The Man Who Cried
(Loving my Mac, by the way!)
Saw The Man Who Cried last night, not because it was a romantic comedy (it wasn't) but because I had it on my list of Epiphany Award winners that I was going to check out.
Mixed feelings on this one. Really good cast, really great story, but somehow it left me untouched. Except for the music - the music is what saves this story. And my head was telling me what a great story, but my soul was saying something was missing.
Not sure whether it was that the story needed to start some other place. It starts with Susan (Christina Ricci) flailing around in an ocean set ablaze, then cuts back to her childhood. I felt the story would have been more effective with us meeting her as an English girl, then discovering her Russian-Jewish heritage. For me, that would've made me much more interested in what ensued.
Also, I hate to criticise actors, but I felt that Cate Blanchett's supporting role was actually more powerfully acted than Ricci's main character.
Johnny Depp, on the other hand, just filled the screen with his brooding presence. It seemed a very long time before he even spoke, but he was definitely noticeable.
As I learn more about directing in coming years, maybe I'll discover what it is about films like this that *almost* get me. (And writing, of course.)
Another thing... what's the title about? I don't get it. Who cried? The father? Cesar (Depp)? The main character is a girl. She cries, sometimes, but it doesn't seem to be a vital plot point. It's a kind of misleading title, which goes further to make this movie not really a success. How's that for bad english.
(Actually, my latest Leadership post is more in keeping with the title!)
Checking out the numbers, this film only saw release in 28 cinemas!! Critics mostly panned it, but a few were touched by the romanticism and the music.
Another thing I noticed, the end resolved too neatly. It didn't feel real or dramatic enough. Something I need to watch with my script!
posted by Simon @ 3:06 pm
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