Furia (1999)

Set in a fictional country in the future society has been devastated by a 13 years war. The prevailing rulers have suppressed all liberties and self expression in their desperation to maintain order.System Requirements:Running Time: 90 minsFormat: DVD MOVIE Genre: ACTION/ADVENTURE UPC: 873820000495 Manufacturer No: SKDDV200066 Product Description

Even though this is an Aja flick, don't expect a gorefest

This is Alexandre("High Tension" & "Hills Have Eyes") Aja's first flick,
which I was very disappointed with (to say the least)
considering the lack of gore and the surplus of really slow character development.
I guess what I'm trying to say is this one was dreadfully boring.
The actors were excellent (and gorgeous might I add),
the music was top-notch,
the settings were bleak & dismal,
and yet I couldn't care less about what was happening onscreen.
When I buy an Aja flick, I expect blood, and gallons of it.
Maybe if I had known what this was that I was getting into, I would've been in a different frame of mind, and might have actually liked it.
But there were almost no visuals, no eye candy to speak of.
(My experience was basically the equivalent to popping in a Fulci flick and finding out it's a love story??)
This flick takes place in a post nuclear France,
where everyone wears scarves for whatever reason,
and the government represses civil liberties in an effort to maintain peace.
One of which is grafiti-art.
(I dont believe defacing public property is a civil liberty, but whatever)
One artist does this in an effort to what?....protest??.....or just to draw? I dont know.
When his new girlfriend is taken away by the army for chalking up a wall,
he reaizes just how serious his situation is.
There's no action, no gore, just 2 sex scenes, a beetle-race & ALOt of character development.

MORAL OF THE STORY:
Art gives people hope,
hope gives people dreams,
dreams give people ideas,
ideas give people reason,
reason gives people the will to live & fight.
OR
When visiting post-nuclear France, remember to pack a scarf.
May 30, 2008

Hauntingly beautiful... a masterpiece.

I bought the Furia soundtrack CD a few years ago and it bowled me over right from the first time I heard it - Brian May's music had me in tears by the sheer emotion of it, and ever since then I've been looking for the movie- without any luck, until now.

The movie is everything I thought it would be - chilling, thought-provoking, deeply moving- aided by the soundtrack that fits it perfectly and by the realistic performances of the two main characters, who the viewer quickly empathises with.

In many ways the film leaves you with questions because it doesn't explain or show everything in minute detail, leaving the viewer to fill in the missing bits as they themselves see it. But this is a good thing- it makes for a deeper story and, in my opinion, it has more of an impact on you. What isn't said is often more powerful than what is.

The emotion is built up right from the start, strongest in the dramatic scenes toward the end- accompanied by the songs 'Gun', 'Escape' and 'Go On', then finally onto the less dramatic, but tearjerker 'Dream of Thee'.

Buy the soundtrack CD as well as the DVD - listen to the music, then watch the movie and I am sure that, as I was, you'll be left completely amazed (and in tears) by the time it ends.
April 11, 2008

A must for Cotillard fans

This lesser-known Marion Cotillard film, though gritty and tough to take, is an absolute must for new fans of the French Oscar winner. Those who came to admire Cotillard's work in LA VIE EN ROSE, but who have only seen BIG FISH, A GOOD YEAR, or the French TAXI 1,2 and 3, may have wondered how the romantic comedy star developed her intensity as Edith Piaf. FURIA shows that this actress has had courage and intensity all along. The film takes place in a country destroyed by wars and authoritarian government. Artists who draw on building walls are arrested and brutally treated; it's assumed they are part of a resistance force. As one of these artists, Elia Costamar (Cotillard) is finally chased and captured. Her interrogation scenes are more than convincing; she looks truly terrified, and I for one believed every minute. Stripped, beaten, violated, Elia is subjected to the worst dehumanizing I've ever seen in a film. The actress not only proves how deeply she will go into herself to portray a character, she makes a case against any country, including the USA, which attempts to justify torture of human beings. NOTE: The film includes two nude love scenes, which are not unusual in European films, but are rare in American movies. I came away from this film filled with admiration, once again, for Cotillard's total dedication to her art. This woman is a major artist of our time. April 9, 2008

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