Great Expectations (1998 film)

Originally Written and Posted at Epinions.com on 5/13/04 w/ Additional Edits & Revisions.

Based on the novel by Charles Dickens, Great Expectations is the story of a young boy's encounter with an escaped convict as he would come of age when he becomes the playmate a rich, reclusive woman's daughter. He later becomes successful through a secret benefactor as he tries to woo the girl he knew as child. Directed by Alfonso Cuaron and screenplay by Mitch Glazer, with additional work by Cuaron and narration written by an un-credited David Mamet. The film is a modern take on Dickens' story that is told through perspective of a man as he tries to court this cold-hearted woman he had known since childhood. Starring Ethan Hawke, Gwyneth Paltrow, Hank Azaria, Chris Cooper, Anne Bancroft, and Robert de Niro. The modern version of Great Expectations is a visually-lush but very clumsy adaptation from Alfonso Cuaron.

A young 10-year old boy named Finn (Jeremy Kissner) is drawing fishes in his Florida home where he encounters an escaped convict named Lustig (Robert de Niro) who is on the run. Lustig wants Finn to give him some things or else he'll kill him as Finn returns home with food, pills, and alcohol later that night as Finn later hides Lustig from the cops behind a buoy. Though Lustig would later be captured, the event would have a great impact on Finn's life as he returns home to his sister Maggie (Kim Dickens) and her kind husband Joe (Chris Cooper). When Joe decides to go to the tarnished Paradiso Perduto mansion for work, Finn goes with him where he takes a look into the house where he meets a young girl named Estella (Raquel Beaudene) who is the niece of the mansion's reclusive owner Miss Dinsmoor (Anne Bancroft). Joe receives some money as Miss Dinsmoor calls Maggie wanting Finn to be his niece's playmate every Saturday. There, Finn is encouraged to do his drawings while taking dance lessons with Estella under Miss Dinsmoor's guidance.

Years later, Finn (Ethan Hawke) and Estella (Gwyneth Paltrow) continue their time as Miss Dinsmoor suggests that Finn should accompany Estella to a party. Finn is excited but Estella isn't as the two ditch the party for a night out where Finn deals with her sudden cold behavior. After Estella leaves Florida, Finn is hurt as he gives up painting and help out Joe in the fishing trade until a Manhattan art representative named Jerry Ragno (Josh Mostel) has discovered his art and offers him a place in New York City to live and work. Finn isn't sure until an art dealer named Erica Thrall (Nell Campbell) discovers Finn's work through an anonymous benefactor as he takes the offer. Moving to NYC, Finn meets Thrall as he re-discovers his passion for art where he encounters Estella at Central Park where he learns she's engaged to a wealthy man named Walter Pane (Hank Azaria). Estella shows up at his apartment one day to pose for his work as Finn remains unsure if she's playing with his head. Though Finn manages to impress Ragno and Thrall, Walter also visits where he admits to having a hard time figuring Estella out. Finn decides to pursue her as things become more complicated through her cold behavior.

With Finn finally set to have his first art gallery presentation, he starts to seduced by success and his new lifestyle as he waits for Estella to arrive. Instead, Joe makes a visit where he feels lost in this new world as Finn tries to understand Joe's alienation while he wonders where Estella is. At Estella's apartment, he receives a surprise visit from Miss Dinsmoor who reveals that Estella is left as she feels responsible for the way Estella has behaved due to her own past as she had been left in the altar by a man years ago. Lost in his feelings for Estella, Finn meets a mysterious man from his past as he makes a big discovery about why he's successful forcing him to come to terms with his love for Estella.

The problem with most film adaptations of classic novels isn't just character omissions and missing storylines, but also the way it is presented, particularly on modern day adaptations. The film's biggest weakness is in Mitch Glazer's sup-par script, which really takes out a lot of the emotional depth and social aspect of Charles Dickens' novel in favor of something more appealing for an audience. Plus, the character development in some of the leads aren't as great and with the exception of the Lustig and Joe characters, they come across in a very unsympathetic way. The screenplay is probably the reason why Alfonso Cuaron has expressed some frustration towards the project. Instead of relying on its weak script, he had to rely on the film for its cinematic quality and lush, elegant cinematography of his longtime collaborator Emmanuel Lubezki.

Cuaron still does bring out some fine directing moments in the film's first thirty minutes involving the kids while having some fine dramatic scenes with Hawke, Paltrow, and the rest of the cast. Despite the script, Cuaron brings in a fine directing approach to the film as Lubezki shines with his approach to sunlight and the Floridian waters reflecting sun as well as his use of green colors and the sunny look of New York City as Lubezki is one of the best cinematographers in the past 10 years. Helping Cuaron and Lubezki on the film's gorgeous, dreamy visuals are production designer Tony Burrough and art director John Kasarda for its exotic, greenish look of Florida and the street, art world of New York City. Another brilliant element in its relation to art is the drawings and paintings by Francesco Clemente that are well drawn in a lovely style with its simple format of shapes and colors.

The film's music also plays well by its score from composer Patrick Doyle as it has a dramatic, dreamy tone with its string arrangements and orchestra. The film's soundtrack is as equally as strong with its diverse acts that include Tori Amos, Scott Weiland, Chris Cornell (in his first solo recording after leaving Soundgarden), Pulp, Mono, Iggy Pop, and the Grateful Dead. The only weak spot in the soundtrack is the various versions of Besame Mucho where by the third play, it becomes really annoying.

While the smaller roles from Kim Dickens, Josh Mostel, Erica Thrall, and a surprisingly restrained performance from Hank Azaria are fine to watch in their small performances. The roles of the younger Finn and Estella played by Jeremy James Kissner and Raquel Beaudene are well-played, especially in their individual moments as they carry a fresh-faced innocence and chemistry that plays well with Kissner as the more innocent Finn and Beaudene as the cold Estella. Of the supporting cast, no one delivers a finer performance better than Chris Cooper as the loveable Joe. Cooper brings a charismatic performance of a man who isn't very bright but knows how to do the right thing and he comes off in a very sympathetic and loveable way as throughout the whole film, we get to love the guy even if he's a yokel.

While Robert De Niro doesn't deliver a groundbreaking performance in comparison to his many film roles, he was excellent as the convict Lustig as he starts off very mean but in a very sympathetic way. De Niro comes off as a man, who knows what he's done to land him in jail was wrong as he found something to live for from this young boy and De Niro brings a rare, fatherly-like performance from him as he shines early and later on in the film. Anne Bancroft delivers a fine yet bizarre performance as Miss Dinsmoor as she seems to have fun dancing to Besame Mucho a lot as she comes off in a very likeable way but as the film progresses and we learn of her flaws, there isn't any real sympathy to her in the end in the same way the novel and previous film adaptations had.

In the leads, Ethan Hawke and Gwyneth Paltrow, unfortunately don't carry the same chemistry that their young principle actors carried early on in the film. There's no real spark in the relationship and whenever they get together, it feels somewhat contrived as really, you have neither to pull for. Hawke is excellent by himself or with De Niro and Cooper while unfortunately when it comes to the subject of Paltrow's Estella, he comes off as this pathetic lovesick puppy. Paltrow is sexy in some of her scenes but overall; her character is clearly the most confusing, as we're not sure if she is really in love with Finn or just playing with him. In that context, her character really comes off as unlikable and unsympathetic as Paltrow doesn't give her character a really center in this uneven performance.

Alfonso Cuaron's version of Great Expectations is a good although lackluster film due to a very weak script and the underwhelming performances of Ethan Hawke and Gwyneth Paltrow. Despite some wonderful supporting work from Anne Bancroft, Chris Cooper, and Robert de Niro along with Emmanuel Lubezki's entrancing cinematography. It's a film that is more style than substance that tries to give Charles Dickens' novel a modern feel to appeal to a younger audience. Instead, it barely scrapes the surface of what Dickens had intended with his story. In the end, Great Expecations is a worthwhile but unremarkable film from Alfonso Cuaron.

