Daguerrotype (2016) User Reviews (9)

Silver plate, bronze medal

[horrorinpureform · 6/10 · 12 September 2016]

Daguerreotype (The Woman in the Silver Plate) is a French-language film by a Japanese moviemaster, Kiyoshi Kurosawa. A young man takes a job as an assistant to an old-fashioned photographer. The photographer has fully abandoned all media beyond daguerrotypes, an 1800s technique of capturing images on silver plates. He keeps taking life-sized still photographs of his daughter, increasing the exposure time more and more, to the point where she has to stand still for hours on end for his camera to capture her. His obsession is inexplicable, and soon the daughter and assistant try to get away from the father's warped world and pursue their less deranged futures.

The atmosphere of the film is enticing, to say the least. It has a breath of old fashion, beyond just the primitive photographic techniques around which the plot revolves. The settings, the shots used, the manner of acting, somehow both subdued and overdone, all channeled old cinema in a pleasant, tranquil way. It helped transport me to a different world, where I almost forgot I was watching a movie.

But the atmosphere is the only constant in this movie. The rest of it is confused, and meanders between several different plot directions without rearing any of them to the point of interesting. Not to mention that it doesn't manage to make them consistent with each other. It seems that the beings captured in the plates of the daguerrotypes exist with no purpose, and the movie just plays out melodrama around them. The plot points are sadly soap opera-like, basic (trying to force someone to sell their valuable property for a big project when they don't want to, a daughter that wants to pursue her dreams outside of home while her father doesn't want her to leave, etc). I wish the interesting concept of saving living beings into metallic photographs was part of a more engaging, more inventive script.

I do like the duality between the two men, assistant and photographer, all the similarities and differences between them and how they pan out in terms of the ghostly photographs. An interesting mirror. But neither character was particularly likable, so their fates did not feel as impactful as they should have.

With all its 'negatives', Daguerreotype is still a stunning piece of cinema by a director that treats film as art. It just fails to entertain or to leave a lasting imprint.

Kurosawa Goes French

[gavin6942 · 7/10 · 3 November 2017]

When an assistant (Tahar Rahim) to a daguerreotypy photographer (Olivier Gourmet) falls in love with the latter's daughter (Constance Rousseau) the relationship mirrors the art form as love and pain combine.

Director Kiyoshi Kurosawa has made a name for himself with his horror films, and may possibly be the biggest international name in "Japanese horror" today with films like "Cure", "Pulse" and "Creepy". This time around, he goes in a most unexpected direction: he is working with a French-Belgian cast in their language. Does Kurosawa speak French? How did this collaboration come about? It is most unusual.

Regardless, Kurosawa's use of murky imagery translates well to Europe, and blends with the themes explored here. The costumes are exquisite, evoking the Victorian Age and reminds one of classic literature, such as the works of Oscar Wilde. The daguerreotype of course adds to this, as the images it creates are synonymous with a forgotten time. This is the first film I have seen that makes such a photographic device or technique the centerpiece and is a nice throwback when other films are moving into the future and exploring the horror of technology.

The cast is composed of well-rounded and experienced professionals. For American audiences, however, the most recognizable face will be Mathieu Almaric, known for "The Diving Bell and the Butterfly" (2007), "Quantum of Solace" (2008) , and "The Grand Budapest Hotel" (2014), among many others. While it may be oversimplifying things, generally when you see Almaric's name attached you know you have stumbled on something special. This is no exception.

Kurosawa, as usual, spends much of his time building an atmosphere. Although the film has horror elements, there are no killers ready to jump out at any moment Instead we have an almost oppressive, gloomy isolation of a small family on a large estate that is more dead than alive. The camera, despite creating beautiful images, requires the model to go through an almost tortuous process in order to capture a perfect photograph. The "horror" is largely in tone and emotion rather than anything explicit.

Andrew Barker says the film "demands a substantial degree of patience from its audience without fully paying it off." Indeed, at over two hours, the length and slow pace will be a challenge for some viewers. Kurosawa does tend to run a bit long in his films ("Creepy" was even longer), but this may be the least amount of fright delivered in the time elapsed. For those looking for more scare and less foreboding atmosphere, it will not be as big of a hit as Kurosawa's earlier successes.

