Last Movie You Watched

[Karl Henning]

Well, did you like the film?  Dave

Still watching. "Daddy did give us a small cotton mill."

[Cato]

Last night I and others watched Confessions Of A Dangerous Mind. TV impresario Chuck Barris, a man of unimpeachable lack of integrity, claims to be a CIA assassin in his spare time. Sam Rockwell is superb at portraying the sleaze and self loathing of the hero. George Clooney directed with impressive skill. Charlie Kaufman wrote the film.
There's a scene in the film that's so.....I don't even know what so it is, but when you see it, you'll want to get to a nunnery or something because this world is not for you. It could be just me, though.

Yes, a movie where you are amazed by Sam Rockwell's transformation into Chuck Barris, and then are appalled by a gleeful sadism, and further appalled by a realization that you are watching a violent schizophrenic fantasy.

Are you referring to the diving board scene and its aftermath?      Yes, highly disturbing.

[SimonNZ]

First time listening to the commentary track with Branagh and text advisor / scholar Russell Jackson.

[Karl Henning]

Well, did you like the film?  Dave

Delightful! And how I failed to know Jonathan Pryce or Christopher Plummer will haunt me.

[André]

Watched this with a friend a couple of days ago. We're considering a rewatch of the ten films of his we've seen previously.

We both agreed on what we thought the final scene/shot meant, but after a little reading I see that the director has pushed back on this widesread interpretation, saying that wasn't his intention at all.

The friend I watched the film with said that scene was the two boys finally liberated, joyfully threading the path that was forbidden to them. I'm trying not to lay spoilers, that's why this may seem obscure, but you saw the film, so you know what I mean, Simon. Personally I missed that clue but I agree that it makes sense. Is this what the director is pushing back on ?

[SimonNZ]

The friend I watched the film with said that scene was the two boys finally liberated, joyfully threading the path that was forbidden to them. I'm trying not to lay spoilers, that's why this may seem obscure, but you saw the film, so you know what I mean, Simon. Personally I missed that clue but I agree that it makes sense. Is this what the director is pushing back on ?

*SPOILERS*

No, the director agrees with your friend that the boys "rebirth" means their accepting of their friendship, and disregard for society's hostility. My friend and I (and many others, it seems) thought that as the mother can't see them and they cant see the mother and, more importantly, that the "end of the line" is now open to them with no sign of obstruction that they had died. That is what the director was pushing back on.

The director is known for not wrapping everything up in a tidy bow, but I would say there are some pretty big questions left about the teacher's employment, the second boys father, and, most importantly, around the starting of that fire and its implications.

[brewski]

Last night, my first Tarkovsky film, Stalker (1979), an astounding experience. While described as science fiction, that only begins to cover the film's visual, aural, and philosophical territory. I will be pondering it for a long time.

It's available on YouTube, free via Mosfilm, which uploaded a number of Tarkovsky films. The audio and video quality are outstanding.

-Bruce

[drogulus]

Are you referring to the diving board scene and its aftermath?      Yes, highly disturbing.

     No, I was referring to the Checkpoint Charley scene where our hero and a bunch of others were traded for a single Soviet master spy who just happened to be a familiar face. It was a perfect moment.

[AnotherSpin]

Last night, my first Tarkovsky film, Stalker (1979), an astounding experience. While described as science fiction, that only begins to cover the film's visual, aural, and philosophical territory. I will be pondering it for a long time.

It's available on YouTube, free via Mosfilm, which uploaded a number of Tarkovsky films. The audio and video quality are outstanding.

-Bruce

I remember quite clearly watching the premiere of Tarkovsky's Stalker in Odessa, in the only cinema showing it. Rumors about the film were circulating as if it were something incredibly advanced. This was around 1979 or 1980—I was still a university student and skipped my first lecture to attend the very first screening at 9 a.m.

There was a long line for tickets, but I managed to get one of the last. I distinctly remember not understanding anything happening on the screen. People sat quietly; no one left. It seemed that few truly grasped what they had witnessed, but everyone felt that it was undoubtedly something very unusual and strange. Later, it turned out that the first screening was the only one. Someone "from above" called, and the film was pulled from the schedule.

However, some time later—a year or perhaps a few years—the film returned and was shown in some small cinemas. Presumably, the party officials decided that if there was any sort of message in it, it was too cryptic to be understood.

As for me, I never tried to watch the film again. Of course, I've seen other Tarkovsky films, but none of them are ones I would want to rewatch.

