Carmen (Carlos Saura, 1983) vs. The Collector (William Wyler, 1965)
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Carmen (1983) vs. The Collector (1965)
x1983
This is no doubt a familiar refrain from me by now, but... I liked the book better. In particular, John Fowles's The Collector gets a lot of its strength from the sudden shift, midway through, from Frederick's POV to Miranda's POV. I guess this is Wyler's version of a Hitchcock thriller, but Hitch himself surely would've been able to play with audience identification in a way that would come close to what Fowles achieves. The film just lacks the depth of the novel, though taken on its own terms it's quite an enjoyable watch.
Carmen isn't terribly deep either, but I don't think that's really what it's going for. I have to applaud Saura for not going too far with the parallels between the story of the dancers and Merimee/Bizet's Carmen, like many more boring directors would have done. At its core it's a pretty simple story about jealousy, nothing to write home about; but then there's the evident passion with which Saura films the dancing itself, and that's what really makes it worth it for me.
This is no doubt a familiar refrain from me by now, but... I liked the book better. In particular, John Fowles's The Collector gets a lot of its strength from the sudden shift, midway through, from Frederick's POV to Miranda's POV. I guess this is Wyler's version of a Hitchcock thriller, but Hitch himself surely would've been able to play with audience identification in a way that would come close to what Fowles achieves. The film just lacks the depth of the novel, though taken on its own terms it's quite an enjoyable watch.
Carmen isn't terribly deep either, but I don't think that's really what it's going for. I have to applaud Saura for not going too far with the parallels between the story of the dancers and Merimee/Bizet's Carmen, like many more boring directors would have done. At its core it's a pretty simple story about jealousy, nothing to write home about; but then there's the evident passion with which Saura films the dancing itself, and that's what really makes it worth it for me.
x1965 (but removing the last scene)
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Mario Gaborovic
- Posts: 252
- Joined: Fri Jan 04, 2019 8:54 am
x1965
I'm glad I was finally forced to watch Carmen, but The Collector is one of my favorite Wylers.
I'm glad I was finally forced to watch Carmen, but The Collector is one of my favorite Wylers.
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Brotherdeacon
- Posts: 62
- Joined: Wed Dec 12, 2018 10:24 am
- Location: Los Angeles
x1965 I tried to write why I voted this way, but was thwarted twice. No big deal, but I'm not going to try another time.
brotherdeacon
this was a really good match. i've avoided 'the collector' for years but wyler is a fine director and terence stamp sorta mesmerizing. still i'm gonna vote for saura
x1983. love a good dance film. saw bodas de sangre some time back and i'd forgotten it was a trilogy -- i certainly never knew it functioned on multiple levels of reality like the koker trilogy!
x1983. love a good dance film. saw bodas de sangre some time back and i'd forgotten it was a trilogy -- i certainly never knew it functioned on multiple levels of reality like the koker trilogy!
Voting closed notwithstanding votes from people whose accounts have been locked out. The Collector wins!
wba here.
x1965
Love Wyler!
x1965
Love Wyler!
"I too am a child burned by future experiences, fallen back on myself and already suspecting the certainty that in the end only those will prove benevolent who believe in nothing." – Marran Gosov