tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-65936668216240789792024-03-14T07:41:51.320+01:00Colorful Animation ExpressionsOswald Itenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09560644491496569393noreply@blogger.comBlogger273125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6593666821624078979.post-55341522178500028412024-01-12T21:35:00.012+01:002024-01-12T22:41:47.532+01:00My Year in Film 2023<div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhT6GXyHi9aavyS_gIXO97fnZmNAoBbDMaJZH7JJIT8hLbaNqlQetKaO-IxOddysOeAUgpTYEQEDSv9jpa_93BugISQ8tramjt3CUayHoVE4zYT6xAkv56yoX8NXZ6PD5jF_ScATx4rIAYNwFQ3my6MGOXyA2uExKe_ibWcf6WP_6G5JvPMDaTInNxO4FU/s1080/Posterall.png"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1080" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhT6GXyHi9aavyS_gIXO97fnZmNAoBbDMaJZH7JJIT8hLbaNqlQetKaO-IxOddysOeAUgpTYEQEDSv9jpa_93BugISQ8tramjt3CUayHoVE4zYT6xAkv56yoX8NXZ6PD5jF_ScATx4rIAYNwFQ3my6MGOXyA2uExKe_ibWcf6WP_6G5JvPMDaTInNxO4FU/w400-h400/Posterall.png" width="400" /></a></div><p>The ten new releases that either impressed me the most or stayed with me the longest in no particular order:</p><ul><li>TÁR (Field)</li><li>R.M.N. (Mungiu)</li><li>PAST LIVES (Song)</li><li>AFTERSUN (Wells)</li><li>LA CHIMERA (Rohrwacher)</li><li>ANATOMIE D'UNE CHUTE (Triet)</li><li>THE ZONE OF INTEREST (Glazer)</li><li>20.000 ESPECIES DE ABEJAS (Urresola Solaguren)</li><li>LE OTTO MONTAGNE (van Groeningen/Vandermeersch)</li><li>SPIDER-MAN: ACROSS THE SPIDER-VERSE (Dos Santos/Powers/Thompson)</li></ul><p>Noteworthy Runners-Up: THE QUIET GIRL (Bairead), RETOUR À SEOUL (Chou), ALL THE BEAUTY AND THE BLOODSHED (Poitras), THE BANSHEES OF INISHERIN (McDonagh), HOW TO HAVE SEX (Manning Walker), SHEN HAI (Tian), SAINT OMER (Diop), MONSTER (Kore-eda)<br /></p><p>I do not usually break down my film list into numbers, but <b><a href="http://owley.ch/2024/01/01/kinostatistik-2023/" target="_blank">Olivier Samter’s statistics</a></b> inspired me to superficially dabble in that. So I find that exactly half of the films mentioned above have been directed by women (one of them co-directed with a man). Judging from the sheer amount of films I liked within the past twelve months, 2023 was a very good year. Looking at it as a cinephile in the literal sense that I prefer to see movies in a theater, it was less so. I had even prematurely claimed that it might have been my lowest cinema attendance in over a decade. But in reality, I had not thought of 2020 when canceled film festivals and closed cinemas resulted in only 49 theatrical experiences (an average of less than once a week). In comparison, I have watched about a third of the feature films I have seen in 2023 and a total of 76 screenings (including short film reels in festivals) in cinemas. Of all the streaming services, I have watched the most films on Mubi, followed by Apple (no subscription, pay per view), Disney+, Netflix, and the Swiss public-law platform playsuisse. 31% of all the feature films I watched were directed (or co-directed) by women (37.5% of the films seen in a cinema), whereas animation made up 23% (18.75% of the films seen in cinemas).<br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiy1KI7oERR8VPXWkl_EnGMeOlDDzukY9ceGBlHx0Bsv7S9gsNqXu5JfH2puZiAtmxEGZwt3kEWlrUWgte37x7ZLAMq4aoNkReQVwf_3slKT54bQIHY_Rrfl-FNoXOuE2rxd1DNKQdudIiXQ2Hz5JaZsr_QbF4gDxhyajhcqEzU1bTA4uCeARU7jIrklgA/s1350/YouWish.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1350" data-original-width="1080" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiy1KI7oERR8VPXWkl_EnGMeOlDDzukY9ceGBlHx0Bsv7S9gsNqXu5JfH2puZiAtmxEGZwt3kEWlrUWgte37x7ZLAMq4aoNkReQVwf_3slKT54bQIHY_Rrfl-FNoXOuE2rxd1DNKQdudIiXQ2Hz5JaZsr_QbF4gDxhyajhcqEzU1bTA4uCeARU7jIrklgA/w320-h400/YouWish.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div class="_ap3a _aaco _aacu _aacx _aad7 _aade" dir="auto"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><i>In a year