Related: Great Expectations (1946 film) - The Auteurs #11: Alfonso Cuaron

Alfonso Cuaron Films: Solo con Tu Pareja - A Little Princess (1995 film) - Y Tu Mama Tambien - Harry Potter & the Prisoner of Azkaban - Children of Men - Gravity - Roma (2018 film)

© thevoid99 2012

Burden of Dreams

Originally Written and Posted at Epinions.com on 1/17/07 w/ Additional Edits & Revisions.

1982's Fitzcarraldo by Werner Herzog and starring Klaus Kinski and Claudia Cardinale was considered to be one of the most ambitious films ever made. Largely due to its plot of an opera-loving baron who seeks to exploit an unclaimed part of land while getting his steamboat dragged by Amazon natives on top of a mountain. Despite the film's international acclaim and success, the film was years in the making with cast changes and production problems that the story behind the making of the film was even more interesting. It was there that documentary film director Les Blank released a film about the making of Fitzcarraldo called Burden of Dreams. Starring Herzog, Kinski, Cardinale, along with Mick Jagger, and Jason Robards. Burden of Dreams is a superb, intriguing documentary about all the troubles that goes on behind the world of filmmaking.

After a year of pre-production, Werner Herzog and his film crew travel to the Amazon for locations scouting for his film entitled Fitzcarraldo. Part of the film's story would involve dragging a steamship on top of a mountain as Herzog and his team found the location they needed. The only problem is that they encounter a border dispute between Indian tribes and the government forcing Herzog to postpone the shoot for a year. Finally in 1981, Herzog was able to shoot in Iquitos, Peru for the film as he got his cast ready as it would star Jason Robards as the titular character and rock singer as his assistant Mick Jagger. With 40% of the film shot and things seemed fine, Robards became ill as he had to return to the U.S. for medical reasons as he never came back to Peru due to his illness. The production was halted for six weeks as Jagger had to leave production due to his touring commitments with the Rolling Stones. In April of 1981, Herzog brought in Klaus Kinski, whom he had already collaborated in three films by this time, to replace Robards while Jagger's character was cut out of the film. Re-shooting all of the scenes in Iquitos, Herzog found the steamboat he needed as he as he also rented two steamboats to make them identical as filming continued with Kinski and Claudia Cardinale.

Herzog also found a new group of Indian tribes to work with while doubling their wages to continue doing their other work. Still, the shoot dealt with problems due the end of rain season where Herzog and crew had to shoot in the mildly dangerous currents of the Pachitea river while the other boat was in the Ucayala Falls. Things were still troubling over tension between differing tribe members while the planning for the steamboat dragging sequence proved to be daunting. Even as a rented bulldozer couldn't help create the slope Herzog needed as he's running out of time and money as the production got longer than he anticipated. While also dealing with restless natives as a missionary priest tries to ease the tension, Herzog and his team tried to stay away at another camp as Kinski complained about the boredom that is happening. With the slope finally completed, a Brazilian engineer is asked to figure how to drag a ship on top of a mountain as he later quit over its problems. After a first attempt where the cable breaks, Herzog reveals his love/hate relationship towards nature believing that nature is winning. Though filming is able to continue despite the on-going trouble in the production that included the treacherous rapids sequences. Herzog contemplates about making another film as the shooting of Fitzcarraldo finally finishes in November of 1981.

While many people will know that making a film isn't easy but what Les Blank and his co-director Maureen Gosling revealed is how far a director will go to achieve his dream and how far he's willing to take himself. Though Herzog isn't entirely portrayed as an egomaniac, he is willing to himself to reveal his personality, flaws and all. There's parts of him that is caring and sensitive and there's another side of him that can be insensitive and delusional at times. Still, Blank and Gosling reveal all the troubles in which Herzog had to go through. From the border disputes between tribes and the Peruvian government to the battle with nature on trying to get the steamboat on top of a mountain as well as trekking through the Amazon. It's more than the typical, behind-the-scenes kind of mini-film that would often be seen on TV specials or as extra features on a DVD. What Blank unveils is what could go wrong in a movie definitely goes wrong and how Herzog persevered through the challenges.

While the entire film isn't perfect since there's a few parts that drag, the documentary is sobering in how the tribes and local react to being apart of this project. The reaction was indeed mixed where though they like the money and being apart of something grand, they didn't expect it to be that hard or to come into a situation that is tense. With Blank serving as the cinematographer, he goes deep into the contrasting world of the camps that the tribes lived in and where the cast and crew lived since Herzog didn't want to impose the culture of his camp onto theirs. The interviews with Herzog, Kinski, Paul Hittscher, Thomas Mauch, Miguel Angel Fuentes, Jose Lewgoy, various crew members plus locals reveal the atmosphere and the culture of the Amazon. While Herzog doesn't want to maintain or exploit their culture, he does his best to get the tribe into getting their land where by the end of the film, the final credits revealed that the tribe is still struggling to get their land.

Then there's the narration written by Michael Goodwin as it reveals the troubles of the film and what was going on during the months of filming. It's a wonderful narration in its insightful, sobering effects of how weather, locations, and politics can cause problems during filming. Then there's the role of Maureen Gosling whose editing and sound work reveal the tense atmosphere of the areas while her editing, revealing several amounts of footage shows the complexity of the Amazon as well as everything that goes in the film. It's superbly edited while it reveals the two lost scenes with Jagger and Robards including a scene of the two actors calling out wanting an opera on top of a church. Those two scenes reveal what was left since the remaining footage was lost. Other footage in the documentary, particularly between Herzog and Kinski is revealed more in Herzog's 1999 documentary about his collaboration with Kinski called My Best Fiend.

Burden of Dreams is marvelous documentary from Les Blank that chronicles the production of Fitzcarraldo. Fans of Herzog's film will no doubt want to check this film out to see how far Herzog was able to reach the impossible for this film. Particularly as it gets very close to the filmmaking process and how ambitious production can lead to trouble. It's a very engaging and hypnotic documentary to see what had to be done to do the impossible as Burden of Dreams is a truly intoxicating documentary from Les Blank

Fitzcarraldo

(C) thevoid99 2012

Fitzcarraldo

Originally Written and Posted at Epinions.com on 1/14/07 w/ Additional Edits & Revisions.

Written and directed by Werner Herzog, Fitzcarraldo is the fourth and possibly, the greatest collaboration between Herzog and actor Klaus Kinski. The film tells the story of a man, in the turn of the century, who has dreams of bringing the opera to the masses as he and his companions go on a steamboat to the Amazon where at one point, he tries to take the boat over a mountain in order to get to the other side of the river. One of the most ambitious films of the 1980s, the film is shot on location in the Amazon as Herzog tells the story of a dreamer trying to achieve the impossible as Kinski plays the title role of Brian Sweeney Fitzgerald aka Fitzcarraldo. Also starring Claudia Cardinale, Jose Lewgoy, Paul Hittscher, and Peter Berling. Fitzcarraldo is a sprawling, magnificent film from Werner Herzog and its star, Klaus Kinski.

Living in the small town of Iquitos at the Amazon in Peru, Fitzcarraldo and his wife Molly (Claudia Cardinale) arrive at an opera house to hear the voice of Enrico Caruso. After meeting the opera manager (Peter Berling), Fitzcarraldo announces he wants to stage a grand opera in Iquitos though many laugh as Fitzcarraldo wants to prove everyone that he'll do it. Though Molly runs a brothel and Fitzcarraldo produces ice in different parts of the town, he attends a party with several rubber barons as they all mock Fitzcarraldo with the exception of Don Aquilino (Jose Lewgoy). Aquilino wants a piece of unclaimed land down south in the Ucayala Falls that he needs to exploit it. The only reason it had been unclaimed was due to dangerous rapids on the other side called Pongo das Mortes as Fitzcarraldo gets a map where the only way through is to go to the Pachitea river that features a group of dangerous tribes. Fitzcarraldo makes a deal with Aquilino to do the job as he and Molly buy Aquilino's old steamboat with his mechanic Cholo (Miguel Angel Fuentes). With a crew that includes the drunk cook Huerequeque (Hurequeque Enrique Bohorquez) and a Dutch captain named Orinoco Paul (Paul Hittscher), Fitzcarraldo is on his way to get funding for his opera.

