Illuminata

[catdishy]

Ditto at AMazon.ca (as it comes from the USofA).July 24 seems a long time to wait to see it...guess it will be even longer as it has to ship after that date.

[mcr5137]

Back to Illuminata.....

I watched it again today, as I've been told how wonderful it is. So, once again, I'm going to have to be the weirdo that just isn't impressed, overall, with this film. I tried REALLY WATCHING it, I tried just listening to it, I tried rewinding and watching scenes over and over........all to no avail, I just didn't get into it! I did like Ruf's moments, but then I always do. He was pretty much the ONLY thing to watch. I must say, I liked the "making of" better than I liked the film itself! It was slow, boring, odd (not in a good way) and just hard to get into or understand (IMHO, of course). I did love Dominique's facial expressions! And the last scene on stage (which is what Maxx has up on the site) is absolutely fantastic! I love that scene! Many found Illuminata funny, other than once or twice, I didn't. Many found it mesmerizing, again, other than a couple of Ruf's scenes, I didn't.

I'm going to keep trying it until I like it! There has to be something good about it as so many of you rave about it! But I just don't get it............at least not so far!

[ree]

mcr5137 said:

Back to Illuminata.....
I did love Dominique's facial expressions! And the last scene on stage (which is what Maxx has up on the site) is absolutely fantastic! I love that scene!
I'm going to keep trying it until I like it! There has to be something good about it as so many of you rave about it! But I just don't get it............at least not so far!

Sounds like you did find things you like about this movie!
It's just not your favorite, and that's okay too! I didn't like
Middlemarch as much as some of you did. Of course I still
purchased two different versions.....but that's because of
what we do all like, Rufus' performances. Oh, and did I
forget to mention his bodacious body? ;D

[maxx02]

I'm with you Ree. Middlemarch will never be one of my favorites other than to marvel at how absolutely painfully beautiful Rufus was at the time and how perfectly that period seems to suit him.

Illuminata, I love because I understand it. The first time I saw it, I knew it was a film that would only appeal to a small segment of viewers because much of it is an inside joke. It was a different time that produced the money to finance that picture. It would likely never get made today. And even if you don't much care for the film, the last scene is another magic performance by Rufus.

[sevensisters]

maxx02 said:

And even if you don't much care for the film, the last scene is another magic performance by Rufus.

I agree, the last scene was pure magic, the best part of the entire film!

[miss october]

I pretty much agree, mcr5137. I LOVED Rufus in Illuminata, I thought he was funny, and I liked the 'look' of the movie (those 'glowy blue' parts were beautiful!). But other than that...I had a hard time getting into it. It seemed like a movie made for actors or people involved in theatre....and I'm not.

Since I bought it before watching it first, I'll still throw it in the dvd player once in a while, and just skip to the Rufus scenes. (is that sad or what?!)

[rufluvr]

There's nothing sad about Rufing, it's perfectly understandable and acceptable--why suffer through the hamburger when all you want is the steak. I do some serious Rufing watching Gone to Seed, so I know what you mean. The painful and plain stupid parts I just whizz by. It's worth doing because of the very funny and peachy parts of the movie.
I liked Illuminata very much. You are right about it being isoteric to the theatre community, but I thought it was still good enough for anyone to appreciate. Maybe it just depends upon the type of comedy people like. To each, her own. I would say that besides the obvious of Ruf being great, (why his swearing at the audience is my fav part who knows? I'm just wierd. Again, to each, her own) I must point out that Christopher Walken (sp?) just really had me rolling, I loved that he played his role to abandon.

[peach]

Just caught the last 20 min or so of Iluminata, that last scene (Ruf's speech) is a knockout. Seen this movie more than once and it still is beautiful to watch. What a treat.

[peach]

there is something quite beautiful about him in this film. I do love his curls and those eyes, I don't find them distracting at all. In the last scene, when he's saying that he was born imperfectly.... when that tear starts to fall down his cheek, there is nothing more sexy and honest as that. Such heartfelt emotion. It's really quite touching.

[tipou]

good movie, great cast, beautiful art direction, gorgeous rufus, gifted rufus, funny rufus, heart breaking rufus.

love susan too she was so luminous and graceful , such a beautiful b*tch!! and funny too. and aida. oh darn i love them all.

oh boy, christopher walken. this guy is demented. he was not to be beleived, he was sooooo good.

laughed out loud at this scene with david thornton:

thornton: do you think that masturbation is a sin?
sewell: depends on where the other hand is.

the scene where dominique works on his "natural" face to face with tuccio is so funny i had to laugh out loud. and like most of you, the "completed" ending, i found totally adorable and heart wrenching.

i will certainly see that one again.

[dirtygirldiva]

Is this one kind of like "An Awfully Big Adventure" I know they are both about theater companys. I bought AABA because it had Alan Rickman in it....and he was pretty much the only good thing about it...other than Hugh playing the opposite of what he usually plays.

[tipou]

i did not see that movie AABA, and i do not think i have ever seen anything like illuminata, because it is staged into such a peculiar atmosphere and era. you see a big pre-raphaelite painting all through, and so it happens that susan sarandon seems to come out of it. characters start screaming in italian when passion makes them. transitions are introduced by a lovely puppet. its the old play within a play concept, and how life imitates art and vice-versa, and also a fable about artistic creation, and about love, as the final scene with illuminata and her husband (ruf! ruf! ruf! the little rascal made me cry!) so brilliantly shows. this final sequence illustrates so well why i like turturro in the first place. the fantasy in there, the sheer humanity...
and yet, you laugh all the way. when the younger actress carries on about the fact that she can cross the stage from left to right, anytime, but not, emotionally, from right to left... i know stage people like that.
i loved the whole cast, really. all so different and weird in their own ways, and yet, eveything falls into place at the end, because the show must go on, it is such a lovely show.
i should have said, about rufus: he shows a hell of a range here. amazing. from the selfish bastard to the outraged friend to the adoring husband... and even a quirky quasimodo in the final credits.

[catdishy]

That quirky Quasimodo is my favorite moment in all of Roof's screendom.

[tipou]

that is the kind of things that makes me believe quite strongly that we have not seen nothing yet from this guy. the sky's the limit. mark my words.
this is not the drooling fan talking now, but the devoted movie goer who still has hope in a few players out there...

[tipou]

i cannot get over this movie, it haunts me...
noticed something: how eyes are major players in illuminata?
rufus has an amazing pair, of course, but sarandon too... and turturro has very intense and amazing eyes. walken... when you know about his eyes. it just struck me.
weird.