Vancouver 09: ECCENTRICITIES OF A BLOND HAIR GIRL Review
[Our thanks to Teresa Nieman for the following review.]
Okay, let's get it out of the way: Manoel de Oliviera, director of Eccentricities of a Blond Hair Girl, is old. Extremely old. About to turn 101, in fact. And yes, he's still as sharp as any spring chicken behind the camera, as he proves with this year's awkwardly titled confection, Eccentricities of a Blond Hair Girl.
Based on a short story, the film is just barely over an hour long. It's told from the perspective of a Kafkaesque, hapless male protagonist named Macario, who is brought to ruin by a golden-tressed young lady. He first sees her across the alley from his office window, and is bewitched from the start. When he manages to successfully woo her into courtship, he finds that there are many forces working against them--his uncle, his money trouble, and eventually the girl herself.
Ricardo Trepa, as Macario, does a wonderful job of portraying a well-meaning but callow man, who is too pleasant to inspire disdain, and too dumb to cheer for. As the object of his unrelenting affection, Catarina Wallenstein is lovely but somewhat vacant. This works to the movie's advantage, though, as it makes it all the more clear that it's her looks and her looks alone that Macario has fallen for--which is why their relationship is so easily and briskly dismantled.
The movie is witty, and delightfully dry. It's also gorgeous to look at, with an intoxicating Old World European setting that makes it unclear at first whether or not it's meant to be a period piece (until you notice computers and electronics stores in the background). It's a sophisticated slice of life movie, with a cruelly funny bite to it.
The English title, though, probably needs to go. Not only is it phrased into a clumsy mouthful, it's also not especially accurate. There isn't much about the girl that's eccentric at all. I kept waiting for her to be some sort of Annie Hall type, but it never happened. She does have one unsavory habit that's revealed at the end, but that hardly constitutes "eccentricities". However, that's nitpicking, and when you're reduced to nitpicking, it usually means the rest of the film is pretty critically untouchable.
Review by Teresa Nieman
Okay, let's get it out of the way: Manoel de Oliviera, director of Eccentricities of a Blond Hair Girl, is old. Extremely old. About to turn 101, in fact. And yes, he's still as sharp as any spring chicken behind the camera, as he proves with this year's awkwardly titled confection, Eccentricities of a Blond Hair Girl.
Based on a short story, the film is just barely over an hour long. It's told from the perspective of a Kafkaesque, hapless male protagonist named Macario, who is brought to ruin by a golden-tressed young lady. He first sees her across the alley from his office window, and is bewitched from the start. When he manages to successfully woo her into courtship, he finds that there are many forces working against them--his uncle, his money trouble, and eventually the girl herself.
Ricardo Trepa, as Macario, does a wonderful job of portraying a well-meaning but callow man, who is too pleasant to inspire disdain, and too dumb to cheer for. As the object of his unrelenting affection, Catarina Wallenstein is lovely but somewhat vacant. This works to the movie's advantage, though, as it makes it all the more clear that it's her looks and her looks alone that Macario has fallen for--which is why their relationship is so easily and briskly dismantled.
The movie is witty, and delightfully dry. It's also gorgeous to look at, with an intoxicating Old World European setting that makes it unclear at first whether or not it's meant to be a period piece (until you notice computers and electronics stores in the background). It's a sophisticated slice of life movie, with a cruelly funny bite to it.
The English title, though, probably needs to go. Not only is it phrased into a clumsy mouthful, it's also not especially accurate. There isn't much about the girl that's eccentric at all. I kept waiting for her to be some sort of Annie Hall type, but it never happened. She does have one unsavory habit that's revealed at the end, but that hardly constitutes "eccentricities". However, that's nitpicking, and when you're reduced to nitpicking, it usually means the rest of the film is pretty critically untouchable.
Review by Teresa Nieman
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