Customer Reviews

Gaudi Afternoon [VHS]

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

If you are familiar with the wacky but gloriously fun architecture of Gaudi, with all the monuments to his gifts collected in Barcelona, then you will have an inkling of the pleasures in store for you in this little treasure of a film GAUDI AFTERNOON. Almost as a metaphor for the way life imitates Gaudi's art, this well written, photographed and acted film is so off the beaten track that that it slipped by the major theaters who search for the Big Movies, often neglecting these fine ornaments. In short, this is a story of an expatriated American, at odds with her own life and family, who settles temporarily in Barcelona to translate a South American novel from Spanish into English. In the midst of her tedious ad frustrating life pops what appears to be a glamourous femme fatale who hires our bored translator to find her estranged husband. And that is all the plot you get. All of the characters she encounters in her tidbit of detective work are uniquely different from what they appear. In the end all turns out well, but it is the getting there that is so much fun! With actessses such as Judy Davis, Marcia Gay Harden, Lily Taylor, and Juliette Lewis expect the best of work. These women are gifted comediennes and the director and cinematographer use them as embellishments visually and emotionally and sarcastically to the wondrously photographed architecture of Gaudi. This movie is rich in color, in imagination, in acting, and in joy. Treat yourself!

What a pleasant surprise. An extra star for the surprise. Shame on the studio for tossing this film away. And why they ever decided to market this as a Lesbian film I'll never know. Anyway, I smiled through the whole thing, and laughed loudly over many little moments. It's all about the actors looking like they are having a really good time making a silly yet thoughtful film. And what a great cast. It's a small little piece of entertainment with lots to offer without hitting you over the head with typical Hollywood grossness. Best not to know a lot about the slim plot- just watch it and enjoy.

Though Barbara Wilson's novel by the same name casts the characters a bit differently than the film does, this cinematic exploration of gender and sexuality is really entertainting. When I try to explain it to my hip and theory-wise friends they roll their eyes at all of the plot twists, but they don't seem so hokey as you watch. And the opening credit sequence of this film is stunning--absolutely stunning. There are all of these gorgeous stained-glass-like images which fold and melt into one another; almost the way the identity of some of the characters evolves and shifts during the course of the film. We have the usual independent film suspects in the cast--notably Marcia Gay Harden and Lili Taylor--but oddly it doesn't just feel like yet another little indie film that could. The actors do a wonderful job of seducing us as much as each other, and Judy Davis' performance is much more nuanced than perhaps the film even asks for--which makes it especially delicious. And the landscape of Barcelona is truly fabulous. From the first frame to the last frame, you'll be entranced and engaged and surprised.

Gaudi Afternoom is what you could call an alternative piece of comedy . Set and filmed entirely in Spain , the movie is sharp , witty and full of dark humour . More of a film-noir if you'd like to categorize it , it's been carried by a group of talented , underrated female actors . Davis is excellent in the lead role and so is Marcia Gay Harden ( in her most unusual part yet ) who is been provided with more than a couple of poisonous lines to work on by the script . The female versus..."female" scenes are all great yet the best one of all is when Harden and Taylor try to convince a little girl that they can compromise with each other and get over their differences , all in return for her precious love . Certaintly not your ordinary hollywood comedy flick , this spicy film waits for you to discover .

Gaudi of the title is, of course, Antonio Gaudi, one of the most famous architecht of the world, and you may remember the unique form of The Church of Saglada Familia, in Barcelona. This film follows the journey of Cassandra, amateur translater turned amateur detective, who wanders in the maze of sexuality in this beautiful city situated in Catalonia.

But don't misunderstand here. This is an off-beat comedy, so you see no blood or dead body. Actually, it is delectable Judy Davis you will see, and as Cassandra she is at her best since her role in "Children of Revolution." Cassandra, born in Missigan, is now living in a narrow apartment in Barcelona, where she landed some years ago. She is making her ends meet by translating a Spanish book into English, but finds herself no longer capable of the job. Facing the danger of eviction, she meets a mysterious visitor Frankie, who asks her to find a person named Ben. Reluctantly she accepts the offer, but it is only the begining of her new life among the colorful, unconventional people living in this city.

I refrain from mentioning the further development of the story, because there are many twists and turns in it. Not that the story is difficult to follow; rather, you will find the film is challenging our concepts on sexuality and family. Director Susan Seidelman (known for "Desperately Seeking Susan," one of the decent films Madonna made) knows what she is doing, presenting the portraits of characters as unique as Gaudi's works, and many of them will easily and elusively slip away from our ideas about gender, which are formed from their outward looks.

