Customer Reviews

A Pure Formality [VHS]

5 star:		(45)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Una Pura Formalita (Giuseppe Tornatore, 1993)

I have now seen two of Giuseppe Tornatore's films (the other being the brilliant The Legend of 1900), and have decided that I will be hunting the man's work down wherever I can find it. A Pure Formality doesn't have the same mastery of pace that 1900 does, but the good points of the film overwhelm the bad ones to the extent that the viewer is likely not to care if the first half of the movie goes a tad slow.

The film centers around an author named Onoff (Gerard Deaprdieu), who is found wandering in the rain, senseless, in the vicinity of a rural murder. He is taken to the strangest police station this side of Pirandello. The head of the station is out for the moment, and Onoff is able to size up the rest of the oddballs working there before the top dog, played by Roman Polanski, gets back. Then the fun really begins; Onoff has lost pieces of his memory, and while the Inspector tries to figure out if Onoff committed murder, Onoff is busy trying to figure out if he did, too. As a catch, to throw everything off just a tad more: the Inspector is also Onoff's biggest fan, and can quote large passages of his books from memory, something of which Onoff himself is incapable, leading to doubts on the part of everyone involved whether Onoff is really who he thinks he is.

Part mystery, part farce, part existential manifesto, A Pure Formality could easily be relegated to that wasteland of films in this genre summed up by a recent commercial featuring a pardocial art-house classic called Look At My Potato. And for the first forty-five or so minutes of the movie, it teeters on the brink of that sort of senselessness. The staff are alternately obsequious and violent, as is the Inspector, while Onoff is by turns helpful, obstructive, and downright abusive. No one seems to have any motivation or consistency. You'll have to trust me when I say it all works out in the end. And it does, to an amazing degree. The last twenty minutes had me sitting, agape, in utter amazement. Suddenly the whole thing made perfect sense...

Aside from the absolute beauty of the plot's construction, a good deal of praise must be given to Tornatore's use of light, or in this case, the lack of it. The station, never well-lit, plunges into a power outage halfway through the film, and most of the rest (it concludes just after dawn the next morning) is lit by candlelight, leading to an even more claustrophobic feeling. Perfectly appropriate for the subject matter, as the police and Onoff both narrow their searches for the various things they hope to find.

A stunning achievement, and one that most mystery fans will find well worth the effort. ****

I have seen countless movies and read countless books, and not once I have ever been compelled to write any sort of review for any of them. However, as you may have noticed I have made an exception for this movie, it is a testament to how great I think this movie is.

First of all I urgue you not to read the reviews of this film that give away the ending unless you have already seen the film.

The premise is that a reclusive Author Onof ( Gerad Depardieu ), is being interogated by an unnamed detective ( Roman Polanski) as a possible murder suspect. Through a series of questions the detective finds out Onofs identity as one of the most famous French Authors, in fact, he himself is a huge fan.
THe sequences of events that follow are bizzare, yet wonderfull. The language is pure poetry. And technically speaking the Cinematography and lighting are simply gorgeous.

A bulk of the movie is centered around the Detective questioning Onof, and during this time we learn about his life. These little stories make for some great humanistic moments.

While I dont want to reveal too much, the ending ties in everything, all the loose ends. However, the ending is more than simply that, it has to simply be seen to be appreciated.

My only wish would be that this movie is transfered to DVD. Please someone get this movie transfered to DVD, and with a ton of special features. Even if it has to be Criterion, please make the DVD!!!!!!!!!

'A Pure Formality' was, to my surprise, one of the very best films I've seen in a long time. I'd seen snippets of the Italian version on Italian TV and the English-language one on US cable, neither encouraging me to delve further, but in its original French, with both Polanski and Depardieu voicing themselves, it manages to turn a potentially hoary old psychodrama into something much more life affirming.

Depardieu is the confused great writer arrested in the middle of a rainstorm and taken to a dark, leaking Italian police station where he is interrogated by Roman Polanski's inspector, who also happens to be an ardent fan, over the identity of a murder victim. Naturally, layers of self-deception are gradually pulled away on this long dark night of the soul before it reaches a not entirely unexpected but still remarkably satisfying conclusion. Despite the claustrophobic setting, Giuseppe Tornatore's excellent composition keeps it vividly cinematic, with several memorable moments (the most impressive a beautiful sequence following a song as it floats through the room). The flashbacks are sometimes awkward and I could definitely have done without Depardieu's nudity, but this is still one of the most remarkable films I've seen in recent years. Two-thirds through the movie a power cut hit for two-and-a-half hours, and it was excruciating waiting to get the chance to finish the film.

