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Matty Stanfield
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Downtown Cool, Electroclash, Fashion, Sex, Heroin and UFO's or Liquid Sky
Every once in a while a movie comes along that captures a cultural moment. And, sometimes, that same movie can also offer insights into subcultures long forgotten. And, with a backward glance, the moving images and sounds seem to act as a unified predictor. A film like this becomes a touchstone to our past. A link from our current to a past that often feels foreign and alien. This is one such movie…
"This is as far as the elevator goes."
Slava Tsukerman, 1982
It was in August of 1982 that Slava Tsukerman's notorious cult film, Liquid Sky, debuted at Montreal World Film Festival. Heads were turned, jaws dropped and the festival awarded the Special Jury Prize to the director. The film went on to receive several other key Art Film Festival awards. Sadly the movie received a minimal theatrical release. In the US it did manage to strike a chord and secure a following via its VHS release. Liquid Sky has become an essential Cult Film. The fact that it continues to be challenging to track down and watch have only added to its allure within the Cult Film Cannon.
This is not your average low-budget movie. The filmmaker, his wife and his cinematographer were fresh from The Soviet Union. They had managed to find a way to New York City to make a movie. It wasn't long before they were collaborating with a performance artist who seemed to be on the fast track to stardom within the underworld of the Post-Punk/New Wave club scene. This history of the film's 28 day production story can be found across the span of The Internet. The key here is understanding that this Russian filmmaker captured a moment both fantastic and scary. He may not have had a big budget, but he most certainly had a big cinematic vision filled with ideas and aspirations.
Cinematography | Yuri Neyman
There are a couple of crucial elements which blast the viewer within the first three minutes of Liquid Sky:
A human face framed within a sphere of neon light that reveals itself to be a mask of sorts.
The music sounds vintage early '80's, but is just slightly off-key and deeply odd — even a bit altogether off.
The Twin Towers / Empire State Building skyline (the lower midtown perspective?) is not only familiar — it is iconic. And yet, there is a myst of fog that seems sort of wrong.
A flying saucer hovers toward the screen.
Unhappy people in a darkly grim club jerk and dance about. The beats indicate fun, the melody warns danger and the people look more focused than happy.
Welcome to Slava Tsukerman's Liquid Sky. This cult film is respected for a number of reasons, but perhaps the most important and immediate is the use of electronic music. The often discordantly familiar mixed with unique samplings of dialogue and other bits of music make it completely unique. We are hearing one of the earliest uses of the first true digital sampler keyboards and it is scoring the entire movie. These are the sounds of the Fairlight CMI Series 1 that pulsate out from the screen. The music manages to be at once primitive and complex. It is sinister, but with the slightest twinge of pop happy beats.This very well might be the first example of ElectroClash. The Fairlight CMI Series 1 was not actually new, but not many musicians owned them and even fewer knew how to play/use the digital sampling keyboard.
Stephen Paine demonstrated and sold The Fairlight CMI Series One to both Kate Bush and Peter Gabriel on the same day.
EMI, London, 1978
Peter Gabriel and Kate Bush were among the first few musicians to actually purchase and pursue the use of the instrument. The Fairlight CMI gave life to Peter Gabriel's 1980 album and his 1982 Deutsches Album. It played an even stronger role in giving Kate Bush's sonic visions live for both Never for Ever and The Dreaming albums. And in fact it is easy to state that the sounds and looks of Liquid Sky have served as influence for a number of creative artists.
When actress, Paula E. Sheppard, takes the club's darkly lit stage — she is straddling a cumbersome sort of electronic box. It might appear that her mic is broadcasting the inner workings of her chest, but her heartbeat has been sampled. It pulsates from her electronic box. As she lifts that microphone up towards her vexingly beautiful and malicious face she begins an odd bit of what I would call "Slam Poetry." She seems to threaten her club audience with her words. While the verses to "Me and My Rhythm Box" might be pretentious — they are also oddly effective. In another actor and filmmakers' hands this scene could have been painfully bad. But here, within the confines of Liquid Sky — this drone and wail of a song plays energetically and deeply weird. This is electronic music with a purpose. The cheesy happiness of 1980's MTV is not present. Nor will you notice any of the ironic No-Wave disco-threat of Blondie. Slava Tsukerman and his synth composers — Brenda I. Hutchinson and Clive Smith — are in total and complete step with their filmmaker's vision. Liquid Sky 's musical score is totally unique, worrying and unforgettable.
"Me and my rhythm box.
Are you jealous, folks?
My rhythm box is sweet.
Never forgets a beat…"
Paula E. Sheppard rocks the mic at The Pyramid Club, East Village NYC, c. 1981
I suppose some might disagree, but it isn't a far leap to realize that what we are seeing and hearing would go on to influence artists lucky enough to secure a copy of Media Home Entertainment's highly prized VHS tape. You should not jump to judge my assertion until you have seen this movie and compared it to early sounds/looks of artists like Fischerspoon, Miss Kittin & The Hacker as well as pop-sensation Lady Gaga.
Liquid Sky Influencing Electroclash
"Hi Huh-I Hyper
Hyper-media-ocrity
You don't need to
Emerge from nothing
You don't need to tear away! Feels good
Looks good Sounds good Looks good Feels good too…"
Fischerspooner, Emerge, 2001
Paula E. Sheppard's Adrian is performing not on a set, but in a very real Post-Punk/New Wave NYC Underground club. The Pyramid was where Tsukerman filmed all of the movie's club scenes. This club is legendary and has served as home to a number of NYC subcultures for decades. The lower East Village hole-in-the-wall could tell us an unlimited number of stories. At one time a home to NYC PUNKS then to their Post-PUNK / New Wave offspring and on toward to both the American Hardcore and GLBTI NYC communities.
By 2006 Pyramid Club presents PUNK by way of nostalgia… No wave here.
The Radicts and The Bruisers
Pyramid Club advert, 2006
Adrian's musical performance and jaded delivery hold up to the likes of Miss Kittin and The Hacker. While she may not have the ability to fully utilize her rhythm box as well as Miss Kittin or Fischerspooner — both owe this film a nod for their sounds that would lead us into the ElectroClash sound of the early '00's. And it makes sense. Adrian is attempting to thrive within the dystopia of post-70's NYC. This is Ed Koch's nightmare of a city. As grim as it was — it did provide some surprisingly cheap housing options and opportunities.
Liquid Sky inspires…
"Every night with my star friends. We eat caviar and drink champagne. Sniffing in the VIP area we talk about Frank Sinatra.
Do you know Frank Sinatra? He's dead…"
Miss Kittin & Hacker
The First Album, 2001
It was not off the Manhattan grid, but it was not an area that most would have cared to have roamed after sunset. The club offered risk of danger and lent an edge to an evening of clubbing before the fall of the Berlin Wall and during the cruel leadership of Ronald Reagan. As Debbie Harry sang on her 1989 album:
"Darkness falls like a black leather jacket and melts into the sidewalk like a sleeping drunk. In the streets, the wind throws yesterday's headlines around.
Another night comes and goes. So, for awhile back then there was someplace to go.
Somewhere more home than a house. A family of choice, not an accident, but sometimes as soon as something gets started it's over.
Now the days are much shorter and the people from the good part of town all come around, but the something is missing even though there's more there now.
I shrug off my attempts to explain how a torn T-shirt made it all danger again…" Debbie Harry, End of the Run, 1989
The Ultimate Queen of NYC PUNK / Post-PUNK / New Wave
Photograph | Arthur Elgort, 1989
Now Ms. Harry would have been referring to CBGB's or MUDD Club, but it is important to note that Pyramid Club might not have been on the radar of the darlings of the NYC PUNK / POST-PUNK or New Wave of 1981 — but in perhaps an even more important way — Pyramid Club was home to the many clubbers who couldn't quite make it to the big rooms of those more anti-popular clubs. And it was within Pyramid's walls that some very real shit went down.
No. This is not Lady Gaga, but the looks / sounds may have inspired her.
It is likely that Blondie's lead singer walked through Pyramid doors at some point. Most certainly it is likely that Madonna ventured there. Liquid Sky features Otto von Wernherr in the role of the German astrophysicist who is the only person aware of an alien presence that has invaded the home of the film's two main characters. Wernherr was a musician / actor / artist and fixture of the late 70's / early 80's NYC Downtown Scene and an early Madonna collaborator. That collaboration was already happening as Liquid Sky was filmed.
The more famous attempt to capture the NYC underground Post-Punk/New Wave movement is actually less revealing than what is found in Liquid Sky…
Debbie Harry & Jean-Michel Basquiat
Downtown 81 / New York Beat Movie
Edo Bertoglio, 1981/2000
Cinematography | John McNulty
If Liquid Sky's Adrian character is the symbol of artist, then the character of Margaret is more closely tied to the artist who yearns for success and validation that is almost impossible to secure. We know immediately that Anne Carlisle's Margaret is a model. She is also Adrian's promiscuous lover and flatmate. As Adrian performs with her rhythm box, Margaret is backstage prepping for a fashion show. A show that will be taking place in the club. The other models seem only to be in background of Margaret's beauty. The only model who challenges her is an effeminate gay man, Jimmy.
"Are you going to come to my roof tomorrow night?"
Anne Carlisle x 2
At first glance he seems to be Margaret's doppelgänger. The then up and coming performance artist, Anne Carlisle, is playing both Margaret and Jimmy. To Slava Tsukerman's credit, the dual roles are only obvious when the film wants it to be. Tightly and cleverly edited, Margaret and Jimmy are two very different characters. Margaret and Jimmys' fashion show takes place within minutes of the film's beginning.
Striking a pose…
This fashion sequence serves as not only a set-up for the film's oddly complex world, it also pulls us into the era in which the film was made. While these models look like what we might associate with the very early 1980's — it is important to note that these "looks" were ahead of the cultural curve in 1981. When I first saw this movie in 1983, these models/actors looked absolutely other-worldly. Their painted faces, geometric clothing and posing were all new to my eyes. While they might have shared some similarity with Adam Ant, Missing Persons, Bow Wow Wow, Boy George and Flock of Seagulls — the people on the screen offer no semblance of charity or fun. This clique is hard-edged and seemed almost intent on menace.
"Something strange is going on here."
These hipsters want your attention, but they are not willing to beg for it. Just the opposite, these models and their respective looks are daring us not to give them our attention. The colors may be bright neon and they might be covered with make-up, but these danger boys and girls are out for blood. This is not just a fashion show — it is almost a declaration of war.
Dare you not to look and love me…
Benjamin Liu
Also within minutes of the film's start we figure out that there is a lot more going down than performance, fashion and clubbing. Adrian is an established heroin dealer. That human face mask hangs in she and Margaret's penthouse apartment. This work of art offers dual meaning. It is the same face shared by both Margaret and Jimmy. It is also not a mask — it is the holding/hiding place for Adrian's supply of heroin. A supply that she sells to everyone from uptown artsy folks but to everyone within her orbit. Margaret might be the only person in Adrian's world who has no interest in the power of her powdered sky just waiting to be heated into milk for injection.
So here we have a film that is about clubbing, strutting and drugs. Where does the Sci-Fi element come in?
"Are you sure this has something to do with UFO's?"
No one can ever accuse Slava Tsukerman of constructing a slow-moving film. We witness the arrival of invaders from space within minutes of the movie's beginning. Liquid Sky's construction is tight and unusual. Things happen simultaneously. They also happen with minimal explanation or character development. In most cases this approach would stunt a film, but it is one of Liquid Sky's magical elements. I should note that I first saw this film when I was 16 years of age. This might seem a great trip movie, but it is not. As trippy as the film is it is not conducive to positive altered state viewing. The paranoia, cruelty and perversities work against the fun aspect of a stoned age viewing. It is most likely due to my state at the time I first saw Liquid Sky that I did not understand the invasion from space plot twister.
"In the beginning Aliens were spotted in places with large amounts of heroin. Later Aliens appeared in specific subcultures — punk circles. Still around heroin, but in these circles even more. Strange deaths have occurred…"
We see the alien flying saucer arrive at nearly the same time we meet Adrian, Margaret and Jimmy. We also are given the alien's perspective as it approaches the rooftop of Adrian and Margarets' penthouse apartment. Most cleverly we are also given a view of the alien itself. The alien and its space ship interior. Both perspectives are truly psychedelic. But how does the introduction of alien invasion, surveillance, fashion, music, drug use/abuse and sexuality anchor Liquid Sky to the subcultures within which the film is placed?
"Where are the drugs?"
Paula E. Sheppard
Most likely it was never Tsukerman's intention to create a film that we can now view as a sort of chronicle of the NYC Post-Punk/New Wave subculture. And it is most certainly sure that he never intended the movie to serve as a signal predicting the horrors of the AIDS epidemic. Wether intentional or not, there should be no denying the film's ability to do both things. Liquid Sky is a low-budget film with big budget aspirations. It is essentially a science fiction horror movie, but its genre goals are almost buried beneath a polarizing depiction of the New York City Underground Club scene of 1981. It is a depiction that stings and slips under the viewer's skin.
"Jimmy is the new Miss. America! he has all the mannerisms of a sex symbol."
At first, in 1981, it seemed that a disease was being caught / spread by members of the gay community. It was quickly becoming an outbreak. Initially the sicknesses was coined as The 4H Disease as the syndromes seemed to be inflicting homosexual men, heroin users, hemophiliacs and Haitians. Despite some obvious signs, that initial name did not catch on as well as GRID (Gay-Related Immune Deficiency) It wasn't long before the CDS realized this was not an illness restricted to any one segment of the population. Certainly those living in cities like New York were realizing this long before the tragic epidemic was assigned the name AIDS in July of 1982. But in 1981 the young people populating the New York City Underground had not yet fully grasped the meaning of what was beginning to strike their respective communities. Paranoia and fear were already running rampant for a number of socio-political reasons. Liquid Sky captures an artistic world caught in the magic and the horror of the era.
"Homosexual, heterosexual, bisexual. Whether or not I like someone doesn't depend on the kind of genitalia they have. As long as I find someone attractive. Don't you think?
The world of Liquid Sky takes place in the rag-tag world of the Artist as Outsider. More specifically, the world of Tsukerman's film is concerned with outsiders and misfits. As in reality, the world of the arts is populated with youth, creativity and sexual experimentation. Sexuality is either fluid or leaning toward homosexuality. The Post-PUNK/New Wave NYC subculture is tightly connected to the pulse of the NYC Gay subculture. And both are freely connected to sex, drugs, music and art. Liquid Sky has a morality, but it is based in humanism rather than in the political.
Early on we watch Margaret attempt to seduce her male counterpart, Jimmy. It is here we are granted a cruel view of misogyny. It isn't that Jimmy is just turned off by the idea of fucking a woman — he makes it fairly clear that he detests women across the board. He treats Margaret as if she were nothing more than a link to drugs. Margaret has a tough shell, but something about Jimmy's cruelty eggs her on toward him. This seems to be a girl who is not used to being turned down. Despite his cruelty she is unwilling to write the mean queen off.
The only character who seems concerned with any other's sexual preference is Adrian's uptown client. A failing artist who seems to have once clung to the idea that heroin will spark his artistic vision is now just uncomfortably numb. He finds Margaret's androgynous beauty alluring, but he is far too concerned regarding her sexual preference. To Margaret and Adrian this junkie is normal and dull.
"What kind of drugs will you have?"
Adrian clearly identifies as lesbian and seems to be disgusted by Margaret's promiscuity. And like Margaret she too has dreams of fame and success. Both women are damaged, but while Margaret has soaked up her sadness — Adrian funnels an insane level of sadness and rage into her work. Theirs is a dysfunctional relationship beyond reason, but they seem to cling to each other. Sex is merely fun and a tool. All of these characters trade in sex and shared works. Adrian is repulsed by the idea of her client wanting to have sex with Margaret but is totally cool with sharing her spoon, syringe and rubber band. Margaret attempts to procure cocaine by snuggling up to straight dude at the club. In the end she is brutally raped. She seems to accept this act of cruelty as a dark part of her life with which she must deal. She also seems totally committed to being mistreated by her girlfriend.
"I am a stranger in this country. How can I see what they do on private property?"
Both Anne Carlisle and Paula E. Sheppard are highly effective in their respective roles. We may not know these two characters but they feel genuine. The same is true for much of the cast. Otto Von Wernherr would never win an award for acting, but he is believable as the befuddled West German scientist trying to understand what these space aliens are doing in this circle of artists. At first he suspects the aliens are only interested in the heroin which shoots so freely among these characters, but soon it is revealed that these invaders are even more interested in the chemical reaction that orgasm creates within the brains of these humans. The interesting trick of the film is that while the film is never formerly concerned with character development, it fully utilizes the skills and charisma of the actors.
"For me it's easy. Hell to Hell. I'm not dancing in marijuana jungles. I live in concrete mazes. Stone and glass hard like my heart. Sharp and clean. No romantic illusions for changing the world. I don't lie to myself that love can cure because I know I'm alone. And you fought that every day. You lied. You lied. You go to hell. Suits you well."
The nihilism of the slam poet runs deep.
Sex has become an empty act. It no longer means anything to Margaret. So when the people who force their way with her sexually begin to die at the instant of orgasm she has little to no concern for the deaths. She is more curious than concerned. When an older artist brushes aside her need for conversation, she barely puts forward an argument as he rapes her. Thing take on a perverse edge when Adrian walks in do discover the nude male body. She slips into a sort of trance and begins a grim sort of rap to the beat of her fist on her thigh. When she reveals her deepest sexual fantasy is to have sex with a dead man, Margaret is repulsed. However it takes a good deal of necrophiliatic attempt before she tries to stop Adrian.
All the more upsetting when we realize that Margaret mistakes the aliens murdering her sexual partners to be a sign of power. For the first time in her life she thinks she is found her awakening. Her sex is no longer something to be traded or abused. Alien intervention has allowed her sex to become a threat. A threat she is more than happy to put to work.
"How many of you want to see me fuck Margaret and not die?"
Paula E. Sheppard & Anne Carlisle push past the R-rating of the day…
The characters of Liquid Sky are sick, twisted and sad. And yet we feel compelled to watch. This is not the sort of interest one experiences while watching a John Waters movie. Despite a few goofs and a low-budget, Liquid Sky is an interesting film. Once the movie begins, the viewer is going to be in for the long haul. The alien aspect of the film is largely secondary. We are concerned with the people. Margaret's misguided interpretation of the strange events that have started to happen all around her lead her down a very dark alley of self-examination.
And it doesn't take deep thinking to discover that Slava Tsukerman's film serves most effectively as horrific predictor of the AIDS epidemic.
"I was taught that to be an actress one should be fashionable. And to be fashionable is to be androgynous. And I am androgynous not less than David Bowie himself. And they call me beautiful. And I kill with my cult. Isn't it fashionable?"
Liquid Sky is not a movie for the squeamish, but neither is it actually an example of "shock cinema." Much of what we think we see is never really shown. And what is shown is potent. This is a horror film, but it is less a horror film about alien invasion than it is a horror film about human nature. Before everything goes inside out and upside down, Margaret is offered the chance to be interviewed for a cool underground fashion magazine. The reporter who would appear to be totally linked in with the whole gang takes a cruel turn when she interviews the would-be model. The aggressive reporter informs Margaret that her style of dress, make-up and living are tacky. Even though she is able to put the reporter in her place, her privilege is not granted or acknowledged. Margaret dares to be different, but ultimately she only finds power in what she thinks is her ability to kill.
"You wanted to know whom and what I am? I'm a killer."
Liquid Sky finds a surprising, clever and fitting conclusion. But the film's resolution is not so easy that it makes the viewer comfortable. As low-fi as it sometimes is, Liquid Sky disturbs. It also entertains, informs and inspires. Going on 35 years, it continues to enlarge its following. Over the last couple of years there have been screenings held at BAM, MOMA and other venues. Slava Tsukerman and Anne Carlisle have always made themselves available to discuss the film, their work and their hope to find funding to restore and preserve Liquid Sky's original negative print.
It is decaying. Literally.
"This subculture is not like 'The Mods' or 'The Rockers.' The punks don't need help from the outside to kill themselves…"
The VHS tape still fetches a good price on the market. Several DVD's are floating around, but the quality is not good. Unlike most film art, Liquid Sky has actually managed to become more controversial with time. It also has the rare distinction of having aged like fine wine. This movie is more interesting every time I see it.
Despite the film's strong following and the fact that it continues to inspire new generations of audience, there have been no takers to restore, preserve and redistribute. When the 1970's slasher film, Alice Sweet Alice, began receiving some delayed glory there was hope that it might help Liquid Sky find a new life. After all Alice herself is one of the key stars of this movie and Paula E. Sheppard has a cult following of her own.
A strange little girl. Before she slammed with her rhythm box she was "Alice." …And she was scarier than the mask.
Alfred Sole, 1978
Cinematography | Chuck Hall
However she has always run from attention and rumor is that she found the experience of Liquid Sky negative. And sadly, Alfred Sole's under rated horror film is still more famous for featuring a young Brooke Shields than it is for being an interesting and unusual genre film.
Liquid Sky continues to flow…
"I stand here waiting for you to bang the gong. To crash the critics saying, "is it right or is it wrong?"
If only fame had an IV, baby could I bear
Being away from you, I found the vein, put it in here…"
Applause, 2013
Even still, there is always hope. Tsukerman and Carlisle have even scripted a sequel that is ready to roll. No matter what the future holds for Liquid Sky, it is a movie that deserves attention. Seek it out if you dare.
Matty Stanfield, 1.31.2016
"Killing all the teachers…"
Rebellion, Fashion, A Warning, Electroclash and a bit of history all in one VHS tape…
from 2015 Slant Magazine piece by MARC SPITZ
"A glowing spaceship appears over the New York City skyline as dissonant New Wave music fills the multiple ears with their dangling rings. Junkies, models, poseurs and performance artists feed off each other in a battle to be the most fierce, all the while unaware that tiny aliens are harnessing their ecstasy. Most visitors to New York go to Serendipity for a frozen hot chocolate — these buggers are literally fueling their space ship with the power of the human orgasm, which turns the screen electric blue and red and green and purple.
"Liquid Sky" is set in New York City in the few years between disco and AIDS when young denizens indulged in exhibitionistic sex and hard drugs and took their fashion cues from the gleefully androgynous English New Romantic movement (big hair, frills, ruffles, theatrical make up). They danced like rusty robots in neon lit nightclubs. Within this odd demimonde Margaret (Anne Carlisle) lives and works as a successful model. She has the perfect life, with one exception: she kills everyone she has sex with, whether that sex is loving, non-consensual or even with her male doppelganger "Jimmy" (also played by Anne Carlisle, then a face at the Mudd Club, a key hangout of the period). Margaret is high maintenance ("You know this bitch takes two hours to go get ready to go anywhere," says girlfriend Adrian, who nearly steals the film with her performance of "Me and My Rhythm Box").
