Fantastical moments and a fantastic script manage to juggle so much with grace. Faced with both her hottempered fathers fading health and melting icecaps that flood her ramshackle bayou community and unleash ancient aurochs, sixyearold hushpuppy must learn the ways of courage and love. In short, beasts of the southern wild comes to us as one of those movies the industry can be proud of, which the great bullshit detector pauline kael called out in her famous 1969 essay. There is simply no way to write it down because it is essentially and entirely cinematic. What beasts of the southern wild really says the atlantic. Written by lucy alibar and benh zeitlin, based on alibars oneact play juicy and delicious. Once there was a hushpuppy, once there was a gatsby. There she connects emotionally with a beautiful woman who could have been her mother. Beasts was willed into being by a community of filmmakers, artists, and artisans, as revelrous and resilient as the bathtub residents. Hushpuppy, the protagonist of beasts of the southern wild, is a pintsized powerhouse. Beasts of the southern wild is a vividly poetic and maybe even therapeutic response to one of the most painful and mortifying episodes in modern american history, second only to 911.
Congratulations to benh zeitlin and the cast and crew of beasts of the southern wild for their four oscar nominations, including best picture and best director for. Books similar to beasts of the southern wild and other stories. But in this instance, no book could ever do this movie justice because this movie is a new sort of art that very few films ever achieve. I adored beasts of the southern wild and have seen it three times. Beasts of the southern wild is a 2012 american drama film directed, cowritten, and coscored by benh zeitlin. After unexpectedly winning major awards at both cannes and sundance, it picked up four oscar nominations.
Doris betts 19322012, former chancellor of the fellowship of southern writers, wrote nine novels and three collections of short stories, including the gentle insurrection, the sharp teeth of love, souls raised from the dead, which won the southern book award, and beasts of the southern wild, which was a finalist for the national book award. The problematic political messages of beasts of the. It is unique and one of a kind and stands totally on its own, even if you have not seen the movie yet. As one of our favorite films of 2012 benh zeitlins beasts of the southern wild stormed into theaters last summer and ripped our heart to pieces. The ugliest pilgrim takes you into the adventures and into the heart of a disfigured young woman who has run away from her life in search of a better one. Its hard not to see the film through a political lens even if youre apolitical. I once had a split life because my mom is from the country in south carolina and i spent a ton of time down there. The perspective tells the story of a 6yearold child named hushpuppy. Beasts of the southern wild is a 2012 film about sixyearold hushpuppy who, faced with both her hottempered fathers fading health and melting icecaps that flood her ramshackle bayou community and unleash ancient aurochs, must learn the ways of courage and love directed by benh zeitlin. So beasts of the southern wild was deprived its deserving shot at the palme dor. One rainy afternoon while mona was practicing her scales, she had the oddest feeling. Beasts of the southern wild and dirty ecology southern. She had to go through life with her father, who contracts a mysterious illness, nature is acting strange, ice caps are melting, which releases an army of prehistoric beasts into their land.
And wed go down there and its like youre chasing chickens and chasing. Beasts of the southern wild could be where these forces stampede into a fullblown magical realist movement. Click here to visit our frequently asked questions about html5. One of the great psychological insights in beasts of the southern wild is that there is more to us than. Beasts of the southern wild is a fantastical, emotionally powerful journey and a strong case of filmmaking that values imagination over money. The complex ideology of beasts of the southern wild on the face of it, benh zeitlins beasts of the southern wild is an intimately scaled production that tells the story of a young girls coming of age. Once there was a hushpuppy from beasts of the southern. In one of the critical encounters in hushpuppys valiant evolution into a victorious personality, she must confront in her minds eye the beasts of the southern wild the prehistoric aurochs. Back in print at last, the nine beautifully crafted tales in beasts of the southern wild and other stories display doris betts at the top of her form. It is a pure film that uses light, sound, editing, acting, direction and camera work denovo. Beasts of the southern wild unfolds through hushpuppys eyes, and its a sight to behold.
Beasts of the southern wild is a lowbudget film and shows it on a technical level, with lots of shaky camerawork and images going in and out of focus. Once there was a hush puppy youtube bohemian rhapsody for symphony orchestra and solo viola the studio recording duration. However, every story seems like a chapter lifted from a larger novel. The new york times says the films sundance debut was, among the best films to play at the festival in two decades. The film might be compared to a great book about a similiarly tiny and isolated village suna no onna, or the woman of the dunes, by kobo abe. Beasts of the southern wild music from the motion picture by dan. Beasts of the southern wild unequal parts fairy tale and adventure drama is a cinderella story of the film world. To be honest, i have mixed feelings about all of this. I saw beasts of the southern wild in july, and while i liked some parts of it a great deal, i thought other parts were a bit much.
