La dixième symphonie

Há 130 anos nascia Abel Gance. Eu planejava finalmente assistir La Roue hoje, mas é impossível assistir um filme de quase cinco horas nesse calor. Fiquemos com este que é bem mais curto do que o usual Gance. Anos-luz de obras-primas como Napoleão, Beethoven e J'Acuse, este que é considerado o primeiro filme do impressionismo francês, é melodramático demais para os meus gostos. Youtube.

Rather disappointingly dull for something with such a melodramatic plot and a musical angle to boot. For once I was actually relieved when the comic relief (a bumbling older suitor) made his appearances. Still, the style's interesting, with lots of chiaroscuro lighting, and a musical sequence where things briefly take on a more subjective or impressionistic manner.

Abel Gance is most known for making some of the most ambitious French silent movies, but he also made several more standard dramatic affairs. The main problem for me was the narrative. Too complicated for such a over-excessive melodrama. While this kind of artistic expression worked real well in his major films it makes it hard to follow in a simpler setting. The main attraction is a lengthy "musical piece" where Gance makes a dreamy montage as his composer out of sadness makes his symphony.