The Circle Closes2015
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Member Reviews (6)
WARNING: DO NOT WATCH THIS FILM BEFORE SEEING THE SEVEN VERY, VERY IMPORTANT FILMS OF WHICH THIS FILM SCHOOL STUDY GIVES COMPLETE SYNOPSES!!! The screenshot here is also a spoiler of one of these films. This is an interesting study if you have seen all of these films (though I completely disagree with Rappaport's assertion that the donkey Balthazar is not symbolic; it is most definitely and obviously symbolic of Christ) but if you have not seen them ALL, it is a terrible spoiler that will in 15 minutes, spoil your enjoyment of several of the greatest films ever made. See them first! The films are: Au Hasard Balthazar, Viridiana, Winchester '73, The Earrings of Madame De..., All That Heaven Allows, Vertigo, and Citizen Kane.
dude! spoilers!
30 minutes of stating the obvious. Nice clips though.
The film would probably help people understand qualities of film art, yet the structure in which the materials are given it not much more than that of the time-worn educational films that make eighth graders yawn.
I love any kind of analysis of art.
That's fine if you have seen all of these films, as I have. My advice is directed to those who have not yet enjoyed them and want to see the stories unfold as they were meant to, before being told how they end. Additionally, this particular analysis is sophomoric, and I don't know how anyone who is paying attention could say that Balthazar is not symbolic! It is pure Christian allegory, and Christianity/faith is a frequent theme in Bresson.
Rappaport's admiration for the films and their themes shine through contagiously. Enjoyed watching his ideas unfold here.
On the other hand, any student of film should worry about spoilers. We watch to understand better this most elusive of arts.
On the other hand, any student of film should worry about spoilers. We watch to understand better this most elusive of arts.