The Artist is Present: Response

A great documentary and a great artist. I was familiar with Abramovic's work from presentations in class, but this documentary delve into the artists as an individual removed from her art as well as the thought process behind the art. I am always fascinated by those who push limits, and Marina is a perfect example of an individual who successfully does this.

Artist is Present Response

The Artist is Present is by far the best documentary film I have ever watched, especially in this time based media class. This film followed Marina Abramovic through her day-to-day routine as she prepared for a major show titled "The Artist is Present." I particularly enjoyed this documentary because of its authenticity and enthusiasm that was displayed throughout the entire film. I suggest that this film is screened to classes to come because it helps with creating an idea for the final project.

Three Colors: Blue Response

The film Three Colors: Blue is really a dramatic film. The lighting made ​​in blue characterizing all the drama and melancholy of the film were very successful. I really liked that. But one thing caught my attention, the audio. In the film they chose to use to demonstrate various audio scene changes or important parts in a scene. I thought a little too much. The sound is loud and just troubling me. I believe that when my classmates watched the movie in class, also had that impression.

Three Colors: Blue Response

The film Three Colors: Blue was an emotionally charged drama which told the story of a woman who lost her family after a fatal car crash. The overall tone of the film, along with the dramatic lighting, the sudden and violent orchestral pieces, and the recurring use of the color blue (which has long symbolized melancholy) emphasize repeatedly that this story is sombre and full of harsh and unpleasant turns for our protagonist. The most notable recurring theme is the use of explosively loud bursts of the unfinished symphony Julie's husband had been composing before his death. These sounds are often used as a means of conveying the scene has elicited some sort creative response from Julie, who then goes on to help finish the piece at the end of the film, but I personally found the music to be mostly superfluous in the context with which they were used. Typically, we assume such jarring shift in audio to be indicative of a scene change, but often times it was thrown in oddly in the middle of an awkward pause in dialogue, almost as if to shout "Look! This here, this is an important scene! Julie is experiencing emotion or something!" While it was necessary, and it's meaning and intent are clear enough, I felt as though it's actual execution could have been carried out better, and that some of this meaning was almost lost in context. Otherwise, the audio did help meld together what would otherwise have almost seemed like a disjointed series of events which somewhat lacked in rising action, climax, and falling action. This is not a flaw of the movie, however, as it reflects real life--which rarely actually has such clean cut instances.

Film Response

I love french films, so from the get-go I was excited. The acting is really raw- very powerful with its simplicity. I have to say some of the dramatic music encompassed was a little distracting, and I felt could have done with out. The main character was hard to identify with- of course she's meant to be standoffish, and melancholy, but it made it hard to connect with her deeply. Her scene with her mother however was humbly. It explained a lot about why she was being so erratic with her behavior- she wanted no memories, or love, or belongings, for those were traps. In addition, her scene with Olivier, when they are working on the piece together, I personally thought it was the best scene in the movie. There was so much energy and chemistry. I love the effects- the haze, it creates an ambiance that matched the actions and tasks at hand. They're work was uncertain, and "hazy" itself, and that just added so much to it. "Unending" films, that leave their watchers guessing, can either be loved or hated, but they have to be done right. I felt that in this case, perhaps due to my lack of tasteful art, I couldn't find myself enjoying the ending- it felt more like an intermission rather than an end.