Orpheus (2005) User Reviews

Brilliant

[cinefulnature · 10/10 · 6 May 2006]

I've seen just about every movie interpretation of this myth, and I'm very impressed by this one. The film maker cleverly works in homage to each of the earlier incarnations of this story in cinema, without doing it in a heavy-handed way so that it's obvious to the uneducated viewer. All this and it's still fiercely original! The director seems to have an attitude toward directing his actors similar to a Bresson or an Antonioni--less emphasis is put on "acting" in the clichéd, false emotion-inducing sense, and more attention is placed on an intellectual and codified approach to screen presence. What I mean by this is that the actor is just another facet of the cinematic frame-- not a separate entity moving around inside said frame; (see the brilliant L'Eclisse or Pickpocket to see what I mean here ....). This can come across in some scenes as melodramatic and in others as rather flat, but viewed as a whole it makes sense in the context of the hyper-formalistic approach taken here. (David Lynch understands this dynamic and uses it in every one of his films and in Twin Peaks. In Blue Velvet it is sometimes hard to tell if the earnestness and hokeyness of the characters is "real" or ironic. It seems soap opera-like until, again, you look at the whole picture ... PS, it seems the film makers are David Lynch fans--there's a scene in Orpheus shot entirely in Tweety's Diner, the diner used in Twin Peaks!) The use of magical realism is a lovely touch here, although I can't tell if this is more a reference to Cocteau or Arau (with whom Joel Rose has apparently worked) ... The lighting and cinematography by Greg Gray are stellar; it maintains the constant, ethereal mood and feel necessary to pull off a film like this--and the compositions are frigging perfect. His experience and artistry shine through there ... Much has been said about the music and it's connection to both the myth of Orpheus and the setting of Rose's film in Memphis, Tennessee, so I won't linger on that much here. I do want to say that I ADORE the cover Orpheus performs in the scene when he travels to the underworld, Chris Bell's "I Am the Cosmos". Many Memphians (and rock aficionados the world over) sorely miss Bell and genuinely ache when they ponder what else that brilliant musician could have accomplished had he not been take from this earth so soon. I was repulsed when I read another reviewer refer to Bell's song in brutal and derogatory terms. The ignorant writer seemed to think the song was some current atrocity rather than the classic beauty it is. And I read an interesting tidbit about Rose's interpretation of this song in the French publication Cahiers du Cinema, (please pardon my translating skills, this might not be word perfect): " ... Rose searched long and hard for the perfect song for this scene. He was torn between using something ancient versus a modern rock song which would integrate perhaps more authentically with the rest of the soundtrack. So in the end he did both: He acquired the rights to "Cosmos", then went about altering the first half of the song (prior to the memorable chorus) to mimic in melody and dirge-like repetition an ancient German hymn titled "Dark Was the Night, Cold Was the Ground". Through his research, he learned that early bluesmen in the Delta and in Texas, United States, would use these ancient melodies as the foundation of their blues tunes. If one listens to Blind Willie Johnson's "Dark Was the Night", you clearly make out that ancient melody. So with Harlan Bobo, Rose arranged the perfect synthesis for this all important part of the film: a song that is both ancient and modern, rock and blues and religious music all rolled into one haunting piece that lulls with its simplicity and stirs the soul with its ancient power ..." I can't really say it any better than that! Mike

real cinema

[capjimkrik · 10/10 · 2 May 2006]

I saw this amazing film at a screening at Rhodes College recently, and I must say it was the finest film shown at this mini-festival. Granted, the other films were made by students, children really, and Mr. Rose is an alumni ... Nonetheless, the bulk of the other films were juvenile and, sadly, painful to watch. Orpheus was beautiful, poetic, haunting and exquisite (with the best soundtrack I've ever heard). It was deeply moving without taking itself too seriously. The humor was subtle and touching in the midst of a fundamentally tragic tale. The performances were low-key but effective, Rose's choice of using "non-actors" paying off in a big way. the editing was spot-on, and the perfect rhythm of the film was accentuated by Rose's amazing grasp on the best way to use a blend of classical and contemporary music with his stunning images. Mr. Rose has a brilliant future ahead of him, and I can't wait to see what he does next!

