Task: Sentiment Analysis
Input (English): Tedious, ham-fisted direction, groan-inducing dialog...simply awful . Antzcak's direction is inexplicable and the film is weighed down by a directionless, melodramatic script and technical shortcomings. The ADR (dialog overdubbing) is incompetent and terribly distracting, making the film sound like a radio drama recorded in a basement; all the more odd considering that in all other respects the project seems well-funded and professional -- great sets, superior costuming and impeccable lighting. The gorgeous cinematography is brutalized by a directorial style characterized by long, tedious dialog punctuated by frenetic, fast-cut flashback and dream sequences that contribute neither to our understanding of Chopin's character nor the events driving the plot forward. Non-sequiturs abound; Antzcak seems to have been attempting to create a mood piece to accompany the brilliant musical performances, rather than a sustained narrative. But the only moods sustained are bewilderment and boredom.    Chopin comes off as a selfish boor of a prima dona; perhaps historically acurate, but hardly compelling on screen. What does it say about this movie that, in a crucial scene where a wagon carrying Chopin nearly topples over a precipice, you find yourself rooting for the precipice?    Unlike the vastly superior Amedeus or the merely pedestrian Immortal Beloved, you learn nothing about the connection between the composer's life and his music. Antzack seems singularly uninterested in the historical signifigance of Chopin's acheivement, the nature of his talent's development, his freindship/rivalry with Liszt, or the musical environment of the day. Desire for Love actually has more in common with a film like Jules et Jim, in that it dwells on the inner dynamics of a doomed and disfunctional romance; unfortunately the characters aren't one tenth as compelling or sympathetic.    Desire for Love ends with the composer's protracted death, like Amadeus and Immortal Beloved did with Mozart and Beethoven, respectively. But it fails to evoke the tragic mood of the latter two; the film itself seems infected by a consumptive, cinematic analog of the protagonist's malaise, eating itself from within and finally wheezing to a merciful termination
Output (English): NEG