Reviews

This fine film appeared recently as part of a Chilean film festival at The National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C. It is a very moving portrayal of people caught up in struggles with a dictatorial society and harsh weather conditions. The romance between the two main characters serves as a fine example of how we all look for relevance in a world dominated by evil and natural forces.

The acting, the script, the cinematography and even the music are all superb. This is the type of film that you will rarely encounter from our Hollywood gristmill. Chilean filmmakers are obviously not afraid to confront their past and to deal with it by producing great artistic films. I have been going to this festival quite regularly and only hope that more people will get to see fine cinema from Chile. Highly Recommended.

This is simply a perfectly glorious documentary about a dance company that closed for business when I was only 18, therefore I never had the chance to see either version of the Ballets Russe. What amazed me the most is that the filmmakers were able to give me an overwhelming sense of nostalgia as if I had experienced these wondrous artists directly. I simply fell in love with all the ballerinas and all the danseurs. I look forward to probably buying a DVD of this when it is available.

Do yourself a favor even if you do not think you like the ballet and go see it anyway for this is a very human story of a different era in the world and in America. It is cultural history told with supreme wit and intelligence.

The National Gallery of Art showed the long-thought lost original uncut version of this film on July 10, 2005. It restores vital scenes cut by censors upon its release. The character of the cobbler, a moral goody-goody individual in the original censored release of 1933 is here presented as a follower of the philosopher Nietsze and urges her to use men to claw her way to the top. Also, the corny ending of the original which I assume is in current VHS versions is eliminated and the ending is restored to its original form. A wonderful film of seduction and power. Hopefully, there will a reissue of this film on DVD for all to appreciate its great qualities. Look for it.

This is one of most powerful interviews I have ever seen. Edward Said was a brilliant man with practical views on the Middle East and many other issues. I could hardly believe that the two hours was over when the film ended. I hope this will get TV exposure on PBS or some venue. More people should be able to benefit from the experience of this now deceased genius. If you get a chance to view this film, make sure you do. It is worth the effort.

The West had a tendency to downplay the value of Middle Eastern people such as the Palestinians. In this interview, as in his writing, he fought valiantly to change all that. He wanted to influence a change of U.S. and European foreign policy which has always favored Israel. But the film also includes pungent commentary on Verdi, Rossini and his experience hearing opera as a young man in Egypt where he was born and raised. His comments on his books including Memoirs, Orientalism etc. were also illuminating.

There are so many riches in this film, I can not even remember all of them and would love a chance to see the film again.

I just saw this much talked about film last evening. I came away underwhelmed. There is no way to have any emotional connections with any of the characters in the film. This film is, in fact, one long cartoon feature. There are too many overly clever and complicated subplots that take away from what the film is supposed to be about. Also, is it a war film with a romantic element or a romantic film with a war element? I must admit that I have no idea. It is a mishmash of silly unbelievable scenes with idiotic lines like " A dog's fart makes a glad heart" or something like that. Lots of inappropriate humor for what is advertised as a film in the time of war and it's effect on the survivors.

On the positive side, one must complement the filmmaker for being an entertainer and the cinematography is quite impressive. The scale of the film is also impressive and helps one sit through the film. But these things like so many high tech films these days can not replace the need to tell a story that grips the viewer because you care about the characters. Watchable but forgettable.

This film is a mess. Not only is the central puppy love story not very interesting, but plot point after plot point is left hanging. There is an aging aunt, for example, who is slapped at a dinner party and at another point is dragged by someone into a car. None of this activity is set up or explained to us. What really caused the problems between the parents of the young girl in the film? This is never explained. The film goes from being a story of deepening love between two adolescents to a story of quirky screwed up adults in the end. The filmmaker is obviously at this point in his young career out of his league. I saw this at the National Gallery of Art so I guess some people must see the benefits of viewing this film but I can not for the life of me see any reason to mount this film in any film festival.

There are some hints of the wonderful quirky satirical stuff we see later in his film, Songs from The Second Floor, which is brilliant, but this first effort is not worth viewing. Skip it at all costs.