altas capacidades

El guion de Borja y Víctor es un primor. Aunque dicen que es un cortapega de situaciones personales, es una delicia. Y saben de lo que hablan, vaya si saben. El elenco actoral, quizás en correspondencia a ello,  lo clava. Me reí solo muchas veces, quizás por exceso de conocimiento del material, quizás por necesidad. 

El director tiene en sus ancestros, como mínimo, algo que agradecer. Críticas escritas hay para aburrir, aquí. Todas coinciden en lo mismo.

Afuera llovía.

One ten Mott street above a bakery

- When you own the company, can I be Queen?

A mí también me engañó. El director sabía por qué la eligió en ese papel: se habían casado seis años antes. Dieciocho años los separan. 

Aquí hay un buen análisis, no largo pero sí fino.

- Don´t you doubt on me for an instant?

- I don´t doubt on you for an instant, no.

- Why?

- Because I´m stuck on you.

Pues eso, que así cualquiera.

de un instante

Escuchar a Alberto es un absoluto deleite.En qué poco tiempo ha aparecido por aquí dos veces.

los trajes marrones

El tramo final con Arthur y Paul mano a mano, los trajes marrones, el coche, los diálogos... Ambos, Paul y Arthur, son maravillosos, pero mi personaje de toda la galería que aparece en la película, que no es poca, es el de Shelley Winters.

La elegancia, la clase, el estilo que transita todo el metraje, cartelería incluida, está a años luz de lo que habitualmente circula. Y Lauren en una silla sin moverse es perverso e inquietante.

El guion completo está aquí. Para ponerle un piso a quien escaneara esa preciosidad. El tramo final al que aludo:

As a lawyer, I have to caution you

that your proof is pretty insubstantial.

Well, proving it's not my job.

- I'll be perfectly safe in a court of law.

- This ain't a court of law.

Just a couple of buddies

out for an evening spin

discussing the events of the day.

Only don't lie to me, Albert. I

mean, lying is for other people.

Okay?

Come on.

I don't know why, actually.

Not in any concrete way.

I hadn't intended to. Nothing premeditated.

But when I found him

and was faced with the

prospect of setting him free,

it just suddenly seemed

for the best that he die.

When it came to cruelty, he

could be incredibly versatile.

With anybody.

His wife, daughter, stranger in the street.

When he found out how I felt about

Miranda, he pushed us together.

But he never would have let me

marry her. Never in this world.

Just laughs for the client,

that's all I was supplying.

And then today, when she

put her arms around me

and I felt the texture of her skin...

Perhaps I killed him

for a kiss, I don't know.

But I do know that his passing will

not be the cause for universal mourning.

You gonna turn me in?

- Got no other choice, buddy boy.

- You don't have to.

Got a better friend than me?

I haven't got many friends,

Albert, but none better than you.

He was scum, Lew. I swear it.

Well, you know, when we first met,

you were gonna push your way

all the way up to be governor

of this great and powerful

state of California.

That was a pretty nasty and

terminal thing you did to Sampson.

Do governor-type people do that today?

Jeez, makes you stop and wonder.

And you were going to push your way up

to being the greatest defender of justice

that the great and powerful

state of California ever had.

How does it feel to be popping your

flash bulbs in dirty little motel rooms,

spying on the cheaters?

Yeah, well...

Things just don't turn out

the way we plan them, do they?

You were hired by a bitch to find scum.

Yeah, and every time I hope

it's gonna be Prince Charming

sending me out to scout out Cinderella.

Oh, yeah.

Boy, I had a total of about eight

pretty disgusting months last year.

But then I had five or six good weeks.

Let me tell you something.

I mean, it's something

that you won't understand

and Susan sure as hell won't,

but those five or six

weeks, I really felt alive.

So all I can do, Albert,

is just do the dirty job

all the way down the line.

Well, I understand why

you have to turn me in.

Do you understand why I can't let you?

Oh, yeah. You still got the gun?

Well, then, you better use

it before I hit that door.

