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Three acts looking for a locomotive

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In Reply to: The most hilarious comedy in years posted by Victor Khomenko on October 05, 2003 at 07:00:46:

Victor,
I'm a big fan of "Mystery Train" also. I'm a person to whom the word "cool" will never apply, but I sometimes can recognize it when I see it- and "Mystery Train" is all over the job.
I would suggest to that it will seem even more wonderful if you see the entire movie through. The three acts join together near the end and suddenly there is a relationship between all the characters that centre on the hotel and Elvis. If you miss the collision of events that put all the scenes into the time perspective- and this is as well done as everything else- a lot of the clockwork cleverness is lost and the result might seem episodic and not much more.
This is in contrast to "Night On Earth" in which the episodes are really independent and stand alone. I could watch only the Begnini epsiode and forget the others for example.
As you say, the Japanese scene is wonderful, but the scenes of Jay Hawkins and the bellhop are side-splitting too, "How much would Elvis weigh on Jupiter?"
Overall, it's a wonderful and subtle view centred on foreigners: the Japanese students, the Italian woman whose husband has died, the Englishman known as "Elvis" and how they come up against American culture. A fresh look at America and the iconic, almost religious stature assigned to pop culture.
Fun AND smart!
I love train movies as trains (similar to ships) can be the island, serendipitous encounters, a "ship of fools", and catalysts of change, and/or symbolic of other kinds of journeys. "The Train" with Lancaster is one of the high points of the train genre.

Cheers,
Bam

Follow Ups:

We left when they got to the hotel. - Duilawyer 20:17:14 10/07/03 (2)
That was it. Better half voted "out" and over no objection, we left the theater. Wondering why we had gone.
- Re: We left when they got to the hotel. - Bambi B 17:18:01 10/08/03 (1)
  Dui,
  It's interesting that both you and Victor didn't watch the entire movie.
  Perhaps I'm easily entertained but I liked the atmosphere right away. Possibly you were responding to the very static, surreal, quality- nothing seems to happen but in a kind of beautiful way- that does need the right mood to enjoy. This would be the mood when we realize it's been too long since we attended a really great tea ceremony.
  But it was fun: I felt that the style communicated the strangeness that foreigners feel about something like the proto-religious cult around Dead Elvis. As someone from "out of town" to where I live, the depiction of foreigners- that awe of the strangeness- in the US seems almost always interesting.
  I would suggest trying it again when you're in a semi-David Lunch mood, but would rather see "Stranger than Paradise" -and in colour. But see it through- it's a fun kind of journey movie.
  Cheers,
  Bam
  - But be fair! - Victor Khomenko 17:20:56 10/08/03 (0)
    I enjoyed every second of what I saw, and I only turned it off because I was completely exhausted. OK, OK, I do promise to finish it!!!!!
From Family to Scola - the Train of thoughts - Victor Khomenko 06:52:16 10/06/03 (0)
Thank you Bam, I will definitely do it later.
"Train" was a good film, and I think it was Paul Scofield who stole it.
And funny enough - just yesterday my wife and I were talking about Burt - we discussed his "Gruppo di famiglia in un interno" and how it related to another great "family" movie, with another great actor: Vittorio Gassman in "La Famiglia".
Unfortunately Scola is not well known here, but his "Down and Dirty" is special masterpiece.

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