MovieChat Forums > La leggenda del pianista sull'oceano (1998) Discussion > The Statue of Liberty sequence

The Statue of Liberty sequence

posted 17 years ago by GotaFeeling
7 replies | jump to latest

I was not even watching the film at first; just had it on the channel as I did my morning work. It was this opening sequence that caught my eye. To me the very beginning right until the camera goes into the immigrant man's eye to see the reflection of the city marks one of the All Time Great passages in film history. I thought it was shot in such an exquisite manner that I was hypnotized ever after.

I loved the whole movie but this beginning part stands head and shoulders above the rest of it to me. It could have opened any number of movies. To me it symbolizes what America is SUPPOSED to be about. When I read today that the Statue of Liberty is not going to be one of the new Seven World Wonders I had to think of this scene....

If everyone voting had seen this scene it would be a shoe in.

Anyone who agrees (or even if you don't) please chime in!

[–] pdmarsay 17 years ago

Always ready to back up someone who loves La Leggenda del Pianista sull'Oceano! It's not my favourite scene but it is something beyond masterful. I love it all, and I mean love, like nothing else.

.Peter.D.Marsay.

http://pdmfilmreviews.blogspot.com/

[–] hakeem-8 17 years ago

I agree. It's certainly a very good scene. And in a way it's quite peculiar. I mean, in the way that mostly films begin with scenes which have at least indirectly something to do with the general atmosphere of the film. But in this case the scene seems rather like a deliberate anomaly, presentation of all the hopes of the people, yet a hope for something towards which the main subject of the film has no attraction whatsoever.

Makes me almost want to ask the director and the writer (if I had the chance to ask, that is) why is there such a scene in the beginning and what relation they see between that scene and the rest of the film...

[–] hakeem-8 17 years ago

Ok, I finally got my hands on the piece of literature this film is based on. I no longer need to ask the director, the book has it as the first scene too!

However, the book doesn't have some times. Like everything and anything concerning the girl. That girl doesn't exist in the book, neither does the attempts to record his music and events related to that.

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[–] przgzr 17 years ago

I can see no reason why would Statue of Liberty become one of Seven or Seventy World Wonders.

But I agree that both the opening scene and the whole movie belong to seven movie wonders.

[–] jsta777 15 years ago

Incredible cinematography - that opening scene embodies everything that is special about America. What a well done scene from a very underrated movie.