An announcement of a burgeoning auteur- Joanna Hogg- it is her second film after 2007’s Unrelated
Archipelago is much prettier than the crassly shot debut—much more attractive in its photography and decidedly more poised in its compositions
It opens with an artist (Christopher Baker) and a painting recreating life- a landscape and a discussion on abstraction and understatement in art. It’s both Hogg speaking to us directly about her work and setting the ground formally for what is about to unfold. Hogg would bounce us off the artist here in the film — discussions on art as brilliant formal invention
It opens with an artist (Christopher Baker) and a painting recreating life- a landscape and a discussion on abstraction and understatement in art. It’s both Hogg speaking to us directly about her work and setting the ground formally for what is about to unfold. Hogg would bounce us off the artist here in the film — discussions on art as brilliant formal invention
Like Unrelated we get one-sided conversations of broken relationships on the phone, and we overhear awful family blow-up fights in other rooms or on the phone
Depth of field in doorways, a bikes in the arrangement in the alleys—like Ozu, alleys and hallways
Frequent collaborator Tom Hiddleston (he was in Unrelated as well) with his Art Garfunkel hair here and agreeable soft-spoken demeanor
Frequent collaborator Tom Hiddleston (he was in Unrelated as well) with his Art Garfunkel hair here and agreeable soft-spoken demeanor
Set on holiday, small talk, glances, painful silences and eavesdropping on discussions— this is not expressionism but realism and it’s not for people not interested in cinema as an art. We literally wait for the mom here to finish brushing her teeth
Ozu is a clear influence—family drama, mise-en-scene focus—there is a great shot as the characters use the house phone, there’s shadow from the window’s natural light—and the camera shoots them through two open doors – perfect
Ozu is a clear influence—family drama, mise-en-scene focus—there is a great shot as the characters use the house phone, there’s shadow from the window’s natural light—and the camera shoots them through two open doors – perfect
There are plenty of throwaway scenes that keep this from being Columbus from Kogonada—two people talking about shellfish in an ugly bland kitchen. It’s putting us in this world, realism
Hogg often sets the frame beautifully though. In another composition the camera is perfectly placed between chairs at the restaurant
Hogg often sets the frame beautifully — rich compositions and static camera– medium shot
Life is a mess, art is perfect
The sister- Lydia Leonard the actress- that character is a nightmare. In one of the film’s most difficult scenes she’s complaining at the restaurant and sends her stuff back
The tilted trees in the landscape—really stunning
The tilted trees in the landscape—really stunning
Long pauses, realism – the guy who tells the maid how to pluck the pheasant isn’t an actor
So the title is a series of islands (I don’t think it’s wrong to bring up L’Avventura here and the setting as character) and these characters are continually shot by Hogg alone, in their bedroom at night in isolation —it’s a brilliant metaphor. They’re failure to connect wallops you and the only real pleasure seems to be in the interludes on art. They’re damaged- looking out their own window—alone even when they’re together
So the title is a series of islands (I don’t think it’s wrong to bring up L’Avventura here and the setting as character) and these characters are continually shot by Hogg alone, in their bedroom at night in isolation —it’s a brilliant metaphor
No score, birds
Peter Bradshaw in “The Guardian” gets Hogg- “works with a series of static “tableau” camera positions. There is no musical soundtrack, just the ambient sound of birdsong or distant aeroplane buzz, only really apparent when it cuts out into silence for the next scene”
Philip French in the Observer- “As with the Japanese master Ozu, Hogg never moves her camera, each shot being carefully composed and long held. There are no close-ups until near the end, at which point there’s also a single camera movement when one character comes down the stairs and startles us by rushing across a room to open a letter of farewell.”
Rohmer is an influence, it also reminded me of Woody’s severely underrated 1978 Interiors– Hsiao-Hsien Hou as well- Hogg is sharply observant and like HHH is an Ozu acolyte- She has a static camera, no close-ups, long takes, some improvisation–
The compositions are an achievement, as is the formal elements and Hogg speaking to us through art—it wallops you
[…] Archipelago – Hogg […]