Directed by Gillo Pontecorvo and written by Pontecorvo and Franco Solinas, Kapo is the story of a 14-year old Jewish girl dealing with the Holocaust as she is aided by a few to take on a new name to hide from the Nazis. The film is a study of survival as well as what a person will do during one of the most horrific atrocities of humanity where she would endure her own sense of de-humanization. Starring Susan Strasberg, Laurent Terzieff, Emmanuelle Riva, Gianni Garko, and Didi Perego. Kapo is a riveting and haunting film from Gillo Pontecorvo.
The film follows a fourteen-year old Jewish girl who is taken to a concentration camp by the Germans where she later meets a doctor who gives her a new identity as she would eventually become a camp leader during her time in the Holocaust. It’s a film with a simple story yet it’s a study of a woman not just losing her identity but also the need to survive but it would come at great cost where she loses her sense of humanity. The film’s screenplay by Gillo Pontecorvo and Franco Solinas follows the journey that Edith (Susan Strasberg) would take as she returns home from a piano lesson only to see her parents be taken away where she also gets taken and later separated where they would die. Upon meeting this mysterious yet sympathetic doctor who found her escaping a camp where she was to be killed, Edith would take the identity of a dead French thief named Nicole with the help of a political prisoner in Sofia (Didi Perego). Later meeting the prisoner Terese (Emmanuelle Riva) who is a camp translator, Edith would endure abuse and torture that would play into her despair.
The script would also play into Edith’s slow descent where she would engage in activities that would take away her dignity as well as being sympathetic to other prisoners after becomes a camp leader. This growing disconnect to her other prisoners would add a sense of disdain and resentment towards Edith as she would befriend a SS officer named Karl (Gianni Garko) whom she slept with. The film’s third act would mark the arrival of Soviet prisoners-of-war where Sascha (Laurent Terzieff) would provide Edith a return to her humanity but is still torn in her need to survive.
Pontecorvo’s direction is definitely entrancing in terms of its visuals where he would mix in elements of stock footage of World War II and match it with scenes happening in the film as if he’s capturing a moment in time. Shot largely in Yugoslavia, the film does play into a world that is in despair as much of it is shot in areas near the woods or in very dreary locations as if it’s Hell on Earth. There are some wide shots of the locations with characters dealing with their surroundings yet Pontecorvo would emphasize more on intimate shots with the usage of close-ups and medium shots that include scenes inside the houses where the prisoners stay. There are also some chilling moments such as a scene where Sascha is being punished as he has to stand up where in front of him is an electrical wire fence and a guard looking down from a tower to shoot him if he falls backwards as it is shot from above in a crane shot.
Pontecorvo would also play into these moments that add to the despair of the Holocaust as well as slowly capture Edith’s descent including intricate tracking shots. The film’s climax that relates to the impending end of World War II isn’t just about what the Germans will do to their prisoners but what the prisoners will do in retaliation with Edith in the middle as she is torn with the need to survive but also to help out others who suffered as she did. Overall, Pontecorvo crafts a chilling yet rapturous film about a young Jewish woman’s desperation to survive the Holocaust.
Cinematographers Aleksandar Sekulovic and Goffredo Bellisario do brilliant work with the film’s black-and-white photography in capturing the stark detail of the locations with its emphasis on natural lighting for the daytime scenes with some low-key lighting for the scenes at night. Editors Roberto Cinquini and Anhela Michelli do excellent work in creating some rhythmic cuts for some of the drama as well as in the action and in its usage of stock footage to match what is happening around the campsites. Production designer Aleksandar Milovic and art director Piero Gherardi do fantastic work with the look of the prison camps as well as some of the towers at the camp. The sound work of Fausto Ancillai and Sandro Occhetti is superb for its low-key yet intense atmosphere to play into the horrors of the camp. The film’s music by Gillo Pontecorvo and Carlo Rustichelli do amazing work with the music with its mixture of eerie orchestral flourishes and ominous string pieces that play into the drama.
