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NYFF Reviews of Hal Hartley's latest and CELEBRATION. Both films were shot with Digital recorders!!!
This has been something I've been waiting to hear about. Digital cameras... will they, like Lucas said in that WIRED article waaaay back, put the art of film in common hands. Will the next great film come out of a garage style production? I do not know, but it is all so fascinating don't ya think? I do. Anyways, I guess I'll turn ya over to IGOR who has the whole scoop for us...
This week saw the unveiling of two films shot on video at the New York Film
Festival. And I'm not talking BetaSP, I'm talking consumer digital
camcorders-- the kind you can get for about $2,000 at your local electronics
store. Yep, there's hope for all of us who can't even afford the cost of
8mm
stock.
The two films shown were Thomas Vinterberg's "Celebration" and Hal Hartley's
latest "Book of Life"-- which was commissioned by French TV for a 10-part
film
series about the coming of the new millenium ("Book of Life" is the U.S.
entry). Hal Hartley's film is set on December 31, 1999 and it concerns
Jesus'
second coming. Martin Donovan, Hartley's longtime collaborator, plays
Jesus.
He arrives at JFK airport in a suit and tie accompanied by Mary Magdalene,
played by none other than PJ Harvey! Jesus' mission this time around is to
carry out what was prophesized in the scriptures, namely to bring forth the
apocalypse. However, as he becomes reacquainted with the human race, he
begins to have second thoughts about terminating humanity. The devil also
makes an appearance. He tries to pursuade Jesus not end human life so that
he
may continue to revel in the suffering of man.
This whole business is carried out in a posh Manhattan hotel. Everything in
the film looks very modern. From the way the film itself is shot (a 35mm
blow
up was screened) to many of the props-- for instance, the book of life,
where
the seven signs that precede the apocalypse are contained, is not a book but
a
Macintosh laptop. Hartley seems to be saying that part of the reason we're
condemned to die is because we have become too damn technologically inclined
or something. If that sounds trite it's because it is. The film deals with
many of the same issues we've come to expect from movies dealing with Christ
and Satan, particularly the saving of souls and the worth of humanity.
However, the movie is surprisingly entertaining, thanks in part to Hartley's
writing and the ensemble cast. Also, the movie is structured like somewhat
of
a thriller which lends a bit of novelty to the subject.
I just recently discovered Hartley. "Henry Fool" was the first film I ever
saw of his. I thought it was absolutely brilliant. It's on the top of my
list of this year's best films. Hartley has a knack for social commentary
and
his observations are usually dead on. His style might be a little bit hard
to
swallow (his films might be considered slow and too cerebral), but he is
undoubtedly gifted. The man is a thinker, and he injects his films with his
unique philosphy of life.
"Book of Life" is not as deep or nearly as ambitious as "Henry Fool" but it
certainly has its satisfying moments. At this point, the film has no
distributor (it is only 60 minutes long so that may be one of the reasons
why)
but I hope this film sees the light of day in some way, shape, or form. This
is definitely a must-see for all Hartley fans.
Whereas Hartley tried to be very expressionistic with the video camera (he
uses strobe effects, slow motion, black & white, various lenses), Vinterberg
uses the camera merely to document. He does use a wide angle lens
prominently, but the look he's going for (by his own admission) is that of a
home movie. "Celebration" is an intense exploration into the dark secrets
of
a wealthy Danish family. Don't worry, I won't give any of the secrets away.
Actually, there's only one, and it's big. We're talking "Crying Game"
proportions.
"Celebration" follows three siblings as they arrive at their parents' estate
for their father's 60th birthday. One is a successful restaurateur in
Paris.
He seems to be the most well adjusted of the three, though he is reticent
and
withdrawn. The other is a raging mess of a man. He is always seething with
anger and he has been somewhat disowned by the family for being unreliable.
The third and only living sister (the other sister committed suicide) is
given
to crying fits and we know she's not altogether there. The first question
that comes to your mind after being introduced to these people is: what's
wrong with them? Well, 30 minutes into the film we find out why and that's
when all hell breaks lose. The hour and a half that follows is the most
intense and dramatic I've seen in a long time. It's similar to the way "The
Deer Hunter" shifts gears so dramatically once the film travels to Vietnam.
Believe me when I tell you-- you won't be able to keep your eyes off the
screen once the big secret is revealed.
The great thing about shooting a film on video is that the actors are able
to
forget about the camera (because it's so small) and act in a more natural
way.
