tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8785859730868628316.post6355481560482611869..comments2024-02-10T01:22:29.316-08:00Comments on Hugo Stiglitz Makes Movies: DVD Review: Le Cercle RougeKevin J. Olsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17275402809912728035noreply@blogger.comBlogger6125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8785859730868628316.post-4643717468554482272009-05-13T22:45:00.000-07:002009-05-13T22:45:00.000-07:00Samuel:
First, let me just thank you for stopping...Samuel:<br /><br />First, let me just thank you for stopping by and taking a look at the blog, not to mention taking the time to leave such a great comment.<br /><br />As Melville's films go, you're absolutely right when you say he is one of the most "effective cinematic storytellers". I couldn't agree more. Le Samourai still stands as one of the most hypnotic films to come out of the New Wave movement. <br /><br />I especially like this part of your comment:<br /><br />"The writing and the performances he elicits commit you completely to every detail of a deceptively invisible style that doesn't hide a distinctive, powerful sensibility."<br /><br />Wow. What a wonderful way of summing up Melville's nuanced stylings.<br /><br />Thanks for the Malle recommendations. I'm going to add them to my Netflix queue pronto. I look forward to watching them.<br /><br />Thanks again for stopping by and commenting. I hope to see you around here on a regular basis -- it's always great to have intelligent commentators like yourself adding to the discussion and making this blog a better place.Kevin J. Olsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17275402809912728035noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8785859730868628316.post-26625829490787671032009-05-13T22:26:00.000-07:002009-05-13T22:26:00.000-07:00Kevin, you sum up Melville's virtues quite nicely....Kevin, you sum up Melville's virtues quite nicely. I think it needs to be recognized that he was one of the most effective cinematic storytellers ever. His films are minimalist yet immersive. The writing and the performances he elicits commit you completely to every detail of a deceptively invisible style that doesn't hide a distinctive, powerful sensibility.<br /><br />Let me also step in to recommend "Elevator to the Gallows" and <I>Lacombe, Lucien</I> as must-see Louis Malle films.Samuel Wilsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00934870299522899944noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8785859730868628316.post-64380617283292658892009-05-07T22:16:00.000-07:002009-05-07T22:16:00.000-07:00Well Sam, you've outdone yourself again. Thanks s...Well Sam, you've outdone yourself again. Thanks so very much for the kind words. Like I've said numerous times, it's comments like yours, and the always worthwhile dialogue you add to the conversation, that make this blog such a joy.<br /><br />You're right on about Melville can take a simple stroll down the street interesting...which took my mind to the new Jarmusch film. It's dividing its viewers big time, and it sounds like the film is essentially one long stroll down a street. I'm still very excited to see it, though.<br /><br />And yes we are in agreement with Goddard. At least he's not as polarizing a director for us as Stanley Kubrick seems to be (haha, based on one of our recent conversations here about A Clockwork Orange), and I will proudly line up with camp who champions his work; however, when compared to Melville it's easy, in this blogger's eyes, to see who stands tallest.<br /><br />And make no mistake: I love the New Waver's. Truffaut's Jules and Jim is one of the first French films I ever saw and I fell in love with it immediately. Sadly I am not well versed in Malle. Perhaps you have some obvious choices for me to add to my Netflix queue -- after all I have you to thank for pointing me towards Le Cercle Rouge.Kevin J. Olsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17275402809912728035noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8785859730868628316.post-66519198738287870052009-05-07T19:23:00.000-07:002009-05-07T19:23:00.000-07:00Congratulations Kevin on an altogether extraordina...Congratulations Kevin on an altogether extraordinary treatment of this seminal New Wave masterpiece. I am hardly surprised, taking into account your passion and superlative writing talents. To have written such a magisterial examination of this rather difficult film at 2:00 in the morning is simply remarkable.<br /><br />"There’s a certain kind of aura to Jean-Pierre Melville’s films; a kind of gravitational pull that sucks you into the story and places you in the most wonderful kind of reverie."<br /><br />What a masterly way to put it. It's quite true, methinks, that Melville's film works in a way that few filmmakers can emulate. He's one of the few that can make a simple stroll down a street a fascinating event, and simple behavioral patterns hold eternal intrigues.<br /><br />"The film is also a masterpiece in mis-en-scene. Consider the still above....."<br /><br />Indeed Kevin, indeed. And you've completed an exhaustive examination of the narrative thrust of the film and all the trademark Melville touches, like the holding of a cigarette and the "connection" of the characters as you brilliantly explain here:<br /><br />"That attitude and style elevate it from being simply a morose, existential character study about the loneliness of criminals (although that is definitely lurking in Melville’s films, especially Le Samourai). Melville, more than anything else, seems interested in the camaraderie, the friendship of this rag-tag group of criminals that occurred through mere happenstance."