Youth without Youth

I've been looking forward to watching Youth Without Youth for two main reasons: Mircea Eliade, on of the more readable and thought-provoking philosophers and historians of religions - "The Sacred and the Profane", "A History of Religious Ideas" - and, it turns out, a fiction writer of meaning and substance, his work with deep roots in the very myths the author has been exploring for his entire life as a scholar and a writer of fiction. The other reason is Francis Ford Coppola, the legendary, talented, uncompromising movie maker, known to most of us for his "Godfather" trilogy. Add to the mix Tim Roth (Dominic), Bruno Ganz and the talented Alexandra Maria Lara (Laura/Veronica) a cameo appearance by Matt Damon and a VERY talented and enthusiastic support from a large team of Romanian actors and movie crew into the mix and we should expect a superior piece of cinematography. [Interestingly, Lara played Traudl Junge, Hitler's secretary alongside Ganz' Hitler in critically acclaimed "The Downfall"].The story/plot is complex/ambiguous enough and open to interpretation - a good thing - to cover in a short review. It's probably sufficient to state that it's the story of a man, unexpectedly and perhaps undeservedly being offered a second chance at re-living his life. Or maybe what he gets is an extension or it may be life extended through a dream or a dream extended through... no good stories breaching into the fantastic and the mythical can provide actual 'answers' because they would become trivial then. But, there's the story, and then there's the movie that came out of it and this is a brief review of the movie.Youth Without Youth (the movie) is an interesting example of what happens (in reality) when one of the world's leading movie directors takes an uncommonly rich, thought-provoking, complex tale and attempts to translate it into cinematography on a limited budget. And, since money talks loudly when making a movie, a small budget would dictate the movie's length, the talent employed, the number of takes, the extent of the 'on location' scenes, the credibility of special effects and so on. Coppola was constrained to filming most of the movie in Romania - a beautiful country and the scenes that depict the Romanian reality are great but Romania's mountains aren't nearly as grand as the Himalayas, making the parts that are supposed to take place in India not so convincing. Then, it's the accents. It's perhaps acceptable for the actors portraying Romanian characters to speak English with a Romanian accent but then Roth's English - playing the Romanian linguist Dominic Matei - is perfect. And then we see or rather hear Italians speaking Italian with a Romanian accent, Germans speaking German with what appears to be a Romanian accent... it's distracting, ESPECIALLY in a movie where 'language' plays such an important part.The plot is quite compelling and, thanks to professor Eliade's literary talent and scholarship, extremely thought-provoking, this being that kind of movie that MUST be watched more than once and then watched again. And by the second watching, the accent distractions begin to fade into the background but more careful editing might have improved - a Nazi agent seductress with a swastikas stenciled on her bra's straps and keeping a copy of Mein Kampf under the mattress add cartoon-like elements to a story that seems to want to push the viewer into a mode where free thought and boundless speculation are encouraged.So... a 'difficult' plot that allows itself to be interpreted and re-interpreted by the viewer almost at will, above average acting from Tim Roth (playing his characters at ages ranging from 20 to near-100 years old) and Alexandra Maria Lara as a generally uncomprehending, helpless, stunned partner. Coppola was great at making it all happen, including the actual financing of the entire project. The visuals are generally good for a movie that couldn't afford CGIs or any enhancements but some of the 'locations', especially the 'Indian' backgrounds aren't always convincing. The soundtrack which is adequate even if it lacks the usual surround sound effects that movies with a larger budget can afford and the music is sometimes inspired. After watching the movie twice I can't help but ask myself "would this gain much from the larger budget Hollywood treatment?" And my answer is "probably not" so, flawed as it is, I prefer "Youth Without Youth" the way it ended up to be - with me, the viewer, able to eventually ignore the small flaws and distractions and immerse myself into Eliade's world of myth and possibilities. In my case, reading the actual story  Youth Without Youth (Univ. of Chicago)  made it for a complete experience.-->> Brush your teeth, it's the law! <<

I don't know if you're into metaphysics, mythology, psychology, and Eastern philosophy. If these things interest you, you will probably love this movie.Based on the book by Mircea Eliade, who has explored many cultures, and religious paths, who has written books on alchemy and about shamanism, and spirituality, Youth without Youth trips through the wires of your higher consciousness.As you watch, the captivating images that unfold onscreen, immediately make you aware that you are not dealing with an ordinary filmmaker. If you press the subtitles button, what you see is not subtitles but a readable commentary by Francis Ford Coppola, which I found added to my understanding. He explains how the lightning is awakening. He mentions Prometheus, and Frankenstein's monster being created by lightning. I thought about Saul being converted by a lightning strike.Dominic Matei, old and bitter, is struck by lightning. He regresses in age to become a young man. Nurses notice his virility with pleasure. His intelligence grows. Sinister people want to tap his potentiality. He sees another version of himself in the mirror, a duality, but is it conflicting, or does it open doors. He meets a woman, who looks like the love of his life, but is a totally different woman. They engage. They travel.Along the way the mind, (I loved the four probabilites) reincarnation, linguistics, bridging the gap between dream and reality, and consciousness are explored through Dominic reexperiencing youth without youth.I had a great dream after seeing this, that paralelled the movie. I was not struck by lightning, but I did get an electric shock. It seemed significant. I don't know if you will have a dream after seeing this movie. Only one way to find out I suppose.I bought  The Forge and the Crucible: The Origins and Structure of Alchemy  after watching this.I liked this movie a lot, but it's not for everyone. It's not your typical commercial movie. Carl Jung or Joseph Campbell would probably hail this as a masterpiece.I wonder if you find this helpful, and I think you will love it.

