Sinister birds of night and ill-omen rather than serene symbols of wisdom, Bosch owls fix you with their gimlet eyes when every other figure – whether human, animal, angelic, demonic, or a mix-and-match unknown to zoology – is otherwise engaged.
The complete, Italian-language "Leopard" (the first disc of the DVD) is distinctly an old man's film, ornery, a little set in its ways: it moves at its own pace, and, if it is not entirely serene in its wisdom, it is at least resigned to the idea that this vision of life is the fullest it will achieve.
This is what was heard at one time: the Supreme Buddha, serene in his bottomless wisdom, finding himself on the High Line, the elevated greenway….
Some filmmakers as they grow older begin to pare down their styles, to produce mellow, autumnal works that attempt to express with serene simplicity the accrued wisdom of their lives.
His conclusion, surprisingly, is that late style, far from being the serene product of accumulated wisdom and insight, is sometimes cranky and petulant and frequently displays "intransigence, difficulty and unresolved contradiction," even an impatience with "coherent sense".
This is what was heard at one time: the Supreme Buddha, serene in his bottomless wisdom, finding himself on the High Line, the elevated greenway in Chelsea, on a brisk, bright spring Saturday, stood directly beneath the Standard Hotel, whose über-ness defied quantification, smiled cryptically, and said this to his followers... Wait, scratch that, rewind.
For six months, he and his party shivered under the avalanche that had buried them… This is what was heard at one time: the Supreme Buddha, serene in his bottomless wisdom, finding himself on the High Line, the elevated greenway… Will Ferrell had racked the balls and chalked his cue for a game of eight ball.
By Mark Singer Lama Pema and Salman Rushdie This is what was heard at one time: the Supreme Buddha, serene in his bottomless wisdom, finding himself on the High Line, the elevated greenway in Chelsea, on a brisk, bright spring Saturday, stood directly beneath the Standard Hotel, whose über-ness defied quantification, smiled cryptically, and said this to his followers... Wait, scratch that, rewind.
When Athena, the first octopus she encounters, bobs to the surface "the look in the eyes of paintings of Hindu gods and goddesses: serene, all-knowing, heavy with wisdom stretching back beyond time".