Shot in Ed Koch's crumbling New York on a tiny budget, "Liquid Sky"'s now highly-influential look, which has informed the costumes of everyone from Karen O to Lady Gaga and Sia, came largely from Carlisle's closet or thrift shop shopping bags. Carlisle, director Slava Tsukerman and co-producer Nina Kerova created a new kind of glamor queen who, Bowie-like, quite easily stokes the desire of the men and women — before leaving a crystal spike in the back of their brain. "I kill people that fuck me," the character confesses. Is it worth it? Almost. Is it almost ghoulishly predictive? Absolutely. This was 1982.
"They already had AIDS, but it wasn't that publicized," says Tsukerman, who swears the film was conceived as science fiction. Tsukerman, who traveled from Moscow to Hollywood and then found himself in Carlisle's fast-fashion world, where it seemed that everyone was a dancer, painter, band member, filmmaker or actor, adds, "The information about AIDS came after Liquid Sky."
Carlisle was equally aghast when her real life friends began dying of this new sexually transmitted disease. "It was so amazing, because the film is really about dying from sex and then everyone started dropping. It was really, really eerie. That happens sometimes in creative life. You do something and it's an accident that it actually comes true. It's mystical."
The two were already well established in the world of downtown film before "Liquid Sky" was co-conceived. Tsukerman had a film called "Sweeet Sixteen" which was nearly financed. "It was about a girl who was killed in a car accident in 1935 and her father, a crazy scientist, saves her head and makes a mechanical body," he says. Andy Warhol was supposedly committed make an appearance. Carlisle had a film called "The Fish" which she was showing around the clubs. When the pair met, it was clear that Tsukerman found his muse — but he had reservations, once "Liquid Sky" began pre-production, that Carlisle, primarily a painter, model and self described "nihilist" who attended the School of Visual Arts, could handle the role of both Margaret and Jimmy, even though, as she recalls, "I had a boy's haircut and a mini skirt. No one else was doing that." Carlisle convinced him one day. "We were scouting locations and I dressed as a man and I picked up a girl in front of him and that was my audition," she says. "She thought I was a boy. I admitted I was a girl and she said she was still into it."
"Liquid Sky" has a pre-apocalyptic feel of the Cold War sci-fi with the slickness of much more expensive films like its contemporary "Blade Runner," but the budget (about a half-million) nearly sparked a mutiny. "The crew was paid very little and they did revolt at one point over the food," Carlisle says. "They were worked day and night. We worked terrible hours. That the film got made at all was a miracle. It was really — at one point, I was arguing with them, we're making art here and you're worried about food. And he said you're making art here. We want pizza!"
December 30th by Matty Stanfield in	1980's Cinema 1980's Horror 1980's NYC AIDS Cinematic Allegory Cinematic Arts Cinematic Gems Cinematic History Cinematic Impact Cinematic Intent Cinematic Metaphor Cinematic Symbolism Cult Classic Cult Film Film Acting Film Art Film Criticism Film Evaluation Film of Note Film Preservation Film Re Evaluation Film Restoration Film Theory Liquid Sky New Wave Nihilism NYC Underground Pop Art Pop Culture Post-PUNK Slava Tsukerman
Editing To Mimic The Mind's Eye Vision
At this moment, it was still very much style over substance. But this would soon change.
Donald Cammell / Nicolas Roeg, 1970
Cinematography | Nicolas Roeg
Having the opportunity to interview or chat with a filmmaker is always interesting, but once in a while it can be somewhat magical. From time to time a highly respected and successful film artist manages to escape the limitations of celebrity. Not all celebrated filmmakers live in bubbles.
And while it often feels a thing of the past, there are still filmmakers who are more concerned with filmmaking as an art form than as the opportunity for the wealth of a franchise. No artist desires creating work that fails to connect with an audience, but there are some who are far more concerned with a personal vision than worrying about selling tickets. While this can create limitations for the filmmaker, it also presents a great level of freedom.
BBC Arena Portrait
Photograph | David Thompson, 2015
One such filmmaker is Nicolas Cage. If you've ever watched or read an interview with eccentric auteur you will be aware that his style of conversing is at once intellectual and rather free-form. His style of discussing his work, history and ideas often ramble, but they never miss their mark.
If you've ever had the pleasure of listening to Nicolas Roeg speak, you will note a highly intelligent and genuine man. It is impossible to miss the fact that he is so filled with ideas that he tends talk in meandering and circular logic sentences. Last year, after overcoming more than a few challenges, The Criterion Collection re-mastered and re-issued Don't Look Now. It features a discussion filmed in 2003 at London's Ciné Lumière. It is an entertaining discussion and fully captures the way in which Roeg communicates. More importantly, it lets us see how he thinks and more than a little insight into how he makes films. He has always stretched cinematography and film editing to the limits to mimic the ways the human mind works. It may not always appear logical if we can slow down long enough to notice the jumbled order of our thoughts, but we are able to connect the dots of our odd assortment of ideas to lead us to the ways in which we operate.
If there is one element that shines through when listening to Mr. Roeg is the constant desire to find ways for film to connect with the human brain. When he made his debut as a film director it was a collaboration with writer/director, Donald Cammell.
There is a great deal more going on behind James Fox's "Johnny's" violent actions than simple thuggery.
James Fox
That debut film was Performance. Essentially a thriller in which a thug makes the mistake of hiding out in the home of rock star and his two groupies. The "thrill" aspect of the film takes a long fall as the film quickly evolves into a surrealistic study of a drug-fueled, hallucinogenic trip into identity. The film remains firmly seated as a dated but groundbreaking film of its time featuring Mick Jagger playing the odd rock star who pulls James Fox into a great deal more than his own isolated world.
"Nothing is true, everything is permitted."
There only appears to be no rules…
It is an iconic film. It is also offers a key insight into what would soon become Nic Roeg's life long pursuit toward a whole new kind of cinematic language. The idea of filming and editing a film to reflect the inner-workings of the human mind is forming. As Performance was a collaborative effort and firmly rooted in the culture of late 1960's Swinging London world of fashion, rock and drugs — the uses of this idea never fully form. Instead the film often employs stylistic choices of jittery fast cuts and odd perspectives that are as ornamental as they are meaningful. Even still Roeg's approach human thought as a method of plot projection is there.
Even the smallest creatures fight to survive. A picnic in the outback turns into a journey of cruel awakening, self-discovery and survival. A Cinematographer becomes an Auteur.
Nicolas Roeg, 1971
Nicolas Roeg's true directorial debut is filled with ideas and unique perceptions. A brother and sister escape the insanity of their troubled father to find themselves in the wilds of The Australian Outback. The title of the film comes from the Aboriginal concept of a male's journey to adulthood. And with the assistance of a young man in the middle of his tribal ritual "walkabout" — the siblings journey through adversity and mystery toward their own adulthood.
What constantly threatens danger springs forward into a celebration of life's possibilities…
Along the way cultural differences cause confusion and alarm. It is a film about survival thanks to human kindness. But more than anything it is a startling view of how racism and cultural differences are so engrained, no amount of human kindness can make them go away. Roeg's camera captures reality through a sort of surrealistic lens. The careful use of Antony Gibbs and Alan Pattillos' editing allow us to view the realities and revelations from the perspective of two young adults and a child. It is here that we get a glimpse of identity perspective through the way the characters' minds take in and view individual perceptions of experience.
A beautiful and tragic experimental film about both the strengths and flaws of the human condition. Another idea is put forward that hints that as our society applies more and more pressures, the concept of a walkabout could become a new sort of ritual for human beings contained within a society that only appears to offer safety and protection.
A young man takes a look at the land of his future and a shot becomes an iconic image.
David Gulpilil
When one watches Roeg's 1980's Bad Timing, a story of lust turned to obsession that not only pushes both individuals to the limits — it pulls one of them into the darkest corners of insanity. Bad Timing is graphic in the use of nudity, but the story it tells is not all that unusual. What makes this film standout as a work of cinematic art is the blending and discordant use of plot points into a fluid labyrinthine of perspectives that is often almost impossible to follow. The concept of flashback story-telling takes an almost hysterical detour into uncharted territories.
What often feels like a murder mystery is really far more complex in what it attempts to do. Bad Timing dares to toss a number of film genres our way, but the goal here is not suspense or even mystery. This film charts the deterioration of both the human mind and psyche after the requirements of desire, lust and sexual obsession have overtaken the rational.
"I'll be dead in a minute; just wanted to say good-bye."
Who is in control? Who is being seduced? And in what order are these experiences happening?
Art Garfunkel / Theresa Russell
Cinematography | Anthony B. Richmond
Tony Lawson's editing of Anthony B. Richmond's oddly framed cinematography shifts the viewer perspective into a strange flow that is challenging to grasp. The majority of film critics and audiences at the time tended to dismiss the film. Art Garfunkel's low-key performance mixing with Harvey Keitel's intensity and Theresa Russell's unhinged demonstration of carnal obsession often feels like a cinematic experiment with celluloid as rubber band. Bad Timing was so strange at the time it was released that it would take a good decade before it would be reconsidered and re-evaluated for the exceptional film it is. This film remains strange and refuses to give in.
"You tell the truth about a lie so beautifully." Art Garfunkel / Theresa Russell Bad Timing Nicolas Roeg, 1980 Cinematography | Anthony B. Richmond
Don't Look Now takes us to a Venice steeped in decay, sadness and uncertain dangers. We are led through a series of seemingly endless loop of dark tunnels. We pass over aged bridges in a fog of mystery. Hope can become deadly. Grief can become a release. Like life, nothing is at it appears. Constantly shifting back and forth in time which only becomes obvious upon a second screening. Everything is viewed with disconnected logic and paranormal hindsight. There is a constant confusion of "real-time" with conscious and subconscious perceptions. An unrelenting sense of déjà vu that our protagonist refuses to own or fully evaluate.
Nothing is what it appears…
Don't Look Now
A cinematic masterwork that captures a young couple trying to re-connect and support each other in order to survive the worst experience life can offer. It is a truly horrific film that somehow manages to be both beautiful and hauntingly sad. This is a surreal horror film about love, guilt, connections and grief.
"This one who's blind. She's the one that can see."
This controversial 1973 film remains Roeg's most successful film. Don't Look Now is perhaps the best example of how Nicolas Roeg's films work.
These films are about a whole lot more than seeing — these films are about how we think.
Matty Stanfield, 2.8.2016
Anthony B. Richmond
Antony Gibbs
Brian Smedley-Aston
British Film
Candy Clark
Cinematic Language
Cinematic Provocation
Controversial Film
Donald Cammell
Film Artists
Film Criticism
Film Theory
Graeme Clifford
Graphic Nudity
Graphic Sexuality
Human Thought
Mick Jaggar
Psychotronic
The Mind's Eye
The Supernatural
Theresa Russell
Tony Lawson
February 8th by Matty Stanfield in	Anthony B. Richmond Antony Gibbs Art House Cinema Bad Timing British Film Cinematic Arts Cinematic Imprint Cinematic Intent Cinematic Journey Cinematic Language Cinematic Masterpiece Cinematic Style Cinematography Cinephile Criterion Collection Cult Film Cultural Commentary Cultural Memory Don't Look Now Dream Logic Dreams Eroticism Existentialism Experimental Cinema Experimental Film Film Film Acting Film Actors Film Art Film Artists Film Criticsm Film Directors Film Editing Film Evaluation Film Theory Graeme Clifford Human Psyche Human Thought Identity Independent Film Influential Cinema Intellectualism Matty Stanfield Nicolas Roeg Provocative Film Psychology Psychotronic Sexuality Subliminal Editing Surrealism The Criterion Collection The Man Who Fell To Earth Tony Lawson Truth Walkabout
Food, Sex & Death or La Grande Bouffe
I have been reading and hearing about Marco Ferreri's notorious 1973 film, La Grande Bouffe, since adulthood.
Le Grande Bouffe
Marco Ferreri, 1973
Yet I had never had the opportunity to see it until the folks at Arrow Films saw fit to restore and release the film. Even well over 42 years since it debuted at The Cannes Film Festival, this film is still notorious. A simple "google" reveals that Ingrid Bergman tossed her cookies trying to watch it when she was sitting on The Cannes Jury. Marcello Mastroianni's then lover, Catherine Deneuve, did not speak to him for two weeks after she saw the film. Despite some controversy, the movie was received well be most critics. In fact, Marco Ferreri tied with Jean Eustache and won Cannes' FIPRESCI Prize. It was also nominated for The Palme d'Or. However, nearly all the positive reviews acted as a warning to the film's admittedly grotesque use of food, bodily functions and sexuality. There was also an on-going argument in France and among cinephiles as to whether or not this film was bombastic provocation or bold metaphorical satire. Another argument centered on whether the film could be labeled as "Surrealism" or "Absurdism."
There can be no denying that Le Grande Bouffe strikes a off-key chords of disgust and repulsion. At the same time, a viewer would be hard-pressed to argue that this strange movie fails to entertain. Most importantly, it does have something to say about the state of society that remains incredibly valid all these years later.
Marcello Mastroianni, Ugo Tognazzi, Philippe Noiret and Michel Piccoli play friends who have grown bored with life, but they have a plan!
La Grande Bouffe
Cinematography | Mario Vulpiani
Gathering a spectacular cast of mid-1970's actors (Marcello Mastroianni, Michel Piccoli, Philippe Noiret and Ugo Tognhzzi) together as a group of wealthy men who have lost the desire to live. More to the point, wealthy men who have allowed respective desires to form the focal point of life. And desire alone is certainly not a healthy or sustaining "diet." This of course ties into the metaphor of consumerism.
As a successful and renowned chef, Ugo Tognhzzi, has spent his life perfecting his dishes to the point that he no longer finds joy in the making or the eating of food. Michel Piccoli is a successful television producer and journalist who seems to have lost interest in what he does. Philippe Noiret may be a respected and powerful judge, but his life has been spent interpreting law and handing out verdicts. Any hope for something deeper appears to have been sapped by an on-going inappropriate sexual relationship with his childhood nanny. It becomes clear that this nanny has been sexually abusing him since he was a child. Sexuality and intimacy clearly lead Philippe to muted place of discomfort. Most explored is the dilemma facing Marcello Mastroianni's character.
It is Marcello who insists on hiring some prostitutes to join the friends for "the fun." With a hooker's panty as an eye patch — Let the eating and fornication begin!
A successful airline pilot, this man focuses all energy on pursuing sexual conquests and resulting pleasures. Sex is of utmost importance to Marcello, but it has become a hallow experience which seems to be heading the way of impotence.
These four friends gather with the plan to fully indulge in a hedonistic series of feasts with the goal of literally eating themselves to death. Enter an idea of "Surrealism" which is not really accurate. While it might be very hard, in theory an individual could eat him/herself to death. Yes, it might be very difficult but it can be done. The film's core plot is less Surreal and more Absurdist. Le Grande Bouffe is also satire at it's most dark and revolting. The film is very focused on the human body and digestion.
Ah, delicious!
Michel Piccoli examines the head of a newly butchered hog.
Quite literal in its use of The Scatacological, The Big Feast is filled with fart sound effects, swelling bellies, burbs, vomiting, exploding toilets, plumbing and colon ruptures. Uncontrolled defecation and farting are less funny when presented so graphically and for so long. In many ways Ferreri is testing his audiences' patience and will to make it through his movie.
Mastroianni's character's life focus is sex. As soon as the men settle in to the ornate house where they plan to kill themselves, he decides he must have sex or the "fun" of gorging themselves to death will not be as rewarding. Enter the prostitutes and the friends' mutually shared view of women as objects.
Appreciating the nude art on the grounds…
These men have essentially no real healthy connection to women. They are playthings with very little else to offer. Marco Ferreri has cast some truly beautiful actresses as the film's prostitutes. It is hard to know if any of these actors can act because they are given very little to do other than to offer their bodies to the men. Of course, we are never allowed to forget that this is not "fun" for the women. They are there for the money. It is interesting to note that it the prostitutes who quickly grasp what is going on amongst these friends. These women have no concern regarding their clients' macabre plan. They just want to be paid.
Late 1960's/Early 1970's Euro-Sex Symbol, Solange Blondeau, is given the most to do and she does it well. Disgusted by the amount of food she sees, she voices complaint at the lunacy because she is almost ill just watching the eating not out of any concern. She and another prostitute briefly discuss the unimportance of men. Solange goes along for the ride.
Marcello seems more interested in the manifold as phallus and food than Solange's beauty.
Mastroianni, Blondeau and intrusive manifold…
When Marcello brings her into the garage to show her a beautiful antique car, she is less annoyed by his use of a manifold as phallus than she is by the food he forces her to eat. The scene is intentionally gross. There is nothing erotic here. But there is another invited guest to these friends' Nihilistic big feasts, a seemingly "proper" elementary school teacher. This was Andrea Ferreol's film debut. She is positively brilliant in this film and offers an interestingly odd twist to the tale.
It may not be clear if the teacher understands, but there is nothing "appropriate" or remotely innocent about her. She quickly seduces Philippe's judge. She cleverly morphs from sweet school teacher to zaftig Sex Kitten. Not only eager to have sex with the judge, she is more than willing to serve as erotic object for all four men. Andrea Ferreol is stunningly beautiful, but not in the conventional way of the prostitutes. Interestingly, it is Andrea who Marco Ferreri attaches cinematic eroticism. It is actually only with her that he indulges in 1970's Euro-Eroticism.
Andrea Ferreol gladly offers up her lovely body to Marcello Mastroianni. Despite her beauty and willingness to play his games, he has lost the ability to participate. The film is very clear that this is not her fault.
Andrea Ferreol & Mastroianni
A pale, curvaceous and inviting bounty of flesh, Andrea is the true sexual feast for these men. Ever game for anything each man wants to try or do, Andrea is also craving the food and the sex. In one of the more darkly comic and equally disgusting scenes, Andrea forces herself on an ailing Michel. As Michel moans in pain Andrea rides hard and fast. As he submits so do his bowels. It is deeply repulsive but inexplicably funny. Later she will allow Ugo to use her shapely buttocks to form a huge tart. She also attempts to satisfy Marcello's erotic needs with little luck. As inappropriate as everything is, there is something to be said about the fact that Ferreri celebrates Andrea's body rather than make fun of it.
However, there is something sinister about Andrea. Aside from the fact that she is not bothered by the sight, sounds, smells of stomach-churning bodily functions — she is ever eating though never to the point of the extreme as her hosts. She is also forever wanting to sex it up. Most disturbingly, she seems to take great joy in assisting these men in their pursuit of death by gluttony. She begins to take a sort of psychopathic joy in it. Andrea is fully committed to assisting these men on their mission. Andrea Ferreol is easily the best performance in the film. And it is completely fearless.
Look! More food! EAT THIS!
Suffice to say, this is a very strange movie. It is also almost epic in length. It runs over two hours. This is a long film. It is certainly not for everyone. However, there is a great deal that is worthy here.
While there is most certainly a societal commentary being expressed, in the end friendship and shared sadness seem to be almost as essential as the societal aspects. Amidst all the folly and nauseating actions, the filmmaker succeeds in demonstrating the love shared by these four men. Ultimately, they stand united. A very wrong and warped idea emerges that despite all of their faults, these four men have each other. It is an unexpected bit of human tenderness that manages to surface. No matter how one wants to find meaning, this film is well made, provocative, energetic and crudely funny.
Somehow Marco Ferreri film makes us actually care about these sad men. That in of itself is a major feat.
Uh, oh. A colon rupture! Um, yes. It is shown.
If I had to offer an easy summary of this early 1970's film it would be to imagine Peter Greenaway's The Cook, the Thief, His Wife & Her Lover as an obvious comedy and minus vengeance. Actually, I'd be willing to bet that Greenaway's film would not exist had Ferreri's film never been made. There are a number of similarities. Greenaway had already cast Andrea Ferreol in his earlier brilliant film, A Zed and Two Noughts. Interestingly, Greenaway's NC-17 film had an easier time in the late 1980's than Ferreri's film in the early 1970's. The film was heavily censored and even banned. Locating a full cut of this film has been difficult until Arrow Films' recent restoration.
Food, Sex & Human Cruelty
The Cook, the Thief, His Wife & Her Lover
Peter Greenaway, 1989
Cinematography | Sacha Vierny
Of course, Greenaway had a far more crucial political satire in mind at the time he made The Cook. While Marco Ferreri's societal commentary is aimed at consumerism and the vacancy of wealthy men, Peter Greenaway was intellectually crafting a gut-punching critique of Thatcher's England the human cruelty that resulted within it. It is the better film, but in many ways it is even harder to watch.
Michael Nyman's iconic musical score for this infamous 1989 film. It is a major player in Greenaway's film. La Grande Bouffe also offers a surprising importance on it's musical score. And the score is totally mis-matched to our perceptions of what we anticipate in the way of a musical film score. Philippe Sarde composed a truly lovely score for the twisted La Grande Bouffe. It is music of bittersweet lush romanticism.
Interestingly, Sarde's score makes sense.
"Why eat when there is no hunger?"
Michel Piccoli & Solange Blondeau
And here lies the major challenge of La Grande Bouffe: Is the 'pay-off' worth the investment of time to watch it?
Yes and no. I think the answer to this question can only be answered on an individual basis. Despite the unpleasantness, I think this is a well-crafted and important film. That being stated, approach with caution. It is rare that I agree with the MPAA, but La Grande Bouffe is deserving of the "NC-17" rating that it has been assigned.
And a tip of the hat to Arrow Films of the UK as they continue to raise their bar on restoration and distribution beyond region restrictions.
Their job is every bit on par with The Criterion Collection. I suspect that we are going to see an interesting turn in the world of Art House Boutique Labels as Arrow Films continues to have a more current perspective on Film Art while The Criterion Collection seems to be continuing to lose touch with their younger audiences' cinematic interests. Do not mis-read me. TCC is going nowhere, but their recent choices for film restoration/distribution have been more than a little off. Arrow Films seems to be taking appropriate aim at Film Art that appeals to a growing population of younger cinephiles who have interest beyond the Film Masters.
