增田俊朗
发表于3分钟前回复 :In the time of Counter-Reformation, a miller and his son come under investigation by a priest of the Inquisition, when rumors spread that their prosperity comes from working with the Devil.The Devil's Trap is a film directed by František Vlá?il, based on a novel by Alfréd Technik, adapted by František A. Dvorák and Miloš Kratochvíl. It was the first of three historical dramas that Vlá?il made during the Czech New Wave (technically he isn't really a part of the New Wave, however these films were made during the same era of artistic freedom), preceding his more well known Marketa Lazarová (1967) and Valley of the Bees (1968).Set in the late 16th Century during the Catholic Reformation, in the Moravian Karst, situated in what is now the Eastern Czech Republic, it tells the tale of a miller (Vítezslav Vejrazka), and his son Jan (Vít Olmer), who come under suspicion and are investigated by a Jesuit priest of the Inquisition (Miroslav Macháchek), when rumors of witchcraft are spread by the local regent (Cestmír Randa), who is jealous of the miller's prosperity and degree of respect among the local populace.As expected from Vlá?il, this film is a stunning experience all the way through. From the opening shot, an ominous manipulation of perspective with a close up of a mangled figure of Christ dominating the foreground against a tiny figure in black walking along the horizon, to the breathtaking confrontational finale inside the vast stalactite filled Karst caverns, it is a wonderful display of visual mastery.Maybe not quite as impressive as Marketa Lazarová, but still full of astonishing imagery. As seen from unique angles and distinct points of view which highlight the director's remarkable sense of awareness of framing, motion, and positioning on the emotional and dramatic tone of the scene. The most memorable being a repeated shot where the camera is suspended and launched with speed through the air towards the miller's door.The story here is a simple one and I would say more accessible than his later works. With a conventional structure emphasized as much by its plot and characters, than by its expressionistic cinematography or authentic historical detail. The events play out without much surprise, and there is a strong underlying, almost supernatural, mysterious aspect that is left unresolved, in fact barely explored, which is slightly disappointing, but only because it's so fascinating that I wish there was more.Acting is great all around. Particularly the villains: Miroslav Macháchek as the priest, casting a sinister and imposing shadow wherever he goes, and Cestmír Randa as the weasel like regent behind all the persecution. While Vít Olmer brings a charismatic leading man presence in his role as the miller's son Jan, in love with the lovely orphan girl Martina (Karla Chadimová), who becomes a dangerous object of rivalry between Jan and other young men of the village.The film also features the evocative music of Zden?k Liška (perhaps the most prolific composer of the Czech New Wave). In this his second of eleven collaborations with Vlá?il, his compositions are used sparingly, but to great effect, complimenting but never overpowering a scene. The best example of which can be heard in an amazingly shot celebration and dance sequence at the end of the second act.The Devil's Trap might not be a masterpiece, but it is still a strong effort, with a fascinating straightforward story and a glorious historical setting captured beautifully by Vlá?il's unmistakable visual prowess. A fine work that would also be the perfect starter plate to prepare yourself for the challenging feast of Marketa Lazarová or The Valley of the Bees. It even has an easy to digest running time. It's therefore puzzling why this gem remains largely overlooked and ignored.
胡诺言
发表于3分钟前回复 :马里奥的前妻离开了他,他的深情和挽留似乎已经没有什么用了,与此同时作为导演的他正在排演一场关于探戈的音乐剧,虽然情绪低落外加脚伤,马里奥依然专注于工作。有黑道背景的安杰罗来找马里奥,他希望投资这部作品,为的是让自己热爱舞蹈的情人伊莲娜演上主角。安杰罗是个可怕的人物,马里奥只能同意他的要求,没有想到的是,在充满情欲性感热情的探戈排演中,马里奥与伊莲娜之间爱意丛生。不知是否是安杰罗的安排,在排演的众多演员中,也似乎出现了一位类似杀手的危险人物,马里奥和伊莲娜陷入了爱情游戏的危机中。所有的故事情节随着音乐剧的排演慢慢展开,台前幕后已然融为一体,剧情和现实在切换间也有了意想不到的结局。
陈蓉蓉
发表于5分钟前回复 :Frank Lloyd Wright is America's greatest-ever architect. However, few people know about the Welsh roots that shaped his life and world-famous buildings. Now, leading Welsh architect Jonathan Adams sets off across America to explore Frank Lloyd Wright's masterpieces for himself. Along the way, he uncovers the tempestuous life story of the man behind them and the significance of his radical family background.In a career spanning seven decades, Frank Lloyd Wright built over 500 buildings, and changed the face of modern architecture: Fallingwater, the house over the waterfall, has been called the greatest house of the 20th century; the spiralling Guggenheim Museum in New York reinvented the art museum; the concrete Unity Temple was the first truly modern building in the world. But the underlying philosophy that links all Wright's buildings is as important as anything he built.Those ideas were rooted in the Unitarian religion of Frank Lloyd Wright's mother. Anna Lloyd Jones was born and raised near Llandysul in west Wales and migrated to America with her family in 1844, most likely to escape religious persecution. Her son, Frank, was raised in a Unitarian community in Wisconsin, a small piece of Wales in America. The values he absorbed there were based on the sanctity of nature, the importance of hard work, and the need to question convention and defy it where necessary. Wright's architecture was shaped by, and expressed, these beliefs.Frank Lloyd Wright set out to create a new American architecture for a new country. He built his own lifelong home in the valley he was raised in, and he named it after an ancient Welsh bard called Taliesin. It was the scene of many adventures - and a horrific crime. In 1914, a servant at Taliesin ran amok and killed seven people including Wright's partner, Mamah Cheney, and her two young children.Wright rebuilt his home and went on to marry a Montenegrin woman, Olgivanna Milanoff, some 30 years younger than him. It was Olgivanna who struck upon the idea that saved Wright's career after the Wall Street Crash and personal scandal laid it low. She decided that her husband should take on apprentices and that the apprentices should pay for the privilege. The Taliesin Fellowship had a hands-on approach, with apprentices often building extensions to Wright's own houses, labouring and cooking for him. Somehow it worked, lasting for decades and nurturing hundreds of young talents.Frank Lloyd Wright died in 1959 aged 91 while working on his final masterpiece, New York's incomparable Guggenheim Museum. He had been born in the wake of the American civil war, the son of a pioneer, and died a television celebrity, in the space age. He is buried in the shadow of Taliesin, alongside his Welsh ancestors.A 150 years after his birth, Jonathan Adams argues that Frank Lloyd Wright is now a vitally important figure who can teach us how to build for a better world. Wright believed in what he called organic architecture; buildings that grace the landscape, express an idea of how to live and respond to individual needs. This bespoke approach - a philosophy, not a style - puts him at the heart of modern architectural thinking.