Spiritual Exercises, released by Cult Epics, is a short film collection; focuses on the works of Oliver Smolders. this particular collection brings us ten amazing films from the extraordinary director.
FILM- This category is broken down by individual shorts.
Adoration- An anonymous film. (This short was also included in Cinema of Death) This short begins with a woman arriving at the residence of a man. They both share a quick dinner; after dinner, the woman begins to read from a book, while the man records her readings with an audio reel. He suddenly shoots her, and before you know it the man has broken one of the ultimate taboos- cannibalism.
The film becomes very unsettling after the murder; this is strange, because the film is VERY subtle. The depictions of murder, mutilation, and cannibalism are not graphic, but show just enough to let you know what is happening. Several mutilations are not shown until the last few seconds of film. There is one scene that I did not expect at all, and it hits you as very audacious. I'm sure you will know it when you see it. 8/10.
Mort A Vignole- A lonely film. This film is a compilation of home movies, photos, and footage of dead bodies; all married to an amazing narration. The narrator tells of death, and how it is inevitable. He sees film, be it a photo or movie, as the only way to be remembered after death.
His ideals are blatantly true and depressing at the same time; striking deep into your heart and emotions. The masterful use of gentle piano music almost puts you in a trance, and when the images leave the screen, the film lingers in your subconscious for a very long time. 9/10.
L’Amateur- A pear-shaped film. This film combines elements of the first two shorts, and the result has to be one of the best short films I have ever seen. The plot is simply extraordinary. A man narrates an epistle to a deceased of unknown origin; all the while filming nude women. All the women he films have said yes to his proposition, and have volunteered their bodies for his cause. He begins with simple stripping; which slowly escalates into beautiful photo shoots. He does this absurd hobby as a testament to his deceased acquittance.
This film is amazingly artistic, and dangerous at the same time. It is dangerous because it manages to accomplish something borderline impossible; it captures nude females in a non pornographic way. This is an amazing talent, and shows that Oliver Smolders is truly a master of his craft. 10/10.
Neuvaine- A film to entertain chairs. This short was a truly bizarre one. It follows several people, all are at what appears to be some form of school; however no children are ever present. This film is also narrated by a voice over. The narrator rambles about everything from religion to sexuality. His ramblings are haphazard, but are very deep and intellectual. It is almost as if he is logically insane; one such example of this is he states he wishes to make "a film to entertain chairs".
This film took me a while to get in to; but once a certain animal was unexpectedly introduced, the film captured my thoughts and emotions, and really drug me into it. The slow moving first half was slightly longer than need be, but the second half was amazing, and the ending to this short is sickeningly fantastic. 8/10.
Ravissements- After Saint Therese of Avila. This short is a montage of young women's faces; shot in close ups with a narrator reading from the writings of Saint Therese of Avila.
This short is no where near as abstract as the others, and is moderately bland in my opinion. The scenery as the beginning is very nice and moody; and the writings are interesting to hear. Aside from that, this one doesn't have much going for it. 5/10.
Pensees et Visions D’une tete Coupee- A film for Antoine Wiertz. Filmed in a large room full of Antoine Wiertz paintings, this short is narrated by the writings of the artist; as well as his last wishes. Dwarfs and children in high fashion soon flood the room, and begin to tour the art; they are led by an art curator. Inserted in random intervals is footage of a young, nude girl tending to a corpse and toting around a piglet. Soon they begin the "The Thoughts and Visions of a Severed Head' , which results in more bizarre artwork and inserted footage. Slowly the artists paintings turn flesh, and the film ends with one of the most surreal and unnerving montages ever committed to celluloid.
I loved this short; it reminded me of an Alejandro Jodorowsky film, mixed with Smolders earlier shorts. 9/10.
La Philosophie Dans Le Boudoir- After D.A..F. de Sade. Marquis de Sade is an all too common name in movies these days. Sadly, few can do his work justice. Oliver Smolders is one of those few. This short recycles the set of Ravissements; in the same fashion, women's faces are shown in close ups. However, this time the narrator is telling of perversions inflicted by and upon the women. The same is done with men; the set being a prison cell.
This short captures the oddly erotic aspects of de Sade, again using artful nudity. The style is unique to Smolders, and his version of a de Sade perversion is almost flawless. 9/10.
Point de Fuite- An educational film. This short is the polar opposite of the other shorts; it is a comedy. It involves a teacher who has a very interesting day with her class. To say much more would ruin the surprise, but trust me; this one is hilarious. 8/10
L’Art D’Aimer- A drama film in color. This short is the narration of a boy thought his early life. He begins living on a farm, where life is simple. He soon moves to the city, where he becomes unhappy with his location and lovers, and longs for his original love and residence. 8/10.
Seuls- Children’s portraits. This one is STRANGE. It is essentially a mash up of children screaming, thrashing about, and staring aimlessly into space. The short is quite creepy actually; with the use of close- ups and shadows Smolders gives the children almost inhuman traits. 8/10.
