Ararat
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Movie Reviews of Ararat
Movie Review: Recommendation of DVD Version
Summary: 5 Stars
I originally watched this movie on cable and found it very interesting. I wanted to watch it again and got a good deal on the DVD from ebay. I'm glad I bought it. The director's commentary for the film is excellent. Egoyan directly speaks to many of the things that seemed unusual to me. For better or worse (depending on your taste), there is definite thought behind how everything was presented. It was interesting to understand the effort that Egoyan put into the movie and how he probably set himself up for criticism by not making a straighforward film about Armenian history. He just couldn't help himself; he makes something much more complex and ambiguous. It's also interesting how many times he talks about a scene being crucial. He says it so much that he even catches himself. Yet, his explanations make sense. Some viewers may have wanted him to do something different, but he has a reason for what he did. So, if you're a bit confused by all the back and forth commentary in the reviews here, there is any easy solution. Listen to what Egoyan was trying to do and then decide whether the movie is good on those terms. For me, it's great.Movie Review: Complex + Egoyan = Brilliant Story...
Summary: 5 Stars
Ararat is a brilliant and complex story about a young man being stopped in customs with a suspect bundle of tin containers containing undeveloped films. The customs officer (Christopher Plummer) begins a long and tedious interrogation in regards to the tin containers, which has it roots in a 1915-1918 genocide of Turkish Armenians. The story that the young man reveals is tied to him, his fathers death 15 years ago, stepfather's death, a film director, a film production, his step sister, his mother, a gay couple, a famous painter, and how the Armenian holocaust affects them in today's society. The cross-examination also brings a symbolic meaning to whether the 1915-1918 genocide of Turkish Armenians, which is still denied to this day by the Turkish government, ever took place. Egoyan brings another cerebral story to the audience as he displays his vast knowledge of human behavior and the denial people deal with under unpleasant circumstances. In addition, the script is a clever creation as it exposes human nature in natural dialogues from a wide variety of multifaceted characters who bring different lights to the issue at hand.Movie Review: What a story. What a film.
Summary: 5 Stars
I can't remember any film that addresses so many serious topics on such a sophisticated level. While it isn't always successful (some of the actors aren't quite up to the task), I didn't care.
In case anyone misses it, Arshile Gorky (the film's artist) was a real painter. He didn't speak until he was 6, but he could express himself incredibly well through art. Gorky's mother had seen her own father nailed to a church door, and she was forced to watch as the Turks murdered her first husband. She later died by Gorky's side as the fled east of their home away from the Turks.
The photograph of Gorky and his mother is also a real artifact that inspired (and tormented) his later work. Gorky took his name later in life when he came to America. It means "bitter" in Russian. In 1946, his studio burnt down, and a later operation gave him a colostomy bag. Finally, a car crash and a physical altercation with his wife led to his family leaving him in 1948. Gorky subsequently hanged himself.
And, if one wishes, one can blame it all on those Turks back at the start of the century.
Movie Review: Remarkable and Multi-dimensional
Summary: 5 Stars
This film is a work on many levels dealing with various social and political issues. The movie within a movie concept is successfully executed by Egoyan. There are also numerous talented actors in this film such as the main character David Alpay and even popular singer Charles Aznavour.It seems as though some reviewers who gave this movie a negative review have not actually seen the movie. These are individuals who attempt to sabotage works dealing with the Armenian Genocide. However, a few Turkish scholars have risked their lives and accepted the Genocide and believe it is the first step to accept their history and actions of their ancestors. Also, contrary to what one reviewer wrote, this movie is based on a HISTORICAL ACCOUNT by the American physician Dr. Clarence Ussher who set up a hospital in Van and witnessed the horrors of Genocide.
The bottom line is this movie is very thought provoking as the New York Times reviewer wrote. This is one of those movies where you will find yourself trying to answer questions long after you've seen the film. Thus, one viewing will not suffice.
Movie Review: Very demanding and serious movie
Summary: 5 Stars
If you're into typical hollywood movies (action, sex, violence) this is not the movie for you...go watch the James Bond flick instead. There is one sex scene, some violence and a rape scene. The movie is not perfect (I thought the sex scene was not necessary), but it makes up for the shortcomings in many other ways.It is a very thought-provoking, multi-dimensional movie about one of the most horrific crimes of the 20th century, the Armenian Genocide....beware that you can't blink or you'll miss a plot or two. This film is not a documentary about the Armenian Genocide. It is about the modern day lives of people that are impacted by the genocide (denial). I don't think this will do any justice in teaching about the Genocide to people that don't know much about it. The current politics of the denial are concealed in the many sub-plots throughout the movie.
I watched the film last night and I'm still thinking about it and analyzing it with others. There are too many stories and plots in this film. I'm going to watch it again to get a grasp of everything that was happening.