Comments on: Back to Le Beau Serge

By: Daniel Gorman

Daniel Gorman — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 04:34:52 +0000

critic pimp - with all do respect to Yale, but they should have taught you not to make ridiculously broad generalizations that can never be backed up by anything other than opinions. Here I thought this site, and Ignatius’ very generous, polite responses would generate conversation. But since you’ve demanded that we not even dare try to argue with you, I guess I’ll just shut the fuck up. In the meantime, I’ll be enjoying Seven Women, Red Line 7000, China Doll, White Dog, Private Fears in Public Places, The Human Factor, etc. Although I will admit that Scorcese gets less interesting the older he gets. You’ve got me there.

By: Ignatiy Vishnevetsky

Ignatiy Vishnevetsky — Sun, 28 Jun 2009 21:29:33 +0000

Addendum:

I’m not sure what movements you are referring to here, either. Most movements in film re-purposed ideas from previous generations to create something new. The ones that designated themselves as “breaking with old ideas” were usually reactionary. You have to remember that what the Nouvelle Vague were rebelling against were people who believed they were creating a new, better, more “artistic” cinema.

By: Ignatiy Vishnevetsky

Ignatiy Vishnevetsky — Sun, 28 Jun 2009 21:20:59 +0000

Your idea is a romantic one, but it’s flawed. Most directors start late. It comes with the territory. That’s even true of the ones we’ve already discussed: Resnais was 37 when he made Hiroshima Mon Amour, Rivette was already 30 when he started Paris Belongs to Us (32 when it was released), Chabrol was 30 by the time he directed his fourth film.

My question is: who do you consider to be major contemporary filmmakers?

By: critic pimp

critic pimp — Sun, 28 Jun 2009 21:00:50 +0000

Ignatiy

For any artform to stay relevant the young must rebel against the ways of the old and reinvent their craft. look at any movement in the history of film. once a filmmaker hits 30 they should be barred from making movies and pass the torch to the next generation or movies will become stale. dont even try to argue with me, i studied cinema at yale. what are your credentials? if you do not accept new ideas the next movement will depart without you and you will be the one with poop in your pants.

By: Ignatiy Vishnevetsky

Ignatiy Vishnevetsky — Sun, 28 Jun 2009 00:06:33 +0000

What’s wrong with old men? I think the old usually make more radical films than the young — that’s certainly true of Resnais. I think his work since the early 1980s is even more original than the early films. They’re certainly the sorts of movies a younger director could never make, but that’s because the young are usually too concerned with impressing people. Only a person with a reputation as established — and a filmography that already covers so much ground — could take those kinds of risks.

By: critic pimp

critic pimp — Sat, 27 Jun 2009 19:34:30 +0000

While I like early Chabrol, I don’t like his latter work for the same reason I dislike late works by Resnais, Rivette, and Ruiz: while their early stuff was ground breaking and exciting, their recent films just feel like they were made by old men.

By: Daniel Gorman

Daniel Gorman — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 04:31:03 +0000

Yes, very nice Ignatius. I’m not very well versed in early Chabrol, one of my many cinematic blindspots, but it seems to me that he’s been on quite a run for the last decade or so. La Ceremonie certainly has a critical reputation, but The Flower of Evil, Merci Pour la Chocolate, Comedy of Power and A Girl Cut in Two seem to have come and gone with even a raised eye brow. It’s a shame, since Chabrol seems to be investigating the society from the inside out, never forgetting his characters humanity but never sparing them the scalpel, either. Rosenbaum has a nice piece on La Ceremonie, which speaks about Chabrol’s recognition of both the poor, uneducated women who will become executioners and the bourgeois family that functions as, well, a perfectly nice family. Or the pseudo-incestuous relationship at the center of Flower of Evil that is in fact one of the most delicate romances in recent film memory. There’s still a lot to discover with him.

By: Frank Capra

Frank Capra — Sun, 21 Jun 2009 08:05:07 +0000

Very perceptive Ignatiy, very perceptive indeed. A little TOO perceptive if you ask me…