Tuvalu (Widescreen)
Starring:Denis Lavant, Chulpan Khamatova, Philippe Clay, Terrence Gillespie, E.J. Callahan, Djoko Rosic, Catalina Murgea, Todor Georgiev
Director: Veit Helmer
Studio: First Run Features
Product Type: DVD
Average customer rating:
- The film is brilliantly inventive, like one giant Rube Goldberg device
- Outstanding
- A modern poetry
- An Amazing Film
- Fritz Lang Resurrected as a Surrealist in Bulgaria?
|
Tuvalu (Widescreen)
Starring: Denis Lavant , Chulpan Khamatova , Philippe Clay , Terrence Gillespie , and E.J. Callahan
Director: Veit Helmer
Manufacturer: First Run Features
ProductGroup: DVD
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Similar Items:
- Songs From the Second Floor
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- Faust
- The Conformist (Extended Edition)
ASIN: B00006BS78
Release Date: 2002-09-24 |
Customer Reviews:
The film is brilliantly inventive, like one giant Rube Goldberg device.......2006-06-02
Considering how much praise the film DELICATESSEN has received over the years, it is surprising TUVALU hasn't found more recognition. While DELICATESSEN is visually clever, using minimal dialogue to tell its story, TUVALU takes those qualities further, though perhaps with a few less side stories. Nevertheless, fans of one should enjoy the other.
The Tuvalu of the film's title is a faraway paradise isle. It is precisely the sort of place Anton (Denis Lavant) would rather be than working in his parent's dilapidated bathhouse, the last building standing in a barren landscape devoid of color and a thorn in the side of evil developer Gregor (Terrence Gillespie). Getting to Tuvalu is a dream Anton has all but given up on, considering he is afraid to set foot outside of the bathhouse. Anton's mother has kept a long-running charade going to keep his blind father from knowing the family business is failing. Between the few remaining customers paying with worthless buttons, and an upcoming safety inspection, the bathhouse looks certain for demolition. A change of pace occurs when Eva (Chulpan Khamatova), the object of Anton's desires, moves into the bathhouse with her father after losing their home. But then matters are made worse when Eva's father is killed in the pool by falling plaster. She blames Anton and runs to the arms of Gregor. From there it's a race against time to fix up the building, rescue a key piece of machinery that keeps the building's boiler running smoothly, prove Eva's father's death was no accident, and win her back from Gregor.
The film is brilliantly inventive, like one giant Rube Goldberg device. While most of the film was shot in black & white, much of it is color-tinted, adding to the already stunning camerawork, lighting, and art direction. Much of the comedy is physical and absurd, like an old silent movie, but the film has more than it's fare share of clever sight gags and situations to make it stand out.
Outstanding.......2004-11-16
I was very sceptical at first, after reading all the reviews and seeing the screenshots. But the movie exceeded all the expectations and revealed a new dimension in the world of cinema. It is not a cilent movie, but only a few words are spoken, however the director and the actors managed to kept me mesmerized and captivated from the beginning till the very end. I only wish this movie were twice, no three times longer, and after it finished I kept reliving the episodes and the atmosphere for many hours and days. Chulpan Khamatova is utterly fascinating and her character is not only unforgettable, but also very personalized and lively. I will watch this movie again many times.
A modern poetry .......2004-09-01
A simple love story between 2 human beings in a material world, that's what it's all about.
If you liked the monochromy of Delicatessen, the characters of The city of the lost children, you'll love this film.
Anyway, it's not an ersatz of Jeunet : the story is simple, there's no real dialog.
See this one. It's what should be a film : original
An Amazing Film.......2003-12-06
The director of this film intended it to be understood by everyone -- hence there is very little dialogue. It is a haunting and surreal setting (shot on location in eastern Europe). Moreover, it has one of my all-time favorite actors: E.J. Callahan
Fritz Lang Resurrected as a Surrealist in Bulgaria?.......2003-11-21
I love films in which the director shows that he's a true auteur by creating a universe of his own, a universe that is neither past, present, nor future, a universe that can't be found on a map. And while Tuvalu is a real place and can be found on a map (the tiny nation has about 10 square miles of dry land and you might come across it somewhere between Fiji and the Marshall Islands if you're ever drifting across the Pacific Ocean on a raft), Veit Helmer's film by the same name doesn't take place there. Tuvalu was filmed in Bulgaria but the film is set in a stark dreamland during what seems to be either a mildly post-apocalyptic future, a somewhat stilted present, or maybe just another dimension altogether.
