Bolero

Claude Lelouch probably can't make a bad movie, but I had mixed feelings about this drama, which was very personal to him. The director tried to fit as many motifs as possible into one film, including the fates of the Jews during World War II, his love for music, and even things like dealing with personal guilt or generational conflict. The film has two fundamental flaws: on one hand, it is too long, as three hours are somewhat indigestible for the average viewer; on the other hand, paradoxically, they are woefully insufficient given the large number of characters, countries, and plotlines. It would have been far wiser to develop all the motifs into a 13-part series, with each episode having an hour-long runtime. Within a single feature film, it is impossible, despite the very respectable cast, to create fully fleshed-out characters. They are more like mere figures who mostly just pass by in the film. Since the film features two generations, Lelouch had to use a trick, where the children are played by the same actors. Otherwise, the viewer would likely get completely lost amidst the flood of characters. Both aspects are most enjoyed by music fans, for whom music doesn't end with Abba or The Rolling Stones. The director prioritizes musical and dance performances over the dramatic component of the plot. A friend who inadvertently listened to a part of the film's soundtrack was convinced that it was a recording of a classical music concert. Overall impression: 70%. (16/09/2009)