Change Your Image
Keechie
Reviews
Le rayon vert (1986)
The thinking passionate woman
Delphine is Restless. Can't Conform to Banal happenings of city life, rules of relationship, mandatory vacations and "having fun"s, "moving on''s to next person and place and mood...all this not because of an ideology or any pseudo-rebellion tendency. She wants to connect, to reach out, to find friends. The thing is while others, mostly are settled on certain understandings of life and conventions, she's longing for a personal discovery, a tactile experience.
Religion is nowhere to be found, national identity is a dice used for flirtation game and nature surprisingly, offers no peace. So Rohmer earnestly uses themes of astrology, destiny and superstition. It never works with one glaring exception. When Delphine eavesdrops on a group of old tourists' conversation about Jules Verne's "The Green Ray", (Science) fiction, nostalgia, (scientific) reasoning and heritage intertwine. Unfortunately Delphine herself is not even a passive part of this scene.
Marie Rivière's sudden episodes of crying and gasping for breath are not of vulnerabilty and weakness. They're natural testaments to her flow of thoughts, to her depth, to her beauty. Sometimes a film is all about the actress. "Le Rayon Vert" is all about her.
Chikamatsu monogatari (1954)
When a movie decides to live!
Mizoguchi's "classy" compositions, living tableaux and indiscernible camera movements shape the contrivances of the story into a solemn criticism of social conventions proliferating hypocrisy and greed. By juxtaposing the most definitive shot-crucified lovers in twilight-with the final proud parade, he avoids the fashionable misery/martyrdom obsession of theses days, so important for a story this tragic and brimming with human cruelty. But what makes this film truly memorable is the unexpected and genuine passion between the two main actors/characters when they decide to live, breaking through the reserved mise-en-scène.
Oh, How delirious Mohei kisses Osan's sore calf and holds her tight! It's awesome!