Neil Bahadur
27Mar12
and probably Dafoe's best performance to boot!
Neil Bahadur: Filmography
Up there with Dangerous Game and New Rose Hotel as Ferrara's best film.
Adam Cook and Kurt Walker like this
One of Renoir's darkest but most interesting films. Because Renoir keeps such humanistic ideals in his work, it is easy to forget that he does not shy away from the dark side of humanity, a la his inspiration Erich von Stroheim. In Toni the earthiness of the peasantry and the immigrants are bookends to the human aspect of the tale, Toni's sexual obsession with Josefa, which ultimately leads to his downfall.
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Neil Bahadur
23Mar12
In the end, Toni's life becomes futile, as the next wave of immigrants comes in on the train after Toni's death, because life goes on regardless of our sacrifices.
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Neil Bahadur
23Mar12
Shifting away from the content of the film, Toni is probably the most "neo-realistic" film made until Rossellini's Paisan, because Renoir dispenses entirely with dramatic climaxes and instead films dead space.
Virtuoso, brilliant filmmaking, but one section of the film tries to wrap everything so quickly in order to get to another plot point that it almost kills the film. But otherwise, brilliant, with some of the most striking cinematography I've ever seen. Very much akin to the work of Sternberg and Mizoguchi. When characters enter aestheticized worlds, they simply become more real.
Seriously, maybe the greatest ending in the history of Hollywood.
IT IS IMPOSSIBLE TO FORMALLY OR THEMATICALLY ANALYZE ANYTHING AFTER THE SECOND ACT OF THIS FILM BECAUSE ONES EYES ARE FILLED WITH WATER
Kurt Walker and 2 others like this
Help others.
Christ Almighty, this movie is amazing.
this dude sucks. I actually like his King Kong though.
LOL this movie looks like shit
Espen Nomedal and Edna Sweetlove like this
The greatest guilty pleasure in all of cinema!
Am I the only guy out there who thinks this is one of the best Bond films?
The masterpiece, where in the final 15 minutes, Ingrid Bergman sheds her skin as a Hollywood actress and becomes one with the Earth.
I'm usually harsh on this one because it has the most rigid classical structure of all Rossellini's work (which Rossellini himself considered a flaw), but every time I see this film it is so moving, so incredibly powerful on a gut level. One leaves this film feeling like a wounded animal. I'm not usually one for ranking filmmakers, but I'm beginning to fell that Rossellini is, bar none, the greatest.
Adam Cook likes this
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Jerry Johnson
23Jan12
I only have Ford and Bunuel as high as RR. You need to come out of the shadows more, Neil, and participate in the World Cup or something. BTW- I've got a link to Ford's Bucking Broadway, courtesy of Greg X, if you're interested.
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Neil Bahadur
23Jan12
By the way, have you seen any of Rossellini's "facist" films? Eg. The White Ship, A Pilot Returns, etc? I've wanted to see them for so long.
Honestly, this is the best of the Roger Moore Bond movies.
DT likes this
Oh, God, no.
Gets an extra star for the fantastic opening. Otherwise, not Fincher's finest hour.
Saw the 70mm version.......a good film became a masterpiece.
It's propaganda. It's pretty good propaganda, but it's still propaganda.
If someone had a gun to my head and I had to pick just one, then Roberto Rossellini is the greatest filmmaker to ever live.
The most Fordian work not directed by Ford himself.
Best of Allen's late period (but still haven't seen "Midnight in Paris")
Suprised at how much I liked this. The first half is essential viewing for any amateur filmmakers or film students.
Caught this masterpiece at VIFF two weeks ago. Who's all watching it on TCM on Tuesday?
Scout likes this
This film is like silent cinema. The best of Bertolucci's post-Last Emperor works.
rado likes this
http://www.sensesofcinema.com/2006/38/bitter_victory/
Varun Anisetty likes this
Needs to get a rewatch.
I was raised on this movie.
Kurt Walker and Jack Lehtonen like this
This isn't from 2004, this is from 1903!
