Official Foreign Film Discussion Thread! COMPLETE WITH LIST!

[Movies205]

Well america produces a lot of films, more 'good' films than most countries, however the large number of countries out there producing film, means that statistically, they produce more god films. Although Korea is a good contender with hollywood, as is the hong kong scene, spain is up there too atm. I've seen more decent foreign fils this year, than american films.

Hong-Kong film produces a lot of stylistic films, Korea very viceral, and it goes on, each brings something interesting to the table, I personally don't rank any above the other and just judge a film indiviually.

 

[Hunter Rider]

Hong-Kong film produces a lot of stylistic films, Korea very viceral, and it goes on, each brings something interesting to the table, I personally don't rank any above the other and just judge a film indiviually.

I'll co-sign this and avoid getting into it

Question-have any of you seen french thriller 36 ?

 

[deathshead2]

I alwayss like hong kong movies they make feel more like art like there fight scenes unlike over here.

 

[Cyrusbales]

Hong-Kong film produces a lot of stylistic films, Korea very viceral, and it goes on, each brings something interesting to the table, I personally don't rank any above the other and just judge a film indiviually.

I agree, although if I had to name a fav country for film, it would be korea, there is a good variety of style and content. Wish I could say the same for british cinema, although we have a good indie scene and some amazing short film festivals, with great work!

 

[aaron]

Ive seen:

Seven Samurai
Rashomon
Amelie
Ikiru
City of God
Yojimbo
Aguirre, Wrath of God
Metropolis
Spirited Away
Nosferatu
Battleship Potemkin
Das Boot
Princess Mononoke
Amores Perros
Hero
Run Lola Run
Sanjuro
The Killer
Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon
High and Low

I've seen 20

 

[Movies205]

So college started, less time to watch movie, less of a chance to see diverse films, etc... College is now winding down, crank up the ol'movie machine... Here we are once again...

Persona
Directed by Ingmar Bergman
Rating: 9/10

z0mG I'm falling in love with Bergman's work. I've only seen two of his films so far: Seventh Seal and Persona. However, it's this particular piece that has drawn me into the fire, so to speak. It's funny since this movie has been sitting on my shelf for at least the last six months, it was the cover, it throws you off! However, I was in need of something new and different, and it being the only foreign movie in my collection, I hadn't watched yet, well let's just say it was my lucky day.

A young nurse, Alma, is put in charge of Elisabeth Vogler: an actress who is seemingly healthy in all respects, but will not talk. As they spend time together, Alma speaks to Elisabeth constantly, never receiving any answer. Alma eventually confesses her secrets to a seemingly sympathetic Elisabeth and finds that her own personality is being submerged into Elisabeth's persona.

I read once that Bergman disliked films that weren't entertaining. Perhaps this is why I'm so enthralled by Persona. Both Seventh Seal and Persona are incredibly deep films, however their also very entertaining. Persona iss only a hour and twenty minutes, so Bergman doesn't waste any time with scenes that are "purdy", every scene is important to the over-all plot.

Bergman complete control of the audience's perception is what makes Persona so gripping. In the beginning the perception is Alama is a nice nurse and Volger is just a harmless mute. Then Alma begins confessing all her sins to Volger, and you begin to think that Alma is the patient. Then the movie just turns it all on it's head, and Volger's deciet shows, and there something not right about her, she seems to be too in control for someone that's crazy. We're left with this lovely metaphore about the actor being a personality sucker and having none of her own. These lovely metaphysical questions of what is personality? Themes of repression and relationships. Then of course there's the ending which just leaves you completely mind ****ed because it takes you a while to process what actually happened.

Then of course there's the cinematography. The film is shot beautifully, the use of shadows and darkness is great. It truely becomes awesome when the two ladies personalities start to merge, and you have trouble telling them apart. My favorite shot though is in the climax when Volger is telling her story, and one half of her face is completely lit and the other half is completely darkened, and they look like two different faces. This movie ****ing rocks, so does Bergman!

 

[TEDDY]

I've seen...

3. Rashomon

6. The Bicycle Thief

13. City of God

35. Spirited Away

79. Hero

87. Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon

I got some work to do...

 

[Cyrusbales]

THE CREMATOR


The Cremator, is a Czech film made in 1968, a macabre and disturbingly beautiful film, charting a key event of the 20th century in a unique fashion, often forgotten over the course of time, this little gem of cinema is worth great attention.

