Sofia Coppola. Coppola has given us one of the best films of the 00’s decade and five of her six films have landed in the top 100 of their respective decade. She’s yet another one of the directors that critics decry as “style over substance”. Because of that- Sofia is now dreadfully underrated by the critical consensus. She’s a style-plus director with her own trademark visual style, consistent themes, who makes films of painterly splendor. Specifically, her first three films (The Virgin Suicides, Lost in Translation, Marie Antoinette) make for a remarkable start to a career as an auteur.
Best film: Lost in Translation. I don’t think there is any debate here to be had as its one of the best 10 films of the 00’s decade. It’s a visually masterful travelogue, the career best work from the actors involved, and has simply one of the best scenes (the inaudible whisper) in cinema history.
total archiveable films: 6
top 100 films: 1 (Lost in Translation)
top 500 films: 2 (Lost in Translation, Marie Antoinette)
top 100 films of the decade: 5 (The Virgin Suicides, Lost in Translation, Marie Antoinette, Somewhere, The Beguiled)
most overrated: Nothing. Blind Ring is her low-point—but it’s still not overrated.
most underrated: Marie Antoinette is still outside of the top 20 of 2006 on the TSPDT consensus list (21st century list edition)
- After lost in translation (and largely because it came after that masterpiece) this was viewed as a major disappointment upon initial release but it’s a visually stunning film. Sofia was given a larger budget for this after lost and it’s not a perfect film- but the money is up there on the screen and it’s quite transcendent
- Oscar win for best costume is well deserved- Milena Canonero worked with Francis Ford Coppola (cotton club, godfather III), Kubrick (the shining, clockwork orange, barry lyndon), Wes Anderson (Darjeeling, life aquatic, brand Budapest), out of Africa, titus, dick tracy– a virtuoso genius.
- Casting of Dario argento daughter
- Talented ensemble- some of them in cameo or seldom used like judy davis, steve coogan, tom hardy
- You can see the similarities to barry lyndon and wes Anderson with the symmetry and exacting detail in the décor
- There’s some interesting sofia/father autobiographical stuff going on here with the unready young and naïve heiress coming into the world she’s not quite ready for—along those same lines dunst (who is great here) and her Antoinette is not a flake (though I think the social criticism of paris hilton and other empty-headed heiresses (all shopping and tiny dogs) is still on-point)- she’s young and naïve and she turns jaded and selfish when those close turn against her
- Filmed inside Versailles for first time- it’s magnificent photography and set pieces
- Largely a dialogue-less movie with an inspired 80’s “me-generation” soundtrack and amazing visuals
- Prologue shot of indulgences is a great foreshadowing shot
- Isolation shot—dunst alone on the balcony amongst the massive castle—again- this film doesn’t really need dialogue at all—heavy soundtrack and montage heavy as well
- Not sure the “fools rush in” song fits- feels out of place
gem I want to spotlight: Somewhere
- A meditation on isolation and celebrity that has to be seen in the context of Sofia’s brilliant oeuvre. These are hermetically-sealed worlds- Virgin Suicides, The Beguiled— privilege- Bling Ring, Marie Antoinette
- Opens with a metaphor that annoyed some but I loved it- Stephen Dorff is literally driving his Ferrari in circles on a road to nowhere then spends the bulk of the film in his Hotel California hell—Bonfire of the Vanities
- Golden Lion in Venice winner
- A tone poem—I wish the visuals were a little stronger (we’d have a sure must-see top 5 of the year film) but still- more European or art-house in atmosphere and total lack of care for a plot—all of her work is like this
- Malaise and ennui—Antonioni
- Car is a constant metaphor—it breaks down—then he leaves it for the powerful finale
- Phoenix score- they’ve worked with Coppola—there’s not much there till the “love is like a sunset” final
- The opposite of Lynn Ramsay—Coppola’s characters are not post-trauma zombies, they are sleepwalking (literally falls asleep as part of the form) and lost in their insulated world. Dorff says “I’m not even a person” to his ex-wife
- Great film form all over the place from Coppola- we have the twin strippers, he’s constantly looking at the found and surrounded by pills and beer. This doesn’t make for narrative but that’s not the goal—unlike some of her best work (Lost in Translation, Marie Antoinette) or like Antonioni’s similarly themed work (L E’clisse) it doesn’t make for great visuals either. Another reoccurrence is Dorff falling asleep with strippers dancing and in a girl’s lap. Meets Benicio Del Toro in the elevator. Massage from a guy. He has no idea what day of the week it is. It’s sad/funny
- Duration and repetition