Keith Uhlich interesting suggests the movie "is reminiscent, in some ways, of William Dieterle's 1948 romantic fantasy "Portrait of Jennie", in which an otherworldly muse inspires a struggling artist". Surely this was not an intentional nod on Kurosawa's part, but Uhlich bringing it up does make one long for the Dieterle film. Perhaps it is deserving of a revisit? Especially considering that Kino Lorber has just released the film on Blu-ray.

Kiyoshi Kurosawa's "DAGUERROTYPE" will have a VOD Release on all platforms in US & Canada on Tuesday, November 7. (The film can be found on all major platforms including iTunes, Sony, Google Play, Amazon, Microsoft, Vudu, Comcast, Charter, Cox, Vimeo, and various other cable operators.)

Flawed, But Fascinating!

[spookyrat1 · 6/10 · 2 October 2019]

Kiyoshi Kurosawa'a Daguerreotype is one of the most beautifully shot tales of the supernatural you are ever likely to see. This is particularly apt, seeing the plot concerns a modern master of one of the earliest forms of still photography, whereby images are captured on large silver plates. Take a bow director of cinematography Alexis Kavyrchine.

The movie also contains an extraordinarily creepy, apparition scene shot in daylight in a green house, that is supremely effective despite being unencumbered by loud noises, musical crescendos and layers of CGI. This segment should have opened a door to the film's climax. But it doesn't and therein lies some of the problems with Daguerreotype.

This is a film which is at least 20 - 30 minutes too long and by rambling on haphazardly following the course of a couple of less than riveting and unconvincing sub-plots, it tends to dig its own grave so to speak. Part of the reason for this, I think is that Kurosawa wants to add more tail to the film's key twist which occurs some half way through. The trouble with this however, is that modern audiences post Sixth Sense etc. will realise very early the reality of the situation and so many of the later scenes become quite redundant and viewers will be entirely unsurprised at the late big reveal. On top of this a couple of the plot threads involving a real estate agent's supposed behaviour in facilitating a sale and a father's (almost) non-behaviour following a serious accident, will have many punters scratching their heads at the contrived outcomes.

So while this film has no lack of atmosphere and is a visual feast, far more judicious and deliberate editing would have likely resulted in a better, more streamlined final product.

A couple of interesting vignettes, but overall a poor film

[random-70778 · 8 December 2019]

I am a fan of the "the other Kurosawa" so I went into this optimistic. There are one or two interesting moments but neither of the leads can act and overall the experience is cringeworthy

Softly absorbing and haunting, if lesser than some of K. Kurosawa's other works

[I_Ailurophile · 7/10 · 28 May 2023]

I can hardly claim perfect knowledge, but to date I've watched several of Kiyoshi Kurosawa's films and absolutely loved them. Based on what little experience I've had I should've known that 'Daguerrotype' would be anything except totally straightforward. The thrust is clear enough, certainly, but like some of his other works, there's considerable offbeat subtlety in the storytelling to one degree or another, and one or two small pieces of dialogue may hold the key to the entire film. Characterized chiefly by long quiet, with generally only Gregoire Hetzel's softly haunting, somewhat sorrowful score for accompaniment, this is surely built for a relatively select audience. For those receptive to Kurosawa's style, however, it should prove to be rewarding and well worth exploring.

Even at his most straightforward the filmmaker can be a bit of an acquired taste; those who are more unfamiliar may take some solace in the fact that this is one of those, as there comes a point where it's easier than not to see where the story is headed. Nonetheless, he tries and succeeds here in employing the underhanded nuance that he has elsewhere, weaving elements of horror and romance into the drama in variable amounts. This also serves to throw hiccups in the way that work to maintain an air of mystery, not to mention sustain an unmistakably disquieting atmosphere. All the while 'Daguerrotype' rides a fine line between mystifying and obvious, secretive and transparent, moving forward and going nowhere. If anything think Kurosawa has difficulty, in this instance, in achieving that perfect careful balance, and the movie strays off course one way or the other over these 130 minutes, ultimately landing on a narrative that more than not is just what it seems, after all.

