Dancer In The Dark

Rating: R

Movie Release Date: September 8, 2000 (Denmark/Finland/Norway/Sweden) / October 6, 2000 (USA)

DVD Release Date: March 20, 2001

Plot 411: A woman makes the ultimate sacrifice to ensure her sun has a bright future.

Review: Selma (Bjork) and her son are immigrants from Czechoslovakia living in the US in this bittersweet musical. She works in a factory and rents a little trailer outside of her landlord's home. Unfortunately, an eye disease runs in her family and she's slowly losing her sight. She is saving her money so that her son can get surgery to prevent blindness. When she confides in her landlord about this secret, events unfold that bring even more hardship upon her. This movie started really slow, and I found my attention wandering. However, the drama really picked up and Bjork's performance was amazing. The singing and dancing throughout the film was a little odd as I somehow only connect musicals with happiness. This movie had very little happiness in it. I think this would've worked better without the musical aspect by presenting an even bigger impact because the music and dance distracted from the emotional mother/son relationship and all the sacrifices that were made. Another unique aspect about this movie is the various camera angles. They really served to add perspective and emotion to the movie, especially when they represented Selma's point of view. Bjork's voice fluctuates between haunting and sweet as she sings. I think this is perfect for the role of Selma. Also in this film are Catherine Deneuve, David Morse and Peter Stormare.

Watch It: For a heart-wrenching story about love and loss. It's sorta like Chicago but not as glamorous and sparkly.

Skip It: Because it's pretty weird and definitely not for everyone.

Les parapluies de Cherbourg / The Umbrellas Of Cherbourg

Rating: Not Rated

Movie Release Date: February 19, 1964 (France) / December 16, 1964 (USA)

DVD Release Date: October 28, 1997

Plot 411: Young lovers are separated for two years and are confronted with real life and the consequences of their choices.

Review: Alright, this is the second time I'm doing this because I lost the first one somehow. Genevieve (Catherine Deneuve), 17, and Guy (Nino Castelnuovo), 20, are madly in love and, in youthful exuberance, want to get married. This, of course, is not approved of by Genevieve's mother (Anne Vernon), and when Guy receives his notice to serve in the French army they must put their wedding plans on hold. This destroys them, but they both vow to wait for each other. Shortly after Guy leaves, Genevieve discovers she's pregnant. She also meets a sophisticated, older man named Roland. Unlike Guy, Roland can offer a much better future for her and has the full support of her mother, but can Genevieve forget Guy so easily? This was a unique musical that was at times too operatic for my tastes. The continuous singing was a bit much, especially since I had to read the subtitles. Perhaps in it's native language, the singing would not be as distracting. But from a foreign standpoint, it seemed terribly melodramatic. Despite this, I still enjoyed this film a lot because while it was romantic, it wasn't sentimental. It portrayed real life and real life decisions were made. The characters lived with the consequences, and there were no knights on white horses to save the day. There was no Hollywood ending. This, in itself, was refreshing. The brightly colored costumes and set also created a unique feeling within the film. I don't know if this is a purely '60s thing, if it has something to do with musicals of that generation or if it's just plain French, but all the colors were wonderful. The wallpaper within Genevieve's house alone could chase the clouds away. The wardrobe colors were also unique because the characters all seemed to match each other. The color pallete was definitely something you don't see everyday.

Watch It: For the paradox of a realistic plot set in the fantasy of a musical.

Skip It: If a sweeping melodrama and romance set to song makes you grind your teeth in resistance.