- We need more of the gorgeous zoom of the father/daughter laying by the pool and less Nintendo Wii playing to make this a masterpiece
- Exactly half way through the film the ex-wife says “she’s yours” about daughter- great form
- Elle Fanning’s daughter- she cooks, they get a song sung to them on the couch, Dorff’s brother and her uncle is a good guy learning about her—there’s growth here, the underwater tea part—this is life and it’s unsentimentally realized by Coppola in the day to day
- Again, it’s not beautiful (Marie Antoinette) and Coppola is no great writer- she’s about capturing tone and form—closer to Jarmusch—repetition but not a Jarmuschian fish out of water premise- she has her world’s well established
- Repetition of his clothes, flannel, white t, glances from and to women
stylistic innovations/traits: Her films, all of them, are thoughtful medications on celebrity, loneliness, affluence and sort of an existential malaise. Narrative isn’t the concern and she’s not a great dialogue writer (which is a little ironic because she won the best screenplay Oscar for Lost in Translation). Her films are about surroundings and characters—about setting the tone (style) and circumstance (backdrop) and letting the characters go. Some of her stylistic traits remind me of Truffaut (especially The Virgin Suicides with their freeze-frame character intros) but really she has a 1960’s-70’s European style about her–Antonioni is another one I think of- he easily could’ve directed Somewhere… ennui. Sofia Coppola is very similar to Lynn Ramsay— but Coppola’s characters are not Ramsay’s post-trauma zombies, they are sleepwalking (literally falls asleep as part of the form in Somewhere) and lost in their insulated world. All of Sofia’s protagonists live in a hermetically-sealed world (she wouldn’t done a great version of The Little Mermaid if Disney would’ve let her) coming from privilege (this is personal cinema for the daughter of Francis Ford Coppola). Her films are filled with characters looking from inside a window looking out (each and every film) and there are many shots of characters in isolation with their imposing surrounding (like the opening of say Punch-Drunk Love to show this loneliness.
top 10
- Lost in Translation
- Marie Antoinette
- The Virgin Suicides
- Somewhere
- The Beguiled
- The Bling Ring
By year and grades
| 1999- The Virgin Suicides | HR/MS |
| 2003- Lost in Translation | MP |
| 2006- Marie Antoinette | MS |
| 2010- Somewhere | HR/MS |
| 2013- The Bling Ring | R |
| 2017- The Beguiled | R/HR |
*MP is Masterpiece- top 1-3 quality of the year film
MS is Must-see- top 5-6 quality of the year film
HR is Highly Recommend- top 10 quality of the year film
R is Recommend- outside the top 10 of the year quality film but still in the archives
Watched Lost in Translation (2003) – quite impressed, good thing Sophia discovered acting was not her calling with her performance in GF3 haha.
– style galore with color, camera angles and movement, shallow focus, Scarlett with the pink
hair
– repetition and chance encounters remind me of In the Mood for Love (2000)
– Anna Faris is unbelievably annoying
– great shots of Scarlett alone in a crowd (like the one on this page)
– gorgeous shots of Tokyo at night
– impressive performances all around especially from the leads
– tremendous restraint narratively in the lead characters not actually sleeping together, also
reminds me of In the Mood for Love
– definitely similarities with Antonioni films, wealthy characters searching for meaning in their
lives
Will definitely check out more Sophia Coppola films
Yes, I haven’t watched anything other than Lost in Translation either. But it blew me away, in a sense, because I never expected it to be as lovely as it was. It really is a wonderful film. The most impressive aspect is, to me, the way Coppola captures the Tokyo lights. Everything, the pace, style, atmosphere, it’s all attuned to our characters’ rhythms, loneliness and sense of detachment. The film conveys such isolation, and there is a distinctly, but gently existential aspect to it. It’s a beautiful film and a great achievement, on all accounts. Even Anna Farris, annoying as she was, was in fact very poignant in her performance. Needless to say, Murray and Johansson are perfect – melancholic, forlorn and honest, in performances of surprising sensitivity. Because of both films’ focus on atmosphere and melancholy, I think the comparison with In the Mood for Love is spot on. The whisper in the end is indeed brilliant and has rightfully cemented its place in film history and pop culture as well. I wouldn’t know, only having watched Lost in Translation, but I’ve read somewhere her films being described as featuring a thematic motif, that of a ‘golden cage’, in the sense that we meet characters showered with material goods and luxury, who can’t help but be overcome by disconsolate sadness, an ever growing void and a loss of meaning and purpose.
