The Other Side of the Wind

Started by wilder, August 29, 2018, 12:07:41 PM

0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.

Sleepless

I was blown away by this. Not at all what I was expecting. Does it make me a bad cinephile if I've never really seen much Welles before? Only Kane, because of course, and that was back in my teens and I didn't really appreciate it. This makes me want to seek out more of what I've missed.

But this was incredible. There's obviously a lot of meta stuff going on here, and it captures so well an era that we film-lovers feel like we know so well. Shooting began in 1970 - the year after Easy Rider came out - and of course Dennis Hopper makes a cameo. This is the film that I want The Last Movie to be (I still haven't watched my BluRay yet).

Critical readings aside, because that's generally not my strength, I simply adored this film. Frenetic, funny, and, as eward mentioned, absolutely coherent. Even the film-within-a-film is remarkable with its vivid colors and purely visual storytelling. I'm in love. This is one of my favorites of the year, for sure. Right now, it's right up there with Leave No Trace for joint first. I hope this gets some broader recognition. If nothing else it deserves a major award for the editing.

A stunning piece of cinema. I can't wait to rewatch.
He held on. The dolphin and all the rest of its pod turned and swam out to sea, and still he held on. This is it, he thought. Then he remembered that they were air-breathers too. It was going to be all right.

csage97

As someone who isn't too familiar with the history of this film, do you think it'd be wise to watch They'll Love Me When I'm Dead first, or after the feature?

Reel

I watched "They'll Love Me When I'm Dead" first and found it to greatly enhance the experience of "The Other Side Of The Wind". There's a lot of interesting backstory and behind the scenes info in the doc that will help you to appreciate the unique atmosphere and Orson Welles' unconventional approach to making this film. However, if you prefer going into a movie with fresh eyes you might want to skip it since it does overfamiliarize you with a lot of the shots and plot points.

I really loved it, too. It's one of those movies where even when it seems like things are going over your head, you don't feel lost as long as you're along for the ride. It doesn't expect you to fully comprehend everything that's going on as much as experience it, I wonder if anyone else found similarities to 'Inherent Vice' in this way? One of the most masterfully edited pieces of work I've seen, you can never predict which shot it will cut to to but it always feels like the perfect choice.

csage97

Quote from: Reelist on January 12, 2019, 01:48:52 PM
I watched "They'll Love Me When I'm Dead" first and found it to greatly enhance the experience of "The Other Side Of The Wind". There's a lot of interesting backstory and behind the scenes info in the doc that will help you to appreciate the unique atmosphere and Orson Welles' unconventional approach to making this film. However, if you prefer going into a movie with fresh eyes you might want to skip it since it does overfamiliarize you with a lot of the shots and plot points.

I really loved it, too. It's one of those movies where even when it seems like things are going over your head, you don't feel lost as long as you're along for the ride. It doesn't expect you to fully comprehend everything that's going on as much as experience it, I wonder if anyone else found similarities to 'Inherent Vice' in this way? One of the most masterfully edited pieces of work I've seen, you can never predict which shot it will cut to to but it always feels like the perfect choice.

Thanks for the info. I'm tempted to do the opposite: Watch The Other Side first, and then They'll Love Me second. I'm kind of privy to the idea of going into the feature film blind, and then getting some perspective with the doc afterwards. And then, if I enjoyed the feature, I'll go back with new perspective for a re-watch. This way, I can also give my thoughts about my different experience. Hopefully I won't be missing too much on the very first watch this way, though.

IV is one of my favourite films (and possibly my favourite book). I'm interested to see if there are similarities indeed. And yeah ... I love a beautifully edited film. Can't wait to watch these tonight.

Sleepless

FWIW, I knew almost zero before watching TOSOTW and I haven't seen the doc yet. I will. Then I'll watch TOSOTW again.
He held on. The dolphin and all the rest of its pod turned and swam out to sea, and still he held on. This is it, he thought. Then he remembered that they were air-breathers too. It was going to be all right.