The Ice Storm
April 18th 2008 03:50
The Ice Storm directed by Ang Lee
In 1997, Ang Lee (Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon, Brokeback Mountain), a truly brilliant but hit and miss director, made a film which I can really only call a perfect movie. I’m obviously talking about none other than ‘The Ice Storm’.
Ang Lee has always managed, through out his career, to turn out impressive work which is bursting with potential but somehow always manages to have enough flaws to never let them live up to their promise of brilliance. The Ice Storm is the exception, like a star in the clear night which outshines all the others. The Ice Storm stars Kevin Kline, Joan Allen, Tobey Maguire, Christina Ricci, Elijah Wood and Sigourney Weaver, now ironically enough some of those actors are not people who you would immediately associate with a masterpiece (except for one – we love you Christina!) and that itself is where all the gold in this film lies.
A child goes into the night
The Ice Storm is the type of film you can easily slot in with a film like ‘American Beauty’ and ‘Magnolia’ (I say that in the loosest way possible since those are two films which I respectfully feel are over rated) and in this film we explore what is a truly piercing example of bad parenting. Kevin Kline and Joan Allen play a married couple with two children (played by a very young Maguire and Ricci), and of course it’s the sort of film where everyone in the suburbs keeps up appearances, or wait is it? The parents of two neighbouring families and many others in the world of good old suburbia are not only having affairs but are throwing wife swapping parties, the year is 1973 and the sexual revolution is getting all reved up in America, which at the time is also in political and idealistic turmoil. We go into the home lives of two families who are dysfunctional as can be and it's in the worst possible way as they convince them selves that what is going on is all normal, which is all they can do since there is technically nothing to even hide. The ones that suffer as a result are the children and it is absolutely jaw dropping to see how bad a job these parents do of raising their kids.
The power in The Ice Storm comes from the fact that these parents can’t even discipline or be guiding figures for their children and it isn’t from a lack of trying, it’s because they have no idea what it even means to be a parent, some of them certainly try but in many cases it makes things worse. One of the most shameful and eye opening realisations a viewer has through The Ice Storm is that it would be completely hypocritical for these parents to set any boundaries for their children, however further elaboration would lead to spoilers.
As the film creeps to a poignant climax the cinamtography by Frederick Elmes (Blue Velvet, The Killing Of A Chinese Bookie) creates an overwhelmingly icy and certainly gorgeous atmosphere of subdued menace, as an undercurrent of approaching disaster begins to tap us on the shoulder.
while mom and dad are away
The real alchemy of The Ice Storm comes through the performances. Ang Lee uses Kevin Kline's acting limitations brilliantly to guide him into an astonishing portrayel of a truly innefectual father, on top of that what are usually Kline’s biggest short comings as an actor are used to delightfully to contribute to the wicked ammount of acerbic humor that the film contains. Sigourney Weaver also gives a performance unlike any other we’ve seen her do, she embodies the type of role which does not have the slightest ammount of concern for whether she is liked in any way or not for a single moment, a really surprising and brave performance from her. Every one in this film is a knock out.
I will end by saying that what make The Ice Storm special is that it is one of the few example of ‘art being interpretive’, it really is a film that whoever see’s it will get something different out of it. It is Ang Lee’s masterpiece and a film which will move and effect you and includes many other qualities that I will not mention for the sake of spoilers, it really will be remembered as a one of a kind movie!
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Comment by Cibbuano
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Comment by JohnDoe
Film & TV on DVD
Well done!
Comment by Morgan Bell
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Artist Quirk
beautifully put!
the outdoor scenes with the creaking and tinkling of the ice is one of the most memorable things about this movie!
i really enjoyed your review - The Ice Storm is one of my favourite flicks and i think you have articulated some of its best features very well!
Comment by ShaunK
Screen Adventure