tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-294916540840535575.post2323102868183100539..comments2024-03-22T08:29:01.459-07:00Comments on Are the hills going to march off?: My Dinner With Andre (1981) A Film by Louis MalleCarson Lundhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10164962777812861110noreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-294916540840535575.post-19947780899553188172011-08-25T11:24:56.771-07:002011-08-25T11:24:56.771-07:00I guess the advantage of a book version would be y...I guess the advantage of a book version would be you could mark interesting passages of the text. <br /><br />When watching a film this is not possible (unless you jot down notes or take screenshots from the dvd)<br /><br />True enough, the facial expressions are lost in a book to some degree(but not completely if the descriptions are good)Chrishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09395044055566348346noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-294916540840535575.post-66027811158596259942011-08-24T09:08:33.875-07:002011-08-24T09:08:33.875-07:00Moviesandsongs365:
Thanks for the comment. As for...Moviesandsongs365:<br /><br />Thanks for the comment. As for the issue of the cinematic medium, I think it's out of the question. No other medium could give the authentic sense of time passing and of two people actually sharing a real-life conversation than film. A book or radio performance, I think, would amplify the already dour academic tones of the conversation and make them somewhat unbearable. The opportunity to watch Andre and Wally's nuanced facial expressions and subtle inflections in tone is key.Carson Lundhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10164962777812861110noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-294916540840535575.post-17784978424615985392011-08-23T14:11:24.034-07:002011-08-23T14:11:24.034-07:00Good review. I had to see this in small doses, as ...Good review. I had to see this in small doses, as it was too much in one sitting. It is frustrating to me that they speak so quickly, as it leaves no time to think about what they are saying before they move on in the conversation.<br /><br />Maybe it would have been more suitable on the radio or as a book, as there is so little camera movement. I admire the experiment, but it doesn't feel like a film script, but a book. Then again, the advantage of film is showing their facial expressions and reactions.<br /><br />"the bouncing of ideas can open up new and hitherto unexplored pathways of thought" Good point, that is so true.<br /><br />I didn't know they spent months rewriting, did feel a little contrived, I have to admit.<br /><br />Another talkie film you might not have seen is Mindwalk (1990). It's even on youtube:<br /><br />http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E8s0He0560gChrishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09395044055566348346noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-294916540840535575.post-83989324743336437972011-08-18T09:15:24.886-07:002011-08-18T09:15:24.886-07:00Thanks Jonny! I agree that the film is most effect...Thanks Jonny! I agree that the film is most effective, and quite moving, when Wally starts to chime in later in the film and they start engaging in a back-and-forth dialogue. That's when the chemistry really picks up and the most exciting concepts are raised, although I do still very much enjoy the beginning with all of Andre's vivid tales. His attitude throughout is pretty condescending, for sure, but I'm still perversely drawn to all these fantasies of mystical enlightenment that he discusses. I'm simply interested in the kind of balls-to-the-wall travel he indulged in.Carson Lundhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10164962777812861110noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-294916540840535575.post-31931934038675673262011-08-18T06:41:32.277-07:002011-08-18T06:41:32.277-07:00Carson,
You frame up this film's better point...Carson,<br /><br />You frame up this film's better points and its limitations cinematically. I think the film's finest moments are when Wallace finally provides his rebuttal. Things finally get heated at that point and the discussion goes to a place of unsettled argumentation. Most of what Gregory goes on about is very pretentious stuff and it goes on and on. Shawn brings the film down to earth in the latter stages nicely.Jonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10656287096270976604noreply@blogger.com