Resucitar un amor

Fielding Pierce is perhaps one of the greatest fictional characters ever created. I have read the novel on which this movie is based and can safely say that I would name my kid Fielding if the name wasn't so pretentious sounding. Fielding Pierce is passionate, intelligent, and honest. He possesses a sense of integrity that, unfortunately, is not very common in a world that becomes more apathetic with each day that passes. I relate to Fielding because, like him, I stand poised and ready to enter a career that I love, but at the same time resent and hate for much of what it represents. Billy Crudup proves himself to be in the same category as Edward Norton, Joaquin Phoenix and Leonardo Dicaprio as one of the greatest actors of his generation. Every time I watch "Waking the Dead", I find myself more moved by Crudup's passionate performance. I didn't think anyone could honestly portray Scott Spencer's amazing character, but Crudup embodies Fielding, heart and soul.

I have never commented on a movie before but after reading some of the reviews i feel obliged to say something.

anyone who disparages this movie simply doesn't get it and the reason they don't get it is because they don't understand what it means to have both noble aspirations for oneself and love for another based on respect for that person's character; in other words, they are unable to relate to the main characters. this movie strikes such a deep chord (for some of us) because it recognizes and speaks about the two single most important things in life - what we devote our lives to and who we devote our lives to. it is so emotionally powerful because it examines a case when these two passions come into conflict and must battle each other for supremacy. i can scarcely put my feelings for this movie into words because does a sublime job taking on the weightiest of subjects - fraught with emotional and moral complexities that most people simply cannot relate to.

if your reaction to this review is 'this guy is such an arrogant f*ck,' then skip this movie. otherwise prepare to make room on your top-5-movies-ever list.

Fielding Pierce (Billy Crudup) has one ambition: to be President of the United States. His entire life is planned out to reach that goal. Only he didn't plan on Sarah (Jennifer Connelly). Sarah is a free spirited, radical human rights advocate. We meet them on the day she dies and then flash back to the inception of their relationship in 1972. He is The Establishment personified. She is an iconoclast. Two philosophies more incompatible could not possibly exist, but despite everything, they fall in love.

The story then fast-forwards to Fielding's campaign for the House of Representatives ten years after Sarah's death. It is at this time that Fielding becomes obsessed with Sarah's ghost. He believes he is seeing her everywhere and that he is surely losing his mind. He begins to question his own philosophies and begins to lose his will to win the election.

The film is an engrossing character study of two very fascinating people cut of completely different cloth. The non-linear approach used by Director Keith Gordon was both a blessing and a curse. Sometimes it provided important character development and motivation and at others, it jumped back and forth for no good reason. This often made the film seem disjointed and hard to follow. Gordon's direction was only fair, though he delivered accurate period renderings especially of the 1970's. There were too many instances of unnecessary stylizing. For instance, there was excessive use of monologue jump cuts, where he cut from the speaker saying one thing to the same speaker in the same spot saying something else. He used it so often that it looked like bad editing.

In addition, Gordon tended to focus on the schmaltzy romantic angle and downplayed the far more interesting philosophical tension. He did give us some dialectic, but generally cut away when the philosophical fireworks were just getting started. He also kept treading over the same ground in different ways. This made the story drag.

The acting by both leads was terrific. This film brings Billy Crudup and Jennifer Connelly together again, both having appeared in `Inventing the Abbotts'. Crudup was extremely impressive as the tormented politician. This was an exquisitely complex character and Crudup flexed the role to the max. Connelly was a bit more uneven in her role, sometimes playing the role with great force, but at others with a mousy self-consciousness that was inconsistent with the character. Still, she gave Sarah great depth as both a lover and a crusader, and a convincing passion for her beliefs.

This is an absorbing but slow moving romance that is a bit heavy handed, but nonetheless interesting. I rated it a 7/10. It showcases good performances by two young actors we will surely hear from again. Not recommended for impatient viewers.

This is one of those films that you watch and contemplate later in your life. As far as losing someone you love, and how that effects every major decision you will ever make for the rest of your life, this film is the most realistic portrayal I have ever seen. Billy Crudup was meant to play Fielding in this movie. This movie is haunting and is just one of those little movies that falls through the cracks but is never forgotten. A stunning movie directing by none other than the director of A Midnight Clear, another terrific film. If you are reading this you should seek out this movie or just buy it online. I give Waking the Dead 9/10.

I cannot recommend this film strongly enough. This story celebrates the timelessness of love without cynicism or irony. It portrays a relationship in all its many forms: moments of joy, frustration, passion, tenderness, tragedy, and even a bit of insanity. Fielding Pierce and Sarah Williams are the two politically-minded lovers. While they share very similar political goals, their means of achieving those goals are vastly different. Fielding is the ambitious golden boy, campaigning through the political machine in an effort to affect change by working within the established system. Sarah is the rebel outsider, who believes real change will never be accomplished within a corrupt system, leaving political revolution as the only alternative. The film never passes judgement on which is the nobler or the more effective method. Rather, it chooses to portray Fielding and Sarah as two people whose love for what they believe in is second only to the love they have for each other.