Matty Stanfield, 11.5.15
A Zed and Two Noughts
Andrea Ferreol
Bodily Functions
Boutique Labels
Cinematic Metaphor
Colon Rupture
Consmerism
Crude Humor
Defecation
Drug Induced Filming
Female Beauty
Film Score
FIPRESCI Prize
French-Italian Film
His Wife & Her Lover
Impodence
Indegestion
Infamous Film
Jean Eustache
Marco Ferreri
Mario Vulpiani
Maro Ferreri
Peter Greenaway
Philippe Noiret
Provcative
Sacha Vierny
scatological
scatology
Shock Cinema
Societal Commentary
Solange Blondeau
Thatcher's England
The Big Feast
The Cannes Film Festival
Transgressive Art
zaftig
November 5th by Matty Stanfield in	1970's Cinema Arrow Films Art House Cinema Artistic Intention Cinematic Arts Cinematic Debate Cinematic Eroticism Cinematic Ethics Cinematic Gems Cinematic History Cinematic Intent Cinematic Metaphor Cinematic Motivation Cinematic Provocation Dark Comedy Eroticism Excuses for Bad Behavior Existentialism Experimental Cinema Film Film Art Film Criticism Film Directors Film Evaluation Film History Film Perservation Film Re Evaluation Film Re-Distribution Film Restoration Film Theory La Grande Bouffe Marco Ferreri Shock Cinema The Big Feast
Thumbs at the Ready! Film Criticism Within Rotten Tomatoes Consensus Logic
It is always uncomfortable when you have a "connection" to a film artist and that person either creates or has applied skills into a film you do not like.
How does one navigate this? Carefully.
Some enjoy this game. I do not. If I have a connection, no matter how fragmented or casual, I usually opt to say / write nothing. This is most especially true of this blog. As I make no money for anything I write/do I am not under the sort of pressures to conform or restrain my opinions. I am just not comfortable writing negative feedback when I know someone connected to a project will read it here. I've even become cautious on my Letterboxd account. But some of the ratings and comments I've made on IMDB or Rotten Tomatoes has come back to haunt me. When RT first came around, I didn't really apply much thought into how the site was calculating film reviews and user ratings. I've been surprised at how harshly I've rated some films and how grandly I've rated others. …in comparison.
Yes. I've contributed to the dreaded Film Criticism by Consensus. This idea has been spreading throughout the Film Theory community for quite a while. It can most likely be traced back to that moment that Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert sat down together. More or less, this is when the simplistic and problematic Film Judgement by Consensus started. In theory it seems like a valid approach. Sadly, in practice it is flawed, harmful and unfair. Even more so now that we can all be Film Critics and our ratings are tallied by a computer program. But the end-user ratings are not near as worrying when you really look into RT logic applied to paid Film Critics.
"It's Terrific!" …and it remains so. It is without question a cinematic masterpiece that endures. But is it a perfect movie?
When Movie Holics posted this clip, they summed up the issue with Film Ranking by Consensus with humor, intelligence and logic. Their topic is Josh Trank's much maligned, Fantastic Four. Take a look:
I'm a fan of Movie Holics. Founded by Kyler Wilson and Monica Kocurek, this YouTube Channel provides encaging, entertaining and most importantly — insightful and valid Film Theory application. Kyler Wilson is a skilled and professional filmmaker. A working Film Actor, professional Crew Member and aspiring filmmaker, Kyler Wilson offers opinions that are solidly grounded in both arenas of Film Buff and Film Artist. Monica Kocurek also brings grounded logic and humor that fit in perfectly within his framework.
Movie Holics
Kyler Wilson & Monica Kocurek
Often a counter-perspective and love of movies that matches Wilson's, she holds her own. Together and separately, these two self-admitted Movie Holics are knowledgeable and entertaining. These two individuals are clearly serious film buffs with a sense of humor. Always fun and filled with ideas, their postings are always of interest. It is also important to note that they are often focused on offering view-points into current and big-studio projects. If ever the major studios were confused, it is now.
Kyler Wilson and Monica Kocurek of Movie Holics
Reviewing, discussing and challenging the status quo of Mainstream Film Art
And Kyler and Monica put forward logic which is desperately needed within the film industry.
If you are unaware of them, take a few minutes to check out the short episode linked below.
To those of you in the industry, please check Movie Holics out.
Yes, you. You know who you are.
https://youtu.be/tyo38IJQyEU
Another important side note regarding Movie Holics: Kyler Wilson often discusses the current mode of major studio film promotion. His critique of film trailers is of particular interest. Aside from being entertaining, he points out some on-going blunders that studio marketing continues to make. There are some very logical insights here that Major Film Studios are completely lacking.
Adding my own perspective regarding the current state of the Movie Preview: A trend which I first noted in the mid-1980's is this seeming need to show us the entire film in one preview. This is a mistake. Let's bring back a bit of mystery. An example of this problem is cited with the trailer / preview for Guillermo del Toro's Crimson Peak. I had been quite curious to see this new film which boasts a very impressive cast including Jessica Chastain, Tom Hiddleston and Mia Wasikowska. It also sounded like a sort of old-school bit of Gothica Horror. Sadly, the new trailer shows what appears to be the entire movie. Once again Chastain appears trapped in the role of "The Scary Bitch." Mia Wasikowska is once again cast as some lame and fragile sort of costumed romantic ideal of 19th Century little girl lost.
Guillermo del Toro, 2015
Tom Hiddleston looks as if he has either been covered in a white sort of powder or digitally "enhanced" to serve as a living cartoon. Actually, Crimson Peak appears to be a movie filled with the sort of CGI effects to which I've grown increasing indifferent. I no longer plan on paying to see this film. I will wait till it shows up on Amazon Prime, Hulu or Netflix streaming. $20 to $30 is too much to spend on the movie that Legendary Pictures appears to be promoting. I feel as if I've already seen it and I was annoyed by what I saw. Could this just be poor marketing or is what we see what we will get?
The cost of a movie ticket, popcorn and parking is too high to risk.
But I digress — back on mark full-stop: Film Criticism.
Film Criticism took an uplift with a critic like Pauline Kael. Much to her annoyance, she ended up playing a role in turning the world of movies to Film Art. It took an even greater uplift when Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert starting giving "Thumbs Up/Thumbs Down." This uplift brought Film Art to a more mainstream audience. But, it came with a price. Many began to adapt to the idea that a film can or even should be dismissed with a casual Thumbs Down or embraced by a Thumbs Up.
I remember a friend opting not to see Clint Eastwood's Unforgiven because Siskel gave the movie a Thumbs Down. I was unable to convince him otherwise. Earlier at the beginning of middle school, several friends avoided Sam Rami's 1981's classic Evil Dead because both celebrity critics gave it Two Thumbs Down. One will be surprised to discover many of the films that were given Thumbs Up. Roger Ebert saw fit to give Barbra Streisand's schizophrenically-flawed 1996 film, The Mirror Has Two Faces, a Thumps Up.
Siskel said "Thumbs Down"
Cinematography | Jack N. Green
The problem with these short, witty and often troubling criticism notched down to a simple turn of a thumb is that it is tragically misleading.
Example: Eastwood's Unforgiven is as much a crowd-pleasing bit of Old School Hollywood Epic Western, as it is also a dark and often subversive take on human cruelty and vengeance. While the lines between the Good and Bad Guys are clear, the identity of race, plight of women and the tragedy of violence is explored in a new sort of way. This was a true turning point for Clint Eastwood as a filmmaker. In my opinion this film works quite well and has actually aged even better. It has some flaws that often come when movie actors turn into film directors, but this is a solid work. To dismiss it with a Thumps Down is not even logical. Yet, Gene Siskel felt it deserved him to turn that thumb down. If you actually watch Siskel discuss this film, he does acknowledge what the film is attempting to do. He appears to even be impressed with many of the films' scenes, performances and ideas.
The idea of the Western genre is a bit subverted and re-imagined…
In the end, Siskel's issue is that the film simply didn't fully register for him as something as new and bold as what he anticipated. He questioned the need for one of the film's characters. While Siskel's review is far from a cheer for Eastwood's success, it is also not a total slap-down. When Siskel opted to put his Thumb Down it doesn't seem to be intended as strong as it implied. Years later, the late critic's review still stands. It is one of the few bad reviews, yet it really isn't "bad."
Roger Ebert did not adore Barbra Streisand's ill-fitting The Mirror Has Two Faces, but he did see some interesting ideas explored and an even more interesting bit of introspection from a powerful movie star about aging and cultural perceptions of beauty. He also saw a good deal of charisma and comic timing. He gave this film a Thumps Up. Ebert has some valid points, Streisand's odd film does bring up some interesting ideas about beauty, aging, women and relationships between sisters, mother and men. She had also assembled a great cast of players.
Comic Feminist ideology, aging, family, love and beauty quickly de-evolve into Female Movie Star Mid-Life Panic.
The Mirror Has Two Faces
Barbra Streisand, 1996
Paradoxically, this movie quickly takes an extreme turn away from the gentle comedy and idea it seemed to be forming. It was as if Streisand had a total Movie Superstar Mid-Life Break during filming. Just as the movie seems to be falling into an entertaining and interesting concept, it sputters and teeters. Streisand and her character lose all sense of humor. Suddenly she makes a non-sensical oppositional turn from the core idea of her movie. Without warning, the main character suddenly decides she needs to kick off every attractive aspect of herself to fit into some grim idea of womanhood. The character stops eating, joking, loses weight and transforms from an attractive hairstyle and clothing into some perverse idea of what Streisand must think is hot. Essentially, she morphs into a Mafia Housewife Gone to Seed. Worse yet, Jeff Bridges and every male character in the movie are suddenly falling all over themselves to sex her up. The film is not good. If one actually watches or reads Ebert's review, it is surprising that it assigned a Thumps Up as the review is more one of puzzlement ends up forming a sort of cinematic peripheral interest.
Another film that Siskel & Ebert both gave two Thumps Down is 1986's Short Circuit. This silly and innocent little film is not offensively bad. It is more than a bet "twee" but it does offer a harmless bit of entertainment. No great work of art, but hardly what one could call a "bad movie." Like both of these legendary Film Critics, I'd be inclined to warn that John Badham's film is approached in an entirely different manner than we would normally expect. This is no WarGames, but Short Circuit was never intended to be another WarGames. Instead, with Short Circuit John Badham was simply seeking to entertain. Most importantly, his target audience was children. Siskel & Ebert react almost like children themselves. They are upset that the director has stepped off an expected track and into family entertainment. Tragically, the movie's promotion misleads one to think this could be an extension of WarGames.
A bit of light children's entertainment. "Thumbs Down!"
John Badham, 1986
In truth, the use of their thumbs do not fully jive with their full respective reviews. Gene Siskel has some legitimate issues with the final act of WarGames. For him, WarGames attempts to be more than it should. Yet, he gave the Thumbs Up for WarGames. When it comes to actually reading/listening to their opinions regarding Short Circuit, their Thumbs Down ratings don't exactly match up. Roger Ebert was clearly entertained by a lot of the ideas of the robot as "character" and Siskel's perspective is more limited to wanting the silly movie about a robot to be more than it is.
This idea of summing the artistic value of a film with such a simplistically limited value allowed movie studios to hype praise that really was not there. It also served to cause films to completely flop because so many followed those thumbs so closely.
Which brings us to Rotten Tomatoes.
I've always thought of Rotten Tomatoes as the more mannered and mature sister to The Internet Movie Database. IMDB is an excellent source of information related to just about every film ever made. But IMDB is a cyber hussy.
Anyone can join and scrawl their opinions on her walls. User Reviews on IMDB run the gamut from Would-Be-Cinephilles like myself to the lowest of the low. User Ratings on IMDB can offer great insight into the validity of a film as much as they are prone to offer profane rants about an actor's physical anatomy to wishing death upon anyone who likes or hates the movie.
I think of it as a great repository of media information. However, in some ways, it is the sleazy older sister to Rotten Tomatoes.
When one looks and sorts through information posted by her users, IMDB is turns into a deeply disturbing view of human stupidity. And pity the soul who attempts to write something of value, that person is likely to get flamed hard. However, if you want to know the date a movie came out or where it was filmed or who was in it — this cheap little tart is your girl! She is more than happy to give you all the information that her servers can hold.
Rotten Tomatoes is a great deal more refined. She sorts out "official" Film Critics, from independent/online Film Critics with some cred and then allows all of her users to rate and post their reviews. Rotten Tomatoes seems to attract less human profanity and cruelty. But here is the odd thing about RT, she employs an overall rounded-estimate based on a 5 Star System ranking. She has been doing this for quite a while. If a paid Film Critic is smart, they know to give a rating based on her 5 Star System or they have no choice but to accept her assessment of their words and her often questionable rating. Several critics still fail to offer a clear rating for poor RT to be able to tabulate. She has no choice but to assign it herself. And while Rotten Tomatoes may be more refined than IMDB, she is pretty limited.
Welcome to the off-kilter world of Film Evaluation by Consensus. It is a dodgy tool at best…
A Film Critic who fails to add a 5 Star rating or at least an A-F grade will often see a generally "fair" review reduced to a 1.5 rating. Users have to enter a rating, but we users are a fickle bunch. Often worse than the film critics. And that is only fair. We have paid money to see these movies. But I can't be alone in the struggle of deciding if a movie deserves 2 or 3 stars. Or maybe a 2.5. While only a year or so ago I might have rated a movie .5 or 1 star. But as I saw RT's overall rating of user reviews form into one solid numerical assignment, my .5 rating was adding to confusing and unfair over-all assessments.
In the Rotten Tomatoes Universe, 1983's WarGames sits pretty with a 93% rating. In a rare situation, the general user rating is actually more on mark with a 75% rating. If you look / listen to Siskel, I suspect his rating for WarGames is closer to a 70%.
Short Circuit now sits with a rating of 57% compared to a user rating of 67%. I have to say that the result of the general user rating makes far more sense than 57%. Even more so, if users understood that Short Circuit was really aiming at the 10 to 14 year old audience, the rating would be higher.
Eastwood's Unforgiven has managed to fair better under the rules and restrictive application of RT's Film Consensus. However, I feel that Eastwood's solid film is actually sitting with ratings that I feel are higher than deserved: Film Critic Rating: 95% User Rating: 94%. I would say that this film's actual rating should be closer to 85%.
Oddly, Streisand's The Mirror Has Two Faces seems to have been Film Critically panned over the years. This is the film that Ebert gave a Thumbs Up. Currently this film sits with a 53% rating compared to the users rating of 72%. I love Streisand. And I own it. I tend to be aware of her work, and I'm fairly certain that this film once carried a 65% rating. So somehow, over time, RT's Film Critic rating has gone down for this film. Personally, I feel this cinematic mis-step merits the 53% rating. That being stated, this movie does offer a mis-guided level of entertainment value. There is a cultural and psychologically convulsive aspect to Streisand's movie that almost requires a bit of a bump up. The Mirror Has Two Faces' entertainment value (both intended and accidental) make this film more worthy of a 60% rating. In this case the user ratings are obviously fueled by the legion of Streisand fans who refuse to own up to their icon's mistakes. I'm not sure when I logged my rating, but I gave this movie 2 stars.
If one looks even closer to Rotten Tomatoes Logic, there is a really discordant level of confusion that occurs. I don't know, maybe this makes sense for an art form that is so subjective. Film Art also has a strange way of aging. All the same, some of these ratings are simply disturbingly strange.
Is Unforgiven The Godfather of the Western?
Or is Unforgiven the Citizen Kane of the Western genre?
Is Clint Eastwood's Western better than John Ford's masterful, The Searchers?
Because within RT logic, The Godfather carries a 99%/98% shared rating between Film Critics and Users. Citizen Kane sits with a combo of 100%/90%. So in theory, both The Godfather and Citizen Kane are true cinematic masterworks. One would be hard-pressed to argue that either film is not deserving of very high ratings. I can't help but wonder, if we are serious about ranking films, is Unforgiven so good that it is only 4 % points below The Godfather?
Films really do not get much better than this. But in Rotten Tomatoes Logic, this film is only 4 % points higher than Clint Eastwood's Unforgiven.
Francis Ford Coppola, 1972
Further, as brilliant as this Orson Welles film is, can we say it is a "perfect film?" Maybe we can, though in all honesty, I feel that The Godfather Part II is a surprising one up on the original film. I'd also be very quick to point out that as great as Citizen Kane is, does it resonate both personally and artistically as deep as either of the first two Godfather films? I don't think so.
I'd go so far to say that Hitchock's Rear Window, David Lynch's Blue Velvet, Goddard's Breathless and Martin Scorsese's Taxi Driver and Raging Bull are all slightly better films than Citizen Kane. From my perspective, the magic of Citizen Kane ties to the innovations that Welles so masterfully put into play so ahead of the cinematic curve. A crucial film, but 100%? John Ford's The Searches is also essential and very influential, but is it worthy of RT's 100% rating?
I don't really like either of these movies. But I would assign a 75% for WarGames and a 70% for Short Circuit. I do not need to "like" a movie to see the talent, skill, intellect, and clear appeal for others. I do not enjoy Terrance Malick's Tree of Life, but I am unable to dismiss it's skill and use of style.
"You talkin' to me?"
This near-perfect film carries 98% / 93% RT Rating. So just 3 % points higher than Unforgiven. Really?
Martin Scorsese, 1976
Now welcome to the perplexing ideology of taking an individual's rating and averaging it in with others.
If one were to look at my ratings you would most likely find that taken within context of the way I approach rating films, you would discover that a 70% means that I think there is enough of value in a film for some others to enjoy. If I enjoy a film it is going to go more into the range of 85% to 95%. Essentially, if I like a movie enough to see it more once, purchase a copy of it or assist in restoration effort — that film will gain a high rating from me. A movie has to be really bad to get a total Thumbs Down from me.
Something that one would think is obvious, is actually not actually so. I never review / rate a film I've not seen. Not even professionals always follow this essential rule. Sad but true. As blogging has already become somewhat of a tired concept, other on-line means of information is taking on the more potent place to seek out new ideas and film comment. While Movie Holics tends to adhere to current film releases and normally more mainstream films, there are many other outlets and vloggers out there.
Another on-line critique that ventures into more esoteric terrain, is Brian Kish. Lo-Fi with both humor and intelligence. Always fun and laid-back style that offers insight and comedic delivery. A sort of Post-Modern Film Critic, Mr. Kish is having fun but the viewer is fully aware that he knows of what he speaks.
Post-Modern Film Criticism that manages to be comical, informative and intellectual all at one time.
Brian Kish
Barrel Bottom Reviews
His taste in film is more aligned with my own. He is re-visiting Classic Cinema with the eyes of Intellectualism as well as those with a current 21st Century Perspective. It is within the world of podcasts and vlogs that one is likely to find some of the most engaging Film Art discussion. Brian Kish's Barrel Bottom Reviews are always fun to watch.
I was unable to secure his permission to post this link, but I doubt he will mind. Here he discusses Louis Malle's brilliant collaborative effort, My Dinner with Andre:
https://youtu.be/YRe0ymvs0sU
Check out his perspective. This view-point is especially important to those of us who care about Film Restoration and Re-distribution. His delivery is also very entertaining.
By the way, within the RT galaxy, My Dinner with Andre sits with a 91% Film Critic ranking and a general viewer rank of 86%.
Just for the hell of it, take a look at how these movies are currently rated on Rotten Tomatoes:
My demented and twisted father decided that he and I should see the "new" Bo Derek movie. I was 14. John Derek's Tarzan: The Ape Man was one of the worst movies I had ever seen in a cinema. My father fell asleep. I kept wishing I could, but the movie was loud and Bo Derek was constantly winning, cooing and asking stupid questions to a jungle man who might have actually been dumber than her character appeared to be. This film currently holds a Film Critic Rating of 11% vs. User Rating of 21%.
Perhaps one of the all-time worst movies I have EVER seen in a cinema. My inappropriate father took me to see this mess. He fell asleep. Sadly, the cinematic torture would not allow me to sleep. Per Rotten Tomatoes, this mind-numbing badness rates 11%. That is still 2 % points higher than 2015's Fantastic Four. Seriously?
Tarzan: The Ape Man
John Derek, 1981
I do not have to see The Fantastic Four to know that it is a better film than this horrifying film error that remains Tarzan: The Ape Man. Bo Derek frolicking in the jungle with Tarzan is pure cinematic torture. No, it is not erotic. Just to be sure I actually watched this film again. It is actually worse than I remembered it.
Oh, and let's not forget the ill-advised American Idol-inspired film, From Justin to Kelly.
OK, come on. Do movies get any worse than this? And, no. It is not camp. It is just bad.
American Idol goes to the movies. RT currently ranks it at 10%. This might be a little bit harsh. It was better than Tarzan: The Ape Man.
From Justin to Kelly
Robert Iscove, 2003
So as Movie Holics pointed out, can any of us really agree that Josh Trank's Fantastic Four really worse that the two movies listed above? Really? Is it that bad? 9%???? Mr. Trank's film has clearly become some sort of odd Cinematic Whipping Boy.
This may be the lowest rated film to be green-lit for a sequel. Major Movie Studios are not always on target, but they clearly do not see this rating as "true" or "accurate." If they did, Josh Trank would not be on the docket to direct the sequel. Fantastic Four is a classic example of what is wrong with Rotten Tomatoes.
Obviously, not a great or maybe not even a good movie. But is it deserving of RT's 9% rating?!?!!?
Josh Trank, 2015
How in the world can this level of skewed ranking make any sense or inform viewers just how bad or how good a film is?
Matty Stanfield, 10.6.2015
21st Century Film Criticism
5 Star Rating System
Barrel Bottom Reviews with Bran Kish
Big Studio
Big Studio Film
Cinephilles
Cynical Critisim
Film Buffs
Film Franchises
Film Ranking By Consensus
Frustrated Film Critic
Gossip Monger
Gothica Horror
Jack N. Green
John Derek
Josh Trank
Kyler Wilson
Movie Trailors
My Dinner With Andre
Myra Breckinridge
On Line Film Critics
Pauline Kael
Post Modern Film Critic
Rex Reed
Richard Moore
Roger Eberg
Short Cirucut
Siskel & Ebert
Terrance Malick
The Angry Film Critic
The Celebrity Film Critic
The Fantastic Four
The Jealous Film Critic
Thumb Rating
October 6th by Matty Stanfield in	Film Film Art Film Art Interviews Film Artists Film Consensus Film Criticism Film Evaluation Film Perservation Film Promotion Film Rating by Consensus Film Re Evaluation Film Resonation Film Theory IMDB Rotten Tomatoes
Banging on the Piano or Defending Ken Russell's Insane Lisztomania
No one quiet knew what to think when Ken Russell's surrealistic absurdist comedy-rock musical opened in 1975. However a number of smart university students got in line to drop a bit of acid with their popcorn as the movie unspooled…
LISZTOMANIA
Ken Russell, 1975
(The UK Poster)
I love movies. All types of movies, but most those of the Art House variety. Among the world of serious cinephillia, British filmmaker Ken Russell often causes a sort of frantic run to the nearest Exit. While nearly all will agree that his early BBC films and his adaptation of D.H. Lawrence's Women In Love are brilliant. The rest of his work is generally regarded as excessive and hysterical madness. In the last decade a new found appreciation has evolved for his still controversial critique of merging Church and State, Catholicism, religion and the human tendency toward cruelty in his 1971 film, The Devils.
