April Film Journal
The Fallen Idol (Carol Reed, 1948)
Carrie (William Wyler, 1952)
The Letter (William Wyler, 1940)
Marty (Delbert Mann, 1955)
Counsellor at Law (William Wyler, 1933)
A Moment of Innocence (Mohsen Makhmalbaf, 1996)
Marie Antoinette (W.S. Van Dyke, 1938)
Volver (Pedro Almodóvar, 2006)
Seconds (John Frankenheimer, 1966)
All About My Mother (Pedro Almodóvar, 1999)
Nashville (Robert Altman, 1975)
Labels: film journal (2007)
posted by Diane @ 9:05 AM
7 comments
7 Comments:
Oooo, "Seconds"! Very creepy, and somehow it works as a feature film, rather than just an extended "Twilight Zone" episode.
Of all the horrifying stuff in that movie, the images that stay with me are from that bizarre grape-stomping scene.
I've seen "Nashville" twice, and I'm still not sold on it, despite my love of most Altman. Indeed, I just picked up Criterion's "3 Women" at the library -- never seen it -- and am hoping for another memorable experience.
Hi Christian. Brief response for now: I've said this before at A&F, but 3 Women seems to borrow a bit from Persona. I know you love that one, since you were the one who originally got me to watch it, so I'm curious to know what you think. Please come back and let me know after you've watched. I've only seen a bit of Altman, and this one feels quite different from the others I've seen. So far, 3 Women is still my favorite.
I loved "Persona," true, but the similarities in "3 Women" just didn't compute for me. It's an Altman film, I kept thinking as I watched it. Why is he channeling Bergman? Was this a big trend in the '70s, with Woody Allen following suit?
The soundtrack was horrendous.
That's what I was thinking while watching the movie ... for the first 75 minutes.
And then something happened. As Spacek's character was transformed, so was my interest, which perked up signficantly during the last 40 minutes of the film. I went from "waiting for this to end" to wanting to restart it as soon as it finished and listen to Altman's commentary track.
I'm not sold on the film; it's no instant favorite. But I'd like to read up on it now, and dig into it some more.
Did you do the same thing, Diane? Any recommended materials?
I *still* have a hard time thinking of this as an Altman film. The zoom shots are trademarks of a sort, but there's nothing else in this film (other than great performances, of course, and Duvall's presence) that makes me recognize the film *technically* as an Altman film.
Hi Christian. Thanks for posting your thoughts.
I loved "Persona," true, but the similarities in "3 Women" just didn't compute for me. It's an Altman film, I kept thinking as I watched it. Why is he channeling Bergman? Was this a big trend in the '70s, with Woody Allen following suit?
You know, the whole "channeling Bergman" thing didn't strike me as odd, but that's only because this was my second Altman film, so I never realized what I was seeing was so different. I have a better idea now.
The soundtrack was horrendous.
How so? You know, I can't even remember anything about it, and I'm usually (pardon the pun) very tuned in to things like that.
I didn't actually do any reading, Christian, though I listened to some of the commentary. I wish I could offer you more here, but I'm just not up on Altman enough to do so. I just know the film quickly pulled me in and fascinated me. If you run across any good discussions or find some great insights, please let me know.
What are your favorites by him, Christian?
The soundtrack grated -- "psychotic" menacing violins that are cliched now, and probably were then. Again, not something I associate with Altman, whose sountracks are often one of the strongest elements of his films.
I came to Altman's stuff with "The Player" renaissance, although I'd seen "Popeye" in the theater when I was 10. As I tracked his future theatrical releases after "The Player," I explored his earlier catalog of films. Although "Nashville" was the consensus choice as his masterpiece, it left me a little cold. Instead, I found myself gravitating to his "theater period" in the 1980s, when the dismal response to "Popeye" sent him out to the wilderness and confirmed his cynicism about studio machinery and the public's response to his work.
He adapted several plays for the screen during that period. The first one I saw remains seminal for me, although it's not considered all the great by most folks: "Come Back to the Five and Dime, Jimmy Dean, Jimmy Dean." I also enjoy "Streamers" and especially "Secret Honor" from this period.
All of those films pale next to "McCabe and Mrs. Miller" from much earlier in his career. I viewed "McCabe" while taking a class on the Western. It was a knockout then, and my appreciation for it has only deepened with time, although it's not a film that I return to with frequency.
"Short Cuts" is another great film. I've gone from thinking it's a masterpiece, to thinking it's merely pretty good. I see some flaws in it now that I didn't when I first viewed it. An impressive achievement from a director who supposedly had his best work behind him at the time he made it.
After that, his 1990s projects all held interest for me, but none of them really came together. I own a copy of "Kansas City," hoping that one day it'll be reassessed and revered. But I'm afraid I won't be leading the charge; I just can't connect with anything in that film ... except that marvelous soundtrack, which alone is worth the $10 I paid for the movie!
The new millennium gave us "Gosford Park," which is magnificent. "A Prarie Home Companion" is lovely as well. I liked that one much better the second time I saw it.
Thanks for the post, Christian. I'll have to keep all this in mind as I work my way through his films.
You know, I actually watched over half of McCabe and Mrs. Miller, but then my Netflix disc died on me right around the time McCabe was hiding out in the church. The film paints a very unromanticized portrait of the West, and I admire it for that.
My Dad isn't a film buff per se, but he LOVES him some McCabe and Mrs Miller. We haven't really talked about what he responds to in it, but apparently he pulls it out and rewatches it from time to time. He's never been the type to rewatch movies he's already seen, so this film has a unique hold over him. My Mom responds strongly but negatively to the film; she watches it with him but recoils from the sexism and violence it portrays.
I've only seen it once (with Mom and Dad), and its reimagining of the frontier delighted and depressed me in equal measure. Aesthetically the film is a treasure, but the stuff my Mom hates about it disturbs me too.(Snow Spoiler Warning Ahead) Hated the superimposed snow near the end, but otherwise the look of the film is good enough to eat. If you haven't already, check out ther documentary Visions of Light, which has some interesting facts about how this film was lensed.
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