Sunday 15 March 2015

Serena (2014 Susanne Bier)

We like Susanne Bier, having seen Love Is All You Need, which has the much better original title of 'The Bald Hairdresser', and again she really makes the most of her female lead, here the fabulous Jennifer Lawrence. She (Susanne) has the tendency to leave the camera on her subject slightly longer than you would think seemly. (This is a good thing by the way - film seems to have been extremely unfairly reviewed.)

'Love Is All You Need' is one of those instantly forgettable titles like all of Douglas Sirk's films. Then, if you look at Wilder, we have a whole coterie of memorable titles: Five Graves to Cairo, Double Indemnity, The Apartment, Some Like It Hot etc. I'm just saying. This one could have been called 'A Useful Woman'.

Anyway, Bradley Cooper takes on tough eagle-taming girl in lumber business, becoming involved with taciturn Rhys Ifans, who wouldn't look out of place in a Sergio Leone western, Toby Jones, and the wonderful Sean Harris, who we didn't recognise at all.

"Oh well done," I said, "That's it, go round wounding pumas. Hopefully the puma will get him back." Right on cue, the puma attacks. So I was kind of happy about that ending.

Somewhat confusingly I thought we would be watching Selma, but that is another film altogether.

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