After some rave reviews and a recommendation from a trusted
mentor, I read this book during my MFA stint. While I enjoyed the novel well
enough and could see what Mitchell was going for, it just didn’t seem to “hit”
me like so many other readers. It was good, but I didn’t see why it impacted
others as it had. So when I first heard about the possible adaptation brewing
between Tom Tykwer and the Wachowskis, I was more than a little interested.
(I’ve been a huge fan of Tykwer since Run
Lola Run, and say what you will about the Matrix sequels, the Wachowskis can put together some of the best
sequences and eye-candy better than most currently working directors.)
In short, the film simply blew me away. It finally “hit” me.
Hard. Right in the chest, and I don’t think another film affected me with such
a huge emotional impact as this one did. I finally understood what everyone was
talking about with the novel and what Mitchell had attempted. But why I think
this worked better for me is not only that I’m a visual person, but the
blending of the six stories completely and wholly, rather than Mitchell’s matryoshka presentation in the novel,
made the connections in the narrative that much stronger, and both visually and
emotionally engaging. Seriously, some of the montage sequences of this film are
simply mind-blowing; the editing and thematic links created between the “Cut
Tos” build a whole so much bigger than the individual parts.
On top of that, the acting is wonderful—even if it’s a bit
too easy to get caught up in the “Who is the actor playing in this section?” as
you watch. Hugo Weaving is all sorts of amazing as “The Devil Georgie” and
“Nurse Noakes.” And while there’s nothing particularly “amazing” about Hugh
Grant’s characters, he was the only actor that I completely missed all of his
other roles, so take that as you will. (I will be more than a little
disappointed if there isn’t some “Best Actor/Actress” love shown to this film.)
Visually, too, this film is stunning, as it has a wonderful
juxtaposition of a gritty, down-to-earth beauty combined with a glowing/horrific
version of the future. Really, though, considering the directors, I’d have been
more surprised if the film HADN’T been aesthetically pleasing.
Ultimately, though, what makes the film work is the editing.
Yes, it might not be something most folks notice or will pay any attention to,
but condensing and jumping through time as this film does without a skilled editor? Well, it would’ve been shit, plain and
simple. This, in particular, I will be more than a little annoyed if Alexander
Berner does not get an Oscar nomination for this film. He’s what makes this
film work.
True, it may be over-bloated and pompous to some, but when
you consider the source material and how cohesive of a narrative these
directors were able to create? You should be able to ignore a bit of
overindulgence from time to time. Because, in the end, a film that produces
such an emotionally-engaging romance film that spans hundreds of years in terms
of settings and characters, well, it’s almost impossible to be unimpressed by
the accomplishment of these directors.
