If you fancy a night in watching a DVD, then take a look at the selection available at Island Libraries. At just £1 per night, they’re a great bargain. Ed
Investigating the emergence of ‘High Art’ cinema and attempting to understand it can be a puzzling yet highly enjoyable process.
Yet being introduced to reviewing the one film that was credited as being the first recognised attempt at what essentially is, an extremely intellectual and cerebral experience, Ventnor Library has obtained ‘The Bothersome Man’ a Norwegian film that is undoubtedly marked now as a DVD of mystery.
However, there is a change in its release as a DVD certified as an 18 and although it still is a beautiful and darkly humorous film, the editing and subsequent removal of scenes to give it a more linear structure causes it to be slightly altered in impact.
Jens Lien pioneer contender
Perhaps the overall points that ‘The Bothersome Man’ reveals are enough to be dealing with, as Jens Lien directs with enough of a cool manner that does make him a serious contender for a name that anyone interested in cinema, that is not only groundbreaking and highly original, could well become a pioneer for the future.
Now, having reviewed both versions of one film, it could be a dilemma as to which works the best? Sadly, I would say that there are no easy choices when it comes to such a question.
The irony seems to be that ‘The Bothersome Man’ as an idea, a character that simply cannot follow the path of a linear structure in a film, due to his obvious emotions and anger has simply been removed from the story.
Really, this is a worthy piece of work that is extremely funny, overwhelmingly clever and is clean-cut evidence and proof that ‘High Art’ as a genre is not as pretentious as it first sounds.
