Films/DVD Asylum

Posted by rhizomatic (A) on October 20, 2004 at 12:02:34

Hey VK,

Signed up for Netflix and our first three are Khomenko-recommended films from a while back: Underground, Black Robe, Family Resemblances. I think the next two or three are from the same list as well...

Watched Black Robe. I thought it was good...I thought it got better as the film went on, especially on a technical level (seemed to be some dubbing issues early on) and with regards to the acting. The costumes and sets were excellent, though everyone still looked too pretty and I think maybe the film looked too clean, which is an issue for me with 'period' films. But it was a good story. I came away, though, wondering what Beresford thought his film was about. For most of it it seemed to be a rather well-managed story about the clash of competing myths and cultures, but right near the end it seemed to veer off into a kind of Christian apologetics, which I thought was strange because the burden of responsibility pretty clearly rested with 'Black Robe' himself, or the system he represented. Like a beneficent Aguirre, in a way. But the lead actor did a fine job of portraying a crisis of faith too shell-shocked to either give in or resist altogether. By the end I felt like he really was persevering--and he understood himself to be--out of sheer belief rather than any metaphysical saving grace. I'm reading a book right now on the forcible education of native Americans, so there were alot of parallels...

Watched half of Family Resemblances. I don't like ever breaking films up, but we were both exhausted, more than we thought we were, so we had to call it a night. I liked what I saw, although I feel like it was just beginning to reach a point of real density of involvement, so we'll see...maybe we'll just start it over.

Saving Underground for last, I'm really excited about it. Couldn't commit to a three-hour movie last night, but I read a bit about it in this biographical dictionary of film we bought, and it sounds great.

Another name I came across in said dictionary: Chris Marker. Seemed like the sort of person I should've known about by now. Know his work?

Ozu is on the horizon. For some reason I seem to recall that you aren't a fan of Ozu, is that right?

Anyway, thanks for the recs. I'll be knocking on your door again in a couple weeks time, probably, but stay on hand so I can keep you abreast of my progress...

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