Comments on: ‘If you listen very carefully, you can hear the gods laughing!’ http://filmjournal.net/mike/2008/05/06/if-you-listen-very-carefully-you-can-hear-the-gods-laughing/ Fri, 04 Jul 2008 06:12:55 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=wordpress-mu-1.0 by: Mike http://filmjournal.net/mike/2008/05/06/if-you-listen-very-carefully-you-can-hear-the-gods-laughing/#comment-18410 Sat, 17 May 2008 08:08:12 +0000 http://filmjournal.net/mike/2008/05/06/if-you-listen-very-carefully-you-can-hear-the-gods-laughing/#comment-18410 I bought the pisspore R2 version, sadly, some time before I got all 'Quality Control' about these things. Maybe one day I'll get the R1 disc. It seems that this might be one of those films where it's unlikely there will be a big enough outcry for someone to put out a really serious edition, with a stunning new transfer and bags of extras, including the placing of TFOTRE into its historical context, which us fans would really want. Still, I can but dream... I bought the pisspore R2 version, sadly, some time before I got all ‘Quality Control’ about these things. Maybe one day I’ll get the R1 disc. It seems that this might be one of those films where it’s unlikely there will be a big enough outcry for someone to put out a really serious edition, with a stunning new transfer and bags of extras, including the placing of TFOTRE into its historical context, which us fans would really want.

Still, I can but dream…

]]> by: Livius http://filmjournal.net/mike/2008/05/06/if-you-listen-very-carefully-you-can-hear-the-gods-laughing/#comment-18381 Fri, 16 May 2008 22:42:51 +0000 http://filmjournal.net/mike/2008/05/06/if-you-listen-very-carefully-you-can-hear-the-gods-laughing/#comment-18381 I don't suppose you've picked up the new R1? I have been seriously thinking about it - I have heard the transfer is ok but nothing special, still, the whole package (extras etc.) look very nice. And I agree the funeral scene is something to behold - then again the film is full of impressive and beautiful scenes. I don’t suppose you’ve picked up the new R1? I have been seriously thinking about it - I have heard the transfer is ok but nothing special, still, the whole package (extras etc.) look very nice.
And I agree the funeral scene is something to behold - then again the film is full of impressive and beautiful scenes.

]]> by: Mike http://filmjournal.net/mike/2008/05/06/if-you-listen-very-carefully-you-can-hear-the-gods-laughing/#comment-18379 Fri, 16 May 2008 22:05:30 +0000 http://filmjournal.net/mike/2008/05/06/if-you-listen-very-carefully-you-can-hear-the-gods-laughing/#comment-18379 Not a surprise to find you commenting on TFOTRE, Livius... The scene that really gets to me in terms of being spectacular is the funeral of Marcus Aurelius. Mann takes his time over this, taking in the thousands of extras, the principals, the snow, the torches. The soldiers' mourning is memorably haunting, the sound of the fire bleak, and impressively the scene is played without the intrusion of music. It truly is amazing in places - Gladiator can't compare. There's just something that's far classier about the 50s/60s period pieces, possibly because they didn't feel a need to fill every scene with crashing noise or effects in an attempt to keep the viewers interested. Not a surprise to find you commenting on TFOTRE, Livius…

The scene that really gets to me in terms of being spectacular is the funeral of Marcus Aurelius. Mann takes his time over this, taking in the thousands of extras, the principals, the snow, the torches. The soldiers’ mourning is memorably haunting, the sound of the fire bleak, and impressively the scene is played without the intrusion of music.

It truly is amazing in places - Gladiator can’t compare. There’s just something that’s far classier about the 50s/60s period pieces, possibly because they didn’t feel a need to fill every scene with crashing noise or effects in an attempt to keep the viewers interested.

]]> by: Livius http://filmjournal.net/mike/2008/05/06/if-you-listen-very-carefully-you-can-hear-the-gods-laughing/#comment-17776 Tue, 06 May 2008 21:06:33 +0000 http://filmjournal.net/mike/2008/05/06/if-you-listen-very-carefully-you-can-hear-the-gods-laughing/#comment-17776 Not only an epic film but that's an epic treatment you've given it. I think all of the huge historical extravaganzas have their faults - when you set about producing anything so ambitious it seems almost inevitable that not everything will gel. However, I've always had a particular affection for FOTRE (probably goes without saying with my username) and even when I viewed it panned and scanned on TV as a kid, I felt a sense of awe at the sheer scale of the whole thing. Tiomkin's piledriver of a score and the decorative qualities of Sophia Loren didn't hurt either. As for 'Gladiator', I enjoyed it and thought it was generally quite good but it really is small potatoes in comparison to this. Like you say, if you took Crowe out of the picture there wouldn't be much left. FOTRE may have some middling performances but, viewed as a whole, it's capable of rising above them and just sweeping you along. Not only an epic film but that’s an epic treatment you’ve given it.

I think all of the huge historical extravaganzas have their faults - when you set about producing anything so ambitious it seems almost inevitable that not everything will gel. However, I’ve always had a particular affection for FOTRE (probably goes without saying with my username) and even when I viewed it panned and scanned on TV as a kid, I felt a sense of awe at the sheer scale of the whole thing. Tiomkin’s piledriver of a score and the decorative qualities of Sophia Loren didn’t hurt either.

As for ‘Gladiator’, I enjoyed it and thought it was generally quite good but it really is small potatoes in comparison to this. Like you say, if you took Crowe out of the picture there wouldn’t be much left. FOTRE may have some middling performances but, viewed as a whole, it’s capable of rising above them and just sweeping you along.

]]>