gracie28

The crew for this film basically worked undercover in China for years to get this film. The Chinese government thought they were tourists. The factory manager thought it was a puff piece about his entrepreneurial brilliance, when instead the film was documenting the lives of the workers, one girl in particular. We saw this at the Full Frame Festival and had a chance to hear the director explain the hurdles they had to overcome including getting some equipment confiscated on one occasion. But they have managed to produce one of the most eye opening and educational films we have seen in years. Anyone who wears blue jeans should see this film. Anyone who has doubts about globalization should see the film. A masterwork.

Gabrielle has fine actors, beautiful camera work and features a detailed look at upper crust French parlor society in the early 1900s. It is also one of the more boring and stifling pictures we've seen in a long time. Huppert is a great actress but she is wasted here. If the director was going to do a Conrad adaptation, the original story needed to be better converted for cinema because it just didn't work. There was incessant, drone-on talking which went nowhere. There was little or no character development. Overall the 90 minute movie felt like three and a half hours, for no payoff. The ending was just truncated and very unsatisfying.

The casting was fine, the acting and directing were good. The plot was engorged with blood which splattered from one end of the film to the other. We really thought it was a bit over the top. Is it really necessary to display that kind of gore to produce a worthwhile film? Guy Pearce was excellent in his understated role. And the poet spouting brother was as good a homicidal maniac as we've seen in awhile. But the killing, maiming and bleeding got to be a bit much after awhile. Almost to the point of being camp. The Outback was well portrayed and the aborigines were handled with appropriate crudeness and the settlers were as grim a bunch as you'll find anywhere. Considering Australia began as a penal colony, I suppose there is some historical accuracy here. Not recommended for those who are offended by gratuitous bloodletting.