Tuesday, March 18, 2008
COMMON MAN
I finished watching the NYTimes Best 1176 Film, Bertolucci's
If bigger is better, this huge (cast of thousands), splendidly costumed, ravishingly photograped epic has to be the greatest ever film.
But it is not.
It fails just at the point where the story of one man who lives through momentous historical events never gets in touch with those events or his possible role in them.
That is he in the picture at left. A young man. Clueless.
At the end, his main accomplishment is to be a competent gardener.
He is dragged through the First World War, the Second World War, all the Chinese putsches and revolutions including the Communistic. He sees Mao become the new 'emperor'. He is re-educated to the new society.
The most touching moments are those when he is one on one with others. Sometimes happiness; mostly when personal tragedy strikes.
But for the most part, even though he falls in love with western culture, he seems immune to the news of the day or how he is or could be involved. Even when his wife's baby is 'assassinated' by the Japanese, he doesn't get it.
There is tragedy here but tragedy requires a great fall. No greatness. Just misunderstanding. Wrong moves.
Hopeless naivety. Innocence.
Tthe film succeeds mightily as a historical document and, in that sense, it is a great film.
Bertolucci is able to link the personal with the political to some extent.
The use of flashbacks and flash forwards helps give momentum to what is, day to day, year to year, a relatively static life.
I liked it and didn't like it.
I suppose that someone is going to say that I have to see it on a bigger screen to enjoy it.
I don't usually buy that proposition but in this case, I think that might just be so.
I did see it when it came out and I know that I enjoyed it more then than now.
I repeat that O'Toole is a presence but just a wee bit out of it most of the time. Too bad. Sir Peter.
I will give this a reluctant 4 out of Netflix5 just because it is so big and so wide and the center does mostly hold throughout. An endurance test is passed. Bertolucci's and my own. Although I took it in two separate laps.
Labels: best films
