Re: RARA-AVIS: No Exit Press

From: jean-pierre jacquet (jacquet@optonline.net)
Date: 02 Mar 2009

  • Next message: jacquesdebierue: "Re: RARA-AVIS: No Exit Press"

    I loved Toros & Torsos as well. And ditto for Dominguin. jpj On Mar 2, 2009, at 7:18 PM, Steve Novak wrote:

    > Sorry to say that the Stephan Elliott (99) version of the film is
    > absolutely
    > abysmal and useless...it lasted no more than 1/2 hr on our DVD
    > player...and
    > making it an ‘intelligence’ story was totally idiotic...and the
    > whole thing
    > is pitiful...Ms Judd is appalling...nothing new from this pseudo
    > actress who
    > tends to wear white hats on racing days...
    > Here’s a sample review, from Uk I think:
    >
    > Eye Of The Beholder
    > Reviewed By: Angus Wolfe Murray
    > Whether it is director Stephan (The Adventures Of Priscilla, Queen
    > Of The
    > Desert) Elliot's fault, or Ewan McGregor's lobotomy, the character
    > of The
    > Eye, an intelligence agent stationed in Washington, has as much
    > charisma as
    > a dish of sick.
    > The fact that he hasn't got a name adds to the feeling of phoniness.
    > He
    > works on voyeuristic assignments, using state-of-the-art surveillance
    > equipment, and never goes near the office. He has a little girl with
    > him,
    > who calls him Daddy. This little girl doesn't exist. Either she's
    > dead, or
    > living in another place with mom. The Eye imagines she's there.
    > If that isn't enough to send you screaming from the cinema, how
    > about the
    > plot? The Eye has to keep tabs on a suspect blackmailer (Ashley
    > Judd), who
    > becomes a serial killer. Rather than do something, like call the
    > cops, he
    > falls in love with her.
    > Elliot's script is pretentious and preposterous. Judd changes wigs
    > every
    > five minutes and gives no indication that she understands what is
    > going on.
    > McGregor, meanwhile, has passed away.
    >
    > The Claude Miller film is worth it...but it is nowhere near the
    > relentless
    > tension of the book...and Adjani’s ham’s it up instead of coolin’
    > it...and
    > thus kills her character (in the film)...rent it and only watch
    > Serrault...he’s the Eye of/from/near/about....the book...very much...
    > I can’t tell if Miller lost Adjani, or if she was the wrong
    > cast...maybe
    > somebody here will say...I keep thinking she was right but something
    > happened and Miller lost her....and with her it’s very easy to loose
    > ‘it’ as
    > we all know....sad...
    > I think the perfect cast would have been Italian actress Lucia Bosé.
    > Check
    > Lucia Bosé for those of you who have not seen her...
    >
    > Montois...eating foie gras with nice Jurançon wine...
    >
    > PS1: Bosé was married to divine torero Luis Miguel Dominguin, that I
    > saw
    > many times in my youth in SW France. (sorry for the unpolitically
    > correct
    > mention of nasty cruelty to 450kgs animals) ....
    >
    > PS2: I raise my glass again to whoever mentioned Toros & Torsos on
    > Rara
    > (maybe Craig himself...since I now have his website too...). It is a
    > magnificent book and I have bought six copies that became my main X-
    > Mas
    > present to friends from Michigan to NY, to Brazil, UK and SW France (
    > although I suspect greatly the frogs will wait for the frogtalk
    > translation
    > )...
    >
    > On 3/2/09 6:07 PM, "Mark Sullivan" <DJ-Anonyme@webtv.net> wrote:
    >
    > > Montois responded to me:
    > >
    > > "I'm very glad you mention Arjouni, I bought two of his while in
    > UK (Happy
    > > Birthday Turk and More Beer) and they were excellent..."
    > >
    > > It was the first that I enjoyed. Just recently found the second in
    > a used
    > > bookstore.
    > >
    > > "Marc Behm’s is
    > > hauting and very beautiful...unfortunately the movie (Mortelle
    > Randonnée –
    > > Claude Miller – 83) is not as good except for the performance of
    > Michel
    > > Serrault."
    > >
    > > I was referring to the US movie as getting such horrible reviews I
    > passed on
    > > it, but I haven't seen the French version, either. Guess it's not
    > much
    > > better.
    > >
    > > The book, though, is great. I keep meaning to read more of Behm's
    > work.
    > > Didn't Serpent's Tail publish a book of his a few years ago that
    > was supposed
    > > to have some connection to Eye of the Beholder?
    > >
    > > Mark
    > >
    > > [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
    > >
    > >
    > >
    > >
    > >
    >
    > Steve Novak
    > Cinefrog@comcast.net
    > 734 429 4997 - off
    > 313 300 0770 - cell
    >
    > [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
    >
    >

    [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

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