I caught Jean-Pierre Melville's Army of Shadows the other day, and I'm ashamed to say I didn't do right by it. I was a bit drowsy, and wasn't in the right state of consciousness to really appreciate a foreign film. (Sometimes I close my eyes and just listen, momentarily forgetting that a movie has subtitles; this doesn't work well for the film as a whole.)*
It was interesting, and at times very tense. But I'm certain I would have enjoyed it much, much more had I not drifted off in a couple of the early scenes. Reading this Roger Ebert review makes me want to watch it all over again, to make better sense of it all. If you miss a little of the intricacies of this thriller of small details, you miss a lot.
Rob
* I wouldn't have fared much better at my other option, the 1924 silent film Pandora's Box.
Sunday, June 25, 2006
Revoke My Cinephile License
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
2 comments:
Oddly enough, this happened to me just last week, when I was trying to catch the last possible showing of CSA: Confederate States of America. (I missed enough of it that when I rent it, it'll seem reasonably fresh.) A terrible feeling -- just like nodding off during college lectures, only less expensive.
Oh, hell -- I wanted to see that one too!
Post a Comment