when the painterly CG look definitely went mainstream, the most famous
company celebrated its 100th anniversary desperately wishing for
inspiration. But since that didn't happen, here is a mashup of the six
animated features that I enjoyed* the most in 2023, drawn in the style
of Milt Kahl (ca. 1973)</i></span></div></td></tr></tbody></table><b>Animated Features</b><p>The share of animated features was probably higher than ever because I was part of the feature film selection at the Fantoche International Animation Festival (<b><a href="https://boxd.it/mmXXk$Hes4hxC2s2DknYFD" target="_blank">here is a list</a></b> of all the features/mini-series/medium-length-specials I have watched last year). My favorites among the new releases – those that I either enjoyed the most or that stayed on my mind the longest, in no particular order – are the following:<br />LINDA VEUT DU POULET (Laudenbach/Malta)<br />TMNT: MUTANT MAYHEM (Rowe/Spears)<br />SUZUME (Shinkai)<br />SPIDER-MAN: ACROSS THE SPIDER-VERSE (Dos Santos/Powers/Thompson)<br />DEEP SEA / SHEN HAI (Tian)<br />THE BOY AND THE HERON / KIMITACHI WA DÔ IKIRU KA (Miyazaki)<br />Miyazaki’s (latest) swan song also prompted me to read “How do you live?” by Genzaburo Yoshino, a touching pre-WWII novel I wish I’d had when I was a teenager. <br /><br />Special Mentions go to Pablo Berger’s ROBOT DREAMS (a gentle ode to friendship without dialogue), Jaebeom Park’s MOTHERLAND (the first Korean stop-motion feature in decades, unhurried, small-scale, tactile), KNIT’S ISLAND (a documentary by Barbier/Causse/L’Helgouac’h shot inside a virtual online community), and Marjolaine Perreten’s PEBBLE HILL (a charming tv special that never talks down to its target audience of young children).<br /><b><br />Coinciding Restorations</b><br />I have also had the pleasure to seeing two brand-new restorations of Cinderella adaptations made in 1950, both of which adhere more or less closely to Perrault’s source material (not the Grimms’ version that is more popular in German speaking countries), embellishing the narrative in their unique ways. While the Disney restoration (4K, no less) pleasantly corrected some blunders of the previous digital releases by going back to the wonderful original colors and grain structure, the uncanny image stability and the lack of an original mono mix still make it look and sound a bit frankensteiny. It’s definitely the best thing next to an IB Tech print, though. <br /><br />With the Catalan version ÉRASE UNA VEZ… (Escobar/Pellicer) the pleasure was more in seeing this rarity at all, especially after an insightful introduction by one of the researchers involved in a restoration process that took eight years because all they had to work with was a beat-up black and white 16mm print. Thanks to some surviving fragments, artworks, and photograms, they attempted to digitally reconstruct the cinefotocolor version that was shown at the Venice Film Festival. <br /><br /><b>Japanese