Change Your Image
Mitch-51
Reviews
Topio stin omihli (1988)
Not Angelopoulos' Best
This is not Angelopoulos' masterpiece (as the DVD would like one to believe), but there are still sequences of enormous beauty and emotion (even if some seem more contrived than organic). In this piece, Angelopoulos readily excels in his portrayal of violence, which is really very disturbing. Angelopoulos is not so successful in relating to the young girl in quite the same, effective way that he handles her younger brother and the young actor going into the army. One is tempted to think this is because he avoids close-ups (especially in the scene where she yells at her uncle), but, on the other hand, the same visual style is applied to the other characters. Perhaps it is Angelopoulos' own personal inability to relate to the young woman's plight in the story. The ending, however, of "Landscape in the Midst," like, "The Travelling Players" is quite transcendent and unforgettable. Even with all of its flaws, this is still one of the most moving pictures ever.
And the Landscape Will Seem to Sway (2004)
Middle American Beauty
There's a subtle beauty in M. Bessa and M. Schwartz's "And the Landscape Will Seem To Sway" that becomes more and more tangible as the picture progresses. A dolly shot, pushing in on the main character inside the restaurant where he works; the introduction of an old man's voice-over, covering his world view, on the soundtrack; playing the scene in the supermarket exclusively over the little boy; the last shot; even the use of "The Book of Love" over the end credits... But it's Bessa and Schwartz's ability to find poetry in the seemingly vapid terrain on suburban Florida that strikes the collective emotional chord. One does not remember individual scenes from "And the Landscape Will Seem To Sway" so much as the emotional experience he/she discovers while seeing it.
That Moment: Magnolia Diary (2000)
Very Watchable, But Not Very Good
Paul Thomas Anderson makes a pretty engaging lead in this documentary about the making of "Magnolia," but the director, Mark Rance wastes a lot of running time. For example, we are treated to hearing an orchestra record the score, but why are there no scenes of Anderson and Jon Brion discussing the score? There are also scenes showing pre-production meetings, but apart from discussions about difficulties in scheduling the actors, the rest could be cut in favor of more Anderson/Robert Elswit footage. I would like to see a doc about Paul Thomas Anderson in the tradition of "Directed by Andrei Tarkovsky." I can't help but feel there is a better doc in the footage not used.