However, dedicated as i am to women filmmakers, once a womans name appears on the list of best adapted screenplay nominees, she has my full attention. African american representation in contemporary american film october 16, 20 at 10. Hushpuppy, the 6yearold heroine of beasts of the southern wild, has a smile to charm fish out of the water and a scowl so fierce it can stop monsters in their tracks. Beasts of the southern wild is a 2012 film about sixyearold hushpuppy who, faced with both her hottempered fathers fading health and melting icecaps that flood her ramshackle bayou community and unleash ancient aurochs, must learn the ways of courage and love. Theres a fierce intensity, and an old wisdom behind her eyes. Its a big holiday in the bathtub, but were not the only ones who love to celebrate her. Beasts of the southern wild benh zeitlin, 2012 general. Beasts of the southern wild music from the motion picture. Confronting the aurochs in beasts of the southern wild. Benh zeitlins acclaimed first feature film, beasts of the southern wild, tells the story of hushpuppy, a sixyearold girl who lives in a fantastical place called the bathtub. Set in a remote southern louisiana community called the bathtub, the film follows the indomitable hushpuppy and her father, wink, as they contend with apocalyptic. Beasts of the southern wild benh zeitlin, 2012 general themes 01272014, 11. Benh zeitlin, dan romer beasts of the southern wild.
But there is life after cannes, and a hauntingly human experience awaiting stateside audiences. Music from the motion picture beasts of the southern wild, featuring the original score by the films director benh zeitlin and cocomposer dan romer. Wordplay master jon agee takes some of the more comical examples of these verbal mixups and pairs them with his equally hilarious pictures. Beasts of the southern wild was oscar nominated for best picture, director, adapted screenplay and actress, but its wonderful score was scandalously overlooked. In the movie she plays the part of one of louisianas katrinasurviving, throwaway children, but on her own terms she. Being the darling of the sundance film festival can often be more of a curse than a blessing. Honest, vulnerable and sweet she is the films moral compass, its anchor. Once there was a hushpuppy from the beasts of the southern wild original score. It was adapted by zeitlin and lucy alibar from alibars oneact play juicy and delicious. The racism of beasts of the southern wild the new republic. When wink is home, he lives under a different roof. The film beasts of the southern wild may be the most persuasive portrait of sublime horror. Beasts of the southern wild 2012 plot summary imdb.
In beasts of the southern wild an ethnically mixed community of raffish survivors cling to a tiny strip of land on the wrong side of the leveeway out in the gulf of mexico, southwest of. Beasts of the southern wild and other stories by doris betts. Its a hard film to describe its part plaintive magical realism and part apocalyptic fable. When we are introduced to hushpuppy in benh zeitlins film beasts of the southern wild, the little black girl is dreadfully dirty and halfnaked, clad in a sleeveless tshirt, panties and a pair of shrimp boots. Check out once there was a hushpuppy from beasts of the southern wild by the london film score orchestra on amazon music. Zeitlins next ambitious fairy tale consumed the rest of the decade. Told through a poetic mixture of sight and sound, with magical realism and visceral emotion that flew off the screen like sparks flickering into the night, his film, adapted from lucy alibars play, earned the first time director an academy award. Beasts of the southern wild was the breakout of 2012. Her mother is long gone, and her beloved father winkdwight henry is a wildman on a perpetual spree.
Your browser does not currently recognize any of the video formats available. Top 10 kids book series we miss mostly, its about hushpuppys quest to create a family out of a rough father, an absent mother, a backyard menagerie and her boundless imagination. Beasts of the southern wild is een amerikaanse dramafilm met fantasy elementen uit 2012 onder regie van benh zeitlin. Beasts of the southern wild with wordless music, north. Beasts of the southern wild, a film that deploys a. If youre looking for more beautiful instrumental pieces, you might want to check these. Once there was a hushpuppy, the narrator herself the. Why it took benh zeitlin seven years to make wendy. Once there was a hushpuppy, and she lived with her daddy in the bathtub. How benh zeitlin made beasts of the southern wild arts. After playing at film festivals, it was released on june 27, 2012, in new york.
Beasts of the southern wild arrives on a tidal wave of gushing critical praise, and the occasional criticism of its fetishization of the poor, but i was left a little nonplussed by the whole affair. Beast of the southern wild ost benh zeitlin once there was a hushpuppy i do not own this song, it belongs to its rightful owners. Playing it on my bose wave cd player is an added pleasure. Director benh zeitlin and composer dan romer perform the theme to beasts of the southern wild at lacma. The indie beasts of the southern wild and the bigbudget lincoln have more in common than initially meets the eye.
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