They really nailed the Orpheus Eurydice theme. There were some excellent parallels to the myth as well as some great subversive aspects of their retelling, as Marianne and Heloise seemed to flow back in forth into the Orpheus/Eurydice roles.
It reminded me a lot of the Birth of Tragedy, and the distinctive Apollonian and Dionysian qualities of Marianne and Heloise. Heloise (rich, wide, fertile) represents the natural order for women (being married off to noblemen, but also becoming a nun)…
Actually one of the most effortlessly "Boston" movies I've seen, besides the Fenway shot which I will allow since it's featured in every Boston movie ever. Casting is superb (John Slattery is a bonafide Boston Guy), especially the Southie/Dot guys with small parts. Very bizarre watching a movie filmed at your high school and on locations where you've stumbled around drunkenly or parked illegally.
I really enjoyed seeing references and lines (gin joints line, Here's to looking at you kid, etc.) in their original context.
Captain Renault was one of the more interesting characters for me. Represents a lot of the "neutral" parties during WW2 who profited greatly from their neutrality and being able to do business with all sides at once. The whole ordeal with the Bulgarian woman was very greasy, but I liked how she and her husband appeared throughout the movie…
