DanTheMan 2
Hard to believe I'm popping my Michael Powell cherry with his made-for-television adaption of Béla Bartók's Bluebeard's Castle of all things. Combining mesmerising production design and exceptional performances, the so-called "unperformable" opera is turned into an advantage here as Powell concocts a daring and inventive interpretation of such a haunting work. He creates an intense, expressionist psychodrama, where lighting and abstract landscape convey the gradual revelation of Bluebeard's inner torment to his last wife, one that is strengthened by the vivid colours and semi-abstract, neo-primitive décor designed by Hein Heckroth and his team, giving the film a suitably oppressive feel. Seriously, the art direction of the film is simply awe-inspiring, any words I write simply cannot do it justice. Ultimately, Bluebeard's Castle is a gorgeously made hallucinatory masterpiece, enclosed in its own delirious world, a world of love, death and sex, suffused with a deeply disturbing, nihilistic shudder.
Rated 4.5/5 Stars •
Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars
08/12/24
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Audience Member
Crap dvd of spectacular performances, with amazing set design and Powell bringing incredibly effective cinematographic interest on a limited budget. A much less stagy and loose interpretation of Bluebeard, lending itself to broader symbolic interpretation. This interestingly comments on relationships and intimacy, perhaps due in large part to the wife's interpretation of the text from the original.
The orchestration is obviously fantastic, as is Foster in the lead role - despite his prosthetic eyebrows. Satre is much more emotive and compelling however, conveying a sense of resolve underlying the pathos of her ongoing discovery.
Costuming is gorgeous, featuring some highly elaborate gowns and headdresses, especisally in the finale. The production design is truly amazing, with open gas flames shooting out into the stage at all angles, only slightly less terrifying than the full sword blades bristling from every surface.
Rated 4/5 Stars •
Rated 4 out of 5 stars
01/26/23
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Audience Member
there's only one extant print of this film, which is owned by a private collector, and it's not on dvd or vhs, so you'll probably never see it. that's a shame, because it's brilliant.
i was lucky enough to see the 35mm print of this film at SIFF tonight, and wow.
Rated 5/5 Stars •
Rated 5 out of 5 stars
02/05/23
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