The film’s wonderful cast includes a superb performance from Gianni Garko as an SS officer in Karl who befriends Edith unaware of who she really is as he laments over what will happen next while Didi Perego is fantastic as Sofia as a political prisoner who brings Edith to the camp with help of a doctor as she copes with the despair of the camp. Laurent Terzieff is excellent as Sascha as a Soviet POW who falls for Edith as he tries to woo her but also wonders why she is cold towards everyone including him. Emmanuelle Riva is incredible as Terese as a prisoner who would guide Edith on how to survive but would also watch Edith descent greatly to the point that she starts to lose herself and be unable to do her work as a translator. Finally, there’s Susan Strasberg in a phenomenal performance as Edith as a 14-year old Jewish girl who is taken to a concentration camp and later becomes a camp leader as it’s an eerie performance where Strasberg displays that sense of loss and despair into someone who has become disconnected with humanity as a way to survive but at great cost.
Kapo is a sensational film from Gillo Pontecorvo that features a tremendous performance from Susan Strasberg. Along with its ensemble cast including a great supporting turn from Emmanuelle Riva as well as striking visuals and a haunting music score. It’s a film that showcases a woman trying to survive the Holocaust yet would deal with the sense of inhumanity that occurs to the point that she would succumb to her own inhumanity as a way to survive. In the end, Kapo is a spectacular film from Gillo Pontecorvo.
Gillo Pontecorvo Films: (The Wide Blue Road) – The Battle of Algiers - (Burn! (1969 film)) – (Ordo)
© thevoid99 2018
Directed by Alain Resnais and written by Marguerite Duras, Hiroshima Mon Amour (Hiroshima My Love) is the story of an affair between a French actress and a Japanese architect in post-war Hiroshima as they cope with their own feelings of love and loss. The film is a study of anguish and longing in a place where a city had lost itself to war. Starring Emmanuelle Riva, Eiji Okada, Stella Dassas, Pierre Barbaud, and Bernard Fresson. Hiroshima Mon Amour is a riveting yet exhilarating film from Alain Resnais.
Set in the span of 36-hours, the film revolves around a forbidden affair between a French film actress (Emmanuelle Riva) and a Japanese architect (Eiji Okada) as they spend time in the city of Hiroshima as they reflect on what happened during the war as the actress also recalls memories of an affair she had with a German soldier during World War II. It’s a film that is a simple story about these two people having an affair as they deal with elements of loss and the need for love in a world that is still reeling from the scars of war. Notably as the actress is making a film about what happened in Hiroshima during the war as she tells the architect about her past. Marguerite Duras’ screenplay does have a unique narrative that plays into the time these two people spend with each other but also about their own past as the architect tells bits about his time as a soldier in the war as it plays into the sense of loss and anguish the two endure in the span of 36 hours.
Alain Resnais’ direction is very mesmerizing in not just the way he approaches his compositions but also in playing into Hiroshima’s own resurrection as a modern city but still carry the scars of the war. The direction includes some intricate yet hypnotic tracking and dolly shots to play into not just the city of Hiroshima but also in the hometown of the actress in Nevers, France. Resnais creates compositions that match into the landscapes of the two cities as it plays into two world and two characters who both felt lost as well as a sense of longing to return to a time where things were simpler. Notably for the actress who was shamed for her affair with this German soldier by her town after the war ended as her affair with this Japanese architect also has an air of taboo.
Resnais’ usage of close-ups and mesmerizing shots such as the opening shots of the two making love with dust and ashes covering them or shots of their hands play into the sense of longing. Especially in what the actress is dealing with as it regards to her past as she also knows she has to return to Paris and go back to the life she already has. Its third act is about the actress struggling with the decision to leave but also wonders if she can stay and relive something that she once had. Even as the architect tries to get her to stay home as he realizes about the unhappiness in his own life and the need for her to be with him. Overall, Resnais creates a very engaging yet evocative take on the world of loss and longing in a post-war world.
