Change Your Image
Tahwail
Reviews
Merlin (1998)
Liked the fish, but the script was groanworthy.
Enjoyable, and had nice effects (I particularly liked the lady of the lake's fishy necklace). I thought I'd find the reworking of the plot annoying, but it was all right. Myths should grow and change after all. But what was really bad was the script which was in modern English - I understand that this is accessible, and that there's no need to throw in spurious "prithees", "quoths", "welkins" and "zounds" into every fantasy film, but the writers seemed to have forgotten that modern English can also sound magical and poetical. This just sounded a bit naff.
Tous les matins du monde (1991)
"Qu'est-ce que la musique?"... ermm...
A rule of thumb I find useful is to avoid films about artists, musicians, sculptors etc. - perhaps "artistic genius" is demonic and fascinating, but I'm not sure it makes for good drama.
Amadeus, and Vincent and Theo have strong plots and character dynamics, and this carries the films, but as for the rest... as you cannot 'represent' genius, what *can* be represented - insufferable arrogance, mania, depression, or an incredible talent for blagging and philandering - is all that's left.
For example, is film a good medium in which to expose the difference of quality of the performances of the pupil (very very very very good, but not apparently genius level) and the master (very very very very good, and worthy of the name genius)? I think the soundtrack was wonderful and I can understand the praise it has got, but I feel that I would have to be ridiculously well-educated about classical music to distinguish or rank the two players.
French films on the subject of art (another rule of thumb - sorry) treat this in a particular way. As the director knows that genius cannot be represented, the subject is treated by either coyly not showing the supposed work of art (e.g. La Belle Noiseuse) or by retreating into pious waffle about the "nature of art":
"What is music?" asks the pupil - "is it the rustle of the wind in the trees?",
"No!!" cries the master.
"Is it the sound of a young boy pi**ing against a rock in the forest?"
"No!!" cries the master.
Errmm, possibly edifying, but I'd rather read a biography or listen to a CD.