Wednesday, May 12, 2010

Ondine (2009) on DVD

Ondine

Ondine is available for preordering now on DVD with a release date of sometime soon (no exact date in other words) or to download as a Ondine (Pre-Theatrical Rental).

I never wrote up the movie--I kept getting scooped by related blogs and kept delaying the entry that's been in draft mode for months.  I never saw it released here to theatres in Nashville although I didn't really watch for it either.  I tend to be a DVD watcher these days.  However, the reviews overall were pretty solid, such as this one:

Ondine Review: Swept Away by Emily Moulder:


In all honesty, I wasn’t too happy when my editor sent me off to watch Ondine. Personally I find it hard to see anything appealing about Colin Farrell – apart from his roguish good looks of course (I’m only human).
But after watching his latest effort, I’d like to take this opportunity to say that I’ve completely changed my mind – I now love him.

Ondine sees Farrell play luckless fisherman Syracuse, whose life is turned upside down when he catches a woman called Ondine in his net. Syracuse is immediately entranced by her breathtaking beauty and mysterious nature, and decides to put her up in his mother’s cottage by the water.
From Variety:


A fairy tale mashed up against the jagged unpleasantries of the modern world, "Ondine" is a film of unusual narrative currents and pungent tonal effects. Literary to its marrow both in its Irish-lilted language and the storytelling tradition upon which it draws, this modestly scaled home-base outing from Neil Jordan is a decidedly specialized affair that will appeal only to certain tastes, but there's plenty to appreciate if you let it seep in. In a market that demands must-see elements especially from indie-style features, the film can't expect more than fair returns.

Making one of his periodic returns to shoot in Ireland, this time to the fishing village of Castletownbere on the rugged Beara peninsula in the Southwest, Jordan here examines ideas related to luck, destiny, the distinction between physical and moral rehabilitation, the advantages of being willing to believe in good fortune, the value of storytelling, and the light and dark sides of fairy tales and life. Some of it is fanciful and some harsh, resulting in a deliberate collision of moods that defines the picture's personality.
Needless to say, I want to see it.  A solid B rating from reviewers is enough to convince me I shouldn't be too disappointed and might even be delighted with it.  Even if I'm not a big Colin Farrell fan either, although I enjoyed him well enough in his Ballykissangel days.

2 comments:

  1. I am dying to see this movie, although I really dislike Colin Farrell!

    After seeing the preview I was really surprised that the movie seems to be about a selkie rather than an ondine/undine.

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  2. I forgot to mention that the movie is getting a limited release in theatres starting on June 4, 2010.

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