Comments on: Film review – Disgrace (2008)

By: Paul Martin

Paul Martin — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 04:30:28 +0000

It will no doubt soon appear on secondary school Film as Text lists all over the country!

Hehe, yeah probably. I think Lurie’s relationship with his daughter as a metaphor for the greater political situation in South Africa may work well in literature, but is a bit.. well, a bit too literary. I can’t quite place my finger on it; maybe it’s too didactic for cinema.

By: Thomas Caldwell

Thomas Caldwell — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 03:43:40 +0000

Paul – I completely get what you mean and I think you have identified the essential flaw in this film. It’s a “worthy” and “important” film but lacks a bit of soul.

It will no doubt soon appear on secondary school Film as Text lists all over the country!

By: Paul Martin

Paul Martin — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 23:15:19 +0000

Thomas, I’ve enjoyed reading some of the intelligent conversation that’s been floating around about the film, and it has helped me to appreciate the film more. But I find it all a bit empty because its largely intellectual without a strong emotional basis, if you get what I mean.

By: Thomas Caldwell

Thomas Caldwell — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 10:12:24 +0000

Hi Paul and David.

I must admit I’m still wrestling with how I feel about this film. I really, really liked the depiction of Lurie’s relationship with the student as something that was predatory and borderline rape. He was in a position of power and took advantage of somebody who was clearly not happy about what was happening but too frightened to say no. That aspect of the film I found really strong.

I also really liked the character of Lucy but her response, as I think we all agree, is maddening. However, upon further reflection, I think she very much functions as the voice of the younger generation (or ‘new’ South Africans) who wants to call a stop to the endless pursuit of revenge for past wrongs. I still have a few concerns that this voice of forgiveness/reconciliation was so extreme and seen as something so markedly distinct from the Lurie character (who was older, straight and male by comparison) but I’m increasingly forming a better appreciation for the message in this film.

I’m not in a hurry to see this film again but I hope to do so again one day and I suspect that a second viewing may boost my rating up to a 4. If nothing else, not many films generate such a level of intelligent conversation as this one has.

By: David O'Connell

David O'Connell — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 05:16:05 +0000

Hey Thomas, I’d give it a similar score to both you and Paul, maybe 4 stars. It’s a great role for Malkovich and a complex character who we never really understand completely; he seems to forever seperate himself from the rest of the world in some way, maintaining that distance he can never reduce (or has the desire too, a kind of intellectual aloofness).

The cinematography was really exceptional, even for many internal scenes. Haines was superb too though many people, especially women, will find her motivations hard to stomach.

By: Paul Martin

Paul Martin — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 22:51:03 +0000

I had some similar reactions, Thomas, though I left the cinema feeling a bit frustrated. I agree that the music, the cinematography and performances are all good. I think you’re right that the frustration is intended, but it divorced me emotionally from the story. We only see the women (particularly the student and the daughter) from Lurie’s perspective without sufficient understanding of their motivations, and actually come to view them as cold bitches – well, that was my reaction. I suspect that what worked in the acclaimed book doesn’t translate so well to screen. If I had to give the film a score, it’d be around 3-3.5 stars out of 5.