 
|
Audio Asylum Thread Printer Get a view of an entire thread on one page |
For Sale Ads |
|
|
Audio Asylum Thread Printer Get a view of an entire thread on one page |
For Sale Ads |
In Reply to: Re: Peter Greenaway posted by Victor Khomenko on March 19, 2004 at 08:28:07:
The " Contract.. " was in my view a fine piece of art!
Follow Ups:
I also liked THE DRAUGHTSMAN'S CONTRACT (interestingly, the French title translates as "Murder in an English Garden"), which according to most sources is the film that first brought Greenaway widespread attention as a director of feature films.I suppose one of the things that makes his work so appealing to me is that it exploits film for things that only film can do--superimposition of images and pictures within pictures (such as we see in PROPSERO'S BOOKS and THE PILLOW BOOK) are only two of the most obvious purely "filmic" techniques, but there are others. Take, for example, the deliberate continuity errors in COOK, THEIF when Helen Mirren's costume changes from red to white as she leaves the dining room and enters the bathroom. Or the way he plays with the physical setting of the play-within-a-movie in BABY OF MACON (some are inside the Church/Theatre, some are outdoors, others in different physical settings altogether such as the manger where the Bishop's son is killed.)
Quite apart from the visual style, however, are the thematic considerations. Greeanaway is well-versed in a number of idioms including medieval mysteries and morality plays, Elizabethan and Jacobean revenge plays, French "well-made plays" (there are never any loose ends in his movies), English murder mysteries... and a near-obsession with formalism (witness his many numbered lists and things like the menu cards announcing each "chapter" in COOK, THIEF).
I also feel a certain Brechtian influence, as one's suspension of disbelief is never fully engaged... his style, in and of itself, ensures this is so, without the need for explicit reminders that we are watching a film. In the end I think his films produce their effect chiefly on the aesthetic and symbolic levels; the emotional response is entirely in the eyes of the beholder. My interpretation of THE BABY OF MACON leaves me feeling more sad and cynical than outraged, because of what I perceive the message to be. I bristle at the violence in COOK, THEIF and then feel the intended catharsis at the end. I am unmoved emotionally by A ZED AND TWO NOUGHTS but I find its peculiar internal logic irresistible.
djprobed
First I must say that the quality of your review is what we are sorely missing here. You bring the best out of the shadow and lift it to the light. I wish that you would be an example here, and example that some would follow....
So, " English Gardens" have the reputation all over Europe to be the perfect showcase of a certain kind of jardening ( Jardin Anglais Englischer Garten in Munich, I may think that was the reason, to be more abordable in the pubic spirit than the original title for the changing of the guards. Maybe.
Recently I had in Paris, at the opera, a similar experience with a modern ballet( J. Cage music ) a mixe of real time dancers and moving pictures surimposed.
Greenway profound culture shine through.
And you gave me more lust to see all his other pictures I still havenīt.
Merci.
nt
djprobed
Typically, semi-chaotic Greenaway. It was fun counting down the numbers and noting all the references to numbers and games. Where he finds his concepts are beyond me--he seems to be the Anglo Fellini with the gobs of abstract notions collected together in the length of a single film.
But also quite forgettable.
This post is made possible by the generous support of people like you and our sponsors:
Top of Page ]
[ Contact Us ]
[ Support/Wish List ]
[ Copyright © 2024, Audio Asylum, all rights reserved ]
