Maxflier

The DVDTalk Criterion Film Club selection for the first half of November was chosen by gryffinmaster:


The Last Wave (1977)

Synopsis:


Just a reminder, you have a full 2 weeks to view and discuss each film.

shellebelle

I watched this last night. I grew up with Richard Chamberlain as Dr. Kildare, so I was rather excited to see him in this. Especialy as the little blurb on my Netflix cover sounded really good. Unfortunately, I was very disappointed. The movie was very slow, very symbolic, and ended in a strange way. I really don't think it answered any of the questions that it brought up.

I was pleasantly surprised to see David Gulpilil in it. He's been in quite a few Australian films, the last being Australia. I think I first saw him in Crocodile Dundee.

I am looking forward to hearing what you all thought of the movie.

gglass4269

I'm curious to see how people compare this to Picnic at Hanging Rock...

shellebelle

I've never seen nor heard of that movie. What is it about?

Trevor

The Barnes And Noble 50% off Criterion sale has started. Using membership and coupons, you can buy every Criterion DVD and BD for around 68% off. See this thread for details.

I'll be buying and watching this film tomorrow or so.

gryffinmaster

So what did you guys think of it? Did the gradual building tension work for you guys?

Trevor

Bought this last night at B&N for $8.50. Hope to watch tonight.

Kaori00

Those are two of my favorite films ever! I'm also curious to see how they are both compared.

gglass4269

I believe PAHR was the better film. There's just something about TLW i didnt get... IDK maybe its just me...

Trevor

Haven't seen that one yet, but will now look to buy it during this current sale.
Loved that aspect of it. By the midpoint or so I felt like I could cut the tension with a knife. I was incredibly tired, going on almost no sleep, and meant to just see the intro and go to bed, but the film was so intense that I had to keep watching.

Haven't quite decided how I feel about the ending. Normally, I'm fine with ambiguity and don't need films to answer any of the questions they raise. But this time I think I wanted a little bit more.

Overall, I really enjoyed it, made me think more than most films, which I needed after a ton of mediocre horror films last month.

Wish their were more supplements on the disc, as I'd love to hear more interviews with the cast and a crictic audio commentary.

Washizu

First off, thanks for selecting a movie I might not have picked up (or only in the distant future) on my own. And I've now borrowed Picnic at Hanging Rock from our library to watch in the next couple of weeks.

While I liked The Last Waveoverall, it really didn't hit for me. The deliberate pacing was nice, as was the blending of traditional/modern sensibilities. I love movies that can bring the mystical/spiritual into a "realistic" setting, but Last Wave never fully established the alternate beliefs of the "tribal" Aborigines into modern, Western Sydney before running off in the tribal direction. It always kept them as "the other," never bringing the viewer into that world or realm, so I never got a good sense of what was happening with them (perhaps that was intentional).

This may be a case where a movie should have been longer to fully integrate into the story its disparate perspectives: legal, social, religious. The last especially would have been interesting, particularly having established the stepfather as a Protestant minister--contrasting practices, views of justice, apocalyptic visions, etc.

Even so, the build-up of the movie toward the third act was nice. But I'm still puzzling over that last third, particularly after Chris and David part company. Some of it frankly seemed slap-dash to me, such as Charlie's appearance. Again, maybe that was intentional, the little-understanding outsider going into places he's not meant to be. I dunno, maybe I need to pay more attention to my own dreams.

Thanks again for the selection. I enjoyed getting this glimpse into Aboriginal beliefs and Australian cinema (which thus far for me has been limited to Breaker Morant and a movie with Rachel Ward). A pleasant, if slightly frustrating, experience.

Trevor

Was that, Fortress, by chance? Love that film!

Washizu

No, it wasn't Fortress, but I've now added it to my Netflix queue (thanks for the recommendation). It was long ago in my distant mental past, but I think the R. Ward movie might have been The Good Wife. Couldn't say for sure, just remember that I was smitten by her for a little bit afterward.

On another note, though related to this thread, I did watch Picnic at Hanging Rock earlier this week. In comparison to TLW, it wasn't as daring a movie, but it seemed to incorporate its "mystical" aspects in a more viewer-friendly way: the "mystical" was simply a "mystery" not fully understood, if at all, by any of the characters. The photography was great and I liked the music. Overall I enjoyed the movie, didn't love it, but found it a pleasant viewing. TLW was certainly more challenging, even more engaging, perhaps.

Trevor

Aaron has a good review of it here.
Didn't find that in the last sale, but looking forward to finding it and maybe more of Weir's work someday.
Just watched Breaker Morant the other day and loved it. Woefully lacking an Australian library. Anyone have any other suggestions?