tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-52426902138811084032024-03-17T16:59:22.827-07:00Film Alert 101Unknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger2957125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5242690213881108403.post-7197161419766367792024-03-12T22:36:00.000-07:002024-03-17T16:58:50.045-07:00CINEMA REBORN ANNOUNCES ITS 2024 PROGRAM AT THE RANDWICK RITZ AND HAWTHORN LIDO<p> </p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-AU" style="font-size: 14pt;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span lang="EN-AU" style="font-size: 14pt;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3axL3k1kfwkRWmEnqA7ENSotnjgmWt3_2fQT9WFt6OBHRApUJTYFgpyb9Ydqm4GrmY9Izdb29zskTc0QkHKUkVYmK5dy7yRmgUFZwraknAVgI8IdK1ayjsyfDHMqiJCpRMhGuSqsto_aOhhKplIJML3OUD7lY0IPrSDV3EAT1O9bJMltBYcJdHQkbilmH/s1998/CinemaReborn_HoldingSlide2024.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1998" height="346" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3axL3k1kfwkRWmEnqA7ENSotnjgmWt3_2fQT9WFt6OBHRApUJTYFgpyb9Ydqm4GrmY9Izdb29zskTc0QkHKUkVYmK5dy7yRmgUFZwraknAVgI8IdK1ayjsyfDHMqiJCpRMhGuSqsto_aOhhKplIJML3OUD7lY0IPrSDV3EAT1O9bJMltBYcJdHQkbilmH/w640-h346/CinemaReborn_HoldingSlide2024.png" width="640" /></a></span></div><span lang="EN-AU" style="font-size: 14pt;"><br /></span><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Aptos, sans-serif; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-AU" style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13.5pt;">For its sixth edition, Cinema Reborn will screen 17 classics on the big screen at Ritz Cinemas in Randwick (1-7 May) and Lido Cinemas in Hawthorn (9-14 May). It will be the first time that Cinema Reborn’s program will be presented in Melbourne after five seasons in Sydney, where its audience has grown every year. </span><span lang="EN-AU" style="color: #666666; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-size: 10pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Aptos, sans-serif; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-AU" style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13.5pt;"> </span><span lang="EN-AU" style="color: #666666; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-size: 10pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Aptos, sans-serif; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-AU" style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13.5pt;">Since 2019, when Cinema Reborn was first presented at the Ritz Cinemas Randwick, a tremendously supportive relationship has developed between the Ritz Cinema’s management and staff and the remarkable team of film-makers, critics, archivists, scholars and cinephiles who devote themselves to presenting Sydney’s annual season of restored classics. The expansion to the Ritz’s sister cinema in Melbourne, the Hawthorn Lido, is a natural outcome of the audience growth in Sydney and the clear interest to bring Cinema Reborn’s program to a new audience in Australia’s second largest city.</span><span lang="EN-AU" style="color: #666666; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-size: 10pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Aptos, sans-serif; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-AU" style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13.5pt;"> </span><span lang="EN-AU" style="color: #666666; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-size: 10pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Aptos, sans-serif; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-AU" style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13.5pt;">On behalf of Lido and Ritz Cinemas, Head of Marketing Jaymes Durante said, “It has been a privilege to help present Cinema Reborn at the Ritz over the years, and it brings us immense pride to bring the festival to Melbourne for the first time in 2024. Through Cinema Reborn, our audiences will be treated to a world-class offering of important restorations and rarely screened cinema treasures which will enrich our city’s cultural offering and will surely become a milestone event in the annual film calendar.”</span><span lang="EN-AU" style="color: #666666; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-size: 10pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Aptos, sans-serif; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-AU" style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13.5pt;"> </span><span lang="EN-AU" style="color: #666666; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-size: 10pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Aptos, sans-serif; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-AU" style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13.5pt;">The vast majority of Cinema Reborn’s films are restored in 4K Ultra High Definition, the current pinnacle for film restoration. This year’s selection comes from Italy, France, the UK, USA, Mali, India, Syria, South Korea, Belgium and Australia.</span><span lang="EN-AU" style="color: #666666; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-size: 10pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitqPWPYjJeiCxoTNPTaGU5t5fkiQf-0ssznLz7rH-2t6DHnXdNffHxXv6IKQfMcYzfSuW6txOLzR3v6lJ4-mB7NMZcDkTtaCkRM2fIQgR9_HUpSvBf3azjyXKTJDnkf2v3tpV8pzhjJrKBQfACwHKY-fpJ2fzzyKIA77IrS09g7QzXeTsVnazEgIbpWIRo/s1535/Le%20Samourai%201.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1535" height="188" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitqPWPYjJeiCxoTNPTaGU5t5fkiQf-0ssznLz7rH-2t6DHnXdNffHxXv6IKQfMcYzfSuW6txOLzR3v6lJ4-mB7NMZcDkTtaCkRM2fIQgR9_HUpSvBf3azjyXKTJDnkf2v3tpV8pzhjJrKBQfACwHKY-fpJ2fzzyKIA77IrS09g7QzXeTsVnazEgIbpWIRo/s320/Le%20Samourai%201.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4QGK1cos53MsXepJ04vEs8gI1aSzXqmQ8UqbRd7xNfM_JrCrm6y-L4UCKAGrP0Z6292ZY9ZjfTedtbhbwkQ35ah2q0hLR35GegsIOlSmo3jFQbG7HlsmnlAO4PeVVIxO9-1MI9V0U-MiewloI5r_-Yz7HIRCL4u0wwIMKMf8aG-xk59mS3jxa5JCBlAT5/s1535/Le%20Samourai%203.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1535" height="188" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4QGK1cos53MsXepJ04vEs8gI1aSzXqmQ8UqbRd7xNfM_JrCrm6y-L4UCKAGrP0Z6292ZY9ZjfTedtbhbwkQ35ah2q0hLR35GegsIOlSmo3jFQbG7HlsmnlAO4PeVVIxO9-1MI9V0U-MiewloI5r_-Yz7HIRCL4u0wwIMKMf8aG-xk59mS3jxa5JCBlAT5/s320/Le%20Samourai%203.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmatbrjsZeBfC-FQ8U7sB_7BJF2X67x-hqH0iBL8XAnriHgxjIgi-j7DRuhvCtX5BpRJYldv5K5BMiOaH6r5F72YIah-8oVzM-k2JSWVYYQjBhjl6l7Qa5xsWWRsJLyuYmDN2MfwUIGGgfaU-rzQ6Vpwu-8w1ZvTBnfI5hIlKLJuo7zsRrHDSN5nfTzrmH/s1534/Le%20Samourai%202.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1534" height="188" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmatbrjsZeBfC-FQ8U7sB_7BJF2X67x-hqH0iBL8XAnriHgxjIgi-j7DRuhvCtX5BpRJYldv5K5BMiOaH6r5F72YIah-8oVzM-k2JSWVYYQjBhjl6l7Qa5xsWWRsJLyuYmDN2MfwUIGGgfaU-rzQ6Vpwu-8w1ZvTBnfI5hIlKLJuo7zsRrHDSN5nfTzrmH/s320/Le%20Samourai%202.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><b style="text-align: left;"><span>Le Samoura</span></b><b style="text-align: left;"><span>ï</span></b><span style="text-align: left;"> (Jean-Pierre Melville, 1967)</span></span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Aptos, sans-serif; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-AU" style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13.5pt;">International classics include <b>Le Samouraï</b> (Jean-Pierre Melville, 1967); <b>The Golden Coach</b> (Jean Renoir, 1952); <b>La Captive</b> (Chantal Akerman, 2000); <b>I Know Where I’m Going! </b>(Powell/Pressburger, 1947) and <b>Il Grido</b> (Michelangelo Antonioni, 1957).</span><span lang="EN-AU" style="color: #666666; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-size: 10pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Aptos, sans-serif; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-AU" style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13.5pt;"> </span><span lang="EN-AU" style="color: #666666; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-size: 10pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Aptos, sans-serif; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-AU" style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13.5pt;">From Hollywood, <b>Rio Bravo</b> (Howard Hawks, 1959); <b>Days of Heaven</b> (Terrence Malick, 1978); and <b>The Suspect</b> (Robert Siodmak, 1944).</span><span lang="EN-AU" style="color: #666666; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-size: 10pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Aptos, sans-serif; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-AU" style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13.5pt;"> </span><span lang="EN-AU" style="color: #666666; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-size: 10pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Aptos, sans-serif; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-AU" style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13.5pt;">There are two World Premiere restorations at Cinema Reborn 2024:<b> Midnight</b> (Mitchell Leisen, 1939),and Australia’s own<b> Three to Go </b>(Brian Hannant, Oliver Howes, Peter Weir, 1971).</span><span lang="EN-AU" style="color: #666666; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-size: 10pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Aptos, sans-serif; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-AU" style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13.5pt;"> </span><span lang="EN-AU" style="color: #666666; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-size: 10pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Aptos, sans-serif; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-AU" style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13.5pt;">Also from Australia, <b>Body Melt</b> (Philip Brophy, 1993); <b>Journey to the End of Night</b> (Peter Tammer, 1982) and <b>Light Years</b> (Kathryn Millard, 1991).</span><span lang="EN-AU" style="color: #666666; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-size: 10pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Aptos, sans-serif; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-AU" style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13.5pt;"> </span><span lang="EN-AU" style="color: #666666; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-size: 10pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"> </span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcnahECUyXEm3yNfFwzGVuituUKg_gOBtFuKZXEZJtW7-lvkSs4clHf8R_icX3E_lJVGKSzGRZZ0YfXz08WcV5aDiUkI90Hw8XJkvwUMAIxGa7f-1EGL6SETs81M3O23WeXbzitX6Zvy28Klq7try0kRxOXlVqKSjEHRXd1RHK7fC9p2joLqF5qQ1jcTQh/s1280/Rio-Bravo-2.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="1280" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcnahECUyXEm3yNfFwzGVuituUKg_gOBtFuKZXEZJtW7-lvkSs4clHf8R_icX3E_lJVGKSzGRZZ0YfXz08WcV5aDiUkI90Hw8XJkvwUMAIxGa7f-1EGL6SETs81M3O23WeXbzitX6Zvy28Klq7try0kRxOXlVqKSjEHRXd1RHK7fC9p2joLqF5qQ1jcTQh/w400-h225/Rio-Bravo-2.jpg" width="400" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqqW22-06CMkdSHvQiaPh9qXDU_V8GVdnge_Mo3eEQjsHFHBci7JxJzndekovR68gEtTUOkpPCyBwT-gJAfjl3lxeWRLwi8d9JWomoB97PHwvtOgZmwjbmTmoN9x-1T_pxDo15YMREndguTk0wsG-UPHEq7H7jJ1M3NJrXswJ0wcVPt2qUjzh9cFsiJB3Q/s613/rio-bravo%5B1%5D.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="380" data-original-width="613" height="248" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqqW22-06CMkdSHvQiaPh9qXDU_V8GVdnge_Mo3eEQjsHFHBci7JxJzndekovR68gEtTUOkpPCyBwT-gJAfjl3lxeWRLwi8d9JWomoB97PHwvtOgZmwjbmTmoN9x-1T_pxDo15YMREndguTk0wsG-UPHEq7H7jJ1M3NJrXswJ0wcVPt2qUjzh9cFsiJB3Q/w400-h248/rio-bravo%5B1%5D.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b style="text-align: left;"><span>Rio Bravo</span></b><span style="text-align: left;"> (Howard Hawks, 1959)</span></td></tr></tbody></table></span><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">From South Korea, <b>Sopyonje</b> (Im Kwon-taek, 1993); from Syria, <b>The Dupes </b>(Tewfik Saleh, 1972); from Mali, <b>Yeelen</b> (Souleymane Cissé, 1987); and from India,<b> Ishanou</b> (Aribam Syam Sharma, 1991).<b><o:p></o:p></b></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYobTfWX3Dd2aUOfUkMvkMbKl6OlUSnT0zZtWHJNc51Yp4kQl-twzOG_lVFL7Kh7K-7TIiR5GMsVeCzSvHIxgN1xPwtiOppit7m3CkVrnN7GQew8pfX-nZ6uBXOeViRXPxf5_axzujnQOSRhhcIAJkSbVME2c6uIVEbQ1r1a5bE1SHA4AGIj9pdzhQt1ZV/s924/Yeelen%20Image%202.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="563" data-original-width="924" height="195" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYobTfWX3Dd2aUOfUkMvkMbKl6OlUSnT0zZtWHJNc51Yp4kQl-twzOG_lVFL7Kh7K-7TIiR5GMsVeCzSvHIxgN1xPwtiOppit7m3CkVrnN7GQew8pfX-nZ6uBXOeViRXPxf5_axzujnQOSRhhcIAJkSbVME2c6uIVEbQ1r1a5bE1SHA4AGIj9pdzhQt1ZV/s320/Yeelen%20Image%202.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjA5dTW_ixqT5njt4b-P7oLiq59IoDNKokiw1a7F8YKIvLCaNi2iU0xgz83PLSWzcZi3nNNKElDHVt6o8ayorBlkjz5qdJ9iB3W9gykQZLnuCnlXhjSHjoVHEzM_Y95Dnxwwvu0FdnsDr2TOlhKL55Wjw3WXbht9_h7qmfdfhfOQmSXO6atFXR50dmVz8wI/s1200/Yeelen%20Image%201.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="723" data-original-width="1200" height="193" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjA5dTW_ixqT5njt4b-P7oLiq59IoDNKokiw1a7F8YKIvLCaNi2iU0xgz83PLSWzcZi3nNNKElDHVt6o8ayorBlkjz5qdJ9iB3W9gykQZLnuCnlXhjSHjoVHEzM_Y95Dnxwwvu0FdnsDr2TOlhKL55Wjw3WXbht9_h7qmfdfhfOQmSXO6atFXR50dmVz8wI/s320/Yeelen%20Image%201.jpeg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b style="text-align: left;"><span>Yeelen</span></b><span style="text-align: left;"> (Souleymane Ciss</span><span style="text-align: left;">é</span><span style="text-align: left;">, 1987)</span></td></tr></tbody></table></span></span><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><b><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Aptos, sans-serif; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><b><span lang="EN-AU" style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13.5pt;">For more information</span></b><span lang="EN-AU" style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13.5pt;"> </span><span lang="EN-AU" style="color: #666666; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-size: 10pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Aptos, sans-serif; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-AU"><a href="https://url.au.m.mimecastprotect.com/s/CTcTClx1q0f4kB7VujhjQ3?domain=cinemareborn.com.au/" title="https://url.au.m.mimecastprotect.com/s/CTcTClx1q0f4kB7VujhjQ3?domain=cinemareborn.com.au/"><span style="color: red; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13.5pt; text-decoration: none;">Cinema Reborn's website</span></a></span><span lang="EN-AU" style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13.5pt;"> already contains a set of pungent and insightful short notes on the entire program. Over the next few weeks, the website will publish essays on each of our 2024 titles, written by some of Australia’s best known film scholars, critics and cinephiles. As well, a number have been written by highly regarded international critics and commentators. Bookmark </span><span lang="EN-AU"><a href="https://url.au.m.mimecastprotect.com/s/CTcTClx1q0f4kB7VujhjQ3?domain=cinemareborn.com.au/" title="https://url.au.m.mimecastprotect.com/s/CTcTClx1q0f4kB7VujhjQ3?domain=cinemareborn.com.au/"><span style="color: red; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13.5pt; text-decoration: none;">https://cinemareborn.com.au</span></a></span><span lang="EN-AU" style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13.5pt;"> and keep checking for newly-posted pages on each of our titles. Regular news updates will be posted on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram</span><span lang="EN-AU" style="color: #666666; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-size: 10pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Aptos, sans-serif; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-AU" style="color: #666666; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-size: 10pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Aptos, sans-serif; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-AU" style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13.5pt;">Information about Cinema Reborn’s program is also now available in a 16-page booklet free on the shelves of the Ritz Cinemas Randwick and the Lido Cinemas Hawthorn. </span><span lang="EN-AU" style="color: #666666; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-size: 10pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Aptos, sans-serif; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-AU" style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13.5pt;"> </span><span lang="EN-AU" style="color: #666666; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-size: 10pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Aptos, sans-serif; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><b><span lang="EN-AU" style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13.5pt;">Venues</span></b><span lang="EN-AU" style="color: #666666; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-size: 10pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Aptos, sans-serif; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-AU" style="color: red; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13.5pt;">The </span><span lang="EN-AU"><a href="https://url.au.m.mimecastprotect.com/s/mgACCmO5rku46m2guLhxK4?domain=ritzcinemas.com.au" title="https://url.au.m.mimecastprotect.com/s/mgACCmO5rku46m2guLhxK4?domain=ritzcinemas.com.au"><span style="color: #888888; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13.5pt; text-decoration: none;">Ritz</span></a></span><u><span lang="EN-AU" style="color: red; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13.5pt;"> Cinemas’</span></u><span lang="EN-AU" style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13.5pt;"> and </span><span lang="EN-AU"><a href="https://url.au.m.mimecastprotect.com/s/I1S4Cnx1vlfBxJ5PsKz5Ou?domain=lidocinemas.com.au" title="https://url.au.m.mimecastprotect.com/s/I1S4Cnx1vlfBxJ5PsKz5Ou?domain=lidocinemas.com.au"><span style="color: #888888; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13.5pt; text-decoration: none;">Lido</span></a></span><u><span lang="EN-AU" style="color: red; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13.5pt;"> Cinemas’</span></u><span lang="EN-AU" style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13.5pt;"> websites each contain pages devoted to Cinema Reborn, with comprehensive notes on each film we are screening and ticketing links. </span><span lang="EN-AU" style="color: #666666; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-size: 10pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Aptos, sans-serif; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-AU" style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13.5pt;"> </span><span lang="EN-AU" style="color: #666666; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-size: 10pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Aptos, sans-serif; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><b><span lang="EN-AU" style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13.5pt;">Admission Prices</span></b><span lang="EN-AU" style="color: #666666; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-size: 10pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Aptos, sans-serif; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-AU" style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13.5pt;">Cinema Reborn charges standard cinema ticket prices for all sessions, including opening and closing night selections. Ritz and Lido Movie Club Members are eligible for member’s discount. Details of Club membership and the concessions on offer are at the Ritz </span><span lang="EN-AU"><a href="https://url.au.m.mimecastprotect.com/s/qJshCoV1wmiW874ghNTpIx?domain=ritzcinemas.com.au" title="https://url.au.m.mimecastprotect.com/s/qJshCoV1wmiW874ghNTpIx?domain=ritzcinemas.com.au"><span style="color: red; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13.5pt; text-decoration: none;">Club Membership Page</span></a></span><span lang="EN-AU" style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13.5pt;"> and at </span><span lang="EN-AU"><a href="https://url.au.m.mimecastprotect.com/s/-_nOCp81xnC6yjDVuBdssL?domain=lidocinemas.com.au" title="https://url.au.m.mimecastprotect.com/s/-_nOCp81xnC6yjDVuBdssL?domain=lidocinemas.com.au"><span style="color: red; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13.5pt; text-decoration: none;">the Lido Club Membership Page</span></a></span><span lang="EN-AU" style="color: #666666; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-size: 10pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Aptos, sans-serif; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-AU" style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13.5pt;"> </span><span lang="EN-AU" style="color: #666666; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-size: 10pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Aptos, sans-serif; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><b><span lang="EN-AU" style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13.5pt;">Bookings Now Open</span></b><span lang="EN-AU" style="color: #666666; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-size: 10pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Aptos, sans-serif; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-AU" style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13.5pt;">To make a booking at the Ritz </span><span lang="EN-AU"><a href="https://url.au.m.mimecastprotect.com/s/mgACCmO5rku46m2guLhxK4?domain=ritzcinemas.com.au" title="https://url.au.m.mimecastprotect.com/s/mgACCmO5rku46m2guLhxK4?domain=ritzcinemas.com.au"><span style="color: red; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13.5pt; text-decoration: none;">Click here</span></a></span><span lang="EN-AU" style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13.5pt;"> and to make a booking at the Lido</span><span lang="EN-AU" style="color: red; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13.5pt;"> </span><span lang="EN-AU"><a href="https://url.au.m.mimecastprotect.com/s/I1S4Cnx1vlfBxJ5PsKz5Ou?domain=lidocinemas.com.au" title="https://url.au.m.mimecastprotect.com/s/I1S4Cnx1vlfBxJ5PsKz5Ou?domain=lidocinemas.com.au"><span style="color: red; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13.5pt; text-decoration: none;">Click here</span></a></span><span lang="EN-AU" style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13.5pt;">.</span><span lang="EN-AU" style="color: #666666; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-size: 10pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Aptos, sans-serif; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-AU" style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13.5pt;"> </span><span lang="EN-AU" style="color: #666666; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-size: 10pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Aptos, sans-serif; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><b><span lang="EN-AU" style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13.5pt;">CHARITABLE DONATIONS</span></b><span lang="EN-AU" style="color: #666666; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-size: 10pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Aptos, sans-serif; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-AU" style="color: #1d1d1d; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13.5pt;">Cinema Reborn’s work over the years has long been sustained by the generosity of our donors who help us make up the shortfall between our income and the costs of obtaining and screening our program. The Cinema Reborn 2024 page on the website of the Australian Cultural Fund enables our supporters to make a tax-deductible donation. All donations great and small are very welcome. The Australian Cultural Fund page can be found </span><span lang="EN-AU"><a href="https://url.au.m.mimecastprotect.com/s/bewHCq71yocwRpWET2fljv?domain=artists.australianculturalfund.org.au" title="https://url.au.m.mimecastprotect.com/s/bewHCq71yocwRpWET2fljv?domain=artists.australianculturalfund.org.au"><b><span style="color: red; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13.5pt; text-decoration: none;">If You Click Here</span></b></a></span><span lang="EN-AU" style="color: #666666; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-size: 10pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5242690213881108403.post-48562353851835818692024-03-12T14:45:00.000-07:002024-03-12T14:47:07.662-07:00Vale Micheline Presle - Barrie Pattison shares some fond memories of the great French star MICHELINE PRESLE<p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><span><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJx32j0AF7hdOQHe4r1XKO4T3Yf2DAmcWPjEfXeRlm9xSoxYW7t0UwCOLYWslQxOMheXo60w7gldW11vLpPQXxpfHlRqXCH7qS61lC8NVstIurbNyJzM2QeeWSjlWFLVLM5_EyZRlRjJSCSZi8ume-GIeKzXgj0AOf7b7qe_yFN9Ar5OOceNvOXvjkliks/s259/Presle1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="195" data-original-width="259" height="301" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJx32j0AF7hdOQHe4r1XKO4T3Yf2DAmcWPjEfXeRlm9xSoxYW7t0UwCOLYWslQxOMheXo60w7gldW11vLpPQXxpfHlRqXCH7qS61lC8NVstIurbNyJzM2QeeWSjlWFLVLM5_EyZRlRjJSCSZi8ume-GIeKzXgj0AOf7b7qe_yFN9Ar5OOceNvOXvjkliks/w400-h301/Presle1.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Micheline Presle, <i>Le Diable au Corps</i></td></tr></tbody></table><br /></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14pt;">With the death at 102 of Micheline Presle, we have severed what must be the last link with classic cinema. Who else starred in films by Pabst, Lang and Dieterle, Marcel L’Herbier and Jean Negulesco, Sacha Guitry, Jacques Demy and Sam Fuller, opposite Ramon Novarro, Gérard Philipe, Tyrone Power, John Garfield, Paul Newman and Errol Flynn? Her performances were a dominant element in the best work of several heavyweight film makers – Jean Delanoy’s <i>Les jeux sont faits</i>, Joseph Losey’s <i>Blind Date/ Chance Meeting</i> and particularly Claude Autant-Lara’s imposing<i> Le diable au corps</i>. That trio alone make her a major figure. </span><span style="font-family: -webkit-standard, serif; font-size: 14pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14pt;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14pt;">Establishing herself as a lively juvenile in French films before WW2, Presle became de facto the leading female star of their Occupation Era film industry, with Danielle Darieux, Michele Morgan and Simone Simon off in Hollywood for the duration. </span><span style="font-family: -webkit-standard, serif; font-size: 14pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: -webkit-standard, serif; font-size: 14pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14pt;">A post-war Hollywood stint of her own proved a disappointment, ending with the dreadful <i>Adventures of Captain Fabian </i>directed by her husband William Marshall for Republic from a script by Errol Flynn, and she never really regained her dominant status but that didn’t prevent her ploughing on through whatever came her way. </span><span style="font-family: -webkit-standard, serif; font-size: 14pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"> <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIIXC1bd9EvxP5Rf3jX1Nj_s9mEuiDV_E6BC50K4zyKrHnNQ_CHqf0W5v-HcQNYcj4oKVZYnqdtyuCVAAqDAGE3u2baALuAOw763WsS9Ibzxp9NpwF3pb41FvXXp3kYsH3fhCwxF6Gdc29uBZVUZ_wsaTwXjwj5dhd7SthL8GpuDyk8EKp5nMOTbh1s7IP/s1001/blind-date-06.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="625" data-original-width="1001" height="250" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIIXC1bd9EvxP5Rf3jX1Nj_s9mEuiDV_E6BC50K4zyKrHnNQ_CHqf0W5v-HcQNYcj4oKVZYnqdtyuCVAAqDAGE3u2baALuAOw763WsS9Ibzxp9NpwF3pb41FvXXp3kYsH3fhCwxF6Gdc29uBZVUZ_wsaTwXjwj5dhd7SthL8GpuDyk8EKp5nMOTbh1s7IP/w400-h250/blind-date-06.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Micheline Presle, Hardy Kruger, <i>Blind Date/Chance Meeting</i></td></tr></tbody></table><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14pt;">She never stopped working. She even outlived her talented daughter-director Toni Marshall, who had cast her in several of her films. I once had the audacity to try to recruit the star of <i>Le diable au corps </i>for a horror film I planned shooting in Australia and the Movie Divinities were on my side. She’d just seen<i> Food of the Gods</i> where Ida Lupino, who she regarded as a member of her peer group, had taken on a similar role. I explained that I’d seen Presle do just what I wanted, animating the exposition with her <i>Banditi Italiani</i> and <i>The Prize</i> performances. She could see that, was charming, read the script and gave me a letter of intention to appear. It is one of my great regrets that I never had the chance to watch Micheline Presle through the view finder performing in my work, when the project fell by the wayside after I scaled down the ambition on the production we finally shot. </span><span style="font-family: -webkit-standard, serif; font-size: 14pt;"></span><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: -webkit-standard, serif; font-size: 14pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14pt;">At least we still have her films. I’ve been on Micheline Presle’s case for a lifetime and there’s still a long list of promising titles that I haven’t been able to watch. It’s always a pleasure when one comes my way, though now that will be shaded with regret. </span><span style="font-family: -webkit-standard, serif; font-size: 14pt;"></span><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: -webkit-standard, serif; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><o:p><o:p></o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Calibri; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-caps: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14pt;">It is unsurprising that no mention of her death has been made in the Australian media I've seen.</span><span style="color: black; font-family: -webkit-standard, serif; font-size: 14pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5242690213881108403.post-41578523393113170512024-03-05T17:20:00.000-08:002024-03-05T17:20:58.195-08:00For Silent Film aficionados in Brisbane - Joel Archer brings back THE ROARING TWENTIES featuring first up GIRL SHY (1924) starring Harold Lloyd<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWeJ0ryS3JY_M86-uQtPs2Rj0wGmMX7v3Dh1yatXSw-UDgIGP9FBwKzSNbEaCOCWdkUhbWfkCTeIXeu9kiVoxZRpxrbcmdxI10lJ2xGcTBs4lJHd_RFScgKOnPKF2sQuZBuA5TiwvZZys5J1icUNYXPyB932S0iK7w-FLpm2Zajo8mu8_3t3r9jEfRTc74/s1080/Roaring%20Twenties.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1080" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWeJ0ryS3JY_M86-uQtPs2Rj0wGmMX7v3Dh1yatXSw-UDgIGP9FBwKzSNbEaCOCWdkUhbWfkCTeIXeu9kiVoxZRpxrbcmdxI10lJ2xGcTBs4lJHd_RFScgKOnPKF2sQuZBuA5TiwvZZys5J1icUNYXPyB932S0iK7w-FLpm2Zajo8mu8_3t3r9jEfRTc74/s320/Roaring%20Twenties.png" width="320" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"> Good Evening All,</span><p></p><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">We are so excited to announce that Roaring Twenties Cinema Brisbane will be returning and our new home will be the Arcana Arts Centre in the Garden Bar. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">This stunning private area will include the options for a terrific Menu of Food cooked on site and a Bar that has cocktails and drinks available throughout the film. So you not only get Amazing Films and Live Music now there are some terrific food and drinks options on site.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">For our opening night on Thursday 18th of April 2024 at 6:30pm we will be screening Harold Lloyd's Girl Shy 1924 which is celebrating its 100th Birthday plus a mystery comedy short. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">Bri and I look forward to meeting you again for Brisbane's Cheapest Form of Time Travel! Thanks so much for all your support and enthusiasm over the years. We can't wait to bring you such a unique cinema experience. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">Tickets are on sale now: </span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><a href="https://www.trybooking.com/CPRFI">https://www.trybooking.com/CPRFI</a><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><p><span style="color: #202124;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">Kind Regards...</span></span><span style="font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><u></u><u></u></span></p><div dir="auto" style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 14px;"><p><span style="color: #202124; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><img border="0" class="gmail-CToWUd" height="280" src="https://ci3.googleusercontent.com/mail-sig/AIorK4wtDDLX2honbKxVvs5sWeQGzBFGVS5R1mYc5sFhldk97zDVlCdehomui5aUyX7W9L-9Cp6CcTQ" style="height: 2.9166in; width: 2.9166in;" width="280" /></span><span style="color: #202124; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><u></u><u></u></span></p></div><div dir="auto" style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 14px;"><p><span style="color: #202124; font-family: "arial narrow", sans-serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">Joel Archer (Director of <span style="background-color: #fde293; color: #3c4043;">Roaring</span> <span style="background-color: #fde293; color: #3c4043;">Twenties</span> Cinema Brisbane)</span><span style="color: #202124; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><u></u><u></u></span></p></div><div dir="auto" style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 14px;"><p><span style="color: #202124; font-family: "arial narrow", sans-serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">0409 620 670</span></p></div></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5242690213881108403.post-30718972132562091172024-03-04T14:27:00.000-08:002024-03-04T14:29:29.378-08:00The Current Cinema - Barrie Pattison reports falling about watching DRIVE-AWAY DOLLS (Ethan Coen, USA, 2023)<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 16px; margin-bottom: 0cm;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNEui0nBk01qETO7lSzAnA2c3W4Fj3HRnFk-hJP0aMSqw_dCo6zciU4BbR_gFWH_m2tvjcWAXXpBkLEHVNV7p3RvSFIsbuQovZix2VeVOXSTwQXaSrmt-kKh7TVjX6kUPvDdjf-K6ra1YpkAE6Lzr2wp8ac_JKmwLlUIo6Qji-bnSCuQPuwOG9BvFC41Mh/s301/download-95.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a></span><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="167" data-original-width="301" height="222" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNEui0nBk01qETO7lSzAnA2c3W4Fj3HRnFk-hJP0aMSqw_dCo6zciU4BbR_gFWH_m2tvjcWAXXpBkLEHVNV7p3RvSFIsbuQovZix2VeVOXSTwQXaSrmt-kKh7TVjX6kUPvDdjf-K6ra1YpkAE6Lzr2wp8ac_JKmwLlUIo6Qji-bnSCuQPuwOG9BvFC41Mh/w400-h222/download-95.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="400" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="text-align: left;">Margaret Qualley, </span><span style="text-align: left;">Geraldine Viswanathan, </span><i style="text-align: left;">Drive-Away Dolls</i></span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNEui0nBk01qETO7lSzAnA2c3W4Fj3HRnFk-hJP0aMSqw_dCo6zciU4BbR_gFWH_m2tvjcWAXXpBkLEHVNV7p3RvSFIsbuQovZix2VeVOXSTwQXaSrmt-kKh7TVjX6kUPvDdjf-K6ra1YpkAE6Lzr2wp8ac_JKmwLlUIo6Qji-bnSCuQPuwOG9BvFC41Mh/s301/download-95.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a></span></div><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">I’ve been wondering about <i>Drive-Away Dolls, </i>the movie from the Coen brother who didn’t want to make a black and white<i> Macbeth</i> with Denzel Washington. I noticed a reference to it quite a while back (its credits say 2023) but pretty much the only promotion I’ve seen for its local run is a teaser on the front of a trailer for another movie. That all worked up my curiosity.</span><p></p><p style="line-height: 16px; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: arial;">What I got was the kind of ferocious bad taste movie you’d expect if someone hired Oliver Stone to re-make<i> The </i><i>Rocky Horror Picture Show.</i> After an uneasy start, I found myself falling about.</span></p><p style="line-height: 16px; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: arial;">This one is kind of a family affair, one Coen brother writing with his editor wife and directing Andie McDowell’s daughter and Jonah Hill’s sister, to showcase a young woman from Newcastle, New South Wales, called Geraldine Viswanathan who makes a memorably straight faced contribution to all the anarchic stuff. Think Aubrey Plaza without the attitude. She is the required contrast to hard charging Margaret Qualley, teetering on the edge of her stardom. Qualley would have fit right in as a Howard Hawks woman.</span></p><div style="line-height: 16px; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="line-height: 16px; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: arial;">It starts off uneasily with Pedro Pascal meeting a grotesque fate in an alley. Attention shifts to girl buddies Qualley and Viswanathan finding themselves at a loose end. Qualley has broken up with her police officer lover Beanie Feldstein, complete with an argument about who gets their wall dildo, while Viswanathan, fresh from her job with Ralph Nader, isn’t all that interested in the Sapphic club scene and plans on joining a birding expedition in Tallahassee, reading her Henry James novels along the way. </span></div><div style="line-height: 16px; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="line-height: 16px; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVjsBK6gh2mAhbDRBSYyrdWynGMi4a_npaCI6UU-8DR0dM30612sHkqQyg2sJ5tY9ikSZqRqq91e__sZulouotSyrUoota1wgZwSRvuUBP5LZqx_nM60E2uf4yRQoGm0fVrHETeRbr_zS47W2SUpek9mnEwY8rSKYT4Cp8EHU4XydG2Ef8deKeOAZwc8ZU/s312/download-94.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><img border="0" data-original-height="161" data-original-width="312" height="206" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVjsBK6gh2mAhbDRBSYyrdWynGMi4a_npaCI6UU-8DR0dM30612sHkqQyg2sJ5tY9ikSZqRqq91e__sZulouotSyrUoota1wgZwSRvuUBP5LZqx_nM60E2uf4yRQoGm0fVrHETeRbr_zS47W2SUpek9mnEwY8rSKYT4Cp8EHU4XydG2Ef8deKeOAZwc8ZU/w400-h206/download-94.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Matt Damon</span></span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: arial;"><br />The ideal mode of transport would be a Driveaway where they take a car to its owner in another city. Turns out that grouchy Bill Camp’s office has a vehicle waiting to be shifted just there – exercise in comic probability. Nobody checks the boot, which turns out to have two suspicious items where the spare tire should be. Eyes widen when that’s unlocked.</span></div><p style="line-height: 16px; margin-bottom: 0cm;"></p><p style="line-height: 16px; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Things liven up for Margaret when they stay at the motel where a lesbian soccer team are relaxing with the captain blowing a change partners whistle at half time. Turning down a threesome, Geraldine finds herself spending the night sitting in the office.</span></p><p style="line-height: 16px; margin-bottom: 0cm;"></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkOF8p21Jo8BT6t0Lao0uUrAOEtO-zKl59xXTwaHWX69u4hUVPrRBwvE00W3FZYbBPo6Qhb8Fhfj-Scs81h6sHrRASzgRZaYDQ2LDfdqQXQBva4FSpWR4KRkrlYjSkA9-575XPHKxdaz10-d-ovJKutFvjRaNXiy00VX8hlae4eT5l7sF_M9Dy9yrXDsJw/s225/images-36.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><img border="0" data-original-height="225" data-original-width="225" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkOF8p21Jo8BT6t0Lao0uUrAOEtO-zKl59xXTwaHWX69u4hUVPrRBwvE00W3FZYbBPo6Qhb8Fhfj-Scs81h6sHrRASzgRZaYDQ2LDfdqQXQBva4FSpWR4KRkrlYjSkA9-575XPHKxdaz10-d-ovJKutFvjRaNXiy00VX8hlae4eT5l7sF_M9Dy9yrXDsJw/w400-h400/images-36.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Geraldine Viswanathan</span></span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: arial;"><br />Meanwhile comic goons Joey Slotnick and C.J. Wilson discover that their car has been mistakenly dispatched because how likely is it that two sets of customers would want to go to Tallahassee? This sends those rightful owners off in pursuit, which gets one beaten up by Feldstein because he’s old school and doesn’t want to hit a woman and his mate is blindsided when the address the soccer girls he’s charming gives them turns out to be a rough black music barn.</span><p></p><p style="line-height: 16px; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: arial;">The girls meanwhile are coasting on a suspect credit card and the luxury El Conquistador hotel’s policy of inclusivity - steamy shower scene. Of course paths converge.</span></p><p style="line-height: 16px; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Not the least of the delights is the film’s maliciously misapplied film form. Scene transitions come up as the Henry James pages fluttering, contrasting to a psychedelic montage of fluoro coloured pizza fillings. Miley Cyrus gets a psychedelic number and there’s a glimpse of Senator Matt Damon’s mis-spent college days.</span></p><p style="line-height: 16px; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><i></i></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDuBPXP8QIvSWvleoGvFrG17CvZnl1B0o3axgkSGNaM7LL6uXHqcTP9j0cIpK-iVrCz1h0Muy-6jlDkPt1lpXGexIS9h5lCfgSyfUdJy-ff1J2GgrZKUIYGak2NChLemarqMYz5vFGbvT-q6ZJa_pESkaUwBwh8bHmgJky2w9WuYbIR1ndNQNJ9Wg19AWw/s300/images-35.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><img border="0" data-original-height="168" data-original-width="300" height="224" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDuBPXP8QIvSWvleoGvFrG17CvZnl1B0o3axgkSGNaM7LL6uXHqcTP9j0cIpK-iVrCz1h0Muy-6jlDkPt1lpXGexIS9h5lCfgSyfUdJy-ff1J2GgrZKUIYGak2NChLemarqMYz5vFGbvT-q6ZJa_pESkaUwBwh8bHmgJky2w9WuYbIR1ndNQNJ9Wg19AWw/w400-h224/images-35.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Beanie Feldstein</span></span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: arial;"><i><br />Drive-Away Dolls</i><i> </i>keeps on playing off audience expectation. It’s an exploitatively sexy film (“at least take off your shirt”) where the only full frontal is a sunbathing bit player. It comes with my all time favourite McGuffin (include monologue about the possibility of an E-Bay sales promotion). They telegraph the introduction of ego-free star Matt Damon with a hoarding of him as the local family values politician. Boy is he going to get it! When the girls confront him, they announce themselves as Democrats.</span><p></p><p style="line-height: 16px; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: arial;">The pace never slacks with the lesbian frame of reference twisting the familiar situations into something grotesquely fresh. Everyone comes out of it well though it’s not a big budget offering.</span></p><p style="line-height: 16px; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: arial;">I’m sorry they didn’t get about to making this in the nineties the way they planned, when it could conveniently have slid in with the drive-In fare that it burlesques. I would have re-visited it at intervals quite a few times by now. That I would have enjoyed. It’s the highlight of my current viewing.</span></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5242690213881108403.post-91762340834648830112024-03-03T14:16:00.000-08:002024-03-03T14:19:22.854-08:00FILM CRITICS CIRCLE OF AUSTRALIA - NOMINATIONS FOR THE FCCA ANNUAL AWARDS FOR AUSTRALIAN FILM FOR 2023<p><b style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; text-align: center;"><span lang="EN-AU" style="color: #c00000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 19.97333335876465px;"></span></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVuZsXJHHQlNUyPIYNusHufDXVyUNhRu6OiKbj928Uwu3_FrpwZuD3IsG9PTrCgtvSYSQVUzD_FKWp9LnVOnZZ4F0R5QrVNxoMWwJFGfYx7kN9Pi7qgirUW6XPhntSnaNsby1xWdEg35BcYs6rd0FUod1XLkFcFSD78uOWJAllMGJnGCzg6qyGtq3AYoaY/s290/FCCA%20logo%202024.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="290" data-original-width="290" height="290" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVuZsXJHHQlNUyPIYNusHufDXVyUNhRu6OiKbj928Uwu3_FrpwZuD3IsG9PTrCgtvSYSQVUzD_FKWp9LnVOnZZ4F0R5QrVNxoMWwJFGfYx7kN9Pi7qgirUW6XPhntSnaNsby1xWdEg35BcYs6rd0FUod1XLkFcFSD78uOWJAllMGJnGCzg6qyGtq3AYoaY/s1600/FCCA%20logo%202024.jpg" width="290" /></a></b></div><b style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; text-align: center;"><br />NOMINATIONS FOR THE FILM CRITICS CIRCLE OF AUSTRALIA ANNUAL AWARDS FOR AUSTRALIAN FILM</b><p></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 15.693333625793457px; margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt; text-align: center;"><b><span lang="EN-AU" style="color: #c00000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 19.97333335876465px;">THE FILMS OF 2023<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 15.693333625793457px; margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt; text-align: center;"><b><span lang="EN-AU" style="color: #c00000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 19.97333335876465px;"> </span></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhg7KC1bHx8SlV0nzFqw8PM-z9MacTm8H1WEIkBDrZS_HoAE-QqC47Wf3TgCf63dBJDlUXNwsUGzPh1hrz3N-CrZmBzp_o7SWCUgI4OUHaJJ6eTkxnxae1pz_Zvv_yhjNMoPTzBEJG5wKvE_OeTfeHbpiQX5Ws3sVmQ3Ek9WVd2nxclj8HDh_wS3gqB5PGI/s373/Limbo_2023_film_poster.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="373" data-original-width="266" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhg7KC1bHx8SlV0nzFqw8PM-z9MacTm8H1WEIkBDrZS_HoAE-QqC47Wf3TgCf63dBJDlUXNwsUGzPh1hrz3N-CrZmBzp_o7SWCUgI4OUHaJJ6eTkxnxae1pz_Zvv_yhjNMoPTzBEJG5wKvE_OeTfeHbpiQX5Ws3sVmQ3Ek9WVd2nxclj8HDh_wS3gqB5PGI/s320/Limbo_2023_film_poster.jpg" width="228" /></a></b></div><b><br /></b><p></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 15.693333625793457px; margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt; text-align: center;"><b><span lang="EN-AU" style="color: #c00000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 19.97333335876465px;"> </span></b><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14pt; text-align: left;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><b><span lang="EN-AU" style="color: #00b050; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14pt;">BEST FILM<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><b><span lang="EN-AU" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14pt;">LIMBO <o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><span lang="UZ-CYR" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14pt;">PRODUCERS</span><span lang="EN-AU" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14pt;">:</span><span lang="UZ-CYR" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14pt;"> RACHEL HIGGINS, DAVID JOWSEY, GREER SIMPKIN</span><span lang="EN-AU" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14pt;">, IVAN SEN<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><b><span lang="EN-AU" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14pt;">THE NEW BOY <o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><span lang="UZ-CYR" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14pt;">PRODUCERS: CATE BLANCHETT, LORENZO DE MAIO, GEORGIE PYM, KATH SHELPER, ANDREW UPTON<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><b><span lang="EN-AU" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14pt;">OF AN AGE</span></b><span lang="EN-AU" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14pt;"> <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-AU" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14pt;">PRODUCERS: KRISTINA CEYTON, SAMANTHA JENNINGS<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><b><span lang="EN-AU" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14pt;">THE ROYAL HOTEL</span></b><span lang="EN-AU" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14pt;"> <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-AU" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14pt;">PRODUCERS: IAIN CANNING, KATH SHELPER, EMILE SHERMAN, LIZ WATTS<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><b><span lang="EN-AU" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14pt;">SHAYDA</span></b><span lang="EN-AU" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14pt;"> <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><span lang="UZ-CYR" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14pt;">PRODUCERS: NOORA NIASARI, VINCENT SHEEHAN</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3OrSZPLUIRQmFiXnWUP7D9tRtolWvtanBWi1Zr-4SgBv67Plg3o8utElmHPLLtJyoniSEillyXBZMeEfLwZ_tlfzSwcz__gauzkCEqjv6bhg-QX0WHneEWG6Z2KfRQ7j9FFdhybBGiNhZUlKEErar5uaIAABVxpbdeFC_EfmHfYAlQlkphi0mjGOLvgUC/s267/download-94.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="267" data-original-width="189" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3OrSZPLUIRQmFiXnWUP7D9tRtolWvtanBWi1Zr-4SgBv67Plg3o8utElmHPLLtJyoniSEillyXBZMeEfLwZ_tlfzSwcz__gauzkCEqjv6bhg-QX0WHneEWG6Z2KfRQ7j9FFdhybBGiNhZUlKEErar5uaIAABVxpbdeFC_EfmHfYAlQlkphi0mjGOLvgUC/s1600/download-94.jpg" width="189" /></a></div><br /><o:p></o:p><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-AU" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><b><span lang="EN-AU" style="color: #00b050; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14pt;">BEST DIRECTOR<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><b><span lang="EN-AU" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14pt;">ROLF DE HEER <o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-AU" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14pt;">THE SURVIVAL OF KINDNESS<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><b><span lang="EN-AU" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14pt;">NOORA NIASARI <o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-AU" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14pt;">SHAYDA<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><b><span lang="EN-AU" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14pt;">IVAN SEN</span></b><span lang="EN-AU" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14pt;"> <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-AU" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14pt;">LIMBO<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><b><span lang="EN-AU" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14pt;">WARWICK THORNTON <o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-AU" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14pt;">THE NEW BOY<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-AU" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqUPXDVJCvsb4sLA0YfJLqDopzy3aI8wdR07tQIWQd2i5fGeTWSiOghGOjMs5dSQQelykt4bHukifI33ak6vmwAtCFZ37I-WTquKBJfHg2YFTlTGKkPPdZmKQOrV6WQmRmGPUqlAx4Jqtkz8c_RI2r34YN6VKjHOjMdo35ZgMaG1QuAcJF4SjjV_O7EwWv/s273/download-95.