They only have the other actor to bounce off of, so the scenes looks more
realistic or authentic. "Celebration" makes you feel like you're a guest at
this party and that you're witnessing, first hand, all the wild things that
are happening there. That, in my opinion, is also one of the benefits of
using video. It gives the audience a certain intimacy that you can't get
from
35mm. Granted, you probably wouldn't want to shoot "The Horse Whisperer" on
video, but for this type of film it works great. (Like "Book of Life,"
"Celebration" was transfered to film and shown on a 35mm projector.)
"The Celebration" is the first film produced under the Dogma 95 document, or
"vow of chastity" taken by several Danish directors. It stipulates, among
other things, that:
1. No tripod be used-- only handheld shots
2. Use only available light
3. No makeup for the actors
4. Use only props found at location
5. No music, sound, or dialogue will be added in post production. (At the
press conference, the director said that he got around this rule by asking
his
actors sing in various scenes.)
6. The director shouldn't be credited
The effect is similar to "Breaking the Waves," which makes sense since Dogma
95 is the brainchild of "Waves" director Lars Von Trier. Not only do both
films have the same visual style ("Breaking the Waves" was actually shot on
film) but they have the same powerful effect on the audience.
IGOR
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+ Expand All
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I've got to agree about 'Henry Fool' as one of the best films of the year. Great story, great acting, and surprisingly-quotable dialouge. For example, there's a scene where Henry is talking to Simon about the role of the writer in society. Henry, after talking about this for ten minutes, says in the exact same tone, "They're throwing bottles at your house. Lets go break their arms." Another great line, "Simon, I just made love to your mother about a half-hour ago and I think your sister Fay is jealous." Go see this movie. -
Saw Book of Life at the Toronto Film Festival. Maybe because it was accompanied by two of the most unenlightening, whiplashingly boring short films in history, but I was definitely not impressed.
Aside from the Macintosh OK/Cancel gag, the movie tries to be too clever and ends up looking and feeling like a glossy ad in a men's magazine. (I did love the music and rapid cuts of the first 5 mins though, very cool.) PJ Harvey faxed in her performance -- talk about overboiled asparagus.
My big eye-opener was learning that this was shot on digital video -- get ready for democracy in cinema, babes, because now everyone is going to be able to make movies. Which is simultaneously horrific and triumphant.
Tim -
I've been raving about this movie to my friends since it came out last summer. It marks an incredible leap for Hartley as a master storyteller. Favorite scene: the rather scatological wedding proposal. Great stuff!
-
No, the Danes aren't magical - we just happen to have one or two good directors, Vinterberg being one of them IMHO. The Celebration is a smash hit in Denmark, which is quite an achievement, as we usually go for the american films (not to mention Titanic).
I cannot recommend this film strongly enough. It is both shocking and funny, and stays with you for quite a while. -
Oct 12, 1998 2:03:21 PM CDT
I saw and liked Book of Life, as well as another in that series.
by inwosuxred
Saw "Book of Life" in Chicago at the Art Institute and liked it alot. I think the other film it played with here was "Last Night". Both of the films were from French TV's "2000 seen by" series, and both deal with The date Dec 31, 1999.
Book of Life was done in digital and had some distorting of the picture done to it. It reminded me of the way some of the Hong Kong film Chunking Express looked. The story was fairly light and entertaining.
The other film was also very good, possibly better than "Book of Life". David Cronenberg was in it. It was basically about what a few people did while waiting for the end of the world to come(Everyone in the film knows for certain the end is comming, but it is never explained exactly why).
Both were fun films, and hopefully they will either find some sort of limited release or better yet wind up on PBS or a cable channel like HBO. Both are easy to watch.
I also saw Henry Fool(and everything else Hartley has done), and thought it was decent. I guess for a group of people that are looking for Summer "Blockbusters", it might move alittle slow and be too much for them. Its not my favorite Hartley film, but at least it is better than Flirt. Its sad that an American director that wins best screenplay in Cannes goes almost totally without notice by filmgoers in his home country. I was shocked to see him mentioned here. -
I agree! Hal Hartey is one of the most underrated directors of the day. "Surviving Desire" is the best! I am just waiting for someone on here to post "Who is Hal Hartley????!!!" Did anyone else notice Tim Burton standing in the background holding a placard in the art gallery on "Ambition"?
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i have just watched TRUST, i wanted to see what this hartley guy was about,having heard of him but never saw a movie of his.
well.. i think the movie sucked in a most major way, it was pretentious and just badly made i think.. most of all the music was BAD.. i think it was written by someone with no musical talent whatsoever.. well i'll go and check out some more movies by this guy, but so far i think he's a seriously crappy filmmaker.
thusfar my humble opinion.
(Kevin smith uber alles.)
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