Dear Mr. Crowe ~
Pardon my departure from art, poetry and all things positive, but this does relate to creativity, so I’m still within my realm. By writing this, I hope to save people from wasting their money needlessly. I know I’m not alone in voicing my opinion ~ but another voice can’t hurt. So…. without further ado:
…………………..
Dear Mr. Crowe,
Please tell me why on planet Earth you would devote your unquestionable talent to a film like “Noah”. And, by the way, I would most definitely ask the same of Sir Hopkins. You are two highly regarded, earned-your-stripes actors with big box-office draw – no need here to prove your worth. And I’d find it hard to believe you were in need of cash. So… why? Why did you make this film?
Did you really (really?) find the script dramatically compelling? The schizophrenic style (am I an Epic or am I a Sci-Fi flick?) somehow riveting? Were you energized by the idea of co-starring with glowing-eyed stone creatures? Was there something stimulating about creating potential controversy? (That said, I think the controversy here is far less “religious” than it is about a story gone wrong; so maybe that wasn’t your goal.)
And why do I feel like I was somehow conned? Considering the fact that for most folks these days a night out at the movies is nearly equivalent to the cost of a small vacation (yes, I exaggerate, but theatre prices are exaggerated, so there you go), one would hope it would be worthwhile. I just can’t fathom your intent. The movie was weird. Period.
So maybe I should have done my homework. My movie buddy said, “Well what do you expect from the guy who directed Black Swan. It was bound to be disturbing”. But I saw “Noah”, “Russell Crowe”, “Anthony Hopkins” and a few snaps of previews that looked like good, meaty biblical-era-type-epic-stuff, and thought, ‘yes! I want to see this!’ Who directed the thing didn’t cross my mind. (Big mistake, Ms. Saxton) If this has taught me one thing, it’s to be better informed next time I drop a little green on movie tickets and popcorn.
But the question remains: Why, Russell?
Sorely disappointed,
Patricia ~ and I’m guessing a whole lot of other people, too
Michael C.
May 13, 2014 at 11:02 amSomething that most people didn’t notice because they probably had no knowledge of this, was that the film is not made entirely according to the Bible. It is made according to The Book of Enoch which most of you probably didn’t read. The movie was a great representation of the tale, and I am very disappointed every time man remains stiff when it comes to creativity. The whole mud-like-fallen-angels was a combination of tales of angels that strayed from God’s word and came down to earth, being punished by having their wings cut out. Along the history many people stressed that they were the giants that lived on earth. The movie really took into account every story that could have been part of the legend and in this sense it was epic.
But you are right with one thing,you should be better informed about what the director intended to do and not what the world expected to see. The movie was very creative, and it is very hard to get and swallow. But people are accepting harder and harder other points of view. Plus, the actors really played well.
saxtonstudio
May 13, 2014 at 1:07 pmThanks for sharing another viewpoint, Michael! I agree with you that it was creative, and I also agree that it was a representation of a very old tale – but it was a representation I didn’t like at all. My opinion does not come from a biblical standpoint (I’m far from a biblical scholar, not even close!), but a combination of story-telling taste and in my opinion, an unappealing and unnecessary visual license taken by combining cheap-looking science-fiction elements with an otherwise “epic” backdrop. That there may have been giants back then, I have no problem believing. That they were considered fallen angels, I get. That Noah may have gone a bit mad is also in the realm of possibility. But how it all came together in this film was, for me, disturbing both artistically and intellectually. It didn’t tie together well. I expected strife, conflict, intensity, even perhaps a sense of supernatural, but not whatever oddity this was, good acting aside!… But that all said, I really do appreciate your thoughts. They added some balance here!
dyer weed
March 31, 2014 at 10:45 pmCan’t think why anyone would have financed this disastrous disaster film. I am only a bit encouraged that the movie might point people back to the Bible to check out its version of this ultimate end of time tale. Love the fact that the animals were considered innocent and that the author of this tale and God knew that they were as important if not more important as man to continue the revival of this our magnificent world. The movie had great potential but failed in every way to use it to entertain. Someone had a magic mushroom trip that turned very ugly. Too bad the audience is the only one to suffer the consequences. Anxious to read others critiques.
saxtonstudio
April 1, 2014 at 12:12 amBeautifully stated, Dyer! Thank you for that eloquence of thought.