Written and directed by Sean Evans and Roger Waters, Roger Waters: The Wall is a concert film that captures Waters’ three-year tour and stage show performance of Pink Floyd’s 1979 album The Wall that also follows Water on the road to travel to the places where his father and grandfather had died in different wars. It’s a film that is a mixture of a concert film and documentary that play into some of the themes of the album as well as Waters’ own exploration of loss. The result is a sprawling yet effective film from Sean Evans and Roger Waters.
The film chronicles the 2010-2013 world tour from Pink Floyd co-founder Roger Waters as he performs the band’s 1979 album The Wall in its entirety with an elaborate stage production similar to what the band did back in 1980 and 1981 during its tour for the album. The film isn’t just a concert film where Waters and his band performs the album in its entirety with its immense stage production of 3D animation, lights, and films on display as a wall is being built only to be torn down in the end. It’s also a film that has Waters going on the road from Britain to France and Italy to visit the places and grave sites of both his father and grandfather. The film shifts back and forth from the concert performances to Waters on the road as he would carry the letter his mother received on the news of her husband’s death as well as a trumpet in which he would play notes of the album closer Outside the Wall.
Shot by cinematographer Brett Turnbull, Waters and Sean Evans would use the scenes on the road where Waters would converse with survivors of war and atrocities during his trip along with imagined images of war and scenes at a bar or at a house that features art direction from Fred Duru and Sam Tidman. One notable scene set at a World War I memorial in France has Waters finding the grave of his grandfather as he brings along with his three adult children in India, Jack, and Harry (who also plays organ/keyboards in Waters’ band) to the site. It would climax with Waters’ trip to Anzio where his father died and a World War II memorial site in Italy as it is a moving moment in the film that has Evans use wide shots of the location while knowing not to use any close-ups for a moment that is emotional and cathartic.
The concert scenes that is helmed by Evans with Turnbull and edited by Andrew Marcus and Katie McQuerrey do have this sense of energy that include the vast visuals that Waters presents in the film along with close-ups of some of the musicians in that band that include guitarist/bassist G.E. Smith, guitarists Snowy White and Dave Kilminster, keyboardists Jon Carin and Harry Waters, drummer Graham Broad, vocalist Robbie Wyckoff, and backing vocalists Jon Joyce, Pat Lennon, Kipp Lennon, and Mark Lennon. The concerts are shot in stadiums around Europe as including a show in Athens and Paris where Waters adds additional lyrics to Another Brick in the Wall Pt. 2 in the form of an acoustic ballad dedicated to Jean Charles da Silva e de Menezes who was misidentified as one of the terrorists of the London bombings of July 7, 2005 and was killed by authorities 15 days later. Sound designer Jacob Ribicoff would capture the sound of the live band with the aid of music producer Nigel Godrich in mixing the music and such including Waters’ trumpet solos at the memorial scenes.
Roger Waters: The Wall is an incredible film from Sean Evans and Roger Waters. It’s a film that captures the creator of one of rock’s great rock operas to perform one of his finest creations to the masses while going inward for its themes of war and loss. Fans of Waters and Pink Floyd will definitely want to see this not just for the performances of the songs from the album but also to get insight from the man who created some of rock music’s most daring recordings. In the end, Roger Waters: The Wall is a remarkable film from Sean Evans and Roger Waters.
Pink Floyd: Albums: (The Piper at the Gates of Dawn) – (A Saucerful of Secrets) – (More OST) – (Ummagumma) – (Atom Heart Mother) – (Meddle) – (Obscured by Clouds) – (The Dark Side of the Moon) – (Wish You Were Here) – (Animals) – (The Wall) – (The Final Cut) – (A Momentary Lapse of Reason) – (The Division Bell) – (The Endless River)
Live Albums: (Delicate Sounds of Thunder) – (Pulse) – (Is There Anybody Out There? The Wall Live 1980-1981)
Compilations: (Relics) – (A Collection of Great Dance Songs) – (1967: Their First Singles) – (Echoes: The Best of Pink Floyd) – (The Best of Pink Floyd: A Foot in the Door) – (1965: Their First Recordings)
Box Sets: (The Early Years 1965-1972)
Films: (London ’66-’67) – Live at Pompeii - Pink Floyd: The Wall - Pink Floyd: The Final Cut - (Delicate Sounds of Thunder) – (Pulse) – (The Pink Floyd and Syd Barrett Story) – (The Story of Wish You Were Here)
Syd Barrett: (The Madcap Laughs) – (Barrett) – (Opel)
David Gilmour: (David Gilmour) – (About Face) – (On an Island) – (Live in Gdansk) – (Metallic Spheres (w/ the Orb)) – (Rattle That Lock) – (Live at Pompeii)
Nick Mason: (Fictitious Sports) – (Profiles) – (White of the Eye)
Roger Waters: (Music from the Body) – (The Pros & Cons of Hitchhiking) – (Radio K.A.O.S.) – (Amused to Death) – (In the Flesh – Live) – (Ca Ira) - Roger Waters: The Wall Tour: 11/18/10-Atlanta, GA Philips Arena - (Is This the Life We Really Want?)
Richard Wright: (Wet Dream) – (Broken China)
© thevoid99 2018
Directed by Denis Villeneuve and screenplay Jacques Davidts with contributions from Villeneuve and Eric Leca, Polytechnique is the story of the real-life Ecole Polytechnique massacre on December 6, 1989 where a gunman killed fourteen women. The film is a dramatic re-creation of the event as it is seen from the perspective of students who would witness this horrifying event. Starring Maxim Gaudette, Sebastien Huberdeau, Karine Vanasse, Evelyne Brochu, Johanne-Marie Tremblay, and Pierre-Yves Cardinal. Polytechnique is a ravishing yet unsettling film from Denis Villeneuve.
On December 6, 1989 at the Ecole Polytechnique in Montreal, fourteen women were killed by a gunman in Marc Lepine whose disdain for feminism prompted him to kill these fourteen women while ten other women and four men were wounded with the gunman eventually killing himself in the end. It was an event that shocked Canada as it also raised awareness on violence against women as well as gun control in the country. The film is about the events of that day as it is told from the perspective of a few who would be part of this atrocity including the gunman (Maxim Gaudette) who is first scene writing his suicide note as well as think about what he will do on that day. Jacques Davidts’ screenplay doesn’t just follow the life of the gunman on that day but also on a couple of other students such as Valerie (Karine Vanasee) and Jean-Francois (Sebastien Huberdeau) who would both witness or be part of what had happened as much of its narrative is straightforward with a few instances of flashbacks and flash-forwards.
Denis Villeneuve’s direction is truly haunting as the first shot of the film involve a couple of female students chatting while making copies on a copying machine where it’s just this simple static shot that would go into chaos once gunfire is heard. Shot on location at the College de Maisonneuve and College Ahuntsic in Montreal along with additional locations in Griffintown and Westmount in the province of Quebec, Villeneuve aims for an intimate look that has him using tracking camera shots and hand-held cameras to capture the sense of immediacy and fear that is looming throughout the entirety of the scenes where the gunman is killing people. Notably as there is this frenetic energy into the suspense while the violence is unflinching in its impact where Villeneuve would shoot a scene from different perspectives such as what is being heard outside of a room or inside that room.
