Demonlover (Arrow Academy)

[drownsoda]

Couldn't find a thread on this one, so I figured I would start one. I finally bit the bullet out of impatience on Criterion's (apparent) pending release and picked up the Arrow Academy release. It is a major step up from the old North American DVD. I find Olivier Assayas to be hit-or-miss, generally speaking, though I think this is one of his best films. I have never seen anything remotely like it before.

Special features:

• Brand new 2K restoration of the 121-minute director s cut, approved by Olivier Assayas
• High Definition Blu-Ray (1080p) presentation
• Original 5.1 DTS-HD master audio
• Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard-of-hearing
• Audio commentary by writer/director Olivier Assayas
• New visual essay written and narrated by critic Jonathan Romney
• Peripherie de Demonlover, an hour-long behind-the-scenes documentary directed by Yorick Le Saux
• Archive interviews with Olivier Assayas, Connie Nielsen, Chloe Sevigny and Charles Berling
• SY NYC 12/12/01: The Demonlover Sessions, a fly-on-the-wall documentary about the recording of the music score by Sonic Youth
• Q&A with Olivier Assayas filmed at the Wexner Center for the Arts in 2003
• Extended version of the Hellfire Club sequence
• Original theatrical trailers
• Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Chris Malbon

[trobrianders]

Assayas is eclectic for sure. Which do you find more miss than hit? I agree Demonlover is very good. The paranoia and risque elements are handled very well and the film has a great speed to it. Everything's on the move. The casting of Connie Nielsen is brilliant. She's a commanding presence.

[jmbe]

Originally Posted by trobrianders

Assayas is eclectic for sure. Which do you find more miss than hit? I agree Demonlover is very good. The paranoia and risque elements are handled very well and the film has a great speed to it. Everything's on the move. The casting of Connie Nielsen is brilliant. She's a commanding presence.

Watched this last night for the first time in years.

I'm pretty certain I saw it (or at least part of it) on Film4 in the late noughties when I was way too young for it and I've been meaning to revisit it as an adult ever since. It didn't disappoint.

Are there any other films in Assayas's filmography that come close to this? I gather he's rather eclectic when it comes to style so Demonlover might be a bit of an outlier?

I thought Personal Shopper was awful (sorry) and I've seen enough of Kristen Stewart in other films now to realise that I genuinely don't like her as an actress (sorry again!) meaning I'm not particularly interested in her other work with Assayas.

I'm also really not into Vampires, so I've never been tempted by Irma Vep even though I realise it's not an out-and-out Vampire film in the traditional sense. Perhaps I need to get over my aversion?

I know Cold Water has a strong reputation, but I'm also more than a bit indifferent to films 'about music', which I understand is kind of what Cold Water is about? Might be wrong...

The only film I can see in his filmography that might have a similar vibe to Demonlover is Boarding Gate, which is unfortunately only available on DVD, but I'm nevertheless going to be getting hold of. That's about it though.

Are his early films on that Arrow release worth checking out? Are there any others I might consider?

[FollowTheBear]

Originally Posted by jmbe

Watched this last night for the first time in years.

I'm pretty certain I saw it (or at least part of it) on Film4 in the late noughties when I was way too young for it and I've been meaning to revisit it as an adult ever since. It didn't disappoint.

Are there any other films in Assayas's filmography that come close to this? I gather he's rather eclectic when it comes to style so Demonlover might be a bit of an outlier?

I thought Personal Shopper was awful (sorry) and I've seen enough of Kristen Stewart in other films now to realise that I genuinely don't like her as an actress (sorry again!) meaning I'm not particularly interested in her other work with Assayas.

I'm also really not into Vampires, so I've never been tempted by Irma Vep even though I realise it's not an out-and-out Vampire film in the traditional sense. Perhaps I need to get over my aversion?

I know Cold Water has a strong reputation, but I'm also more than a bit indifferent to films 'about music', which I understand is kind of what Cold Water is about? Might be wrong...

The only film I can see in his filmography that might have a similar vibe to Demonlover is Boarding Gate, which is unfortunately only available on DVD, but I'm nevertheless going to be getting hold of. That's about it though.

Are his early films on that Arrow release worth checking out? Are there any others I might consider?

Personally, I find Assayas to be massively over-praised; his films boring-as-shit, bourgeois trifles. Like you, I hated Personal Shopper, which felt like Instagram-Antonionni, but nowhere near as intriguing as that sounds. Cold Water I also loathed, mainly for it's one-note style; the hand-held close-up 'authenticity' and lack of coverage started to grate after five minutes. Also, a more charmless leading-man/boy you could not imagine. I can't help you with those early films though as I have no real desire to see them. Maybe some other members will fill you in or recommend?

[jmbe]

Originally Posted by FollowTheBear

Personally, I find Assayas to be massively over-praised; his films boring-as-shit, bourgeois trifles. Like you, I hated Personal Shopper, which felt like Instagram-Antonionni, but nowhere near as intriguing as that sounds.

I think I might have been alright with it to begin with, but once the naff CGI ghost turned up and shortly afterwards Stewart earnestly delivers a line about being covered in ectoplasm I was out. Honestly laughed out loud. I'm pretty sure I finished it but my word, never again.

Originally Posted by FollowTheBear

Cold Water I also loathed, mainly for it's one-note style; the hand-held close-up 'authenticity' and lack of coverage started to grate after five minutes. Also, a more charmless leading-man/boy you could not imagine.

Hmm, I'm actually a bit of a sucker for that kind of thing. The hand-held lack of coverage thing that is, not the charmless leading man thing! The Criterion is pretty cheap so I might give it a whirl. I don't really have any expectations so if it's rubbish I'm sure I can recoup the majority of the cost reselling it and not lose any sleep over it.

Originally Posted by FollowTheBear

I can't help you with those early films though as I have no real desire to see them. Maybe some other members will fill you in or recommend?

Hopefully!

I'm curious if you've actually seen Demonlover and if so what you thought of it? Amusingly it seems to be one of his least critically acclaimed films yet it was right up my ally. Strong enfant terrible vibes, but unless someone else can point another one out, it seems like it might have been a one off.