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Antonioni and Bergman Bite the Dust

Started by tomwatson · 11 months ago

Obituaries for film directors Michelangelo Antonioni and Ingmar Bergman hailed them as cinematic giants. Bergman was called “probably the greatest film artist, all things considered, since the invention of the motion picture camera” who brought “metaphysics ... Continue reading »

9 comments

  • estiv

    1 year ago

    Thank you for wading through all that crap and reporting on it in such a diligent yet entertaining fashion. Me, I wouldn't have had the stomach.

    For some of these people, it's as if they want to be Hunter S. Thompson but with "taste," using slash-and-burn rhetoric to skewer their enemies while pretending to uphold standards of civility. A pointless exercise, not least because of the oxymoronic nature of such an effort.
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  • Robert Stein

    1 year ago

    I was going to cross-post my brief take on Antonioni, but I'll leave alink here for anyone who is interested. I've never found myself agreeing with anything said by anyone named Podhoretz or, for that matter, Decter. So let me just second Jon Swift:

    http://ajliebling.blogspot.com/2007/08/antonion...
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  • Tom Watson

    1 year ago

    "Derrièrists are tired of liberal elites telling us what is good for us."

    Hee-hee. Jon Swift's in the house.
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  • Tom Watson

    1 year ago

    test comment
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  • Weepingsam

    1 year ago

    I am curious - did Jon Swift make a bet that he could come up with an even stupider take on Bergman and Antonioni's deaths than John Podhoretz? Cause I think you might have done it. I'm not sure which was the cheaper shot - linking that online film poll to Podhoretz ("coincidentally" of course), or linking to a 4 year old Terry Teachout post about how he doesn't love Bergman as much as he used to. I'm all for mocking the likes of J-Pod, but really.... trying to score political points off other people's taste for culture is lame no matter what your politics or taste might be.
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  • Kevin Wolf

    1 year ago

    Good fun, Jon. And good points made.
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  • Joe the Cynic

    1 year ago

    Weepingsam's comment is almost as funny as Jon Swift's review of the Death Literature. A hefty three wheezes to both of you!
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  • Ralph DeMarco

    1 year ago

    This post reminds me of people I know who read the first chapter of a great novel and put it down because it's too difficult. What they are really saying is that they are too lazy to invest a little mental effort into the book. So, To all those who think that Bergman films are boring and tedious, how many have you actually watched? I've seen about 6 Bergman films and they are all very entertaining and, yes, they make you think. Sorry if that's such a drag for Online critics. Your loss.
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  • Peter Rudd

    1 year ago

    culture thugs are just like policy thugs and media thugs. it seems to me it can come from both sides, but in this case ... how can you trust anyone who tells you not to think? this is a huge cultural failing - with real consequences.

    for me, just now getting into antonioni - love blow up! mr. A: rest in peace, rest in peace.

    thank you mr. swift -
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