I think Eastern Promises evoked less emotion than usual. I heard an appreciation for the work, but not enjoyment of it.
Tracey [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: > well, I've never been accused of being "clinical" before! :) > the point to take is that it's Cronenberg's style that some love, some hate. > The film's glum in a way. Not boring, but very somber. Fans of the director > will like it, others may feel a bit down when they've left the theatre > > -------------- Original message -------------- > From: "ravenadal" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > This thorough and clinical review leaves me kinda cold. It doesn't > make me want to see "Eastern Promises." I will see "Eastern > Promises," however, because I adored Cronenberg's last feature, "The > History of Violence," especially the relevatory performance by Viggo > Mortensen, which, by everything else I have read, is exceeded by his > protean performance in "Promises." > > ~rave! > > --- In scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com, [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: > >> My Quick Take: Ever seen a Cronenberg film? Then you know one thing >> > to expect: some pretty intense violence, some graphic (and slightly > disturbing) coupling, and a picture where good and evil blur into each > other. "Eastern Promises" continues the director's penchant for > looking at the extremes to which humans are driven, and seems to ask > the question, is violence an inescapable part of all human's natures? > It's pretty solemn, almost downbeat, but nonetheless a fascinating > look at some aspects of the Russian mafia, and as always, a > disturbingly fascinating look at how far people will go. If you liked > "A History of Violence", "ExistenZ", or "Dead Ringers", you'll--well, > not "enjoy", but get into--"Eastern Promises". If you find his work > off-putting, too violent, or too gross, then you might find this > picture just too much. > >> My Full Take: David Cronenberg is often criticized for the graphic >> > nature of his films. That might be his history of looking > unflinchingly at violent or disturbing material. Recalling Jeff > Goldblum's body parts falling off in "The Fly", or the brutal fight > scenes and explicit sex scenes in "A History of Violence", it's > understandable why some might feel that way. But dig deeper beneath > the surface of his films, and you'll see a director who simply > explores the depth of the human condition, and isn't shy from being > realistic in doing so. He's not a man who uses violence gratuitously, > but rather shows the reality of what humans do to each other in all > its disturbing nature. In that way, Cronenberg's like a war > photographer: using graphic and disturbing pictures to tell a truth—a > truth that some might not want to face, but truth nonetheless. > >> "Eastern Promises" is another of his moving-pictures of the extremes >> > to which humans can subject themselves and others. The film starts > with a teenaged girl collapsing in a pharmacy in a pool of blood. > She's taken to a hospital where she later dies in childbirth. Anna > Khitrova (Naomi Watts), the midwife who works on the case, learns that > the girl was a fourteen-year-old named Tatiana, and is drawn into her > story. How did she get pregnant at such a young age? Where was her > family? Tatiana leaves behind a diary written in Russian, that Anna > gives to her uncle to translate. Almost immediately he warns Anna to > drop the whole affair. The small bit he's read reveals Tatiana was > brought to London by the local Russian mafia, who made her promises of > a new life, only to force her into a life of sexual slavery. > >> Despite her uncle's warning, Anna visits the mafia boss, Semyon, and >> > asks him about Tatiana. Semyon tries to get Anna to give him the > diary, to forget about Tatiana, but despite veiled threats she > refuses, looking for justice for Tatiana and her motherless child, > delving deeper into a dangerous world. > >> Included in that world is Nikolai Luzhin (Viggo Mortensen) a driver >> > for the mafia. Luzhin is a good soldier; the kind who keeps his mouth > shut and does what he's told. The kind of man who can cut the fingers > off a dead body, then later have a drink with the killer, or have sex > with a barely legal prostitute to prove he's a real man. He's also > the kind of man who doesn't necessarily take pleasure in some of the > things he has to do. They're just business, necessary evils of his > world. Luzhin tries to give Anna a friendly warning: forget the girl > and be safe, and leave behind a world where she doesn't belong. But > again, she ignores the warnings. > >> Anna's persistence at first appears to be an outgrowth of her own >> > problems: a recent breakup and miscarriage that have her sad and lost. > Surely only forlorn despair could make anyone act so recklessly, it > seems. But in time we come to realize that Anna really is a decent > person trying to correct a wrong. As she comes to understand how > Tatiana was cruelly used she wants to make sure that someone pays—or > at least acknowledges the loss of this young life. "She was used and > thrown away like garbage", Anna says. "Someone should care about who > she was and what happened to her". > >> In Anna, Cronenberg shows a person desperately fighting a world that >> > seems dominated by violence and cruelty. It's as if with this one > small victory she'll prove that the world's not all bad. She's the > lone voice in a world where crime and cruelty might be the norm, and > Anna can't accept that. Cronenberg underscores this point by focusing > on the Russian underworld, making it seem more substantial than > Anna's. As the film progresses, we see Anna less and less, Watts > taking on an almost supporting role as Anna darts in and out of a > world that looms large and inevitable. It sucks in and holds those who > live in it as much as it keeps people like Anna out. > >> Luzhin is a case in point. With his soft spoken, almost >> > disinterested manner, he seems weary, resigned to the lot dealt him in > life. He does what he has to do to survive, which sometimes means > doing brutal things. But at times he seems almost concerned about the > innocents like Anna, who don't belong in his life. There are hints of, > if not "goodness" in Luzhin, then at least less cruelty than those > around him. Even if most of the world is bad, he doesn't add to that > unnecessarily: he's trapped, but Anna and those like her needn't be. > >> Perhaps, Cronenberg is saying, this is the real world, or at least, >> > the real world to which so many of us fall. Indeed, as the film's last > scenes play out, intermixing scenes of happiness with those of > grimness, it seems that happiness is a rare thing, more precious for > being surrounded by so much brutality. > >> "Eastern Promises', in true Cronenberg fashion, can be sobering, >> > almost depressing. It has scenes of graphic sexuality and shocking > brutality. But for all that he doesn't use either gratuitously. He > picks a target, points his lens in that direction, and lets the images > play out as they must. I don't exactly feel good watching a Cronenberg > film, but like with those war photos, I know I'm seeing pictures of an > aspect of truth. A sometimes disturbing, even unsavory truth, but not > a trivial one, and certainly not one quickly forgotten. > >> My Grade: B >> >> [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] >> >> > > > > > [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] > > > > > Yahoo! Groups Links > > > > > >
