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Rating:  -
Northfork is an unconventional film. I felt my defense mechanisms on autopilot when I first saw this movie at the Angelika theater. Northfork was territory I hadn't been before and I passed judgment too quickly. Once I was able to have the patience to watch Northfork on DVD it took me down a path I could have never imagined. It's a slow movie, but it needs to be, Northfork has a lot on its plate. I can only really describe Northfork by what it is not-- A Coen brothers movie? You'll be disappointed these brothers aren't that smug. The Polish brother's characters are sympathetic, you feel when they feel. They had this beautiful quality with Twin Falls Idaho. Is Northfork more a David Lynch story, I don't believe Northfork is weird for weird sake. I think the Polish brothers allow their imaginations to roam, and their stories are too genuine not to participate. The Polish Brother's exhibit a real craft of filmmaking like the Coen's and Lynch but they're going for a much different experience. They have more to with Stanley Kubrick than probably any other filmmaker, and that may even be just for comparison sake. They have created a language all their own and as frustrating as Northfork may be to the general audience, it is a masterpiece.
Commentary by filmmakers Michael and Mark Polish is usual fair. They explain some of the mystery behind their creative choices. You get a sense that the filmmakers are at ease and appreciate moviemaking. I particularly like their accessibility to talk about their ideas, it's a nice treat.
"Bare-Knuckle Filmmaking: The Construction of Northfork " is the true gem on this DVD. Anyone who is interested in filmmaking should watch this. You really get to witness the force of the Polish brothers. Mark and Michael Polish are wonderful to watch as they set out to make their third feature. This documentary goes behind the scenes to show the audience how Northfork was made, from the birth of the screenplay to the producing of the feature film. Most movies released on DVD have some sort of "Press kit" or a basic "Behind-the-Scenes" to add to the extras, but this documentary could be sold on its own if it was longer.
The Photo gallery is as good as the cinematography. There must have been a real photographer on the set because these photographs don't look like "stills". The 40 or so pictures here are well composed shots of the cast and locations, none of them resemble shots in the movie. I'm wondering if this is from a book about Northfork?
24 Frame News segment is a small piece that was on the Sundance channel. It shows the promotional tour the filmmakers went on to promote Northfork. A good slice of the filmmakers history.
This Northfork DVD has the benefits of time, it will only get better with age.
Rating: -
If you need movies to make perfect sense, you won't like this film.
If you need movies to be fast-paced, you won't like this film.
I'm not so picky about those things. I adored this film.
Rating: -
Northfork I saw this summer and fell in love with it. It is one of those movies which demands multiple viewings because the writing is so rich and visuals so hypnotically dense. I'm really interested in checking out the documentary on the DVD which chronicles the making of the movie.
`Northfork' has that something special that the Polish Brothers brought to "Twin Falls Idaho". But Northfork is grander and would accurately be called an epic. Shot in the Northwest (I think entirely in Montana) the movie is just striking to look at : The backdrop is the transcendent mountains of Montana photographed like never before as a haunting score swells and rises with the impending flood of the soon to be deserted town, and smack dab in the middle of the mountain grandeur is a house turned giant ark, as in Noah's Ark.
The story counterbalances the intense visuals: a town in the mid 1900's is being evacuated to make way for Government dam project. James Woods and company are sent out to remove the holdout residents. Meanwhile a dying orphan, recently adopted, is brought back to the town preacher(Nick Nolte) because his parents say he is too sick to make the journey. The boy slips in and out of surreal dream sequences with a band of hilariously dry gypsies.
Northfork really took me on a journey. It has an American heartland feel, with a very European pace. It is such a beautiful movie to look at and to ponder that the DVD will surely be part of any serious film library.
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