@Georg- I saw it in a video the 2 possible things that can be read from the whisper are:
1. I have to be leaving but I won’t let that come between us, okay.
2. When John returns next time tell him , okay.
Interestingly Murray was asked to improvise the whisper.
@M*A*S*H – I do believe you can hear him say ‘okay?’ at the end and both of those alternatives seem quite plausible, though number 2 is probably more realistic. But I do like it that we won’t ever really know and I don’t like to think about it too much. It’s just perfect, how this is a deeply personal and intimate moment between these two profoundly connected people, that is just theirs. We don’t get to be a part of it, and it’s simply genius. The fact that the whisper was improvised only adds to the film’s honesty.
Me too. I love ambiguous endings like these. A seperation is another such example. We never know which parent she chooses to be with. But whoever she chooses, she has lost both of them as nothing’s gonna be same anymore.
@M*A*S*H – I haven’t watched A Separation yet, but yes, when done well, ambiguous endings can be extremely powerful – evasive and puzzling. They do trigger a lot of thought, but at their best they also serve to communicate something important in the context of the film. Coppola, I find, accomplishes exactly that, but to even a greater extent since there is something universal about the story of those two people.
@Georg – reminded me of In the Mood for Love, the scene where Tony Leung whispers into the tree which served as an outlet to reveal his strong emotions that he can’t share with anyone. The whisper here is great as both characters are married and will go on with their lives.
@James Trapp- you’re absolutely right! I never thought of the whisper in In the Mood for Love, but they do have that in common as well. It’s wonderfully elegiac.
Agree with you completely.
The Virgin Suicides —
Lost in Translation MS
Marie Antoinette R
Somewhere R
The Bling Ring —
The Beguiled —
https://youtu.be/gxbZyvCJc6U
How does this this look? I’m really excited for this. Another story about a troubled young girl with every material thing she can have. Study of celebrity and alienation. It’s the cinematographer of The Beguiled.
@M*A*S*H- 100% agreed
I was going to get right into a Scorsese Study after Roeg but I am feeling ambitious so will do a Sofia Coppola Study first with her new film being released later in the year I want to get caught up
The Virgin Suicides (1999)
Notes:
Starts with Kirsten Dunst character standing in middle of suburban street on bright sunny day
1:15 change to blue filter and shot of bathroom counter filled with female products such as perfume, makeup, etc. and then followed up with haunting image of dead young girl lying face up in bathtub
2:16 tracking shot through suburbs
2:43 dissolve edits
3:28 the films 5 sisters are introduced one at a time using freeze frames
10:00 min yellow/orange/brown color palette inside residence
13:45 strange party that seems like what I would envision a home school dance to look like
25:50 series of great dissolve edits and superimposed images, as the film moves between boys reading the sisters diaries and the stories in the diaries shown on screen
28 min TV reporter naturally takes advantage of the tragedy in order to get interesting story
30:10 blue tint
35 min scenes inside school use beige color palette
36 min Trip Fontaine walks though school hallway in slow motion as all the girls smile at him
38:04 extreme close up on face of Lux played by Kirsten Dunst, the one girl who does not show any interest toward Trip, which naturally means he will only try harder to win her over
45:20 the phenomenal Crazy on You from Heart plays as one of the Lisbon sisters follows him to his car and aggressively make out
48 min Trip respectfully asks Mr. Lisbon for permission to ask out his daughter
49:10 Trip’s initiative works and girls get permission to go out
50:25 4 sisters dressed in identical night clothes
54:35 the high school kids actually look like high school kids
58 min nice composition and use of color as they drink alcohol and school dance
1:00:20 Trip and Lux in center of frame on dance floor with balloons flying around
1:01:28 late night trip to football field where Trip and Lux have sex
1:03:48 profile shot of Lux waking up on football field alone, with Trip nowhere in sight