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="273" data-original-width="184" height="273" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqUPXDVJCvsb4sLA0YfJLqDopzy3aI8wdR07tQIWQd2i5fGeTWSiOghGOjMs5dSQQelykt4bHukifI33ak6vmwAtCFZ37I-WTquKBJfHg2YFTlTGKkPPdZmKQOrV6WQmRmGPUqlAx4Jqtkz8c_RI2r34YN6VKjHOjMdo35ZgMaG1QuAcJF4SjjV_O7EwWv/s1600/download-95.jpg" width="184" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><b><span lang="EN-AU" style="color: #00b050; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14pt;">BEST ACTOR <o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><b><span lang="EN-AU" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14pt;">ELIAS ANTON <o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-AU" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14pt;">OF AN AGE <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><b><span lang="EN-AU" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14pt;">SIMON BAKER</span></b><span lang="EN-AU" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14pt;"> <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-AU" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14pt;">LIMBO<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><b><span lang="EN-AU" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14pt;">THOM GREEN </span></b><span lang="EN-AU" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14pt;"> <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-AU" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14pt;">OF AN AGE<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><b><span lang="EN-AU" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14pt;">ASWAN REID <o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-AU" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14pt;">THE NEW BOY<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-AU" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14pt;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlngh0ZSa2-eFnERZZysd9eL1n5e9YaBOxvj1MZa_FDio-LNfuGcNKZWCFR1tV5fXGMacSc8i12dOqIE7eX5s2o3foFNiThrTYJSp9brIUrpXutGHUzpaiyby9L0_-5zympk3r4MKeReSdy8oxAC9hTrKl8tzSPaLIwz_282SYjCjTGTBAghTPKPZiT-G6/s268/download-96.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="268" data-original-width="188" height="268" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlngh0ZSa2-eFnERZZysd9eL1n5e9YaBOxvj1MZa_FDio-LNfuGcNKZWCFR1tV5fXGMacSc8i12dOqIE7eX5s2o3foFNiThrTYJSp9brIUrpXutGHUzpaiyby9L0_-5zympk3r4MKeReSdy8oxAC9hTrKl8tzSPaLIwz_282SYjCjTGTBAghTPKPZiT-G6/s1600/download-96.jpg" width="188" /></a></div><br /> <p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><b><span lang="EN-AU" style="color: #00b050; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14pt;">BEST SCREENPLAY<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><b><span lang="EN-AU" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14pt;">KITTY GREEN and OSCAR REDDING <o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-AU" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14pt;">THE ROYAL HOTEL<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><a name="_Hlk159840165"></a><a name="_Hlk159839895"><b><span lang="EN-AU" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14pt;">NOORA NIASARI</span></b></a><b><span lang="EN-AU" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14pt;"> <o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-AU" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14pt;">SHAYDA<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><b><span lang="EN-AU" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14pt;">IVAN SEN <o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-AU" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14pt;">LIMBO<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><b><span lang="EN-AU" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14pt;">WARWICK THORNTON <o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-AU" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14pt;">THE NEW BOY<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-AU" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAyHq7Gk7WUjXfmRNz0gjv9xi9nJ_0I1De6y-RvIweOddKIzdhXXUyF019GZJP2DqKhPnCOUGQuWRPpu3SeMEuRPk0EdC06jvMyRKVaTEIAUirzWAvVtDDgp2teqMBY3ACQVNhmTfJjStxwiUmcahiK-rjp_3S_031DjJXvSfZv_9tsslMupNdBeezxvug/s275/The%20New%20Boy%20Poster.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="275" data-original-width="183" height="275" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAyHq7Gk7WUjXfmRNz0gjv9xi9nJ_0I1De6y-RvIweOddKIzdhXXUyF019GZJP2DqKhPnCOUGQuWRPpu3SeMEuRPk0EdC06jvMyRKVaTEIAUirzWAvVtDDgp2teqMBY3ACQVNhmTfJjStxwiUmcahiK-rjp_3S_031DjJXvSfZv_9tsslMupNdBeezxvug/s1600/The%20New%20Boy%20Poster.jpg" width="183" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><b><span lang="EN-AU" style="color: #00b050; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14pt;">BEST ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><b><span lang="EN-AU" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14pt;">WAYNE BLAIR <o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-AU" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14pt;">THE NEW BOY<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><b><span lang="EN-AU" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14pt;">ROB COLLINS <o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-AU" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14pt;">LIMBO<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><b><span lang="EN-AU" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14pt;">NICHOLAS HOPE <o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-AU" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14pt;">LIMBO<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><b><span lang="EN-AU" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14pt;">HUGO WEAVING <o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-AU" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14pt;">THE ROYAL HOTEL<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-AU" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQoea6UEl29PelmzhHhk46HsxtKdXzHMgyYVlXy14Gq9hceCO15EMd9lJ1aAuEAS9iufqpUhyphenhyphenqMozaCjrn5YK9cIPayWucSarSINuTNoRFzKSILawotBqapJW8Z44mC8j1pTf3g3zrYs5TZMZFlil6URnAnvkzVkwYrel_AmeA9-6OM5IsIfz86ikhIxEz/s268/Blueback%20Poster.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="268" data-original-width="188" height="268" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQoea6UEl29PelmzhHhk46HsxtKdXzHMgyYVlXy14Gq9hceCO15EMd9lJ1aAuEAS9iufqpUhyphenhyphenqMozaCjrn5YK9cIPayWucSarSINuTNoRFzKSILawotBqapJW8Z44mC8j1pTf3g3zrYs5TZMZFlil6URnAnvkzVkwYrel_AmeA9-6OM5IsIfz86ikhIxEz/s1600/Blueback%20Poster.jpg" width="188" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><b><span lang="EN-AU" style="color: #00b050; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14pt;">BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><b><span lang="EN-AU" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14pt;">ANDREW COMMIS/RICK RIFICI (UNDERWATER CINEMATOGRAPHY) <o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-AU" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14pt;">BLUEBACK <b><o:p></o:p></b></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><b><span lang="EN-AU" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14pt;">MAXX CORKINDALE <o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-AU" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14pt;">THE SURVIVAL OF KINDNESS<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><b><span lang="EN-AU" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14pt;">IVAN SEN <o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-AU" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14pt;">LIMBO<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><b><span lang="EN-AU" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14pt;">WARWICK THORNTON <o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-AU" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14pt;">THE NEW BOY <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-AU" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14pt;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzRnJaUtvvoqmTePaKEjrSpzO__P54yMoh2ZBe-aOh7QuFiiHqCmHggAexmAyaV72mAAGNX9PwDeggL99gIQiySA7X01pP5a4RLIh2bUVvxG_2kPsfMkBRjThmexI0iYncHSc1E0Z-lkq1-umI131mhJE-5w3PqaFVvC6K9gkn4y7VkKOiiATa-hr40FJg/s267/Talk%20to%20M%20e%20Poster.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="267" data-original-width="188" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzRnJaUtvvoqmTePaKEjrSpzO__P54yMoh2ZBe-aOh7QuFiiHqCmHggAexmAyaV72mAAGNX9PwDeggL99gIQiySA7X01pP5a4RLIh2bUVvxG_2kPsfMkBRjThmexI0iYncHSc1E0Z-lkq1-umI131mhJE-5w3PqaFVvC6K9gkn4y7VkKOiiATa-hr40FJg/s1600/Talk%20to%20M%20e%20Poster.jpg" width="188" /></a></div><br /> <br /><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><b><span lang="EN-AU" style="color: #00b050; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14pt;">BEST ACTRESS<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><b><span lang="EN-AU" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14pt;">CATE BLANCHETT <o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-AU" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14pt;">THE NEW BOY<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><a name="_Hlk159840023"><b><span lang="EN-AU" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14pt;">ZAR AMIR EBRAHIMI</span></b></a><b><span lang="EN-AU" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14pt;"> <o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-AU" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14pt;">SHAYDA<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><b><span lang="EN-AU" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14pt;">MWAJEMI HUSSEIN <o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-AU" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14pt;">THE SURVIVAL OF KINDNESS<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><b><span lang="EN-AU" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14pt;">SOPHIE WILDE <o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-AU" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14pt;">TALK TO ME<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXIhu4LoTachWliO5cG7mWHahUbdm6_j-lf8cmd0l449cOqrJp5pKuUeW1ctCN10LXzy9xxv3t820h9jZ2kFUgkkl2qO1uM4On11vCR5OJLQft4c_Do3-6VswZrq1WSdQZ2xgftsYGVri9SAzHAvEQNLcx16-iCLN72kkDX2UKS-UL2y09HF1j8qyM0lzj/s269/download-94.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="269" data-original-width="188" height="269" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXIhu4LoTachWliO5cG7mWHahUbdm6_j-lf8cmd0l449cOqrJp5pKuUeW1ctCN10LXzy9xxv3t820h9jZ2kFUgkkl2qO1uM4On11vCR5OJLQft4c_Do3-6VswZrq1WSdQZ2xgftsYGVri9SAzHAvEQNLcx16-iCLN72kkDX2UKS-UL2y09HF1j8qyM0lzj/s1600/download-94.jpg" width="188" /></a></div><span lang="EN-AU" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14pt;"> </span><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><b><span lang="EN-AU" style="color: #00b050; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14pt;">ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><b><span lang="EN-AU" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14pt;">DEBORAH MAILMAN <o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-AU" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14pt;">THE NEW BOY<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><b><span lang="EN-AU" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14pt;">LEAH PURCELL <o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-AU" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14pt;">SHAYDA<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><b><span lang="EN-AU" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14pt;">NATASHA WANGANEEN <o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-AU" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14pt;">LIMBO<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><b><span lang="EN-AU" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14pt;">URSULA YOVICH <o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-AU" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14pt;">THE ROYAL HOTEL<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-AU" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-AU" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14pt;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgj0WxsIaabnUfc4fvc1lEw_yP59D8QzdLVOnhcFP_oN7SyFlTANR0sQAbpwtWKdgQFX3-q-TQfmX2pLSorlyaJzVLDnke88cTXAWJQaQAXIH9n8jIhJwQNoVNETx9dFR0xWQ0TPbPpCVqbQJbCVUUTraaRFPQ03saOnl4_afuSvvS4lvhuUvedULGVu3Yo/s259/Carnival%20Poster.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="259" data-original-width="194" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgj0WxsIaabnUfc4fvc1lEw_yP59D8QzdLVOnhcFP_oN7SyFlTANR0sQAbpwtWKdgQFX3-q-TQfmX2pLSorlyaJzVLDnke88cTXAWJQaQAXIH9n8jIhJwQNoVNETx9dFR0xWQ0TPbPpCVqbQJbCVUUTraaRFPQ03saOnl4_afuSvvS4lvhuUvedULGVu3Yo/w239-h320/Carnival%20Poster.jpg" width="239" /></a></div><br /> <p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><b><span lang="EN-AU" style="color: #70ad47; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14pt;">BEST FEATURE DOCUMENTARY<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><b><span lang="EN-AU" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14pt;">THE CARNIVAL <o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-AU" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14pt;">DIRECTOR: ISABEL DARLING PRODUCERS: TOM ZUBRYCKI, ISABEL DARLING<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><b><span lang="EN-AU" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14pt;">THE DEFENDERS <o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-AU" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14pt;">DIRECTOR: MATTHEW BATE PRODUCERS: ALICE BURGIN, GAL GREENSPAN<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><b><span lang="EN-AU" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14pt;">THE GIANTS <o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-AU" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14pt;">DIRECTORS: LAURENCE BILLIET, RACHAEL ANTONY PRODUCER: RACHAEL ANTONY<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><b><span lang="EN-AU" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14pt;">RACHEL’S FARM <o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-AU" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14pt;">DIRECTOR: RACHEL WARD, PRODUCER: BETTINA DALTON, RACEL WARD<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt 324pt; text-indent: -324pt;"><b><span lang="EN-AU" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14pt;">SHACKLETON: THE GREATEST STORY OF SURVIVAL <o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt 324pt; text-indent: -324pt;"><span lang="EN-AU" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14pt;">DIRECTORS: BOBBI HANSEL</span><span lang="UZ-CYR" style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14pt;">,</span><span lang="EN-AU" style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14pt;"> CASPAR MAZZOTTI <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt 324pt; text-indent: -324pt;"><span lang="EN-AU" style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14pt;">PRODUCERS: DAVID GROSS, ELECTRA MANIKAKIS, NICK ROBINSON<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt 324pt; text-indent: -324pt;"><span lang="EN-AU" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt 324pt; text-indent: -324pt;"><b><span lang="EN-AU" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14pt;">FCCA IS GRATEFUL TO OUR SUPPORTERS AND SPONSORS<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt 324pt; text-indent: -324pt;"><b><span lang="EN-AU" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt 324pt; text-indent: -324pt;"><b><span lang="EN-AU" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14pt;">SPECTRUM FILMS, BUNYA PRODUCTIONS, ALLEN & UNWIN </span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt 324pt; text-indent: -324pt;"><b><span lang="EN-AU" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14pt;">& GABRIEL COFFEE<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt 324pt; text-indent: -324pt;"><b><span lang="EN-AU" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt 324pt; text-indent: -324pt;"><b><span lang="EN-AU" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14pt;">RODNEY MARKS AND BENJAMIN MARKS<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5242690213881108403.post-74290372598565626592024-03-02T13:23:00.000-08:002024-03-02T13:58:09.872-08:00FILM CRITICS CIRCLE OF AUSTRALIA - An Invitation to all to attend the FCCA Awards Night - Monday 18 March at Paddington RSL<div class="WordSection1" style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; page: WordSection1;"><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0cm;"><br /></p><br /><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0cm; text-align: center;"><o:p> The most fun-filled Awards Night of the Year.</o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0cm; text-align: center;"><o:p> An evening of high-spirited speeches and raucous goodwill ...and always some surprises</o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0cm; text-align: center;"><span face=""Arial Black", sans-serif" lang="EN-AU" style="color: #385723; font-size: 16pt;"> </span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0cm; text-align: center;"><span face=""Arial Black", sans-serif" lang="EN-AU" style="color: #385723; font-size: 16pt;"> </span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span face=""Arial Black", sans-serif" lang="EN-AU" style="color: #385723; font-size: 16pt;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdIP2mLsT39JOM9VmfagsvRA1HF3R3OocXSIt7QjqlY77BV06u4kcOaNpL2rF4GtcEnK4xQNZifbXTcnSQyVK2zaov2hFHp6RZq89SVB9ukPIjIcU86akwKx-6SB6I-ePnMhntkUwWbEuj7_wjg2T61JgYC-4VjYfTHfrXkHCeMhNED189aV4WfNOjIGuc/s290/FCCA%20logo%202024.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="290" data-original-width="290" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdIP2mLsT39JOM9VmfagsvRA1HF3R3OocXSIt7QjqlY77BV06u4kcOaNpL2rF4GtcEnK4xQNZifbXTcnSQyVK2zaov2hFHp6RZq89SVB9ukPIjIcU86akwKx-6SB6I-ePnMhntkUwWbEuj7_wjg2T61JgYC-4VjYfTHfrXkHCeMhNED189aV4WfNOjIGuc/w320-h320/FCCA%20logo%202024.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div><span face=""Arial Black", sans-serif" lang="EN-AU" style="color: #385723; font-size: 16pt;"><br /></span><p></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0cm; text-align: center;"><span face=""Arial Black", sans-serif" lang="EN-AU" style="color: #c00000; font-size: 16pt;">AWARDS NIGHT – MONDAY MARCH 18<sup>TH </sup><o:p></o:p></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0cm; text-align: center;"><span face=""Arial Black", sans-serif" lang="EN-AU" style="color: #385723; font-size: 16pt;"> </span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0cm; text-align: center;"><span face=""Arial Black", sans-serif" lang="EN-AU" style="color: #385723;"> </span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0cm; text-align: center;"><span face=""Arial Black", sans-serif" lang="EN-AU" style="color: #385723;">FOR ANY FURTHER INFORMATION, BOOKINGS PLEASE CONTACT<o:p></o:p></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0cm; text-align: center;"><span face=""Arial Black", sans-serif" lang="EN-AU" style="color: #385723;"> </span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0cm; text-align: center;"><span face=""Arial Black", sans-serif" lang="EN-AU" style="color: #385723;">ADRIENNE at </span><a href="mailto:filmcriticsaust@bigpond.com" style="color: #0563c1;"><span face=""Arial Black", sans-serif" lang="EN-AU" style="color: #385723;">filmcriticsaust@bigpond.com</span></a><span face=""Arial Black", sans-serif" lang="EN-AU" style="color: #385723;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0cm; text-align: center;"><span face=""Arial Black", sans-serif" lang="EN-AU" style="color: #385723;"> </span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0cm; text-align: center;"><span face=""Arial Black", sans-serif" lang="EN-AU" style="color: #385723;"> </span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0cm; text-align: center;"><span face=""Arial Black", sans-serif" lang="EN-AU" style="color: #385723;"> </span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0cm; text-align: center;"><span face=""Arial Black", sans-serif" lang="EN-AU" style="color: #00b050; font-size: 14pt;">THE FILM CRITICS OF AUSTRALIA HOPE YOU WILL JOIN THEM TO CELBRATE AUSTRALIA’S CINEMA<o:p></o:p></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0cm; text-align: center;"><span face=""Arial Black", sans-serif" lang="EN-AU" style="color: #00b050;"> </span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0cm; text-align: center;"><span face=""Arial Black", sans-serif" lang="EN-AU" style="color: #385723;"> </span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0cm; text-align: center;"><span face=""Arial Black", sans-serif" lang="EN-AU" style="color: #385723;"> </span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0cm; text-align: center;"><br /></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0cm; text-align: center;"><br /></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0cm; text-align: center;"><span face=""Arial Black", sans-serif" lang="EN-AU" style="color: #385723;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0cm;"><span face=""Arial Black", sans-serif" lang="EN-AU" style="color: #385723;">ADRIENNE McKIBBINS<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0cm;"><span face=""Arial Black", sans-serif" lang="EN-AU" style="color: #385723;">AWARDS MANAGER<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0cm;"><span face=""Arial Black", sans-serif" lang="EN-AU" style="color: #385723;"><a href="mailto:filmcriticsaust@bigpond.com" style="color: #0563c1;">filmcriticsaust@bigpond.com</a><o:p></o:p></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0cm; text-align: center;"><span face=""Arial Black", sans-serif" lang="EN-AU" style="color: #385723;"> </span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0cm; text-align: center;"><span face=""Arial Black", sans-serif" lang="EN-AU" style="color: #385723;"> </span></p></div><p><br /><attachment aria-label="FCCA NOMINATIONS FOR FILMS OF 2023.pdf" class="Apple-web-attachment" id="<70BD01E7-B881-4829-B7A1-F016C20F7EF3>" role="button" style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; opacity: 1;" title="FCCA NOMINATIONS FOR FILMS OF 2023.pdf" type="application/pdf" webkitattachmentid="f0eecb76-282e-4573-ad14-df1c9bb1e55c"></attachment></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5242690213881108403.post-42751899197667887412024-02-27T14:19:00.000-08:002024-02-29T20:16:16.536-08:00The Current Cinema - Inveterate cinephile Barrie Pattison uncovers a new film by Zhang Yimou ARTICLE 20 (DI ER SHI TIAO, China, 2024) <p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCMXU5hyFoLgJuPmUAuuUw4SARy3_EdSAQn1kBcAbQSUh-fRd74GxTbXxk1qCiZ2xEc2eoHmCJC8RNkhyphenhyphenJ-lesf1PfWOLFJz5bsPOYrMs2gHqMRi0m5IhEr_aYa3TBh27FWP-RpJ_k0p6lFYlH8lCU01ey6yT8snc7Zf2hFW67eXsEaDGA6jUZnMSZ8OOJ/s225/Article%2020.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="225" data-original-width="225" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCMXU5hyFoLgJuPmUAuuUw4SARy3_EdSAQn1kBcAbQSUh-fRd74GxTbXxk1qCiZ2xEc2eoHmCJC8RNkhyphenhyphenJ-lesf1PfWOLFJz5bsPOYrMs2gHqMRi0m5IhEr_aYa3TBh27FWP-RpJ_k0p6lFYlH8lCU01ey6yT8snc7Zf2hFW67eXsEaDGA6jUZnMSZ8OOJ/w400-h400/Article%2020.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p><br /></p><span style="font-size: medium;"> <span style="font-family: Arial;">First up let me say that </span><i style="font-family: Arial;">Di er shi tiao/Article 20 </i><span style="font-family: Arial;">is a film that everyone should have a look at. This is not because it is satisfying as a dramatic entertainment or that it is an accurate depiction of contemporary China, though occasionally it is not without those qualities. It’s not even a good match with the taste of its target audience. The film has had an unspectacular reception there. What it is is an ambitious, officially approved presentation of the country from Zhang Yimou their most prestigious film maker.</span></span><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">This one is a film for what used to be called China watchers. Do we still have China watchers? The interest is in trying to figure out what the authorities want to tell their public. It is an extension of the line of long, over complex contemporary legal drama like Zhang’s<i> </i>1992<i>’s Qiu Ju da guan si/Qiu Ju</i> or <i>I Am Not Mme. Bovary</i>. The real business of the film is the depiction of the Chinese legal system, which they tell us is flexible enough to prioritise intelligence and compassion over court precedent. So much for the rule of law do I hear you say? In a period where we see the sentences imposed on anti-democracy activists under constant outside criticism and we are told that decisions are made before trials, this is particularly informative.</span><span face="-webkit-standard, serif"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"> </span><span face="-webkit-standard, serif"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">Through the accident of ethnic screening, we get a chance to consider this under ideal circumstances – an impeccable English sub-titled copy running simultaneously with its home turf first release. </span><span face="-webkit-standard, serif"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; font-family: Arial; padding: 0cm;"> </span><span face="-webkit-standard, serif"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; font-family: Arial; padding: 0cm;"></span></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgh0QZpH8_DGpBE1sEhplBC9MeszLw_vZOySHnK-hkpcex_WrfuDH2uerP9K7q1t860N2xtaHOK54rQMAyzD-wbr7km9jXcTasXiJKYuoNzR9zMJlpMaPkAy2DVzTbo5vdKUTQ4UfykXd25deUNJAVnPp5oNhJrodq5a8QlJDU4spH2YO9Xv1hqACFh7WSK/s275/Zhang%20Yimouxy.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="183" data-original-width="275" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgh0QZpH8_DGpBE1sEhplBC9MeszLw_vZOySHnK-hkpcex_WrfuDH2uerP9K7q1t860N2xtaHOK54rQMAyzD-wbr7km9jXcTasXiJKYuoNzR9zMJlpMaPkAy2DVzTbo5vdKUTQ4UfykXd25deUNJAVnPp5oNhJrodq5a8QlJDU4spH2YO9Xv1hqACFh7WSK/w400-h266/Zhang%20Yimouxy.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Zhang Yimou</td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; font-family: Arial; padding: 0cm;"><br /></span></span><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: medium;">The opening recalls Zhang Yimou’s recent<i> Jian ru pan shi/Under the Light, </i>where one level-headed individual is able to handle a crisis. Here a truck blockade at the court house is brought under control by middle-aged (he’s already dyeing his hair) temporary prosecutor Jiayin Lei, whose presence of mind gets him put onto the case, despite the unease of boss and one-time college squeeze Gao Ye. Dim surveillance video shows villager Pan Binlong repeatedly stabbing Alan Aruna the demonstrators' now comatose employer. Unsavory allegations of the man raping the worker’s deaf mute wife Zhao Liying emerge. She has fled with their child. </span></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 14pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; font-family: Arial; padding: 0cm;"> </span><span face="-webkit-standard, serif"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; font-family: Arial; padding: 0cm;">As if that wasn’t enough to sustain the film, Jiayin’s middle school boy Liu Yaowen has been in a fight with the son of local boss Yu Hewei and is hiding from investigation and a third case from Jiayin’s past has come back to require attention. The image of the girl with the smashed bike helmet on the hospital bench is particularly disturbing. The intervention of Jiayin’s assertive wife Li Ma proves disastrous. Keeping up with these intrigues for a couple of hours takes all the attention an outside audience can bring to it. The sensationalist material shown later undermines conviction.</span><span face="-webkit-standard, serif"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; font-family: Arial; padding: 0cm;"> </span><span face="-webkit-standard, serif"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; font-family: Arial; padding: 0cm;">I’m not the ideal commentator. </span><span style="font-family: Arial;">I sat there thinking how flat-footed the lengthy scenes of domestic comedy were, while the Asian audience around me (quite a reasonable number for a mid-week matinee) guffawed at dialogue we were told meant “the noodles are cooking.” I was distracted by thinking about the Western films I’d seen, which aired the situations – the angry workers complaining that the legal proceedings involving their employer were delaying payment of their salaries in the 1979 Victor Lanoux <i>Un si joli village…, </i>the school bullies in Helmut Kautner’s one imposing U.S. film, the 1958 <i>The Restless Years</i>, the mobs in <i>They Won’t Forget</i> or <i>When the Dalton’s Rode, </i>or even the demonstrators outside Lou Grant’s paper, who don’t recognise him and ask for the names of famous editors, being offered Ben Bradley and Superman’s Perry White. This line of thought was really about as productive as Oliver Stone's showing <i>Mr. Smith Goes to Washington </i>to Vladimir Putin <i>.</i></span><span face="-webkit-standard, serif"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"> </span><span face="-webkit-standard, serif"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; font-family: Arial; padding: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: medium;">The good news is that the filmmaking is superior, outside a lachrymose western score complete with awful playout song. Crisp widescreen images effectively establish contrasting situations – the business-like court officials and the mean villagers, the ordered offices and the giant building site manned by a watchman on the lookout for building inspectors, street food and the boss’ banquet, with the ritual pouring of toasts. Curiously we don’t see police premises. The brother in law cop brings his documentation to our lead and shows up at scenes of group agitation. Let’s not worry too much about Gao Ye’s surprise proficiency in sign language. This one is the best depiction of present-day China I know. The cast is familiar to their own audience and manages effective, unshaded characters. I must admit I found myself damp eyed at Jiayin’s address to the judgment panel, witnessed and relayed by his son to Li Ma with the endorsement “Dad is awesome.” Maybe Oliver Stone was right. At this point, we are not all that far away from <i>Mr. Deeds Goes to Town.</i></span></span><span face="-webkit-standard, serif"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; font-family: Arial; padding: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><i><br /></i></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; font-family: Arial; padding: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b><i>NB - ARTICLE 20 is currently screening at 27 Cinemas around Australia including Hoyts Burwood and Hoyts Broadway and Event Cinemas George Street in Sydney</i></b></span></span></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5242690213881108403.post-58779448225714140272024-02-23T20:44:00.000-08:002024-02-25T21:03:48.905-08:00Sixty Years of International Art Cinema 1960-2020 - Bruce Hodsdon continues his series - 6 (23) Italy Part 6 - Pasolini, Rosi, the new generation<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1Jdb7DXdwr9G5BDevCBLnwKzPO4_bpWvQZiw1-kmBGximA3TxCjyYWfOF91p7HBusp9F9khbIauoje3MZzr0Ot7_zU1x-XsuvrwCMu17ol5WbYrUUUeV5QhYZOuiEKf5tGMhyphenhyphengcS7w73wd_Ax0Qy0XOr_EoxbrYzSYoAiGmR_-LIHzkuQRT3OxYL-sE9d/s269/Pasolini.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="187" data-original-width="269" height="278" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1Jdb7DXdwr9G5BDevCBLnwKzPO4_bpWvQZiw1-kmBGximA3TxCjyYWfOF91p7HBusp9F9khbIauoje3MZzr0Ot7_zU1x-XsuvrwCMu17ol5WbYrUUUeV5QhYZOuiEKf5tGMhyphenhyphengcS7w73wd_Ax0Qy0XOr_EoxbrYzSYoAiGmR_-LIHzkuQRT3OxYL-sE9d/w400-h278/Pasolini.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pier Paolo Pasolini</td></tr></tbody></table><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 7pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b><span style="color: #1d1d1d; font-family: Arial;"><br /></span></b></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 7pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b><span style="color: #1d1d1d; font-family: Arial;">Pasolini’s conflicted passions </span></b><span style="color: #1d1d1d; font-family: Arial;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 7pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="color: #1d1d1d; font-family: Arial;">Poet, novelist, essayist, script-writer, auteur, </span><b><span style="color: #1d1d1d; font-family: Arial;">Pier Paolo Pasolini</span></b><span style="color: #1d1d1d; font-family: Arial;"> (1922-75) </span><span style="color: #1d1d1d; font-family: Arial;">dedicated much time to try and reconcile the Catholicism ingrained in him from childhood with Gramscian Marxism which gave him the tools to think through the problems of oppression. His intellectual development was also shaped by the humanism at the core of the Italian school program: the idea of history as the continual process of perfecting an abstract humanity. It nurtured his famed “myth of innocence” with which the peasantry, sub-proletariat and Third World represent existence outside of Western history. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 7pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="color: #1d1d1d; font-family: Arial;">Pasolini deeply regretted the advent of technocracy and consumerism. By the mid 60s he enthusiastically subscribed to Freudianism which, like Marxism, constituted an attack on bourgeois ideology. Freud also offered him a clear and “scientific” theory of the cause and nature of homosexuality exposing Marxism's </span><span style="font-family: Arial;">inadequacy in addressing sexual oppression and led him to highlight the </span><span style="color: #1d1d1d; font-family: Arial;">private sphere as the location for struggle. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 7pt;"><span style="color: #1d1d1d; font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: medium;">This summary is based on Mauriziano Viano’s <i>A Certain Realism:making use of Pasolini's Film Theory and Practice </i>1993<i> </i>ch. 1. (1-5)<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 7pt;"><span style="color: #1d1d1d; font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: medium;">When Pasolini started directing films in 1961, he had already worked on the scripts of some 15 other movies for directors like Fellini and Bolognini. it was on the strength of his well-received Roman novels, ‘Ragazzi di vita (1955) and ‘Una vita violenta’ (1959) that he was first asked to work on scripts set in the same milieu as his novels, also true of his first films as director, <i>Accattone </i>(1961) and <i>Mamma Roma </i>(1962), which form a group with the two novels as much as with his subsequent films. It was the disappointment with the way his scenarios were directed by others, that gave Pasolini the push he needed to make films himself. (Viano 6)<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 7pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="color: #1d1d1d; font-family: Arial;"></span></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdVLJ2La9ZBxQN-BEQK4hMPNusNOL47ElsccVVS_xR17V3mFgSaGJUKSb4nwxdyKW8FUYrieZPa7oAwL9jwy8PlOQd1mWtY89IumkCqlZn0CpqeSx3vSta_VrJnly8TMLxwViHiYjResf2Htfl04-g_4MjbOZe0gQfGBUyA5o5NSUlQdtyCXOtJr6UITAO/s300/download-92.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="168" data-original-width="300" height="224" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdVLJ2La9ZBxQN-BEQK4hMPNusNOL47ElsccVVS_xR17V3mFgSaGJUKSb4nwxdyKW8FUYrieZPa7oAwL9jwy8PlOQd1mWtY89IumkCqlZn0CpqeSx3vSta_VrJnly8TMLxwViHiYjResf2Htfl04-g_4MjbOZe0gQfGBUyA5o5NSUlQdtyCXOtJr6UITAO/w400-h224/download-92.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Anna Magnani, <i>Mamma Roma</i></span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="color: #1d1d1d; font-family: Arial;"><br /><p class="MsoNormal" style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><span style="color: #1d1d1d; font-family: Arial;">He wanted to make his films as he wrote poems or novels, “to be author of my own work at every moment.” Pasolini did not want to co-author films in the industry sense of transferring a script to the screen, and this included generally not using professional actors. He nevertheless chose Anna Magnani for the role of Mamma Roma because she had been so identified with Rome since her appearance in <i>Rome Open City. </i>There were apparent tensions when he tried to tone down, without success, the ‘’excess’ of her playing in the part of Mamma Roma. (Stack 49-53, ibid 97), Rohdie 79)</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></p></span></span><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 7pt;"><span style="color: #1d1d1d; font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Pasolini’s Marxist credentials and his use of locations and non-professional actors such as Franco Citti in the portrayal of desperate lives, as in <i>Bicycle Thieves </i>and <i>La Terra Trema, </i>that first raised hopes amongst leftist critics of a socially conscious neorealist revival. (Greene 25)<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 7pt;"><span style="color: #1d1d1d; font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: medium;"></span></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjm0LsTuXjX8IyrsGJWta4yRZ0_ceZ88No_JWmRW2oo-0TJ26kBhmiAEH8d3vT0iJQPIhOH7GwCSpIy0JOBhGnTeEgGWjS2YuH2kYkXtsZsmWCKQKlo9tjZnJHnt97079eDVIGn9h2KrsucjAfbe1qrd8d5kJqPJoCll2X2wW56PST8Eblao8aFc2M0oIYk/s225/download-93.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="225" data-original-width="225" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjm0LsTuXjX8IyrsGJWta4yRZ0_ceZ88No_JWmRW2oo-0TJ26kBhmiAEH8d3vT0iJQPIhOH7GwCSpIy0JOBhGnTeEgGWjS2YuH2kYkXtsZsmWCKQKlo9tjZnJHnt97079eDVIGn9h2KrsucjAfbe1qrd8d5kJqPJoCll2X2wW56PST8Eblao8aFc2M0oIYk/w400-h400/download-93.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Franco Citti, <i>Accattone</i></span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="color: #1d1d1d; font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br />Accattone, the title character of Pasolini’s first film, is a pimp in the lowest strata of the poverty- stricken Roman community - the ‘borgate’. He is linked by Pasolini to the figure of Christ and the events portrayed have a mythic quality. Mamma Roma, working the streets as a prostitute, is also on the lowest strata but unlike Accattone she has petit-bourgeois ideals and is trapped in the futility of petit-bourgeois morality “like a home, job, keeping up appearances, the radio, going to mass on Sundays.” Pasolini described Accattone’s dreams as “epic-mythic-fantastic.” (Stack 46)<o:p></o:p></span></span><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 7pt;"><span style="color: #1d1d1d; font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: medium;">In ennobling his lower classes Pasolini shows their contradictions: they are victims but not passive and, as such, are not without dignity and complexity. Far more haunted by death than most neo-realist films, both <i>Accattone </i>and<i> Mamma Roma </i>are also overtly Christian in the way they are portrayed (what Pasolini called the “epical religious”). This too must have disturbed the leftists. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 7pt;"><span style="color: #1d1d1d; font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Death is stressed even more in <i>Mamma Roma </i>than in <i>Accattone. </i>The arrangement at the table at the opening wedding banquet in <i>Mamma Roma </i>suggests The Last Supper. Mamma Roma’s son Ettore’s final agony, is likened to that of the dead Christ in Mantegna’s painting ‘Christo Motto’. The “epical religious” mixing of the Roman sub-proletariat with the music of Bach in <i>Accattone </i>scandalised the critics whereas the combination of Vivaldi, more Italian and popular, with the petit-bourgeois in <i>Mamma Roma </i>is less confronting. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 7pt;"><span style="color: #1d1d1d; font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Naomi Greene refers to the precarious tension between passion and ideology inhabiting Pasolini’s first films which gives them a special tone as neorealist milieus and social concerns are filtered through a deeply religious, fatalistic sensibility (39). He agreed with Roland Barthes that the cinema should not try to make sense but suspend it. In keeping with this, his films “are not supposed to have a finished sense, they always end with a question" (Stack 56).<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 7pt;"><span style="color: #1d1d1d; font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: medium;"></span></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4Rvn__p_iZMGaADCF70_YwLDCeskC0USChgjVD3MFPVNdKP3cNxZieCWhBtulV0zW_qzrPas4RDcVTTn2eNCJrJvOn9WgzSNyieIGqu31EUmemJ5QNVJrGTP2n4MWaan4mtBgeOvfj6cOHx3AGl01G1IzivySlm-ClY1diy7kmZbRkkWtBV3g1T77-ohx/s300/download-94.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="168" data-original-width="300" height="224" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4Rvn__p_iZMGaADCF70_YwLDCeskC0USChgjVD3MFPVNdKP3cNxZieCWhBtulV0zW_qzrPas4RDcVTTn2eNCJrJvOn9WgzSNyieIGqu31EUmemJ5QNVJrGTP2n4MWaan4mtBgeOvfj6cOHx3AGl01G1IzivySlm-ClY1diy7kmZbRkkWtBV3g1T77-ohx/w400-h224/download-94.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Orson Welles, <i>La Ricotta</i></span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="color: #1d1d1d; font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br />Pasolini contributed an ironic film-within-a-film, <i>La ricotta </i>(1963), to an anthology, <i>RoGoPaG</i> (1963), made up of four contributions (the other three by Rossellini, Godard, and Gregoretti). Pasolini uses the Crucifixion as a metaphor. A poor, unemployed worker Stracci earns a pittance as a stand-in portraying “the good thief” in a cheap commercial picture about Christ’s life. Orson Welles plays the director of the film and reads a poem by Pasolini expressing nostalgic melancholy for eras long past. <o:p></o:p></span></span><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 7pt;"><span style="color: #1d1d1d; font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Stracci uses every free minute to take food from the set to his family while also overindulging (ricotta cheese his favourite) and dying of indigestion on the cross. His death is discovered as the producer visits the location for a luxurious banquet entertaining upper class guests. A sophisticated use of music - from a Gregorian chant ‘Dies Irae’ to Scarlatti, and the twist - “helps to hold together this outcry against the betrayal of religion, the consumer society, social injustice, and cynicism” (Liehm 240). Neo-fascist youths assaulted Pasolini and others at the Roman premiere. He was brought to trial, receiving a suspended four month jail sentence for “the defamation of the state religion.” This was especially harsh since, as Naomi Greene points out, “<i>La ricotta </i>deals less with religion per se than with the degraded position it occupies in contemporary society, and, especially with the way(s) it is represented” (Greene 61).<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 7pt;"><span style="color: #1d1d1d; font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Pasolini had an aversion to the illusion of naturalism that was at the core of neo-realism. Rather than linking things in a natural flow he isolates them, breaking a sense of spatial and temporal continuity. When using long takes, as in Mamma Roma’s night walks, they are stylised in a way that breaks the natural flow of things sought by many of the neorealists. When characters are seated in groups he pans from one face to the other, each person speaking to the camera, non-naturalistically and abruptly, rather than to each other. Greene borrows a metaphor from French critic André Bazin to highlight that “while the neorealists waited patiently for reality to unveil itself, a brutal Pasolini meets it head-on.” Measured camera rhythms, slow camera movements, frontal shots, and long close-ups all create a stylised poetic universe that is, as Pasolini remarked, “a frontal, romantic, chiaroscuro world.” (see Greene 42-4)<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 7pt;"><span style="color: #1d1d1d; font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: medium;">The environments that were the settings in most of Pasoliini’s films of the early to the mid-60s are, as previously noted, set in the Roman periphery called the borgate where populations were moved into public housing during the Fascist period. This then developed into the progressive social housing experience of the 1950s. Apparently working within its tradition, Pasolini used the borgate to critique neorealism and the “architectural neo-realism” of Roman urban planning under fascism, and during the post-war economic miracle, in what he saw as contemptuous treatment of Rome’s poor. (Rhodes 125)<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 7pt;"><span style="color: #1d1d1d; font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: medium;">While settling accounts with neo-realism in his first two films, Pasolini marked himself as the poet of the Roman borgate. His films in the mid-60s were markedly different from his first films but also from each other except in the shared denominator of stylistic experimentation. What all the films of this phase share is a Gramscian inflection in their social and political concerns. A founder of the Italian Communist Party Antonio Gramsci was rare among Marxist theorists in attributing a revolutionary role to the peasantry. He also urged intellectuals to abandon their traditional ivory towers to form “organic links” with the working class to lead battles in the domain of schools, the media and the arts with the intent of creating a new “national-popular culture” - “national” meaning not the nationalism of the nation-state but a sharing of history and traditions especially among the common people, and “popular” in the sense of a popular culture - not populism. (ibid)<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 7pt;"><span style="color: #1d1d1d; font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: medium;"></span></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhye8pnLe8slO0tx_rr49ZQyzRmggDcpe7aDqpqW5m1n2X6TuXmAyKDeJ99DfxQvUxOQTW1jyB1-fNSCZXEJ1nyaK03Bfgx3aZvK2rnn2BYOcG71C2CcMC7lh0WinkNUIV2OCbbOV5abAZhrGzzUvnWTHg-yjFvbnLVDxBSIsWCQsLc6B6ifG6HIWAKCgOj/s262/download-95.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="193" data-original-width="262" height="295" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhye8pnLe8slO0tx_rr49ZQyzRmggDcpe7aDqpqW5m1n2X6TuXmAyKDeJ99DfxQvUxOQTW1jyB1-fNSCZXEJ1nyaK03Bfgx3aZvK2rnn2BYOcG71C2CcMC7lh0WinkNUIV2OCbbOV5abAZhrGzzUvnWTHg-yjFvbnLVDxBSIsWCQsLc6B6ifG6HIWAKCgOj/w400-h295/download-95.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i style="caret-color: rgb(29, 29, 29); color: #1d1d1d; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;">The Gospel According to Matthew </span></i></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="color: #1d1d1d; font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br />Pasolini said that “the key by which I conceived <i>Il Vangelo secondo Matteo/ The Gospel According to Matthew </i>(he deliberately removed Saint from Matthew in the title) and that drove me to make it, was Jesus’s sentence in the Gospel that he had come ‘not to bring peace on earth…but to bring division, a man against his father, a daughter against her mother“ (Matt. 10:34) (Viano 133).<o:p></o:p></span></span><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 7pt;"><span style="color: #1d1d1d; font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Pasolini’s final film of this phase, <i>Uccellacci e uccellini / Hawks and Sparrows </i>(1966), was the director’s farewell to the world of the sub-proletariat as well as to the first part of his oeuvre, “a parting homage to the ideological and cinematic matrix of his formative years as a filmmaker. It is “a film about the end of ideology, the end of commitment. <i>Hawks and Sparrows </i>marks, for Pasolini, the final liquidation of neorealism, the fading of the political hopes first represented by Gramsci and the Resistance partisans and his moving progressively farther and farther away from neorealism in the adoption of the parable form (either modern or set in an antique past). He regarded <i>Hawks and Sparrows </i>as his “purest film” in the sense of being “the product of cinematographic rather than figurative culture, unlike <i>Accattone.” </i>(Bondanella 184, Stack 99))<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 7pt;"><span style="color: #1d1d1d; font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: medium;">After H<i>awks and Sparrows </i>Pasolini entered a phase of political withdrawal that happened to coincide with the upsurge in left-wing political life in 1968. Pasolini’s isolation was probably motivated by despair with what he saw as the incapacity of the PCI or the ultra-left to halt the “death dealing capitalist embourgeoisement of the world he loved.” (Nowell-Smith 18)<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 7pt;"><span style="color: #1d1d1d; font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: medium;">In his first major essay about film, <i>Il Cinema di poesia </i>(1965), Pasolini provided a theoretical map of his view of the poetic intuitions that marked his work. He always used the word “poetic” positively to refer to the superior status of the image that is not straight-jacketed into a single meaning, best describing the language as “spoken” by reality and by cinematic images. As previously mentioned, Pasolini had an aversion to the illusion of naturalism that was the core of neorealism. He preferred to isolate things that were in a natural flow by breaking the sense of spatial and temporal continuity central to classical narrative (Rohdie 3-4).