Villeneuve’s direction also has some wide shots of not just some of the locations outside the school that includes a scene of the killer dropping a note to his mother’s home but also a few scenes outside and inside the school. Notably in the scope of the main halls and how empty they become as the killings progress with Villeneuve also using close-ups and medium shots to capture coverage of certain things or objects that are important to the story. Even as it is told with little dialogue in favor of the scenery and suspense into how some of the women are trying to hide and the young men trying to help them. The film’s aftermath in relation to the massacre does revolve around a survivor who recalls her own experience but also reflect on the women who lost their lives. Overall, Villeneuve crafts a visceral and harrowing film about the 1989 Ecole Polytechnique massacre.
Cinematographer Pierre Gill does incredible work with the film’s black-and-white cinematography where it does have this air of beauty for many of the exterior locations but also has this haunting look for many of the interiors including a couple of the classrooms. Editor Richard Comeau does brilliant work with the editing as its rhythmic cuts help play into the suspense without deviating into fast-cuts in order to let the audience get a sense of the danger that is happening in the film. Production designer Roger Martin, with set decorator Elisabeth Williams and art director Martin Tessier, does excellent work with the look of some of the interiors of the classroom including the apartment where the killer lived at.
Special effects supervisor Jacques Godbout does nice work with the special effects that mainly play into some of the violence including an eerie shot late in the film. Sound editor Claude Beaugrand does amazing work with the sound as it help play up the atmosphere of the main hall and classrooms including the intense sounds of violence and terror. The film’s music by Benoit Charest is fantastic for its low-key yet eerie ambient-score with its usage of piano, synthesizers, and guitars in some parts of the film while the soundtrack that features music from Siouxsie & the Banshees, the Sisters of Mercy, Men Without Hats, Mark Arnell, and Patrick Watson and the Cinematic Orchestra are played digetically on set.
The casting by Nathalie Boutrie is superb as it feature some notable small roles from Johanne-Marie Tremblay as Jean-Francois’ mother, Pierre-Yves Cardinal as Valerie’s boyfriend Eric, and Evelyne Brochu as Valerie’s friend Stephanie. Sebastien Huberdeau is remarkable as Jean-Francois as a classmate of Valerie who tries to help her as well as another wounded student as he copes with not being able to do enough. Maxim Gaudette is incredible as the gunman as he displays an air of restraint into his role as this killer as well as a ferocity into the way he displays his hate towards women. Finally, there’s Karine Vanasse in a phenomenal performance as Valerie as an engineering student that is hoping to get an internship on that day only to be one of the few survivors of the massacre as she would later deal with the aftermath and the impact of being a survivor.
Polytechnique is a tremendous film from Denis Villeneuve. Featuring a great cast, haunting visuals, an eerie score, ominous sound work, and a gripping story of fear and death. It is a film that manages to capture a moment in time that is told in an unflinching yet chilling style that isn’t afraid to show something that is confrontational in its intense approach to violence. In the end, Polytechnique is a magnificent film from Denis Villeneuve.
Denis Villeneuve Films: August 32nd on Earth - Maelstrom - Incendies - Prisoners (2013 film) - Enemy - Sicario - Arrival (2016 film) - Blade Runner 2049 - Dune-Part One (2021 film) - Dune-Part Two - (Dune: Messiah) - The Auteurs #68: Denis Villeneuve
© thevoid99 2018
Based on the novel by Cecil Saint-Laurent, Lola Montes is the story of the life of the Irish dancer/courtesan who would embark on scandalous affairs with many men as she would later work for a circus where its ringmaster would tell her life story. Directed by Max Ophuls and screenplay by Ophuls and Annette Wademant with dialogue by Jeff Natanson, the film is the look of a woman’s journey as she tries to find herself in a decadent world as the titular character is played by Martine Carol. Also starring Peter Ustinov, Anton Walbrook, Will Quadflieg, Oskar Werner, Ivan Desny, and Henry Guisol. Lola Montes is a ravishing and elegant film from Max Ophuls.
Set during a circus performance in the mid-19th Century, the film is about the life of a courtesan who has become a circus performer that has her telling her many exploits with different men where she was once revered for her dancing and role in high society and then fall from grace due to scandal. The film is told in a reflective back-and-forth narrative where the main body of the story is set at a circus with the titular character thinking about her past exploits that added to not just her legend but also notoriety. The film’s screenplay by Max Ophuls and Annette Wademant takes this back-and-forth narrative that has Montes not just thinking about moments in her life but also having to display them in some kind of performance for the circus with the ringmaster (Peter Ustinov) is being a narrator of sorts for these exploits. Notably as it would involve the composer Franz Liszt (Will Quadflieg), her mother’s boyfriend in Lt. Thomas James (Ivan Desny), the famed conductor Claudio Pirotto (Claude Pinoteau), and King Ludwig I (Anton Walbrook).
Ophuls’ direction is definitely lavish and stylized in the way he presents the story of this woman’s exploits. Shot on various locations in Paris, Nice, and Munich with several scenes shot on studio soundstages, the film definitely play into this world of fantasy that is presented in the circus scenes that is mixed in with this reality that is full of elegance but also decadence. Ophuls’ precise usage of compositions whether it’s in the wide shots, medium shots, and close-ups help play into the attention of detail over not just the set pieces of the circus and what goes on behind the scenes. It’s also in the world that Montes had lived in where much of her journey has her riding in this spacious carriage with a couple of longtime servants as each journey and lover would represent a chapter in her life.
Ophuls’ direction also has him playing with aspect ratios throughout the course of the film though much of it is shot on a Cinemascope aspect ratio to get much attention to detail on the locations and much of the setting that Montes would be in. Particularly as the settings would play into not just Montes’ development as a person but also the realization that her presence would often cause a lot of problems. Particularly in the final story that involves King Ludwig I as it would cause scandal as well as a revolt where Ophuls would put some historical context into the story as Montes being a reason for the March Revolution of 1848. The direction also have Ophuls mirror the scenes of what Montes has experienced in terms of what she is about to perform though it does play into not just her decline in stature but also emotional as she becomes trapped into what she has become in the end. Overall, Ophuls creates a majestic and riveting film about the wild life of a courtesan in the mid-19th Century.
Cinematographer Christian Matras does incredible work with the film’s cinematography with its gorgeous usage of colors to help set the mood for a scene as well as the lighting in some of the film’s circus scenes including a few moments backstage. Editor Madeleine Gug does excellent work with the editing as it is largely straightforward with a few rhythmic cuts to play into the drama. Production designer Jean d’Eaubonne and set decorator Robert Christides do amazing work with the set design from the look of the state sets at the circus to the places that Montes goes to including the palace of King Ludwig I and the interior of her carriage.