remarkable

[spydaddy66 · 10/10 · 6 May 2006]

Unless you're some sort of philistine, you will be amazed by the power and beauty of this effort by Rose, et al. It's basically a modernization of the Orpheus myth from Greek mythology, set in Memphis, in which Orpheus is a rock singer in a band with the excellent Harlan T. Bobo, Amy LaVere, and Paul Taylor; (I believe Paul Buchignani played drums on the recording they made of the Bell song "I am the Cosmos".) The kids might not get it, but if you know anything about the classical story (outside of video games, that is, sorry Roger Avery) you'll find this film subtle and ingenious. I like how he blended the story with that of Hades and Persephone as well. In the traditional Orpheus tale, Hades plays a rather small but pivotal part in the story, but in this version, he is a sly anti-hero to Orpheus' hero--not an antagonist, but a wry, minor devil to Orpheus' mortal protagonist. In the Greek version of Persephone's tale, Hades covets her for his bride but she will have none of it. So Hades works out a back-room deal with Persephone's mother in which she'll be his bride for only part of each year. This was a myth with which the Greeks explained the seasons: when Persephone is gone, it's fall and winter, when she's back, spring and summer. In THIS version of the story, there is a "love square": Orpheus loves his wife, Eurydice, but is repelled by her self-destructive side. This morbidity is exactly what attracts Hades to Eurydice. So he orchestrates a scheme in which he seduces Eurydice to her death and his bed, while Persephone falls for Orpheus. Orpheus is too blinded by rage and grief to just let Eurydice go, or to see that Persephone is in love with him. So he chases Eurydice to the underworld with the grudging help of Persephone. He oughtta love the one he's with, but hubris and the belief in the power of art (music) keep him obsessing in the wrong direction. I won't tell you what happens next, but it flips the whole "don't look back"/ Lot's wife thing on its ear ... Bravo, sirs and mademoiselles! This little movie rocks AND rolls and woos me with its wit and charm and quiet beauty!

orpheus' style, wit, grace and music

[stormcloudstein · 10/10 · 5 May 2006]

Joel Rose, Rhodes College alumNUS (alumNI is plural), has made a beautiful movie. One thing I think is beautiful about it is his use of music. The song that the character Orpheus performs in the climactic scene, "I Am the Cosmos", was actually written by the late Chris Bell. Chris Bell was the brilliant musician who, along with Alex Chilton (of the Boxtops), and Jody Stephens, played in the Memphis band Big Star in the 1970s. Bell died tragically in a car accident in 1978, but his solo work and that of Big Star has been cited as an influence by the likes of The Replacements, the Flaming Lips, and the Posies (who compose part of the newly re-formed Big Star). I know Joel personally and, knowing the myth of Orpheus backwards and forwards, he wanted to make music the central focus of the film. The majority of the small budget for Orpheus was spent acquiring rights to songs by the Talking Heads, the Stone Roses, and the Raveonettes. While Chris Bell is deceased, his friends from Big Star are still alive and some live in Memphis. Joel sought out Jody Stephens who put him in touch with Chris Bell's brother, David. David in turn connected Joel with John Fry, head of Ardent Studios who owns the rights to the Chris Bell library. He in turn gave Joel the rights, for a nominal fee, to cover the song with the amazing local musicians Harlan T. Bobo, Amy LaVere and the ubiquitous Paul Taylor. For those who miss Mr. Bell and his music, it's especially poignant that his song was used in this story, which really is about music and how it helps deal with loss. Orpheus thought it could literally bring his love back from the dead. With this movie we celebrate the power of music and in particular the vast importance it plays in our city's history, public and personal.