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...and once more, with feeling... Once is the finest movie about making music, ever made.
It even excels Intimate Lighting and The Brothers Mozart.
The two main characters, a boy and a girl, meet on the street, he singing for loose change and she a listener (and musician too, it develops). They strike up an acquaintance that soon becomes a musical partnership, and from there the film takes flight.
The songs (most of them) were actually written by (and are performed here by) the two stars,Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova, and as the story unfolds it dawns on us that the music we see them composing on-screen also is about their developing love. Therefore this movie is -- yes! -- a musical! But the music springs so naturally from their talents and from their affection for each other, that no genre cliche ever arises.
And what music! This is great writing, great tunes, great performance. After ten minutes I realized how moved I had already become, and from the extended scene in the musical instrument shop onwards I gave myself up most willingly for the duration. Not only that, for the first time since Black Orpheus I will buy the soundtrack album.
One brickbat: At the independent Coolidge Corner Cinema, which has a very respectable sound system, the sound was trebly and digital-edgy, probably from the track itself; I fear for the CD, but we shall see.
Bouquets: As best I could tell, the music was performed in long takes, and live; either that, or the post-pro was truly magnificent. Cinematography and cutting were both highly natural. As for lighting direction -- lighting directors are a huge blemish on the industry and ought to have their eyes put out -- at night (just for instance) the illumination seemed to be a 40-watt bulb, with dynamic range supplied by occasional vehicle headlights. Beautiful! (These low levels might produce some problems on the DVD.)
Four stars, five, however many there are to give, this one gets them all.
clark
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Topic - Once... - clarkjohnsen 13:08:28 05/27/07 (4)
- Saw this earlier and still feeling emotional... - sjb 19:33:19 05/28/07 (3)
- Yes, that staying-through-the credit-roll is a sure sign of quality. However... - clarkjohnsen 07:32:09 05/29/07 (2)
- People applauded at the end and again after the credits. nt - sjb 07:53:14 05/29/07 (1)
- Yay! nt - clarkjohnsen 08:07:11 05/29/07 (0)
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