Your senses will never be the same… Ken Russell's biggest commercial success would end up elevating the concept of something we would call "the music video."
His biggest commercial success was the filmed rock opera, Tommy. Released in 1975, film critics had a hard time dismissing it. Nothing had shown up on screens quite like it. 40 years later this loud and hopelessly entertaining film is still regarded as the perfect marriage of Ken Russell cinematic urges and mid-1970's rock culture. That same year, feeling inspired and with a bit of film industry power he had never enjoyed, he went for the pop culture jugular: He made Lisztomania.
If you should find yourself in a room of film loving intellectuals and bring up this notorious big-budget major studio released rock musical flop, you will either encounter smirking laughter or a total silence of seething judgement. I have never really seriously cared what people think of me.
Though, I do hate it when someone thinks me to be a mean-spirited person. That I am not.
But am I a fan of Ken Russell? Yes. Do I love Russell's odd cinematic error that is Lisztomania? Oh, yeah. I love it.
"Well, this will teach you not to BANG on the piano!"
Says The Count before extracting his revenge for catching Roger Daltrey and Fiona Lewis going at it.
Cinematography | Peter Suschitzky
I fully embrace the insanity that is Lisztomania. I bow my head in awe that there was ever a time in the history of Warner Bros. that they would fully engage, promote and full scale release a movie like Lisztomania. While I know the film is more than a little problematic, I struggle to understand how anyone could refute the uniqueness of this crass bit of Pop Art. I struggle even more to understand why anyone would not enjoy the insane logic of it's existence. And my jaw drops when someone tells me that they find it dull.
Well, here I do exaggerate. Only two people have ever told me that they were bored by Ken Russell's Lisztomania. And both of these people pointed out that they found the first 15 minutes of the movie dull. Once Roger Daltrey's cockney-accented take on Hungarian/German composer, Franz Liszt. True enough, the only even minor slow-paced moment in the film is a concert in which Daltrey entertains an audience of mostly young female fans swooning and screaming if at a rock concert. The scene does seem a bit out of place in the film, but it makes sense given the point that Ken Russell is attempting to make.
Marie d'Agoult fumes as her lover, Franz, pulls on his rock star platform boots to head off on yet another tour to be filled with groupies and fun…
Fiona Davis / Roger Daltrey
And, of course, prior to this concert sequence, we are treated to a British Music Hall-sylte (the British version of similar to American vaudeville theater) gone into the profane and raunchy. The opening of the film features Count d'Agoult catching his wife, Marie, enjoying frantic sex with her piano tutor, Franz. Nude and silly antics ensue accompanied by a from of sort of Gaelic-Country musical narration. End all ends with the count having poor Marie and Franz placed nude inside a piano as the Count plays chords. Franz is panicked and Maria seems to be gaining a bit of, well, pleasure from some of the piano banging.
Suddenly they are nailed into the piano left on train tracks about to face their death. Cut to a backstage gathering of some of the great European composers, artistes and groupies awaiting for Franz to take to the stage. Enter a young, idealistic and ambitious Richard Wagner who attempts to pimp his music to Franz.
It is all quite over-the-top, silly, illogical, surreal and just straight-up weird. Please note: This was all Ken Russell's intent. Everything in Lisztomania is intentional, profane, silly and often spastic.
Who needs the old tired religious icons of dull saints and martyrs when we can worship St. Elton and St. Pete?
As Russell had just wrangled the Rock God Machine that was/is The Who to create the movie, Tommy, — he noted several similarities to the level of decadence and public sensation that followed the band and it's lead singer to that of classical composer, Franz Liszt. It dawned on Russell that when one reads accounts of Franz Liszt's career one could easily draw comparisons that form the idea that Liszt was in many ways the world's first Pop Star.
Kissing The Holy Cowboy Boot of The Pope and all of his movie star saints…
Roger Daltrey and Ringo Starr's foot
True enough. Liszt had legions of young women who would fight their way into the places he performed. These women were fanatical in the way they would behave as Liszt played his piano. Screaming, swooning and often having to be restrained from trying to touch the renowned artist. And if one is to believe commentary of his day, Franz Liszt quite enjoyed the attention. In the early 1800's German Essayists and Cultural Critic, Heinrich Heine, coined the term "Lisztomania" to describe the hysteria that the composer's playing, music and mere presence seemed to drive many of his female listeners to hysterical reactions and distractions. However, it should be pointed out that this was not really given the same levity as Beatlemania in the early to mid-1960's. The idea of "Pop Star" or "Rock Star" and "Celebrity" had no where began to take hold of culture. This seemed more like a strange temporary illness than a "normal" fever-pitched reaction to a performer.
Soothing his audience of demanding female fans…
Roger Daltrey as Liszt
Female audience members of Liszt's piano performances were known to scream his name, swoon, attempt to climb onto the stage, scream out demands that he play the piece we all know as "Chop Sticks" and often followed him about in hopes of grabbing a tossed cigar butt to stuff down their blossoms. Up until his early 30's Liszt was known to play the piano standing and often jump from behind the piano to speak to his audience. He was also never too far from scandal. His on-going and tempestuous affair with Marie d'Agoult was the cause of much rumor and discussion. Interestingly this only served to promote his popularity. Then there was Russia's Princess Carolyn's patronage and obsession with him and his work. Later in life he suffered the indignities of a piano student, Olga Janina, who could be called the first known insane "Fan Girl" who wold break into his home, steal personal belongings, stalk and even write controversial books about him. She wrote these more to get his attention than for profit.
The fans want more than music from Franz…
His daughter, Cosima, would go on to marry Richard Wagner. Wagner's interests were not limited to music, but also to philosophy. A philosophy which was alarmingly worrying in it's view of German superiority. Cosima was quick to pick up and fuel her husband's ideals about German cultural and racial superiority. She is largely to credit with the establishment and curation of the Bayreuth Festival. This festival became more about promotion of philosophy that would lead into pure antisemitism. This would continue to grow as Germany entered the NAZI Era. Cosima died in 1930. Without question, the legacy of she and Wagner's Bayreuth Festival remains controversial to say the very least.
Devoted daughter turns into Super Evil Goddess, Cosima finds some new uses for the doll created in the likeness of her dad, Franz.
All of this strange history wrapped up in the lives of classical music composers was like a magnet to Ken Russell. Russell adored the biography film, but never limited himself to the typical "by-the-numbers-film-rule-book" when making them. Far more concerned about creating the passion and ideals of the artists' works than sticking to traditional narrative, Russell's composer bio films are unusual in the way in which he approaches their lives. He viewed the artist as rebel.
Capturing it all, and given more freedom of expression than any other filmmaker had yet to allow him, Peter Suschitzky's work truly shines in this movie.
Super Ego translates to an erection beyond expectation and worthy of a British Hall musical dance.
Roger Daltrey and his Rock Cock Rock
But when he made Lisztomania, he threw out all sense of logic. He become unhinged as he crafted a a sort of Pop Culture Comic Book movie about the life of Franz Liszt. The logic of any adherence to history time lines is absent. Franz List starts out as a sexy, raunchy and sex-crazed rock star. Soon he retreats to find his spiritual core only to be called out to defend not only the sanctity of music, but his emerging arch-enemy, Richard Wagner, breaks into his spiritual isolation to feed off his talent filled blood. Like a vampire, Wagner sucks a good deal of life force from Liszt.
Paul Nicholas as Wagner turned Artistic Vampire out for Franz's special creative force blood…
Wagner sets out with Franz's daughter, Cosima. They form a Nazi Cult! The Pope, played by Ringo Starr, calls on Franz to perform an exorcism to rid Wagner of the demon that has possessed him. Franz, playing at being a priest, kisses the cowboy boot of the bedazzled Pope, kicks his lover – Olga Janina (played by Little Nell) to the curb – and meets Wagner's attempt at a German God Creation, THOR, (played by Yes' Rick Wakeman) – this creation is a joke. The exorcism backfires. Through Cosima's evil magik, Wagner rises up from Hell as The Hitler Monster and it is up to Franz and his harem of beautiful lovers and assorted groupies to fly down from Heaven in a rocket ship and blast Evil Old Wagner to bits!
Adorned with Saints Judy Garland, Monty Cliff, Elvis & Marilyn — Ringo Starr is Your Pope!
Along the way, Ken Russell injects more glitter and wacked-out visionary trip-outs faster than a mood ring changes colors. Franz slips into Princess Carolyn'd vaginal canal, comes out to the sirens of former lovers who manage to tease his penis out to gigantic proportions. Sporing a hard-on of about 8 feet, a an old-school Vaudeville like dance number ensues. Believe it or not, the set pieces just continue to amp-up until Ken Russell's Franz Liszt saves the world from Nazis.
Little Nell watches unimpressed as Ringo The Pope warns Roger Daltrey's Liszt of Wagner's turn to the dark side…
And, just to make it all the more odd, Rick Wakeman re-arranges the music of Liszt and Wagner to early-electro-prog rock with Roger Daltrey supplying of so very modern lyrics. A&M Records and Warner Bros pimped the soundtrack album hard and released a single. The original vinyl is now a collector's item, but Rick Wakeman re-mastered it all and released via iTunes in 2005.
Rick Wakeman gives Liszt & Wagner the FM Prog-Rock treatment for the soundtrack of Lisztomania.
A&M Records, 1975
The movie bombed and the soundtrack failed. If you want to see the movie, you will need turn to the Warner Archive for a fairly solid transition to DVD.
http://www.wbshop.com/product/lisztomania+1000336824.do?sortby=ourPicks&refType=&from=Search
If you have a multi-region DVD player, you can still find a limited edition printing out of the UK. The quality of the UK print is fantastic and features a rambling commentary track by the great Ken Russell himself recorded not too long before his passing.
Wagner rises from Hell as The Nazi Super Monster. Only Franz and his groupies can save the day!
Lisztomania is not a great movie. Despite moments of true brilliance and experimental cinema, it is ultimately a cinematic error that holds an interesting bit of merit. This is a movie that stretches so far beyond the boundaries it is hard to use any normal criteria for judging it. It is a crazy and oddly entertaining film that sits by itself. Surrealistic, Absurdist, Satire and Super Hero Comic Book mess of a movie. It has most certainly become a Cult Movie, but it is a bit too intellectual to fully fit into the "So bad it's good" ideology. And it is far too silly to be taken at all seriously.
Franz looks on as Wagner readies to "turn on" his creation of German Perfection, THOR! Played by Rick Wakeman, Wagner's THOR drinks a whole lotta beer, belches and literally takes the piss on the floor…
It sits all alone as a film completely unique unto both itself and to the Film Artist who was Ken Russell.
This is my last defense of one of my favorite movies. I've intentionally tried not to give too much of the film away. My hope is that someone who has not seen it will venture to see it.
Comforted only be the boob of Little Nell, Franz finds little comfort in the isolation of the Catholic Church. But hold steady, Pope Ringo is on the way…
Roger Daltrey / Little Nell
From time to time the unedited R-rated film shows up in full on YouTube, tho Warner Brothers is rightly quick to yank it off. I do not expect we will ever see this film restored.
However, it's fanbase continues to build. Just search the Internet.
Alone, odd, wacky, profane, and rocking to it's own beat — This odd cinematic error stands alone.
(US Original Movie Poster)
Rock on.
Battle of Good vs. Evil
Box Office Flop
British Music Hall
Cinematic Curioristy
Cinematic Logic
Cinephillia
Comic Book History
Cosima Wagner
Evil Cosima
Evil Hitler Monster
Fiona Lewis
Giant Penis
Marie d'Agoult
Nazi History
Non-Linear
Olga Janina
Pahllus
Paul Nicholas
Pete Townsend
Peter Suschitzky
Pop Idol
Princess Carolyn
Profane
Rock God
Rock Musical
Rock Opera
Sex-Crazed
Spastic
The First Pop Star
The Original Fan Girl
Vaginal Canal
September 25th by Matty Stanfield in	British Film Cinematic Error Cinematography Film Film Art Film Criticism Film Theory Ken Russell Lisztomania Peter Suschitzky Pop Art Ringo Starr Rock Musical Roger Daltrey Surrealism
Yes, but is it Art or Lost and Forgotten Films
There are so many films out there that have been forgotten and or lost.
Mike Nichols, 1971
As we enter the 21st Century, the choices applied by major studios and various production companies often appears to have no grounding in logic.
For instance, Mill Creek Entertainment has US/Canada home distribution rights for such major players as Sony, Universal, Warner Brothers and Buena Vista. These studios and major distributors have historic catalogs of cinema. Yet, Mill Creek is more interested in re-mastering such films as Barnet Kellman's painful 1992 Straight Talking in which Dolly Parton is romanced by James Woods!
Miami Rhapsody
David Frankel, 1995
They also were very quick to get such "cinematic classics" as Another Stakeout, The Legend of Billie Jean, Old Gringo, Playing God, Color of Night and Miami Rhapsody.
William Friedkin, 1980
This isn't some little "deal" that Mill Creek Entertainment has established, it is major. This company works with Sony and Warner Brothers who tend to be the cheapest and most difficult of the major studios when it comes to their respective back catalog. However, Mill Creek has never shown any sort of interest in distributing the films that many would like to see remastered and available.
Were it not for smaller film distribution labels like Olive Films, Twilight Entertainment, Shout Factory and most importantly The Criterion Collection many an iconic film would still be sitting fading away in the shelf of some disorganized storage area.
Claudia Weill, 1978
As it is, Twilight Entertainment has managed to get a foot in by agreeing to a limited printing. This means that less popular, but far more artistically valid films that Sony and Warners have denied other offers find a way to a limited restoration and release.
But when Twilight is limited to only 3,000 pressings, the cost jumps up to $30 retail.
Andy Warhol's Dracula
AKA Young Dracula or Blood for Dracula
Paul Morrissey, 1974
And films like Woody Allen's Love and Death, Purple Rose of Cairo and Crimes and Misdemeanors immediately push close to selling out. Same goes for Steel Magnolias or François Truffaut's The Bride Wore Black or the iconic Sidney Pollack teaming of Streisand and Redford in The Way We Were. These films are sold for $30 for a few weeks before they start going for as high as $60 or more on Amazon from other sellers. Amazon does not sell Twilight directly.
Pink Floyd The Wall
Alan Parker, 1982
So, why does Mill Creek Entertainment prefer Mike Binder's Holy Matrimony to The Bride Wore Black or The Way We Were? The knee-jerk answer is that Mill Creek can crank out 500,000 pressings of mediocre comedies to sell via Walmart, BestBuy or Amazon for as low as $5 to $10 a pop.
Apparently, when shoppers see a Blu-Ray featuring any movie star they recognize, they will pay $8 without a second thought. Easy profits. But that is not always the case.
Michelangelo Antonioni, 1966d
Reasons can range from obscure licensing challenges for piece of music that Warners or Sony is not willing to negotiate and that Mill Creek doesn't want to have to pay. Or, from time to time, there is often a more sinister element going on: Woody Allen, Robert Redford, Warren Beatty, Barbra Streisand and Jane Fondas' movies will be even more profitable after each's respective death.
And sometimes it amounts to insecurities about stirring up old wounds of the filmmakers themselves. These wounds can be gushing blood after decades or can be so minor it can be puzzling.
Hal Ashby, 1975
But more often than not, the reason that films are forgotten or lost is because no one in positions of power ever think of them.
In recent years Warner Brothers has started their DVD-R printings of more obscure movies under their Warner Archive. This is cool, but limited. A vast number of Warner Brothers films remain unavailable — and many of the ones that are available by order are poorly re-mastered.
Nasty Habits
Michael Lindsay-Hogg, 1977
Anyone curious to see the infamously failed film version of Portnoy's Complaint will discover a muddy pint in which everything within the image has been stretched up/down so that Karen Black and Richard Benjamin are cartoon thin. The entire raunchy movie is there, but presented in a manner reminiscent of pre-cable late night shows when no one knew how to translate big screen films to fit onto TV screens. When Warners does take the time to press a few buttons and get the film to an acceptable aspect ratio, they do not bother to remaster.
Up The Sandbox
Irvin Kershner, 1972
A classic example of Warner Brothers Archive Collection logic is found in the recent release of Tony Scott's iconic and Cult Film Classic, The Hunger. A movie that features the likes of David Bowie, Catherine Deneuve and Susan Sarandon as well as sleekly applied style and some great music from Bauhaus and Iggy Pop has been transferred to Blu-Ray using an even lesser quality transfer than MGM used for the initial DVD release.
Don't be fooled, Warner Archive did not bother to get the aspect ratio correct. You are not seeing the full picture. And I'm not certain, but I don't think there has even been a 2K restoration here. The picture quality is not bad, but it is far from great. Worse yet, the audio is lousy. The old MGM DVD sounded better. Of course my DVD died several years back. I was stuck with the Warner released DVD which was actually a bit better than their new Blu-Ray.
They did a similar job with Nicolas Roeg's co-directing debut, Performance. Yet, for reasons unknown they did actually bother to do a 2K restore for John Schlesinger's Far From The Madding Crowd to Blu-Ray. It has yet to sell as well as either Performance or The Hunger.
Despite all sorts of grass-roots pushes and a an uncountable number of Film Historians, Film Production/Distribution companies and the request of an entire nation — Yes, Great Britain and the highly valued and respected British Film Institute reached out — Warner Brothers continues to refuse the release of Ken Russell's original cut of The Devils.
No reason has ever been given.
Britain and the BFI fared best, however they were presented with an inferior quality and edited version of the film which they were only allowed to release in a UK region restricted limited pressing. While Warners did give BFI the choice to issue to Blu-Ray, BFI declined and limited the release to DVD as the quality of what Warner Brothers gave them was too poor to merit the Blu-Ray treatment.
As The Devils is an historic part of British Film History and an important work of art, BFI wanted to have a full copy of the film secured in their registry.
However, the print that Warners gave had to be returned.
So BFI now has a restored copy of a copy of an edited version of The Devils.
"Birdshit!"
Brewster McCloud
Robert Altman, 1970
In the upcoming several months a number of films are being re-evaluated for restoration and re-distribution. Who knows if any of this which is largely connected to the Film Festival Circuit will have any impact. However if one of these film matters to you, the best thing to do is review the film on Rotten Tomatoes or IMDB.
Oddly, sales from the Warner Archive do not seem to have much if any bearing on whether or not a movie will be restored. But folks who sign up for Amazon.com wait lists have initiated restorations. This was how Warner Brothers came to issue The Hunger to Blu-Ray and the two factors that have made Twilight Time embark on films like The Way We Were and Yentl.
Petulia
Richard Lester, 1968
A not so great transfer of Roeg's odd cult film, Track 29 staring a young Gary Oldman, sold very well. This has caused a current "re-visit" of this infamous cinematic error as a possible film for restoration. Yet, the inferior region-free DVD's of Ken Russell's The Devils constantly sell out. Warner Brothers does not budge.
Another mystery with Warner Brothers is the poor quality and refusal to restore and re-distribute KLUTE. A film that has a large following, remains valid and of interest. Something similar was going down with Blowup, but that issue might have finally been resolved. Fingers-crossed. Another very popular film which is in theory no longer in print would be Richard Lester's Petulia. As well as John Schlesinger's Darling which shot Julie Christie to fame.
Both remain unrestored.
Tell Me That You Love Me, Junie Moon
Otto Preminger, 1970
And, then there is the interest in Otto Preminger's ill-advised 1970's Tell Me That You Love Me, Junie Moon which features a young Liza Minnelli facing deformity and trying to find a place among those whom society has labeled misfits. The film is flawed, but there are many a film fan who wants to own this odd cult film. Yet, no restoration or distribution is in sight. But Preminger's far worse movie, Skidoo, was restored and issued to Blu-Ray. So who knows?
But it would appear the most valued currency for film consensus may be moving over to Letterboxd. Register. Review and "Like" reviews of the film or films you want to see restored. Register and make comments on The Criterion Forum.
The Criterion Forum Org
Believe it or not, this information is monitored. All of this might seem futile, but it isn't.
Welcome To L.A.
Alan Rudolph, 1976
Alan Rudolph's early work is being "re-visited."
This is how we got Rosemary's Baby, Moonrise Kingdom, The American Dreamer, Cat People, The Werner Herzog Collection, Safe, Black Moon, The Night Porter, Pillow Book, Audition, The Telephone Book, Seconds, Dressed To Kill, The Bitter Tears of Petra von Kant, Two-Lane Blacktop, Harold & Maud, The Rose and All That Jazz restored and re-distributed to Blu-Ray and HD.
Often Paramount and Fox are easier for boutique labels to secure deals because the licensing with these studios tends to be a bit less restrictive. A great number of their films were actually independent films that were picked up for distribution. As an example, Paramount had the rights for distribution for Rosemary's Baby, but it was limited. The film technically belongs to Robert Evans and Roman Polanski.
Alan J. Pakula, 1971
And of course there is the very much available for restoration and re-distribution film of legend, BOOM!, just waiting for Shout Factory or Vinegar Syndrome.
Keep the faith.
Matty Stanfield, 9.22.15
Alan J. Pakula
Alan Parker
Andy Warhol's Dracula
Barnet Kellman
Bitter Tears of Petra von Kant
Claudia Weill
Film Directors of Note
Film Festival Circuit
Film of Note
Forgotten Films
Hal Ashby
Harold & Maud
Irvin Kershner
Miami Rhspsody
Michael Lindsay-Hogg
Mill Creek Entertainment
Olive Films
Paul Morrissey
Pillow Book
Portnoy's Complaint
Remastering
Shout Factory
Straight Talking
Tell Me That You Love Me
The American Dreamer
The Criterion Forum
The Night Porter
The Telephone Book
The Walker Center
The Werner Herzog Collection
Two-Lane Blacktop
Vinegar Syndrome
Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?
