Disappearances

Disappearances

source: Disappearances

"Disappearances," (2006). Starring Kris Kristofferson, Charlie McDermott, and Gary Farmer. Directed by Jay Craven. This film is one of those hidden gems that one stumbles upon by a stroke of luck. I had often thought throughout my academic career, "what is the deal in classical literature with the panopoly of gods, both Roman and Greek?" Had I not read The Future of the Ancient World by Jeremy Nadler, I might occasionally still wonder. But Disappearances personifies the concept of the classical gods by placing their counterparts in modern New Hampshire. The allusion to Aristotelean metaphysics pertains to spirituality and the physical world. For Aristotle "the world is the harborer of spirit, rather than an obstacle which we must overcome if we are to reach the truly spiritual..." ("The Future of the Ancient World," by Jeremy Naydler, p.221). Quebec Bill, the protagonist, does not have to "see through" nature to to access the architypal gods (spirits) who inhabit a supernatural dimension which would be inaccessible to him. For him, the spirits inhabit the physical world at the same moment in time that he does. While the spirits have powers that Quebec Bill does not, he incorporates into his perception of nature the percept that morality is not necessary, but right action is. And right action is his weapon against evil spirits. Quebec Bill and his son Wild Bill are polar counterparts in scenes where Wild Bill tries to impose moral order or prudence on Quebec Bill when he is only concerned with "right action" or the means to his ends. "Right action presupposes connectedness with the indwelling spiritual power that we experience in the act of contemplative thinking which takes us beyond thought to an intensified consciousness of the universal source of thought...a person's true self"...emerges. The other characters in juxtaposition, reveal the obstacles of modern morality one creates when one is not in tune with the spirituality of nature and the proper use of right action. These two Aristotelean precepts, the spiritual dimension of nature and right action, are woven into the fabric of this film, rich in imagery to support them. I cannot give examples in this small space, but half the fun of decoding a film is finding them for ourselves. Take a look at the resurrection of the fish scene. You will find Aristotelean metaphysics as the leimotif running through this film.

this film to me is the best craven film so far in his career. the actors are amazing with actors like Lothaire Blouteau, Genevieve Bujould, and the always funny Luis Guzman. i was blown away by the visual effects and the magic realism was complex but very interesting!! i recommmend this movie highly!VERY GOOD!!! i think Charlie McDermott did a great job as young wild bill Bohnone and Kris Kristofferson did his best acting in years as quebec bill bohnome! top notch Dare i say this movie is Oscar Worthy? YES i do! I think that Genevev Bujould should get best supporting actress, Charlie McDermott for best supporting actor, and Jay Craven as best director. this film really blew me away. i still am thinking about it which is the sign of a great movie!

Like the previous poster, I am from northern Vermont, and I was inclined to like this film. However, not since "Red Zone Cuba" have I seen such a confusing plot. The things the people sent to bootleg make no sense. Two of the gang paddle across the border send a second party across in a car. Uhm, why? Then they meet two others, and drive up at night in to the bad guy's hideout in a luxury Packard. --Wouldn't just two people in a flatbed truck make more sense? Then, parked outside the garage that holds the targeted hooch, the four fall asleep! When they waken in the morning and and start hauling the whiskey out, of course they're spotted and shot at, losing some of their precious cargo in the process. Then two of the smugglers put the whiskey in a boat and float it over the border. Again, why? I am told by someone whose great uncle really did smuggle in the area, all one needed was to drive a vehicle that could outrun than the U.S. Canada Border Patrol, which back then had a fraction of the resources it has now. And don't get me started on the last half hour, which made no sense whatsoever. The only good thing I can say about the film is that Kris Kristopherson has actually grown some charisma with the years.

To be fair, I saw this movie on network TV, so it may have been edited, and I missed a few minutes in the middle of it. Having said that, this one's a turkey. The scenes are pretty, Kristofferson did well, and I guess the kid from The Middle was believable enough, but a movie's quality isn't necessarily inversely proportional to how believable or realistic it is. Likewise, a dull and confusing movie isn't necessarily a good one. I have the sneaking suspicion that the people raving about this movie either a) are the pretentious types who think movies that don't make sense are works of brilliance and whose pride won't let them admit they don't make sense or b) put up money to make the movie and don't want to feel they've been jobbed. On that note, at the end of the credits, it lists all the people who gave money to make the movie along with people who hosted fundraisers for it; if a movie is that hard to sell and has to rely on so many private sponsors, along with government money from the NEA, there's a good chance it's not any good. You know, now that I think about it, since some of my tax money went to fund this stinker, I fully endorse it myself. God bless America. If you're looking for a good indie-type movie, skip Disappearances and watch An Unfinished Life with Robert Redford and Jennifer Lopez.