Even if it's not as strong or fully absorbing as some of the man's other films, however, still by and large I think this is very well done, and quite worthwhile. The result may be imperfect, but Kurosawa's writing is still deep and shrewd, filled with great ideas and superb scene writing. His direction is as deft and delicate as it has ever been, surely one of the primary strengths here alongside Hetzel's stirring music. The cast is excellent, coming in a close second after the direction as they give finessed performances that underscore the best intelligence the title has to offer. I'm of the mind that Constance Rousseau stands out most in that regard, though at different points her co-stars including Olivier Gourmet and Tahar Rahim definitely prove their skills. And in every other capacity this is wonderfully well made, including superb filming locations and production design, crystal clear sound design, splendid hair, makeup, and costume design, and so on. In most regards this is just as solid as one would hope.

In some measure I think 'Daguerrotype' is a tad less satisfying than the likes of, say, 'Cure,' or 'Charisma.' Sometimes a wild swing produces a home run, and sometimes it's a line drive, a foul, or even a miss. This is far better than not, by all means, but whether one is a fan of the filmmaker or just broadly looking for something to watch, I don't know that it will completely meet one's needs or expectations. Still, I remain pleased with how good the feature is, and for someone of Kurosawa's caliber to not meet with absolute success still is far above and beyond what many others could dream of accomplishing. This 2016 picture may not wholly demand viewership, but as far as I'm concerned it's still well worth checking out if one has the opportunity.

Slightly out of focus

[najania · 7/10 · 17 June 2021]

It's too bad, because director Kiyoshi Kurosawa serves up an at times stunningly beautiful array of images in this tale of artistic and romantic tragedy.

At his very first meeting with Stephane, the photographer obsessed with making daguerreotypes through an old-style process entailing plenty of painstaking labor, Jean, his newly hired assistant, catches sight of a woman in period costume, standing still as if frozen, at the top of a staircase. Although coming early in the movie, this is a scene that foreshadows his eventual doom together with his employer, as they are the only two who can see the spirit in the old house.

The really outstanding thing about "Daguerreotype" is the cinematography, which was the responsibility of Alexis Kavyrchine. The restrained lighting, the subdued coloring, and the composition of the frames (often forming triptych tableaux) in interior scenes are exquisite. I found the pacing and the way the camera dwelt on certain images to be perfect (although I tend to like a slow pace). They were likewise effective for building suspense at certain intervals. And the actors seemed adequate enough. Rousseau's Marie is alluring without trying, and Rahim, whose Jean is an utterly ordinary fellow, suddenly shines in his final soliloquy in the car at the end.

For me, the narrative recalls some stories written in the original daguerreotype days, and specifically Hawthorne's "Rappaccini's Daughter" and Poe's "The Oval Portrait." The former involves a similar trio of a twisted scientist, his plant-enchanted daughter, and a student who falls in love with her but ends up killing her when trying to save her, while in the latter an artist slowly saps his lovely wife of her life force by painting it into his portrait of her, such that she dies with the finishing touches. A more definite source is from the Orient: "The Peony Lantern," a "kaidan" translated and introduced into Japan in the 17th century from "New Tales Under the Lamplight," a Ming dynasty collection of Chinese ghost stories. In this tale, which remains very well-known in Japan, a young man carries on with a belle who is actually dead. The detail of a friend meeting Jean by chance and commenting how pale and sickly he looks that appears in the movie is right from this story. Since Kurosawa is credited as the writer, I, for one, could not believe he did not borrow, if unconsciously, this and other elements from "The Peony Lantern" in depicting Jean's affair with Marie's specter.

The intertwining of threads in the spirit of such precedent tales works wonderfully, and there is no question about Kurosawa's expertise in creating horrific moments, all in the late '90s Japanese style sans gore, grotesquerie, screams, violence, eerie music, computer graphics, and the other earmarks of conventional horror movies. The ghostly apparitions are handled skillfully - or better, artistically - while managing to give this reviewer goosebumps in most cases.