Film History</b><br />During summer, I immersed myself in the works of Satoshi Kon all over again, re-evaluating his four features and the tv series PARANOIA AGENT for two lectures one of which was part of an extensive retrospective that also included film that inspired Kon and some that were most likely inspired by his films. A special focus on the mostly fictitious film history of MILLENNIUM ACTRESS gave me a reason to finally watch genuinely Japanese classics like TWENTY-FOUR EYES (Kinoshita, 1954) with Hideko Takamine and revisit some of my favorite Ozu films, among them LATE SPRING (1949) and LATE AUTUMN (1960) in which Setsuko Hara graduates from the unmarried daughter to the mother of an unmarried daughter within only eleven years. The relationship between parents and their grown-up children had been on my mind in real life a lot in 2023, so it was only natural that this theme also stood out to me in films as diverse as KING CREOLE (Curtiz, 1958) or TALK TO ME (Philippous, 2022). <br /><br /><b>Coincidental Selectrospectives</b><br />Apart from a deliberate retrospective of Wong Kar-Wai’s partly re-cut Criterion releases, I also happened to watch quite a big chunk of Sofia Coppola’s work in 2023, seeing SOMEWHERE (2010) and PRISCILLA (2023) for the first time. The latter turned out to be a total delight, confirming Coppola as the chronicler of isolation and loneliness in a golden cage: muted, told in a mostly non-verbal style with close attention to surface details, a star-turning lead performance, and the best Elvis impersonator I have seen in a long time (maybe ever?).<br /><br />After being floored by ANATOMIE D’UNE CHUTE, I finally watched some of Justine Triet’s back catalog and was surprised how interconnected these partly messy, campy, or hilarious films feel regarding recurring themes and relationships. Lawyers or analysts who are personally involved with the people they represent or meet in court, flashbacks with asynchronous dialogue, piano pieces that are abrasively cut on the soundtrack, and in the midst of it all complex, imperfect, sometimes gloriously annoying female protagonists. The parts often seem to be tailor-made for actresses like Laetitia Dosch, Sandra Hüller, Laure Calamy, Virginie Efira, or Adèle Exarchopoulos whose intriguing presence I enjoyed in PASSAGES (Sachs, 2023), LES CINQ DIABLES (Mysius, 2022), RIEN À FOUTRE (Lecoustre/Marre, 2021), and SIBYL (Triet, 2019) last year.<br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbJ0rlTyEKi_slCSPQ_0BnZmzpoKV4nJ6FCnoqELHeccZPxSZ3lR0zvVeTtQQDYGtxlo2QwX_2zFRQkFSQInRJbWt-KS93QHwWCI3b7-nkvxiJ-xOoWwL7gAVSHumc0QEDhR0RHO8xAu0jjbGPj_LOMXvnWlqLYRq_g0kWpzXuBF33_tcmbv_wFtI-kUs/s1080/Quartett03.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1080" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbJ0rlTyEKi_slCSPQ_0BnZmzpoKV4nJ6FCnoqELHeccZPxSZ3lR0zvVeTtQQDYGtxlo2QwX_2zFRQkFSQInRJbWt-KS93QHwWCI3b7-nkvxiJ-xOoWwL7gAVSHumc0QEDhR0RHO8xAu0jjbGPj_LOMXvnWlqLYRq_g0kWpzXuBF33_tcmbv_wFtI-kUs/w400-h400/Quartett03.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Of all the older films I have seen for the first time in 2023, this dozen left a lasting impression for various reasons.</i></td></tr></tbody></table><p>As far as retrospectives go, I also tried to catch up with some of the more well-known adaptations of Dickens’ “A Christmas Carol” I had never seen:<br />A CHRISTMAS CAROL (Marin, 1938): The ghosts of Sliding, Feasting, and Setting Things Done Swiftly. <br />SCROOGE (Neame, 1970): The Campy Ghosts of Shepperton, West End, and Modern Santa.