Brilliant.
I have not seen anything quite like that before, and hope to see more like it in the future. The story was compelling, intricate, and full of potential. The execution was marvelous. I really recommend this one.
When I first realized the film was in a different language (quite a few, actually) I was frustrated. I don't like subtitles because I tend to read the subtitles and think about the script instead of paying attention to the picture. I did not have that problem once the story got going. Indeed, I missed some lines because the image was so enthralling. The storyline bounces through time and around the world, propelled by the servant's ability to read cards and tell the future. It takes a while to figure out but, by the end, all of the pieces that seemed so disconnected in the beginning make perfect sense.
The opening was a long shot in a shop, over two minutes, which was impressive in itself. The music holds its own, though. It begins with a violin, then is joined by many instruments making a lot of almost-music-but-really-just-noise, until they quiet down and rejoin to make a grand opening. It was incredible.
And the music just got better. It kept up with the story, was the story, led the story, supported the story, told the story and did all sorts of things good music does. Occasionally, between shots, the music would sound sad. It was like the violin was lonely and wanted a new hand to pick it up. Along that next artist would come, and the music would perk up. That was a lot of fun to listen to.
The picture was fantastic. The sets were well constructed, with appropriate clutter in the right tones so you took it in as a whole and weren't distracted by anything. The colors themselves were mostly muted and blended together beautifully. Characters that were meant to have flaws were easily perceived as such, but not by judgement. It was just the way they were. Those meant to be seen as more perfect were also executed well. Furthermore, the opening shot was not the only long one. There were many shots that continued after the action had "ended" to let the moment hang. I think this art needs to stay in the industry, and is at the risk of being lost.
The American scenes were nice because there were no subtitles, but they seemed to hold less music. I don't know if this was an intentional storytelling technique or not, but it was interesting. The most impressive part was the continuity. The auction is visited time and time again, each time from another person's perspective. Yet I noticed no continuity errors. The editing and shooting were done very well for those sequences.
The main character in this story could be debated, but I doubt the message could be. Music comes from both from the instrument's ability and the artist's. It needs to be kept in society, shared with others, and celebrated as the art it is.
Amadeus was a film I blogged on recently that also has a great deal to do with music, as does Departures.