<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 7pt;"><span style="color: #1d1d1d; font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: medium;">“I love life so fiercely, so desperately, that nothing good can come of it” 1960 quoted in Siciliano p 32<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 7pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="color: #1d1d1d; font-family: Arial;">“Pasolini (in his death) has successfully evaded the mortal synthesis, and reproduces around his corpse all the contradictions that characterised his multifarious activities.” -</span><span style="color: #1d1d1d; font-family: Arial;">Don Ranvaud p 204</span><span style="color: #1d1d1d; font-family: Arial;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 7pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><i><span style="color: #1d1d1d; font-family: Arial;">The above is drawn from a note in </span></i><span style="color: #1d1d1d; font-family: Arial;">CTEQ Annotations on Film<i> in</i> Senses of Cinema <i>which includes more information of the “conflicted passions” in Pasolini’s life, further discussion of </i>Accattone<i> </i>and Mamma Roma<i>, and footnotes as referenced in the above text.</i><o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 7pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b><span style="color: #1d1d1d; font-family: Arial;">Filmography</span></b><b><span style="color: #1d1d1d; font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span></b><span style="color: #1d1d1d; font-family: Arial;">The <b><i>national-popular phase</i></b> based in Pasolini's “epical-religious poetry” and Antonio Gramsci's revisionist Marxism (<b><i>5 films</i></b>: <i>Accatone</i> 61, <i>Mamma Roma</i> 62, <i>La ricotta</i> in <i>Rogopag</i> 62, <i>The Gospel According to St Matthew </i>64, <i>Hawks and Sparrows</i> 66) ; the self-styled<b> <i>“unpopular” phase</i></b> (<b><i>2 films</i></b> from the appropriation of <b><i>Greek myth</i></b> in <i>Oedipus Rex</i> 67 and <i>Medea</i> 69, and <b><i>2 contemporary</i></b> <b><i>fables</i></b> in <i>Teorema</i> 68 and <i>Porcile</i> 69); the <b>“trilogy of life”</b>, a “dream world of guiltless sexuality “(<i>The Decameron </i>71<i>, The Canterbury Tales </i>72, <i>Arabian Nights </i>73); <i> Salò </i>75<i> </i>was to be the first of <b><i>a trilogy based on Dante's model </i></b><i>apparently in rebuttal of the trilogy of life </i>: Inferno, Purgatory, Paradise. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 7pt;"><span style="color: #1d1d1d; font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: medium;"> </span></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 7pt; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #1d1d1d; font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: medium;">**********************************<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 7pt;"><span style="color: #1d1d1d; font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Naomi Greene <i>Pier Paolo Pasolini : Cinema as Heresy</i> <i>1990</i> <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><span style="color: #1d1d1d; font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Oswald Stack <i>Pasolini on Pasolini </i>1969 <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><span style="color: #1d1d1d; font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Sam Rohdie <i>The Passion of Pier Paolo Pasolini </i>1995 <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><span style="color: #1d1d1d; font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Enzo Siciliano <i>Pasolini A Biography </i>1982 <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="color: #1d1d1d; font-family: Arial;">Mauriano Viano <i>A Certain Realism</i> : <i>Making use of Pasolini’s Film Theory and Practice 1993 </i></span><span style="color: #1d1d1d; font-family: Arial;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="color: #1d1d1d; font-family: Arial;">Don Ranvaud “Salo or 120 Ways of Remaining Heretical” <i>Monthly Film Bulletin </i>September 1979 </span><span style="color: #1d1d1d; font-family: Arial;"> <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><span style="color: #1d1d1d; font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: medium;">John D. Rhodes <i>Stupendous, Miserable City : Pasolini’s Rome </i>2007 <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><span style="color: #1d1d1d; font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Geoffrey Nowell-Smith “Pasolini’s Originality” <i>Pier Paolo Pasolini </i>ed. Paul Willemen BFI <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><span style="color: #1d1d1d; font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Pasolini et al “an Epical-Religious View of the World <i>Film Quarterly </i>Summer 1965 <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><span style="color: #1d1d1d; font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Bruce Hodsdon “Mamma Roma and the Conflicted Passions of Pier Paolo Pasolini CTEQ Annotations <i>Senses of Cinema </i>no 70<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><span style="color: #1d1d1d; font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: medium;"> </span></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 7pt; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #1d1d1d; font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: medium;">******************************************<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 7pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><i><span style="color: #1d1d1d; font-family: Arial;"></span></i></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnQSxPOtEXyiKxDEhnPbd1Bg9aKXmlfmUlHV2a97FbLnAgTvjvokAtLRX51yC4yzE5o5TFrh3-JZizrpXIM2iFoC0TJGmymvdt8FkDWVkBotnH6_NHbzismcTyrTzBq6zHycjmvdg_cCVwaSQx60ePcrGcYYMp0ZK3Fzw9NGBvj0kkcgG6HTwcjCPwohim/s290/download-96.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="174" data-original-width="290" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnQSxPOtEXyiKxDEhnPbd1Bg9aKXmlfmUlHV2a97FbLnAgTvjvokAtLRX51yC4yzE5o5TFrh3-JZizrpXIM2iFoC0TJGmymvdt8FkDWVkBotnH6_NHbzismcTyrTzBq6zHycjmvdg_cCVwaSQx60ePcrGcYYMp0ZK3Fzw9NGBvj0kkcgG6HTwcjCPwohim/w400-h240/download-96.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #1d1d1d; font-family: Arial;">Francesco Rosi</span></span><span style="color: #1d1d1d; text-align: left;"> </span></span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-size: medium;"><i><span style="color: #1d1d1d; font-family: Arial;"><br />My first encounter with the third feature of </span></i><b><span style="color: #1d1d1d; font-family: Arial;">Francesco Rosi</span></b><span style="color: #1d1d1d; font-family: Arial;"> (1922-2015)<i>, </i>Salvatore Guiliano (1961)<i>, was at a screening in the mid-sixties on a double bill with John Ford's western </i>Two Rode Together<i> in a near empty cinema midweek in Enmore, an inner Sydney suburb with a then substantial Italian population. Rosi's film (it was very successful in Italy) was being distributed from Melbourne by an Italian importer of feature films to service the post war influx of Italian immigrants, disproportionately from southern Italy. As such, it was not given any kind of release (ironically likely to have been seen to be ‘too political’) in the then expanded number of arthouses in the CBD and screenings for middle and upper middle class audiences in Sydney's more affluent eastern and northern suburbs. In my formative years as a cinephile I had taken to scanning through the cinema listings mainly for atypical screenings of interest such as of Rosi's film. My first viewing of a sub-titled feature film – De Sica's </i>Umberto D (1951)<i> - at the age of 13 - was at a mid-week “continental film night” introduced c1953 at the local suburban cinema, the programming weighted towards Italian films presumably aiming to attract the growing number of Italian market gardeners and their families from the then nearby semi- rural suburb of North Ryde. BH</i><o:p></o:p></span></span><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 7pt;"><span style="color: #1d1d1d; font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: medium;"></span></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQsL5WUCqrkZBDk09niTIQmoQTJ6_GwOm5ArrwAFbGIbrSmwu0TPDuI_2NQt32rEuwbOtE4aKm1DeAXkbQGJS1mnWCDCEUQt7_JfXK6OTHh_mDPE3pzHHG-c_u4ihRjzK1_Z89awTiumkYUxJOIYKF2LTSlVSOdHm06asBdz1s2EceqUU58Ie6FZB2PspF/s300/download-97.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="168" data-original-width="300" height="224" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQsL5WUCqrkZBDk09niTIQmoQTJ6_GwOm5ArrwAFbGIbrSmwu0TPDuI_2NQt32rEuwbOtE4aKm1DeAXkbQGJS1mnWCDCEUQt7_JfXK6OTHh_mDPE3pzHHG-c_u4ihRjzK1_Z89awTiumkYUxJOIYKF2LTSlVSOdHm06asBdz1s2EceqUU58Ie6FZB2PspF/w400-h224/download-97.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="caret-color: rgb(29, 29, 29); color: #1d1d1d; font-size: medium; text-align: left;"><i>Salvatore Guiliano</i></span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="color: #1d1d1d; font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br />Rosi's film is not about the Sicilian bandit Salvatore Guiliano. “While something of a media star, he was little more than a puppet dancing to the tune of hidden masters.” This is made clear by the film's original title, <i>Sicily 1943-60.</i> We see Guiliano rarely throughout the film “which focuses instead on the half-perceived forces which controlled him and the island of Sicily. In answer to those who objected that the film is too much of a chronicle, Rosi repeatedly asserted that his film is not a documentary, but a document based on careful, detailed study of the events" surrounding the life and death of Guliano (Testa ed. 9)<o:p></o:p></span></span><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 7pt;"><span style="color: #1d1d1d; font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Rosi's film shows that the rigorously documented study of an historical and social phenomenon, such as the post-Second World War Sicilian independence movement and its relation to the Mafia, can overcome the traditional distinction between fiction and documentary and create a gripping style that is both individually tragic and historically persuasive, methodologically accurate and psychologically refined. (ibid 3)<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 7pt;"><span style="color: #1d1d1d; font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: medium;">In comparing Rosi's film with Visconti's classically slow visual idealisation of Sicily in <i>The Leopard</i>, for example, Pierre Sorlin ('Italian National Cinema') puts it more explicitly: Rosi does not draw distinctions between the criminals and the victims because Guiliano was paid by those seeking independence for Sicily to murder policemen and by the landlords to murder leftist country people. There were many who wanted him dead. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 7pt;"><span style="color: #1d1d1d; font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Beginning with the discovery of Guiliano's corpse at the beginning, “Rosi's film shows that it is impossible to account for the murder, since the whole structure of Sicilian rural society is more or less involved in it.” Modernist film codes more redolent of a sense of indecisiveness, are effectively used in the film. “Many sequences are interrupted briskly, as if it were impossible to conclude them. The film emphasises its own ambiguity by refusing to offer a clear explanation of events. Rosi suggests “that Sicily cannot be understood on the basis of a simple opposition between backwardness and modernisation and that it is not easy to disentangle a complex system where kinship and patronage prevail over class-based relationships” (Pierre Sorlin, Italian National Cinema, 141).<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 7pt;"><span style="color: #1d1d1d; font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: medium;"></span></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqcSF3WGMFxKIs1WW8jE-E2ss1-eY30BaZwmhPInSpR_TwcVW5k3wm8yKEHUXbuGEsbvlFnDsR7rj4f3Ml4NBJjR3rL_EsxzWfSyTFvZoP347mfC2SSqedS-y6M4G76CkcQmhMhQVB1PTUtGRDF8plJKc56uhIdWMnSDCQUmgMribrp_qcLoBDPCD6Xt57/s220/download-98.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="149" data-original-width="220" height="271" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqcSF3WGMFxKIs1WW8jE-E2ss1-eY30BaZwmhPInSpR_TwcVW5k3wm8yKEHUXbuGEsbvlFnDsR7rj4f3Ml4NBJjR3rL_EsxzWfSyTFvZoP347mfC2SSqedS-y6M4G76CkcQmhMhQVB1PTUtGRDF8plJKc56uhIdWMnSDCQUmgMribrp_qcLoBDPCD6Xt57/w400-h271/download-98.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><i style="caret-color: rgb(29, 29, 29); color: #1d1d1d; text-align: left;">Hands Over the City </i><span style="caret-color: rgb(29, 29, 29); color: #1d1d1d; text-align: left;"> </span></span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="color: #1d1d1d; font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br />Although complex, Rosi's second major film <i>Le mani sulli chilla/ Hands Over the City </i>(1963) is a film of “political indictment and social commitment” compared with the ambiguities constituting <i>Salvatore Guiliano's </i>“revolutionary postmodernism.” Grounded in a case of real estate speculation in the context of political corruption in Naples, it is “unquestionably about the morality of power, and as such is an abstract work organised as a debate of ideas. The filmic tale is episodic and constructed by verbal means.” (Manuela Gieri, Testa ed 46). <o:p></o:p></span></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px;"> </span><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="color: #1d1d1d; font-family: Arial;"><i>If prior to </i>Hands Over the City<i> Rosi had any hesitation over the path that had been taken </i><span style="font-style: italic;"><span><span> </span></span></span><i>to overcome neo-realism, with this film his message was loud and clear, and he thereafter continued his work towards the creation and development of his own personal interpretation of realism by focusing quite openly on narration, rather than description[..] Asking questions rather than giving answers is ultimately a strategy aimed at building within the audience not only the capacity to interpret reality, but also the ability to foresee the effects of present action on t</i></span><span style="color: #1d1d1d; font-family: Arial; font-style: italic;">he future (</span></span><span style="caret-color: rgb(29, 29, 29); color: #1d1d1d; font-family: Arial; font-style: italic;">Gieri, ibid 54-5</span><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-style: italic;"><span style="color: #1d1d1d; font-family: Arial;">)</span></span></span></p><div><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 7pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b><span style="color: #1d1d1d; font-family: Arial;"></span></b></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgq7hfbvCmDzOXaogC1K_UsRvojwHeefhah1Vu6DtELgM0C7ihQkuwOmIBl4SbZMbGi9SnG-ZUX2xfvbFXbySxxNiWCiHAAybItCOVwjPMTXacJJClPVBjJY_flZNf0_irwfDEVoTU9fCtYXn-3951Xw6p4p_KnDUfxvB9DZozCTIk-Bx3E3HM8zn0UQVy/s245/Bernardo%20Bertolucci.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="245" data-original-width="206" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgq7hfbvCmDzOXaogC1K_UsRvojwHeefhah1Vu6DtELgM0C7ihQkuwOmIBl4SbZMbGi9SnG-ZUX2xfvbFXbySxxNiWCiHAAybItCOVwjPMTXacJJClPVBjJY_flZNf0_irwfDEVoTU9fCtYXn-3951Xw6p4p_KnDUfxvB9DZozCTIk-Bx3E3HM8zn0UQVy/w336-h400/Bernardo%20Bertolucci.jpeg" width="336" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #1d1d1d; font-family: Arial; font-size: medium;">Bernando Bertolucci</span></span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-size: medium;"><b><span style="color: #1d1d1d; font-family: Arial;"><br />Bernando Bertolucci</span></b><span style="color: #1d1d1d; font-family: Arial;"> and </span><b><span style="color: #1d1d1d; font-family: Arial;">Marco Bellocchio</span></b><span style="color: #1d1d1d; font-family: Arial;"> were almost two generations behind De Sica, Rossellini and Visconti. Bertolucci was only 22 when he directed his first feature <i>La commare seca/The Grim Reaper</i> (1962) based on script by his close friend Pier Paolo Pasolini covering similar ground to Pasolini’s <i>Accatone. </i>Bellochio was 25 when directing <i>I pugni in tasca/ Fists in the Pocket</i> (1965). Their “ideological underpinnings were as far to the left as Pasolini's but [their] cinematic culture abandoned neorealism and drew inspiration from foreign directors, professional training, and assiduous visits to film archives and film clubs” (Bondanella 188). <o:p></o:p></span></span><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 7pt;"><span style="color: #1d1d1d; font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Bertolucci freed himself from Pasolini's influence to reveal a personal lyrical style verging on the elegiac in his second feature, the autobiographical <i>Prima della rivoluzione/Before the Revolution </i>(1964), which he referred to as “the confession of a child of our century,” propelled by Fabrizio/Bertoluccui’s [then] fears and hesitations” (Liehm 193). <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 7pt;"><span style="color: #1d1d1d; font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: medium;"></span></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAW1fMikClRnSrFCdTBPAPv-SrbZAODEVtcsYUinP6BWnbBSqEZ_JJpgLj58CfvJn_X-wskDqVuDgM7khal-48-bQg3OTGCbOtIbwyLlDqTGaz_T8cOtRfQ1KtVV95MhiT7FALZIfb4VpmPgwbBA5QqI82W4P2G9ANC7Xws4upZlfYclNtkED9Htw00rkq/s262/images-33.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="262" data-original-width="193" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAW1fMikClRnSrFCdTBPAPv-SrbZAODEVtcsYUinP6BWnbBSqEZ_JJpgLj58CfvJn_X-wskDqVuDgM7khal-48-bQg3OTGCbOtIbwyLlDqTGaz_T8cOtRfQ1KtVV95MhiT7FALZIfb4VpmPgwbBA5QqI82W4P2G9ANC7Xws4upZlfYclNtkED9Htw00rkq/w295-h400/images-33.jpg" width="295" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #1d1d1d; font-family: Arial; font-size: medium;">Marco Bellocchio</span></span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="color: #1d1d1d; font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br />Bellocchio set his first two films in prosperous, conservative middle class northern towns. <i>Fists in the Pocket</i>, “is angry and provocative rather than elegiac” in attacking the very concept of family itself as well as all its traditional values and myths” (ibid). In analysing a decadent bourgeois family whose physical handicaps underline moral defects, Bellochio takes on the traditional images of family in Italian cinema. He tackles the connection between family and the wider world of politics in <i>China is Near/La Cina è vicina (1967),</i> assembling a group of thoroughly unlikeable characters, including a grotesque and ideologically incoherent provincial family, in satirising the state of cynical compromise between the Christian Democrats and the Socialists in Italian politics.<o:p></o:p></span></span><p></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 7pt; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #1d1d1d; font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: medium;">*********************************************************<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpFirst"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><span style="color: #1d1d1d;"><span>Mira Liehm <i> Passion and Defiance Film in Italy 1942 to the Present </i>1984 </span></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpFirst"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><span style="color: #1d1d1d;">Peter Bondanella </span><i style="color: #1d1d1d;">Italian Cinema From Neorealism to the Present </i><span style="color: #1d1d1d;">2001 </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpFirst"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><span style="color: #1d1d1d;">P. Adams Sitney </span><i style="color: #1d1d1d;">Vital Crises in Italian Cinema </i><span style="color: #1d1d1d;"> </span><i style="color: #1d1d1d;">Iconography Stylistics Politics </i><span style="color: #1d1d1d;">1995 </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpFirst"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><span style="color: #1d1d1d;">Roy Armes </span><i style="color: #1d1d1d;">Patterns of Realism Italian Neo-Realist Cinema </i><span style="color: #1d1d1d;">1971 </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpFirst"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><span style="color: #1d1d1d;">Bruce Hodsdon “The Conflicted Passions of Pasolini” CTEQ Annotations </span><i style="color: #1d1d1d;">Senses of Cinema </i><span style="color: #1d1d1d;">Sept. 2013. </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpFirst"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><span style="color: #1d1d1d;">Geoffrey Nowell-Smith “Visconti “</span><i style="color: #1d1d1d;"> Oxford History of World Cinema </i><span style="color: #1d1d1d;">G N-S ed 1996 ; Also Visconti 1973 </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpFirst"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><span style="color: #1d1d1d;"><span>Robert Phillip Kolker <i>Bernado Bertolucci </i>BFI Publishing 1985 </span></span><span style="color: #1d1d1d;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpFirst"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><span style="color: #1d1d1d;">Carlo Testa </span><i style="color: #1d1d1d;">Poet of Civic Courage The Films of Francesco Rosi 1996 </i><span style="color: #1d1d1d;">James </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpFirst"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><span style="color: #1d1d1d;">Brown, Great Directors: “Michelangelo Antonioni” </span><i style="color: #1d1d1d;">Senses of Cinema </i><span style="color: #1d1d1d;">May 2002 </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpFirst"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><span style="color: #1d1d1d;">Jeremy Carr, Great Directors: “Luchino Visconti” </span><i style="color: #1d1d1d;">Senses of Cinema </i><span style="color: #1d1d1d;">June 2018 </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpFirst"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><span style="color: #1d1d1d;">Antonio Shanahan, Great Directors: “Frederico Fellini” </span><i style="color: #1d1d1d;">Senses of Cinema </i><span style="color: #1d1d1d;">July 2002 </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpFirst"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><span style="color: #1d1d1d;">Gino Moliterno, Great Directors:“Pier Paolo Pasolini” </span><i style="color: #1d1d1d;">Senses of Cinema </i><span style="color: #1d1d1d;">December 2002 </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><span style="color: #1d1d1d;">Gino Moliterno, Great Directors: “Francesco Rosi” </span><i style="color: #1d1d1d;">Senses of Cinema </i><span style="color: #1d1d1d;">May 2003</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b><span style="color: #1d1d1d; font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span>Bibliography for Rossellini attached to 6 (19), for Antonioni to 6 (21) and for Pasolini 6(23)</span></span></b><span style="color: #1d1d1d; font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><b><span style="color: #1d1d1d; font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #1d1d1d; font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-size: medium;">***********************</span></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="caret-color: rgb(102, 102, 102); color: #666666; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 13.199999809265137px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><span style="color: #1d1d1d; font-family: Arial;">Previous entries in this series can be found if you click the following links</span><span style="font-family: Arial;"><u1:p></u1:p><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="caret-color: rgb(102, 102, 102); color: #666666; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 13.199999809265137px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"> <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="caret-color: rgb(102, 102, 102); color: #666666; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 13.199999809265137px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><a href="https://filmalert101.blogspot.com/2022/09/sixty-years-of-international-art-cinema.html" style="color: #954f72; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><span style="color: red;">Sixty Years of International Art Cinema: 1960-2020 - Tables and Directors Lists to Accompany Bruce Hodsdon's Series</span></a><u1:p></u1:p><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="caret-color: rgb(102, 102, 102); color: #666666; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 13.199999809265137px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"> <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="caret-color: rgb(102, 102, 102); color: #666666; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 13.199999809265137px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><span style="color: red; font-family: Arial;"><a href="https://filmalert101.blogspot.com/2022/09/sixtyyears-of-international-art-cinema.html" style="color: #954f72; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><span style="color: red;">Notes on canons, methods, national cinemas and more</span></a></span><span style="font-family: Arial;"><u1:p></u1:p><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="caret-color: rgb(102, 102, 102); color: #666666; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 13.199999809265137px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"> <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="caret-color: rgb(102, 102, 102); color: #666666; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 13.199999809265137px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><u><span style="color: red; font-family: Arial;"><a href="https://filmalert101.blogspot.com/2022/03/sixty-years-of-international-art-cinema.html" style="color: #954f72; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><span style="color: red; text-decoration: none;">Part One - Introduction</span></a></span></u><span style="font-family: Arial;"><u1:p></u1:p><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="caret-color: rgb(102, 102, 102); color: #666666; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 13.199999809265137px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><u><span style="color: red; font-family: Arial;"><a href="https://filmalert101.blogspot.com/2022/05/sixty-years-of-international-art-cinema.html" style="color: #954f72; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><span style="color: red; text-decoration: none;">Part Two - Defining Art Cinema</span></a></span></u><span style="font-family: Arial;"><u1:p></u1:p><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="caret-color: rgb(102, 102, 102); color: #666666; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 13.199999809265137px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><a href="https://filmalert101.blogspot.com/2022/06/sixty-years-of-international-art-cinema.html" style="color: #954f72; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><span style="color: red;">Part Three - From Classicism to Modernism</span></a><u1:p></u1:p><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="caret-color: rgb(102, 102, 102); color: #666666; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 13.199999809265137px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><u><span style="color: red; font-family: Arial;"><a href="https://filmalert101.blogspot.com/2022/07/sixty-years-of-international-art-cinema.html" style="color: #954f72; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><span style="color: red; text-decoration: none;">Part Four - Authorship and Narrative</span></a></span></u><span style="font-family: Arial;"><u1:p></u1:p><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="caret-color: rgb(102, 102, 102); color: #666666; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 13.199999809265137px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><u><span style="color: red; font-family: Arial;"><a href="https://filmalert101.blogspot.com/2022/07/sixty-years-of-international-art-cinema_19.html" style="color: #954f72; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><span style="color: red; text-decoration: none;">Part Five - International Film Guide Directors of the Year, The Sight and Sound World Poll, Art-Horror</span></a></span></u><span style="font-family: Arial;"><u1:p></u1:p><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="caret-color: rgb(102, 102, 102); color: #666666; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 13.199999809265137px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><u><span style="color: red; font-family: Arial;"><a href="https://filmalert101.blogspot.com/2022/08/sixty-years-of-international-art-cinema.html" style="color: #954f72; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><span style="color: red; text-decoration: none;">Part Six (1) - The Sixties, the United States and Orson Welles</span></a></span></u><span style="font-family: Arial;"><u1:p></u1:p><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="caret-color: rgb(102, 102, 102); color: #666666; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 13.199999809265137px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><u><span style="font-family: Arial;"><a href="https://filmalert101.blogspot.com/2022/10/sixty-years-of-international-art-cinema.html" style="color: #954f72; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: red; text-decoration: none;">Part Six (2) - Hitchcock, Romero and Art Horror</span></a></span></u><span style="font-family: Arial;"><u1:p></u1:p><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="caret-color: rgb(102, 102, 102); color: #666666; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 13.199999809265137px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><u><span style="color: red; font-family: Arial;"><a href="https://filmalert101.blogspot.com/2022/10/sixty-years-of-international-art-cinema_29.html" style="color: #954f72; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><span style="color: red; text-decoration: none;">Part Six (3) - New York Film-makers - Elia Kazan & Shirley Clarke</span></a> </span></u><span style="font-family: Arial;"><u1:p></u1:p><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="caret-color: rgb(102, 102, 102); color: #666666; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 13.199999809265137px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><u><span style="font-family: Arial;"><a href="https://filmalert101.blogspot.com/2022/11/sixty-years-of-international-art-cinema.html" style="color: #954f72; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><span style="color: red; text-decoration: none;">Part Six (4) - New York Film-makers - Stanley Kubrick Creator of Forms</span></a></span></u><span style="font-family: Arial;"><u1:p></u1:p><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="caret-color: rgb(102, 102, 102); color: #666666; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 13.199999809265137px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><a href="https://filmalert101.blogspot.com/2022/11/6-5-new-hollywood-1-sixty-years-of.html" style="color: #954f72; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><span style="color: red;">Part Six (5) ‘New Hollywood’ (1) - Arthur Penn, Warren Beatty, Pauline Kael and BONNIE AND CLYDE</span></a><u1:p></u1:p><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="caret-color: rgb(102, 102, 102); color: #666666; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 13.199999809265137px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><a href="https://filmalert101.blogspot.com/2022/12/sixty-years-of-international-art-cinema.html" style="color: #954f72; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><span style="color: red;">Part Six (6) Francis Ford Coppola: Standing at the crossroads of art and industry</span></a><u1:p></u1:p><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="caret-color: rgb(102, 102, 102); color: #666666; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 13.199999809265137px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><a href="https://filmalert101.blogspot.com/2022/12/sixty-years-of-international-art-cinema_20.html" style="color: #954f72; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><span style="color: red;">Part 6(7) Altman</span></a><u1:p></u1:p><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="caret-color: rgb(102, 102, 102); color: #666666; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 13.199999809265137px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><a href="https://filmalert101.blogspot.com/2023/01/sixty-years-of-international-art-cinema.html" style="color: #954f72; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><span style="color: red;">6(8) Great Britain - Joseph Losey, Lindsay Anderson, Karel Reisz, Richard Lester, Peter Watkins, Barney Platts-Mills</span></a><u1:p></u1:p><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="caret-color: rgb(102, 102, 102); color: #666666; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 13.199999809265137px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><a href="https://filmalert101.blogspot.com/2023/02/69-france-independent-auteurs-robert.html" style="color: #954f72; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><span style="color: red;">6(9) France - Part One The New Wave and The Cahiers du Cinema Group</span></a><u1:p></u1:p><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="caret-color: rgb(102, 102, 102); color: #666666; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 13.199999809265137px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><a href="https://filmalert101.blogspot.com/2023/02/sixty-years-of-international-art-cinema.html" style="color: #954f72; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><span style="color: red;">6(10) France - Part Two - The Left Bank/Rive Gauche Group and an Independent</span></a><u1:p></u1:p><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="caret-color: rgb(102, 102, 102); color: #666666; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 13.199999809265137px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><a href="https://filmalert101.blogspot.com/2023/03/sixty-years-of-international-art-cinema.html" style="color: #954f72; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><span style="color: red;">6(11) France - Part Three - Young Godard</span></a><u1:p></u1:p><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="caret-color: rgb(102, 102, 102); color: #666666; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 13.199999809265137px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><span style="color: red; font-family: Arial;"><a href="https://filmalert101.blogspot.com/2023/04/sixty-years-of-international-art-cinema.html" style="color: #954f72; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><span style="color: red;">6(12) France - Part Four - Godard:Visionary and Rebel</span></a><u1:p></u1:p><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="caret-color: rgb(102, 102, 102); color: #666666; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 13.199999809265137px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><a href="https://filmalert101.blogspot.com/2023/05/sixty-years-of-international-art-cinema.html" style="color: #888888; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: red;">6 (13) France Part 5 Godard with Gorin, Miéville : Searching for an activist voice</span></a></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="caret-color: rgb(102, 102, 102); color: #666666; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 13.199999809265137px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><a href="https://filmalert101.blogspot.com/2023/06/sixty-years-of-international-art-cinema.html" style="color: #888888; font-family: Arial; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><span style="color: red;">6(14) France Part 6 - Creator of Forms - Bresson</span></a><span style="color: red;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="caret-color: rgb(102, 102, 102); color: #666666; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.199999809265137px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><a href="https://filmalert101.blogspot.com/2023/07/sixty-years-of-international-art-cinema.html" style="color: #888888; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: red;">6 (15) France Part 6 - Creator of Forms - Jacques Tati</span></span></a><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="caret-color: rgb(102, 102, 102); font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.199999809265137px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: red;"> <a href="https://filmalert101.blogspot.com/2023/08/sixty-years-of-international-art-cinema.html" style="text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">6 (16) - Part 6 - Creator of Forms - Carl Th Dreyer</a></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="caret-color: rgb(102, 102, 102); color: #666666; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.199999809265137px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><a href="https://filmalert101.blogspot.com/2023/08/sixty-years-of-international-art-cinema_23.html" style="color: #888888; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><span style="color: red;">6 (17) - Italy and Luchino Visconti</span></a></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="caret-color: rgb(102, 102, 102); color: #666666; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.199999809265137px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><a href="https://filmalert101.blogspot.com/2023/09/sixty-years-of-international-art-cinema.html" style="color: #888888; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><span style="color: red;">6(18 - Italy and Roberto Rossellini - Part One</span></a></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="caret-color: rgb(102, 102, 102); color: #666666; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.199999809265137px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><a href="https://filmalert101.blogspot.com/2023/10/sixty-years-of-international-art-cinema.html" style="color: #888888; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><span style="color: red;">6(19) - Rossellini, INDIA and the new Historical realism</span></a></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="caret-color: rgb(102, 102, 102); color: #666666; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.199999809265137px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><a href="https://filmalert101.blogspot.com/2023/11/sixty-years-of-international-art-cinema.html" style="color: #888888; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><span style="color: red;">6(20) - Rossellini in Australia</span></a></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="caret-color: rgb(102, 102, 102); font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.199999809265137px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><a href="https://filmalert101.blogspot.com/2024/01/sixty-years-of-international-art-cinema.html" style="text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><span style="color: red;">6 (21) - Italy - Michelangelo Antonioni</span></a></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="caret-color: rgb(102, 102, 102); font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.199999809265137px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><a href="https://filmalert101.blogspot.com/2024/01/sixty-years-of-international-art-cinema_28.html" target="_blank"><span style="color: red;">6 (22) - Italy - Federico Fellini, Ermanno Olmi</span></a></p></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5242690213881108403.post-25917565580979463812024-02-19T22:52:00.000-08:002024-02-19T23:01:14.724-08:00CINEMA REBORN 2024 - OPENING PROGRAM - MIDNIGHT (Mitchell Leisen, USA, 1939) World Premiere of 4K Restoration by Universal Pictures<p><br /></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: center;"><b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhA5zLovFSqnqZfCiXqJ3LHOY7BKLmtEXAt176fzPSVeDTr-iYhVkkC0FiMEuA8mVT25bzbf-y6ogw_Q1JK008KGGU2rvueVjt4y5ZT8irqbRzpvm_Hs2zO0nRAGrOcsaOX760ABF6BjHzofTXL5nszHFE0N5rc9VoIJefTz3RFbikgsiivX3f0_tD7cakO/s1920/MIDNIGHT_CLAUDETTE.091926.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1920" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhA5zLovFSqnqZfCiXqJ3LHOY7BKLmtEXAt176fzPSVeDTr-iYhVkkC0FiMEuA8mVT25bzbf-y6ogw_Q1JK008KGGU2rvueVjt4y5ZT8irqbRzpvm_Hs2zO0nRAGrOcsaOX760ABF6BjHzofTXL5nszHFE0N5rc9VoIJefTz3RFbikgsiivX3f0_tD7cakO/w400-h225/MIDNIGHT_CLAUDETTE.091926.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Claudette Colbert, <i>Midnight</i></td></tr></tbody></table><br /> </span></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 14pt;">Cinema Reborn 2024 will open its forthcoming Sydney and Melbourne seasons with </span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 14pt;">the World Premiere of the 4K restoration of one of the greatest screwball comedies of the 1930s, MIDNIGHT, made in 1939, directed by Mitchell Leisen, from a laceratingly funny script by Billy Wilder and Charles Brackett and starring Claudette Colbert, Don Ameche, John Barrymore, Francis Lederer and Mary Astor. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-family: arial;">MIDNIGHT will screen at 7.00 pm on Wednesday 1 May at the Randwick Ritz in Sydney and at 7.00 pm on Thursday 9 May at the Hawthorn Lido in Melbourne<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Cinema Reborn is proud to have been entrusted with the very first screenings of the new restoration and gives special thanks to Universal Pictures.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-oxajQMR-qBzDoYri3LZ__0iSSDEZrYLlVM65iElYW1sSTyc7w4iqj4gNquCd4OMNSLb5pBbHe6Qry0rLr2vho0Z3OBH4Nx2WpXd_ZSgy1M7pZNmJmjDqiQdu-eL93n9OxzQssmq3Af4_iLCWrr4z_hKObvrIBIKk_AMYrHNBaGSm3g2GF8hmCNHyca_0/s1920/MIDNIGHT_BARRYMORE_MAKES_HIS_CASE146159.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1920" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-oxajQMR-qBzDoYri3LZ__0iSSDEZrYLlVM65iElYW1sSTyc7w4iqj4gNquCd4OMNSLb5pBbHe6Qry0rLr2vho0Z3OBH4Nx2WpXd_ZSgy1M7pZNmJmjDqiQdu-eL93n9OxzQssmq3Af4_iLCWrr4z_hKObvrIBIKk_AMYrHNBaGSm3g2GF8hmCNHyca_0/w400-h225/MIDNIGHT_BARRYMORE_MAKES_HIS_CASE146159.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">John Barrymore, Claudette Colbert, <i>Midnight</i></td></tr></tbody></table><br /> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 14pt;">Universal Pictures has been a longtime friend and supporter of Cinema Reborn and in the past has brought such titles as RUGGLES OF RED GAP, TROUBLE IN PARADISE, CRISS CROSS and DESTRY RIDES AGAIN to Cinema Reborn audiences. As Universal Pictures’ Managing Director Mike Baard acknowledges: </span><i><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Cinema Reborn has become a most welcome annual celebration of some of the finest works in cinema history. The Festival’s mission is of utmost importance, helping showcase the latest restoration efforts thereby allowing audiences to appreciate them anew and keep their legacy alive. Universal Pictures is thrilled to partner with Cinema Reborn to present the World Premiere of the 4K restoration of director Mitchell Leisen’s Midnight, from a script by the legendary Billy Wilder and Charles Brackett. <span style="background-color: white;">This film is part of our Studio’s on-going film restoration program making classic titles in our 100+ year old library available for today’s audiences for enjoy”</span></span></i><i><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 14pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></i></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><b><i><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></i></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 14pt;">Back in 1939 MIDNIGHT was an immediate hit. Frank S Nugent in the New York Times called it: </span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 14pt;">“<i>One of the liveliest, gayest, wittiest and naughtiest comedies of a long hard season. Its direction, by Mitchell Leisen, is strikingly reminiscent of that of the old Lubitsch…it’s really too daffy to be synopsized. You’ll have to take our word for it that it’s fun…Pictures like Midnight should strike more often</i>.” <i>– </i><b><o:p></o:p></b></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Wilder and Brackett’s script takes aim at European aristocrats, fashion trends and the ostentatious rich while exploring the frictions between wealth and love. Claudette Colbert plays an unemployed, gold-digging American showgirl stranded in a Parisian rainstorm, when she meets an amorous Hungarian taxi-driver (Don Ameche). Gate-crashing a party held by a socialite (Hedda Hopper), she meets a wealthy industrialist (John Barrymore) who hires her to pose as an American wife married to a Hungarian Baron. …<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbUzxrhaVjyWEQLgeO1TGHKl6MwWPdMBWTWS1iNu_cTMhwI_aUlUpg66t5BsL_vPQnC9qZlbsAGtzBJJxSoB7O2NI6aPCvPeDieEmFEVaHJUmnLnXQooB-Wr32PuJY3qd03tJpHeCTnR8bvbBWXPCP0Zx1CTe0Q0fZPp6ZDOD0dsufzMq5k2y5DiaGbqA3/s1920/MIDNIGHT_THE_PLOT_THICKENS.173785.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1920" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbUzxrhaVjyWEQLgeO1TGHKl6MwWPdMBWTWS1iNu_cTMhwI_aUlUpg66t5BsL_vPQnC9qZlbsAGtzBJJxSoB7O2NI6aPCvPeDieEmFEVaHJUmnLnXQooB-Wr32PuJY3qd03tJpHeCTnR8bvbBWXPCP0Zx1CTe0Q0fZPp6ZDOD0dsufzMq5k2y5DiaGbqA3/w400-h225/MIDNIGHT_THE_PLOT_THICKENS.173785.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Claudette Colbert, John Barrymore, <i>Midnight</i></td></tr></tbody></table><br /></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Cinema Reborn is being presented in both Sydney and Melbourne in 2024. This will be its first Melbourne screening. In Sydney the film will be introduced by the President of the Film Critics’ Circle of Australia CJ Johnson and in </span><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Melbourne the screening will follow an introduction by critic Keva York who contributes to </span><span style="font-size: 14pt;">ABC Online and publications such as the Metrograph Journal, Reverse Shot, Screen Slate, and MUBI Notebook.</span><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><b><span style="color: #212529; font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-family: arial;">The Original Trailer<o:p></o:p></span></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_KmF0gSiaTA&t=56s" style="color: #954f72;"><b><i><span style="font-size: 14pt;">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_KmF0gSiaTA&t=56s</span></i></b></a><b><i><span style="color: #212529; font-size: 14pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></i></b></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><b><i><span style="color: #212529; font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></i></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Bookings</span></b><span style="font-size: 14pt;"> for the Opening screenings in Sydney and Melbourne are now open and may be made direct through these links to the <a href="https://www.ritzcinemas.com.au/festivals/cinema-reborn-2024" style="color: #954f72;">Ritz website</a> or the <a href="https://www.lidocinemas.com.au/festivals/cinema-reborn-2024-1682" style="color: #954f72;">Lido website</a>. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><b><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Restoration Details<o:p></o:p></span></span></b></p><p style="margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-family: arial;">For this restoration, Universal Pictures primarily used a 35mm nitrate comp fine grain. The picture element was dry gate scanned in 4K on an ARRI film scanner for a 4K workflow. Universal applied digital processes to improve flicker and stability, address diagonal streaking issues, and clean up film damage, dirt, scratches, and stains. Audio was restored from the 35mm comp fine grain. Digital audio restoration tools were applied to reduce optical anomalies, noise floor, hum, rumble, and sibilance where possible. Restoration services conducted by NBCUniversal StudioPost.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjd7mYVXSDw228cj1mkOItxKJmrsKGQwAQR7K5b_xXJzVLmpsjPe8f2erxl8CqvNIl_wY68nDP2R8h0m2YOBIBRXxf7eP8VzsgUw1ZBTE4O0ih3qlHv4ZZReezBFJRI3DGJQUCz4xbAW71_g4hgvD8tmpHMUIpPivldcozcHpTkw2-dzy5KZyJ8ESm6bgo3/s1920/MIDNIGHT_MARY_NOTICING_JAQUES_NOTICING_CLAUDETTE.119634.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1920" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjd7mYVXSDw228cj1mkOItxKJmrsKGQwAQR7K5b_xXJzVLmpsjPe8f2erxl8CqvNIl_wY68nDP2R8h0m2YOBIBRXxf7eP8VzsgUw1ZBTE4O0ih3qlHv4ZZReezBFJRI3DGJQUCz4xbAW71_g4hgvD8tmpHMUIpPivldcozcHpTkw2-dzy5KZyJ8ESm6bgo3/w400-h225/MIDNIGHT_MARY_NOTICING_JAQUES_NOTICING_CLAUDETTE.119634.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Francis Lederer, Mary Astor, <i>Midnight</i></td></tr></tbody></table><br />Stills</span></b><span style="font-size: 14pt;"> (from the original on set still camera) available on request to </span><a><span style="font-size: 14pt;">filmalert101@gmail.com</span></a><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-family: arial;">For further information<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Geoff Gardner<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-family: arial;">filmalert101@gmail.com<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-family: arial;">0416 912567</span><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5242690213881108403.post-15912245932585485432024-02-13T15:51:00.000-08:002024-02-13T15:52:27.809-08:00The Current Cinema - Barrie Pattison examines military incursions in GOJIRA -1.0/GODZILLA MINUS ONE (Takashi Yamazaki, Japan, 2023) and FIGHTER (Siddarth Anand, India, 2024)<p><b> <span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">PRO PATRIA.</span></b></p><p style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; line-height: 12pt; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue";"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0Y8Aai59ahfT2bHUxQR5jR49w4uHz5PFIRFEmQc4gsyl7fZZQGZ7pi0-l3gzVDEhGI9GlsoJi_vqYv3Vl_cccdKUAfF0UgMyV7HpEsdmeV46s3DQVMg9Xc8QeMZv-KPn_yjxF25X1WRfYwR30XhLN9t6ikb6ctHJtnMsZZqji0wzn_nBN0AWPUfffejsP/s300/images-31.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="168" data-original-width="300" height="224" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0Y8Aai59ahfT2bHUxQR5jR49w4uHz5PFIRFEmQc4gsyl7fZZQGZ7pi0-l3gzVDEhGI9GlsoJi_vqYv3Vl_cccdKUAfF0UgMyV7HpEsdmeV46s3DQVMg9Xc8QeMZv-KPn_yjxF25X1WRfYwR30XhLN9t6ikb6ctHJtnMsZZqji0wzn_nBN0AWPUfffejsP/w400-h224/images-31.