God damn this is great!! We desperately need artists to make art again, to thrill the imagination, to take us to those places where we feel the glory of our universe and the glorious universe within us!!
I agree completely about Eggers - every bit of it, including the flop and the masterpiece (The Lighthouse). Not so much on Anderson but hey.
The thing about modern audiences and the “artists” that have served them so poorly is that they’ve had the wonder trained out of them. We need desperately to recover this lost ground. Your critical thoughts pave a way forward.
This means the most of all. Lou--I would be remiss if I didn't say all your work is fantastic and you were absolutely robbed of an Oscar nomination for this one.
That's very kind of you, Sam. I will likely never get nommed for these things because - for all the reasons you so insightfully discuss - my intention is to immerse the audience in the world and the story, which requires the subtle kind of editing that expressly does not draw attention to itself. I'm very excited for all my collaborators on this movie, but I hate the focus on awards; as if there could possibly be a 'best' of *anything* in the arts. No, being lucky enough to work on Rob's movies is reward enough. Hopefully, his films will endure and give people pleasure for decades to come.
Insightful, thoughtful, perceptive. Thanks! I'll keep reading yr stuff.
Meantime with good intent, a few notes: "tableaux" is a plural noun, should take plural verb form. A colon is for lists or to expand on the previous thought. ["Peaks" should be "peeks."]
I loved it too. Many have made a similar observation, but I got a similar feeling from the two Dune movies: "Finally! Mainstream entertainment that wants to sincerely thrill us rather than just wink and nod constantly."
I love that you mention Terrence Malick's The Tree of Life--when I saw that movie in the theater in 2011, people burst out laughing as the credits rolled. Meanwhile, I was sobbing like a baby. I couldn't understand why people were laughing at something so beautiful. I found it really disturbing.
And actually, I had the same experience watching Anora this year. The ending scene moved me to tears and yet the theater was filled with that same nervous laughter.
I'm glad I read this review before seeing Nosferatu. because this review armed me with a POV that may well make the difference between appreciating and enjoying the movie or not.
I loved The Witch and became obsessed with Black Phillip.
And this is a great line from the review: "A good tale is one you can keep telling, and a good tale-teller is the one who figures out how to tell it again."
Finally the anti-symptomatic interpretation film review we needed. This has made me want to see the film. (I liked The VVitch but The Northmen was a terrible film.) But, more importantly, I think what you’re demonstrating here and perhaps implicitly calling for is an end to those lazy, facile symptomatic readings of film that we usually get and that has contributed to the self-reflexive film practice, and more film criticism that takes film as a medium. Lots of work yet on both of these fronts.
I like Robert Eggers, but didn't like this one too much. It just did not add anything new on top of the many Dracula movies I've seen and books I've read. I thought the acting was good, but it had probably the most boring, one-note Dracula character I've ever seen in a movie.
I quite enjoyed it. Don't get me wrong. My fourth favorite. Got to introduce Eggers to a friend who'd never seen one of his movies. Still think he's one of the best working. But the second half does meander, draining it of some of the unrelenting intensity of the first (friggin' loved the crumbling fireside introduction from hell). The Lighthouse looms, well, lighthouse-tall over the others, fully agreed; but now I'm feeling the need to put to words elements of The Northman some seemed to miss. Regardless, enjoyed this. Thank ya.
A beautifully written piece worthy of a scarily beautiful film.
I have to confess to being surprised that you didn't mention the 'death and the maiden' visual motif that structures the whole movie though.
I didn't like the film as much as you, but the final 'death and maiden' image recontextualised the entire experience for me. I was so blind sided by its ravishing beauty - as exquisite as it is horrifying - that I felt compelled to write my own commentary. https://stevenaoun.substack.com/p/death-becomes-her
B. R. A. V. O. !!!!!!!!
God damn this is great!! We desperately need artists to make art again, to thrill the imagination, to take us to those places where we feel the glory of our universe and the glorious universe within us!!
