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The Beguiled – 2017 Sofia Coppola
- The first thing to praise is the use of natural lighting and intermixed exterior shots of the garden and house- it’s stunning photography from beginning to end and you need the full film to realize. Every scene is carefully naturally lit with candles and exteriors- it gives you pause at first just how different it is to almost every other film
- Wonderful use of the landscapes and trees including the Spanish moss like QT in Django unchained
- The narrative is plain and subtle- you could argue that sofia the screenwriter let down sofia the director. She’s never been one to be huge on narrative but I wish it would either focus on the the characters or more or being just atmospheric and photographically and almost experimentally driven (which it was, and it was well done- but she doesn’t drive it all the way home and go for it on most occasions (final shot and a few others aside). Again, i really loved the film but it seems caught half way between a film like goodbye, dragon inn or the work of Apichatpong Weerasethakul and more of a beautiful southern soapy potboiler (almost like a civil war set gone girl — the siegel/eastwood 1971 version is much more engaging)
- The cast is good- but it’s not a major achievement for any of the 4 principals (dunst, kidman, farrell, or fanning)
- Not on par with marie antoinette but the costume work is splendidly done
- After one blush I wish it were also more of a meditation on celebrity like all over her previous films were- I guess there is a little bit there with the elitism of the women (captured in a picturesque final tracking shot)
- Minimal score by Phoenix is well done
- Highly Recommend/ Must-See border
Drake2022-02-22T22:26:33+00:00
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Heyy @Drake
“The cast is good- but it’s not a major achievement for any of the 4 principals”
In your 1971 you hail Geraldine Page as one of the year’s best so with another actress than Kidman, does this character has a shot at being one of the 2017’s best. Maybe Frances McDormand Or Holly Hunter (her voice would definitely haunt this movie).
@M*A*S*H- Interesting. I’ve only had one pass at this film but upon recollection would not want to recast Kidman. I actually think her elegance fits Sofia’s visuals more so than Hunter or McDormand. I think she just put less of an emphasis on it being a character study than Siegel did in his 1971 version.
Kirsten Dunst gives the best performance of the film. I strongly believe it’s one of her best performances.
Does Elle Fanning has the most archivable films in history as a teenager?
8 I believe.
I am Sam-2001
Babel-2006
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button-2008
Somewhere-2010
Super 8-2011
20th Century Woman-2016
The Neon Demon-2016
The Beguiled-2017
@Malith- Great question- that feels like the right answer to me. I don’t think anyone beats that.