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Post by lilly on Jun 7, 2009 20:56:20 GMT
I watched this last night. Odd movie, though in keeping with what I've read about Peter Greenaway's dominant ethos in his early work with regard to storytelling, cinematography and art direction. Mind you, my angry feminazi ire was significantly raised at the fact that it's somehow considered perfectly acceptable to show chubby, middle-aged men without their clothes on, but gawd forbid the chicas are anything but young and hella skinny. *seethes, glares* And despite the fact Mr. Morrissey's role is not a sizeable one therein, it's certainly memorable nonetheless (though admittedly that's the reaction I've had with every single one of his projects I've viewed thus far--uhm, except for Derailed, perhaps). I must confess to once again making a phonetically-unintelligible noise at his character's first appearance--about 22 minutes in, if I remember correctly--and try as I might, I am unable to conclude this post with any words other than the following: NEKKID WIN!!  |
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Post by victoriao on Nov 22, 2009 17:09:17 GMT
I watched this as my Saturday movie last night. It’s one of those films that’s not easy to get hold of on DVD: I could only find it in a Scandinavian import, which was better than nothing but did mean dealing with intrusive subtitles in a choice of Danish, Swedish or Finnish, and unfortunately no option to switch them off altogether. More of a problem – and something I only realised afterwards – is that this edition of the film is in the wrong aspect ratio, so a strip is lost from either side of the frame – a major issue with a filmmaker like Peter Greenaway who composes every shot as carefully as a painting. I gather from IMDB that there’s a Japanese DVD that’s in the correct ratio, so other members of the forum looking for the movie might like to hold out for that one instead. I can certainly recommend it as I think this is a film that’s so dense and multi-layered that it’ll repay repeated viewings. I’ve seen very little Greenaway – only Prospero’s Books – so this was pretty much uncharted territory for me. It took me a few minutes to adjust to the distinctive tone of the film – the deliberate artificiality, stylized acting, and the playful references to numbers and game-playing - but as soon as I did I was completely absorbed. I also enjoyed the formal qualities of the film – the visual richness and the elegant symmetry of the structure of the story. I was surprised too that it was emotionally engaging– for some reason I expected a Greenaway film to be beautiful, cerebral, but very chilly, so I was taken aback that by the end I was genuinely moved and involved. Fine performances all round, too, so much so that I can’t single anyone out. A couple of links that might be of interest: the official Peter Greenaway site has a page about the film that includes supporting information and lots of screencaps; members of this forum might especially appreciate this one. There is also an interesting short documentary called Fear of Drowning in which Greenaway discusses the themes, symbolism and structure of the film. Finally, here is a sample of the wonderful Michael Nyman score. Mind you, my angry feminazi ire was significantly raised at the fact that it's somehow considered perfectly acceptable to show chubby, middle-aged men without their clothes on, but gawd forbid the chicas are anything but young and hella skinny. I know what you mean, but given that said chubby middle-aged men were not generally presented to advantage, another way of looking at it is that Joan Plowright and the other more mature, less skinny female cast members were fortunate in being able to keep their clothes on and emerge with dignity intact  Plus if we’re talking about equal opportunities nudity, I’d say that the lissom nakedness of young DM more than redresses the balance there  Yes, agreed 100% - he’s only in a handful of scenes but he makes an impression to be sure. Bit of a coup to get a gig like this for his first feature film role, too. That’ll be this…  LOL, yes. Unfortunate circumstances, but very much yes. He is quite extraordinarily beautiful in said sequence too. Here are a few caps – limited of course to ones that are U-rated and thus Photobucket-friendly. As ever, spoilers are inevitable, especially if you speak Swedish – though if you don’t and you want to learn the useful phrase ‘kiss my backside’– as an invitation rather than a retort – then now’s your opportunity          |
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Post by victoriao on Nov 22, 2009 17:20:38 GMT
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Plus if we’re talking about equal opportunities nudity, I’d say that the lissom nakedness of young DM more than redresses the balance there 