<br /><br />And I have to tip my cap to you for this smashing passage:<br /><br />"The plot is intricate, but executed in the most simplistic, minimalist way possible – that is not to say that the film isn’t deep; rather, its simplicity allows for those wonderful moments of contemplation I alluded to earlier: where the viewer is drawing their own conclusions and creating their own past histories for these characters. The film contains scene after scene of brilliantly understated coolness. It all leads to one of the most brilliantly executed and taut heist scenes I’ve ever seen in a film – all without the aid of post production or unnecessary expository dialogue during the scene. The heist scene is at least 30 minutes long, but the scene is filmed as if the viewer were doing the job with the criminals. It’s highly effective and never boring; it’s definitely the highlight of the film, and Melville didn’t have to ‘sex’ up the scene to make it more ‘interesting’ or ‘entertaining’ for the viewer – he trusts the scene to be interesting enough to keep the viewer on the edge of their seat."<br /><br />Wow wow wow, great writing, astute insights. I must say as a huge fan of this film for years that I couldn't agree with you more. It's certainly the greatest hesist scene in any film, far greater than those recent commercial films you mention, and eclipsing even Stanley Kubrick's THE KILLING, Jules Dassin's RIFIFI and Quentin Tarantino's RESERVOIR DOGS. In neither of those other films (and all are great within their own parameters of course) is the viewer so immersed in the common place. But this is Melville's gift. I must rank that first 30 minutes as one of the greatest extended sequences in the history of the cinema. And I most assuredly share yours (and Troy's) love for LE SAMURAI as well, and resognize the sphere of its influence.<br /><br />As far as the discussion of the New Wave masters, which spilled over into the comments, I can't really oppose you here. Godard is not always easy to take, and some of his films leave me cold, while others evince various strains of pretension. Truffaut did have three masterpieces, and Malle has several exceedingly good films. But melville is standing tall now in this group with only Godard being favored by some of the intelligensia, including some bloggers we both admire.<br /><br />Thanks for writing this fantastic film and for reminding me what a masterpiece we have here.Sam Julianonoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8785859730868628316.post-32542964462665520812009-05-07T15:33:00.000-07:002009-05-07T15:33:00.000-07:00Troy:
You're right on about the pacing of this fi...Troy:<br /><br />You're right on about the pacing of this film. Melville's deliberate pace allows the viewer to ease into comfort and enjoy the ride -- there's nothing jarring or nerve-racking about the film, but the film still has greatly executed scenes of tension.<br /><br />I like your comparison to Hitch as I think you're onto something about his films and their influence on how Melville utilized silence as a tool for tension. The way the camera wanders throughout Melville's films is reminiscent of some of Hitch's best moments in films like Notorious and Suspicion.<br /><br />Ghost Dog probably was based more on Le Samourai, but I was getting at a more general feeling in Jarmusch's films...that's where I see Melville in Jarmusch's films (and it especially sounds like that's the case with his newest film The Limit's of Control, which seems to really be polarizing critics. Ebert was brutal to the film, giving it a half star rating!).<br /><br />I think watching Ghost Dog and The Killer along with Le Samourai would be a fun exercise. It's been awhile since I've seen Woo's film.<br /><br />Finally, you're right about Godard and Melville in comparison to each other. Godard is someone I've always admired (how can you not as a film lover), but he's also someone I've never got along with. I don't much care for his films, and I've never cared to watch them multiple times - like most French New Wave I find him pretty pretentious at times. This is why I prefer the subtlety and nuanced filmmaking style of Melville over all other New Waver’s.Kevin J. Olsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17275402809912728035noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8785859730868628316.post-49154891893795653512009-05-07T14:38:00.000-07:002009-05-07T14:38:00.000-07:00You covered so much of why the movie is great that...You covered so much of why the movie is great that I'll just ditto your general remarks on the film.<br /><br />What's great about Melville is the relative ease with which you can get into his movies. French New Wave is something of an acquired taste and Melville is a great introduction to some of the styles and themes prevalent in those films. <br /><br />Maybe this is a poor example, but I think of Godard's <I>Pierrot le fou</I> as a somewhat contemporaneous movie to compare with Melville's, and Melville comes out way ahead in terms of subtlety, narrative, and ease of following (assuming that's what does it for you. Godard's film is still quite good). <br /><br />In fact, the director I find myself twinning him with is actually Hitchcock -- although it could simply be nothing more than the fact they are two of my favorite directors. Still, the best part of both directors films are just how effective they are at using pacing, silence, and the camera to extract tension.<br /><br />Your point about the film making cigarette smoking look so cool is dead on. I wish I could be as much of a man as Alain Delon is. Perhaps part of the reason he was so good in these films is due to his rumored connection with French gangsters (including his connection to a sex/drug ring and dead people).<br /><br />On <I>Ghost Dog</I> being similar to a Melville film -- I thought that Jarmusch stated that it was a homage to <I>Le Samurai</I>. We should watch those and <I>The Killer</I> all in a row and do some compare and contrast.<br /><br />And as for that remake...oh boy.Troy Olsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14843741571724231174noreply@blogger.com