Re: RE : RARA-AVIS: Memento

From: Mark R. Harris ( brokerharris@gmail.com)
Date: 14 Feb 2008


I strongly disagree with this. I was prepared to dislike *Irreversible *because of the things I had heard about it, and instead I wound up thinking that it is one of the strongest movies of the decade, with nothing gratuitous about it whatsoever. It is strong meat, to be sure, but I thought it was incredibly powerful and moving. I think Roger Ebert's thoughtful review really nails it:

http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20030314/REVIEWS/303140303/1023

The last paragraphs of the review are beautifully written:

*The fact is, the reverse chronology makes
"**Irreversible*< http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/classifieds?category=REVIEWS01&TITLESearch=Irreversible&ToDate=20081231>
*" a film that structurally argues against rape and violence, while ordinary chronology would lead us down a seductive narrative path toward a shocking, exploitative payoff. By placing the ugliness at the beginning,
**Gaspar Noe*< http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/classifieds?category=search1&SearchType=1&q=Gaspar%20Noe&Class=%25&FromDate=19150101&ToDate=20081231>
* forces us to think seriously about the sexual violence involved. The movie does not end with rape as its climax and send us out of the theater as if something had been communicated. It starts with it, and asks us to sit there for another hour and process our thoughts. It is therefore moral - at a structural level.

As I said twice and will repeat again, most people will not want to see the film at all. It is so violent, it shows such cruelty, that it is a test most people will not want to endure. But it is unflinchingly honest about the crime of rape. It does not exploit. It does not pander. It has been said that no matter what it pretends, pornography argues for what it shows. "** Irreversible*< http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/classifieds?category=REVIEWS01&TITLESearch=Irreversible&ToDate=20081231>
*" is not pornography. *

Mark

On 2/14/08, Nathan Cain < IndieCrime@gmail.com> wrote:
>
> Irreversible wasn't nearly as interesting as Memento, and the rape
> scene, which went on for about ten minutes was gratuitous.
>
> On Thu, Feb 14, 2008 at 8:23 AM, Fabienne soldini < fabsoldini@yahoo.fr<fabsoldini%40yahoo.fr>>
> wrote:
> >
> >
> >
> >
> > I saw Memento few years ago and I like it. It's a very amazing movie.
> There
> > is a French movie, made later, which uses that king of narrative form.
> It's
> > "Irr鶥rsible" by Gaspard No鬠with Vincent Cassel and Monica Belluci.
> The
> > film begins by the end, an very violent and savage murder in a
> night-club.
> > And the spectator learns what happens before and before, the explanation
> of
> > that murder. It is not excatly a crime movie but it's very noir and
> cruel:
> > there is a rape scene very hard. But the central thema, in my opinion,
> is
> > the destruction of a couple, in a very short time, perhaps ten hours.
> But
> > that movie uses a criminal storie and very violent scenes to express
> that.
> >
> > Fabienne
> >
> >
> > Jack Bludis < buildsnburns@yahoo.com <buildsnburns%40yahoo.com>> a 飲it
> :
> >
> >
> > I accidentally stumbled acrosss the movie "Memento" last
> > night. I had never seen it and never been able to find it
> > at local video stores.
> >
> > It's an interesting presentation with an inside out plot
> > that has to be deciphered by the viewer but will never be
> > deciphered by the lead who has an extreme case of
> > short-term memory loss. If you put it together
> > chronologically (as well as you could) it would be a kind
> > of sad-sack noir.
> >
> > Some of it doesn't hang together, but so what. Still
> > interesting. The beginning of the movie is the end of the
> > story, the end of the movie is the beginning of the story,
> > and in context Carrie-Anne Moss (of the Matrix Trilogy) is
> > as bitch of a femme fatale as their ever was.
> >
> > The lead, Guy Pierce, was one of the detectives in the
> > movie "L.A. Confidential" and I understand he will be
> > playing the lead in the movie of Cormac McCarthy's "The
> > Road." (I looked it up.)
> >
> > For those who recommended it, thanks.
> >
> > A nice pic for a Rare Bird to stumble over when he's
> > spinning the dial. I have no idea what network it was on.
> >
> > Jack Bludis
> >
> > http://crimespace.ning.com/profile/JackBludis
> > http://jackbludis.com/
> > Recent Story at http://backalleywebzine.com/
> >
> > __________________________________________________________
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> > http://www.yahoo.com/r/hs
> >
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> >
> > [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
> >
> >
> >
> >
>
>
>

-- 
Mark R. Harris
2122 W. Russet Court #8
Appleton WI 54914
(920) 470-9855
brokerharris@gmail.com


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