Yea, the sparrow hath found an house, and the swallow a nest for herself, where she may lay her young, even thine altars, O Lord of hosts, my King, and my God.
Pages
▼
Friday, June 15, 2012
Sharing: for me, it was Ran.
I saw it in the theatres in Vancouver, and will never forget the sense of utter despair it invokes. It was also, almost certainly one of the greatest films ever made.
What is the most depressing film you've ever seen?
Pelle the Conqueror is hands down the most depressing film I've ever watched. I rented it because its director, Bille August, also directed Jerusalem, which is my favourite serious film. But Pelle? The acting is perfect, as is the cinematography and everything else, but the story was - unbelievably depressing. It took several days to shake off that weight.
Lilya 4-ever. A disturbing film about human traficking in Europe, loosely based on a true story. Saw it years ago but it still depresses me to think of it.
I found “Solaris” (the version with G. Clooney) to be terribly depressing. Haven’t seen the original Russian version however, it might be worse. “2001: A Space Odyssey” was pretty grim also. Same goes with the recent film “Tree of Life,” which incidentally depicts the destruction of Earth.
I’ve heard that one of the most depressing films ever made was "Grave of the Fireflies.” It’s a children’s cartoon from Japan.
Mark, I haven't seen Soderbergh's travesty "remake", but I have seen Tarkovsky's original a number of times and can guarantee you it is not worse at all, for there is no comparison with such a fulfilling masterpiece.
For me, The Never-ending Story is up there. I'm sure there's others I have found more depressing, but that one is certainly a contender.
The Road is the most depressing film I've ever seen, which means its producers deserve high praise for making an adaptation that followed the novel so closely. McCarthy's story is the bleakest tale I've ever read.
I read the book, and from that realised I never wanted to see the film.
I thought someone would mention Threads, the 80s made-for-tv that depicted the post-nuclear Britain, but I thought that its premise was too implausible. It was obviously trying to gain top marks for bleak and depressing, but I just didn't believe it. Social breakdown, even on an apocalyptic scale, isn't going to rob humans of the power of speech or of creating a minimal social order.
Oh. Really? I had thought Heian was the one where the girls all wore the pretty long hairs, and the guys wore the funny hats. I just wanted to see more long hairs and funny hats..and the spray painted eyebrows too. No geisha poofy stuff. Yes, this is how I choose my movies.
Of course it is. Movies are all about visuals. Edo period has the eyebrows painted on way high up, and the big poofy hairdos didn't start until the 17th century.
There are a couple of Heian period soap Japanese TV operas on Youtube you could probably find with a few clicks. The clothes are the very bestest-best! Truly amazingly amazing. You will never mistake it once you've seen it.
Before posting, please see the commbox rules posted to the sidebar to the left. Comments that are rude, boring or stupid, anonymous comments or comments by persons with obvious pseudonyms or no names will be automatically deleted.
Note: only a member of this blog may post a comment.
Pelle the Conqueror is hands down the most depressing film I've ever watched. I rented it because its director, Bille August, also directed Jerusalem, which is my favourite serious film. But Pelle? The acting is perfect, as is the cinematography and everything else, but the story was - unbelievably depressing. It took several days to shake off that weight.
ReplyDeleteGallipoli.
ReplyDeleteAJM
Lilya 4-ever. A disturbing film about human traficking in Europe, loosely based on a true story. Saw it years ago but it still depresses me to think of it.
ReplyDeleteLydia
"Love, Actually"
ReplyDeleteNot a shred of evidence of anything to do with love in the entire sorry deception.
Kung Fu Panda also left me feeling slightly out of sorts.
The influence he had is remarkable
ReplyDeletehttp://youtu.be/mS3daEfYzKQ
Also,
ReplyDeleteThe Talented Mr. Ripley is a film no one should ever see.
Not even people we don't like.
I found “Solaris” (the version with G. Clooney) to be terribly depressing. Haven’t seen the original Russian version however, it might be worse. “2001: A Space Odyssey” was pretty grim also. Same goes with the recent film “Tree of Life,” which incidentally depicts the destruction of Earth.
ReplyDeleteI’ve heard that one of the most depressing films ever made was "Grave of the Fireflies.” It’s a children’s cartoon from Japan.
Mark, I haven't seen Soderbergh's travesty "remake", but I have seen Tarkovsky's original a number of times and can guarantee you it is not worse at all, for there is no comparison with such a fulfilling masterpiece.
ReplyDeleteFor me, The Never-ending Story is up there. I'm sure there's others I have found more depressing, but that one is certainly a contender.
Das Boot. One of the all-time greats, but very, very grim.
ReplyDeleteMiracle Mile. A little-known but extremely effective film about a budding romance in the shadow of an impending nuclear war.
6:51pm above was me.
ReplyDelete--Dale Price
Das Boot.
ReplyDeleteMiracle Mile.
The first is one of the immortals, but the second is a very competent smaller film that deserves notice.
The Road is the most depressing film I've ever seen, which means its producers deserve high praise for making an adaptation that followed the novel so closely. McCarthy's story is the bleakest tale I've ever read.
ReplyDeleteI read the book, and from that realised I never wanted to see the film.
ReplyDeleteI thought someone would mention Threads, the 80s made-for-tv that depicted the post-nuclear Britain, but I thought that its premise was too implausible. It was obviously trying to gain top marks for bleak and depressing, but I just didn't believe it. Social breakdown, even on an apocalyptic scale, isn't going to rob humans of the power of speech or of creating a minimal social order.
Is Ran the only good samurai film from the Heian period, or are there more?
ReplyDeleteRan was set in Tokugawa. Heian has better clothes.
ReplyDeleteOh. Really? I had thought Heian was the one where the girls all wore the pretty long hairs, and the guys wore the funny hats. I just wanted to see more long hairs and funny hats..and the spray painted eyebrows too. No geisha poofy stuff. Yes, this is how I choose my movies.
ReplyDeleteOf course it is. Movies are all about visuals. Edo period has the eyebrows painted on way high up, and the big poofy hairdos didn't start until the 17th century.
ReplyDeleteThere are a couple of Heian period soap Japanese TV operas on Youtube you could probably find with a few clicks. The clothes are the very bestest-best! Truly amazingly amazing. You will never mistake it once you've seen it.
Leaving Las Vegas...
ReplyDelete