). One of the organizers adores it. Some of the more vocal opponents think it’s tedious. Among my friends there is a similar split with the sound and music being a big sticking point. I am not one of those dissenters. I genuinely love it. Other Argento? I’m less enthusiastic about those and will leave it to the real horror heads (I like Tenebre though!). Argento may be the most prominent maker of Giallos (Italian thriller/horror) and this is the best of his efforts (though The Bird With the Crystal Plumage may be the more classic example of the style).
It’s so exaggerated visually. Almost cartoonish with its use of color. Pop art, even. The images stick with you for sure. The more I’ve seen it though, I find the sound and that Goblin score are what really digs in. I’m hearing those bells (clear riff on The Exorcist's Tubular Bells) of the main theme still as I am typing this. The mix can be loud and grating at times, but that’s the point. I’m not sure the film ever lives up to its first 15 minutes or so, which remains the standout segment. (That barbed wire room is weird though. Also, not very practical). It’s always been a must recommend though when I encounter people who want to who want to experience a bit of a horror sampler. A worthy inclusion.
At one point David Gordon Green was attached to a remake, which strikes me as equal parts foolish and interesting (I’m a big DGG fan and this would have been a fascinating far cry from his small, personal stuff like All the Real Girls and his more mainstream, studio movies like Pineapple Express). What stands out in Suspiria is its style, certainly nothing about the story so I’m not sure I understand the desire to redo it unless one is going to mimic or expand on those excesses. What would be the point of a straight ahead remake? I just checked IMDB and it appears that it has indeed been remade and will be coming out later this year directed by Luca Guadagino (I Am Love, A Bigger Splash), which is quite intriguing as well.
And Jevo, agreed 100% about Refn and The Neon Demon (and Only God Forgives for that matter too).
Suspiria (1977) Directed by Dario Argento
While I have always enjoyed Suspiria and its vast collection of creepy, over-the-top scenes, it's not close to being my favourite Argento movie. That honour is shared by Four Flies on Grey Velvet and The Bird with the Crystal Plumage. Watching Suspiria again, I was more wowed by Argento's technical grasp of the medium than the story. I think the reason I cannot fully warm to the film pretty much boils down to Jessica Harper and what an awful actress I think she is. Every time she opens her mouth she takes me further out of this movie. But, lord, what technique. Argento is stylish and garish, calculating and over-heated, elegant and tasteless, sometimes all at the same time. There really is no other director quite like him; it's almost like imaging what Antonioni might have done with one of those Vincent Price Hammer horror movies that came out of England in droves in the late fifties and early sixties. I'm overstating the case a bit, Argento is no Antonioni, but he does have an eye for a perfectly composed shot, striking mise-en-scene, and a gift for colour. Finding Harper annoying, I turned the sound down for about fifteen minutes or so. The first thing I noticed was how much Argento's miscellaneous ambient sound sculptures add to the disquieting feelings he creates in his best scenes. As background music, they probably work more on the viewer's sub-conscious than anything else, but they are wickedly effective. But without the sound, how carefully Argento constructs his images is also readily apparent. In many ways his movies are low rent, but not when it comes to the visuals, which give evidence of a master at work. I'd bet that both Chan Wook-park and Pedro Almodovar went to school on these films. Sometimes beauty is found in the strangest places.
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KallioWeHardlyKnewYe
Hey! We won!
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The Earrings of Madam de...
Ophuls (1953)
“It will be our little white lie.â€
The sickly and in debt Louisa (Danielle Darrieux) sneaks off to sell a pair of valuable earrings unbeknownst to her husband. They were a wedding gift though she never cared for them (nor, in truth, for him). She concocts a lie. They’re at the theater and she says she lost them. The husband, a general (Charles Boyer), searches. The earrings will change hands many times — from the untrustworthy jeweler back to the husband to his mistress to another shop. Eventually the objects find their way back to Louisa via Donati (Vittorio De Sica) who falls in love with Louisa and gifts them to her. It sounds almost like farce. But it’s far too tragic. These are characters constrained by society and tradition. Their feelings (and they) be damned. And it’s the feelings that are the issue. Affairs are commonplace. Fairly open, even. Love, however is not. That is an insult and punishable by death, especially with pride and reputations at stake.
Still, it struck me how light the movie seems: The setting, with many scenes taking place in and around opulent social gatherings; the music; and Ophuls camera, which is in near constant motion, gliding amongst dancers, moving along windows and through doors of these lavish homes. And yet that all is juxtaposed against an increasingly sad tale of love that cannot be. There are touches of humor here and there, but the melodrama is laid on fairly thick. Full disclosure: That’s not my jam traditionally, but Ophuls is an elegant and graceful filmmaker.
