My Weekend With Baltasar
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfta_TZp21jtdU0bgY8nIzdQi2TmGgh53suGY6FefL9rfQhuc5VtNEzzR3Z3zmIVW4LdFucGn7r5pX4KhR33-Sghn7kQ1Gq9Leg9ootdHI8JDKdCZuwfxQJn6D1NOHUD_UDEX7/s400/Jar+City.jpg)
I'm not really as upset as the fellow in the picture seems to be. Actually, I'm looking forward to spending some quality time with him tonight. we've met before, via a mutual acquaintance: Baltasar Kormákur, the Icelandic director of such films as 101 Reykjavík, Hafið, A Little Trip to Heaven, Devil's Island, and a film that I'm going to see again tonight, Jar City, based on the book Mýrin by the noted crime writer Arnaldur Indriðason. I've seen 101 and a couple of Kormákur's stage productions. Furthermore, I was almost run over by him the last time I was in Rekjavík as I was leaving the National Theatre's box office!
One thing Baltasar does well is create stunning images, both on stage and in movies; the first time saw Mýrin, without subtitles, I was left with quite an impressionistic view of modern Icelandic forensics. Tonight's viewing (after having read the book) should be a little more coherent, but just as rewarding. He just won a "best picture" award for Jar City at the Prague Film Festival. It's worth a look, it will also play Monday night in Minneapolis, you might be able to catch it at other festivals this spring as well.
UPDATE: Just got back from the festival showing, the movie is as good (or better) than I remembered it (yay!), but it had been transferred to digital (boo, hiss!) with a BIG degradation of image quality. The theater was packed, the film received a good response, with a lot of Icelandic-oriented discussions going on in the lobby both before and after the showing. One viewer at a time, Rose.
If this is the only "print" in the country, it might be better to wait for the DVD or pay-for-view. Some kind of "truth in advertising" law must have been broken here, film is film and digital is digital. High quality digital is possible, but this wasn't it.
4 Comments:-
Darien Fisher-Duke said...
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Professor Batty said...
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Alda said...
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Professor Batty said...
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Did you buy it, Batty?
... sorry, my midnight post last night wasn't too clear, I went to a showing at the Mpls-St.Paul film festival.
Boo, what a drag the quality was substandard. And I agree, it is an excellent film, def. one of the best Icelandic films to date.
Alda- especially so since I had seen the original, where Baltasur had used different film stocks to create a mood, this showing was just mush.
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