Roger Ebert has asked me to write for him, which is very exciting!
Here’s my first piece: on German director Christian Petzold’s suspenseful film Barbara, about a doctor in 1980s, East Germany. It’s a fine film.
Roger Ebert has asked me to write for him, which is very exciting!
Here’s my first piece: on German director Christian Petzold’s suspenseful film Barbara, about a doctor in 1980s, East Germany. It’s a fine film.
So exciting. It’s a tightly written and detailed piece, leaving me with the feeling that these films, not having seen them, are IN their mileu – the snack bar, the hospital – but not sending a pointed message ABOUT them. True? They sound very atmospheric.
Ted – yes, it’s ALL atmosphere, and it’s amazing because Petzold does it without any tricks. No quick cuts, no manipulation of the camera, no scary music. I read a really interesting interview with Petzold where he talks about how he deals with sound in his film (a key element): http://mubi.com/notebook/posts/spatial-suspense-a-conversation-with-christian-petzold
And this Nina Hoss!! So good.
And the feeling of surveillance is seeped into the molecules of the film, without a word spoken. You are terrified by any interpersonal interaction because you know everything is dangerous. This is all done, again, with no language. It’s quite amazing.
Jerichow is basically a remake of The Postman Always Rings Twice – I loved it. Nina Hoss is a great femme fatale. Definitely worth checking out!
And here’s a piece I wrote on Yella, another Petzold film with Nina Hoss. Creepy as hell, and you really can’t point to why. Loved it. http://www.sheilaomalley.com/?p=64839
Roger Ebert asked you to write for him?
That is life-changing.
This is so, so cool.
The cream rises to the top, don’t it? Congratulations.
BRAVA!!!!!! Fabulous piece. And fabulous new chapter!!! XOXOXO
Thank you, everyone! It’s an exciting time.
You so deserve to be writing in larger venues. And I hope you don’t lose the time to keep creating here. And the review is, as usual and expected, very good!
Congratulations on the Ebert gig. You’re a talented writer, and you have great insights into films and drama and, oh, just about everything you see.
Thanks so much, Kathleen!!