It is easy to initially be lulled into thinking you are watching high and 'serious' art, and this movie is quite artful, and follows the cinematic formulae that high movie art leans into. It's black and white, it has a complex central character who we are as forced to become obsessed with as he himself appears to be. Except he really isn't particularly deep. He doesn't have the deep moral depth of the Russian protagonist that he's modeled after.
This isn't to say that it isn't a great performance, because it is. Looking like a haggard Guy Pierce, He looms around the village, insulting everyone, ruining his chances with a pretty woman, destroying the small opportunities that come his way to put a few miserable 'kronen' in his pockets.
And he revels in his poverty and perspective. His narcissistic illusions (not delusions) about himself give him the juice to carry on. His starvation is more fueling to him then nutrition. The final scene where he runs away from everything, and penniless, gets passage on a ship without knowing where it's going, and the tight close up of his face, filled with smug satisfaction, completes the picture, literally.
In taking this as 'high art' one tends to take this as a literary prize and not see the intentional humor that keeps popping up. For instance, on a park bench, and he loves to eject other citizens from these benches, to be able to more fully concentrate on his 'work', he is looking for a 'sign'. And this from a God he wants to see in hell. And he's rewarded by seeing a worm wriggling at his feet. This inspires him to rip off a taxi he pompously has take him around town on fictitious errands.
Even in his starvation induced lightheaded nuttiness, where the world takes on a "misty" (mystic) brightness, his pomposity comes through. While he describes himself as fantastically honest, he's hustling everyone in sight, and delighting in it.
The thing is, this behavior is fascinating, and makes this a great movie. It is just important not to be lulled by the presentation and just take it on it's own terms. If this was shot in color and the year was 2023 instead of 1890, I have a hunch we'd see it more cynically.
But it is filmed like "A Classic" and, since it does happen to be a great flick, it's tempting too not let yourself be amused by the intentional jokes that are all over the place.
This isn't Raskolnikov. The beauty of this is that his is a unique character, who carries an entire movie on his shoulders with a great performance.
This isn't to say that it isn't a great performance, because it is. Looking like a haggard Guy Pierce, He looms around the village, insulting everyone, ruining his chances with a pretty woman, destroying the small opportunities that come his way to put a few miserable 'kronen' in his pockets.
And he revels in his poverty and perspective. His narcissistic illusions (not delusions) about himself give him the juice to carry on. His starvation is more fueling to him then nutrition. The final scene where he runs away from everything, and penniless, gets passage on a ship without knowing where it's going, and the tight close up of his face, filled with smug satisfaction, completes the picture, literally.
In taking this as 'high art' one tends to take this as a literary prize and not see the intentional humor that keeps popping up. For instance, on a park bench, and he loves to eject other citizens from these benches, to be able to more fully concentrate on his 'work', he is looking for a 'sign'. And this from a God he wants to see in hell. And he's rewarded by seeing a worm wriggling at his feet. This inspires him to rip off a taxi he pompously has take him around town on fictitious errands.
Even in his starvation induced lightheaded nuttiness, where the world takes on a "misty" (mystic) brightness, his pomposity comes through. While he describes himself as fantastically honest, he's hustling everyone in sight, and delighting in it.
The thing is, this behavior is fascinating, and makes this a great movie. It is just important not to be lulled by the presentation and just take it on it's own terms. If this was shot in color and the year was 2023 instead of 1890, I have a hunch we'd see it more cynically.
But it is filmed like "A Classic" and, since it does happen to be a great flick, it's tempting too not let yourself be amused by the intentional jokes that are all over the place.
This isn't Raskolnikov. The beauty of this is that his is a unique character, who carries an entire movie on his shoulders with a great performance.