Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind

Rest assured that it is not for sheer laziness that my selection for the best shot of Michel Gondry's indelible masterpiece, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, is the film's most famous one. So memorable was this frame that the distributors recognized its brilliance early on and used it as the film's poster. In the years since, it has become one of the most iconic images in film history; but familiarity isn't the only reason I cherish this moment most. Frequently, and paradoxically, the mark of a great film, or a personal favorite, is how much of it I don't remember, not how much I do. Perhaps it is because of the ability to surprise, to create the same genuine sense of wonder that I experience the first time I encounter these films on the screen.

Eternal Sunshine, in its entirety, and this shot specifically, exhibit that quality. They reveal whole new facets and redefine themselves in ways we never thought of before. The experience of watching the film isn't wholly dissimilar to that of Joel as he walks back and forth on a street that disappears on him bit by bit, plunging his memory into darkness. In the end, he and Clementine choose to rebuild the memories and rediscover the spark of the past; and so do I, with a film I have seen countless times, only to let it take over me, fill me with joy, bring me to tears and enchant me all over again.

When the shot above arrived, I was baffled to notice that I had completely forgotten about the cracks on the ice. How delicate and meaningful a touch! And yet, all I remembered was the two lovers wistfully staring at the stars. It is really that fracture though that instills this shot with so much emotion. Is it a sign that the foundation on which their love rests is beginning to crumble? Knowing what we know by the story's end, does its placement signify their past relationship or the future one? Is it a symbol of their doubts as they begin a new chapter or is it an indication to the audience, unbeknownst to them, that things will fall apart again? Did Joel and Clementine know that it was so close to them? Or is the fracture just their broken hearts materialized in physical form? Is it any surprise that a film filled to the brim with magical moments such as this continues to enthrall?


*Other entries for this episode of Hit Me With Your Best Shot can be found here.

Essential Performances of the 90s: Part 1

Andrew of the amazing blog Encore Entertainment has started a series called Essential Performances of the 90s Showdown wherein he and guest bloggers pit two performances from the decade against each other, making a case for which is better or more important. I had the pleasure of being invited to participate and my first contribution - there is more to come - was a contest between Kate Winslet from that little-seen gem called Titanic and Iran's most recognizeable actor, Homayoun Ershadi, in his debut performance in Abbas Kiarostami's Palme d'or winning Taste of Cherry. You can read my commentary, chime in with your thoughts and vote here.

 

VS. 

 

1995 Best Supporting Actress: Kate Winslet in Sense and Sensibility

This post is dedicated to Brandon, from Movie Mania as part of his look back at the supporting actress nominees of Oscar ‘95!

I took this as an opportunity to finally watch Sense and Sensibility. It’s surprising to myself how long it took me to get to this film given my admiration for both Ang Lee and Kate Winslet. It’s probably my usual reservation about costume dramas. But I chose Winslet because her career has obviously taken off enormously since that Oscar nomination. It was her first but she went on to five more nominations, one win, some age-related record breaking, Hollywood superstardom and general awesomeness.

In the film, she plays Marianne Dashwood, the second daughter of the Dashwood family. Along with her mother and sisters Elinor (Emma Thompson) and Margaret, they’re forced to leave their home when Mr. Dashwood passes the house to his son (from another wife) before his death.

Winslet’s introduced in a beautifully lit frame as she plays the piano, but this serenity doesn’t last long. Her character is revealed to be the much livelier and more exuberant of the two sisters. The contrast between the two sisters actually becomes the film’s device in developing their characters. 

When Edward Ferras (Hugh Grant) is introduced and the reserved Elinor falls for his awkward and self-effacing character, Marianne tests Edward’s passion by getting him to role play a passage from a book. Winslet captures the naïveté and childishness of Marianne’s romanticism with a mastery that justifies the nomination on its own. Later, confronting her sister about her frustration with Ferras’ inexpressivity, she says:

“What a pity it is that Edward has no passion to read!

... I think him everything that is amiable and worthy.” 

This combination of idealist youthfulness with Winslet’s physical features makes the character all the more likeable. It isn’t a surprise that Colonel Brandon (Alan Rickman) falls for her instantly as he sees her. Not incidentally, Brandon sees her first just the way we saw her at the beginning: gracefully playing the piano under natural side-lighting.

One of her best scenes comes when she first meets John, the heartthrob who sweeps her off her feet when he helps her after falling from a horse. Winslet’s nervousness and her impatience at the thought of meeting John again is both hilarious and a showcase of her talents.

“He lifted me as if I weighed no more than a dried leaf!”

The arc of Winslet’s character is a wide one that takes shape as a result of several twists in her love life. All the while Winslet captures both the comic spirit of the film and the dramatic transition in her own character’s move from an inexperienced lover to the woman who is mesmerized by Colonel Brandon’s reading at the end. That she can convey this transition, her revelations and her feelings with so little as a look like this one is a testament to what a great actress she is.  (The entire ballroom sequence is my favourite part of the performance.)

Between 1994’s Heavenly Creatures and Sense and Sensibility, Winslet really established herself as one of the greatest young talents in the 90s. Luckily (and in part, thanks to Titanic) her star never faded. We’re already heating rave words about her next performance in Polanski’s Carnage.

I'm an short-tempered impatient son of a bitch!

I'm a little late to the party with this news, but better late than never, I guess. Last week we saw two new pieces of promotional material for one of my most anticipated films of the year, Polish maestro Roman Polanski's Carnage. It is adapted from Yasmina Reza's play titled God of Carnage and stars Kate Winslet, Christoph Waltz, Jodie Foster and John C. Reilly. 

Carnage is about two couples who get together to discuss a fight that broke out between their children at school. I really like the poster as I think it does neat job with the characters, giving them all equal space, and I really like the color scheme and the facial expressions, especially those of Kate Winslet. The trailer does an even better job of conveying both the dramatic and comedic aspects of the film and gives a glimpse of these great actors in action. 

I could hardly be more impatient for this film, but if the trailer and the poster don't do anything for you, let me remind you that the man behind the camera has given us films like Knife in the Water, Chinatown, The Pianist and The Ghost Writer before and Yasmina Reza is the playwright behind Art, one of the greatest modern plays. Throw in those actors and ...

*Carnage will be released in Canadian cinemas on November 25th, 2011 through Mongrel Media.