“A cinematographer is a visual psychiatrist — moving an audience through a movie […] making them think the way you want them to think, painting pictures in the dark,” said the late, great Gordon Willis. As we continue our year-end coverage, one aspect we must highlight is indeed cinematography, among the most vital to the medium. From talented newcomers to seasoned professionals, we’ve rounded up the 22 examples that have most impressed us this year. Check out our rundown below and, in the comments, let us know your favorite work.
Amour Fou (Martin Gschlacht)
As if Dreyer had been sprung into the 21st century, Amour Fou stands with feet in formally classical and aesthetically modern doors — as rigid in composition as it is lucid in palette. Writer-director Jessica Hausner and cinematographer Martin Gschlacht have created a world in which it seems nothing will escape, making those moments of visual discord — an object...
Amour Fou (Martin Gschlacht)
As if Dreyer had been sprung into the 21st century, Amour Fou stands with feet in formally classical and aesthetically modern doors — as rigid in composition as it is lucid in palette. Writer-director Jessica Hausner and cinematographer Martin Gschlacht have created a world in which it seems nothing will escape, making those moments of visual discord — an object...
- 12/29/2015
- by TFS Staff
- The Film Stage
Special Mention: Shock Corridor
Written and directed by Samuel Fuller
USA, 1963
Genre: Psychological Thriller
Shock Corridor stars Peter Breck as Johnny Barrett, an ambitious reporter who wants to expose a killer hiding out at the local insane asylum. In order to solve the case, he must pretend to be insane so they have him committed. Once in the asylum, Barrett sets to work, interrogating the other patients and keeping a close eye on the staff. But it’s difficult to remain a sane man living in an insane place, and the closer Barrett gets to the truth, the closer he gets to insanity.
Shock Corridor is best described as an anti-establishment drama that at times is surprisingly quite funny despite the dark material. The film deals with some timely issues of the era, specifically the atom bomb, anti-communism, and racism. It features everything from a raving female love-crazed nympho ward,...
Written and directed by Samuel Fuller
USA, 1963
Genre: Psychological Thriller
Shock Corridor stars Peter Breck as Johnny Barrett, an ambitious reporter who wants to expose a killer hiding out at the local insane asylum. In order to solve the case, he must pretend to be insane so they have him committed. Once in the asylum, Barrett sets to work, interrogating the other patients and keeping a close eye on the staff. But it’s difficult to remain a sane man living in an insane place, and the closer Barrett gets to the truth, the closer he gets to insanity.
Shock Corridor is best described as an anti-establishment drama that at times is surprisingly quite funny despite the dark material. The film deals with some timely issues of the era, specifically the atom bomb, anti-communism, and racism. It features everything from a raving female love-crazed nympho ward,...
- 10/9/2015
- by Ricky Fernandes
- SoundOnSight
After premiering at the 2014 Toronto International Film Festival, Peter Strickland‘s third feature The Duke of Burgundy went on to a limited theatrical release in January, 2015, though it ended up being a poor quarter chosen to unleash the film. Like Strickland’s previous features, Katalin Varga (still without distribution in the Us) and Berberian Sound Studio, his latest was in need of more innovative marketing strategies in order to reach an appreciative audience, though it should hopefully amass a growing field of devotees now that it’s available for home viewing.
Beginning like something that should have been called Exploits of a Chambermaid, replete with a fantastically sumptuous rendering of a vintage title sequence lifted right out of the 1970s, The Duke of Burgundy seduces us immediately. Much like his last film, the incredibly underrated Berberian Sound Studio, which was an homage to the giallo genre, his latest is a reconsideration of erotic exploitation cinema,...
Beginning like something that should have been called Exploits of a Chambermaid, replete with a fantastically sumptuous rendering of a vintage title sequence lifted right out of the 1970s, The Duke of Burgundy seduces us immediately. Much like his last film, the incredibly underrated Berberian Sound Studio, which was an homage to the giallo genre, his latest is a reconsideration of erotic exploitation cinema,...