Costume designer Georges Annenkov does brilliant work with the costumes from the look of the clothes that the men wore as well as the stylish and lavish dresses that Montes wore throughout the course of the film. The sound work of Hans Endrulat, Jean Neny, and Antoine Petitjean do fantastic work with the sound as it play into the atmosphere of the circus as well as some of the tense sound of rioting during the film’s third act when rioters throw rocks at the palace. The film’s music by Georges Auric is superb for its rich and soaring orchestral score that ranges from being playful in some parts including scenes at the circus to some somber moments as it relates to the drama.
The film’s wonderful cast feature some notable small roles and appearances from Claude Pinoteau as the famed conductor Claudio Pirotto, Paulette Dubost as Montes’ maid Josephine, Henri Guisol as the carriage driver Maurice, Lise Delamare as Montes’ mother Mrs. Craigie, and Oskar Werner in a terrific small role as a young German soldier that Montes would meet on her way to Munich as he would later help her flee the city in the third act. Will Quadfieg is superb as the famed composer Franz Liszt who would be inspired by his affair with Montes to create music that would make him famous. Anton Walbrook is fantastic as King Ludwig I of Bavaria as the Bavarian king who is smitten by Montes in her beauty and work as a dancer unaware of what he’s doing to his own people.
Ivan Desney is brilliant as Lt. Thomas James as the lover of Montes’ mother who becomes concerned for Montes’ well-being only to marry her where it eventually becomes toxic. Peter Ustinov is excellent as the ringmaster who is the film’s narrator of sorts during the circus scenes as he tells Montes’ story while would also meet her in making an offer to join his circus. Finally, there’s Martine Carol in a radiant performance as the titular character where Carol brings this elegance and melancholia to the role as a woman who had been through so much adventure and was full of life during her time as she is a shell of her former self. It’s a performance that has Carol display charm and liveliness whenever she’s happy while being restrained in her sadness that includes that eerie moment in the film’s ending as it is an incredible performance from Carol.
Lola Montes is a phenomenal film from Max Ophuls that features a sensational performance from Martine Carol in the titular role. Along with its ensemble cast, gorgeous visuals, sprawling set design, complex storylines, and a luscious music score. It’s a film that is rich in its look but also this evocative story of a woman’s life that is full of wonder and sorrow as it’s told in style. In the end, Lola Montes is a spectacular film from Max Ophuls.
Max Ophuls Films: (The Bartered Bride) - (The Merry Heirs) - (Liebelei) - (A Love Story (1933 film)) - (Everybody’s Woman) - (The Tender Enemy) - (The Trouble with Money) - (Yoshiwara) - (The Novel of Werther) - (Sarajevo (1940 film)) - (The Exile) - (Letter from an Unknown Woman) - (Caught (1949 film)) - (The Reckless Moment) - La Ronde - Le Plaisir - The Earrings of Madame de... - (The Lovers of Montparnasse)
© thevoid99 2018
For the 34th week of 2018 as part of Wandering Through the Shelves' Thursday Movie Picks series hosted by Wanderer. The subject is on discovery and exploration as it play into the idea of man wanting to discover something that hasn’t been found nor a film that could be more about a discovery from within. Here are my three picks:
1. A Trip to the Moon
One of the first achievements in cinema by Georges Melies comes a groundbreaking story where a group of astronomers wanting to go to the moon. It’s a film that showed ideas of what film could be in not just the art of storytelling but also its possibilities as it is a sci-fi film of sorts. Yet, it’s really an exploration of men wanting to go to the moon and see what is there.
2. The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou
From Wes Anderson is an absurd film of discovery and exploration set in the seas yet it’s really more about a troubled oceanographer who decides to go on an expedition to find a rare shark and kill it out of revenge for eating one of his best friends. While it is often considered Anderson’s weakest film by some, it is still a fun and adventurous film thanks in part to an ensemble cast that includes a scene-stealing performance from Willem Dafoe as Klaus who always brings in the laughs.
3. The Lost City of Z
A recent film that needs to be seen more is an adaptation of David Grann’s book about Percy Fawcett’s expeditions in the Amazon and his search for a supposed lost city. Directed by James Gray, the film is truly unlike many bio-pics as there’s a lot of physicality that goes on in the exploration of this lost city and Fawcett’s determination to show proof that there is a lost civilization. The performances of Charlie Hunnam, Robert Pattinson, Sienna Miller, and Tom Holland are incredible as is Darius Khondji’s cinematography in a film that is rich yet eerie.
© thevoid99 2018
Directed by Nicholas Ray and screenplay by Stewart Stern from a story by Ray with adaptation by Irving Shulman, Rebel Without a Cause is the story of a teenager who arrives to a new town as he has trouble with his new environment where he often encounters trouble. The film is a look into a troubled young man as he deals with his own conflicts with his parents, ideals, and all sorts of things while trying to find himself. Starring James Dean, Natalie Wood, Sal Mineo, Jim Backus, Dennis Hopper, Ann Doran, Corey Allen, and William Hopper. Rebel Without a Cause is a riveting and evocative film from Nicholas Ray.
The film follows the day in the life of a young man who had just moved to a new town where he finds himself getting in trouble as he’s being challenged to a chicken race while dealing with his own family life believing his parents don’t understand his anguish. It plays into this man who isn’t just dealing with the fact that he couldn’t do the right things but often keeps doing things the wrong way as he’s targeted by other kids who would get him into trouble. Stewart Stern’s screenplay doesn’t just follow the trouble that the film’s protagonist Jim Stark (James Dean) goes through during the course of the day but also a couple of other young teens who would be at a police precinct like Stark late at night. Judy (Natalie Wood) is a teenager who is picked up by the police for breaking curfew as she claims to be unloved by her father who says awful things to her while John “Plato” Crawford (Sal Mineo) was taken to the police for shooting puppies with his mother’s gun as both of his parents aren’t home.
Stark is a young man that lives in a somewhat dysfunctional home as his father Frank (Jim Backus) is often more concerned with wanting to be his buddy rather than be a father while his mother Carol (Ann Doran) is always upset over what her son does and often feels the best solution is to move to another town. It’s a pattern that becomes too common for Stark as he has just arrived to Los Angeles unsure of what to do and who to socialize with. Especially when Judy’s boyfriend Buzz Gunderson (Corey Allen) notices him and decides to push him around leading to a chicken race with cars where things don’t go well at all. Even as Stark is convinced that he’s cursed though he is able to get some sympathy early in the film from Inspector Ray Fremick (Edward Platt) who got to see up close what Stark’s parents are like as he offers to help him.
Nicholas Ray’s direction is definitely ravishing for the way he captures the life of a troubled teenager in Los Angeles where the film is shot on location though the school that Stark and others attend is shot on location in Santa Monica, California. Ray’s direction through the usage of the Cinemascope widescreen format allows him to take great usage of the wide shots of the locations including a few key scenes at the Griffith Observatory that would play in a scene where Stark is confronted by Gunderson and his gang and the film’s climax. Yet, Ray would emphasize on medium shots and close-ups including some unique compositions that play into the struggles of Stark, Judy, and Plato in the film’s sequence at the police precinct. Ray’s would shoot someone like Plato meeting Inspector Fremick in a medium shot in the foreground while Stark is seen in the background as it’s among these unique visuals that Ray would create along with scenes at home with some stylish camera angles to play into Stark’s anguish over his parents’ inability to help him.
