December 4, 2005

I'm so sorry, but...

...I think I just performed a cardinal sin in the eyes of the majority of film lovers. I just watched a certain movie and didn't like it. I was all set to full out hate it but it greatly improved towards the end. Still not enough to push the grade any higher.

I don't really know why I didn't like it. I haven't responded to any of the director's other works in any meaningful way (which is also quite blasphemous for many). I just didn't find much to it. Stuff happens and then more stuff happens, which was the big complaint about this director's later film that I also really dislike (moreso than this one).

The scene in the convent was where the film started to turn around, alas this was over an hour and 5 minutes into the movie. I think this scene was better than anything that preceded it because it meant the main female character actually had another character to be around. Before this it was all the same people and all it was was her doing the exact same wide-eyed goofy Charlie Chaplin looks all the time.

The final scenes were also extremely well done. But alas, it was all to close a movie that I just did not respond to. I just did not have the patience for it. I know there is all the stuff going on underneath, but to care about that I need to care about what I see and hear directly.

I wish all the of film had been as emotional as the last 10 minutes. If it were it would have been an A grade classic. But alas, I seriously can't give it any higher than a C. eep. Please forgive me.

The film that I am speaking of is...

Federico Fellini's La Strada.

The other Fellini movies I have seen are La Dolce Vita, Roma and 8 1/2. Roma is my favourite of the four. Maybe because it's so unlike all the others. I sort of liked 8 1/2, but again - the big finale was way better than the rest that preceded it. But the rest of the film was better than La Strada or La Dolce Vita.

And, yes, La Dolce Vita is the one that I really don't like AT ALL. It was just three wasted hours or watching rich people be rich. There was absolutely no point to it other than showing us how these people live, and that is not my idea of a good movie. I was so completely bored by that movie. I have no shame in not liking that one. I really wanted to like La Strada however...

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