Weird how a science-fiction satire from 80s Communist Poland resonates so much with our present. I guess propaganda via mass-media is timeless and so are the movies that adress it, even if the "target" of the satire is no longer the same.
And man... that final shot is quite something!
What a gem! Yes, it's in a bad shape, despite the World Cinema Foundation's restauration efforts. Yes, the picture quality varies - yes, there are missing frames and probably missing scenes... But this does nothing to dampen the power of this simply amazing film! I don't see how you cannon be completely engrossed in its complex intrigue, with multiple overlapping conflicts. And despite the picture quality, this is a visually arresting work, from the still close-up portraits of its protagonists to the quite impressive set-pieces (the exploding sheep, the final chase through the city's narrow streets etc).
I will admit, from the start, that I'm not a Coppola enthusiast. I think The Conversation is a masterpiece and I like the Godfather films (all of them), but beyond that, I haven't even seen many of his 80s-90s... I did see the post-2000 ones as they came along, with "Tetro" being a lone favorite. Of course, the elephant in the room is "Apocalypse Now", seemingly an undisputed masterpiece that I've always struggled with. I remember going to a screening…
