tilomf

wow. nothing posted about this film since nov' of '07!

i love "lulu on the bridge." i haven't read any of auster's writing, but i've seen all 4 of his films. i'm really amazed at how bad the reviews are of his last 2 films (this one included).
maybe they work better as ideas than cinematic realisations for some people.
auster says (in the "featurette" included on the dvd) that "...men are always inventing women. this is what we're best at. often to very damaging consequences; often to very wonderful consequences..." and, i think the story told in the film conveys what he says well enough to make "the inner life..." a 'good' movie. and, as a poet, i can certainly empathise with the main character.
here's one of the few positive reviews of the film that i've found online:

******************************************************************************

Film Review
By Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat


The Inner Life of Martin Frost
Directed by Paul Auster
New Yorker Film 02/08 DVD/VHS Feature Film
Not Rated

Over the centuries, the Muse, known as the goddess of creativity, has been depicted as an angel who manifests herself to an artist hard at work. Many of us have experienced her presence as a figure outside of ourselves or as a force within us. In this engagingly fanciful film written and directed by Paul Auster (The Music of Chance), Martin Frost (David Thewlis) retreats to the country home of friends after finishing a novel that took three years to complete. He savors the silence and the solitude until one morning he awakens to find an attractive woman there; she calls herself Claire (Irene Jacob). They have frisky sex, and he is buoyed by her love of his work. She claims to be the niece of the woman who owns the house but Martin later learns she has not been telling the truth about who she is. By the time he questions her about her identity, he is madly in love with her.

Auster calls this drama a philosophical mystery, and it embraces such themes as the creative process, love, and imagination. The closing section of the film veers off into more mystifications, including the presence of another writer (Michael Imperioli) and a stunningly beautiful relative of his (Sophie Auster).

***************************************************************************


gregory 030808