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La Voix Humaine (2022)
Goodness, what an incredible portayal of emotions
To start with I didn't know what to make of this. It seemed a little silly singing the phone call. However, as the call got underway I was gripped. This was helped because Danielle de Niese has, unusually for an opera, very clear diction without becoming artificial. Throughout the opera her emotions become more and more extreme and were utterly convincing. By the end the creation of total pathos was complete.
Bronenosets Potyomkin (1925)
Slow start, but a great second half
Battleship Potemkin is really a film of two halves. The first is a bit slow and sets the scene, showing the sailors mistreatment at the hands of their officers. Where it really livens up though, is once the action switches to the Odessa steps. Here the stirring music is the perfect accompaniment to the events and as the second half progresses a strong continual beating of the drum echoes the soldiers footsteps and indeed the heartbeats of the people you are watching. It helps build the tension until the drum is even syncing with your own heat beat as you become engrossed in the events. For me this is the true master stroke and the reason that I can let the first half go and still really recommend this film.
Rope (1948)
Can murder be Art?
Can murder be Art? Can people of higher intellect dispense with normal morals? Brandan and Phillip (John Dall and Farley Granger) believed so and decided to undertake a murder to demonstrate this. But art has to be seen to have value, so Rope centres around a small party attended by those close to the victim. Unbeknown to the guests, the food for the evening has been laid on the chest containing the victim's corpse. This was Phillip's idea to reinforce how clever they had been, particularly as one of the guests was Rupert (James Stewart), their former school master. Rupert was the inspiration for the murder and Phillip in particular looked up to Rupert's Nietzschen values, but felt that he didn't have the heart to put his words into action. Nevertheless, Phillip could't help but hint at what they had done throughout the party, in a way to seek his approval.
The cinematography throughout was good, particularly the illusion of one long shot. John Dall was excellent, but I did feel that Farley Granger's acting wasn't great and let the film down a little. Overlook, this last point and I think the film is an enjoyable watch that seems to fly by.