So, relax and enjoy the complicated web of sexuality, and as Judy Davis's character is, you will be always comfortably deceived. As I said, Davis is superb, and Marcia Gay Harden is also effective. You see Juliette Lewis (as April, always with some smell of illegal substance) and Lili Taylor too. For Spanish film fans, you find Pedro Armodbar regular Maria Barranco, and from England Christopher Bowen appears as a magician (whose sensual singing is a stand-out).

Always pleasant, and surprising, the film keeps on going not in a straight way, like the undulating forms of Gaudi architechture. Speaking of which, you can see many Gaudi's works in Barcelona, from the distant view of Saglada Familia, to the apartment house where Judy Davis stakes out to photograph the still unknown character Ben. You may say that the city itself is the leading actor of the film, and perhaps you are right. The film is as original and free from conventional views on sex, and succeeds to make its point without being heavy or dogmatic. The story inevitably looks muddled at the end, but still the film offers something very unique, and idiosyncratic.

I loved this film. It was a sweet little surprise when I happned on to it.

Of course I love Judy Davis...she can do no wrong. Beyond that the film has a great story line. All the actors give great performances.

Check it out!!

Had read the book many years ago, had heard rumblings about making a movie based on the book and then nothing.... found this video by accident, and what a wonderful find. Of course, I would watch Judy Davis in anything, even a movie about cleaning stalls in Union Terminal. Marcia Gay Harden was an absolute delight. The only real flaw in the movie, to me, was the little butch. For some reason, she grated. But, still five stars for Ms. Davis and Ms. Harden. If you can find the video, rent it. Ms. Davis' facial expressions are worth the rental fee.

I loved this movie. I've always been a huge Judy Davis fan since I discovered her in David Cronenberg's Naked Lunch. The characters are almost as whimsical as the architecture. The cinematography is one of the outstanding features on this film. My question is whether this film is available in a widescreen format? Having seen the film in it's original aspect ratio I was disappointed by this full frame release. We miss so much of the movie that, even with the interesting plot and characters, it is ultimately frustrating and disappointing.

Gaudi Afternoon is based on the book by Barbara Wilson and for the most part stays pretty faithful to the characterizations created in the book. This isn't your ordinary Hollywood mystery involving guns, violence, and car chases. It's more about the people. Because this movie was so well cast, we come to like and care about the characters fairly quickly. Judy Davis, especially shines as the sexually repressed translator, Cassandra Reilly. Davis does some amazing acting with her eyes, breathing, and facial expressions. Almost as good is Marcia Gay Harden who has most of the best lines in the movie (and the juciest role, too). The supporting characters played by Lili Taylor (indie movie queen) and Juliette Lewis are also very good. The Spanish location is almost a character, too, lending the film its noir and intrigue.

The plot revolves around frustrated translator Cassandra Reilly, who finds herself blocking over her latest project, and the mysterious woman named Frankie Stevens who rescues her from her dreary life at the moment. Frankie comes to Cassandra to ask for her translation assistance in locating her ex-husband, Ben. From this basic plot point, the rest of the story unfolds at a comfortable clip.

Though most of the movie is just plain entertaining, it does try a little too hard at times to make some points about unconventional families. At these moments the movie gets sappy and seems just a bit too earnest. Thankfully these times are limited. Minor plot details seem a tad unrealistic and at times some of the characters, especially the ones played by Taylor and Lewis, devolve into stereotypes and charicatures, probably because they're not as well-developed as the two leads.

But, for the most part this is a fun, quirky, and offbeat movie. Pop yourself some popcorn and sit on a cozy couch to watch it and be entertained.

Good performances, direction, script, cinematography, score...I wonder why this film didn't get proper release in theaters as it deserved. Anyway, distribution mysteries apart, at least it's now available in Dvd, so I strongly recommend to give it a try if you're interested in independent films. It could be described as mystery comedy in which nobody is whom appears to be. Yet, besides a plot full of surprises, I found most interesting the underlying theme and approach to these new kind of families spreading all around us, in which one or both parents are gay but with a son to raise, and how hard that may be. Though the film is not perfect, and some relationships could have been better developed, I hopefully believe this film is a true sleeper which, in time, will achieve the credit it deserves.