Just finished Power Of The Dog on Netflix and found it to be a mesmerizing and astounding piece of work. Jane Campionโs characters are paramount. The actors and writing breathe life into the story and drive the narrative in lieu of expository dialogue. Every performance is noteworthy. The cinematography and lighting are flawless; airy and stifling in turns. The set designs and construction, locations, set dressing, costumes, and props are meticulous. This is cinema as art; measured in approach and execution.
Would love to hear othersโ thoughts.
This film restored my faith in the medium.
hey blankies, i tried making this post last night but it disappeared for reasons Marie nor I can quite understand.
anyway, hi, it's it's your old and universally beloved pal david ehrlich here. i don't really use or know how to use reddit โย hence the auto-generated username that sounds like a deleted character from WALL-E โ but when i do it's to see what you guys are saying. as some of you may already know, i've partnered with Jane Campion for the fundraiser attached to my video countdown this year; she selected three non-profits that provide safe access to abortions for people in Texas, and at this moment we've raised more than $18,000 of our $20,000 goal.
i normally wouldn't make an appeal to a specific online community, but this cause happens to be one that Jane C. and i both care passionately about, and given the timing of it all I thought it would be a wonderful gesture if some blankies might be inspired to put us over the top.
okay, thanks so much, i'll go back to annoying you all more indirectly now by writing 2,000-word reviews about how Dune is bad or whatever. bye!
UPDATE: we did it, Bronco Henry! to anyone who may have donated, i really can't thank you enough. i'm going to leave the fundraiser going for a while so that anyone else who wants to donate still can โย when it comes to this particular cause, every dollar is needed to do far more than I wish it had to โ but the blankies are the best. thanks again!
- Two Friends: The Criterion Channel
- Sweetie: The Criterion Channel, HBO Max, Rent/Buy on Amazon/iTunes
- An Angel at My Table: The Criterion Channel, HBO Max, Rent/Buy on Amazon/iTunes
- The Piano: Netflix, Rent/Buy anywhere
- The Portrait of a Lady: Paramount+
- Holy Smoke!: Rent/Buy anywhere
- In the Cut: Netflix, Rent/Buy anywhere
- Bright Star: Netflix, The Criterion Channel, Rent/Buy anywhere
- The Power of the Dog: Netflix
Possible Patreon:
- Top of the Lake: Hulu
Iโm having a hard time finding her films online. I live in Germany and you canโt stream โSweetieโ anywhere, not on Amazon, not on iTunes. We donโt have criterion hereโฆ I normally never do this because Iโm against the idea but does someone have a link to an upload? I couldnโt even find thoseโฆ thanks so much in advance
We're dipping into the Criterion Corner of the world of Blank Check directors, you'll be well served by jumping onto Criterion Channel for the next miniseries. Also at least one instance where physical media is currently the only recourse, start trying to procure a copy of The Portrait of a Lady now.
Two Friends- Streaming on Criteron Channel, not available for purchase/rental elsewhere.
Sweetie- Streaming on Criterion Channel and HBOMax, purchase and rental on Apple and Amazon.
An Angel at My Table- Streaming on Criterion Channel and HBOMax, purchase and rental on Apple and Amazon.
The Piano- Purchase and rental on the usual places.
The Portrait of a Lady- Not currently available online.
Holy Smoke!- Purchase and rental on the usual places.
In The Cut- Streaming on Netflix, purchase and rental in the usual places.
Bright Star- Streaming on Netflix and Criterion Channel (through January 31st), purchase and rental in the usual places.
Top of the Lake (Patreon)- Both seasons streaming on Hulu, purchase and rental in the usual places.
The Power of the Dog- Streaming on Netflix.
I just watched Sweetie (which was definitely NOT the film I was expecting as Jane Campion's first film) on Netflix UK. But there's also An Angel at the Table, The Piano, Bright Star & of course The Power of the Dog.
Leaving only Portrait of a Lady, Holy Smoke & In the Cut to find on your own.
So I have noticed some apphension here and there at the idea of an Jane Campion miniseries and whether or not she is a Blank Check director.
Thats nonsense.
After her debut feature 'Sweetie', her next film 'An Angel At My Table' was the first film from New Zealand to be entered into competition at the Venice Film Festival where it was a huge hit despite not taking the top prize. It helped put New Zealand on the map in the way Peter Weir and George Miller did for Australia.
