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Sal[Au]pian 
"Four ever European"
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 Posted - 02/27/2008 : 22:33:39
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quote:
Originally posted by Downtown
I get the impression that his goal was to give the audience a realistic view of the violence and brutality of boxing, and he succeeded.
Sure. It's just that that's not surprising or interesting. |
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randall 
"I like to watch."
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Posted - 02/27/2008 : 22:55:52
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quote:
Originally posted by Downtown
Raging Bull was a pretty good movie. Pretty good, not great. But I don't think Scorsese was really trying to make a great movie. I get the impression that his goal was to give the audience a realistic view of the violence and brutality of boxing, and he succeeded. That doesn't mean he just mailed it in while doing all the other scenes about La Motta flushing his life down the toilet, but those parts simply weren't a priority for him.
Rocky does not give the audience that realistic view. You get the brutality, but the way they're fighting is NOT real boxing.
For an assignment, I recently screened RAGING BULL and learned all the backstage stuff I possibly could about it. I agree that Scorsese didn't set out to make a masterpiece -- he wasn't a fan of boxing and recoiled at the very idea until De Niro talked him into it -- but the movie gods happened to smile upon the project. Thelma Schoonmaker, Scorsese's veteran editor, even talked about being guided by some invisible hand. Each bout -- the fights were the first footage shot for the picture -- is realized in a different, and mega-storytelling, cinematic way. One match employs an elongated ring. Another one's camera sits over a flame bar for exhausted shimmer. Etc etc etc. You don't notice this stuff, but it gets under your skin, like TWELVE ANGRY MEN: the first third is shot above the guys, the second at eye level, and the final third below. It acts on you emotionally, even if you don't register the canny craftsmanship. RAGING BULL's makers definitely understand, and that's why you're registering that realistic view: visionary artists and craftsmen guided you in that direction. To feel those blows and still get a sense of character? In my book, that's great filmmaking.
And that's just the boxing: don't forget the ripped portrayal of Jake's actual life. [With two guys compressed into the single Pesci character.] And the reason it's in b&w is that after ROCKY's success, four more fight flix were in development, and Scorsese's producers [who had made ROCKY!] convinced the brass that this would make their picture stand out.
Love, hate the subject -- this is one of the great films of the late 20th century.
EDIT: Forgot one other interesting fact I learned: the boxing scenes, the ones we all remember, take up only about ten minutes of the finished film. Talk about powerful... |
Edited by - randall on 02/28/2008 04:12:19 |
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Montgomery
"F**k!"
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Posted - 02/28/2008 : 17:16:46
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quote:
Originally posted by Downtown
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Tilda's speech left a lot to be desired. Thanking her agent??????
When you win an award for your outstanding performance in a movie, it seems wise to thank the person that was responsible for your getting the part in the first place. Agents have lots of other clients, too...clients that might get those choice parts in the future if they seem to show more gratitude.
Life is not so short but there is always time for courtesy...even with a two-minute time limit.
I'm not saying don't acknowledge your agent. But, it's just not a very poetic thing to say. It's so business oriented.
I expected something more inspirational.
EM :) |
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Montgomery
"F**k!"
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Posted - 02/28/2008 : 17:21:58
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quote:
Originally posted by Downtown
I can totally understand why everyone in the world pretends to like The English Patient despite what an excruciatingly boring movie it is. After all, it's just like in that Seinfeld episode: it's like a cult, you're simply not allowed to admit how terrible this movie is. You can point out that the emperor has no clothes, but most likely you'll just be outcast by everyone else who's afraid to admit they hate it, too.
But why vote for it in a (supposedly) secret ballot? Isn't that your chance to finally say, "I HATE THIS MOVIE!!!"
Funny you should bring up Seinfeld, since they had an episode where Elaine admitted she couldn't stand that movie.
I'm with her. It was long. And I wanted the guy to die.
EM :) |
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Downtown 
"Welcome back, Billy Buck"
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Posted - 02/28/2008 : 22:16:53
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| That's what I meant, Monty. Elaine experienced an exaggerated version of what happens in real life when someone admits they don't like it: she got treated like a cult member that was trying to quit. |
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MisterBadIdea 
"PLZ GET MILK, KTHXBYE"
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Posted - 02/28/2008 : 23:09:07
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| But that was in 1997. "The English Patient," nowadays, is less watched and far less praised. |
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Montgomery
"F**k!"
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Posted - 02/28/2008 : 23:32:15
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quote:
Originally posted by Downtown
That's what I meant, Monty. Elaine experienced an exaggerated version of what happens in real life when someone admits they don't like it: she got treated like a cult member that was trying to quit.
Oh, I read your post wrong. I thought you were saying, it's like if you say you don't like Seinfeld is like saying you don't like English Patient, you get chastized.
I guess I should read every word, instead of every other or every third word, to get the full meaning of people's posts.
Duh.
EM :) |
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Downtown
"Welcome back, Billy Buck"
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Posted - 02/29/2008 : 01:53:49
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quote:
Originally posted by MisterBadIdea
But that was in 1997. "The English Patient," nowadays, is less watched and far less praised.
Good thing. But this kind of trauma can be hard for me to get over. |
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Downtown
"Welcome back, Billy Buck"
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Posted - 02/29/2008 : 01:54:50
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quote:
Originally posted by Montgomery
Oh, I read your post wrong. I thought you were saying, it's like if you say you don't like Seinfeld is like saying you don't like English Patient, you get chastized.
I guess I should read every word, instead of every other or every third word, to get the full meaning of people's posts.
Duh.
EM :)
Well you wouldn't be the only person that doesn't pay much attention to me. |
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Sean 
"Necrosphenisciform anthropophagist."
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Posted - 02/29/2008 : 04:48:00
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I enjoyed Plan 9 From Outer Space more than I enjoyed Rocky, at least it was entertaining. That makes it a better film I suppose.  |
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ChocolateLady
"500 Chocolate Delights"
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Posted - 02/29/2008 : 08:12:33
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quote:
Originally posted by Downtown
I hated Gladiator from the first scene, Chocolady. But unlike English Patient, I thought I was the only one. Now I feel better.
Read the book, man - read the book. Ondaatje is an amazing writer, and they turned the whole story on its ear. Bah humbug!
As for Gladiator, the main reason I hated it was all the inaccuracies, but I think I've stated that here before.
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Downtown
"Welcome back, Billy Buck"
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Posted - 02/29/2008 : 13:46:35
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| My problem with Gladiator is that it confuses chaos for action. |
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randall
"I like to watch."
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Posted - 02/29/2008 : 14:14:15
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| BRAVEHEART too, for that matter. |
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Downtown
"Welcome back, Billy Buck"
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Posted - 02/29/2008 : 15:45:42
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| I disagree. The battle scenes were done very differently in Braveheart. |
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ChocolateLady
"500 Chocolate Delights"
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Posted - 02/29/2008 : 16:01:36
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quote:
Originally posted by Downtown
I disagree. The battle scenes were done very differently in Braveheart.
Did any of the battle scenes in Braveheart have a broadsword (which weights several kilos and is as sharp as a surgeon's scalpel) whoop-whoop-whooping through the air when someone snatches it out the air by the blade with his bare hands - but he doesn't get even a papercut from it? |
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An inherent flaw in the Oscars...?