Karl Kopfrkingl(Rudolf Hrusinsky) is a cremator, working in his "temple of death" he is a host for a few subversive and questionable urges. During the 1939 occupation of Prague, the Nazi party's increasing momentum captivates him as he slowly becomes drawn into their world, giving his desires and mindset more of a chance to explore his unique ideals and morale values.

Firstly, the direction is absolutely masterful, a completely imaginative use of camera angles and movement with some terrific framing adding an extra edge to the movie. The cutting between scenes is beautifully worked, shifting between one sequence and another, dragging us into Kopfrkingl's peverse world.

The performance from Hrusinsky is effortlessly superb, conveying the style and mannerisms of this derranged man bringing the character to life, a character that is in itself unlike any in cinema before or since.

Scoring is critical in this film, and is worked to a blissfully perfect level, building crescendo's and forming the artistry around the lead protagonists "work". At moments we urge for and share the wants of Kopfrkingl, drawn in by the melody of music and images, mastering the art of montage with grace and ease.

The Cremator is nothing short of a masterpiece, an original and disturbingly beautiful take on one mans obsession and ideals in a time of political change. Slightly surrealist throughout, directionis of the highest degree as is the rest of the film.

 

[cabel]

seen:

1. Seven Samurai (1954), Japan
directed by Akira Kurosawa
9. Ran (1985), Japan
directed by Akira Kurosawa
12. Persona (1966), Sweden
directed by Ingmar Bergman
35. Spirited Away (2001), Japan
directed by Hayao Miyazaki
19. Yojimbo (1961), Japan
directed by Akira Kurosawa
45. Nosferatu (1922), Germany
directed by F.W. Murnau
79. Hero (2002), China
directed by Yimou Zhang
87. Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000), Taiwan
directed by Ang Lee
3. Rashomon (1951), Japan
directed by Akira Kurosawa
11. Ikiru (1952), Japan
directed by Akira Kurosawa
20. Throne of Blood (1957), Japan
directed by Akira Kurosawa
27. Los Olvidados (1950), Mexico
directed by Luis Bunuel
28. Umberto D (1952), Italy
directed by Vittorio De Sica
30. Metropolis (1926), Germany
directed by Fritz Lang
66. The Hidden Fortress (1958), Japan
directed by Akira Kurosawa
70. Princess Mononoke (1997), Japan
directed by Hayao Miyazaki
80. Run Lola Run (1998), Germany
directed by Tom Tykwer
82. Sanjuro (1962), Japan
directed by Akira Kurosawa
94. Kagemusha (1980), Japan
directed by Akira Kurosawa

been meaning to see The Killer, Bicycle Theif

also seen:
Tokyo Drifter
King of Hearts
Band of Outsiders
Pan's Labyrinth

 

[War Party]

Here's the films I have seen:

2046
2LDK
3 Extremes
3-Iron
Battle Royale
8 1/2
A Bittersweet Life
The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari
Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon
Dead or Alive
The Devil's Backbone
Pan's Labyrinth
Gojira
Harakiri
Hero
High Tension
Ichi The Killer
In The Mood For Love
Iron Monkey
Fearless
Kagemusha
Kung Fu Hustle
Lady Vengeance
Memories of Murder
Moon Child
Night Watch
Old Boy
Nosferatu
Ong Bak Thai Warrior
Save The Green Planet
Seven Samurai
Shaolin Soccer
Suicide Club
Tae Guk Gi:The Brotherhood of War
Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance
Throne of Blood
The Protector
Curse of The Golden Flower
Yojimbo
Sanjuro
Cinema Paradiso
Band of Outsiders
Audition
House of Flying Daggers
Eyes Without A Face
Amelie
Run Lola Run
Ran
Y Tu Mama Tambien

Probably more, but most of these are based off my collection. But I can't remember too many of the ones I have seen that I don't own.

 

[Movies205]

All About My Mother
Directed by Pedro Almodóvar
Rating: 9/10

My opinion on this thread is that you should watch the movie without knowing anything about it, so take my word for it and go see the movie, read my review, then comment.
---

The beginning of the film completely catches one off guard especially with the title. It's why I stress not to read the review since it might cheapen the impact. But the beginning of the film, starts with a mother and son, who obviously deeply care each other however, there are some deep seated issues. Then fifteen minutes into the film, the son dies, and you're left with a big "WTF?" The character then leaves her town and moves back to a place she hasn't been since before her son was born to a mysterious past.