OVERALL- This collection is a very intriguing one. Oliver Smolders is very artistic and articulate; this collection proves that. There is only one short I didn't like in some way (Ravissements), and out of ten shorts that is pretty incredible. If you like artistic and surreal short films, then you're a fool not to pick this one up. Cult Epics has done it again. 8/10.
PICTURE/ AUDIO- This category is broken down by individual shorts.
Adoration- (This short was also included in Cinema of Death) This film is presented as a home movie, and the pi cure looks a little to crisp for this effect to work well. It is black and white as well, adding to the "home video" feel. Even though the film technically should have been a little more rough looking, the quality is amazing, and I feel compelled to give it a 9/10. The film has almost no dialog, with the exception of the woman's voice while recording the story. Their is also the constant flutter of the film running through the camera. This sound is almost maddening, and makes it even more grueling to experience. The cleverness and clarity of the audio gets a 10/10.
Mort A Vignole- The picture on this one is soft and grainy at times; adding to the "home movie" feel. The black & white shots fit well with the color shots, and still images on the screen look nice as well. 8/10. The audio is a voice over, and is crisp and clear. When their is no spoken narration, piano music accompanies the images on screen. This is perfect music to seal in the dreary tone of the film. 9/10.
L’Amateur- The picture on this one is very dynamic. It uses two types of black and white film; one that is grainy and soft (used when the narrator is walking down the street), and one that is flawless and very sharp (used during the nude shots). This works well, and emphasizes the importance of the nudity. Also, the black and white make this short less graphic; this really preserves the artistic nature of the film. 10/10. The sound is an unusual mix. Aside from the narration and music, we also have many natural noises: crickets chirping, birds singing, ect. They fit the film nicely, and sound great mixed with the music of the film. 9/10
Neuvaine- The picture on this one is soft at times, but that is a good thing; just enough to look genuine. Also, the shadows cast in this short REALLY show up nice in black and white, and look outstanding. 9/10. The audio is a narration, and sounds great, as to be expected. Their is choir music in this one that really enhances the vibe at times, and I love the combination this with the surreal darkness of some shots. 9/10.
Ravissements- The picture is black and white; mostly close-ups of faces. This one is pretty simple, and looks good. The balance is nice, and the picture is nice and firm. 8/10. The audio is once again a voice over. This one is nice and loud, with no interference. 8/10
Pensees et Visions D’une tete Coupee- The lush images of the paintings show up beautifully; and the colors look bright and clear. Everything aside from the art is clear and vibrant as we. Their is no unnecessary grain, aside from the intentional left in the random inserts. Again, Cult Epics has stolen my heart; only leaving the grain where it needs it, and restoring the rest of the film. This is the first film on the disk to have a majority of color shots, and really shows what Cult Epics can do with something other than black and white. 10/10. The audio is a mix of two narrations, and classical music. The music is loud, but not deafening. This is a problem with some movies that go from just dialog to just music, but the balance is present and works nicely. 9/10
La Philosophie Dans Le Boudoir- Even though this was shot on the set of Ravissements, the visuals are way different. This film is almost stark black and white (very much like Begotten) with little use of grey. This film also has slight "jitters" that occur during close-ups; almost like light flickering. This is odd, but it works quite well. 9/10. The audio is pure voice over this time. It fits the somber tone, but I do believe music would have benefited the atmosphere greatly. The audio is crisp and clear, as to be expected. 8/10
Point de Fuite- The picture on this film is very bright and soft. You really notice this from the first few shots. The color in this one looks very mild and soft as well. That doesn't work quite as well for this short; epically after seeing such amazing color in Pensees et Visions D’une tete Coupee. 6/10. The sound is great for this one. It is nice and loud, and the humorous soundtrack fits the quirky mood well. 8/10.
L’Art D’Aimer- The picture on this film is very dull, but that is intended. The colors are pretty bland, and none really stand out. However this accents the characters in the story perfectly. 8/10. The audio is unusual in this one; it has the expected voice over, but also allows the natural noise to be heard subtly in some scenes. While unusual, this audio mix works pretty well with the film. 8/10.
Seuls- The picture on this one is again very stark black and white. This time however, it is very soft looking. This really adds to the surreal and creepy vibes produced, and almost distorts the children. 9/10. The audio amazingly has no voice over this time; just the natural recordings of children being children. The lack of music in this one doesn't hurt one bit, as the noises are quiet (such as thrashing around, or splashing water). 8/10.
OVERALL- Same as with the films, there was only one blunder with the audio/ video quality (Point de Fuite). another solid and professional transfer from Cult Epics. 8/10.
EXTRAS- Cult Epics have included a 48 page booklet with Spiritual Exercise. The booklet is fantastic, and a very nice addition to the set. DVD extras include 2 versions of Court-Circiut (an almost commentary by Smolders), and the trailer to his first feature, Nuit Noire. The booklet really helps this category out. 6/10.
Posts
