Reviews

Seeing this film, or rather set of films, in my early teens irrevocably changed my idea of the possibilities of human interaction and the range of potential experience. This monumental exploration of individuals, and their historical setting, reveals how full bodied and intense every human existence is. The people are portrayed as they are to themselves: their experiences of the smallest to the largest internal and external phenomena are detailed with the greatest of artistry and perception. Edgar Reitz displays a fabulous appreciation of human motivations and longings.

When these phenomena are set against the immense time allowed by the length of the work, one cannot help but apprehend the force and vivacity of happiness, defeat, lust, love, sadness, melancholy, that each person feels. When I saw these films I perceived my future experiences, how my life would inevitably twist and oscillate due to both intended and accidental events. I acquired a feeling of the longevity of being and what it meant to reflect upon past lives, memories and contexts. A masterpiece and a revelation. I only wish the BBC would screen it again.

If anyone knows where I can get a copy, could they contact me

Once again Hollywood money has bludgeoned the subtlety out of a promising idea. The first film was excellent due to the precision, and abundance, of comic insights obtained from the comparison of this decade and its trends and those of the late 60's. In highlighting the respective views of modernity and cool, Myers showed himself to be keenly observant of the futility and superficiality of much of Western culture. The greatest source of comedy, however, arose from Dr. Evil - a man gainfully trampling on the ideas of threat, fear, expense, fatherhood and emotional complexity prevalent in the movies of the earlier decade.

Once again in this sequel, Dr. Evil was the funniest character, producing situations similar to those of the first film. With the addition of 'Minnie-Me' (did I spell that correctly?), real comedy was achieved upon the performance of some of this decades' most popular songs. This appeared to be another swipe at cultural trends - with the insincerity and over-simplification of human issues inherent in these songs at once apparent in this context.

However, the use of the 'Minnie-Me' character is also symptomatic of this film's faults. The dwarf is a very old supposedly comedic idea, and has not aged well. Smaller people doing all things that others do, but smaller! The character has got a small suit, a small piano, he walks in a small way. You must be laughing by now. At least a little bit? Do I detect the bile of political correctness in my throat, a wiff of pungent modernity. Possibly. Regardless, I did not find that someone's smallness (and correspondingly childlike behaviour), in itself had the possibility of humour, let alone displayed it in this film.

I cite this as symptomatic of the film because it was an example of the repetition of a single simplistic idea. Another example would be the repeated use of "Yeah, Baby, Yeah". The humour at hearing this and other like comments in the first film arose from the surprise at its application - i.e. sex, disco. However by repeating the phrase over and over, the contextual surprise was lost. The application was unsparing and indiscriminate. One was meant to find find it funny, in itself. Another example would be Fat Bastard being fat, and Scottish. Oh, and also being called 'Fat Bastard'.

The only example of repetition which I found truly funny was Dr. Evil's use of 'LASER' - an apt comment on how new scientific language becomes accepted, after being initially cumbersome and misunderstood. I only realised how truly cumbersome the word was and how language has progressed after its abundant use.

This film has aimed for big money: which habitually means small ideas, small social comment, big repetition, low aspirations (or should that be libido). A shame, but Myers' talent will not be dimmed for long.