Tony, over at Wolves in the City, posted this trailer. I couldn't resist stealing it for a repost. As you might know, if you've been a reader of my blog for any length of time, I am a huge fan of Edward Hopper's work. I've posted more than once on this infatuation of mine. Austrian filmmaker, Gustav Deutsch, has brought thirteen of his paintings to "life" and created a film titled, "Shirley: Visions of Reality." When I saw the trailer at Tony's place, I had mixed feelings. The original work by Hopper is so startling and intriguing I wasn't sure how I would feel about viewing a version of them in this format. I'm still not sure, but I do intend to do so when available. I need to remember to keep my mind open to all the possibilities. I hope you'll let me know what you think ...
Tony's blog is a very interesting, often hard-hitting, mix of news you won't find in mainstream media. He also includes art, music, poetry, and other bits of life. He has, more than once, introduced an artist to me through his posting of a particular piece. Many of his interests dovetail with my own and I'm glad for his discoveries from which I benefit. He hails from Scotland. You can find him here: neoclassics.blogspot.com
Thanks, Teresa. I'll be checking out Wolves In The City. ;)
ReplyDeleteThank you ! :))
DeleteI watched the trailer, and then the first six minutes of the Behind the Scenes video, but I gave up because I cannot understand the language. When "Shirley" was talking, in English, it was very fascinating. I'll definitely be watching for this movie, Teresa. Thanks for making me aware of it. :-)
ReplyDeleteThe language does present a problem, but my zeroing in on the images allowed for me to wade through it. Sometimes, I can flow with the rhythm of the language enough to stay with it ... sometimes not ... :) Thank you for trying and for commenting.
DeleteDjan, FYI: I decided to drop the behind the scenes video ... I want to make this post easy for folks to read, not onerous ... :)))
DeleteHmmm, I don't like "Shirley". At all. I'm a very big Hopper fan also and regardless of whether the work of art is Hopper or another artist, I don't like someone telling me how to interpret what I see. I know it is done all the time but it seems "Shirley" is taking it one step further. Somehow it just feels so wrong. Why? I suppose it is like someone taking something exceptionally beautiful and trying to make ir ordinary by dressing it up in the current fashion and thus, causing it to lose its uniqueness.
ReplyDeleteRegardless, I'd still like to see the behind the scenes video.
I think I would prefer a more straightforward film approach rather than the artsy, so to speak, way he did this. I tend to agree with you, though, art of this exceptional caliber should probably not be tinkered with. Some things stand alone, and Hopper's work certainly does, Each and every painting, despite the use of the same model (his wife), offers a story. I prefer when the viewer can fill in the blanks. Thanks for commenting, Rubye Jack. If you go to the sidebar on youtube, you will see the Behind the Scenes video.
DeleteLike you, I have mixed feelings on his, Teresa; not a bad thing, really, for any kind of art should evoke feelings, emotions, etc. even if it is building upon what another has done. I was absorbed in the Hopper exhibit when it was at the Art Institute of Chicago a few years ago and can understand how someone would feel compelled to step inside Hopper's paintings. Very interesting. Thank you.
ReplyDeleteThank you for reading, watching and commenting, Penny.
DeleteI guess I look at it as just one person's opinion and interpretation. I am always curious about how other people see things whether I agree or disagree with them. I would watch it. Whether I liked it or not--that I would discover. :)
ReplyDeleteI'm trying to keep an open mind ... :)
DeleteI'm such a great fan of Hopper. Did you know that his "Automat," one of my favorites, is part of the permanent collection at the Des Moines Art Center? When I went up to Iowa for my mother's burial, I was going to stop by and see it, but it was traveling at the time.
ReplyDeleteI don't believe I've ever seen paintings-to-film, except the wonderful "Girl With a Pearl Earring," which takes a somewhat different approach and which includes a book in the mix as an intermediate step.
I found the trailer fascinating, and watched the behind-the-scenes video. It wasn't too satisfactory because of the language barrier, but it was interesting.
I found the synopsis in English, and that's where I checked out. The narrative the filmmaker has imposed on the images made it suddenly seem more a propaganda piece than art. So, while I don't have any opposition to "art imitating art," I found his interpretation of what he had done a little wooden and pendantic.
Still, interesting.
Thank you, Linda, for including the link to the director's statement. It does seem to be a rather heavy handed political stance he's taking and it sounds like too much liberty has also been taken with the paintings. I agree. A bit wooden and pedantic. I also feel the beauty of art, no matter the form, is what the viewer or reader brings to it, how they fill in the blanks. He doesn't leave any room for that with his interpretation.
DeleteThank you so much for exploring this further and for your insightful comment.