maggiesda

Although this movie seems to lack a plot, it carries its weight just by being funny and beautiful. The cinematography is brilliant, with cobalt blue skies and golden sand as far as the eye can see. It reminds me of The Passenger in this regard. The main character is very interesting to watch; he is sweet and sour by turns. I must say he went down a notch in my book when he turned the turtle over onto its back. But he can be forgiven a small unkindness in a moment of extreme anger and humiliation. The setting, a village carved out of the side of a mountain, is amazing and the film is paced in such a way that you begin to get comfortable in this unusual environment. But what I enjoyed most was the humor, done with such a light touch that it made me wonder some times if I should be laughing.

I'd never heard of this movie until I got married and learned about it from my wife, a trained singer. We bought the video and have watched it multiple times. The story is quite artless, but the performances, including wonderful dancing and singing, make this an outstanding piece of entertainment. Howard Keel was in his prime and his rendering of this role is authentic and memorable. His voice is magnificent. Jane Powell may not match Keel for musical skill, but her performance is also first class. The actors who play the brothers are very talented. There are many excellent songs, some including great dancing. And I'm not usually a fan of dance, so this is indeed high praise from me. I highly recommend this movie and one that you can enjoy over and over again.

If you're a Neil Young fan, you will love this movie. The music is outstanding, almost mind-altering in it's depth and beauty. Yes, I call it beautiful even though it's raw and riotous, even though it's crude and vulgar, even though it sometimes feels like the harrowing of hell, it's beautiful music. Young's music is incomparable and his live performance shows you what an artist looks like when he's under the influence of his muse. He gives a succinct insight into his vision of true rock music: it never gets comfortable, it never gets tame, it never gets easy. Neil Young is in a class with Bob Dylan and Keith Jarrett: artists completely dedicated to their work. I highly recommend this movie. Jarmusch does an incredible job of combining 3 decades worth of footage into this 1996 tour. The interview with Jim Jarmusch and Young is very interesting: two artists talking about what they do.