Films/DVD Asylum

Posted by Victor Khomenko (M) on April 07, 2004 at 14:20:20

I saw it again just a couple days ago. All four hours of it. With great pleasure.

We had the brief discussion of it a few days ago and back then I expressed the opinion that Rod Steiger gave us the best Napoleon in the movies.

I have to tell you that watching Albert Dieudonné in 1927 Abel Gance' film is a tremendous joy. The two are so different, yet we are incredibly happy they both exist - they both made the world richer.

In my memory the impression of the film was already fading somewhat, so it was good to refresh it. And I fell in love with it again.

The acting and the director's touch are so poignant that you hardly barely this is a silent film. You get quickly absorbed into what's happening on the screen and the expressive force of it is so strong you hardly need any words... of course being familiar with that part of history helps a lot... plus having a willing "clarifier" by my side also contributed to the overall enjoyment. Talking about my wife, of course, who is filled with that period's facts, names, ... was gonna say "dates" - but no, dates have never been her strong point... women... So I was able to skillfully plug in a few dates here and there, just to maintain my standing in the family. Looks like it indeed takes too. We do tend to remember different facts, and together they create fuller picture.

How sorry we all should feel that Gance never did the other five parts of the planned 6-part epic...

Simply a tremendous film.