Change Your Image
crossfiberfriction
Reviews
Que la bête meure (1969)
Begs for a remake
I remember liking this movie when I first saw it some 35 years ago. But I remember thinking I'd like to do a remake to do it "right." Seeing it again, I can't help but wonder what it was I ever liked about the production. It seems Chabrol misses every opportunity to turn this terrific story, full of cinematic potential, into a memorable movie thriller. The biggest failure is to invest the viewer into the emotional torment that the characters should be going through. Then there is the American translation of the title. The quote is from antiquity, and it should be, "The Beast Must Die"-- and it has significance. I don't know what "This man must die" means, unless the director means to give away the ending in the title of the movie.
The More the Merrier (1943)
Directed like a Swiss Watch
I watched this movie without seeing the credits and, immediately, I knew it had to have been directed by a master craftsman. Turns out the master craftsman was George Stevens. Every frame, every angle, every line of dialog is made significant, while retaining a sense of freshness and spontaneity. If you love Jacques Tati, or anything by Sidney Lumet, you will appreciate the precision choreography of The More the Merrier (the title of this movie is the only bad thing about it). Never mind the story-- if you are a movie buff you'll want to watch it like you're finding out how a Swiss watch is made. Even the pauses in the dialog, simple glances the actors give each other, are well-timed and even musical. Nothing seems left to chance... and yet, it's all seamless, fresh, and totally engaging. And Joel McCrea will steal your heart.