Set in the early 20th Century, the film revolves around a man who comes from a mining town and later become respected as he meets and falls for his best friend’s cousin as he would marry her as she would later win a lottery ticket for $5000 as it would tear them apart. It is a film that is really a study of greed and how it consumes people as it is told in a grand style by Erich von Stroheim who also uses text from its original source by novelist Frank Norris in the intertitles. It is a script that also has subplots that includes a story of a junkman and his Mexican girlfriend as the latter was the woman who sold her lottery ticket to one of the protagonists while another revolves around elderly boarders who share the same apartment but have never met as they both would have their encounters with money. Yet, von Stroheim does put a main focus on its narrative as it relates to the character of Dr. John McTeague (Gibson Gowland), his friend Marcus Schouler (Jean Hersholt), and Marcus’ cousin/McTeague’s eventual wife Trina Sieppe (ZaSu Pitts).
Dr. McTeague started off as a young miner who leaves the mine to become an apprentice for a dentist and later starting his own practice at Polk Street in San Francisco where he meets Marcus as they become friends. Marcus would introduce Dr. McTeague to his cousin Trina whom Marcus hopes to marry as Dr. McTeague falls for her but doesn’t want to jeopardize his friendship with Marcus except that Trina would fall for him despite the fact that neither of them come from money like Marcus. When Maria Miranda Macapa (Dale Fuller) sells Trina her lottery ticket that would prove to be worth $5000. The friendship between Marcus and Dr. McTeague falls apart as the former had given the latter his blessing to marry Trina but didn’t realize that some serious money would come in. The tension between the two would come to ahead for years until Marcus leaves San Francisco to become a rancher as he would find ways to ruin Dr. McTeague with Trina becoming stingy as she refuses to spend the money they won leading to chaos and tragedy.
The direction of von Stroheim is truly vast in terms of the vision he had intended to create as the original cut of the film was somewhere between eight to nine hours long when von Stroheim first showed the film in early 1924. Yet, due to a merger between two studios that would become MGM with producer Irving Thalberg being in charge of post-production. The film would then be recut with a 140-minute running time against von Stroheim’s wishes as it would be poorly received upon its initial release. Yet, the film would find a new life in the years to come as attempted reconstructions of the film closer to von Stroheim’s vision had been in the works since the late 1950s as the version that is the closest to what von Stroheim wanted made its premiere at the 1999 Telluride Film Festival with a near four-hour running time featuring still images of the film from books by Jacques-G Perret in 1968 and two versions by Joel Finler and Herman G. Weinberg as the latter also had 400 still images from the film that was never shown as it would be the source for the 1999 reconstructed version.
The 1999 reconstructed version would showcase the usage of actual locations in California including San Francisco, Placer County as the film’s opening scenes in the mine where McTeague came from, and the film’s climax in Death Valley. While there aren’t any movements in the camera, von Stroheim does manage to create some unique compositions in the wide and medium shots where he does a lot to frame a certain shot as well as doing what he can for close-ups. Even as it plays into the drama as the film progresses where Trina would unravel physically where von Stroheim would also create these surreal elements of imagery as it play into the idea of greed. Notably in the subplot involving Maria and her lover in the junkman Zerkow (Cesare Gravina) with the latter claiming there’s plates of gold as there’s recurring images of bone-thin arms holding on to these gold coins with gold being shown in color.
There are also some usage of colors to help maintain a mood whether it is purple for a few scenes at night or multiple colors for a key still shot as it relates to the old couple in their subplot. Even as von Stroheim would create some unique camera angles with these still shots as it play into a much bigger story in what von Stroheim wanted to tell. The film’s climax is shot on location in Death Valley as it plays into McTeague’s fall as he is desperate to become rich yet he has also disgraced himself as von Stroheim’s direction becomes much more vast in its compositions. The final images are among some of the most striking ever captured on film as it doesn’t just play into the fallacies of greed but also how it affects human nature. Overall, von Stroheim crafts a rapturous yet unsettling film about the lives of three people and being consumed with greed.
Cinematographers Ben F. Reynolds and William H. Daniels do amazing work with the film’s black-and-white photography with its approach to low-key lighting for some of the interiors as well as the usage of filters for some key scenes including the usage of yellow in the Death Valley scenes. Editors Erich von Stroheim, Frank Hull, Rex Ingram, and Grant Whytock, with additional edits by June Mathis and Joseph W. Farnham plus Glenn Morgan and consultation by Carol Littleton for the 1999 restoration, do excellent work with the editing as it is largely straightforward as it helps plays into the drama, suspense, and some of the lighter moments in the film along with some stylish montages that play into the journey of the characters. Art directors Richard Day and Cedric Gibbons do fantastic work with the look of some of the props such as the giant gold tooth for McTeague’s business as well as the interiors of the apartment he stays in as well as the home where Zerkow lives in.
