Based on the novel by Christopher Koch, The Year of Living Dangerously is the story of a group of foreign correspondents who report the chaos in 1965 Indonesia where two reporters engage into an affair during the event. Directed by Peter Weir and screenplay by Weir and David Williamson, the film follows the chaos of the events of September 1965 in Jakarta at a time during an attempted coup where foreign reporters try to understand what is going on. Starring Mel Gibson, Sigourney Weaver, Linda Hunt, Bill Kerr, Michael Murphy, and Noel Ferrier. The Year of Living Dangerously is a riveting and evocative film from Peter Weir.
Set during the events of 1965 in Jakarta amidst a growing division in politics, the film revolves around an Australian journalist who goes to the city to cover the events with the aid of a Chinese-Australian dwarf while falling for an assistant to a revered British official. It’s a film that play into a lot of drama that occurs in Indonesia during a tumultuous period of civil and social unrest where foreign correspondents try to understand what is going on as they’re aided by this dwarf who knows what is happening but is also trying to carry a sense of hope for Indonesia. The film’s screenplay by Peter Weir and David Williamson is told mainly from the Chinese-Australian dwarf Billy Kwan (Linda Hunt) as he lives in Jakarta and knows what is happening as he would be a guide for the Australian journalist Guy Hamilton (Mel Gibson) who is reporting for an Australian network.
Hamilton is just among a group of reporters trying to cover this chaos in Jakarta and other parts of Indonesia as they also try to find time to relax and enjoy the local scene that include parties at other foreign embassies. When he meets Jill Bryant (Sigourney Weaver) at the British embassy as she’s an aide for the diplomat Colonel Henderson (Bill Kerr), he is smitten by her where he turns to Kwan for help as he has information on everyone which makes Hamilton uneasy. Still, Kwan is able to get Hamilton contacts with those who are involved in this conflict but has a hard time trying to understand what is going on just as he’s being torn in his job and his growing love for Bryant. It would later get more dangerous for Hamilton as he gets a scoop that ends up being a major revelation about what is really happening in Indonesia.
Weir’s direction is definitely entrancing for many of the visuals that he is able to capture as well as setting during a tumultuous moment in time. Shot on various locations in Australia and the Philippines, Weir’s direction definitely captures an intimacy into the marches and protests that emerged on the streets as well as the scenes at the rural areas in the city or outside of the city. Weir does display that disconnect of how foreigners who live in comfortable hotels and posh embassies while the locals are struggling to get by as they live in decayed homes on the streets or near river canals with polluted water. Weir would use the wide and medium shots to capture the chaos of the protests as well as a look into the landscapes outside of Jakarta. Weir would also use the medium shots and close-ups for scenes involving the characters as they all talk about their assignment or relaxing at a party.
Even in some of the intense moments in the film where it play into that disconnect of what is happening in Jakarta and at these embassies where Hamilton and Kwan do get a closer look as the latter knows what is happening as there is an element of disillusionment that would occur in the third act. Even as the chaos really starts to come ahead forcing Hamilton to come to terms with what is really happening and face some harsh truths about the world’s influence in Indonesia. Overall, Weir crafts a gripping and haunting film about a foreign correspondent covering the chaotic events of Indonesia in the mid-1960s.
Cinematographer Russell Boyd does brilliant work with the film’s cinematography as it play into the naturalistic daytime exteriors of the countryside locations while maintaining something gritty and direct for the scenes set in the streets for the day and nighttime. Editor William M. Anderson does excellent work with the editing as it uses rhythmic cuts to play into the drama and suspense along with a surreal montage that plays into a nightmare sequence for Hamilton. Art director Herbert Pinter does fantastic work with the look of Kwan’s home in Jakarta to play into the wallpaper of pictures and such that is similar to the home of the locals which is a sharp contrast to the spacious and comfortable hotel rooms and suites that the foreign correspondents live in. Costume designer Terry Ryan does nice work with the costumes as it is largely casual with the exception of the colorful shirts that Kwan wears that contrasts the more posh look of some of the foreigners including Bryant.
Special makeup effects designers Judy Lovell and Bob McCarron do amazing work with the look of Kwan in its attention to detail to make the character look manly but also full of life. Sound editor Andrew Steuart does superb work with the sound as it play into the intense atmosphere of the protests and marches on the streets as well as the eerie calm for the scenes in the countryside outside of Jakarta. The film’s music by Maurice Jarre does incredible work with the film’s score as it mixtures elements of orchestral music with traditional Asian string pieces to play into some of the suspense and drama while the music soundtrack consists a mixture of pieces ranging from classical, rock n’ roll, pop, and other music from Richard Strauss, Little Richard, Jerry Lee Lewis, Vera Lynn, Vangelis, Gene Vincent, and Jimmy Reed.
