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Classic Movie of the Week OnM - July 31/02 ******* Beware the fury of a patient man. ............ John Dryden ******* Revenge is an act of passion; vengeance of justice. Injuries are revenged; crimes are avenged. ............ Joseph Joubert ******* Patience and time do more than strength or passion. ............ Jean de la Fontaine ******* I'd like to start off the column this week by first making the rather modest suggestion that people should stop picking on Britney Spears. I think it's only fair, really, for several very good reasons, which I shall now duly enumerate. One, she's still very young yet, something which I tend to think people forget, largely because of her somewhat assertively sexualized behavior. It's very rare for someone her age to have any really developed talent or artistry. People often compare her to Madonna, but Maddie was in her mid 20's when she first came to the world's attention, and those extra years count. La Diva Ciccone was 31 when she released Like A Prayer, the first album she had ever created that 'serious critics' took seriously, and seemed genuinely shocked to even have to do so. Two, there is obviously a place for what she does, as evidenced by her legions of fans. The fact that I'm not one of those fans is irrelevant, I'm also not a fan of a lot of other people. Not everyone's musical tastes run to people like Paul Simon, Joni Mitchell, Pink Floyd (the vintage stuff anyway), Kate Bush, Bruce Cockburn, Sandy Denny, Stan Rogers, Jackson Browne, REM, Leo Kottke, Suzanne Vega, Leonard Cohen, The Doors, Bonnie Raitt, John Prine, Joan Armatrading, Ralph McTell and all those other kinda complex/quirky or just plain ol' unique kinda individuals. Each to their own, ya know? Three, people seem inclined to diss her because she's making money. Huh? What the hell is more American than making tons of money? It's practically our national anthem. It's be in the Pledge of Allegiance if God hadn't got there first. You know, now that I think about it, Madonna started this whole trend too, so I reckon it's her fault, the greedy slut. Women with money, what next... the fall of the empire can't be far behind. So do I think Britney is just misunderstood? Possibly, it's too soon to tell. What I do know is that people like to jump to conclusions that sometimes turn out to be unwarranted, and that often has the side effect of keeping other people away from interacting with some artistic variance that they might actually enjoy. Take Buffy Season 6, for example. Many fans deeply admire and respect what ME attempted to achieve this last year, myself among them. Just as many others loathe and despise it with a passion. Neither camp is necessarily 'right', because when you are dealing with an interpretation of art, you cannot separate the objective and the subjective completely. A computer can't successfully 'interpret' a Van Gogh painting; not because it couldn't be programmed to analyse shadow, light, form, texture, all that stuff, but because it lacks sentience, and the subjectivity that comes along with that characteristic. Reviews of this week's pick for 'Classic' status fell along divided lines also. What I found absorbing as I read through them was not whether the review was positive or negative overall, but the reasons that were sited for the praise or pan respectively. The positive factors cited by the opposable-digits-upward crowd as to why they liked the film seemed to be the exact same determinants cited by the digits-down bunch as to why they didn't. A matter of expectations? Or just a personality clash? The director of this week's Classic Movie recommendation, Legends of the Fall, is a fellow named Edward Zwick, who is probably best known for his work on the TV series Thirtysomething from a few years back. Right away, this provides a clue as to where some critics will be coming from, because Thirtysomething was one of the most beloved/reviled TV series that I can think of in recent memory. The primary attitudes aimed at Zwick's detailed examination of the lives of his generational contemporaries seemed to be divided along mostly political boundaries, at least from my own observations. The right wing saw it as "a colossal Yuppie whinefest", savaging the protagonists for being so g**damn introspective and self-involved that they didn't pay just and proper fealty to the need to get out there in the 'real world' and support the real captains of humanity's destiny, namely the military and big industry. The left wing, on the other hand, saw it as "a colossal Yuppie whinefest", and excoriated the protagonists for being so f**king introspective and self-involved that they didn't pay just and proper fealty to the need to get out there in the 'real world' and support those pathetic working-class masses at the bottom of the social ladder who were ever yearning to breathe free. The remaining portion of the viewing audience was either bored or enraptured, for reasons that hinge on the correct interpretation of the phrase, 'go figure'. Taking all this into account, Legends of the Fall will probably continue Zwick's artistic/political legacy. Being an anarchist myself, I have the fortunate ability (yay, me!) to just enjoy a good story without the need to always weight it down with political baggage, and this, dear readers, is a wonderful story, wonderfully told and presented in glorious cinematic form. It is true that there are some melodramatic aspects to the presentation, but they are very unapologetic, and deserve to be-- this is a big, sweep-you-up in the moment kind of movie, and despite running somewhat over two hours in length, the film never drags or bogs down as the story moves forward. If you go by 'seniority', the movie stars Anthony Hopkins as Col. William Ludlow, who served in the U.S. army, but eventually left in disgust over the shabby to horrific treatment of the Indians that he openly admires and respects. William is the patriarch of a family of three sons; Alfred (Aidan Quinn), the oldest and most 'responsible'; Tristan (Brad Pitt), the middle child who seems to share a spirit more akin to those same Native Americans, and Samuel (Henry Thomas), the youngest and most naive/idealistic. All of the roles of the brothers are very well acted, but it is Tristan who serves as one of the central figures around which most of the plot points of the story unfurl, and Pitt is superb throughout. The other central figure has somewhat less screen time than the brothers, but has a profound