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />Curious to find<span class="apple-converted-space" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue";"> </span><i style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue";">Gojira -1.0/Godzilla Minus</i><span class="apple-converted-space" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue";"> </span><i style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue";">One,</i><span class="apple-converted-space" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue";"> </span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue";">this number thirty plus Godzilla movie getting wide sub-titled release. I can’t go along with the chorus of praise it has received. Roland Emmerich’s 1998 piece of cultural appropriation still remains the most accomplished entry in the cycle and, while I could find some sympathy for the Twentieth Century Japanese items with Kurosawa’s people -Takashi Shimura as white coat scientists and</span><span class="apple-converted-space" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue";"> </span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue";">Masaru Satô</span><span class="apple-converted-space" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue";"> </span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue";">providing scores – my favourite representation is the 1976 Arkush/Dante</span><span class="apple-converted-space" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue";"> </span><i style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue";">Hollywood Boulevard,</i><span class="apple-converted-space" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue";"> </span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue";">where on-screen movie director Paul Bartel tells the man in the suit to remember that he represents a tragic figure, the last of his kind alone after thousands of years, but he should also try to stomp as many people and cars as possible.</span><p></p><p style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; line-height: 12pt; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue";">Writer director Takashi Yamazaki and his lot have taken all this in an unfamiliar direction on the new film, starting at the close of WW2 war in the Pacific, where reluctant Kamikaze pilot Ryunosuke Kamiki lands his plane, bomb still suspended beneath it, on the small Odo Island base the already defeated Japanese Army is using as a maintenance depot, to the scorn of ground crew commander Munetaka Aoki. However, that very night a monster monster</span><span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="color: red; font-family: "Helvetica Neue";"> </span></span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue";">rampages through the camp with Kamiki afraid using his plane’s twenty millimetre cannon will get it mad. Well might he worry.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; line-height: 12pt; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue";">Back in the ruins of his bombed out Tokyo district, his relatives dead, Kamiki forms a blended family with girl fugitive Minami Hamabe and the child which has fallen into her care. Their bare existence is made more secure when he takes a well-paid but perilous job on a rundown wooden minesweeper. (Metal attracts US magnetic mines.) What should the crew encounter but that same prehistoric menace, now able to digest the pair of mines they drag into its mouth – good scene.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; line-height: 12pt; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue";">Godzilla, mutated and enlarged by the United States' (tinted) nuclear tests at Bikini Atoll can now destroy the heavy cruiser (“the Takao is a beast”) sent to take it out. The government’s decommissioned war ships are unequal to the task and the Americans don’t want to get involved and rile up the Soviets. Godzilla is of course on its way to stomp Tokyo and eat subway trains. It hits the Ginza district, where we know Oishi works.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; line-height: 12pt; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue";"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhn72s54rFKETzBa_ZTCFLkxbR3DtyuoYtKgT_vUA4uHZ3pD7UUk2kOMxdpgNrzJ6O7QrWBpmv3L8w0kpp0FmxHn4_GfLcR1F4BEbdquYo5_PX8lXHqOdyvNqBEv0DktmMVSvIcn-LIT2wCf__HziJ5vUUvfkcDohhrjSEGgLGPmRcOEsADE9I9ZpABzDt8/s300/download-93.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="168" data-original-width="300" height="224" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhn72s54rFKETzBa_ZTCFLkxbR3DtyuoYtKgT_vUA4uHZ3pD7UUk2kOMxdpgNrzJ6O7QrWBpmv3L8w0kpp0FmxHn4_GfLcR1F4BEbdquYo5_PX8lXHqOdyvNqBEv0DktmMVSvIcn-LIT2wCf__HziJ5vUUvfkcDohhrjSEGgLGPmRcOEsADE9I9ZpABzDt8/w400-h224/download-93.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />Now thirsting for revenge, Kamiki joins the only potent force – the Japanese military, betrayed by their nation in the war years (dive bombers without ejector seats). They now form a vigilante army (with a few walk outs) and engage battle. The minesweeper’s rejected scientist comes up with a plan to do in the menace by decompression and our hero is kitted out in a prototype Kyushu J7W Shinden fighter, serviced by rehabilitated Aoki. Big action finale backed by Ifekube’s rousing Godzilla theme.<o:p></o:p><p></p><p style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; line-height: 12pt; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue";">Down the years, the technicians have now spent a lot of time in the Toho tank and the model work is impressive, though we can’t help noticing that ships’ decks are curiously unoccupied. The monster action scenes, which are the reason for the film, are widely spaced, getting second place to not too involving personal material airing issues like survivor guilt, radiation sickness and, by implication, the pacifist constitution. Thoughtful doesn’t strike me as the way to take these. An implausible happy ending further undermines the shift to serious.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; line-height: 12pt; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue";">Outside the film’s entertainment credentials, it contains an unexpected emphasis on idea content. We are expected to admire a belligerent ex general who we would usually be the bad guy in one of these and we get another homage to the Zero like Miyazaki’s<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><i>Kaze tachinu<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span>/<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span>The Wind Rises.</i><o:p></o:p></span></p><p style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; line-height: 12pt; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue";"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQRm5nSszrTMg5DL40_q2HWE5NaQCYQ-8uk0DpoS3RT81975o6nlm7di3bwS5pJtQT9Ml-OuuUKL6CoKaBIdali0ELi2W4FwLFsai6Qg5NVQcdthfgsU0GkAIhhp3YxQLVV1dbTm0ep2wLCto6yF-I4ugCAePrup9dXSYY3R4QzMN95gxnWv2cwJgBK1il/s300/images-32.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="168" data-original-width="300" height="224" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQRm5nSszrTMg5DL40_q2HWE5NaQCYQ-8uk0DpoS3RT81975o6nlm7di3bwS5pJtQT9Ml-OuuUKL6CoKaBIdali0ELi2W4FwLFsai6Qg5NVQcdthfgsU0GkAIhhp3YxQLVV1dbTm0ep2wLCto6yF-I4ugCAePrup9dXSYY3R4QzMN95gxnWv2cwJgBK1il/w400-h224/images-32.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />Considering that this one arrives the same time as<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><i>Dunki,<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></i>Siddharth Anand‘s new<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><i>Fighter,<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></i>is a film sufficiently accomplished to leave us wondering what we are missing in the way of (traditional Hindi) film from India. There are a whole lot of things you can say about this one. Yes, it is a rip-off of<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><i>Top Gun Maverick<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></i>but it’s a whole lot better film with superior aerial combat sequences and more stirring flag waving - the all-time best military funeral or star Hrithik Roshan leaning out of the helicopter holding the Indian Tricolor steaming in the wind to acknowledge the one the cadet is flying from the endangered truck convoy below.<o:p></o:p><p></p><p style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; line-height: 12pt; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue";">Roshan leaves Tom Cruise in his dust in the military hero stakes – taller, better built, more authoritative. Imagine a dignified Indian Jimmy Cagney or a damp-eyed John Wayne and you’re on the way. Around the year 2000 mark, Roshan rapidly turned into his industry’s leading Sylvester Stallone imitator and, in this one, he wastes no time reassuring his admirers he’s been keeping up his time at the gym, by getting his shirt off under the opening titles.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; line-height: 12pt; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue";">Squadron Leader Hrithik is, of course, India’s greatest pilot in a time of increased tension over Pakistan housing Kashmir training camps for extremists - not even the full bottle on Koran quotation. Hrithik (Patty lettered on his visor) joins the squadron doing air combat scenarios and spots robust Deepika Padukone, who proves to have spectacular shoulder length hair tucked into her flyer’s helmet. However he has a secret sorrow restraining his romantic urges. Nevertheless they get to share inserted dance numbers (think<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><i>Grease</i><span class="apple-converted-space"> </span>&<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><i>Saturday Night Fever</i>)<i>,</i><span class="apple-converted-space"> </span>party with the flyers and at dawn he runs her back to her single officer quarters on the back of his motorbike. Their profiles approach only to have an emergency call arrest their impending lip lock. Nothing too much has changed in these.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; line-height: 12pt; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue";">Turns out that super menacing Jaishih Rishabh Sawhney has launched an attack modelled on the 2019 Pulwama incident, where forty Indian military police were killed in Kashmir. The Indian response was their Balakot air strike, of which we get a spectacular recreation, where Sawhney is injured, his blood-filled eye making him even more sinister. An informer, his identity concealed in a black chador, fills in the I.A.F. briefing. He is not what he seems.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; line-height: 12pt; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue";">This one emphasises the Indian government’s restraint in the face of the atrocities committed by militants based in Pakistani occupied Kashmir, with the Indian Air Force responsibly respecting the invisible LOC demarcation and avoiding civilian casualties.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; line-height: 12pt; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue";">Hrithic is found guilty of recklessness and transferred to Hyderabad air training facility as an instructor – impressive scene of talking down the beginner-girl pilot, whose first landing is jeopardised by an unexpected crosswind. He also finds time to use his famed charmer smile and sort out Padukone’s stressed family situation.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; line-height: 12pt; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue";">However, it’s plot and counterplot with the bad hats wanting to lure the Indian flyboys (& girls) into crossing the border to a trap, using Hrithik’s shot down pilot mates as bait. This one runs to the ultra-sadistic, with the crazy cutting off one pilot’s fingers before they send him back in a body bag. Of course the rule book goes out the window with victory demanding our hero be restored to his place leading the rescue and facing off in the sky with his opposite number in the red nosed jet fighter, before we get some more cheer worthy action on the ground.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; line-height: 12pt; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue";">It’s another Indian popular film where you sit there thinking “Well all right” for the first couple of hours and, after the obligatory interval, you are jolted out of complacency by waves of superior material. Think<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><i>Mother India, Lagaan<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></i>or<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><i>Seventh Horse of the Sun.</i><o:p></o:p></span></p><p style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; line-height: 12pt; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue";">The action staging is some of the best ever, outclassing the work we are seeing from the U.S. and China now – the fighter plane paused vertical in the air, the bogus Russian airliner peeling off to reveal the jets its shadow covers on the radar, the shots of the training facilities exploding, our hero’s re-appearance at the crucial moment and the chopper strafing the evil rug heads pouring out waving automatic weapons. Director Siddharth Anand is a specialist in these military spectaculars. If it wasn’t so stirring you’d think it was ridiculous. Well, maybe it still is a bit ridiculous.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; line-height: 12pt; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue";">Of course overriding such considerations, is the question of putting such a persuasive film into the market to endorse military incursions spurred by religious differences. Ukraine, Palestine, Iraq make uncomfortable comparisons. The film has already been banned in most Arab countries but Viacom and Netflix have money in it, so<span class="apple-converted-space"><i> </i></span><i>Fighter</i><span class="apple-converted-space"> </span>looks headed our way after its brief theatrical showing.<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p><p style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; line-height: 12pt; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue";">The consistency of the pattern – films from the U.S, China, Japan and India, often made by people unaware of the others’ existence – is not a little disturbing. The message is clearly that the only way to prevent people, with an outlook that doesn’t match your own, building nuclear refining plants, training blood thirsty insurrectionists - or at very least stomping on your coastal cities - is to send out military hardware manned by sexy characters in uniform. That this will play with unsophisticated target audiences is disturbingly possible.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; line-height: 12pt; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue";">There is a gloomy kind of comfort to be had in comparing these with productions made around the world near the 1930 mark, when the Anti-War movement was at its most vocal, films more thoughtful and better than this batch of of gung ho actioners –<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><i>Wings, All Quiet on the Western Front, The Eagle and the Hawk,<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span>Les croix du bois/Wooden Crosses,<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; padding: 0cm;"><span style="display: inline-block;">Niemandsland/Hell on Earth,<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></span></span>Kameradschaft.<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></i>A steady stream of serious, reasoned and master-crafted product preceded the greatest military calamity in history. Can’t help but hope no one is listening this time either.<o:p></o:p></span></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5242690213881108403.post-49773139672605809902024-02-12T14:50:00.000-08:002024-02-12T14:51:42.039-08:00On Blu-ray - David Hare recommends McCABE & MRS MILLER (Robert Altman, USA, 1971) and PEEPING TOM (Michael Powell, UK, <p><span style="font-size: medium;"> <span style="caret-color: rgb(5, 5, 5); color: #050505; font-family: inherit; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQT5_bisFJc8WTAMlvbUJcnDv7wwdTniXoN7LgozNtsCu4LLyGF9b59BUoKKcOGhzSn_1kF4SJ5wSYu_owd2DhikA8_CmuF-fZTKnsXY9LYvFR6hYyNAJ5Y3Ac1vSZy0FLf-IT48F3WHH6Fsgq48TL-ggNm0IQlP1scCeTrWVI18PWBS6ldWfMl62xjXN5/s338/McCabe%20and%20Mrs%20Miller.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="149" data-original-width="338" height="176" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQT5_bisFJc8WTAMlvbUJcnDv7wwdTniXoN7LgozNtsCu4LLyGF9b59BUoKKcOGhzSn_1kF4SJ5wSYu_owd2DhikA8_CmuF-fZTKnsXY9LYvFR6hYyNAJ5Y3Ac1vSZy0FLf-IT48F3WHH6Fsgq48TL-ggNm0IQlP1scCeTrWVI18PWBS6ldWfMl62xjXN5/w400-h176/McCabe%20and%20Mrs%20Miller.jpg" width="400" /></a></span></div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /><br /></span><p></p><div class="x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r x1vvkbs xtlvy1s x126k92a" style="caret-color: rgb(5, 5, 5); color: #050505; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, ".SFNSText-Regular", sans-serif; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; white-space: pre-wrap; word-wrap: break-word;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: medium;">The 4k encode of <i>McCabe</i> takes it to a new level of visual definition, and it’s a very big step up from the earlier Criterion Blu-ray. There’s no intrusion of Criterion’s occasional encoding screwups, like low pass filtering. This was basically scanned, graded and encoded by Warner/MTI so it looks flawless. And it remains a majestic Altman.</span></div></div><div class="x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r x1vvkbs xtlvy1s x126k92a" style="caret-color: rgb(5, 5, 5); color: #050505; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, ".SFNSText-Regular", sans-serif; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; white-space: pre-wrap; word-wrap: break-word;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: medium;">The new 4K disc of <i>Peeping Tom</i> from StudioCanal is so gorgeous it had me watching with my mouth hanging open for the duration. The new 4K was <span style="font-family: inherit;"><a style="color: #385898; cursor: pointer; font-family: inherit;" tabindex="-1"></a></span>initiated by Film Foundation, and the BFI, with Silver Salt doing the scan in the UK and Cineric who did the grading in the States. It debuted in Brit cinemas last October.</span></div></div><div class="x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r x1vvkbs xtlvy1s x126k92a" style="caret-color: rgb(5, 5, 5); color: #050505; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, ".SFNSText-Regular", sans-serif; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; white-space: pre-wrap; word-wrap: break-word;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjG8oFvZWwuEcxJRrCR4ZOr8H4P_ZEy3NEs-yFZgbU_mzdcG-xk3qEYJ2QmIhAejLxpB7LlAKG_JdM9oCu10NufC8LLMzr7WlIoQFxHoXLpXM9N_t0oKfmPS5K7BdUGPUSThFZ47nus0CVoOpZWAopsj6Wy0Ri2nYE1U-PqLrTcIfHWUjaAKIlcAE2Q-Q1m/s285/download-99.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="177" data-original-width="285" height="248" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjG8oFvZWwuEcxJRrCR4ZOr8H4P_ZEy3NEs-yFZgbU_mzdcG-xk3qEYJ2QmIhAejLxpB7LlAKG_JdM9oCu10NufC8LLMzr7WlIoQFxHoXLpXM9N_t0oKfmPS5K7BdUGPUSThFZ47nus0CVoOpZWAopsj6Wy0Ri2nYE1U-PqLrTcIfHWUjaAKIlcAE2Q-Q1m/w400-h248/download-99.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br />The restoration work and the encode are simply gobsmacking. The Cineric team’s grading and color timing have totally captured the insane depth and lustre of 60s Eastman 35 stock, and the disc, especially in projection takes me back to a single 35mm screening at the old Kings Cross Gaiety circa 1968. I think the new grade actually deepens the color design in particular, which was so crucial to the overall production design by Arthur Lawson. Lawson had worked with Hein Heckroth on several earlier Powells including <i>The Red Shoes</i>. Lawson here is on his own, credited as Art Director and his design is just as crucial to the film’s dynamic, as is the great Otto Heller’s constantly lively, nervous and all-encompassing camera.. </span></div><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: medium;">The disc is a perfect reason for upgrading your gear.</span></div></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5242690213881108403.post-28578039230779863792024-01-31T18:13:00.000-08:002024-01-31T18:14:22.409-08:00The Current Cinema and Premiering at the Mardi Gras Film Festival - Rod Bishop highly recommends ALL OF US STRANGERS (Andrew Haigh, UK, 2023)<p> <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-f-LizBc1nl9Zs8NkqJVh2YTLflrUEEt7anpuxVaKSh8mL5oO5kcPlKBS598Dac5HLATAQfoIOYWywaOKGzAWMyBBdz6aTuzh051E9KM3hZnUQOgXWCDyES-w6SqAmzZHYXivPshzgriKw3ncpgQAvmyDRSu8ceGK45dmd5eCX-GH4xXgzj-Xx1uR9zoa/s299/All%20of%20Us%20Strangers.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="168" data-original-width="299" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-f-LizBc1nl9Zs8NkqJVh2YTLflrUEEt7anpuxVaKSh8mL5oO5kcPlKBS598Dac5HLATAQfoIOYWywaOKGzAWMyBBdz6aTuzh051E9KM3hZnUQOgXWCDyES-w6SqAmzZHYXivPshzgriKw3ncpgQAvmyDRSu8ceGK45dmd5eCX-GH4xXgzj-Xx1uR9zoa/w400-h225/All%20of%20Us%20Strangers.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Paul Mescal, Andrew Scott, <i>All of Us Strangers</i></td></tr></tbody></table><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; line-height: 17.1200008392334px; margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 19.97333335876465px;">Andrew Haigh’s latest – and his best – reaches our screens drowning in a welter of glowing, admiring reviews. Beguiling to begin with, it slow-burns its way to an incandescent conclusion. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; line-height: 17.1200008392334px; margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 19.97333335876465px;">For those who regard themselves as supporting gay relationships, and bask in a warm inner glow while voting for same sex marriage, yet still struggle to understand the hostility some gays have to their portrayal in the cinema, Haigh’s two overtly queer films <b>Weekend</b> and <b>All of Us Strangers</b> make good antidotes.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; line-height: 17.1200008392334px; margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 19.97333335876465px;"><br />The fiercer of the two, <b>Weekend</b> rages at the normalcy of heterosexual culture and its pervasive, unconscious way of marginalizing those with different sexual orientations. <b>All of Us Strangers</b> is far quieter, more subtle – it includes, for instance, painful, almost whispered agonies over families who claim acceptance of their gay son but at Christmas, still hurtfully centre all their attentions on his heterosexual siblings and their children. Leaving him, if not outside, then effectively always stranded on the periphery. </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; line-height: 17.1200008392334px; margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 19.97333335876465px;"><o:p></o:p></span><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEav_EpdylgEOHG61iXC7iiIYNuVcxLwYncSl7uMx4RsuFzzNQwkI6YdB_MUPLuDgo8hZW86da1WeB1af84YhoTr9uj8-v0Vyi8wLHE8FQDao1XO1RVnuRrgk7RPPyq8hvJT3aiTpuNVa9qH1V_BDYJnfSh1udAQ14YxppcEu1hLYXfpBGy7wtjmJwRrbZ/s300/Andrew%20Haigh%20x.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="168" data-original-width="300" height="224" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEav_EpdylgEOHG61iXC7iiIYNuVcxLwYncSl7uMx4RsuFzzNQwkI6YdB_MUPLuDgo8hZW86da1WeB1af84YhoTr9uj8-v0Vyi8wLHE8FQDao1XO1RVnuRrgk7RPPyq8hvJT3aiTpuNVa9qH1V_BDYJnfSh1udAQ14YxppcEu1hLYXfpBGy7wtjmJwRrbZ/w400-h224/Andrew%20Haigh%20x.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Andrew Haigh</td></tr></tbody></table></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; line-height: 17.1200008392334px; margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 19.97333335876465px;">Adam (Andrew Scott) is traumatized by bullying at high school and, at the age of twelve, by the deaths of his parents in a car accident. He lives, virtually alone, in a huge block of new apartments in London, writing screenplays for film and television. He tentatively starts a relationship with the only other resident, Harry (Paul Mescal) - also gay and also intensely lonely.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; line-height: 17.1200008392334px; margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 19.97333335876465px;">Adam takes a train to visit his old family home and finds his parents alive, but still at the ages of their deaths, and therefore much younger than he is. It’s a brilliant magical realist device for unravelling the complexities of their relationships. Mum (Claire Foy), for instance, has only just heard about the gay plague, and is clearly disturbed by her son’s now declared gay status. His father (Jamie Bell) is more accepting, but still unable to reconcile his aloof, remote, emotionless fathering and the lasting impact it’s had on his son. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; line-height: 17.1200008392334px; margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 19.97333335876465px;">Shot on 35mm, Haigh’s hypnotic and, at times, hallucinatory direction, is complemented by flawless performances from the cast. The mundane locations are transformed by the metaphysics and the wrenching emotions and Haigh effortlessly casts a spell over his heart-breaking story.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; line-height: 17.1200008392334px; margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 19.97333335876465px;">Frankie Goes To Hollywood, the 80s transgressive band from Liverpool, makes a welcome revival, particularly <b><i>The Power of Love</i></b> (“<i>I’ll protect you from the hooded claw, Keep the vampires from your door…The power of love, A force from above, Cleaning my soul, Flame on, burn desire, Love with tongues of fire, Purge the soul, Make love your goal.</i>”)<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; line-height: 17.1200008392334px; margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt; text-align: center;">*********************</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; line-height: 17.1200008392334px; margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt; text-align: left;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;"><i>All of us Strangers </i>has its premiere in Sydney at the forthcoming Mardi Gras Film Festival. For information regarding session times and bookings</span></b><i><b><span style="font-size: medium;"> <a href="https://queerscreen.org.au/sessions/all-of-us-strangers/" target="_blank"><span style="color: #cc0000;">CLICK HERE</span></a></span></b></i></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5242690213881108403.post-13254861674014010712024-01-30T21:53:00.000-08:002024-01-30T21:53:44.586-08:00At Antenna Documentary Film Festival - Margot Nash presents the Sydney premiere of UNDERCURRENTS: MEDITATIONS ON POWER<p><span face="Calibri, sans-serif"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="font-size: 11pt; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrUZvoOU87zj8gKnRW1tPH7mtFugcwWUjzR3WZCV0dp96cvaEqzaNLmROQvgdOQ9rnFcg7vrkykZc-DqBUITJ5nDcWczGYwEKo8ineDEXL0GSzWP1GjVGSAlipKCSoBJY2GhIoH427fSARedlZOrCi0eXVInTjbCRXqemqZ60a9xeKw2Zt4kHoM3kS9CCF/s1800/Undercurrents%20%205%20The%20Blood%20of%20Empire%20.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1363" data-original-width="1800" height="303" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrUZvoOU87zj8gKnRW1tPH7mtFugcwWUjzR3WZCV0dp96cvaEqzaNLmROQvgdOQ9rnFcg7vrkykZc-DqBUITJ5nDcWczGYwEKo8ineDEXL0GSzWP1GjVGSAlipKCSoBJY2GhIoH427fSARedlZOrCi0eXVInTjbCRXqemqZ60a9xeKw2Zt4kHoM3kS9CCF/w400-h303/Undercurrents%20%205%20The%20Blood%20of%20Empire%20.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Blood of Empire, <i>Undercurrents</i></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Margot Nash writes:</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm;"><o:p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Dear Friends</span></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">I am thrilled to let you know that my new film,<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><i>Undercurrents: meditations on power</i><span class="apple-converted-space"> now </span>has a Sydney screening.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><span>It will screen<span class="apple-converted-space"><i> </i></span>in the Antenna Documentary Film festival in the Australian Shorts Competition, Session 1 on Sat 10 Feb at Dendy Newtown at 11:30am. See:<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><a href="https://antennafestival.org/films/australian-shorts-competition-session-1/" style="color: #0563c1;" title="https://antennafestival.org/films/australian-shorts-competition-session-1/">https://antennafestival.org/films/australian-shorts-competition-session-1/</a> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><span> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><span>See the leaflet below. Check my web site for updates </span><span><a href="https://www.margotnash.com/" style="color: #0563c1;">https://www.margotnash.com</a><o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Hope to see you there.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Best wishes,<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Margot</span><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"><o:p style="font-size: 11pt;"></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0cm;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgY1XzUU60h-TlBdd-BrXaY4kzauIKX2Uk57liJllYQ8pfpwT_nMvmat9LcQw1ZVaUXc_h7GiiYAWSdA5F2Nfyy3aqZ2MmpYI2pftZV9wC3HzBf8AhV-LRzfyfxYIhNY23WIauldCFssaLFKqGGuE2u6sy7xPTTh3NRHzyRmiIGOv-NAYDvv6kZrho3ma-X/s3000/Undercurrents%201%20She%20thought%20about%20power%20.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1686" data-original-width="3000" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgY1XzUU60h-TlBdd-BrXaY4kzauIKX2Uk57liJllYQ8pfpwT_nMvmat9LcQw1ZVaUXc_h7GiiYAWSdA5F2Nfyy3aqZ2MmpYI2pftZV9wC3HzBf8AhV-LRzfyfxYIhNY23WIauldCFssaLFKqGGuE2u6sy7xPTTh3NRHzyRmiIGOv-NAYDvv6kZrho3ma-X/w400-h225/Undercurrents%201%20She%20thought%20about%20power%20.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">She thought about power, <i>Undercurrents</i></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0cm;"><o:p> </o:p></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5242690213881108403.post-3888226013493474772024-01-28T18:59:00.000-08:002024-01-28T19:41:31.929-08:00CINEMA REBORN 2024 - JANUARY NEWS, A SNEAK PEEK + Other festival classic restorations in February<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><b><span lang="EN-AU" style="color: #1d1d1d; font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-family: arial;"></span></span></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: arial;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHD_5tpZluVpE7okd3-uXIsBeXgsWT9n5VgzF5jCh0o83pBUzY6GiF0dGRVmoQ_Y3SEv3axv-wgpnRCMGTTLn84Vch1Pr2q11HubuPGFQjD7MMdljJJdKagA2am_5yPc9PjkWPu8BNyjE2nLzp0dkrLyNUG9ZXOwAIRogQEYdQJC9vEXxZr1AyJ4feY40d/s1708/Renoir%20Coach.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1275" data-original-width="1708" height="299" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHD_5tpZluVpE7okd3-uXIsBeXgsWT9n5VgzF5jCh0o83pBUzY6GiF0dGRVmoQ_Y3SEv3axv-wgpnRCMGTTLn84Vch1Pr2q11HubuPGFQjD7MMdljJJdKagA2am_5yPc9PjkWPu8BNyjE2nLzp0dkrLyNUG9ZXOwAIRogQEYdQJC9vEXxZr1AyJ4feY40d/w400-h299/Renoir%20Coach.jpg" width="400" /></a></span></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></b></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /><b><span style="font-size: large;">DATES AND A SNEAK PREVIEW</span></b></span><div><span style="color: #1d1d1d; font-family: arial; font-size: 14pt;">A belated happy new year to all of Cinema Reborn’s supporters, friends, contributors and sponsors. Just a quick note to remind you of our dates for 2024.</span><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-AU" style="color: #1d1d1d; font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-AU" style="color: #1d1d1d; font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-family: arial;">We go on at the Randwick Ritz on Wednesday 1 May through to Tuesday 7 May. We ALSO go on, for the very first time, in Melbourne at the Hawthorn Lido from 9-15 May. Final confirmations still to be received but we are aiming at 17 programs of wonderful new 4K restorations from five continents. Many of the titles will have both daytime and evening screenings in both cities. The full program will be released around March 15 and bookings for both cities will open then. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-AU" style="color: #1d1d1d; font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span lang="EN-AU" style="color: #1d1d1d; font-size: 14pt;">In the meantime, above and below are a couple of photos of directors whose work will screen at Cinema Reborn in May..... And, although many of you who have attended recent sessions at the Ritz will have seen a trailer produced by our great supporter Ben Cho drawing attention to one of the real sparklers of the program but if you haven't and your curiosity is whetted you can find it</span><b><span lang="EN-AU" style="color: red; font-size: 14pt;"> <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kBMAWseH9V4" style="color: #954f72;"><span style="color: red;">If You Click Here</span></a><o:p></o:p></span></b></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><b><span lang="EN-AU" style="color: red; font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><b><span lang="EN-AU" style="color: #1d1d1d; font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-family: arial;"></span></span></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: arial;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvBNsVuFfG94TxUyWgXWEJIqOz7qDxLCJ-fBLKH7bcjagVg5pcBMQkDZ2Op9R30wKSkGbz-a27SZSvAhMs1sN5jVqkfiaaIv0JeJ2JZ7biaS_193oMXPBgUqbHuW7nNPi9QW3lf6kCIA4WvGfSsQrUGd3w-7hC87nPlNBubq1IvY1z5IhI_XeDIGHaKTSj/s566/akerman.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="566" data-original-width="400" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvBNsVuFfG94TxUyWgXWEJIqOz7qDxLCJ-fBLKH7bcjagVg5pcBMQkDZ2Op9R30wKSkGbz-a27SZSvAhMs1sN5jVqkfiaaIv0JeJ2JZ7biaS_193oMXPBgUqbHuW7nNPi9QW3lf6kCIA4WvGfSsQrUGd3w-7hC87nPlNBubq1IvY1z5IhI_XeDIGHaKTSj/w283-h400/akerman.jpg" width="283" /></a></span></b></div><b><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /><span style="font-size: large;">CHARITABLE DONATIONS</span></span></b><div><span lang="EN-AU" style="color: #1d1d1d; font-family: arial; font-size: 14pt;">Cinema Reborn’s work over the years has long been sustained by the generosity of our donors who help us make up the shortfall between our income and the costs of obtaining and screening our program. Distributors and producers who have paid for expensive restorations cant be expected to give their work away. Some place extremely high values on their work and that’s a burden we’ve been able to meet over the years with the help of many friends. All donors are acknowledged in our catalogue and those making substantial gifts are recognised as having supported particular titles in the program. If you would like to know more just reply to the email address </span><b style="font-family: arial;"><span lang="EN-AU" style="color: red; font-size: 14pt;">filmalert101@gmail.com</span></b><span lang="EN-AU" style="color: #1d1d1d; font-family: arial; font-size: 14pt;"> or you can straight to the Cinema Reborn 2024 page on the website of the Australian Cultural Fund and make a tax deductible donation. All donations great and small are very welcome. The Australian Cultural Fund page can be found </span><b style="font-family: arial;"><span lang="EN-AU" style="color: red; font-size: 14pt;"><a href="https://artists.australianculturalfund.org.au/s/project/a2EMn000002Lyb7MAC/cinema-reborn-2024" style="color: #954f72;"><span style="color: red;">If You Click Here</span></a></span></b><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-AU" style="color: red; font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-family: arial;"></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEic6v4eKaF6V9sce7B11_PKR6IDKzkudzOLlZGvBl1aPWtEf7fuDqmi3A81Gv0Ps1apTDi9zZQ0vaZ5u5dP9jqNQZuCUvQtjN7h5Ik2h8xkGcPCJ6uFosNDO6eaqFh7vSqsxDO7AdZOYgyR9gOFXHl6j5Z3CYS81qAmJJo2r1Gj5Qc9czvP9GOSIrraZFH0/s300/Another%20Country%20x.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="168" data-original-width="300" height="224" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEic6v4eKaF6V9sce7B11_PKR6IDKzkudzOLlZGvBl1aPWtEf7fuDqmi3A81Gv0Ps1apTDi9zZQ0vaZ5u5dP9jqNQZuCUvQtjN7h5Ik2h8xkGcPCJ6uFosNDO6eaqFh7vSqsxDO7AdZOYgyR9gOFXHl6j5Z3CYS81qAmJJo2r1Gj5Qc9czvP9GOSIrraZFH0/w400-h224/Another%20Country%20x.jpg" width="400" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /> </span><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><b><span lang="EN-AU"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: large;">FRIENDS AND PARTNERS</span><span style="font-size: medium;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></b></p><p style="margin: 0cm 0cm 24pt; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span lang="EN-AU" style="font-size: 14pt;">On Saturday February 24 at 4.30 pm at the Event Cinema in George Street, <b>the Mardi Gras Film Festival</b> is presenting a major restoration this year of Marek Kanievska’s ANOTHER COUNTRY. </span><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Celebrating its 40th anniversary, this groundbreaking gay classic features star-making (and swoon-worthy) performances from Rupert Everett, Colin Firth and Cary Elwes. <span style="color: #1b2631;">Based on Julian Mitchell’s acclaimed play and inspired by true events,<em style="background-position: 0px 0px; box-sizing: border-box; outline: 0px;"><span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; padding: 0cm;"> Another Country</span></em><span class="apple-converted-space"> </span>explores the impact 1930s British boarding school life had on Guy Bennett (Everett), and his later decision to become a Soviet spy. After falling madly in love with a fellow student (Elwes), Guy must decide between asserting his sexual identity or conforming with the school’s oppressive student hierarchy. With its thought-provoking screenplay and sublime performances, the film unforgettably captures the dreamy idealism of youth and first love. BOOKINGS </span><b><span style="color: red;"><a href="https://queerscreen.org.au/sessions/another-country-40th-anniversary/" style="color: #954f72;"><span style="color: red;">If You Click Here</span></a><o:p></o:p></span></b></span></span></p><p style="margin: 0cm 0cm 24pt; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b><span style="color: #1b2631; font-size: 14pt;"></span></b></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwgnJzQooLMYj3jQTCFmSWs1crxHDPDnMlsO4aUr0DK5zswUrO9e4BmYpZ2zfJ-vMeURVxw3TSa-V5wNgXR31j74BrfOMOlF0TewF9waF_8MnlxNbgAmdXiyK7Sqxx6wn97zM56zbSKX2GEwTjUdhxoYYRpSVknry4XYNWtZVbbEZaHxwgf5aUhaEXxSky/s1792/Conformist.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1792" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwgnJzQooLMYj3jQTCFmSWs1crxHDPDnMlsO4aUr0DK5zswUrO9e4BmYpZ2zfJ-vMeURVxw3TSa-V5wNgXR31j74BrfOMOlF0TewF9waF_8MnlxNbgAmdXiyK7Sqxx6wn97zM56zbSKX2GEwTjUdhxoYYRpSVknry4XYNWtZVbbEZaHxwgf5aUhaEXxSky/w400-h241/Conformist.jpg" width="400" /></a></b></span></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><b><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">The Europa Europa Film Festival</span></b><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="color: #1b2631;"> is a major annual survey of the best of modern European Cinema. This year it will also feature two superb restorations - Bernardo Bertolucci’s THE CONFORMIST and Jean-Luc Godard’s LE MEPRIS among several dozen selections. The festival takes place from 15 February to 11 March and screens in Sydney at the Randwick Ritz and in Melbourne at the Elsternwick Classic and the Hawthorn Lido. Full program details and links to session times and bookings can be found</span><b><span style="color: red;"> </span><a href="https://www.europafilmfestival.com.au/"><span style="color: red;">If You Click Here</span></a></b></span></span><span style="color: #1b2631; font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><o:p></o:p></span></span><p></p><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><b><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjc7YuUjxLlAub9CsexeQ0bkJbUjTJ1XjlxfYEC8uBZGTnLqb4ZLDfFKNaw5SnRAYSuxYzwWEPm0qQJ-A01N5rWFjREYC4v_QPzjAsytvdDnfe5PAUZaRhjRtoVUEtH9Dipx0mg3gRT1dEIz4iakXr8WGUapS9cj-Ud7l1TSJiOlJRpHAzvA-1pcv8GTSyf/s300/Mepris.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="180" data-original-width="300" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjc7YuUjxLlAub9CsexeQ0bkJbUjTJ1XjlxfYEC8uBZGTnLqb4ZLDfFKNaw5SnRAYSuxYzwWEPm0qQJ-A01N5rWFjREYC4v_QPzjAsytvdDnfe5PAUZaRhjRtoVUEtH9Dipx0mg3gRT1dEIz4iakXr8WGUapS9cj-Ud7l1TSJiOlJRpHAzvA-1pcv8GTSyf/w400-h240/Mepris.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><span style="color: red; font-size: 14pt;"><br /></span></b></span></div></div></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5242690213881108403.post-49177588147267933172024-01-28T16:12:00.000-08:002024-02-23T15:36:13.930-08:00Sixty Years of International Art Cinema 1960-2020 - Bruce Hodsdon continues his remarkable series of essays - 6 (22) - Italy Part 5 Post-neorealism (ii): Fellini, Olmi<p><b>Editor's Note: This is the 28th essay in Bruce Hodsdon's series chronicling what he has called International Art Cinema. The series started in March 2022 and at the foot of this entry on Italian masters Fellini and Olmi there are links to the previous 21 posts. The series will continue throughout 2024.</b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 7pt;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><i><span style="color: #1d1d1d;"></span></i></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNd-HTc-GWYTkv_3dbdwewZqe_XdeNr3bryxdzM91W38-TbLiid_yFjFoDycz9BsAGNKv0F1g2dsno_Ff6A3PIScnJCnpfbDVO7JBCLGGsU4paCkHYJlN5_Fvx2A7gV3_SCgPFRMyezlsd7LAeOYyET7eaSa6LsubYXwdg8lSjhuGtoSODR5TVRXYNKis4/s978/Federico-Fellini.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="653" data-original-width="978" height="268" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNd-HTc-GWYTkv_3dbdwewZqe_XdeNr3bryxdzM91W38-TbLiid_yFjFoDycz9BsAGNKv0F1g2dsno_Ff6A3PIScnJCnpfbDVO7JBCLGGsU4paCkHYJlN5_Fvx2A7gV3_SCgPFRMyezlsd7LAeOYyET7eaSa6LsubYXwdg8lSjhuGtoSODR5TVRXYNKis4/w400-h268/Federico-Fellini.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Federico Fellini</td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: arial;"><i><span style="color: #1d1d1d;"><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">Fellini biographer John Baxter makes clear that there was certainly no love lost between Federico and Luchino Visconti. “It is hard to think of two men with less in common than Fellini and Visconti </span></span></i><span style="color: #1d1d1d;"><span style="font-size: medium;">[…] <i>For all his success Fellini never earned the respect Visconti accepted as his right. Although always courteous, even deferential to Visconti in public, in private Fellini was scornful </i>(57-8)<i>. Roberto Rossellini’s background could also not have been more different but “he was the first man Fellini fell in love with. The relationship wasn’t physical but the attachment was passionate… Rossellini’s charm and glamour swept the naive Frederico into his circle. ‘Rossellini was the father he never had’ says one friend of the time. </i>(69-70)<i>” </i><o:p></o:p></span></span></span><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 7pt;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><span style="color: #1d1d1d;"></span></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLWkt8mbCTz5La2TBWyPiH6zSJ8E16WGINwxU91lGw9PktSiN-4vctG-vc2uGlG5gy9fTIh1PcCwGMpQDu7kZczD1QCHEYdLjJCvWY-2TuNb9XEg-pyyomIz4W3_669xDxd2n3pr5CSJJMsg510HqGuCN9RngjquS31lwIljR87pQuzEs-wdAAg2RxMqS5/s246/Fellini%20Visconti.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="205" data-original-width="246" height="333" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLWkt8mbCTz5La2TBWyPiH6zSJ8E16WGINwxU91lGw9PktSiN-4vctG-vc2uGlG5gy9fTIh1PcCwGMpQDu7kZczD1QCHEYdLjJCvWY-2TuNb9XEg-pyyomIz4W3_669xDxd2n3pr5CSJJMsg510HqGuCN9RngjquS31lwIljR87pQuzEs-wdAAg2RxMqS5/w400-h333/Fellini%20Visconti.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Luchino Visconti, Federico Fellini</td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><span style="color: #1d1d1d;"><br /></span></span><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 7pt;"><span style="color: #1d1d1d; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13.5pt;">For <b>Federico Fellini</b> (1920-93) Italian neo-realism entailed a commitment primarily to artistic honesty rather than to a particular style or content” (Bondanella 229). Fellini saw <i>La Dolce Vita </i>as a “development rather than a closing’’ of neo-realism which he identified with Rossellini.</span><span face="-webkit-standard, serif"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 7pt;"><span style="color: #1d1d1d; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13.5pt;">Fellini moved permanently from his home town to Rome in 1939 where he enrolled in the University of Rome although there is no record that he ever attended classes. As a freelance journalist he had the flair of a natural “for maximising the profit from a good idea” (Baxter 49). He supplemented his income from journalism by selling caricatures for publication. Working as a writer for radio gave him the experience in writing dialogue. He persuaded the owner-editor of a magazine to let him write about film and theatre stars. It was a small step from interviewing stars to thinking about a career in film. He found plenty of work as a film journalist and increasingly as a gag writer for movies achieving his first writing credit in 1943 for a film starring Anna Magnani. “His script work made him new and influential friends” including Benito Mussolini’s film-struck son Vittorio. Like every young Italian male Fellini became preoccupied with evading the draft (ibid). </span><span face="-webkit-standard, serif"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 7pt;"><span style="color: #1d1d1d; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13.5pt;">Fellini’s first contact was an approach by Rossellini about co-writing a scenario with Sergio Amedei for a tragi-comedy based on the life of a priest executed by the Nazis, the embryo of <i>Rome Open City</i>. Fellini’s final contribution to <i>Open City </i>is visible in only one scene - the priest’s encounter with a nude statue (ibid). It was working with Rossellini on<i> Paisà</i> and <i>The Miracle </i>that Fellini first experienced the exhilaration of filmmaking.</span><span face="-webkit-standard, serif"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 7pt;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><i><span style="color: #1d1d1d;"></span></i></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjD4pQ4DTdCtYzzZYh5_EFtHcvaWwN5l_dv61ERycm9ff2GgDMxRJb3AK90ht5-ZdTPuMBpchbt_ZPUDH2H2NFWgJTHx0rVJi5rnaM2W4zmk9rPKNQCtlRq0hsGGI2ZzT9CUM9vMVjLkMqKTVbefT5SYYLScfzoz2ZvQ7WzPAUQorUiujecz5x3tHN_TiL9/s300/download-95.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="168" data-original-width="300" height="224" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjD4pQ4DTdCtYzzZYh5_EFtHcvaWwN5l_dv61ERycm9ff2GgDMxRJb3AK90ht5-ZdTPuMBpchbt_ZPUDH2H2NFWgJTHx0rVJi5rnaM2W4zmk9rPKNQCtlRq0hsGGI2ZzT9CUM9vMVjLkMqKTVbefT5SYYLScfzoz2ZvQ7WzPAUQorUiujecz5x3tHN_TiL9/w400-h224/download-95.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>I Vitelloni</i></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><i><span style="color: #1d1d1d;"><br /></span></i></span><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><i><span style="color: #1d1d1d; font-family: Arial;">I vitelloni </span></i><span style="color: #1d1d1d; font-family: Arial;">(1953) is a portrait based on memories of his hometown group in his birthplace, the provincial town of Rimini. His early films form “a trilogy of character” with <i>Luci dei variet</i>à/ <i>Variety Lights, </i>co-directed with Alberto Lattuada (1950 ), and <i>Lo sceicco bianco/ The White Sheik </i>(1951) “devoted to the clash of illusion and convention, social mask and authentic personality” (Bondanella 130). In his breakthrough international art house success starring his wife Giulietta Masina, <i>La Strada </i>(1954), Fellini here and in his two following films <i>Il bidone/The Swindle</i> (1955)<i> </i>and <i>Le notte di Cabiria/The Nights of Cabiria </i>(1956), moves “beyond his concerns with characters to a new dimension, one motivated by a personal vision and particular Fellinian mythology [exploiting] the already existing mythology of Christianity ” - a trilogy on the theme of “spiritual poverty and inquiry into the nature of growth and salvation […] outside a proper Catholic context” (ibid)</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><span style="color: #1d1d1d; font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 7pt;"><span style="color: #1d1d1d;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Fellini came to realise, as the years passed, that the script from his story “Moraldo in the City” was no longer viable because Rome was no longer the city he knew when he first arrived there” (Liehm 174). <i>La Dolce Vita</i> (1959) was born from the nights he spent in Via Veneto in the company of a crowd he was never attracted to: the paparazzi congregated to make and take scandalous photos to sell to the yellow press. Out of it Fellini created an episodic fresco on the widescreen held together by two picaresque ‘heroes’, a journalist (Marcello Mastroianni) and his photographer. “Fellini danced his way through the hell and purgatory of modern life wearing a sardonic grin sometimes compared to that of Dante in the ‘Divine Comedy’ “(Liehm 221).<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 7pt;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><span style="color: #1d1d1d;"></span></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiObirIT9NEGZjqRl5c8JCQdlc9pnUZ5pdx2SpGrGwDqiiXKKshMd0Imjv216SL0JuzlRv0ocguXtCvLQsOt6fRl-dqp9-qm1sahvbMRUqd_SHbMEd4CDGum5FcH3EnoO29jl_By8vGRYZg09it_vAh3bt6L6gJrJrc3LLjmcNLt3M_hBX_c2W2WX8cJQuB/s300/Dolce%20Vita.