Cinematographers Sacha Vierny and Michio Takahashi do incredible work with the film‘s black-and-white cinematography in terms of the richness of the visuals as Vierny would shoot scenes set in Nevers, France while Takahashi would shoot Hiroshima as both contained matching visual motifs as it‘s one of the film‘s highlights. Editors Henri Colpi and Jasmine Chasney do excellent work with the editing in compiling stock footage and other images to create something that mixes documentary and fiction along with montages and stylish cuts to play into the world of past and present. Production designers Minoru Esaka, Mayo, Petri, and Lucilla Mussini do amazing work with the bars and places the two protagonists go to including some realistic places such as Hiroshima’s museum of what happened in 1945.
Costume designer Gerard Collery does nice work with the clothes from the dress that the actress wears and the suit that the architect wears along with the clothes for the actress‘ flashback scenes. The sound work of Pierre-Louis Calvet and Rene Renault does terrific work with the sound to play into what happens on the locations as well as . The film’s music by Georges Delerue and Giovanni Fusco is fantastic as it is this mixture of orchestral-based music with some jazz elements as it plays into not just some of the melancholia but also the arrival of a new world emerging from the ashes of war.
The film’s cast includes some superb small performances from Stella Dassas and Pierre Barbaud as the actress’ parents in the flashback scenes and Bernard Fresson as the actress’ German lover from the flashbacks. Eiji Okada is great as the architect who lives in Hiroshima as he deals with his own past as a soldier and what he had lost as well as his feelings for the actress. Finally, there’s Emmanuelle Riva in a phenomenal performance as the actress as a Frenchwoman visiting Japan for work as she copes with her past as a young woman who fell for a German soldier during World War II as well as her own feelings for the architect where Rivas brings a radiance to her performance as a woman dealing with loss and anguish.
Hiroshima Mon Amour is an outstanding film from Alain Resnais. Featuring magnificent performances from Emmanuelle Riva and Eiji Okada as well as some amazing technical work in its music, photography, and setting. It is a film that plays into the world of loss and loneliness in an ever-changing world as this film is among one of the key films of the French New Wave. In the end, Hiroshima Mon Amour is a tremendously rich and sensational film from Alain Resnais.
Alain Resnais Films: Night and Fog - Last Year at Marienbad - (Muriel) - (The War is Over) - (Je T’aime, je t’aime) - (Stavisky) - (Providence) - Mon oncle d'Amerique - (Life is a Bed of Roses) - (Love Unto Death) - (Melo) - (I Want to Go Home) - (Gershwin) - (Smoking/No Smoking) - (Same Old Song) - (Not on the Lips) - (Private Fears in Public Places) - Wild Grass - (You Haven’t Seen Anything Yet) - (Life of Riley)
© thevoid99 2015
Directed by Krzysztof Kieslowski and written by Kieslowski and Krzysztof Piesiewicz, Trois Couleurs: Bleu (Three Colors: Blue) is the first of a trilogy of films based on the symbols of three colors of the French flag. The first film explores the theme of liberty where a woman loses her husband and child in a car accident as she detaches herself from her past and everything else in her life while discovering about the other life of her composer husband. Starring Juliette Binoche, Benoit Regent, Helene Vincent, Florence Pernel, Charlotte Very, and Emmanuelle Riva. Trois Couleurs: Bleu is an evocative yet ravishing film from Krzysztof Kieslowski.
The film is about a woman dealing with grief and the loss she endured in a tragic accident where she decides to cut herself out of that life and into a new one on her own and away from her past. Yet, the journey would prove to be far more difficult as the grief that Julie (Juliette Binoche) carries as well as the presence of her friend Olivier (Benoit Regent) would make things difficult for her to move on since he wants to finish a musical composition her husband had been working on. Adding to that troubled journey is the news that her composer husband had an affair with another woman in Sandrine (Florence Pernel) who carries something that would complicate everything that Julie is trying to run away from. Since the film’s theme is about liberty, it is about a woman liberating herself from her past as she has the money and will to do that. Yet, there’s some things that people couldn’t detach themselves.