<br />THE MUPPETS CHRISTMAS CAROL (Henson, 1992): The Ghosts of Jim Henson, the Creepy Kid, and the American Way.<br />As someone who cannot see any charm in the lifeless eyes of Muppets, the humbug levels in that last one outweighed the blessings by far. I still liked it better than Damien Chazelle’s BABYLON, a film that peaked pretty early: it was hard not to see that elephant crapping incessantly on the protagonist (and the camera) as a metaphor for what this three-hour concoction was doing to its audience (ok, me!). <br /><br /><b>Onscreen Singing </b><br />But cast members singing (in the rain or otherwise) also remained relatively popular beyond big budget love/hate letters to Hollywood or Mattel. From PEARL’s mom to the girls in EL AGUA to Tomas and Agathe in PASSAGES, the vulnerability and purity of singing a cappella created intimate connections, not unlike singing along at the top of one’s lungs in the safe environment of a car as in TALK TO ME and L’IMMENSITÀ or engaging in hilariously off-key karaoke in AFTERSUN and HOW TO HAVE SEX. In accordance with an overall “embodiment turn”, the trend of recent years to include voices (material and synthetic) into film scores (e.g. MANCHESTER BY THE SEA, THE FAREWELL) seems to here to stay with examples ranging from LA NUIT DU 12 and BEAU to GIRL GANG and ALL THE BEAUTY AND THE BLOODSHED.<br /><br /><b>Engaging with films hands-on</b><br />Speaking of embodied sounds, my video essay “Sensuous and Affective” was not only published by the Zeitschrift für Medienwissenschaft but also turned up in the <b><a href="https://www.bfi.org.uk/polls/best-video-essays-2023" target="_blank">Sight & Sound Video Essay Poll 2023</a></b>, many thanks to Barbara Zecchi, Thomas Genevicius, Miklós Kiss, and Kevin B. Lee! </p>
<iframe allow="autoplay; fullscreen; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="297" src="https://player.vimeo.com/video/809978699?h=bc0a6445e0&portrait=0" width="528"></iframe>
<p><a href="https://vimeo.com/809978699">Sensuous and Affective</a> from <a href="https://vimeo.com/user41789151">Oswald Iten</a> on <a href="https://vimeo.com">Vimeo</a>.</p>
<p>In connection with my work as a researcher I got to teach a seminar on video essays in which we engaged with Alice Rohrwacher’s LAZZARO FELICE (2018) in many different ways. It proved once again that establishing a personal relationship with a film, book or piece of music opens up one’s initial perspective on it in ways that often reveal new insight into the themes, structures or stylistics of films, books or media in general. Besides, my emotional engagement deepens with every viewing, at least before I get too used to it, like when I revisit a favorite work. </p><p>Putting together a<b><a href="https://vimeo.com/858163753" target="_blank"> teaser for the 100 year anniversary</a></b> of our local cinema, I had the opportunity to re-evaluate quite a few such films. The major discovery came with the restored theatrical international cut of Leone’s THE GOOD, THE BAD AND THE UGLY. I had never been completely convinced by the extended cut that had been the only way to see the film for a few years (after 35mm fell out of fashion). So when Kino Lorber finally released a 4K version of the original international cut, I found that, beyond the "re-inserted scenes" and the new sound mix, the extended cut added redundant shots of a few seconds here and there to classic scenes that worked far better in the theatrical cut.