A beautiful work of Art

Rating: 9/10 (24 December 1999)

A couple of years ago I caught the end of a movie on TV that captivated for the brief time it was on. Finally 2 years later I get the DVD.
Initially the story was a bit slow, but nevertheless intriguing. As the movie progress I got more and more drawn in. Again Kubrick has done it, he doesn't use the camera by zooming in and out and using slow motions etc, he is able to simply set up a scene with detail and perfection then let the actors do the rest.
Everyone complains that books to film never works. Often the reason is trying to emphasise the emotion and thought process that takes place is very easy in a book, but very hard on film. Kubrick just added narration and got the actors to not over-act and it worked perfectly.
I could go on and on, but it's been said before.
I imagine a lot will say this film is long and boring and it has no story. The reason is we're all conditioned to be told who the good guys are, who's right and wrong. This is not the case we don't feel for the main character until the scene with his son (which was so well done).
This has lots of similarities to 2001, lots of meticulous detail, lots of silences and subtleties. As in 2001, this is more than a film, it is a work of art and should be experienced rather than just watched.