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Having
now had a chance to see the film, I'm happy to agree with
the Sight and Sound editorial putting it up there with
the very best of world cinema - of all time. Making the
aficionados put some mental effort into their enjoyment
of the arts is nothing new, and usually to the artist's
credit: which do you prefer, T.S.Eliot or John Betjeman?
Samuel Beckett or J.B.Priestly? Picasso or David Shepherd?
Julian Barnes or John Grisham? So where Claire denis is
concerned, our lingering reflections over the interpretation
of some of her images or 'unstated' narrative may make
us recall Beau Travail in 10 years' time rather more readily
than, say, Gladiator. What about that ending?! If we're
looking for layers of meaning in a film, or richness of
interpretation, it was a goldmine... A personal response
would be that Galoup resembled a butterfly, beating frenetically
at the bars of his cage-like disco booth, inapte a la
vie (unfit for life) as he said at the beginning of the
film. Probably absurd to those of you who found different
symbols, but just one man's view - it doesn't really matter
as long as the artist evokes some response and arouses
admiration for her creation. I'd love to hear what you
think!
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