tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1701501727227850415.post4524620747551104067..comments2023-09-15T09:07:22.719-07:00Comments on A Journal of Film: Jane Campion's IN THE CUT: Shadows from the LighthouseM. Tamminga (@oneaprilday)http://www.blogger.com/profile/10369421041119819033noreply@blogger.comBlogger12125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1701501727227850415.post-32022246732288323962017-06-05T11:55:48.192-07:002017-06-05T11:55:48.192-07:00That's a really interesting point; the "Q...That's a really interesting point; the "Que, Sera" song seems like an obvious reference to the Hitchcock film, but I would be curious to know how consciously Campion was thinking of/responding to Hitchcock. Vertigo and In the Cut, in any case, certainly make an interesting pairing, don't they? <br /><br />Thanks for reading, Anon! M. Tamminga (@oneaprilday)https://www.blogger.com/profile/10369421041119819033noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1701501727227850415.post-4881139381738691322017-06-03T05:34:42.254-07:002017-06-03T05:34:42.254-07:00Reading this interaction is so interesting! Maybe ...Reading this interaction is so interesting! Maybe Jane Campion echoed Hitchcock precisely because his films have this deep preoccupation with violence and domination of women, but are often seen through a film of nostalgia and idealism? Vertigo in particular is fascinated by a man's ability to recreate, humiliate, silence and destroy women - from Carlotta to Madeleine to Judy. Thanks for your fascinating analysis of this complex and beautiful film Melissa.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1701501727227850415.post-51225010487538487772014-04-02T22:56:45.713-07:002014-04-02T22:56:45.713-07:00Thanks for reading, Artemis! And I agree; the film...Thanks for reading, Artemis! And I agree; the film is superb on so many levels, thematically, aesthetically. Jane Campion is a gift - tough-minded, funny, tender, and unabashedly telling her stories from her distinct perspective. M. Tamminga (@oneaprilday)https://www.blogger.com/profile/10369421041119819033noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1701501727227850415.post-38007295982821996592014-04-02T16:54:52.272-07:002014-04-02T16:54:52.272-07:00This was one of the sexiest films I've ever se...This was one of the sexiest films I've ever seen. That last scene with Nick gives me a jolt -- in addition to all of the other terrific intimate scenes. Clearly this movie was written by a woman. Also, as a radical feminist I approve this movie. Your critique is spot-on (man's world, patriarchy, het sex/violence). Good cinematography, etc. Glad I found this write-up. Peace!Artemishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13663940595312478013noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1701501727227850415.post-73088190645927986872013-08-11T17:08:39.229-07:002013-08-11T17:08:39.229-07:00Hi Hanna,
Thanks for reading and commenting! Campi...Hi Hanna,<br />Thanks for reading and commenting! Campion's wonderful, isn't she? And yes, it's a shame that relatively little has been written about In the Cut, which is such a phenomenal film, so rich with Campion's themes. If you're looking for really good writing on and analysis of Campion, you might check out Kathleen McHugh's book: JANE CAMPION (CONTEMPORARY FILM DIRECTORS); I was gratified to find that her essay on In the Cut there fleshes out similar themes I saw in the film, and her essays on other Campion's films are also fantastic: http://www.amazon.com/Jane-Campion-Contemporary-Film-Directors/dp/0252074475 <br /><br />Also, if you're interested in some informal discussion of Campion, I guested on my friends' podcast They Shot Pictures recently, and we had a great deal of fun discussing An Angel at my Table, Portrait of a Lady, and Top of the Lake and seeing the thematic ties between those films and Campion's whole body of work: http://theyshotpictures.podbean.com/2013/06/30/they-shot-pictures-ep16-jane-campion/M. Tamminga (@oneaprilday)https://www.blogger.com/profile/10369421041119819033noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1701501727227850415.post-72486780097148365812013-08-10T22:14:44.854-07:002013-08-10T22:14:44.854-07:00I just watched In The Cut after seeing Jane Campio...I just watched In The Cut after seeing Jane Campion's miniseries, Top of the Lake, and remembering how much I loved The Piano when it came out, years ago. This review is the only one I found that discussed the things I saw in the film, the things that seemed important to me (and what I am pretty sure Campion was trying to say). Thank