Fitzcarraldo and his crew of the newly repaired steamboat named Molly Aida make way upstream towards the Pachitea around the Amazon. Stopping at an old railroad station that Fitzcarraldo owned, the team gets rails as Fitzcarraldo ensures the old station manager (Grande Otelo) that the railroad will be restored. After an encounter with two priests (Dieter Milz and Salvador Godinez) about the tribe, Huerequeque reveals to know a lot about the tribe where Fitzcarraldo and crew continue to trek towards the sinister Pachitea as things become tense when the tribe's music is heard. Fitzcarraldo counters it with the voice of Enrico Caruso where Huerequeque reveals a myth about a man in white who might rid of the evil that's been surrounded. With some of the crew, except for Cholo, Paul, and Huerequeque, having left the boat due to this curse, Fitzcarraldo and the remaining crew encounter the tribe who believe Fitzcarraldo is the man that they believe will lift the evil spirits away from their land.

After observing the land and its beauty, Fitzcarraldo needs to get back to Iquitos only to realize the tribe has blocked the way in the Pachitea stream forcing Fitzcarraldo to make a daring plan by dragging the ship to the other side. The only way to get to the Ucayala falls is to go to the other side as Fitzcarraldo has a strange plan of dragging the steamship from one side of the mountain to the other. Despite months of work and everything else including false starts that proved to be fatal, Fitzcarraldo at first seemed defeated but his drive to dream the impossible makes him determined as he hopes to do the impossible, even if he has to go through the cursed rapids of the Pongo das Mortes.

Easily the most ambitious and grandest of Herzog's films, Fitzcarraldo is truly Herzog in every shape and form from its conflict of man vs. nature to doing the impossible. The film is about dreamers achieving what could be impossible and the result is truly magnificent in every frame shot. While the film does have similarities to another Herzog film, 1972's Aguirre, the Wrath of God, about a dark journey in the Amazon river, where both Aguirre and Fitzcarraldo embark on dark, treacherous journeys into the heart of the Amazon. Unlike the doomed, manic Aguirre, Fitzcarraldo has an innocence and determination that's more human as he embarks on this journey just to have this crazy dream of bringing the Grand Opera to a little poor town of Amazon natives. Still, this film is really about Herzog himself, who manages to do something impossible and succeeds in the end. Really, the film is about the experience of doing something to achieve a destiny that many refuse to believe in.

Herzog's screenplay is wonderfully structured in the first act being about Fitzcarraldo wanting to bring an opera to Iquitos despite those against him while the second is about the journey into the Amazon. The third and most climatic act is about that ship being dragged on top of a mountain and the journey afterwards in which Fitzcarraldo has become a character that's more human in everything he's experienced. It's really due to Herzog's ability to portray man in a way that's he is completely relatable to anyone that is a dreamer. Fitzcarraldo is really every person who has a dream and wants to achieve it. It's his most personal and its filled with a lot of heart and joy, it's truly Herzog at his finest.

Herzog's direction is also ambitious by shooting the film entirely on location in Iquitos and parts of the Amazon. Herzog, known for his work in documentary, brings a documentary-like feel to the film where the audience isn't sure what's going to happen or if a character like Fitzcarraldo is going to succeed. Then there's the climatic scene of the steamboat being dragged on top of a mountain. The steamboat is real and this really happened. No film or film director has done something like this by actually doing something with a cast of hundreds of people including a few accomplished actors giving into the emotions and everything that could go wrong or could go right. It's a very unpredictable film as Herzog really pulls on all the stops and sees what he can come up with as he delivers a knockout of a film. Plus, it should be noted that Hollywood has probably never done something like this nor would they since they can't work with someone as fearless and as driven as Werner Herzog.

Cinematographer Thomas Mauch brings a wonderful visual scope to the landscape of the Amazon in its beauty and treachery with wonderful, long shots of the boat in the river during sunset. Mauch's photography is exquisite and harrowing in its documentary-style where it adds all sorts of poetic imagery to the film's exterior look of the Amazon while adding some wonderful shadows and lighting style to the film's interior scenes in Iquitos. Editor Beate Mainka-Jellinghaus does wonderful work in the editing in bring a nice, elliptical pace to the film and long cuts to reveal a scene in its 157-minute running time. Production designers Henning von Gierke and Ulrich Bergfelder do wonderful work in creating the posh houses of the barons and opera managers while doing extensive work on the steamboat which serves as a great character. Costume designer Gisela Storch does great work in the film's costumes for the first act from the period dresses that Claudia Cardinale wore to the white suit that Klaus Kinski wears throughout the entire film. Sound recordists Juarez Dagoberto Costa and Zeze d'Alice do excellent work in capturing the sounds of the Amazon, including one great scene of the tribal drumming mixed in with the opera music in one scene.

Longtime collaborators Popol Vuh and its leader Florian Fricke bring a wonderfully operatic, atmospheric score filled with guitar, choir-like vocal arrangements, and melodic textures that adds a lot of dream-like quality to some of the film's scenery. With a mix of traditional, tribal music, the soundtrack is filled with a lot of opera cuts from Richard Strauss, Vincenzo Bellini, Giacomo Puccini, and Guiseppe Verdi. The soundtrack is wonderfully amazing and the mixing of tribal and opera makes total perfect sense in its rhythm and intensity.

The film's casting is truly inspiring since a lot of the natives and locals in Iquitos were used for realism while David Perez Espinosa is given a memorable performance as the tribal chief along with notable small performances from Dieter Milz, Salvador Godinez, Grande Otelo, and from Aguirre, Peter Berling. Huerequeque Enrique Bohorquez is hilarious as the drunkard cook whose crazy idea of how to get the ship on top of the mountain is pure comedy as he brings humor to some of the film's tense moments. Miguel Angel Fuentes is excellent, skillful mechanic Cholo whose awareness of the Amazon makes him a wonderful supporting character in making sure that Fitzcarraldo does what he is yearning for. Paul Hittscher is great as the weary but experienced captain who is really the moral conscious of the film as he wonders if he, Fitzcarraldo, and their crew are doing the right thing. Jose Lewgoy is good as Don Aquilino who helps Fitzcarraldo fund his big dream while showing what he must do in order to achieve it. Though she's only in half of the film, Claudia Cardinale is excellent as Molly, who is the great supporter of Fitzcarraldo while believing that he can do it as she really serves her role very well.

Finally, there's Klaus Kinski in what has to be one of his greatest performance ever in film. Unlike the madness of Aguirre, the creepiness of Dracula in Nosferatu, or the fragility of Franz Woyzeck, Kinski brings a newfound sense of innocence into playing the title character of Fitzcarraldo. While Woyzeck showed his range as an actor, Kinski gives Fitzcarraldo something that audiences can relate to as a dreamer who wants to bring something for those around him. Kinski adds a complexity of emotions as a man who is aware he has to face realism where he nearly breaks and often ponders if he will fail or succeed. Kinski brings a maturity and wisdom to a man that is flawed and complex as Fitzcarraldo and this is truly the best performance he did in the films with Herzog.

***DVD Contents Written and Posted at Epinions.com on 1/30/07*** 

The Region 1 DVD, from the 2000 Herzog-Kinski box set from Anchor Bay, presents the film in the widescreen format of 1:85:1 ratio for 16x9 TVs along with 5.1 Dolby Digital and Surround Sound for both German and English with English subtitles. The special features includes the film's theatrical trailer in German plus the talent bios of Herzog, Kinski, and the music group Popol Vuh, and a still gallery featuring promotional shots, behind-the-scenes photos, and posters. The audio commentary track from Herzog, Norman Hill, and producer Lucki Stipetic is one of the most sobering commentaries into the making of the film which was notorious and revealed more deeply in Les Blank's 1982 documentary Burden of Dreams.