Tuvalu is a relatively simple love story, but unlike other love stories this one is draped in enough surreal eye candy to keep you interested even if the thin plot doesn't. The details are amazingly well thought out. The interior scenes are shot in sepiatone, the outdoor scenes in a stark blueish black and white. The locale is vaguely Eastern European with evidence of a local Slavo-Germanic language: one scene is shot inside the workshop of a "Mekanika", a building inspector waves a piece of paper labelled "Protokol" in another. The cracks in the walls, floors and ceilings of the bathhouse in which most of the action takes place are beautifully decadent. Every light fixture and doorframe seems chosen for atmosphere. The fact that this is effectively a silent film adds to the dreamlike feeling. There are snippets of speech, and sound is heard, footsteps, crashes, the roar of steam engines, and water dripping, lots of water dripping, but the film could be viewed with the sound turned off without any loss of understanding: a filmic Esperanto, film as international language. This universalism was intentional according to Helmer, although he did state in a recent interview, "My sound editor would like to kill everyone who calls it a silent film, because he worked for six months creating the sound design."
French "Next Wave" actor Denis Lavant's portrayal of Anton, the bathhouse attendant, is very believable and at times he seems to channel Buster Keaton, performing physical comedy without seeming to be aware of it. His harmless yet weathered face is also perfect for the role of innocent in a netherworld.
Russian actress Chulpan Khamatova was also a good choice for Eva, Anton's love interest. She looks like a teenaged schoolgirl (she was in her mid-20s at the time of filming) but when she first catches Anton spying on her while undressing her laugh betrays anything but innocence. Clothed or not, Khamatova also has a bearing, an offbeat beauty, that is completely in sync with the world in which the film takes place. She seems to belong to this time and place as much as the grotesques that populate much of the rest of the film. Helmer has mentioned in interviews that he auditioned over a thousand actors for this film and it shows. French veteran actor Phillipe Clay plays the blind bathhouse owner with understated grace. Terrence Gillespie as Anton's rival comes off like a slimy Eastern European Lyle Lovett. Even down to the extras, Helmer has cast this film with the same eye for detail that went into its design.
A blurb on the box for the DVD version of this film says that Tuvalu feels like Fritz Lang directing Delicatessen. I think the Fritz Lang comparison is valid, and would be surprised if Helmer didn't cite him as a major influence but, except for the surreal elements and the alternate universe both films portray, the comparison to Delicatessen is a bit of a stretch. Tuvalu is a much kinder, gentler film, and while its world is not without its dangers, and indeed even death and night and blood, its spirit draws more from classic European cinema of the 30s and 40s than from the post-punk Gilliamesque humor of Caro and Jeunet. Tuvalu to me feels more like Fritz Lang teaming up with Guy Maddin to make a classic love story.
![Tuvalu [Region 2]](http://ec1.images-amazon.com/images/I/218Q3G45XDL.jpg)
Average customer rating:
- The film is brilliantly inventive, like one giant Rube Goldberg device
- Outstanding
- A modern poetry
- An Amazing Film
- Fritz Lang Resurrected as a Surrealist in Bulgaria?
|
Tuvalu [Region 2]
Starring: Denis Lavant , Chulpan Khamatova , Philippe Clay , Terrence Gillespie , and E.J. Callahan
Director: Veit Helmer
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD
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Similar Items:
- Songs From the Second Floor
- The City of Lost Children
- Delicatessen
- Faust
- The Conformist (Extended Edition)
ASIN: B00005UDFN |
Customer Reviews:
The film is brilliantly inventive, like one giant Rube Goldberg device.......2006-06-02
Considering how much praise the film DELICATESSEN has received over the years, it is surprising TUVALU hasn't found more recognition. While DELICATESSEN is visually clever, using minimal dialogue to tell its story, TUVALU takes those qualities further, though perhaps with a few less side stories. Nevertheless, fans of one should enjoy the other.
