Monster's Ball

Received on time and in good order. The movie was kind of dull. I don't know what the fuss was about this being a "good" movie.

There is probably little I can say about this film that hasn't been said before. It is a seamless work of art, blending so many elements--ingrained racism, the tension inherent in families, the sad results of bad parenting, the cruelty of society at large--that one is amazed to see it all fit in a single movie. Yet it gets these themes down effortlessly, thanks to fine writing, directing, and performances that shine through everywhere. For anyone who doesn't know, "Monster's Ball" is about two very disparate parents who are plainly awful to their children. One is a corrections offiicer in a state penitentiary, living with his bigoted, rigid father, and the son he seems to resent without cause, who is following in his footsteps. The other is a mother trying to raise a son whose father is on death row in the state pen, and due to be executed as the film begins. During the course of the movie, both parents lose their children, and a profound shift occurs in each of them. Suddenly, these two people who never should have met, who never should have been destined to get along, recognize in each other a kindred spirit--and the result is so uplifting and beautiful. I don't want to give the movie's best moments away; that would ruin it for future audiences. But the changes in character, the absolutely wonderful cast, boosted by fine writing and direction and even a haunting, lovely score, are bound to capture imaginations everywhere. Halle Berry gives the performance of a lifetime as Leticia Musgrove; Billy Bob Thornton is so subtle in his portrayal of Hank Grotowski that you want to applaud him for every scene in which he DOESN'T go over the top. And then there is Peter Boyle, the veteran, whose characterization of Buck, Hank's father, makes you forget he's acting. Finally, there is Heath Ledger, who is simply heartbreaking: you see all the talent there, you know you are watching a future mega-star at work, and then you realize he's died, on the verge of so much greatness. Ledger truly was a rare find. He was so young; yet in "Brokeback Mountain" he managed to believably age two decades. He had it all down: the walk, the physical stance, the vocal changes....and his talent was surely on display in "Monster's Ball". Already, he had star quality. To see it snuffed out so pointlessly is killing. But enjoy him in this film; take a look and you are sure to come away uplifted. There is no showboat scripting or acting here. It is quietly affecting. But if you want to see a move that takes a genuine look at human nature--its ugliness and sadness and its redemption--this is the one to watch.

This movie was not a big favorite with audiences so I knew there had to be something meaningful in it that the shallow public could not see or was not able to see or perhaps refused to see.It has one of the loveliest soundtracks I've ever heard which clings to the soul with a lingering and misty melancoly.A movie for for those who have known suffering.The Monster's Ball is a very bleak film yet it's also quite rare in that it's truly unpredictable.You won't find Hollywood trappings here. This is an Indy film, thoughtful with symbolism and a profound message. This movie caused a knee jerk reaction in parts of the black community, causing calls for boycotting and some racial tension.Simply put, a white racist death row prison guard, through a set of tragic and complex circumstances, begins to fall in love with the black wife of an inmate that he recently executed, of which she is totally unaware. Their anguished bond is the fact that they both have lost young sons.There is some blunt sexual content, however it's mainly queasy and uncomfortably painful rather than erotic. Still, this motion picture is not intended for children.This movie somehow captures the mood of yearning reconcillation between two devastated soulswho discover they have absolutely nowhere else left to turn, except to each other.This is a startling "feel bad" movie that is able to say: tragedy will not be permitted to become the end of all hope. Rather it states: When you're at the end of your rope, letting go can be the best thing you can do.Ultimately consoling in a way that seeks to unlock a warm, rainy night in your heart where abandoned innocence is finally given a chance to be regained.Atmospheric and moody with a poetic and mystical resolution that leaves you with a mesmerizing shimmer of hope."The title comes from a custom in medieval England where prisoners awaiting execution were called monsters. The night before their execution, their jailers would hold a feast known as a monster's ball as their final farewell." (Wikipedia)

De superbes acteurs que j'adore mais alors véritablement un film sans intérêt, sans trame, sans but. Si vous n'avez rien d'autre à faire vraiment mais une déception totale pour moi qui voulait voir ce film depuis longtemps et qui avait entendu des revus cinématographiques de ouf. Trop déçue.

無料映画配信で一度みた作品て゛す。コマーシャルがなく自由に鑑賞できるのはパッピイです

Die Geschichte dreht sich um Hank, den durch seinen rassistischen Vater geprägten Henker eines Gefängnisses, und Leticia, eine schwarze Frau, die ihren Mann an die Todesstrafe (Hank war der Vollzieher) verloren hat. Hanks Sohn hat denselben Job wie sein Vater, doch er hält den psychischen Druck in seinem Leben nicht aus und bringt sich selbst um. Leticia verliert auch noch ihren Sohn bei einem Autounfall. Nun haben beide alles Wichtige in ihrem Leben verloren und dann finden sie sich gegenseitig...Der Film selbst ist spitzenklasse. Es werden so viele kritische Themen behandelt, ohne dass der Film damit jedoch aufdringlich wird. Das Tempo ist sehr gemächlich. Die Schauspieler sind einfach perfekt (Oscar for my favourite Actress Halle Berry) . Man wird einfach in die Geschichte mit hineingezogen und bewahrt gleichzeitig dennoch eine spannende Distanz.Gleichzeitig muss noch gesagt werden, dass dieser Film nichts für prüde Gemüter ist.Die DVD ist in einer ordentlichen Eurobox untergebracht und wartet neben den üblichen Features einer DVD mit ein paar netten Extras auf:- Making of Monster's Ball- Anatomie einer Szene (die Szene der Hinrichtung)- ein sehr kurzer Bericht über die Filmmusik- ein paar Trailer- kurze Interviews mit den Hauptdarstellern (dürftig)- Biographien und Filmographien zu den HauptdarstellernInsgesamt kann ich diesen Film jedem empfehlen, unabhängig ob man das Genre mag oder nicht.

War der Meinung, für den Preis eine gebrauchteDVDzu bekommenIrrtum meinerseits ! - Die DVD war unter der Versendeverpackung noch in der Original-Verpackung mit Sicherheitsband !Also TOP - Danke Andreas, immer wieder ! :-)

An interesting "Death Penalty" film. Billy-Bobs plays a prison warden who has a grown son he hates, (Heath Ledger), and an elderly father who is a racist red-neck. Halle Berry plays a down-trodden waitress wife to a husband on death row, (Sean Combes), and mother to a grossly over-weight, boy, who she dislikes. They come together. Sex scenes are explicit.