Life (2015)
| Movie | |
|---|---|
| German title | Life |
| Original title | Life |
| Country of production | USA , UK , Canada , Germany , Australia |
| original language | English |
| Publishing year | 2015 |
| length | 121 minutes |
| Age rating |
FSK 0 JMK 8 |
| Rod | |
| Director | Anton Corbijn |
| script | Luke Davies |
| production |
Iain Canning , Wolfgang Mueller , Christina Piovesan , Emile Sherman |
| music | Owen Pallett |
| camera | Charlotte Bruus Christensen |
| cut | Nick Fenton |
| occupation | |
| |
Life is a film drama from the year 2015 . The film biography , directed by Anton Corbijn , tells the story of the photo report that photographer Dennis Stock made about actor James Dean in 1955, shortly before his breakthrough with the film Jenseits von Eden .
action
The up-and-coming photographer Dennis Stock meets the young actor James Dean at a party organized by director Nicholas Ray in Los Angeles . He invites him to a test screening of the film Beyond Eden , in which he is a part. Stock is impressed by the film and Dean suggests taking pictures with him. Dean agrees and introduces his girlfriend Pier Angeli to Stock . Stock tries to convince the agency boss Morris to negotiate an acceptance from Life magazine for a photo essay about Dean. James Dean could become a "symbol", which is why he would like to "be early" to promote his own career. Morris is skeptical, however, as Dean is not very well known. Dean also reacts defensively to further attempts by Stock and does not seem to have much desire for the recordings. Studio boss Warner points out to Dean that he has to "parry" and put his rebellious nature on hold in order to become a star. Stock meets Dean and Angeli on the red carpet at the premiere of A New Star in the Sky , but doesn't want to take photos of staged performances.
Both go to New York: Dean to meet old friends, Stock to visit his son. His ex-wife accuses him that his child is not important enough to him. Morris tells him that Life has agreed to make a modest advance payment on the condition that the photos must be ready by the premiere of Beyond Eden . In New York, too, Dean initially evades the photographer. When Morris asks him why he really wanted to take the photos, Stock says that Dean has "something awkward, unadulterated" that makes him so special. When he meets Dean on the street, he can take the first pictures of him in a hair salon. At a press conference, Dean learns that Angeli Vic Damone intends to marry, which hits him hard. He now agrees to have his picture taken. To do this, he takes Stock to his former drama school, where he meets his old friend Veronica again. Together they then go to a pub to drink, where they also take drugs, Dean dances with the arriving Eartha Kitt and Stock gets intimate with Veronica.
Morris rejects the first photos Dean shows him. Instead, he orders him to do a set shoot in Japan. As a result, Stock cannot spend a few days with his son as promised. When he tries to admit this to him, he vomits. Stock meets again with Dean in Times Square to say goodbye to him. He photographs Dean walking down the street in the rain with a cigarette in his mouth. Although his manager has urged him to fulfill his obligations in the run-up to the premiere, Dean wants to go to his home in Indiana . Since he wants to be back for the premiere of the film, Stock decides to accept Dean's invitation to come with him. On the train, Dean tells of his mother's early death. In Indiana they spend their time on the ranch owned by Dean's uncle and aunt, with whom he grew up. Stock can take numerous shots, including a. Dean in a peasant outfit in front of a tractor and reading to his nephew. But there is also a conflict between the two when Stock overhears a negative remark from Dean about him and then announces his early departure. To calm him, Dean read him the poem We have to go home ( We Must Get Home ) from "Indiana's poet laureate" James Whitcomb Riley before. At the school ball of his former school, to which they are spontaneously invited, Dean plays with the band on his bongo .
Back in New York, Stock visits his son and shows Dean the pictures, who is very impressed by them. Life magazine publishes the photo report under the heading "Moody New Star" on four pages, for which Stock receives a compliment from Morris. Dean “skips” the premiere, much to Warner's annoyance, and asks Stock to “run away” with him, but he refuses. On the plane to Los Angeles, Dean comes back to Riley's poem while watching a little boy while his nephew in Indiana looks at the photos in the magazine.
In the credits, the recordings actually made by Stock are shown. A text board says that the trip to Indiana was Dean's last visit to his homeland before his death.
reception
In the world, Frédéric Schwilden praised the “wonderful” set design and criticized the acting performance of Pattinson, whose facial expressions were poor in facets. The film conjures up “that nostalgic fantasy” that is still the reason why “we think America is so great”. The film also wants to show the “power of good photography and the flair of good photographers”.
Hannah Pilarczyk writes in Der Spiegel that “the 'Life' experiment went reasonably well for 110 minutes” until the original recordings are shown in the credits. These are "irresistible. And unfortunately also inimitable. ”As a photographer, Corbijn knows“ how tense the relationship between the portraitist and the person portrayed can be, ”and this experience makes the premise of Life so appealing.
When it comes to film releases , Carsten Baumgardt thinks that Life is “atmospheric, stylish, well-acted retro cinema for film lovers and James Dean fans, and at the same time a subtle reflection on Hollywood and photography, appearances and reality”. The film also has lengths, however, and towards the end Corbijn exaggerates it with the "endless self-reflective monologues of the two protagonists".
Web links
- Life in the Internet Movie Database (English)
Individual evidence
- ↑ Release certificate for Life . Voluntary self-regulation of the film industry (PDF).
- ↑ Age rating for Life . Youth Media Commission .
- ↑ Honey, give me a photo of James Dean. In: welt.de , September 24, 2015.
- ↑ The unreachable. In: spiegel.de , September 24, 2015.
- ↑ Critique of the Filmstarts editorial team In: filmstarts.de , accessed on April 21, 2020.