Herzog downplays the film's notorious troubles while admitting to some of the infamous ongoings. At one point, his cinematographer Thomas Mauch injured his hand during the shooting of the boat in the rapids due to the boat's collision with the rocks. In that same sequence, a cameraman, shooting from the bank of river was left out and angry at Herzog for being left behind. Herzog talks about his trouble with Kinski during the shoot since Kinski would often freak out in scenes with animals or anything that was going on during the shoot and Herzog had a hard time to calm him down. Herzog gives praise to Claudia Cardinale for being one of the few to calm down Kinski and making him smile on camera. It's one of the best commentaries that reveals the troubled nature and accusations Herzog had received during the film.

***End of DVD Tidbits

Fitzcarraldo is truly one of the most ambitious and spectacular films that delivers and more that could only come from the mind of Werner Herzog. Featuring a towering performance from Klaus Kinski, it is truly a film like no other that is out there. Notably as it actually does the impossible by actually dragging a steamship on top of a mountain. It's definitely one of those films that anyone who has never seen a Werner Herzog film must see for its sense of ambition and willingness to do whatever to tell a grand story. In the end, Fitzcarraldo is a marvelous film from Werner Herzog and its star Klaus Kinski.

Werner Herzog Films: Feature Films: (Signs of Life) - (Even the Dwarfs Started Small) - (Fatana Morgana) - Aguirre, the Wrath of God - (The Enigma of Kasper Hauer) - (Heart of Glass) - Stroszek - Nosferatu, the Vampyre - Woyzeck - (Where the Green Ants Dream) - Cobra Verde - (Scream of Stone) - (Lessons of Darkness) - (Invincible (2001 film)) - (The Wild Blue Yonder) - Rescue Dawn - (Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans) - (My Son, My Son, What Have Ye Done?) - Queen of the Desert

Documentaries: (The Flying Doctors of East Africa) - (Handicapped Future) - (Land of Silence and Darkness) - (The Great Ecstasy of Woodcarver Steiner) - (How Much Wood Would a Woodchuck Chuck) - (La Soufrière) - (Huie's Sermon) - (God's Angry Man) - (Ballad of the Little Soldier) - (The Dark Glow of the Mountains) - (Wodaabe – Herdsmen of the Sun) - (Echoes from a Somber Empire) - (Jag Mandir) - (Bells from the Deep) - (The Transformation of the World into Music) - (Death for Five Voices) - (Little Dieter Needs to Fly) - My Best Fiend - (Wings of Hope) - (Pilgrimage) - (Ten Thousand Years Older) - (Wheel of Time) - (The White Diamond) - Grizzly Man - Encounters at the End of the World - Cave of Forgotten Dreams - (Into the Abyss) - (On Death Row) - From One Second to the Next

Related Review: Burden of Dreams

© thevoid99 2012

Sans Soleil

Written, directed, shot, scored, and edited by Chris Marker, Sans Soliel (Sunless) is the story of a journey from Africa to Japan to explore the world of humanity and culture in this unconventional documentary. Notably as it is a film told by a fictional character as it‘s read by another person. The result is a fascinating film from Chris Marker.

The film is essentially an essay by Chris Marker about his exploration into the world as he focuses largely on the modern world of Japan in contrast to the third-world land of Guinea-Bissau. Told in English by Alexandra Stewart, the reflective narration reveals Marker’s thoughts about the world that he sees from this very advanced and fast-moving world that is Japan where it’s struggling to maintain some of its traditions. In Guinea-Bissau, it’s a world in ruins after a war where things seem to be in transition where the people of this land remains unsure about what will happen next.

Alexandra Stewart’s narration has this very calm tone to the way she reads these letters by a man named Sandor Krasna to discuss everything Krasna has seen. The reality is that Krasna is really Marker who creates a film that crosses the line between fiction and reality. While all of the images including the distorted ones are all real, it’s the narration that further adds the idea that what the Krasna character is telling might be true. Still, it’s told in a visual essay where there’s a lot of things common and uncommon about the different parts of the world that Marker divulges into.

While a lot of the narration is told in a stream of consciousness idea as if Krasna is reflecting on all that he’s seen in this visual essay. A lot of the film is set in Japan with some of it shot in Guinea-Bissau to contrast the differing worlds and their similarities. Both seem to have an air of chaos and oppression around them but also they share values towards the tradition of their worlds. Marker’s direction is filled with wandering images of these locations and its people while often displaying shots of other places like France, Iceland, and San Francisco. The last of which to recall about a man Krasna knew who was obsessed with Alfred Hitchcock’s Vertigo.

Through it’s very stylish yet methodically-paced editing and its moody electronic score, Marker creates a film that is entrancing for the images that he captures in its natural setting while utilizing distorted yet computerized images to play up the idea of this modern world courtesy of the work by Hayao Yamaneko. With sound mixing by Antoine Bonfanti and Paul Bertault to capture the atmosphere of the locations, Marker is able to soak in the vast world that he’s enraptured himself in.

Sans Soleil is an incredible and dazzling film from Chris Marker. While it’s a film that truly defies convention and the definition of what a documentary can be. It’s certainly an engrossing film to watch for the way he is able to find similarities in landscapes and cultures that are very different. The film is definitely a must-see for anyone interested in avant-garde cinema as well as the work of Chris Marker. In the end, Sans Soleil is a stunning and ravishing film from Chris Marker.

Chris Marker Films: (Olympia 52) - (Statues Also Die) - La jetee - (A bientot, j’espere) - (A Grin Without a Cat) - (A.K.) - (The Last Bolshevik) - (Level Five) - One Day in the Life of Andrei Arsenevich

© thevoid99 2012

La jetee

Written, directed, and shot by Chris Marker, La jetee (The Pier) is a short film about a post-nuclear time travel experiment told through still photos. Narrated by Jean Negroni, the film stars Helene Chatelain, Davos Hanich, and Jacques Ledoux. La jetee is a hypnotic yet entrancing short from Chris Marker.

A man (Davos Hanich) is asked to take part in time travel experiment in the aftermath of World War III that left Paris destroyed. Under the instruction of scientists, he takes part in this experiment where he travels back in time where he falls for a beautiful woman (Helene Chatelain) as he is entranced by her beauty. After further experiments, the scientists have him travel into the future where he meets strange people only for him to reach into his past where would revisit a memory where he saw a man die when he was just a child.

The film is essentially the story of a man who is asked to take part in a time travel experiment following a nuclear war where he falls for a woman back in time. Told through photographs and haunting narration by Jean Negron (James Kirk in English), the film’s writer/director Chris Marker explores a world where it is about memory and a man trying to return to a past he never had been in as he falls for this woman from many years ago. While it starts off with these entrancing images of a boy at a pier where he would stare at this beautiful woman. It is followed by these stark images of destruction and ruin told through grainy black-and-white photos.

Since the story is largely driven by narration and images, Marker is allowed to create a film where it doesn’t need any big movements except in Jean Ravel’s stylish editing that uses jump-cuts and dissolves to play up the action. With sound work from Antoine Bonfanti for small voices that is presented in the story as well as to play up the sound effects of the images of ruin. There is a lot of effective cutting through Marker’s direction to play up the intensity of this man’s trip through time from the way he falls for this woman to the drama that occurs when he enters the future.

The music score of Trevor Duncan is filled with soaring orchestral flourishes to play up the dark drama of the film as well as the romance between the man and the woman. The cast that includes an appearance from cult filmmaker William Klein as a man from the future as well as Jacques Ledoux as the head scientist. Yet, it is the performances of Davos Hanich and Helene Chatelain that help drive the story though they don’t move nor have any dialogue as their presence and facial expression says it all.

La jetee is an imaginative short film from Chris Marker. Thanks to amazing and gorgeous photos and a directing style that is unique in the way it tells a story. Particularly for the way it strips down the idea of visual storytelling by just using narration, music, bits of sound, and a photograph to just say something. La jetee is a truly marvelous and evocative film from Chris Marker.