September 22nd by Matty Stanfield in	BFI Columbia Pictures Film Film Art Film Criticism Film Preservation Film Restoration Film Theory Olive Films Paramount Shout Factory Sony The Criterion Collection Twilight Entertainment Universal Studios Warner Archive Collection Warner Brothers
Cinematic Deceptions or A Wolf in Monsters' Clothing
Things are about to get very strange…
Valerie and her Week of Wonders
Jaromil Jires, 1970
Photograph | Jan Kudela
"The Dreamer awakes.
The shadow goes by.
The tale I have told you, that tale is a lie.
But listen to me, Bright maiden, proud youth.
The tale is a lie; What it tells is the truth."
— Author Unknown, Traditional folktale ending
When we are children and an adult reads or tells us a story from the realm of "fairy tales" or folklore, a profound logic seeps into our psyche that never leaves. An aspect or a key moment in one of these stories becomes a core foundation of our identity. It seems impossible that some bit of a childhood story has worked its way so deeply into our perception of logic. When given a period of time to "digest" this idea it no longer seems impossible. It is valid truth. This is not a bad thing. The illogical silliness of some old folklore bears a great deal of truth that is easier for a child to grasp when told in the form of a "Once Upon A Time.." context. Folklore, mythology and fairy tales are grounded in some subversion of truth. It isn't the fox in Little Red Riding Hood or the witch in Hansel and Gretel that scares us and merges into our logic. It is the deception perpetuated by these character archetypes that grabs our tiny minds and never lets go.This is an important understanding for every human being: Don't trust strangers. It is certainly a crucial idea that every child must understand.
On the flip-side of this logic, sometimes those terrifying allegories form such a strong hold within our minds it aids in a perpetuation of illogical paranoia.
Horror is fast approaching…
Father Tucker's Play-Time
Series Edition of Little Red Riding Hood, c. 1910
Unfounded feelings or suspicions that can linger with us well into our adulthood. While it is absurd to think your Grandmother or anyone upon whom you depend could morph into a fanged sort of demon intent on eating you, it doesn't mean that in a crisis of an elder's illness you won't have a nightmare in which this happens. This is the subconscious creating a metaphor out of the stressors involved in your worries for and about her care. On a conscious level, that a walk in the woods might seem fun but something inside you worries that it could easily become a walk into unspeakable dangers. A jump into the ocean for a swim can sometimes be met with a fear that somewhere just below us, John Williams' musical notes are trying to warn us of that giant shark that is about to attack. We know that the forest and the ocean contain dangers, but these are dangers that are very low from a realistic perspective. This is when those parables, allegories, metaphors and movies come to the surface of our adult identities. It is easy for many to push back these illogical concerns, but for some it gets a bit more murky.
Exploring fairy tales, folklore and mythology is nothing new for filmmakers. They often hold the same sort of spell over us as do the stories that inspire them. Movies have always played a strong role in my life. Partly because I grew up constantly seeing them, but also because I desperately needed to escape my reality. My father was insane. It was mistaken for "eccentricity" at the time. But he was a scary man. He was brilliant at deception. For the first nine years of my life, I viewed him as constant threat. But that is a whole other blog. For now, let's stick with the fact that my father was insane and he had no clue regarding "appropriate boundaries." The few boundaries he had were skewed at best.
Interestingly, it would be my greatest source of fear who led me to the power of movies and the escape they offered. This started very early in my life. He seemed to have no idea as to what was acceptable for a child to see. Naturally, as child I didn't mind this at all. But often I would see images and stories that left me feeling deeply confused and afraid. Children are far aware that culture gives credit. A child may not be able to articulate an understanding, but they understand much more than most think. I can remember my father making a last minute decision that we were going to the movies. My mother was not home. As we walked up the ticket counter he must have requested one adult and one child. I'm not sure, but I the woman behind the ticket counter became quite upset, "Sir, this is not a movie for a child! How old are you, sweetie?" I still remember the shocking way her tough voice suddenly took on a honey-dewed sweetness. Before I could form an answer, I felt the seemingly giant hand of my father firmly clenched my head. "His age is none of your business. How much do I owe you?"
"Do you know what she did, your cunting daughter?"
Linda Blair inciting heart attacks and long lines at the box office.
The Exorcist did not scare me at that time. To be honest, I was just confused. My biggest concern regarding the movie was trying to understand why people around us seemed so disturbed. When I whispered, "Her voice don't match her lips." was greeted with hushes from all corners. It would be years later that the horrific side of this film became apparent to me. As a child, it seemed more silly than scary. I understood I was not tell mom we saw it. Later my father took me to the drive-in. Drive-in's always showed movies in "double bills." Pay one price per head and see two movies. The movies were usually older and more obscure than what one would find in a traditional cinema. As my father adjusted the speaker to his window the show began. The first movie was about vampires. Later I realized that this was Roman Polanski's The Fearless Vampire Killers. I'm not exactly sure how old I was, but I am thinking I was about 8. Once again, I wasn't particularly scared. To be honest, I remember being more concerned about this odd dude who walked around my father's car. My father pulled out his pistol and the odd man quickly vanished.
The second feature would have a much dramatic impact and it intoxicated my tiny brain. It was scary to me, but it seemed to require my attention. I might not have been able to state what the film was about, but I suspect I understood it better than most of the adults sitting in their cars. This girl was in trouble and none of it was her fault. I was worried for her. And the images that were projected on that outdoor screen were searing into my being. I did ask my father about it. He said something to the effect that it was an artsy-fartzy movie. He was bored and wanted to leave, but I begged him to stay and let us watch it. It would be years later that a friend's older cousin produced a beat-up old VHS tape for us to watch. The images were pretty muddy, but these were the same ones I had seen as child. I was pulled into the screen of my friend's television. As I watched it all flow out too quickly for my stoned consciousness to read the blurry subtitles my friend kept muttering, "What the fuck? No, Matty! What the fuck? Make it stop!" She rolled around laughing. Occasionally sneaking a peak, she would scream in a sort of mocked horror.
The movie we were watching was Valerie and Her Week of Wonders. Returning to this film with a clear and adult perspective, it is easy that my childhood reality lent this surreal film a great more power than it intended.
Jan Curík | Cinematography
Shot in 1969 and released in 1970, Valerie and Her Week of Wonders marks the end of The Czech New Wave. No doubt it ended up on a double-billing with another old movie at the drive-in. I'm not sure where my friend's cousin got his tape. I would be in my 30's before it was even remotely "restored" and released via DVD. After a good deal of work, Criterion has recently re-issued a pristine version with improved subtitles. Watching Jaromil Jireš' bizarre movie within the context of the 21st Century is challenging. Based on Vítězslav Nezval 1930's Surrealist novel, the entire production is almost drenched in Gothica.
"Sirin and Alkonost, the Birds of Joy and Sorrow" by Viktor Vasnetsov, 1896
Was thought to have had an impact on Vítězslav Nezval
Nezval was key member of the Czech Surrealist Movement, and Jireš' utilizes his dialogue and adheres to Nezval's core aesthetics. Nezval wrote the following in his "Forward" for his book, Valerie and her Week of Wonders:
"I wrote this novel out of a love of the mystique in those ancient tales, superstitions and romances, printed in Gothic script, which used to flit before my eyes and declined to convey to me their content. …If, with this book, I will have given [the readers] an evocation of the rare and tenuous sensations which compelled me to write a story that borders on the ridiculous and trite, I shall be satisfied."
Nezval's book still holds interest, but it is far more complex than the movie it would inspire. At times the book seems like it is intended to be comical, but then takes a twisted turn to the grotesque. It is filled with narratives of the Gothica tradition. It is also creepy in the use of eroticism. Unlike the book, the film adaptation forms an immediate tie to the Pohádka. This is the term for the Czechoslovakian concept of "fairy tales" which is more than a little different from our perceptions of parables. The Pohádka holds an important place in Czech culture and is often steeped in religious ideologies. From what I've been able to gather, the "Evil" characters are even more cruel and the "good" characters are quickly identified as victims who may or may not take vengeance. The victims may not even survive. I apologize if I offer a weak definition of Pohádka. Please feel free to leave a comment to correct or clarify my description.
Jaroslava Schallerová as Valerie, the dutiful granddaughter practices her piano lessons.
The plot is deceptively simple: a beautiful 13 year old orphaned girl has her first period and, as she starts her path toward womanhood, she is confronted with a series of horrify and menacing people and situations. These individuals and the circumstances in which she meets and experiences them is in a world that may or may not be strictly limited to her imagination. Poor Valerie seems to be living in a sort of disorienting dream state.
The film begins with a beautiful young girl napping in some form of surreal post-hippie gazebo. In the first of many "forms" a thief arrives. Dangling upside down he magically slips Valerie's earrings off. She awakens just in time to see him running away. She runs after this thief to determine his identity and why he took her earrings. Valerie seems more intrigued than upset. As she roams about her village people began to take a grotesque formations. We have already met her grandmother. Grandma is strange from the first moment she enters our view. Valerie seems to realize that something is not quite right with Grandma, but she doesn't let on. Later as she floats in a small pool of water in her village's fountain. As she prepares to emerge from the water, she becomes entranced by the water's ripples. The thief returns. This time he magically slips her earrings back on. Seemingly content she begins her walk home.
A First Menses has never appeared this easy or so pretty as Valerie admires her blood drips on the daisies.
In what must be the oddest cinematic depiction of a female's first menstruation, Valerie notices drips of blood falling on the daisies over which she gently glides. She does not appear alarmed or upset. She simply marvels at the beauty of the red blood droplets on the flowers. She then dashes home to the safety of her pristinely white and innocent bedroom. She falls into a deep sleep. It is very hard to know if the rest of what we see is a nightmare or her reality.
Valeris is becoming suspect of her Grandmother.
Her ghostly Grandmother begins to form into a sinister threat. Other females enter her world who seem to share her Grandmother's face. And each new version of Granny offers a new level of terror. Her yearning to know who her parents were takes on an odd level of horror. As she looks through her Grandmother's dining room window she sees a procession of interesting and happy-looking people. Her Grandmother states that these are the missionaries and that they will be providing sleeping quarters for one of the priests. As Valerie looks at the people she begins to notice a number of things that seem "off" but most noticeably is a horrific looking man hiding his face behind an equally disturbing mask.
Oh, not to worry. He is just a former lover of Grandma's.
Cinematography | Jan Curík
This "man" looks more like a monster than a person. But Grandma dismisses Valerie's concerns. There is no need to be alarmed. Granny reveals that this vile creature is just a former lover.
Valerie receives an invitation to a sermon for all of the village virgins. Valerie, being a virgin and a "good girl" goes to the sermon. It isn't long before Valerie meets the man who took and returned her earrings. He proclaims his love and desire for Valerie. The physicality of this man has changed twice already. Valerie seems hesitant, but she clearly finds this form attractive. He warns that the monster she saw is not some just some former lover of her Grandmother but true Evil in human form.
Before long Valerie discovers that this monster might be her father. And that the boy who seeks her affections might be her brother. Or, her father. Identities change so often that we are more confused than Valerie. When she returns home where she is led to a secret chamber. She is forced to witness her Grandmother in a series of sadistic and perverse sexual tortures for her "former lover" who now looks like a priest. From Valerie's perspective it is hard to know if Granny is 'getting off' or in jeopardy. This sadistic priest is called Gracian. This vile priest proves to be one of the most cruel of Valerie's world. When Valerie refuses to give in to his disgusting sexual advances which quickly turn to the threat of rape, he conspires to have the whole village turn against Valerie. He claims she is a witch entrancing everyone with her beauty. They attempt to burn her at the stake! Oh, poor Valerie! What is she to do?
Wait? Is this really my week of wonders or are all my friends and family trying to burn me at the stake??!? Oh, poor Valerie!
Fear not, despite the flames and rope — Valerie never seems too concerned with this situation. She makes fun of the priest and spectators who were once her friends and neighbors. She magically escapes the fate of the burning stake only to find more horrific challenges ahead. It would seem that her creepy old Grandma has made a pact with Evil. She will surrender Valerie to him in exchange for the return of her youth and beauty. It all gets quite upsetting for little Valerie. Upon learning of her Grandmother's cruel pact with Evil, she discovers that her recently wedded neighbor has been assaulted by a vampire! But not before this adult neighbor attempts to seduce Valerie. As with most of Valerie's interactions, she is just curious enough to allow an erotic opportunity to start, but then she immediately finds a way to break free of the erotic commitment. This is the case regarding what appears to lesbian sex is actually feeble attempt to suck Valeri's blood for strength. Oddly, once Valerie manages to calm her "friend" they both seem to fall asleep. Or that is what appears to happen.
Oh, Valerie! Trust your instincts! Your Granny wants your youth and beauty!
Valerie's week of "wonders" is really turned into a week of confusion. She soon learns that her parents are quite alive. When they show up, Valerie notices that her mother looks just like her Grandmother, her father looks just like her would-be suitor who she had originally thought might be her brother. And as for the Evil Monster, like the others who populate her world, he is continually vacillating his intentions.
For Valerie, evil becomes the one constant that is seemingly always wanting to kill, seduce or trap her.
He is clearly some sort of vampire. But just as soon as he seems hellbent on sucking away all of her life's blood, he is more interested in seducing her. Then, and without warning, he seems intent on raping her. Just when Valerie thinks she know what this Evil Monster wants, he offers to save her. Valerie is amongst every sort of imaginable identity of harm and danger. Possible familial connections turn toward incest, neighbors become enemies in the form of potential lovers or vampires or just plain old ghouls. Every one she encounters is loaded with vile intent.
All while filmmaker, Jaromil Jires, fills her world with symbolic colors, constantly alternating tones and metaphors of all shapes and sizes. From beginning to end the movie is a total trip into stunningly beautiful and ugly oddness. The strange appearances of the actors and Jan Curík's stunning cinematography make it almost impossible to look away. Is should be noted that Ester Krumbachová served as the film's Production Designer. Film buffs will note that she was also responsible for the look of Vera Chytilova's groundbreaking 1966 film, Daisies. Her work here is actually more impressive.
Wow. This is some week alright…
I've essentially been making fun of this truly amazing movie. But it is clearly intended to make us laugh as much as it makes us squirm. Valerie and her Week of Wonders is a surreal view of the implications of pending womanhood. The most surprising thing is this film is made by a man based upon the book by another very famous male writer. So is this is a limited male perspective on the challenges of women? Being a male, I'm not qualified to answer. At times the film's depiction of women is most certainly grounded in a male perspective. However much of what the film explores feels relevant to the all-too-real threats that constantly loom over women.
As soon as the lead character receives the biological sign that "womanhood" is shortly pending, everyone around her seems to shift in motivations and interests regarding Valerie's identity. Men seem intent on either seducing, molesting or raping her. And if that is not the intended goal, the sexual is over-ruled to hurt, theft, torture or murder. The women in Valerie's world change as well. Women now seem to view her as a threat to their own individual identity and worth. Or they desire her in sexual ways that she can't quite understand. She is an innocent, but those in her world no longer view her as such. She is now essentially "an object" on which they feel free to project love, lust, desire, anger, jealousy, pain, degradation, humiliation and even death. Valerie is no longer a sweet little girl. Valerie is now a potential prize or victim.
Beautiful Innocence is now an object available for the taking. Or so they think…
It is important to note that Valerie manages to escape and conquer all the challenges that come her way. She is no one's victim. She sometimes falters as she attempts to understand or is sometimes even partially pulled toward some of the eroticisms — but those are fleeting moments. Valerie is steadfast in protecting herself. Her goal is to survive. And to survive with her dignity in place. Jaromil Jires offers one scene twice in the film: a small group of sensually enraptured women are engaging in an intense but somehow banal level of erotic play in a flowing stream of water. These women seem taken over by sensual delight in every aspect of themselves, each other, the sheer clothing that covers that wet bodies. They tease each other with soft kisses and even attempt to catch the fish swimming by to drop down their "barely-there" dresses and skin. We see Valerie walk past the stream twice from opposing sides of the stream. Our Valerie is clearly amused and passively interested in what these sultry lady-girls are up to. However, when one or more of these women notice Valerie and invite her to join them — Valerie becomes embarrassed or troubled and rushes her way past them. In between her her views of these lusty maidens, she runs across the river. As she crosses she notices the horror of one of the men from her world left for dead in the rapids of the stream that lead to these water vixens. Is there a connection to their perpetual state of wet eroticism and the dead man just a ways up stream?
Uh, oh. What fresh hell is this?
Sadly, Valerie's "wonders" or "curiosities" is most likely going to be longer than a week. This surreal dreamscape now might be her fate. It is hard to determine the intention of the film's ending. As her horrifying and eroticall-fueled week comes to an end, all she wants to do is escape back to the safety of her pristinely innocent bedroom that has been bathed in warm white light. Her bedroom may be small, but it contains all she loves and treasures. True, Valerie awakes in her own bed. The problem is that her bed is now placed in the wilderness of her villages' forrest. It is here we leave her. Alone in her bed surrounded by the natural elements of the forrest. The ending is as beautiful as it is disturbing.
The dilemma Jaromil Jires' film presents for modern viewing is almost as challenging as Valerie's week. The part of "Valerie" was played by a 6th grade girl, Jaroslava Schallerová. The movie has no problem in sexualizing this child. Filmed in what can best be described as "dewey erotic lighting" — the actress is often semi or nude and constantly being pulled into sexual intended kisses and caresses. The film veers into the realm of the inappropriate in the way this child actor was filmed.
Valerie in the privacy of her innocent room strikes an alluring pose.
The current view of Film Scholars is that Jires did not film the girl as a "sex object" but more as a "symbol of innocence" trapped in a world filled with sexual desires and constant threat. This defense is weak. I'm not able to buy-in or agree with this attitude.
In defense, the film never even approaches the level of "pornography" or "soft core adult entertainment," but it does go too far. The actress now in her early 50's has always been proud of her fleeting moment of fame. Her mother was present for the entirety of the shoot. A fairly recent interview with the adult woman discusses some of these concerns. Adding to my own conundrum regarding the way a child was filmed is the fact that I still admire Louis Malle's 1978's Pretty Baby. Brooke Shields was 13 when she appeared as a prostitute and is filmed nude several times. Pretty Baby is highly regarded in the world of film. Because no male touches her while nude, it falls into the legal realm. Brooke Shields, a highly educated and clearly intelligent woman does not look back on the experience as negative. Both of these women appear to be healthy and unharmed.
Welcome to the adult world in which your earrings as well as your innocence are up for grabs.
I still wonder if either Ms. Shields or Ms. Schallerová would allow their 12 or 13 year old daughter to be in these films.
Louis Malle's 1978 film, Pretty Baby, created some controversy at the time it was released. But it never generated any legal doubts that Brooke Shields was exploited. It remains a potent film, that feels suspect.
I would not. I somehow suspect they would not either. Audiences should be warned that this envelope is pushed. Though no where near to the point that Louis Malle pushed it in 1978.
Despite this ethically concern, I can't help but love the artistry and the film itself. It is a highly effective surrealist attempt to capture both the human psychological and emotional experience of gaining a mature understanding of the world. A world that will very quickly become her/his own. In many respects the morphing of the familiar into the unknown or monstrous is resonating. Of course this lies at the heart of many fairy tales. And Valerie and her Week of Wonders never strays too far from a world that feels like that of twisted folklore. The film is edited and shot in ways that allow the viewer to constantly find new ideas or points with each viewing. It applies a circular sort of logic which invites multiple interpretations. Valerie and her Week of Wonders is a totally unique cinematic experience.
Now we fast-forward 44 years later and approximately 250 miles away to a modern-day village in Germany. Till Kleinert's Der Samurai is a newer but equally puzzling re-examination of "identity" within a fairy tale-like world.
Trying to catch a wolf without harming it. But will that satisfy the deceptive wolf?
Till Kleinert, 2014
Cinematography | Martin Hanslmayr
In his amazing and jolting directorial debut, Til Kleinert is exploring deception in a more familiar setting. It also should be noted that there is a growing concern in parts of Germany regarding wolves. For decades the German Wolf was near the point of extinction. In the last decade these wolves have returned to the point of near over-population. This has generated valid concern for the towns that exist near forested areas. While much of our fears regarding wolves is out of proportion to reality, when they start roaming in packs or are hungry — the question of "proportional fear" becomes trivial. We catch a glimpse of the German village in which this story takes place at the beginning. The homes are gathered closely together as if in group formation. The modern windows have metallic-like shades that close from the inside. This is not uncommon in Europe, but to our eyes it seems kind of creepy. This village would appear to be formed out of a shared fear of the woods that surround it.
Our innocent hero appears to be a sincere, kind, gentle and lonely man. There are also hints that he hides his intentions very well. He seems almost stubbornly stern when it comes to expressing himself. Jakob may be young but he is a grown man. He is a cop. And he takes his job more than seriously. Jakob seems truly dedicated to protecting the law those who reside in his environment. His village is experiencing a series of minor but annoying mishaps relating to a wolf. It seems the filmmaker's intent that we notice that this community's shared fear is aimed at a wolf — there seems to be no clear articulation of the plural version of wolf. This appears to be a fear of one wolf. Jakob does not seem to fear the wolf like his village. He seems more concerned about trying to stop the wolf from bothering the villagers. We first see him tying up sheer-thin bags of bloody raw meat from low hanging branches to allow easy access. Jakob appears to hope that these bags will satisfy the wolf and prevent it from lurking out into the village. Or not? We are presented with an unanswered question regarding our hero's actions. Is this an attempt to keep the wolf out of the village or is this merely an attempt to feed the wolf.
Jakob's concerns relating to this wolf are very different than his fellow residents. The threat of this wolf is taking on a strange level of horror. Knocking over outdoor trash containers and the alarmed barking of family dogs is resulting in a seemingly illogical reaction. Jakob not only seems perplexed by the level of fear this wolf is causing, he is at a loss at just how concerned everyone seems to be. Michel Diercks plays Jakob with a cautious and thoughtful performance. Diereses' performance seems to hint at something that the viewer can't quite understand. His concern for the wolf's safety seems as odd as the villagers fear. Kleinert frames his story within the context of being afraid of something "out there" that is not only on the prowl but poised for menace.
Something is out there. Just beyond the trees. Is it a wolf? A werewolf or something altogether different?
Der Samuari
One evening as Jakob starts to leave the sherif office for home, he discovers a package delivered to his attention. The package is actually addressed to "Lonely Wolf." And so the tale begins. Jacob receives a phone call. A whiskey and cigarette damaged female voice advises him of the address to which he needs to deliver the package. It is difficult to articulate why the phone call is so erie. Part of it is in the delivery of what is said and the other part is the way in which Jacob reacts. As we hear the caller's voice it is clear that she is flirting, but also daring the cop to follow her directions. The package is for her and she strongly urges that he must deliver it to her. There is a tinge of cruelty in her chuckle as she provides her address.