The film’s screenplay by Krzysztof Kieslowski and Krzysztof Piesiewicz not only explores that idea of detachment and isolation but also Julie’s struggles to be alone and not connect with other people including Olivier who had always pined for her. The people that Julie would meet such as an exotic dancer named Lucille (Charlotte Very) as well as Olivier eventually as he asks for her help. There’s also her mother (Emmanuelle Riva) that Julie goes to despite the fact that her mother is suffering from Alzheimer’s disease. The presence of Sandrine would complicate things as it would force Julie to either walk away or to confront the past as well as the death of her family.
Kieslowski’s direction is very entrancing in not just the images he conveys but also the attention to detail in the little things that he presents whether it’s a blue candy wrapper or bruises on Julie’s hand after she had dragged against a stone wall. It’s among the many aspects of the film that adds to the splendor of Kieslowski’s vision as well as using blue as a visual motif where sparks of it would be crucial to the film’s story as well as Julie’s own exploration of her grief and detachment from the world. In many respects, the film has Kieslowski not just play with the idea of tragedy but also turn into something more as the film’s third act would have crucial elements that would play into Julie’s own return to the world as she would find a sense of true liberation.
Much of the compositions Kieslowski creates are very intimate in its close-ups and medium shots while not going for some wide shots except in certain scenes. Most notably one sequence where it would link Julie’s story with two other characters in the next film of the trilogy. Most of the camera-work is controlled with some tracking shots and some hand-held work but Kieslowski keeps the camera intact towards Julie’s surroundings and the world she’s in. Especially where the camera becomes much tighter to play into the decisions she would make for herself and the people who had been affected by the loss of her husband and child. The framing becomes much more evident as the film progresses where it does loosen up a bit but still hovers over everything that Julie is trying to go through in her grief. Overall, Kieslowski creates a very evocative yet haunting film about grief and isolation.
Cinematographer Slawomir Idziak does phenomenal work with the film‘s gorgeous photography with its use of blue in some of the shots such as the chandelier and swimming pool as well as much of the coloring in some of the film‘s exterior settings along with some unique lighting for some of the film‘s interior scenes. Editor Jacques Witta does excellent work with the editing in terms of not emphasizing too much on style while creating some effective rhythms for the film‘s intense dramatic moments. Production designer Claude Lenoir does fantastic work with the set pieces such as the mansion that Julie lived in to the apartment she chooses to live in seclusion along with the chandelier of blue crystals. Costume designers Virginie Viard and Naima Lagrange do superb work with the costumes as much of it is casual to play into the sense of grief looming over Julie.
Hair and makeup work by Valerie Tranier and Jean-Pierre Caminade is terrific for the understated look of Julie as well as the bruises and scars on her face as well as the look of her mother and the character of Sandrine. The sound work of Jean-Claude Laureux and the sound mixing by William Flageollet is brilliant for the atmosphere it conveys from the film‘s opening sequence to scenes set in the city as well as some of the quieter yet disconcerting moments at Julie‘s mansion. The film’s music by Zbigniew Preisner is magnificent for its orchestral-driven score that is filled with all sorts of string and choir arrangements to play into the sense of grief and emotion with some flute-based pieces as well as serene string arrangements as the music is one of the film’s major highlights.
The casting by Margot Capelier is amazing for the ensemble that is created as it includes cameo appearances from Julie Delpy and Zbigniew Zamachowski as the roles they would play in Trois Couleurs: Blanc as well as other small roles from Pierre Forget as the gardener in the house, Isabelle Sadoyan as the maid, Jacek Ostazewski as the street musician, Philippe Volter as a real estate agent who helps Julie find a new apartment, Florence Vignon as a music copyist, Yann Tregouet as the young man Antoine who witnessed the crash, and Hugues Quester as Julie’s late husband Patrice. Helene Vincent is terrific as the journalist that wants to talk to Julie while Emmanuelle Riva is wonderful as Julie’s Alzheimer-stricken mother who watches TV in an attempt to re-connect with the world.