- 9/29/2015
- by Nicholas Bell
- IONCINEMA.com
Sikander Rizvi, grandson of the legendary singing sensation Madam Noor Jehan and brother of actress Sonya Jehan (who debuted in Karan Johar’s ‘My Name Is Khan’) will make his big screen debut opposite screen sensation Humaima Malick.
The film titled ‘Dekh Magar Pyaar Say’ being directed by the noted Pakistani ad film-maker Asad-ul Haq is under production in Lahore and is expected to release later this year in India & Pakistan simultaneously, among other global markets.
A successful television actress, Humaima shot to larger fame with Shoaib Mansoor’s critically acclaimed ‘Bol’ in which she was paired opposite Atif Aslam. She made her Bollywood debut opposite Emraan Hashmi in Utv-Disney and Kunal Deshmukh’s caper, ‘Raja Natwarlal’.
Sikander Rizvi is being tipped as a Fawad Khan-in-the-making, for his drop-dead good looks, and has been voted by the Pakistani media as the country’s most eligible bachelor.
The main protagonists...
The film titled ‘Dekh Magar Pyaar Say’ being directed by the noted Pakistani ad film-maker Asad-ul Haq is under production in Lahore and is expected to release later this year in India & Pakistan simultaneously, among other global markets.
A successful television actress, Humaima shot to larger fame with Shoaib Mansoor’s critically acclaimed ‘Bol’ in which she was paired opposite Atif Aslam. She made her Bollywood debut opposite Emraan Hashmi in Utv-Disney and Kunal Deshmukh’s caper, ‘Raja Natwarlal’.
Sikander Rizvi is being tipped as a Fawad Khan-in-the-making, for his drop-dead good looks, and has been voted by the Pakistani media as the country’s most eligible bachelor.
The main protagonists...
- 4/2/2015
- by Press Releases
- Bollyspice
Sikander Rizvi, grandson of the legendary singing sensation Madam Noor Jehan and brother of actress Sonya Jehan (who debuted in Karan Johar's My Name Is Khan) will make his big screen debut opposite Humaima Malick. The film titled Dekh Magar Pyaar Say being directed by the noted Pakistani ad film-maker Asad-ul Haq is under production in Lahore and is expected to release later this year in India & Pakistan simultaneously, among other global markets. This romantic comedy revolves around the main protagonists' journey of love which is humorously chartered through the romantic city of Lahore. Talking about the film, director Asad-ul-Haq said, "Dekh Magar Pyaar Say is based in the cultural capital of Pakistan and will be featuring a brand new outlook on the traditional romantic movie, one that is filled with twists, turns, surprises and everything in between, all the while debunking established cliches associated with the romance genre.
- 4/1/2015
- by Bollywood Hungama News Network
- BollywoodHungama
The Body and the Whip: Strickland’s Sublime Homage to Erotic Cinema
Beginning like something that should have been called Exploits of a Chambermaid, replete with a fantastically sumptuous rendering of a vintage title sequence lifted right out of the 1970s, Peter Strickland’s The Duke of Burgundy seduces us immediately. Much like his last film, the incredibly underrated Berberian Sound Studio, which was an homage to the giallo genre, his latest is a reconsideration of erotic exploitation cinema, where names like Jesus Franco and Jean Rollin garnered a notable cult following. But considering such influences, Strickland’s title is hardly cheap, though one would be remiss to deny a certain air of tawdry sentiment.
Evelyn (Chiara D’Anna) is a newly hired housekeeper. Making her way to her new employer, a strict, unfriendly woman named Cynthia (Sidse Babett Knudsen), it seems they already have a tense relationship that may...
Beginning like something that should have been called Exploits of a Chambermaid, replete with a fantastically sumptuous rendering of a vintage title sequence lifted right out of the 1970s, Peter Strickland’s The Duke of Burgundy seduces us immediately. Much like his last film, the incredibly underrated Berberian Sound Studio, which was an homage to the giallo genre, his latest is a reconsideration of erotic exploitation cinema, where names like Jesus Franco and Jean Rollin garnered a notable cult following. But considering such influences, Strickland’s title is hardly cheap, though one would be remiss to deny a certain air of tawdry sentiment.