The visual effects work of Sasha Leuterer and Chad Mielke, for the 1999 restoration version, is terrific for enhancing some of the colors including some of the candle lights and sparks from the mine scenes. The film’s music by William Axt, with additional music by Robert Israel in its 1999 restoration, is incredible for its orchestral score with its soaring string arrangements, heavy woodwinds, and rumbling percussions as it plays into the drama and suspense as it is a major highlight of the film.
The film’s marvelous ensemble cast feature some notable small roles and appearances from Erich von Stroheim as a balloon maker, Jack McDonald as a sheriff in pursuit of McTeague in its third act, James F. Fulton as a prospector named Cribbens that McTeague meets in the desert, William Barlow as the minister who marries McTeague and Trina, Chester Conklin and Silvia Ashton as Trina’s parents, Jack Curtis and Tempe Pigott as McTeague’s parents, Joan Standing as Trina’s cousin Selina, Max Tyron as Trina’s uncle Oelbermann who helps her with her finances, Erich von Ritzau as the dentist Dr. “Painless” Potter who takes McTeague as his apprentice, Frank Hayes as the veterinarian Charles W. Grannis as an elderly man who lives in the same apartment with McTeague and many others, and Fanny Midgely as Grannis’ neighbor Miss Anastasia Baker who had never noticed Grannis as they would later have their own encounter with a large sum of money but show a direct contrast to the way Trina and McTeague deal with it.
Cesare Gravina and Dale Fuller are excellent in their respective roles as the junkman Zerkow and his wife Maria Miranda Macapa as two people who live in a shanty house with the former claiming there’s gold plates somewhere that would make them rich with the latter being someone who is fooled by her husband’s claims while also dealing with the fact that she sold Trina the lottery ticket that could’ve given them $5000. Jean Hersholt is brilliant as Marcus Schouler as an upper-middle class cousin of Trina whom he hopes to marry as he starts off as a friend of McTeague until money and McTeague’s love for Trina would destroy their friendship as he would later start a life of his own but also still holds a grudge towards McTeague. ZaSu Pitts is amazing as Trina Sieppe as a woman who is from a lower-middle class family as she buys a lottery ticket from Maria that would win her $5000 but becomes obsessed with not spending it as it would lead to ruin as well as deteriorate mentally and emotionally. Finally, there’s Gibson Gowland in an incredible performance as Dr. John McTeague as a miner who leaves his small town to become a dentist’s apprentice and later a dentist as someone who never came from money as he deals with having money but is unsure what to do as he starts to unravel over Trina’s stinginess as well as dealing with failure and loss as it is this chilling and haunting performance.
Greed is a magnificent film from Erich von Stroheim. Although it is very unlikely that audiences will ever see the intended version of what von Stroheim wanted for this film. The 1999 restored version is at least the closest version that audiences will ever get as it is filled with gorgeous imagery, immersive sequences, an exhilarating music score, and captivating themes of what greed can do to a few people. It is a film that 100 years since its original premiere only to endure a troubled history of re-cuts and almost be ignored as it still has the power to shock and provoke. In the end, Greed is an outstanding film from Erich von Stroheim.
Erich von Stroheim Films: (Blind Husbands) – (The Devil’s Pass Key) – (Foolish Wives) – (Merry-Go-Round (1923 film)) – (The Merry Widow) – (The Wedding March) – (Queen Kelly) – (Hello, Sister!)
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Set in 19th Century Japan in a small rural village, the film revolves around an old woman who has just turned 69 as she spends the last year of her life to arrange her affairs for her son and others in her family before she is to be carried towards a mountain where she is to die. It is a film that revolves around an old woman who realizes that she is about to reach an age where she can’t be useful despite the fact that she’s still in good health. Shohei Imamura’s screenplay is largely straightforward in its narrative as it plays more into a family of farmers trying to maintain their livelihood in the course of a year as their matriarch Orin (Sumiko Sakamoto) realizes she’s set to turn 70 in a year as her eldest son Tatsuhei (Ken Ogata) is a widower with three kids including a baby that needs a mother. Her eldest grandson Kesakichi (Seiji Kurasaki) is already having an affair with a young woman in Matsuyan (Junko Takada) who is from a family of suspected thieves while her youngest son Risuke (Tonpei Hidari) is an oddball known for smelling bad and is still a virgin who is desperate to get laid.