Ray would also create these moments of intrigue in the compositions as it relates to how Plato looks at Stark that definitely provides subtle ideas that Plato is gay as it was considered taboo during the 1950s in which the film was made and set in. The sense of drama that happens for much of the film has Ray create some carefully crafted compositions in the way he positions his actors but also play into moments that are intense such as the aftermath of the chicken race. The film’s climax which relates to Gunderson’s gang trying to find Stark as well as Plato add to the sense of heightened drama as well as this chance of Stark to try and bring some kind of meaning to his life in helping Plato. Overall, Ray crafts a rapturous and exhilarating film about a young man’s search for meaning in his young teenage life.
Cinematographer Ernest Haller does brilliant work with the film’s cinematography with its usage of vibrant colors from the way much of the daytime exterior scenes look to the interior scene set at the Griffith Observatory as well as how the colors appear in the Cinemascope film format. Editor William H. Ziegler does excellent work with the editing as it help play into some of the dramatic tension as well as bits of the suspense during the chicken race scene. Art director Malcolm C. Bert and set decorator William Wallace does fantastic work with the interiors of the Stark family home as well as the homes of Judy and Plato and the abandoned mansion that Plato mentioned nearby the Griffith Observatory.
Costume designer Moss Mabry does amazing work with the costumes from the red jacket Stark would wear for the film’s second half as well as the clothes that Gunderson and his gang wore as well as the dresses that Judy wore throughout the film. The sound work of Stanley Jones is terrific for its natural approach to sound as well as a few sound effects that play into moments in the drama. The film’s music by Leonard Rosenman is incredible for its somber yet soaring orchestral score that help heighten the drama as well as the anguish from Stark, Judy, and Plato in their home lives.
The film’s wonderful cast include some notable small roles from Ian Wolfe as the astronomy professor Dr. Minton, Frank Mazzola and Jack Grinnage as a couple of Gunderson’s goons in their respective roles in Crunch and Moose, Virginia Brissac as Stark’s grandmother, Marietta Canty as Plato’s family maid who is concerned for his well-being, William Hopper and Rochelle Hudson as Judy’s parents, Dennis Hopper as a member of Gunderson’s gang in Goon, and Edward Platt in a superb performance as Inspector Ray Fremick as a sympathetic police official who is trying to understand the anguish and angst of Stark, Judy, and Plato in the film’s precinct sequence as he interrogates all three of them individually early in the film. Corey Allen is terrific as Buzz Gunderson as Judy’s boyfriend who is also the head of a high school gang that wants to push Stark around though he also shows a sensitive side just before the chicken race knowing that he doesn’t want to kill anyone.
Jim Backus and Ann Doran are fantastic in their respective roles as Stark’s parents in Frank and Carol Stark as a couple who have a hard time trying to understand their son with Frank wanting to help but be more of a friend while Carol is a more stern and not wanting to confront the real issues at hand. Sal Mineo is brilliant as John “Plato” Crawford as a young man who is sensitive and lost due to not having his parents around as he finds a sense of companionship in Stark where he subtly provides ideas of homosexuality in his fascination toward Stark. Natalie Wood is amazing as Judy as a young woman who feels unloved by her father as well as unsure of what to do as she hangs out with Buzz for companionship only to become fascinated by Stark whom she would fall for. Finally, there’s James Dean in a tremendous performance as Jim Stark as this young man that is dealing with uncertainty about himself and his family where Dean displays a mixture of anguish and charm into a role that is definitely an iconic performance in cinema.
Rebel Without a Cause is an outstanding film from Nicholas Ray that features great performances from James Dean, Natalie Wood, and Sal Mineo. Along with its gorgeous visuals, a superb ensemble cast, a mesmerizing script, and a sweeping orchestral score. It’s a film that play into the world of teen angst and uncertainty told in the span of a day in the eyes of a young man that doesn’t feel like he belongs anywhere in the world. In the end, Rebel Without a Cause is a magnificent film from Nicholas Ray.
Nicholas Ray Films: (They Live By Night) – (Knock on Any Door) – (A Woman’s Secret) – In a Lonely Place - (Born to Be Bad) – (Flying Leathernecks) – (On Dangerous Ground) – (The Lusty Men) – Johnny Guitar - (Run for Cover) – (Hot Blood) – (Bigger Than Life) – (The True Story of Jesse James) – (Bitter Victory) – (Wind Across the Everglades) – (Party Girl (1958 film)) – (The Savage Innocents) – (King of Kings) – (55 Days at Peking) – (We Can’t Go Home Again) – (Lightning Over Water)
© thevoid99 2018
Written and directed by Margaret Betts, Novitiate is the story of a young woman who is training to be a nun in the early 1960s when the convent she’s living in is dealing with drastic changes during the period of the Vatican II and its effects. The film follows a woman trying to maintain her faith amidst the cruelty from her superiors who are reacting badly towards this emergence of change in the Catholic Church. Starring Margaret Qualley, Dianna Agron, Julianne Nicholson, Liana Liberto, Eline Powell, Morgan Saylor, Denis O’Hare, and Melissa Leo. Novitiate is a riveting and chilling film from Margaret Betts.
Set mainly in 1964 during the announcement of reforms from the Vatican II council, the film follows a young woman training to be a nun as she endures cruelty from her mother superior as well as temptations between body and soul. It’s a film that plays into a woman wanting to devote herself to God yet is unaware of the news about Vatican II and their desire for reforms as she and many others are kept in the dark where she has to endure all sorts of punishment to prove her devotion. Margaret Betts’ screenplay follows the life of Cathleen Harris (Margaret Qualley) who has been fascinated by spirituality ever since her mother Nora (Julianne Nicholson) took her to church just out of curiosity as Cathleen becomes interested where she attends Catholic school five years later where she would eventually decide to be a nun much to her mother’s dismay.
Much of the first act is about Cathleen’s introduction to Catholicism and the desire to be a nun where she would befriend other young women who would train under the tutelage of the kind Sister Mary Grace (Dianna Agron) whom the girls admire. The second act begins when Reverend Mother Marie Saint-Clair (Melissa Leo) gets word about the changes that the Vatican II wants to impose. For Saint-Clair, the changes is something she is unable to accept as she feels it is a threat to the way of life for the nuns though Sister Mary Grace believes the reforms could help the church reach out to more people and not be as exclusive. Yet, Saint-Clair would try to impose her old ideals upon the nuns-in-training including Cathleen who would start to struggle with her own temptations relating to the flesh just as a new novice nun in Sister Emanuel (Rebecca Dayan) has joined the convent transferring from another convent. The third act play into not just Cathleen’s temptation and belief into her sacrifice for God but also this sense of unraveling in Saint-Clair as it relates to this air of change that she has to deal with.
