 | |
List Price: $14.98 | | Label: Hbo Home Video
Salesrank: 49546
Released: December 4, 2007 |
| Our Price: $6.40 |
| Used Price: $5.19 |
|
MPAA Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Media: DVD |
|
Editorial Review:
Oscar® winner Vanessa Redgrave (Atonement, Julia) stars in this HBO Films adaptation of writer/actor Wallace Shawn's deeply personal play about the high cost of enlightenment, and the ever-widening gap between those who have and those who have not. Redgrave plays a nameless woman from a privileged world, suffering from a sense of disconnection from her comfortable life, who travels to a country (also nameless) in the throes of civil war. Suddenly deliriously ill, she confronts an internal chorus of conflicting voices: dreams of comfort from her past, images of violence, accusations of indifference, and cold-blooded arguments in favor of oppression. The central question: what, if anything, is a morally consistent way to live in the world as it is?
The Fever Reviews:
Emile's thoughts...on a film that should grip it's audience tightly 
2007-12-25 - Ok. This is one of those movies--few, sadly--that easily leads viewers to: 1, turn it off, commenting to dismayed, similarily bothered fellow on-lookers, "that's depressing!" as they seal the Netflicks envelope, or 2) "wow...there is something profound in the message here, and even if I am not ready to really sit with it, this is important stuff."
What runs over the character deftly played by Redgrave, are the subtle and pervasive ways selfishness, self-absorbtion, and cognitive short cuts are used by humans--typically of the well-healed classes, who possess more influence for change--as they bypass crimes carried out across the world. Ok. We've heard this before e.g., Jesus, Socrates, Ghandi, Biko, MLK, RFK, Marx and yes, even Michael Moore in his way. But Redgrave's confronting of her comission in the way things operate arrests. I suspect that few with a conscience, who look authentically at themselves, the world around, will remain unaffected. Spiritual, Economic, Political, Moral. This is revolutionary.
Well done.
Thoughtful cinematic essay
2007-12-16 - Although categorized as Drama, this film is best thought of as a cinematic essay - one woman's affecting reflection on the mysteries of life, morality, politics, right and wrong in a complex world, the sort of stuff you may get from a good Charlie Rose interview but at a surprising depth. For a film consisting largely of Ms. Redgrave's ruminations in the form of a voice-over monologue, it was unexpectedly engaging. It asks all the right questions, even if it doesn't always have the satisfying answers.
There is something of a back story, but the story is basically besides the point. Although a lot of the filming was apparently done in Croatia and the location looks vaguely Eastern European, the fictional country that much of the story takes place in is never named. On the one occasion that someone pointed to a map of the country on a wall, oddly enough it was a map of China - you can clearly see Taiwan and Hainan off the coast.
Ms. Redgrave's character is in practically every frame, and every other character is basically a cameo. Michael Moore, who gets second billing, did a competent if not particularly demanding job playing a war correspondent in a single scene lasting about 3 minutes. The only actor that comes close to being a bona fide co-star is on screen for 6-7 minustes but she is not even mentioned on the jacket. That would be Angelina Jolie, who brings remarkable emotional depth to an otherwise small role.
Superb acting!
2007-11-19 - I caught this on HBO and Vanessa Redgrave was fabulous. Surprisingly good performances from Angelica Jolie and Michael Moore (yes, THAT Michael Moore), too! I'm looking forward to the DVD release.