Evelyn (Chiara D’Anna) is a newly hired housekeeper. Making her way to her new employer, a strict, unfriendly woman named Cynthia (Sidse Babett Knudsen), it seems they already have a tense relationship that may...
- 1/21/2015
- by Nicholas Bell
- IONCINEMA.com
Special Mention: Post Tenebras Lux
Written and directed by Carlos Reygadas
Mexico, 2012
Mexican director Carlos Reygadas (Japón, Silent Light) seems inches away from producing his masterpiece. His latest, Post Tenebras Lux (the title is a Latin phrase meaning “after darkness, light”), opens with two of the most unforgettable, ominous images in recent memory. The first is a haunting sequence at dusk as Reygadas’s 2-year old daughter walks through a muddy landscape filled with farm animals and large dogs. As she wanders the field, darkness gradually falls and a thunderstorm moves in. The second scene follows an animated glowing-red demon gliding silently through the rooms of a dark house in the middle of the night. In addition to these two illustrious scenes, we are also treated to a heartbreaking A.A. meeting, a visit to a strange sex club and a man who commits suicide in the most unforgettable way.
Written and directed by Carlos Reygadas
Mexico, 2012
Mexican director Carlos Reygadas (Japón, Silent Light) seems inches away from producing his masterpiece. His latest, Post Tenebras Lux (the title is a Latin phrase meaning “after darkness, light”), opens with two of the most unforgettable, ominous images in recent memory. The first is a haunting sequence at dusk as Reygadas’s 2-year old daughter walks through a muddy landscape filled with farm animals and large dogs. As she wanders the field, darkness gradually falls and a thunderstorm moves in. The second scene follows an animated glowing-red demon gliding silently through the rooms of a dark house in the middle of the night. In addition to these two illustrious scenes, we are also treated to a heartbreaking A.A. meeting, a visit to a strange sex club and a man who commits suicide in the most unforgettable way.
- 12/14/2013
- by Ricky
- SoundOnSight
Peter Strickland’s British horror deconstruction Berberian Sound Studio opened yesterday in a crowded field of fifteen new releases, but if graphic design was all it took to get people into theaters Bss should be way ahead of the field. The startling grayscale collage of the Us one sheet was designed by the suddenly prolific Brandon Schaefer who, as IFC Films’ new house designer, has designed two of my other favorite posters of the year so far, for Simon Killer and Gimme the Loot. He has also started giving me a run for my money writing about movie posters for Film.com. I particularly like his introduction about his personal design education, his process piece about Simon Killer, and his rant against the facile nature of fan art minimalism (though I do think there he omits giving praise where praise is occasionally due).
Berberian Sound Studio is a mysterious and...
Berberian Sound Studio is a mysterious and...
- 6/15/2013
- by Adrian Curry
- MUBI
Buenos Aires – Peter Strickland’s Berberian Sound Studio topped the international competition of the Buenos Aires Independent Film Festival, which closes this weekend. The film also received a Best Cinematography Award for Nic Knowland, given by Adf, the local cinematographer’s association. The announcement was made at noon today by fest director Marcelo Panozzo. The Best Director Award went to Matt Porterfield for I Used to be Darker, while Antoine Cattin and Pavel Kostomarov’s Playback received a Special Mention. Jazmin Lopez’s Lions won the Special Prize from the jury, composed of Veronika Franz, Chinlin Hsieh, Marie-Pierre Macia, Peter Mettler, and Argentine filmmaker and
read more...
read more...
- 4/20/2013
- by Agustin Mango
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
25: The Dark Knight Rises
Directed by Christopher Nolan
Screenplay by Jonathan Nolan and Christopher Nolan
2012, USA
The Dark Knight Rises feels as if it was made up of two equal halves, with the most critical moment of the film breaking the movie in half, almost literally. While the second half may have been a let down, the first half is incredibly ambitious to say the least. The opening sequence, a gravity-defying skyjacking, is a tour de force – wildly choreographed, vivid, visceral, and chock full of suspense. That aerial extraction alone is worth the price of admission. Production-wise, effects-wise, Nolan’s movie (with sequences shot with Imax cameras) is staggering. There was an opportunity here for Nolan to stretch the boundaries of what is possible in the genre, alas, the final act becomes a little too conventional – complete with a doomsday device and a ticking-clock countdown. But for every quibble,...
