So I have now filled one of the most alarming holes in my knowledge of French cinema. I watched Alain Renais' 1961 classic Last Year at Marienbad. And that was both very impressive and interesting, though I can see how some would find it intensely boring. But personally, I was impressed. Roger Ebert nails it:
Viewing the film again, I expected to have a cerebral experience, to see a film more fun to talk about than to watch. What I was not prepared for was the voluptuous quality of "Marienbad," its command of tone and mood, its hypnotic way of drawing us into its puzzle, its austere visual beauty. Yes, it involves a story that remains a mystery, even to the characters themselves. But one would not want to know the answer to this mystery. Storybooks with happy endings are for children. Adults know that stories keep on unfolding, repeating, turning back on themselves, on and on until that end that no story can evade.
The variations, repetitions, rhythms, games, and of course the oddities and beauties of its look - it's an interesting film.
Posted by armand at July 30, 2009 06:38 PM | TrackBack | Posted to Movies