The film’s wonderful cast include some notable small roles from Ali Nur as Hamilton’s driver, Mike Emperio as the Indonesian president Sukarno, Noel Ferrier and Paul Sonkkila as a couple of foreign correspondents in their respective roles in Wally O’Sullivan and Kevin Condon, Kuh Ledesma as a secretary working for Hamilton and Kumar, and Bembol Roco in a terrific performance as Hamilton’s assistant Kumar who is an Indonesian that has a full understanding of what is going on as he shows Hamilton the chaos of what is happening as well as his own political allegiance. Michael Murphy is superb as the American journalist Pete Curtis who is a rival of sorts for Hamilton as he is more interested in having a good time rather than do his job. Bill Kerr is fantastic as Colonel Henderson as a British diplomat living in Jakarta who is more concerned with maintaining a social status and ensuring Britain’s influence on Indonesian politics rather than help out the people of Indonesia.
Sigourney Weaver is brilliant as Jill Bryant as Colonel Henderson’s assistant who falls for Hamilton though not initially as she is also a friend of Kwan where she understands what is happening and tries to give Hamilton a scoop which would serve as a plot point for the film. Linda Hunt is tremendous as Billy Kwan that has Hunt play a Chinese-Australian dwarf who is a guide for Hamilton while having his own personal interest for the people in Jakarta where he deals with the chaos as well as the empty promises of those in power as it is a defining performance for Hunt. Finally, there’s Mel Gibson in an amazing performance as Guy Hamilton as an Australian reporter covering the events as he’s torn in his job and his love for Bryant where he is forced to see some of the realities of what is happening instead of providing an angle for those with influence.
The Year of Living Dangerously is a phenomenal film from Peter Weir that features great performances from Mel Gibson, Sigourney Weaver, and Linda Hunt. Along with its gorgeous visuals, Maurice Jarre’s haunting score, and its look into an unruly conflict seen from outsiders trying to make sense of everything. It’s a film that play into the chaotic events of mid-1960s Indonesia and its attempt to stray from the influences of the Western world seen from those who unknowingly created that sense of civil disobedience. In the end, The Year of Living Dangerously is a sensational film from Peter Weir.
Peter Weir Films: (3 to Go-Michael) – (Homesdale) – (Whatever Happened to Green Valley?) - (The Car That Ate Paris) – Picnic at Hanging Rock - (The Last Wave) – The Plumber (1979 TV film) - Gallipoli - (Witness) – (Mosquito Coast) – Dead Poets Society - (Green Card) – (Fearless) – (The Truman Show) – Master and Commander: Far Side of the World - The Way Back
© thevoid99 2018
Directed by Marc Forster and written by Zach Helm, Stranger Than Fiction is the story of an IRS auditor who learns that he’s a character in a book that’s being written as he also learns that he is about to die. The film is an exploration into a man learning about his death as he tries to make some changes where he falls for an anarchist baker while the writer tries to figure out how to end her book. Starring Will Ferrell, Emma Thompson, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Queen Latifah, Tony Hale, Linda Hunt, and Dustin Hoffman. Stranger Than Fiction is a quirky yet charming film from Marc Forster.
The world of reality and fiction is very unique as the film is an exploration of a man who hears a mysterious voice where he learns that he is a character for a book being written as the writer reveals that he will die. While dealing with this crisis about his death, Harold Crick (Will Ferrell) tries to come to terms with his work as an IRS auditor as he falls for an anarchist baker in Ana Pascal (Maggie Gyllenhaal). Especially as he decides to live his life without thinking about numbers while coming to a literary professor about his experiences. Meanwhile, the book’s writer in Karen Eiffel (Emma Thompson) is dealing with trying to find a way to kill Harold Crick for her book where Crick eventually finds out the identity of the narrator he’s been hearing. It all plays into a writer dealing with her own artistic morality and a man dealing with who he is as they both endure their own existential crises.
