26th Hall of Fame (REWATCH)
The Celebration (1998) -
I was looking forward to revisiting this film and, fortunately, it was just as great as I remembered. I found myself impressed by the mystery of the family, but even more so by the terrific style and the cinematic technique Vinterberg employed throughout the film. Initially, the rough and unpolished camera shots (which I don't consider to be a flaw, btw) and unorthodox camera angles and shooting positions mildly impressed me. As the film went on though, my admiration over those aspects grew more profound. As more revelations about the family were revealed and as the party guests kept turning on each other, the bizarre camerawork resonated with me in the best way possible as it matched the craziness of the situation at the birthday party. Some people may be distracted by its noticeable low budget, but I actually think the film's low budget contributes to its greatness. The grainy cinematography added to the craziness of the film as it lead to many shots feeling reminiscent of a grainy horror film made in the 70's or the 80's. I can't imagine the film giving off the same effect with a higher budget. If I had to nitpick something, it might be better to build to the unorthodox cinematography as opposed to utilizing it right at the start of the film. This isn't to say I disliked the unorthodox cinematography in the first act per se, but since it worked best for me when paired with the family conflict, it might have been cool to have the camerawork escalate in weirdness, with it growing more unorthodox and dreamlike as the story grew more bizarre. However, this minor issue was ultimately lost in the grand scheme of everything I loved about the film, so I don't mean to imply this matters much. Just some food for thought.
The Celebration (1998) -
I was looking forward to revisiting this film and, fortunately, it was just as great as I remembered. I found myself impressed by the mystery of the family, but even more so by the terrific style and the cinematic technique Vinterberg employed throughout the film. Initially, the rough and unpolished camera shots (which I don't consider to be a flaw, btw) and unorthodox camera angles and shooting positions mildly impressed me. As the film went on though, my admiration over those aspects grew more profound. As more revelations about the family were revealed and as the party guests kept turning on each other, the bizarre camerawork resonated with me in the best way possible as it matched the craziness of the situation at the birthday party. Some people may be distracted by its noticeable low budget, but I actually think the film's low budget contributes to its greatness. The grainy cinematography added to the craziness of the film as it lead to many shots feeling reminiscent of a grainy horror film made in the 70's or the 80's. I can't imagine the film giving off the same effect with a higher budget. If I had to nitpick something, it might be better to build to the unorthodox cinematography as opposed to utilizing it right at the start of the film. This isn't to say I disliked the unorthodox cinematography in the first act per se, but since it worked best for me when paired with the family conflict, it might have been cool to have the camerawork escalate in weirdness, with it growing more unorthodox and dreamlike as the story grew more bizarre. However, this minor issue was ultimately lost in the grand scheme of everything I loved about the film, so I don't mean to imply this matters much. Just some food for thought.