Charlotte Very is excellent as the young prostitute Lucille that Julie befriends and helps out. Florence Pernel is brilliant as Sandrine as the woman who is revealed to be Patrice’s mistress as her meeting with Julie showcases a woman who isn’t just grieving but also pities Julie whom she had always admired. Benoit Regent is superb as Olivier as a longtime family friend of Julie who is also in love with her as he tries to finish Patrice’s music piece as well as reach out to Julie. Finally, there’s Juliette Binoche in a performance for the ages as Julie where Binoche brings a sense of restraint and coldness to her role as a woman trying to detach herself from her grief. It’s a performance that has Binoche display an air of radiance to her role as well as making Julie such a complex character as it’s definitely one of Binoche’s finest performances.
The 2003 Region 1 DVD for Trois Couleurs: Bleu from Miramax as part of a box-set for the entire trilogy presents the film in its 1:85:1 theatrical aspect ratio on widescreen as it was enhanced for 16x9 televisions in its original French language track with English subtitles. The DVD includes many special features relating to the film that is led by the 17 ½ minute documentary Reflections on Bleu where Juliette Binoche, cinematographer Slawomir Idziak, editor Jacques Witta, collaborator Agnieska Holland, film critic Geoff Andrews, and Kieslowski historian Annette Insdorf talk about the film and how much it means to them. Notably as they all talk about the film’s importance as Binoche recalls her feelings about the film as she admits to being very emotional about it.
The 15-minute Kieslowski: The Early Years is largely led by Insdorf and Andrews about Kieslowski’s early years as well as being part of that movement in Polish cinema that was emerging in the 1950s and 1960s as it would also include commentaries by Slawomir Idziak, Agnieska Holland, and actress Irene Jacob. The DVD release also includes a feature-length audio commentary by Insdorf as she discusses a lot about the film as well as some of its technical points and some of the psychological aspects of the story. The twenty-four-and-a-half minute selected scenes commentary section from Juliette Binoche has the actress talking about scenes in the film as she also revealed that she was in consideration for The Double Life of Veronique and turned down Jurassic Park to do Bleu.
The 14-minute, 37-second interview/commentary from editor Jacques Witta has him providing a technical view of the film in terms of its editing as well as some technical tidbits. Especially as he stepped aside from editing Blanc so he can do Rouge because Kieslowski didn’t want to overwhelm him. Binoche’s eight-minute interview has her talking about the film as she also said some things that she already had mentioned her commentary piece. Producer Marin Karmitz’s 17-minute interview has him talking about the film and his relationship with Kieslowski despite the fact that Karmitz didn’t speak Polish and Kieslowski didn’t speak French yet managed to make a conversation through whiskey. The seven-and-a-half minute cinema lesson from Kieslowski has him talking about the sugar cube scene where he revealed the difficulty in finding the right sugar cube he needed for a five-second shot as he feels it was important for that shot.
The DVD would also include a 15-minute student short film called Concert of Requests that is a simple story about a group of students camping so they can attend a concert as it showcases the documentary style that Kieslowski would later adopt into his work as a documentary filmmaker. The DVD also includes a filmography of Kieslowski’s work as well as trailers for the other two films in the trilogy plus the 2002 film Heaven that Kieslowski co-wrote with Krzysztof Piesiewicz.
