What classic or well-regarded film have you finally caught up to in the last two years, and been disappointed with, Iba?
Very good question.
Up until recently, I had not appreciated silent films. No explanation really, the films just seemed so foreign to me (in fact more foreign than many international films. I think prior to my immersion, my introduction had been to a handful of films, notably Wings, and snippets of Nosferatu and Phantom of the Opera mixed in for good measure.
But gradually, being the cinematically open-minded person I am, I decided to further plunge into this genre and really find out what it was all about. Of course I LOVED it – why wouldn’t I? As a result of this immersion, I was formally introduced to City Lights, which has become one of my absolute favorite FILMS (not just silents).
On the flip side, and to get around to your question, my silent movie journey also led me to the Fritz Lang masterpiece, Metropolis.
WARNING: Unpopular Opinion Time …
I did not like it. Granted, I did not hate it either. Overall, I was very ambivalent about the experience, as I expressed in my May 2012 piece on the very subject of silent films. Since then, the needle on that position has not really moved.
Hear me out. From the perspective of achievement in the art of filmmaking and of cinematic scale, I get it. Nothing up until that time had been filmed on film, especially a believable future-state. When you get to it, I really think it is me – my expectations were at 11 when it came to story. And in that respect, I felt a bit let down about some of the plot mechanics. Perhaps on revisiting the film later (seeing it on the big screen), I will be a little more forgiving.
This issue is separate and apart for me from reading about the several contemporary efforts to restore the film into a fully realized film.
le0pard13 says
April 2, 2014 at 10:29 amGreat and interesting answer, Iba! I do understand, though. Many thanks for taking this question on, my friend.
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iluvcinema says
April 2, 2014 at 9:59 pmMy pleasure!
ruth says
April 2, 2014 at 4:49 pmOy, I haven’t seen this one yet but I will tread with managed expectations now, ahah. I know that I haven’t always been WOWED by every film that critics/moviegoers love with a passion. I was bored to tears watching The Gateaway with Steve McQueen, ahah.
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iluvcinema says
April 2, 2014 at 9:59 pmI do not want to color your experience too much, it is just that I was rather disappointed. but as a lover of film history it is a must see even if the response is not what I expected it to be.
Ja says
April 3, 2014 at 9:20 amI am totaly with you. Watched this in film class and respected it for what it represented visually BUT there was nothing uber-dynamic about the film itself…in a similar way to the more recent Avatar.
Ja recently posted..Ether Flamed Out In 2013 But Looks Forward To 2014
Ja says
April 3, 2014 at 9:20 amI am totaly with you. Watched this in film class and respected it for what it represented visually BUT there was nothing uber-dynamic about the film itself…in a similar way to the more recent Avatar.
Ja recently posted..Ether Flamed Out In 2013 But Looks Forward To 2014
jackdeth72 says
April 3, 2014 at 10:32 pmIntriguing question, Michael. And an even more insightful answer, Iluv!
Metropolis is a very ambitious film with superb optics, sets and effects. Though, its message is sometimes delivered with a mallet. When a feather’s touch would be better utilized.
Always appreciated the timing of Buster Keaton in silent films. And Harold Lloyd’s sleight of hand stunt work.
Never understood why Love Story and Kramer vs. Kramer were so well received and popular for such pedestrian flicks. Still prefer The Sterile Cuckoo with Liza Minnelli over Love Story . Also thought Avatar and Prometheus were far too clever for their own respective goods.