I agree completely about Eggers - every bit of it, including the flop and the masterpiece (The Lighthouse). Not so much on Anderson but hey.
The thing about modern audiences and the “artists” that have served them so poorly is that they’ve had the wonder trained out of them. We need desperately to recover this lost ground. Your critical thoughts pave a way forward.
This love letter makes me want to see the film ...
But it looks like I missed my chance. Alas!
Finally! Someone who gets it.
Signed,
Nosferatu film editor
This means the most of all. Lou--I would be remiss if I didn't say all your work is fantastic and you were absolutely robbed of an Oscar nomination for this one.
That's very kind of you, Sam. I will likely never get nommed for these things because - for all the reasons you so insightfully discuss - my intention is to immerse the audience in the world and the story, which requires the subtle kind of editing that expressly does not draw attention to itself. I'm very excited for all my collaborators on this movie, but I hate the focus on awards; as if there could possibly be a 'best' of *anything* in the arts. No, being lucky enough to work on Rob's movies is reward enough. Hopefully, his films will endure and give people pleasure for decades to come.
Insightful, thoughtful, perceptive. Thanks! I'll keep reading yr stuff.
Meantime with good intent, a few notes: "tableaux" is a plural noun, should take plural verb form. A colon is for lists or to expand on the previous thought. ["Peaks" should be "peeks."]
Full disclosure: my friend Linda designed the costumes. With loving care.
I loved it too. Many have made a similar observation, but I got a similar feeling from the two Dune movies: "Finally! Mainstream entertainment that wants to sincerely thrill us rather than just wink and nod constantly."
Ah yes, the nervous laughter!
I love that you mention Terrence Malick's The Tree of Life--when I saw that movie in the theater in 2011, people burst out laughing as the credits rolled. Meanwhile, I was sobbing like a baby. I couldn't understand why people were laughing at something so beautiful. I found it really disturbing.
And actually, I had the same experience watching Anora this year. The ending scene moved me to tears and yet the theater was filled with that same nervous laughter.
I'm glad I read this review before seeing Nosferatu. because this review armed me with a POV that may well make the difference between appreciating and enjoying the movie or not.
I loved The Witch and became obsessed with Black Phillip.
And this is a great line from the review: "A good tale is one you can keep telling, and a good tale-teller is the one who figures out how to tell it again."
Finally the anti-symptomatic interpretation film review we needed. This has made me want to see the film. (I liked The VVitch but The Northmen was a terrible film.) But, more importantly, I think what you’re demonstrating here and perhaps implicitly calling for is an end to those lazy, facile symptomatic readings of film that we usually get and that has contributed to the self-reflexive film practice, and more film criticism that takes film as a medium. Lots of work yet on both of these fronts.
I like Robert Eggers, but didn't like this one too much. It just did not add anything new on top of the many Dracula movies I've seen and books I've read. I thought the acting was good, but it had probably the most boring, one-note Dracula character I've ever seen in a movie.
I quite enjoyed it. Don't get me wrong. My fourth favorite. Got to introduce Eggers to a friend who'd never seen one of his movies. Still think he's one of the best working. But the second half does meander, draining it of some of the unrelenting intensity of the first (friggin' loved the crumbling fireside introduction from hell). The Lighthouse looms, well, lighthouse-tall over the others, fully agreed; but now I'm feeling the need to put to words elements of The Northman some seemed to miss. Regardless, enjoyed this. Thank ya.
A beautifully written piece worthy of a scarily beautiful film.
I have to confess to being surprised that you didn't mention the 'death and the maiden' visual motif that structures the whole movie though.
I didn't like the film as much as you, but the final 'death and maiden' image recontextualised the entire experience for me. I was so blind sided by its ravishing beauty - as exquisite as it is horrifying - that I felt compelled to write my own commentary. https://stevenaoun.substack.com/p/death-becomes-her