SCE316@PANAM.BITNET (STEVE COPOLD, (02/22/90)
Looks like I'm going to have to give Costa-Gavras another chance.....(Yes Jim,
I know this is the director I love to bad-mouth.) I was in Austin on business
last week and had a chance to see THE MUSIC BOX......It is a remarkable film in
many respects and I would urge everyone to see it if you get the chance.
*SPOILERS FOLLOW*
Jessica Lange turns in, IMHO, the best performance of her career. The role is as
rich as her portrayal of Francis Farmer, but she brings a new level of maturity
to this part which surpasses her earlier efforts. The casting is flawless, with
spot-on choices for the character parts. This is not an easy film to watch, and
there are moments (during the victims' testimony) that are really hard to take.
This film differs from most "nazi bashings" in that the villian is not a
German, but a Hungarian collaborator who not only worked with the nazis, but
jumped into the fray and seemed to take a special joy in the torture, murder,
and degradation of his countrymen. The descriptions of the attrocities are
graphic beyond need. If the film has a fault, it is Costa-Gavras' refusal to
allow the viewer to imagine anything he can spell out for you. The delivery of
those descriptions, however, is carried out by the actors playing the witnesses
with a level of conviction that will make your heart fall into your socks.
Costa-Gavras cannot seem to make a film without taking at least a few shots at
the USA. In THE MUSIC BOX he focuses on the accused man's son (Lange's brother),
who is portrayed, IMHO to no purpose, as a burned out Viet Nam veteran. He
carps, whines, and behaves in an incredibly pedestrian manner throughout the
film......It does get irritating after an hour or so. If the idea here was to
show a character with dogged dedication and loyalty, then in this case
Costa-Gavras misses the mark, as the son's loyalty is mindlessly redundant when
compared to that shown by the grandson (Lange's son) which is purposeful and
directed. (Sorry jem, but as you know, this kind of writing really pisses me
off.....Costa-Gavras, and Stone as well, seem to say these characters speak for
and represent all vets......THEY DON'T!!!)
On the other hand, the narrative is flawless! The story unfolds like a roller
coaster, and the viewer will slip toward one decision or the other, only to be
yanked back abruptly by new revelations. There is, however, nothing trite in
any of these discoveries.....absolutely no Deus ex machina. To sum it up, if
you want a film that will not allow passivity, this is it......A rock would get
involved in this flick. I walked out of the theatre feeling like I'd been
mugged, but I'll rent the tape and watch it again as soon as it's available.
Steve Copold
SCE316@PANAM.BITNET