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Gemma Bovery & The Face Of An Angel
Good morning folks. Hope the weather your way is good. Here it is bright, some sunshine,windy and cool with the threat of rain again.
Last night i watched a couple of DVD's my brother gave me -
Gemma Bovery (2014)
It is a comedy-drama film based on Posy Simmonds' 1999 graphic novel of the same name.
Martin (Fabrice Luchini), an ex-Parisian with a deep appreciation for Gustave Flaubert, has settled in a village in Normandy as a baker. He sees a British couple moving into an old property across the road. Their names, Gemma (Gemma Arterton) and Charles Bovery (Jason Flemyng), echo those of the leading characters in Flaubert's 1856 masterpiece Madame Bovary. Martin engages with the young couple and observes Gemma's behaviour replicates that of her namesake, including a series of romantic and sexual liaisons that suggest she is headed for a tragic finale like that of the novel. He intervenes but cannot alter the inevitable conclusion.
I liked the mix of cultural differences and language between the English and French (with subtitles) characters, the frequent humour and amusing variations on Flaubert’s original plot. Ironically, it may even convey to a modern audience better than the novel how, even in secular Europe, a woman may become the victim of her sexual appeal to men.
The Face Of An Angel (2014)
A British psychological thriller film directed by Michael Winterbottom and written by Paul Viragh, inspired by the book Angel Face, drawn from crime coverage by Newsweek/Daily Beast writer Barbie Latza Nadeau. The film stars Kate Beckinsale, Daniel Brühl, and Cara Delevingne.
The film is based on the real-life story of Amanda Knox who was accused of the murder of Meredith Kercher in 2007.
Thomas (Daniel Brühl) is a film maker in Siena, Italy covering something that looks like the Amanda Knox story. It is almost a film within a film as the film Thomas wants to make has similarities to the one we are watching. Siena is filled with reporters with all kind of spousal issues, Thomas is using a book "The Face of an Angel" written by a journalist (Kate Beckinsale) who also has an angel face. His daughter (Ava Acres) has an angel face as does the waitress (Cara Delevingne) who aides Thomas. Thomas even tells us they changed the names.
Thomas relates the angel face with the victim (Sai Bennett) while everyone one else in the world associates it with the accused (Genevieve Gaunt). Thomas wants to make the film as a parallel to Dante's Divine Comedy. So unless you are heavy into the metaphor and symbolism, the film is boring. If you are into it, you will realize he missed the mark and it is just somewhat boring. It comes across as pseudo philosophical with lines like, "Look death in the face to understand life." I had to laugh as I thought of Andy Warhol's famous line, "To know death Otto,...."
It strains credibility too much, and seems self-indulgent as though it's really about Winterbottom, the actual director who wants to make the movie about himself.
It does say some interesting things about the cynical press circus surrounding the case who just see the investigation as grist to the newspaper mill, with free expenses paid trips to Italy.
If you were hoping for a meaningful take on the murder case though, this is not it.
Last night i watched a couple of DVD's my brother gave me -
Gemma Bovery (2014)
It is a comedy-drama film based on Posy Simmonds' 1999 graphic novel of the same name.
Martin (Fabrice Luchini), an ex-Parisian with a deep appreciation for Gustave Flaubert, has settled in a village in Normandy as a baker. He sees a British couple moving into an old property across the road. Their names, Gemma (Gemma Arterton) and Charles Bovery (Jason Flemyng), echo those of the leading characters in Flaubert's 1856 masterpiece Madame Bovary. Martin engages with the young couple and observes Gemma's behaviour replicates that of her namesake, including a series of romantic and sexual liaisons that suggest she is headed for a tragic finale like that of the novel. He intervenes but cannot alter the inevitable conclusion.
I liked the mix of cultural differences and language between the English and French (with subtitles) characters, the frequent humour and amusing variations on Flaubert’s original plot. Ironically, it may even convey to a modern audience better than the novel how, even in secular Europe, a woman may become the victim of her sexual appeal to men.
The Face Of An Angel (2014)
A British psychological thriller film directed by Michael Winterbottom and written by Paul Viragh, inspired by the book Angel Face, drawn from crime coverage by Newsweek/Daily Beast writer Barbie Latza Nadeau. The film stars Kate Beckinsale, Daniel Brühl, and Cara Delevingne.
The film is based on the real-life story of Amanda Knox who was accused of the murder of Meredith Kercher in 2007.
Thomas (Daniel Brühl) is a film maker in Siena, Italy covering something that looks like the Amanda Knox story. It is almost a film within a film as the film Thomas wants to make has similarities to the one we are watching. Siena is filled with reporters with all kind of spousal issues, Thomas is using a book "The Face of an Angel" written by a journalist (Kate Beckinsale) who also has an angel face. His daughter (Ava Acres) has an angel face as does the waitress (Cara Delevingne) who aides Thomas. Thomas even tells us they changed the names.
Thomas relates the angel face with the victim (Sai Bennett) while everyone one else in the world associates it with the accused (Genevieve Gaunt). Thomas wants to make the film as a parallel to Dante's Divine Comedy. So unless you are heavy into the metaphor and symbolism, the film is boring. If you are into it, you will realize he missed the mark and it is just somewhat boring. It comes across as pseudo philosophical with lines like, "Look death in the face to understand life." I had to laugh as I thought of Andy Warhol's famous line, "To know death Otto,...."
It strains credibility too much, and seems self-indulgent as though it's really about Winterbottom, the actual director who wants to make the movie about himself.
It does say some interesting things about the cynical press circus surrounding the case who just see the investigation as grist to the newspaper mill, with free expenses paid trips to Italy.
If you were hoping for a meaningful take on the murder case though, this is not it.