i actually got the video of "barcelona" a while back -- even before i had visited the city personally and fell in love with it and the country. now, every time i watch it at home, i keep wishing i were on the iberian peninsula, parked at the foot of the colom overlooking port vell and the mediterranean.
i think that "barcelona" is perhaps one of maybe two or three "talking" movies i really have enjoyed (the other one being bernt capra's 1990 "midwalk"). with mindwalk, that makes you think about life and its intricacies vis-a-vis the natural world. in "barcelona", you think about life, being an american, and others' generalized perceptions of yourself as an american. all done with great humor, by the by. (yes, i read a comment earlier that said it was "funny...if you get it".) and you definitely have to sit through the movie at least twice to get at least the subtle nuances that stillman was trying to get across as regards his social perception, his own political views, and his personal values, i would hazard to guess.
it also doesn't hurt that the first-billed cast members are beautiful, particularly chris eigeman, thomas gibson, and taylor nichols. for all the social commentary stillman was trying to convey (through ted - the ever-practical good boy) -- that perhaps beauty should be secondary to heart and personality -- is actually diametrically opposed to the reality in the film. (ironic, yes, i acknowledge that.) and this is where the humor of the movie lies -- it's all in the subtext (he even says it through fred - the "pretty but dumb one" - when he asks his cousin ted what lies above subtext - the text) and this makes the movie "talky" as well as "thinky".
perhaps i'm just biased (since i am completely enamored of barcelona and of spain), but for those who've not seen this movie, it's completely worth it -- particularly after one had gorged one's self with the air-head stuff that's playing out there. =)
i think that "barcelona" is perhaps one of maybe two or three "talking" movies i really have enjoyed (the other one being bernt capra's 1990 "midwalk"). with mindwalk, that makes you think about life and its intricacies vis-a-vis the natural world. in "barcelona", you think about life, being an american, and others' generalized perceptions of yourself as an american. all done with great humor, by the by. (yes, i read a comment earlier that said it was "funny...if you get it".) and you definitely have to sit through the movie at least twice to get at least the subtle nuances that stillman was trying to get across as regards his social perception, his own political views, and his personal values, i would hazard to guess.
it also doesn't hurt that the first-billed cast members are beautiful, particularly chris eigeman, thomas gibson, and taylor nichols. for all the social commentary stillman was trying to convey (through ted - the ever-practical good boy) -- that perhaps beauty should be secondary to heart and personality -- is actually diametrically opposed to the reality in the film. (ironic, yes, i acknowledge that.) and this is where the humor of the movie lies -- it's all in the subtext (he even says it through fred - the "pretty but dumb one" - when he asks his cousin ted what lies above subtext - the text) and this makes the movie "talky" as well as "thinky".
perhaps i'm just biased (since i am completely enamored of barcelona and of spain), but for those who've not seen this movie, it's completely worth it -- particularly after one had gorged one's self with the air-head stuff that's playing out there. =)