tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8796371.post114826521764400966..comments2023-10-11T03:42:59.033-07:00Comments on The Criterion Contraption: #55: The Unbearable Lightness of BeingMatthew Dessemhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09288268335735601918noreply@blogger.comBlogger19125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8796371.post-26405049786184686422013-08-08T05:21:26.772-07:002013-08-08T05:21:26.772-07:00it was Murch who decided to cut the scene using on...<i> it was Murch who decided to cut the scene using only shots where her lover's face is obscured, to give a sense of what Tereza thinks anonymous sex must be like for her husband. I don't know if this kind of influence is typical but I suspect it isn't.</i><br /><br />Stopping by 7 years later to tell you that this kind of influence isn't just typical -- it's the job Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8796371.post-37006073263329579662011-08-13T17:36:33.836-07:002011-08-13T17:36:33.836-07:00My nominee for the most boring film ever made.My nominee for the most boring film ever made.MrArkadinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10613323396152162756noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8796371.post-33274944923949394832011-08-05T08:28:31.702-07:002011-08-05T08:28:31.702-07:00Though I'm a few years late I'd like to co...Though I'm a few years late I'd like to complement your analysis of the film. It's thorough and remarkable. There's only one aspect of it I might disagree with to any extent.<br /><br />I've never thought of Kaufman's treatment of the Soviet invasion as ornamental but instead as strictly metaphorical. He's distilled the story down as you note to the essential triangle Chrishttp://nonstop80s.blogspot.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8796371.post-33766999430531269412007-03-29T21:12:00.000-07:002007-03-29T21:12:00.000-07:00Colinr,Well, I've always loved Groundhog Day. I'l...Colinr,<BR/><BR/>Well, I've always loved <I>Groundhog Day</I>. I'll netflix the TV movie and give it a look—thanks for the tip!Matthew Dessemhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09288268335735601918noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8796371.post-45188738632547609402007-03-27T06:09:00.000-07:002007-03-27T06:09:00.000-07:00The 1993 TV movie with Helen Slater has just come ...The 1993 TV movie with Helen Slater has just come out on DVD, but I'm not sure whether the 1990 Kurtwood Smith short has ever been released.<BR/><BR/>I could see why they might have filed a lawsuit. The premises are very similar, but strangely they all take different enough approaches to their subject to make seeing all three worthwhile. The short film is tragic, Groundhog Day is of course a Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8796371.post-63220693122021299162007-03-26T16:54:00.000-07:002007-03-26T16:54:00.000-07:00Colinr,Thanks--glad you enjoyed it. You're right;...Colinr,<BR/><BR/>Thanks--glad you enjoyed it. You're right; the novel and film complement each other. They're not really playing for the same stakes.<BR/><BR/>Kurtwood Smith is very, very good in <I>Robocop</I>, I think. Is <I>12:01</I> available on DVD? Wasn't there some sort of lawsuit about <I>12:01</I> and <I>Groundhog Day</I>?Matthew Dessemhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09288268335735601918noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8796371.post-77744996917996027322007-03-26T16:42:00.000-07:002007-03-26T16:42:00.000-07:00Christopher,I've seen Reds, but remember virtually...Christopher,<BR/><BR/>I've seen <I>Reds</I>, but remember virtually none of it. But I figured this one out—it is from <I>Harold and Maud</I>, but it's not one shot, it's a series of them. We see a military officer, then a psychiatrist, then a priest, all framed that way. Each has one picture behind their desk, first of Nixon, then of Freud, then of the Pope. The pictures are in the sameMatthew Dessemhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09288268335735601918noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8796371.post-38701243955353116812007-03-23T07:46:00.000-07:002007-03-23T07:46:00.000-07:00Excellent writing about the film! I had a strange ...Excellent writing about the film! I had a strange reaction to The Unbearable Lightness of Being when I first saw it on the Criterion edition. I remember loving the film, but being very aware that the things I loved about the film were the perfect little moments of performance, especially by Juliette Binoche who I think did brilliantly in her part, that seemed totally natural to the film. I've Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8796371.post-30940519856748042772007-03-05T11:37:00.000-08:002007-03-05T11:37:00.000-08:00Matthew,The shot of the man with the two photos be...Matthew,<BR/><BR/>The shot of the man with the two photos behind him reminds me of one or two scenes in Warren Beatty's <I>Reds</I>. Maybe I'm taking the mention of the two photos too literally, but maybe not. Have you seen it?Chris Cusackhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10140577919396816464noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8796371.post-1151911755413716792006-07-03T00:29:00.000-07:002006-07-03T00:29:00.000-07:00Looking forward to it!Looking forward to it!Matthew Dessemhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09288268335735601918noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8796371.post-1150387475084160552006-06-15T09:04:00.000-07:002006-06-15T09:04:00.000-07:00I am completely sold on The Stranger: The Musical....I am completely sold on The Stranger: The Musical.