1:06:00 current day Trip does not understand why he left Lux that night but seems to regret it
1:06:50 immaculate mise en scene and use of color in composition of sisters spread throughout frame
1:08:42 Lisbon house becomes a sort of prison for the 4 sisters who cannot leave after Lux missing curfew after dance
1:13:10 reporter from earlier returns to house when girls form blockade around tree in front yard the town wants to cut down
1:13:48 snapshot montage of house indicating the passage of time
1:15:30 camera pans over Lisbon’s bedroom with photos scattered throughout
1:18:54 sequence of images with frame split horizontally
1:23:16 Lisbon girls riding in car down highway with open windows; a classic American expression of freedom
1:23:58 another suicide discovered by the boys accidently, shortly followed by the other 3 girls
1:25:00 the suicides shown on TV
1:26:16 Mr. and Mrs. Lisbon drove out of neighborhood for good
1:26:50 series of interior shots of house with blue tint, haunting
1:28:23 green/yellow lighting used in neighbor party sequence feature kids and parents, all set to haunting music
Thoughts:
Sofia Coppola’s debut film is an interesting one, the 5 Lisbon sisters are the films focus but it is told in flashback format through the perspective of a group of boys from the same neighborhood, it is told in a somewhat matter of fact way and though the parents are strict they do not really come across as villains (though the mother seems paranoid)
It is a mood/atmosphere-based film for sure, plot wise not all that much actually happens
Apparently, it was Sofia Coppola reading the novel this film is based on and that made her want to be a director, she believed she knew exactly how to make the material in the novel work as a film, Coppola was particularly interested in the concept of changes of perspective over time
Great intro of 5 sisters one by one using freeze frames
Impressive mise en scene, particularly the interior shots of the residence such as girl’s bedroom
Kirsten Dunst has grown on me a lot over the years, I used to be kind of surprised by her popularity, but she is an impressive actress
Coppola uses colors effectively, blue in most depressing scenes and beige/orange in lighter moments, and green in strange party sequence following the suicide pact, there are many shots with girls wearing white which is of course a color often associated with purity
Despite the tragic nature of the film, it is actually not overly sentimental and despite its flashback structure it is not nostalgic
Verdict: HR/MS
Lost in Translation (2003)
Notes:
Starts with shot of Scarlet Johansson’s character Charlotte lying on her side in bed
1:58 Bill Murray’s character Bob Harris, an American movie star whose best days are behind him, he is riding in back of vehicle in Tokyo
2:15 bright lights of Tokyo lit up
4:36 famous cover shot of Bob Harris sitting in night clothes in empty hotel room
5:50 Bob in profile shot at bar, practically runs off from adoring fans
6:55 Charlotte sitting on window still in shallow focus
14:10 Charlotte speaks over phone to mother who does not seem like she’s listening much as Charlotte cries lightly
19:36 Bob eating meal alone at table for 2 in quiet room with no one else around
20:09 shallow focus as Charlotte walks though street with umbrella
22:46 Bob gives hilarious poses as he is photographed for a whiskey commercial
28:30 Charlotte seems to have little in common with her husband
33:23 Bob and Charlotte talk at bar
36:38 Charlotte watches teens at Video Game Arcade
37:30 another window shot
38 min Charlotte clearly does not anything in common with husbands’ friends
39:50 “I was thinking of organizing a prison break” Bob Harris joking with Charlotte
42:08 blue tint swimming pool
42:40 Bob and Charlotte run into each other yet again
47:14 shaky camera as Bob and Charlotte run through arcade after being chased out of party
50:28 Charlotte singing with pink wig
53:00 Bob and Charlotte isolated in frame after the partying ends for the night, with Charlotte’s head on Bob’s shoulder
53:48 shot into window with car driving through the city
54:20 shallow focus
1:05:00 the strip club scene is hilarious
1:06:00 Anna Faris again
1:09:48 reflection shot through window
1:12:00 Bob and Charlotte lying in bed talking about children, careers, etc.