This coulda been a couple of fairly good movies. One would be the elderly professor regretting lost love and unfinished work, who is struck by lightning and suddenly is young again, who is beginning to develop strange super brain powers (his linguistic powers suddenly increase dramatically, he can absorb the content of books by just looking at the cover, he can make a bad guy shoot himself, etc) , who is hunted by the Nazis as a fascinating human specimen, and who is apparently developing sexual super powers as well, as he turns out the Nazi spy sent to seduce him. Another would be about the man whose life's work of identifying the Ur-language is suddenly greatly facilitated by his young wife being struck by lightning and manifesting the character of an ancient Indian woman who then begins to dream in older and older languages, and the pain of having to relinquish the quest for the Ur-language in order to save his wife from premature aging and death. Now in either or both of these movies, you would want to get Tim Roth. Even with Tim Roth, I don't know if you could actually make these movies successful, since thephilosophical and mystical doo dah that Coppola is apparently most interested in is really difficult to make interesting on film. Be that as it may, if you have Tim Roth getting younger, and seducing a Nazi with a swastika on her garter belt, and debating the issue of "what is real?" with his double, and floating naked in a bathtub, and chasing his distraught wife out onto a rock in the crashing sea, at least you have guaranteed yourself an enthusiastic and discerning female audience.

Very disappointing I am afraid. Films about ideas are always difficult to make I suppose but this was a very weak effort.

excellent

Amazing film. I really loved the fact that there was nothing changed compared to the original story of Mircea Eliade.

This is the latest, and who knows perhaps even the last, from the supreme master film maker, Francis Ford Coppola. I am giving it five stars in the certain knowledge it will try the patience of not just the average movie watcher, but of the best part of the art cinema crowd as well. I have also purchased the novel by the Romanian philosopher, Mircea Eliade on which the film is pretty faithfully based, and which includes a moving forward from Coppola himself, who draws attention to the parallels between himself and Dominic Matei, the film/novel's central character. Coppola sees himself as a man coming to the end of his life, who has obviously had some successes in his chosen career, but who finds himself no closer to having accomplished the life's goal, which he set off in pursuit of at the start of his life. He declares quite frankly that he was not interested in making a film like any other, that he was not even interested in working within the constraints of established cinematic language and conventions. That the film is so relaxed with respect to plot or linear storytelling is part of the dream informed artwork he is seeking to create. For him, the film was to be his one last shot at trying to create a philosophical artwork in the medium of film, with the depth and scope that had managed thus far to elude him. Coppola extends his personal parallel with Matei's character in that for him, his encounter with Eliade's novel was like the bolt of lightning, that rejuvenated him, and allowed him to go on and accomplish the life's work that had come to seem ever more hopelessly out of reach. It is unlikely that Coppola is under any illusions as to how difficult the film is for audiences. He has bought to birth the artwork he needed to create in order to complete himself, and its audience reception will, in the end, be whatever it is. It is customary for critics to accuse such artists of being self indulgent, but then they are never the ones undergoing the difficult and painful labour of bringing something barely expressible into manifestation. However, Coppola is in that highly enviable artistic position of having the resources of his trade to hand that, if just one other person understands, then the whole heroic effort has been worth it.So, it is a cinematic masterpiece in the straightforward sense the every shot is painstakingly considered, and IS perfect, regardless of whether the viewer is paying attention. Several exotic locations ensure a magnificent visual feast but, even in spite of this, the use of light and shadow and linear composition throughout are never haphazard or random. With regard to content it is a philosophical film, but in an idealistic vein of philosophy that probably places it at odds with the outlook of the times. Magical realist devices such as the mysterious powers of lightning and of reincarnation are used to create a narrative with a deliberately incoherent timeline, and which has a paradox at its heart. I do not believe that Coppola is declaring a belief in magic or reincarnation, or is expecting us to believe as such either. Rather he is using such devices to create a fairy tale that can take take us through to a deeper vision of what reality and consciousness are and can be, than that provided by the surface of everyday existence.And now I will confess to the aspect of the film and novel that is for me the most moving and profound. Without wishing to give too much away, the crux of the story comes when the rejuvenated Matei, given everything he needs to accomplish his 'life's work', is forced to choose between a love that has endured across lifetimes, and the consummation of his great goal. We are presented with a myth or fairytale that has resonances with those of Faust and King Midas, but with a poignant twist all its own. Such new myths actually come along very rarely, and when they do they are cultural treasures of great price.So in summary, this is a film that sadly too few will get or like, but for those few it will be more than just a movie experience. It is a story that has the power to take root in your heart, just like the rose that appears in Matei's hand at the end, and which just might lead your life to new and unexpected places.

Le DVD en titre, c'est ce que je voulais.