The movie, "The Witch," Kubrickesque? Or Bergman?

[kelpzoidzl]

I saw this the other night and wrote review on Amazon:

"No spoilers,

After reading reviews on IMDB and seeing so many one-star reviews, even though Rotten Tomatoes rated it at 90%,???
I almost passed this by. Then I saw one reviewer commenting on the music reminding him/her of Kubrick's 2001: A Space Odyssey, mentioning composer Ligetti. He also commented on similarities to Kubrick's The Shining. I've heard those kinds of comments before about other films, it's usually hype and those films compared to Kubrick are not the greatest.

After seeing The Witch, on Amazon streaming, it immediately reminded me not of a Kubrick film, although there are apparent stylistic influences here and there and it's somewhat (Kubrickesque,) but of Bergman's "The Virgin Spring," not so much the specific storylines, but of the way it captures real-life horror.

No. It is not a traditional "horror movie," The bad reviews might be because of how the film was marketed and it was so unexpected, many people hated it. It is a serious film. My only criticism would be too short a length. I am working up the courage to watch it a second time."

The Virgin Spring was a masterpiece and after a few days, I've decided this makes the grade, with the similar starkness and teleporting one to another time period to witness severe, unrelenting, real life horrors.

[kelpzoidzl]

For me, the film suffers somewhat by the use of the Arri 2.8k. Instead of film. It shows the limitations in the same way the Von Trier films do.

[kelpzoidzl]

Trailer for The Witch:

Complete: Bergman's The Virgin Spring press CC button for subtitles:

Both Films have really been on my mind lately.

The Witch begs for sequels. It would have worked as a one act play and needs 2 more acts, I haven't yet researchedthe director, but it is clear he has both Kubrick and Bergman influences.

As most horror film fans know, The 2 versions of the horror film classic "Last House on the Left," were based on The Virgin Spring (all three have different endings.)

[kelpzoidzl]

Article on The Witch and interview with director Robert Eggers, who admits to have seen The Shining more than any other movie. The Witch is called Kubrick, Bergman Tarkovsky etc. rolled into one.

http://blogs.indiewire.com/theplaylist/the-movies-that-changed-my-life-the-witch-director-robert-eggers-20160226

[kelpzoidzl]

The Movies That Changed My Life: ‘The Witch’ Director Robert Eggers

The Witch
"The Witch"

After the recent one-two (three and four) punch of “It Follows,” “A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night,” “The Babadook,” and “Goodnight Mommy,” the chilling swell of arthouse horror has been hitting a crescendo of late (sorry, Bret Easton Ellis). But capturing the arty horror zeitgeist like no other is “The Witch,” the feature-length debut of filmmaker Robert Eggers which earned A24 Films their biggest opening ever.

A big smash out of Sundance Film Festival last year where the film won Eggers the Directing Award in the U.S. Dramatic category, “The Witch” follows a 17th century Puritan family excommunicated from their village who, when forced to fend for themselves, encounter forces of evil in the woods beyond their New England farm. And “The Witch” is sensational (read our review), the modern heir apparent to “The Shining,” and a movie that seemingly mixes the unnerving chill and cinematic vision of Stanley Kubrick, Andrei Tarkovsky and Ingmar Bergman all rolled into one.

READ MORE: Sundance Review: The Exquisite Holy Terror Of ‘The Witch’ Will Chill Your Bones & Haunt Your Soul

Perhaps more than anything, a film as assured as “The Witch” announces the arrival of a fully-formed new filmmaker who is instantly one to watch. Eggers is here to stay and watching his career grow should be terrifically exciting. In our latest “The Movies That Changed My Life” feature, the filmmaker was terse but informative about his eclectic and defining movie experiences and influences.

Bambi
1. The first moviegoing film experience you can remember.
I remember seeing re-releases of “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs” and “Bambi” in the theater very young. They had huge impacts on me, particularly the dark aspects. “Conan the Barbarian,” “Star Wars,” “Mary Poppins” and “The Wizard of Oz” were my earliest VHS obsessions. I still know the lyrics to pretty much any “Mary Poppins” song. “It’s good to be alive in 1910…”

2. The best moviegoing film experience you ever had.
Impossible to say. From “E.T.” to “Andrei Rublev,” there have been too many.

