--- In a_film_by@yahoogroups.com, "jess_l_amortell" <monterone1@...>
wrote:

> American, but otherwise I felt the film badly needed Delphine Seyrig.
> Naturally I always imagined I might be missing something, and the
> thing is that "Petites peurs partagees" (as I think I've also seen it
> called) has actually made me think about giving "Bouche" another
> chance.

I think that Bazin is a good way into PAS SUR LA BOUCHE. I was struck by
how Bazin's writings on Resnais's early art documentary shorts still
seemed to describe his sensibility in the 00s.

Even more apropos might be Bazin's writings on LES PARENTS TERRIBLES in
his "Theater and Cinema" pieces - I'm not sure whether I see what he's
talking about in PARENTS (which I haven't watched in forever), but I think
the observations apply to Resnais' theater adaptations. The approximate
idea would be that Resnais makes only the camera and editing decisions
that pertain to the experience of watching and analyzing a play, and
eschews techniques that would convert the play into the kind of experience
you could have only in cinema. I personally like PAS SUR LA BOUCHE quite
a bit without having special affection for the material. (If I like
COEURS a bit less, it's because the material seems to me more bothersome
and less neutral than the operetta in BOUCHE.)

The older I get, the more time I spend rereading Bazin, and the more
worthwhile that pastime seems.... - Dan