Nevertheless, the movie was unfortunately flawed by needless additions to the old story lines noted above. The prospective real estate deal that turns Jean's head with the promise of a hefty commission distracts us from the classic themes, dispels the haunted mood, and changes our view of his personality for the worse. On top of this, it makes for a messy conclusion that falls out of keeping with the character of the film up to that point. That's a pity, for the makings of a masterpiece were there. But these are still enough to make this film worth seeing in spite of the blunders. 7-point-5.

• J. Koetting.

Boring but nice cinematography

[romneymeredith · 2/10 · 11 March 2021]

Confused mess but pretty pictures. I watched until the end, thinking there would be more substance to this story but alas, there wasn't. As I suspected, when earlier in the movie the daughter falls down the stairs she was indeed killed, but when the young assistant carried her to the car and drove her towards the hospital and she fell out the door, the director made it appear she was still alive. But in reality she had fallen over the river bank into the river, as was alluded to in a later scene. Anyone would know that he was either simply imagining her or she was a ghost. As to the stupid scene where the father (the 'artist') shoots himself and the assistant then grabs the gun and inexplicably murders an innocent real estate agent who had been trying to buy the property for months, it was ridiculous. As was the 'falling in love' of the assistant and the daughter - there was nowhere near enough interaction between the 2 for that to happen.

A real waste of a potentially haunting ghost story.

Mixed parentage, confused product

[filmart-2 · 3/10 · 15 April 2017]

As in so many cases of international co-production, or a director hoisted out of his own zone, the result is a mess. Production values are high but nothing makes sense. There is no Black Room as in the French title, and no effective use or depiction of the process of Daguerreotype as in the English. Camera history fans (who are numerous) will be misled by that title, and disappointed in the script's failure to use a fascinating technical story. Evidently the director wrote his own script, often a mistake. With so many story threads (none followed effectively) this looks like intended for a miniseries. Seven people are credited as producers of some kind: evidently they could not agree on what this film was to be? The actors zomb their way through, none connecting with the others, all looking as confused about the goings-on as the audience is. One tiny scene had some zing: an older woman materialises (unexplained) from the past and disappears into where is not stated. It did have frisson. Strangely, that actor is not credited in IMDb. The ghost stuff otherwise is completely uninteresting. Are the costumes and decor impeccable? No doubt, but for what result? The camera glides endlessly but to no effect.

interesting but ultimately unsatisfying

[myriamlenys · 4/10 · 25 August 2018]

HERE BE SPOILERS / READERS BEWARE...

A young man becomes assistant to a photographer of some renown, who lives in a large and neglected mansion. Once known for his fashion shoots, the photographer is now experimenting with machines, products and techniques related to the long-forgotten world of "daguerrotype". Pretty but fragile Marie, the photographer's daughter and muse, catches the assistant's eye...

Time for me to take the review train and travel to the French-speaking part of Belgium. The movie is long but I'll try and keep the review short : this is an interesting but slow-moving, incoherent and inconclusive movie. "Le secret" is open to interpretation - in fact, it is open to a multitude of interpretations - but I get the impression that it involves at least one great big error in logic.

Near the end, the movie pretty much suggests that "Marie" does not exist, although her lover believes in her physical reality : she is a spectre, an afterimage or a vision evoked by exposure to dangerous chemical products. No problem there, narratively speaking, if it weren't for the fact that earlier in the movie there's a scene where Marie has a job interview with the kindly director of some scientific institution concerned with plant life. The said director speaks to the young woman and sees her clearly in full daylight, which would suggest that she is a real, actual person with a real, actual life and real, actual interests. Moreover, later on Marie is shown receiving and reading an official letter from some scientific institution in France, which, again, would make sense only if she is a real, living and breathing person.

While we're at it, there's a scene where the photographer goes around crying and sobbing, saying things like "My daughter just died" and "That accident just killed my poor, poor child". However, he does not do any of the things a recently bereaved father would do : he does not pray over the body, he does not call for a funeral director, he does not warn authorities. Clearly we're in fantasy land here.

I'm not too fond of this kind of nonsense, even if it hides behind dream-like imagery or deep (well, supposedly deep) meditations on the difference between art and nature. Write, correct and streamline your screenplay, people, and THEN shoot your movie.

Still, I developed a raging lust for the stunning mansion serving as main location. Talk about a beautiful building...