Close to Excellent

Rating: 8/10 (3 November 2005)

For me, the two best dramas of the quarter century were made in 1989, the first being Tornatore's 'Cinema Paradiso', the other, this film. Today it's illegal to have a spirit, so do we pursue an artistic life in an age when Art is 200 years dead ? Absolve the painter for the seaman, the musican for the technician ? The theme to this film will span the next 600 years, in that tragic respect it makes this a classic.
I'd like to comment to Robert Lorenz, from Dresden, and anyone who; if posting destroys a film's credibility without giving one to compare it with, in doing so destroy their own. Also to dbdumonteil, who recommended Weir's embarrassing estrofest 'Picnic at Hanging Rock.' No doubt to be a favorite in Ivy/prep circles, this film does under-tone a bit too much for me, and in the music (the 80's being the shift to subtle scores). The Literature profs can tear this up all they like: picking Frost over Byron, not getting to the meat of Shakespeare, yet petty needling whilst crap like 'The Breakfast Club,' and 'The Deerhunter' was made and hailed. Cliché's abounding it's message supporting spiritual individualism sets it above the rest. Casting could have been a little better.
Maybe they meant 'Carpe spiritus' (seize the spirit) instead of 'carpe diem' which better synopsizes this film; a solid script telling us it is better to have attempted to live the life of the artist than to experience it as crude nonevent; always with dire consequence.
Enough cannot be said about Robert Sean Leonard in a radiant performance; also Robin William's best role ever, and Ethan Hawke's last best role ever. This is better watched once, instead of repeatedly dimishing it's glory.