>On Mon, 24 Apr 2000 at 09:27:09 -0500 > >Jane Campion's most recent film, _Holy Smoke_, received very mixed >reviews.... For me, Campion's use of geography and surroundings in "Holy Smoke" and "The Piano" are used much in the same way as they were in "Sweetie", that being backdrops which allow us to focus on the character. The remote settings in India and New Zealand enhance the characters isolation, and endear them to us as the hero. Her contrasting of the outback with the city in "Sweetie" supports the film greatly. The family leave the city and enjoy harmony,for once,in a free atmosphere (outback), while Sweetie is left to drive herself crazy with the noise and bustle of the city, in the dark and suffocating suburban house. The locations allow for her character driven narrative to progress smoothly and seem distant, due to our focus on the characters within the location rather than on the context. I urge you to see "Sweetie" it is by far Campions most creative and beautiful film, which came in a period of her film making career where she had evolved from making wonderfull student films to quality artistic films, which contributed greatly to the forming of a rich national cinema in Australia. R.Johanson. ________________________________________________________________________ Get Your Private, Free E-mail from MSN Hotmail at http://www.hotmail.com ---- To sign off Screen-L, e-mail [log in to unmask] and put SIGNOFF Screen-L in the message. Problems? Contact [log in to unmask]