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="168" data-original-width="300" height="224" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiObirIT9NEGZjqRl5c8JCQdlc9pnUZ5pdx2SpGrGwDqiiXKKshMd0Imjv216SL0JuzlRv0ocguXtCvLQsOt6fRl-dqp9-qm1sahvbMRUqd_SHbMEd4CDGum5FcH3EnoO29jl_By8vGRYZg09it_vAh3bt6L6gJrJrc3LLjmcNLt3M_hBX_c2W2WX8cJQuB/w400-h224/Dolce%20Vita.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>La Dolce Vita</i></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><span style="color: #1d1d1d;"><br /></span></span><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 7pt;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><span style="color: #1d1d1d;">He creates an idiosyncratic world of images and dream fantasies abandoning traditional cinematic realism.</span><span style="color: #1d1d1d;"> </span><span style="color: #1d1d1d;">His obsession was already with the problems of the artist with its mix of modernity, recollection and reflexivity. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 7pt;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><i><span style="color: #1d1d1d;">Otto e mezzo/ 8 1/2</span></i><span style="color: #1d1d1d;"> (1963) is the representative film. “In all its essentials, the film’s action grew out of Fellini’s life” (Baxter 180). A successful filmmaker is with his entourage in a remote spa to complete the script for his new film. Far from relaxing, Guido is racked by dreams in which “the vision of childhood is spacious and welcoming.” Baxter relates that Fellini’s discovery of the work of Gustav Jung in the late 50s “made the process of refining his ideas for a new film even more tortuous” while encouraging him to further abandon realism. He had a confused desire to make a film about a day in a man’s life. “Convinced by his reading of Jung that he need no longer apologise for his imagination, Fellini intended to celebrate it in a film dedicated to the concept of the director as creator” (ibid 172). A film “entirely based on his own personality” was assembled into parades and processions marching to Nino Rota's obsessive music broadening its appeal to again attract the more general ‘La Dolce Vita audience’. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 7pt;"><span style="color: #1d1d1d;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8dL_untIgsPf42Dwnjmufef-FQMHU0O13gT3dOGa2i_o5fCHLNDpZ_ykIQV1cbZRpdIsSfthsvd6_NAYe1FG-0g5VEUg3FwkzGgthYsA4eGE921VNmA3AX7zpi5zUSuBOtyKlhOvdKkBeY9WGg6yJnSEAGOMeMy6r9XZ4jX4weNvmDlKfa_VIBS_J6q8b/s600/8%201:2%202.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="450" data-original-width="600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8dL_untIgsPf42Dwnjmufef-FQMHU0O13gT3dOGa2i_o5fCHLNDpZ_ykIQV1cbZRpdIsSfthsvd6_NAYe1FG-0g5VEUg3FwkzGgthYsA4eGE921VNmA3AX7zpi5zUSuBOtyKlhOvdKkBeY9WGg6yJnSEAGOMeMy6r9XZ4jX4weNvmDlKfa_VIBS_J6q8b/s320/8%201:2%202.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh435GbX-qFLEO8gIkyG0CHmtF6iXFCrJm9SxQ0SuXdwvz4TK5wqjsxemWL-_23Yv3HegIIDZGbLrGMG9ucyeCjN2MheDDd0815CCWhGv7GQ2JTqBkGmHDrEKjVggFKl4YISz2Vvt8C8a9pfu6AYedIxZHXNrfj3hrz8caCg-XDCmnWr4HhOJM_6FDbFLvj/s300/8%201:2%203.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="177" data-original-width="300" height="177" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh435GbX-qFLEO8gIkyG0CHmtF6iXFCrJm9SxQ0SuXdwvz4TK5wqjsxemWL-_23Yv3HegIIDZGbLrGMG9ucyeCjN2MheDDd0815CCWhGv7GQ2JTqBkGmHDrEKjVggFKl4YISz2Vvt8C8a9pfu6AYedIxZHXNrfj3hrz8caCg-XDCmnWr4HhOJM_6FDbFLvj/s1600/8%201:2%203.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-QsHZA7N5KksgcCZf9Yo_kkBnU_QXzwK_zMitPraIbMmJONTydqq7gvGUVITSaDiHMIXeIFf8UHZBOrxHdTVzn_NzAvScJqHLPUqUWz-xWDY6EeSs9FyJ8OVQTtp6iMFd3RLGUkLmdN03ubEvPT2iF3YHlQU_tD_7bgouu8cpxtLcF7yGP9qZn1MCD3rt/s1280/8%201:2%204.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="1280" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-QsHZA7N5KksgcCZf9Yo_kkBnU_QXzwK_zMitPraIbMmJONTydqq7gvGUVITSaDiHMIXeIFf8UHZBOrxHdTVzn_NzAvScJqHLPUqUWz-xWDY6EeSs9FyJ8OVQTtp6iMFd3RLGUkLmdN03ubEvPT2iF3YHlQU_tD_7bgouu8cpxtLcF7yGP9qZn1MCD3rt/s320/8%201:2%204.png" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIt5my2P7UbbxkTCgGKQ14El2ZTFLKseakckWE6EDyJ5GQnzvGPf7Zvodt3QA9bFPug6cQlzuq4grpAWhN1mC_EhReQ1l05Xh0uPXd1DgJyh9l32fH3zhax69D1ca_i71aZ0oqgzLTvCbvItc_1-WOIN7oZKX9m67lHXpIxb2FaGk195YPrXVdW0D3trRj/s400/8%201:2%205.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="225" data-original-width="400" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIt5my2P7UbbxkTCgGKQ14El2ZTFLKseakckWE6EDyJ5GQnzvGPf7Zvodt3QA9bFPug6cQlzuq4grpAWhN1mC_EhReQ1l05Xh0uPXd1DgJyh9l32fH3zhax69D1ca_i71aZ0oqgzLTvCbvItc_1-WOIN7oZKX9m67lHXpIxb2FaGk195YPrXVdW0D3trRj/s320/8%201:2%205.png" width="320" /></a></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJcCCrA9uVDq1ls_3__m6-gWYy0SpVJCm6JBUo0jAM4JNjgnLPaVlogdm6JSd3ITp3AzFqY6njjsj81sNFiZq8DKRjw33Uz-_h5w92EpZO_K2sfK4k1gpecUxEorPDVxJkMaK_QUEO-XdPaVYIA1UjW9R_bQwmd0IAJuCTKGCReTgNAL7vN2AlxzU7S4nz/s1022/8%201:2%20copy.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="549" data-original-width="1022" height="172" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJcCCrA9uVDq1ls_3__m6-gWYy0SpVJCm6JBUo0jAM4JNjgnLPaVlogdm6JSd3ITp3AzFqY6njjsj81sNFiZq8DKRjw33Uz-_h5w92EpZO_K2sfK4k1gpecUxEorPDVxJkMaK_QUEO-XdPaVYIA1UjW9R_bQwmd0IAJuCTKGCReTgNAL7vN2AlxzU7S4nz/s320/8%201:2%20copy.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>8 1/2</i></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br />At the same time, <i>8 1/2 </i> has a special place “for the remarkable influence it had on the development of modern cinema.” While Kovács sees <i>Last Year at Marienbad</i> (1961) as marking “the closure of the romantic period, <i>8 1/2 </i> represented the new consolidated status of modern cinema” (316). He also sees it as “the first film to focus entirely on the modern conception of ‘authorship' in the cinema. In Kovacs’ view, Fellini’s film emerged “at a crucial time in the context of the cultural debates over art and modern culture, “engaging with Ingmar Bergman’s doubts about the capability of cinema to express deep philosophical concerns about human existence that Bergman first personified in the characters in his 1949 film <i>Fangelser/ Prison</i> (1948) (ibid).<o:p></o:p></span><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 7pt;"><span style="color: #1d1d1d;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">With <i>Satyricon </i>(1969), Kovács notes that, like Pasolini, Fellini “feels free not to reconstruct Petronius’s fragmentary “original” self-contained world of antiquity in ancient Rome but to construct his own visual and narrative mythology outside of time. From fragments originating from here and there, from antiquity, from modernity, history of art, and from his fantasy Fellini makes “an everlasting metaphysical structure of decadence salient in the midst of this pile of cultural debris and mythical fragments” (187), creating “a mythos, not merely a plot” (Bernard Dick quote in Kovács). Kovacs identifies this “mythical ornamentalism” is for Fellini, “a way of conceptualising, in an allegorical way, the actual reality around him,” an alternative to modern minimalism. This is something, as Kovács points out, that Tarkovsky also “takes up most seriously” (ibid).<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 7pt;"><span style="color: #1d1d1d;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxZ1LfRl5IYxCWGz21Y0iP2EwU57PzrO_zVu7qBT71t_BT0UYA5ysOIJfGODbOrfU_9Dchp2kNeNidkjJ2FjFUj_RsfnUO02fT6oJODR1CZOK5ohCzNhKcxSJjnufiKQu6eJfJDX9LgOXaq3ulcN2RKpYHUSCqVVxEHFMjr-ueazW_brD6BhmaWhDog3O3/s990/Juliet%20of%20the%20Spirits.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="792" data-original-width="990" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxZ1LfRl5IYxCWGz21Y0iP2EwU57PzrO_zVu7qBT71t_BT0UYA5ysOIJfGODbOrfU_9Dchp2kNeNidkjJ2FjFUj_RsfnUO02fT6oJODR1CZOK5ohCzNhKcxSJjnufiKQu6eJfJDX9LgOXaq3ulcN2RKpYHUSCqVVxEHFMjr-ueazW_brD6BhmaWhDog3O3/w400-h320/Juliet%20of%20the%20Spirits.jpg" width="400" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br />Wider concerns are also at times admitted by Fellini such as those of women in a repressive society (<i>Juliet of the Spirits </i>1965) which Fellini acknowledged was “inspired by Giulietta and based on her.” He wanted her to play a character different from Gelsomina (in <i>La Strada</i>) and Cabiria. In <i>Amacord </i>(1974) it was the freedom of the individual in an era of social and political conformity. <o:p></o:p></span><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 7pt;"><span style="color: #1d1d1d;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Mira Liehm describes <i>Roma</i> (1972) as “a stream of apparitions from Fellini's life” (298). He was “the author of an oeuvre that holds together as a unit… The modes and times changed as he changed […] as society and the world changed, but his films continued and developed the same essential themes and ideas.” (Morando Morandini essay 587 Nowell-Smith “World Cinema’ ed.)<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 7pt;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><span style="color: #1d1d1d;">“Fellini, Fellini, what have you done with your youth? He is almost the only one who can answer without telling a lie: ’I’ve told everything about it.’ ” </span><span style="color: #1d1d1d;">- Joseph-Marie Lo Duca, foreword, ‘Amarcord’</span><span style="color: #1d1d1d;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 7pt;"><span style="color: #1d1d1d;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"> ***<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 7pt;"><span style="color: #1d1d1d;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"></span></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsO6RIkSSBzUWnWOJK_XwfPmtS5xqKeG9X46VrvnHs1ueQ0GO-ZgsZ-41fZ0TNXLpDsoC6gkwrKcluxsOMV1m9qqZV5qo0qYWD9eXU62vFn6SWKTYnCUtgi6Ns_SX-ITFzaQ375Lz7ConxHe23VOBnH4YCmkUmNRPciwoLFlwyGeNEeYCF5cHjBtM5ynif/s255/download-96.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="198" data-original-width="255" height="311" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsO6RIkSSBzUWnWOJK_XwfPmtS5xqKeG9X46VrvnHs1ueQ0GO-ZgsZ-41fZ0TNXLpDsoC6gkwrKcluxsOMV1m9qqZV5qo0qYWD9eXU62vFn6SWKTYnCUtgi6Ns_SX-ITFzaQ375Lz7ConxHe23VOBnH4YCmkUmNRPciwoLFlwyGeNEeYCF5cHjBtM5ynif/w400-h311/download-96.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ermanno Olmi</td></tr></tbody></table><span style="color: #1d1d1d;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span><span style="color: #1d1d1d;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><o:p></o:p></span></span><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><span style="color: #1d1d1d; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14pt;">The national heritage of socially committed neo-realism exemplified by the early films of De Sica, Rossellini and Visconti, was the starting point for a style of naturalism or ‘post neo-realism’ for a modern generation of directors in the early 60s such as Pasolini, Bertolucci, Rosi and <b>Ermanno Olmi </b>(1931 - 2018). Formal characteristics of post-neo-realism include a greater focus on individual personality and psychological factors which frequently meant the casting of professional actors. Another important difference from early neo-realism is the selective use of modern narrative techniques such as parallel narratives and memory flashbacks initially by Bertolucci and Olmi. The more complex formal objective/subjective interplay in post neo-realism had a substantial impact on the Czech<i> </i>new wave and other filmmakers in Eastern Europe struggling to free themselves from the dictates of socialist realism. Although the tone of his work is different, Milos Forman acknowledged Olmi’s influence in formally freeing his approach to narrative.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 14pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><span style="color: #1d1d1d; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14pt;"><br /></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOXuytc2m38gITng6GujSKnP6Ein0ZL_2MWmLBVOSVfskZJjGhBhNzyQjllokLp0zXaU2Xdty2NPmYSnYDNv4U3hZFRpX-j12u9shrCroZkuWJRR4nx5yLaK1y-k3jBvCLjPYZ5hK80SpmxInWJZwi5WGBhn2_LnY9vHLNhZWqFU6s2OYsFbTfqcaAFK9j/s276/download-98.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="183" data-original-width="276" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOXuytc2m38gITng6GujSKnP6Ein0ZL_2MWmLBVOSVfskZJjGhBhNzyQjllokLp0zXaU2Xdty2NPmYSnYDNv4U3hZFRpX-j12u9shrCroZkuWJRR4nx5yLaK1y-k3jBvCLjPYZ5hK80SpmxInWJZwi5WGBhn2_LnY9vHLNhZWqFU6s2OYsFbTfqcaAFK9j/w400-h265/download-98.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>The Tree of Wooden Clogs</i></td></tr></tbody></table><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 7pt;"><span style="color: #1d1d1d;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 7pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="color: #1d1d1d; font-family: Arial;">Olmi was a devout Catholic brought up in a peasant family in Bergamo, Lombardy where he filmed his masterpiece, <i>The Tree of Wooden Clogs </i>(1978), a faithful portrayal of peasant life in the late 19th century, a “remembrance of things past” based on his grandmother’s recollections. Beginning as a documentary filmmaker Olmi subsequently moved into what was to be a sustained career, completing 20 feature films, 1959-2007, inventively over a wider generic range than for which he has generally been credited. He chose to remain based in the north rather than moving to the centre of the film industry in Rome, preferring to work in low budget artisanal mode. As writer-director and in most cases also as cinematographer and editor, he achieved a “refined clarity” on wide-ranging projects of his own choosing unified by his underlying sense of the sacred which has been compared to that of Rossellini.</span><span face="-webkit-standard, serif"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 7pt;"><span style="color: #1d1d1d; font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: medium;">From his first feature film starting more in the manner of De Sica and Zavattini, his commitment was to chronicle his characters’ lives in apparent observational style replacing the art cinema’s subjective alienation thematic with the need for a sense of belonging for his characters. The de-dramatised lives of ordinary men and women played by non-professional actors was filmed and edited in a mix of deeper focus images in longer takes using the zoom lens rather than camera movement and closer shots of faces only in important psychological moments. </span></span><span face="-webkit-standard, serif"><o:p></o:p></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDLvlmfcyP2_UO4lvIhhEKR94OPVavWFurQZYobmBVebQZ0_teT75QwE8g57FJRKT_ZJCGIkaUVHkaLhONNYAYFYGtPBUdVgwkZO7Ijqa1vTyQw2lpaimJSYmxSJsrI4C1dWYLGWIWakaGorHjxLYv7fLxtY5aiffkE9y4e7AQsoRVaG4OSOys2dkVvZ5E/s300/download-97.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="168" data-original-width="300" height="224" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDLvlmfcyP2_UO4lvIhhEKR94OPVavWFurQZYobmBVebQZ0_teT75QwE8g57FJRKT_ZJCGIkaUVHkaLhONNYAYFYGtPBUdVgwkZO7Ijqa1vTyQw2lpaimJSYmxSJsrI4C1dWYLGWIWakaGorHjxLYv7fLxtY5aiffkE9y4e7AQsoRVaG4OSOys2dkVvZ5E/w400-h224/download-97.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Il Posto</i></td></tr></tbody></table><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 7pt;"><span style="color: #1d1d1d;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br />Olmi’s first feature, the aptly titled <i>Time Stood Still</i> (1959) which began as a documentary, is about the cementing of a relationship between an older and younger man working otherwise alone together in manning a hydro-electric dam in the Italian Alps. For his second and third features, <i>Il Posto/The Job </i>(1961) - originally probably ironically titled <i>The Sound of Trumpets -</i> and <i>I fidanzati /The Fiancées</i> (1963), Nowell- Smith’s descriptors of “laid back rhythm and innocently conservative political stance” as marks of Olmi’s approach (155 Making Waves), also seem apt. Sitney claims Olmi as embodying ‘the opening to the left’ which characterised both religious and parliamentary politics in Italy from the early sixties. Olmi’s ambition, however, was to challenge, in his own way, the hegemony of the left in the Italian cinema with <i>The Tree of Wooden Clogs as</i> “an explicit response” to Bertolucci’s leftist interpretation of Italian history in <i>1900 </i>released in 1976<i> </i>(ibid ). <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBwRE19fB0nTT992OvI0e38fPKYxlw3bCX2RR7rELY4vDAugnW_vmdF9Ej_kMoFzYret00CgsJvOYs1rjVE3Ag9chW5xzkgHgHEbzkomkhZmBnbQWCAdIoIGTlbTGirnVg-bu1Peu9GpqRHfVlQ7MF0ykOOrD9hCsinOKGuWdZabosjUWM35Y9ar8LIguD/s298/images-30.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="169" data-original-width="298" height="227" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBwRE19fB0nTT992OvI0e38fPKYxlw3bCX2RR7rELY4vDAugnW_vmdF9Ej_kMoFzYret00CgsJvOYs1rjVE3Ag9chW5xzkgHgHEbzkomkhZmBnbQWCAdIoIGTlbTGirnVg-bu1Peu9GpqRHfVlQ7MF0ykOOrD9hCsinOKGuWdZabosjUWM35Y9ar8LIguD/w400-h227/images-30.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>I Fidanzati</i></td></tr></tbody></table><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 7pt;"><span style="color: #1d1d1d;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br />Apparent in <i>Il posto</i> is “Olmi’s genius […] for expressively employing the simple and seemingly meaningless gestures, glances, and actions gathered from the daily routine of his rather insignificant characters” (Bondanella 174). Olmi made more than 40 short industrial films, 1952-9, from which he formed an insider’s perspective. From his first feature Sitney finds in Olmi an unlikely link in the displaying of cinematic originality comparable to that of Pasolini. Olmi concentrates on how the new conditions of Industrial labour in the years of the so-called Italian economic miracle of the late 50s and 60s “took hold of the lives of workers” (184). The general soul-destroying tedium and accompanying depression in the bureaucratic work environment is softened by Olmi’s sense of humour often in play in his films, together with the feeling for his characters’ predicaments. In <i>I fidanzanti/ The Fiancés </i>(1963) about a young couple who are unable to marry because of the enforced poverty of ill-paid jobs, Bondanella and Sitney both note that Olmi sought to replace the typically simple plot structure of the neo-realist model with a more modernist, abstract perspective in a montage-based free mixing of events out of their chronological order also deploying psychologically based memory triggers evoking loneliness in a looser plot structure. </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: xx-small;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 7pt;"><span style="color: #1d1d1d;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="caret-color: rgb(102, 102, 102); color: #666666; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 13.199999809265137px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><span style="color: #1d1d1d; font-family: Arial;">Previous entries in this series can be found if you click the following links</span><span style="font-family: Arial;"><u1:p></u1:p><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="caret-color: rgb(102, 102, 102); color: #666666; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 13.199999809265137px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"> <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="caret-color: rgb(102, 102, 102); color: #666666; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 13.199999809265137px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><a href="https://filmalert101.blogspot.com/2022/09/sixty-years-of-international-art-cinema.html" style="color: #954f72; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><span style="color: red;">Sixty Years of International Art Cinema: 1960-2020 - Tables and Directors Lists to Accompany Bruce Hodsdon's Series</span></a><u1:p></u1:p><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="caret-color: rgb(102, 102, 102); color: #666666; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 13.199999809265137px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"> <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="caret-color: rgb(102, 102, 102); color: #666666; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 13.199999809265137px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><span style="color: red; font-family: Arial;"><a href="https://filmalert101.blogspot.com/2022/09/sixtyyears-of-international-art-cinema.html" style="color: #954f72; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><span style="color: red;">Notes on canons, methods, national cinemas and more</span></a></span><span style="font-family: Arial;"><u1:p></u1:p><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="caret-color: rgb(102, 102, 102); color: #666666; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 13.199999809265137px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"> <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="caret-color: rgb(102, 102, 102); color: #666666; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 13.199999809265137px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><u><span style="color: red; font-family: Arial;"><a href="https://filmalert101.blogspot.com/2022/03/sixty-years-of-international-art-cinema.html" style="color: #954f72; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><span style="color: red; text-decoration: none;">Part One - Introduction</span></a></span></u><span style="font-family: Arial;"><u1:p></u1:p><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="caret-color: rgb(102, 102, 102); color: #666666; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 13.199999809265137px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><u><span style="color: red; font-family: Arial;"><a href="https://filmalert101.blogspot.com/2022/05/sixty-years-of-international-art-cinema.html" style="color: #954f72; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><span style="color: red; text-decoration: none;">Part Two - Defining Art Cinema</span></a></span></u><span style="font-family: Arial;"><u1:p></u1:p><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="caret-color: rgb(102, 102, 102); color: #666666; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 13.199999809265137px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><a href="https://filmalert101.blogspot.com/2022/06/sixty-years-of-international-art-cinema.html" style="color: #954f72; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><span style="color: red;">Part Three - From Classicism to Modernism</span></a><u1:p></u1:p><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="caret-color: rgb(102, 102, 102); color: #666666; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 13.199999809265137px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><u><span style="color: red; font-family: Arial;"><a href="https://filmalert101.blogspot.com/2022/07/sixty-years-of-international-art-cinema.html" style="color: #954f72; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><span style="color: red; text-decoration: none;">Part Four - Authorship and Narrative</span></a></span></u><span style="font-family: Arial;"><u1:p></u1:p><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="caret-color: rgb(102, 102, 102); color: #666666; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 13.199999809265137px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><u><span style="color: red; font-family: Arial;"><a href="https://filmalert101.blogspot.com/2022/07/sixty-years-of-international-art-cinema_19.html" style="color: #954f72; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><span style="color: red; text-decoration: none;">Part Five - International Film Guide Directors of the Year, The Sight and Sound World Poll, Art-Horror</span></a></span></u><span style="font-family: Arial;"><u1:p></u1:p><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="caret-color: rgb(102, 102, 102); color: #666666; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 13.199999809265137px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><u><span style="color: red; font-family: Arial;"><a href="https://filmalert101.blogspot.com/2022/08/sixty-years-of-international-art-cinema.html" style="color: #954f72; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><span style="color: red; text-decoration: none;">Part Six (1) - The Sixties, the United States and Orson Welles</span></a></span></u><span style="font-family: Arial;"><u1:p></u1:p><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="caret-color: rgb(102, 102, 102); color: #666666; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 13.199999809265137px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><u><span style="font-family: Arial;"><a href="https://filmalert101.blogspot.com/2022/10/sixty-years-of-international-art-cinema.html" style="color: #954f72; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: red; text-decoration: none;">Part Six (2) - Hitchcock, Romero and Art Horror</span></a></span></u><span style="font-family: Arial;"><u1:p></u1:p><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="caret-color: rgb(102, 102, 102); color: #666666; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 13.199999809265137px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><u><span style="color: red; font-family: Arial;"><a href="https://filmalert101.blogspot.com/2022/10/sixty-years-of-international-art-cinema_29.html" style="color: #954f72; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><span style="color: red; text-decoration: none;">Part Six (3) - New York Film-makers - Elia Kazan & Shirley Clarke</span></a> </span></u><span style="font-family: Arial;"><u1:p></u1:p><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="caret-color: rgb(102, 102, 102); color: #666666; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 13.199999809265137px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><u><span style="font-family: Arial;"><a href="https://filmalert101.blogspot.com/2022/11/sixty-years-of-international-art-cinema.html" style="color: #954f72; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><span style="color: red; text-decoration: none;">Part Six (4) - New York Film-makers - Stanley Kubrick Creator of Forms</span></a></span></u><span style="font-family: Arial;"><u1:p></u1:p><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="caret-color: rgb(102, 102, 102); color: #666666; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 13.199999809265137px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><a href="https://filmalert101.blogspot.com/2022/11/6-5-new-hollywood-1-sixty-years-of.html" style="color: #954f72; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><span style="color: red;">Part Six (5) ‘New Hollywood’ (1) - Arthur Penn, Warren Beatty, Pauline Kael and BONNIE AND CLYDE</span></a><u1:p></u1:p><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="caret-color: rgb(102, 102, 102); color: #666666; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 13.199999809265137px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><a href="https://filmalert101.blogspot.com/2022/12/sixty-years-of-international-art-cinema.html" style="color: #954f72; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><span style="color: red;">Part Six (6) Francis Ford Coppola: Standing at the crossroads of art and industry</span></a><u1:p></u1:p><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="caret-color: rgb(102, 102, 102); color: #666666; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 13.199999809265137px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><a href="https://filmalert101.blogspot.com/2022/12/sixty-years-of-international-art-cinema_20.html" style="color: #954f72; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><span style="color: red;">Part 6(7) Altman</span></a><u1:p></u1:p><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="caret-color: rgb(102, 102, 102); color: #666666; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 13.199999809265137px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><a href="https://filmalert101.blogspot.com/2023/01/sixty-years-of-international-art-cinema.html" style="color: #954f72; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><span style="color: red;">6(8) Great Britain - Joseph Losey, Lindsay Anderson, Karel Reisz, Richard Lester, Peter Watkins, Barney Platts-Mills</span></a><u1:p></u1:p><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="caret-color: rgb(102, 102, 102); color: #666666; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 13.199999809265137px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><a href="https://filmalert101.blogspot.com/2023/02/69-france-independent-auteurs-robert.html" style="color: #954f72; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><span style="color: red;">6(9) France - Part One The New Wave and The Cahiers du Cinema Group</span></a><u1:p></u1:p><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="caret-color: rgb(102, 102, 102); color: #666666; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 13.199999809265137px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><a href="https://filmalert101.blogspot.com/2023/02/sixty-years-of-international-art-cinema.html" style="color: #954f72; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><span style="color: red;">6(10) France - Part Two - The Left Bank/Rive Gauche Group and an Independent</span></a><u1:p></u1:p><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="caret-color: rgb(102, 102, 102); color: #666666; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 13.199999809265137px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><a href="https://filmalert101.blogspot.com/2023/03/sixty-years-of-international-art-cinema.html" style="color: #954f72; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><span style="color: red;">6(11) France - Part Three - Young Godard</span></a><u1:p></u1:p><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="caret-color: rgb(102, 102, 102); color: #666666; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 13.199999809265137px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><span style="color: red; font-family: Arial;"><a href="https://filmalert101.blogspot.com/2023/04/sixty-years-of-international-art-cinema.html" style="color: #954f72; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><span style="color: red;">6(12) France - Part Four - Godard:Visionary and Rebel</span></a><u1:p></u1:p><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="caret-color: rgb(102, 102, 102); color: #666666; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 13.199999809265137px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><a href="https://filmalert101.blogspot.com/2023/05/sixty-years-of-international-art-cinema.html" style="color: #888888; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: red;">6 (13) France Part 5 Godard with Gorin, Miéville : Searching for an activist voice</span></a></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="caret-color: rgb(102, 102, 102); font-family: Calibri; font-size: 13.199999809265137px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><a href="https://filmalert101.blogspot.com/2023/06/sixty-years-of-international-art-cinema.html" style="font-family: Arial; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><span style="color: red;">6(14) France Part 6 - Creator of Forms - Bresson</span></a><span style="color: red;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="caret-color: rgb(102, 102, 102); font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.199999809265137px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><a href="https://filmalert101.blogspot.com/2023/07/sixty-years-of-international-art-cinema.html" style="text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: red;">6 (15) France Part 6 - Creator of Forms - Jacques Tati</span></span></a><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="caret-color: rgb(102, 102, 102); font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.199999809265137px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: red;"> <a href="https://filmalert101.blogspot.com/2023/08/sixty-years-of-international-art-cinema.html" style="text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">6 (16) - Part 6 - Creator of Forms - Carl Th Dreyer</a></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="caret-color: rgb(102, 102, 102); font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.199999809265137px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><a href="https://filmalert101.blogspot.com/2023/08/sixty-years-of-international-art-cinema_23.html" style="text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><span style="color: red;">6 (17) - Italy and Luchino Visconti</span></a></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="caret-color: rgb(102, 102, 102); font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.199999809265137px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><a href="https://filmalert101.blogspot.com/2023/09/sixty-years-of-international-art-cinema.html" style="text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><span style="color: red;">6(18 - Italy and Roberto Rossellini - Part One</span></a></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="caret-color: rgb(102, 102, 102); font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.199999809265137px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><a href="https://filmalert101.blogspot.com/2023/10/sixty-years-of-international-art-cinema.html" style="text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><span style="color: red;">6(19) - Rossellini, INDIA and the new Historical realism</span></a></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="caret-color: rgb(102, 102, 102); font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.199999809265137px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><a href="https://filmalert101.blogspot.com/2023/11/sixty-years-of-international-art-cinema.html" style="text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><span style="color: red;">6(20) - Rossellini in Australia</span></a></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="caret-color: rgb(102, 102, 102); font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.199999809265137px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><a href="https://filmalert101.blogspot.com/2024/01/sixty-years-of-international-art-cinema.html" target="_blank"><span style="color: red;">6 (21) - Italy - Michelangelo Antonioni</span></a></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5242690213881108403.post-36458729205453372272024-01-27T15:08:00.000-08:002024-01-27T22:59:33.493-08:00Streaming on SBS On-Demand (+ Stan, Amazon Prime and others)- Barrie Pattison re-acquaints himself with David Cronenberg CRIMES OF THE FUTURE (Canada/France/UK/Greece, 2022)<p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><span></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9bzro4OD2018eKWXKDR4KM1WHjXETxuJ_yNoQ1vbT3iyKBKXnzPmP_i7yd1Le-ATvPDbMSUhvNUSeStiVeZ9B8dzAj7thqEHO-dt5N51A89jRSJmyPpHUZIoEA3IUQKheO2au6rnbcMm4-8rQenM3On2XLCCKVyB8BJlfQ5YtKevCWEBcdLL2yf9cjWXq/s384/Crimes_of_the_Future_(2022_film).jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="384" data-original-width="259" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9bzro4OD2018eKWXKDR4KM1WHjXETxuJ_yNoQ1vbT3iyKBKXnzPmP_i7yd1Le-ATvPDbMSUhvNUSeStiVeZ9B8dzAj7thqEHO-dt5N51A89jRSJmyPpHUZIoEA3IUQKheO2au6rnbcMm4-8rQenM3On2XLCCKVyB8BJlfQ5YtKevCWEBcdLL2yf9cjWXq/w270-h400/Crimes_of_the_Future_(2022_film).jpg" width="270" /></a></span></span></div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><span><br />SBS doing a double of David Cronenberg’s</span><span class="apple-converted-space"><i> </i></span><i>Crimes of the Future<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></i><span>and</span><span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><i>Spider<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></i><span>has directed my attention to him one more time.</span></span><p></p><p style="line-height: 12pt; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><span lang="EN-US">I can’t help remembering how much more satisfying it was to hunt down his entry level trash horror movies in Drive-Ins and Fantasy Festivals -<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><i>Rabid, Shivers<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></i>&<span class="apple-converted-space"><i> </i></span><i>The Brood.<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></i>That was before his re-make of<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><i>The Fly</i><span class="apple-converted-space"> </span>became the first big exclamation point in shocker film after the Seigel<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><i>Invasion of the Body Snatchers</i>. Cronenberg was more fun, cheap and nasty than as a bridge between exploitation and art film.</span><span lang="EN-US"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p style="line-height: 12pt; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><span lang="EN-US">He seems to like the “Crimes of the Future”<span class="apple-converted-space"><i> </i></span>title, having used it on one of his plotless early black & white silent underground movies. Here he’s given it significance deploying black actor Welket</span><span lang="EN-US" style="background-color: #f6f6f5; color: #111111;"> Bungué </span><span lang="EN-US">as a policeman tasked with such matters<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span>in a vaguely futurist era where pain has all but disappeared and Accelerated Evolution Syndrome is all the go.</span><span><o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p style="line-height: 12pt; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><span lang="EN-US"></span></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRAkaF7mOtm7ruzAF2sC1G9BzX24J9K8OPaPr18G9gAGp8mJCDWj8kEpV4UP0HHNd6bv1_CKCJrFu5J4jTiiluFu0ZsJYc6cibZ7y5xUg-Qnj_sGeKPQrOH7XHjJIgu5RSUp0SZ7Qyz2QAogMbhRG-yjUIQrYE-dXipj0I6wm_u9UOROMwo-hUMgi3k4l3/s300/download-93.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="168" data-original-width="300" height="224" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRAkaF7mOtm7ruzAF2sC1G9BzX24J9K8OPaPr18G9gAGp8mJCDWj8kEpV4UP0HHNd6bv1_CKCJrFu5J4jTiiluFu0ZsJYc6cibZ7y5xUg-Qnj_sGeKPQrOH7XHjJIgu5RSUp0SZ7Qyz2QAogMbhRG-yjUIQrYE-dXipj0I6wm_u9UOROMwo-hUMgi3k4l3/w400-h224/download-93.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Viggo Mortensen, L<span style="text-align: left;">é</span>a Seydoux</span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><span lang="EN-US"><br />We kick off with the idyllic scene of mother<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span>Lihi Kornowski<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span>calling her pre-teener playing on the beach, shortly before he starts eating the waste bin and she smothers him. One of the things the new film has going for it is that all this graphic material connects up by the time we get to the end.</span><span><o:p></o:p></span></span><p></p><p style="line-height: 12pt; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><span lang="EN-US">Next up we get to Viggo Mortenson as a performance artist whose act is generating organs which his ex, trauma surgeon Léa Seydoux, (getting to be our current favourite naked French lady – a wide range of choice) removes for an audience of cocktail sipping socialites. Surgery is sexy we learn. This brings him to the National<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span>Organ<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span>Registry, whose director Don McKellar's assistant is mousey Kristin Stewart, who gets a scene pursuing off-put Viggo round the office – the least convincing thing in the film. She seems to have been recruited to add a celebrity name to the credits.</span><span><o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p style="line-height: 12pt; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><span lang="EN-US">It all turns out to be part of a vast evolutionary conspiracy. The plot – if you can figure it out – is of course less significant than the constituent elements, many of which we’ve encountered in the director’s previous movies – Jeff Goldblum’s<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span>external digestions from<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><i>The Fly</i>, the road accidents of<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><i>Crash</i><span class="apple-converted-space"> </span>or the graphic surgeries from the particularly yukky<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><i>Dead Ringers.</i><span class="apple-converted-space"> </span>All of this takes place in bleak, striking locations – beached ships, deserted streets and run down industrial sites relatable to the Greek funding sources. Throw in the sinister sculpture “digestion chair”, Mortenson’s womb-like bed or the sarcophagus operating table. Did I mention execution by twin electric drills in the cranium after the illicit autopsy that Scott Speedman has been promoting?</span><span><o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p style="line-height: 12pt; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><span lang="EN-US">There’s no doubt about the proficiency of the makers.<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span>Douglas Koch’s camerawork and Carol Spier‘s design hold attention. Howard Shore’s music cues us in on the required response. The superior cast bring a straight faced gravitas, which gives events a necessary conviction.</span><span><o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p style="line-height: 12pt; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Question remains is all this A-list talent actually doing anything we should worry about. Tell you the truth, I can’t decide. The schlock films, of which<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><i>Crimes of The Future</i><span class="apple-converted-space"> </span>certainly is not, were fun,. <i>The Fly</i><span class="apple-converted-space"> </span>and<span class="apple-converted-space"><i> </i></span><i>Existenz c</i>onvinced as having substance. I didn’t like this one enough to want to probe it for that.</span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue";"><o:p></o:p></span></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5242690213881108403.post-45307443659028557772024-01-24T14:40:00.000-08:002024-01-24T18:38:02.107-08:00The Current Cinema and Streaming on Netflix - Tom Ryan takes issue with David Hare about MAESTRO (Bradley Cooper, USA, 2023)<p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 16.7pt 0.0001pt 0cm;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 16.7pt 0.0001pt 0cm;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"> </span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrA-MMmB-cCe2zhsr-OXrSrN7wTeHiEo8EXB6qaFtV1r0aNnXOLvzT3Y4YLOPwh9EJUlC-VPd7VUyWMOR8V_FhSuGBm7iUB8h3pTE9JcI1bNs1OG0z4vn9TGbK73BUuM8ngKVUkKaHcsYIPEDX3uU-wZ0K1iVb9l9ZGlgTb5A8wvnRAVp-bFGm7JexFZRJ/s299/Maestro%20Ryan2.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="168" data-original-width="299" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrA-MMmB-cCe2zhsr-OXrSrN7wTeHiEo8EXB6qaFtV1r0aNnXOLvzT3Y4YLOPwh9EJUlC-VPd7VUyWMOR8V_FhSuGBm7iUB8h3pTE9JcI1bNs1OG0z4vn9TGbK73BUuM8ngKVUkKaHcsYIPEDX3uU-wZ0K1iVb9l9ZGlgTb5A8wvnRAVp-bFGm7JexFZRJ/w400-h225/Maestro%20Ryan2.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Maestro </i><br />Bradley Cooper as Leonard Bernstein</td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: Arial;"><br /></span><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 16.7pt 0.0001pt 0cm;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">The problem when one looks at a film only through the lens of a particular political viewpoint is that wider understandings will get lost in the process. I’m referring here in particular to David Hare’s commentary on </span><b style="font-family: Arial;"><i>Maestro</i></b><span style="font-family: Arial;"> (2023) in which director Bradley Cooper stars as Leonard Bernstein opposite Carey Mulligan’s Felicia Montealegre Cohn Bernstein. It ran last month in </span><i><span style="font-family: Arial;">Film A</span><span style="font-family: arial;">lert</span></i><span style="color: red; font-family: arial;"> <a href="https://filmalert101.blogspot.com/2023/12/the-current-cinema-david-hare-on-de_22.html" target="_blank"><span style="color: red;">(see here)</span></a></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 16.7pt 0.0001pt 0cm;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 16.7pt 0.0001pt 0cm;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">For Hare, the film, directed by Cooper and written by him and Josh Singer (<b><i>The Fifth Estate</i></b>, <b><i>Spotlight</i></b>, <b><i>The Post</i></b> and <b><i>First Man</i></b>), fails because “<span>the screenplay has simply de-gayed Bernstein as both man and history” and because of “a profoundly underwritten part for Carey Mulligan playing Felicia, whose own very substantial life as an activist is barely hinted at in the picture”. He suggests that the former might have occurred out of sensitivity to the Bernsteins’ three (now-middle-aged) children, and can find no other possible explanation for what he sees as the real-life Bernstein’s “bowdlerisation” in the film. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 16.7pt 0.0001pt 0cm;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 16.7pt 0.0001pt 0cm;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">Ignoring the fact that the entire soundtrack of the film is made up of meticulously selected Bernstein compositions, he also goes on to decry the film’s overlooking of “arguably the most important American stage musical of the twentieth century, <i>West Side Story</i>”, which, as he puts it, was created “in toto by four gay men, two of them (then) closeted - Lenny and [Jerome] Robbins – and two “out” – [Stephen] Sondheim and [Arthur] Laurents”. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 16.7pt 0.0001pt 0cm;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 16.7pt 0.0001pt 0cm;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5gNvjNs5ERbXRcawEtqmJisjc9wkKB56dxPAi_GOYPgzg8s6AScTgZpdQSoNg-5RME56SlWEHRAuUOQlou6R07AQP2u67_Gz94wl9qW6mHJRxFzS2QosHUfR2sTjpp4hRH4U2wsOz5DLdFECYmGqEEhgRdtPzJIHNqu6htFTi6SJvIhmroNk-kIqGphqd/s720/Maestro%20RYAN%201.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="color: black;"><img border="0" data-original-height="450" data-original-width="720" height="250" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5gNvjNs5ERbXRcawEtqmJisjc9wkKB56dxPAi_GOYPgzg8s6AScTgZpdQSoNg-5RME56SlWEHRAuUOQlou6R07AQP2u67_Gz94wl9qW6mHJRxFzS2QosHUfR2sTjpp4hRH4U2wsOz5DLdFECYmGqEEhgRdtPzJIHNqu6htFTi6SJvIhmroNk-kIqGphqd/w400-h250/Maestro%20RYAN%201.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Carey Mulligan as Felicia, Bradley Cooper as Lenny</td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: Arial;"><br />Along similar lines, he can find no rationale for what he regards as the film’s limited depiction of Felicia either, in particular its omission of “the famous Black Panther party hosted at [the Bernsteins’] Dakota apartment during the Panthers' FBI seek-and-destroy phase”. She and it are written about at length in Tom Wolfe’s <i>Radical Chic & Mau-Mauing the Flak Catchers</i>, published in 1970.<o:p></o:p></span><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 16.7pt 0.0001pt 0cm;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 16.7pt 0.0001pt 0cm;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">Hare might also have gone on to discuss her broader work on behalf of civil liberties in the US, her anti-war activity during the 1960s, and her efforts in Chile on behalf of Amnesty during the 1970s (which all occurred during time-span that<i> Maestro</i> covers). Not to forget her extensive career as an actor on Broadway and television, her time living with fellow actor Richard Hart, who died in 1951, as well as her life as a mother to three children.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 16.7pt 0.0001pt 0cm;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 16.7pt 0.0001pt 0cm;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">However, that the film doesn’t deal in any substantial detail with her social activism is enough to lead Hare to deduce that the Felicia is “an obviously underwritten part”. For him, she’s little more than a supporting player, only there to help us better understand her male counterpart. He never says it directly, but the general implication of his reading is clear. Not only is there an insidious strand of homophobia running through <b><i>Maestro</i></b>, but it also exhibits a misogynist streak.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 16.7pt 0.0001pt 0cm;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 16.7pt 0.0001pt 0cm;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">There is a certain logic to this kind of reading of the film’s details. None of Hare’s observations about what’s missing from the film are incorrect. What’s absent from his commentary, though, is any appreciation of how <b><i>Maestro</i></b> goes about depicting what’s actually there and how that might impinge upon the conclusions he’s drawn about what’s not. Or any grasp of how the film is working allusively, hinting at aspects of the characters and their lives via nuance and subtle implication rather than direct depiction. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 16.7pt 0.0001pt 0cm;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 16.7pt 0.0001pt 0cm;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">Like Cooper’s earlier <b><i>A Star Is Born</i></b> (2018), <b><i>Maestro</i></b> is a story about a relationship: the excitement of a courtship; a marriage that begins with hopes for the couple’s future together and then goes into decline (in both cases, largely because of the male’s failure to fully see his partner’s needs on any but his own terms); and a death that draws the partnership to a close but leaves a host of issues unresolved. And like <b><i>A Star Is Born</i></b>, <b><i>Maestro</i></b> is about performers who live a large part of their lives in the public eye.