Directed by Christopher Nolan
Screenplay by Jonathan Nolan and Christopher Nolan
2012, USA
The Dark Knight Rises feels as if it was made up of two equal halves, with the most critical moment of the film breaking the movie in half, almost literally. While the second half may have been a let down, the first half is incredibly ambitious to say the least. The opening sequence, a gravity-defying skyjacking, is a tour de force – wildly choreographed, vivid, visceral, and chock full of suspense. That aerial extraction alone is worth the price of admission. Production-wise, effects-wise, Nolan’s movie (with sequences shot with Imax cameras) is staggering. There was an opportunity here for Nolan to stretch the boundaries of what is possible in the genre, alas, the final act becomes a little too conventional – complete with a doomsday device and a ticking-clock countdown. But for every quibble,...
- 12/23/2012
- by Ricky
- SoundOnSight
Rufus Norris's directorial debut also won best film and best supporting actor for performance by Rory Kinnear
Family drama Broken, the feature-film debut from award-winning theatre and opera director Rufus Norris, has been named best film of 2012 at the British independent film awards.
Starring Tim Roth as a father looking after an 11-year-old daughter (newcomer Eloise Laurence) after his wife leaves him, the film also won best supporting actor for Rory Kinnear. The Guardian's Peter Bradshaw criticised the film as "strained, desperately self-conscious and replete with unconvincing and unearned emotional crises" at Cannes in May but praised Laurence for her turn as the likeable Skunk.
The other big winner at the Bifas was Peter Strickland's period psychological thriller Berberian Sound Studio, which won best director, best actor (for Toby Jones), best achievement in production and best technical achievement for Joakim Sundström and Stevie Haywood's sound design. The...
Family drama Broken, the feature-film debut from award-winning theatre and opera director Rufus Norris, has been named best film of 2012 at the British independent film awards.
Starring Tim Roth as a father looking after an 11-year-old daughter (newcomer Eloise Laurence) after his wife leaves him, the film also won best supporting actor for Rory Kinnear. The Guardian's Peter Bradshaw criticised the film as "strained, desperately self-conscious and replete with unconvincing and unearned emotional crises" at Cannes in May but praised Laurence for her turn as the likeable Skunk.
The other big winner at the Bifas was Peter Strickland's period psychological thriller Berberian Sound Studio, which won best director, best actor (for Toby Jones), best achievement in production and best technical achievement for Joakim Sundström and Stevie Haywood's sound design. The...
- 12/11/2012
- by Ben Child
- The Guardian - Film News
The stars turned out in force last night for the 15th Moët British Independent Film Awards at Old Billingsgate in London.
Last night's glittering event was a who's who of British cinema and was hosted by actor James Nesbitt fresh off the set of The Hobbit.
Attending the star-studded event was Jude Law who received the Variety Award, and acting legend Michael Gambon who won the coveted Richard Harris Award.
Other guests included Terence Stamp, Billy Connolly, Tom Hiddleston, Terry Gilliam, Peter Capaldi, Olivia Coleman, Idris Elba, John Hurt, Tom Felton, Andrea Riseborough, Elle Fanning, Ruth Wilson, Felicity Jones, Holliday Grainger, Edith Bowman and Noomi Rapace.
Past nominees, patrons and supporters of Bifa celebrated the 15th birthday of the awards by posing for a group picture (see above) taken by official photographer Idil Sukan.
Berberian Sound Studio triumphed at the British Independent Film Awards, picking up four trophies for Best Director,...
Last night's glittering event was a who's who of British cinema and was hosted by actor James Nesbitt fresh off the set of The Hobbit.
Attending the star-studded event was Jude Law who received the Variety Award, and acting legend Michael Gambon who won the coveted Richard Harris Award.
