Luckily I went into this film with low expectations, not because of reviews on IMDb (I never trust amateur reviews), but because I'd never even heard of it before...
I love to put an independent film in the DVD player without any anticipation, sit back with a cup of Earl Grey and let the screenplay lift me out of the mediocrity of todays films into a brave new world.
This film did exactly that.
To be honest, I haven't watched too many Peter O'Toole films, even though everyone raves on about him. I didn't expect anything from him either, but boy did he blow me away with his dialogue. Katherine was exceptional and many of the other big names played nice roles too.
Impressive for a very niche Brit production.
After watching it today I came straight on here to read reviews from other fans. I've never shared a review online before myself, but after seeing some of the crushingly negative reviews, I felt I needed to share my thoughts to add some balance.
Firstly, it is blindingly obvious to me that the 1 star reviews here are by a generation completely spoilt by the cheap wizardry of Hollywood, where stories are created sheerly for profit, history is re-written and every story has the same predictable ending fit for an imbecile.
...And so, when a film like Decline of an Empire comes along with an unusual style of storytelling (dangerous), an original cast (what were they thinking), with real actors who are famous for something other than their body parts (oh my god), and an ending that leaves you with a sense of spiritual growth (!!!), instead of the predictable happily-ever-after-brain-mushing-gunk, people loose their minds!... They just can't take it! I am too young to reminisce the times of Hitchcock or Orson Welles, but I am well aware that era is truly dead... albeit for a few unique gems that come my way unexpectedly, but I feel for those who do reminisce a truly lost art.
Thank you for bringing a sweet taste of originality and depth to my screen, it's rare! Very, very rare...
I love to put an independent film in the DVD player without any anticipation, sit back with a cup of Earl Grey and let the screenplay lift me out of the mediocrity of todays films into a brave new world.
This film did exactly that.
To be honest, I haven't watched too many Peter O'Toole films, even though everyone raves on about him. I didn't expect anything from him either, but boy did he blow me away with his dialogue. Katherine was exceptional and many of the other big names played nice roles too.
Impressive for a very niche Brit production.
After watching it today I came straight on here to read reviews from other fans. I've never shared a review online before myself, but after seeing some of the crushingly negative reviews, I felt I needed to share my thoughts to add some balance.
Firstly, it is blindingly obvious to me that the 1 star reviews here are by a generation completely spoilt by the cheap wizardry of Hollywood, where stories are created sheerly for profit, history is re-written and every story has the same predictable ending fit for an imbecile.
...And so, when a film like Decline of an Empire comes along with an unusual style of storytelling (dangerous), an original cast (what were they thinking), with real actors who are famous for something other than their body parts (oh my god), and an ending that leaves you with a sense of spiritual growth (!!!), instead of the predictable happily-ever-after-brain-mushing-gunk, people loose their minds!... They just can't take it! I am too young to reminisce the times of Hitchcock or Orson Welles, but I am well aware that era is truly dead... albeit for a few unique gems that come my way unexpectedly, but I feel for those who do reminisce a truly lost art.
Thank you for bringing a sweet taste of originality and depth to my screen, it's rare! Very, very rare...