The Age of Innocence

I’ve been delighting in some Visconti recently and enjoying both the classy delivery and the captured vitality. So I thought I might be more ready to appreciate this movie and give it another try.

I actually did appreciate the initial flower sequence more this time. I was superficial the previous time, and that’s probably why I failed to watch the movie then.

After the fact, I can say that I liked the movie. I got the impression that it’s more demanding on the viewer’s attention being broad and fast, so it may feel daunting at some point. But I think if that happens later during the watch, it’s most likely by design.

I thought the use of reds in this movie was a reference to Visconti, but only while writing this did I notice the similarity in their names too. Drawing parallels between movies would be an interesting exercise.

Visconti’s world is clear and focused, with less noise — so aesthetically, there’s no question. It also reminds me of good philosophy, as a kind of essence that orders and simplifies the world and the viewer’s mind. But Scorsese captures the fake/non-essential/superficial side and plays with it to show the low-key horror of such a world. So I place this movie in the horror genre — as a compliment to the deviousness of the project.