This the 4th pick in my series of movies that should have been nominated for an Oscar. (And happily I’m on target for this week’s Flavah of “Oscars”.)

The movie is Tarsem’s visually stunning “The Fall”. Practically every shot in this movie is a work of art, full of breathtaking and unforgettable imagery, and yet, I was surprised to learn, none of the backdrops were computer-generated. Instead, Tarsem scouted for the perfect locations over a period of 17 years while shooting ads in 18 countries to give him just the right shots.

The synopsis, as provided by IMDB is as follows: “At a Los Angeles hospital in the 1920s, Alexandria is a child recovering from a broken arm. She befriends Roy Walker, a movie stunt man with legs paralyzed after a fall. At her request, Roy tells her an elaborate story about six men of widely varied backgrounds who are on a quest to kill a corrupt provincial governor. Between chapters of the story, Roy inveigles Alexandria to scout the hospital’s pharmacy for morphine. As Roy’s fantastic tale nears its end, Death seems close at hand.”

As a writer, I am always partial to story-telling movies. But for those of you who did not like “Big Fish” or “The Princess Bride,” this may not be your cup of tea. Imagination, exaggeration, and making the impossible possible are all part of the art of story-telling. But the stories within the story must somehow reflect on what is going on in the “real story” that is taking place in the “present”. Is everybody with me so far? In “The Fall,” Roy’s tale reflects on his own disillusionment with life and love, and we wonder whether the young child, Alexandria, played so convincingly by Catinca Untaru will eventually be able to save Roy’s soul. Lee Pace (of “Pushing Daisies”) doubles as the storyteller Roy and eventually as the protagonist of his tale. (I have to admit, this movie made me a big fan of Lee Pace.)

Some of the images that are permanently ingrained in my mind from this movie are of a tree spontaneously bursting into flame, white whirling dervishes, and black-robed “baddies” ascending an Escher-like series of stairs in perfect formation. I thought surely the shot of a blue city in the background of one of the scenes must have been colorized, but I found out later that the “blue city” is Jodhpur—a Brahmin city where people paint their houses blue (either to designate their Brahmin caste or to deflect the heat and deter mosquitos, depending on which site you read).

The City of Jodhpur

 

As a bit of trivia, to help sustain the believability of Catinca’s performance, Tarsem led her to believe that actor Lee Pace was a real-life paraplegic. An even more remarkable tidbit is that Tarsem spent millions of his own money to finance “The Fall,” which he spent four years making. Now that is dedication!

Here’s what I think the picture should have been nominated for:

Best Picture
Best Director – Tarsem
Best Cinematography – Colin Watkinson
Best Supporting Actress – Catinca Untaru
Best Costume Design – Eiko Ishioka