Responses to this message:
1. "Kafka" was written by Lem Dobbs. Dobbs also wrote "The Limey" and "Dark City." If you liked the dialogue, and more importantly, the 'feel' of "DC," you should love "Kafka." If you liked the camera work and script in "The Limey," you will probably also be pleased.
2. "Kafka" is directed by Steven Soderbergh. If you haven't seen his films, check them out as soon as possible. I would reccommend "sex, lies, & videotape," "King of the Hill," "Out of Sight," "The Limey," and now this all very highly. "Brokovitch" is very well done as well, but it wasn't exactly my cup of tea. I still have to see "The Underneath," "Schizopolis," and "Gray's Anatomy." I've already heard the latter two are very good. Look for big things from Soderbergh in the future. His next two pictures are "Traffic" and the remake of "Ocean's Eleven." Both look good, especially "Traffic"
On to the film. It is shot in beautiful b & w in much the mold of "The Third Man," and the other great Kafka adaptation, Orson Welles' "The Trial." Soderbergh does great work with the camera, employing slanted shots, unique panning, and some truly wonderful images near the end. Simply, the film is eye candy. The acting is 'interesting.' Don't expect straight acting. This film is absurdist in the tradition of Kafka's works such as "The Trial," "The Castle" (on which the film is loosely based), and Camus' "The Stranger." The acting is very much in this vein and is quite appropriate. Much like "Dark City," the plot is labrynthine and vague, slowly revealing its details. Rather than simply unfolding a Kafka-esque plot, we get Kafka being confronted by one of his created worlds. This makes the final product emminently better. The acting is all good (and weird) w/Jeremy Irons as Kafka and a supporting cast including Alec Guiness and Teresa Russel. There is some comic relief in Kafka's assistants, but mainly, the film is dark yet involving. It builds nice momentum to an increible climax that is visually and creatively breathtaking. In the denoument, evrything comes together, and we finally realize what the meaning of this film is. In my mind, everything comes together nicely. Looking on the internet, I see most reviewers did not care for this film. A lot called it pointless and esoteric. I don't know how they can come to this conclusion. The film, in my mind, is about a lot. I think it works both as a fun dark sci-fi film and as a sort of philosophical treatise. I guess a good benchmark of whether you would like this is your opinion of "Dark City." However, where the ending of "Dark City" was a sort of cop-out, the ending of Kafka is a revelation.
Responses to this message:
Post a response to this discussion thread