1:16:44 picturesque shot of Charlotte walking over snow
1:18:34 bright colors in mise en scene during Bob doing talk show with Japanese TV Host
1:31:15 Bob Harris fan recognizes him
1:32:42 another shot though glass, this time its glass doorway of hotel
1:33:18 cutting back and forth as Bob looks for Charlotte in the crowded street
1:34:26 shallow focus in crowded street leading to famous whisper scene
Bookends with Bob riding in back of car, now he’s leaving Tokyo for his home in the US
Thoughts:
Sofia Coppola gives an all timer here; I admit I did not think much of this film when it initially came out but then again, I was only about 15 or 16 when I watched it for the first time. But that was then, and this is now and now I view this as a clear-cut MP
It is very challenging for a director to portray introverted characters but that is exactly what this film accomplishes along with the splendid visuals. The use of shallow focus is a formal strength the film uses to accentuate the loneliness and isolation of the 2 main characters who often feel lost in a sea of people
Motif with shots through hotel windows and car windows
I posted the following on this film about 2 years ago:
“Style galore with color, camera angles and movement, shallow focus, Scarlett with the pink
hair
repetition and chance encounters remind me of In the Mood for Love (2000)
Anna Faris is unbelievably annoying
great shots of Scarlett alone in a crowd (like the one on this page)
gorgeous shots of Tokyo at night
impressive performances all around especially from the leads
tremendous restraint narratively in the lead characters not actually sleeping together, also
reminds me of In the Mood for Love
definitely similarities with Antonioni films, wealthy characters searching for meaning in their lives”
I stand by pretty much everything I previously said above
The two lead performances are both pretty special, very restrained and patient build up in the relationship they develop, apparently Coppola wrote the film with Murray in mind and relentlessly left him messages in the recruitment effort, Murray is an actor that I have come to like, I did not really understand why he was so popular but I have come to appreciate his style, his face relays much of the information about what he’s thinking, he’s a subtle performer
I like how Coppola subverts convention in that Bob Harris makes a real connection with a much younger woman in Charlotte and then later in the film has a completely meaningless one-night stand with the red head singer who is Bob’s age, normally in movies this would be reversed
I like the way Coppola does not show Bob Harris wife, instead she is merely a voice he briefly hear in a few scenes which just makes Bob feel even more isolated
I like Giovanni Ribisi a lot, but I think he’s somewhat miscast, thankfully he’s not a huge part of the film
After watching this a couple of years ago I purchased the album “United” from the band Phoenix, a lot of the music I listen to is discovered watching movies
This film is not preachy, but it does show that fame and money do not equal happiness, I know not an earth-shattering revelation, but it is fascinating watching Murray’s acting in some of the quieter moments
Verdict: MP
@James Trapp – great work here and throughout the study. So Giovanni Ribisi is doing Spike Jonze here (Sofia’s husband at the time). I don’t know how much you know Jonze (or what he was like decades ago- but he sort of nails it.
Marie Antoinette (2006)
Notes:
Starts with shot of Marie Antoinette played by Kirsten Dunst sitting in a room with blue walls and several carefully layered pink/red cakes; this image set to rock song
3:08 doorway to create frame for shot
4:11 Marie travels in horse carriages, reflections in water
7:30 Marie’s dog taken away from her “you can have as many French dogs as you like” as she exits Austrian soil for France
8:07 immaculate frame created in background as Marie is literally stripped of all her clothes for French clothes
8:30 perfect symmetry and triangle composition as Marie steps in foreground dressed in French royalty
8:54 close up on Marie’s face as she travels in carriage
13:11 magnificent shot with castle in background and row of horse carriages in foreground
13:30 frame filled to the brim at Castle courtyard
15:25 lush interiors of palace
21:16 beautiful firework montage
22:24 awkward moment as she gets into bed with Louis the 16th played by Jason Schwartzman, awkward given the dozens of people watching this moment
23:42 many rules involved for even the most routine of tasks like getting out of bed in morning
26:20 mise en scene perfection with the symmetry and color designs
29:45 hilarious the High School level gossip
32 min Louis the 16th dog hunting party
33:40 magnificent costume design, beige/brown/orange interiors
36 min daily routines
36:37 museum painting quality shot of ballroom and chandeliers
38:44 slow zoom out showing Marie standing alone on balcony
40:45 great composition with food as mise en scene
48:10 scene in the theatre/opera which alternates between high angle shots from Marie’s POV and low angle shots from stage to upper balcony seats
50 min Marie starts clap at end of the show, which goes against the convention of the time apparently
51:25 Marie standing alone against wall that perfectly matches her costume, shots of her in isolation are rare so far as she’s always the center of attention
