morningperson_2000

Just saw "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind," which I absolutely fell in love with, to a degree that I may not have done since "Moulin Rouge" came out. If the brilliant script by Charlie Kauffman, and directing by Michel Gondry weren't enough, a quartet of actors whose careers I have followed for a long time--Jim Carrey, Kate Winslet, Kirsten Dunst, and Elijah Wood--all give their best performances to date. Jim Carrey and Kate Winslet's chemistry, in particular, was electric. I don't want to spoil one moment of this glorious, weird, and wonderful film for anyone, but I do want to say that the last love story I have seen on film was "Lost in Translation", a film I really didn't care that much for, but everyone told me have a love story between completely three dimensional characters that fit perfectly together from their first scene together. Although the two films are very, very different, this is exactly how I would describe my feelings for Carrey and Winslet's characters. These people were flawed, frustrating, but wonderful, and wonderfully real people. Kauffman has an amazing knack for using outlandish, fantastical plots as backdrops for fascinating, completely realistic character studies. There are points in this film where you'll want to stop and rewind, or at least pause to work out what is going on in your head. The fact that, in the theatre, you can't, you are forced to sit back and watch and mull over all of the myriad details later, only adds to the film and its overall feeling of madness and loss. And just like his other films, it doesn't ever tell you how to feel nor give easy answers to the complex situations. Very impressed with the directing, too, and how for the most part, Gondry keeps it straightforward and low-key, using special effects or weird camera tricks very rarely, so that they are even more effective when they do happen. Jim Carrey and Kate Winslet, well if I could I would hand each of them an Oscar right now. If he in particular isn't finally taken seriously as an actor for his brilliant work in this film, it would be a damn shame.

Just to answer ClaudeCat's question, "It really made me wonder about the time period: did women of the 20's enjoy seeing rape fantasies onscreen, because of different attitudes about women and sex? Or was this something filmmakers of

the period imagined women wanted to see, and the fans put up with it in order to enjoy the sight of Rudolph's face?" the film was quite remarkably based on a

book written by a WOMAN and the script also was written by a WOMAN. This is

something I found very shocking when I first studied this film in film class. The rape in this film in many ways functions the same way the rape scene did in

"Gone With the Wind." In fact, in both cases, many people don't even call them rape scenes, even though in both a woman is taken against her will. Many

theories about this revolve around the fact that Valentino was this exotic, sexy, foreigner that women secretly wanted to kidnap them from their dull,

homebound lives and their conservative husbands. This is in a way what

psychologists call a "rape fantasy." Whereas a real rape, the woman has no

control, in a fantasy, even though she imagines being taken by force, she is

really the one making the rules, because she is imagining it, much as the female writer of "The Son of the Sheik" may have her character be ravished, but is really the one in control of what Valentino does. One important thing to note is a rape fantasy doesn't mean the woman actually wants to be raped in real life.

I have not ever felt for a movie the way I do about "Moulin Rouge." It is not just a movie...it is a cinematic experience the likes of which I have never before seen. The story, the music, the acting, the visual imagery strikes emotion in me I never before thought possible from a film. It is without a doubt the most brilliant piece of cinematic art I have ever seen. It is dizzy, maddening, beautiful, and heartbreaking! The music is rapturous, and Ewan McGregor and Nicole Kidman's voices compliment each other and the story perfectly. This movie takes its story to a mythic level and surrounds these two star-crossed lovers with music and imagery that simply will take your breath away. The story is grand, huge, and operatic, as is the music. The brilliant score skillfully weaves many modern, popular songs, and rescores them as the libretto to this grand opera. There are some images in this film unlike anything you have ever seen. And the performances are absolutely incredible, particularly Nicole Kidman's. I truly felt for these two people, and truly felt that they were in love. My heart broke into a million pieces for them every time I saw this movie, and I've seen it 8 times. It's an absolutely breathtaking, visionary, masterpiece that did not get the credit it deserved by American critics, who seem to complain that every movie is the same. Yet when an original, daring, shocking film like this comes along, they don't know what to do with it. But then again, this really is not just a film. No mere film could strike me the way this one has, in a way that reaches to the very fibres of my being in a way only "The Wizard of Oz" ever has before. Yes, the story is sad, but what a journey it takes you on! A journey I will be sure to repeat over and over and over again.