Other guests included Terence Stamp, Billy Connolly, Tom Hiddleston, Terry Gilliam, Peter Capaldi, Olivia Coleman, Idris Elba, John Hurt, Tom Felton, Andrea Riseborough, Elle Fanning, Ruth Wilson, Felicity Jones, Holliday Grainger, Edith Bowman and Noomi Rapace.
Past nominees, patrons and supporters of Bifa celebrated the 15th birthday of the awards by posing for a group picture (see above) taken by official photographer Idil Sukan.
Berberian Sound Studio triumphed at the British Independent Film Awards, picking up four trophies for Best Director,...
- 12/10/2012
- by David Bentley
- The Geek Files
It’s no big secret I love horror films, but 2012 hasn’t been a great year. In my top ten, three films carry over from 2011, two won’t be released until 2013, two are animated and another isn’t much of a horror film. With that said, 2012 gave us Berberian Sound Studio and Cabin In The Woods, and for that, I am forever grateful. Here is a list of the 21 horror films from 2012 I liked best.
****
#1: Berberian Sound Studio
Directed by Peter Strickland
Written by Peter Strickland
UK, 2012
Berberian Sound Studio reminds us of the power of sound over the visual image, and can surely join the ranks of Francis Ford Coppola’s The Conversation and Brian DePalma’s Blow Out as an absorbing appreciation of sound design. But both thematically and visually, Berberian is more of a descendant of the school of David Lynch and Roman Polanski. As things get increasingly,...
****
#1: Berberian Sound Studio
Directed by Peter Strickland
Written by Peter Strickland
UK, 2012
Berberian Sound Studio reminds us of the power of sound over the visual image, and can surely join the ranks of Francis Ford Coppola’s The Conversation and Brian DePalma’s Blow Out as an absorbing appreciation of sound design. But both thematically and visually, Berberian is more of a descendant of the school of David Lynch and Roman Polanski. As things get increasingly,...
- 12/9/2012
- by Ricky
- SoundOnSight
The nominations for the 15th annual Moët British Independent Film Awards have been unveiled in London.
They were announced by patron Adrian Lester (above), the Birmingham-born actor whose credits include The Day After Tomorrow and TV series Being Human, Bonekickers, Merlin and Hustle.
In a statement, joint directors of the awards Johanna von Fischer & Tessa Collinson said: "In this our 15th year, we are delighted to welcome back six-time former host James Nesbitt.
"We would like to take this opportunity to thank our dedicated Pre-Selection Committee who watched over 200 films in order to produce the 2012 nominations, which once again reflect the diverse range of British film talent, and also welcome this year's appointed independent jury who will now spend the next month considering the nominated films."
The highest number of nominations this year goes to Broken with 9 nominations including Best Film, Best Director and Best Debut Director for Rufus Norris,...
They were announced by patron Adrian Lester (above), the Birmingham-born actor whose credits include The Day After Tomorrow and TV series Being Human, Bonekickers, Merlin and Hustle.
In a statement, joint directors of the awards Johanna von Fischer & Tessa Collinson said: "In this our 15th year, we are delighted to welcome back six-time former host James Nesbitt.
"We would like to take this opportunity to thank our dedicated Pre-Selection Committee who watched over 200 films in order to produce the 2012 nominations, which once again reflect the diverse range of British film talent, and also welcome this year's appointed independent jury who will now spend the next month considering the nominated films."
The highest number of nominations this year goes to Broken with 9 nominations including Best Film, Best Director and Best Debut Director for Rufus Norris,...
- 11/6/2012
- by David Bentley
- The Geek Files
Rufus Norris's drama about an 11-year-old diabetic leads the pack in a year otherwise devoted to honouring older stars
Broken, the feature-film debut of award-winning theatre and opera director Rufus Norris, has emerged as the surprise frontrunner at this year's Bifas, the British independent film awards, with nine nominations. This year's judges have also doffed their caps to the elder generation of British acting talent, with Judi Dench, Vanessa Redgrave, Maggie Smith and Terence Stamp among the notable nominees.