53:38 nice framing of faces using 2 depths of field
54:40 reverse tracking shot of Marie walking in hallways while people shamelessly gossip about her not having children yet
56 min montage of extensive Wardrobe
57:28 immaculate composition with 4 depths of field
59:07 another amazing composition with frame filled to brim
1:04:28 painterly image
1:08:00 magnificent composition of celebration followed by montage of party sequence
1:21:50 slow zoom in using door as frame, another magnificent composition where every color and designs seems to have been considered in great detail
1:24:00 nice tracking shot with camera following Marie and her friends
1:25:17 idyllic living
1:26:18 cutaway shot of castle
1:34:04 affair begins, montage of the lovers
1:36:02 long shot of Marie walking up steps
1:39:00 shot of castle
1:39:30 “let them eat cake” Marie denies that she actually said this when talking to small group of friends
1:43:43 the failed clap attempt is call back to earlier scene where her claps spread throughout the theatre
1:46:20 painterly image with Marie in center of frame with no people around, continued increases in isolation
1:48:55 slow zoom out on isolated Marie
1:52:45 painterly image of Marie and husband at dinner table but atmosphere is changed with angry mobs outside castle
Thoughts:
I took French for a few years in High School, it was not my best subject although I did enjoy the history aspect of it, this is not exactly a film that cares about historical accuracy but still a fascinating time and place to set a film
Much of the film is about various routines, getting out of bed in the morning, meals, wearing new clothes, it is mainly set in Versailles. There is little about the politics of the time which is great as it takes place in the walled off world
The shameless gossiping is amusing at times, showing aristocrats of the era as having the maturity of a group of High School kids, much of this gossip is aimed at Marie naturally who is obviously in an enviable position with her status
Some of the decadence reminded me of Scorsese’s Age of Innocence, especially the food scenes
The costume work and production design are masterful and ridiculously intricate, the high level of detail involved makes this very special
There are amazing compositions throughout the film, many with perfect or near perfect symmetry
Rotten Tomatoes is certainly not perfect, but it is usually a solid barometer; a 57 RT score for a film of this quality is rare, I can probably guess some of the reasons why this film did not work for average movie goers despite its amazing visuals
There are a number of Ozu style cutaway shots or “pillow shots” in this film, usually of the castle, definitely could see this as location as character
One of my few complaints here is that there are multiple sequences where the songs seem to do seem like a great match for the scene, Lost in Translation was the opposite with perfect song selections, in Roger Ebert’s 4 star review he defends Coppola’s decision to use contemporary music in this film set in historical times but I have no issue with the use of contemporary music, I just think the songs selected were not a great fit to what was on screen. Perhaps a score would have been more effective
This is Coppola’s 3rd film and so far, all 3 films have consistent visual styles and themes
I would have this closer to MS than MP but with future viewings it could be bumped up, it is a really impressive piece of work
Verdict: MS/MP
Somewhere (2010)
Notes:
Starts with Ferrari speeding around track out in isolated desert like area in the middle of nowhere, Stephen Dorff as Johnny Marco, a Hollywood actor with issues in his personal life
3:29 title sequence starts
5:20 Johnny lying down on hotel room bed and watches two blonde strippers wearing matching white and red stripped shirts, the girls look similar enough where they could be twins; it turns out they are twins and played by real life twin girls who were Playboy Models
8:47 Johnny with cast on left arm
9:14 Johnny drinking beer and smoking cigarette catching attention of 2 attractive women
13:50 Johnny again in hotel room while he watches twin blonde strippers this time wearing matching white and green outfits
16:36 Johnny wakes up to his teenage daughter, Cleo, standing over him and his ex-wife standing in the doorway
21 min Johnny watches his daughter ice skating, we learn she’s been doing it for 3 years so obvious he has been estranged to some degree
29 min reverse tracking shot as Johnny goes to photo shoot and press conference for new movie
33:08 Benicio Del Toro makes appearance in elevator scene
33:57 Johnny smoking cigarette with no one else in sight
36:36 continuous shot showing three guys prepare Johnny’s facial costume for a part; followed by a slow zoom in
41:41 blue tint as Johnny watches TV late at night in hotel bed
43:30 Johnny’s daughter with unexpected visit, guitar video game
51:21 Johnny takes trip to Milan, Italy with his daughter, hotel with great pool
1:00:00 Johnny and Cleo attend Italian award show where Johnny gets some type of award
1:06:54 close up shot of breakfast, food seems important with Coppola
1:15:00 slow zoom out
1:18:48 car on open Highway
1:20:16 beautiful post card like shot of Vegas after sunset
1:26:42 “I’m f**king nothing” emotional call to ex-wife