The 2011 remastered edition as part of the Region 1 four-disc DVD/Region A three-disc Blu-Ray from the Criterion Collection presents the film in a brand new high-definition digital transfer as the colors are much richer while the sound is remixed in a 2.0 Dolby Digital Surround Sound. The original theatrical aspect ratio is still intact while there are new English subtitles that improves the 2003 DVD release. Several features from that 2003 DVD release such as the cinema lesson, Juliette Binoche’s selected-scenes commentary, and the Reflections on Bleu documentary are on the DVD while the Blu-Ray includes the Kieslowski: The Early Years documentary, the film’s original theatrical trailer and two short films that appeared in the 2003 DVD release for Blanc.
Added to the DVD/Blu-Ray set for its special features are two new interviews with Kieslowski historian Annette Insdorf and music composer Zbigniew Preisner. The 21-minute video essay with Insdorf narrating the essay has her talking about the film and many of its images and themes as well as how it relates to the rest of the films of the trilogy. Notably as Insdorf discusses the themes and the irony of the film in which Julie tries to liberate herself from the past as it’s a very compelling piece in the DVD. The twenty-one minute and-thirty-three second interview with Preisner has the composer not just talking about his collaboration and friendship with Kieslowski but also how they approached in making the music for the films. Notably as Preisner would make much of the music during pre-production and film instead of doing the music during post-production. Preisner talks about certain pieces in the scores he made for all three films as well as the character of Van de Budenmeyer who is a fictional composer and Kieslowski created.
The DVD/Blu-Ray box set also includes a 78-page booklet that features a lot of essays and text relating to the trilogy. For the subject of Bleu, there’s two pieces of text that relates to that film in an essay by Sight & Sound editor Nick James and an interview with cinematographer Slawomir Idziak. James’ essay entitled Blue: Bare Necessities has the writer talk about the film and Kieslowski’s approach to storytelling as well as Binoche’s performance. James also discusses much of the film’s themes and some of its ambiguities that remain questionable as James also regard the film as one of the best films ever made. Idziak’s interview comes from a 1993 article for the French magazine Telerama in which Idziak talks to Vincent Remy about shooting Bleu as well as his collaboration with Kieslowski where he reveals their approach to shooting and how things are different in working in Europe and in the U.S.
Trois Couleurs: Bleu is a magnificent film from Krzysztof Kieslowski that features a towering performance from Juliette Binoche. Along with a great supporting cast, some dazzling technical work from its crew, and Zbigniew Preisner’s exhilarating score. It’s truly a masterwork in the art of cinema as well as one of three films that creates one of cinema’s most revered trilogies. In the end, Trois Couleurs: Bleu is an outstanding film from Krzysztof Kieslowski.
Krzysztof Kieslowski Films: (Personal) - (The Scar) - (Camera Buff) - (The Calm) - (Short Working Day) - Blind Chance - (No End) - (A Short Film About Killing) - (A Short Film About Love) - The Decalogue - The Double Life of Veronique - Trois Couleurs-Blanc - Trois Couleurs-Rouge
© thevoid99 2014
Written and directed by Michael Haneke, Amour is the story about the love of an elderly couple when a man tries to deal with his wife’s stroke that left part of her body paralyzed as he becomes desperate to take care of her. The film is an exploration into the world of love and one’s devotion to another. Starring Jean-Louis Trintignant, Emmanuelle Riva, and Isabelle Huppert. Amour is a mesmerizing yet powerful film from Michael Haneke.
The film is essentially the story of an elderly couple named Georges (Jean-Louis Trintignant) and Anne (Emmanuelle Riva) who live their life together until Anne has become catatonic having Georges believe something went wrong. After a surgery that has left Anne paralyzed, Georges makes a promise to not send Anne back to the hospital as he does whatever it takes to care of her despite her worsening condition after another stroke and the insistence of their daughter Eva (Isabelle Huppert) to send Anne to a home. The film is about one man’s devotion to his wife as she starts to deteriorate in front of his eyes where he eventually realizes that she isn’t going to get better. Yet, he makes a decision about what to do with themselves knowing that she isn’t going to return to who she was once was.
