Customer Reviews

Eros [ NON-USA FORMAT, PAL, Reg.2 Import - Belgium ]

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(9)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

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...

"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

Two well-crafted erotic tales sandwiched around a cartoon intermission directed by Steven Soderbergh.

The first, and best of the short films, "The Hand" is both moving and erotic. The third, "The Dangerous Thread of Things" is muddled. . .but it steams, and thus deserves its place in an collection of erotica. The second, well. . .

(Sssh. I enjoyed it. It made me laugh. It is insightful. It is a sketch of two interesting, memorable characters. But here's my theory: the producers asked each filmmaker to make something erotic. Soderbergh simply misheard and made something neurotic.)

Each film is introduced by captivating, surreal animation--a tie that binds the collection--a joy to watch themselves.

'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.

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 international directors have made short film exploring nature of the human sexuality. First story is set in China and explores connection between a concubine and a young tailor apprentice who makes her dresses for her clients. Young tailor falls in love hopelessly with a beautiful prostitute. He knows her body so well, he can make her clothes without taking her measurements. I loved the part where is is alone in a shop one evening and imagines having her while caressing her silk dress he made for her. I have never seen a film recently about a man so consumed by his desire for a woman he cannot have. Second film written and produced by Steven Soderbeg starring Alan Arkin and Robet Downey, Jr. is the best of of the three. It explores young marketing executive with a recurring erotic dream he cannot explain, who visits his shrink in attempt to undersatndf them. The shrink seems to have preoccupations of his own during their therapy session. Both actors give magnificent performance that is funny and engaging. Setup for their dialog is in 1950s so this part of the film is made in black and white that adds even more power to it. The weekest part of the trilogy is the Italian film that supposedly celebrates female sexuality. But I found nude scenes and lovemaking scenes, scenes of lovers bickering privately and publicly too tedious to be able to celebrate what director wanted us to see. Perhaps in his case, less would have been more. Good idea, but poor execution. But overall, what this film is saying is that there is no confusion, no matter which part of the world we are what eros is.

I may be the only one on this review thread to say this, but I think the trashing of Antonioni's segment is very short sighted. The Dangerous Thread of Things (a great title) is very Antonioni like, with excellent compositions and some really beautiful, haunting moments. The dialogue isn't the greatest (and the actors are dubbed into Italian, which doesn't help), but visually it's superb. Many have said that Antonioni's use of nudity was gratuitous, accusing Michelangelo of being a dirty old man (he was 94 when he made this). Similar accusations were leveled at Stanley Kubrick following Eyes Wide Shut (which had many similarities to Antonioni's work). It didn't feel like an exploitation film at all (as some have said). Wong Kar-Wai's segment is very much like his other work, haunting, sad, and quite moving, even though there isn't any real nudity. Soderbergh's segment, while occasionally amusing (Arkin and Downey give good performances), doesn't belong in a film about eroticism. There's nothing remotely erotic about it, other than Downey's character has an erotic dream of sorts (which isn't very erotic). So, I think Antonioni's segment is just fine, and Kar-Wai's is very good too. Like another reviewer said, the segments are too short, and it would have been nice if they were longer. This is worth renting for The Hand, The Dangerous Thread of Things, and the short film by Antonioni called Eye to Eye.

The initial concept for making this film was to offer three variations on the theme of love from three directors from three cultures. Or is the title 'Eros' more about the erotic than about love? Question unanswered by this triptych of minor works by some superb directors. The end result seems to be three streams of conscious thoughts looking for a reason to make it to the screen. With the brilliance of the three directors one would expect far more than the film delivers.

Wong Kar Wai presents the strongest of the three films in a dark story about a tailor who sublimates his desire for a courtesan (Gong Li) by making clothes for her - a 'servant' who finally reverses his role. The photography and interweaving of the characters is very beautiful to experience.

Steven Soderberg makes a testy little script about an ad man (Robert Downey, Jr) in therapy with a bizarre psychiatrist (Alan Arkin) exploring a recurring sensual dream. Shot is black and white the actors give it their all but the story is silly and becomes boring with all the distractions Soderberg works into the weak plot.

Antonioni attempts to breathe life into the old Italian movies of lover's spats and diversions and comes up with what feels like a scriptless little mess of a movie bent solely on see-through blouses and nude cavorting on beaches.

As a triptych the film just doesn't become airbourne, despite some very high powered, first rate directors. Much ado about very little. Grady Harp, February 06

The three stories are quite uneven, being the Wan Kar Wai's segment the most interesting: well acted, well photographed and with a kind of catchy story line. However, the other too are a wonderful invitation to sleep. The Steven Soderbergh tale is awfully dull and nothing really interesting happens. The Antonioni piece is the most disappointing one, not only for being the worst but for being Anyonioni's. It's absolutely pointless and confusing; in many instances, it seems to be an amateurish test from a lazy cinema student. It's a pity it's Antonioni's since his reputation deserves more than this. Only for the Wan Kar Wai piece, I give this movie 2 stars.

It's tough to pull off something like Eros because it's a package deal. Three different minis from three different directors was truly the mixed bag you'd imagine, and unfortunately I only enjoyed one.

From least enjoyed to most enjoyed....Soderberg's middle entry "Equilibrium" tries to be funny and clever but never worked for me, and listening to Robert Downey, Jr. ramble endlessly didn't help. The black and white effect was hokey and I kept waiting for something interesting to be said and it never was. It's by far the talkiest of the three and yet it says by far the least.

Antonioni's end installment "The Dangerous Thread of Things" begs for harsh criticism as it has an air of pretension and art that nearly suffocates it, but the cinematography, the whimsical nature, and the quirky randomness of it made it a bit more interesting than its predecessor. His view on sexual attitudes, free spirits, and how they affect a relationship was thoughtful, but also felt a bit stereotypical. In the end, however, it was a beautiful Italian postcard that failed to appeal to me on any other level.

The real jewel in this trifecta is Wong Kar-Wai's offering, a beautiful, heartbreaking, and tender work that fills in all the emotional voids the other two create. It's a shame this is the first movie because the bar is set so high that the others have nowhere to go but under...and they do.

Gong Li turns in a fine performance, especially in the final scenes when the make-up is off and she is vulnerable and endearing. Chang Chen is superb as the quietly suffering tailor who blindly and faithfully pines for Gong Li's fading courtesan character. His timid uncertainty blossoms into soft-spoken strength and he demonstrates a heart big enough for both of them. It's an achingly sweet movie.

Is the forty-five minutes or so of the Kar-Wai feature strong enough to justify a purchase? It depends upon how much of a collector you are. At less than ten bucks, you'd have to make the call. It's a shame this little gem of a movie can't be released as some kind of extra to another of Kar-Wei's full length movies.