>Mark Allen wrote:
>> I was thouroughly impressed with the adaptation and view the two as two
>> completely different works of art.  There were two holes in the new script
>> I didn't care for much, but overall, I was hugely impressed and
>> disappointed that the writer didn't receive the acclaim he deserved.
>
>Paul Ryserbach comments about this:
>
>Could you please elaborate on this critique? Given that you were so
>impressed with the film, I would like to know what things didn't fly with
>you.
>
 
Well, I did explain the ones I could remember in my last email and I
suspect I'll have to wait until it is on video or revival before I am able
to recall the other.
 
About being impressed with the film.  12 Monkeys is a genre film of a
rarely explored genre.  I would say that most of all I was thankful that a
studio was offering a film which WASN'T about big guns or hit men (though
it is true guns were present in 12 Monkeys, it was the reason the film was
in existence), or about people chatting away about their problems.
 
Since all this discussion has began I've had several additional thoughts
about 12 Monkeys/La Jetee:
 
First, it is important to point out that the major difference between the
two films is the medium.  La Jetee is a film about the language of a story,
like a greek play.  12 Monkeys is about juxtoposition of images within
context.
 
There is a great observation about reviewers who thrive on foreign film:
Many reviewers are studied in literary arts which is evidenced through the
literal interpretation of films (i.e. verbal relations leading to simile
rather than relying upon visual metaphor for interpretation.)  As a result,
reviewers often enjoy the experience of reading combined the the background
images.  This is not meant to be insulting, but I have noticed this to be
true among those I know as well, so I believe there is some truth here.  La
Jetee probably appeals a little more to those who would seek out a drama
from the stage of antiquity, like Trojan Women or the such where the
characters tell the stories as opposed to stage the stories.  12 Monkeys is
relying much more on the techniques of contemporary cinema, juxtoposition
etcetera.  Now, I realize that La Jetee was filled with juxtoposed stills,
but as much as I did like La Jetee, I do not believe that if you removed
the narrative voice over, one would be able to piece together the story.
 
These are simply observations and the real conclusion is, of course, that I
am the greatest hippocrite among us because I am comparing the two more
than any reviewer ever did.  (Of course by using the word, "hippocrite" I
hope to envoke a more cinematic version than offered by stage version from
the Greek history).
 
And in closing I'd like to underline my original point with an expanded
context:  Why berate 12 Monkeys by comparing it to something completely
dissimilar.  Films that are NOT about big guns and hit men are extremely
difficult to garner an audience for (and even harder to garner financing
for!) and I think it is irresponsible for a critic to put out negativity
towards a film solely to provide themselves with the opportunity to share
the girth of their film history knowledge.  I do realize that some critics
probably had excellent comparisons, I didn't encounter any of those reviews
though.  I don't mind someone panning 12 Monkeys on its own merit though,
that's simple perogative.  It's a darn simple thought I know, but it
apparently touched a nerve.
 
My opinion?  I like both.  If I were a reviewer, I would have simply
mentioned that the film was inspired by the French experimental classic,
but had expanded the story and changed the narrative.  Any further
investigation would need to have a study context such as, "How does the
filmmaker of the sixties and the filmmaker of the nineties differ in their
view of apocalypse, time travel, technology?"  NOT, "I like La Jetee better
because it was cooler."
 
 
 
Sincerely,
 
Mark Allen
Xantherboy
 
****XANTHER
****http://www.directnet.com/~xanther/
 
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