You know full well when you’re watching a Pedro Almodovar movie. His style is quite unique and dark – something I like to call “Dark Art”. His main characters are typically junkies, murderers, prostitutes, transvestites and predatory priests. The stories are always complex and intertwined with one another. They are as engaging as any reality show on television today. Except, you grow to care about these people and their acting is so raw and real, you’d think you were watching a documentary.
"Viva Pedro: The Almodovar Collection" contains eight of his best films. His focus in many of his films is women. He loves to showcase their independence and their depth. The female characters are usually a lot more developed than his male characters and you become invested in them much more. What you can gather from Almodovar as a director by way of his films, aside from his true genius, is his devotion to an actor who he loves and respects because he uses many of the same people such as Carmen Maura, Marisa Paredes, Penelope Cruz and Antonio Banderas.
I discovered Almodovar’s work when I rented “Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown”. What I discovered was sheer genius. The story was so complex and interesting, I just could not divert my attention for even a moment. He is one of the greatest storytellers working today and his portrayal of women is always so impressive. This is a man who you can tell respects women and holds them to a very high regard. Volver is his latest masterpiece. Of course, I rushed to the nearest theater to catch it and it was wonderful. It was an Almodovar staple, with all the elements of his greatest movies. He stands as one of my favorite filmmakers. I happen to own this DVD collection and I think it’s brilliant. Rent “Women on the Verge…..” and you can’t help but enter into a love affair with this amazing director the way I did.
Source: Washington Post - http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/01/25/AR2007012500711.html
No comments:
Post a Comment