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DAGON (2001)
Director: Stuart Gordon
As I near close to finishing my Stuart Gordon film studies I have found a movie in his filmography that sticks out as a major contender.
"Dagon" is the story of a wealthy couple shipwrecked on a damp island of strange inhabitants. That's the story I'm giving away. It's not to keep a serious twist secret or protect anyone from spoiling the movie, it's just that I'm too lazy to do a bullet point list of plot.
This film survives almost completely on atmosphere. Dark, overcast skies; rain, strange sounds and weathered architecture.
The characters are unique and a bit awkward, and that makes this movie come off as a bit cheap and corny. However, I believe Gordon was in full control of this. Some proof is that his comic injections (helmed by writer Dennis Paoli) are well spaced and usually effective, if not laugh out loud funny.
Continuing on we are given some creepy scenarios and a bit of relentless brutality that are signature of Stuart Gordon movies.
This was based off of H.P. Lovecraft's first published short story and later extended with elements of his last published story, so the entire film is essentially an amalgam of Lovecraft's career span, which isn't to say that "Dagon" is a work of genius or heavyweight film, but certainly doesn't have to try as hard with padding out the run time to explore a script adapted from a miniature idea.
I appreciate the performances that the director gets, most notably the ominous object of affection that remains a mystery for most of the film. A sexy dream woman/demon whose eyes are uncommonly wide and whose expression is that of complete trance and willfulness.
This was a Spanish production so some of the dialog is not in english and I did not use subtitles, but I feel they are not needed and add to the mystery. What is spoken in english by spanish inhabitants is broken and a bit daunting to understand but still legible enough to be clear on what is being communicated, if only a word or two slip through the barrier. "Dagon" is primarily and english spoken film.
Stuart Gordon has had a very interesting career as a shock and horror director whose characters are usually more fleshed out than the average exploitation assemblage. I think this movie stands up as one of his better efforts because it is easy to get lost in this nightmare world. Some of the CG effects are a bit slick and unmatched to ambient light while other effects are done well and look good. It's hit and miss. I don't feel it takes much away from the film itself.
This is something I plan to watch again within the next few years.
Director: Stuart Gordon
As I near close to finishing my Stuart Gordon film studies I have found a movie in his filmography that sticks out as a major contender.
"Dagon" is the story of a wealthy couple shipwrecked on a damp island of strange inhabitants. That's the story I'm giving away. It's not to keep a serious twist secret or protect anyone from spoiling the movie, it's just that I'm too lazy to do a bullet point list of plot.
This film survives almost completely on atmosphere. Dark, overcast skies; rain, strange sounds and weathered architecture.
The characters are unique and a bit awkward, and that makes this movie come off as a bit cheap and corny. However, I believe Gordon was in full control of this. Some proof is that his comic injections (helmed by writer Dennis Paoli) are well spaced and usually effective, if not laugh out loud funny.
Continuing on we are given some creepy scenarios and a bit of relentless brutality that are signature of Stuart Gordon movies.
This was based off of H.P. Lovecraft's first published short story and later extended with elements of his last published story, so the entire film is essentially an amalgam of Lovecraft's career span, which isn't to say that "Dagon" is a work of genius or heavyweight film, but certainly doesn't have to try as hard with padding out the run time to explore a script adapted from a miniature idea.
I appreciate the performances that the director gets, most notably the ominous object of affection that remains a mystery for most of the film. A sexy dream woman/demon whose eyes are uncommonly wide and whose expression is that of complete trance and willfulness.
This was a Spanish production so some of the dialog is not in english and I did not use subtitles, but I feel they are not needed and add to the mystery. What is spoken in english by spanish inhabitants is broken and a bit daunting to understand but still legible enough to be clear on what is being communicated, if only a word or two slip through the barrier. "Dagon" is primarily and english spoken film.
Stuart Gordon has had a very interesting career as a shock and horror director whose characters are usually more fleshed out than the average exploitation assemblage. I think this movie stands up as one of his better efforts because it is easy to get lost in this nightmare world. Some of the CG effects are a bit slick and unmatched to ambient light while other effects are done well and look good. It's hit and miss. I don't feel it takes much away from the film itself.
This is something I plan to watch again within the next few years.