The problem with this film is that the 'thespians' involved in this production are all acting as if they are on a stage, when, in fact, they are acting for the camera. With the exception of Jenny Agutter, everyone involved just comes off as being overly melodramatic as they shout their lines out to make sure that the back row can hear. Scene after scene is staged in a very staid manner not fully utilizing all that cinema has to offer in the telling of a story. I think that a lot of people respond well to this film because at root it is a fairly odd story that references all sorts of standard clichéd 'importanct subjects' like religion, sex and parents. It also has a very strong moralizing message about the trappings of everyday life that I had a very hard time identifying with.
My problem, though, was that despite all its ideas, it just wasn't put on the screen in a way that made it interesting.
Anyways, with the exception of the final 20 minutes, which were fairly interesting and engaging, for the bulk of this movie I was just sitting there looking at my watch wondering how much longer it was going to take for the movie to finally get somewhere interesting.
In perhaps the worst sign, Burton gave a series of rambling 'deep' speeches that actually made me think most of the crazy speeches Bela Lugosi gave in Ed Wood's infamous 'Glen or Glenda.' Not that Richard Burton was as bad a Lugosi, but it certainly was not a good sign that his performance was reminding me of what is arguably one of the most famously bad movies of all time.
If you love horses, though, you might like this movie, as the one topic it really covers well is that youthful 'horse loving phase.'
My problem, though, was that despite all its ideas, it just wasn't put on the screen in a way that made it interesting.
Anyways, with the exception of the final 20 minutes, which were fairly interesting and engaging, for the bulk of this movie I was just sitting there looking at my watch wondering how much longer it was going to take for the movie to finally get somewhere interesting.
In perhaps the worst sign, Burton gave a series of rambling 'deep' speeches that actually made me think most of the crazy speeches Bela Lugosi gave in Ed Wood's infamous 'Glen or Glenda.' Not that Richard Burton was as bad a Lugosi, but it certainly was not a good sign that his performance was reminding me of what is arguably one of the most famously bad movies of all time.
If you love horses, though, you might like this movie, as the one topic it really covers well is that youthful 'horse loving phase.'