The Dancer Upstairs
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Movie Reviews of The Dancer Upstairs
Movie Review: Intelligent and subtle film debut for John Malkovich
Summary: 5 Stars
THE DANCER UPSTAIRS is a fine example of how films conceived and produced by this country can have all the qualities we honor (and hunger for) in foreign films. Based on true events in the late 1980's in Peru, THE DANCER UPSTAIRS is adapted for the screen from the novel by the same name by the author - Nicholas Shakespeare. The story itself is one of extremes in terror, murder, heinous crimes, and all that is associated with terroist activities in a revolutionary framework. Yet Shakespeare has written a screenplay that focuses more on minds of his characters than on their acts. The 'revolutionary' is a professor of philosophy and his nemesis, tracing his identity and capture, is a thinking man's policeman - a lawyer who turned in his black robes to find a better way to discover honesty. Although Malkovich does not spare images that convey the atrocities (children as suicide bombers, slaughtered dogs hanging from the street lamps, mafia-style executions), he does not dwell on them but rather focuses on the impact on the mind of his lead detective. Javier Bardem is the lead actor here and surpasses his previous successes by demonstrating that he is a 'work in progress' - an actor who grows with every difficult assignment he encounters. His sidekick is well acted by Juan Diego Botto, an actor who knows the subtlties of 'supporting role'. The lead women actors, Laura Morente(as the dancer of the title) and Alexandra Lancastre (as Bardem's wife), are as subtle as they are beautiful, making us believe in the inevitable proof of Bardem's human frailty as he forges his imperturable trail toward justice.The accompanying featurettes are involving conversations and commentaries by Nicholas Shakespeare (who actually lived in Lima, Peru while the 'Shining Path' revolution he describes actually was taking place), by John Malkovich regarding his choices of electing to cast his film with an entirely Spanish speaking crew yet speaking in English and for not naming the country or the particular timeframe of the story which he hopes will make the story more a parable than a docudrama, and by Javier Bardem who addresses the difficulties of keeping his character cerebral. And for once these features truly enhance the film's message.
It is refreshing to know that movies of this caliber exist and that, hopefully, Malkovich will continue his brave stance as a director of consummate taste and subtlety. Highly Recommended, but be prepared to think.
Movie Review: See this film
Summary: 5 Stars
John Malkovich's directorial debut is one of the best films I saw this year. A superb screenplay by fellow first-timer Nicholas Shakespeare (adapting his own novel) with a marvellously sophisticated central character is only the starting point. As you might expect, performance is foregrounded here and Malkovich gets stunning turns from his cast - Javier Bardem, in particular, is heart-breakingly good as the morally-fraught lawyer/detective - and Malkovich clearly knows how to set up his shots. This doesn't look like the directorial debut of an actor who loves the stage. It looks like the work of a born filmmaker who knows precisely what he wants and how to get it. But the real triumph of this film is that it tells a story combining action, romance and political intrigue, without for an instant feeling like the childish Hollywood pap which usually results from that recipe. This is mature, sophisticated storytelling that doesn't treat its audience like popcorn-guzzling idiots looking to be entertained. And yet it does entertain. It maintains a poignancy entirely appropriate to its subject matter, while still managing to be an engaging political thriller. That's quite an achievement. One of the most effective elements of this film is the music, or rather the lack of it. There are, from memory, only three moments when music is used in this film - and its magical every time. It makes you realise how music is usually so over-used as a cheap way of wringing emotion from badly written or badly acted scenes, and how much more REAL the tension and violence and romance can seem without it. It also shows you how effective music can be when used sparingly. The two songs Malkovich chose for this film are beautiful in their own right, yet their deployment is nothing short of spine-tingling. Overall, this a brilliant piece of filmmaking that deserves a place in everyone's DVD collection. Of course there's no soundtrack, so if you want the two songs go grab yourself a copy of Yul Anderson's album "Wind Starlight" for his stunning version of 'All Along the Watchtower', and Nina Simone's "Emergency Ward / It Is Finished / Black Gold" or "Nina Simone Anthology" for 'Who Knows Where the Time Goes?'. Both are available through Amazon.Movie Review: Malkovich is a dancer, too
Summary: 5 Stars
This an understated film that has been underestimated by the critics (and by reviewers here). Americans just don't like understated films with a slower pace. And once this film emerges from the shadow of its director's public persona, it will be seen for what it is--extraordinary. I was completely taken aback by this film because it was not at all what I expected from John Malkovich. This is a gentle film about the human capacity for perversity (the film prefers "corruption"); the contrast between the gentleness of the tone and the violence of the acts cannot be unintentional.
