Whenever I think of John Malkovich, the word "phlegmatic" comes to mind. It’s not because I feel that this accomplished actor really is sluggish or unemotional. More likely, his mind is sharp and quick and his passions and opinions are deeply held. However, it’s not unreasonable to say that Malkovich’s projected persona is phlegmatic. And it is with such calm or even lack of emotion that Malkovich makes his directorial debut.
Finally, I think that being John Malkovich would be neat! He’s an interesting guy and one helluva an actor, who shows that he loves the craft of acting. He’ll likely turn out some well-directed stuff in the future, maybe a re-make of "The Plague" or "The Stranger." Now, THAT'S detachment! Gary Chew can be reached via email at garychew@comcast.net.
|
The chaos depicted in "The Dancer Upstairs" swirls,
like a hurricane, around its protagonist who is charged with the capture
of a left-wing charismatic leader in the process of destroying a right-wing
Latin American government. Spanish actor Javier Bardem is nearly perfect
in the lead, but his placement within the havoc of the narrative has him
caught in the eye of a Malkovichian storm. Moreover, the audience, too, is
kept at an emotional distance, while "The Dancer Upstairs" unfolds in a sort
of mental slow-motion. The film, which is based on a novel about actual events,
is also difficult to follow because of a couple of technical factors: the
dialogue is spoken in English by actors with Spanish or Italian accents and,
in several scenes, the soundtrack music--usually a chamber group of oboe
and strings--covers what’s being said. I believe that misunderstanding
due to an unfamiliar accent is more often the problem of the listener, not
the speaker, however, I would have preferred that Malkovich have his actors
speak their lines in Spanish, then add English subtitles for better
communication.
Other things annoyed me about "The Dancer Upstairs."
I wish there had been a scene where the woman in the title role, Laura
Morante, is shown dancing. I also would have liked a modicum of passion
evident in the scant moments of the film that only suggest Bardem and Morante
are attracted to each other. The photo used to advertise the film is something
that didn’t occur in the screening I saw. But the most frustrating thing
about "The Dancer Upstairs" is, that despite its dispassion with compelling
social events and unintelligible dialogue, we know how it will end almost
from the beginning. The prologue to this 129 minute film gave it away for
me.