My Cultural Diet

After this particular viewing of Tarsem Singh’s The Fall, I went back and re-read my original review, which I wrote at the 2006 Toronto International Film Festival, and in hindsight, I think I was a bit too hard on the film. My criticisms — that The Fall can often feel excessive and heavy-handed — remain, but I didn’t hold them quite so vehemently or feel them quite so strongly this time around. Or maybe I’ve just come to appreciate obvious ambition when I see it, because The Fall is nothing if not ambitious. Another thing that hasn’t changed is my appreciation for the film’s visuals; The Fall is easily one of the most visually arresting films I’ve ever seen, and it looked even more striking thanks to a recent 4K restoration. Singh’s background lies in advertising and music videos — his works include the award-winning video for R.E.M.‘s “Losing My Religion” — and he uses that to great effect, crafting lush, highly stylized scenes set in locations around the globe. (The Fall was shot in 28 countries over the course of four years, and Singh claims that no sets or stages were built for the film.) As for its story-within-a-story, as a disabled Hollywood stuntman weaves an exotic tale for a young migrant worker, there are moments that almost feel Princess Bride-ish, though Singh — who co-wrote the film with Andor’s Dan Gilroy, based on the 1981 Bulgarian film Yo ho ho — injects a bit more pathos into his fantastical tale.

I may earn an affiliate commission on items you buy through Opus. These commissions will go directly to support the site and my blogging.