Then, too, the terrorists are mistaken for "normal" people and so we see them as normal people before we see them as terrorists. Malkovitch has taken on one of the most sacred of American film conventions: the bad guys wear black hats so the audience can identify them and they are all bad all the time so the audience knows who to hate. Americans never want to admit we take an extremely realisitic art medium and impose upon it completely unrealistic story conventions. The eye is fooled and the mind blinded.
Wouldn't life be grand if the terrorists wore black hats so we could identify them? We'd know just who to blame for everything.
But what if individual terrorists are made by governmental terrorism? Isn't it significant that most of the 911 terrorists are Saudis?
I expected a ironic, sarcastic, "hipper than thou" annoyance but I saw a genuine, even romantic (gasp), film which moved me to tears.
And then I realized that it John Malkovich's performance that was the heart of "Dangerous Liaisons," not Glenn Close's or Michelle Pfeiffer's. Ahhhhh . . .
Movie Review: A film worth seeing
Summary: 5 Stars
I found this movie riveting, primarily because of the sensitive and unbelievably graceful performance by Javier Bardem as Agustin Rejas, the policeman whose job it is to capture the mysterious guerilla leader Ezequiel. I felt the political commentary almost became secondary, because Bardem captures the screen with his beautiful, expressive face. His concentration on his job, his patience with his shallow wife, his love for his daughter..... all emotions are eloquently displayed, needing little dialogue. When he does speak, his voice is soft and powerful. Bardem lends a certain nobility to this role, and he really becomes Agustin.
His desire for the ballet teacher is palpable, yet he doesn't rush and is excruciatingly hesitant and tender, waiting for a response from her.
I thought Malkovich did a pretty good job directing his first film, although sometimes the violence was a little gratuitous, and I was bothered by the "scene switching" that goes on occasionally. If a viewer wasn't "up" on the politics of the time, it could be very confusing. Interesting locations in Equador and Peru. I'm kind of surprised that this film was in English, as almost all the actors are Spanish speaking . Bardem rises to the occasion with really fluent English with a charming Spanish accent. The wonderful Nina Simone song at the end leaves a lasting impression. A thoughtful movie really worth seeing!
Movie Review: Texture Over Flash and Bang....
Summary: 5 Stars
2003's "The Dancer Upstairs" is an underappreciated but very worthwhile departure from the standard movie drama. It is a thinly fictionalized account of the pursuit of the murderous head of the Peruvian Maoist terrorist group Sendero Luminoso (Shining Path). What could easily have been a flashy, violent thriller is, in Director John Malkovich's treatment, a slow-burning, richly textured movie centered on its characters and its location.
Javier Bardem is superb, and subtle, as a middle-aged detective charged with the pursuit of the leader of the terrorists. His edge is a chance encounter with the otherwise faceless suspect many years earlier. His methodical pursuit of a thin trail of clues is complicated by competition and corruption within the law enforcement community and by his own troubled personal life, not least his interest in his daughter's ballet teacher.
The movie's studiously even-handed presentation provides a textured look at the Peruvian society of the day, including our detective's uncertain links to his own Quechua heritage. This approach may distract viewers looking for police procedural content, but it imparts significant emotional content to the ending of the movie. "The Dancer Upstairs" is very highly recommended to the patient viewer looking for something different in a movie drama.