The film's most compelling point is how it asks some rather serious questions about society, women, and what "motherhood" means while never forgetting to tell the story. Each scene in the film perfectly fits, there are no preachy scenes, no ever inspiring monologue, just characters trying to deal with their problems. In many ways Almodóvar reminds me of Alexander Payne's writing style, in which he doesn't rely on movie-esque plot-devices to move the story, but simply the struggles and internal struggles of characters to move the plot along. However a key difference is that Payne's characters are deeply flawed and a lot of the times, tend to not be that great as people, or deeply confused and make some terrible choices. The characters in this film while flawed, never sacrifice their morality, even the mother comes through in the end.

The use of an all "female" cast is equally brilliant. This idea that in between the women is Agrado, the "man" turned woman. It really sort of blurs the line between man and woman. I like how each character represented a different type of woman, there was the nun, ****e, mother, actress, and junkee. In the end, the story asks some powerful questions while presenting a story that will keep you widely interested.

My only beef with the film would be with some of the cinematography choices, sometimes it was a bit too experimental. What it would do is create a disconnect because you start thinking about the shot rather than the movie and I didn't really like that. There are some other little things but that has more to do with my own sheltered existence, like all the talk about men with ***** really was kind of uncomfortable at times for me but again that's more of a personal gripe than one I can say against the film. All in All great film, and I'll need to check out more Almodóvar!

 

[Movies205]

Nights of Cabiria
Directed by Federico Fellini
Rating: 10/10

This is the third Fellini film I've seen, the other two being "La Dolce Vita" (1960) & "8½" (1963). I really can't rank them in order as to which is my favorite because there all masterpieces. Fellini is flawlessly able to touch on the darkness of the human soul while leaving you always with so much hope which is completely expemplify by this film. The story of this film is about an Italian prostitute who lives right outside of Rome, in the beginning scenes we see that her boyfriend has try to drown her, and run off with 40,000 lira, the rest of the film is her perusing the streets in search of love.

I post these screen captures of Giulietta Masina since her performance in this film is absolutely delightful, she has one of the most expressive faces I've ever seen committed to film, nor does it come off forced either, it's so natural. Maria 'Cabiria' Ceccarelli is in many ways a charicture of the Italian woman, opinionated, full of life, and will give it back to anyone who wants to start something but past her rough exterior is a hopeless romantic. There something very tragic to the character which is brought about through Fellini's masterful use of mise en scene in which he paints a realistic world with this very cartoony character stuck in it who sticks out like a sore thumb. Fellini claim to fame doesn't rest in quick edits, extreme angles, or those things but in his complete control of the frame. Every frame that is shot looks as if there's no attention place to it, ala "this is simply a restaurant" but if you look past the simplicity, you find that everything is meticulously constructed every detail feeding the story. What can I say other than see this movie, it's AMAZING

 

[Movies205]

Rashomon
Directed by Akira Kurosawa
Rating: 10/10

Rashomon (1950) is a Japanese crime drama, that is produced with both philosophical and psychological overtones. An episode (rape and murder) in a forest is reported by four witnesses, each from their own point of view. - Who is telling the truth? What is truth?

I've seen four or five Kurosawa flicks and love all of them. However this one might take the cake since I love Kurosawa's take on human morality, how in one sense or another all are out for themselves but in another human can show such an amazing capacity of care for a complete stranger. The first thing that catches my eye in this film is Toshirô Mifune, I loved him in Seven Samurai and I love him here. Rarely can I see someone switch from being completely ridiculous to completely serious while pulling it of convincingly. There's of course something to be said of the actress, the female character which the whole film hedges on. In each of the four stories the woman is fundamentally different, the character is vulnerable in one but in the other a cold calculating *****, and she pulls it off flawlessly. The rest of the cast is great as well since the most poignant part about this cast was they all in one way or another were playing multiple roles since the tale was told four times, the characters are radically different in each version, so the cast members had to make sure to play there parts different at the same time the same so it was believable, and all of them pull it off.

The use of the cinematography is excellent. During the trial, Kurosawa using a POV shot staring directly at who's telling the story, to give this eerie sense that we're the audience is one who must judge who's telling the truth. The way Kurosawa constantly puts things in the foreground such as tree branches and what not, constantly subtly reminding the audience that these folks are all alone in the woods. The shots of hte piercing sun, the use of lighting... All of this is a perfect example of film-making at it's finest since everything is working in complete harmony, Rashomon is a sum of it's parts, and it's amazing .

