The Music of Chance

This unusual film is in my opinion an allegory about the history of human civilisation and specifically about the genealogy of capitalism, from indentured labour and Hadrian's wall until the birth of the proletariat, all encompassed within a somewhat Nietzschean perspective.

I agree that there's allegory in here, too, and I respect its subtlety. This movie is spectacular because it also simply does a lot of things that I've never seen in another film. And it does them with such grace and ease that you can forget what a unique story you're seeing. The performances are all excellent, parts of it are truly beautiful, and it does a first-rate job of maintaining a certain tension while navigating through the dramatic and comedic parts. Brilliant.

The Magus in upstate New York? I don't pretend to understand the allegory but this little film does get under your skin. Patinkin exhibits a serene stoicism at the mercy of the gods - he reminded me of Terence Stamp's character in The Hit.

I sensed something more in this movie, and wound up reading Paul Auster's book. I'd've gotten more out of the movie if I'd read the book first (a recommendation for anyone planning a cold view). I followed with two of Auster's memoirs ("Hand to Mouth" and "The Invention of Solitude"), and I now like the film *even more*; call this a plug for Auster's prose ahead of the adaptation. Some salient details went truant between book and movie, but I'm not sure how they'd've been gracefully worked in.

read the book instead

Fascinating premise reminiscent of "Woman in the Dunes", and the performances are excellent. Ultimately the plot (such as it is) doesn't fully survive the translation to film but it's still a captivating watch.