Snow Falling On Cedars
ACTORS:
Ethan Hawke ... Ishmael Chambers
Youki Kudoh ... Hatsue Miyamoto
Reeve Carney ... Young Ishmael Chambers
Anne Suzuki ... Young Hatsue Imada
Rick Yune ... Kazuo Miyamoto
Max von Sydow ... Nels Gudmundsson (as Max Von Sydow)
James Rebhorn ... Alvin Hooks
James Cromwell ... Judge Fielding
Richard Jenkins ... Sheriff Art Moran
DIRECTOR
Scott Hicks
SCREENPLAY
David Guterson (novel)
Ronald Bass (screenplay) (as Ron Bass) and
Scott Hicks (screenplay)
CINEMATOGRAPHER
Robert Richardson
SYNOPSIS
A murder trial in a remote Pacific Northwest island stirs memories of lost love and exposes the towns ethnic bias towards it's hard working immigrant neighbors.
CONCEPT IN RELATION TO THE VIEWER
Learning to let go of past loves and the struggle between doing the right thing as opposed to trying to recapture our youth.
PROS AND CONS
I came across this film on DVD while I was at the local public library. I had heard of it but did not know much about it. I took it home and it sat on my DVD player until the day before it was due to be returned. We fired up the DVD that evening and my wife and I watched it all the way through. We were both pretty impressed.
The first thing that astounds you about this film is the cinematography. Having dabbled in film making myself, I know how hard it was to get many of the shots you see in this film. This film was nominated for an Oscar for it cinematography for good reason, it is absolutely beautiful to watch.
The other thing that impressed me so much about this film was the period look. The set designers worked overtime on this film to get the look of the late 1940s Pacific Northwest just right. Having lived in Oregon and Washington this film made me long for the cold, wet winters, the cedar and pine trees and the crashing of the ocean against rocky shores.
Many of my fellow bloggers write film reviews and give their opinions on the current state of Hollywood and the entertainment industry. Most of these reviews center around the current phase of fantasy and escapist films that the Southern California special effects factories churn out on a quarterly basis. Most are slick, some are will written (even though they are based on comic books), but most leave me empty. That isn't the case with this work. Snow Falling On Cedars deals with the emotions of life spanning years, wars, loves and moral struggles in a small, idyllic, remote community.
The film deals with issues all of us will face at some point in our lives which is why it is so moving to watch. The viewer can relate to what is going on with the characters and come to the understanding that we all share something of the human experience. There are few cons with this film. The acting by the cast is competent if not exceptional. Max Von Sydow's closing arguments in the murder trial may be one of the best I have ever seen on film. I highly recommend this film.
Clicking on the "Essential Cinema" title will take you to the Internet Movie Database (IMDB) entry for this film. The listing of all the LaserDiscs that I have reviewed on IMDB can be found here.
Clicking here will take you to a listing of all the "Essential Cinema" reviews in my Blog.
Robert Richardson is easily on of the best DP's in the biz and has been for quite a while. He often collaborated with Oliver Stone in the early days and his work on "Platoon" was just as important to that film as the acting by any of the leads. He won Oscars for "JFK" and "The Aviator". The first probably for his body of work with Stone, the second was truly deserved. Beautiful film.
ReplyDeletePS - to dismiss something as well written "even though they are based on comic books" makes me wonder if you have ever given any of these comic books a fair shot or if you are talking out of ignorance of the subject. I'm not talking about silly superhero stuff that is read by 8 year olds. I'm talking about Alan Moore, Frank Miller, Neil Gaiman and others of their ilk. Give "Maus" by Art Spiegelman or "Watchmen" by Alan Moore or anything by Neil Gaiman a try. Gaiman's work is infused with the rich history of many literary works on mythology. Frank Miller may be too stylized and violent for your tastes, but he comes across as an even more hard-boiled Raymond Chandler at his very best.