The script also plays into the family coping with poverty and bad luck despite the fact that Tatsuhei would get a wife in a woman named Tamayan (Takejo Aki) from another village as they also deal with politics within the village as well as gossip about the woman’s husband who had disappeared and was ignorant towards the tradition at the village about carrying those who turn 70 to be sent to the mountain top where it would be their final resting place. The script also plays into this village with odd traditions in the way they deal with thieves but also what they do to children when they die because they couldn’t feed it as it has some odd traditions with no sense of logic other than being traditional. Yet, there are also odd things such as a recent widow in Oei (Mitsuko Baisho) who would sleep with other men as a prostitute yet refuses to sleep with Risuke. It would all add to this sense of chaos that forces Orin to settle everything with Tatsuhei having to carry her to the mountain.
Imamura’s direction is definitely entrancing for the way he presents the film in this natural setting as the locations are key to the film as they’re shot on the Niigata and Nagano Prefecture regions in Japan with its vast mountains and fields being its centerpiece. Imamura uses a lot of wide and medium shots to play into the locations but also maintain an intimacy as it relates to the characters at their home no matter how small it is as well as close-ups of the characters but also animals. Imamura would often shoot animals to play up this sense of naturalism as well as an environment that is also unforgiving similar to the way villagers are towards those who threaten their livelihood. Shots featuring snakes eating rats or owls eating a mouse are often shown while Imamura also uses some unique tracking shots to play into how vast the landscape is as much of the film’s first two acts take place in the village and areas around it.
The film also plays into some intense sexuality in the way men crave for it as Risuke is someone that is in need of it despite the fact that he never bathes. Some of it goes into near explicit territory as it plays into the sexual politics of the villagers although the women do have some sense of control when it comes to running the household as it would be something Orin would pass upon towards Tamayan before she goes to the mountains. The film’s third act is about the journey Orin and Tatsuhei as well as revelations about Tatsuhei’s father that the latter reveals as he had been the source of all of the bad luck Orin and her family endured. The journey towards the mountain is a treacherous one as Tatsuhei has to carry Orin on his back as there are elements of surrealism, spiritual imagery, and realism that play into this journey with revelations into what Tatsuhei would have to endure when his time is coming. Overall, Imamura crafts an intoxicating yet wondrous film about a woman settling matters before her son takes her to a mountain where she would die.
Cinematographers Hiroshi Kanazawa, Shigeru Komatsubara, and Masao Tochizawa do incredible work with the film’s cinematography as its emphasis on natural lighting for many of its exterior settings including the usage of low-key artificial lighting for a few of the interior/exterior scenes at night. Editors Toshihiko Kojima, Fusako Matsumoto, Hajime Okayasu, Yoshiko Onodera, and Matsahito Watanabe do excellent work with the editing as it is largely straightforward in its rhythmic cuts while using some stylized slow-motion and odd frame-speeds for some of the surreal and haunting moments. Production designer Goro Kusakabe, along with art directors Hisao Inagaki and Tadataka Yoshino plus set decorators Senki Nakamura and Mitsuto Washizawa, does amazing work with the design of the home that Orin and her family live in as well as the village and the look of the mountaintop for the film’s climax in its eerie detail. Costume designer Kyoto Isho does fantastic work with the costumes as it is largely straightforward with the robes and such that the men and women wear with some of it being ragged as it plays into the struggle the villagers in their environment.
The special effects work of Yoshio Kojima is terrific for some of the film’s minimal effects work for a few scenes in the mountain as it plays into its mystique and ghost-like atmosphere. The sound work of Kenichi Benitani is brilliant for its sound design in the way nature sounds from their locations as well as the usage of natural sounds on location including some eerie moments that play into the suspense and drama. The film’s music by Shin’ichiro Ikebe is phenomenal for its immense music score filled with low-key string and percussive arrangements along with elements of synthesizers and electric bass to create a mood that adds to the sense of the unknown as it relates to spirits along with natural elements that occur throughout the film as it is a major highlight of the film.
