Day 1: Russian Romantic Films

Senior Experience Foreign Film Project

Day 1: Russian Romantic Films

For the first week of the project, I will be watching films that center around themes of love and romance. While a defined "genre" of film, finding movies that fit this for the 5 countries was somewhat difficult, so some of these are going to be a bit of a stretch. That said, the two movies for day one will be "The Cranes Are Flying (1957, dir. Mikhail Kalatozov)" and "Solaris (1972, dir. Andrei Tarkovsky)"

The Cranes Are Flying (1957, dir. Mikhail Kalatozov)

Pleasantly surprised with this one. One thing that obviously deserves mention is the visuals. As far as shot by shot composition and general choreography (the way the actors and camera moves is beyond impressive), "The Cranes are Flying" is a masterwork. Every single scene feels thought-through and incredibly entertaining, giving even the slower scenes something to chew on. Although, unfortunately, the editing was fairly sloppy in places, making some scenes confusing, and there is some awkward dubbing work. Still, I would say that the films greatest achievement is the technical departments. The story, while simple, is applicable and relatable to most people I feel. I think this helps by the humor (in select scenes) of the film, making the lead characters endearing, and as the drama raised it kept me interested in how the characters will turn out. The whole movie is very on the nose about its messages of war and romance, especially during the final scene, but this movie is still well acted, well performed, and has an engaging script. While lacking in some technical departments and most emotional ones, I thoroughly enjoyed The Cranes Are Flying, especially for its visual components. 4/5

Solaris (1972, dir. Andrei Tarkovsky)

I've been staring at the screen for around a half hour trying to think of words to properly express how I feel after "Solaris". Stunning visuals (seriously, the camera movement and use of zooms is consistently breathtaking) and a unique, gripping plot of a man sent to a space station. I can't think of anything quite like it, it of course draws influences from Sci-Fi of its day but uses this as a basis to express themes of memories, nostalgia, and love/happiness in mankind. While the pacing is glacial, it never feels slow, the movie remains engaging for every second. Scenes that don't feel necessary at first reveal themselves (either later in the scene or later in the film) as being relevant and integral to the atmosphere Tarkovsky makes here. Only on day 1 and we've already seemed to hit a dizzying high. 5/5

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Day 4: Iranian Romance Films

Image
Senior Experience Foreign Film Project Day 4: Iranian Romantic Film Probably the closest to the themes of "romance" I have lined up this week, although of course there are elements of today's pictures that, while focusing on Iranian cinema, toes the line of the definition (Abbas Kiarostami is Iranian, which is what made "Certified Copy" qualify for me, but the movie takes place in Italy and only uses Italian, English, and French). That being said, today's movies are "Certified Copy (2010, directed by Abbas Kiarostami)" and "Downpour (1972, directed by Bahram Beyzai)". Certified Copy (2010, dir. Abbas Kiarostami) A great film... up until the last 20 minutes. Every performance is excellent and convincing, the camera following the couple, along with the streamline editing, makes for a great experience for the eyes. And while a lot of the dialogue feels very much like a constant philosophical debate, it somehow works. The only problem is ther...
Read more

Day 2: Japanese Romance Film

Image
Senior Experience Foreign Film Project Day 2: Japanese Romantic Film Today is one of two days for the currently planned schedule where I will be watching one movie instead of two, due to the length of said movie. Today's film will be the 4 hour opus "Love Exposure (2008, dir. Sion Sono)". I'm imagining this will fit the romance and love theme a lot more than the Russian ones. Love Exposure (2008, dir. Sion Sono) This is a dense film, which makes sense for a 4 hour movie. It's so dense, however, that I'm not sure how to start. I think the first thing that jumps out about Love Exposure is Sion Sono's iconic style. Low-budget, fast, and oftentimes surreal, the movie is absolutely dripping with uniqueness. Of special mention is the editing. Cuts in this movie are used liberally yet incredibly purposefully, maintaining this sort of momentum throughout the daunting runtime. Imagery is constant but used with purpose, especially Christian symbolism as the movie ta...
Read more

Introduction to the project

Image
 Recently, I've become fascinated with International Cinema. My friends are already very knowledgeable in a variety of films, but I still feel I lack understanding. With the help of my friends, I made a list of films that will both give me information about new forms of filmmaking, but also how different cultures approach similar topics. Over the course of the next month, through my school's Senior Experience opportunity, I will be watching around 36 movies, writing my thoughts, and trying to tie the threads in between them. Still from my current favorite international movie, Come and See (1985)
Read more