3. The first film you saw that made you realize you wanted to be a filmmaker.
“Star Wars to Jedi: The Making of a Saga” was huge for me. Seeing how all the creatures were made, looking inside Jabba The Hut, all of the maquettes lined up, building the world… “This is a job?!” I was always avidly watching special features and behind the scenes stuff. Of course, I still am.

4. The first film you saw that you realize you could be a filmmaker.
I'm still realizing this…

The Son
5. The movie that always makes you cry (or the movie that is your emotional comfort food).
“The Son,” by the Dardenne Brothers. So cathartic, so powerful.

6. The movie that always freaks you out/makes you scared.
“Possession” by Andrzej Żuławski. Isabelle Adjani’s harrowing performance is so damn terrifying. She commits 120% for some of the most unforgettable moments in cinema.

READ MORE: The Essentials: The 5 Best Andrzej Zulawski Films

7. The film you’ve re-watched more than any other.
“The Shining.” I watched it so many times in my early-mid 20s to try and understand how to make a film with sustained tension.

8. The movie you love that no one would expect you to love.
I already mentioned “Mary Poppins” and I still love it. But maybe that's expected. She's a witch.

Nosferatu
9. The movie that defined your coming-of-age/high school experience.
“Nosferatu” is a film that I have been obsessed with since elementary school, I was probably 10 when I saw it first. When I was 17, I directed and adapted the film into a play, with my friend Ashley Kelly-Tata (who now directs experimental opera). It was a silent film on stage – black and white expressionist makeup, costumes, and sets – almost like a ballet set to Schoenberg. This was a senior-directed play, and it was seen by a local theater impresario and artist, Edouard Langlois, who asked me to bring it to his theater, The Edwin Booth. Being taken seriously like that – this changed my life.

10. The movie that defined your childhood.
Along with “Nosferatu,” I sought out any and every film version of “Dracula.” I had a VHS tape that was a compilation of trailers of Dracula films that I watched ‘til it died – I wish I could remember what it was called. Anyway, it was my guide. Bela Lugosi, Frank Langella, the zillions of Christopher Lee versions, Jack Palance, on and on. Francis Ford Coppola’s “Bram Stoker’s Dracula” is also in the running for most viewed film. Needless to say, I was Dracula for Halloween many times.

[kelpzoidzl]

Richard Eggers mentions above the film "Possession" (1981) as a major influence. The film stars Isabel Adjani and Sam Neil. She won Best Actress for this performance at the Cannes Film Festival. I'd never seen it. Apparently it's considered a cult film.

Amazon only has a region 2 bluray. I found it on Youtube, not the greatest copy, but better then some of the other youtube versions.

Here it is:

This young fellow Richard Eggers, an aficionado of great artsy filmmakers. Prior to The Witch, he has done two unusual shorts and was a Production Designer.

There were so many hysterically bad reviews of The Witch, by viewers, with others and some critics, seeng it as brilliant, creating the dicotomy. It apparently turned a good profit at the box office. I wonder what Richard Eggers will do in the future?

[kelpzoidzl]

Possession is utterly bizarre. Isabel Adjani is beyond belief. Sam Neil is remarkable. Outrageous movie. I want a US Bluray.

[s***@hotmail.com]

Post by kelpzoidzl
Possession is utterly bizarre. Isabel Adjani is beyond belief. Sam Neil is remarkable. Outrageous movie. I want a US Bluray.

http://www.mondo-vision.com/possessionle.php

https://www.toufaan.com/collections/mondo-visions-special-edition/products/possession-special-digipak-edition

Regards,

Steve

[kelpzoidzl]

Thanks that first link is steep price 65 dollars but may be all region. Amazon only offering region 2 for 35 dollars.

I would like to see the film without the bad crop and mediocre image.

[s***@hotmail.com]

Post by kelpzoidzl
Thanks that first link is steep price 65 dollars but may be all region. Amazon only offering region 2 for 35 dollars.

The Mondo Vision $39 region-free Blu-ray digipak edition will be re-stocked by Amazon at the end of June:

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00RBPYA9O/

The $65 limited edition has a soundtrack CD, booklet and custom slipcase, and is only available through Mondo Vision AFAIK.

Regards,

Steve

[kelpzoidzl]

i bet the quality is good. Hmmm.

[kelpzoidzl]

The You tube
possession is annoying with the bad crop and washed out look.

[kelpzoidzl]

Saturday night movies

POSSESSION

One helluva weird movie

[kelpzoidzl]

Supposedly Isabel Adjani had a "nervous breakdown," after making POSESSION. I can see why.