Jacob seems more curious than concerned. It is a disturbing moment in a horror film that very quickly pushes the boundaries of tension to surprising level of creepy horror. As Jakob approaches the dilapidated old cottage occupying carrying the thin long package which he has been "advised" to deliver, a unexpected unease fills us. You don't want Jacob to go in. You want him to call for 'back-up.' The cottage not only looks sinister, it feels sinister. Carrying the box up the seemingly grimly rotted stairs he soon meets the owner of the voice that called him. Sitting crouched in front of an old dresser mirror, her face is hidden. It is clear that she has been applying a great deal of make-up. An abandoned doll hangs by a noose. Pictures from fashion magazines hang around this obviously well muscled person. The pages have been defaced and are fading away. The room is damaged from years of neglect and water damage. It is impossible not to note that what appears to have been yellow wallpaper has been illogically covered with streaks of red. Blood red.
Pit Bukowski is getting ready to really give the villagers something to panic about…
It is difficult to pin-down what it is about this movie that is so unnerving. The two lead actors are great. The film is incredibly well styled. But Till Kleinert finds a way to really get under our skins. The villagers' fear is not misplaced. Indeed, there is something waiting in the woods to roam out after sunset to wreck havoc upon their quiet little village. But is it not the wolf they have imagined. This wolf is a man made-up and wearing an elegant sort of long slip. The true object of fear is a homicidal and feral transvestite. As this visage pulls the huge samurai sword from Jakob's package, we instantly know that this "something" is no longer happy merely causing havoc and generating this mini-societal fears. This is our wolf and it has a blood-lust of epic proportion. If you are thinking this subversion of fairy tale is mired in what can easily issue a reaction of concern, you are correct. Only the most homophobic of viewers will not feel a pang of "Political Incorrectness" warning flags poking at them from the screen. Before the audience has a chance to become offense, Kleinert's film literally jumps into a frantic level of strange and undeniably fascinating horror film.
Jakob is fully aware of the potential for danger as this almost feral, androgynous and seductive figure carefully caresses her new weapon. He tries to talk this self-proclaimed Samurai out of jumping out of the house. Jakob attempts to apply logic that somehow feels confused. Der samurai seems to take on a sort of perverse beauty in his elegant white slip as well as a sense of supernatural strength. She has no time or interest in listening to Jakob's concern and protests. She has an axe to grind with this tiny village cloaked away within the German forests. She is out for vengeance and blood.
Pit Bukowski as Der Samurai who takes no prisoners.
As tensions mounts so do the ever expanding Surrealist stylings. Der Samurai is almost unrelenting in generating our guilt and fear. And while the gore goes to extremes, it is intentionally unreal. Jakob follows this raging "wolf" down deserted streets filled with her violent vengeance. Everything has been slashed and torn up. And Jacob has forgotten his gun. It gradually becomes clear that the kindly Jakob is not as much "hunting" this wolf down, he is starting to encage in a grim sort of dance. This is both figurative and literal.
Facing the werewolf or an identity long repressed? Or maybe not.
Cinematography| Martin Hanslmayr
As we follow this pursuit or dance, more and more of the the villagers are being laid to brutal waste. It may be silly and even look "unreal" but Der Samurai has entered into a truly disturbing frenzy. To be honest, there were more than a few times I had to ask myself, "Did that just happen?" And just as the audience thinks that it has got the whole thing figured out, Till Kleinert turns it all around again. This demented twist on the "fairy" tale continues to escalate along with our unease and fear. Jakob has no choice. He must stop this dance and slay this maniacal "wolf" in tranny clothing. As he approaches to to take this mythical evil creature down, we discover that Der Samurai has shed the costume. Ravenously eating the contents Jakob's blood-drenched meat bag, Der Samurai is nude. It is a deliberate choice that Kleinert shows that our nude monster is now packing more than a huge sword. His "excitement" has swelled to form the potential for a whole other type of "swordplay". This is only one of many darkly comic and inappropriate moments in the movie. Jakob is clearly more afraid of a penis erection than a samurai sword or the muscular threat of this wolf who we now know was only hiding in monster's clothing. This is a problematically loaded bit of metaphor.
Feeding the wolf or attempting to put out the fire with gasoline. It doesn't matter. Der Samurai is ready to fight our hero.
Jakob would at first seem to want to repress or stifle the beast that threatens his village. But in the end he must face the evil and destroy it. Once again a sort of circular logic is displayed. We do not know where this tale has taken us. The final shot of the film is as confusing as it is entertaining. The grande finale is really as surprising as it is awesome. As Jakob appears to go on full attack of the monster terrorizing the quiet village, the musical score gives sway to a silly and diametrically opposed pop song by The Ark. Suddenly Der Samurai slips into a sort of parody of 1980's Rambo-like hero anthem. On paper is seems like a truly ludicrous idea, but in practice it is a magical way to relieve the audience tension and remind us that we are seeing a sort of fairy tale. The lessons of which only really reveal themselves after we achieve some distance from the work. Is there actually a wolf at all? Is our "hero" also our "monster?" It is unclear. Once again the Surrealistic circular logic prevents an established answer. However one very realistic idea is formed: When a society oppresses the individual and that individual gives in and represses their own identity — the results can be catastrophic. Eventually the needs of the "self" must be addressed in one way or another. More than likely the self will assert in a skewed ideology that not only matches the societal ideology, but surpasses it.
Slaying the Beast of the Village? Or not?
Der Samurai is wide open for interpretation. I've heard and read it described as "Queer Surrealist Horror" to a "perverse reworking of 'The Big Bad Wolf.'" I do not agree with either label. This is a sleek and effective spin on folklore presented in both a Surrealist and Absurdist way. ,While Til Kleinert is willing to risk his metaphor and parable being misunderstood as "self-loathing" or "homophobic" or "misogynistic," it clearly is not. Kleinert is willing to trust the intelligence of his audience to understand the film. This film is far too smart, polished and subversively rebellious to be considered as inappropriate art or offensive. This is a spin on a fairy tale and folklore is taken to an unexpected place. It is a thrilling and unforgettable film. Kudos to ArtSploitation for releasing it via VOD, DVD and Blu-ray. The Artsploitation label usually restricts itself to gore horror of the lowest denominator, but in this case they have helped secure the release of a valuable work of Art Horror.
One thing is for sure: There is 'something' on both sides of that window. And neither offer a 'happy ever after'
Like Valerie and her Week of Wonders, Der Samurai is more of an experience than a typical narrative film. It washes over you. You are left both exhilarated and confused. Both of these film present themselves with a non verbalized, "Once upon a time…" and bring us to the conclusions that while the world offers us "choices" they are seldom easy to chose. To deny the reality of the deceptions that hide along our life paths is not only problematic — it is dangerous.
And like most fairy tales, these are not for children. In truth, the origins of fairy tales and folklore were really simple ways to explain the complexities of human existence and survival. These parables attempted to explain what is often unexplainable.
At the end of a journey, we may find our way back to bed. But our bed has been moved to a place than can offer no happy ending or safety. More to the point: there is no such thing as a "happily ever after."
Fairy tales do not always offer happy endings. When viewed as initially intended, there was never such a thing as Happily Ever After.
Achetype
Artsploitation
Cinematic Metaphore
Czech Fairy Tales
Czechoslovakian Film
Ester Krumbachová
German Fairy Tales
German Film
German Folklore
Jan Curík
Jan Kudela
Jaromil Jires
Jaroslava Schallerová
Jungian Achetype
Martin Hanslmayr
Michel Diercks
Not Suitable for Children
Opression
Pit Bukowski
Surrealmism
The Fearless Vampire Killers
Till Kleinert
Vera Chytilova
July 11th by Matty Stanfield in	Art House Cinema Cinematography Cult Film Czechoslovakian Cinema Der Samurai Experimental Film Fairy Tales Film Art Film Criticism Film Theory Folklore German Film Jan Curík Jaromil Jires Martin Hanslmayr Pohádka Surrealism Till Kleinert Valerie and Her Week of Wonders Vampire Werewolf
"It's the one!" or Pursuit of Remastering / Reissuing Lost Film Art
Please Note: The validity of the information I've translated in the following post must be viewed as conjecture. Time and emotional perspectives seem to distort, amplify and confuse "fact" into varying degrees of truth, unfairly skewed opinion, and incorrect analysis. Sadly, old grudges, resentments and jealousies can lead "logic" to "mythologic." The fact is that a number of people who were directly involved in a specific situation often remember it differently. What they have adapted to "truth" is sometimes little more than gossip. It is a challenge to determine how to look back in cinematic history. I've done my best to "filter" through the questionable to include what is most likely true. Please be aware that my "filtering abilities" are very limited in scope. It is not my intention to play into or further tighten untruth.
"Gossip is the opiate of the oppressed." — Erica Jong
In the Robert Altman's 3 Women, Shelley Duvall gleefully informs Sissy Spacek, "This is my parking space. It's the best one!" Later Duvall explains, "That's Dirty Girtie! Pull her bow and she'll say hello!" …her delivery of those lines creates an odd and varied response for viewers. Some giggle, some laugh, some are not sure how to react, but many viewers feel the need to squirm.
"1 woman became 2/2 women became 3/3 women became 1"
Cinematography | Charles Rosher Jr.
When 3 Women debuted, nearly all of the major critics swooned. But the most powerful Film Critic of the day, Pauline Kael, truly disliked the movie. Her negative viewpoint of this film is of particular interest because up until this movie, Kael had been a consistently staunch Altman ally. When 20th Century Fox released it into cinemas, audiences were either entranced, confused or indifferent. In 1977 there was no Internet. There were no cell phones. While many people took the time to read serious film criticism, access to "Art Films" was largely limited to major cities like Manhattan, Boston or Los Angele. Before any sort of "word of mouth" regarding Robert Altman's surreal experimental film had the chance to spread, it was pulled out of circulation within 8 days. Over the following two decades 3 Women became not only a "Cult Classic" but was largely considered one of the most important American films of the 1970's. Yet only a very few had ever actually seen an uncut or clear presentation of the film.
Shelley Duvall improvises Millie Lammoreaux with an mid-mix of comedy and looming horror. Welcome to Robert Altman's dream turned to film.
Robert Altman's study of identity, isolation, loneliness and sexuality is pure cinematic magic. Shelley Duvall and Sissy Spacek are pitch-perfect. The cinematic experimentation employed is fully realized. Altman had a strange dream. He then brought it to life allowing his two key actors the freedom to improvise and create their individual visions which could blend with his. Sissy Spacek is outstanding in the film, but it is Shelley Duvall who remains the film's vital core.
"You're the most perfect person I've met."
Sissy Spacek prepares to take aim.
If you've not seen it, prepare yourself for a film completely different and oddly disturbing. Were it not for the help of Altman and the dedication of some folks at Criterion, 3 Women might have been forever lost in an abbreviated and muddy form of a memory. In 2004, just two years prior to Altman's passing, it was finally properly restored and placed within the correct ratio. There are more than a few people who hated it when it was released for brief week in 1977 who now find it hard to believe that they didn't like it. Most interestingly, a lot of viewer's who parodied Shelley Duvall's carefully articulated "Millie" discovered there was a great deal more to her artistry than realized via YouTube and scruffy VHS tapes revealed.
Shelley Duvall has been the victim of gossip and collective mythology. Duvall is not insane. Rest assured she is not wandering around the heat of Texas trying to runaway from UFO's. People actually believe these ridiculous rumors. The truth is that Shelley Duvall just tired of the pressures of the business. After a great deal of success creating a television series that artfully retold fairy tales, she decided to focus her attentions
"I had the most wonderful dream…"
Sissy Spacek / Shelley Duvall
Robert Atlman, 1977
to the care and promotion of animal rights. As the 1990's came to a close, she relocated permanently back in Texas. She likes her privacy, but she is not a recluse. She remains an endearingly eccentric but highly intelligent woman. It would have been interesting to gain her perspective regarding the production and her experience of 3 Women and subsequent reception. It was out of respect for her wishes to go under the radar of "celebrity" that she did not take part in Criterion's restoration or release. But Shelley Duvall will always hold a fascination of the collective consciousness. 3 Women and The Shining remain her most studied work. You would be hard pressed to think of two more oddly-effective performances in two films that hold a great deal of power in film lore.
What is it that pulled you up into that cinema screen?
It is challenging to even attempt to articulate how difficult it often is to secure these "lost" or "forgotten" films. My reaction to the stubborn dedication to find these films: "Man, it is really cool she loves this movie so much she is willing to devote several years trying to secure the rights to restore and distribute it." At the same time, I do get it.
The logic is found in answers to questions like: What draws us to movies? What is about a particular movie that makes it important? Why do some important works of Film Art fail to gain notice when first released? How do important films get lost? What makes you want to watch a movie more than once? What is in this movie that resonates for you? What lost cinematic treasure would you be willing to pay $30 to own on blu-ray?
And then, come the questions from the organization that needs to fund the pursuit: What makes you think that a re-master/re-transfer of this movie will yield profit? Are we sure that the people who made this movie are willing to encage or revisit the failure of this movie? What makes you think that this person wants to remind people of this movie flop? Don't you know that the person who needs to be involved in this re-issue is incredibly difficult? Are you not aware that this person is insane? Why do you think anyone in this century would be interested in those filmmakers? If this movie is important, why haven't I heard of it?
"Well, here we are on the road."
"Yup, that's where we are all right."
Monte Hellman, 1971
Cinematography |
Jack Deerson
Long out of circulation and "non-distributable" because of disputes over music rights, all it really took were several people who loved Two-Lane Blacktop to swerve around obstacles and navigate challenges with the kind of dedication the two lead characters apply to drag racing. But this amazing film was eventually transferred to HD/Blu-ray via The Criterion Collection. Monte Hellman's film is so effortlessly brilliant, it is hard not to wonder if he had any idea that what he was filming would result in a cinematic masterpiece.
What at first appears to be a vague character study of two dudes drag racing their way across the country slowly develops into a surprisingly insightful art film. In truth, the movie offers only 2 characters: The primer-coated / souped-up '55 chevy and the lonely landscape of late 1960's America. And of the two, only one of these is fully formed. The only reliable thing "The Driver" and "The Mechanic" have in life is their powerful American car and a shared need to speed.
"You can never go fast enough…"
Dennis Wilson, Laurie Bird and Jame Taylor
Cinematography | Jack Deerson
Monte Hellman captures a country sad, detached, lonely and half asleep. With the gift of hindsight, it seems as if Hellman's US is falling asleep as culture slips into a stew of sexual experimentation, identify assertion, self-absorption and paranoia. As we ride alongside these two half-formed men and the free-willed woman they have picked up — we see a world of loneliness, suspicion and isolation. It is all very minimalist in approach, but unbelievable in power.
The challenges involved in securing music rights often appears impossible to resolve. But that worry seems easy when encountering other concerns that greet the initial decision to pursue acquiring the rights to remaster, adjust and transfer a film to the 21st Century HD formats. If the initial line of questioning is met and a firm decision is made to fund the pursuit — a whole slew of new obstacles come up that will lead to a dead end.
While a major studio may have owned distribution rights in the film's era, it usually has no has valid ownership today. But the majors have the power and the influence. Even though former and infamous studio leadership is long gone, there can be resentments and very real grudges that are still seething just beneath the surface. Sometimes, power never forgets. But most often the biggest challenges arrive in securing the trust of some or one talented key artist(s) who have not only secured the rights to some of their own films — they often have one of the very few near-pristine mint copies safely sealed away.
"The earth is my body; my head is in the stars."
Harold and Maude
Hal Ashby, 1971.
It would not be until 2012 that Criterion was able to get this film re-issued in the quality it deserved.
A more challenging situation is when the key artist(s) are no longer living and control has been handed over to an individual, an estate or some other entity. A wide spectrum of potential problems arise. The family of the deceased artist(s) have unrealistic expectations of monetary value. Or for one reason or another is unwilling to discuss the topic. This situation is almost hopeless unless another "key" player in either the film's history or is somehow "connected" to the individuals not interested is willing to step-in and put in a good word.
When looking back at the restoration and re-distribution of many films, the use of then popular songs playing in the background of a scene is particularly difficult. To provide a fictional example: If Madonna's Papa Don't Preach plays for over 20 seconds, an agreement much be reached with the artist or company who owns the rights to the original recording. While it might seem a minor detail that a filmmaker chose to play 65 seconds of Madonna's Papa Don't Preach in a movie. For the filmmaker and to the fans of the film, those 65 seconds of Madonna's pop song are vital. Unless the artist or the publishing company is willing to cut a break this can grind the whole process to a stop. In truth, the reality is usually that if one of the individual's pursuing the film is able to connect with either the artist or someone close to that artist. The problem can often be resolved.
While some artists are truly difficult and unreasonable, most are not. And it is usually the artists who have been most often labeled "difficult" or "unreasonable" are often the easiest and logical people you will encounter. The mythology of gossip is more important to perception than reality. Chances are Madonna has no idea that a few seconds of an old song are blocking the release of a movie. And why would she? The real challenge? …finding a way to contact Madonna without causing her alarm.
Yet something within these films requires the lover(s) of film to push in pursuit of creative ways to secure the opportunity to restore/reissue the movies. Even when everyone and everything tells them "No Way!" There are always individuals who refuse to give up the pursuit. But sometimes the pursuit almost seems like an exorcise in self-torture. Some "challenges" can't be predicted or expected.
Your hairdresser does it better…
Shampoo, Hal Ashby
Cinematography | László Kovács
A highly respected and sought-after film released over 40 years ago remains a "soft spot" for some of the artists involved. This important 1975 movie still stirs powerful feelings among several powerful senior members of The Hollywood Machine. The importance of Hal Ashby's contribution to Film Art is not to be underestimated. He was a master of capturing his era with no concerns regarding the problematic aspects he might discover. This is one of the many reasons his films have retained power. Ashby had the ability to turn the camera on his era, the characters roaming within it and the odd logic applied to choices and actions. His films never manipulate or hold the audience hand. They simply roll out in vivid simple complexity.
And now I enter the void of "filtering" information. I hope what I have come to understand is accurate, but it is very important to note that several artists of note have wildly different perspectives of a film to which they are tied. That being said, I doubt that much of this will be news to many people who have wondered why this film has never been treated appropriately.
When Warren Beatty hired Hal Ashby to take on the role of director for Beatty and Robert Townes' incredibly smart script in 1974, he knew what he was doing. The film that would become Shampoo was a serious examination of ambition, sexual opportunism, misogyny, politics, fear, rage, loneliness and ultimate self-loathing disguised as a sex comedy. At this point one can only theorize why Beatty/Townes decided to set the movie in the Hollywood of 1968. It would seem obvious. When it comes to modern history, 1968 is one of if not the most important years that Post-WWII United States has ever experienced. Shampoo could most certainly be viewed as a realistically scathing study of that moment in time. However, it might be more likely that the decision for setting it in 1968 was a bit more personally complicated.
Julie Christy as Jackie. Her career seems to have stalled. So her hairdresser reminds her of erotic pleasure and gives her new "do" to hopes of propelling an image change. While true to late 60's glam, does it not remind you of a certain movie star's early 60's "do"?
The origins of Shampoo's plot have always been a bit sketchy. Dependent upon which "sources" you feel are more accurate, Shampoo takes an oddly superficial motivation. The filmmakers, or a few of them, have stated that the story was "loosely inspired" by two notable hairdresser of that time. Discussion regarding this matter has always been approached cautiously. It is more than likely that one particular hairdresser is being parodied. And, more than a few people of influence in the early 1970's were referenced within the characters. While several individuals who suspect that they were hidden inside "characters" no longer care if this was true or not. Some very much do still care. As for the hairdresser who may or may not served as the inspiration for Warren Beatty's character — it's a problem. But it is best to not go there.
Shampoo achieved a great deal of success. Both a critical and box office hit, the movie also secured an Oscar for Lee Grant. And Grant really rocks the screen in Shampoo. Interestingly, Grant's further career pursuits seem to have instantly become limited after she received the trophy. Like many supporting actors honored with the Oscar, she sort of fell off the map. The success of Shampoo was more than earned, but it did cause some panic within the rank and file of 1975 Hollywood. More than a few "important" people felt that they were seeing themselves portrayed unfairly. Whether they were correct in that feeling is not clear. But for a movie of such success and esteem, it seemed to take a very long time to find its way to VHS and even longer to make it to DVD. When it was released to DVD, it was given the barest of transfer improvements. Actually, the only improvement was to present it in "letter box format" It didn't look much better on DVD than it had in an already lazy transfer to VHS. Columbia Pictures/Sony no longer own the distribution rights. However, Sony still retains a vested interest in Shampoo that is difficult to clearly define. It has never been restored and transferred to HD/blu-ray quality. Note: It is not for lack of trying. It is unclear if Shampoo will ever be pulled out of the complex mire that keeps it restrained. Yet the pursuit pushes onward.
Another film from the 1970's which has slowly began to be "revisited" from a Film Theory / Cinematic History perspective is far more obscure than Shampoo. This other film was released in 1972. It was independently financed by a very powerful actor/singer who wanted the opportunity to make a film which more personally expressed the ways in which the cultural/societal ideals of rigid Feminism were causing a confusion of female identity. This artist was and remains one of the most misunderstood public figures in entertainment history.
Barbra Streisand at 27.
Photograph | Steve Schapiro, 1969
Barbra Streisand was not yet 30 but was already labeled "iconic" and "superstar" and she was the actor/singer. The movie she wanted to make was Up The Sandbox. It was based on Anne Roiphe's 1970 novel. Up The Sandbox is a particularly interesting example of the way unexpected obstacles block the ability to secure distribution rights and release in HD quality to blu-ray. Once again, it is here that it is often hard to sort out "truth" from "distorted opinions" and tacky old gossip.
In the late 1960's many bankable film stars began to feel the major studios were consistently limiting their artistic abilities and interests. It was then super-agent, Freddie Fields, who came up with an idea for for Barbra Streisand, Sidney Poitier and Paul Newman. He suggested that the 3 iconic artists join together to form a new kind of film production company which would give all 3 creative power in the films they chose to make. As all 3 knew each other fairly well, Freddie Fields felt that each of the four actors trusted each other's individual visions. They agreed.
