- 1.0 April 2017
- I was surprised at how much of a muted slow-burn film it was considering the premise sounds similar to apocalypse now and knowing how heavy an influence Francis Ford Coppola is to Gray—it’s an understated epic much less dramatic than the other classical works of Minghella (English patient and cold mountain)
- It is an absolute time-capsule film- looks like the work of Gordon Willis and Wexler as dp’s – I love that about Gray- I read an interview in like 2011 he had no idea who Marion Cotillard was…
- A true triumph of natural lighting
- I admire Robert Pattinson working with auteurs (like Gray and 2 films there with Cronenberg) but I’m pretty convinced at this point he can’t act
- The film, which features may exterior shots, is absolutely gorgeous but I must admit I miss the level of control and detail that Gray often has in his interior set films
2.0 April 2019
- DP Darius Khondji has had a great career—starting with Jeanet, David Fincher’s Seven, Amour and now working with Gray in The Immigrant and this
- Coppola classicism in Gray—a book ready to be written by someone (if it hasn’t already)—Gray is patient, this is so well-done, crisp
- Natural lighting mix of Fincher’s and Coppola from Gordon Willis—shawdow’s and lanterns—stunning work in the opening and closing shots
- Like almost all of Gray’s work this is about social standing and class—Charlie Hunnan’s Percy Fawcett is a slave his “poor choice of ancestors” and trying to overcome his family name—which becomes ambition an megalomania
- opening
- closing
- Imperialism—“murderous savages” in the text
- There’s a lineage here- David Lean (and Richard Attenborough), Anthony Minghella, Coppola, Herzog, Trader Horn, African Queen
- Pattinson has proved himself with 2017’s Good Time since my first viewing-
- Couldn’t find the image but really beautiful stain-glass window work
- A timeless style- Gray is one of our great current auteurs
- Stunning 35mm on location photograph in this patient saga—140+ minutes
- A couple of Malick’s trademark shots from the ground up through the trees
- Highly Recommend – towards the back half of 2016’s top 10
“but I’m pretty convinced at this point he can’t act” that’s pretty hard, but i agree, i don’t think he’s an exceptional actor, people seem to think he’s the next DDL
@Aldo– haha. So since writing this in April 2019 then I’ve rewatched Good Time and was impressed with him– and he followed that up with The Lighthouse so I’ve softened my stance a little— but again as I said above what I admire most about Pattinson is still his willingness to work with auteurs (and here he’s in a Nolan film coming out next month!) and not his acting. I think you can be a so-so actor and in the hands of the right director come away with a great performance.
I don’t see the next DDL