Welcome Guest [Log In] [Register]
Welcome to In The Balcony. We hope you enjoy your visit.

You're currently viewing our forum as a guest. This means you are limited to certain areas of the board and there are some features you can't use. If you join our community, you'll be able to access member-only sections, and use many member-only features such as customizing your profile, sending personal messages, and voting in polls. Registration is simple, fast, and completely free. Plus, you'll be eligible for the monthly $1 million prize. (Not really.)

Join our community!

If you're already a member please log in to your account to access all of our features:

Username:   Password:
Add Reply
Muriel; forgotten New Wave classic
Topic Started: Mar 14 2008, 08:24 PM (176 Views)
panzer the great & terrible
Member Avatar
Mouth Breather
[ *  *  * ]
After Alain Resnais' big hits -- Night And Fog, Hiroshima Mon Amour, and Last Year In Marienbad -- came Muriel, which made some money but not a lot, since it didn't get overseas bookings because the story had to do with the Algerian War, which nobody in the rest of the world knew or cared about. Thanks to DVD we finally have a chance to see a movie that is timely again and pretty dang profound (the message being: everything changes).

An old lover comes to visit Delphine Seyrig, bringing his mistress along who he introduces as his niece. He's been in Algeria for many years and Delphine's stepson is recently back from service in the war. The two guys clash from the start and everybody falls for everybody else; this is, after all, a New Wave picture. And then there's the mystery around Muriel -- who is she?

As usual with Resnais, things move at a merry clip and weird stuff crops up often enough to keep boredom far, far away. People who like fancy cutting will have a lot to admire. Instead of the long tracking shots that are usually the director's trademark, we get pans so beautifully shot that we don't even notice 'em. I've said it before and I'll say it again: Resnais may be the greatest filmmaker we have left; and this is one of his best.

I suggest watching the extras first: they help you get into the movie and quickly explain the political stuff. Panzer awards Muriel his coveted 5 stars/tickets/whatever.
Life is just a bowl of cherries, it's too mysterious, don't take it serious...
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
« Previous Topic · Dans le Balcon · Next Topic »
Add Reply