Limite / Limit (1931) :
Brief Review -
Mário Peixoto's Brazilian Experimental Feature sets a new benchmark in unusual surrealist drama but is terribly slow for today's viewing experience. When i first learnt about Limite from many critic's lists, i was unsure about the genre and capability of holding my interest but was sure that there'd be something new and experimental. It is a silent feature film made in 1931, that's when Talkies had started already so maybe that is the main issue why this film looks terribly slow Today. It's not that i haven't seen such stuff before, i have even seen many silent films and experiental films made before this and having longer runtime, sometimes double or even triple. The problem might be the unusual structure of the story and how those characters are presented without much screen space. Almost 30% frames in the film are shot over the nature and its elements such as River, Waves, Trees, Sky, Wood and Surface. A man and two women are lost at sea in a rowboat. Their pasts are conveyed in flashbacks throughout the film, clearly denoted by music. One woman has escaped from prison; another has left an oppressive and unhappy marriage; the man is in love with someone else's wife. This experiment is worth watching for sure but the narrative is damn slow to keep you engaged. If you don't have any issue with the pace and you understand the basics and upper levels of Experimental Cinema, then there's nothing here that can be bashed. Mário Peixoto's experiment is cited as one of the greatest Brazilian Film of All Time and deserves to be there in the list of '1001 Movies You Must Watch Before You Die'. Even i came to know about it from the list. Overall, it's provocative enough to fetch your attention and worth two hours of your viewing but i don't think it should be considered as a Legendary Film. At least I won't be the one to do so.
RATING - 7/10*
By - #samthebestest.
Mário Peixoto's Brazilian Experimental Feature sets a new benchmark in unusual surrealist drama but is terribly slow for today's viewing experience. When i first learnt about Limite from many critic's lists, i was unsure about the genre and capability of holding my interest but was sure that there'd be something new and experimental. It is a silent feature film made in 1931, that's when Talkies had started already so maybe that is the main issue why this film looks terribly slow Today. It's not that i haven't seen such stuff before, i have even seen many silent films and experiental films made before this and having longer runtime, sometimes double or even triple. The problem might be the unusual structure of the story and how those characters are presented without much screen space. Almost 30% frames in the film are shot over the nature and its elements such as River, Waves, Trees, Sky, Wood and Surface. A man and two women are lost at sea in a rowboat. Their pasts are conveyed in flashbacks throughout the film, clearly denoted by music. One woman has escaped from prison; another has left an oppressive and unhappy marriage; the man is in love with someone else's wife. This experiment is worth watching for sure but the narrative is damn slow to keep you engaged. If you don't have any issue with the pace and you understand the basics and upper levels of Experimental Cinema, then there's nothing here that can be bashed. Mário Peixoto's experiment is cited as one of the greatest Brazilian Film of All Time and deserves to be there in the list of '1001 Movies You Must Watch Before You Die'. Even i came to know about it from the list. Overall, it's provocative enough to fetch your attention and worth two hours of your viewing but i don't think it should be considered as a Legendary Film. At least I won't be the one to do so.
RATING - 7/10*
By - #samthebestest.