Adaptation (2002)
Directed by Spike Jonze
* * * *
How does one write a movie
script adapted from a book that contains no substantial material for a feature
film, like, say, a book about orchid flowers? Such is the task that Charlie
(Nicholas Cage) is faced with. With bold artistic ambition, though, Charlie
refuses to give up on the project. Difficult already, but said difficulty is
multiplied when mixed with his neuroses, self-loathing, sexual hang-ups, and
not to mention rooming with his twin brother Donald (also Cage), who is also
writing a screenplay – one that is much more contrived and formulaic than
Charlie’s vision, but Donald finds great praise and success with his ambition.
All that follows is a
Though directed by Spike Jonze,
the real hero here is screenwriter Charlie Kaufman, who would later pen Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind and
Synecdoche, New York (the latter of
which he also directed). Kaufman is truly one of the most singularly unique
voices in screenwriting – I always recognize something by Kaufman’s writing
before whoever is directing. Adaptation,
though not his crowning achievement, certainly has one of the most cleverly
written scripts in modern films, not only in the outrageous collage of themes
and styles within, but just how flawlessly it handles it all – it is also the
single most unique adaptation of a book ever, as far as I’m concerned (yes,
this is credited as an adaptation of The
Orchid Thief).
I can talk about Kaufman’s
brilliance all day, but Jonze’s direction is also noteworthy. Like with Being John Malkovich, their previous
collaboration, Jonze brings Kaufman’s truly unique vision to life with such
perfection and confidence. Particularly impressive, for me, was just how subtle
Adaptation was in its visual tricks;
i.e., the way having two Nicholas Cages on screen at the same time – it wasn’t
so much the trickery that grabbed me so much, but rather I was so involved with
the film on every level that I didn’t even notice that there are two Cages on screen!
It just goes to show that Adaptation is
a riveting, unique, and great film.
Mother and Son (1997)
Directed by Aleksandr Sokurov
* * ½
The countryside extols a most
beautiful day – beautiful enough that the ailing Mother (Gudrun Geyer) and her
grown Son (Aleksei Ananishnov) make their entire day enjoying the day’s beauty,
strolling about, relaxing under the leaves. On rare occasions, they exchange dialogue
every once in a while, but to talk too much would disrupt the ambience of the
day – for them, anyway. To be more fair to the film, I wish I could be a bit
more descript as far as Mother and Son’s
plot goes, but that’s about all there is to it.
Does that make it bad? Not
necessarily. Mother and Son is about
as much of an art film as one might expect, and that’s how one should regard
it. As typical with artful movies, there’s more moments of ambience and meditation
than plot and dialogue, and it’s quite absorbing, with trees and bushes always
in the foreground and the soundtrack comprised almost exclusively of leaves
rustling (I feel like Apichatpong Weerasethakul may have taken some notes from
this film). In the case of Mother and Son,
it is sometimes quite poignant. Considering the scenario that was brought
before me – that of a grown man caring for his ailing mother – there were times
when I was completely lost in thought, sometimes wondering which of the two has
the biggest burden as far as the mother-son relationship goes. Additionally,
there’s the cinematography, and here is a case where literally every single
frame is a painting. Seriously; one could take choice stills, make blowups, and
put them in an art gallery. I was frequently reminded of Andrew Wyeth’s famous painting
Christina’s World.
Ultimately, though, I can’t
exactly say I enjoyed Mother and Son,
as there is too much of a focus on being meditative. Even then, though, it’s
not necessarily pretentious, as one might think – not to mention that it in no
way overstays its welcome (the DVD from Kino clocks in at just under 70
minutes). I tend to think of films like this as demos, of sorts, of the
artistry and poignancy that a particular filmmaker is capable of, and Mother and Son certainly exhibits many
potential strengths from director Sokurov. That said, those strengths aren’t on
full display, still leaving Mother and
Son as a demo.
The Umbrellas of Cherbourg (1964)
Directed by Jacques Demy
* * * ½
It is 1957 in the coastal town
of Cherbourg. Genevieve (Catherine Deneuve) and Guy (Nino Castelnuovo) are
deeply in love, and seemingly nothing can separate them. Unfortunately,
separation is exactly what happens, as Guy is called to duty to do his part in
the Algerian War. Left on her own, with no one to love or show affection to,
Genevieve exists in a perpetual state of sadness and longing, and her feelings
become all the more complicated when her mother presents her with a prospective
partner.
The Umbrellas of Cherbourg just might be the most adorable movie I’ve
ever seen. Of course, the cuteness has a lot to do with all of its French glitz
and charm, as well as its colorful spectacle (courtesy of Technicolor), but what
truly makes this movie so special is because of one simple thing: the film is a
musical, front to back. When I emphasize front to back, by this I mean that
every single line of spoken dialogue is delivered through singing (with a score
to back it up, of course). For many, especially non-fans of musicals, this
might be about the most off-putting thing ever, but I can assure you that you
settle into it right away, and it is simply enchanting from start to finish.
I enjoyed this movie so much,
and I don’t have too much bad to say about it. In fact, I don’t, but there are
some missed opportunities that glare just a bit too brightly. Considering just
how wonderful the style of the film is, and while the material presented gets
the job done, I feel like everything as far as themes and characters could have
gone a lot further. Additionally, I feel like a bit more technical work would
have been nice, as the film sometimes feels quite bland on a technical level.
But these are fairly minor gripes that could wane with another watch, and
another watch is exactly what I plan on doing, because The Umbrellas of Cherbourg is pure magic.
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