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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
50 of 54 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
mesmerizing, haunting and visually stunning,
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This review is from: Northfork (DVD)
This film is based on the first screenplay by brothers Michael and Mark Polish, though it is the third of their trilogy to be filmed.Set in a small Montana town in the 1950s, this is the story of town with a mythic past that is now doomed. A dam will submerge the town soon, so there is palpable, imagic tension as three storylines develop: first, a young adopted boy, dying, is returned to Fr. Harlan (Nick Nolte) as his parents leave town, so the priest keeps vigil over the youngster and comforts him as much as possible; secondly, six agents (including James Woods and Mark Polish) with a monetary incentive have been sent to roust out those landholders who refuse to budge, and they have a number of surrealistic experiences along the way; finally, whenever the young boy collapses he encounters four purported angels who seem to be searching for him. It would be interesting to give this premise to a half dozen filmmakers and see the various movies they come up with; in the Polish brothers' case, we get a remarkable melange of images and themes -- angels, death, wings, bearing witness to each other, loneliness and human grief -- all set in a dream-like landscape. The cast is flawless, the pacing is slow (which makes it easier to enjoy the extraordinary visuals), and the stark situation is emphasized using a variety of techniques to film in color though almost always appearing to be black & white. It's fascinating to listen to the brothers' commentary which tells us, among other things, that these guys were basically bankrupt when they made the film and that their father became the production designer because he was the only person who, when asked to build an ark, just said "How big?". In addition to a fascinating (and essential) commentary track, extras include a series of featurettes collectively running 36 minutes and called "BareKnuckle Filmmaking: the Construction of Northfork", which delves into the genesis, production and filming of this remarkable film, including great comments from the actors; a trailer; and a Sundance Channel 4-1/2-minute featurette about the brothers in Montana, their homestate and the location of filming. I'm amazed at the polarity of the reviews on this movie, and would suggest that if you are a person who likes straightforward narrative, this is probably not for you; however, if you enjoy life's amibiguities, mystery, symbolism and earlier Polish Brothers' films -- get this as quickly as you can. It is unique and breathtaking. These talented siblings are two of the most innovative visionaries in cinema today. When others' films are long forgotten, our grandchildren will be watching these films. These guys are totally underappreciated, and I hope they make films forever. It doesn't seem right that they have to struggle to get their works filmed, but I'm so grateful to them for all the passion and effort that they bring to their projects and with which they inspire their colleagues.
32 of 36 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Offbeat but beautiful meditation on change and acceptance,
By
This review is from: Northfork (DVD)
In 1955, the town of Northfork, Montana was flooded when the gates of a completed dam were closed. Against this backdrop, two related stories are told. In one, three teams of men, motivated by rewards of lakefront property, attempt to get local die-hards to move on before their homes are flooded. This story is filled with humor - visual gags, offbeat characters, and a 100% off-the-wall scene at the local diner. But there are human touches, too, as one father-and-son team argue over whether to save their wife/mother's coffin from the rising flood.In the other story, Father Harlan (played with heart-breaking tenderness by Nick Nolte) takes care of Irwin, a young orphan who is dying. As Irwin drifts in and out of consciousness, his fevered mind creates visions of angelic beings and reunion out of the landscape and his pitifully few belongings - a model airplane, a comic book, bird feathers he's collected. This film is very carefully crafted. The two, interleaved stories are visually unified by the "big sky" landscape and a color palette of muted blues, grays, and tans (everything - land, water, buildings, machinery, people - is color-coordinated). The transitions between the two stories deliberately link the fantasy-like character of Irwin's angelic visions with the absurd elements in the evacuation story, and at one point suggest that Irwin's dreams may not be that far off the mark. And finally, Nolte's monologue, inspired by his own experience, goes straight to the heart of the matter. The result, for me, was a gentle and moving meditation on the inevitability of change and loss, and the grace we find through humor and acceptance. This is visual poetry, a movie to watch again and again.
13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Indescribably beautiful, albeit a bit confusing.,
By
This review is from: Northfork (DVD)
Northfork (Michael Polish, 2003)Michael and Mark Polish, the same writing team behind the delightfully twisted Twin Falls, Idaho, now unveils Northfork. I'm not sure there are enough good things I can say about this movie, and yet I feel I lost a lot in translation from the big screen. The basic structure around which all the stories revolve is the moving of the (real) town of Northfork, Montana, to higher ground in 1955. Various subplots involve three teams of related men hired to move the locals who refuse to leave their homes; the priest who runs the local orphans' home, which is left with a sole orphan to place; and four individuals impossible to describe who are searching for a relative. The acting in this film is simply superb, which is to be expected given its high-powered cast. James Woods, Nick Nolte, Kyle McLachlan, Claire Forlani, Daryl Hannah, Peter Coyote, Michele Hicks, Ben Foster, and Anthony Edwards, among many others, all make appearances (one wonders only why the Polish brothers didn't case their favorite actor, underrated comic genius Garrett Morris, in this one). The sound transfer to the DVD is one of the worst I've ever heard, however; the voices are mixed so painfully softly compared to the ambient sound that subtitles are a necessity in some parts of the film unless you want the cops citing you for noise violations. Use the subtitles. You want to catch what's going on. Despite the darkness of the locations and cinematography (which lends the film a claustrophobic, ominous air throughout), the main feeling of the work is a sense of pure whimsy. Angels in Montana in 1955? Well, that would seem to be the case, along with a conspiracy to hunt them down and amputate their wings. James Woods actually says the words "Whatchoo talkin' bout, Willis?" and pulls it off. The eviction agents find themselves in increasingly absurd situations as they travel from house to house, and the orphan, who is terminally ill, orchestrates wilder and wilder delusions in his head. (Possibly. It gets hard to tell what's real and what's going on in the boy's head.) I'd be hard-pressed to call Northfork a comedy, but it contains moments of sheer comic genius. Brilliant. ****
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