Chris Marker Films: (Olympia 52) - (Statues Also Die) - (A bientot, j’espere) - (A Grin Without a Cat) - Sans Soleil - (A.K.) - (The Last Bolshevik) - (Level Five) - One Day in the Life of Andrei Arsenevich

© thevoid99 2012

A Little Princess (1995 film)

Originally Written and Posted at Epinions.com on 7/9/04 w/ Additional Edits & Revisions.

Based on the children's story by Frances Hodgson Burnett, A Little Princess is the story of an imaginative little girl who is sent to live at an all-girls school in NYC while her father goes to war during World War I. When her father has gone missing, she is forced to endure the cruelty of her headmistress as she turns to her imagination for comfort. Directed by Alfonso Cuaron and screenplay by Richard LaGravenese and Elizabeth Chandler, the film is a different take on the story that harkens more towards imaginative scenes and fantasy. Starring Liesel Matthes, Vanessa Lee Chester, Liam Cunningham, Eleanor Bron, Rusty Schwimmer, Arthur Malet, and a special appearance from Vincent Schiavelli. A Little Princess is a majestic and charming film from Alfonso Cuaron.

It's 1914 India as a 10-year old girl named Sara Crewe (Liesel Matthews) is telling a story about a prince who saves a princess from a multi-headed monster to an Indian boy. When her widowed father (Liam Cunningham) reveals he has to report to the British army for World War I, the two sail to New York City to live at an all-girls school her mother used to go. At their arrival, they meet the school's headmistress Miss Minchin (Eleanor Bron) where Sara learns to live by Minchin's strict rules and wear green dresses like the other students. With her father gone, Sara tries to get accustomed to Minchin's rules while dealing with the snotty Lavinia (Taylor Fry). Yet, Sara was able to befriend the insecure Ermengarde (Heather DeLoach), Minchin's sister/assistant Amelia (Rusty Schwimmer), the young black child-maid Becky (Vanessa Lee Chester) where she wins over Ermengarde and Becky with her imaginative stories. Though she misses her father who couldn't attend parents day, she was able to have a birthday party with her classmates until a mysterious man named Mr. Barrow (Vincent Schiavelli) reveals to Miss Minchin that Sara's father is missing and is reportedly dead.

With her father's assets gone and won't be able to pay for Sara's tuition, Sara is forced to work as a maid like Becky while living in the attic. With Miss Minchin also taking away Sara's locket, that carries the picture of her mother, Sara endures the cruelty of servitude as she clings to her magical imagination with help from her neighbor's servant Ram Dass (Errol Sitahal) whose master Charles Randolph (Arthur Malet) is dealing with his son's disappearance in the war. Despite the cruelty she endures from Miss Minchin, Sara is able to maintain her imagination as she tells stories to Becky as Ermengarde and other classmates secretly visits to hear stories. While also maintaining her compassion towards others as well as telling stories, she learns that a mysterious man has entered the Randolph home blindfolded as he has no idea who he is. With Ermengarde and other classmates deciding to help Sara retrieve her locket, Sara also helps out Amelia out to escape from her domineering sister to be with the milkman. Still, Miss Minchin's suspicions are risen as she tries to punish Sara only for Sara to defy her again as she decides to escape for all the little princesses in the school.

While the screenplay by Richard LaGravenese and Elizabeth Chandler is formulaic to older audiences, it isn't for children as it does more what is expected in a story that is about imagination and bringing hope to others in the darkest circumstances. While the character development is fine-tuned, the only minor flaw in character development is of Miss Minchin where the writers don't do enough to understand why she is so cruel to children as there could be more to her. Then again, kids don't care if its one dimensional as long as she makes an eerie presence. If the screenplay works fairly well in its story, carrying it to its imagination is director Alfonso Cuaron. Cuaron's vast, eye-wielding vision definitely brings magic and life in its story sequences of Sara's stories while the looks of 1914 New York City and India are captured gloriously with his wide-camera shots and slow movements that really encompasses the grandeur of its beauty.

Helping Cuaron with that look is his longtime cinematographer Emmanuel Lubezki whose Oscar-nominated vision really brings life to the story's imaginative tone. One of the best cinematographers in the industry, Lubezki brings in all these sorts of wild, kaleidoscopic colors in the film's exotic Indian scenes while capturing a sea, greenish color to New York City while bringing a lot of tone and subtlety to make the film feel like a children's story that helps encompass the imagination of its viewers. Helping Lubezki and Cuaron in capturing their imaginative vision is production designer Robert W. Welch III, set designer Cheryl Carasik, and art director Thomas A. Duffield in bringing an intimate, restrained look to Minchin's house and 1914s NYC while adding more color in the exotic story sequences and Ram Dass' Indian look that is filled with shiny colors in which Welch and Carasik received Oscar nods for art direction.

Judianna Makovsky really shines in the film's costume designs with its detailed, greenish look of the girls' dresses while helming a tight, black-colored look to Minchin and a colorful, shiny look to the Ram Dass and characters of the Indian stories that Sara tells. Film composer Patrick Doyle help brings a wonderful, sweeping film score that is filled with lush, grand orchestral arrangements and dreamy textures that is enchanting in its tone and innocence.

The film's casting couldn't have been more perfect while Eleanor Bron's role of Miss Minchin was underwritten, she is excellent in her strict, uptight performance that serves as a perfect nemesis for young little girls. Rusty Schwimmer doesn't have much to do in her small role as Minchin's sister but shines when she expresses some freedom with the young girls while she brings depth in a scene with Liesel Matthews. Errol Sitahal brings a wonderful presence, as Ram Dass while Arthur Malet is sympathetic brilliant as Charles Randolph with Vincent Schiavelli in a great cameo as Mr. Burrows. Liam Cunningham is the film's best adult performance as Sara's father whose spirit is carried for his love for his daughter while he plays another role as the prince in Sara's stories.

The heart of the film truly belongs to the younger cast where all the actors perform very naturally and without trying to overact or do anything. Taylor Fry is wonderful as the snotty Lavinia while Heather DeLoach is lovely as Ermengarde whose character develops from a bullied girl to a girl with flowing confidence. Vanessa Lee Chester is the film's best supporting performance as the young black servant Becky where she doesn't speak for a while but once she's given new shoes, she shines as a girl who believes in magic and a world where she isn't oppressed. The film's most radiant performance is Liesel Matthews as Sara with her free-spirit attitude and natural approach to acting where we believe she's playing a child and not acting like one.

A Little Princess is a rich and spectacular film from Alfonso Cuaron. Featuring a superb ensemble cast and dazzling visual work that includes Emmanuel Lubezki's rapturous cinematography. The film is truly a divine and engaging visual feast backed by a story that does more than what is expected for a family film. Notably as it revolves around a young girl trying to bring hope to other people through imagination where the real world doesn't have to be so grim. In the end, A Little Princess is an extraordinary film from Alfonso Cuaron.

Alfonso Cuaron Films: Solo Con Tu Pareja - Great Expectations (1998 film) - Y Tu Mama Tambien - Harry Potter & the Prisoner of Azkaban - Children of Men - Gravity - Roma (2018 film) - The Auteurs #11: Alfonso Cuaron

© thevoid99 2012

Woyzeck

Originally Written and Posted at Epinions.com on 1/9/07 w/ Additional Edits.

Based on a play by Georg Buchner, Woyzeck tells the story of a 19th Century German soldier whose fragility is put to the test by the abuse of soldiers, commanding officers, and his unfaithful wife. Adapted into script by Werner Herzog and starring Klaus Kinski in the title role, in their third collaboration. Directed by Herzog with Kinski returning to the role he played years ago in theater, the film is a study of a man finding himself alone in a society that's completely against him. Also starring Eva Mattes, Wolfgang Reichmann, Willy Semmelrogge, Josef Bierbichler, and Paul Burian. Woyzeck is a sprawling, theatrical study of a man trying to gain control in a world that's completely against him.

