Reviews

I have to say I wasn't at all swept away by this movie. Au contraire! Monica Belucci is worth all 2 excruciating hours or so that it takes to see this movie. If I was to be so bold, I'd say that this is exactly the reason why French cinema is lacking behind American cinema. It's full of clichés, stunts and fights. It is really hilarious. What do you get by mixing a Native American martial arts priest with a the fair-hair French version of Van Damme, all transposed into 18th century France, with a sullen mixture of old folks tales and grandma's hearsay? Well, Pact Des Loups with a touch of Belucci nudity, of course! Now, I shouldn't be that mean. The movie has its merits: beautifully shot and Belucci's ... you know. Anyway, if your taste in movies goes past mass cinematic recipes, then better go stare at a wall for two hours. It would probably be more worthwhile than wasting your precious short life on this one. Except of course for sweet Monica's disturbing charms. Hey, what are two hours after all, go see it!

I really think that people are taking the wrong approach at this one. First of all, I find this short-film very entertaining and interesting. I just take it for what it is. I think the suspense and mystery are ingenious in their insinuation upon the watcher. One other thing that caught my fancy was that it immediately gets the viewer involved even though there is no clear story, just hints and pauses and emotions played out by the characters that kind of give you the impression that there is a story to all that is going on. No-one else could have done that better than Lynch. This is the essence of lynchianism at its best. Sure, I will agree with anyone that people that start viewing this with the desire to be entertained without any really imaginative work from the viewer's side, will find themselves disappointed. And in good right. Lynch is not about that. At least this side of Lynch is not. The one that helped make Lost Highway/Mulholland Dr. is at full tilt here and people that just expect to be entertained like they would watching anything else, will just not get what this is all about. My opinion is that Darkened Room is all about messing with your animal-core, your instinctual self, by giving you the means (image, sound, situation) by which you instinctively react. It's not about pleasure of any kind, it's about getting the desired reaction out of you. And, that, my friend, is pure art.

It is fairly rare that moving pictures are made with real artistic value in mind and even more rare when the endeavor pays off. Well, The Quay brothers' Institute Benjamenta is one such picture. At first sight it might appear a little too pretentious with an abounding array of hidden symbolism of a strange and antique meaning but then again, the basic thread of the picture is as old as humanity itself, pointing back to the ancestral roots of what makes us human: to love and to loose. It is remarkable the technique and the rendering of the camera in the Quay brothers' masterpiece. You cannot but help wondering if the images themselves are not centuries old and, in a sense, that is exactly the aim of the picture, to make itself look old and timeless, at the same time. I urge anyone who is really looking for that special feeling films give us, far from commercialism and hollywoodia, to see this movie. Sure, most of you will find it a little bit hard to watch but if you give it patience and let the mood of the picture fill you from within your imagination then I think this will be a rewarding cinematic experience.

Now, seeing this movie was a total waste of time!

First of all, I should begin to say that I only wanted to see this movie because I am such a big admirer of Murnau's 1922 'Nosferatu'. It turns out that the 1979 version is nothing more than a compendium of bad acting, embarrassing scenes and shabby decors.

Did you ever feel embarrassed when when watching a really cheesy movie? Well, you'll have plenty of time to if you decide to see this one. To be more exact, you'll have almost two hours at your disposal to feel bad for wasting your time watching this worthless piece of film waste.

I cannot believe that something like this could ever be produced. I feel it is an insult to the great Murnau's work of art. OKey, I can understand that maybe Herzog attempted to make a spoken version of the story. Needless to say he failed miserably.

I am so curious, how could anyone mark this movie with something more than a 2?!?! Is there someone else that feels the same about this?

This is, in all probability, one of the best 5 horror movies ever made and, most surely, one of the best 50 movies ever made.

It has endured over 80 years of film industry and it is still going strong on points like atmosphere, imagery, setting and characters. Simply outstanding features for any movie. And when one comes to realize that it has been made in 1922, one comes to appreciate the true genius of F.W.Murnau. I would say that any true film enthusiast should have seen this movie at least a few times.

If you come to appreciate this work of art then you should probably go and see 'Das Kabinett des Doktor Caligari' and 'Golem'.