Zach Helm’s screenplay starts off playing into what Harold Crick does as he lives his life based on numbers as it is part of a routine that he does. Much of it is told through Eiffel’s narration where all of a sudden, Crick starts to hear her voice as it would affect his work where he would meet his greatest challenge in Ana who despises everything that Harold does as she refuses to pay taxes that she owes. Harold’s encounter with Ana and some of things that’s happening to him in his life would force him to make some changes as he seeks the advice of literary professor Jules Hibbert (Dustin Hoffman) who is asked to find any idea on who the author is which adds to this blur of reality and fiction.
Especially as some of the fiction is played in Eiffel’s head as she struggles with writer’s block while she is being watched by an assistant in Penny Escher (Queen Latifah) who is making sure that Eiffel finishes her book. Yet, reality and fiction would eventually collide when Eiffel learns that the character she is creating is indeed real where it would play not just into her conflict about her ending but also a conflict in Harold over what he would do. Even as Hibbert would play a role into Harold’s fate based on his literary expertise as it plays into the conflict of what is right for the sake of art.
Marc Forster’s direction is very simple in terms of his compositions yet manages to infuse a lot of light-humor and drama to play into the quirkiness of the film. Much of it is shot on location in Chicago which plays into this world that is quite modern but also quaint as it serves as this unique reality in Harold’s life where he has his routines only for things to fall apart in the course of the film. Some of the direction include some unique wide shots, medium shots, and close-ups along with some very engaging approach to the framing in the way Crick is portrayed early on as he is shown in very tight framing devices. Things definitely change once he starts to loosen up and the film begins to feel much looser while the scenes involving Eiffel are a mixture of differing styles where she’s dreaming in some scenes while her struggles are shown in very direct medium shots and close-ups. Even as Forster maintains that idea of comedy vs. tragedy that adds to the film’s conflict where it would play into the climax over what might be Harold’s death. Overall, Forster crafts a very exhilarating and witty portrait of a man who learns about his death as he starts to live and defy the expectations of his possible fate.
Cinematographer Roberto Schaefer does excellent work with the film’s cinematography where he infuses a few shadings and such for some of the film’s interior settings along with low-key lights for some scenes set at night while keeping the daytime scenes very simple. Editor Chesse does nice work with the editing with its rhythmic cuts to play into some of the film’s action and humor while infusing a few montages in the film. Production designer Kevin Thompson, with set decorator Ford Wheeler and art director Craig Johnson, does fantastic work with the very lifeless look of Harold‘s apartment and the IRS office to the more colorful and lively look of Ana‘s bakery and home.
Costume designer Frank L. Fleming does terrific work with the costumes as it’s mostly casual while the clothes that Ana wears play to her anarchist ideals. Visual effects supervisor Kevin Tod Haug does amazing work with the visual effects that often pop-up to play into Harold’s obsession with numbers. Sound editor Geoffrey G. Rubay is superb for the way it plays into some of the film’s locations as well as Harold’s reactions to what he’s hearing. The film’s brilliant music soundtrack is supervised by Brian Reitzell and Britt Daniels as they provide their own score that mixes a few orchestral pieces with some post-punk based cuts while the soundtrack includes pieces by the Clash, the Jam, Spoon, Wreckless Eric, Delta 5, and M83.
The film’s casting by Kathy Driscoll and Francine Maisler is great as it features some notable small performances from Linda Hunt and Tom Hulce as two shrinks that Harold meets upon his breakdown plus a terrific performance from Tony Hale as Crick’s co-worker and friend Dave who tries to find a fun life outside of work. Queen Latifah is excellent as Penny who watches over Eiffel to see if she’ll finish the book while being baffled by Eiffel’s quirky behavior. Dustin Hoffman is amazing as Professor Jules Hibbert as this very smart man who knows about the ideas of literature as he tries to help Harold over his situation while being someone who will play into Harold’s fate. Emma Thompson is brilliant as Karen Eiffel as a revered novelist who is struggling to finish her book and kill Harold Crick as Thompson brings a lot of humor to her character as well as an internal conflict over artistic morality.
Maggie Gyllenhaal is fantastic as Ana Pascal as this fiery baker who refuses to pay her taxes due to her anarchist beliefs as she tries to torture Harold only to realize that he’s not a bad guy as it’s a performance full of humor and warmth. Finally, there’s Will Ferrell in a remarkable performance as Harold Crick where it’s Ferrell in a very restrained performance where he endures all sorts of humiliating moments while trying display someone who had been obsessed with his routines only to be alive as it’s a performance with a lot of heart that showcases Will Ferrell doing more than what is expected from him in the comedies he’s usually in.
