Another Movie Day but the review is a hang over from what I didn't get to yesterday.
Along with Rashomon, I watched the first three parts of Krzysztof Kieslowski's 10-part "Decalogue". What first attracted me to checking him out was a strange faint memory of watching "Blue", part of the "Three Colors" trilogy made for France's Bi-centennial celebrations -- a polish man making French films ... -- and the fact that each story in the "Decalogue" revolves around each of the Ten-Commandments.
But only obliquely. The story that I enjoyed most yesterday, though enjoyment should perhaps be replaced with appreciated, because of emotional resonance, was the second one, "Thou shalt not take the Lord's name in vain". A old old doctor and his relationship with his patient's wife. A complicated affair but he swears, and lies and his patient's condition, tangling up the lady's motives and plans, and heartaches. Everything austere, as I like my films, everything concrete in Polish HDBs. Every film with a scene where the stove must be lit, with matches, without which there would be no hot water, for a bath, for a tea, for coffee.
Today, two more films. I first watched "The Last Temptation of Christ". I must admit I watched it because i) Scorsese can do no wrong ii) it's a been banned from my viewing most of my life and I vividly remember having a conversation about this -- why it was banned -- on a school bus just as we passed by the Bishop's house ... Anyway -- Scorsese is better with the grit of streets than the dusty deserts of Palestine and having not yet watched Mel Gibson's ultra-catholic "The Passion", I guess I can't say anything about "realism". But the dream sequences and the strange way that the camera stays on faces much too long, in a disconcerting manner, made it worth watching. I did think it portrayed Christ's humanity very powerfully. William Dafoe made an unlikely Christ but Harvey Kietel's Judas was excellent. And the nice thing about DVD is that the extras confirm certain intuitions -- the shots of Golgatha and the march up the Via Dolorosa, were modelled on Italian / Flemish paintings.
The other film, was Edna's pick. The Grave of the Fireflies [?], a Studio Ghibli Anime. Pretty moving for a cartoon, I guess. Yikes, what lack of commitment in responding to a film!
Along with Rashomon, I watched the first three parts of Krzysztof Kieslowski's 10-part "Decalogue". What first attracted me to checking him out was a strange faint memory of watching "Blue", part of the "Three Colors" trilogy made for France's Bi-centennial celebrations -- a polish man making French films ... -- and the fact that each story in the "Decalogue" revolves around each of the Ten-Commandments.
But only obliquely. The story that I enjoyed most yesterday, though enjoyment should perhaps be replaced with appreciated, because of emotional resonance, was the second one, "Thou shalt not take the Lord's name in vain". A old old doctor and his relationship with his patient's wife. A complicated affair but he swears, and lies and his patient's condition, tangling up the lady's motives and plans, and heartaches. Everything austere, as I like my films, everything concrete in Polish HDBs. Every film with a scene where the stove must be lit, with matches, without which there would be no hot water, for a bath, for a tea, for coffee.
Today, two more films. I first watched "The Last Temptation of Christ". I must admit I watched it because i) Scorsese can do no wrong ii) it's a been banned from my viewing most of my life and I vividly remember having a conversation about this -- why it was banned -- on a school bus just as we passed by the Bishop's house ... Anyway -- Scorsese is better with the grit of streets than the dusty deserts of Palestine and having not yet watched Mel Gibson's ultra-catholic "The Passion", I guess I can't say anything about "realism". But the dream sequences and the strange way that the camera stays on faces much too long, in a disconcerting manner, made it worth watching. I did think it portrayed Christ's humanity very powerfully. William Dafoe made an unlikely Christ but Harvey Kietel's Judas was excellent. And the nice thing about DVD is that the extras confirm certain intuitions -- the shots of Golgatha and the march up the Via Dolorosa, were modelled on Italian / Flemish paintings.
The other film, was Edna's pick. The Grave of the Fireflies [?], a Studio Ghibli Anime. Pretty moving for a cartoon, I guess. Yikes, what lack of commitment in responding to a film!
1 comment:
hey sir, think you really should watch 'passion of christ'. i watched it with my mum and we were quite overwhelmed with well, both story and blood. there's a mix of humanity and immortality in Jesus in the movie coz a normal human couldnt possibly withstand all that torture-which also goes to show the extent at which he had suffered i suppose.
anyway, nice to know you've started blogging again. was just wondering how you're doing man! hope things are fine and dandy with you there.
keep in touch!
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