Search - Eros on DVD

Antonioni lives to make films

Marduk Alkhas | Columbia, Missouri United States | 02/14/2006

(4 out of 5 stars)

"It is painful to read some of the reviews, which look at Antonioni's films as literary texts. There are those who consider "Gone With the Wind," or "Casablanca" to be great movies. Some, more sophisticated, movie fans hold "Citizen Kane" in the highest esteem. But these movies, like most Hollywood products are using cinema as a wheelbarrow to bring vaudeville, circus, theatre, opera, and literature to the masses. Cinema, unlike theatre, which is an illegitimate child of literature and poetry, is an original, unique, and independent form of communication. Actually, cinema is closer to music and painting than to literature and theatre. Antonioni is a master filmmaker and since L'Avventura in 1960 every film he has created has been a true cinematic text (Before L'Avventura, his films constitute his "universities," trying to find and establish his personal style). Antonioni in cinema is like Michelangelo in painting and sculpture; like Tolstoy in literature; and Beethoven in music. His episode in "Eros" is a short film. To appreciate it, one has to think of Chekov, and then see it more like a painting and hear it like a sonata. It is not a literary text that goes from A to Z, it is in total, like a painting, a musical melody, that communicates feelings which affect us in the mood we are as we watch it. Then the experience lingers on and becomes a memory; on subsequent viewings, each time, we react differently. It has layers and layers of meanings, which affect us not only according to our mood at the time we watch it, but also according to our attitude to life and what we think of social issues and human relationships. I just wish the Maestro had made the other episodes as well."

Three Faces of Eros

Galina | Virginia, USA | 04/15/2007

(3 out of 5 stars)

"
"Eros" (2004) is the collection of three short films directed by Michelangelo Antonioni (segment "Il filo pericoloso delle cose"), Steven Soderbergh (segment "Equilibrium") , and Kar Wai Wong (segment "The Hand"). Each film explores the always exiting and mysterious subjects of love, sexuality, and desire.

My favorite is "The Hand" - a sensual, emotional, powerful and very sad story about a young tailor who put the years of unrequited love for a beautiful call girl in an exquisite dress he created for her. He knew the exact measurements from touch. This segment is so great that I am ready to buy a DVD just to be able to see it often. It is a brilliant work of art from one of the greatest working directors now.

Steven Soderbergh's "Equilibrium" is a funny duet between two excellent actors, Alan Arkin as a voyeuristic shrink and Robert Downey Jr. as his patient who has a reoccurring dream about a beautiful woman.

Michelangelo Antonioni's segment "Il filo pericoloso delle cose" aka "The Dangerous Thread of Things" has been called the weakest in the trio. Many posters call it garbage, the total waste of time, the soft -porn made by a man who "got old and got horny". I personally did not find it a waste of time and if the man at 92 wants to make a little film that celebrates beauty and femininity - so be it. I feel that Michelangelo's segment is much deeper than it seems - even on the surface it is very attractive to look at.

3.5/5 or 7/10
"

The First One Is the Best One: Uneven Trilogy About 'Eros'

Tsuyoshi | Kyoto, Japan | 05/22/2005

(3 out of 5 stars)

"'Eros' comprises three short films directed by three different directors with the same theme in common, eros. The first segment is the best one, the second comical and witty, and the last one plain embarrassing. So you see them in this order:

"THE HAND" directed by Wong Kar Wai. (5 STARS) Starring respected Chinese actress Gong Li ("Farewell My Concubine") and Chang Chen ("Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" as the bandit leader). This story is about an apprentice tailor (Chen) who is sent to a courtesan (Li) to make a dress. The latter at her heyday treats this youth rather badly at first. Still, the man faithfully keeps on making dresess for her, watching over the woman even after she has lost the patron and her beauty too. Without showing any nudities, the film is very romantic and erotic at times, with the simple premise explored by the great photography of Christopher Doyle and the powerful acting from the leads. In short, don't miss it.

"EQUILIBRIUM" directed by Steven Soderbergh. (3.5 STARS) Starring Robert Downey Jr, and Alan Arkin. This is Soderbergh in lighter mood, with a bit of experiment. It's like a one-act play, and you see Alan Arkin as psychiatrist listening to Robert Downey Jr. in a session. The client is eagerly talking about a mysterious lady in blue in the blue room seen in his dream, but the doctor, sitting behind him, is not attentive, and seems attracted to something, or someone, outside the room. The segment ends with a twist which may or may not please you. Either way, the short film is open to many interpretations, and made with a very humorous touch.

"THE DANGEROUS THREAD OF THINGS" directed by Michelangelo Antonioni. (ONE STAR) How many people remember his films like 'Blow-Up' and 'Zabriskie Point'? You see absolutely nothing that would remind you of the intelligence of the former, or the eye-popping cinematography of the latter. The last segment is about a man and a woman living in Tuscany, probabaly married. They start to quarrel, saying living together is no fun anymore. Then, he meets another woman (living alone in a deserted tower), and sleeps with her. Then ... are you still listening? Lots of nudities from the two ladies, but the entire film is sadly pointless. One lady (grown-up, I mean), stark naked, walks along the beach, gamboling like a little girl does on the sand. It's like watching a film school student's work made in the late 60s.

The booklet I bought at the theater in Kyoto, Japan says that the trilogy was originally offered to Antonioni, who in turn offered to join in the project to Soderbergh and Kar-Wai. Antonioni, born in 1912, suffered from a stroke about 20 years ago, and is now unable to speak. Considering this personal background, his section, for which the film is originally made, is too weak and dull. Ironically Kar-Wai, perhaps the least known director in the English-speaking world, gives the best one, which alone is worth your spending your time."

Obsessive Love

Dori Chang | 05/29/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I am going to cut to the chase and talk about my favorite out of the three -
which would be "The Hand."

I am fully aware of the fact that human beings have the tendency to pursue the unattainable with the utmost intense passion that sometimes, the term "pedestal" does not even begin to scratch the surface. If I were to compare this young tailor's obsession to something chemical, it was like watching a hollow heroin addict hopelessly devoted to the possibility of achieving his ultimate fix of love - from someone who was completely incapable of reciprocating such organic emotion.

We see it over and over again.
This type of "tragedy" takes up a huge chunk of the "love department" in the entertainment industry -
or at least among us melodramatic Asians...

But aside from the story -
it's worth it to watch just because the visual and emotional impact of this movie alone is indeed a work of art.
However, I would like to emphsize that my 5 stars only applies to "The Hand."
Sorry..."