<BR/><BR/>Good point about Salinger and Wes Anderson. The big NYC family full of precocious children in Tenenbaums has got to be inspired by/cribbed from Salinger's Glass family stories. And although it's clearly from Cousteau, I like to think of the red caps in Life Aquatic as a variation on Holden's orange hunting hat. It's the no-phonies club Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8796371.post-1150387313715209492006-06-15T09:01:00.000-07:002006-06-15T09:01:00.000-07:00This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.Donovanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05267644899839359221noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8796371.post-1149894959535009772006-06-09T16:15:00.000-07:002006-06-09T16:15:00.000-07:00Yan,Yeah, I'm looking forward to My Own Private Id...Yan,<BR/><BR/>Yeah, I'm looking forward to <I>My Own Private Idaho</I> if for no other reason than that I always get a kick out of Udo Kier. <BR/><BR/>Kundera writes about the Eternal Return that it would make atrocities (the example he gives is the French Revolution) unbearable. One Robespierre must ultimately leave the stage forever, but an eternity of them... In that sense, I suppose Cher Matthew Dessemhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09288268335735601918noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8796371.post-1149344887892480042006-06-03T07:28:00.000-07:002006-06-03T07:28:00.000-07:00No wonder I missed the pun--didn't know the quote....No wonder I missed the pun--didn't know the quote. It's good that you haven't seen My Own Private Idaho. It's in the Collection, and it will be quite an experience to see it fresh. <BR/><BR/>I don't remember Groundhog Day well enough. I just had in mind the look of horror that started to appear on Murray's face when he'd hear Cher's voice on the radio each morning. That seemed to fit the Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8796371.post-1149045810379095722006-05-30T20:23:00.000-07:002006-05-30T20:23:00.000-07:00Yan,Haven't seen My Own Private Idaho, so right no...Yan,<BR/><BR/>Haven't seen <I>My Own Private Idaho</I>, so right now smart money's on <I>Harold and Maud</I>.<BR/><BR/>The pun: Pierre Bosquet, observing the Charge of the Light Brigade said, "C'est magnifique, mais ce n'est pas la guerre." ("It is magnificent, but it is not war.") Wikipedia says he was prompted by the "futility of the action and its reckless bravery." I think the same could beMatthew Dessemhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09288268335735601918noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8796371.post-1148827400605283742006-05-28T07:43:00.000-07:002006-05-28T07:43:00.000-07:00That still with a man at the desk looks familiar t...That still with a man at the desk looks familiar to me, too. Of the three possibilities you mention, I'd say maybe Harold and Maude. But then, it also reminds of the scene with Keanu Reeve's character's father in My Own Private Idaho.<BR/><BR/>I don't understand the Kundera pun at the end. I'm just slow this morning, but it's got me curious--can you explain?<BR/><BR/>I think you're right that Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8796371.post-1148804760179415022006-05-28T01:26:00.000-07:002006-05-28T01:26:00.000-07:00Matt,Glad you're enjoying it. I have every intenti...Matt,<BR/><BR/>Glad you're enjoying it. I have every intention of doing these as frequently as possible—the last few months have been kind of nuts, though. If I ever sell a script and am writing full time I'll be more reliable, promise. Right now, though, this project (basically educational) sometimes comes after other writing projects.<BR/><BR/>To answer your specific question, the matching Matthew Dessemhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09288268335735601918noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8796371.post-1148783435009307092006-05-27T19:30:00.000-07:002006-05-27T19:30:00.000-07:00And, yes, okay, Kaufman didn't technically create ...And, yes, okay, Kaufman didn't technically <B>create</B> Indiana Jones, but where would he have been without an <B>adventure</B> to star in, preferably of Biblical proportions? Gimme a break, I've been drinking.<BR/><BR/>-MattAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8796371.post-1148783176150764462006-05-27T19:26:00.000-07:002006-05-27T19:26:00.000-07:00Matthew,Capital job as usual on discussing the unb...Matthew,<BR/><BR/>Capital job as usual on discussing the unbearable importance of Criterion's picks. I still haven't seen this one yet (I'll always be indebted to Kaufman for creating Indiana Jones, but everything else I've seen that he's been involved with save <I>The Right Stuff</I> has left a mediocre taste in my mouth), but it looks like I'll have to remedy that soon. I must reiterate, as aAnonymousnoreply@blogger.com