Street of Crocodiles/ Seven

Now we get into the nitty gritty of film. Stomach churning, and unsettling cinema. I present to you two interesting works. The first, Street of Crocodiles by visionary film brothers Quay. Followed by the great Seven by David Fincher. Both films seem to mesh well in terms of tone and stark and dreary imagery/setting.

Street of Crocodiles is a film that came out in the eighties that brought a great deal of attention to the works of the brothers Quay. These American brothers felt more suited in Europe with their unique style and stop-motion techniques. Street of Crocodiles is the most popular and more beloved work in their oeuvre, and rightly so. It's dark and brooding, sinister and dusty. With sound effects and music utilized to great effect. The two songs featured in the film seem to come straight from frequent Burton collaborator Danny Elfman. And indeed, this is Burtonesque before Burton was Burton. No doubt, Burton, a fellow stop motion Beetlejuice. The mind wanders. It is stunningly remarkable how they shot this film. It is done with precision. The camera movements along with the stop-motion animation are so smooth, you would think it's live action. It's brooding subject matter, and macabre and Gothic mise-en-scene make it less than inviting, but the sheer curiosity of the main character exploring a world that is not his own, invites us to explore with him. The Svankmajer elements (i.e. smooth animation, and utilization of real life body parts) show the audience the reverence that the Quay brothers had for the genius Czech filmmaker. It is a film, not for everyone. There is something unsettling about the passage of time visually presented, and the usage of screws and needles, and animal flesh. It leaves one wanting a happier, lighter affair. A musical perhaps. But, the time, effort, and attention to detail for this twenty minute short, should leave the viewer highly impressed. It's the type of work, so imaginative and so much a project of passion that you can't help but leave unsettled, but satisfied.

animator, admires the Quay brothers' work. I wonder if he was even directly influenced by this particular short, while he was filming

***

Moving along to a film, not lighter, but all the more unsettling. The great film Seven by acclaimed filmmaker David Fincher. Fincher’s sophomore film takes a look at a subject that would essentially define his later films, and cement him as one of the most unique, creative, and gritty filmmakers of our generation. The film’s intro sequence, one that only Fincher could put together (save for Brakhage), sets the tone for the collage-esque scenes strung together; scenes that have meaning when you line them up together, just as the random images collaged together have meaning, at least to the onlooker. There are seven days left before Det. Sommerset, who teams up with Det. Mill’s an eager detective who’s green around the collar. They embark on a case that involves the deaths and potential deaths of seven people based on the seven deadly sins. They search for the killer before he completes his life's work.

The problem with this film is that the film’s characters seem to always ask the right questions, and look in the right places. Although it’s extraordinarily incredulous, we suspend disbelief to see the next tragic and gruesome depiction of a sinful death. We take a journey with Milton, Alighieri, and the mind of a serial killer, and piece together cryptic clues, and sinister scenarios to nab a man who had been planning these atrocious murders for years. In typical Fincher fashion, the actual film is developed darkly to add to the dark subject matter. The presence of rain in almost every shot allows the heightened tension for the audience, like the rain used in Psycho or Identity. When rain falls, something bad is gonna happen. Brad Pitt's portrayal of Mills is scattered, and amateur, the only scene that reflects Pitt now is the dinner scene with his wife, and Sommerset. It's fantastic to see how much he's grown as a performer in twenty years. Freeman's acting is monotonous and tiresome. It's a role that could be played by just about anyone. The sole hint of levity is the very same dinner scene where he laughs at the misfortune of the newly moved couple and the trains that shake the apartment as it passes. Kevin Spacey is dynamite as John Doe. It's no wonder Fincher wanted to keep his involvement in the film a secret, going to great lengths to not having his name be on any of the advertising for the film. It's mannered, stale, indignant, angry, and psychotic. He adds flairs of just about every one of the the seven deadly sins facially or otherwise, and it's refreshing to watch. The sets are awfully full of detail, and it makes you glad that smell-o-vision doesn't exist. Because my nose would be assaulted at the human spectrum of bodily secretions, let alone the dust, and dank hellholes we see throughout the entire production. There are several visually appealing shots, that contrast to the abhorent scenes of violence. The film's use of quick cuts, a technique used a lot by Fincher, especially in Fight Club, make an appearance. The use of the number seven throughout the film is almost like an Easter egg. Seven sins, seven days, seven shots in the last scene, many more that I don't care to name. The film is set up so brilliantly, that it makes you wonder if Sommerset is in on the murders. I've often wondered what a great sequel it would be to see that Sommerset had orchestrated the entire thing, that he was the mastermind, and John Doe was merely a puppet. Or, at the very least, Sommerset being an accomplice. It was a treat to watch this film the first time many years ago, and allows me to get into a sinister and sickening mindset for a couple of hours. This film is also not for everyone, especially the faint of heart or the easily woozy. But, in its grotesque sequence of events, there's beauty there. The underlying message is that the world is a mess, but the ability to rise above the horror of an imperfect world, there's an ability to change it into, at the very least, a better world. A world worth living in. And what would the world be like if it didn't have inventive directors telling their stories about serial killers in a beautiful and brilliant way? 

***1/2