In honor of the late David Bordwell here are several favorites of his that I love.
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Napoleon 2023
Handsomely mounted but narratively unfocused. The film snaps into place when it embraces the operatic bordering on ridiculous predilections of Napoleon and Josephine and frankly it would be better if it went larger. The prestige trappings of the film drag it down because it’s never more satisfying then when he’s talking about Destiny bringing him to a lamb chop or snapping about the British navy thinking it’s so great. I’d love it as an act of subversion on Tim Cook’s…
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Heavy Traffic 1973
Scummy and uncomfortable as advertised. Life isn’t cheap in HEAVY TRAFFIC, it’s valueless. A dark, uncomfortable vision of a world without love, hope or even the slightest compassion. The best it can muster is casual indifference. A genuinely subversive work of art that I feel no need to ever watch again.
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Incoherence 1994
Its incredibly satisfying to watch an early work from a filmmaker you admire and see all the themes and signatures that are present in their work right there in their infancy. Such is the case with Bong's fun series of shorts that link up thematically and then eventually narratively. On display is his ability to quickly pivot in tone, his dynamic action and his skill at finding moments of absurd comedy in what otherwise would be unbearable tension.
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