recent movies
black narcissus: 8 out of 10
this movie is about nuns trying to successfully run a convent in india but thwarted by their inner passions supposedly brought out by the exotic environment. if you're interested in a movie that exists in 'the other', 'primitive/barbarian natives', 'the exotic orient', and 'the mysterious, unknowable east' tropes, this is it--a time capsule into the thoughts of mid 20th century western imperialists. aside from that, the movie's cinematography (which won an oscar for color cinematography--they had both black and white and color awards for this, since it was the early days when color was first introduced) is luscious and the saturated colors are as much a part of the plot as the dialogue and acting--they bring the pictures to life and accentuate the emotions of the characters, especially in the feverish climactic scene. another more impressive feat is that this movie was completely shot in a studio, not on location in india. finally, i was surprised at the movie's naughty sexual innuendoes regarding the nuns, subtle digs at organized religion. Filmed in 1947, I expected it to be more innocuous.
easy rider: 7 out of 10
another time capsule type movie, this time of the liberating 60's. i liked the paranoid story of a couple friend's trying to live freely, but in the end unable to due to the squares of society. it's a movie with a political message and a critique of american society, almost didactic in its message(there are dialogues that seem like the words coming out of the characters' mouths are not theirs, but a summary of the liberal slogans of the time). didn't like the drug inspired editting. i usually hate editing that calls attention to the hand of the editor and distracts you from the world of the movie and which has no purpose other than aesthetics.
this movie is about nuns trying to successfully run a convent in india but thwarted by their inner passions supposedly brought out by the exotic environment. if you're interested in a movie that exists in 'the other', 'primitive/barbarian natives', 'the exotic orient', and 'the mysterious, unknowable east' tropes, this is it--a time capsule into the thoughts of mid 20th century western imperialists. aside from that, the movie's cinematography (which won an oscar for color cinematography--they had both black and white and color awards for this, since it was the early days when color was first introduced) is luscious and the saturated colors are as much a part of the plot as the dialogue and acting--they bring the pictures to life and accentuate the emotions of the characters, especially in the feverish climactic scene. another more impressive feat is that this movie was completely shot in a studio, not on location in india. finally, i was surprised at the movie's naughty sexual innuendoes regarding the nuns, subtle digs at organized religion. Filmed in 1947, I expected it to be more innocuous.
easy rider: 7 out of 10
another time capsule type movie, this time of the liberating 60's. i liked the paranoid story of a couple friend's trying to live freely, but in the end unable to due to the squares of society. it's a movie with a political message and a critique of american society, almost didactic in its message(there are dialogues that seem like the words coming out of the characters' mouths are not theirs, but a summary of the liberal slogans of the time). didn't like the drug inspired editting. i usually hate editing that calls attention to the hand of the editor and distracts you from the world of the movie and which has no purpose other than aesthetics.
posted by christopher sly at 12:00
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home