Film Icons McQueen, Streisand, Newman and Poitier join together to form First Artists. Hollywood, 1969.
Photographer | Unknown to me
Streisand/Poitier/Newman all had the shared goal of controlling their film carriers. In less than a year, Steve McQueen joint the 3. A bit later Dustin Hoffman joined them as the 5th. McQueen/Hoffman also shared the same opinion that the major studios "did not get" who they were or what they could do as actors, producers and directors. Each of them would take on the sole responsibility for each of his/her respective film(s) that they would co-jointly fund. They also committed to produce three films each. There appear to have been other details involved how the partners would reach a consensus to "green light" each project. But I'm uncomfortable in assessing the validity of the information related to this aspect of the artists' agreement. But it does seems to have been more of a "safety net" that these 4 movie stars secured a co-deal which made First Artists a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Interestingly, Warner Brothers seemed hesitant to serve as the distributer for films made by First Artists. National General Pictures was a new distribution company that initially distributed the first several films. Within barely 2 years, NCP was cited for Anti-Trust infringement and was shut-down. At that point WB started distributing First Artists Productions films.
But the initial spirit of United Artists became muddled fairly early in. It seems clear that McQueen liked all of his fellow partners, but he did not agree with their strongly shared political left-wing opinions. McQueen great deal of trouble securing "buy-in" or "agreement" for to pursue the scripts he wanted because they did not reflect what the other 3 artists felt their shared films should reflect. Later on, Dustin Hoffman ran into challenges with not only McQueen but Paul Newman over several projects he wanted to pursue. It is almost impossible to know what actually happened, but one of the aspects of First Artists that continues to surface, Streisand often calm situations. While strident in her political and civil rights concerns — she didn't seem to feel the need to make that an essential aspect of the production company. It has been noted that of the 5, Streisand had the most logical business approach: The individual artist should be granted more control, but the bottomline had to be met. In other words, she might not have been particularly interested in seeing McQueen's The Getaway, but she understood that McQueen knew what he was doing and that his film was likely to be a hit. A clear pattern seems to emerge that Streisand had a clear understanding of the reality that First Artists had to turn profits. Freedom of control would not amount to much in the big picture if monetary success was not achieved. It seems that both Newman and Poitier understood this, but were less concerned.
One of several logos employed by First Artists in the 1970's.
Unlike many of the film production companies that would spring up throughout the late 1980's/1990's, this was not a "tax write-off" or a way for actors to make more money on any film in which he/she stars. This was a legit attempt at taking control of their "individual" and "shared" artistic "visions." First Artists managed to create minor box office hits, but only three significant money-makers: Steve McQueen's The Getaway was the first major hit earning an initial $37,000,000 and later approaching $50,000,000 with worldwide distribution with a budget of only $4,000,000. Both the budget and the box-office earnings were challenged, but it seems those numbers are most accurate. McQueen's film directed by Sam Peckinpah is now a cinematic classic, but it is not clear that it did big business during its initial release.
"Punch it, Baby!"
Sam Peckinpah | 1972
Lucien Ballard | Cinematography
As it would turn out, Streisand was the only of the 5 artists who was able to deliver major commercial hits. Despite an epic pan by critics, her 1976 A Star Is Born earned $80,000,000 and continued to higher profits via world wide distribution. Though it is difficult to fully know what a film earned back in the 1970's, it is thought that A Star Is Born earned well over $100,000,000 by the end of 1977. With a budget of 6,000,000 this would be the only "blockbuster" First Artist would ever produce. Her 1979 movie, The Main Event, once again escaped film critic's disdain when it earned $43,000,000 with a budget of only $8,000,000. Once again it would earn closer to $50,000,000 via world wide release and had secured "blockbuster" status by early 1980. With only three major hits in eleven years, First Artists folded by the end of 1980.
The first two films released were from Paul Newman: Pocket Money and The Life and Times of Judge Roy Bean. Both of these films were released in 1972. Pocket Money failed to make money and was greeted negatively by the critics. The Life and Times of Judge Roy Bean, directed by the great John Huston, initially failed to make money, but critics quite liked it. It also earned an Oscar nomination for "Best Song" and several Golden Globe nominations. This would help it to eventually earn $7,000,000 in 1973. However, the actual budget for Judge Roy Bean remains a mystery. For reasons related to concerns over who would direct, First Artists ended up paying what was then termed "a record price" to secure the rights to John Milius' script. It must have been a true record price because First Artists and Warner Bros. viewed it as a box office loss.
Up the Sandbox would be Barbra Streisand's first venture into the world on the other side of the camera. It would also be the third film First Artists made and released. Up the Sandbox would actually earn some of the best reviews Streisand had yet to receive from serious film critics — most importantly, Pauline Kael. Similar to Paul Newman's Judge Roy Bean, Streisand's first venture started out with a modest budget. Once again, sorting truth from fact is difficult.
"If this is what being a mother is like, I turn in my ovaries!"
Irvin Kershner,1972
Cinematography | Gordon Willis
Streisand wisely asked Irvin Kershner to helm as director. He was her first choice and he accepted immediately. Streisand had a deep respect for Kershner and he for her. As the two began to plan and work with Paul Zindel and his adaptation of the novel to screenplay, Streisand was pressed to increase the budget. The actual truth is not clear, but it appears that Kershner's vision was more ambitious than Streisand's. He felt it was important to treat her character's reality and fantasies in the same way. In other words, he was interested in applying a higher level of Surrealism than Zindel captured in his original draft. Among Kershner's ideas was to film several scenes of the movie in Africa. During post-production, the expensive African shoot was hardly used in the final cut. He also agreed with Streisand that Gordon Willis was the best cinematographer working. Willis' dance card was full at this time and he wasn't just any cinematographer. But he accepted the offer and was hired. Eventually Streisand increased her film's budget to $5,500,0000. Streisand fully supported her director and their cinematographers' instincts. And it bears noting that she still agrees today. She appears to have no regrets regarding Up the Sandbox. But it would be her first cinematic flop. Sandbox earned only $3,500,000. The fact that her film flopped had a more potent impact on her "cred" than the even more substantial losses suffered by her business partners. This is most certainly fact. It can't be disputed. Hollywood's infamous "Boy's Club" was less forgiving toward Streisand than her male business partners. Thus ended Streisand's attempt with experimental cinema.
Fantasies and Mundane Reality merge
Barbra Streisand (without a wig or a net)
Up the Sandbox is dated, but it is an exceptionally interesting surreal experimental film. This not a typical Streisand film. Zindel and Kershner approached the line between realism and fantasy in ways that create a disarming sense of disorientation. What at first appears to be a fairly clear way of fusing reality into fantasy gradually becomes unclear. It is becomes difficult to know when what we have seen is real or fantasy. As the mid-point of the movie arrives, the viewer begins to suspect or wonder if what was "perceived" as a fantasy at the beginning of the film might have actually been "real"
Streisand and her lover head out to express political anarchy through terrorism.
This is achieved by slightly changing the "style" when it comes to some outlandish fantasies and applying an almost passive focus to other fantasies. The character's reality veers into several shifts of style as well. By the time the credits begin to roll, the audience is no longer sure what has been "real" and what has been "fantasy" This intended confusion actually becomes stronger when the viewer has a bit of distance from the film itself. Irvin Kershner crafts the film in a manner that compels repeated viewings.
There was a strong and often confused political stance regarding Feminism of the late 1960's and early 1970's. Many of the Feminist Goals seemed to have applied pressure on many women for whom these goals were not always the optimal choice within the context of daily everyday life. Up the Sandbox's main character is bored and constantly trying to determine where she stands in a world filled with political and sexual revolution. She is feeling uneasy and confused by a growing level of cultural pressure and expectations regarding her own female identity. Her decision to put her "career" on the back-burner to stay at home and raise her children turns a quite valid decision at odds with the culture she navigates. With the gift of hindsight, the main character's conflict with The 1970's Feminist Movement blended with the cinematic experimental style makes Up the Sandbox seem like a very odd career choice for Barbra Streisand both as a producer and a highly politicized public person. It also adds a distinctive underlined power to the movie.
Film critics met the movie with mixed responses. Some loved it. Some were confused. But only a handful of critics disliked it. Perhaps most significant of this era, Pauline Kael gave Streisand praise for taking on and succeeding at playing a character so far from public perceptions of Streisand. First Artist Productions and National General Pictures were equally conflicted about how to market the movie. The decision was to promote the movie as a "comedy" utilizing a Richard Amsel illustration of a pregnant Streisand tied to a baby bottle on the cover of Time Magazine declaring Streisand to be "The dust mop of the year!" It was an odd and misleading choice. By the time it reached cinemas Streisand fans were expecting an R-rated version of What's Up Doc? — instead they found themselves watching an experimental film featuring a version of Streisand they had not seen. There were few wise-cracks. There was no glam. Streisand had not worn a wig for What's Up Doc? but Peter Bogdanovich ensured that her hair was well appointed for each scene — as well as make-up. Up the Sandbox presents Streisand without a wig and the benefit of constant grooming and Gordon Willis applied a natural lighting when he shot her. This was Streisand "acting" and she is believable as an upper-middle class housewife of a middling academic with two children. There were very few typical funny scenes. The humor most often takes the tone of Absurdism. The marketing error is that this was film for Art House Cinemas and it should have been marketed to express that. However, even Pauline Kael's positive assessment wasn't enough to make Film Art supporters believe they should bother seeing the movie.
The film also fueled anger from the left. Vito Russo, a crucial Gay Rights Advocate, was very quick to criticize a liberal with strong ties to the gay community for allowing her character to say a line during what turns out to be a potential lesbian experience. Streisand's repressed character's response is still disturbing. Feminist were angered by this scene and were also frustrated that an ally of The Feminist Movement would even hint at playing a character who is conflicted by anything related to Feminist philosophy. But the mainstream had already ignored the movie before any of these controversies were discussed.
Are we sure she is actually seeing that?
Streisand over-saw the remaster of Up The Sandbox to DVD and Warner Bros released it as a part of DVD box set in 2004. It features a commentary from Streisand as well as Irvin Kershner. Streisand's commentary is not particularly insightful. The main "take away" is that this film was very important to her, she remains proud of the movie but seems genuinely "bruised" by its failure. As she provides her commentary it almost seems like we are hearing a tired mathematician trying to determine the answer to a difficult equation. Irvin Kershner's commentary is more relevant. He touches on the fact that at the time they were filming, friends warned him to not to share some concerns he began to have in mid-production. He took that advice. Long after the film was completed and released, he shared this with Streisand. Both commentaries make it clear that the two were and had remained friends. Kershner discovered that Streisand was hurt that he hadn't trusted her enough as the producer to bring his concerns to her attention. The experience of this film's commercial failure would forever change the way Streisand approached projects. It also resulted in over 2 years of unemployment for Kershner. As he once stated, "It's not so easy to be the only filmmaker to direct a Barbra Streisand movie that flops."
The other 3 DVDs initially only sold as a set with Up the Sandbox were soon offered for purchase individually. Up the Sandbox was the lone non-seller of the set.
Over the past decade this movie has started to gain the attention of number of Film Theory and Film Historians. It seems potentially posed for critical re-evaluation and an ideal time to properly restore the film. It would seem the current challenges are more tied up in confusion about distribution rights and a general mistrust that anyone would buy the blu-ray or HD stream. So the current situation is making the case for Up The Sandbox as a valid and important film. It is a great snapshot of a woman caught in the unique Cultural Web that was spun out of the 1960's. I recently received an email from one of the people most vested in getting this film restored. She wrote: "The film actually feels more French than American. And yet it is filled with idiosyncratic use of 'nameless' iconic pop culture figures…" She is referring to Up the Sandbox's odd assortment of easily recognized but somehow forgotten actors. Most of the minor supporting roles are played by soon to become key players in some very iconic television. Much of TV's The Jeffersons, Electric Company, Laverne & Shirley, One Day At A Time and other soon-to-be-famous 1970's TV show actors are present. Most notably, this was Stockard Channing's film debut. It does sort of add an additional aura of disorientation.
The other "selling points" are that the film speaks to the skill of Irvin Kershner, a great filmmaker who never gained the respect he deserved. He was very much apart of the whole new American filmmaking era that gave us such artists as Altman, Ashby and Arthur Penn. History has largely relegated Kershner to being the director who got into arguments with George Lucas as he directed sequel to Star Wars. Apparently Kershner's idea of adding "a bit more depth" was a daunting challenge for the director of Return of the Jedi. He was an odd pick for that movie and it seems strange that this is the film for which he is remembered. Additionally, Gordon Willis added his brilliance as cinematographer. Up the Sandbox appears to be a lost, forgotten and under-appreciated cinematic curiosity. But it has several key players in the world of film restoration trying to find ways to secure distribution and they are determined.
The whole world of The Film Art Restoration/Release and that of the Boutique DVD/Blu-ray fascinates me. It has also holds a seductive power. I'm intensely curious why certain movies mean so much to people. This is one of the many magic aspects Film Art. It is subjective, but is seems to stir an incredible level of passion. I find it inspirational to see that initial individual who starts the initial journey to restore a film and manages to succeed. And usually even if I'm not particularly interested in the movie, their commitment to these films resonates for me.
1970's Film Art
Charles Rosher Jr.
Cinematic History
Cinematic Treasures
Film Evaluation
Film Re-Distribution
First Artist Production Company
First Artists
Forgotten Film
Freddie Fields
Gordon Willis
Hollywood Gossip
László Kovács
Lucien Ballard
Richard Amsel
Robert Townes
Steve Schapiro
The 1970's Feminist Movement
The Life and Times of Judge Roy Bean
Vito Russo
July 4th by Matty Stanfield in	2-Lane Hardtop 3 Women Anne Roiphe Barbra Streisand Cinematic Resonates Cinematography Film Film Art Film Criticism Film Editing Film Re-Distribution Film Restoration Film Theory Film Theroy First Artist Production Company Gordon Willis Hal Ashby Important Film Irvin Kershner Julie Christie Matty Stanfield Media Monte Hellman Paul Newman Paul Zindel Pauline Kael Robert Altman Robert Townes Shampoo Shelley Duvall Steve McQueen The Criterion The Criterion Collection The Getaway The Life and Times of Judge Roy Bean The Main Event Up the Sandbox Warren Beatty
"I don't know where we're going." | Entering the Cinematic World of Josephine Decker
The first time I noticed Josephine Decker was when she appeared as an actor in Joe Swanberg's 2011 film, Uncle Kent. It is a great film and it gained a great deal as soon as Decker walked into Swanberg's frame. Realistic, casually beautiful and charismatic — Josephine Decker made an impression.
Artist, Josephine Decker. Image from project for The School of Making and Thinking with Adriana Disman
It didn't take me long to discover her first documentary feature, 2008's Bi the Way (co-directed with Brittany Blockman) and her solo documentary, 2010's Squeezebox. She went on to act in two more Swanberg projects in 2011. Not to mention that she also created a video for Charlie Hewson's song, Where Are You Going, Elena? which incorporated animation by Matt Monson. But it was in her 2012's Me the Terrible short, that seems to have actually begin to find her unique cinematic voice.
Me the Terrible by Josephine Decker, 2012. A determined little girl pirate sets out to conquer NYC!
When I first saw Josephine Decker's first feature length film, 2013's Butter on the Latch, it wasn't just revelatory — it was a metaphorically saturating adventure from which presented me with a challenge to reorient myself to step out of the theater and back into the remainder of the day. Emerging out of a sort of dazed state and gradually regaining my grounding, this potent film gave me more than a fair share of food for thought. It haunted me. It would take another viewing — this time on a big screen television — before I could allow myself to grasp what Butter on the Latch was actually about. That statement is not intended to be taken as a negative, but a very positive statement regarding a layered and challenging example of Film Art at it's most experimental. Over a year later I had the opportunity to see her next film and my initial opinion of this filmmaker's work felt validated.
Josephine Decker's two films are more of a "cinematic experience" than simply getting lost in a movie's narrative or style. Once these two films start, you have no choice but to enter Decker's worlds. I find both films to be equally hypnotic in their ability to pull me in.
Sarah Small and Isolde Chae-Lawrence following the calls of music and lore in Butter on the Latch. Josephine Decker, 2013 Cinematography | Ashley Connor
Josephine Decker's Butter on the Latch offers a unique perspective regarding the ways society, culture, folklore, music, dance, singing, desire and creativity impact not only a friendship but the formation of identity. It would be far too easy to call the film an adventure into the psyche of friendship or an emotional break. I also find comparisons of her work to that of David Lynch almost offensive. Thanks to what appears to be an artistically shared aesthetic with her cinematographer, Ashley Connor, Decker skillfully creates a world that sometimes looks and seems "real" — but is ultimately shifted into a disarmingly "unreal" space.
Butter on the Latch, Josephine Decker: 2013 Cinematography: Ashley Connor
For me, the plot of Butter on the Latch is secondary to the way Decker constructs the world in which it evolves. For a film that runs under 80 minutes in length, the movie itself feels far shorter. That is a rare occurrence. In the last decade or so we have seen average film lengths span far longer than necessary. Challenging and artistic cinematic work normally requires patience from the audience. Josephine Decker's film is never rushed or slow in pace. Intensity and intimacy are so cleverly fueled throughout the movie that she is often able to slow the pace without the audience noticing. Within only a few minutes, Butter on the Latch drops us into what is clearly NYC. Or, more probably Brooklyn. It is within those first few moments that a cleverly edited one-sided cell phone call conversation morphs this artistically thriving and socially active city into a sexually menacing and dangerously intense space. Then, without warning, we find ourselves on the road in what is clearly The Bay Area of Northern California.
Sarah Small walking into the familiar but losing the trail into the unknown aspects of nature and human connection. Butter on the Latch, Josephine Decker, 2013. Cinematography | Ashley Connor
Although it is never clearly stated, it is clear from Decker's use of POV that we are joining our protagonist into a beautiful space of a folk culture inspired festival and workshops. And while it is clear our two main characters are reuniting within the context of a communal event. This is a gathering to celebrate Balkan culture and folklore in what I suspect is the Mendocino Folklore Camp. Any known perceptions of this community are quickly challenged. Decker's use of folklore, storytelling, ancient music and dance fuel the film forward into a world of dread and ever present threat that is hiding just a bit further into the woods of this mystical world.
When Sarah asks her friend, "Why aren't you giving me any specifics?" — Isolde seems to either side-step or dismiss this question in a manner that simultaneously feels realistic and passively annoyed. There is a consistently odd mix of concern and indifference that puts not only Sarah, but us in the uncomfortable position of having to cautiously trust Isolde. As Sarah and Isolde attempt to re-connect Isolde shares a recent massage experience that is filled with erotic pleasure but veers so far into male domination / manipulation of Isolde's body that her reason for sharing her experience almost seems that she is trying to eroticize a sexual violation. All the more alarming, she gives Sarah the name of the "masseur" and urges Sarah to seek the same experience.
"Oh, you know that place…"
Sarah Small and Isolde Chae-Lawrence in Josephine Decker's Butter on the Latch, 2013. Cinematography | Ashley Connor.
This brief interaction of two young women chatting feels "realistic" but loaded with subversive intent. These two women appear to be fully empowered and sexually confident, but it is here that Decker's film twists conventional ideas around "girl's talk" to pull us into an ever-growing threat of predatory dangers.
"What is that drink called again?" Isolde Chae-Lawrence drinks it all down in Josephine Decker's Butter on the Latch, 2013. Cinematography | Ashley Connor
Decker's masterful manipulation of surroundings of nature, music, dance, and Connor's stunning cinematography in the editing process creates a tone that refuses to become official "Surreal" but is powerfully disorienting. Josephine Decker creates a very specific world in order to pull us into a reworking of Balkan folklore. The actual shifting point comes quite early as both friends enter an almost hallucinatory state of drunken confusion. While it appears to a be shared journey into an ancient culture and self-awareness is largely Sarah's lonely trek into unknown realms of nature and female humanity.
"I don't know where we're going." Josephine Decker's Butter on the Latch, 2013. Cinematography | Ashley Connor
The deeper Sarah steps into understanding and mastering the Balkan manner of chanting and music to express the culture's ancient folklore as a tool of connection to the past to form a shared experience in the present — the more feelings of desire, loneliness and isolation seem to mount. What is initially so beautiful is deconstructing into something laced with intensely with madness.
The menace of dark magik and madness are hiding the woods of Mendocino. Butter on the Latch, Josephine Decker, 2013. Cinematography | Ashely Connor
Sarah reads an example of Balkan Folklore about a young maiden who is stolen away by a dragon. To escape the dragon, the beautiful maiden concocts a magical potion which will force the powerful dragon into a deep sleep so that she can escape. It is read in a relaxed way with Sarah pointing to the charm of ancient stories. Isolde seems to be slipping into a deep slumber herself and mutters this will be her bedtime story. Later, a good-looking and gentle musician is spotted by Isolde. Sarah takes notice and is immediately attracted to him. Isolde dismisses the man's appearance and conduct. Isolde appears to be upset, but fails to communicate it. Instead they both drink excessively. The two friends lose their way back to their cabin. Isolde seems to become more than frustrated with Sarah. Blaming her for getting them lost, she storms away into the darkness. Is Isolde angry because she is interested in a man? Or, is she angry because she blames Sarah for getting them lost? Is it jealousy? Is it frustration? Or, is Sarah just confused? It is a point that is never really fully understood. But Sarah wakes the next morning in a panic. She seems to scramble to flee the cabin. It almost feels as if she is running away from something. After calming down, Sarah begins to proactively pursue the man, the tension mounts over the relationship between the two women. Or, does it?
Isolde Chae-Lawrence and Sarah Small in Butter on the Latch, Josephine Decker , 2013
Cinematography | Ashley Connor
Sarah Small and Charlie Hewson flirt in Josephine Decker's Butter on the Latch, 2013. Cinematography | Ashley Connor.
Butter on the Latch
Josephine Decker, 2013
As tensions mount and Sarah's advances toward the musician are reciprocated, Sarah's perceptions start to become less trustworthy. There is a vague sense that she feels she is being pursued by something in the woods. Is it a dragon? Is it Isolde? Is it madness waiting out there? Has Sarah lost the ability to perceive the difference between reality and fantasy? Is she dealing with some sort of disorder? Fantasy Prone Personality, perhaps? Or is her paranoia real? Or is she simply worn out and lost in the mystical beauty of music and folklore?
