Le Beau Serge

Latecomer: Le Beau Serge

This one hasn't been on my shelf too long. I think I got it last time Barnes & Noble did their whole 50% off all Criterion dealie.

I think this may be the first Chabrol movie I have seen. Fitting, I say, as it was his first film. Maybe I should visit his filmography entirely chronologically. Or maybe that would be too daunting. But with the level of skill and intuition on display in Le Beau Serge, I imagine his films were all very impressive.

Camera movement. That's the main thing I noticed in this film. Lots of long takes. Lots of scenes that took place in just one take. There was a lot going on but it was very easy to follow. This is certainly the work of a filmmaker who has spent a lot of time studying film. Perhaps he was a film critic who decided he would pick up a camera? He was? Cahiers du what now?

But anyway. I don't know what else to say here. It was inventive but not to the degree that other New Wave directors would take things. But he beat them to the punch, so maybe he continued to push and innovate as the 60s went on. I certainly can't wait to find out. If nothing else, I could watch lots of his movies just for the fact that the camera work is certain to be impressive and probably a big influence on later directors such as Paul Thomas Anderson and Martin Scorsese.

Highly recommended, although maybe not as highly as the early work of Truffaut or Godard. But that's just this one movie.

Two-Lane Blacktop

In addition to my stack of books to read, I have a "stack" of DVDs/Blu-Ray discs that I have not yet watched despite having enough interest to purchase them. Sure, some of them were purchased for $1 at library sales or Blockbusters going out of business, but still worth my attention. I am going to try watch at least one per week, I have 35 or so. I will write something or other about these as well. This is a series I will call Latecomer.

Latecomer: Two-Lane Blacktop.

I watched this last night. As I write this, the Criterion bonus features are playing in the background. Director Monte Hellman is having a conversation with Kris Kristofferson. They were talking about his song "Me & Bobby McGee" and its relation to the movie. Mostly the line "Freedom's just another word for nothing left to lose." This is a line that has always stuck with me since the first time I heard that song. Giving up everything is the only way to truly be free. So this movie.

Non-actors James Taylor and Dennis Wilson starred in this film. And they were great. Warren Oats was great as well. Ummm.

I like movies where they don't give the main characters names. The Man With No Name trilogy. Last Year At Marienbad. While these characters are developed, full human beings with All Things Human Beings Possess, a high level of mystery is maintained. Where does this guy come from? It's not important. The writer knows, but he ain't talkin. There could be something dark, but it's up to the audience's imagination. What brought him here? Well he's here. This is what he does. He has reasons, and we know he has reasons but we don't necessarily know. He's livin' and that's life.

That's what we do.