February 22, 2008
FILM QUICKIES
There Will Be Blood
The Death of Mr. Lazarascu
So I finally saw There Will Be Blood and learned the origins of the infamous "I drink your milkshake!" line --which I am happy wasn't ruined for me. It was a highly enjoyable film but, unfortunately, one that was a bit too hyped. Could the film have been better? I am not so sure. It most certainly needed to be tightened up, but I think that nothing could saved it based upon the thinking behind the disappointing ending.
Unfortunately P.T. Anderson provided the biggest argument against the film when he let everyone know that it was influenced by The Treasure of the Sierra Madre. There Will Be Blood simply does not compare, especially in the important moments. First of all, there really is no payoff in Blood like there is in Treasure. I left the theater thinking about the characters instead of thinking about humanity, as I did after Treasure. What you get is a rather cold and awkward last minute Stanley Kubrick moment. I simply do not understand this Clockwork Orange vibe given the 2.5 hours that came before it. Even more awkward was the scene before it, where the film threatens to turn into a sappy Howard Hughes story. I do not believe that there was enough incentive provided to us to reflect on anything that happened. Also, the son and brother "exchange" was not firmly established. I know I sound way too much like Robert McKee, but was there something more to this than just an archetype replacement? It really wasn't one anyway. In the end, Treasure is more humane, the appropriate characters in it are more sympathetic, yet it is just as vicious. Together, and only together, this makes it a more powerful film.
Since I am playing devil's advocate, I have to admit to having some problems with the music as well. The soundtrack was terrific at points but at others it was just simple man's avant guard, something which the worst of Radiohead suffers from as well. In the film, these moments stuck out like a sore thumb --the syncopated drum scene in particular. The only reason I feel as though I can comment on this is because it doesn't make sense to use avant music when you take into consideration that Anderson went as far as using vintage camera lenses--that from what I can tell narrow shot's focus (to the detriment of the film)--in order to give the film a vintage look.
For those who have seen it, perhaps you can help me out. I didn't understand Daniel Plainview's progression in the film. Did he just explode, like the burning oil derrick he stares at; or was he always like that? If its the former, it felt a bit to mythical and far removed for me --especially compared to Bogart's progression; if its the latter, then a) the Kubrick-ish ending makes a bit more sense, and b) eww.
On the plus side, the performances were terrific. Daniel Day-Lewis surprised me with his unexpectedly (and relatively) restrained performance. I must admit that I was expecting another outlandish Gangs of New York performance that would typecast him in an Al Pacino way, but he continues to dazzle. The baptism scene made the 12 bucks worth it.
Though I should be writing my film class papers instead of this, I have to say that I saw The Death of Mr. Lazarescu last night. It was spellbinding. It's similar to 4 Months, 3 Weeks, and 2 Days, so you can take what I said about that film and apply it to Lazarescu. I am excited to know that we are only at #2 in Cristi Puiu's 6 film series about modern life in Romania. I expect them all to be pretty much the same, but if Eric Rohmer can get me to watch 9 of his films (and counting), then I have no problem with this. Cannes obviously pulled an Academy Awards and gave Puiu the Palm D'Or last year for this film, which came out 2 years earlier. I have no problem with that. Unlike Blood, this is a film we will be discussing in 10 years.
Needless to say, I hope you put The Treasure of the Sierra Madre and The Death of Mr. Lazarescu, an eternal classic and new one, on your netflix queue.
Posted by Fran at February 22, 2008 12:00 AM