1:28:28 Johnny lying in pool by himself with camera stationary as he floats out of the frame
1:31:14 overhead shot of his Black Ferrari driving off
1:33:33 abrupt ending walking down highway with car on side of road
Thoughts:
Very little dialogue especially in the first 16 min. There is also considerably less music used in the film than her previous 3 films, the silence is quite powerful
Father/daughter dynamic is essential to the film, of course Sofia’s relationship to her father, the master filmmaker Francis Ford Coppola is obviously a huge part of her life. I like how they did not overdo the dramatic moments
More of the same themes explored which include celebrity, ennui, isolation, and estrangement from family
This is a character study of a man who seems to get little true joy despite being a young wealthy movie star, there are some similarities with Bob Harris, the Bill Murray character from Lost in Translation, as both characters have significant screen time in isolation and series of attempts at distractions to keep them going
There is a long uncut shot near 36 min that lasts for a couple of minutes, it is just Johnny in facial prosthetics, there are several scenes where Coppola just keeps camera stationary for several minutes
Verdict: HR
The Bling Ring (2013)
Notes:
Starts with security camera image with orange/brown tint capturing a group of 4 people approaching a house in California suburban neighborhood
2 min a short montage of high-end clothes that are presumably stolen by this group
3:24 security camera image now in green captures same group leaving the house post-theft
7:30 Marc is new kid at school who makes friends with Rebecca
11 min thrill-based stealing from cars
11:55 interview flash back structure
16:24 driving convertible down streets with palm trees on both sides
17:50 Kirsten Dunst cameo playing herself at nightclub
20:16 sun glare and slow motion as Marc walks along side with Rebecca
24:48 daytime robbery of Paris Hilton’s house
27:03 more flashback interviews
30:35 neon blue and red/pink strobe lights
31:45 car accident, great shaky camera use to create sensation of accident
32:38 low angle shot in black and white
37:43 long shot view of robbery of mansion overlooking the city
50:28 slow motion club scene, scrobe lights
52:52 slow motion walking down street set to Kanye West “Power”
1:03:15 inevitable arrest of Marc
1:07:00 Marc confessing
1:12:12 hilarious conversation with Nicki and her family speaking with the detective, very over the top, like a Miss America model talking about “world peace”
1:14:23 reference to Bonnie and Clyde a little bit too on the nose
1:18:08 nice use of elliptical editing
1:19:30 tracking shot of Marc in orange jumpsuit on the bus to prison, followed up by nice shot of wall closing in
1:21:10 Naturally Nicki loves being interviewed about her brief prison stay
Thoughts:
Sofia Coppola changes up a bit, not everything works but it’s a fun viewing, though clearly the weakest of her 5 films so far
Dialogue is not Coppola’s best trait, unfortunately none of the films characters are particularly interested, Some similarities in the story and even visuals to Spring Breakers (2012)
Verdict: R
The Beguiled (2017)
Notes:
Starts with gorgeous shot of Oak Trees and slow pan until we see a young girl walking through a path consisting of Oak Trees on both sides
Setting is Virgina 1864 which of course is 3 years into US Civil War
2:05 Pink lettering reminds me of Rosemary’s Baby opening credits shot
6:50 good to see Kirsten Dunst return with her 3rd film working with Sofia Coppola (technically 4th but she is only cameo in Bling Ring)
8:23 girls in white, color of purity; girls carry wounded soldier by the name of Corporal John McBurney played by Colin Farrell
18 min placing gun away in dark room
19:04 room dimly lite by candles, breaking blocking
19:57 beautiful composition with light peeking through the trees
21:50 cutaway shot of oak tree
25:40 beautiful use of natural lighting in shot with light peeking through the trees
26:06 accentuated noises of bugs
32:45 everyone making moves on the lone male in the house
34:12 sunset in background of frame
35:01 candle lit dinner
38:00 girls all dressed in white sing while Corporal John watches
42:13 stunner of a shot, with two men on horses in background of frame amidst thick layer of fog
44:47 another brilliant cutaway shot of the oak trees
49:42 shot of Kirsten Dunst character through a window, this is a shot Coppola has used in most if not all of her previous films
56:56 some humor with all the women and girls basically in love with Corporal John
1:00:12 nice composition capturing everyone in the house all in one frame
1:02:08 low angle shot, nice splitting on the frame
1:03:05 Dunst heart broken, attacks Corporal John who suffers a brutal injury to his leg
1:05:24 cutaway shot of Oak Tree
1:06:10 John wakes up in brutal pain after
1:09:00 John may not be the nice guy he seems to be earlier in film
1:13:38 chase seen with John using crutches
1:21 slow paced montage of each of the girls getting ready for dinner with John
1:22:04 another magnificent shot using candlelight
1:22:50 the women of the house have a meal with John, he starts by apologizing for his behavior
1:24:12 tension building as John talks about how good the meal is, all the girls are silent