you.hannahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08442152705634275933noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1701501727227850415.post-83793212784938687962012-06-02T00:39:57.848-07:002012-06-02T00:39:57.848-07:00Thanks! Yes, I'd encourage you to check out mo...Thanks! Yes, I'd encourage you to check out more of her films - there are some similar threads that run through them, but each is so unique that judging her by just one film doesn't quite work. She's curious and tough and I love her intellectual fiber - most of her films are provocative in some way, but provocative because she's really trying to explore something - an idea or a person or relationships or all three - and she's not afraid to push boundaries and take risks. She's got a sense of humor, too,rather dark , but definitely there. :) I'm not sure exactly why you reacted so strongly against The Piano, but this film may have most parallels to it (though it's very different); I rather think you'd like Angel at my Table - the sister-family relationships in it are so moving and the central character is compelling - amazing story and amazing central performance. Anyway, you might try that one before this one. <br /><br />Re: TMWKTL I would like to watch it again soon. It's really the Doris Day persona and signature song that so strikingly contrasts with the vision of "woman" in this film ; the two films themselves, holistically, aren't necessarily the most useful as contrasting parallels.M. Tamminga (@oneaprilday)https://www.blogger.com/profile/10369421041119819033noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1701501727227850415.post-24408407958605623292012-06-01T22:19:55.633-07:002012-06-01T22:19:55.633-07:00What an epic review/analysis! I didn't read i...What an epic review/analysis! I didn't read it all. Honestly, I haven't seen a Campion after I was scared off by The Piano. But I'm willing to try another. Perhaps this is the one.<br /><br />BTW, I just re-watched TMWKTM this week. I was amazed at the depths in that film.Steve Kimeshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14187112520269562190noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1701501727227850415.post-31608239437879533632012-03-24T19:00:38.730-07:002012-03-24T19:00:38.730-07:00So true! Hitchcock, never safe or normal. I still ...So true! Hitchcock, never safe or normal. I still remember how queasy I felt after doing that marathon of his films a few years ago - he's brilliant at infecting one's eyes and perspective.M. Tamminga (@oneaprilday)https://www.blogger.com/profile/10369421041119819033noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1701501727227850415.post-61082280458478960052012-03-24T14:19:50.383-07:002012-03-24T14:19:50.383-07:00Hitchcock was always one to play against his stars...Hitchcock was always one to play against his stars' personae. Not just Stewart (in these two films as well as <i>Rope</i> and <i>Rear Window</i> and Day, but Cary Grant (a potential murderer in <i>Suspicion</i>, a callous monster in <i>Notorious</i> and the epitome of emptiness in <i>North by Northwest</i>) as well. There's very little that's safe or normal in Hitchcock.Sean Gilmanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16124894627028920508noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1701501727227850415.post-28143315526409947502012-03-24T13:50:01.739-07:002012-03-24T13:50:01.739-07:00That's a great, really interesting point, Sean...That's a great, really interesting point, Sean. I've not actually re-visited TMWKTM for a few years, and so the primary evocation for me was in my girlhood memory of a family untroubled in itself. The classic Doris Day persona and Stewart everyman persona have loomed large - too large, perhaps - in my mind. I always think of Vertigo as the more interesting deconstruction of Stewart, but I shall have to give Hitchcock due credit, trusting that the earlier film is more interesting than I thought.M. Tamminga (@oneaprilday)https://www.blogger.com/profile/10369421041119819033noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1701501727227850415.post-45760994240389652272012-03-24T13:33:20.771-07:002012-03-24T13:33:20.771-07:00I think you might want to give The Man Who Knew To...I think you might want to give <i>The Man Who Knew Too Much</i> another look. It's far from an evocation of a happy nuclear family. Stewart's pretty monstrous, going so far as to drug his own wife at a critical moment, an extreme manifestation of his stifling her independence and professional identity. He won't let her work (though she's much more successful in her career than he is), but only by employing her non-parental skills (she was a singer) is she able to save her child.Sean Gilmanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16124894627028920508noreply@blogger.com