[Christo]

Last night, my first Tarkovsky film, Stalker (1979), an astounding experience. While described as science fiction, that only begins to cover the film's visual, aural, and philosophical territory. I will be pondering it for a long time.

It's available on YouTube, free via Mosfilm, which uploaded a number of Tarkovsky films. The audio and video quality are outstanding.

-Bruce

Absolutely wonderful that you "discovered" Tarkovsky! I myself was fortunate in 1986 to see his last film -- Tarkovsky died young of the cancer he probably contracted while filming for Stalker in a radioactively irradiated factory hall near Talllinn -- Offret ("The Sacrifice"). I was upside down, thanks to Glasnost I was able to see all his films in the following years.

Since then his most personal film, The Mirror (1975) remained my favourite, but they are all extraordinary, from his firstling to certainly his testament: The Sacrifice, shot in Sweden with Ingmar Bergman's actors (just like he did his penultimate film Nostalghia in 1983 in Italy; I once stumbled upon his apartment in Florence where he lived at the time).

Hope you enjoy more of them!

[Cato]

Last night, my first Tarkovsky film, Stalker (1979), an astounding experience. While described as science fiction, that only begins to cover the film's visual, aural, and philosophical territory. I will be pondering it for a long time.

-Bruce

Tarkovsky seems to film dreams and nightmares: often if a scene seems natural, or naturalistic, the musical score will cause it to seem awry, or the stillness of the camera will begin to make it odd, or a character staring at someone or something out of the frame for just a few moments too long, etc.

I remember quite clearly watching the premiere of Tarkovsky's Stalker in Odessa, in the only cinema showing it. Rumors about the film were circulating as if it were something incredibly advanced. This was around 1979 or 1980—I was still a university student and skipped my first lecture to attend the very first screening at 9 a.m.

There was a long line for tickets, but I managed to get one of the last. I distinctly remember not understanding anything happening on the screen. People sat quietly; no one left. It seemed that few truly grasped what they had witnessed, but everyone felt that it was undoubtedly something very unusual and strange. Later, it turned out that the first screening was the only one. Someone "from above" called, and the film was pulled from the schedule.

However, some time later—a year or perhaps a few years—the film returned and was shown in some small cinemas. Presumably, the party officials decided that if there was any sort of message in it, it was too cryptic to be understood.

As for me, I never tried to watch the film again. Of course, I've seen other Tarkovsky films, but none of them are ones I would want to rewatch.

Fascinating story, thank you!

Absolutely wonderful that you "discovered" Tarkovsky! I myself was fortunate in 1986 to see his last film -- Tarkovsky died young of the cancer he probably contracted while filming for Stalker in a radioactively irradiated factory hall near Talllinn -- Offret ("The Sacrifice"). I was upside down, thanks to Glasnost I was able to see all his films in the following years.

Since then his most personal film, The Mirror (1975) remained my favourite, but they are all extraordinary, from his firstling to certainly his testament: The Sacrifice, shot in Sweden with Ingmar Bergman's actors (just like he did his penultimate film Nostalghia in 1983 in Italy; I once stumbled upon his apartment in Florence where he lived at the time).

Hope you enjoy more of them!

Andrei Rublev and Ivan's Childhood have scores by the great Vyacheslav Ovchinnikov: highly recommended!

Here is an interview with Ovchinnikov about Tarkovsky:

[Franco_Manitobain]

Last night, my first Tarkovsky film, Stalker (1979), an astounding experience. While described as science fiction, that only begins to cover the film's visual, aural, and philosophical territory. I will be pondering it for a long time.

It's available on YouTube, free via Mosfilm, which uploaded a number of Tarkovsky films. The audio and video quality are outstanding.

-Bruce

Thanks for the tip Bruce. That's one of his films I haven't seen.

[71 dB]

On Christmas Eve Youtube recommended me a TV movie from 1980 named "Once Upon a Spy." I instantly recognised (from the thumbnail) it to be a movie I saw (perhaps not completely) on TV about 35 years ago and it has been in my mind ever since and I have been trying to find out what movie it was for about 25 year, but without luck until now! The movie itself is a silly attempt to make a Bond-like TV show (the movie is an unsuccessful pilot episode turned into a TV-movie). For all its weaknesses the movie is nevertheless fun nostalgia trip to the late 70s and early 80s scifi which I like a lot.