 

[Movies205]

Seventh Seal
Directed by Ingmar Bergman
Rating: 8/10
Second Viewing

A Knight and his squire are home from the crusades. Black Death is sweeping their country. As they approach home, Death appears to the knight and tells him it is his time. The knight challenges Death to a chess game for his life. The Knight and Death play as the cultural turmoil envelopes the people around them as they try, in different ways, to deal with the upheaval the plague has caused.

There are certain movies your suppose to love, this happens to be one of them. Compared to the other Ingmar Bergman movie I've seen, Persona, it's not as good. There are a lot of different kind of director and it really depends on your background, Ingmar Bergman comes from a writing/acting background so his films focus more on performance than say breaking the rules of cinema. A great example of this would be Crash (2005), a lot of long takes to allow the actors to fully exemplify the scenes. Now this has it's advantages and disadvantage, on the one hand if it's good scene then it allows an actor to really grasp the audience attention and take it all the way. However, if it's a mundane scene, it's going to drag quite a bit. And that's the problem I have with "Seventh Seal" there's a few scenes which try too hard to be meaningful and drag.

Often times people will cite this as a terribly pretentious film however I have to strongly disagree. While it's true some scenes feel completely useless other than to talk to the audience in some eloquent soliloquy, the message about mortality, religion, and being trapped is as poignant as ever. There is a scene where the Knight goes to confess his sins, the camera is beautifully position in a medium shot with the Knight and Death(the knight does not know he's confessing to Death), and you can just so feel the anxiety of the Knight as confesses to wanting to know the truth about the universe, the tension the audience feels as they see the knight give up all his secrets to Death, it's amazing scene.

The cast are all excellent, whether it be the blunt but ever so painfully wise Squire, the troubled Knight, malicious yet comedic Death, and the myriad of other roles. The acting definitely does seem very stage-influence, however the exaggerations and more melodramatic works in the film's favor since it has a very subtle dab of black humor to it, and makes it entertaining to watch especially since the film is all about death. So in the end, if you're religious, a film-buff, or simply a fanatic about death you wouldn't do too bad watching this film.

 

[Movies205]

Daughters of Darkness
Directed by Harry Kumel
Rating: 7/10

“Daughters of Darkness” by Harry Kumel is an interesting experiment, it seems to push the definition of the vampire. Truly this is really what will make or break the film for most, whether one can push past the preconceived notions of the vampire, and allow for a new interpretations of the vampire.

A chic, good-looking and suitably 70's couple arrive at an extravagant and deserted seaside hotel after eloping. Stefan is wealthy and happily English, with a hidden streak of sadism, while Valarie is intelligent but of inferior (Swedish) blood. To keep her with him at the eerie hotel he lies consistantly about his relationship with his mother and his plans to tell her of their marriage. Meanwhile he has mysterious phone conversations with an older, dominant and pampered sissy. Two fresh guests arrive; the Hungarian countess, Elizabeth Bathory and her voluptuous protege, Ilona. Virgin corpses begin showing up about the city drained of their blood. A wary detective lurks around the hotel taunting his only suspect, the Countess.

The camera work is fabulous dealing with a very constrained color scheme and a very regimented cinematography. Alternating between long shots and close ups, while completely cutting out the medium shot, it gives off that eerie sense of distance between the characters with splices of intimacy. There such a precision in the camera work that perhaps it’s reason enough to watch the film. For example, there’s a scene with the Countess’ secretary in the background apologizing to the Countess, which is followed by the Countess shutting the door. The scene obviously representing the Countess’ power over her secretary and her sealed fate. Then later on in the film, the same shot composition is used with Valarie in the secretary’s position. So the cinematography is fantastic.

However it’s in the film’s plot where things go awry. The film’s plot advocates a very abstract reading since it fully realizes it’s themes, however many plot points go unsolved or unchecked. Earlier I said that the film challenges the idea of the vampire since no where in the film is there a definite answer on whether there is anything supernatural to the Countess. However, the Countess seems to have a power of possessing people and a wake of death follows her. Stefan represents a very gross interpretation of the male, controlling, brooding, and worst of all sadistic, with a very chilling scene where he beats his wife. Herein lies the ultimate problem with the film is that it’s abundantly clear what the film is trying to say, however at times it feels forced. For example, in the beginning of the film we are presented with a loving couple, then in one swift scene Stefan turns into a sadistic woman beating husband. Another point is that we’re told about the deaths of virgin girls in the nearby town, hell the camera work even alludes to them being the undead, however there never addressed again. Another plot point is the concierge and this detective dude who happens to show up in a couple of scenes, they never get resolved.