Betts’ direction is intoxicating for not just the way she presents this world of faith and a young woman’s infatuation with that world in the hope that can serve God the best way she can. Shot largely on location in Nashville, Tennessee where much of the film is set, the film does play into the daily life that a future nun has to endure where it begins with a prayer before morning mass and all sorts of activities that play into the training of being a nun as well as learn about the sacrifices that are made. While Betts would use some wide shots to get a scope into the convent and some of the surroundings out of the convent. Much of her direction emphasizes on close-ups and medium shots to get a look inside the rooms as well as these tense weekly meetings with Saint-Clair in which the novices have to confess their faults in front of their peers. It is one of these eerie scenes that play into Saint-Clair’s growing cruelty and unraveling as she would later question the idea of God’s abandonment towards her in a scene late in the film.
The direction also play into this struggle of body and spirit as it relates to the sacrifice Cathleen would make in the third act but also a loss of innocence as it relates to the cruelty she and other novices receive from Saint-Clair. There is this element of sexual temptation and longing to connect with others where the latter play into a meeting between Cathleen and Nora where the latter is concerned about Cathleen’s well-being as she confronts Saint-Clair. The film’s final moments don’t just play into the reality that Cathleen is about to embark on but also this sense of disconnect she was to have with the world that is ever-changing that some who were with her the first time around have left to be in that world. Overall, Betts create an evocative and haunting film about a young woman’s training to be a nun as she deals with changes in the Catholic Church and her struggle in her devotion to God.
Cinematographer Kat Westergaard does brilliant work with the film’s cinematography with its emphasis on natural lighting for many of the interiors inside the convent while aiming for a somewhat stylized look of sorts for scenes outside the convent such as Cathleen’s family home. Editor Susan E. Morse does excellent work with the editing as it does have some rhythmic touches in the drama as well as play into some of the dramatic tension that looms throughout the film. Production designer John Sanders and set decorator Gia Grosso do amazing work with the look of Cathleen’s family home for scenes early in the film as well as a few interiors inside the convent with a lot of its religious imagery.
Costume designer Vanessa Porter does fantastic work with the costumes from the stylish clothes that Nora wears to the communal dresses that the nuns-in-trainings and novices would wear for a ceremony and the nun uniforms the superiors would wear. Sound editor Ruy Garcia does superb work with the sound as it play into the atmosphere of the convent with its emphasis on silence as well as sparse noises to play into the dramatic tension and terror in scenes with Saint-Clair being mean to her students. The film’s music by Christopher Stark is terrific for its sparse yet effective piano-based score that is low-key to play into the drama as well as the sense of longing from the young novices while music supervisor Tyler Bradley Walker provides a bit of classical music including a piece by Avro Part.
The casting by Sig De Miguel and Stephen Vincent is wonderful as it feature some notable small roles from Chris Zylka as Cathleen’s father, Sasha and Eliza Mason in their respective roles as the 12 and 7 year-old Cathleen, Marco St. John as the convent priest Father Luca, and Denis O’Hare in a terrific one-scene performance as Archbishop McCarthy as a top Catholic official who talks to Saint-Clair about the changes from the Vatican II and tells her to stop with these old ideas of punishment. The performances of Morgan Saylor, Eline Powell, Liana Liberto, and Maddie Hasson are fantastic in their respective roles as Evelyn, Candace, Emily, and Sissy as nuns-in-trainings and novices who deal with the cruelty and confessions they have to reveal as well as the pressure to show their devotion to God. Rebecca Dayan is superb as Sister Emanuel as a new transfer whom the girls are suspicious about as she later becomes concerned for Cathleen’s well-being as she later gets close to Cathleen.
Julianne Nicholson is excellent as Cathleen’s mother Nora as a woman who isn’t into the idea of religion as she later becomes concerned with Cathleen’s health as she confronts Saint-Clair about what she’s doing. Dianna Argon is brilliant as Sister Mary Grace as a warm and caring nun who teaches the young novices as she is open to the ideas of the Vatican II where she starts to question Saint-Clair’s views that would later lead to trouble. Melissa Leo is amazing as Reverend Mother Marie Saint-Clair as the Mother Superior who is trying to instill her ideals of sacrifice to see if the novices are able to prove their devotion through acts of cruelty as it relates to her reaction towards the emergence of reform from the Vatican II. Finally, there’s Margaret Qualley in a phenomenal performance as Cathleen Harris as a young woman who is fascinated by faith as she decides to become a nun as she later copes with the cruelty she is getting from Saint-Clair, her struggle to be devoted to God, and her growing sexual awakening as it’s a mesmerizing performance from Qualley.
Novitiate is an incredible film from Margaret Betts that features great performances from Margaret Qualley, Julianne Nicholson, Dianna Argon, and Melissa Leo. Along with its superb ensemble cast, gorgeous visuals, and a riveting story relating to faith and conflict between body and spirit. It’s a film that explore the world of faith as well as what some will do to devote themselves to God amidst a sense of change that was emerging in the Catholic Church that threatened their ideals. In the end, Novitiate is a sensational film from Margaret Betts.
© thevoid99 2018
What is now becoming an annual tradition every August of the year is the Against the Crowd Blog-a-thon hosted by Wendell of Dell on Movies for this year’s edition. Having participated three times already in 2015, 2016, and last year’s edition, I have decided to participate for this year’s event as it’s just so fun to do. Here are the rules:
1. Pick one movie that "everyone" loves (the more iconic, the better). That movie must have a score of 75% or more on rottentomatoes.com. Tell us why you hate it.
2. Pick one movie that "everyone" hates (the more notorious, the better). That movie must have a score of 35% or less on rottentomatoes.com. Tell us why you love it.
3. Include the tomato meter scores of both movies.
4. Use one of the banners in this post, or feel free to create your own.
5. Let us know what two movies you intend on writing about in one of the following ways:
Comment on this or any ACB 2018 post on this site
Tweet me @w_ott3
E-mail me: dellott@yahoo.com
6. Publish your post on any day from Monday August 20 through Sunday August 26, 2018.
A new rule is added as it relates to films that doesn’t have a Rotten Tomatoes score where a film that has a score from the IMDB higher than 7.5 and lower than 4.0 can be selected. Here is what I’m picking:
Anyone who has read my blog know that a lot of the films I review are foreign films as I’m often known for giving foreign films positive reviews. If one was to ask me my opinion on Fernando Trueba’s 1992 film Belle Epoque that introduced Penelope Cruz to international audiences. My response would be that the movie sucked. Why would I dislike a period romantic film from Spain that didn’t just feature Cruz in one of her early roles but also future international stars like Ariadna Gil and Maribel Verdu? Well… It’s one of those films that I saw in my mid-teens as like any other kid. I stay up watching films late at night just to see boobs. The film did have Gil topless but I was disappointed by the lack of nudity from Cruz who was becoming a big star. Years later as I had acquired a grasp of what cinema is, I re-watched it just to see if it was any good as I wasn’t impressed by it the first time.
