looney tunes

  • Subscribe to our RSS feed.
  • Twitter
  • StumbleUpon
  • Reddit
  • Facebook
  • Digg

viernes, 15 de noviembre de 2013

842. La double vie de Veronique/The Double Life of Veronique (1991)

Posted on 9:28 by Unknown

Running Time: 98 minutes
Directed By: Krzysztof Kieslowski
Written By: Krzysztof Kieslowski, Krzysztof Piesiewicz
Main Cast: Irene Jacob, Philippe Volter, Claude Duneton, Wladyslaw Kowalski, Sandrine Dumas
Click here to view the trailer

MORE KIESLOWSKI

Technically, I should have probably done this in conjunction with the "Three Colors" trilogy, but I didn't and now, here we are. This will be the final Kieslowski film for a while, as I plan to stash away "The Decalogue" for the finale.


So this film is just a little bit confusing, so beware heading into it and be prepared to give it your full attention. In fact, maybe confusing isn't even the right word - just know that it DOES need to have your undivided attention. Irene Jacob stars in a dual role, first as Weronika, a Polish opera singer. Toward the beginning of the film, Weronika travels to Krakow to be with her sick aunt, telling her father goodbye and leaving behind a boyfriend. In Krakow, Weronika auditions for the lead in an operatic concert and gets the part. Later, during the first performance of the concert, Weronika passes out and is declared dead. Skip to France, as Veronique (also Jacob) makes love to her boyfriend and is overcome with sadness. From here on out, the film becomes more and more about the fluctuating emotions of Veronique and the advances of a puppeteer named Alexandre (Volter). Strange things begin happening to Veronique, as she receives an empty cigar box and a shoelace in the mail, with no return address. She is also awakened one night by a reflection from a neighboring apartment. I'll just go ahead and let you experience the rest for yourself, because trust me, the film is an experience.

SPOILER ALERT!



But is it an experience I enjoyed, that is the question? Well, I don't know. Man, I've been kind of undecided and wishy washy lately haven't I? Oh well, I reserve that right! But, for those of you who have seen this, I think you'll agree that this is a tough nut to crack (damn, I've been overusing that phrase lately too). Anyway, in my view Kieslowski presents to us a slice of life version of French/Polish life, but then doesn't really give us a slice of life movie. The movie that we get is an extremely poetic, extremely artsy film that is sometimes a little overwhelming and sometimes, just sometimes, a little dull. Now, don't get me wrong, the film is beautiful, filled with an unbelievably emotional performance from Irene Jacob (who has surely never been more stunning) and comes off more like a 'come to life poem' than a motion picture. However, for as beautiful as the film is, I feel like we, the audience, were kind of stiffed on the plot and set up for something that could have been really interesting and didn't get it delivered.


And yeah, the movie is a little confusing too. Apparently Kieslowski is suggesting that we are all connected somehow, or perhaps he's saying that we all have someone, whom we do not know, but whom we are emotionally and spiritually tied to, not to mention looking exactly like them. It seems to me that the physical appearance isn't so important and really Irene Jacob could have just played Veronique while another actress altogether played Weronika, as long as we knew they were connected. Also, why such a short time with Weronika? Why not bounce back and forth between the two, so that we could draw parallels. Remember at the end when the puppeteer suggests his new story, about two doppelgangers, one burning their hand on a stove and the other ALMOST burning their hand on a stove? Why not run with that and actually show us things like that. Again, I feel like this was an opportune time to play the plot a lot more than it was played upon. Beautiful film though, I can't say that enough.

RATING: 6/10  Beautiful doesn't always equal best though and I think a '6' will suffice for now, until such time as I can give this one a rewatch.

