Water Drops on Burning Rocks

[Johann]

I saw this film the other night on Showcase (what film nut doesn't love that channel?) and I had to post about it.

From the Great Gay Francois Ozon- who is going to edge Polanski out of my top five of fave directors if he keeps it up-made a dynamite film in 2000 called Water Drops on Burning Rocks starring only 4 actors who have endlessly fascinating faces. (and bodies for that matter-the nude Sagnier should raise your eyebrows-she is one hot crepe)

If you love films about human relationships (and who doesn't?-it helps us assess our own lovers & friends) then BUY this one. I can't recommend it enough. The cinematography, lighting & color are from the Kubrick school of filmmaking. Static shots and a slow zoom from a window reminded me of Q-Bert often. 8 Women impressed me enough, but this got me thinking that that Ozon is on the high road to immortality...

Films like this are what i live for.

[Johann]

Just letting members know that there is another Ozon film screening on Showcase tonight- his first feature-

SITCOM

[oscar jubis]

Originally posted by Johann
If you love films about human relationships then BUY this one.
The film does illustrate the use of sex as a means to exert power within relationships. But this adaptation of a play written by the 19 y.o. Fassbinder (and never produced) is often farcical and stylized, even campy. I was reminded of Fassbinder's own Bitter Tears and 13 Moons in style and execution. The film becomes "messy" towards the end as when Sagnier breaks into whiny cries: "Who's gonna father my children now, my little Franz and Leopold". Overall, I second Johann's recommendation. I do consider 8 Women more sustained in tone. Ozon's best film is Under the Sand with Charlotte Rampling, an altogether different kind of film. Ms. Rampling also stars is Mr. Ozon's new film opening next month.

[Chris Knipp]

If you love films about human relationships then BUY this one.

Not till I've seen it for free or rented it, thank you, Johann.

If you see these movies you are discussing in the context of the director's being gay, Eight Women, which left me pretty cold, I'm afraid, though of course as a French-film buff it had its fascination to see so many divas of Le Cinema Francais all at once, is pretty campy as in gay campy, and it even makes women seem unsexy, which could also be in some cases a gay thing to do, certainly not a thing a healthily heterosexual director would want to do. (I know I ought to be called on that generalization!) Most of all though, it was demoralizing to me in Eight Women to see Isabelle Huppert seem shrill and a bit silly and therefore unsexy: bold of her to do that, sporting, and so forth, but to me she is the coolest, most daring, sexiest actress in French films, maybe in any films, today. And I'm afraid that if Sous le sable is Ozon's finest effort, I will turn my attention to André Téchiné, whose movies have meant so much more to me and, I should think, to a larger public. I'll grant you that Charlotte Rampling is a very cool older woman, and I'll want to see this new Ozon effort with her in it. But I didn't feel the previous movie Ozon directed her in went anywhere. I preferred Ozon's earlier Les amants criminels (Criminel Lovers), which dealt with perversion and French racism against Arabs and several other edgy things daringly and was a generally exciting and transgressive film. However with I Don't Kiss, My Favorite Season, Wild Reeds, and Les Voleurs under his belt, Téchiné seems to me a more substantial gay (or bi-) French director, though his recent efforts have seemed somewhat weaker than that great middle period of the early to mid Nineties, when he really was on a roll. I confess I have not seen the Ozon film under discussion in this thread. I shouldn't even be here! But I'm recommending French directors with a gay appeal that I prefer. Another covertly gay or gay-friendly French filmmaker is Claire Denis, whose Beau Travail is such a homoerotic love song to the male body, and whose more recent Friday Evening does such a good job of makiing heterosexual love- making completely boring.

[oscar jubis]

I would give a stronger recommendation to Techine's Wild Reeds, My Favorite Season and Thieves and Denis' Beau Travail and I Can't Sleep than any film directed by Francois Ozon.
But Mr. Ozon is 35 years old and making very interesting films. I will follow his development closely. At age 35, Techine(60) and Denis(50s) had little to show.

[Chris Knipp]

You've got a good point. Ozon has gotten an earlier start and may progress. I guess Téchiné did his best work in his fifties.
I forgot to mention I Can't Sleep. But personally, I'm not sure Claire Denis is on a par with Téchiné, regardless of age.

[Johann]

Francois Ozon is so good because he cut his teeth making a zillion short films- I just bought a DVD with some of them.

If you wanna talk gay and french- the king is Jean Genet. Yep, the playwright/writer. He only made one film- "Un Chant d'Amour" (Song of Love) in 1950. This is a short film, but it packs the power of a feature. Very hard to track down, but once you see it, you'll agree.

Back to my man Ozzy (my new nickname for him)-"Sitcom" was as exhilarating as I expected it to be- You can tell Francois watched a lot of Fassbinder films-tres tres bizarro- especially the ending.

I haven't seen "Under The Sand" but I have it in my clutches-snapped that pup up as soon as I saw it on the shelf. My home theatre will not be operational until I have more than an hour to myself...

[Johann]

Most of all though, it was demoralizing to me in Eight Women to see Isabelle Huppert seem shrill and a bit silly and therefore unsexy: bold of her to do that, sporting, and so forth, but to me she is the coolest, most daring, sexiest actress in French films, maybe in any films, today.

Huppert is a perfectionist. She regularly watches the rushes of her scenes to confirm her performance. In 8 Women she STOPPED this practice when she saw what Ozon was doing. I have extreme admiration for her and I agree with Chris' statement that she is the coolest & most daring actress in film- Nicole Kidman running a close second imho.

Isabelle is capable of doing any role she sets her mind to. (like Streep)

[oscar jubis]

Originally posted by Johann
Huppert is the coolest & most daring actress in film- Nicole Kidman running a close second imho.
The Hawaii-born 5'11' Aussie is keeping extremely busy. Three films are ready for release: Robert Benton's The Human Stain is scheduled for Sep. 26; Anthony Minghella's Cold Mountain will have a Christmas opening and Lars Von Trier's Dogville premiered at Cannes to excellent reviews but no set release date in North America. Ms. Kidman got paid $7 mill. for her demanding role in Moulin Rouge. She'll command $15 million for her appearance in the remake of Stepford Wives(2004). Right now she's shooting Alexander the Great, Luhrmann is the helmer.
Taking a look at her filmography, I'd say there are four films that provide the best argument for her inclusion in any list of great contemporary actresses: TO DIE FOR, PORTRAIT OF A LADY, MOULIN ROUGE and THE OTHERS.

[Johann]

I cringed when I read that Renee Zellweger declined to sing at this year's oscar telecast.
Catherine Zeta-Jones did it PREGNANT!!

[Johann]

I was in a book/videostore that sells art books and french stuff today and found out that the proper pronunciation of Isabelles' name is "HUPPARE"- stressing the "ere" in her nom. I asked if the store had any films with miss "HUPPERT" and was immediately corrected, then directed to a nice selection of tapes.

I decided to buy some french vhs from this store on a suggestion from Jim Jarmusch who watched Japanese films with no subtitles. These tapes have no subtitles and I will try to "read" what's going on without knowing dialogue. (Jarmusch says you can learn a lot about film language this way) We'll see..