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Reviews
Beau travail (1999)
Lighten up people--this is a great film about an outsider
Going against the trend of reviews here, as is usual for me, I loved this film. Perhaps only another outsider can see how brilliantly Lavant acts the outsider. He is a jealous outsider, jealous of Sentain. He is jealous of him, not in love with him and there is a difference. Galoup (Lavant) truly loves Forestier, but as Galoup points out, Forestier doesn't care. Instead, when Sentain appears, Forestier is attracted to him in a way he was not to Galoup. Well, Sentain is charming, calm, open, attractive, all the things Galoup is not. Sentain is one of the gang, Galoup is an outsider and no matter how hard he tries, he cannot get in. Much of the film is dialogue free, but Lavant admirably shows what he is feeling with his facial and body gestures. And after all that falls out from this jealous rage, Galoup is returned to France but still remains an outsider. No friends in the Legion, nor out of it. And the finale, Galoup dancing by himself in a very contorted way, is one of the most agonizing I have seen. It represents well what Galoup's life is like. You should not see this film if you are looking for a homoerotic experience. It is not about sexuality, but the rage of an outsider. As such, it is brilliant.
Nosferatu - Phantom der Nacht (1979)
Some have missed the point
This version of Nosferatu is not a faithful remake of the older versions, nor is it a dismal remake, as so many here seem to think. First, it seems that many have seen the pretty bad English language version. Second, almost everyone here doesn't realize that this version is a parody of the Dracula story. Thus the over the top performance of Kinski, the overly wilted lily Adjani, etc, etc. Take the scene were Kinski is admiring Adjani through the window when all of a sudden his mole Topor shows up to worship him. Also, the scene of Kinski removing his coffins from the ill-fated boat. And the scene where the Dr has pounded a stake through Dracula's heart, only to be threatened with arrest, yet all the police are dead. Even the Popul Vuh music is a parody of horror movie music. Put altogether, the film is great. Yes, it is slow moving, so what? If you are looking for a scary version of the story, probably the PBS Louis Jordan version is the best. But if you are looking for a very irreverent interpretation, this is it.