In-Person Review: Venice Film Festival

John Thomas

Film festivals present opportunities for directors to show their latest work, gather viewer opinions and perhaps find a market for their films. Of all the festivals world-wide, the Venice festival is the first and remains among the most prestigious. To have a film accepted to be shown here is a great honor.

Some of the 156 films scheduled this year are only ten minutes or so in length (All Inclusive), while others are in excess of two hours (First Man). Not all films presented this year will appear in theaters, but most will be available on subscription cable networks.

Blu (Blue): The opening scenes fill the screen with such intriguing beauty that it really doesn’t matter what the subject is or where or when – one is captivated by what one sees. The images that follow are equally captivating. It is only much later in the movie that one begins to wonder what the film is about and what is the activity that is taking place. None of that matters either; seeing this movie is like looking at paintings in a museum, Blu is simply beautiful to behold. One does eventually discover the story and the very thoughtful message the director wishes to give.

Aquarela: Mother Nature has again created a brilliant work of art, this time on film. Naturally She had support from a gifted director and creative sound editors who completely understand her artistic gifts and how best to reveal them. All the director and his crew had to do was be there to record her many works and then edit them. The end result is to reveal the message and inform the viewer of what she is saying with regard to the current state of the planet and the potential that lies ahead for it.

** The Other Side of The Wind: Forty years after Orson Welles finished shooting this film, the material he, himself hoped to edit into a movie, is finally completed – by someone else. The story centers around a birthday party honoring a famed film director. At the moment, the director is desperately trying to finish a film and find the money with which to do so. It is Welles’ style of story telling that was, and still is of such great importance. His approach to storytelling is as original now as it was in the 70s.

** Peterloo: A peaceful demonstration in Northern England in 1819 takes a disastrous turn for the worse when the governing officials of the region decide to take non-peaceful action against the hundreds of protesters. The story is based on actual events in the citizens’ struggle for independence, similar to the conflicts that are continuing to take place in various parts of the world at the present time. The film has a disturbing message; however, while the beauty with which it is told makes Petertloo a magnificent and meaningful movie-going experience.

johan@beachcomber.news

[Editor’s Note: ** signifies a film that will be in theaters near you. Others may be found on the internet only.]

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