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A review by sdc
Transcendental Style in Film: Ozu, Bresson, Dreyer by Paul Schrader
5.0
I was in over my head at times here but one reads to do precisely that. I can't say I agree with all of Schrader's assertions--but I'm certain I'm lacking the expertise to sufficiently argue my case against so formidable a mind. I'd love to read (or hear) what Schrader thinks of Tarkovsky or Lynch or Bunuel, either within the transcendental frame or without. I'd also be fascinated by a deeper dive on Schrader's graph of "slow film" directors.
I was most engaged by the chapter on Bresson, since it's his films I know best of the three directors considered here. His threadbare framing seemed more acoustic for stylistic purposes. I'll look at Ozu now through a transcendentalist's Zen lens. His style occasionally bored me, but now I'll have to reassess. I'd never thought of Dreyer of a piece with Ozu and Bresson, and perhaps he isn't. But I can now see he doesn't neatly align with Murnau or the other Expressionists as I'd once thought.
The ability to cause one to see cinematic titans like these three with fresh eyes is a special skill and for that reason alone I'd highly recommend Schrader's treatise.
I was most engaged by the chapter on Bresson, since it's his films I know best of the three directors considered here. His threadbare framing seemed more acoustic for stylistic purposes. I'll look at Ozu now through a transcendentalist's Zen lens. His style occasionally bored me, but now I'll have to reassess. I'd never thought of Dreyer of a piece with Ozu and Bresson, and perhaps he isn't. But I can now see he doesn't neatly align with Murnau or the other Expressionists as I'd once thought.
The ability to cause one to see cinematic titans like these three with fresh eyes is a special skill and for that reason alone I'd highly recommend Schrader's treatise.