Stranger Than Fiction is a phenomenal film from Marc Forster that features a winning lead performance from Will Ferrell. Along with great supporting work from Maggie Gyllenhaal, Emma Thompson, Queen Latifah, and Dustin Hoffman. It’s a film that plays into the world of reality and fiction plus a man trying to find a new lease on life. In the end, Stranger Than Fiction is a witty yet sensational film from Marc Forster.
Marc Forster Films: (Everything Put Together) - (Monster’s Ball) - Finding Neverland - (Stay (2005 film)) - (The Kite Runner) - Quantum of Solace - (Machine Gun Preacher) - (World War Z)
© thevoid99 2014
Directed by Robert Altman and written by Altman and Barbara Shulgasser, Prêt-a-Porter is the story about a group of very different people who attend Fashion Week in Paris as some are reporting the events while some are just attending to see what is out there. The film is an exploration into the world of fashion that involves many people in the course of a week. Starring Marcello Mastroianni, Sophia Loren, Julia Roberts, Tim Robbins, Kim Basinger, Lili Taylor, Jean-Pierre Cassel, Chiara Mastroianni, Linda Hunt, Sally Kellerman, Stephen Rea, Anouk Aimee, Tracey Ullman, Rossy de Palma, Forest Whitaker, Rupert Everett, Lyle Lovett, and Lauren Bacall. Pret-a-Porter is a witty yet chaotic comedy from Robert Altman.
The film is about many different groups of people attending Fashion Week in Paris where a lot is happening while a prestigious fashion president had died believing that he had been murder. In the course of the film, a lot happens as a fashion TV reporter covers the events that is happening while lots of affairs between fashion designers are happening. Two American journalists are forced to share the same hotel room while covering what is happening and a fashion designer is dealing with possible bankruptcy. Fashion magazine editors spar with each other to go get a prestigious photographer while a woman goes on a shopping spree around the city. All in the course of an entire week as it leads to a climatic fashion show where a designer presents the ultimate show in grand style.
The screenplay by Robert Altman and Barbara Shulgasser doesn’t really have any kind of singular plot as it’s all about the chaos of Fashion Week. Notably as there’s journalists trying to cover the event and make sense of it as it involves a New York Times photographer (Lili Taylor) and a fashion TV reporter named Kitty Porter (Kim Basinger). Yet, there’s also this story about this French fashion president in Olivier de la Fontaine (Jean-Pierre Cassel) who meets a mysterious man named Sergei (Marcello Mastroianni) where something happens leading to de la Fontaine’s death as his wife Isabella (Sophia Loren) seems relieved though is lover in fashion designer Simone Lowenthal (Anouk Aimee) is saddened as she is dealing with losing her business where her son Jack (Rupert Everett) does something that will save her business but with some reservations. Things get crazier as two different American journalists in Anne Eisenhower (Julia Roberts) and Joe Flynn (Tim Robbins) are forced to share a hotel to cover what’s been happening.
Altman’s direction is definitely engaging for the way he explores the world of fashion and what goes on in Fashion Week. Taking on a style similar to cinema verite, Altman captures all of the craziness that occurs while going inside into what goes in the world of fashion as shows are being prepared and such. Notably as the film features cameos from celebrities, models, and fashion designers as they’re part of this crazy yet fascinating world. The direction is also intimate and straightforward for scenes inside the hotel rooms and offices where many people work out as well as some moments in the fashion runway. It is still about the show and the world that is happening which also includes Sergei trying to contact Isabella as they’re revealed to be former lovers. Their scenes together is essentially an ode to their appearance in Vittorio de Sica’s 1963 film Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow. While it’s a film that can be described as a rambling mess due to the many storylines that happens. It is still a very enjoyable and very exhilarating film from Robert Altman.
Cinematographers Jean Lepine and Pierre Mignot do excellent work with the look of Paris during Fashion Week with its many landmarks as well as the scenes inside the fashion shows and some of the film‘s interior settings. Editors Geraldine Peroni and Suzy Elmiger do wonderful work with the editing to capture the sense of chaos that occurs in the world of fashion as well as more straightforward moments in the intimate scenes. Production Stephen Altman, with set decorator Francoise Dupertuis and art director William Abello, does nice work with the looks of the hotels and the runway shows that occur including the very street-based show one of the designers at a metro.