MOVIES WATCHED: 761
MOVIES LEFT TO WATCH: 240

November 15, 2013  12:25pm

Enviar por correo electrónicoEscribe un blogCompartir en XCompartir con Facebook
Posted in Krzysztof Kieslowski | No comments
Entrada más reciente Entrada antigua Inicio

0 comentarios:

Publicar un comentario

Suscribirse a: Enviar comentarios (Atom)

Popular Posts

  • SINS OF OMISSION - Entry #6: Kill Bill Vol. 2 (2004)
    Running Time: 137 minutes Directed By: Quentin Tarantino Written By: Quentin Tarantino Main Cast: Uma Thurman, David Carradine, Michael ...
  • 648. Die Blechtrommel/The Tin Drum (1979)
    Running Time: 142 minutes Directed By: Volker Schlondorff Written By: Jean-Claude Carriere, Gunter Grass, Franz Seitz, Volker Schlondorff, f...
  • 670. Das Boot/The Boat (1981)
    Running Time: 209 minutes Directed By: Wolfgang Petersen Written By: Wolfgang Petersen, from novel by Lothar G. Buchheim Main Cast: Jurgen...
  • 637. Days of Heaven (1978)
    Running Time: 95 minutes Directed By: Terrence Malick Written By: Terrence Malick Main Cast: Richard Gere, Brooke Adams, Sam Shepard, Lin...
  • 17 Hours
    COMING SOON
  • 793. Rain Man (1988)
    Running Time: 133 minutes Directed By: Barry Levinson Written By: Ronald Bass, Barry Morrow Main Cast: Dustin Hoffman, Tom Cruise, Valeri...
  • 737. Manhunter (1986)
    Running Time: 121 minutes Directed By: Michael Mann Written By: Michael Mann, from the novel Red Dragon by Thomas Harris Main Cast: Willi...
  • 709. Narayama bushi-ko/The Ballad of Narayama (1983)
    Running Time: 130 minutes Directed By: Shohei Imamura Written By: Shohei Imamura, from the novel Narayama bushi-ko by Shichiro Fukazawa Ma...
  • 636. GREASE (1978)
    Running Time: 110 minutes Directed By: Randal Kleiser Written By: Bronte Woodard, Allan Carr, from musical by Jim Jacobs and Warren Casey ...
  • 514. Little Big Man (1970)
    Running Time: 139 minutes Directed By: Arthur Penn Written By: Calder Willingham, from novel by Thomas Berger Main Cast: Dustin Hoffman, F...

