You are to see one contemporary European film (1984 or later) and write a 500 word response to be turned in March 19 in class. Please don't just try writing about a film you saw months or even years ago; watch something now and write about it, informed by your coursework.
The following British films are on reserve in the library (British counts as European!) if you wish to watch them:
Brazil
Morvern Callar
Secrets and Lies
A Zed and Two Noughts
Ratcatcher
The library may have other contemporary European films available, or feel free to partake of any films showing in Boston at the moment, such as The Kendall Square Cinema (which currently has The White Ribbon and A Prophet, among other European films), or The Brattle Theatre (which is showing some Merchant-Ivory films tomorrow).
You can rent from Netflix or a video store, too, or visit your local library, which normally have excellent video selections.
I had half a mind to rewatch Brazil for this assignment, and I'm kindof regretting that I didn't just do that. It's a fantastic film both in concept and execution, and darkly funny. Very enjoyable on one level, but also something that really makes you think. Reality is very subjective in this film, and it's moreso made up of symbols of how the word is rather than the reality of the thing.
ReplyDeleteI still say Sam Lowry's mother and her plastic surgery obsession was far beyond it's time. I mean, it was pretty deep in the straits in the 80's and such when Brazil was made, but she's very much a parody of the rich and the bored of now. Just like Heidi Montag or whatever her name is.
I ended up responding to Wilbur Wants to Kill Himself, which was also darkly comedic but somehow less amusing than Brazil, having been written and direction by Terry Gilliam of Monty Python fame.
I recommend Brazil to everyone--both those looking for amusement/entertainment and those wishing to analyze film as a piece of art. Dream symbolism is always fascinating to rifle through and explore in films, especially Brazil because of the ending.