Commentary Tracks
Posted: February 7th, 2014, 7:47 pm
Mentioning the two great commentaries on the Criterion “Four Hundred Blows” (one by cinema historian Brian Stonehill; the other by Robert Lachenay, Truffaut’s lifelong friend and the very real source of Antoine’s friend, Rene) got me thinking about Commentary Tracks in general.
I listen to every one I can get my hands on. Approximately one-third are d r e a d f u l ! Another third, simply a waste of time. It is the other third that includes gems, such as the two mentioned above, that greatly increase the enjoyment of the film. For example, I was surprised at how much I learned from Roger Ebert’s contribution to “Citizen Kane.” I really thought I knew everything there was to know about that masterpiece, especially after reading Pauline Kael’s wonderful “The Citizen Kane Book.” But Roger provided many new facts for me, starting with the location of the light in the opening shot.
It occurred to me that it might be nice to have a place where we can share discoveries of great (and dreadful) commentaries.
My candidates:
Let’s get dreadful out of the way first. I’ve never suffered more than through director Mimi Leder‘s commentary on her dreadful film of the dreadful book, “Pay It Forward.” If I had a nickle for every time she told me the indoor and outdoor scenes at the house were filmed at different locations, weeks apart . . .
Better news on my candidate as the very best commentary I’ve ever discovered. I strongly recommend Douglas McGrath’s commentary for his version of “Nicholas Nickleby.” Besides actually explaining many of the things a director has to set up to achieve his goals, McGrath presented his comments so well that it was as if he was reading from a time-checked script. Only once does he refer to a scene that takes place later, and then only to explain the reason the two scenes were filmed the way the were, something you might not notice in the initial viewing but that makes a big difference in how you respond to each of the scenes. In total, his commentary is a master class in the art of directing. Listen to it. You won’t be disappointed.
Hope others have candidates to offer.
I listen to every one I can get my hands on. Approximately one-third are d r e a d f u l ! Another third, simply a waste of time. It is the other third that includes gems, such as the two mentioned above, that greatly increase the enjoyment of the film. For example, I was surprised at how much I learned from Roger Ebert’s contribution to “Citizen Kane.” I really thought I knew everything there was to know about that masterpiece, especially after reading Pauline Kael’s wonderful “The Citizen Kane Book.” But Roger provided many new facts for me, starting with the location of the light in the opening shot.
It occurred to me that it might be nice to have a place where we can share discoveries of great (and dreadful) commentaries.
My candidates:
Let’s get dreadful out of the way first. I’ve never suffered more than through director Mimi Leder‘s commentary on her dreadful film of the dreadful book, “Pay It Forward.” If I had a nickle for every time she told me the indoor and outdoor scenes at the house were filmed at different locations, weeks apart . . .
Better news on my candidate as the very best commentary I’ve ever discovered. I strongly recommend Douglas McGrath’s commentary for his version of “Nicholas Nickleby.” Besides actually explaining many of the things a director has to set up to achieve his goals, McGrath presented his comments so well that it was as if he was reading from a time-checked script. Only once does he refer to a scene that takes place later, and then only to explain the reason the two scenes were filmed the way the were, something you might not notice in the initial viewing but that makes a big difference in how you respond to each of the scenes. In total, his commentary is a master class in the art of directing. Listen to it. You won’t be disappointed.
Hope others have candidates to offer.