THE FALLS (1980) Directed by Peter Greenaway
Zeitgeist Films DVD
THE FILMS
One of my favorite films.
Peter Greenaway has made a lot of startlingly imaginative films but this one is like a block of really sharp cheese. It's dense, tasty and worth savoring. It can also be a bit of a haul.
It is over three hours long. It is a faux-documentary covering the current status of 92 people whose surnames begin with "Fall" who were affected by the VUE (Violent Unknown Event). And, it is not a faux-documentary made in the style of Errol Morris or Michael Moore. It's a government-made documentary.
The Falls sounds like it might be a bit of a rough haul and, frankly, I don't know if I could watch it in a theater. But, at home, I've watched it 7 times. And, it is astounding. One comparison made is that it is very much like “The Life and Opinions of Tristram Shandy, Gentleman” and I would agree. I've read that book 10 times and I still find bits I've never seen before. A thick, thick movie that ladles on information in, at times, a crazy deluge.
Yes, you can enjoy this and, say Satan War. I watched this on Saturday and Satan War on Sunday. Loved them both. The difference is this: Satan War makes me wonder about the film. Makes me wonder where it came from and what world it came out of. The Falls makes me want to write, create and make movies of my own.
You'll notice that we will be adding all sorts of types of movies to our reviews in the next few months. And, there's a chance, that some of you will get cheesed off. "What the hell? Why are they writing about The Falls or Brewster McCloud?" (Another favorite.) Why?
The Last Slumber Party. Don't Go In The Woods. Final Exam. Carnival of Blood. She Freak. Blood Lake. I love these movies like my favorite relatives. I like to hang out with them every once in a while but I can see their faults. I'm comfortable with them. I enjoy them but we don't always match up in worldviews and they can be, well, offensive in their own ways.
The Falls. Brewster McCloud. Laurel & Hardy. The Marx Brothers. Vernon, Florida. Rushmore. Planes, Trains & Automobiles. These films make me want to be creative...right now. They make me aspire to write better and create whole new worlds around me.
That's why we'll write about these films.
Pardon the side road...The Falls.
For 187 minutes on Region 2 and 195 minutes on Region 1, this film is a constant creative rush. Facts are piled on images. Things that make no sense suddenly become clear two hours later. Sometimes you have to jump back in the film to catch a small piece of information. And, although the narration remains steady, the images are constantly changing. Almost like watching 92 short films within this much large piece. Each life that is profiled is given its own setting and feeling.
And, it's all so creative. You're swimming in so much imagination that it is overwhelming. In the way that "The White Album" is overwhelming or the way "The Anatomy of Melancholy" is overwhelming or in the way a rollercoaster can overwhelm.
At times, it feels like a young man showing off how much info he can pack into one place. Whole films could be extrapolated off of segments in this film. And, it works. If it didn't, this would be one painful experience. I imagine, for some, it is. But, for the imaginative, it's beautiful.
AUDIO AND VIDEO
Well, it's a cheap film made up of newly shot footage and stock footage. The video quality is all over the place. The Audio is steady. Nothing spectacular but it matches the "faux-government" film feel perfectly.
EXTRAS
I own the 2 disc "Greenaway The Early Films" set (Region 1) and the two disc "The Early Films of Peter Greenaway" (Region 2) set. Both are loaded with all of his short films, leading up to The Falls and a bunch of ancillary information.
Two of the short films: A Walk Through H and Vertical Features Remake will enrich your viewing of The Falls. The other films are, generally, pretty cool.
I prefer the Region 2 discs. The picture looks better. They have subtitles, which is a great help for a film with a lot of made-up words in it. They also have a lot of the extra material hidden away. It's a lot of fun.
FINAL THOUGHTS
This is not for everyone. It is dense, long and sometimes seems like it's going nowhere. But, the journey is worth your time. It is such an intense creative outpouring that I can't help but be affected by it. Superb.
— Dan Budnik, 02.18.10 | 
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