Franz Woyzeck is a soldier that is often being abused by fellow soldiers as he does menial work to support his wife Marie (Eva Mattes) and their illegitimate son. Yet, working for his captain (Wolfgang Reichmann), the captain feels that Woyzeck is a good man but lacks any morals. After cutting branches with Andres (Paul Burian), Woyzeck hears voices in his head believing that the neighboring town is cursed. Meanwhile, Marie is growing tired of her husband's lack of appearance as she falls for a drum major (Josef Bierbichler) while Woyzeck's visits are only to give her money. After being caught urinating on a wall, Woyzeck's doctor (Willy Semmelrogge) wants to continue into putting him into experiments since Woyzeck for a year had been living off peas. After a strange, philosophical discussion about nature, the doctor gives Woyzeck a pay raise while adding mutton to his diet as he continues to become an experimental puppet.

During a day when he takes the family to a carnival, Marie finds herself in the arms of the drum major as she begins an affair unbeknownst to Woyzeck as he continues to become an experimental amusement for the doctor. With continue to hear voices, Woyzeck's mental state of mind becomes troubling as he also becomes the source of amusement for his captain in their continuing discussion over Woyzeck's lack of morals. With Marie whirling in this affair, she feels guilty as Woyzeck becomes suspicious as his own descent into madness becomes more troubling when he sees her dancing with the drum major. After walking through the fields, he hears more voices where he encounters the drum major where unfortunately, Woyzeck is powerless against the big, strong man. Woyzeck tries to maintain control while Marie deals with her own sins as Woyzeck realizes what he must do.

In a change of pace from the ambitious, stylized Nosferatu, Phantom der Nacht, Herzog towards theatricality of sorts where the theme of the film is merely about human nature rather than the folly of man. This time around, Herzog goes into the study of a poor, hapless soldier who does the best he can yet he is abused by those around him as he struggles to maintain his sanity. The theme of madness is also told yet Herzog uses madness to convey Woyzeck's mental descent where the abuse he's suffered and the immoral act he does only brings pity to the character. Herzog's script is filled with its conflict of human nature as well as discussions of morals and character development.

In his direction, Herzog maintains a theatricality to the film since it's based on a play as he uses long takes to convey the sense of emotions and the observance of each scene to convey a sense of morality. While some audiences might be put off by the idea of long takes and lack of ambition, the film is still a great discussion of morality and human nature from the always interesting Herzog.

Helping Herzog in his visual presentation is cinematographer Jorg Schmidt-Reitwein brings a wonderful look to the film's town including some wonderful exterior shots that aren't very stylized yet give a natural look. Editor Beate Mainke-Jellinghaus does wonderful work in cutting the film where it only featured 27 cuts since the film adds a nice pace to convey the sense of emotions to the long takes that Herzog shot. Art director Henning von Gierke does wonderful work in bringing the look of 19th Century Germany with Czechoslovakia as the location while costume designer Gisela Storch does great work in creating the costumes of the times. Sound recordist Harald Maury and Jean Fontaine also do excellent work in the sound to convey the sense of atmosphere of the times. The film's music features cuts of classical music of traditional German of those times with screeching strings arrangements to convey the sense of manic mind for Woyzeck.

The film's cast is wonderfully assembled with Irm Hermann as a woman from the dance hall and Paul Burian as Woyzeck's friend and fellow soldier Andres who starts to feel pity for Woyzeck's descent. Josef Bierbichler is good as Marie's lover who looks like the kind of man women want while his scene with Kinski shows the cruelty he is those who aren't as big as him. Willy Semmelrogge is great as the doctor who creates amusing experiments on Woyzeck to show a study of human nature as Semmelrogge stands out. So does Wolfgang Reichmann as the captain whose sense of morality and simple ideas is the right kind of antagonist for Woyzeck who has a lack of morals as Reichmann's character guides him into this emotional, mental journey. Eva Mattes gives an amazing, complex performance as Woyzeck's unfaithful wife Marie who struggles with her faithfulness in how good Woyzeck treats her yet her loneliness also drives her into infidelity as Mattes' performance is a real standout as she has great chemistry with Kinski.

Finally, there's Klaus Kinski in what has to be his most controlled and sympathetic performance to date. A role he played before in the play version, Kinski brings a lot of pity and sadness to Woyzeck as a man who is being pushed against his will in these humilating experiments and moments. There's moments when some will feel that the crazy Kinski will emerge but its his restraint that's even more shocking since he's playing a man being defeated again and again to the point that the audience is wondering when he's going to go crazy. There's a point where Kinski has some emotional epiphany but it only conveys his mental and emotional descent in what truly reveals how much power and range Kinski is as an actor.

***DVD Content Written and Posted at Epinions.com on 1/30/07***

The Region 1 DVD, from the 2000 Herzog-Kinski box set from Anchor Bay, doesn't include a lot of features rather than a trailer and talent bios for Herzog and Kinski. The DVD is presented in the widescreen presentation of 1:85:1 ratio for 16x9 TVs with Dolby Digital and Mono sound for German with English subtitles. The essay in the box set booklet by Jim Knipfel reveals that the film was shot in 18 days while edited in four days in its final cut with only 27 cuts made. While the film was considered to be one of Herzog's easiest shoots, Kinski however, pushed himself to bring the pain of the character so badly, some said he never recovered.

***End of DVD Tidbits***

While not as brilliant as Aguirre, the Wrath of God or as stylized as Nosferatu, Phantom der Nacht, Woyzeck is still an amazing, harrowing film from Werner Herzog and its star Klaus Kinski. It's very clear that it's one of the essential films of both Herzog and Kinski while additional mention should go to Eva Mattes for her wonderful supporting work. While it's a bit flawed due to its theatricality, it's something that fans of theater will enjoy for its control and dedication to storytelling. In the end, Woyzeck is a must-see for fans of Werner Herzog and Klaus Kinski.

Werner Herzog Films: Feature Films: (Signs of Life) - (Even the Dwarfs Started Small) - (Fatana Morgana) - Aguirre, the Wrath of God - (The Enigma of Kasper Hauer) - (Heart of Glass) - Stroszek - Nosferatu, the Vampire - Fitzcarraldo - (Where the Green Ants Dream) - Cobra Verde - (Scream of Stone) - (Lessons of Darkness) - (Invincible (2001 film)) - (The Wild Blue Yonder) - Rescue Dawn - (Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans) - (My Son, My Son, What Have Ye Done?) - Queen of the Desert

Documentaries: (The Flying Doctors of East Africa) - (Handicapped Future) - (Land of Silence and Darkness) - (The Great Ecstasy of Woodcarver Steiner) - (How Much Wood Would a Woodchuck Chuck) - (La Soufrière) - (Huie's Sermon) - (God's Angry Man) - (Ballad of the Little Soldier) - (The Dark Glow of the Mountains) - (Wodaabe – Herdsmen of the Sun) - (Echoes from a Somber Empire) - (Jag Mandir) - (Bells from the Deep) - (The Transformation of the World into Music) - (Death for Five Voices) - (Little Dieter Needs to Fly) - My Best Fiend - (Wings of Hope) - (Pilgrimage) - (Ten Thousand Years Older) - (Wheel of Time) - (The White Diamond) - Grizzly Man - Encounters at the End of the World - Cave of Forgotten Dreams - (Into the Abyss) - (On Death Row) - From One Second to the Next

© thevoid99 2012

The Town (2010 film)

Based on Chuck Hogan’s novel Prince of Thieves, The Town is the story of a bank robber who meets and falls for a bank manager whose bank was robbed as he and his gang is being pursued by authorities. Directed and starring Ben Affleck and screenplay by Affleck, Peter Craig, and Aaron Stockard, the film is a bank robbery drama that is filled with elements of the caper genre as Affleck sets the film in his native Boston. Also starring Rebecca Hall, Jeremy Renner, Blake Lively, Jon Hamm, Pete Postlethwaite, Slaine, Owen Burke, Titus Welliver, and Chris Cooper. The Town is a masterfully-crafted and thrilling heist drama from Ben Affleck.