Just because someone enjoys "popcorn" flicks of the superhero or horror variety doesn't mean that they can't also appreciate and love films like "Snow Falling on Cedars".
I'll try to catch this one, but it sure doesn't sound like my husband's cup of tea. I'm learning to really like Netflix- he picks one, I pick one, and the kid with the best grades picks one. Everybody's happy.
ReplyDeleteEarl:
ReplyDeleteI have actually read through a couple of graphic novels and based on ther popularity and their sheer sales volume, they can't be dismissed as not having some value based on their following both in print and on film. Just not cup of tea. Sort of like Romance Novels.....I have actually read a few of those as well,.....again not my cup of tea, but that does not mean that billions of women don't enjoy them.
I would admit that the "Dark Knight" had some exceptional dialogue and plot development, I am sure the "Watchmen" will probably have more of the same. This may well be the heyday of the comic / graphic novel period in Cinema, much "Film Noir" was back in the 50s.
The point I was making in "Snow Falling on Cedars", is that I can't see too many folks really emptahizing with the emotional struggles of the super heros in hollywood blockbusters as they would with the characters on 'Cedars'. One is more realisitic, the other too far based in fantasy with too many special effect distractions. Is the loss of Batman's girlfriend really heightened with all the explosions and car chases? Is that sort of packaging really necessary for the younger theater goer to relate to the story? It might be, I can't speak to the mind set of younger folks that well anymore since I am past the century mark....(damn, getting old sucks).
That might be the whole issue here. Having lived a long life and gone through so many things in the course of it, Special effects might take a back seat to the emotional references and empathy of a film like 'Cedars'. My guess is that "Superman Returns" might have less of an audience for folks that have been divorced 3 times and had 4 children, and 2 bankruptcies, but the 20 somethings that haven't been those things will proabably love it.
For those of us that understand the film making craft, many of the scense in 'Cedars' were much harder to film that any CGI special effect. With the constant water / snow, lighting and camera movement in very harsh conditions I was amazed at the hours if not days of filming it must have taken to get 10 seconds on the screen in some scenes.
I wasn't too impressed with "The Aviator" at all. It glossed over Hughes life and I didn't really care for DeCaprio's performance. Good visuals can only go so far in a Movie. I think that got so many Oscar nods because the Academy was trying to suck up to Scorcese.
Lorraine:
Netflix as academic motivator......sweet parenting skills. There is a scene in the movie where a guy gets blown up and loses his arm, pretty graphic....empahsize that to your husband and he will want to watch it.
I actually didn't like The Aviator as much as the Academy did either. But Richardson's cinematography was excellent. That's all I was talking about. I think DiCaprio can, at times, be one of the more powerful actors of his generation. But he was mis-cast as Hughes, I thought.
ReplyDelete2008 surely was a highpoint for adaptations of comic-book related material with The Dark Knight, Iron Man and The Incredible Hulk. Fantastical, over the top acting and special effects, especially the FX, certainly helps out films like these more so than others.
Just curious as to which graphic novels you have read/browsed? I know they aren't your particular brand of vodka, but I'm curious anyway.
i think the problem is that you are comparing apples and oranges, really.
ReplyDeleteA comic book movie adaptation is an instant gratification, a visual, enticement that is meant to cater to younger audiences, or adults who grew up on these heroes.
A movie like snow falling on cedars is meant to be appreciated like a fine wine. The similarities are that both are films, and thats about it. They cater to a completly different demographic and serve different purposes.
While i appreciate this movie, once i watch it i would have zero desire to watch it again. Same for movies of this ilk like "The Hours" or "Gosford Park".
Slyde:
ReplyDeleteVery true, after having seen 'The Dark Knight', I had no desire to see it again. I would watch 'Cedars' again, just to study the technical aspects of how it was made, not to relive the story line. You are correct, these are apples and oranges, that just happen to both be on celluloid.
Oh, thanks for this. It looks like the perfect thing for P. Charming for Christmas. We LOVE to watch good movies together.
ReplyDelete