disclaimer. couldn't find a seperate thread about this great film.
I'm in love with French films so I had to see this film which is considered one of the greatest films of all time. Now, I learned with Citizen Kane that the polls can be subjective so I came into the viewing with open thoughts about how it would play out to my tastes. It played WELL. You all know the basic plot. A group of bourgeious French upper class people throw a big party at Robert and Christine's country estate, La Colinière. Here several love triangles are examined which expose the immoral character of people hiding behind the facade of the "titles" that they have earned in life. Its a VERY intricant and nuanced examination of narcissism. The film is soo harsh that on its initial release it was banned in France. Seems the film touched too many toes with truth.
As far as the film itself I saw no faults. The excellent camera techniques used in the film were groundbreaking. Orson Welles sights the film as a great inspiration for that reason. The camera techniques used allowed Renior to film action going on in both the fore and background at the same time with clarity. I'm not a technical man when it comes to camera techniques but those who have seen the film know what I'm talking about. The sound was captured the same way. You would have dialogue being spoken WITH background ambient noises going on at the same time. It was just superb. At first these techniques make the film seem confusing. Then you learn to appreciate how he is actually taking you into a deeper spontaneous view of how the action would be playing out in reality.
Spoiler Alert:
I've read a comment on the board about the film where the poster said the ending of the film didn't make sense because the two men should have known that Christine was in the hooded coat instead of the maid. I disagree. You have two men who are both very emotional at the moment because of actions that immediately proceeded this event. You also have this setting at night literally in the woods and I believe it may have been a slight rain. With their emotions running as high as it was I can see them mistaken the two women.
Overall I believe the films stands up to its reputation. I saw this on Amazon Prime and will be ordering the Criterion version. I rate the film a solid 9.5 out of 10 because of the subject matter, plot, cinematography, music and historical value. A great film...
