Reviews

There's a lot to say here about the performances of Juliette Binoche and Denis Lavant. Lavant is always good in Carax's films; here he is simply outstanding. And seeing Binoche play a character with dimension, for once, is a pleasure. The real surprise is Klaus-Michael Gruber whose Hans is perhaps the most believable aspect of the film.

But what draws me to this film--tied for best of what I've seen Carax do, along with "Mauvais Sang"--is the photography, sound and editing. Carax understands the use of image in narrative, and how to bring discordant scenes together to provide the sense of desperation needed to make this love story, so far removed from mainstream film romance, believable and engaging. From the opening soundtrack to the climactic scenes given over by his masterful use of jump cuts, Carax outdoes others, some long-established, who came late on the scene with these tools (Bertolucci; Soderbergh). What Carax started craft-wise with "Boy Meets Girl" he perfect in "Les Amants du Pont Neuf."

If Lavant, Binoche and Gruber are not reason enough to rent this film, then Carax's pictorial ideas, carried through with his incredible sense of craft, should more than suffice. Sad that the film has suffered so quietly without major recognition, when, clearly, others have borrowed from it so willingly.

She's water, he's fire, and if you expect to get more plot than this, forget it. This is very much a character and atmosphere piece, and the story that comes

together around Hidenori Sugimori's astounding visuals is powerful and well

told, without the typical (and western) dramatic elements that drive a narrative forward. The climatic scenes here are about texture, not tension.

I loved this film and felt it to be in the same strong but under-appreciated

showings of, say, Terrence Malick and David Gordon Green--filmmakers that

know something about light and sound and the importance of these to good

cinematic story telling. We should expect more from visual narrative, and Mizu No Onna doesn't disappoint; still, there's something missing here that takes

away from the elegance that might have been more fully achieved. I think it's in the attempt to find a beginning, middle and end to a story which should have

built quietly to an emotional intensity, then broke off, as happens in life.

Closure is a western psychological requirement (why denouement?); life is seldom so

neat. In trying to give too much mythic and story significance to its characters, the film undoes its own beautifully told story. The symbols of the Elements (fire, water) are everywhere, and they're not always given to us poetically. We're hit over the head with them, and more: we're given a village idiot, who will, in the best narrative tradition, foretell or undo; a strange demi-god. There's no need for any of this, especially since the visuals and sound do such a good job at giving over the story. Still, this is a powerful and successful effort.

Special mention goes to Yoko Kanno whose classically-drawn score completes

the powerful sight and sound experience.

I viewed this 3 min short as part of the 11 films selected for the 2000 Resfest disc. It's one of two standouts in the series, the second being Cath Le Couteur's "Starched."

What Katz offers here is a compelling moment of drama and pictorial beauty.

The animation is flawless, and the cinematic value--the depth and angular

beauty of downtown NYC--is really a wonder.

Don't miss a chance to see it, and, if possible, with Katz's commentary.

This is an astonishing film. Malick's pictorial sense--and his use of internal dialog and narration--is, in his three films, revolutionary. The aim here is to give a sense of each man's personal war at Guadalcanal, and Malick's use of voice- overs and his beautifully filmed cutaway footage succeeds brilliantly. The action scenes feel true, giving the full sense and throttle of battle without the false bravado of other war films. The fear feels real as does the desperate need for survival and triumph. Caviezel's Witt provides the viewer with a perfect mirror, and Sean Penn's counterpoint character, Sgt Welsh, is Witt's best foil. Nolte's Col Tall is also perfect.

But it's how Malick photographs and crafts his films that make them archetypes for other filmmakers like David Gordon Green and Darren Aronofsky. Go and

take a look at the first 10 minutes of this film. Listen to Witt's narration; watch the jump cut of the native woman laughing. It's about the best 10 minutes of film you're likely to find.