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124 with "Don't Look Now" and rewatching Do the Right Thing.
Sutherland and Christie's love scene is great. The editing of the film is extrodinary; I think it will reveal more to myself when I see it a second time. The mood captured is genuine, and the way Venice and its people become a nightmare recalls The Third Man. Roeg's direction makes much of the film composed through Sutherland's point of view, making the payoff at the end satisfying. However, I am unsure if this is a great film. The unexplained supernatural elements suggest two things: 1) Sutherland does indeed have "second sight" but denies his ability, or 2) that the demons Sutherland face essentially come from his own grief. Now, are these two reconciable to each other? Maybe. But when the demon/grief takes physical form at the end, I don't know if that is a bold move or overstated case by Roeg. The sinister feeling that all people give off in the film also don't seem to fit after the finale realized.
Rewatched Do The Right Thing because I wanted more perspective on Lee after seeing a few more of his pictures. DTRT was the first Spike Lee joint that I had seen, and it left a very strong impression. What I tried this time was to gather a few people to watch the film with me, so it was partially to see how I react to the film now, and how others as well. The verdict: it's still a masterpiece, but not to some of my friends. To two of them, the movie is Lee at his worst, ranting and signaling "black power" to an irrational degree. The way I see it, every side of each character is mirrored by the end quotes of the film, one advocating non-violence, and the other advocating violence when necessary. Conflict is in every corner, and the way Lee develops his themes is dialectical. We see one side, then another, and then we understand that the combination of the two is what makes racial tension so incrediably difficult to escape from. Even to my friends who did not think well of the film, it stirred a conversation.
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