tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3296479421292377391.post8132741299220377192..comments2024-03-15T04:08:16.172-04:00Comments on Only the Cinema: Le TrouEd Howardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18014222247676090467noreply@blogger.comBlogger11125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3296479421292377391.post-75675055459134478952011-05-15T21:23:41.095-04:002011-05-15T21:23:41.095-04:00I didn't see a whole lot of process going on i...I didn't see a whole lot of process going on in either Benjamin Button or The Social Network. In fact that's a large part of what I didn't like about either, especially the former, the way so much process seemed to be elided. I feel that since Zodiac, he's dropped the process ball a bit.<br /><br />As to Becker, I think he's still very underrated. He's not just a Asherhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09892512047555912552noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3296479421292377391.post-42401088389951583342011-05-05T08:34:43.659-04:002011-05-05T08:34:43.659-04:00Totally agreed, Jonny. I need to see more Becker a...Totally agreed, Jonny. I need to see more Becker as well.Ed Howardhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18014222247676090467noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3296479421292377391.post-62097884908950013152011-05-04T21:54:42.323-04:002011-05-04T21:54:42.323-04:00I love this film as well. Very taut and intense fi...I love this film as well. Very taut and intense filled with brilliance throughout. It's a first rate thriller for sure. I need to check out some of Becker's other films.Jonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10656287096270976604noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3296479421292377391.post-67676097692150307312011-05-04T12:07:01.699-04:002011-05-04T12:07:01.699-04:00Ed, I fully agree what you say here as to the ulti...Ed, I fully agree what you say here as to the ultimate intent, so yes, both films succeeded superlatively in realizing their aims. I'm definitely a big fan of Becker's film and can watch it any time, any place.Sam Julianonoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3296479421292377391.post-57848660057564318202011-05-04T11:13:45.025-04:002011-05-04T11:13:45.025-04:00Yes, the Bresson comparison isn't really fair ...Yes, the Bresson comparison isn't really fair since the two films have pretty different aims and themes. <i>Le Trou</i> is a real solid thriller, and if it doesn't reach the transcendent level of <i>A Man Escaped</i>, well, that's not really what Becker is after. What he does achieve is an admirably focused examination of group dynamics under pressure and slow-building tension.Ed Howardhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18014222247676090467noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3296479421292377391.post-90008389985405138312011-05-04T11:01:42.607-04:002011-05-04T11:01:42.607-04:00"The sequence plays out nearly in real-time, ..."The sequence plays out nearly in real-time, with the concrete shattering into small chunks, the sound of the hammering and the clinking together of the rocks and debris amplified on the soundtrack." <br /><br />Yes, the claustrophobic underpinnings you discuss bring to mind Bresson's A MAN ESCAPED, which is a far better film on balance. Yet, I won't argue LE TROU is a Sam Julianonoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3296479421292377391.post-7907520876639630982011-05-04T10:20:37.941-04:002011-05-04T10:20:37.941-04:00Good call on Fincher. I would completely agree th...Good call on Fincher. I would completely agree that he's another one whose work is very interested in process.Jeffrey Goodmanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06464544798603030406noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3296479421292377391.post-27198658381634255112011-05-04T10:13:01.252-04:002011-05-04T10:13:01.252-04:00Thanks, Jeffrey. The focus on process is definitel...Thanks, Jeffrey. The focus on process is definitely what sets this film apart. I always love directors who have that kind of clear-eyed, methodical approach. Michael Mann is an obvious example of a current director with a similar sensibility, and I'd say David Fincher is another. Not sure who else these days has that process-oriented sensibility.Ed Howardhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18014222247676090467noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3296479421292377391.post-66699827092743387372011-05-04T09:56:58.818-04:002011-05-04T09:56:58.818-04:00Great piece, Ed. Although I haven't seen all ...Great piece, Ed. Although I haven't seen all of Becker's work, I've seen several of his films, and this one has always felt quite different from the rest of his work. The most singular and focused.<br /><br />I think Becker's fascination with process is very much in line with Melville's obsessions, as David mentions. I wonder who today, with the exception of Michael Mann, Jeffrey Goodmanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06464544798603030406noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3296479421292377391.post-68595694780355740902011-05-04T08:50:18.026-04:002011-05-04T08:50:18.026-04:00Yes, Melville and Bresson inevitably come to mind,...Yes, Melville and Bresson inevitably come to mind, especially in the methodical nature of the filmmaking and the detail-oriented attention to process. You're right about <i>A Man Escaped</i> - superficially similar, but very different in its themes, in the way Bresson's film burrows into the essence of the solitary man while Becker's film is a celebration of group cooperation and Ed Howardhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18014222247676090467noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3296479421292377391.post-59246309631420363512011-05-04T08:33:40.247-04:002011-05-04T08:33:40.247-04:00As you can well imagine Jean-Pierre Melville worsh...As you can well imagine Jean-Pierre Melville worshipped this film and spoke of Becker with intense reverence. <br /><br />Naturally bresson's <i>A Man Escaoed</i> comes to mind. But while the subject may seem the same the films are quite diffrent. Bresson's is about one man - nearyl alone until the end. Becker's is about a group, and group dynamics.DavidEhrensteinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11016905507543736049noreply@blogger.com