tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2361395648458719073.post5044976288065947073..comments2023-07-23T09:45:33.199-05:00Comments on the last lullaby (and) peril: 1984: Boy Meets Girl (Leos Carax)Jeffrey Goodmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06464544798603030406noreply@blogger.comBlogger12125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2361395648458719073.post-30472044877387028262010-04-07T10:45:06.917-05:002010-04-07T10:45:06.917-05:00Wow, Andrew, what an excellent post! I love so mu...Wow, Andrew, what an excellent post! I love so much that you say, but your final sentence is a real zinger:<br /><br />"Carax was always unafraid to get out from under his influences, which is probably the mark of a serious artist."<br /><br />I also love the correlations you make between BMG and 400 BLOWS and ASTRAL WEEKS. Great addition to this post. Thanks, Andrew!Jeffrey Goodmanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06464544798603030406noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2361395648458719073.post-83192415554480402022010-04-07T07:27:29.806-05:002010-04-07T07:27:29.806-05:00Nice insights on the initial Carax. Personally, I...Nice insights on the initial Carax. Personally, I prefer the broader ambitions of MAUVAIS SANG (along with the extra dish of Escoffier's color work!) but agree that BMG is more personal and less cluttered. I think you've tapped into something interesting when you note that BMG is the rare first work where the artist has poured himself into it, but somehow managed to achieve, and even progress, at a formal level. It's as if ASTRAL WEEKS represented the first time Morrison stepped into a recording studio! <br /><br />The other amazing thing about Carax (at least the first two, arguably three) is how plainly he bears his influences, but also manages to move past them. For instance, 400 BLOWS is an essential basis for BMG but rather than allowing the Truffaut to hover constantly, Carax simply moves beyond it. The movie is acknowledged but never revered. Carax was always unafraid to get out from under his influences, which is probably the mark of a serious artist.Andrewhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10698020505992039761noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2361395648458719073.post-29520406905944617372010-04-06T10:32:51.052-05:002010-04-06T10:32:51.052-05:00Jeremy, I also think that Carax is incredible. Ye...Jeremy, I also think that Carax is incredible. Yes, I'd love to hear how this one treats you when you revisit it. It's probably my favorite of all his films. But I love MAUVAIS SANG, too! <br /><br />Thanks, Jeremy. Always awesome hearing from you!Jeffrey Goodmanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06464544798603030406noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2361395648458719073.post-8910516577113457392010-04-06T09:57:30.965-05:002010-04-06T09:57:30.965-05:00Carax is incredible...I will never forget getting ...Carax is incredible...I will never forget getting to see LOVERS ON THE PONT NEUF on the big screen when it was re-released. I need to revisit this one as it is only his collaborations with Binoche that I have seen multiple times.Nostalgia Kinkyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02506680500183270767noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2361395648458719073.post-1840232643262400482010-04-05T18:47:54.413-05:002010-04-05T18:47:54.413-05:00Sam, thanks so much for the incredibly kind words!...Sam, thanks so much for the incredibly kind words! I admit that this film, almost more than any of my other choices, is certainly not for everyone. It can be downright frustrating at times. But I'm in awe of how naked Carax was able to be here and how masterful he already was at using so many of cinema's different possibilities.<br /><br />Thanks, Sam. Always such a treat having you here!Jeffrey Goodmanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06464544798603030406noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2361395648458719073.post-39544779967966749172010-04-05T18:34:03.440-05:002010-04-05T18:34:03.440-05:00My Own #1 Film of 1984:
