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!@#$%! · 07.08.2013, 10:25 AM

johnny guitar

2nd time i watch this (first time was on vhs) and now crazier than ever. was recently released on bluray so it looks awesome (it's a 1.37 aspect ratio but the picture quality/color are great on hi def)

this is of course a western/non-western. meaning, it looks like a western but it kinda really isn't. scorsese gets a 3 minute special feature where he calls the movie "operatic" --and it is not just theconstant emotional high pitch of the
story but also the decor, makeup and wardrobe-- a saloon with a cave wall and a large piano on a stage? bananas. joan crawford's weird/beautiful face with the massive bright red lipstick on it is like it was picked out of a hallucination or a kenneth anger movie. sterling hayden with his colorless face and deadened features in a complete contrast (see photo above).

there is so much artificiality and artifice that goes against the grain of the classic western. like when the film switches between a clear blue sky and an ominous dark sunset as it cuts between scenes that are supposedly occurring at the same time. plus the night shots are spectacular. it's almost like a film noir, but with a bright and garish color palette.

anyway, if you haven't watched this, it's a cult classic, dreamlike and bizarre, don't miss it.

07.08.2013, 10:25 AM	#17219
!@#$%! invito al cielo Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: mars attacks Posts: 42,457	johnny guitar 2nd time i watch this (first time was on vhs) and now crazier than ever. was recently released on bluray so it looks awesome (it's a 1.37 aspect ratio but the picture quality/color are great on hi def) this is of course a western/non-western. meaning, it looks like a western but it kinda really isn't. scorsese gets a 3 minute special feature where he calls the movie "operatic" --and it is not just theconstant emotional high pitch of the story but also the decor, makeup and wardrobe-- a saloon with a cave wall and a large piano on a stage? bananas. joan crawford's weird/beautiful face with the massive bright red lipstick on it is like it was picked out of a hallucination or a kenneth anger movie. sterling hayden with his colorless face and deadened features in a complete contrast (see photo above). there is so much artificiality and artifice that goes against the grain of the classic western. like when the film switches between a clear blue sky and an ominous dark sunset as it cuts between scenes that are supposedly occurring at the same time. plus the night shots are spectacular. it's almost like a film noir, but with a bright and garish color palette. anyway, if you haven't watched this, it's a cult classic, dreamlike and bizarre, don't miss it.
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