Colours, fetishism and many many famous actors

Rating: 8/10 (13 September 2014)

Above all, what makes this movie exceptional is how beautifully shot it is. Every scenes is a pleasure to the eye, be it because of the arrangement of the objects on screen, because of all the fetishist display of vintage early XX century objects (such as a key, or a camera, or a pair of glasses), because of the actors' expressions and gestures, or because of the colours. Lord, how beautiful the colours of this movie are! All the scenes are so colorful yet carefully arranged, I want to live in this world!
I think, that's pretty much what this movie is about. Making you wanting to live in that world that got lost in the WW1 trenches. The story is constantly surrounded by an aura of nostalgia, of a lost world (though it is impossible not to think of the other part of the world that this movie does not show: all the contradictions and inequalities of early XX century Europe, the main cause of all the "isms" that fought at the World Wars). I imagine that someone spent a lot of time in flea markets trying to look for props for this movie, and I would have loved to be that person.
Regarding the story in itself, it is not necessarily unforgettable. It almost seems as if the plot was just an excuse to depict the world in which it takes place. But it does keep you entertained, with many bizarre scenes and many hilarious moments. But hey, it does have one hell of an amazing cast, and it is impossible not to keep noticing "Hey! Look who that is!" every now and then. Some of the amazing actors that acted in this movie, like Harvey Keitel, were impossible to recognize; I would only think to myself "That guy seems familiar...", but I would have never been able to tell it was him until reading the cast list. Something similar happened with Tilda Swinton. Overall, I can fully recommend this movie. It's not deep, hard to digest, or moving, but it will give you some good time.