Lush Life

Rating: Null/10 (2 October 2002)

Spoilers herein.
These films always tear me. This is worth watching because it is so lush. The camera is rich in every element: framing, lighting, color, movement, composition are all almost elaborately designed. The effect is overwhelming lushness. The place looks far better here than it ever did in real life. In fact, the container is so incredibly rich, one wonders why the contents are so thin.
And the reason I think is simply Italian filmmaking sensibilities. Beautiful is enough. The actors themselves are beautiful, and the idea of the historical sweep has a sort of beauty. But the actual story makes one wonder what was the point. Did anyone really care about it? The same thing can be said of `Kundun,' and that's clearly an artifact of Italian storytelling. The result is beautifully boring.
When O'Toole is on stage. our eyes rest a bit and our souls get engaged. But he is already emaciated and a walking tragedy of waste, his own tragedy more hypnotizing in his brief moments than all the other character movements combined.
(Quite possibly, the story is weaker here than in most Bertolucci films because of Chinese sensitivities. Why was the ten years in the prison camp not shown as the grueling hard labor it was? Why was the treachery of Mao not mentioned.)
There's some slight self-reference when the `invasion' occurs: the invaders bring still and movie cameras.
There's one scene that has stuck in my mind for 15 years, when Lone is in bed with his two very lovely wives, covered with an opulent cloth sensually undulating. One of the loveliest and most memorable moments in film. You get mesmerized by the shifting, polychromatic tones and shadows. Then it turns a passionate red, which in fact is the treasure of a 4,000 year old culture evaporating.
Ted's evaluation: 3 of 4 -- Worth watching.