Since previous comments have adequately summarised the main story line of this film, there is no need for me to repeat them. However.....
I first saw this film on television a short while ago, and again over the Christmas period, on DVD. Seeing the film by itself, one can possibly enjoy the final cut for what it is, although I have to admit that my second viewing did tend to highlight the sparseness of the story-line and film. It is when one comes to see the film on DVD that the trouble begins. I would STRONGLY advise all viewers who have otherwise seen and quite enjoyed the film NOT to view the "extra" feature on the DVD entitled "Alternate and Deleted Scenes". Otherwise, you will be reminded of the Marcus Antonious speech in "Julius Ceasar".... "if you have tears, prepare to shed them now.......".
For nearly one hour the viewer is presented with alternate or deleted scene after scene that did not make the final cut but whose cumulative effect is to underline how otherwise totally brilliant, impressive, and moving the final cut of the film could have been had they been included - and had made the film probably around 120-plus minutes of viewing time instead of its measly present 87 minutes.
Time and again the exclusions really did make one wonder about the so-called film-making thinking and skills of the director and his film editor, given that all those exclusions would have superbly rounded-out not only the story line but also the "feelings" of involvement of the viewer. In addition, viewers should be warned that for virtually the whole of that hour of alternate and deleted scenes section, the director's voice intones non-stop about how superbly he thought his film-making skills were in lining up particular shots or how far better he thought it was to drop completely many shots. In addition, I found the director's uneducated use of the English language to be screamingly annoying....."He sort of got up and went into the desert...."; " He kind of did this as the camera follows him...."; and "like" this thing then happened....etc. I am of course paraphrasing, but that gives a taste of the horrendous misuse of the English language that one has to put up with in that section.
In other words, what this film absolutely requires is a patron saint who will purchase all its rights from the present director, and start again with all the alternate and deleted scenes inserted in order to make it the masterpiece it really deserves to be.
I first saw this film on television a short while ago, and again over the Christmas period, on DVD. Seeing the film by itself, one can possibly enjoy the final cut for what it is, although I have to admit that my second viewing did tend to highlight the sparseness of the story-line and film. It is when one comes to see the film on DVD that the trouble begins. I would STRONGLY advise all viewers who have otherwise seen and quite enjoyed the film NOT to view the "extra" feature on the DVD entitled "Alternate and Deleted Scenes". Otherwise, you will be reminded of the Marcus Antonious speech in "Julius Ceasar".... "if you have tears, prepare to shed them now.......".
For nearly one hour the viewer is presented with alternate or deleted scene after scene that did not make the final cut but whose cumulative effect is to underline how otherwise totally brilliant, impressive, and moving the final cut of the film could have been had they been included - and had made the film probably around 120-plus minutes of viewing time instead of its measly present 87 minutes.
Time and again the exclusions really did make one wonder about the so-called film-making thinking and skills of the director and his film editor, given that all those exclusions would have superbly rounded-out not only the story line but also the "feelings" of involvement of the viewer. In addition, viewers should be warned that for virtually the whole of that hour of alternate and deleted scenes section, the director's voice intones non-stop about how superbly he thought his film-making skills were in lining up particular shots or how far better he thought it was to drop completely many shots. In addition, I found the director's uneducated use of the English language to be screamingly annoying....."He sort of got up and went into the desert...."; " He kind of did this as the camera follows him...."; and "like" this thing then happened....etc. I am of course paraphrasing, but that gives a taste of the horrendous misuse of the English language that one has to put up with in that section.
In other words, what this film absolutely requires is a patron saint who will purchase all its rights from the present director, and start again with all the alternate and deleted scenes inserted in order to make it the masterpiece it really deserves to be.