panapp

One of the highlights of Burton, Depp, and the Burton-Depp duo.

@nes: I wouldn't want to get caught up in the example of "Pulp Fiction," a film that I frankly detest by a director who I frankly regard as just a clever scholar: as I wrote in comment #29, it is a coincidence that the director and the screenwriter are the same person, and therefore the director knew perfectly well how the screenwriter intended to stage the script. I conclude by saying that, in my opinion, we are not saying such different things: from my point of view, a good screenplay with poor direction produces a "potentially beautiful film," while a bad screenplay with a good director produces "a film of only form." Between the two, it is clear that being potentially beautiful means that the film had the core of quality that was just poorly interpreted, and as you said in the example with Muccino of "Eternal Sunshine...," it is fundamentally good. If there ever were a "Eternal Sunshine..." by Muccino, I would have left the cinema saying that the plot was beautiful, but I didn't like the film: a directing error. But look at Gondry without Kaufman in "The Green Hornet": yes, his touch is there (let's say it's perceptible), but the screenplay? That said, I repeat that I still consider a work of art (any work of art of any kind) to be the sum of the elements that compose it, often difficult to isolate.

@nes: but isn’t "Pulp Fiction" loved (not by me, of course) precisely for its screenplay, for its dialogues, for its lines? Let’s remember that a screenplay isn’t just the words spoken by the actors, but also the story, the events, fabula & plot. In the screenplay, it says: “John forcefully jabs the syringe into Uma’s heart”; for the rest, it’s the director’s task to bring everything to life in an engaging way, but the idea lies in the screenplay (which in this specific case is by the director, but that’s a special circumstance). "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind" is by Kaufman or Gondry? One invents, the other stages it; if you allow me to simplify for illustrative purposes: the screenplay is the mind, the direction is the arm. Let’s shift focus for a moment: is a theater play more about direction or screenplay? It’s another medium, but the essence doesn’t change. Again: is a painting more about the idea or the practical realization of it? And a sculpture? These are two different media, but the essence doesn’t change. It’s a long discussion that may not lead anywhere, that’s true, but on one thing I completely agree with you: “the sum of the parts is definitely more important than a single element,” I quote that entirely.

Very very good.

@flagelloalieno: my top three is, in order of preference, "Profondo rosso" (an immortal masterpiece), "Phenomena" (Jennifeeer! *_*) and "Suspiria" (it's the work of a visionary). @nes: here I feel compelled to row against you because the screenplay is the heart of a film. Agenore Incrocci, author of basic scripts in Italian cinema, used to say: "The screenwriter is like the lighthouse keeper: everyone sees the lighthouse, but no one notices the operator." True. Hitchcock was also known to not only refuse to start a film but even to sign the contract until he saw the finished and detailed screenplay: the subject or a first draft were not enough for him. The director's vision is obviously a fundamental element, but the content of the film (unless one is pursuing a purely formalist result) represents the underground foundations on which to build the edifice, which can be beautiful, but without foundations, it is fragile.

Have you finished wasting time responding to Max Cady? Even if he keeps changing his name because he gets banned constantly, his religious fanaticism and at the same time the celebration of John Lennon's murder are not good enough reasons to steer clear of him and ignore him, foleba? Well, if you're happy to waste time, have fun.

Very good review, excellent album: De André has always had something to say, and in particular, my favorite phases of his work are the first and the last, so this album falls right into what I consider to be the best part of this poet's career.

@Tony Montana: I went to check and it is indeed Dario's, strange because in an interview Asia talked about it as if it were her film. Anyway, I guess it doesn't change much.