What a delight! In a market where we excuse bad scripts and flat characters for a dozen more explosions, dazzling special effects, and everything else twenty million dollars can buy, I love Disappearances for its charm, its clever script handled by a well-appointed cast, and its beautiful photography. The movie is thoroughly rural. Like the countryside where it was produced, it unfolds itself slowly but magnificently. Do not expect to find your heart in your throat for two hours, followed by a climactic and tidy resolution to the cosmos. Disappearances tells a story of father and son, and it is rightly more of a process than a particular event. In that regard, the plot development is stylistically more similar to eastern European cinema than it is to its American peers. With only a couple hitches (some characters are more prop than talent), Disappearances' strong symbiosis of script and talent is the film's greatest offering. The superb synergy of Farmer and McDermott with the others, the perfect casting of Sanderson to character, and a good performance by Kristofferson, have me pinching myself at times to remember these people aren't actually family. Disappearances ventures further, or more believably, into the psychology of its main characters than many American films dare go. That Jay Craven was ambitious with his budget shows at times during Disappearances, but it becomes more of a mark of honor than a detractor. This film is the antithesis to the contemporary action blockbuster. The film moves slowly at times, and the action is not always plausible, but the characters are for the most part enchanting. Besides, our suspension of disbelief in the cinema is an aesthetic choice above all, and I appreciate the way Disappearances, in its fusion of magic realism and frontier, challenges me to look at movies anew.

The movie plot seems to have been constructed from a disjointed dream. There is not enough realism to hold the viewer's interest. The Vermont Farm scene was a failed opportunity to show the way farms were set up and farm families lived which would have been interesting and entertaining. There was little if no research into the whiskey bootlegging trade of the period. The costumes of the Canadians looked like something from the French Revolution, totally unbelievable. The fiddle playing was good and of the time period but Chris's motions while supposedly playing were unbelievable. The owl's appearance was a never explained mystery and the train disappearing into thin air was too much. I couldn't understand how a live trout got frozen into the ice and why two men in the wilderness without food would release the trout, a good food source.

I just finished watching Disappearances at AFI FEST 2006 with about 30 other people in a mostly vacant 1000 seat auditorium. The festival programmer, after seeing the lack of audience, started his opening comments with, "Well at least a few of those attending the festival have good taste in film". Well Mr. Programmer, after watching this film I must answer back "No we don't, and either do you!" This "back-woods" period piece follows young (not so) Wild Bill as he and his mystic family dangerously run illegal Canadian whiskey across the border during America's prohibition. The old-time outlaws (Kris Kristofferson and company) not only need the money to save their ramshackle Vermont farm but want to introduce little Wild Bill to the virtues of manhood. Although handsomely photographed, this adventure story lacks what makes films of this sort good, "tension" and believability. Kristofferson's lackluster performance and dry monologue reminds me of a dream I once had where Al Gore was playing the role of Willy Wonka. I just didn't care and when Wild Bills mystic grandmother appears out of thin air to give him advice it just didn't fit. Yes, I almost fell asleep more than once. Gary Farmer does do a good job as the Cameron Frye in Ferris Bueller character; brother-in-law of Big Bill while the teenage Chris McDermott does uses those piercing blue eyes to his acting benefit. But overall expect to see Jay Cravens Disappearances playing at a Block Buster $2 Bin near you.

My wife and I watched a copy of "Disappearances" this evening. We both enjoyed it very much! We had both read the novel about a year ago and so were familiar with the Mosher story. This very expansive and in some ways too fanciful novel (the cloned abbot in the monastery comes to mind) was very enjoyable, but we think Craven did a fine job of translating it to the screen without having to include every aspect of the original text. All performances were well done. Especially fine was the work of Gary Farmer (Henry) and Charlie McDermott (Wild Bill). Kris Kristofferson (Quebec Bill) was better in the latter part of the film, but (and perhaps this was intentional) was more caricaturish early on. He became more of a real character later as his situation became more serious. The smaller parts by William Sanderson and Bill Raymond were also enjoyable. The parts by Genevieve Bujold and Lothaire Bluteau were more problematic, both seeming lackluster in comparison to the others. The only real disappointment was Luis Guzman, whose part as Brother Hilliare was so reduced as to be inconsequential. We feel an excellent job was done of handling what could have been expensive special effects by implying, without showing, such things as the train wreck. Too much emphasis is placed on graphic representation in today's films, when suggestion can be just as, or in some cases, more effective (as in special effects that don't work!). If we have a serious objection to the film, it is the confusion that is generated in the earlier part caused by including many varied elements of the book without some sort of unifying dialog (perhaps a voice-over by an adult version of Wild Bill would help). This problem is relieved later in the film, but by that time a portion of the audience may be lost. Our congratulations on a fine cinematic experience that deserves wide distribution. We have also seen Craven's two previous Mosher adaptations, and consider this to be his best! One more thing – kudos to the cinematographer for the beauty of the production! Outside of our own Northwest, the Vermont Kingdom County is one of the most beautiful parts of our beautiful nation.