Well, the way I feel now, if

I never make it to that door,

it won't be the worst thing

that ever happened to me.

So long, Albert.

Oh, hell.

Oh, hell.

speciality/specialty/even split personality

La tenía pendiente desde hace mucho y el otro día, escuchando programas atrasados de Juan José le escuché hablar de ella. Y le hice caso. Qué delicia. Difícil de adaptar el libro, con muchas elipsis, pero con una enorme ventaja: el elenco actoral es una salvajada. De todo, la química entre él y ella es, de tan antagónica, hipnótica.

Esta línea de guion, que aparece en el segundo vídeo de aquí abajo, es una exquisitez -de las muchas que tiene, porque el guion es un primor, fácilmente deducible del libro original-:

MURIEL: My speciality is dogs that bite.

MACON : Speciality. Webster prefers "specialty." 

She gives him a blank look.

Cosas de no tener el equivalente a una RAE. El guion, por cierto, está aquí.

Y el tema principal de la película, de un tal John Williams, que supo leer perfectamente de qué va la falla...

la narrativa manda

Olivia is a screw-up, she always will be, that’s the narrative that suits Bernie the best. It lets him focus on making bad movies and his idiot son.

I do. I do understand

Todo, absolutamente todo es inusitadamente brillante en esta comedia por momentos desgarradora:

Liam : I'm gonna jump!
Otis Milburn : Stop, Liam, don't. Don't do this.
Liam : Oh. Hi Otis.
Otis Milburn : You don't wanna jump.
Liam : No. I think I do.
Otis Milburn : You don't. Look... sometimes, the people we like don't like us back, and it's painful, but there's nothing we can do about it.
Liam : You don't understand.
Otis Milburn : I do. I do understand. I know what it's like when someone doesn't feel the same way about you. It's... someone you can't stop thinking about. It hurts. But you can't make people like you.
Liam : I don't like her - I love her!

I'm so tired of being alone
I'm so tired of on-my-own
Won't you help me girl
Just as soon as you can

People say that I've found a way
To make you say that you love me
Hey baby, you didn't go for that
It's a natural fact
That I wanna come back
Show me where it's at, baby

I'm so tired of being alone
I'm so tired of on-my-own
Won't you help me girl
Soon as you can

I guess you know that I, uh, I love you so
Even though you don't want me no more
Hey, hey, hey, hey, I'm cryin' tears
All through the years
I'll tell ya like it is
Honey, please love me if you will

Yeah baby
Tired of being alone here by myself, now
I tell ya, I'm tired baby
I'm tired of being all wrapped up late at night
In my dreams, nobody but you, baby

Sometimes I wonder
If you love me like you say you do
You see baby, I, I, I been thinkin' about it, yeah
I been, I been wantin' to get next to you baby
You see, sometimes I fold my arms, I say, mmh-hmm-mmh
Oh yeah
Oh baby
Meeting you has proven to me
To be my greatest dream, yeah

I'm so tired of being alone (Tired, baby)
So tired of being alone (Yeah, you don't know what I'm talkin' about)
So tired of being alone
Sometimes late at night I get to wonderin' about you baby
I'm so tired of being alone (Oh baby, baby)
So tired of being alone
So tired of being alone

I'm so tired of being alone (Oh baby)
So tired of being alone (You're my heart's desire)
So tired of being alone

stay open

Stay open. Stay open. If your defenses come up, you’re fucked. But two vulnerable people will always find a way to connect.

mirror [sth]⇒ vtr

- I love that you order for me.

as for the madness, trained himself

As for the madness with Madame Olenska, Archer trained himself to remember it as the last of his discarded experiments. She remained in his memory simply as the most plaintive and poignant of a line of ghosts.

el trastorno de la mirada

- We've got to find a structure for this.

- Who are you? Who are you!!

- Turn left outside the hotel. Take the first street on the left. Go to the end. I'll be by the church.

- I love you.
- I know.

- I can't see past you.
- I think you've never seen much at all.

