4 out of 5. Satyajit Ray's THE BIG CITY marks a moment in time when a woman steps outside of her role as housewife in contemporary India and sets to earn to help out the family even more. His ability to capture very real and honest portraits of life is always mesmerizing to me. He's one of the few directors who I completely trust to get at the emotional center of his characters. The circumstances he creates for his characters elicit a universal response while remaining unique to that character. Like the Apu Trilogy, his power of listening is as great as his gift of showing. I can't wait to seek out more of his films.
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4 out 5. Federico Fellini can be a frustrating
director at times. I just watched LA DOLCE VITA and by the end of it I
rather preferred 8 1/2. It's clear I cannot stand SATYRICON and that's
really the only thing that is clear to
me about Fellini. His movies tend to float through scenes and ideas with
the sharpest edge left for his characters who are clearly
defined...mostly. I'm often left to interpret their real motivations as
they all seem to move through a miasma of parties and debauchery that
never seem to have any real affect on the story direction. His skill
clearly lies in his directing and composition. The photography is
beautiful and his actors are chic and interesting to look at. Part of
you wants to inhabit that life and another is frustrated right along
with the characters. Whatever the case if you can relax and let good
cinema wash over you like an incoming tide you'll enjoy Fellini and be
left picking sand out of your shorts for days to come.
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