Post by cbjfan61 on Jan 31, 2011 16:04:26 GMT -5
Amazing film. Though this is a documentary style as well. You have to also put your thinking cap on for this and know some basic sociology as well. This film is over 2hrs long.
There are a lot of beautiful shots throughout. The subject matter made me do a lot of thinking while I watched which is a great thing. What I really liked was with all of the countryside and city shots the P.O.V. really felt that I was in the shoes with the narration. I also really liked all the placement of stock-footage. Seeing some of the American stuff and what the 'dream' was to bring to the 'baby boomer' generation (my parents) is so true. I did notice in one of the clips from that section someone holding a certain home movie 8mm camera to which I have a very similar model that was once my grandfather's. The use of the stock-footage which showed the progression of the writer's meltdown was perfect for each section. The narration the both Barney and Nicola do is spot on even the ending of the reading to show how deep a path the writer is going down. As in Nicola fades away to show the ending of the love affair as the writer is fading towards the end. Even at the end with the filming of the countryside with gloom that before was bright with life makes a turn as well. Fantastic narration by both Nicola and Barney hands down!
I can see the contemporary concerns really come to life to which seemingly want the writer to retreat to the countryside. This reminded me a bit of the book called "Into the Wild" if you haven't read it I recommend it. With this exploration that is taken in terms of showing how us humans have evolved for a better lack of term it does make one step back and ponder. Not only that but to even want to look back over all of humanity. I would ask even if the writer was put into the age and time during the Roman Empire along with the Greeks what he would have thought of the complexity and growing modern world for back then. Also one thing that does make me sad for the writer is the lack of hope they had in life. Just some small thought :-)
Overall fantastic molding the complexity of the simple (countryside) with the modern (contemporary concerns) to tell the story and with progression from beginning to end yet going back to the beginning.
There are a lot of beautiful shots throughout. The subject matter made me do a lot of thinking while I watched which is a great thing. What I really liked was with all of the countryside and city shots the P.O.V. really felt that I was in the shoes with the narration. I also really liked all the placement of stock-footage. Seeing some of the American stuff and what the 'dream' was to bring to the 'baby boomer' generation (my parents) is so true. I did notice in one of the clips from that section someone holding a certain home movie 8mm camera to which I have a very similar model that was once my grandfather's. The use of the stock-footage which showed the progression of the writer's meltdown was perfect for each section. The narration the both Barney and Nicola do is spot on even the ending of the reading to show how deep a path the writer is going down. As in Nicola fades away to show the ending of the love affair as the writer is fading towards the end. Even at the end with the filming of the countryside with gloom that before was bright with life makes a turn as well. Fantastic narration by both Nicola and Barney hands down!
I can see the contemporary concerns really come to life to which seemingly want the writer to retreat to the countryside. This reminded me a bit of the book called "Into the Wild" if you haven't read it I recommend it. With this exploration that is taken in terms of showing how us humans have evolved for a better lack of term it does make one step back and ponder. Not only that but to even want to look back over all of humanity. I would ask even if the writer was put into the age and time during the Roman Empire along with the Greeks what he would have thought of the complexity and growing modern world for back then. Also one thing that does make me sad for the writer is the lack of hope they had in life. Just some small thought :-)
Overall fantastic molding the complexity of the simple (countryside) with the modern (contemporary concerns) to tell the story and with progression from beginning to end yet going back to the beginning.