- I've been thinking about what we should do.
- Do?
- I have to leave Ingrid. There's no doubt about that. It's the right thing for everybody. I can't go on... not like this. What happened in Paris... The way I behaved. I've never had feelings like this. I have to get them into some sort of... order. I know it'll be hard for Martyn. He's fond of you.
- He loves me.
- I know, but he's young. He'll get over it.
- He's your son. He'd hate you.
- He'd hate me for a while, but...
- You'd lose him. You'd lose your own son? You'd also destroy the life you've made with Ingrid. It's a good life. What you say doesn't make sense.
- How come you're so sure?
- Because in your heart, you don't even want it. You want us to start
eating breakfast together?
- I'd like that.
- You'd like it if we lived in the same house... read the papers together? What would you gain if you left Ingrid?
- I'd gain you.
- You'd be gaining something you already have.

- When can you see me?
- Thursday.
- Thursday at five o'clock.

- My nightdress was still covered with blood. It was then... I had to. I knew I had to. I asked him to fuck me. "Fuck me," I said.

- My childhood wasn't all wonderful.
- Really?
- As a matter of fact, it wasn't. Perhaps... I don't know, perhaps it was... Perhaps it was too perfect... nothing was to disturb the surface of things. Everything was fine... no questions. It isn't healthy. That's all I'm saying. It's not a big issue. But it's good to have roots. But roots aren't that great... unless something else comes with them.
- Like what?
- I don't know. Warmth, I suppose. Passion.
- It was probably my fault.
- It came more from Dad, if I have to name anyone.

- Of course, it's hard for us. I'm sure Anna has told you.
- Told us?
- About the brother she had. Of course, it strikes me. It had to strike me, looking at Martyn. He does look so like Anna's brother. I don't know if you realized that. Not, of course, that Aston was as handsome. 

- It would be too bad if anything prevented her.
- I'm not sure I understand what you mean.
- I think you do. I watched you throughout the meal. You can't even look at her.

- I won't speak of this again.

- I thought you could control life... but it's not like that. There are things you... There are things you can't control.
- Do you think I would have married Martyn... if I couldn't be with you?

- Why didn't you kill yourself? You should have killed yourself when it began. Didn't you know? You thought you could go on?
- Yes, yes!
- Every day into the future? Go on betraying us both every day? You are not an evil man. You should have killed yourself when you first realized... and then I would have been able to mourn. It would have been hard, but I would have buried you. And I would have wept.

- I want him back! I want my son back! I want Martyn! Give me my son!
- Martyn is dead. Your son is dead. Give his death to me. Give it to me. Give me his death. Give it to me.

- It's true, isn't it? What a pity we ever met.

- Not enough? Not enough for you? For a moment there, I thought of making love to you.

- Good-bye. We shan't meet again. Thank you. She's here, isn't she? She's here!

- I saw her once more only. I saw her by accident at an airport, changing planes. She didn't see me. She was with Peter. She was holding a child. She was no different from anyone else.

Damage 1992.
El guion es de David Hare, que no es asunto menor. Aquí hay una crítica que se hace corta, de buena que es.

I know...

Siendo todo maravilloso, lo del guion es de traca. No es de extrañar quién lo firma.

Katie: Hubbell, it’s Katie. You didn’t know it was Katie.

O bien esta maravilla con paso de invitación en plural a confesión en singular:

Katie : Your girl is lovely, Hubbell. Why don't you bring her for a drink when you come?

Hubbell: I can't come, Katie. I can't...

Katie: I know...

Me gusta este artículo, aunque no lo comparto del todo.

Siempre en estos casos me pregunto cómo compaginaría su agudísima mirada de la condición humana el tal Arthur con su cotidianeidad. Tuvo pareja estable masculina durante más de 50 años, para mi sorpresa y admiración.

yes, sir

Sublime después de todos los Yes sir hasta ese momento: I think I said yes because I didn´t know what else to do. Pero lamentablemente no llega y los últimos veinte minutos son de un suavón irritante. Eso sí, los dos protagonistas, magníficos, y el coro secundario, igual. Ella, de origen judío; él, de Marte.