Sarah Small and Charlie Hewson at the lake. Butter on the Latch, Josephine Decker, 2013 Cinematography: Ashley Connor
When Sarah and the musician disrobe, the truly beautiful eroticism they start to share becomes foggy and takes a disturbing turn. Sarah senses the presence of the threatening menace hiding just beyond her view in the trees. The film arrives to a disturbing conclusion that is vague. It is also a conclusion which is surprisingly satisfyingly. This is cinematic magic.
"What is that? Did you hear that?" Sarah Small in Butter on the Latch, Josephine Decker, 2013. Cinematography | Ashley Connor
Butter on the Latch is distinctively unique from every perspective. Most importantly, it is a fascinating experience that should not be missed. As good as it is, Josephine Decker's evolution as a filmmaker progresses to a whole other level with her second feature length film, Thou Wast Mild and Lovely.
Thou Wast Mild and Lovely, Josephine Decker, 2014
It is almost impossible to imagine the the budget for her second film was just over $18,000.00. There is nothing about Mild and Lovely that looks "micro-budget" — it has the polish and glow of major studio production. Any comparisons to major studio films ends there. Though Josephine Decker has stated that Steinbeck's East of Eden influenced several elements of the movie, other critics have compared it to Flannery O'Connor and Terrence Malick. And of course, the sad state of Film Criticism / Film Theory that automatically point to David Lynch at the slightest hint of "something weird" or "stylistically perverse" — an over-used comparison. It is usually an incorrect comparison. I think it is particularly incorrect to compare this film to David Lynch. To be honest, I can only grasp a little bit in Mild and Lovely that might have been inspired by Steinbeck. If you were to pin me in a corner and demand a comparison, the only comparisons that might be valid would be Louis Malle's Black Moon — a sluggish but lushly experiment in Surrealism as a statement of political unrest. Or maybe some elements employed by Roman Polanski in his adaptation of Roland Topor's The Tenant. But this constant need to compare one artist to another is usually pointless. It is especially pointless in the case of Decker's Thou Wast Mild and Lovely.
Sophie Traub is Sarah in Josephine Decker's Thou Wast Mild and Lovely. Cinematography | Ashley Connor
One should not forget to remember that this film was made by a female artist and is largely concerned with a female character who serves as a sort of narrator throughout the movie. Josephine Decker continues her exploration of ideas nature and the role it plays in the ways humanity connects to form identity, family, lovers, community and often form into subcultures that oppose the way culture/society tries to pre-determine. Once again, Josephine Decker displays an extraordinary way of taking the familiar and bends it all into something we have never seen before. Decker employees Ashley Connor's beautifully lush off-kilter camera work along with unexpected POV's, editing, sound and the fascinating charisma of her actors to form a more conventionally structured narrative than she presented in Butter on the Latch.
Decker has secured a group of more professionally skilled actors. While Sophie Traub is the least known actor involved, her performance is an exceptional display of technique. This actor knows what she is doing and brings Decker's dialogue to life. Many of Sarah's lines and actions could easily lead an actor toward cliche and even "camp" — Traub is so invested in her role that the deep-rooted sadness and damage find their way into every movement and glance. It is a nuanced portrait of an intelligent but stunted woman. Joe Swanberg, a visionary Independent Filmmaker and a capable actor succeeds in capturing a seemingly beaten-down and depressed man. He seems to want to hide not only the truth of his life, but his sexual impulses. Swanberg's Akin is brooding a mixture of desire and violence that serves as an uncomfortable threat to both of the other characters.
Joe Swanberg in Thou Wast Mild and Lovely. Josephine Decker,2014. Cinematography | Ashley Connor
But viewer beware: there is nothing "conventional" about this film. But the most potent actor here is Robert Longstreet. Longstreet carries a great deal of "cred" within the Independent Filmmaking scene. His talent, abilities and charisma can't be beat. As Jeremiah he presents an unsettling and often horrific performance. We are never fully allowed access the secret that bonds him so closely to Sarah, but thanks to Longstreet's mix of amiable redneck and a consistently cruel tension — we know that the secret must be horrific. And, it is most likely still alive under the barn. Decker is joined by both David Barker and Steven Schardt as co-editors and the film's pace and perspectives are even more effective here than in Butter on the Latch.
"My lover knows how to love me. But things kept getting in the way." Josephine Decker's Thou Wast Mild and Lovely, 2014
Thou Wast Mild and Lovely is a fresh and constantly innovative take on the Modernist idea of American Gothic. Firmly rooted in Art Horror genre, there is a great deal more here than meets the eye or the expectations related to both of these styles. The film is structured by ever changing visual perspectives — often we see this world reflected from the perspective of animals on the farm. The world of this American farm is lensed from perspectives of a goat, other times a dog or hog take over to provide our restricted view into the intimacies of the humans who are working and living within the confines of this world.
Josephine Decker's Thou Wast Mild and Lovely, 2014. Cinematography | Ashley Connor
The other narrative device Decker provides is Sarah's voice reading her poetry. Sarah's writing is fixated on her ideal lover. Cryptic and romantic, her free form poem carries us throughout the story. And once again, a familiar type of construction that becomes more insightful as we move forward. Sarah offers clues into not only her desires, but into her fractured view of her world. In many ways, she is still a child. But her sexual desires for Akin is almost boiling over. It is due to her stunted emotional development that she is often unaware of the way she presents herself to Akin. Like a child, she often appears to not understand when she exposes something sexual because one suspects no one has ever been there to guide her.
Dreams of Akin in Josephine Decker's Thou Wast Mild and Lovely, 2014
Photography | Ashley Connor
Prepping the lettuce. Thou Wast Mild and Lovely, Josephine Decker, 2014
In one of the film's most disturbing moments, Sarah attempts to seduce Akin. Her mode of seduction is almost as unsettling as where it leads. Covered in mud and sweat, she pursues the opportunity to catch a frog after Akin admits to having a deep dislike of reptiles.
"Bad Froggie!" Sophie Traub in Thou Wast Mild and Lovely. Josephine Decker, 2014
Cinematography | Ashley Owen
She plays with the frog in a childlike-sexual manner and without any warning she gleefully resorts to animal cruelty in hopes of attracting Akin. Just as unexpected, Akin does respond. But this is not lust or desire, this is rape. Akin assaults Sarah with cruel force. But the response of his sexual violence appears to disappoint Akin as much as it unsettles the audience.
Perverse Seduction.
Thou Wast Mild and Lovely
Josephine Decker
Brutal Response.
Sarah's perception of sex is either learned from the animalistic nature she has seen on Jeremiah's farm or is alarming masochistic based on whatever secret has bound her to Jeremiah. While Sarah freely calls Jeremiah "Daddy" — it doesn't take him long to inform Akin that he is not her father. Their are moments of what appears to be love between Jeremiah and Sarah, but never without an underlying tone of danger and doom.
Robert Longstreet and Sophie Traub in Thou Wast Mild and Lovely. Josephine Decker, 2014
Just as soon as you suspect you might have determined the ingredients of Josephine Deckers oddly beautiful but phantasmagorical brewing stew of human tragedy, she creatively throws us off-course. The truth of what may or may not be waiting beneath the barn remains unknown.
Thou Wast Mild & Lovely
This is film so comfortably committed to itself, it offers no easy "out" or clear conclusion. Its power will haunt you long after you experience it.
Joe Swanberg in Josephine Decker's Thou Wast Mild and Lovely, 2014
The buttons have been pushed and the envelope has fallen off the desk, but it is impossible to look away or dismiss Thou Wast Wild and Lovely. Josephine Decker has crafted a world that pulls you in and holds you tight until the credits roll. The one thing that you can be sure of — there is no room for a "neutral" response to this film art. One will either love or hate it. I loved it.
Filmmaker Josephine Decker exploring the senses. Photograph | Adriana Disman from The School of Making and Thinking.
I can't wait to see what world she creates next.
Aberrant Behavior
Adrianna Disman
Balkan Culture
Balkan Folklore
Bi the Way
Charlie Hewson
Cinelicious Pics
Cinematic Art
David Barker
Elena?
Erotic Thriller
Feminist Artist
Feminist Perspective
Hallucinatory
Identiy
Important Film Artist
Isolde Chae-Lawrence
Me the Terrible
Mendocino Folklore Camp
Naked Princeton
Paracosm
Phantasmagorical
Provocative Film
Pysche
Robert Longstreet
Sarah Small
Sexual Threat
Squeezebox
Steven Schardt
The East European Folklife Center
The School of Making and Thinking
The Tenant
Thou Was Mild and Lovely
Uncle Kent
Where Are You Going
June 14th by Matty Stanfield in	Cinematography Creative Arts Film Film Art Film Criticism Film Theory Independent Film
SABBATICAL : The Power of Film Art
As the digital age is allowing anyone with a camera to be a "filmmaker" it is becoming more challenging for true film artists to find ways to get their work seen. This has required many talented filmmakers to pursue the more audience-friendly genres of horror, rom-com and the most dangerous choice of coming of age chronicles.The restrictions of user-friendly movie genres seems not only an unlikely prospect but an impossible option for the filmmaker who emerges from this quiet but revelatory movie. The challenge that Brandon Colvin ran into was a clear way to get the film screened. Largely by sheer creative will and a year's worth of fellow filmmaker's commentary, Sabbatical has finely found its path to audience.
Sabbatical, 2014. A film by Brandon Colvin. Poster Design by Jenni Dickens
The plot is deceptively simple: A college professor takes a sabbatical to return to his childhood home less to focus on a new book and far more to provide assistance to his fragile mother who recently suffered a stroke. When he returns his forced to figure out how to "re-connect" not only to his family, former lover and friends but to the very core of his identity.
Robert Longstreet as Ben in Sabbatical
The important cinematic elements here have little to do with the actual "story" but far more within the way Brandon Colvin so brilliantly "tells" it. This challenging aspect of Colvin's film is what makes it so very important. Not to deny the emotional power the film carries, but this is really more of an intensely effective study in Formalist Film Theory and Philosophy than a movie concerned with narrative. Colvin makes masterful use of Aaron Granat's exceptional cinematography, set design, colors, pacing and literal perspective to communicate the complexities of universal human challenges. Colvin clearly has a visionary eye, but he has aligned himself with a group of deeply gifted artist. Tony Oswald's work as the film's editor is in perfect tandem with the filmmaker's devotion to presenting emotion, tone and though a pace with true purpose.
Kentucker Audley, Rebecca Koon and Robert Longstreet at dinner. Eric Enstrom's Grace painting looming over their attempt at connection. In Brandon Colvin's Sabbatical.
Despite his shoestring budget, he has made an extraordinary and masterful work. His cast seems not to only understand the rigid framework in which they most perform but nothing feels labored in performances that often edge close to an almost Avant-Garde minimal approach. Robert Longstreet is one of the most under-valued actors working in film. He is able to convey more with the most casual use of his physicality and tone of voice better than most of the highly regarded film actors of the day. Rebecca Koon, Kentucker Audley and Thomas Jay Ryan are all exceptional in their abilities to fit into Colvin's vision with ease. But it is Rhoda Griffis who is given the most challenging role as Ben's former lover. Like Longstreet she has the presence and charisma of movie star. Most importantly, she finds a way to firmly establish her character who functions not only as our protagonist's erotic desire, but also the only person he encounters who is actually trying to connect with him. She becomes a sort of Existential Mirror for Ben.
Rhoda Griffis, Kentucker Audley and the amazing Robert Longstreet in Sabbatical.
In one of the film's most important scenes, Griffis reads a bit of Ben's writing aloud. It is as much the manner in which she uses her voice with a weary sort of challenge as it is the content of the writing that we know she sees through Ben's Kierkegaard/Nietzschean posing. But,that does not change the fact that Colvin has crafted a film the cinephiles and philosophy lovers will savor from beginning to end. While SABBATICAL is clearly a cinematically referential film — every one from Bresson and Bergman to the more obscure stylings of Jost and Hollis Frampton immediately came to my mind — It is crucial to point out that Brandon Colvin is not mimicking, stealing or even borrowing from these great artists' work. The concept of the other artists' work serves merely as jumping point to create a stylistic exploration that is completely unique. And, the though provoking use of the word, "sabbatical" consistently caused the viewer to re-evaluate what it really means. Is Ben's return a break to grow? To focus on work? To help his mother? To reconnect to his past? Or, is this a sort of cease? And, if this is a ceasing — is it achieving identity-related conclusion. Or is Ben actually stopping? If so, what does that imply?
Rebecca Koon as Elizabeth in Sabbatical
There is no hand-holding for the audience here. This is a challenging film art. It thrills me to discover an American Independent Filmmaker who is not only talented enough but brave enough to create a film like SABBATICAL. We don't often have the objectivity and ability to fully evaluate the future impact of a movie. But I am fairly certain that Brandon Colvin has made a film the comes as close to being a cinematic masterpiece. The last times I can remember feeling I was seeing a movie this unique was when I snuck into a screening of RAGING BULL and a few years later accidentally stepped into a screening of BLUE VELVET. This film has no connection to those two iconic movies other than it carries just as much innovation and unsettling power in surprising new ways.
Thomas Jay Ryan and Robert Longstreet as two friends uncomfortably re-connect in Sabbatical
All the more impressive, Brando Colvin achieves with a micro budget and within 72 minutes what very few filmmakers manage even with $400,000,000, 3 hours and our culture's bland A List movie stars. As SABBATICAL reaches conclusion, the potency of what has been so artistically presented comes to the audience like breath of new air. A few hours later, I realized that Colvin had managed to do more the deliver a potent movie — he had gut-punched me so quickly that I didn't feel the pain until a few hours later. SABBATICAL is a film so clever and intelligent it demands your attention. Unforgettable.
Robert Longstreet in Brandon Colvin's Sabbatical
For more insight, and viewing options please follow the link below.
http://sabbatical-mossgarden.com
Aaron Granat
Brandon Colvin
Bresson
Challenging Cinema
Cinematic Innovation
Formalist Film Style
Formualist
hollis Frampton
Human Complexity
Jenni Dickens
Kentucker Audley
Micro Budge
Nietzschean
Rebecca Koon
Thomas Jay Ryan
Tony Oswald
Vilhelm Hammershøi'
June 11th by Matty Stanfield in	Cinematography Creative Arts Film Film Art Film Criticism Film Set Design Film Theory Independent Film Sabbatical Film
Watch Closely Now! A Star Is Born Turns 40…
My Favorite 2016 Albums
My Fave Films of 2106
Living in an Empty Swimming Pool…
1970's Album Art
1970's Disco Culture
1970's Horror
2-Lane Hardtop
3 coeurs
A Judgement in Stone
A Pigeon Sat On A Bench
A Rubberband is an Unlikely Instrument
A Woman Under the Influence
Able Ferrara
Acting Skill
Adolescent Tipping Point
Ai no kawaki
Akosua Busia
Al Ruban
Albert Maysles
Albertsons Grocery Stores
Alex van Warmerdam
American Slave Trade
Amiguity
Amplify Releasing
Amy Everson
Andrzej Jaroszewicz
Andrzej Zulawski
Anne Roiphe
Anne Welles
Anti-Clock
anti-male ideology
Art House Film
Artist As Shaman
Artistic Intention
Auteur Theory
Avant-garde Film
À l'intérieur
À ma sœur!
Bad Fever
Being John Malkovich
Belinda Sallin
Benjamin Kasulke
Benoît Jacquot
Bernard Zitzermann
Blackout Films
blade fingers
Bob Esty
Body Horror
Boguslaw Linda
Box Office Hit
Boy-Man Culture
Broadway History
Camp Classic
Camp Movie
Catch Me Daddy
Catholic History
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Christophe Honoré
Cinematic Allegory
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Cinematic Gems
Cinematic Impact
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Cinematic Style
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Cinematic Truth
Clint Jordan
Colleen Camp
Colm O'Leary
Coming Apart
Consensus Film Evaluation
Crimes of Passion
Criterion Eclipse
Cultural Memory
Cutie and the Boxer
Czechoslovakian Cinema
Daniel Myrick
Danilo Donati
Dark Star: H.R. Giger's World
David Maysles
David Worth
Deadly Game
Dean Cundey
Demonic Possession
Diane Ladd
Dick Bush
Disco Culture
Disco Roller Skating
Douglas Slocombe
Dream Logic
Drive-In Movie
Duffer
Dustin Guy Defa
Eccentric Cinema
Edith Bouvier Beale
Eiichi Yamamoto
Eleonore Hendricks
Emmanuel Lubezki
End of Disco
Eric Stitzel
Excuses for Bad Behavior
Experimental Animation
Eyes of Laura Mars
Favorite Film of 2016
Favorite Films of 2015
Fellini's Casanova
Feminist Theory
Filicide
Filipino Film
Film Acting
Film Actors
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Film Art Interviews
Film Consensus
Film Criticsm
Film Industry Marketing
Film Lighting
Film Perservation
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Film Rating by Consensus
Film Re Evaluation
Film Resonation
Film Snob
Film Therapy
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Fitzcarroldo
FM College Radio
Françoise Dorléac
Frederick Elmes
French Extreme
French Film
French King Louis XIII
Full Moon Trilogy
Genre Film
Geoff Marslett
Gilbert Taylor
Giorgos Arvanitis
Golden Rasberry
Grant Greenberg
Graphic Sexuality In Film
Gregg Turkington
Grind House
Gun Culture
Hanyeo
Hanyo
Hardcore Art Cinephile
Harlan Bosmaiian
Hilary Mason
Hollywood Film Noir
Hollywood Roller Disco Movie Competition
Holy Island
Human Brutality
Human History
Human Horror
Human Horrors
Human Psyche
Human Pursuit
Important Film
Important Films
Influential Cinema
Isaïe Sultan
It's Love On Wheels
It's Pat
Iwona Petry
Jack Bond
Jack Fisk
Jacqueline Susann
Jacques Haitkin
Jane Arden
Japanese Film
Jason Banker
Jean-Jacques Beineix
Jennifer North
Jennifer Prediger
Jerzy Lipman
Jim Bray
Jody Shapiro
Joe Maggio
Johan Liedgren
Jorge Guerra
Joseph Despins
Kanashimi no Belladonna
Keep It Quiet
Ken Kelsch
Kent Osborne
KHAVN
Kim Ki-young
KISS Solo Project
Komeda
Koreyoshi Kurahara
Krzysztof Komeda
Kumiko The Treasure Hunter
Kyônetsu no kisetsu
L'Eclisse
La Ceremonie
La Notte
La Nouvelle Vague
Lance Edmands
Laszlo Kovacs
Lauren Modery
Lee Eun-shim
Lee Hyung-deok
Legendary Actor
Legendary Filmmaker
Let's Rock!
Lewis John Carlino
Life's Dream
LilyTomlin
Linda Manz
Lindisfarne Castle
Lionel Stander
Little Edie
London Hipster
Lorenzo Hagerman
Lost Film
Lost Film Art
Loves Her Gun
Lucy Stone
Lynchian
Major Studio Greed
Margaret Garner
Mark L. Lester
Marketing to the Kids
Masked Attacker
Matt Boyd
Matty Stanfield's Pitiable Criterion Bookshelves
Max Irwin
Melissa Bisagni
Method Acting
Mexican Film
Michele Aller
Mike Gioulakis
Milton Moses Ginsberg
Miroslav Slaboshpitsky
Mondo Vision
Monica Vitti
Mother's Milk
MUNI Bus Ride
My Winnipeg
Narrative Fiction
Ned Burgess
Neely O'Hara
Neil Hamburger
Neon World
NeoRealism
Neuer Deutsche Film
Nights and Weekends
Nippon Herald Films
No Budge Website
No Such Thing As Best
NYC Actor
Oliver Reed
Owen Roizman
Parental Vengeance
Parnoia
Pas de scandale
Pascal Poucet
Patric Chiha
Paul Lohmann
Perversity
Peter S. Traynor
Phillip Harbets
Pitiable Criterion Bookshelves
Polarizing Art
Polish New Wave
Polish-French Film
Political Activisim
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Post-Communist Poland
Post-Industrial Brooklyn
Post-Modern Film
Pre-MTV
Pretty Maids all in a Row
Problematic Cinema
Promotional Art
Provacitve
psychedelic imagery
Pure Cinema
Queen of Earth
Rape Depiction
Rebecca Blake
Red Desert
Regligion
Repressed Sexuality
Resonation
Robby Müller
Robert Eggers
Roll-A-Rama
Roller Boogie
Roller Disco Anthem
Romain Winding
Ronee Blakley
Ruriko Asaoka
Sabbatical Film
Salome's Last Dance
San Francisco Culture
San Francisco Hipster
San Francisco Stereotypes
Sandy Dennis
Sang-soo Im
Sarah Miles
Satanic Blasphemy
Satanism and Witchcraft
Sea Monkey
Sea Monkeys
Sean Porter
Sean Price Williams
Seishun Eiga
Self Revelation
Self-Awarenes
Self-Entitlement
Sense of Duty
Sexual Revolution
She-Shaman
Shigeru Yamazaki
Shop Lifting
Skate Stunts
Slasher Films
Sondre Lerche
Staged
Stealing In
Stephen Goldblatt
Stewart Thorndike
Stoners
Studio Film
Subliminal Editing
Supression
Surealism
Sushi Production
Szamanka
Tak Fujimoto
Tamio Kawachi
Teen Rebellion
Teenage Rebellion
That Cold Day in the Park
The Blaire Witch Project
The Cher Effect
The Comedy
The Criterion
The Criterion Closet
The Devils of Loudun
The Film Critic
The Forbidden Zone
The Housemaid
The Maysles Brothers
The Mend
The Midnight Special
The New French Extreme
The Other Side of the Underneath
The People Under The Stairs
The Pitiable Criterion Bookshelves
The Power of Film Art
The Sailor Who Fell With Grace From The Sea
The San Francisco Hiss
The Serpent and the Rainbow
the Treasure Hunter
The Very Private Work of Sister K
The Virgin Spring
The Warped Ones
Thirst for Love
Thomas Mauch
Tidal Causeway
Timothy Morton
Todd Gaines
Tom Erisman
Toshiro Mayuzumi
Tragedy of Belladonna
Twilight Entertainment
Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me
Ukrainian Film
Ursuline Nuns
Ushio Shinohara
Valentyn Vasyanovych
Vampire Movie
Victimizer
Victor Hurwitz
Victor J. Kemper
Virgil Bliss
Visual Impact
Voice Narration
Voice-Over Narration
Walter Bakes
Warner Archive Collection
What It Feels Like For A Girl
What's Up Doc?
Will Oldham
William Dumaresq
Witchcraft in Film
Witold Gombrowic
Y tu mama tambien
Yoshio Mamiya
Zachary Heinzerling
Zellner Brothers