Film Itself
Just goes to show if you make it
violent eerie and noir enough
RAY will go high brow
An extraordinary film that might
have been a true masterpiece in film history
Mick Lasalle of the SF Chronicle best makes the point
in his admirably contrarian review:
"Denzel Washinghton and Frances McDormand misfit
in otherwise remarkable Tragedy of Macbeth"
The Macbeths were an ambitious couple in their prime
So obviously Denzel & Frances who are both in their 60s
are just too old for their roles
Denzel recites Shakespeare's blank verse
as if it were a modern script, casually
but one can't really "method act" Macbeth and
it only adds to the unintelligibility of his dialogue,
Both leads recite nearly all their lines
at a pillow-talk volume level
as if constantly afraid of being overheard,
Then there's the issue of casting black actors
as the various Scotsmen involved
Clan allegiances are confusing to say the least
not to mention racial overtones-- I blame Hamilton
The British and Irish actors unlike the American stars
all seem to understand the importance
of articulating the Bard's words clearly
elsewise it's all just a blur
They seem to always get it right
Alex Hassell as Thane of Ross nearly steals the show
Caveats aside, what bravura film-making
Cinematography, art direction, set design,
all in shimmering Bergmanesque black and white
Deceptively minimalist architecture and decoration
form a maze of entrapment and madness
The three witches are all performed by Kathryn Hunter
a phenomenal contortionist-actress with a devil's mannish voice
(She performs Samuel Beckett's demanding works on stage)
Appearing here in incredibly innovative scenes of the macabre
she is pure tour-de-force
Don't miss this supernatural Symbolist,
chiaroscuro Expressionist version
of the Elizabethan origin of the thriller noir
Try for the largest screen you can muster
Final sequence
Ross holding Macbeth's severed head
gives Malcolm the crown
Malcolm dons the Crown of Scotland
British troops retreat
back through Birnam Wood
The Thane of Ross
rides off to find Banquo's son Fleance
foretold by the witches to be the first
of a new line of Kings
After finding Fleance
Ross rides away with him
over the Scottish highlands
They are lost to sight a moment...
As the film ends
in a mad rush of crows
Wow
Another sophisticated night out
at the cinema
Cinemania looks in the men's room mirror
and sees itself
Prochainment
The Power of the Dog
It all takes place in Montana
(as portrayed by New Zealand)
Peter's Mother Rose has endured relentless cruelty
from Phil who won't accept her marriage to his brother George;
He has already driven her to clandestine alcoholism
Perhaps his seduction of Peter is calculated
to further harm her
Yet perhaps Peter has is own reason
to allow himself to be seduced,
perhaps it is to protect his beloved Mom Beautiful, grim, haunting,
as subtly diabolical as a Patricia Highsmith tale
soundly recommended by RAY
Nightmare Alley:
Vision in Darkness and Light
Vision in Darkness and Light
Naturally as a life-long Noirist
I went again to see the black & white version on the silver screen
This time at the venerable Grand Lake Theater on a bier screen
Coincidentally it was the night that the Noir City Festival was to begin
Postponed this year due to an ominous Omicron outbreak
I went again to see the black & white version on the silver screen
This time at the venerable Grand Lake Theater on a bier screen
Coincidentally it was the night that the Noir City Festival was to begin
Postponed this year due to an ominous Omicron outbreak
Less than 20 people attended this Friday night premiere in a large theater
The film is beautiful in b&w which is not
to say it looks entirely like original era films noir
When Stanton leaves his burning homestead
we see him in perfect focus close up
and the house burning in the background is also in complete focus
-- 21st century HD digital universal focus I suspect
Other little tell-tale sins like the daytime sky being bright white
resembling art film like Bergman
or drive-in movies like Night of the Living Dead
That said there are numerous moments made numinous by b&w--
unconscious memories of ferris wheels in old movies on TV
On the whole I would say the color version is superior
I ot to revisit and re-cement the experience
in a different modality of perception--
like a newsreel of a fever dream
As I made my way to the EXIT
I noted that the end credits were in color
I noted that the end credits were in color
5 January 2022