After a robbery in Charlestown near Boston where a bank manager named Claire Keesey (Rebecca Hall) was taken hostage for the duration as the event left her traumatized. Later interrogated by FBI agent Adam Frawley (Jon Hamm), Claire talks about what she can remember as Frawley wants to lead the investigation over the robbery. Meanwhile, Doug MacRay (Ben Affleck), Jem Coughlin (Jeremy Renner), Gloansy Magloan (Slaine) and Dez Elden (Owen Burke) go over the take as they believe that Claire has talked to the FBI. While Jem wants to get rid of her, Doug decides to do the job where he would later meet her as he starts to get to know her without wanting to do anything.

With Frawley and his partner Dino Ciampa (Titus Welliver) making theories about the robbery that they believe is connected to reputed crime boss Fergie Colm (Pete Postlethwaite), they start to target Doug and his team since Doug’s father Stephen (Chris Cooper) is already serving a life sentence. Doug and Claire’s relationship starts to grow after Doug told a very personal story about how his mother left him when he was six though Jem remains suspicious about what Doug is doing. Still, Doug’s time with Claire gives him enough reasons to want to leave the life of crime after another heist that nearly goes bad. Frawley’s investigation has Doug, Jem, Gloansy, and Dez being interrogated by Frawley and his men about the recent robberies.

Though there wasn’t enough evidence to incriminate them, Frawley still decides to pursue them after learning that Doug is dating Claire as he decides to go after by revealing to her the truth. With Doug wanting to leave Charlestown and Boston as he tells Jem, Jem doesn’t like the idea as he reveals that Fergie wants them to do a job. Doug says no as he decides to tell Fergie himself only to realize that he’ll have to as Fergie decides to target Claire. With Doug deciding to do the job and tell Claire who he is and what he needs to do, Frawley decides to find out what will happen next as he targets Jem’s younger sister Krista (Blake Lively) for information on the job.

The film is a heist drama where a bank robber who was the son of a bank robber decides to give up the life of crime after falling for the bank manager he had taken hostage in a previous heist. Wanting to leave this life that he knew as it was passed down from his incarcerated father, he is forced to deal with loyal friends, a FBI agent, and a crime boss whose power reaches beyond the city of Boston that can put this man in check. The screenplay that Ben Affleck, Peter Craig, and Aaron Stockard create is brilliant for the way the heists are set-up and how everyone tries to do everything else afterwards while leading normal lives in their downtime. While there’s different narratives that would follow the actions of Doug and Frawley, the latter of which is trying to capture lead the hunt for Doug and crew.

Both men are presented in different ways where Doug is a criminal that does bad things but wants to try and keep things low key as he later decides to leave the life of crime. Frawley is just a guy that is just doing his job though he will do things to get answers that seem questionable although he’s not really a bad guy. Other characters like Jem and Claire are just as complex as Jem is just a criminal that wants to do what he feels is right and doing it carefully so he wouldn’t have to go back to prison after serving nine years for killing someone. Claire is also interesting because she is just this traumatized woman who doesn’t reveal everything in her interrogation as she befriends this guy while wanting to get her life back in order. The one character that doesn’t really work is Jem’s sister Krista since she’s only there as a plot device late in the film as it’s the one character that is badly underwritten.

Ben Affleck’s direction is definitely engaging for the way the heist scenes is played out while it’s the set-up and planning that is just as interesting. Shot on location in Boston, the film opens up with quotes about the world of Charlestown and its history of crime as it then goes into this amazing heist that moves a bit fast but also slows down to maintain the tension that occurs. While Affleck manages to keep things exciting and thrilling in these heist scenes with car chases and shootouts along with more low-key moments. He also balances it out with understated dramatic moments where it is about this man trying to help out this woman he had robbed without her knowing what he did.

With simple medium compositions and some camera movements to play out the drama. Affleck is able to keep the dramatic moments simple with bits of humor while also creating tension for scenes when Doug has to deal with Jem, Frawley, and Fergie in different situations. Notably as it would involve revelations that would add to Doug’s own understanding about his mother’s disappearance and why his father went to prison. Overall, Affleck creates a very smart and mesmerizing heist-drama that does a lot for what is expected in the genre and more.

Cinematographer Robert Elswit does a brilliant job with the film‘s photography filled with blue and green colors to exemplify the look of Boston with a bit of dark textures for some of the film‘s nighttime interior settings. Editor Dylan Tichenor does excellent work with the editing to play up the energy of the chase scenes while slowing things down for the film‘s tense heist scenes with its methodical pacing. Production designer Sharon Seymour, with set decorator Maggie Martin and art director Peter Borck, does terrific work with the set pieces for the film such as the banks and homes of the characters while a lot of the locations are actual sets including the climatic heist at Fenway Park.

Costume designer Susan Matheson does very good work with the costumes such as the masks Doug and the gang wear in the heists to more casual clothing for the rest of the characters. Sound editors Aaron Glascock and Curt Schulkey do amazing work with the sound work to capture the tense atmosphere of the climatic Fenway Park heist to the chaos of the chase with screeching tires and police sirens. The film’s score by Harry Gregson-Williams and David Buckley is wonderful for its bombastic and energetic orchestral score for some of the film‘s heist scenes along with more low-key piano-driven pieces to play up some of the drama in the film.

The casting by Lora Kennedy is superb for the ensemble that is created as it includes small appearances Dennis McLaughlin as Fergie’s henchman Rusty, Titus Welliver as Frawley’s partner Ciampa, Victor Garber as a bank manager in the opening heist scene, and Chris Cooper in a small but memorable role as Doug’s incarcerated father Stephen. Other notable small roles include Slaine and Owen Burke in their respective roles as robbers Gloansy and Dez while Pete Postlethwaite is great as the very chilling crime boss Fergie. Blake Lively is pretty unremarkable as the very underwritten role of Doug’s ex-girlfriend/Jem’s sister Krista as she is often seen drunk and desperate as it’s just a very bad performance.

Jon Hamm is incredible as the cunning FBI agent Frawley who is willing to go to great lengths to capture Doug and Jem while is willing to do things that are questionable though effective. Jeremy Renner is brilliant as Doug’s best friend Jem who is this aggressive robber that isn’t afraid to do what is needed as he tries to understand why Doug wants out as it’s one of Renner’s best performances. Rebecca Hall is phenomenal as Claire who tries to deal with the trauma of being robbed as she finds comfort in Doug’s presence only to be more troubled by who he really is. Ben Affleck is excellent as lead bank robber Doug who tries to come to terms with his criminal life as he seeks a way out while dealing with all of the consequences as he tries to redeem himself.

The Town is a rich and engaging heist-drama from Ben Affleck that features a terrific ensemble that includes Affleck, Rebecca Hall, Jeremy Renner, and Jon Hamm. Fans of heist films will definitely enjoy the film for the way the heist is played out and set-up along with the tension that occurs. Notably as Affleck creates a film that doesn’t stray into conventions and keep things simple with its drama and suspense. In the end, The Town is a remarkable film from Ben Affleck.

Ben Affleck Films: (Gone Baby Gone) - Argo - (Live by Night) - Air (2023)

© thevoid99 2012

Nosferatu, the Vampyre

Originally Written and Posted at Epinions.com 1/4/07 w/ Additional Edits

Based on Bram Stoker's story of Count Dracula, Nosferatu, Phantom der Nacht (Nosferatu, the Vampyre) is the story how a man came to Transylvania to meet with the mysterious Count Dracula only to capture him and claim the man's wife. Written for the screen and directed by Werner Herzog, the film is a remake of sorts of F.W. Murnau's 1922 version that was famously played by Max Schrek. For this version, the film stars Klaus Kinski in the title role marking their second collaboration between Herzog and Kinski. Also starring Isabelle Adjani, Bruno Ganz, and Walter Ladengast. Nosferatu is a fascinating, haunting remake from Werner Herzog and its star Klaus Kinski.

