06.08.06
SIFF 2006, days 12 and 13
Black Orpheus
Brazil, 1959
Unmissable. New print of the colorful Brazilian classic that updates the Orpheus-Eurydice myth to Rio with the carnival in full bloom. The score by Antonio Carlos Jobim and Luis Bonfa sent the bossa nova beat around the world. Winner of the 1959 Palme d’or in Cannes.
Initially, this was something of a “spinach” movie for me. The term comes from Salon’s art-film columnist, and it means a movie that you know you ought to see, for various reasons, but enjoyment isn’t necessarily one of those reasons. The “spinach” aspect of this one was that it’s one of those things a well-rounded cinephile should have in his or her viewing repertoire due to its reputation, and because I was feeling kind of tired and cranky and not certain I wanted to make the effort of going to the theater (especially since I know I could drop by Scarecrow Video any time and rent it). But then again, I like spinach.
And I liked this, and I could not possibly have gotten the same effect if my first viewing had been on a little TV screen. The reputation is completely deserved. It is gorgeous (sometimes almost absurdly so, in the literally baroque costumes of the dance groups at the Carnival parade), passionate, emotional, full of vitality and energy–in the world of this film, dancing is the essence of life–and it makes the myth work beautifully in a totally contemporary setting. Even as I reveled in the beauty and emotion of it, my inner scholar was checking off the plot points of the myth, and nearly all of them were handled well and creatively, fitting into the contemporary setting without sacrificing the fundamental mythos. A movie that satisfies both emotion and intellect for me is a rare thing. I’m so glad I went for the spinach this time.
Blood Rain
South Korea
In this imaginative, period detective thriller, a series of gruesome murders takes place on medieval Dongwha Island, apparently fulfilling a shamanist prophecy. Lavish costumes and vivid production design grace this riveting story of what later centuries will call forensics.
So I like costumed things, and I like mysteries. This ought to have been a home run. And aside from the gratuitously gruesome violence (a constant in South Korean filmmmaking, I’ve found), I liked the first hour and a half of this. I appreciated the attempts to create some kind of forensic science in a feudal setting. I found the lead character very appealing. I did figure out who the murderer was well before it was revealed, but I didn’t get the reasons quite right, so props there. And yes, the costumes were great–I especially liked the ceremonial outfits that appeared to be made of paper (a paper mill figures prominently in the story). And it caused me to ponder the thought that traditional Korean dress seems to be built largely on circles, as opposed to the angular lines of Japanese costume. However, in the last half hour everything just started going completely over the top, with overwrought emotion and bizarre motivations; and the last ten minutes completely blew the philosophical underpinnings of the story out of the water, and for no good reason but spectacle and cheap emotion. Instead of enjoying the modest success of a decent mystery, I left the theater irked and disappointed at how it let itself down.
VishwaThulasi
India
A beautiful dance instructor returns to her childhood village and renews ties with her first sweetheart. Unfortunately for the couple a once-thwarted, insanely jealous suitor still lurks there. Almost indecently gorgeous to behold, poet Sumathy Ram’s knowingly old-fashioned directorial debut is bolstered by ultra-lush songs, costuming and scenery.
Very pretty, definitely. I greatly enjoyed the scenery and the dancing. Modest in ambition and execution and it was enjoyable to see a love story that didn’t revolve around dewy young’uns (not that the leads aren’t pretty enough, they’re just not spring chickens). A bit meandering. Dumb (though not really unexpected, since I know the conventions of the genre) ending. Aside from enjoying the visual aspects, I kind of wish I hadn’t gone to it.