Broken Embraces

Mark Harris

Mark Harris

Pain in the ass
Saw this at Sunshine the other night.

Pedro is among my favorite living directors. Maybe #1. But this one was not his best. I was trying to think about why, and I think part of it is that Penelope Cruz is not as flat out amazing as many of his other leading ladies.

Julieta Serrano
Carman Maura
Marisa Paredes - Oh My God, one of the best actresses of all time...
Cecilia Roth

Cruz was the lead in Volver. And she had a supporting role in All About my Mother. And she was in one other film I think. But I kind of feel like she just doesn't have what the others have. It's intangible, but...I dunno. His work seems so dependent on the leading actress...

Anyway, Pedro's okay work is still miles above most other work in the movies these days, so I always go to see whatever he puts out. And he is one of the few directors I feel compelled to see in the theater, because his work is so cinematic. The art direction, the cinematography. He is a FILM-maker.
 
Thanks for the tip. I need to see more foreign films.

Would you recommend "Volver" as a good place to start with this director?
As far as I know "Broken Embraces" isn't out on DVD (at least in my area).

Peter
 
Well, for Pedro, you can go back to his early stuff in the 80s, which is pretty insane.

But Volver isn't his best.

I love All About My Mother, Flower of My Secret, Talk To Her. All amazing movies and might be a good point of entry.
 
Hmm.. I'm wondering if "success" has affected his talent as a director. You're not of
fan of his two latest and "Volver" got a lot of critical acclaim.

There's a joke by a comedian that calls for "the mandatory retirement" of some directors
because when they get famous their works suffers. Kevin Smith is an example of this.
I'm wondering if the same will happen to Guillermo del Toro. Pan's Labyrinth was fantastic,
but Hellboy II sucked. Hopefully the same won't be said of the "Hobbit".

If I can find any of his earlier work at Blockbuster, I'll pick it up.

Thanks again for the recommendation.

Peter
 
Me Myself & I said:
Hmm.. I'm wondering if "success" has affected his talent as a director. You're not of
fan of his two latest and "Volver" got a lot of critical acclaim.
Click to expand...

Well, it's like I said, even on a bad day, his work is not bad. I just don't think it reaches the level of his best stuff. Go ahead and try Volver.
 
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