By Chlotrudis Independent Film Society
Director: Bruce Beresford
Starring: Jonathan Pryce | Sarah Wynter | Simon Verhoeven | Vincent Perez
Country: germany, united_kingdom
Year: 2001
Running time: 99
IMDB: http://us.imdb.com/Details?0212827
Howard says: “This film is a biopic about Alma Mahler and takes us through her life. We begin to see her right before she meets Gustav Mahler. We see in a brief glance that she is somewhat rebellious and that sets the tone for the entire movie. No, not that she is a strong woman, but the brief glimpses. The movie is only 1:40 minutes and contains about 30 years of her life.
“The performances are flat because of this whirl-wind tour through her life. No one gets a chance to dig into their characters because they are only on screen for a short time or, in Sarah Wynter’s case, there is 30 years of maturity to try and act out. Vincent Perez does do a commendable job as Oscar Kokoschka, the artist who Alma starts to see after Gustav dies.
“Alma’s story is wonderful, but it needs a different telling than this one. She was obviously a muse for several men (as well as their bedfellows), but it shows each relationship as if they were different segments from other movies. There is no flow to the passing of time. We fell nothing for each person she loses over time nor do we care about her new acquaintances because we barely get to know them before we are swept years into the future.
“Alma’s story is wonderful and I enjoy seeing her life unfold briefly as I did, but it needs a better telling than this one. Read a book about her. It’s sure to be more interesting and moving than this film.”