Spirits of the Dead
Roger Vadim; Jane Fonda; period piece. Enough said about the first segment.
Louis Malle's film is a very good adaptation of "William Wilson," one of Poe's most thematically interesting stories in my opinion. Alain Delon is brilliant as always.
Fellini's "Toby Dammit" is the one to see. Made at the height of his talent, it's rich with the surreal color cinematography that characterizes "Roma" and "Juliet of the Spirits". Italy is really an incredible setting for horror tales- "Don't Look Now" is another example. Fellini turns Rome into a maze of lifeless human forms and apocalyptic landscapes. Watching the awards show scene, it's clear that the director was a master of blocking for the camera; actors fly in and out of the frame as if their 15 minutes were due to expire at any moment. Altman, Woody Allen, and Scorsese all attempted to replicate that style at some point or another in the '70s.
Doesn't Terence Stamp look like the ideal Poe antihero?
posted by William @ 2:24 AM
3 comments
3 Comments:
Fellini's is the best segment because he refuses to take the Poe story at face value. Vadim and Malle attempt legitimate period pieces—Fellini says screw it all and comes up with something kind of brilliant. Stamp's sweaty presence is a plus.
William, didn't you find the perverse casting of Jane and Peter Fonda to be the slightest bit amusing?
Very amusing. But I wish I could say more for the film itself.
I fell in love with this movie because of the 'Toby Dammit' segment. You are absolutely right about Fellini. He was a master at direction and the use of colors in his films. In this particular film, the colors and hues are inserted in the right places. My favorite scene is the Ferrari racing in the twilight of Italy's streets. This moment really captures the spiritual disintegration of Dammit and his eventual surrender to the devil herself. I also liked 'William Wilson' and the 1st film should have never have been made. It was a waste of film and talent.
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