I must say I am a bit puzzled that this movie is not getting more reviews praise etc How come? This is a masterpiece. A
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Clothes-Off — 18 years ago(November 03, 2007 05:41 PM)
Not many films have an 8.0 or higher rating, so I wouldn't say this is nearly as underrated as some films heresome of which are criminally below 7.0.
"Well, for once the rich white man is in control!"
C. M. Burns -
Michael_Galiatsos — 17 years ago(December 24, 2008 02:08 PM)
This is a good film but far away from a masterpiece i dare to say.
In any case you got to keep in mind that young people today are not so fond of old films (especially black & white ones) and are more interested in recent releases.
I mean movies like this one are almost never broadcasted on television and its not easy to find them in an ordinary dvd shop and when you can actually find them then this means that they are in a low self among various collections of world cinema that only the well informed cinefils pay attention to.
To be honest though i like it that these films are underated and not very popular since it gives a mystique touch to them and makes them even more important to the ones that see them. -
pablo-taylor — 14 years ago(February 24, 2012 06:19 AM)
This film isn't underrated at all in my experience; it's both well known and highly regarded by people interested in foreign language films (as are Malle's films in general) and the soundtrack alone is legendary amongst Jazz-lovers. It would be true to say that it isn't well known to modern audiences with purely mainstream tastes but that could be said of 99.9% of international and/or classic cinema.
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PoppyTransfusion — 13 years ago(September 11, 2012 07:15 AM)
IMDb is a surreal place when it comes to film appreciation. Just watched the film for the first time and thoroughly enjoyed it, even the jazz soundtrack and I'm not a jazz afficionado. It was beautifully shot, engrossing and the lead man as Tavernier was great and his character most interesting. The 'stuck in the lift' scenes were great as were the scenes at the motel with the German couple in which wars, fighting and France's colonial problems are all referenced in a most natural way.
Why problem make? When you no problem have, you don't want to make -
gioconda91423 — 9 years ago(June 22, 2016 06:31 AM)
Amazing film on many levels.
First, technical. Jeanne Moreau wanders around in the rain w/hair and face wet in full lighting. How was this done w/o making her look a complete wreck or causing the camera lens to be wet? Quiz at 11.
The shots inside the elevator from all angles. Again very tricky technically. Where exactly was the camera? The sound recorder? The lights? Etc. Or was it all shot on a carefully constructed set? Quiz at noon.
One could go on and on. The editing is seamless. You don't realize it's even happening as the viewer is taken from long shots in the the streets to mid shots where actors engage in dialog to close-ups. Cesar Award for Best Editing to be given in absentia in 2016.
Much of the movie if done w/o dialog, just a magnificent soundtrack by Miles Davis and beautiful sound montage by a brilliant sound person. Incredible work from the sound department. Oscar for "Best Sound" to be delivered in Memoriam in February 2016.
OK Then there is the acting which is superb by all. Casting. Wardrobe. Art direction. This movie is da^n near perfect.
and some write "This film is OKnothing special." Oh really? Guess that poster must be one of the superhero fanboys. This movie is masterful and a must-see for cineastes who appreciate great B/W French crime films of the era.