Product: Snow Falling on Cedars (2000)
Rating: 4.0
Exquisitely Beautiful
SFOC is an exquisitely beautiful picture. Cinematographer Robert Richardson who shot "The Horse Whisperers" does a phenomenal job of capturing the beauty of the Pacific Northwest winter. The film moves slowly from time to time like a walk through a beautiful art gallery and creates a meditative quality to the tale. Ethan Hawke is good as the conflicted Ishmael Chambers suffering from a wartime accident that left him with one arm, adjusting to life without his father, and carrying a torch for the Japanese girl who was his first love. Ultimately, this is a tale of sacrifice and true love. Sam Shepard as the father is wonderfully studious, a man of letters. Rick Yune as the Japanese man accused of murder is affecting and shows star quality in this performance. His wife, played by Yuki Kudoh, is also beautiful; her performance is touching. Max Von Sydow's final courtroom summation is one of the finest cinematic monologues you'll see. Director Scott Hicks who was making his first picture since the award-winning Shine did a great job with this lyrical tale. The DVD version doesn't offer a lot more, IMHO. Some of the alternate takes were hard for me to discern how they were different from the ones included in the film. Others seemed more obscure than illuminating. The commentary was interesting. I recommend this film on a patient night. With its wintery scenes, it's a nice change of pace in the sweltering summer. Enjoy!