I watched the movie on Youtube on Christmas Eve and on the Christmas Day I wrote about it on a Finnish discussion board telling how long I have been trying to find out what movie it is. I also mentioned another almost lifelong mystery of mine, a scene from an unknown TV show where a robot chases a man and the man tries to stop the robot by letting water on the floor in order to create short circuit in the robot. This one I saw in the early 80s when I was maybe 10-11 years old and the robot action felt super-thrilling. After just 95 minutes one member wrote the answer: "Gemini Man - Episode 2 -  Minotaur" from 1976. Bingo! In less than 24 hours I had found out two mysteries I have been trying to find answers for for decades! It was a great personal Christmas Gift for me!

In the past (childhood) I watched TV often without knowing what I was watching. I didn't think it is important to know what I am watching. All that mattered was that I enjoy what I see. Later in life this started to bite me in the ass for various reasons and I started paying attention! In a country like Finland these shows are given Finnish names. Gemini Man was named as "Näkymätön mies" (invisible man) for example. Often I started watching something from the midpoint etc. There was no listing of programs in TV sets etc. Childs are childs with zero attention span. I was thinking about the next Lego project instead of what I just saw on TV.

[brewski]

I remember quite clearly watching the premiere of Tarkovsky's Stalker in Odessa, in the only cinema showing it. Rumors about the film were circulating as if it were something incredibly advanced. This was around 1979 or 1980—I was still a university student and skipped my first lecture to attend the very first screening at 9 a.m.

There was a long line for tickets, but I managed to get one of the last. I distinctly remember not understanding anything happening on the screen. People sat quietly; no one left. It seemed that few truly grasped what they had witnessed, but everyone felt that it was undoubtedly something very unusual and strange. Later, it turned out that the first screening was the only one. Someone "from above" called, and the film was pulled from the schedule.

However, some time later—a year or perhaps a few years—the film returned and was shown in some small cinemas. Presumably, the party officials decided that if there was any sort of message in it, it was too cryptic to be understood.

As for me, I never tried to watch the film again. Of course, I've seen other Tarkovsky films, but none of them are ones I would want to rewatch.

That is quite a memory, thank you. (And watching it at 9 in the morning, heavens. )

Absolutely wonderful that you "discovered" Tarkovsky! I myself was fortunate in 1986 to see his last film -- Tarkovsky died young of the cancer he probably contracted while filming for Stalker in a radioactively irradiated factory hall near Talllinn -- Offret ("The Sacrifice"). I was upside down, thanks to Glasnost I was able to see all his films in the following years.

Since then his most personal film, The Mirror (1975) remained my favourite, but they are all extraordinary, from his firstling to certainly his testament: The Sacrifice, shot in Sweden with Ingmar Bergman's actors (just like he did his penultimate film Nostalghia in 1983 in Italy; I once stumbled upon his apartment in Florence where he lived at the time).

Hope you enjoy more of them!

After comments on his films and seeing still photographs for years, I had been planning to explore his output for a long time (e.g., in 2023) but decided that life is short, and I better plunge in. The only question was whether to watch Andrei Rublev first (a friend's suggestion), or to do them in chronological order, but ultimately some wag mentioned Stalker as a "Christmas movie"      so there you have it.

But I will be watching all of them eventually — another one as soon as next week, perhaps for New Year's Eve. I want the aura of Stalker to subside a bit before taking on the next.

Tarkovsky seems to film dreams and nightmares: often if a scene seems natural, or naturalistic, the musical score will cause it to seem awry, or the stillness of the camera will begin to make it odd, or a character staring at someone or something out of the frame for just a few moments too long, etc.

And thanks for this and the other comments. Certainly "dreamlike" and "nightmarish" are appropriate. And though there was very little music in Stalker, it was used very precisely, especially at the very end (not going to give it away!).

Even after just a single example, I can tell he was a giant among filmmakers.

-Bruce

[Cato]

And thanks for this and the other comments. Certainly "dreamlike" and "nightmarish" are appropriate. And though there was very little music in Stalker, it was used very precisely, especially at the very end (not going to give it away!).

Even after just a single example, I can tell he was a giant among filmmakers.

-Bruce

In the above interview with Vyacheslav Ovchinnikov, the composer mentions that Tarkovsky did use music precisely and, at times, sparingly.

[Karl Henning]

@brewski 

ultimately some wag mentioned Stalker as a "Christmas movie"      so there you have it.

(* chortle *)