Eisenstein in Guanajuato

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Audience Member Despite its narrative problems, Greenaway gives us a movie pleasant to the human eye that will surely please the director's fans and those who seek more style than substance. Rated 3.5/5 Stars •  Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 01/15/23 Full Review Audience Member Many good visuals, but overdone. Rated 2/5 Stars •  Rated 2 out of 5 stars 02/01/23 Full Review Audience Member After a failed attempt to make a movie in Hollywood, Sergei Eisenstein travels to Mexico to make a film under the auspices of Upton Sinclair. While in Mexico, he has a sexual awakening and a love affair with his Mexican guide Palomino. I like Greenaway, but I can't say this one really worked for me. I don't think it's fair to say that Einsenstein's blossoming homosexuality is the only topic that Greenaway is interested in, but it's the only topic that really seems to take any form. Other topics come up, but they are really treated in a sketchy manner (you are well over an hour into the film before you realize that he's been in Mexico for over 8 months). I don't mind the film, but a nearly 2 hour running time seems really excessive. Rated 3/5 Stars •  Rated 3 out of 5 stars 02/01/23 Full Review Audience Member Peter Greenaway isn't a storyteller so much as a painter. The movie's strength is its aesthetics and should be enjoyed for that. Rated 4/5 Stars •  Rated 4 out of 5 stars 01/13/23 Full Review Audience Member It's a bummer that the return of Peter Greenaway is not a better film. This movie will wear thin quickly -- even for film geeks like myself. This is an organized mess. Greenaway is clearly having fun. Too bad he didn't include his audience in this twisted celebration. Rated 2/5 Stars •  Rated 2 out of 5 stars 02/22/23 Full Review Audience Member There's a lot of flash and glitz and glam with little substance, though maybe, sometimes, the presentation is enough on its own. If you're looking for any insight into Eisenstein's time in Mexico, this unfortunately isn't the movie for you- while it's chalk full of facts, it never goes further than flat out listing timeline information. And that almost works because it's such a bizarre and interesting timeline of events. Eisenstein's fascination with Mexico is fascinating, as is his hidden homosexuality and his explicit drawings; and I'm sure the footage he shot would have been if this movie had even vaguely touched upon it. But the movie gets lost in his affair and never really lets go until it over stays its welcome and gets forcefully shut down- aka following exactly Eisenstein's own route in Mexico. Greenaway, to me, is the poor man's Ken Russell without the truly arresting visuals and thoughtful symbolism. But then again, if he had backed off on the constant bombardment of different special effects and wide angle lenses, the movie might have been a real stinker. Rated 3/5 Stars •  Rated 3 out of 5 stars 02/06/23 Full Review Read all reviews

Eisenstein in Guanajuato

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