In that re-watch, I found the whole film to be very boring and too safe for my tastes. It’s really the kind of film that is more of an awards-bait kind of film set in the early 1930s just before the emergence of the Spanish Civil War where a young soldier hides at the home of an old man in the country and falls for his four daughters where he would eventually aim for the youngest played by Cruz. It’s got all of the things expected in an awards-bait kind of film and despite the performances of Cruz, Gil, and Verdu. I don’t remember anything else as I was more appalled by the fact that this was the film that won not just a bunch of Goyas (Spain’s equivalent to the Oscars) over a much better film in Jamon Jamon by Bigas Luna that also starred Cruz and her future husband Javier Bardem. This was the film that won the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film over Chen Kaige’s Farewell My Concubine and Ang Lee’s The Wedding Banquet. Ugh…
For every film that takes itself way too seriously, there has to be a counterbalance and what better counterbalance for that in one of the most ridiculous films of the 2000s. Written, directed, and starring Steve Oedenkerk comes a kung fu spoof film where Oedenkerk puts himself in the 1976 kung fu film Tiger and Crane Fist where it is about a guy who is the Chosen One as he is trying to stop an evil madman who has re-named himself Betty. It’s silly as it involves a CGI cow trying to stop the Chosen One, gopher-chucks, a tongue with a face, a mysterious evil council, and a master who likes to listen to pop and hip-hop as he thinks ‘Nsync is the bomb (they are). Oedenkerk a few years ago announced a sequel though nothing hasn’t emerged as I’m sure myself and many fans of the film are still waiting.
Related: Kung Pow!: Enter the Fist
© thevoid99 2018
Directed by Tony Richardson and written by Alan Sillitoe that is based on the latter’s short story, The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner is the story of a young man who is sent to a reform school where he is seen as a gifted runner only to be exploited by a governor for selfish reasons. The film is the study of a young man who would be given all sorts of privileges where he later copes with the role he is playing. Starring Tom Courtenay, Michael Redgrave, Avis Bunnage, James Bolam, and Alec McCowen. The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner is a riveting and mesmerizing film from Tony Richardson.
The film follows a young man who is sent to a reform school following an act of theft where he tries to serve his time until its governor notices his gift as a long-distance runner and hopes to have him win an annual cup against a nearby rival school. It’s a film that plays into the plight of this young man who isn’t just dealing with the loss of his father but also changes and frustrations that would lead to his incarceration. Alan Sillitoe’s screenplay has a back-and-forth narrative that is largely a reflective narrative that is told largely through the perspective of its protagonist Colin Smith (Tom Courtenay). The narrative is mainly set in this reform school where Smith has to deal with other students and the sense of authority yet his gift as a long-distance runner gets the attention of the school’s governor (Michael Redgrave). The governor sees Smith as someone he believes can make an example towards the other students at the school although Smith reflects on the events in his life before he got arrested.
The flashbacks show the struggle Smith had as it relates to the passing of his father and the money that his mother (Avis Bunnage) would spend that his father had earned as she also takes on a new lover. While Smith would gain a girlfriend in Audrey (Topsy Jane) during that time, he would struggle with his lack of direction and prospects where he engages in criminal activities. Upon his arrest and being sent to the reform school, he copes with not just what he’s been given from the governor but also a growing disillusionment with the ways of the world.
Tony Richardson’s direction is definitely engaging for the way he captures the life of a young man from a working-class environment as he is put into a world that is filled with a lot of rules as the freedom he’s given doesn’t make him feel free. Shot largely in Surrey with the reform school scenes shot at the nearby Ruxley Towers at the village of Claygate. Richardson aims for an intimate approach to the world of reform schools and the working class world that Smith is in with the usage of hand-held cameras where he would use close-ups and medium shots to play into the world that Smith is in. There are some wide shots that include these amazing dolly-tracking shots that capture Smith running through the woods as he’s training for the film’s climatic race against a rival school. Richardson would also play into the uncertainty of Smith’s life before his incarceration as he just wanders around aimlessly either stealing cars or do something with his friend Mike (James Bolam). There’s a looseness to the scenes in the city as well as the running while the scenes at Smith’s family home and at the school are tight in the presentation. The film’s climax which is this race against a rival school would play into everything Smith has endure as well as everything he’s been through at the school as he would make an act of defiance through his gift. Overall, Richardson creates a rapturous film about a young man dealing with his uncertainty and oppression at a reform school.
Cinematographer Walter Lassally does brilliant work with the film’s black-and-white photography to capture some of the gray colors of the exteriors in the locations where Smith is running as well as the usage of lights for some of the film’s interiors at night. Editor Antony Gibbs does amazing work with the editing as its usage of jump-cuts, speed-cuts for some comedic moments, and montages help play into some of the emotional moments in the film including its climax. Production designer Ralph W. Brinton and art director Edward Marshall do fantastic work with the look of the interior at the home that Smith and his family live in as well as the school quarters.
Costume designer Sophie Devine does terrific work with the costumes from the uniforms and clothes that Smith and others had to wear at the school to the more posh look of the rival school during the film’s climax. The sound work of Stephen Dalby is excellent for the sound that play into the atmosphere of the locations including an eerie sound montage in a key scene for the film’s climax. The film’s music by John Addison is superb for its playful score for some of the humorous moments as well as the climatic moments before the race as it help add to the dramatic tension that looms throughout the film.
The casting by Maude Spector is wonderful as it include some notable small roles from Julia Foster as Mike’s girlfriend Gladys, Joe Robinson as a student named Roach, Dervis Ward as a detective who suspects Smith over theft, Topsy Jane as Smith’s girlfriend Audrey, James Fox as a runner for the rival school in Gunthorpe, James Bolam as Smith’s best friend Mike, and Alec McCowen as a school official named Brown. Avis Bunnage is excellent as Smith’s mother who cares more about living a lifestyle with a new lover and getting all sorts of things for herself and her younger children rather than be concerned with her eldest son’s well-being as well as not caring about her husband’s sudden passing. Michael Redgrave is brilliant as the school governor as a man who sees Smith’s gift as a runner in which he hopes to exploit for his own reasons as well as make offers to Smith that end up being very troubling. Finally, there’s Tom Courtenay in an incredible performance as Colin Smith as a young man who is troubled by his father’s death and lack of direction where is sent to a reform school as he deals with the privileges he’s been given as well as revelations about what is happening to others at the school as it is a breakthrough performance from Courtenay.
The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner is a tremendous film from Tony Richardson that features top-notch performances from Tom Courtenay and Michael Redgrave. Along with its striking visuals, fascinating study of character and environment, an offbeat music score, and intricate sound presentation. It’s a film that explores a man given the chance to make something of himself but also facing choices that are filled with compromises as well as guilt over his sense of loss and lack of direction that would ultimate force him to rebel. In the end, The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner is a phenomenal film from Tony Richardson.