The Tuvalu of the film's title is a faraway paradise isle. It is precisely the sort of place Anton (Denis Lavant) would rather be than working in his parent's dilapidated bathhouse, the last building standing in a barren landscape devoid of color and a thorn in the side of evil developer Gregor (Terrence Gillespie). Getting to Tuvalu is a dream Anton has all but given up on, considering he is afraid to set foot outside of the bathhouse. Anton's mother has kept a long-running charade going to keep his blind father from knowing the family business is failing. Between the few remaining customers paying with worthless buttons, and an upcoming safety inspection, the bathhouse looks certain for demolition. A change of pace occurs when Eva (Chulpan Khamatova), the object of Anton's desires, moves into the bathhouse with her father after losing their home. But then matters are made worse when Eva's father is killed in the pool by falling plaster. She blames Anton and runs to the arms of Gregor. From there it's a race against time to fix up the building, rescue a key piece of machinery that keeps the building's boiler running smoothly, prove Eva's father's death was no accident, and win her back from Gregor.
The film is brilliantly inventive, like one giant Rube Goldberg device. While most of the film was shot in black & white, much of it is color-tinted, adding to the already stunning camerawork, lighting, and art direction. Much of the comedy is physical and absurd, like an old silent movie, but the film has more than it's fare share of clever sight gags and situations to make it stand out.
Outstanding.......2004-11-16
I was very sceptical at first, after reading all the reviews and seeing the screenshots. But the movie exceeded all the expectations and revealed a new dimension in the world of cinema. It is not a cilent movie, but only a few words are spoken, however the director and the actors managed to kept me mesmerized and captivated from the beginning till the very end. I only wish this movie were twice, no three times longer, and after it finished I kept reliving the episodes and the atmosphere for many hours and days. Chulpan Khamatova is utterly fascinating and her character is not only unforgettable, but also very personalized and lively. I will watch this movie again many times.
A modern poetry .......2004-09-01
A simple love story between 2 human beings in a material world, that's what it's all about.
If you liked the monochromy of Delicatessen, the characters of The city of the lost children, you'll love this film.
Anyway, it's not an ersatz of Jeunet : the story is simple, there's no real dialog.
See this one. It's what should be a film : original
An Amazing Film.......2003-12-06
The director of this film intended it to be understood by everyone -- hence there is very little dialogue. It is a haunting and surreal setting (shot on location in eastern Europe). Moreover, it has one of my all-time favorite actors: E.J. Callahan
Fritz Lang Resurrected as a Surrealist in Bulgaria?.......2003-11-21
I love films in which the director shows that he's a true auteur by creating a universe of his own, a universe that is neither past, present, nor future, a universe that can't be found on a map. And while Tuvalu is a real place and can be found on a map (the tiny nation has about 10 square miles of dry land and you might come across it somewhere between Fiji and the Marshall Islands if you're ever drifting across the Pacific Ocean on a raft), Veit Helmer's film by the same name doesn't take place there. Tuvalu was filmed in Bulgaria but the film is set in a stark dreamland during what seems to be either a mildly post-apocalyptic future, a somewhat stilted present, or maybe just another dimension altogether.
Tuvalu is a relatively simple love story, but unlike other love stories this one is draped in enough surreal eye candy to keep you interested even if the thin plot doesn't. The details are amazingly well thought out. The interior scenes are shot in sepiatone, the outdoor scenes in a stark blueish black and white. The locale is vaguely Eastern European with evidence of a local Slavo-Germanic language: one scene is shot inside the workshop of a "Mekanika", a building inspector waves a piece of paper labelled "Protokol" in another. The cracks in the walls, floors and ceilings of the bathhouse in which most of the action takes place are beautifully decadent. Every light fixture and doorframe seems chosen for atmosphere. The fact that this is effectively a silent film adds to the dreamlike feeling. There are snippets of speech, and sound is heard, footsteps, crashes, the roar of steam engines, and water dripping, lots of water dripping, but the film could be viewed with the sound turned off without any loss of understanding: a filmic Esperanto, film as international language. This universalism was intentional according to Helmer, although he did state in a recent interview, "My sound editor would like to kill everyone who calls it a silent film, because he worked for six months creating the sound design."
French "Next Wave" actor Denis Lavant's portrayal of Anton, the bathhouse attendant, is very believable and at times he seems to channel Buster Keaton, performing physical comedy without seeming to be aware of it. His harmless yet weathered face is also perfect for the role of innocent in a netherworld.
