The Republic of Heaven

these are my initial thoughts only...

i enjoyed the film wholly and while it's been years since i read the white mercedes, i felt it was a very good adaptation. plot-wise, i have to say i'm not sure it was ever really my favourite among pullman's stories (i have very mixed feelings about his most contemporary novels), but i think it carried well in the film. i sometimes found myself trying to remember what characters did without mobile phones back in the early 90s but i'm sure they managed.

i'm not sure how i feel about flashbacks as a technique employed in this film, especially in the second half, but the actors were good, though they were obviously newish. the cinematography was beautiful and i'm glad i was able to watch the butterfly tattoo in widescreen.

that's it for now i think. i'll wait for the DVD before i watch it again. i liked it and i would have rather seen it in cinemas.

Thanks for the honest review! You have no idea how cool it is to finally have an unbiased and largely anonymous audience after all these years.

(May I ask you also take the time to upload it to IMDb? That'd be terrific.)

I enjoyed it. Certainly more than a great many studio films that made big bucks in the box office. Three out of five stars from me on Netflix (can't do fractions). I recall giving only two stars to some Oscar winners.

Pros: The opening scene was beautiful, and the integration of the soundtrack was outstanding throughout. I loved, loved, loved the close-ups of the leading couple. That really tested the actors, who only rarely betrayed their inexperience. I'd buy stock in Jessica Blake if she were selling -- and not just because she's a pretty face. The costumes and design elements were excellent as well.

Cons: The flashbacks. I don't know enough about moviemaking to put my finger on anything in particular, but they just seemed like TV kitsch to me. I don't have a problem with using them as a plot device. I just didn't like the way these were shot/edited. They compare poorly with similar ones from another adaptation, Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil.

Mixed: The script. I'm not sure how faithful the screenplay was to the book because I haven't read it, but the dialogue was awkward sometimes (although the actors covered well for the most part) and the ending wasn't as inspired as the introduction. Show me humanity to close, not a landscape. This one reminded me of the ending to the theatrical cut of Blade Runner.

I received the DVD today and watched it tonight. Subtitles (even in english) could have been helpful for a poor little French guy like me, but I however managed to understand (most of) what was said and to appreciate the movie!

I had a good time watching it. If there were sometimes some akward stuff in it, I really appreciated the way this movie is done. The storyline of original book is kept and translation to screen is successful. The movie's first part is sweet ! Thinking back, it might have been a few minutes shorter, but this "love story"-part has the advantage of being much more credible and sweeter that usual-"hollywoodized"-romantic-movies (I usually get bored very quickly by this kind of movies, so if i like this one, that a good point... ) Furthermore this length feeling is forgotten due to achievment in cinematography/music/editing. The work made on colors is beautiful, music is great, all those things such as using tracks on mute sequences create a very interesting atmosphere. I also really appreciated the lovely and sequences of Chris and Jenny preparing for their rendezvous (and the kitchen scene, as well ). Second part is also good. Reading Jessia's and Bellerophon's feedbacks, maybe indeed flashbacks were not all necessary, but it did not especially annoyed me. Mobile phones ? I hate those things, but if they had not been in the movie, it would have been weird, given than unfortunatelly people seem now unable to live without them.

In a nutshell I spend a good moment watching this nice movie and I am happy to see it works well. Let's now hope we will be able to see it on silver screen and offer him some success.


One last word. Is the funny sequence with Chris riding faster as other cyclists a reference to Tati?