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 16.7pt 0.0001pt 0cm;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 16.7pt 0.0001pt 0cm;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">That’s where Bernstein – or Lenny as he’s known throughout the film – is in the opening sequence. As the camera slowly tracks forward in medium wide-shot, he’s seated at a piano playing </span><span style="font-family: Arial;">a piano transcription of the Postlude to the first act of his 1983 opera, <i>A Quiet Place</i>. At first glance, it looks like an intimate scene, Lenny alone with his music. But a closer look reveals, to the far left of the frame, a man wielding a camera and an interviewer holding a microphone. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 16.7pt 0.0001pt 0cm;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 16.7pt 0.0001pt 0cm;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">So what we’re watching is Lenny’s performance, which continues with his responses to the questions put to him after he’s finished playing. There’s no particular reason not to believe what he says, but his words are for the benefit of the interview and, by implication, for his public. Puffing away on one of the cigarettes that accompany him everywhere he goes, an embodiment of his nervous energy, he confesses that he misses his wife terribly, but that she’s still with him: as he looks out the window and sees her in the garden going about her business there, and as the maid tells him that she sees Felicia watching as she sorts out the washing. The rest of the film is concerned to explain why she haunts him like this, why she’s so central to his sense of who he is. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 16.7pt 0.0001pt 0cm;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 16.7pt 0.0001pt 0cm;"></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhX-I9UG4mIzPaaGho0QKj0N3KD3ob-AQl3HU9V9b14NaNBzaMsXQ4iSMR3WwNRGTmjQXt-5kZvPkOQAzERtaa3EzK4cXUXs2sMxIUaRe6w8JxZBDzwwPd6doY8aJkh_Hcvz_9at-LpzHiMx3lKKlUhkcTqVh46EZwIo5kEq43wpcGn7bW3aIdoGYdp6Us0/s675/Maestro%20Ryan%204.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="color: black;"><img border="0" data-original-height="450" data-original-width="675" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhX-I9UG4mIzPaaGho0QKj0N3KD3ob-AQl3HU9V9b14NaNBzaMsXQ4iSMR3WwNRGTmjQXt-5kZvPkOQAzERtaa3EzK4cXUXs2sMxIUaRe6w8JxZBDzwwPd6doY8aJkh_Hcvz_9at-LpzHiMx3lKKlUhkcTqVh46EZwIo5kEq43wpcGn7bW3aIdoGYdp6Us0/w400-h266/Maestro%20Ryan%204.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="caret-color: rgb(5, 5, 5); font-family: Arial; text-align: left;">Mahler’s</span><span style="caret-color: rgb(5, 5, 5); font-family: Arial; text-align: left;"> </span><i style="caret-color: rgb(5, 5, 5); font-family: Arial; text-align: left;">Resurrection</i><span style="caret-color: rgb(5, 5, 5); font-family: Arial; text-align: left;"> </span><span style="caret-color: rgb(5, 5, 5); font-family: Arial; text-align: left;">symphony at Ely Cathedral </span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: Arial;"><br />Time and again, <b><i><span>Maestro</span></i></b><span> pivots on what Felicia sees when she watches Lenny. Often sequences end with the camera revealing that she’s been an offscreen witness in the wings, sometimes literally but always metaphorically, and making her response central to it. Her excitement at the exhilarating performance of Mahler’s <i>Resurrection</i> symphony at Ely Cathedral in Cambridgeshire confirms his sense of achievement. For him. <o:p></o:p></span></span><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 16.7pt 0.0001pt 0cm;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 16.7pt 0.0001pt 0cm;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">Lenny needs her to be there, even if he’s not always happy about what she sees. When (two shots below) she stumbles across him openly flirting with handsome, young Tommy Cothran (Gideon Glick) at a party at their apartment, his discomfort is a product of how she’s responded. When he later invites Tommy to join the family on a holiday, he tries, unsuccessfully, to make her see it as a perfectly natural thing to do. He needs her approval to feel comfortable with himself.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 16.7pt 0.0001pt 0cm;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 16.7pt 0.0001pt 0cm;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9EuOEor4HxNCbKO3dT5cbXvJTR_csbuvYUt4CvYw7VrbVptBZXrcu2btdqUGZmo5OwVPClWiyhIasdhkOxtHiKmtCfrCNNXGRYjnk511CrBqXzsLSfqlqlKNWrulE5NYIPeX_0P3l4sDoTmdzvaeL_UiPvI0B5c4KfRLQ4yqVTxlhyphenhyphen3eZllENyoCzxzMi/s3798/Maestro%20Ryan%203.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: black;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1424" data-original-width="3798" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9EuOEor4HxNCbKO3dT5cbXvJTR_csbuvYUt4CvYw7VrbVptBZXrcu2btdqUGZmo5OwVPClWiyhIasdhkOxtHiKmtCfrCNNXGRYjnk511CrBqXzsLSfqlqlKNWrulE5NYIPeX_0P3l4sDoTmdzvaeL_UiPvI0B5c4KfRLQ4yqVTxlhyphenhyphen3eZllENyoCzxzMi/w400-h150/Maestro%20Ryan%203.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: Arial;"><br /></span><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 16.7pt 0.0001pt 0cm;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">What the characters see when they look at each other is central to both <b><i>Maestro</i></b> and <b><i>A Star Is Born</i></b>. From beginning to end, the latter film has either country singer Jackson (Cooper) watching Ally (Lady Gaga) perform, or her watching him. What they see when they’re looking is a key to what they’re feeling and who they are, the effect as illuminating as it is essentially mysterious. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 16.7pt 0.0001pt 0cm;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 16.7pt 0.0001pt 0cm;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">Part of what the two films </span><span style="font-family: Arial;">invite us to consider is how far it’s possible to distinguish between who characters “really” are and when they’re putting on a show. Whether it’s for an audience of hundreds, for guests at a party, or for a loved one? And in both films, the central relationships occupy a realm of riveting uncertainty.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 16.7pt 0.0001pt 0cm;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 16.7pt 0.0001pt 0cm;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">I<span>n the way <b><i>Maestro</i></b> is written, shot (exquisitely by cinematographer Mathew Libatique, who also collaborated with Cooper on <b><i>A Star Is Born</i></b>) and edited (by Michelle Tesoro), it reminds us time after time that it’s impossible to ever see its characters in any complete way. There are times when we see them clearly, but the film also spends much of its 129-minute running time withholding information, its visual style a reminder that we can only ever hope to gain a glimpse of what it is that makes these characters tick. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 16.7pt 0.0001pt 0cm;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 16.7pt 0.0001pt 0cm;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">The first meeting between Lenny and Felicia illustrates the point. Their introduction takes place at the Claudio Arrau party near the beginning of the black-and-white flashback which grows out of the aforementioned opening scene. Adolph </span><span style="font-family: Arial;">Green (Nick Blaemire) and Betty Comden (Mallory Portnoy)<span> have just done a knockout performance of “(</span>I Get) Carried Away” for the gathered guests (a Bernstein composition for which they’ve written the lyrics, the song appears in <i>On the Town</i>, which draws freely on Jerome Robbins’ 1944 ballet, <i>Fancy Free</i>). <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 16.7pt 0.0001pt 0cm;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 16.7pt 0.0001pt 0cm;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">After<span> a brief exchange of playful pleasantries, Lenny hurries Felicia away to a private space by a window. What follows is filmed in semi-darkness in a single-take two-shot. The only light source a streetlamp outside in the street, and the sequence wouldn’t look out of place in a film noir. Both are readily identifiable, but they’re also enveloped by shadow. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 16.7pt 0.0001pt 0cm;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 16.7pt 0.0001pt 0cm;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">The obstruction of our view of them is a recurring motif in the film. Sometimes, the camera’s direct line of vision is blocked, as in later party scenes when we’re forced to look past figures in the foreground, dancing or gesticulating mid-conversation, to catch sight of them. At other times, we’re only able to catch them in passing, framed by doorways. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 16.7pt 0.0001pt 0cm;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 16.7pt 0.0001pt 0cm;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQ6oPrhH8FyqUhZscg_6JyQIYubjWJmuHGKsmIeiJuFpQlQxPQ5lgw2eDQ5V-Iy1kdluLSQjhWHNZIR7vutgWxuEop7ipRL6RTnbUEcItTnxsNamKOzZ80iQpTrmYyMvtJZvorE9zjqnscN79LY88L1zhg0P9LBwqrQwfAQj8tFN9J_2MAIsK1V3aFgos_/s275/Maestro%20Ryan%206.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="color: black;"><img border="0" data-original-height="183" data-original-width="275" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQ6oPrhH8FyqUhZscg_6JyQIYubjWJmuHGKsmIeiJuFpQlQxPQ5lgw2eDQ5V-Iy1kdluLSQjhWHNZIR7vutgWxuEop7ipRL6RTnbUEcItTnxsNamKOzZ80iQpTrmYyMvtJZvorE9zjqnscN79LY88L1zhg0P9LBwqrQwfAQj8tFN9J_2MAIsK1V3aFgos_/w400-h266/Maestro%20Ryan%206.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"...back-to-back..."</td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: Arial;"><br />Elsewhere, it’s also often difficult to make them out, their surroundings serving as a kind of camouflage. In a park scene soon after they’ve met, they’re sitting back-to-back on the grass in a wide shot, but such is the spread of the shadows from the surrounding trees that one has to strain to see them. It’s only after the camera slowly moves closer that we can. <o:p></o:p></span><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 16.7pt 0.0001pt 0cm;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 16.7pt 0.0001pt 0cm;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">Later on, after their family gathers at their holiday house at Martha’s Vineyard, Lenny and Felicia are taking a private moment to talk about Tommy’s presence there. The scene begins with a wide shot of a garden setting with an outdoor eating area deep into the frame. It looks like a conventional establishing shot, the kind that’s conventionally followed by close-ups of the conversing couple. We can hear Lenny’s prevarications clearly, but the camera doesn’t take us any closer to them, the establishing shot becomes a long-take, and one has to look very hard to even see them – figures barely recognisable from afar – at a table beyond the greenery in the foreground.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 16.7pt 0.0001pt 0cm;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 16.7pt 0.0001pt 0cm;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">Even close-ups of the characters evoke uncertainty. They’re often extended in such a way that it seems as if we’re being told to look long and hard at the faces we’re seeing. That a straightforward glance isn’t enough to make sense of what’s going on behind them. The glide of the camera towards them might bring us spatially closer to them, but it’s as if we’re constantly being reminded that seeing these characters for who they are is going to be a struggle. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 16.7pt 0.0001pt 0cm;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 16.7pt 0.0001pt 0cm;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">There are hints of this view of characters and their circumstances in <b><i>A Star Is Born</i></b>, which, in its cryptic, elliptical way, allows us snippets of information, but keeps its distance from any definitive conclusions about the interactions being scrutinised. But it’s more fully elaborated here, immersed in how the film has been shot and in the assured way in which sequences are allowed to run their course… and then continue for just a beat or two longer than expected.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 16.7pt 0.0001pt 0cm;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBMKP04c5ItjRXLkiSSeaJiZJksSOVuSolSrLMej6NYEve3Jq77k6KqbAdplrl2xmArk68BFsZh2S9R3kbfAJU3wiFqB7xyOzNoXKyVoOgJSxl-1rAmpImB1Kj9EG5OcSU7aoVD03Yy62yeYbvIt4xbiT1Hy8i46-U_M1YCdpyf1QJcVjr9LpPS9TLUcyN/s599/Maestro%20Ryan%205.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: black;"><img border="0" data-original-height="450" data-original-width="599" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBMKP04c5ItjRXLkiSSeaJiZJksSOVuSolSrLMej6NYEve3Jq77k6KqbAdplrl2xmArk68BFsZh2S9R3kbfAJU3wiFqB7xyOzNoXKyVoOgJSxl-1rAmpImB1Kj9EG5OcSU7aoVD03Yy62yeYbvIt4xbiT1Hy8i46-U_M1YCdpyf1QJcVjr9LpPS9TLUcyN/w400-h300/Maestro%20Ryan%205.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: Arial;"><br /></span><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 16.7pt 0.0001pt 0cm;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">I make no claim that this kind of approach to making sense of</span><span style="font-family: Arial;"> </span><b style="font-family: Arial;"><i>Maestro</i></b><span style="font-family: Arial;"> </span><span style="font-family: Arial;">is in any way comprehensive. Hopefully, however, it rescues the film from the notion that it is somehow flawed or culpable for not dealing extensively with Bernstein’s affairs or with Felicia’s life apart from her husband. As the title suggests, it’s not about either of those things, nor is there any requirement that it should be.</span> </p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5242690213881108403.post-73555906550107359352024-01-18T11:39:00.000-08:002024-01-18T11:43:15.529-08:00Defending Cinephilia 2023 (4) - Peter Hourigan raises a few questions about the contribution of SIGHT & SOUND<p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"> <b>Reflections on Cinephilia.</b></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 15.693333625793457px; margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"> </span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtRn1PA8sifcixUlbBhKEheCOV_D2jjLbQ9mtDqcnM6hB2EFjKcHJSsD7M30mWTjb3_fSH5cRzL2lNMCWs7c_UmKvMV1KYSIAyZ15GYeqZNHVq7jc4n8k9Xm9ZSM6oiwIMTiNf6kn_MbeQ7ADIdVVfAl0IxhcT8ynMmIKkgN4mlzSTXeqUFMCz2HxOTlvs/s824/page-1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="824" data-original-width="640" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtRn1PA8sifcixUlbBhKEheCOV_D2jjLbQ9mtDqcnM6hB2EFjKcHJSsD7M30mWTjb3_fSH5cRzL2lNMCWs7c_UmKvMV1KYSIAyZ15GYeqZNHVq7jc4n8k9Xm9ZSM6oiwIMTiNf6kn_MbeQ7ADIdVVfAl0IxhcT8ynMmIKkgN4mlzSTXeqUFMCz2HxOTlvs/w311-h400/page-1.jpg" width="311" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 15.693333625793457px; margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"> It’s a nice concept to celebrate – a love of all things cinema. But looking back at 2023, I’ve found my willingness to get involved in this to be wilting somewhat. I still love the films, but some of the trappings have not engaged my enthusiasm. And it’s not just the films but a lot of those trappings – the way of watching, the venues, the writing about films – that are also part of the experience. And they can have a negative impact on your response to a particular film. Think of watching a dupe copy of a film, in a grungy cinema with inadequate light from its projector!<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 15.693333625793457px; margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"> That’s why I’m going to dedicate my look back at a year’s Cinephilia to Sight & Sound, which has done a great job of evaporating my enthusiasm for a lot of cinephilia. A key factor was their 10 Best Films poll, results of which were released at the start of the year. I’ve generally enjoyed this . It’s a fun event, a bit of diversion each decade to see what’s gone up in general esteem, what’s dropped down the list, what's disappeared. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 15.693333625793457px; margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"> But this year, Sight & Sound has wallowed in overkill. I’m not going to check back, but even before the poll results, they were devoting pages to articles, lists and trivia about the poll, presumably to hype us up in anticipation of the results. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 15.693333625793457px; margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"> It was an interesting set of results – and I even had a personal frisson in one of my comments being quoted in the article about one film. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 15.693333625793457px; margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"> But Sight & Sound has not let this idea rest before the next poll for 2033. Again, pages of editorial are still being swallowed up by what ultimately is really trivia, at the expense of more relevant, informative pages. And I am more than bored with mention of the poll. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 15.693333625793457px; margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"> So, I no longer really look forward in anticipation to the next month’s issue. But that feeling was aggravated by my worst experience in subscribing to any magazine over many, many years. For much of 2023, it was touch and go as to whether I’d even receive my hard copy of the issue. Several times, when I contacted the subscription managing company for my now overdue issue, I was told that issue was now out of print, but they would extend my subscription. Big deal. When I’ve faithfully maintained my complete archive of S & S going back about sixty years, that was not much compensation.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 15.693333625793457px; margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"> The last few issues have arrived as expected, and they seem to be coming in new wrappers, so perhaps the delivery issue may have been resolved. But along with my growing dissatisfaction with the magazine’s contents I am now <br />questioning whether I want to continue subscribing. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 15.693333625793457px; margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"> It’s no longer comprehensive in its reviews – and they can’t even arrange them in alphabetical order for ease of consultation. And credits are now even less than adequate. The magazine has suffered the fate of other publications placed at the mercy of designers, so sections are colour-coded but with no thought of whether print on pink paper is easily readable for all eyes. </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 15.693333625793457px; margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgg7LjnLSEPncLcHD0IwLBerKkEwCBxxlmEioQFwUgiOt8ZDfrbkNPryiCxYa0BIFsCi2SmlyjPfsOpz-GH0V4Jj8E76_7kqmxzn1J6lNX92045HorF1_bFgAofmau9ZYaGvgoCYlwN2NmW9FZPVQ-3EhpjvEn7rGN_ZxyW30ANcYC1AOkDotNtjZwkj-N2/s1920/Jeanne%20Dielmann.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1090" data-original-width="1920" height="228" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgg7LjnLSEPncLcHD0IwLBerKkEwCBxxlmEioQFwUgiOt8ZDfrbkNPryiCxYa0BIFsCi2SmlyjPfsOpz-GH0V4Jj8E76_7kqmxzn1J6lNX92045HorF1_bFgAofmau9ZYaGvgoCYlwN2NmW9FZPVQ-3EhpjvEn7rGN_ZxyW30ANcYC1AOkDotNtjZwkj-N2/w400-h228/Jeanne%20Dielmann.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">The greatest film of all time according to the Sight and Sound 2023 poll<br /><i>Jeanne Dielman, 23 quai du Commerce, 1080 Bruxelles</i><br />(Chantal Akerman, 1976)</span></td></tr></tbody></table><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 15.693333625793457px; margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"> It is also succumbing to the break-outs on articles, lists of trivia with articles or reviews and then overlong pieces on one film, so they don’t have to cover quite as many films. And then the pages devoted to some reprinted from an issue of thirty, forty or more years ago. Again, less material about current cinema, which used to be the reason for reading S & S. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 15.693333625793457px; margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"> This curmudgeonly attitude I’ve developed has spread. I couldn’t get motivated this year to do Senses of Cinema’ annual World Poll. Somehow, lists and lists and lists have less appeal. (Though I’m sure there is one person whose list will stand out in boredom again this year as he lists about 250 films he’s seen in the year, usually stuffing it with as many obscure films to show he’s seen things others haven’t. And often, can’t. )<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 15.693333625793457px; margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><span lang="EN-US"> End of grump. There were good and satisfying experiences from viewing. Lots of good TV/streaming nowadays. Perhaps the two that I remember as being particularly enjoyable were Cédric Klapisch’s <i><sub> </sub></i></span><i><span lang="EN-AU">Greek Salad </span></i><span lang="EN-AU">(which sent<i> </i>me down a rabbit revisiting earlier Klapisch movies) and <i>The Gilded Age </i>from script writer Julian Fellowes. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 15.693333625793457px; margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;"><span lang="EN-AU"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"> Some travel earlier in the year was the inspiration for several other rabbit holes to explore. Visiting Cuba had me revisiting a number of the wonderful films especially from the 1960s and 1970s. <i>Memories of Underdevelopment </i>(Tomas Gutierrez Alea) meant even more to me this time around, added to by tracking down a second-hand copy of the 1965 novel by Edmundo Desnoes. Then there was the thrill of coming across the wonderful poster for another seminal Cuban film, <i>I Am Cuba </i>(Mikhail Kalatazov 1964) in a chaotic bookshop in Havana. It’s now framed and on my wall. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 15.693333625793457px; margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;"><span lang="EN-AU"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"> As well, a superb visit to Easter Island sent me searching for what is probably the only feature film filmed on the Island, <i>Rapa-Nui (</i>Kevin Reynolds, 1994). It’s not an especially good film, but I loved travelling to the island once again. And it is generally fairly faithful to one of the traditional, historical events in the island’s history. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 15.693333625793457px; margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;"><span lang="EN-AU"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"> </span></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgh8VSCytVKMNJ3C54wthXDsa9Foe3gt_G1hcu8bj-u97EsOSoOZ1cSA0qmFxERmCiiiv7pdyUEcnk3fAj8_x8QipPNQzOOdYcct-MyExk5r86BfVJla0eM54NytOHU4EvQAEsTjJvnYGpfkj-eJVH1QiNNiD_ogGX9SdbVaB4rQTZRnsAIilZFqfdVa243/s347/download-92.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="145" data-original-width="347" height="168" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgh8VSCytVKMNJ3C54wthXDsa9Foe3gt_G1hcu8bj-u97EsOSoOZ1cSA0qmFxERmCiiiv7pdyUEcnk3fAj8_x8QipPNQzOOdYcct-MyExk5r86BfVJla0eM54NytOHU4EvQAEsTjJvnYGpfkj-eJVH1QiNNiD_ogGX9SdbVaB4rQTZRnsAIilZFqfdVa243/w400-h168/download-92.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i style="text-align: left;">About Dry Grasses </i><span style="text-align: left;">(Nuri Bilge Ceylan) </span></span></td></tr></tbody></table><span lang="EN-AU"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br />And to finish a few stand-out films from MIFF 2023. <i>About Dry Grasses </i>(Nuri Bilge Ceylan) was a known master director in top form. A surprise from Serbia was <i>Lost Country </i>(<a href="https://www.google.com/search?sca_esv=598932482&rlz=1C1CHBF_en-GBAU876AU876&sxsrf=ACQVn0_78SORY99fXu1By6lpEHV8q1FALA:1705451566684&q=Vladimir+Peri%C5%A1i%C4%87&si=AKbGX_qWtsfHufXsq_1jeDkJp50FstNngDxsch3EVTUjn7imcAdO9sR0qy7cY86myRAl_-wWPp-DQSM-J-fI3ljPGJx3EumK4TlFLp2yzPRMGC4VxS6-1lkurXU_Cz29OCKEjO9hXZpkyuBjNA52Fe02MXlAlivji8hIZgeRCdponqN0Yk8RT2Ab5__YS2HGDNIsZiU-7TbeYgiCzVrKKlGwE0w77NWuZQ%3D%3D&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwiO-sCWluODAxVQ8DgGHYOwDxoQmxMoAHoECBMQAg" style="color: #954f72;"><span color="windowtext" style="background-color: white; line-height: 14.266666412353516px; text-decoration: none;">Vladimir Perišić</span></a></span></span><span lang="EN-AU" style="line-height: 14.266666412353516px;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">). The Chilean documentary The<i> Eternal Memory </i>(Maite Alberdi)¸moved me in its portrait of the end of a long relationship through dementia, and its sense of how much our memory is who we are. I also liked Frederic Wiseman’s </span><i><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">A Couple.</span><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 10pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></i></span><p></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5242690213881108403.post-78998633366871513382024-01-09T16:02:00.000-08:002024-01-09T16:04:01.943-08:00THE PARIS WRITERS' SALON - John Baxter and Samuel Lopez-Barrantes take a new look at one of the most complex districts of the city Montmartre.<p><span style="color: #404040; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 16px;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivc7GItf_E4FbE_CQ7QHgFZ-TEJJDjwFSxPiBNuHeOctAkX2wc279SmG3Uqrl4ORMHdsHAEZ8zyS57XHj91kdF1pA7vfHbhs0P0DN3IjQrscyEorBg2gORlhYMALQHAh91FV-eKkATCUB98R9tKhPtndL7KIMr1onUZsqgyx0Iw8lj0meM1rHKIbORRQSQ/s1471/d4374289-266c-4500-86f8-d3f4475ca354_1584x1600.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1471" data-original-width="1456" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivc7GItf_E4FbE_CQ7QHgFZ-TEJJDjwFSxPiBNuHeOctAkX2wc279SmG3Uqrl4ORMHdsHAEZ8zyS57XHj91kdF1pA7vfHbhs0P0DN3IjQrscyEorBg2gORlhYMALQHAh91FV-eKkATCUB98R9tKhPtndL7KIMr1onUZsqgyx0Iw8lj0meM1rHKIbORRQSQ/w396-h400/d4374289-266c-4500-86f8-d3f4475ca354_1584x1600.jpg" width="396" /></a></div><br />John Baxter writes: For the first Paris Writers Salon of the new year, Samuel Lopez -Barrantes and I take a new look at one of the most complex districts of the city Montmartre. I hope you’ll join us.<span style="color: #404040; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 16px;"> </span><p></p><p style="color: #404040; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 16px; line-height: 26px; margin: 0px 0px 20px;"><strong>Salon No. 12: Montmartre from A to ? Every Sunday at 7pm CET </strong></p><p style="color: #404040; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 16px; line-height: 26px; margin: 0px 0px 20px;">One of Paris’s newest additions – it only became part of the city in 1860 – Montmartre is, at the same time, among its most ancient districts and its most modern: the home of surrealists and prostitutes, drug dealers and visionaries, martyrs and miscreants. We’ve chosen three books that show different aspects of Montmartre’s numerous facets, delving into history and crime, love and politics, the sacred and the profane.</p><p style="color: #404040; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 16px; line-height: 26px; margin: 0px 0px 20px;"><strong>Sunday, January 21</strong></p><p style="color: #404040; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 16px; line-height: 26px; margin: 0px 0px 20px;"><em><strong>Inspector Maigret & the Strangled Stripper</strong></em><strong> by Georges Simenon (1950)</strong></p><p style="color: #404040; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 16px; line-height: 26px; margin: 0px 0px 20px;">Simenon is among the great stylists of the <em>roman policier </em>and his Inspector Maigret one of the genre’s most durable creations. In this translation of <em>Maigret au ‘Pikratt’s’, </em>he investigates the murder of an “exotic dancer” and a mysterious Countess at the seedy Montmartre nightclub of the title. Expect a Montmartre very different from today’s tourist mecca.</p><p style="color: #404040; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 16px; line-height: 26px; margin: 0px 0px 20px;"><strong>Sunday, January 28</strong></p><p style="color: #404040; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 16px; line-height: 26px; margin: 0px 0px 20px;"><em><strong>Last Words From Montmartre </strong></em><strong>by Qiu Miaojin</strong> <strong>(1996)</strong> </p><p style="color: #404040; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 16px; line-height: 26px; margin: 0px 0px 20px;">NY Review of Books: “When the pioneering Taiwanese novelist Qiu Miaojin committed suicide in 1995 at age twenty-six, she left behind her unpublished masterpiece, Last Words from Montmartre. Unfolding through a series of letters written by an unnamed narrator, Last Words tells the story of a passionate relationship between two young women—their sexual awakening, their gradual breakup, and the devastating aftermath of their broken love [….] The letters display wrenching insights into what it means to live between cultures, languages, and genders—until the genderless character Zoë appears, and the narrator’s spiritual and physical identity is transformed.”</p><p style="color: #404040; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 16px; line-height: 26px; margin: 0px 0px 20px;"><strong>Sunday, February 4</strong></p><p style="color: #404040; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 16px; line-height: 26px; margin: 0px 0px 20px;"><em><strong>Montmartre: Paris’s Village of Art & Sin </strong></em><strong>by John Baxter (2017)</strong></p><p style="color: #404040; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 16px; line-height: 26px; margin: 0px 0px 20px;">Everyone knows about Pablo Picasso and Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec but who was Louise Michel, the Red Virgin of the Commune, after whom the square in front of the Sacre Coeur cathedral is named? Visit the Cabaret of Nothingness, where one drank at tables made from coffins under candelabra of human bones, and the Bal des Quatz’Arts where, once a year, artists and models let down their hair (and everything else). Harry Crosby turned up wearing a necklace of dead pigeons. Film director Luis Buñuel dressed as a nun, but a reporter was barred as over-dressed. A sympathetic student suggested he come back in his underpants. Only in Montmartre…</p><p style="color: #404040; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 16px; line-height: 26px; margin: 0px 0px 20px;"><strong>Sunday, February 11</strong></p><p style="color: #404040; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 16px; line-height: 26px; margin: 0px 0px 20px;"><em><strong>Open Forum Salon</strong></em></p><p style="color: #404040; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 16px; line-height: 26px; margin: 0px 0px 20px;">As usual, the last session opens up to thoughts and suggestions. If earlier salons are any guide, the conversation will range far and wide and provide a lively discussion to bookend the seventh rendition of the Paris Writers’ Salon.</p><p style="color: #404040; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 16px; line-height: 26px; margin: 0px;">For bookings & inquiries: <a href="https://substack.com/redirect/33593602-b78e-4d3f-bae6-41ad43d3178d?j=eyJ1IjoieW16MmkifQ.3jZeMZ2tsPV1cVj-QYEsWA2qgARBDPBMVTZAHHIrCTE" rel="" style="color: #404040;">john@johnbaxterparis.com</a></p><p style="color: #404040; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 16px; line-height: 26px; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><p style="color: #404040; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 16px; line-height: 26px; margin: 0px;"><b style="caret-color: rgb(102, 102, 102); color: #666666; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 13.199999809265137px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"></span></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b style="caret-color: rgb(102, 102, 102); color: #666666; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 13.199999809265137px;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1jnKiJhrrENAVfG6CdqmjdO_YkkqhUX0Q-ZQM45wZYXDM4NvzD_GowDrk17FEKVG3Zj1Rbux6gnzGyOjL9uz5NqRR0VlSREJBZnsM2F9xO2IMeopHUKVCodPFS3Pe2ARdbWnp-Gu8J6JuIIX_q39WOzOTmKgpMN_XjEpIU-y9IasCl0IGJ5S3TS_35bAP/s400/Baxter-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="338" data-original-width="400" height="338" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1jnKiJhrrENAVfG6CdqmjdO_YkkqhUX0Q-ZQM45wZYXDM4NvzD_GowDrk17FEKVG3Zj1Rbux6gnzGyOjL9uz5NqRR0VlSREJBZnsM2F9xO2IMeopHUKVCodPFS3Pe2ARdbWnp-Gu8J6JuIIX_q39WOzOTmKgpMN_XjEpIU-y9IasCl0IGJ5S3TS_35bAP/w400-h338/Baxter-1.jpg" width="400" /></a></b></div><b style="caret-color: rgb(102, 102, 102); color: #666666; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 13.199999809265137px;"><br />John Baxter (above) </b><span style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(102, 102, 102); color: #666666; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 13.199999809265137px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">is an Australian-born writer, scholar, critic and film-maker who has lived in Paris since 1989. The many books he has written include the first ever critical volume devoted to the Australian cinema as well as studies of Ken Russell, Josef von Sternberg, Stanley Kubrick, Woody Allen, Federico Fellini, George Lucas, Robert De Niro, Luis Bunuel and a number of studies of Paris. His most recent book is a biography of <b>Charles Boyer: The French Lover </b> (University of Kentucky Press, 2021)</span></span><p></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5242690213881108403.post-73990260199137612142024-01-07T15:32:00.000-08:002024-01-09T03:13:56.567-08:00Sixty Years of International Art Cinema 1960-2020 the Sixties part 6 (21), Italy Part 4 Post-neorealism (i): Antonioni<p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 7pt;"><span style="color: #1d1d1d; font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: medium;"></span></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSpl5TRKdCE01u0ghwUFvAFu3-gu6ylFaE9ZxpGbOj3G0hB9OtdDTf06T_rbahw2zd8uG5PPffR-pWD_zu2ZjDJIRNhburrAD1WrePz_Bl3LtFqx5OuPQQirA_IAXdosb_edUmne79KA8KkH8qb3xir3-pWmvoyNWPXZIOeJDFsEIDfBrCugTV8ZoGwZrN/s290/download-95.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="174" data-original-width="290" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSpl5TRKdCE01u0ghwUFvAFu3-gu6ylFaE9ZxpGbOj3G0hB9OtdDTf06T_rbahw2zd8uG5PPffR-pWD_zu2ZjDJIRNhburrAD1WrePz_Bl3LtFqx5OuPQQirA_IAXdosb_edUmne79KA8KkH8qb3xir3-pWmvoyNWPXZIOeJDFsEIDfBrCugTV8ZoGwZrN/w400-h240/download-95.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Michelangelo Antonioni</span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="color: #1d1d1d; font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 7pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="color: #1d1d1d; font-family: Arial;">Seen as a time of crisis for neorealism, the 50s into the 60s saw “a proliferation of neorealisms.” Fellini sought freedom from the neorealist constraints of subject matter and ideology in what was termed “phenomenological realism.” Visconti’s “troubled marriage of spectacular form and revolutionary content in <i>Senso, </i>ultimately broadened critical tolerance for film styles free of neorealist austerity. </span><span><o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 7pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="color: #1d1d1d; font-family: Arial;">In the context of neo-realism and his early experiences with documentary filmmaking centred on the appearance of things, Antonioni developed his own approach to narrative in an art film mode. </span><span><o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 7pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="color: #1d1d1d; font-family: Arial;">His concentration on the internals of character and psychology Antonioni saw as not deserting the neorealist legacy: “not trying to show reality“…[but] attempting to recreate realism.” Millicent Marcus points out that this was not a play on semantics by Antonioni but an offer, on his part, “to go forward by going backwards, that is, by returning to the cultural antecedents of the post-war movement […] taking them along a different path” (189).</span><span><o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 7pt;"><span style="color: #1d1d1d; font-family: Arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 7pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b><span style="color: #1d1d1d; font-family: Arial;"></span></b></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_owMCQrT0oNuRLW5XYTbe4IDCFj5ZciV7q_aIQR9khy7V3T_Rk9KfoOZruOMCsXv_6bajUojM0-_qM2CQSDnXzkvSXKgpsMpl714-D6fJa0bIYcs1NixwYCXtRn4uPZYmUE_evT6kv_7PI9XPvsRV70oBAKlB5CAVVNY6n6ldxBpc1aMrcYQUIsPKyL7m/s1920/Cronaca.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1920" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_owMCQrT0oNuRLW5XYTbe4IDCFj5ZciV7q_aIQR9khy7V3T_Rk9KfoOZruOMCsXv_6bajUojM0-_qM2CQSDnXzkvSXKgpsMpl714-D6fJa0bIYcs1NixwYCXtRn4uPZYmUE_evT6kv_7PI9XPvsRV70oBAKlB5CAVVNY6n6ldxBpc1aMrcYQUIsPKyL7m/w400-h225/Cronaca.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Massimo Girotti, Lucia Bose, <i>Story of a Love Affair</i></span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-size: medium;"><b><span style="color: #1d1d1d; font-family: Arial;"><br /></span></b></span><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b><span style="color: #1d1d1d; font-family: Arial;">Michelangelo Antonioni</span></b><span style="color: #1d1d1d; font-family: Arial;"> (1912-2007) in four features, 1953-57, beginning with <i>Cronaca di un </i>amore/ <i>Story of a Love Affair </i>(1950), within the limits of a detective story he commenced the opening up of new narrative and fictional possibilities in the very activity of dissolving conventional plots to emphasise internal rhythms in the story. This is most evident visually through Antonioni’s destabilising of forms and structures to accommodate new themes, making new forms appear (Rohdie 49). The tetralogy (1959-64)<i> </i>helped to radically reshape expectations of what cinematic narrative can be. </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><span style="color: #1d1d1d; font-family: Arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 7pt;"><span style="color: #1d1d1d; font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: medium;"></span></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIPsabKvfYNBJJkVJhPOBMePgc-Ywvw-qE-SwF2bH1tYbTb57HY6BtNQm69d2Q87McYGYj5pJOnBJKpXn6PHC2VShjhQdW1VrWxfipG9NkUQJW9aJHsLO4tqXyoT4aitI2VRCXHM4XImrKNhKywLY2lV-qDEsGu_o1daaWrEoi1ycb7VmU3175MfrK5061/s264/download-92.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="191" data-original-width="264" height="289" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIPsabKvfYNBJJkVJhPOBMePgc-Ywvw-qE-SwF2bH1tYbTb57HY6BtNQm69d2Q87McYGYj5pJOnBJKpXn6PHC2VShjhQdW1VrWxfipG9NkUQJW9aJHsLO4tqXyoT4aitI2VRCXHM4XImrKNhKywLY2lV-qDEsGu_o1daaWrEoi1ycb7VmU3175MfrK5061/w400-h289/download-92.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Monica Vitti, Gabriele Ferzetti, <i>L'Avventura</i></span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="color: #1d1d1d; font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br />Mira Liehm places the four breakthrough films as together exploring “the decline of emotions” in contemporary society: <i>L’Avventura </i>(1960) represents the gradual development of this theme, “the plot becoming more contingent than causal” (Chatman) ; in <i>La Notte</i> (1961) the possibility of love still exists if in crisis; in <i>L’Eclisse </i>(1962) love is eclipsed by the dominance of objects and their imagined value over human relationships, in the final sequence, an establishing shot in reverse frustrates the viewer’s expectations of a well-formed narrative” (ibid). In <i>Il Deserto Rosso /Red Desert </i>(1964) the alienation from reality provokes a neurosis portrayed as a conscious yearning for the return of feelings (225). In the tetralogy as a whole, it is the women who are more sensitive to feelings.<o:p></o:p></span></span><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 7pt;"><span style="color: #1d1d1d; font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: medium;"></span></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwlKEsBGZ6F1fc6_3nnJc8Knfe84N0bnT6wVKyNibmiMXFfkCEh16Q3X86d6gKzl591hjr1Hej0uIy6m5XBBeXi3tXLlu_rQOO10GSrXZZRqedfJFdn__iH1TeY5v_dCQfodAQe4Ryhc6A9y3rRH59IruuP8mYvoukqaOv_5Ua_T45AQLjs3_x7L0Lj-ib/s255/Il%20Grido.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="197" data-original-width="255" height="309" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwlKEsBGZ6F1fc6_3nnJc8Knfe84N0bnT6wVKyNibmiMXFfkCEh16Q3X86d6gKzl591hjr1Hej0uIy6m5XBBeXi3tXLlu_rQOO10GSrXZZRqedfJFdn__iH1TeY5v_dCQfodAQe4Ryhc6A9y3rRH59IruuP8mYvoukqaOv_5Ua_T45AQLjs3_x7L0Lj-ib/w400-h309/Il%20Grido.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Steve Cochran, Alida Valli, <i>Il Grido</i></span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="color: #1d1d1d; font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br />Kovács describes Antonioni’s distinctive form of modernist minimalism, present in his early films prior to <i>Il Grido</i>, as “analytical” in its tendency towards geometrical compositions in long takes and associated camera movements. Compared to Max Ophuls’ camera movements in long takes identifying with the characters, “Antonioni’s camera tends to be more detached, more reflective, a more acute social observer” (Gilberto Perez ‘The Eloquent Screen’ 260). Kovács identifies the split Antonioni made in his films “between different dimensions of the form: the background on the one hand, the plot and the viewer’s time experience on the other.” His use of landscape and cityscape as framing for his wandering characters and their role in the plot, is identified by Kovács as “important watermarks of Antonioni’s breaking away from his neorealist roots” (149)”.<o:p></o:p></span></span><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 7pt;"><span style="color: #1d1d1d; font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Kovács points to the disappearance, in Antonioni’s films, of the dramatic tension between the characters and their environment found in films like Rossellini’s <i>Germany Year Zero (</i>1948) and <i>Stromboli </i>(1950) which share neo-realist settings in poor or desolate locations emphasising emotional or spiritual emptiness in the characters. In Antonioni’s films this dramatic tension disappears. Their relationship to the environment is reduced to radical isolation and alienation. “This condition of disconnection is no longer indicative of a “social or cultural condition represented by the background world” (ibid). If “the perfect existentialist film could be imagined,” Bondanella suggests, “it would probably be one of the works in Antonioni’s trilogy, or possibly <i>Red Desert</i>” (221).<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 7pt;"><span style="color: #1d1d1d; font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: medium;"></span></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWYOPZ8m8cp14jKbfhgmYqRyvUVEdZiCtkLpy65GrB93bL7mR2-PsNFsCKBZO-p3om8F8Ykwc7NlcsppXsGF8d-tC98XMxGdADTQRuKWdbSIUjDFhmqm1F0AjvwT6YB4tfiyENtIo0JDwGXaCFwt7viDJuExXM7Xo4onuzu9MiIP35Nshl9Tn4eyfsMlJG/s299/download-93.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="168" data-original-width="299" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWYOPZ8m8cp14jKbfhgmYqRyvUVEdZiCtkLpy65GrB93bL7mR2-PsNFsCKBZO-p3om8F8Ykwc7NlcsppXsGF8d-tC98XMxGdADTQRuKWdbSIUjDFhmqm1F0AjvwT6YB4tfiyENtIo0JDwGXaCFwt7viDJuExXM7Xo4onuzu9MiIP35Nshl9Tn4eyfsMlJG/w400-h225/download-93.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="caret-color: rgb(29, 29, 29); color: #1d1d1d; font-size: medium; text-align: left;">"radical isolation and alienation", <i>Red Desert</i></span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="color: #1d1d1d; font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br />In contrast to those of Rossellini, Antonioni’s films in the early and breakthrough phases, in comparison, can have, it seems, a more predetermined feel although, like Rossellini, Antonioni said that he began each day’s shoot without clear ideas, preferring to start “from a virginal point,” the priority being ‘who he was’ at the moment of shooting, never working from the script - “autobiographical” with every line changed. In place of the sense of a completed work; when he looked back, Antonioni spoke of seeing an earlier work only in terms contemporary with his viewing (Bachman interview).<o:p></o:p></span></span><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 7pt;"><span style="color: #1d1d1d; font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Antonioni in the tetralogy and Rossellini in <i>Journey to Italy </i>mark the “de-theatricalisation” of modern cinema. “<i>L’Avventura </i>has the breadth and structure of the novel, as well as its flexibility” (Pierre Laprohon Antonioni 70). Kovács notes that from <i>Il Grido </i>to <i>L’Eclisse,</i> most radically in the latter, “the peak of dramatic tension takes place at the beginning of the film before the development of the plot…representing a radical continuity independent of editing and camerawork” (155).<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 7pt;"><span style="color: #1d1d1d; font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Rohdie’s focus is on narration and documentation of objects in the work of both Rossellini and Antonioni. Above all, Rohdie notes their connection in the matter of documentation, of “writing” with the camera, its position not predetermined, “seeking to find and waiting to find, its subject.” In the case of Rossellini the subject is more certain and intuitively established, apprehension of it is relatively unproblematic and realistic which often resulted, at the time, in critical dismissal; in Antonioni, the uncertainty and slippage of the subject becomes the drama of the narrative” (Rohdie 149-50 quoted by Sitney 144-5).<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 7pt;"><span style="color: #1d1d1d; font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: medium;">The landscape and general atmosphere in the film preceding Antonioni’s initial critical breakthrough, <i>Il grido/The Cry </i>(1957)<i>, </i>might seem to invite a symbolic interpretation as a physical extension of the central character’s depressed state. Kovács notes Antonioni’s expressed intention was not to use the environment to evoke a psychological state<i> </i>but<i> </i>“to create a landscape of memory: the landscape of my childhood” (quoted Kovács 150 - Antonioni experienced “a happy childhood” in Ferrara on the Po River delta). <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 7pt;"><span style="color: #1d1d1d; font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: medium;"></span></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3fL0HeSW7BHYC9qf_UqH32hUpZsoNrZBMTXmSpgyrMyk7dFEZ671c9hUOJr6zFZC0Fb233P2OzOa4zqDhALiDw9W2X-KEqR836aRD9ELDCxpkO-aNl29CoSYmVDjmInbhwcKVNZJUuAu-ICvlQ9j6LBmkdIql3FQuQ_TrjilDbliY2ymdoX414FQeaZ1f/s700/Moreau%20La%20Notte.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="394" data-original-width="700" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3fL0HeSW7BHYC9qf_UqH32hUpZsoNrZBMTXmSpgyrMyk7dFEZ671c9hUOJr6zFZC0Fb233P2OzOa4zqDhALiDw9W2X-KEqR836aRD9ELDCxpkO-aNl29CoSYmVDjmInbhwcKVNZJUuAu-ICvlQ9j6LBmkdIql3FQuQ_TrjilDbliY2ymdoX414FQeaZ1f/w400-h225/Moreau%20La%20Notte.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Jeanne Moreau, Marcello Mastroianni, <i>La Notte</i></span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="color: #1d1d1d; font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br />As becomes fully apparent in the tetralogy, Antonioni “had arrived at another, modernist, conception of using the landscape - as that which isolates it from the psychology of the characters” (ibid). <o:p></o:p></span></span><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 7pt;"><span style="color: #1d1d1d; font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Rohdie writes that “Antonioni’s narrative reticence and ‘objectivity’ was something strikingly new in Italian cinema with reference to neo-realism,” not so much in terms of techniques of observation as in a different set of assumptions about the things observed. This accounts for his style being nominated as cold, inexpressive, without love, his objectivism seen as contrary to neo-realism’s humanism. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 7pt;"><span style="color: #1d1d1d; font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Antonioni took this reticence a step further in his ‘distanced narratives’. What had potential to disturb was that the atmosphere and landscape failed to function as explicative or causal while being moved to the fore and given equal weight with the characters remaining ‘just there’ without connections. The social and physical are not, in his films, a determination. The characters are not only distanced from each other but disconnected from context. As Rohdie puts it, “it was as if Antonioni had taken his objectivity too far…an objectivity that had seemingly gone beyond ‘realism’” <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 7pt;"><span style="color: #1d1d1d; font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: medium;">What was positive, “even exhilarating,” was the way Antonioni’s films opened up new possibilities in the very activity of dissolution referred to above, rejecting what neo-realism had made positive. What had been declared established, unshakeable things, certainties and orders, by the mid-50s, even Antonioni’s critics had to admit, no longer held (see Rohdie 46-9).<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizsXgTCFF2jtLp2NNDuAbU2Ys0rwmdtuA-B8iVurQqgrxmhuuVLXHNelGMA5ZyZQW-kHC5FC6KXZ8X0_yd0RsYdnlU5lzeYXhi5o4Vw4duNdt1Q01J1Rtu5nIXEWgjybo3fMa6GZr6lvnYOJzwJqgcAVpo6T9a5oE8IdYscxMUyf6bBGQLryW8V62-BxLX/s225/ANTONIONI.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="225" data-original-width="225" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizsXgTCFF2jtLp2NNDuAbU2Ys0rwmdtuA-B8iVurQqgrxmhuuVLXHNelGMA5ZyZQW-kHC5FC6KXZ8X0_yd0RsYdnlU5lzeYXhi5o4Vw4duNdt1Q01J1Rtu5nIXEWgjybo3fMa6GZr6lvnYOJzwJqgcAVpo6T9a5oE8IdYscxMUyf6bBGQLryW8V62-BxLX/w400-h400/ANTONIONI.