Product: Hiroshima mon amour [VHS] (1960)
Rating: 5.0
MAJOR BIG DEAL CLASSIC--(action film fans don't even apply)
So what makes a great classic film ? (there are few) Well, let's start with context. Here's one of the crown jewels of the French New Wave, that band of autuers who rose up in the late 50's to change the way the rest of us looked at film. And why? Hiroshima,mon amour is the grand-daddy of the time/memory gang --the films you so like to try to figure out today like Momento, or David Lynch, or the latest every-thing-is-upside-down-and backwards type of film. It's a film that got everyone excited. It's mix of past and present--war torn France and post-war Hiroshima--of regret and nostalghia, guilt, horror of the past, etc. simply had not seen the light of day before. Then there's the visual scheme--almost every shot in the film could stand as a fine photo by itself. (That spells c-l-a-s-s-i-c.) A script that's blatantly poetic-not a compromise in sight.Add to that some admirably understated performances, a little nudity, and a profundo-unprecedented pace--don't run, walk slowly. Brilliant intercutting, startling images. That all said, it's a classic that will probablydrive viewers used to "fast,plot driven films" batty. But if your interested in the history of film, open to a challenge, want to discover new ways of looking at film, then this work of art (it is defintely that) is something you mightfind not only tolerable, but even inspiring.