Very highly recommended indeed.

This psychological excursion neither taxed my patience nor disappointed my desire for resolution. There is a narrative thread, but very broken and evasive. The two leads box cinematically in their portrayals of two men seeking or evading the truth in a murder--but the real story lies in what is learned, by the characteres and the audience, about life, love, art, faith, and compassion.

APF will push your emotions in unexpected directions, working as drama, fairy tale, and spiritual exegesis. Humor, pathos, fear, doubt, and peace each occupy the emotional core of various scenes, often simultaneously.

Amazon.uk already has a DVD available in widescreen. When can American customers hope for a non-PAL region 1 DVD?

Happy to have found this on video. I first saw it on IFC and was amazed. Takes quite film to surprise and enthrall me (I'm the guy who knew the "surprise" ending to "Sixth Sense" five minutes into the movie!), and this is one of them. Cinematically breathtaking, the story is tight, and the acting is superb. I wasn't a big fan of Depardieu's American films, but this must be an example what what the actor is capable of. Brilliant! IMPORTANT... Be cautious when reading some of the other reviews posted on this page... at least one of them spoils the ending!

I started this moving` around 4 o'clock in the morning by 6 I was pondering death in a new/different light. This movie is beautifully texture with great acting and play-like stature.
LIMBO-----figure it out--- then accept and drive-on-
You need to be in an open thought-provoking mood when watching this-- but it is by far- intellegentlly written and performed.

I am waiting ... waiting ... waiting for a U.S. DVD release. M. Night Shyamalan may have seen it and been inspired ... it has a twist ending that will knock you back in your seat. Don't even remember where or when I saw it but I LOVED it. One of the most suspenseful movies I've ever seen; claustrophobic, challenging, and tragic. Depardieu is simply brilliant, and Polanski manages to be compassionate and threatening at the same time.

I have seen A Pure Formality spoken in French and in Italian, and many times since it was released. For me it is one of the masterpieces of the suspense-fiction, with overtones of supernatural . Nobody can tell the end of the story, because it is so AMAZING that you MUST see to believe, but it is mind-shattering! I have seen many Tornatori films before and after this one , but for me this is the BEST! A plus, Roman Polansky in a rare role as an actor is a surprise!He is so good that we start to ask ourselves why he does not act more! Gerard Depardieu does not need introduction, he is probably one of the BEST actors in the world and in this movie he is at his best! I have only a taped VHS copied from tv-cable, spoken in french and subtitled in my native language, portuguese, but I would love to have a DVD with this wonderful movie. Why they do not release this masterpiece in DVD, with Italian (the original language of the movie), French and English audio and subtitled in French,Italian and English, perhaps in Spanish? If you loved "The Sixth Sense" and "The Others", you will love this one too.It is darker,somber and more reflexive, and a little confusing in the beginning but if you wait just a litte bit...OH,terrific! Deniza

This film made me want to go back to school to finish french. Sit down, turn off the phone and don't get up for a snack. Within a few minutes you will completely forget that you have been reading English subtitles. The story takes you back in forth in time. A gut wrenching interrogation between a police detective and a world famous author being investigated as having been possibly connected to a murder. The detective is skeptical that the reclusive author is really who he says that he is. The interrogation leads to an admission not necessarily to the expected outcome but as to the honesty to ones self. You will jump back in forth through time until it all pulls together for an ending that I guarantee you could never have predicted. It will leave you with your mouth hanging open and disturbed by its depth for a long time.

This may be the best movie I've ever seen, and I don't like subtitles. A Pure Formality pulls you in and holds you, dropping a few more clues as it winds you tighter and tighter. When I saw Green Card I thought Depardieu was a hack. I never liked foreign films but this is a masterpiece. I'd like to see a US release with Harrison Ford in Depardieu's role and Harvey Keitel as the inspector. (any Hollywood geniuses on line?) If you liked The Sixth Sense, A Pure Formality is definitely worthwhile.(worth the $100 asking price) Also, check out Cyrano de Bergerac with Depardeu.