The film’s wonderful ensemble cast feature some notable small roles from Norihei Miki as an elderly salt dealer that Orin knows who tells him about Tamayan, Akio Yokoyama as a neighbor who is suspected of theft, Sachie Shimura as the neighbor’s wife also suspected of theft, Ryutaro Tatsumi as an old neighbor, Kaoru Shimamori as Tatsuhei’s young son Tomekichi, Shoichi Ozawa as a village elder who is the head of the village, Niijiko Kiyokawa as female villager whom Orin bargains with as it relates to Risuke, and Mitsuko Baisho as a recent widow in Oei who had been frustrated with her husband as she chooses to become a prostitute. Junko Takada is superb as Matsuyan who is in a relationship with Kesakichi as she would become part of his family though Orin feels she is crowding things as she is associated with a family accused of theft. Seiji Kurasaki is fantastic as Tatsuhei’s eldest son Kesakichi as a young man who is in love although he is pondering her role for the family.
Tonpei Hidari is excellent as Tatsuhei’s younger brother Risuke as a virginal villager who smells terribly as he is also desperate to lose his virginity while being this oddball in the community. Takejo Aki is brilliant as Tamayan as a widow that Tatsuhei would marry as she helps the family out while also learning a secret from Orin that would help the family. Sumiko Sakamoto is amazing as Orin as the family matriarch who is about to turn 70 as she decides to settle all of her business before she goes to the mountain as well as deal with gossip and stories about her as there’s a gracefulness to her performance. Finally, there’s Ken Ogata in an incredible performance as Tatsuhei as Orin’s eldest son who is trying to run the family household while also aware of the role he has to play for his mother while also dealing with issues relating to his late father whom he wasn’t fond of as well as the terror of his journey at the mountains.
The Ballad of Narayama is a tremendous film from Shohei Imamura. Featuring a great ensemble cast, gorgeous visuals, a grounded setting, a study of loss and facing death, evocative sound work, and a rich music score by Shin’ichiro Ikebe. It is a film that explores a family having to let their matriarch go with her eldest son doing a task that is deemed traditional as he is forced to face his own journey. In the end, The Ballad of Narayama is a spectacular film from Shohei Imamura.
Related: The Ballad of Narayama (1958 film)
Shohei Imamura Films: (Stolen Desire) – (Nishi Ginza Station) – (Endless Desire) – (My Second Brother) – (Pigs and Battleship) – (The Insect Woman) – (Unholy Desire) – (The Pornographers) – (A Man Vanishes) – (The Profound Desire of the Gods) – (History of Postwar Japan as Told by a Bar Hostess) – (Karayuki-san, the Making of a Prostitute) – (Vengeance is Mine (1979 film)) – (Eijanaika) – (Zegen) – (Black Rain (1989 film)) – (The Eel) – (Dr. Akagi) – (Warm Water Under a Red Bridge) – 11’09”01-September 11-Japan
© thevoid99 2024
On January 3, 1889 in Turin, Italy, Friedrich Nietzsche would have a mental breakdown as he tried to calm down a horse being whipped by the carriage driver leading to a period of health issues that would plague for the next eleven years until his death. The film is about the carriage driver who whipped the horse following this incident as it is told in the span of six days in which he and his daughter endure a period of isolation in their desolate home as they cope with heavy winds, a horse that refuses to eat, and events that play into their state of despair. The film’s screenplay by Bela Tarr and Laszlo Krasznahorski is largely straightforward though it opens with narration in black about what happened to Nietzsche as it would then cut to the man who was meant to be Nietzsche’s carriage driver in Ohlsdorger (Janos Derzsi) who is taking his horse home through the Great Hungarian Plain as he deals with heavy winds and dust wind upon arriving home.
For the six next days, Ohlsdorger and his daughter (Erika Bok) live in a stone hut doing the same daily routines while checking on a horse that refuses to eat as they also eat the same meals and look out the window. On the first day, the daughter wakes up to get water from a well to boil the potatoes as well as tend to the fire and help her father get dressed as it is part of a daily routine where they also check on the horse. The second day would be much of the same except they get a visitor in Bernhard (Mihaly Kormos) who makes claims about the nearby town being destroyed as it would play into this sense of dread where Ohlsdorger and his daughter get a visit from gypsies the next day as it would lead to all sorts of trouble.
Tarr’s direction is definitely stylish in its own way as it consists of 30 shots for a film with a 156-minute running time with shots averaging up to 5 minutes as it is shot on a valley in Hungary. The film wouldn’t have any dialogue for the first 22 minutes other than Mihaly Raday’s narration as it plays into the events leading up to the film as well as commentary on the events around the protagonists including a book that the daughter reads upon her encounter with the gypsies. There are some close-ups and medium shots that occur throughout the film but Tarr and co-director/editor Agnes Hranitzky would often utilize wide shots as well as these gazing images that would linger onto something for more than a few minutes. There would also be these intricate tracking shots including some Steadicam shots such as the daughter opening the front door with a couple of pails to get water from the well as the camera would follow them. There is also this sense of repetition in how a daily routine would begin as Tarr and Hranitzky would shoot the same routines but would then place the cameras in a different position to get a different perspective as it adds a unique feel to the way a day is portrayed.