Russian actress Chulpan Khamatova was also a good choice for Eva, Anton's love interest. She looks like a teenaged schoolgirl (she was in her mid-20s at the time of filming) but when she first catches Anton spying on her while undressing her laugh betrays anything but innocence. Clothed or not, Khamatova also has a bearing, an offbeat beauty, that is completely in sync with the world in which the film takes place. She seems to belong to this time and place as much as the grotesques that populate much of the rest of the film. Helmer has mentioned in interviews that he auditioned over a thousand actors for this film and it shows. French veteran actor Phillipe Clay plays the blind bathhouse owner with understated grace. Terrence Gillespie as Anton's rival comes off like a slimy Eastern European Lyle Lovett. Even down to the extras, Helmer has cast this film with the same eye for detail that went into its design.
A blurb on the box for the DVD version of this film says that Tuvalu feels like Fritz Lang directing Delicatessen. I think the Fritz Lang comparison is valid, and would be surprised if Helmer didn't cite him as a major influence but, except for the surreal elements and the alternate universe both films portray, the comparison to Delicatessen is a bit of a stretch. Tuvalu is a much kinder, gentler film, and while its world is not without its dangers, and indeed even death and night and blood, its spirit draws more from classic European cinema of the 30s and 40s than from the post-punk Gilliamesque humor of Caro and Jeunet. Tuvalu to me feels more like Fritz Lang teaming up with Guy Maddin to make a classic love story.
Average customer rating:
- The film is brilliantly inventive, like one giant Rube Goldberg device
- Outstanding
- A modern poetry
- An Amazing Film
- Fritz Lang Resurrected as a Surrealist in Bulgaria?
|
Tuvalu
Starring: Denis Lavant , Chulpan Khamatova , Philippe Clay , Terrence Gillespie , and E.J. Callahan
Director: Veit Helmer
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD
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| Genres
| DVD
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( T )
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| Features
| DVD
| Video
Used DVDs
| Stores
| DVD
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Similar Items:
- Songs From the Second Floor
- The City of Lost Children
- Delicatessen
- Faust
- The Conformist (Extended Edition)
ASIN: B00003CY4A |
Customer Reviews:
The film is brilliantly inventive, like one giant Rube Goldberg device.......2006-06-02
Considering how much praise the film DELICATESSEN has received over the years, it is surprising TUVALU hasn't found more recognition. While DELICATESSEN is visually clever, using minimal dialogue to tell its story, TUVALU takes those qualities further, though perhaps with a few less side stories. Nevertheless, fans of one should enjoy the other.
The Tuvalu of the film's title is a faraway paradise isle. It is precisely the sort of place Anton (Denis Lavant) would rather be than working in his parent's dilapidated bathhouse, the last building standing in a barren landscape devoid of color and a thorn in the side of evil developer Gregor (Terrence Gillespie). Getting to Tuvalu is a dream Anton has all but given up on, considering he is afraid to set foot outside of the bathhouse. Anton's mother has kept a long-running charade going to keep his blind father from knowing the family business is failing. Between the few remaining customers paying with worthless buttons, and an upcoming safety inspection, the bathhouse looks certain for demolition. A change of pace occurs when Eva (Chulpan Khamatova), the object of Anton's desires, moves into the bathhouse with her father after losing their home. But then matters are made worse when Eva's father is killed in the pool by falling plaster. She blames Anton and runs to the arms of Gregor. From there it's a race against time to fix up the building, rescue a key piece of machinery that keeps the building's boiler running smoothly, prove Eva's father's death was no accident, and win her back from Gregor.
The film is brilliantly inventive, like one giant Rube Goldberg device. While most of the film was shot in black & white, much of it is color-tinted, adding to the already stunning camerawork, lighting, and art direction. Much of the comedy is physical and absurd, like an old silent movie, but the film has more than it's fare share of clever sight gags and situations to make it stand out.
Outstanding.......2004-11-16
I was very sceptical at first, after reading all the reviews and seeing the screenshots. But the movie exceeded all the expectations and revealed a new dimension in the world of cinema. It is not a cilent movie, but only a few words are spoken, however the director and the actors managed to kept me mesmerized and captivated from the beginning till the very end. I only wish this movie were twice, no three times longer, and after it finished I kept reliving the episodes and the atmosphere for many hours and days. Chulpan Khamatova is utterly fascinating and her character is not only unforgettable, but also very personalized and lively. I will watch this movie again many times.