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Michelangelo Antonioni, Monica Vitti<br /><br /></span></td></tr></tbody></table><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 7pt;"><span style="color: #1d1d1d; font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Central is the defining presence of Monica Vitti in Antonioni’s tetralogy. Their symbiotic relationship has a lineage in cinema history between male director and female actor: von Sternberg and Dietrich, Rossellini and Magnani then Ingrid Bergman, Ingmar Bergman and Liv Ullman, and Fellini and Giulietta Masina. Vitti’s acting in the tetralogy “is understated and minimal, relying on the union of camera movement and mise en scène, creating an aura of ambiguity, undermining the clear outlines of the character’s subjectivity yet conveying a sense of crisis” (Marcia Landy Italian Film’ 296).<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 7pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><i><span style="color: #1d1d1d; font-family: Arial;">Il Deserto Rosso/Red</span></i><span style="color: #1d1d1d; font-family: Arial;"> <i>Desert </i>(1964), set in Ravenna the famous artistic city, and then also an industrial city, is a radical extension of the trilogy, Antonioni’s first film in colour and arguably “the first film to use colour in a denatured, modern way.” In <i>Red Desert </i> “colour is integrally linked to character, as landscape was in <i>L’Avventura </i>or architecture in<i> The Eclipse, </i>and the director uses colour in many cases in place of dialogue” (Bondanella 219). The above reference to ‘writing’ almost becomes a case of ‘painting’ with the camera. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 7pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="color: #1d1d1d; font-family: Arial;"><i></i></span></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJjlhXIDSQH621mFquuyyBTMh-yOcGVp01rfaLMycuicSfrlS5zezqDnthQHXZYsJuhtiBQR8wSRzSe6DAfOeaA3FGs-ZAiN5BYWkY4aNleM4YG5LVW3jru8ctOWVCbAp8SXBNQNQuvn7W-yA62FaVUvFTkrxb-mn2-RCujGZ-K5DA7UdtXyrfNTlyJdPM/s266/download-96.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="190" data-original-width="266" height="286" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJjlhXIDSQH621mFquuyyBTMh-yOcGVp01rfaLMycuicSfrlS5zezqDnthQHXZYsJuhtiBQR8wSRzSe6DAfOeaA3FGs-ZAiN5BYWkY4aNleM4YG5LVW3jru8ctOWVCbAp8SXBNQNQuvn7W-yA62FaVUvFTkrxb-mn2-RCujGZ-K5DA7UdtXyrfNTlyJdPM/w400-h286/download-96.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Monica Vitti, <i>Red Desert</i></span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="color: #1d1d1d; font-family: Arial;"><i><br />Red Desert </i>marks the beginning of a shift from centring on female, to male protagonists becoming first apparent in <i>Blow-Up. </i>This is accompanied also by a shift in narrative techniques accompanying the move from Sicilian landscapes and modern Milanese architecture to the more abstracted environment of modern technological society. As Antonioni indicated, this shift is not meant to carry with it a condemnation of technological society in the name of ecological purity and a romantic return to the past. He saw Giuliana’s neurosis as caused by her failure to adapt to a new world (see Kovács 153-4). While most commentators emphasise the ugliness of the industrial landscape belching poisonous yellow fumes it is in turn ugly and aesthetic (Antonioni painted the trees and industrial accoutrements).<o:p></o:p></span></span><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 7pt;"><span style="color: #1d1d1d; font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: medium;">This change, begun in <i>Red Desert,</i> is accompanied by a transition to a more rigorously objective narrative and camera positioning. “Concentration shifts from interaction between the characters in the trilogy to the relationship between the characters and the things around them” (Bondanella 218). There is also a move toward a more complete and comprehensive dissolution of the subject and the appearance of a fully abstract film (the desert island fable) within the narrative. Giuliana’s (Monica Vitti) instability is reflected in her relation to objects and colours viewed with an intensity as seen and felt by her but her gaze is a distorted and abstracting reality, including her own. As Rohdie observes, while the look of the camera is often subjective, the look, regarded objectively, becomes more the object being observed rather than identified with. Chatman refers to this as “a remarkable double vision through which we see alternately from Giuliana’s point of view and from the camera’s own” (97).<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 7pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><i><span style="color: #1d1d1d; font-family: Arial;"></span></i></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBwOa0HeJjDI1h4XqCJZi2vFqblaCnzQ0N_uwdyisOneq33XltPIvEwc6BC97YZzL9GGoxZ1cvAe5gjygDQp53TTgJxIsn6RhsI6jKgW8dHES5eVDlVbRx4G3_lUqdQ9kpAV0fOtADdypKF9ScQjSST6mpxhHwH7khWa3x2JS5Gt6Gy01xILPjAmoeesQ3/s278/download-97.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="181" data-original-width="278" height="260" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBwOa0HeJjDI1h4XqCJZi2vFqblaCnzQ0N_uwdyisOneq33XltPIvEwc6BC97YZzL9GGoxZ1cvAe5gjygDQp53TTgJxIsn6RhsI6jKgW8dHES5eVDlVbRx4G3_lUqdQ9kpAV0fOtADdypKF9ScQjSST6mpxhHwH7khWa3x2JS5Gt6Gy01xILPjAmoeesQ3/w400-h260/download-97.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;">David Hemmings, Vanessa Redgrave, <i>Blow-Up</i></span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-size: medium;"><i><span style="color: #1d1d1d; font-family: Arial;"><br />Blow-Up</span></i><span style="color: #1d1d1d; font-family: Arial;"> (1966), his first film in English, in other critical ways represented a further new direction in which Antonioni employs a different rhythm in his editing, the sound track also assuming a new importance. He “developed the potential of cinema for heightening our aesthetic perception of the modern world as well as photography itself. <o:p></o:p></span></span><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 7pt;"><span style="color: #1d1d1d; font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: medium;">There is a striking narrative correspondence in <i>Blow-Up</i> and earlier films (as in Lidia’s walk in Milan in <i>La Notte</i>) in the displacement of figures and bodies in space. Thomas, the photographer, obsessively seizes on ‘must have’ objects for them to immediately become throwaways. Jane (Vanessa Redgrave), in desperation attempting to retrieve the photographs that Thomas has wilfully taken of her and her companion in the park, becomes an object to be photographed amidst the disconnected spaces, objects and arrangements in the studio seemingly having a life of their own. “The narrative of <i>Blow-Up </i>literally loses<i> </i>its way in pursuit of an image“ (Rohdie 68). The diffuse fragments of life in swinging London adhere around the photograph at the film’s centre. What the photographer sees and what the camera sees are two different things <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 7pt;"><span style="color: #1d1d1d; font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Rohdie distinguishes the tetralogy which he terms the ‘women’s films’, from the later male centred films - <i>Blow-Up</i>, <i> Passenger</i>, and <i>Identification of a Woman. </i> While the couple in crisis is the central concern in the women’s films, the men are limited in their vision, “seeking to grasp something of the world and of themselves, and of the women they have encountered.” The women are more resistant, in comparison more open, lucid, interested in looking than seizing. The crisis arises from “the cross purpose of sight, of rigidity on the one hand, of flexibility and understanding on the other” (189).<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 7pt;"><span style="color: #1d1d1d; font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Rohdie refers to Pasolini suggesting in his essay ‘Cinema di poesia’ that what was wrong with ‘the women’s films’, was that Antonioni imagined (perhaps inadvertently) that a female perspective is actually “a subjective alibi“ which enabled him to have a clear-cut narrative while at the same time escaping from it in a series of departures which, according to Pasolini, allowed him, in <i>Il deserto rosso, “</i>to present images purely for their abstract beauty” (ibid 153). However, as Rohdie further points out, this perception is more than a social alibi on Antonioni’s part: the women, at the centre of a changing and uncertain fictional landscape, could in the films “perceive the multiplicity, variety and even incomprehensibility of the world while the men lack that facility and become victims of the world and their need to possess it. The first startling example of this,” Rohdie notes, “is Aldo in <i>Il Grido” </i>(189).<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 7pt;"><span style="color: #1d1d1d; font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: medium;"></span></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDNs1IHjljrCxXS5YTUkxkqhwgBV9heYF6FgBOK5oc-Hzoehybe1Y6X9Dr5tTDxeHj_CogcZCJx6yIluG3-Yw9cqaUp6ffnl1LkzBFZgAJkVWKPE-eNTPR7SsEajj2i67AUjOkl0qWMfoZY-sMP1BOJ66VpaDDB64TH4LRYcuHBgDVAM3IGNFAZUysGHsX/s1920/Passenger.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1920" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDNs1IHjljrCxXS5YTUkxkqhwgBV9heYF6FgBOK5oc-Hzoehybe1Y6X9Dr5tTDxeHj_CogcZCJx6yIluG3-Yw9cqaUp6ffnl1LkzBFZgAJkVWKPE-eNTPR7SsEajj2i67AUjOkl0qWMfoZY-sMP1BOJ66VpaDDB64TH4LRYcuHBgDVAM3IGNFAZUysGHsX/w400-h225/Passenger.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Maria Schneider, Jack Nicholson, <i>The Passenger</i></span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="color: #1d1d1d; font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br />Antonioni's modernist objectification in the later films shifted the subject from that of the images seen, to more directly, the act of seeing itself from the outside, as in <i>The Passenger (1975).</i> <i>“</i>Antonioni<i> </i>no longer needed<i> </i>a narrative excuse<i> </i>for what he viewed<i>. </i>The narrative was elsewhere […] Earlier, before <i>The Passenger, </i>‘in’<i> </i>the fiction he sometimes chose to wander from it (towards beauty, to follow a flock of birds, to fix an eye on colour, to become fascinated with an object), but always forced to return, to pull back and by so doing to encounter the necessities of the narrative he had only a moment previously seemed to escape” (ibid). <o:p></o:p></span></span><p></p><p style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; margin: 0cm 0cm 7pt;"><span style="color: #1d1d1d; font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: medium;">In<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><i>The Passenger,<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></i>the central character, Locke (Nicholson), already suffering an identity crisis in an outpost in central Africa, assumes the identity of a man whom he had just met when he finds him dead in the hotel from a sudden heart attack. Locke dissolves his own identity as if into the landscape, a repeating trope in Antonioni’s films, then recreates it as if to seem unreal, “estranged from itself,” a blurring of the subject-object distinction. The subjective camera inside the fiction is displaced. David Thomson refers to this as “a loss of identity in the modern world [that seems] to hover on the brink of some ultimate memory loss” (Biographical Dictionary). In the memorably complex final shot of 7 minutes this process of objectification is doubled as the camera detaches itself from the fiction and “gazes upon itself.” Thomson observes that “a narrative never wholly eventuates suggesting a multiplicity of narratives.” <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; margin: 0cm 0cm 7pt;"><span style="color: #1d1d1d; font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: medium;"></span></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj50vxpYCRzObXX2yydHf4zBZ3MVTScaUW0vq4tBR85J1AfH2ETuxprfIfkrKe8W6Hg1eMkzEZ_IImgGmlJDOIgC2uVcrQK6ZhThvuKJLoYxx88aQYIXXff-zWiOYqCjhmFsNUfCFcMnBRcsfSR1b72yt3otq1TQJ_EzaaY6DlkzKthAmxZnCzVAz_bzehS/s300/Identification%20of%20a%20Woman.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="168" data-original-width="300" height="224" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj50vxpYCRzObXX2yydHf4zBZ3MVTScaUW0vq4tBR85J1AfH2ETuxprfIfkrKe8W6Hg1eMkzEZ_IImgGmlJDOIgC2uVcrQK6ZhThvuKJLoYxx88aQYIXXff-zWiOYqCjhmFsNUfCFcMnBRcsfSR1b72yt3otq1TQJ_EzaaY6DlkzKthAmxZnCzVAz_bzehS/w400-h224/Identification%20of%20a%20Woman.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span face="GuardianTextSans, "Guardian Text Sans Web", "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, "Lucida Grande", sans-serif" style="background-color: white; font-size: medium; font-variant-ligatures: common-ligatures; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-thickness: initial; widows: 2;">Tomas Milian and Daniela Silverio,<span style="color: #707070;"> </span><i>Identification of a Woman</i></span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="color: #1d1d1d; font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br />In his last major film after five abroad Antonioni returned to Italy and familiar themes on the difficulties of establishing relationships in the modern<span class="apple-converted-space"><i> </i></span>world.<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><i>Identification of a Woman<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></i>(1982), like nearly all his films, as Rohdie points out, is structured as an (unresolved) investigation. A film director, Niccolò (Thomas Malian), searches for a woman as a subject for his next film, and for a second ‘ideal woman’ visualised by him in an image of Louise Brooks. He has brief affairs with two women: the elusive, aristocratic Mavi explicitly seeking it seems realisation through sex, and the warm, down to earth actress, Ida, offering inspiration and security to Niccolo. Neither cohere as assumed centres of the film. Each results in intense emotional contact, one in a dense fog, the other on the Venetian lagoon. Niccoló, the initially presumed centre of the main film - the camera is always non-judgementally with him - never assumes that central position. This leaves a fiction of two narratives in search of something which is never found. As already mentioned, from 1966 onwards the central characters of Antonioni’s films are male and “the camera and narrator become, over time, completely ‘objective’, no longer viewing with the eyes, or from the perspective, of any character.”<i> </i></span></span><div><span style="color: #1d1d1d; font-family: Arial; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="color: #1d1d1d; font-family: Arial;">This objectivity first reached a new kind of coherence in the China documentary </span><i style="color: #1d1d1d; font-family: Arial;">Chung Kuo Cina</i><span style="color: #1d1d1d; font-family: Arial;"> </span><span style="color: #1d1d1d; font-family: Arial;">(1972), </span><i style="color: #1d1d1d; font-family: Arial;">The Pa</i><span style="color: #1d1d1d; font-family: Arial;">ssenger </span><span style="color: #1d1d1d; font-family: Arial;">(1975) and<i> </i></span><span style="color: #1d1d1d; font-family: Arial;"><i>Identification of a Woman</i> </span><span style="color: #1d1d1d; font-family: Arial;">(1982) (Rohdie 187). In freeing the image from the functional demands of narrative without entirely dispensing with narrativity</span><span style="color: #1d1d1d; font-family: Arial;">,</span><span style="color: #1d1d1d; font-family: Arial;"> interest lies in the mystery and profound uncertainty threatening the story. In these films, plus </span><span style="color: #1d1d1d; font-family: Arial;"><i>Blow-Up</i></span><span style="color: #1d1d1d; font-family: Arial;"><i> </i>and<i> </i></span><span style="color: #1d1d1d; font-family: Arial;"><i>Zabriskie Point</i>, </span><span style="color: #1d1d1d; font-family: Arial;">the fiction replaces the subjectivity of the characters, the film becoming what Rohdie calls, “a documentary of a fiction, including the fiction of its construction” (153). In other words Rohdie seems to suggest that, through the cumulation of these works, Antonioni, in cinematic terms, reworked/redefined the meaning of objective and subjective, fiction and documentary. </span></span><span style="caret-color: rgb(29, 29, 29); color: #1d1d1d; font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: medium;">In what would seem to be encapsulating Antonioni’s implied critique of classical narrative’s self-sustaining fiction, Rohdie concludes, “women, along with men, have, if not their rightful place, a place free of any condescension, or, what amounted to the same thing, free of the fiction of subjectivity” (190).</span></span></div><div><br /></div><div><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 7pt;"><span style="color: #1d1d1d; font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Tonino Guerra, a scriptwriter on all Antonioni’s films from <i>L’avventura </i>on,<i> </i>is quoted by Don Ranvaud as confirming the director’s own account quoted above, of the way he chose to work. Guerra, spoke of how an elaborate, dense script was progressively abandoned until devoid of any literary values making it clear to the writer that Antonioni’s objective was “precisely that of destroying in the word anything that might interfere with the overall cinematic effect.” Carried to its furthest in <i>The Passenger </i>and <i>Identification of a Woman</i>, it was a cause of some early critical tentativeness at Cannes (before the critical and commercial success in Italy of <i>Identification</i>), and critical hostility after its screening at the New York Film Festival resulted in the evaporation of distribution interest in the US.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 7pt;"><span style="color: #1d1d1d; font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Speaking of <i>The Passenger </i>with its penultimate seven-minute sequence Antonioni said: “I have never quite felt this liberty. I have replaced my objectivity with that of the camera… the liberty in the making of this film is the liberty the character in the film tried to achieve by changing identity” (Rohdie 154).<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 7pt; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #1d1d1d; font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: medium;">***************************************<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 7pt;"><span style="color: #1d1d1d; font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Sam Rohdie <i>Antonioni, </i>BFI 1990<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 7pt;"><span style="color: #1d1d1d; font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Seymour Chatman <i>Antonioni or, the surface of the world </i>1985<i></i><o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 7pt;"><span style="color: #1d1d1d; font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Michael Pursell “Remembering Antonioni” review of Chatman’s book in <i>Literature Film Quarterly 4/3 1986 <o:p></o:p></i></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 7pt;"><span style="color: #1d1d1d; font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Gideon Bachman <i>A Love of Today </i>interview with Antonioni <i>Film Quarterly </i>Summer 1983<i> </i><o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 7pt;"><span style="color: #1d1d1d; font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Millicent Marcus <i>Italian Film in the Light of Neorealism </i>1986<i></i><o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 7pt;"><span style="color: #1d1d1d; font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Don Ranvaud review of identification of a Woman and <i>Chronicle of a Career </i>Monthly Film Bulletin March 1983<i></i><o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 7pt;"><span style="color: #1d1d1d; font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Jonathan Rosenbaum review of The Passenger <i>Monthly Film Bulletin </i>June 1975</span><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 7pt; text-align: center;">*************************************</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="caret-color: rgb(102, 102, 102); color: #666666; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 13.199999809265137px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><span style="color: #1d1d1d; font-family: Arial;">Previous entries in this series can be found if you click the following links</span><span style="font-family: Arial;"><u1:p></u1:p><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="caret-color: rgb(102, 102, 102); color: #666666; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 13.199999809265137px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"> <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="caret-color: rgb(102, 102, 102); color: #666666; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 13.199999809265137px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><a href="https://filmalert101.blogspot.com/2022/09/sixty-years-of-international-art-cinema.html" style="color: #954f72; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><span style="color: red;">Sixty Years of International Art Cinema: 1960-2020 - Tables and Directors Lists to Accompany Bruce Hodsdon's Series</span></a><u1:p></u1:p><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="caret-color: rgb(102, 102, 102); color: #666666; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 13.199999809265137px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"> <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="caret-color: rgb(102, 102, 102); color: #666666; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 13.199999809265137px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><span style="color: red; font-family: Arial;"><a href="https://filmalert101.blogspot.com/2022/09/sixtyyears-of-international-art-cinema.html" style="color: #954f72; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><span style="color: red;">Notes on canons, methods, national cinemas and more</span></a></span><span style="font-family: Arial;"><u1:p></u1:p><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="caret-color: rgb(102, 102, 102); color: #666666; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 13.199999809265137px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"> <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="caret-color: rgb(102, 102, 102); color: #666666; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 13.199999809265137px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><u><span style="color: red; font-family: Arial;"><a href="https://filmalert101.blogspot.com/2022/03/sixty-years-of-international-art-cinema.html" style="color: #954f72; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><span style="color: red; text-decoration: none;">Part One - Introduction</span></a></span></u><span style="font-family: Arial;"><u1:p></u1:p><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="caret-color: rgb(102, 102, 102); color: #666666; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 13.199999809265137px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><u><span style="color: red; font-family: Arial;"><a href="https://filmalert101.blogspot.com/2022/05/sixty-years-of-international-art-cinema.html" style="color: #954f72; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><span style="color: red; text-decoration: none;">Part Two - Defining Art Cinema</span></a></span></u><span style="font-family: Arial;"><u1:p></u1:p><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="caret-color: rgb(102, 102, 102); color: #666666; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 13.199999809265137px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><a href="https://filmalert101.blogspot.com/2022/06/sixty-years-of-international-art-cinema.html" style="color: #954f72; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><span style="color: red;">Part Three - From Classicism to Modernism</span></a><u1:p></u1:p><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="caret-color: rgb(102, 102, 102); color: #666666; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 13.199999809265137px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><u><span style="color: red; font-family: Arial;"><a href="https://filmalert101.blogspot.com/2022/07/sixty-years-of-international-art-cinema.html" style="color: #954f72; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><span style="color: red; text-decoration: none;">Part Four - Authorship and Narrative</span></a></span></u><span style="font-family: Arial;"><u1:p></u1:p><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="caret-color: rgb(102, 102, 102); color: #666666; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 13.199999809265137px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><u><span style="color: red; font-family: Arial;"><a href="https://filmalert101.blogspot.com/2022/07/sixty-years-of-international-art-cinema_19.html" style="color: #954f72; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><span style="color: red; text-decoration: none;">Part Five - International Film Guide Directors of the Year, The Sight and Sound World Poll, Art-Horror</span></a></span></u><span style="font-family: Arial;"><u1:p></u1:p><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="caret-color: rgb(102, 102, 102); color: #666666; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 13.199999809265137px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><u><span style="color: red; font-family: Arial;"><a href="https://filmalert101.blogspot.com/2022/08/sixty-years-of-international-art-cinema.html" style="color: #954f72; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><span style="color: red; text-decoration: none;">Part Six (1) - The Sixties, the United States and Orson Welles</span></a></span></u><span style="font-family: Arial;"><u1:p></u1:p><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="caret-color: rgb(102, 102, 102); color: #666666; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 13.199999809265137px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><u><span style="font-family: Arial;"><a href="https://filmalert101.blogspot.com/2022/10/sixty-years-of-international-art-cinema.html" style="color: #954f72; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: red; text-decoration: none;">Part Six (2) - Hitchcock, Romero and Art Horror</span></a></span></u><span style="font-family: Arial;"><u1:p></u1:p><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="caret-color: rgb(102, 102, 102); color: #666666; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 13.199999809265137px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><u><span style="color: red; font-family: Arial;"><a href="https://filmalert101.blogspot.com/2022/10/sixty-years-of-international-art-cinema_29.html" style="color: #954f72; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><span style="color: red; text-decoration: none;">Part Six (3) - New York Film-makers - Elia Kazan & Shirley Clarke</span></a> </span></u><span style="font-family: Arial;"><u1:p></u1:p><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="caret-color: rgb(102, 102, 102); color: #666666; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 13.199999809265137px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><u><span style="font-family: Arial;"><a href="https://filmalert101.blogspot.com/2022/11/sixty-years-of-international-art-cinema.html" style="color: #954f72; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><span style="color: red; text-decoration: none;">Part Six (4) - New York Film-makers - Stanley Kubrick Creator of Forms</span></a></span></u><span style="font-family: Arial;"><u1:p></u1:p><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="caret-color: rgb(102, 102, 102); color: #666666; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 13.199999809265137px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><a href="https://filmalert101.blogspot.com/2022/11/6-5-new-hollywood-1-sixty-years-of.html" style="color: #954f72; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><span style="color: red;">Part Six (5) ‘New Hollywood’ (1) - Arthur Penn, Warren Beatty, Pauline Kael and BONNIE AND CLYDE</span></a><u1:p></u1:p><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="caret-color: rgb(102, 102, 102); color: #666666; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 13.199999809265137px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><a href="https://filmalert101.blogspot.com/2022/12/sixty-years-of-international-art-cinema.html" style="color: #954f72; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><span style="color: red;">Part Six (6) Francis Ford Coppola: Standing at the crossroads of art and industry</span></a><u1:p></u1:p><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="caret-color: rgb(102, 102, 102); color: #666666; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 13.199999809265137px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><a href="https://filmalert101.blogspot.com/2022/12/sixty-years-of-international-art-cinema_20.html" style="color: #954f72; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><span style="color: red;">Part 6(7) Altman</span></a><u1:p></u1:p><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="caret-color: rgb(102, 102, 102); color: #666666; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 13.199999809265137px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><a href="https://filmalert101.blogspot.com/2023/01/sixty-years-of-international-art-cinema.html" style="color: #954f72; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><span style="color: red;">6(8) Great Britain - Joseph Losey, Lindsay Anderson, Karel Reisz, Richard Lester, Peter Watkins, Barney Platts-Mills</span></a><u1:p></u1:p><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="caret-color: rgb(102, 102, 102); color: #666666; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 13.199999809265137px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><a href="https://filmalert101.blogspot.com/2023/02/69-france-independent-auteurs-robert.html" style="color: #954f72; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><span style="color: red;">6(9) France - Part One The New Wave and The Cahiers du Cinema Group</span></a><u1:p></u1:p><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="caret-color: rgb(102, 102, 102); color: #666666; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 13.199999809265137px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><a href="https://filmalert101.blogspot.com/2023/02/sixty-years-of-international-art-cinema.html" style="color: #954f72; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><span style="color: red;">6(10) France - Part Two - The Left Bank/Rive Gauche Group and an Independent</span></a><u1:p></u1:p><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="caret-color: rgb(102, 102, 102); color: #666666; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 13.199999809265137px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><a href="https://filmalert101.blogspot.com/2023/03/sixty-years-of-international-art-cinema.html" style="color: #954f72; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><span style="color: red;">6(11) France - Part Three - Young Godard</span></a><u1:p></u1:p><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="caret-color: rgb(102, 102, 102); color: #666666; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 13.199999809265137px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><span style="color: red; font-family: Arial;"><a href="https://filmalert101.blogspot.com/2023/04/sixty-years-of-international-art-cinema.html" style="color: #954f72; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><span style="color: red;">6(12) France - Part Four - Godard:Visionary and Rebel</span></a><u1:p></u1:p><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="caret-color: rgb(102, 102, 102); color: #666666; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 13.199999809265137px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><a href="https://filmalert101.blogspot.com/2023/05/sixty-years-of-international-art-cinema.html" style="color: #888888; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: red;">6 (13) France Part 5 Godard with Gorin, Miéville : Searching for an activist voice</span></a></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="caret-color: rgb(102, 102, 102); font-family: Calibri; font-size: 13.199999809265137px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><span style="color: red;"><a href="https://filmalert101.blogspot.com/2023/06/sixty-years-of-international-art-cinema.html" style="font-family: Arial; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">6(14) France Part 6 - Creator of Forms - Bresson</a> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="caret-color: rgb(102, 102, 102); font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.199999809265137px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><span style="color: red;"><a href="https://filmalert101.blogspot.com/2023/07/sixty-years-of-international-art-cinema.html" style="text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: arial;">6 (15) France Part 6 - Creator of Forms - Jacques Tati</span></a><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="caret-color: rgb(102, 102, 102); font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.199999809265137px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: red;"> <a href="https://filmalert101.blogspot.com/2023/08/sixty-years-of-international-art-cinema.html" style="text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">6 (16) - Part 6 - Creator of Forms - Carl Th Dreyer</a></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="caret-color: rgb(102, 102, 102); font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.199999809265137px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><a href="https://filmalert101.blogspot.com/2023/08/sixty-years-of-international-art-cinema_23.html" style="text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><span style="color: red;">6 (17) - Italy and Luchino Visconti</span></a></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="caret-color: rgb(102, 102, 102); font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.199999809265137px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><a href="https://filmalert101.blogspot.com/2023/09/sixty-years-of-international-art-cinema.html" style="text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><span style="color: red;">6(18 - Italy and Roberto Rossellini - Part One</span></a></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="caret-color: rgb(102, 102, 102); font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.199999809265137px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><a href="https://filmalert101.blogspot.com/2023/10/sixty-years-of-international-art-cinema.html" style="text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><span style="color: red;">6(19) - Rossellini, INDIA and the new Historical realism</span></a></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="caret-color: rgb(102, 102, 102); font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.199999809265137px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><a href="https://filmalert101.blogspot.com/2023/11/sixty-years-of-international-art-cinema.html" target="_blank"><span style="color: red;">6(20) - Rossellini in Australia</span></a><br /></p></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5242690213881108403.post-37951332886440260702024-01-06T20:50:00.000-08:002024-01-07T13:40:49.627-08:00On Blu-ray - David Hare is entranced once again by THE GHOST AND MRS MUIR (Joseph L Mankiewicz, USA, 1947)<p><br /></p><div class="" dir="auto"><div class="x1iorvi4 x1pi30zi x1l90r2v x1swvt13" data-ad-comet-preview="message" data-ad-preview="message" id=":rvl:" style="padding: 4px 16px 16px;"><div class="x78zum5 xdt5ytf xz62fqu x16ldp7u" style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; margin-bottom: -5px; margin-top: -5px;"><div class="xu06os2 x1ok221b" style="margin-bottom: 5px; margin-top: 5px;"><span class="x193iq5w xeuugli x13faqbe x1vvkbs xlh3980 xvmahel x1n0sxbx x1lliihq x1s928wv xhkezso x1gmr53x x1cpjm7i x1fgarty x1943h6x x4zkp8e x3x7a5m x6prxxf xvq8zen xo1l8bm xzsf02u x1yc453h" dir="auto" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; color: var(--primary-text); display: block; font-size: 0.9375rem; line-height: 1.3333; max-width: 100%; min-width: 0px; word-break: break-word; word-wrap: break-word;"><div class="x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r x1vvkbs xtlvy1s x126k92a" style="margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; white-space: pre-wrap; word-wrap: break-word;"><div dir="auto"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: inherit; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzWTmlvWQcrxQXW1J1t90TJmtiJZo9LCRTmWxFO3XdnpXFC71QzZlc2T7imaAu9CFMX_ZhI6PBWfgMdQf5o2w2EzU_VKQ3k0uUrgQDdpAPWpbWwqBk4FkXV-HmnozdI1rbknRRgrNN_KDOjO4JYyoXnDRl0OEev2vhzDMOcXZJWxVICsm0e1GVYZIu_ToO/s263/download-91.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="263" data-original-width="192" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzWTmlvWQcrxQXW1J1t90TJmtiJZo9LCRTmWxFO3XdnpXFC71QzZlc2T7imaAu9CFMX_ZhI6PBWfgMdQf5o2w2EzU_VKQ3k0uUrgQDdpAPWpbWwqBk4FkXV-HmnozdI1rbknRRgrNN_KDOjO4JYyoXnDRl0OEev2vhzDMOcXZJWxVICsm0e1GVYZIu_ToO/w292-h400/download-91.jpg" width="292" /></a></div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: arial;">To prepare for this I reviewed it on the projector this morning. A few things about this perpetual favorite were completely unexpected.</span></div></div><div class="x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r x1vvkbs xtlvy1s x126k92a" style="margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; white-space: pre-wrap; word-wrap: break-word;"><div dir="auto"><span style="font-family: arial;">The score! - Herrmann of course - really is exhilarating and it dares to rake up the darker parts of the narrative emotionally that Mank has chosen to direct far more simply. </span></div></div><div class="x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r x1vvkbs xtlvy1s x126k92a" style="margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; white-space: pre-wrap; word-wrap: break-word;"><div dir="auto"><span style="font-family: arial;">And <a style="color: #385898; cursor: pointer;" tabindex="-1"></a>then, needless to say, the incredible mood of the dialogue which narratively takes on such a completely Fordian tone. I had never felt it before but Muir’s/Tierney’s voice overs this time totally conveyed the shattering poignancy of my second favorite Ford movie,<i> How Green was my Valley</i>. The opening remembrance of that masterpiece, read by Irving Pichel which suspends time and space for us was written or more correctly adapted by Philip Dunne, who had indeed written both the Ford and the Mank films.</span></div></div><div class="x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r x1vvkbs xtlvy1s x126k92a" style="margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; white-space: pre-wrap; word-wrap: break-word;"><div dir="auto"><span style="font-family: arial;">Dunne got an Oscar for his incredible screenplay for <i>The Ghost and Mrs Muir</i>, and you can see why by the time of the second shot after the credits. No wonder I was thinking and feeling Ford, in this space now occupied here by post war Hollywood’s most literate cinéaste, Joe Mankiewicz.</span></div></div><div class="x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r x1vvkbs xtlvy1s x126k92a" style="margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; white-space: pre-wrap; word-wrap: break-word;"><div dir="auto"><span style="font-family: arial;">The movie is without hesitation one of that rarest of things - the perfect film. Nothing is misjudged, nothing is out of tempo, the celestially beautiful photography of the great Charles Lang, on loan to Fox from Paramount.</span></div></div><div class="x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r x1vvkbs xtlvy1s x126k92a" style="margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; white-space: pre-wrap; word-wrap: break-word;"><div dir="auto"><span style="font-family: arial;">And the tears flowed like water, as they always do.</span></div></div><div class="x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r x1vvkbs xtlvy1s x126k92a" style="margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; white-space: pre-wrap; word-wrap: break-word;"><div dir="auto"><span style="font-family: arial;">Happy New Year.</span></div></div></span></div></div></div></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5242690213881108403.post-74557195419688561672024-01-06T03:48:00.000-08:002024-01-06T03:49:05.823-08:00The Current Cinema - Barrie Pattison says its worthwhile tracking down the Hindi blockbuster DUNKI (Rajkumar Hirani, India, 2023)<p><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVGj9PPmadxX1lYgcVLWgEMiTQpu5ufMyA7kUFSejRJUdWP3oFhdejWia7m7mfhWdg6FWGzCKe3uy7lWsOZG4QLMTy8LxiLFKqRpFy9K3qbSBRXpESjFvfe2trrNGcpxlhmlp-FvEWPctkyjt-eelJP3J-fNWal-y76xBezMKFRCHz3nFBfXuw4cfeQRnQ/s258/download-89.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="258" data-original-width="196" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVGj9PPmadxX1lYgcVLWgEMiTQpu5ufMyA7kUFSejRJUdWP3oFhdejWia7m7mfhWdg6FWGzCKe3uy7lWsOZG4QLMTy8LxiLFKqRpFy9K3qbSBRXpESjFvfe2trrNGcpxlhmlp-FvEWPctkyjt-eelJP3J-fNWal-y76xBezMKFRCHz3nFBfXuw4cfeQRnQ/w304-h400/download-89.jpg" width="304" /></a></div><br />Time was when Hollywood got stick for presenting a glamour version of life, with all the boring bits left out - the world of George Sidney. Well, the same contempt has been heaped on Bollywood for the much same reason. From this distance it’s hard to make a judgment, though Indian (that’s Hindi and all the rest) films are said to be occupying one in four of Australia’s release slots now. People must be going to them, because they keep on showing up. It would be interesting to know how many and where. There were three of us attending on the last night of the new Sha Rukh Khan movie<span class="apple-converted-space" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;"> </span><i style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;">Dunki</i><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;">during its one week run at Event Cinemas in George Street.</span><p></p><p style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;">Back in the late nineties, before MTV impacted their industry,<span class="apple-converted-space"><i> </i></span><i>Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge/Brave Heart Takes the Bride<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span>r</i>an for three years, where a fortnight used to be considered good. <i>Lagaan<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></i>hit the festivals. Yash Raj Productions and Sha Rukh Khan were regular highlights of our movie-going. Nice to find they are still in place.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm;"><i><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;">Dunki<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></span></i><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;">has the old damp eyed sentimentality, knockabout comedy, bright colour and exoticism all set at the top of the dial ... and the big musical number, a spectacular affair featuring the Union Jack, comes more than a half hour in when we’ve had time to accept the film’s tempo. I was relieved to see the formula still played, though at 160 minutes it does hang about too long after SRK’s stout court room defense of Mother India. On top of this comes a detailed analysis of immigration. Our hero’s “When the British came to our country no one demanded they speak Hindi!” gets muttered approval.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-vQRldWtK55934oAL59hGzr7wZGtgUdVR0lqr8bcgcXRiA4xEqBWDGY-LPV81g660B-wgs2Vtl6PSP78DGqD-y89Tabmxd4l0v9-noj4CDAQU1FoSOu9ZOti9FmxcYtivKcfa_cV9krWPQcbv1IqDIovpYzEAQByHqWw8_xxDrGOspycLMQ4rb-xnrdSW/s300/download-90.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="168" data-original-width="300" height="224" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-vQRldWtK55934oAL59hGzr7wZGtgUdVR0lqr8bcgcXRiA4xEqBWDGY-LPV81g660B-wgs2Vtl6PSP78DGqD-y89Tabmxd4l0v9-noj4CDAQU1FoSOu9ZOti9FmxcYtivKcfa_cV9krWPQcbv1IqDIovpYzEAQByHqWw8_xxDrGOspycLMQ4rb-xnrdSW/w400-h224/download-90.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Shah Rukh Khan, <i>Dunki</i></td></tr></tbody></table><br />The plot of <i>Dunki</i> has a flashback structure. The mature Indian immigrants, who have made a place in Britain, are stirred at the news that their idol Hardy/SRK is coming. We see him distracted from the finish line in his Laltu senior citizen’s athletics event. Our curiosity is caught as we try to figure out the circumstances that produced this situation.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;">Back in the Punjab, Hardy showed up to return the radio of a fellow soldier, who had rescued him on the battlefield, and our hero found himself teaching wrestling to the dead man’s sister, the rather fetching Taapsee Pannu – nice scene. With fellow nationals they find themselves needing to make their fortunes in Britain, represented by seeing a soppy romance film where the lead proposes to his intended in front of Big Ben. The monument will become an effective motif in the film – background to a human statue routine or reflected on the window of a passing car.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;">The wannabees are told of the three ways to enter – marriage, study or political asylum. Comic routines in Boman Irani<span style="background-color: #f6f6f5;">’s</span><span class="apple-converted-space"> </span>incompetent language school prepare them with a lavatory song for their “Student Veejaar.” It leads to a plausible self-immolation with a handy kerosene stove. Not uncharacteristic for these, I still remember Lehk<a href="https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0849195" target="_blank"><span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="color: blue;"> </span></span></a>Tandon’s<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span>cheery 1962 musical<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><i>Professor</i><span class="apple-converted-space"> </span>building to Shammi Kapoor’s mother getting stoned by the locals.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;">The situation comes down to Dunki, the donkey route of people smuggling. At the length of this one, there’s time for what would take up a complete film itself – striking effects work where a real bus metamorphoses into a toy on a map, circuitous border crossings, avoiding watchtower gun fire by walking under water and confronting a murderous Iranian patrol officer.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;">Disillusion faces the group at the end of the trip. Dog walking locals don’t understand why they need to be told they are in Britain. An understanding judge is unable to endorse their good will. Of the many hazards they encounter, the sham marriage to a doper in a giant, so nice church is particularly vivid. When we get to the present day the group find themselves forbidden to re-enter their native land and in the hands of another Dunki immigration agent. The film comes up with a sting in the tail documentary sequence which will upset preconceptions.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;">The scripting is unpredictable and clever and the staging first class. This is a top of the line item. Writer-director-editor Rajkumar Hirani is one of their industry’s key figures. His <i>Three Idiots</i><span class="apple-converted-space"> </span>got some action abroad but I was more taken with his<span class="apple-converted-space"><i> </i></span><i>P.K.<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></i>and <i>Muna Bhai MBBS</i> films. The new entry may not be his best but it benefits from the imposing presence of Khan at the head of a strong cast.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;">Forget about the celebrated canon. It’s instructive to remember that most of the several millions of fans who think Shah Rukh Khan is the world’s greatest star have never heard of Robert Bresson or Pedro Almodovar any more than their critic and festival programmer admirers accept SRK. It’s simple minded (and racist) to automatically believe they are wrong … and it cuts the viewer off from some of the most involving work being done in this troubled period of film making.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;">It will be an effort to track down<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><i>Dunki i</i>n our erratic local distribution scheme but it is a great way to bring the situation into perspective.<o:p></o:p></span></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5242690213881108403.post-62053170285729846032024-01-01T21:43:00.000-08:002024-01-03T23:38:09.635-08:00Claude Gonzalez's GUIDE TO FREE MOVIES ONLINE (Part Two) - On YouTube<p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><span></span></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-ihqHOj1C3gYoiwyElT6Rt_g-w52096ZzHb6OIYaQLa-tA_N5J8Qq0NOlyoE9v_nei52h9ll5WXaeepbYT7Ri297T6pZQAhQO6_VP5PWWtNMb6ohK-NWLy1JDEaZp58uugOnUFlitRRlCpfmGGBu-ynatgE6WkJRYgCff0jhmToDPBuOqA6BSzWJ1k_ye/s308/download-88.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="164" data-original-width="308" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-ihqHOj1C3gYoiwyElT6Rt_g-w52096ZzHb6OIYaQLa-tA_N5J8Qq0NOlyoE9v_nei52h9ll5WXaeepbYT7Ri297T6pZQAhQO6_VP5PWWtNMb6ohK-NWLy1JDEaZp58uugOnUFlitRRlCpfmGGBu-ynatgE6WkJRYgCff0jhmToDPBuOqA6BSzWJ1k_ye/w400-h213/download-88.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">William Holden, <i>Stalag 17</i></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><span><br />Th</span><span>is is the second part of a list that was originally compiled by Claude Gonzalez after he took over the presentation of the final few weeks of David Stratton's long ongoing University of Sydney course on a the History of World Cinema. It is intended as a guide for those who will now have to self-navigate through the thickets of online cinephilia. As Claude remarked however, a good number of classics by established filmmakers are available online for free.