In the small German town of Wismar in 1850, real estate agent Jonathan Harker (Bruno Ganz) is asked to close a deal for a home that is bought by a mysterious man named Dracula. Going to the Carpathian Mountains under the order of his eccentric boss Renfield (Roland Topor), Harker says goodbye to his wife Lucy (Isabelle Adjani) who thinks the trip is a bad idea. Still, Harker goes on the four-week trek from Wismar to Romania as a stop at a small Romanian town has him encountering gypsies who believe that the castle is cursed. Still, Harker continues his journey as he rides a mysterious carriage to the castle where he meets the reclusive Dracula. After a tense meeting over the business deal, Harker is irked by Dracula's dark presence as her never sees him in the daylight as her later becomes ill. After Dracula sees Harker's locket that carries a picture of Lucy, Harker's illness intensify where he's trapped in Dracula's castle while learning of his true identity.

Dracula flees via a small group of caskets shipped to Germany as Harker makes an escape where Dracula eventually arrives to Wismar. There, Lucy's paranoia over Jonathan gets the attention of a doctor named Van Helsing (Walter Landengast) who think she's ill from a fever. The ship that carries caskets as it arrives with a dead crew and rats as Van Helsing believes there's a plague happening. Dracula finally emerges as he meets with Renfield to have him give out orders while the ailing Jonathan finally arrives at Wismar. Dracula meets Lucy as he wants her love as she refuses as he leaves to try and win her again. With the plague intensifying and Jonathan's illness increasing, Lucy reads Jonathan's diary to discover what is happening as she waits for Dracula to arrive.

While Herzog's adaptation of Dracula isn't the most faithful version of the story he switches the main heroine of Mina to a supporting character with Lucy being the Mina role. Still, the film is clearly more of a remake of the original Murnau film as Herzog again goes for the conflict of man vs. environment. This time around, the dark environment are in Transylvania as Jonathan enters the dark world where he nearly dies. The second is in Wismar where at night, Dracula seems to take an advantage only right till the end. Herzog's script and wandering direction really brings a strong yet entrancing approach to the story of Dracula where he's given a different portrayal than the ones several years ago. Plus, given to Herzog's views of nature. He definitely goes for nature vs. man but this time around, it's Dracula who controls nature to send a plague on humanity. While the film is merely a stylized account of the story of Dracula, it's done with a lot of intelligence mixed with entertainment that it's still a strong film from Herzog.

Helping Herzog in his presentation is cinematographer Jorg Schmidt-Reitwein whose work in the shades, shadows, and lighting set-ups are exquisitely amazing to convey the dark atmosphere of the night in Transylvania and Wismar. Editor Beate Mainka-Jellinghaus does excellent work in bringing a stylized, rhythmic approach to the editing to convey the suspense and momentum of the film. Art director Henning von Gierke does an amazing job in creating the decaying, ominous look of Transylvania as well as that eerie clock of Dracula's. Costume designer Gisela Storch does great work in creating the 19th-Century costumes while making a great, black cloak for Kinski that is wonderful. Makeup artists Dominique Colladant and Reiko Kruk do great work in creating the look of Kinski's Dracula with its ears and teeth. Sound recordist Harold Maury also does excellent with the film's atmosphere. The German group Popol Vuh and its leader Florian Fricke brings a haunting score filled with an ominous choir to convey the sense of horror as well as a dreamy, folky track for the film's early, romantic sequences. The rest of the soundtrack includes an operatic track from Charles Gounod and the sweeping Das Rheingold from Richard Wagner.

The film's cast includes some notable small performances from Jan Groth as a harbormaster, Cartsen Bodinus as Schrader, and Martje Grohmann as Mina. Roland Topor is hilarious and creepy as Renfield with his irritating cackle and wide-eyed face. Walter Ladengast is excellent as Van Helsing with his restrained, weary presence as a man who tries to understand what's going on only to realize that he might be the one to stop everything. Bruno Ganz is great as Jonathan Harker with his cautious performance as a man who is unaware of the atmosphere he's in and tries desperately to save his wife only to find himself ill. Though she doesn't have much to do, Isabelle Adjani is amazing as the paranoid, scared Lucy Harker as it's her face that does a lot of the acting and Adjani's minimalist performance is great as she has some great scenes with Kinski. Finally, Klaus Kinski is brilliant in the film's title role as Dracula. Kinski's performance is very restrained yet he brings a lot of depth to the character where he lets his face bring a lot of horror while adding a range of restrained emotions to the role. Again, Kinski owns the film like he did in his previous collaboration with Herzog in Aguirre, der Zorn Gottes.

***Additional DVD Content Written and Posted on 1/30/07***

The Region 1 DVD from the 2000 Anchor Bay Herzog-Kinski box set presents the film in the widescreen format of 1:85:1 ratio for 16x9 TV screens plus 5.1. and 2.0 Dolby Digital Surround Sound in German with English subtitles. The DVD version of the box set is the film's German version which is considered superior to the English version of the film (which is also available, seperately, on DVD). The special features include two U.S. trailers (one with voiceover), a Spanish trailer, the talent bios of Herzog and Kinski, and a 13-minute making-of featurette. The making-of segment is presented by the film's original distributor, 20th Century Fox as Herzog talks in English about Nosferatu where he said the 1922 Murnau version was the greatest film in German history. The making-of reveals the actors performing in English (he also shot them in German, since Herzog, Ganz, and Kinski are German) while directing several sequences in the Delft area of Holland. It's one of the more insightful featurettes into how Herzog works, including his moments with Kinski, while Kinski is shown putting on the makeup of Dracula.

The second special feature is a commentary track from Herzog and Norman Hill. Herzog discusses about wanting to remake Murnau's version but adding new things with some shots in tribute to the original film. He discussed Kinski's notorious behavior which was difficult to handle as well as many of the actors' discomvort in speaking in English for the film's U.S. version given their thick native accents. Herzog discusses with Hill about maintaining an atmosphere for the film where he admitted to having a few problems with the American distributors at 20th Century Fox as well as casting issues since Herzog was using then-unknown European actors. Herzog admits to making compromises for American audiences to the film though he didn't think it was a big deal while giving his own opinion on Francis Ford Coppola's version of Dracula. One enjoyable part of the commentary is Herzog talking about how the rats were shipped from Germany, through Austria and to Holland where he revealed a very funny story about the rats going through custom

***End of DVD Tidbits***

While fans of the Dracula story might be put off by some of the changes in the story, Nosferatu, Phantom der Nacht is still a faithful, atmospheric film from Werner Herzog and its star Klaus Kinski. With a great supporting cast and wandering images, it's still a film that brings elements of horror while staying faithful to the original Murnau film. Fans of Herzog and Kinski will indeed consider this film as one of their great collaborations in the five films they made. In the end, Nosferatu, Phantom der Nacht is an excellent adaptation of the story of Dracula.

Werner Herzog Films: Feature Films: (Signs of Life) - (Even the Dwarfs Started Small) - (Fatana Morgana) - Aguirre, the Wrath of God - (The Enigma of Kasper Hauer) - (Heart of Glass) - Stroszek - Woyzeck - Fitzcarraldo - (Where the Green Ants Dream) - Cobra Verde - (Scream of Stone) - (Lessons of Darkness) - (Invincible (2001 film)) - (The Wild Blue Yonder) - Rescue Dawn - (Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans) - (My Son, My Son, What Have Ye Done?) - Queen of the Desert

Documentaries: (The Flying Doctors of East Africa) - (Handicapped Future) - (Land of Silence and Darkness) - (The Great Ecstasy of Woodcarver Steiner) - (How Much Wood Would a Woodchuck Chuck) - (La Soufrière) - (Huie's Sermon) - (God's Angry Man) - (Ballad of the Little Soldier) - (The Dark Glow of the Mountains) - (Wodaabe – Herdsmen of the Sun) - (Echoes from a Somber Empire) - (Jag Mandir) - (Bells from the Deep) - (The Transformation of the World into Music) - (Death for Five Voices) - (Little Dieter Needs to Fly) - My Best Fiend - (Wings of Hope) - (Pilgrimage) - (Ten Thousand Years Older) - (Wheel of Time) - (The White Diamond) - Grizzly Man - Encounters at the End of the World - Cave of Forgotten Dreams - (Into the Abyss) - (On Death Row) - From One Second to the Next

Related: Nosferatu - Nosferatu (2024 film)

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