Vague Visages Is FilmStruck: Ingmar Bergman’s ‘Fanny and Alexander’
“‘Fanny and Alexander’ is an easily entertaining primer to the cinema of Ingmar Bergman…”
A Vague Visages Film Column About FilmStruck Titles
“‘Fanny and Alexander’ is an easily entertaining primer to the cinema of Ingmar Bergman…”
“As much as ‘Hoop Dreams’ concerns the sports-centric plight of William and Arthur, it is perhaps even more significantly an illustrative case study of what perpetually imperils men (and women) of a certain social, economic and racial constitution.”
“Jodorowsky’s film is a potpourri of consecrated iconography and symbolism, providing ‘El Topo’ a breadth of sacred resonance and no doubt augmenting its potential for provocation and interpretation.”
“As it’s applied to ‘Strike,’ Eisenstein’s methodology is generally simplified, with an occasional leaning toward crude hyperbole.”
“I’ve always had a soft spot for ‘Summer Stock’ — it may not be the most innovative or exciting of Kelly’s films, but it’s an unpretentious movie that delights in the pure pleasure of musical entertainment, from the outright silly to the romantically sincere.”
“No matter the fantasy and clash of culture that swirls around ‘Black Narcissus,’ it is probably best that The Archers did not revisit Orientalist ideas, and that they stuck to what they knew best — the human interest and depths of United Kingdom and European issues.”
“The first word that comes to mind when describing ‘Cléo from 5 to 7’ is escapism. Not only is it an escape for the audience, with Agnès Varda’s documentary style taking viewers on a tour of one of Paris’ many districts, but it explores the title character’s need to break free.”
“If cinema and the internet age have taught us anything, it’s that an explicit truth does not exist. We all perform for a number of lenses, whether they be a film camera or a Twitter account.”
“‘Salvatore Giuliano’ is a thoroughly concentrated work of formal conviction.”
“Sayles’ wonderful gem might not receive the attention it deserves — even in the realm of LGBTQ cinema — but it contains a message that undoubtedly resonates today: no one needs to apologize for who they love.”
“Kitano possesses an eye for color and mise-en-scène. Passages often become works of visual art in themselves.”
“The movie isn’t just about the way it was, the prudish hypocrisy of an earlier time, or outdated sexual mores. For all its provincialism, ‘Splendor in the Grass’ is a story for the ages.”
“From its hypnotic style to its pessimistic plot and languid pacing, ‘Sonatine’ is a mesmerizing manifestation of the troubling logic of Murakawa’s final decision.”
“‘The Searchers’ has moments of low-brow comedy and moments of penetrating tension, its interconnected themes involve love and guilt, and its visual and spiritual essence falls somewhere in the realm of poetic melancholy.”
“‘Blue Is the Warmest Color’ might be most well-known for its lengthy sex scenes, but the gripping romance, elaborate imagery and realistic demonstration of the human experience are what truly keeps the film’s legacy alive.”
“‘Sweet Smell of Success’ seems to exist somewhere beyond auteurist canonization or even the traditional Hollywood studio stock.”
“Lending the story a rarefied patina is the cinematography.”
“‘The Red Shoes’ dynamically crosses from reality to fantasy, befitting a film that is itself a grand fiction, simultaneously reflecting and critiquing a true reality. That’s the power of cinema — that’s the power of ‘The Red Shoes.’”
The Conclusion of Marshall Shaffer’s #FilmStruckFebruary
“I’m convinced that understanding the progression is a crucial bridge in any attempt to understand how the two distinct portions of Bergman’s filmography interact.”