A modern poetry .......2004-09-01
A simple love story between 2 human beings in a material world, that's what it's all about.
If you liked the monochromy of Delicatessen, the characters of The city of the lost children, you'll love this film.
Anyway, it's not an ersatz of Jeunet : the story is simple, there's no real dialog.
See this one. It's what should be a film : original
An Amazing Film.......2003-12-06
The director of this film intended it to be understood by everyone -- hence there is very little dialogue. It is a haunting and surreal setting (shot on location in eastern Europe). Moreover, it has one of my all-time favorite actors: E.J. Callahan
Fritz Lang Resurrected as a Surrealist in Bulgaria?.......2003-11-21
I love films in which the director shows that he's a true auteur by creating a universe of his own, a universe that is neither past, present, nor future, a universe that can't be found on a map. And while Tuvalu is a real place and can be found on a map (the tiny nation has about 10 square miles of dry land and you might come across it somewhere between Fiji and the Marshall Islands if you're ever drifting across the Pacific Ocean on a raft), Veit Helmer's film by the same name doesn't take place there. Tuvalu was filmed in Bulgaria but the film is set in a stark dreamland during what seems to be either a mildly post-apocalyptic future, a somewhat stilted present, or maybe just another dimension altogether.
Tuvalu is a relatively simple love story, but unlike other love stories this one is draped in enough surreal eye candy to keep you interested even if the thin plot doesn't. The details are amazingly well thought out. The interior scenes are shot in sepiatone, the outdoor scenes in a stark blueish black and white. The locale is vaguely Eastern European with evidence of a local Slavo-Germanic language: one scene is shot inside the workshop of a "Mekanika", a building inspector waves a piece of paper labelled "Protokol" in another. The cracks in the walls, floors and ceilings of the bathhouse in which most of the action takes place are beautifully decadent. Every light fixture and doorframe seems chosen for atmosphere. The fact that this is effectively a silent film adds to the dreamlike feeling. There are snippets of speech, and sound is heard, footsteps, crashes, the roar of steam engines, and water dripping, lots of water dripping, but the film could be viewed with the sound turned off without any loss of understanding: a filmic Esperanto, film as international language. This universalism was intentional according to Helmer, although he did state in a recent interview, "My sound editor would like to kill everyone who calls it a silent film, because he worked for six months creating the sound design."
French "Next Wave" actor Denis Lavant's portrayal of Anton, the bathhouse attendant, is very believable and at times he seems to channel Buster Keaton, performing physical comedy without seeming to be aware of it. His harmless yet weathered face is also perfect for the role of innocent in a netherworld.
Russian actress Chulpan Khamatova was also a good choice for Eva, Anton's love interest. She looks like a teenaged schoolgirl (she was in her mid-20s at the time of filming) but when she first catches Anton spying on her while undressing her laugh betrays anything but innocence. Clothed or not, Khamatova also has a bearing, an offbeat beauty, that is completely in sync with the world in which the film takes place. She seems to belong to this time and place as much as the grotesques that populate much of the rest of the film. Helmer has mentioned in interviews that he auditioned over a thousand actors for this film and it shows. French veteran actor Phillipe Clay plays the blind bathhouse owner with understated grace. Terrence Gillespie as Anton's rival comes off like a slimy Eastern European Lyle Lovett. Even down to the extras, Helmer has cast this film with the same eye for detail that went into its design.
A blurb on the box for the DVD version of this film says that Tuvalu feels like Fritz Lang directing Delicatessen. I think the Fritz Lang comparison is valid, and would be surprised if Helmer didn't cite him as a major influence but, except for the surreal elements and the alternate universe both films portray, the comparison to Delicatessen is a bit of a stretch. Tuvalu is a much kinder, gentler film, and while its world is not without its dangers, and indeed even death and night and blood, its spirit draws more from classic European cinema of the 30s and 40s than from the post-punk Gilliamesque humor of Caro and Jeunet. Tuvalu to me feels more like Fritz Lang teaming up with Guy Maddin to make a classic love story.
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