Tony Richardson Films: (Momma Don’t Allow) – (Look Back in Anger) – (The Entertainer) – (Sanctuary (1961 film)) – A Taste of Honey - (Tom Jones (1963 film)) – (The Loved One) – (Mademoiselle (1966 film)) – (The Sailor from Gibraltar) – (The Charge of the Light Brigade) – (Laughter in the Dark) – (Hamlet (1969 film)) – (Ned Kelly (1970 film)) – (A Delicate Balance) – (Dead Cert) – (Joseph Andrew) – (The Border (1982 film)) – (The Hotel New Hampshire) – (Penalty Phase) – (The Phantom of the Opera (1990 film)) – (Women & Men: Stories of Seduction) – (Blue Sky)
© thevoid99 2018
For the 33rd week of 2018 as part of Wandering Through the Shelves' Thursday Movie Picks series hosted by Wanderer. The subject is on non-English language films as there’s just so much to cover as it could basically be anything. Especially as I am someone that often reviews and watch foreign films. Here are my three picks as they’re not anything definitive but rather three picks of films from three different continents that I feel people should seek out as they’re available on Filmstruck:
1. Peppermint Frappe
From Carlos Saura is this film about identity and longing as it play into a man whose best friend has a new wife that looks similar to a woman he had seen play drums at a parade some time ago. It’s a strange film that stars Geraldine Chaplin in a trio of roles as that girl playing drums, the mysterious blonde who looks like that woman, and the man’s assistant. Yet, it does showcase what Saura could do with ideas of surrealism and memory.
2. The Life of Oharu
The very first film of Kenji Mizoguchi that I had seen is this film about the life of a woman who was sold into prostitution by her father to pay off his debts as she endures the many cruelties that happen to women during the Edo era of 17th Century Japan. It is a devastating film to watch yet Kinuyo Tanaka’s performance is entrancing in the way she endures so much as she also tries to find some idea of hope in an unjust system that did more harm to women than help them.
3. Touki Bouki
From Dijbril Diop Mambety comes a landmark film from Senegal just nearly a decade of the release of Black Girl that introduced the world to African cinema. The film revolves around two lovers who want to leave the country to go to Paris as it has this element of surrealism as well as a clash of tradition vs. modernism. It doesn’t have much of a plot yet it manages to convey this idea of a world that is trying to find its identity with two people wanting to go somewhere else but hold on to their roots.
© thevoid99 2018
Written and directed by David O. Russell, Flirting with Disaster is the story of a man who goes on a road trip with his wife and newborn baby to find his biological parents with the help of an adoption agency employee as others join in on the search. The film is an offbeat comedy that plays into a man’s need to find his real parents as he copes with idea of parenthood as well as his own marriage as he becomes attracted towards the adoption agency employee. Starring Ben Stiller, Patricia Arquette, Tea Leoni, Josh Brolin, Richard Jenkins, Mary Tyler Moore, George Segal, Glenn Fitzgerald, Alan Alda, and Lily Tomlin. Flirting with Disaster is a witty and whimsical film from David O. Russell.
The film is the simple story of a neurotic man whose inability to name his newborn child forces him to try and find his biological parents to find out who he is as he is aided by an adopted agency employee whom he becomes attracted to. It plays into a man in his search for his own identity and roots where he is joined by his wife on a trip to find his real parents but bad information and incompetence lead to several setbacks with others joining this man’s adventure to find his real parents. David O. Russell’s screenplay has a unique narrative structure as it follows the journey of Mel Coplin (Ben Stiller) who is given news that the identity of his biological mother has been found. Mel’s wife Nancy (Patricia Arquette) joins Mel out of support as she takes their newborn baby with them despite the protests of Mel’s adoptive parents in Ed and Pearl Coplin (George Segal and Mary Tyler Moore, respectively) who feel unhappy by the news. Joining them is the adoptive agency employee Tina (Tea Leoni) who wants to record the event as she and Mel become attracted to each other.
Russell’s direction does have elements of style in the way he captures the journey of a neurotic man as it is shot on various locations in New York City as well as parts of San Diego, Arizona, and a couple of places in Michigan such as Kalamazoo and Battle Creek. While there are moments where Russell would use wide shots for some of the locations and scenes that play into the characters inside a home which includes a key moment in the first act that has Mel meeting a woman who could be his mother. Much of Russell’s compositions would rely on medium shots and close-ups in the way characters interact including scenes that include Nancy’s old high school friend Tony Kent (Josh Brolin) who is an ATF agent with a partner both at work and in life in Paul Harmon (Richard Jenkins) as they both join the trip during its second half.
The film’s third act doesn’t just play into absurd humor but also in light drama as it relates to the tension that is looming in Mel and Nancy’s marriage with the former being attracted to Tina and the latter being nurtured by Tony. It also play into the eventual meeting of another prospect of who could be Mel’s real parents in Richard and Mary Schlichting (Alan Alda and Lily Tomlin, respectively) who also have a younger son in Lonnie (Glenn Fitzgerald) who is angry about the idea of having an older brother. The meeting would be a mixture of humor and chaos as well as an aftermath that would later involve all sorts of shenanigans and drama that is happening. Overall, Russell creates a witty yet exhilarating film about a man trying to find his identity in his search for his biological parents with others joining him in a chaotic journey.
Cinematographer Eric Alan Edwards does excellent work with the film’s cinematography as it is largely straightforward to play into the different looks of the location including the scenes in Michigan with its snow and the sunnier look of New Mexico in the daytime. Editor Christopher Tellefsen does brilliant work with the editing with its usage of jump-cuts and other rhythmic cuts to play into the humor. Production designer Kevin Thompson, with art director Judy Rhee plus set decorators Susan Block and Ford Wheeler, does fantastic work with the look of the different homes that Mel and his entourage encounter from the home of a woman in San Diego with her glass figurines to the stylish home and art work of the couple he meets in New Mexico.
Costume designer Ellen Lutter does nice work with the costumes as it play into the personality of the characters from the casual look of Mel and Nancy to the sexy, business-like look of Tina and the more hippie look of the Schlichtings. Sound designer Wendy Hedin does terrific work with the sound as it play into the atmosphere of the different locations in the film. The film’s music by Stephen Endelman does wonderful work with the sound as it is largely low-key in its folk music presentation while music supervisor Bonnie Greenberg provides a fun soundtrack that mixes rock, pop, country, and alternative music from acts like Southern Culture on the Skids, Cake, Urge Overkill, Dr. John with Angela McCluskey, Dean Martin, Inch, Carl Perkins, and the Grateful Dead.
The casting by Risa Bramon Garcia and Ellen Parks is marvelous as it feature some notable small roles from Cynthia LaMontagne and Beth Stern as twin women who are the daughters of a woman in San Diego, David Patrick Kelly as a trucker in Michigan who might be Mel’s father, Celia Weston as Valerie Swaney as the woman from San Diego who might be Mel’s mother, and Glenn Fitzgerald as Lonnie Schlichting as a young man who might be Mel’s brother who doesn’t like Mel at all as he’s overly rude and jealous towards him. Alan Alda and Lily Tomlin are fantastic in their respective roles as Richard and Mary Schlichting as a couple from New Mexico who might be Mel’s biological parents as they’re hippie artists that are fascinated by Mel while being those who prefer to live a life of isolation away from the conventions of society. Richard Jenkins and Josh Brolin are superb in their respective roles as the ATF agents Paul Harmon and Tony Kent as a gay couple who join Mel and his entourage in the journey with Jenkins as the more reluctant of the duo as he would later have a bad encounter with drugs while Brolin is more carefree as he tries to renew his friendship with Nancy in odd ways.
