Silk (2007)

Very best movie i ever watch

This is a small, humorous movie in some ways, but it has a huge heart. What a nice experience.

The movie turns out to be a little better than the average. Starting from a romantic formula often seen in the cinema, it ends in the most predictable (and somewhat bland) way.

The movie's not perfect, but it sticks the landing of its message. It was engaging - thrilling at times - and I personally thought it was a great time.

Have you ever had a conversation with somebody whose voice was so monotone, so breathy, that they almost put you to sleep while you stood there and listened to them? That's the case with Michael Pitt here, whose low speaking narration pretty much gave me a headache from the temples because of its exaggerated gentility. He's a handsome young man, but his screen presence is a negative here, perhaps explaining as to why I never heard of him. With Keira Knightly being a more well known star, I'd expected her to be the lead, but like the Japanese beauty (Sei Ashina) whom Pitt becomes obsessed with, barely gets to say a word. Gratuitous moments of "gentle, loving sex" become simply eye rolling as another crescendo of oh so sweet music plays over the ecstasy that only the characters feel. I hate long recitals of poetry, but that would be more fascinating than the pace that this creeks by in. It's a sight to behold photography wise, but in other aspects, oh what a bore! The music strives too hard to be profound and the long bouts of silence between dialog makes it a struggle to get through. I would have liked more political exposition of the closed 1860's Japanese society, but limited attempt is given to aide the viewer in getting any real example of what had really gone on during that time period. Only Alfred Molina seemed to try to give some passion, and he's rather wasted.Too many films post millennium think that all they need is an exotic setting, romantic characters, and a mist of a plot to have a movie. What ends up happening is that the audience is lost either in the sleepy mood music or too busy looking at the art direction, and any attempt at real cohesion ends up missing. This us one reason I have stopped going to the movies and even caring about the award season, because in the attempt to be artistic or profound, they've just become an empty emotional shell of pretty colors and nothing to really grip its audience.

OK...personally i think that this movie was a bit boring..i admit that there was a beautiful scenery , a well made music score ..but are those 2 factors the key to success? well i think not.. the acting from the leading actor was horrible..i don't know if it was him or his acting that made me feel an apathy towards the character that he was representing... another disadvantage was the countless dialogs in Japanese..there were no subtitles for us to read..so what are we supposed to do on those scenes? just listen and try to guess what are they saying?No... and what i think about the mysterious love of the leading actor and the Japanese girl? well..i have a question about that..how did those 2 people fell in love without having spoken to each other in the entire movie? overall ..i'm not very satisfied with this movie at all..there are loads of masterpieces out in the market...so why should we watch this movie?? anyway..i will not prevent anyone from watching this because i think that it's not right..i believe that everyone is capable of creating a different opinion...and after all that is the magic of every single movie..everyone perceives it in his/her own unique way !!

Herve Joncour, a young man in France, fresh from the army, receives a proposal he cannot refuse: he must go to Japan to collect silk worms and bring them to France where the silk industry has been dying because of a plague that has affected them. Before he undertakes the trip to the East, he marries the beautiful woman he loves, Helene. Since the action takes place in the middle of the XIX century, such an endeavor was not without its risks.When Herve gets to Japan, he encounters an exotic place where he is made to go blindfolded to an unknown area searching for the worms. As he deals with the ruthless man that is key to selling the treasure to bring back, he meets a mysterious woman who captures his imagination and gets the best of him. Since they don't exchange a word, Herve's mind is full of her exotic beauty.He returns to France and becomes rich from the silk that is produced using the worms he has brought back. Helene, has waited for him, but her only regret is that she never conceives a child to make her complete. Herve has no problem adapting himself to the duplicity within his heart.On the second trip to Japan, Herve receives a note from the woman that dominates his thoughts. Since it's written in Japanese characters, he has no way of knowing what she meant. For that, he must secure the help of a Madame of a house of ill repute in Lyons. The message, when is read by the lady confounds him completely. What is he to make out of the strange message? Something happened to Alessandro Baricco's novel "Silk" on the way to the movies. The novel, one of the best narratives by the author, was a pleasure to read. The screen adaptation by its director Francois Girard and Michael Golding, is not as poetic as this team probably intended to. Where the book felt almost like a poem, the film doesn't do the same for us, who have admired Mr. Baricco's work. It deserved better.The problem appears to be in the casting the role of Herve. Michael Pitt mumbles most of his way throughout the film. His take on the character is what, in our humble opinion, derails the film. This part needed someone who could make the viewer believe Herve's passion going on in his head, but unfortunately, being because of Mr. Girard's direction, or Mr. Pitt's inability to make Herve come alive, one doesn't get that impression.Kira Knightly has a small role as Helene. Ms. Knightly doesn't show much chemistry with Mr. Pitt, thus their scenes feel flat. Sei Ashina, who is seen as the object of desire, gives the right tone to her performance. Alfred Molina appears as the sponsor of Herve.The best thing in the film is the cinematography of Alain Dostie, who photograph the beautiful backgrounds with loving care. Visually, the film will please the viewer going without having read the novel. The Japanese and Italian natural settings worked miracles for a film that shows almost no substance.

This movie was a complete train wreck, it seemed to be in shambles from the very beginning. The story was quite boring, the acting was mediocre at best, and the images were stale. Many people are saying the images were beautiful, but I would completely disagree. This film is trying to be overly artsy and ends up detracting from the potential of some of the scenes. If you are searching for a beautifully shot film, may I suggest something like House of Flying Daggers or Hero. As far as acting goes, even Keira Knightley's performance was disappointing. As seen in the Jacket, Knightley's American accent just does not seem to work and ends up being distracting from her performance, coupled with the weak script the film just begins to flop. This movie just falters on so many levels, has some serious plot holes and fails to connect on any level. I have not read the book and many people seem to say that you should read the book before watching this film, but purely as a stand alone movie this film just does not work.