Promenade avec l'amour et la mort

The movie is a thin, episodic journey through a landscape marked by battles and skirmishes and dangers - it doesn't aim for an epic quality (everything is very sparse) nor to analyze the political or social aspects of the situation (except in a brief appearance by Huston himself as a nobleman who's giving up his rank to join the peasants - he's much more vibrant and interesting than anyone else in the movie): actually it's a bit of a mystery what it DOES aim to do. Judged simply as an evocation of pure time and place, it's a bit too discreet and tidy - hardly the kind of attempt to conjure up messy verisimilitude that failed in "Revolution." Huston is fairly interesting and manages to convey both her noble blood and the idiosyncratic attitude that would have led her on this journey. The film's general discretion works against a compelling depiction of passion, and it ultimately seems to have worked its way merely to a teenage idyll of togetherness, which makes it hard to face up to the imminent tragedy. An odd item in Huston's filmography, sometimes exhibiting the awkwardness of a dubbed Continental item.

The two biggest reasons for seeing 'A Walk with Love and Death' were seeing father and daughter John Huston (as director) and Anjelica (in the lead role and her film debut) collaborating together in the first of three films. The others being the infinitely better 'Prizzi's Honor' (which garnered Anjelica a deserved Oscar win) and 'The Dead' (John's last film). Have loved Anjelica ever since 'Ever After: A Cinderella Story', a film still close to my heart, and John directed a number of classics such as 'The African Queen', 'The Asphalt Jungle' and 'Treasure of the Sierra Madre'.

Neither are at their best here by any stretch. Did like the concept for 'A Walk with Love and Death' and really wanted to like it considering my love for Anjelica and John, but this was one of those difficult to rate and review films. And this reviewer has always had a bit of a nightmare summing up her thoughts on films that left her mixed or/and conflicted into a review, and it is going to be obvious in this review. It is a contender for Anjelica's worst performance and when it comes to John's filmography it is a lesser effort (nowhere near as poor as 'Phobia' though).

'A Walk with Love and Death' does have good things. It is beautifully filmed with sumptuous costuming and settings that are very evocative of the period. Which is given a very intriguing and uncompromisingly unpredictable depiction in how it deals with social disruption. The music score is very haunting and dream-like.

Did think that a good job was done showing how combat and chaos was like at the time and what is shown is very realistic and not for the faint hearted.

Having said all of that, there are a number of strikes against 'A Walk with Love and Death'. Both Hustons are out of their depth, particularly Anjelica whose inexperience in acting and reluctance in doing the film come through loud and clear in a very wooden performance. John's direction is lethargic and lacks cohesion, there was a real sense that he had no idea what to do with the material which he was not at ease at. Assi Dayan does fare a little bit better in the acting stakes, but still is stiff and out of place and he has no chemistry with Anjelica.

Furthermore, 'A Walk with Love and Death' is very sluggishly paced from dragging out a pretty slightly plotted story, managing to make the already overlong length feel longer. Because of the sprawling all over the place structure the film lacks cohesion and at worst is borderline incoherent. The script is pure self-indulgence and over flowery, trying hard to be poetic and thought provoking but sounding like gibberish instead. None of the characters are fleshed out that well.

In conclusion, something of a moderately intriguing failure to be seen as a curio. 5/10.

Never dull, always alive with authentic and rich scenes; unpredictable and interesting. The wooden acting of the leads is appropriate for two young people who are fresh out into the world. They are surrounded by an extravagant variety of characters of the late Middle Ages, all well portrayed and decently acted. The scenery is picturesque, the music is lilting and fair, and the plot veers between barbarisms and nobility. It has been beautifully filmed and the direction keeps the plot moving briskly. There is no fat, no wasted scenes, no stupidity. The story is believable and moving, a story of sensitive youths trying to survive in a world suddenly gone mad. The creatures who seek such chaos are trying to turn the world upside down; they seek their own order through chaos. They seek to rearrange the world into their own hideous image. This is a story of how civilized people deal with the carnage of progress.

An obscure movie from the master John Huston, what's hell it happens I really don't know, but for me a forgotten gem, set place during the Hundred Years War between England and France, a young French man Heron of Fois (Assaf Dayan) distressed by such killing and madness he decides leave Paris and start a journey towards to the sea, wondering leaves the country at overseas, along the way he meets several people, peasants, soldiers and a beauty lady Claudia (Anjelica Huston) whose he wrote a poetry, in exchange she gave him her silk scarf for good luck, late he meets a bunch of men back from a failed journey to Jerusalem, this small group are gathering newcomers to try again, the Pilgrim's leader asking him about everything, including women, if he wants follow them he needs forget all sins and treat the women as Devil's creatures, very soon he realizes that they are crazy and left them for good, when he finally reach near of shore, someone talk about an uprising of the peasants against Noblemen, then he returns to helps Lady Claudia which the castle was raided, a rarest movie to be found, where John Huston implies a sort of pureness in a world collapsed by an endless wars, a man looking for peace and freedom, an anti-war picture, shrewdly done by the prolific director, a must to see!!!

Resume:

First watch: 2020 / How many: 1 / Source: DVD / Rating: 8

Brilliant evocation of youth in a time of social disruption. Angelica Huston's best work. Fascinating direction by John Huston. Based on an excellent novel. Well realized. Good depiction of medieval society. All in all, well worth seeing.