Mary Tyler Moore and George Segal are excellent in their respective roles as Mel’s adoptive parents in Pearl and Ed Coplin with Moore being very funny in dealing with her son’s neuroses and wear some skimpy yet sexy underwear while Segal is more low-key as someone who is just as neurotic as Mel. Tea Leoni is brilliant as Tina Kalb as a recently-divorced adoption agency employee who wants to document Mel’s reunion with his biological parents as she becomes attracted to Mel only to realize that she’s hiding her own issues as it relates to her incompetence and failure in life. Patricia Arquette is amazing as Nancy Coplin as Mel’s wife who joins him on the journey as she finds herself neglected forcing her to turn to Tony for attention with weird results. Finally, there’s Ben Stiller in a remarkable performance as Mel Coplin as a man who is eager to find out who his parents are as it play into his anxiety over who he is and his inability to name his newborn son that would also prompt him to be attractive towards Tina that would become chaotic as it’s a witty performance from Stiller.
Flirting with Disaster is an incredible film from David O. Russell. Featuring a great cast, an offbeat yet funny premise, and its study of identity and anxiety. It’s a film that play into some of ideas of a man’s journey that would devolve into chaos as well as revelations about himself. In the end, Flirting with Disaster is a sensational film from David O. Russell.
David O. Russell Films: Spanking the Monkey – Three Kings - I Heart Huckabees – The Fighter - Silver Linings Playbook - American Hustle - Accidental Love - Joy (2015 film) - The Auteurs #70: David O. Russell
© thevoid99 2018
Written and directed by Denis Villeneuve, Maelstrom is the story of a troubled woman who embarks on an affair with a young man whose father she accidentally killed in a hit-and-run. The film is a mixture of fantasy, comedy, and tragedy as it plays into a woman’s descent as he story is told by a fish that is voiced by Pierre Lebeau. Starring Marie-Josee Croze, Jean-Nicolas Verrault, and Stephanie Morgenstern. Maelstrom is an eerie yet ravishing film from Denis Villeneuve.
The film follows a troubled woman whose encounter with an old man she accidentally hit with his car that eventually lead to his death has her dealing with guilt where she would meet the man’s son whom she falls for. That is pretty much the entire premise of the film as it’s told by this mysterious fish that is being gutted and cut into pieces as it relates to this woman’s encounters with fishes throughout the course of the film including the man she would accidentally hit with her car. Denis Villeneuve’s screenplay does take a back-and-forth narrative in terms of the story that this fish is telling yet it is still straightforward in the way it follows the life of Bibiane Champagne (Marie-Josee Croze) who is the daughter of a famous figure as she runs three boutique shops.
Yet, Bibiane is dealing with an abortion she had as well as her own personal issues with substance abuse where a night-out would lead to this tragic encounter with a fishmonger who would die hours later in his home. The man’s son Evian (Jean-Nicolas Verrault) would arrive in the film’s third act to hear the news as his part in the narrative play into Bibiane’s chance to make amends but also deal with emotional tailspin she’s in.
Villeneuve’s direction is definitely odd in the way it opens as it would often include recurring images of wavy waters as well as fish. Shot largely on location in Montreal, Villeneuve plays into a world where this young woman is definitely lost as she spends much of her time going to clubs, drinking, and coping with the abortion she had as it play into her lack of direction. While Villeneuve would use some wide shots for some of the film’s location setting as well as in some key dramatic moments in the film. Much of his direction emphasizes on close-ups and medium shots as it play into Bibiane’s own despair along with her encounter with death and disappointment. Villeneuve’s usage of fish in the film also play into Bibiane’s world as there’s a scene where she and her friend Claire (Stephanie Morgenstern) are eating octopus where it doesn’t taste good as it would have some relevance to the film’s plot.
Villeneuve’s direction is also filled with these images that play into the idea of connection and faith where Bibiane and Evian would both have different encounters with a mysterious man (Marc Gelinas) whom they talk to as it play into the idea of fates and directions. Even as the fish that is narrating the film would talk about the decisions the characters would make as it also play into the way they see the world including the life of Bibiane. The scenes that involve the fish and the fishmonger (John Dunn-Hill) are presented in simple compositions yet it is one of these abstract moments in the film as it does play into what is happening in the main narrative. Overall, Villeneuve creates a riveting yet intoxicating film about a woman coping with loss and guilt.
Cinematographer Andre Turpin does brilliant work with the film’s slightly-tinted cinematography with its usage of heightened colors to play into the exteriors and interiors of the film as it help add a unique and grimy look that play into Bibiane’s view of the world. Editor Richard Comeau does excellent work with the editing as it does have some nice usage of jump-cuts and fade-outs as it help play into some of the intense dramatic moments in the film. Production designer Sylvain Gingras and set decorator Ginette Pare do fantastic work with the look of the boutique shops that Bibiane runs as well as her apartment and the place where the fishmonger is cutting up the fish. Costume designer Denis Sperdouklis does nice work with the costumes as it is largely casual to play into the personalities of the characters.
Special effects supervisor Louis Craig does terrific work with the animatronics for the way the fish talks during the scenes of narration as the fish is being gutted and cut-up for those small scenes. Sound editor Guy Pelletier does superb work with the sound as it play into the atmosphere of some of the film’s locations as well as the sounds of water that is prevalent throughout the film. The film’s music by Pierre Desrochers is wonderful for its low-key piano-based orchestral score that play into the drama as it appears in small moments while the soundtrack is offbeat for its usage of music by Charles Aznavour, Tom Waits, and a song from the musical Hair.
The casting by Lucie Robitaille is marvelous as it feature some notable small roles from Bobby Beshro as Bibiane’s older brother Philippe who runs the family business, Marc Gelinas as the stranger that Bibiane meets at a subway, John Dunn-Hill as the fishmonger, Kliment Denchev as Evian’s father Annstein Karlsen, and Pierre Lebeau in a superb role as the voice of the fish who narrates the film. Stephanie Morgenstern is fantastic as Bibiane’s best friend Claire who is trying to help Bibiane as she also tries to keep Bibiane away from drugs and alcohol. Jean-Nicolas Verrault is excellent as Evian as a diver who learns about his father’s death as he copes with not being able to perform his father’s final wishes while starting to be intrigued by Bibiane whom he would fall for. Finally, there’s Marie-Josee Croze in an incredible performance as Bibiane Champagne as a troubled woman who is dealing with the aftermath of an abortion and later killing a man accidentally with her car as it is this haunting and anguished performance that play into loss and guilt as it is a career-defining performance from Croze.
Maelstrom is a remarkable film from Denis Villeneuve that features a great leading performance from Marie-Josee Croze. Along with its offbeat premise, character study of grief and guilt, eerie visuals, and a strong supporting cast. The film is a strange yet intriguing film that plays into a woman’s guilt over her actions and lack of direction as it is told through ideas of surrealism. In the end, Maelstrom is an incredible film from Denis Villeneuve.
Denis Villeneuve Films: August 32nd on Earth - Polytechnique – Incendies - Prisoners (2013 film) - Enemy - Sicario - Arrival (2016 film) - Blade Runner 2049 - Dune-Part One (2021 film) - Dune-Part Two - (Dune: Messiah) - The Auteurs #68: Denis Villeneuve
© thevoid99 2018