Categories

  • Abbas Kiarostami
  • Abel Ferrara
  • Abel Gance
  • Abraham Polonsky
  • Adrian Lyne
  • Agnes Varda
  • Agnieszka Holland
  • Aki Kaurismaki
  • Akira Kurosawa
  • Alain Resnais
  • Albert Lewin
  • Alejandro Amenabar
  • Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu
  • Alexander Hammid
  • Allan Dwan
  • Amos Gitai
  • Amy Heckerling
  • Andre Bonzel
  • Andre Techine
  • Andy Warhol
  • Anh-Hung Tran
  • Anthony Mann
  • Anthony Minghella
  • Arthur Penn
  • Atom Egoyan
  • Barbara Loden
  • Barry Levinson
  • Baz Luhrmann
  • Bela Tarr
  • Benoit Poelvoorde
  • Bernardo Bertolucci
  • Bill Forsyth
  • Billy Wilder
  • Bobby Farrelly
  • Brian De Palma
  • Bruce Conner
  • Bruce Robinson
  • Bryan Singer
  • Budd Boetticher
  • Cameron Crowe
  • Carol Reed
  • Cecil B. DeMille
  • Charles Crichton
  • Charles Laughton
  • Chris Marker
  • Chris Noonan
  • Claire Denis
  • Claude Chabrol
  • Claude Lanzmann
  • Daniele Huillet
  • Danny Boyle
  • Darren Aronofsky
  • David Fincher
  • David Lean
  • David Lynch
  • David O. Russell
  • David Zucker
  • Delbert Mann
  • Dennis Hopper
  • Denys Arcand
  • Don Siegel
  • Edgar Morin
  • Edgar Wright
  • Edward Yang
  • Edward Zwick
  • Elem Klimov
  • Elia Kazan
  • Emir Kusturica
  • Eric Rohmer
  • Fatih Akin
  • Fernando Meirelles
  • Francesco Rosi
  • Francis Ford Coppola
  • Frank Borzage
  • Frank Capra
  • Frank Miller
  • Frank Tashlin
  • Gavin Hood
  • Geoff Murphy
  • Geoffrey Wright
  • George A. Romero
  • George Cukor
  • George Kuchar
  • George Lucas
  • George Miller
  • George Sluizer
  • Germaine Dulac
  • Gillian Armstrong
  • Giuseppe Tornatore
  • Glauber Rocha
  • Godfrey Reggio
  • Gordon Parks
  • Guillermo del Toro
  • Gus Van Sant
  • Guy Maddin
  • Hal Ashby
  • Hal Hartley
  • Hany Abu-Assad
  • Hark Tsui
  • Harry Smith
  • Hayao Miyazaki
  • Henri-Georges Clouzot
  • Herbert J. Biberman
  • Howard Hawks
  • Hsiao-hsien Hou
  • Hugh Hudson
  • Ida Lupino
  • Irvin Kershner
  • Irving Rapper
  • Isao Takahata
  • Jack Arnold
  • Jack Smith
  • Jackie Chan
  • Jacques Becker
  • Jacques Demy
  • Jacques Rivette
  • Jacques Tourneur
  • Jafar Panahi
  • James Benning
  • James Cameron
  • James Ivory
  • James L. Brooks
  • Jean Cocteau
  • Jean Eustache
  • Jean Renoir
  • Jean Rouch
  • Jean Vigo
  • Jean-Daniel Pollet
  • Jean-Marie Straub
  • Jean-Pierre Jeunet
  • Jerry Zucker
  • Jerzy Skolimowski
  • Jim Abrahams
  • Jim Jarmusch
  • Joel Coen
  • John Dahl
  • John Ford
  • John Frankenheimer
  • John Halas
  • John Hughes
  • John Huston
  • John McNaughton
  • John Sayles
  • John Singleton
  • John Sturges
  • John Woo
  • Jonathan Demme
  • Joris Ivens
  • Joseph H. Lewis
  • Joseph L. Mankiewicz
  • Joy Batchelor
  • Julian Schnabel
  • Kaige Chen
  • Katia Lund
  • Katsuhiro Otomo
  • Ken Jacobs
  • Kim Ki-young
  • Kira Muratova
  • Krzysztof Kieslowski
  • Larisa Shepitko
  • Lars von Trier
  • Laurence Olivier
  • Lee Kresel
  • Leslie Arliss
  • Louis Malle
  • Luc Besson
  • Luchino Visconti
  • Luis Bunuel
  • Luis Puenzo
  • M. Night Shyamalan
  • Marc Caro
  • Marcel Camus
  • Marcel Carne
  • Marcel Ophuls
  • Marcel Pagnol
  • Marco Tullio Giordana
  • Marguerite Duras
  • Mario Bava
  • Mark Robson
  • Marleen Gorris
  • Marlon Riggs
  • Martin Brest
  • Martin Scorsese
  • Maurice Pialat
  • Max Ophuls
  • Maya Deren
  • Mel Gibson
  • Melvin Van Peebles
  • Michael Curtiz
  • Michael Mann
  • Michael Tolkin
  • Michael Wadleigh
  • Mike Leigh
  • Mike Newell
  • Mike Nichols
  • Mikheil Kalatozishvili
  • Miklos Jancso
  • Milos Forman
  • Mohsen Makhmalbaf
  • Monte Hellman
  • Nanni Moretti
  • Neil Jordan
  • Nicholas Ray
  • Nicholas Roeg
  • Nick Broomfield
  • Norman Z. McLeod
  • Nuri Bilge Ceylan
  • Oliver Hirschbiegel
  • Oliver Stone
  • Orson Welles
  • Otto Preminger
  • Ousmane Sembene
  • P.J. Hogan
  • Paolo Taviani
  • Paul Auster
  • Paul Schrader
  • Paul Thomas Anderson
  • Paul Verhoeven
  • Pedro Almodovar
  • Peter Farrelly
  • Peter Greenaway
  • Peter Weir
  • Peter Yates
  • Quentin Tarantino
  • Radu Mihaileanu
  • Randal Kleiser
  • Raoul Walsh
  • Raul Ruiz
  • Remy Belvaux
  • Rene Clement
  • Richard Donner
  • Richard Marquand
  • Ridley Scott
  • Rob Minkoff
  • Robert Altman
  • Robert Hamer
  • Robert Rodriguez
  • Robert Siodmak
  • Robert Zemeckis
  • Roberto Rossellini
  • Roger Allers
  • Roland Emmerich
  • Roland Joffe
  • Ron Shelton
  • Ross McElwee
  • Russ Meyer
  • Sam Peckinpah
  • Samuel Fuller
  • Scott Hicks
  • Sean Penn
  • Sergei M. Eisenstein
  • Shirley Clarke
  • Shohei Imamura
  • Siu-Tung Ching
  • Souleymane Cisse
  • Spike Jonze
  • Spike Lee
  • Stan Winston
  • Stanley Kramer
  • Stanley Kubrick
  • Stanley Kwan
  • Stephan Elliott
  • Sydney Pollack
  • Terrence Malick
  • Terry Gilliam
  • Terry Zwigoff
  • Theo Angelopoulos
  • Thorold Dickinson
  • Tian Zhuangzhuang
  • Tobe Hooper
  • Todd Haynes
  • Todd Solondz
  • Tom Tykwer
  • Tony Scott
  • Victor Sjostrom
  • Vincent Gallo
  • Vincente Minnelli
  • Vittorio De Sica
  • Vittorio Taviani
  • Volker Schlondorff
  • Warren Beatty
  • Wayne Wang
  • Wes Anderson
  • Wes Craven
  • William A. Wellman
  • William Friedkin
  • William Wyler
  • Wim Wenders
  • Wolf Rilla
  • Wolfgang Becker
  • Wolfgang Petersen
  • Wong Kar-Wai
  • Woody Allen
  • Yash Chopra
  • Yasujiro Ozu
  • Yimou Zhang
  • Youssef Chahine
  • Zack Snyder