And as for those jewels? Donated to a church to live on in perpetuity, codified as the love could not.
Ophuls (1953)
“It will be our little white lie.â€
The sickly and in debt Louisa (Danielle Darrieux) sneaks off to sell a pair of valuable earrings unbeknownst to her husband. They were a wedding gift though she never cared for them (nor, in truth, for him). She concocts a lie. They’re at the theater and she says she lost them. The husband, a general (Charles Boyer), searches. The earrings will change hands many times — from the untrustworthy jeweler back to the husband to his mistress to another shop. Eventually the objects find their way back to Louisa via Donati (Vittorio De Sica) who falls in love with Louisa and gifts them to her. It sounds almost like farce. But it’s far too tragic. These are characters constrained by society and tradition. Their feelings (and they) be damned. And it’s the feelings that are the issue. Affairs are commonplace. Fairly open, even. Love, however is not. That is an insult and punishable by death, especially with pride and reputations at stake.
Still, it struck me how light the movie seems: The setting, with many scenes taking place in and around opulent social gatherings; the music; and Ophuls camera, which is in near constant motion, gliding amongst dancers, moving along windows and through doors of these lavish homes. And yet that all is juxtaposed against an increasingly sad tale of love that cannot be. There are touches of humor here and there, but the melodrama is laid on fairly thick. Full disclosure: That’s not my jam traditionally, but Ophuls is an elegant and graceful filmmaker.
And as for those jewels? Donated to a church to live on in perpetuity, codified as the love could not.
Savi
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KallioWeHardlyKnewYe
Hey! We won!
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Ralph Spoilsport
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- 426
Susie is a little rhymes-with-witch who's up to her neck with things that slice and dice in the night. She'd be okay if she minded her own business, but she just has to find out what it is that witches actually do. I mean, besides running a world-class dance academy. Bewitched, bothered and bewildered is she.
Suspiria is a fun horror movie, not particluarly scary or sorrowful or disturbing, probably because it values art direction and production design over sensible plot and believable acting. The actual murder scenes are least interesting, the blood and gore as phony as the acting. But the suggestion of an unseen supernatural presence, mainly through the soundtrack and camera movement, is thrilling. Jessica Harper is often shot from the neck up, a head on the verge of disembodiment. One of my favourite moments is when Miss Tanner shows Susie to the locker room. Opening the door reveals a glimpse of writhing bodies in a tight space plus the hiss of their whispering. Welcome to the snake pit!
So why was the directress sleeping in the practice hall on the night of the maggots anyway? It doesn't make much sense but does it have to? Suspiria has a nightmarish quality, but it's like looking at someone else's nightmare. So while I'm not feeling the dread, I'm enjoying the ride.
Suspiria is a fun horror movie, not particluarly scary or sorrowful or disturbing, probably because it values art direction and production design over sensible plot and believable acting. The actual murder scenes are least interesting, the blood and gore as phony as the acting. But the suggestion of an unseen supernatural presence, mainly through the soundtrack and camera movement, is thrilling. Jessica Harper is often shot from the neck up, a head on the verge of disembodiment. One of my favourite moments is when Miss Tanner shows Susie to the locker room. Opening the door reveals a glimpse of writhing bodies in a tight space plus the hiss of their whispering. Welcome to the snake pit!
So why was the directress sleeping in the practice hall on the night of the maggots anyway? It doesn't make much sense but does it have to? Suspiria has a nightmarish quality, but it's like looking at someone else's nightmare. So while I'm not feeling the dread, I'm enjoying the ride.
KallioWeHardlyKnewYe
Hey! We won!
- May 30, 2003
- 15,540
- 3,394
My next pick is (still) Charade.
Donen (1963)
(sorry, deleted earlier post because I briefly considered picking something else, but decided to keep my first choice and save my new idea for my next time around).
Donen (1963)
(sorry, deleted earlier post because I briefly considered picking something else, but decided to keep my first choice and save my new idea for my next time around).
Ralph Spoilsport
Registered User
- Jun 4, 2011
- 1,234
- 426
I don't think I've ever seen a Portuguese movie…though I know Manoel de Oliveira has a heavyweight critical reputation. Still, Abraham's Valley is his only film in the "They Shoot Pictures, Don't They" top 1000.
Are you making a recommendation or looking for feedback on whether it's worth three hours of your time?
Savi
Registered User
Exactly, just checking if anyone had seen it so I'd know what to expect
I'll probably watch it anyway though.- Status
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