In the end all that seemed to matter was simply resolving the three-way love triangle between the Countess, Stefan, and Valarie. And it’s truly stirring to see such control come to a head. However by the time you get to the last 30 minutes, you’ve completely lost any sense of empathy you’d have for the character, I completely lost all interest in the character since I could no longer relate to any of them. Leaving to a rather long 30-40 minutes. However, there’s a really stirring commentary within this film about power/control, as well as an awesome ending and final shots… So it really wouldn’t feel right giving it any less that a 7, but I can’t give it anymore than a 7... So if your into film, it’s an interesting film to check out.

 

[Cyrusbales]

All about my mother is pretty decent, although I wouldn't rate it that highly, it has a near perfect first act, however it does lose it's power and presence after that, the attention to cinematics and colour representation are nice though, not his strongest film in my mind though. If I were to rate it, I'd put it around the 7 catergory.

 

[Movies205]

All about my mother is pretty decent, although I wouldn't rate it that highly, it has a near perfect first act, however it does lose it's power and presence after that, the attention to cinematics and colour representation are nice though, not his strongest film in my mind though. If I were to rate it, I'd put it around the 7 catergory.

I disagree, the story in my opinion was brilliant. Come on the nun who sleeps with a god-damn transvestite? It was quite moving IMO... Especially the end when the transvestite returns to see his kid, when the mother takes the child and is given a second chance... I thought it was great.

 

[Cyrusbales]

I just didn't find myself compelled by the characters, and the story seemed like it was trying to hard to be outlandish, by no means is a '7' from me bad, the majority of films I see hit about a '4'. Talk to her is superior, as better performances(yea, AAMM has a great central performance, but I didn't like the supporting stuff).

I like Almodovar's way of taking a subject matter I find dull or hate, then make something good out of it. Although Live Flesh and Talk to Her have better subject matters, which is why they're really good, obviously Talk to her showed he'd finally nailed his style down to a tee! Wonderous stuff, I wrote a paper on AAMM for some film group a while back, it's effort analysing Almodovar's work when it's so intricate.

 

[Movies205]

The Bicycle Thief
Directed by Vittorio De Sica
Rating: 9/10

If there ever was a film that was a must-see, it most likely would be “The Bicycle Thief” (1948). It’s a film that has touch the hearts of generations as well as inspiring film-makers for generations to come. One can easily see the influence De Sica had on Fellini especially early on with the film Nights of Cabiria (1957) in terms of mise en scene. I actually can draw correlations to the film style of “The Bicycle Thief” to the Exorcist as well.

Antonio Ricci, unemployed for over two years, is overjoyed when he's finally given a job putting up posters. There's a catch, though - he needs a bicycle as a requirement of the job, so he pawns the family linen to get a pawned bicycle back. He goes off to his first day's work, truly happy for the first time in years - and the title of the film gives away what happens next…

The most striking thing about “The Bicycle Thief” (1948) is what a charming film it happens to be, within the first five minutes you’ve fallen in love with the characters. This has to do with De Dica’s choice of going anti-classical Hollywood. The film was shot mostly on location, used amateurs actors instead of professionals, and most of the lighting is all natural. The combination of these choices produces a very realistic effect, it allows you subconsciously to believe this film is in a way true. This is the epitome of mise en scene film-making, everything about the film is relayed through shot composition. The reason I said you can see the correlations to Fellini’s work is because the shot compositions, very often look like a camera was just set down and started rolling which gives it that realistic feeling. However, if you just press the pause button on any scene and look at the shot composition, you’ll see everything is very carefully framed. The shots are all balanced, characters are centered, etc, very much like a Fellini film.

The acting in “The Bicycle Thief” (1948) is stupendous. The perfect word to describe the acting is genuine, it’s very much in line with the naturalistic acting of today’s cinema world which is most likely why it holds up so well. Every emotion that crosses Antonio Ricci’s face is so well choreograph and well felt, his son just radiating with innocence, the film’s acting is top notch. The only fault I can cite to this film is the script starts to lose it’s pacing in the last third of the film, as it starts to just wander all over the place with no where to go, which leads to a somewhat sluggish pace compare to the speedy first half. However, I can see how this was an obvious problem given the nature of the story. In conclusion, “The Bicycle Thief” (1948) is a great film and I advise everyone to see it!

