VERILY, THE GREATEST

Rating: Null/10 (21 November 2004)

Truly, the greatest piece of cinema ever made. Having screened this masterpiece about 50 times, I will just hint, in a brief paean, to its greatness. The density of thematic material, the multiple levels of meaning within meaning, and the profundity of the themes it deals with are virtually staggering: The nature of love, the effect of death on life and on the living, the relation of beauty to love, appearance versus reality, the spiritual and the physical, the might-have-beens in life, the nature of reality---need one say any more? There is not one film, to my knowledge, that says so much, and asks so many questions about, these fundamental issues. It may be true to say that the film asks more questions than it answers, but questioning is the beginning of the road to understanding. Watch this film a few times, and then go to the books: Robin Wood, Tania Modleski, and follow their bibliographies on your journey to understanding. A breathtakingly magnificent piece of art, with a stunning plot to boot.