Harry Monument

Starring:Harry Monument
Studio: Artificial City Films
Product Type: DVD

Customer Reviews:

"This chip van is all our lives.".......2005-07-16

The Belgium comedy film "The Wall" begins by exploring the country's linguistic differences through a brief history and some historical footage. There's the Dutch speaking North, and the French speaking South--known as Wallonia. Writer/Director Alain Berliner capitalizes on Belgium's history, and takes a good-natured dig at the country's ethnicity controversy. In the film, after centuries of division and squabbles, the government hatches a secret plot. At midnight, on the eve of the millennium, a wall is erected which firmly divides north and south Belgium. This is a problem for our hero, Albert (Daniel Hanssens) the lonely, plump owner of a chip shop that happens to sit on the newly formed border between the two countries. Albert's chip shop is literally divided in two, and Albert who attends a New Year's Eve party in the south can't get back to his chip shop (half of which is in the north).

Taking a sly poke at Belgium culture, "The Wall" is a unique film. At the beginning, the surreal plot is fresh, amusing, and energetic. The solemn ghost of Albert's father pesters Albert constantly with advice, and Albert so longs for love that he writes his own fortunes in the fortune cookies he gives out with each portion of chips. It looks as though his love life may be improving when he meets medical secretary Wendy (Pascale Bal), but he knows he can't compete with her DJ boyfriend who's "connected to the internet."

Unfortunately, after about the halfway point, "The Wall" simply doesn't go anywhere. The threads of magical realism are unhappily blended with scenes of sinister militarism. With Albert's dad shouting, "this is the land of surrealism", the plot takes huge liberties into meaningless absurdity. "The Wall" seems to be an 'idea' film that flirts with too many genres (musical, magical realism, thriller, romance), and the end result is a plot ends that's too messy to satisfy. "The Wall" is in Dutch and French with English subtitles--displacedhuman

Funny, touching, meanginful -- and light.......2001-05-08

A comedy unlike what one gets in North America -- a touch of culture, a sense of history, and a quick-moving story with some quality surrealism and absurdity amidst some very real, meaningful narrative.

What's it about? It's the turn of the 21st century, and the dual language issues in Belgium are about to be solved -- with something like a "Berlin wall" and ethnic segregation.

Average customer rating:

Not just for midgets!
NOIR ESSENCE!
Surreal Meets Noir
A real find
Love letter to film noir

Harry Monument
Starring: Harry Monument
Manufacturer: Artificial City Films
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Drama | Genres | DVD | Video

General | Mystery & Suspense | Genres | DVD | Video

( H ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video

Product Description

Irreverent film noir with a twist. AWARD OF EXCELLENCE - BERKELEY FILM FESTIVAL 2004 - OFFICIAL SELECTION - SAN ANTONIO FILM FESTIVAL 2004 "... all the earmarks of a cult classic." - Judith Walcutt, KSER FM. "...deliciously absurd." - Lewis John Carlino "The Great Santini". "... a tongue in the cheek of Raymond Chandler." - Chris Crotty, THE MARKETPLACE. Synopsis: Down on his luck Seattle private eye lands a gig as stand-in on a Kung Fu flick, gets kicked in the head and finds himself in L.A. on the trail of his partner's killer. This DVD includes BONUS FOOTAGE NOT SEEN IN THEATERS. Enchanced 16:9 SCENE SELECTION. "... an entirely new movie experience out of the film noir tradition ... unusual perspective and humor ... solid entertainment." - Matt Johnson, THE RECORD "Superfine!" - Adam Rocha, SAN ANTONIO FILM FESTIVAL

Customer Reviews:

Not just for midgets!.......2005-01-31

Comparing Dave Draper to Nicholson will get you nowhere, but the indecent pairing of director Evans with Saladore Dali just might. It depends on how the bricks on Grand Street fall, naturally; it all seems so well timed. Of course, if you're the kind of moviegoer that requires a thumbs-up by an Ebert or a Robot, this film might be a little too risky. But if you decide to gamble the 90-some minutes involved in consuming this scrambled delicacy, you just might come to the same old 5-star conclusion that I did. Anyway you look at it, the fries spell out something, don't they Mr. Jones?

NOIR ESSENCE!.......2005-01-29

HARRY MONUMENT is jam-packed with nods to some of my noir faves. I counted at least a dozen riffs on genre classics including TOUCH OF EVIL, DOUBLE INDEMNITY, and CHINATOWN. The film has something serious to say about hanging on to the past at any cost while wandering through the absurd present. At times, it felt a bit like Jim Jermusch meets the Wolfman. At other times, like french fried David Lynch on wry.

Surreal Meets Noir.......2005-01-29

Richard Evans has thrown in a pinch of surrealism, a soupcon of noir, a cup of hilarity, and out came this wonderful amalgam. Excellent writing, combined with sensitive cinematography, fine acting, and an outstanding score makes "Harry Monument" a film not to be missed. A really unique experience that leaves us wanting more.

A real find.......2005-01-29

Where have they been hiding this thing? It's one of goofiest murder mysteries I've ever seen. And the music is great!
A real find.

Love letter to film noir.......2005-01-29

Vintage Richard Evans, i.e. a deliciously twisted, absurdist love letter to the great Hollywood film noir tradition. Hilarious and utterly eccentric, HARRY MONUMENT may well end up a cult classic.

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