Big Time This picture was recommended to me by Netflix. It was listed as a made-for-tv movie in full screen. Knowing nothing about the DVD, I rented it. I was pleasantly surprised. It was made for PBS when they had guts (a pair of nipples are shown and the “F-word” is spoken) and it is in anamorphic widescreen.
The basic theme has to do with fidelity. But this film is more about style than substance. It’s framework is about art – performing, performance, visual, literary and cinematic. In fact the amount of referencing sometimes gets in the way of the film. This is especially true in the cinematic references. Is that Bergan…Welles…Peter Greenway. The number of films referenced (both visually and orally) is staggering. Sometimes, it is overkill. Animation, music video, grainy black & white, deep focus, split focus; it goes on and on. Sometimes, the director tries to be too clever.
You could get carried away in its themes if you take it to seriously. Metamorphous, change, fidelity, superficiality… But that is over kill. And some times this film gets close to over kill. Artistically there are moments when everything is thrown in including the proverbial kitchen sink.
Still, you will enjoy it. It is an extraordinary little film that does most things right. I highly recommend it.