A coming-of-age drama, adapted from Daniel Clay's 2008 novel, about a young girl living in a British suburb, which premiered to mixed reviews at the Cannes film festival in May but went on to win the Golden Eye award for best international film at the Zurich film festival, Broken stars Eloise Laurence as 11-year-old diabetic Skunk, along with Tim Roth, Cillian Murphy and Roy Kinnear. Critics have praised its acting...
Broken, the feature-film debut of award-winning theatre and opera director Rufus Norris, has emerged as the surprise frontrunner at this year's Bifas, the British independent film awards, with nine nominations. This year's judges have also doffed their caps to the elder generation of British acting talent, with Judi Dench, Vanessa Redgrave, Maggie Smith and Terence Stamp among the notable nominees.
A coming-of-age drama, adapted from Daniel Clay's 2008 novel, about a young girl living in a British suburb, which premiered to mixed reviews at the Cannes film festival in May but went on to win the Golden Eye award for best international film at the Zurich film festival, Broken stars Eloise Laurence as 11-year-old diabetic Skunk, along with Tim Roth, Cillian Murphy and Roy Kinnear. Critics have praised its acting...
- 11/6/2012
- by Ben Child
- The Guardian - Film News
Celebrating its fifteenth year, The Moët British Independent Film Awards have now been announced, honouring some of the finest independent films released in Britain this year.
This year’s awards will be held on 9th December, and you can be sure we’ll be bringing you the results on the night as they come in. It’s been another excellent year for British cinema, and it’s always nice to see films like these get the recognition they deserve.
Last year, Paddy Considine’s powerful directorial debut, Tyrannosaur, swept the top awards, taking Best Film, Best Directorial Debut, and Best Actress; Lynne Ramsay took home the Best Director award for We Need to Talk About Kevin; and Michael Fassbender’s remarkable performance in Steve McQueen’s Shame was rightfully honoured with Best Actor (whereas the film was sadly absent from the Oscars at the start of the year).
James Nesbitt...
This year’s awards will be held on 9th December, and you can be sure we’ll be bringing you the results on the night as they come in. It’s been another excellent year for British cinema, and it’s always nice to see films like these get the recognition they deserve.
Last year, Paddy Considine’s powerful directorial debut, Tyrannosaur, swept the top awards, taking Best Film, Best Directorial Debut, and Best Actress; Lynne Ramsay took home the Best Director award for We Need to Talk About Kevin; and Michael Fassbender’s remarkable performance in Steve McQueen’s Shame was rightfully honoured with Best Actor (whereas the film was sadly absent from the Oscars at the start of the year).
James Nesbitt...
- 11/5/2012
- by Kenji Lloyd
- HeyUGuys.co.uk
Fantastic Fest is over but that doesn’t mean we should stop promoting the incredible line-up of movies programmed. It has become a Sound on Sight tradition that once the event has finished, we post a festival wrap-up highlighting our favourite films. Here are the top three picks from four of our writers. You can check out all our review here.
****
Ty Landis:
Holy Motors
There’s hardly anything to compare the film with, as it co-exists as both a “down the rabbit hole” experiment and a seething condemning of the current state of film. The film is shaped in such a way where attempting to reduce it to one meaning or idea would be rightfully foolish. It casually inhabits a realm of odd-ball richness rarely seen or demonstrated in contemporary cinema. In some respects, Holy Motors has the feel and temperament of a swan song for the director, producing...
****
Ty Landis:
Holy Motors
There’s hardly anything to compare the film with, as it co-exists as both a “down the rabbit hole” experiment and a seething condemning of the current state of film. The film is shaped in such a way where attempting to reduce it to one meaning or idea would be rightfully foolish. It casually inhabits a realm of odd-ball richness rarely seen or demonstrated in contemporary cinema. In some respects, Holy Motors has the feel and temperament of a swan song for the director, producing...
- 9/29/2012
- by Ricky
- SoundOnSight
Berberian Sound Studio
Directed by Peter Strickland
Written by Peter Strickland
UK, 2012
British filmmaker Peter Strickland’s sophomore effort is many things: a sly deconstruction of 1970s hallucinatory Grand Guignol cinema, an audio geek’s wet dream celebrating the art of foley magic, a stylistic tour de force, and a blend of comedy, drama, and horror with a Lynchian twist.