Costume designer Catherine Leterrier does terrific work with the non-designer clothes some of the characters wear to maintain their lack of style while most of the characters wear clothes that display their unique personalities. Sound editor Skip Lievsay does superb work with the sound to capture the atmosphere of the runway shows to the chaos in some of the parties. The film’s music by Michel Legrand is delightful for its playful piano pieces and other cuts to play out the humor. Music supervisor Allan F. Nichols creates a fantastic soundtrack that features music from Massive Attack, Bjork, U2, Ini Kamoze, Salt-N-Pepa, the Rolling Stones, M People, Janet Jackson, the Cranberries, Pizzicato Five, Robert Palmer, Grace Jones, and many others to capture the spirit of the fashion world.
Finally, there’s the film’s amazing ensemble cast as it features cameo appearances from Bjork, Harry Belafonte, Cher, and David Copperfield along with supermodels like Claudia Schiffer, Helena Christensen, Naomi Campbell, Linda Evangelista, Carla Bruni, and Christy Turlington, and fashion designers like Jean-Paul Gaultier, Sonia Rykiel, Issey Miyake, Christian Lacroix, and Gianfranco Ferre for Christian Dior as themselves. In small but notable roles, there’s Alexandra Vandernoot as a TV reporter, Jean Rochefort and Michel Blanc as police investigators, Teri Garr as an obsessed shopper, Danny Aiello as the shopper’s husband, Rossy de Palma as Simone’s assistant Pilar, Chiara Mastroianni as Kitty Porter’s aide Sophie Choiset, Ute Lemper as the pregnant model Albertine, Kasia Figura as the dim-witted assistant of magazine editor Sissy, and Jean-Pierre Cassel as the Fashion Week president Olivier de la Fontaine.
Sally Kellerman, Linda Hunt, and Tracey Ullman are great in their respective rules as the dueling magazine editors Sissy Wannamaker, Regina Krumm, and Nina Scant who all try to nab Stephen Rea’s very devious photographer Milo O’Brannigan who would provide a prank of his own all three where Rea is very funny. Lauren Bacall is wonderful as the colorblind fashionista Slim Chrysler while Lyle Lovett is terrific as the cowboy boots designer Clint Lammereaux. Julia Roberts and Tim Robbins are excellent as the dueling journalists Anne Eisenhower and Joe Flynn where they eventually fall for each other as they share a hotel room together. Lili Taylor is superb as the NY Times photojournalist Fiona Ulrich while Kim Basinger is hilarious as the somewhat dim fashion TV reporter Kitty Porter. Forest Whitaker and Richard E. Grant are fantastic in their respective roles as fashion designers in the street-wise Cy Bianco and the snobbish Cort Romney.
Rupert Everett is pretty good as the slimy Jack Lowenthal who does something without his mother’s consent while Anouk Aimee is phenomenal as the respected fashion designer Simone Lowenthal who deals with Olivier’s death as well as the prospect of losing her business. Finally, there’s Marcello Mastroianni and Sophia Loren in marvelous performances in their respective roles as Sergio/Sergei and Isabella where they play former lovers who finally meet after many years where Mastroianni brings a lot of humor with Loren bringing an element of class to her role as well as a sexiness that is still captivating.
Pret-a-Porter is an excellent film from Robert Altman. Featuring a wild ensemble cast full of actors, models, fashion designers, and all sorts of people. It’s a film that captures the craziness that is Fashion Week while taking time to inject humor into that world. While the film is a bit of a mess, it is still enjoyable for the way Altman explores a world that is fascinating. In the end, Pret-a-Porter is a remarkable film from Robert Altman.
Robert Altman Films: (The Delinquents) - (The James Dean Story) - Countdown (1968 film) - (That Cold Day in the Park) - M.A.S.H. - Brewster McCloud - McCabe & Mrs. Miller - (Images) - The Long Goodbye - Thieves Like Us - California Split - Nashville - Buffalo Bill and the Indians, or Sitting Bull’s History Lesson - 3 Women - (A Wedding) - (Quintet) - (A Perfect Couple (HealtH) - Popeye - (Come Back to the Five and Dime, Jimmy Dean, Jimmy Dean) - (Streamers) - (Secret Honor) - (O.C. and Stiggs) - Fool for Love - (Beyond Therapy) - (Aria-Les Boreades) - (Tanner ‘88) - (Vincent & Theo) - The Player - Short Cuts - (Kansas City) - (The Gingerbread Man) - Cookie’s Fortune - Dr. T & the Women - Gosford Park - The Company (2003 film) - (Tanner on Tanner) - A Prairie Home Companion
© thevoid99 2013