effect on all of their lives. Susannah Fincannon, played by (at the time) film newcomer Julia Ormond, arrives on a train with Samuel, whose intention is to marry her. Susannah is intelligent, cultured, forward-thinking and strikingly beautiful, and in the space of mere days manages to impress and enchant every member of the Ludlow household. Besides the Ludlows, the household is home to the Colonel's most trusted friend, an Indian guide and warrior named 'One Stab' (Gordon Tootoosis). One Stab is the first voice to appear in the film, serving as a narrator over the events that take place over the span of most of a century. He speaks English only during the narrations, the remainder of the time either speaking his native language or most commonly not saying anything at all. One of the many engrossing aspects of Legends is the counterpoint of sound and silence. The musical score, among the most engaging and beautiful ones I've heard in my movie-going experience, works in conjunction with a great deal of verbal restraint from the screenwriters and director. It is not unusual for several minutes to pass by without a single word of dialog being spoken, leaving the actors to carry the scene with facial expressions and body language, which they do with aplomb. The other, perhaps most expressive actor in the film is the photography. Legends was one of the very first film titles to be released in the DVD medium, and quickly became one of the staples for demonstrating high-end home theater systems to potential purchasers, at least among dealers with an appreciation for more than incessant loud bangs and crashes. While the action scenes where the Ludlow brothers join the conflict in World War I will certainly give your speakers a good workout, the stunning depth and detail of both outdoor shots in the western countryside and indoor sequences in the realistically reconstructed sets and buildings serves as a reminder of just how effective striking visuals can be in conjuring powerful and primal emotions. Costume design, makeup and art direction are rendered with equal craftmanship and care, and all the production elements work synergistically to make it effortless to sink into the fantasy and live it out along with the cast. Getting back for a moment to my previous semi-satirical natterings about why people did or didn't care for Edward Zwick and his miserable boomer generation, I must admit quite frankly that I am at a loss to see why anyone would not enjoy and admire this film. Have 'typical' film viewers today become so cynical that they can no longer see the appeal of a grandiose, old-style 'operatic' Western such as this one? Is it just that Brad Pitt is so damn good looking that no one expects him to be able to really act, and so they stay away? Are they afraid that the gorgeous cinematography is likewise a cover for the lack of something else, and wish to avoid the possible tainting of their delicate critical capacities with the horror of high-fructose 'eye candy'? Whatever the reason, if you have previously avoided Legends of the Fall, then please give it a chance. Don't go with the prospect of intellectual over-analysis, go with your heart and soul open to a grand experience, and you will be rewarded. They don't make films like this very often anymore, and so you need to remind yourself of why that's a damn shame. And one last thing... let's stop picking on Britney until she's at least thirtysomething, OK? Opie eventually turned into Ron Howard, you know, and Madonna eventually turned out Ray of Light. Go figure.
E. Pluribus Cinema, Unum, OnM
******* Legends of the Fall is available on DVD, and in fact there was a brand new edition re-released within the last year that adds a number of worthwhile extras, including two (count 'em, 2!) commentary tracks, one by Ed Zwick and Brad Pitt, the other by cinematographer John Toll and production designer Lilly Kilvert. The film was released in 1994 and run time is 2 hours and 13 minutes. The original cinematic aspect ratio is 1.85:1, not so wide that it will get lost when letterboxed on a smaller TV, and don't even think about getting a pan'n'scan version of this movie! (The ghost of cinematographers past, present and future will surely rattle their scroogely chains at you in the midst of some dark and gloomy night if you crop this sucker, so don't say I didn't warn you! ;-) The film was produced by Edward Zwick, Bill Wittliff, and Marshall Herskovitz. Writing credits go to Jim Harrison for the novella the movie was based on, and Susan Shilliday and William D. Wittliff for the screenplay. Cinematography (as already mentioned) was by John Toll, with film editing by Steven Rosenblum. Production Design was by Lilly Kilvert, with art direction by Andrew Precht and Rick Roberts. Set decoration was by Dorree Cooper, and costume design by Deborah Lynn Scott. Original music was by James Horner (and mighty mighty fine it is). In addition to the great musical score, I want to mention that all the Foley work (sound effects) is absolutely incredible on this soundtrack, and adds significantly to the suspension of disbelief in it's realism. The original theatrical sound mix was Dolby and/or SDDS, with Dolby Digital 5.1 on the DVD version. Cast overview:
Brad Pitt .... Tristan Ludlow ******* Miscellaneous: Julia Ormond has not been overly prolific so far as a film actress, but she has done some work since Legends. A film that I might not grant 'classic' status to yet, but that I still found very enjoyable overall and visually enchanting in particular would be director Jerry Zucker's 1995 production, First Knight. Ormond plays Guinevere, and does it very well. Also, check out some of the other acting clout in the partial cast list below:
Sean Connery .... King Arthur I mean, Connery as Arthur. How can you go wrong? (OK, you could, but it doesn't. This is another generally critically dissed film, and I think unfairly. Go root for the underdog, and rent this one also!) *** OK, now this is just plain freaky. You have been warned! http://britneyspears.ac/lasers.htm
******* The Question of the Week: What is the most visually beautiful film you can ever recall seeing? Did you see it in a theater or at home on TV? Did you enjoy the film otherwise, or was it just 'pretty' and (mostly/entirely) nothing else? All for this time around, so until next Saturday night, post 'em in fashion grand or non, and take care! ******* Classic Movie of the Week - July 13th 2002 - Legends of the Fall
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