 

[Movies205]

Nosferatu: Phantom der Nacht (1979)
Directed by Werner Herzog
Rating: 7/10

Nosferatu: Phatom der Nacht is a remake of the landmark silent film Nosferatu, a Symphony of Horror (1922). The original Nosferatu (1922) was part of a group of films during the 1920s made by German Filmmakers called expressionism. Expressionism is a highly symbolic and surreal genre, relying heavily on darkness, shadows, etc. Expressionism is the beginning for Classic Horror in Hollywood, considering many of Germany’s film-makers were literally imported to Hollywood to work on Universal Monster films. The original Nosferatu is a very important piece of cinematic history, so the remake in many ways is very academic in it’s intent. The remake asks the question of what would the film be like if it were in color, widescreen, and had sound. Understanding and recognizing this is crucial when watching Nosferatu (1979).

Jonathan Harker is sent away to Count Dracula's castle to sell him a house in Virna, where he lives. But Count Dracula is a vampire, an undead ghoule living of men's blood. Inspired by a photograph of Lucy Harker, Jonathan's wife, Dracula moves to Virna, bringing with him death and plague... An unusually contemplative version of Dracula, in which the vampire bears the cross of not being able to get old and die.

Cinematically Werner Herzog did an amazing job updating Nosferatu for modern cinema aesthetics while remaining faithful to the source material. I was most taken by is the stark contrast between the day and the night that is created. For example when Harker first comes to Dracula castle at night, there’s a very isolated feeling. Due to the fact that darkness enshrouds all around, there’s shots of Dracula’s face where all you see is his face due to the darkness, also Herzog use of extreme angles at night. Then during the day it’s as bright as can be and Herzog employs quite a few long shots, and there doesn’t seem to be an end to the castle. There is this feeling of no escape at night which is driven home when Dracula bites Harker and he’s locked in his room. The sequences of the city are great as well, especially with the rats. Constantly throughout the film there are visual reminders that there’s no escape. There’s a poignant scene where Lucy is walking through the city and she swarmed by pallbearers with coffins.

The way Dracula looks and acts is my favorite part of the movie. I love the idea of Dracula and vampires as creatures of the night instead of the suave talking gentlemen. The rest of the cast does fine in their roles. However, I was curious as to why the actors spoke in English instead of German since I believe it is a German film along with the fact that all the actors had German accents?

So where does the movie not exactly hit the mark? It’s way too close to the source material to the point where certain scenes just lack any energy especially for those who have seen the original film. The story has been done so many times that I barely watched the first fifteen minutes because I knew exactly what it was about. Which leads to my next point that certain things work in a silent film that don’t work in a “talkie”. The first being the way time moves in a silent film, silent films had the very subtle advantage of being able to manipulate time anyway the artist saw fit. Since essentially anything could be stuck on a title card and the audience would accept it. So instead of having a five-minute scene setting up love interests, you can have a less than minute scene between two lovers and a title card. This is very evident in Nosferatu (1979) in the beginning where it seems like nothing happens till he gets to Dracula castle. Also looking at the runtime of the original Nosferatu which is 90 minutes and the runtime of the remake is 120 minutes, you can see that more time was needed, especially since story-wise the two are almost exactly the same.

In conclusion the film is of academic interest due to it’s mastery of craft and it’s asking of some interesting questions about the timelessness of film while at the same time it’s unable to reach the heights of the original. I’d give it a rent if you’re a fan of the original since it definitely is lovely to watch in conjunction with the original.

 

[Movies205]

I watched La Dolce Vite again last night for the second time last night, breathtaking. Something occur to me though as I watched it since I just watched Fargo again the night before. Something that seperates the average from the great film autuers is that style you come to appriciate from them.

The character Marcello is a flawed character to the point where one could call him a narcistist who only cares about himself. However Fellini takes us past such judgements and reminds us of what we're all searching for which is love and Marcello's journey throughout rome and the various women he meets highlights this. The "american doll", the rich lady, the crazy with love fiance, or the young girl he meets in the restaurant. Such a powerful film with so many messages however what's great about it is the fact it doesn't pound it in your face, it lets you come to whatever conclusions you like.

The girl I was watching it with turned to me and asked,

Spoiler

Oh my god why did that man kill himself and his kids

It doesn't simply giftwrap answers for the audience which is something I greatly appriciate from the film.

Fellini = God , N'UFF Said