With Hranitzky providing some straightforward cutting as well as some unique fade-to-black transitions for a few moments, Tarr would also play into this idea that a world is ending as he would include text written by Krasznahorski as it plays into the philosophies of Nietzsche. It adds to the bleak tone of the film as the fifth day would be this key moment late in the film as it plays into the sense of despair but also uncertainty into a world that these two people don’t know at all. Especially as the aftermath of all of that showcases this sense of accepting whatever fate they have to endure as well as the fate of the horse that was affected by this incident involving Nietzsche. Overall, Tarr and Hranitzky craft a somber yet harrowing film about a horse carriage driver and their daughter dealing with their surroundings following an incident that played into Friedrich Nietzsche’s mental breakdown.
Cinematographer Fred Keleman does brilliant work with the film’s black-and-white photography with its stark imagery in many of its daytime exteriors to the usage of natural lighting and lanterns for many of the interior scenes in the day and night as it is a highlight of the film. Production designer Laszlo Rajk does excellent work with the look of the home that Ohlsdorger and his daughter live in as well as the small house for their horse to live in. Sound editor/mixer Gabor Erdelyi does incredible work with the films’ sound in the way the wind sounds in all of its intensity in the exterior scenes as well as some sparse sounds from the inside as it is a highlight of the film. The film’s music by Mihaly Vig is amazing for its somber string-based score that only appears in certain parts of the film as it plays into the sense of dread and despair.
The film’s ensemble cast is largely small other than a group of uncredited extras as Romani gypsies that stop at Ohlsdorger’s water well as well as Mihaly Kormos as their neighbor Bernhard who asks for brandy as well as what is happening nearby and the horse Ricsi as the horse who refuses to eat while pondering its own existence. Erika Bok is fantastic as the daughter who would cook and grab water while also pondering her own existence as she is quiet yet riveting in the way she sees things as well as the sense of despair around her. Finally, there’s Janos Derzsi as Ohlsdorger as the horse carriage driver who copes with what happened as well as the world around him as he is unsure of what to do while also realizing that his place in the world might come to an end.
A torinoi lo is a tremendous film from Bela Tarr and Agnes Hranitzky. While it is not an easy film to watch due to its lack of a strong plot, slow pacing with not much dialogue occurring throughout the film, and its bleak tone. It is still an entrancing watch in how it explores two people dealing with their place in a world that is changing and with them not being part of it as well as coping with an incident that played into Friedrich Nietzsche’s mental breakdown. If this is truly the final film from Bela Tarr, then he goes out with an outstanding statement. In the end, A torinoi lo is a magnificent film from Bela Tarr and Agnes Hranitzky.
Bela Tarr Films: (Family Nest) – (The Outsider (1981 film)) – (The Prefab People) – (Macbeth (1982 TV film)) – (Almanac of Fall) – (Damnation) – Satantango - Werckmeister Harmonies - (The Man from London)
© thevoid99 2024
It’s May 6, 2012 as the second round of the French presidential elections, the film revolves around a news reporter who is late for work as she is dealing with a lot in her life including her ex-husband who has arrived a day late for visitations, a novice babysitter watching their two young kids, a needy boyfriend, and all sorts of shit during a tumultuous and historical day for France. It is a film that plays into a day in the life of a woman yet the day itself is one of historical significance as she has to cover the events that is happening as it couldn’t come at a worst time as she hires a novice babysitter to watch her two young daughters while her ex-husband is trying to see them because of court order. Justine Triet’s script is largely straightforward yet its narrative moves back and forth into the actions of the news reporter Laetitia (Laetitia Dosch) and her ex-husband Vincent (Vincent Macaigne) as the former is reporting at the Rue de Solferino in Paris where the socialist candidate Francoise Hollande has his home base. Yet, Vincent’s attempts to see his children is thwarted as he turns to a neighbor in Arthur (Arthur Harari) to settle the matter leading a full-on tumultuous day for all involved.
