The White Ribbon (Michael Haneke, 2009)

[mfunk9786]

Sony Classic does a hell of a job putting this stuff out, I doubt it. The Cache DVD is probably the best looking SDDVD I own.

[aox]

cool, thanks

[MichaelB]

It's also worth noting that Sony bought the film sight unseen - which suggests that they did well enough on Hidden to make it unlikely that they'd be inclined to let another company cream off some of their revenue.

[mfunk9786]

It's nice that since it's a Sony release, we're pretty much guaranteed a US Blu release.

[swo17]

Fingers crossed for a simultaneous US Blu of Cache.

[puxzkkx]

This is really one of the most uniformly excellent ensembles of any film I've ever seen, but I'd like some special mention paid to Roxane Duran, who played the doctor's daughter - she was best in show for me.

[Zot!]

Just saw this and I have to rant.

SpoilerShow

Ugh, I'm so frustrated with this movie. Absolutely beautiful looking, beautifully acted, and made. The only technical flaw is that silly CGI horse accident, which looked pretty low-budget to me, and could have easily taken place off-screen. What I don't get is why Haneke has to recycle the ambiguous ending from Cache. I loved it in that, but in this it's a cheap cop-out. It's like an admission that he can't come up with a better ending than an M. Night Shymalan(sp??) movie, so instead he'll just take the high road and let us decide. Well c'mon, the low-level "what evil lurks in the hearts of men" moralizing was handled better in Dogville, if for no other reason than it didn't beat around the bush. It also reeked of Au Hazard Balthazar, which is the same theme done right. It's especially disappointing because the movie is just incredible in every sense except this abrupt shift from straightforward narrative to abstract essay. I guess I'm probably coming off particularly harsh because I hold all of his previous work in very high regard. Oh well.

[moviscop]

I can understand your frustration with the film; some people liked it and some didn't. However, I think that it will be a film (like the majority of Haneke's work) will split critics and viewers in two. In the case of "The White Ribbon", it took me quite a bit of time to really fall in love with what he created. The thematic elements are very controversial and strike different chords for different people. For what it is worth, Haneke brought to life a time period and culture that I was not familiar with and provoked me.

As far as von Trier and Haneke are concerned, they are very different filmmakers with different styles. I suppose one could make the claim that Haneke ventured into the realm of religiosity - which is a very overt theme in von Trier's films. Was "The White Ribbon" specifically about religion, legalism in the family structure, fascism? It is meant to be discussed and doesn't force one message down your throat. What made this film so interesting is that what happens onscreen is subtle, but the aftertaste is absolutely brutal.

[Grand Illusion]

Easily the best looking film of 2009.

Obviously, we're meant to think about fascism, but moreso I feel the film is about the values that inform fascism. Suspicion, protection, informants, enforced morality, authority, community, etc. The fact that these values are present in the fertile ground that led to fascism is central to the ominous presence throughout the film.

These values are supposedly later burned to ash post-WWII, but the film does a studious job of showing the pervasiveness of these values in days that exist outside of Fascism (with a capital F). These ethics work both against and in tandem with the mysterious malevolence haunting the village. And, of course, as with youth, the ashes come to fertilize new ground.

[knives]

Haneke should probably thank Clouzot for this one.
Le Corbeu comparisons aside, I think this may be Haneke's best yet. Every scene has the power and humanity of the subway and ADR scenes from Code Unknown. The main subplot of the teacher courting could have been a traditional romantic drama by itself. Really the closest thing I have to a problem is that I'm tired of the film in colour and than dye B&W thing. Otherwise the film is perfect, and I'd almost be tempted to call this a Haneke for those who don't like Haneke.

[thirtyframesasecond]

Really surprised so few reviews referenced Le Corbeau. It seemed so obviously influential upon TWR when watching it. They're both great films though so it's not as though one overshadows the other.

[Michael]

Even though Haneke hints on WW1, I’m not comfortable with the analyzing of the seeding of future Fascism / Nazism because I fear it might turn this beautiful film redundant. The film interweaves the basics of a village – School, Church, Workplace, Home. Each basic carries a different structure of authority and rules but they all influence each other one and another. Plus Haneke instilled a monstrous blow of humanity in this 2-hour imagery of the village. Some people say this village is a model of Germany (from various comments I read) and I don’t agree. I think the themes brilliantly executed in The White Ribbon can apply to any cultures and any ages. Our current USA government still being heavily influenced by the Christian morals/laws is one of many examples – how the Church and the State still go hold hands like a married couple. That marriage continues to nurture the deadly hatred still paralyzing, oppressing our country, bringing out the worst in people around voting time (i.e. the ongoing gay marriage war, etc). (And in todays news, Colin Powell changed his mind about the no ask, no tell policy after 17 years, 17 years too late I feel). The evil, the hatred, the sickness infect not only the village of The White Ribbon but also the “villages” throughout the ages and the world. The last scene fades as the villagers sit facing us. We are on the stage, it’s our turn. The vicious, evil cycle needs to stop somehow. Of course that’s only a small speck of the whole picture.

I’m still chewing over its icy carousel of themes, images and people days after seeing the film. An open ending, some folks vanishing without explanations, a narrator admitting being unreliable – I find all that thrilling in addition to the film’s uncannily gorgeous images and its ensemble cast’s unbelievably perfect performance.

[aox]

Really surprised so few reviews referenced Le Corbeau. It seemed so obviously influential upon TWR when watching it. They're both great films though so it's not as though one overshadows the other.

I thought exactly the same thing when I was watching it.

And with Tarantino also referencing Le Corbeau in Inglorious Basterds, hopefully this overlooked film will get revived.

[Awesome Welles]

the writing in this film isn't bad at all.

The problem is, though, you like Cache

Nothing, if you are dismissing this due to Haneke's writing skills it might change your mind to know that Jean-Claude Carriere is co-writer.

[foofighters7]

Well, since the Awards thread went down in fiery screaming flames, the question I asked has now been lost to the ages.

Does anyone know if Haneke was at the Academy Awards?

Not much of a question, I admit, but I am a curious little monkey.

[mfunk9786]

5 second Google search would have told you:



HOLLYWOOD - MARCH 07: Director Michael Haneke (L) and guest arrive at the 82nd Annual Academy Awards.
© Getty Images

[Brian C]

You could see him on the telecast when the FF award was announced - he was a few rows behind the winners.

[manicsounds]

Uk DVD and Bluray hits next week, Sony's US DVD and Bluray June 1st

[HistoryProf]

i'm in Portland for a conference and there's a theater across from my hotel showing this - i'm pretty much free tomorrow night and think i'll take the opportunity to see it on the big screen - Is it the kind of film that *should* be seen that way? I've heard lots of comments about how pretty it is....think it's worth sneaking away to see on the big screen?

[MichaelB]

The day Haneke makes a "pretty" film is likely to be some time after Hell freezes over, but the cinematography absolutely demands the big screen - I'm hard pushed to think of a finer example of black and white imagery this past decade.

[perkizitore]

HMV has already shipped my blu-ray! =D>

[aox]

Wait, Europe is getting a Blu Ray release, but the US isn't?

[Brian C]

Wait, Europe is getting a Blu Ray release, but the US isn't?

manicsounds said 6/1 above for the White Ribbon Blu in the US, although I haven't seen any corroboration for that on the web yet. Hard to believe Sony won't release one.

[gyorgys]

Uk DVD and Bluray hits next week, Sony's US DVD and Bluray June 1st

US BD by courtesy of sony here.

[Brian C]

US BD by courtesy of sony here.

Is it just me, or is there no information whatsoever on that Amazon page at the current time?