Film No 15 (2019) Feb. 21st. 8:00 AM LUNA OUTDOOR Leederville.
"The image we have of ourselves is rarely the image others have of us". (An introductory statement made in the narration to exemplify images of McEnroe arguing with a court referee).
Now here this a sports film offering up a new experience. It's like no other sporting documentary I've ever seen and it won't be to everyone's liking, I'm certain of that. During the period of McEnroe's domination of world tennis (1983 - 85), film shot at high speed (extreme slow motion) while he competed at numerous French Open events became a tool for demonstration purposes, to highlight his great technical skill. French film director Julien Faraut unearthed the archival footage in the hope of bringing off an art piece paralleling the mastery of McEnroe with classic cinema. A deep and admirable aim but boring subject matter in this case. Some time into the editing process it would seem Faraut decided that the film should focus on an event, the epic final of 1984. McEnroe remains predominantly in the lense but the drama of his tense struggle with Ivan Lendl is epic. The film, quite suddenly, is captivating. The Realm of Perfection is the ultimate miss and then hit documentary. I think I'm glad I saw it. 7GUMS.
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