Strickland’s meta-horror film begins as dream, before spiralling into a nightmare of sorts. Set entirely in the offices of a sleazy Italian film company in the 1970s, a British sound technician, played to perfection by Toby Jones, travels to Italy to work on the sound effects for a gruesome blood-soaked giallo film called The Equestrian Vortex. His nightmarish task slowly takes over his psyche as Gilderoy is unable to distinguish between the perverse fantasies of the film he is working on and so-called reality.
Disinterested in the typical conventions of a horror narrative,...
Directed by Peter Strickland
Written by Peter Strickland
UK, 2012
British filmmaker Peter Strickland’s sophomore effort is many things: a sly deconstruction of 1970s hallucinatory Grand Guignol cinema, an audio geek’s wet dream celebrating the art of foley magic, a stylistic tour de force, and a blend of comedy, drama, and horror with a Lynchian twist.
Strickland’s meta-horror film begins as dream, before spiralling into a nightmare of sorts. Set entirely in the offices of a sleazy Italian film company in the 1970s, a British sound technician, played to perfection by Toby Jones, travels to Italy to work on the sound effects for a gruesome blood-soaked giallo film called The Equestrian Vortex. His nightmarish task slowly takes over his psyche as Gilderoy is unable to distinguish between the perverse fantasies of the film he is working on and so-called reality.
Disinterested in the typical conventions of a horror narrative,...
- 9/18/2012
- by Ricky
- SoundOnSight
Peter Strickland's thriller about a home counties sound engineer hired by a 70s Italian horror studio is one of the films of the year
One of the most remarkable British movies of the past couple of years, Berberian Sound Studio is a psychological thriller set entirely in the Kafkaesque offices of a sleazy Italian film company in the 1970s. It brings together a gifted trio of independent British film-makers: producer Keith Griffiths, who has been behind a dozen or more daring, offbeat pictures, including most recently the Cannes Palme d'Or winner Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives; the cinematographer Nic Knowland, whose numerous credits since the late 1970s include Tony Palmer's Shostakovich biography Testimony and the Quay brothers' Institute Benjamenta; and writer-director Peter Strickland, a truly European director who made his feature debut in Hungary three years ago with Katalin Varga.
The low-budget Katalin Varga,...
One of the most remarkable British movies of the past couple of years, Berberian Sound Studio is a psychological thriller set entirely in the Kafkaesque offices of a sleazy Italian film company in the 1970s. It brings together a gifted trio of independent British film-makers: producer Keith Griffiths, who has been behind a dozen or more daring, offbeat pictures, including most recently the Cannes Palme d'Or winner Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives; the cinematographer Nic Knowland, whose numerous credits since the late 1970s include Tony Palmer's Shostakovich biography Testimony and the Quay brothers' Institute Benjamenta; and writer-director Peter Strickland, a truly European director who made his feature debut in Hungary three years ago with Katalin Varga.
The low-budget Katalin Varga,...
- 9/1/2012
- by Philip French
- The Guardian - Film News
Peter Strickland's "Berberian Sound Studio" is a largely satisfying enigma in terms of both its story and its structure. While the closest point of comparison for Strickland's eerie audiovisual thriller is Francis Ford Coppola's "The Conversation," its later scenes shift to Hitchcockian mode. In a fascinatingly contained performance that ranks among his best, Toby Jones plays peculiar sound engineer Gilderoy, a shy man tasked with working on the troubled production of an Italian giallo. While initially a face of innocence, Gilderoy suffers a gradual descent into madness that calls into question the reality of each passing moment no matter how hard one tries to work it out. At times frustratingly muddled, "Berberian Sound Studio" is nevertheless thoroughly enlightening for its complex formalism. The movie's only unequivocal truth is the precision of its technique. From Nic Knowland's noir-inflected cinematography, which utilizes...
- 8/6/2012
- by Eric Kohn
- Indiewire
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