Once Upon A Time in Ameri...My Own #1 Film of 1984:<br /><br />Once Upon A Time in America (Leone, USA)<br /><br />Runners-Up:<br /><br />Amadeus (Foreman, USA)<br />Carmen (Rosi, Spain/France)<br />Heimat (Reitz, West Germany)<br />La Femme Publique (Zulawski, France)<br />Colonel Redl (Szabo, Hungary)<br />Blood Simple (Coens, USA)<br />Stop Making Sense (Demme, USA)<br />Stranger Than Paradise (Jarmusch, USA)<br />Broadway Danny Rose (Allen, USA)<br /><br />Jeffrey this is brilliant stuff here:<br /><br />"But Carax's film is not just a narcissistic exercise. He proves here that he was on his way to becoming one of the most formally dazzling filmmakers in the world. Just look at the beauty, the lyricism, the expressiveness of the way he uses sound and image...." --and this is yet another bold, original and personal choice. I never held the film in such high esteem, but I'm motivated now to look at it again.Sam Julianonoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2361395648458719073.post-55455036213005349692010-04-05T18:06:40.877-05:002010-04-05T18:06:40.877-05:00Dave, I totally agree! This is an exceptional yea...Dave, I totally agree! This is an exceptional year and 1986 seems even stronger in my book.<br /><br />I absolutely share your love for the Leone. It's an incredible achievement.<br /><br />Thanks, Dave. Always awesome having you here!Jeffrey Goodmanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06464544798603030406noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2361395648458719073.post-83590962135524300782010-04-05T18:04:48.757-05:002010-04-05T18:04:48.757-05:00Thanks, Peter! I love MAUVAIS SANG, too. But I t...Thanks, Peter! I love MAUVAIS SANG, too. But I think I've always liked this one just a little more. Where SANG has genre elements, this one just feels like a full-fledged personal spewing. <br /><br />So glad to see the Carax love though. It seems that he's someone that really struggles.<br /><br />Always great to hear from you, Peter! Thanks.Jeffrey Goodmanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06464544798603030406noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2361395648458719073.post-69449417818376084302010-04-05T17:48:15.240-05:002010-04-05T17:48:15.240-05:00Haven't seen this one, Jeffrey, but I will inv...Haven't seen this one, Jeffrey, but I will investigate further...<br /><br />I didn't realize it until I did my own annual countdown, but 1984 is a pretty strong year. My top 5 would be:<br /><br />1. Once Upon a Time in America (Leone) - So great, and that ending when the two childhood friends come face-to-face is so sad.<br />2. Amadeus (Forman) - So good I almost feeling guilty having it as the top spot in a year.<br />3. Broadway Danny Rose (Allen) - An overlooked Woody gem... I still love the "I feel like in North Vietnam" line when they're on the run. Something about the delivery and timing of it that always makes me laugh.<br />4. Blood Simple (Coens)<br />5. Paris, Texas (Wenders)Davehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07134196370913749544noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2361395648458719073.post-35875056463708108572010-04-05T17:31:46.155-05:002010-04-05T17:31:46.155-05:00Jeffrey,
I also like this film very much, but I mu...Jeffrey,<br />I also like this film very much, but I must say I enjoy Mauvais Sang a bit more. I feel that it really captures exactly what you are talking about when you mention Carax "becoming one of the most formally dazzling filmmakers in the world". The ending sequence of Boy Meets Girl certainly is already pointing in this dirction. Also, the voiceover bit about the "premiere tentative de meurtre" is fantastic.<br /><br />Nice post on a great film!<br />-peterAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2361395648458719073.post-71880600581425623782010-04-05T16:35:59.528-05:002010-04-05T16:35:59.528-05:00John, great to hear from you! I'll be curious...John, great to hear from you! I'll be curious to know how this one strikes you. <br /><br />I definitely like AMADEUS although just a little less than the others I mentioned. And, BLOOD SIMPLE I like, as well.<br /><br />Thanks, John! Always great to have you here.Jeffrey Goodmanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06464544798603030406noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2361395648458719073.post-76808235059280605672010-04-05T16:25:13.127-05:002010-04-05T16:25:13.127-05:00Jeffrey, I have seen your choice and will have to ...Jeffrey, I have seen your choice and will have to search it out. My own choice was "Amadeus" of Forman's two best films. A close second is Leone's "Once Upon a Time in America."<br />#1 Amadeus<br /><br />Runner-ups <br /><br />Once Upon a Time in America<br />A Soldier’s Story<br />Blood Simple<br />Beverly Hills Cop<br />1984<br />Broadway Danny Rose<br />The Killing Fields<br />Stranger Than ParadiseJohnhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01808503055317962289noreply@blogger.com