Triet’s direction definitely has a sense of realism where Triet shot everything on that day as the element of cinema verite definitely comes into play due to Triet’s own background in documentary filmmaking. While the scenes outside of these events are largely straightforward in its compositions although there aren’t a lot of close-ups with the exception of shots when Laetitia is on a motorcycle going from one street to another. Much of Triet’s direction emphasizes on medium shots in some of the film’s intimate moments or something as chaotic whenever there’s a big crowd scene at a campaign rally. There are also some wide shots of these events as it plays into the frenzy that is happening where Laetitia talks to Hollande’s supporters but also supporters of the opposing candidate in Nicolas Sarkozy as it does play into something that feels real.
Triet’s approach to everything involving Laetitia’s personal life is straightforward as there are moments that play into the chaos including Vincent trying to meet Laetitia who is on assignment after noticing the babysitter and a friend of Laetitia with their kids as it leads into trouble for Vincent. Yet, Triet would also maintain a sense of looseness in the scenes at Laetitia’s apartment where the babysitter is with the kids as he also has to endure Vincent’s phone calls. Triet also maintains a sense of dramatic tension as it relates to Laetitia and Vincent with Arthur being in the middle during the film’s third act as he is trying to be the mediator. While Vincent does have a valid case due to a court order, he is unfortunately a day late while Arthur also reveals some things that could go against him but is also trying to help him knowing how complicated the law is. It all plays into this sense of a woman just dealing a hell of a day filled with so much as that is going on a historical day for France in the 21st Century. Overall, Triet crafts an exhilarating film about a day in the life of a news reporter who tries to juggle her responsibilities during a historical day in France.
Cinematographer Tom Harari does excellent work with the film’s cinematography as it is largely straightforward for much of the film’s daytime/nighttime exteriors along with a few stylish lights for some of the interior scenes at night. Editor Damien Maestraggi does brilliant work with the editing as it has elements of jump-cuts as well as a few other stylish cuts to play into the film’s energetic presentation. Production designer Regis Blasy does nice work with the look of Laetitia’s apartment in its interior setting as it plays into the chaos in her life. Costume designer Mariette Niquet does fantastic work with the costumes in the clothes that Laetitia wears as well as the ragged clothes that Vincent wears.
Sound editor Olivier Touche does superb work in capturing the sound as it is largely straightforward in the way crowds sound as well as some quiet moment in the more intimate scenes. Music supervisor Thibault Deboaisne does terrific work with the film’s soundtrack as a lot of it is diegetic in the usage of classical music played in rooms with a piece by Dead Man’s Bones played during the motorcycle scenes.
The film’s wonderful cast feature some notable small roles and appearances from Zine-Zine Sidi Omar as a police investigator, Colin Ledoux and Chloe Lagrenade as a couple on a bridge that Laetitia meets, Jeane Ara-Bellanger and Liv Harari in their respective roles as Laetitia and Vincent’s young daughters in Jeane and Liv, Maxime Schneider as Laetitia’s motorcycle driver who takes her to different locations to Paris for an assignment, Emile Brisavoine as a friend of Laetitia who helps the babysitter watch the kids as they’re in the crowded streets, Vatsana Sedone as a neighbor of Laetitia who is asked to watch out for Vincent in case he tries to get into the apartment building, Virgil Vernier as Laetitia’s boyfriend who is fond of the kids but is often needy to be around her, and Marc-Antoine Vaugeois as the babysitter hired to watch over Laetitia’s kids as he is new to the job as he becomes overwhelmed with Vincent trying to see him and the chaos that is happening in the day.
Arthur Harari is excellent as Vincent’s friend Arthur who is a law student who is trying to help Vincent with his case but also try to mediate things between Vincent and Laetitia in the film’s third act. Vincent Macaigne is brilliant as Vincent as Laetitia’s ex-husband who shows up a day late to his court-supervised visit as he is eager to see his daughters while it is clear he is mentally-troubled but also an asshole despite his love for his daughters. Finally, there’s Laetitia Dosch in an incredible performance as Laetitia as a news reporter who endures one hell of a day as she brings in this complex performance of a woman that is dealing with so much in an entire day as well as having to cover something historical as it is gripping performance that captures a woman in one insane day.
La Bataille de Solferino is a phenomenal film from Justine Triet. Featuring a great cast, a simple yet effective premise, setting it at a real-life event, and it simple yet engaging visuals. The film is definitely an unconventional yet exhilarating film that plays into a woman dealing with so much as she has to cover a historical event in France as it becomes this hell of a day for this woman. In the end, La Bataille de Solferino is a sensational film from Justine Triet.
Justine Triet Films: (In Bed with Victoria) – (Sybil (2019 film)) – (Anatomy of a Fall)
© thevoid99 2024
