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 Posted: Sun Jan 18, 2009 5:04 pm |
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Despite the X'mas break, the only non-U.S. DVD I have seen
recently is the Criterion disc of Louis Malle's _The Lovers_.
It is one of my two favorite Malle's, but it is interesting to find
that Malle didn't think that highly of it, at least technically
speaking. It was also a young man's film, with a reckless
romanticism he could not repeat later on. But he did like the
honesty of it, Watching it in pristine wide screen format, I
do have to admit that the beginning of the famous day-for-night
climax is simply too bright (can't blame that on poor VHS
quality anymore). There are a couple of Moreau interviews
in the extras section. I didn't know Malle seem to seek out
controversy throughout his career. Ii still think this film should
be afforded equal footing with Moreau's other breakout hit,
_Jules and Jim_.
Last week I had the tremendous fortune to watch _Ashes of
Time: Redux_ 4 nights in a row. Each time was more emotion
than the last (and to all the countless times I've seen it). The
last night was a 90+ minute of ice bath running down my veins.
A review in a local independent paper asked what the film was
about, and answered "love." Surely it is a lot more than that.
It has several lifetimes of youthful exuberance, bitter pride,
resignation, angry denial, fierce determination and optimism,
madness, life, and death woven into it. It is nothing less than
the totality of human experience. It is astonishing Wong could
make a film like that at the young age 35 or so. By the way,
I kept being asked why I watch some films so many times.
I am surprised that even comes up. We all listen to our favorite
songs or pieces of music again and again. The last time I
lived in California, I would listen to the slow movement of
Schubert's 14th quartet driving to and from work at ear-splitting
volume every day, plus one more time if I take a drive at night.
That's easily 500 times. Not coincidentally that 16 minute
movement has a life time ofviolent mood changes, from resignation
to inner turmoil and back, woven into it, too. I guess it should
be me asking why most people only watch movies once. Great
films have so much more density and emotional resonance in
them, how can once be enough? Theymust be watching the
wrong films :)
And speaking of lifetimes of experience (and about identity,
which is a huge part of _AoTR_) ... I don't know how
many more plot twists "Battlestar Galactica" has to offer,
but its core design is at least apparent. It is really about
finding out who you are in the face of the most extreme
duress. The acting in the first part of the 4th season is just
phenomenal. Of course it helps to have Mary McD.
and Edward James Olmos, but the young cast is uniformly
terrific. And they look like they are gym rats who can really
kick someone's ass, too. It is such an intricate story it is
hard for newcomers to start with the late seasons, but if
there is a recent stand-alone episode I can recommend,
it would be the 6th episode of the 4th season called "Faith,"
when Mary McD.'s character faces the return of her
cancer and impending death, a regular cast character has
his leg amputated, and mortality simply becomes the central
point of the show. The 7th episode is about the worst in
the series, but every one of the rest is so good it is just
hard to believe. Looking forward to the end of the series ... |
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