Roy Walker (Lee Pace,) is a silent film stunt man recovering in a hospital after breaking his back from a horse stunt gone wrong. Besides his infirmity he is also despondent that his girlfriend has left him for the leading man. He befriends a young immigrant girl, Alexandria (Catinca Untaru,) who is recovering from a broken arm caused by falling from a tree while helping her parents harvest oranges. To keep her interest, he begins to tell her the story of a bandit and his team of men who are on a mission to kill the evil Governor Odious. Alexandria begins to incorporate things she sees in real life into the stories and Roy becomes determined to use this to his advantage to get her to do something for him.
I had seen things on-line about this film and was determined to check it out. Tarsem, the director, had one music video (REM: Losing My Religion) and one film under his belt (The Cell.) The Fall was filmed in 26 locations over 18 countries, and the clips I saw on the internet enhanced my curiosity. It finally showed up at the MidTown Cinema (our local Art House cinema) for only 3 days, and I am so glad we went to see it.
This is without a doubt one of the most beautiful films I have ever seen. The cinematography is superb, with equally superb editing. There are several scenes of natural formations that blend into something else, and the dissolve between the real world and Roy's story is technically impeccable. Almost every scene of this movie could be framed as art, including an incredible stair scene reminiscent of an M.C. Escher drawing. The costumes, also, are simply stunning and almost surreal (wait until you see the wildest wedding gown ever!)
The story is engaging because we see Alexandria recreate Roy's tale into her own views. For example, when Roy states that one of his team is an Indian, he is picturing a Native American Indian, while she pictures an East Indian. The evil Governor Odious becomes the actor who stole Roy's girlfriend. The bandit becomes Roy himself, while his band of outlaws are patterned after people Alexandria sees on the hospital grounds.
What sets this movie apart from being just a beautiful travelogue is the acting. Lee Pace, who was in the TV show "Pushing Daisies," ad-libs quite a bit of his dialogue with Catinca, a young actress with limited English skills. The movie was filmed chronologically to show the growth of Alexandria and her growing command of English. Yes, in the beginning it is difficult to understand what she is saying, but that's the point. Here are two people with different languages learning to communicate with each other. And Catinca Untaru gives the most unadulterated, natural performance I have ever seen. Rumor has it that she thought Lee was paralyzed in real life, and the director ran with that idea.
CinaJim's review: An underated movie that should be seen. I stated in my first blog that I would have blogs entitled "CinaJim's Pics." These will be about my favorite movies, and this is my first one. This movie is not in my top ten list....it is in my top three. Absolutely beautiful!
Our next Featured Attraction: Midnight in Paris
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