Michael Haneke’s screenplay doesn’t really have much of a plot as it is really about these two people and their love for each other. Yet, the film doesn’t really begin with a traditional opening but rather at the end. It’s a strange way to open the film but it is then followed by more happier times when Georges and Anne attend a concert for an old pupil of theirs that establishes who they were. Suddenly, the film goes back into a more serious mood with bits of light humor as it revolves around Georges trying to help out his wife with what she would have to endure in her condition. For Anne, it becomes overwhelming as she finds herself becoming a burden as she deteriorates to the point of incoherence. While there’s moments of frustrations for Georges, he remains devoted but still has to deal with not just what people tell what he should do but also with their opinions. For him, nothing else matters when it comes to Anne as he has made a vow to her that is more sacred than anything else.
Haneke’s direction is very restrained for the most part as he doesn’t do a lot of camera movements nor anything stylish. Instead, it’s quite straightforward in its framing where Haneke is more interested in how the couple live their life and do things on a daily basis. The way the actors are positioned definitely says a lot in the framing while Haneke doesn’t go for a lot of close-ups. There are few moments where the camera does move in some parts of the films for the character of Georges to move around. Yet, it is mostly told in a simple manner where the drama does increase as it progresses to emphasize Anne’s deteriorated state. Things do get more intense though the drama remains restrained as it does lead to a very poignant ending about loss as well as the ideas of life. Overall, Haneke creates a very heart-wrenching yet uncompromising film about love.
Cinematographer Darius Khondji does excellent work with the film‘s photography as it largely takes place inside the apartment with some very low-key yet lovely lighting schemes to set the mood without delving too much into style. Editors Monika Willi and Nadine Muse do superb work in the editing by not employing a lot of style to the cutting while using some effective cuts for some of the film‘s key dramatic moments. Production designer Jean-Vincent Puzos and set decorator Susanne Haneke do terrific work with the look of the apartment that Georges and Anne live in that is filled things that are part of their life.
Costume designer Catherine Leterrier does nice work with the costumes as it is mostly casual to display who the characters are. The sound work of Jean-Pierre Laforce and Guillaume Sciama is wonderful for the intimacy of the scenes that includes some very haunting moments of Anne crying out for Georges in some parts of the film.
The casting by Kris Portier de Bellair is brilliant for the small ensemble that is created as it includes appearances from Alexandre Tharaud as an old pupil of the couple, Rita Blanco as the concierge of the apartment, Ramon Agirre as the concierge’s husband, and William Shimell as Eva’s husband Geoff. Isabelle Huppert is excellent as Georges and Anne’s daughter Eva who grows increasingly concerned for what is happening to her mother as she also deals with what might be coming.
Finally there’s the duo of Jean-Louis Trintignant and Emmanuelle Riva in outstanding performances in their respective roles as Georges and Anne. Trintignant displays a chilling performance to a man desperate to help out his wife while dealing with everything else around him where Trintignant maintains this great physicality to his role as a man that is devoted to his wife. Riva’s performance is just astonishing to watch from the early going as a woman who is quite lively to someone who is deteriorating physically as she is unable to have any movement in the right part of her body and then just completely unravel as it’s a very unsettling to watch. It’s a very brave performance for the legendary actress in the way she reveals a woman losing herself and clinging to the man who loves her.
Amour is an incredible yet poignant film from Michael Haneke that features magnificent performances from Jean-Louis Trintignant and Emmanuelle Riva. While it may not be in par with some of Haneke’s more darker films, it is still a film that is engaging as well as a drama that explores love at its deepest core. Notably as it explores an elderly couple being tested by something horrible as well as the specter of death. In the end, Amour is a tremendous film from Michael Haneke.
Michael Haneke Films: (The Seventh Continent) - (Benny’s Video) - (71 Fragments of a Chronology of Chance) - Funny Games (1997 film) - Code Unknown - The Piano Teacher - (Time of the Wolf) - Cache` - Funny Games (2007 film) - The White Ribbon - Happy End
© thevoid99 2013