Blog Archive

  • ►  2014 (78)
    • ►  julio (13)
    • ►  junio (2)
    • ►  mayo (2)
    • ►  abril (6)
    • ►  marzo (16)
    • ►  febrero (22)
    • ►  enero (17)
  • ▼  2013 (219)
    • ►  diciembre (7)
    • ▼  noviembre (23)
      • 828. Da Hong Deng long Gao gao Gua/Raise the Red L...
      • 825. Total Recall (1990)
      • The Sunshine Award!
      • 830. Guling jie shaonian sha ren shijian/A Brighte...
      • 827. Boyz 'N the Hood (1991)
      • 829. DELICATESSEN (1991)
      • 863. Lan feng zheng/The Blue Kite (1993)
      • 833. The Rapture (1991)
      • 832. La Belle Noiseuse/The Beautiful Troublemaker ...
      • 866. The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Des...
      • 835. Thelma & Louise (1991)
      • 824. Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer (1990)
      • 842. La double vie de Veronique/The Double Life of...
      • 854. Ba wang Bie Ji/Farewell My Concubine (1993)
      • 852. C'est arrive pres de chez vous/Man Bites Dog ...
      • 867. Trois couleurs: Rouge/Three Colors: Red (1994)
      • BONUS REVIEW: Trois couleurs: Blanc/Three Colors: ...
      • 861. Trois couleurs: Bleu/Three Colors: Blue (1993)
      • October 2013 Recap
      • 844. The Player (1992)
      • 602. NASHVILLE (1975)
      • 565. The Long Goodbye (1973)
      • 857. Short Cuts (1993)
    • ►  octubre (23)
    • ►  septiembre (22)
    • ►  agosto (18)
    • ►  julio (7)
    • ►  junio (10)
    • ►  mayo (23)
    • ►  abril (26)
    • ►  marzo (35)
    • ►  febrero (20)
    • ►  enero (5)
  • ►  2012 (203)
    • ►  diciembre (10)
    • ►  noviembre (36)
    • ►  octubre (32)
    • ►  septiembre (28)
    • ►  agosto (17)
    • ►  julio (17)
    • ►  junio (33)
    • ►  mayo (30)
Con la tecnología de Blogger.

Datos personales

Unknown
Ver todo mi perfil