</span><span> </span><span> </span><span>But not everything... </span></span><p></p><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><span lang="EN-AU">The first tranche provided links to </span><span style="caret-color: rgb(102, 102, 102);"> Kanopy, Tubi, SBS OnDemand, ABC I-view and more. You can find it if you <a href="https://filmalert101.blogspot.com/2023/12/claude-gonzalezs-guide-to-free-movies.html" target="_blank"><span style="color: red;"><b>CLICK HERE</b></span></a><span style="color: #666666;"> </span></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Two sites that Claude advises could have been added to the first tranche are - <a href="https://rarefilmm.com/">https://rarefilmm.com/</a> Plus this one: <a href="https://www.ubu.com/film/index.html">https://www.ubu.com/film/index.html</a> which is rich with obscure and experimental films. (Thanks Jenny Gray for the reminder.)</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><span style="caret-color: rgb(102, 102, 102);"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><span style="caret-color: rgb(102, 102, 102);">These are lists of </span>resources and recommendations that Claude created for his own film students that could help with your search for elusive titles. He hopes readers find the following useful, and that it brings you many hours of film viewing pleasure. </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Now read on as Claude explores the amazing world of YouTube</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><b><u><span lang="EN-AU" style="color: red;">YouTube</span></u></b><b><u><span lang="EN-AU"> </span></u></b></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-AU" style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Since 2005 YouTube has been enabling people from all over the world to disseminate videos, with many of them feature films. Like other free online services, the quality, and the way to find the films varies, but within there are many listings that cater to film classics and that are of a high standard. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-AU" style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-AU" style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Like the rest of the online services, I have mentioned it does not have everything, but it’s worth going to first when you’re trying to find a film or genre you want. The majority of the videos available are free, but now and then YouTube will suggest that you can rent or buy it from them if it is not online. Ads do appear, as this is part of their revenue, and they will pop on and off when you are watching some of the films on the site.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-AU" style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-AU" style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">When searching for a film you’ll need to apply some lateral thinking and get used to how YouTube users group their films and playlist. Each film page allows you to adjust the ratio, subtitles, and screen sizes. To help you get started I have created a set of links that will help you find some films classics – most of the following tiles are good to high quality prints.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-AU" style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><b><span lang="EN-AU" style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Old Films Revival Project <o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-AU"><a href="https://www.youtube.com/@oldfilmsrevivalproject./videos" style="color: #954f72;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">https://www.youtube.com/@oldfilmsrevivalproject./videos</span></a></span><span lang="EN-AU" style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-AU" style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial;"> <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-AU" style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial;">For example, here is Billy Wilder’s Stalag 17: <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-AU"><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uv7cU-gXSFA" style="color: #954f72;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uv7cU-gXSFA</span></a></span><span lang="EN-AU" style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-AU" style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-AU" style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial;"> <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><u><span lang="EN-AU" style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial;">Example - King Vidor’s Duel in the Sun: </span></u><span lang="EN-AU" style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-AU"><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lbgSlea9Udg" style="color: #954f72;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lbgSlea9Udg</span></a></span><span lang="EN-AU" style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-AU" style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial;"> <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-AU" style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><b><span lang="EN-AU" style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"></span></b></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdptTuD-I3xfA6uPF5UIKd4LfrFivK_8k57nqoVb9fJjEhZi-EpVsv2_K2Wqf04KOxnspDWuYra2Y131o-b1qcNrmao0wXEZJoh4qz7cHcN_HsrjAEf_Fqr9gsWCOPqLcWsU4ZuUS7vQGDB7EjWRemLdb-LGUfMnON-wHmJHHqZRC_mT9ah6J5nZuRP4Gu/s225/Kurosawa.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="225" data-original-width="225" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdptTuD-I3xfA6uPF5UIKd4LfrFivK_8k57nqoVb9fJjEhZi-EpVsv2_K2Wqf04KOxnspDWuYra2Y131o-b1qcNrmao0wXEZJoh4qz7cHcN_HsrjAEf_Fqr9gsWCOPqLcWsU4ZuUS7vQGDB7EjWRemLdb-LGUfMnON-wHmJHHqZRC_mT9ah6J5nZuRP4Gu/w400-h400/Kurosawa.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Akira Kurosawa and friends</td></tr></tbody></table><b><span lang="EN-AU" style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></b><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><b><span lang="EN-AU" style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: Arial;">Films by Akira Kurosawa:</span></b><span lang="EN-AU" style="font-family: Arial;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-AU"><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pgnJFweaJCY&list=PLrrKbHPKjy_PCXffzEsG8ezpwm2rNXyQm" style="color: #954f72;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pgnJFweaJCY&list=PLrrKbHPKjy_PCXffzEsG8ezpwm2rNXyQm</span></a></span><span lang="EN-AU" style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-AU" style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial;"> <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><b><span lang="EN-AU" style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial;">Japanese cinema:</span></b><span lang="EN-AU" style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-AU" style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial;">https://www.youtube.com/@n9999/videos<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><b><span lang="EN-AU" style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial;">Ozu:</span></b><span lang="EN-AU" style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-AU"><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zA1D1QEcUXQ&list=PLrrKbHPKjy_NBqhVfCM_xUw9c_un6wWDH" style="color: #954f72;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zA1D1QEcUXQ&list=PLrrKbHPKjy_NBqhVfCM_xUw9c_un6wWDH</span></a></span><span lang="EN-AU" style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-AU" style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-AU" style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial;"> <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><b><span lang="EN-AU" style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial;">Retrospective (hit the subscribe button)</span></b><span lang="EN-AU" style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-AU"><a href="https://www.youtube.com/@RetrospectiveMovies/featured" style="color: #954f72;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">https://www.youtube.com/@RetrospectiveMovies/featured</span></a></span><span lang="EN-AU" style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-AU" style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial;"> <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><b><span lang="EN-AU" style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial;">We Stream TV</span></b><span lang="EN-AU" style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-AU"><a href="https://www.youtube.com/@westreamtv1374/videos" style="color: #954f72;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">https://www.youtube.com/@westreamtv1374/videos</span></a></span><span lang="EN-AU" style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-AU" style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><b><span lang="EN-AU" style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"></span></b></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaZX0kgVZxBeJxgLjRzsTiWbib0QfX0gi2ocUlagPdHn9jziFLqZSz_KNiMnad-JB83WkVJXsOq1y2WUyDCtAbol4RuXRiaxbUT7HCI1u_KZ_6xl4LjynZyz5qaFbbjcmvteBMi-HqR-atixPCIg-YFgvL5PAk2-yJJKwCk1ZusiV6VSrrwFyjOz4QE8AA/s234/Hitchcock%20Oscar.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="216" data-original-width="234" height="369" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaZX0kgVZxBeJxgLjRzsTiWbib0QfX0gi2ocUlagPdHn9jziFLqZSz_KNiMnad-JB83WkVJXsOq1y2WUyDCtAbol4RuXRiaxbUT7HCI1u_KZ_6xl4LjynZyz5qaFbbjcmvteBMi-HqR-atixPCIg-YFgvL5PAk2-yJJKwCk1ZusiV6VSrrwFyjOz4QE8AA/w400-h369/Hitchcock%20Oscar.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Alfred Hitchcock (left)</td></tr></tbody></table><b><span lang="EN-AU" style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></b><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><b><span lang="EN-AU" style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: Arial;">Alfred Hitchcock – 56 Films:</span></b><span lang="EN-AU" style="font-family: Arial;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-AU"><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tm_1HabLhok&list=PLYX7abEfoMM7bg9z5vEHjAQwoFKtZxEcQ"><span style="color: #954f72; font-family: Arial;">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tm_1HabLhok&list=PLYX7abEfoMM7bg9z5vEHjAQwoFKtZxEcQ</span></a></span><span lang="EN-AU" style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-AU" style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial;"> <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-AU" style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><b><span lang="EN-AU" style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial;">Robert Rossellini – 21 films:</span></b><span lang="EN-AU" style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-AU"><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oziPgZduO9Y&list=PLjp9cDM5tlPpQWcA9P5rN6qxTjjjl4jHG"><span style="color: #954f72; font-family: Arial;">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oziPgZduO9Y&list=PLjp9cDM5tlPpQWcA9P5rN6qxTjjjl4jHG</span></a></span><span lang="EN-AU" style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-AU" style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial;"> <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><b><span lang="EN-AU" style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial;">An excellent copy of Rossellini’s Voyage to Italy:</span></b><span lang="EN-AU" style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-AU"><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eztMYLz2uSc"><span style="color: #954f72; font-family: Arial;">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eztMYLz2uSc</span></a></span><span lang="EN-AU" style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-AU" style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial;"> <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-AU" style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><b><span lang="EN-AU" style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial;">Hollywood Movies:</span></b><span lang="EN-AU" style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-AU"><a href="https://www.youtube.com/@HollywoodMovies01933/playlists"><span style="color: #954f72; font-family: Arial;">https://www.youtube.com/@HollywoodMovies01933/playlists</span></a></span><span lang="EN-AU" style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-AU" style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial;"> <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><b><span lang="EN-AU" style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial;">Flick Vault:</span></b><span lang="EN-AU" style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-AU"><a href="https://www.youtube.com/@FlickVault"><span style="color: #954f72; font-family: Arial;">https://www.youtube.com/@FlickVault</span></a></span><span lang="EN-AU" style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-AU" style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial;"> <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><b><span lang="EN-AU" style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial;">Now Playing:</span></b><span lang="EN-AU" style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-AU"><a href="https://www.youtube.com/@007NobodyDoesItBetter/playlists"><span style="color: #954f72; font-family: Arial;">https://www.youtube.com/@007NobodyDoesItBetter/playlists</span></a></span><span lang="EN-AU" style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-AU" style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial;"> <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><b><span lang="EN-AU" style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial;">Mosfilm:</span></b><span lang="EN-AU" style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-AU"><a href="https://www.youtube.com/@Mosfilm_eng/videos"><span style="color: #954f72; font-family: Arial;">https://www.youtube.com/@Mosfilm_eng/videos</span></a></span><span lang="EN-AU" style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-AU" style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial;"> <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-AU"><a href="https://www.youtube.com/@Mosfilm_eng/playlists"><span style="color: #954f72; font-family: Arial;">https://www.youtube.com/@Mosfilm_eng/playlists</span></a></span><span lang="EN-AU" style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-AU" style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial;"> <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-AU" style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial;"> <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><b><span lang="EN-AU" style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial;">Italian films</span></b><span lang="EN-AU" style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-AU"><a href="https://www.youtube.com/@FreeEnglishMovies/videos"><span style="color: #954f72; font-family: Arial;">https://www.youtube.com/@FreeEnglishMovies/videos</span></a></span><span lang="EN-AU" style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-AU" style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial;"> <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><b><span lang="EN-AU" style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial;">French cinema:</span></b><span lang="EN-AU" style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-AU"><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h66gU9prCeM&list=PLdPEbhrWFwqZg0BDjzRDaoIEC6kqPbVwG"><span style="color: #954f72; font-family: Arial;">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h66gU9prCeM&list=PLdPEbhrWFwqZg0BDjzRDaoIEC6kqPbVwG</span></a></span><span lang="EN-AU" style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-AU" style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial;"> <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-AU"><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xG_w3ae4B2o&list=PLjp9cDM5tlPpTe-wty03kLGo8rCSBUld2"><span style="color: #954f72; font-family: Arial;">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xG_w3ae4B2o&list=PLjp9cDM5tlPpTe-wty03kLGo8rCSBUld2</span></a></span><span lang="EN-AU" style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-AU" style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><b><span lang="EN-AU" style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"></span></b></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3kfFxqMWe46VOUpx6KosVhGVPogzarAEugVysXuQlAQ5mK7nH-irbTwTvHi3BuqTwmdSn1ZErlQ-bMDtn0H-gPXvOO_qluJH0DimshWcpYCY1k-3adUCx9Y-0WvitxZb_Hzk8sVUgqwnTbjfppXqBuc8fPt_HazqRa5-X8Fppp6m-1yw68Y-WB30kyN29/s800/Powell%20&%20Press.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="593" data-original-width="800" height="296" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3kfFxqMWe46VOUpx6KosVhGVPogzarAEugVysXuQlAQ5mK7nH-irbTwTvHi3BuqTwmdSn1ZErlQ-bMDtn0H-gPXvOO_qluJH0DimshWcpYCY1k-3adUCx9Y-0WvitxZb_Hzk8sVUgqwnTbjfppXqBuc8fPt_HazqRa5-X8Fppp6m-1yw68Y-WB30kyN29/w400-h296/Powell%20&%20Press.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Emeric Pressburger, Michael Powell</td></tr></tbody></table><b><span lang="EN-AU" style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></b><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><b><span lang="EN-AU" style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: Arial;">English Cinema:</span></b><span lang="EN-AU" style="font-family: Arial;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-AU"><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oFpsxZLKDzE&list=PLaRKKZSy6QJJQNoeH8gTKt3JMCqKh-Auk" style="color: #954f72;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oFpsxZLKDzE&list=PLaRKKZSy6QJJQNoeH8gTKt3JMCqKh-Auk</span></a></span><span lang="EN-AU" style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-AU" style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial;"> <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-AU"><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RMJ8lVXXNP8&list=PLaRKKZSy6QJJQNoeH8gTKt3JMCqKh-Auk&index=2" style="color: #954f72;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RMJ8lVXXNP8&list=PLaRKKZSy6QJJQNoeH8gTKt3JMCqKh-Auk&index=2</span></a></span><span lang="EN-AU" style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-AU" style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-AU" style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial;"> <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><b><span lang="EN-AU" style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial;">Cult Cinema Classics:</span></b><span lang="EN-AU" style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-AU"><a href="https://www.youtube.com/@CultCinemaClassics/playlists" style="color: #954f72;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">https://www.youtube.com/@CultCinemaClassics/playlists</span></a></span><span lang="EN-AU" style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-AU" style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial;"> <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-AU"><a href="https://www.youtube.com/@CultCinemaClassics/videos" style="color: #954f72;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">https://www.youtube.com/@CultCinemaClassics/videos</span></a></span><span lang="EN-AU" style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-AU" style="font-family: Arial;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><b><span lang="EN-AU" style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">There you go that’s the Classics free list. <o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><b><span lang="EN-AU" style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><b><span lang="EN-AU" style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">In short use Kanopy, You Tube, SBS on Demand and Tubi first – they are all reliable and you’ll be able to watch many films that are part of the film canon plus some genre gems. If you cannot find what you're after there – then move onto the online libraries – the quality varies and they can become rabbit holes, but it sometimes has obscure film gold. I hope theses links are helpful and bring you many hours of viewing pleasure. </span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><b><span lang="EN-AU" style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><b><span lang="EN-AU" style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Kind Regard </span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><b><span lang="EN-AU" style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><b><span lang="EN-AU" style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">C.<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-AU" style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"> </span></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5242690213881108403.post-72972903700146222572023-12-31T02:47:00.000-08:002023-12-31T14:33:07.077-08:00Streaming on Stan - A High Recommendation for THE LONG SHADOW (Writer: George Kay, Director: Lewis Arnold)<p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQeOlsYuBtQfmATZCPK-NVfqiYIzD3peIvxuEnAB5YWa-HhWm_-rtjTVTy-X-65bRobEYOnkjqk3FbO-myNGRwhvbDCkHhqCOYt8jjd4hV5In_amsVmlvh5ii9qRZ51HR8ufg5oeEe3VY9jSqPhVmFKq9qjdjcfMpHKdN1M_ECU4sDf6xSKfkt7CfEeTOF/s275/download-87.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="183" data-original-width="275" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQeOlsYuBtQfmATZCPK-NVfqiYIzD3peIvxuEnAB5YWa-HhWm_-rtjTVTy-X-65bRobEYOnkjqk3FbO-myNGRwhvbDCkHhqCOYt8jjd4hV5In_amsVmlvh5ii9qRZ51HR8ufg5oeEe3VY9jSqPhVmFKq9qjdjcfMpHKdN1M_ECU4sDf6xSKfkt7CfEeTOF/w400-h266/download-87.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dennis Hoban (Toby Jones), Jim Hobson (Lee<br />Ingleby), <i>The Long Shadow</i></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br />There is a story, possibly apocryphal, back in the 60s I hasten to say, of a teacher at a college that taught newly-arrived migrants the basics of English. The teacher, so it is reported, used to practise his students on the sentence: “In Australia if a policeman is on the ground, we kick him.” It may have had traction in anarchist and libertarian circles, small as they were.</span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"> </span><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-AU"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">The phrase came back during the course of watching <i>The Long Shadow </i> a six part Brit ITV series devoted to a dramatic reconstruction of the times and the deeds of the infamous Yorkshire Ripper, a man who terrorised Lancashire and Yorkshire from 1975 to 1980 and over that time murdered at least 13 women, most of them prostitutes working street beats. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-AU"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-AU"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">While Stan’s publicity tells us the series is ‘the true story of one of the most notorious and shocking serial killer cases in the world, the five-year manhunt for Peter Sutcliffe, dubbed the Yorkshire Ripper, focusing on the lives of his victims and the loved ones they left behind’ I can say with absolute certainty that the PR description is to use a word frequently employed by the coppers on the case “Bollocks”. This show is the metaphorical equivalent of kicking a policeman who is on the ground.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-AU"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-AU"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">It’s about the coppers in all their inglory. It peels away layers of Brit police incompetence, sexism, racism, prejudice, petty harassment and dogged refusal to acknowledge the blindingly obvious. “You have failed’ becomes a catchcry from the most senior levels of the force as they berate the various detectives that over time are put in charge of the investigation. Their replacements however all seem even more dim and misguided than those that went before. One, Dennis Hoban played by the awesome Toby Jones, the first cop in charge of things states how appalled he is that, after being taken off the case and kicked upstairs to a desk job, his replacement is Detective Hobson (Lee Ingleby) whom Hoban clearly thinks is incompetent. Hobson proves to be so.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-AU"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-AU"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"></span></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpJUAcPDBV2sEdB9ONo4qD9kguNKThzRko94KlD6pZ-LFpiLnRcfLCyQVW4ROVrQfuS-IvESJbRgUwbqcen5m7mV_GW0jdZXhfp9-R3_irHjeyHGRINeHNjEOsOyJaPpc2SH1Fz3PMRjMklA4KqE_-o7Sgr2BhyphenhyphenHMWxapak8s1CDQixq29REDBsCwxyXB1/s622/the_long_shadow_08_0.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="415" data-original-width="622" height="268" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpJUAcPDBV2sEdB9ONo4qD9kguNKThzRko94KlD6pZ-LFpiLnRcfLCyQVW4ROVrQfuS-IvESJbRgUwbqcen5m7mV_GW0jdZXhfp9-R3_irHjeyHGRINeHNjEOsOyJaPpc2SH1Fz3PMRjMklA4KqE_-o7Sgr2BhyphenhyphenHMWxapak8s1CDQixq29REDBsCwxyXB1/w400-h268/the_long_shadow_08_0.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;">George Oldfield (David Morrissey)<br /><i>The Long Shadow</i></span></td></tr></tbody></table><span lang="EN-AU"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br />Hobson is eventually replaced by George Oldfield (David Morrissey) who spends years getting absolutely nowhere. The fact that in episode two an identikit drawing of Sutcliffe has been dismissed as irrelevant and tossed in a drawer where it remains until (SPOILER ALERT) various women constables manning the help line phones piece the pictures together. <o:p></o:p></span></span><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-AU"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-AU" style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: arial;">On the way through, as the true horror of what Sutcliffe got up to slowly emerges we get a picture of petty police harassment at ground level, dogmatism at middle levels, and flailing blame shifting at upper levels. This is not swinging London. It’s the other Britain of the 70s – grim, grey, mean – on full display. </span><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-AU"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-AU"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><i>The Long Shadow </i>is written by George Kay who if he were writing for film would likely be being celebrated with mid-career retrospectives. His output ranges through <i>Killing Eve, Lupin, The Hour, </i>the quite extraordinary <i>Litvinenko </i>and much more<i>. </i>Here he delivers another devilishly good piece of TV, something to make you suspicious of coppers all over again.</span></span></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5242690213881108403.post-63895446035645215802023-12-30T15:16:00.000-08:002023-12-30T15:17:33.163-08:00Defending Cinephilia 2023 (3) - Janice Tong spends time On Wandering Paths<p><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRSa17ltyxw2ykDX3N-LWMEEq8mfHTk_M_kO_73-SHs8iyrDrx3EOCFKcAil-7Pgph2zQFkBAwmcHWRw3j2TwojN23fW8jxzdHN566yp35D8AGtLfTtjZCHsQDLm-VxoJJkowPVjJ5TJFD_aqCaE_mhokztfJZhftia2IqJTYLB9B-UkTXeyd9BeXEMqtD/s228/Jean%20Eustache.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="228" data-original-width="221" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRSa17ltyxw2ykDX3N-LWMEEq8mfHTk_M_kO_73-SHs8iyrDrx3EOCFKcAil-7Pgph2zQFkBAwmcHWRw3j2TwojN23fW8jxzdHN566yp35D8AGtLfTtjZCHsQDLm-VxoJJkowPVjJ5TJFD_aqCaE_mhokztfJZhftia2IqJTYLB9B-UkTXeyd9BeXEMqtD/w388-h400/Jean%20Eustache.jpeg" width="388" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jean Eustache</td></tr></tbody></table><br />2023 has been a year of highs and lows, as with its companion 2022, marked another year of change – a decidedly sinister wink at our unsettling world. I felt quieter this year, more focused with work and on finishing my second novel; all this enterprise was nonetheless accompanied by a pilgrimage into the soul, through reverie, remembrance and dream.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 16.866666793823242px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 16.866666793823242px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 16.866666793823242px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;">Cinema, or rather, the moving image has provided nourishment and comfort; choosing carefully amongst the many on offer, and discarding more than what was chosen; I’ve come to realise that the few films I watched this year (170 to be exact) have come to be a summation of goodness and all that is illuminated amongst dark days.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 16.866666793823242px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 16.866666793823242px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><o:p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4mifQXo5C-KKjY304x-3SPDEiI7p4o_Ycy5O-wgXUPhACSZ7JkwBQtzdF5VG8E1Pf7AIOMfoVT94yCBxA62TvJYS4t_Aj3xmttNhKltI1C-TbfLDHu9q7VhxwvgY9WBUzisams3Xdh129T61-_3rPGbhe2BgDJaEiVfzacRM_5Gv0GBbGiekoVr_GL0P7/s1000/On%20the%20Wandering%20Paths%20Jean%20Dujardin%20as%20Tesson.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="665" data-original-width="1000" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4mifQXo5C-KKjY304x-3SPDEiI7p4o_Ycy5O-wgXUPhACSZ7JkwBQtzdF5VG8E1Pf7AIOMfoVT94yCBxA62TvJYS4t_Aj3xmttNhKltI1C-TbfLDHu9q7VhxwvgY9WBUzisams3Xdh129T61-_3rPGbhe2BgDJaEiVfzacRM_5Gv0GBbGiekoVr_GL0P7/w400-h266/On%20the%20Wandering%20Paths%20Jean%20Dujardin%20as%20Tesson.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>On the Wandering Paths</i> - Jean Dujardin as Tesson</td></tr></tbody></table><br /> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 16.866666793823242px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><b>Film Festivals – A Haunting<o:p></o:p></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 16.866666793823242px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><b> </b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 16.866666793823242px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;">The year of film festivals always opened with the <a href="https://nightfirehorse.wordpress.com/tag/french-film-festival/"><b><span style="color: #1155cc;">French Film Festival</span></b></a> in March, and the harvest this year was one of its best. <a href="https://nightfirehorse.wordpress.com/2023/03/25/%f0%9f%8e%a5-filmic-postcard-the-alliance-francaise-34th-french-film-festival-2023-part-3-saint-omer-the-locus-of-the-unspeakable/"><b><i><span style="color: #1155cc;">Saint Omer</span></i></b></a>, a lyrical and haunting courtroom chamber piece by <b>Alice Diop, </b>and <b>Denis Imbert</b>’s <a href="https://nightfirehorse.wordpress.com/2023/03/23/%f0%9f%8e%a5-filmic-postcard-the-alliance-francaise-34th-french-film-festival-2023-part-2-on-the-wandering-paths/"><b><i><span style="color: #1155cc;">On the Wandering Paths</span></i></b></a>, based on <b>Sylvain Tesson</b>’s slim but poetic volume of the same name, were two films whose images and meaning stayed with me throughout the year. For all their differences, the walk that <b>Tesson</b> undertook (some 1,300 kms) echoed <b>Rousseau</b>’s interior ambling in his 1782 book <b><i>Reveries Of The Solitary Walker</i></b>, in that both are song-like and reverential. <o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 16.866666793823242px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><o:p> <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOjQyYykyTrw2d6w-KIdCDYkBolq_gvzzFhoEyx0ophTBgon8yqGQcRVIs6nrCGsRiMKovuHElLLcu6gZy-RkAth29T8YyWbnJqEmW8QTmxApIz0rLgUJVWrTHTWwYMsE-mlOHpNPrA8wyLqKRINCGaAprP1UFSncv4H16wyuyUDQLg7Rzc8g20rig2WO9/s1598/%20Anthony%20Perkins%20%20and%20Orson%20Welles%20in%20The%20Trial.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1066" data-original-width="1598" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOjQyYykyTrw2d6w-KIdCDYkBolq_gvzzFhoEyx0ophTBgon8yqGQcRVIs6nrCGsRiMKovuHElLLcu6gZy-RkAth29T8YyWbnJqEmW8QTmxApIz0rLgUJVWrTHTWwYMsE-mlOHpNPrA8wyLqKRINCGaAprP1UFSncv4H16wyuyUDQLg7Rzc8g20rig2WO9/w400-h266/%20Anthony%20Perkins%20%20and%20Orson%20Welles%20in%20The%20Trial.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Anthony Perkins, Orson Welles, <i>The Trial</i></td></tr></tbody></table><br /></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 16.866666793823242px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;">A highlight in this year’s festival rounds was <a href="https://cinemareborn.com.au/2023-Program"><b><span style="color: #1155cc;">Cinema Reborn</span></b></a>’s program, whilst I only saw four films, the full program offered a treasure trove of works from all around the world. Of the four I saw, it was <b>Murnau</b>’s <b><i>Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans</i></b> that took the crowd’s breath away, the theatre was silent and in awe. But for me, it was watching <b>Orson Welles</b>’ <b><i>The Trial</i></b> that I found myself holding my breath – glorious on the big screen, it’s digital restoration leant a sharpness to the images, but it’s the cinematography, the sets, the breezy jazz soundtrack from <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0hYR0TZVaPw"><b><span style="color: #1155cc;">Martial Solal Trio</span></b></a> and <b>Anthony Perkins</b>’ performance as Joseph K. that withstood the test of time. Also, <b>Jean Eustache</b>’s little seen <a href="https://nightfirehorse.wordpress.com/2023/04/23/la-maman-et-la-putain-%f0%9f%8e%ac-the-children-of-may-68-on-the-brink-of-salvation/"><b><i><span style="color: #1155cc;">The Mother and the Whore</span></i></b></a> literally stole my heart, the three and a half hours sped by; and you leave feeling as though you’re tearing yourself away from your friends on new year’s eve.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 16.866666793823242px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><b><i> </i></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 16.866666793823242px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><b><i>Last Night of Amore</i></b> (2023) at this year’s <b>Italian Film Festival</b> was amongst the best new crime thriller films I’ve seen in a very long while. <b>Pierfrancesco Favino</b> was mesmerising to watch as retiring lieutenant Franco Amore, as was its elliptically ringed storyline.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 16.866666793823242px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 16.866666793823242px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjB5Wr0YkXoVjShkEL68hsWXNFPkKpLrGRyV7deW65blz2dYzFfKgm_kCHeTHPFyofmjXGmjGSGduwKsddHp_B6MIpJP3CbfU8_jyTFraoJ4nmPcQSOSH-iFSEkACT7thZJ9GpVbBCnYAfizr3XAlCmRe2mGa5ln3iIIZRDoZeHBl4qgarNKos4kqKWWYc/s1822/The%20inimitable%20Mr%20Dough%20%20and%20the%20Egg%20Princess.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1822" data-original-width="1516" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjB5Wr0YkXoVjShkEL68hsWXNFPkKpLrGRyV7deW65blz2dYzFfKgm_kCHeTHPFyofmjXGmjGSGduwKsddHp_B6MIpJP3CbfU8_jyTFraoJ4nmPcQSOSH-iFSEkACT7thZJ9GpVbBCnYAfizr3XAlCmRe2mGa5ln3iIIZRDoZeHBl4qgarNKos4kqKWWYc/w333-h400/The%20inimitable%20Mr%20Dough%20%20and%20the%20Egg%20Princess.png" width="333" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The inimitable <i>Mr Dough and the Egg Princess</i></td></tr></tbody></table><br />Lastly, I had a chance to see <b><i>Mr Dough and the Egg Princess</i></b> (2010), a 12 mins short by <b>Hayao Miyazaki</b> at the Ghibli Museum Theatre in Japan this month, in December, to round out my year; a highlight amongst all the animés that have feathered my imagination since I was a child; with <b><i>Dog of Flanders</i></b> (1975) being my favourite television show when I was still living in Hong Kong. Later, my love of animé led me to collect the manga series <b><i>Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind</i></b> (1982 to 1994) amongst others as I sang the theme song to <b><i>My Neighbour Totoro</i></b> (1988) in Japanese and my heart was kept light and child-like with <b><i>Spirited Away</i></b> (2001) and <b><i>Howl’s Moving Castle</i></b>(2004). All these films seem to be so present in my mind still, but it was in fact decades ago when I last saw some of them. A project for 2024 perhaps, would be to revisit each one.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 16.866666793823242px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 16.866666793823242px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><b>New Films | Old Films<o:p></o:p></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 16.866666793823242px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 16.866666793823242px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;">Films traverse across time, they’ve always had that ability, to transcend the present; to capture our present moment and carry us elsewhere. When I was researching to write the Cinema Reborn notes on <b><i>La maman et la putain</i></b>, I came across what was <b>Eustache</b>’s last film; a short film called <b><i>Les photos d'Alix</i></b>, filmed with his son, Boris, and photographer <b>Alix Cléo Roubaud</b>, also known to me as the wife of one of the greatest living French writers, <b>Jacques Roubaud</b>. Over the years, I was able to read all of his novels that have been translated into English, my favourite being <b><i>Some Thing Black</i></b> (1990), a book written in poetic fragments, both to document and his way to deal with, the loss of <b>Alix</b> (I also loved his masterwork <b><i>The Loop</i></b> (1993)). In 2019, I had made a pilgrimage of sorts to visit his flat – I stood below what I believed to be his window. But the windows were shut and I did not catch a glimpse of the great man on the many occasions I wandered around his neighbourhood on the Left Bank. So this short film, a rare find in itself, is one that I will always treasure.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 16.866666793823242px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><o:p> <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUybW19sYt1D4ZJpUL0TccrvwzGIy2eqHnJkch-P2MHPYarh04t2A_Gf3u70tXEuenewsFrpXtKTDlFuyknZb-DHNu3p54iJpTEAyDjQ5P6lxPY6A1aVOiBpyy_6-Ny4Ah8cOSvYh0kjvlDmkWGlBh2RrPe3WJkNtijg6LdMMxFJIZr8hz_uP7-jyc-gu0/s750/Alix%20and%20Boris%20in%20Jean%20Eustache's%20Photos%20of%20Alix.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="420" data-original-width="750" height="224" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUybW19sYt1D4ZJpUL0TccrvwzGIy2eqHnJkch-P2MHPYarh04t2A_Gf3u70tXEuenewsFrpXtKTDlFuyknZb-DHNu3p54iJpTEAyDjQ5P6lxPY6A1aVOiBpyy_6-Ny4Ah8cOSvYh0kjvlDmkWGlBh2RrPe3WJkNtijg6LdMMxFJIZr8hz_uP7-jyc-gu0/w400-h224/Alix%20and%20Boris%20in%20Jean%20Eustache's%20Photos%20of%20Alix.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Alix and Boris in Jean Eustache's <i>Photos of Alix</i></td></tr></tbody></table><br /></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 16.866666793823242px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;">And whilst I had stopped writing film reviews for what was originally the J+N ‘home’ film festival created during the Covid lockdown in 2020; the choices of films to watch at home are limitless; and this year, I’ve been blessed with many, here are but a small selection: <o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 16.866666793823242px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 16.866666793823242px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><a href="https://nightfirehorse.wordpress.com/2023/02/27/an-elephant-sitting-still-longing-violence-and-an-invitation-to-voyage/"><b><i><span style="color: #1155cc;">An Elephant Sitting Still</span></i></b></a><a href="https://nightfirehorse.wordpress.com/2023/02/27/an-elephant-sitting-still-longing-violence-and-an-invitation-to-voyage/"><span style="color: #1155cc;"> </span></a>(2010), China, dir. Bo Hu<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 16.866666793823242px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><a href="https://nightfirehorse.wordpress.com/2023/04/01/filmic-postcard-%f0%9f%8e%a5-all-that-breathes-this-poetic-world/"><b><i><span style="color: #1155cc;">All That Breathes</span></i></b></a> (2020), doco, India | UK | US, dir. Shaunak Sen<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 16.866666793823242px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><b><i>Fists in the Pocket </i></b>(1965), Italy, dir. Marco Bellocchio<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 16.866666793823242px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><b><i>Marx Can Wait</i></b> (2021), doco, Italy, dir. Marco Bellocchio<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 16.866666793823242px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><b><i>Before the Revolution</i></b><i> (1964),</i> Italy, dir. Bernardo Bertolucci<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 16.866666793823242px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><b><i>This Summer Feeling</i></b> (2015), France | Germany, dir. Mikhaël Hers<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 16.866666793823242px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><b><i>The Vice of Hope</i></b> (2018), Italy, dir. Edoardo De Angelis<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 16.866666793823242px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 16.866666793823242px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><o:p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiElUsnKd6foM6a0lKFb_Mp2pMy8vHiTDaGqKKLjUobcweMIaBTOJZ8Gfn4b3mbGuIja9oE4XqNyooFgTBOWtT0yhZdxUWMrHb1M6WWIj5E1sIXRAYGmMBGtbQoXMM_ONQNMxchsxQdTrZJWaoCU71q86hHF1JxHgsvvgufXr_d6G4ippnbvPIn6HSJ11fs/s2560/Best%20friends%20The%20Makanai.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1930" data-original-width="2560" height="301" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiElUsnKd6foM6a0lKFb_Mp2pMy8vHiTDaGqKKLjUobcweMIaBTOJZ8Gfn4b3mbGuIja9oE4XqNyooFgTBOWtT0yhZdxUWMrHb1M6WWIj5E1sIXRAYGmMBGtbQoXMM_ONQNMxchsxQdTrZJWaoCU71q86hHF1JxHgsvvgufXr_d6G4ippnbvPIn6HSJ11fs/w400-h301/Best%20friends%20The%20Makanai.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Best friends, <i>The Makanai</i></td></tr></tbody></table><br /> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 16.866666793823242px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><b>Small Screen’s a Charm<o:p></o:p></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 16.866666793823242px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 16.866666793823242px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;">I would not be content if British crime dramas were not amongst my standard repertoire; and many have been watched over the past 12 months. However, the two series that stood out for me this year are both Korean and available on <b>Netflix</b>: <a href="https://www.netflix.com/title/81090386"><b><i><span style="color: #1155cc;">Somebody</span></i></b></a> (2022) and <a href="https://www.netflix.com/title/81011211"><b><i><span style="color: #1155cc;">My Name</span></i></b></a> (2021); both series figure a singular and striking female heroine; in <b><i>Somebody</i></b>, she comes in the form of an aspergeresque coder cum app designer who plays a game of cat and mouse with a serial killer – but this is just surface tension, delve deeper and this is an onion that has no centre, with <b>Schumann</b>’s <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GT_q5d84cVY"><b><i><span style="color: #1155cc;">Vogel als Prophet</span></i></b></a> (played here by none other than Maria Joao Pires) from <b><i>Waldszenen</i></b>to accompany their wanderings – it is a must-watch. <b><i>My Name</i></b>, is a story of a stoic criminal protégé who attempts to infiltrate the police; and like <b><i>Infernal Affairs</i></b> (2002), the story is filled with twists that double in on themselves leaving you guessing every step of the way.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 16.866666793823242px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 16.866666793823242px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><o:p> <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibZhx_zCqvCcGa4uXE63QB4uUzchyphenhyphencStCnZZ9s0L1MYLMDae3v8BSfU444JIS_aawGqJJxMmE1ojgVqoGMs1ynphcJwfbZITt8MaIgFIwfrVM2FIgjSX-HpW8bmRfql31Sed8vLLBzK6ewDLu8zgs0pZSv5_MkdldsiIXmPuN-i3tGwgfQEYMHPh9SAGIx/s1024/My%20Name.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="576" data-original-width="1024" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibZhx_zCqvCcGa4uXE63QB4uUzchyphenhyphencStCnZZ9s0L1MYLMDae3v8BSfU444JIS_aawGqJJxMmE1ojgVqoGMs1ynphcJwfbZITt8MaIgFIwfrVM2FIgjSX-HpW8bmRfql31Sed8vLLBzK6ewDLu8zgs0pZSv5_MkdldsiIXmPuN-i3tGwgfQEYMHPh9SAGIx/w400-h225/My%20Name.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Han So-hee as the tough heroine in <i>My Name</i></td></tr></tbody></table><br /></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 16.866666793823242px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;">Also worth mentioning are: <o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 16.866666793823242px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><b><i> </i></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 16.866666793823242px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><b><i>Blanca</i></b> (2021) Italian – set in Genoa, a blind profiler gets into detective work; uncovering the hidden trauma of her sister’s death along the way.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 16.866666793823242px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><b><i>Marnow Murders</i></b> (2021) German – haunting, brilliant, raw, sad; I fell in love with all the characters from the get-go. The Germans have a way of getting into the heart of the hurt from the very beginning.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 16.866666793823242px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><b><i>The Allegation</i></b> (2021) German – from the real-life German Worms Trials, again with brilliantly-drawn characters, including my favourite Peter Kurth (here’s a little <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lCm_Ef5dnPY"><span style="color: #1155cc;">treat</span></a> for you if you’re a fan).<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 16.866666793823242px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><b><i>The Makanai: Cooking for the Maiko House </i></b>(2023), Japanese – beautiful and heartfelt; it was difficult to finish this series.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 16.866666793823242px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><b><i>Irma Vep</i></b> (2022), French – what’s not to love? It’s <b>Assayas</b>, <b>Vincent Macaigne</b>, <b>Lars Eidinger</b> and <b>Alicia Vikander</b>, a remake of a remake of a remake.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 16.866666793823242px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><o:p><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhzuS87WEhS1FvWXxCYRcUyQ3Rzl5LdWUk8UpJ2MCLqwCYSIrf6-ApHOlI6fWKEZOUpe1crOyJ0WpkHsSmadYok34Q2odJjfIc31PSUmyeISN8PqSymyLlpf5-634eDLdY9qdNoW7zjsnGcGsNhVwhyphenhyphenKOts4tMkXHqEqyeuMb-C0mxg0X3DmtjnX4ac24F/s640/Alicia%20Vikander%20against%20the%20Paris%20night%20skyline%20in%20Irma%20Vep.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="465" data-original-width="640" height="291" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhzuS87WEhS1FvWXxCYRcUyQ3Rzl5LdWUk8UpJ2MCLqwCYSIrf6-ApHOlI6fWKEZOUpe1crOyJ0WpkHsSmadYok34Q2odJjfIc31PSUmyeISN8PqSymyLlpf5-634eDLdY9qdNoW7zjsnGcGsNhVwhyphenhyphenKOts4tMkXHqEqyeuMb-C0mxg0X3DmtjnX4ac24F/w400-h291/Alicia%20Vikander%20against%20the%20Paris%20night%20skyline%20in%20Irma%20Vep.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Alicia Vikander against the Paris night skyline in <i>Irma Vep</i></td></tr></tbody></table><br /></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 16.866666793823242px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;">As to the Brit crime dramas I mentioned before, here are a few that are hard to pass up:<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 16.866666793823242px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 16.866666793823242px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><b><i>Dalgliesh</i></b> (2021) 2 seasons, available on <b>Prime</b>, based on the Adam Dalgliesh novels by <b>P. D. James</b>. Almost as good as <b><i>Endeavour</i></b>. Bertie Carvel is excellent!<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 16.866666793823242px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><b><i>The Chelsea Detective</i></b> (2022), 2 seasons, available on <b>Prime</b>. My husband and I joke that all good detectives have some things in common: first they have to have a beer or a whisky at the end of the day, accompanied by their favourite music (opera for Morse, jazz for Wallander, rock ‘n roll classics for DCI Banks, new age for Hathaway –the protégé of Lewis) and second their failed love affairs. DI Max Arnold has all of these hallmarks and more.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 16.866666793823242px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><b><i>Karen Pirie</i></b> (2022), 1 season, available on <b>Prime</b>. Beautifully drawn character, loved her immediately; relatable, funny, human; a really gripping crime show.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 16.866666793823242px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 16.866666793823242px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><o:p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiEgKb0w611OT9g_PSr3Lh5XOXpIMYfuHe-yt6KtELIUmy8OYtjMjRg5UoNXLJPVkac8DWp52YSv_bqx1eOL1OK7dHERzHovGv5M0s9ZxWeesLRG2c9vk_HwojSlVKLJIFtL6YoiBtxisa0Lm3HSkHdodyEQS6o5NGyTZfck4pKB8W5YTPs4veWy61UKqz/s678/Bertie%20Carvel%20superb%20as%20Adam%20Dalgliesh.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="381" data-original-width="678" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiEgKb0w611OT9g_PSr3Lh5XOXpIMYfuHe-yt6KtELIUmy8OYtjMjRg5UoNXLJPVkac8DWp52YSv_bqx1eOL1OK7dHERzHovGv5M0s9ZxWeesLRG2c9vk_HwojSlVKLJIFtL6YoiBtxisa0Lm3HSkHdodyEQS6o5NGyTZfck4pKB8W5YTPs4veWy61UKqz/w400-h225/Bertie%20Carvel%20superb%20as%20Adam%20Dalgliesh.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bertie Carvel is superb as Adam Dalgliesh</td></tr></tbody></table><br /> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 16.866666793823242px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 16.866666793823242px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;">2024, only 2 days away…I look forward to what good tidings you bring! <o:p></o:p></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0