Her next film 'The Piano' was her guarantor which grossed $40 million (wikipedia says $140 million but The Numbers and Box Office Mojo say otherwise) on a $7 million budget and went on to win three Academy Awards including one for Campion herself for Original Screenplay. 'The Piano' also helped canonize Holly Hunter with it being her most celebrated role from audiences and awards.
After 'The Piano' she became an actor's director, people wanted to work with Campion. Her next film 'Portrait of a Lady' has one of the most absurdly stacked casts of all time and I would say is a blank check.
'Holy Smoke' and 'In the Cut' didn't make much of splash although the latter has had a bit of a critical reappraisal over the years and some (like me) think its pretty great.
'Bright Star' was well received by critics and it rules.
Her most recent feature 'The Power of the Dog' was made on a $40 million budget and stars a cast of A list actors in a psycho-sexual drama set in the American West but filmed in New Zealand. If that isn't a blank check, I don't know what is.
I know her filmography isn't the genre/populist norm of action movies, big comedies, or franchises but she is still very much worth discussing. Give her a shot. Also her movies are horny as fuck.
I've decided to try and actually watch each film before the ep comes out and thought it is fun to ask what the Blankies think about Two Friends (1986). My take is that it's a fairly boring movie that would be on a VHS for the TV that would be wheeled into the classroom. The acting is very natural but it just feels dull with the exception of the last scene which is a ton of fun. Very slice of life and completely harmless with plenty of charm
2.5/5
She will also be the first female director to direct an acting win in all four categories. Only 3 directors have done it beforeโ Wyler, Kazan, and Scorsese. Do you think she will do it?
Are you having sex?
Not really. We're out of that phase.
Oh, no dear. You're never out of it.
Its interesting to watch this after seeing 'The Power of the Dog' and 'In The Cut' as my first introductions to Campion and recognizing DNA of 'Sweetie' in them. The black and white dream sequences remind me of those dreams of ice skating in 'In the Cut'.
One element that really stood out to me are how there are so many uniquely framed shots. Obviously the foot reunion between Kay and Louis is an obvious pick but there are a handful others. Those shots of the ceramic horses or even just the seat clip on the car ceiling will stick with me. The movie always found a way to be visually interesting.
I can see where someone might just totally bounce off of this. I can see >!Kay, Louis, and Kay's Father tricking Sweetie out of the car so they can abandon her for a few days!< really rubbing people the wrong way. But like...fuck man I get it.
Anybody know how to watch this movie other than using the Criterion Channel?? Have never used Criterion and don't really feel like using a free trial or anything on this movie, but still want to follow along with the miniseries.
This article has many films stills. For a fully illustrated version click here -
http://www.filmofileshideout.com/archives/jane-campions-the-power-of-the-dog
This article does not contain any outright spoilers but I do not recommend reading it unless you have seen the movie.
In Jane Campionโs new filmย The Power Of The Dog,ย she manages to deftly anticipate what the audience is thinking and work it to her advantage. Her manipulations are especially interesting if you have seen her 1993 filmย The Piano.ย The Power Of The Dogย often resembles the tense love triangle fromย The Pianoย or the triangle Campion creates inย Bright Starย from 2009, but the similarities end up being superficial. The chess pieces look familiar but Campion is playing a different game.
George and his wife Rose appear to be the main characters inย Power of The Dogย but their arc turns out to be relatively simple. The filmโs main focus is Phil who is not only the most developed character but the driving force behind the narrative. A little trouble with accent aside, Benedict Cumberbatch renders an intense and compelling portrait of a man plagued by unresolved and unrelenting anger. His presence on screen is pure menace.
The Power of The Dogย resembles a Tennessee Williams play in that there are oblique references to traumatic events that happened before the story began. Many of The characters are repressing deep pain. They hold on tight to their pasts at the cost of being able to face the present. Phil has some similarities to Brick fromย Cat On A Hot Tin Roof. Both men are frustrated by forbidden homosexual feelings and a world that will not understand or tolerate them.
If on the surfaceย Power of The Dogย has similarities to a Williamsโ play, underneath it is more like a Flannery OโConnor story. The Williams facade provides the psychological struggle but itโs the OโConnor undertow that hides something darker that threatens to overwhelm everything with horror.
Like inย The Pianoย Jane Campion fillsย Power of The Dogย with foreshadowing. Both films have countless references to how they will end. If you watchย The Pianoย a few times you will find there is hardly a scene in the film that doesnโt hint at what is to come.ย Power Of The Dogย is similarly filled with foreshadowing but it remains vague. It results in a general sense of impending doom. It is not clear how this doom will come about or wh
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