1:26:00 John collapses indicating what I expected; the mushrooms are poisonous, a shot from POV where John’s chair is as some great blocking here, lighting
1:27:52 painterly image with tree as frame, oak trees all around
1:28:52 film ends with a slow zoom in shot that abruptly stops
Thoughts:
Sofia returns with a visually stunning film. Her last 2 films; Somewhere (2010) and Bling Ring (2013), were not nearly as strong visually as her first 3 films
The use of lighting here is really impressive, if you combined the use of natural lighting here with the exquisite compositions and painterly images from Marie Antoinette you have some Barry Lyndon level visuals, maybe not quite but close. So many of the scenes use candle light hence the Barry Lyndon comparison
I am a big fan of Nicole Kidman; she has an impressive range, but her physical acting is vital as she has a commanding presence with her near 6-foot height and those intense eyes, she also somehow looks like she’s barely aged since the early 2000s which is crazy
There is an abrupt change in mood following the scene of John being thrown downstairs, as the film goes into dark thriller mood, the suspense in the last 20 min is very well done, I love how Coppola shows each or at least most of the girls/women at the table one by one slowly building the suspense, the heavy fog is of course another horror trope
Coppola seems to like these Ozu style cutaway shots, here it’s the beautiful shot of the surrounding Oak Trees, this shot is presented periodically throughout the film
The final dinner scene where they kill John via poisoned mushrooms is so well done, the suspense begins growing heavily and I really had no idea what was going to happen, I was prepared for just about anything and it was exhilarating
Verdict: MS
Final Ranking and Grades:
Study Summary:
Sofia Coppola has some serious skills, obviously her last name carries both benefits and challenges. On the one hand, her father is one of the greatest directors ever, giving Sofia access to the mind of an all-time legend but it also creates a seemingly impossible standard to follow. But enough about her father because Sofia’s body of work is impressive and still growing.
She is definitely a style over substance auteur which is not to say that her films are not intelligent or lacking in emotional depth, Lost in Translation (2003) is one of the best examinations of ennui I have seen on screen. Her films examine a crucial part of human nature; the need for emotional connection to other people and this is why I think her films can resonate with people even if most people are not wealthy celebrities, I actually think the characters in Sofia Coppola’s films are highly relatable, they are people with doubts, struggles, and regrets, and fear of their inadequacies
The subjects of her films are often wealthy/privileged people, whether celebrities or upper middle class you have some obvious connections with Antonioni and Wong Kar Wai
Food seems important to Coppola as it is featured in many of her films, probably in part because Coppola likes to use routines/patterns in her films which are often about everyday things like eating meals, waking up, walking down the street, etc.
I think Lost in Translation (2003) is pretty clear her best work also Marie Antoinette’s costume work is first rate, the set design is impressive as well. Still Lost in Translation is brilliant with shallow focus work as a way to isolate an individual in a crowded street. There are many shots of the two leads isolated in the frame and even when they are surrounded by people its almost like they are not even there, for example Charlotte and husband socializing with the annoying Ana Farris character and someone else and Charlotte gets up and walks to Bob Harris and returns to her group without anyone even knowing she was gone. And of course, the famous whisper scene, a great and poignant way to end the film
It was clear that Coppola has a keen eye for color, this is evident immediately with The Virgin Suicides which matches colors to emotional states of the characters. She has a keen ear for soundtracks aside from Marie Antoinette. The French band Phoenix is featured in a couple of her films, most notably Lost in Translation (2003) I did not realize until recently that Coppola is actually married to the bands lead singer Thomas Mars, they have two kids together
The Beguiled (2017) was full of gorgeous photography, there many painterly images used throughout its approximate 90 min run time
The Bling Ring was clearly the weakest film of the study, but if it was a misfire, it was at least an enjoyable one at that. It still had thematic similarities to her other works with privileged, spoiled teens and young adults stealing for the thrill of it. Every other film was at least an HR or better with a clear-cut MP in Lost in Translation and a borderline MP with Marie Antoinette
Below are my grades, I planned on watching On the Rocks (2020) but its only on Apple + which I don’t have, if its available on something I do have in the future I will check it out
I will add Priscilla (2023) after I get a chance to see it and see how it measures up with her other work. Very excited for that.
Here are my Final Grades and Rankings
# 1 Lost in Translation (2003) – MP
# 2 Marie Antoinette (2006) – MS/MP
# 3 The Beguiled (2017) – MS
# 4 The Virgin Suicides (1999) – HR/MS
# 5 Somewhere (2010) – HR/R
# 6 Bling Ring (2013) – R