</p><p>In a similar way, making the fan art posters illustrating this post turned out to be a satisfying mode of engaging with the films that lingered in the back of my memory, especially as most of them have already been written about too often.<br /></p><p><b>Looking forward</b><br />In terms of movies, 2024 looks promising. I have already been twice to the Marcello Mastroianni retrospective at the filmpodium where in February, I will introduce THE LONG DAY CLOSES (1992) in honor of the recently deceased Terence Davies, one of my favorite directors. Besides, there are still a lot of films that I have not seen yet either because I missed them in theaters or because they are still waiting for a release around here, among them KILLERS OF THE FLOWER MOON, POOR THINGS, EARTH MAMA, MAY DECEMBER, WAR PONY, GODLAND, ALL OF US STRANGERS, THE ETERNAL DAUGHTER, ORLANDO MY POLITICAL BIOGRAPHY, LOVE LIFE, AMANDA.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuS3c3vePi23fYv5TIv15edW596N7yamwj1GAzKH2bDFsJCeZ_hfPO7IWtiwuWaAtGpjwnCf8pBgusVjJMrZ6EzJ67yjYuwcvrp5fNjtFAd8hg59cZ4NjfDPTnJpLib4J8X8JHn21cS2t0pcLAXR7Ri1xPjebA9V8mmw-22hpAeTqLrOTz4ADJa-l3Ikg/s1350/zone.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1350" data-original-width="1080" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuS3c3vePi23fYv5TIv15edW596N7yamwj1GAzKH2bDFsJCeZ_hfPO7IWtiwuWaAtGpjwnCf8pBgusVjJMrZ6EzJ67yjYuwcvrp5fNjtFAd8hg59cZ4NjfDPTnJpLib4J8X8JHn21cS2t0pcLAXR7Ri1xPjebA9V8mmw-22hpAeTqLrOTz4ADJa-l3Ikg/s320/zone.png" width="256" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; 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text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzZCVJvtYeYUIxCIIZwuvmwhgzaxEgKyhVYliqCs0xUTxlMGQR1rRbXpKI-gczs3ur6I056wt-DbiMP4DESF0FMNTaDJjn-KvVaNmduVnunfbFc-G_AnrHy6X_gfJYMD6pUyaJn1tYLS4zIRhW2NXw7YdNB20PgyAChB1bLRpYuzs1lgFbnjrfQ6qfBiA/s1350/anat.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1350" data-original-width="1080" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzZCVJvtYeYUIxCIIZwuvmwhgzaxEgKyhVYliqCs0xUTxlMGQR1rRbXpKI-gczs3ur6I056wt-DbiMP4DESF0FMNTaDJjn-KvVaNmduVnunfbFc-G_AnrHy6X_gfJYMD6pUyaJn1tYLS4zIRhW2NXw7YdNB20PgyAChB1bLRpYuzs1lgFbnjrfQ6qfBiA/s320/anat.png" width="256" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEim7DVfQMq_K20MXafo8FnYVaAE2nUqfzjlMiNcInoQgX9JsFPTpUuJIE_wOrXIP4DB0ijp9rmCDbX3ucRitbxFSvz4VR4Rhqg_uJjJmrSyP0zRuDz_i1Y08Gm0URiL5Cw_GMloz0yu0W5vCE3E1x2subDrNrUcqfhDGpD98_Zz9ZkoqaWBgE5PtMYOS_g/s1350/after.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1350" data-original-width="1080" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEim7DVfQMq_K20MXafo8FnYVaAE2nUqfzjlMiNcInoQgX9JsFPTpUuJIE_wOrXIP4DB0ijp9rmCDbX3ucRitbxFSvz4VR4Rhqg_uJjJmrSyP0zRuDz_i1Y08Gm0URiL5Cw_GMloz0yu0W5vCE3E1x2subDrNrUcqfhDGpD98_Zz9ZkoqaWBgE5PtMYOS_g/s320/after.png" width="256" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4Lzvo7oakBJuXoJdGtMlgBGAdOFX9W11aWmD-DE-hzGTMYlj8-juthWv6hNyhAa7UjsEJXy5oTsvDDkhLfFugVMJnJCakZsMcs3iXBI7v-P9Lh3p34D-d4pWaF3rRj0QZpfXGwxp6Z2MvWcXc9O6X6TXDEwfgrLM1mnJS8Q2aDWgspxGBo-L49OofyOA/s1350/20.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1350" data-original-width="1080" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4Lzvo7oakBJuXoJdGtMlgBGAdOFX9W11aWmD-DE-hzGTMYlj8-juthWv6hNyhAa7UjsEJXy5oTsvDDkhLfFugVMJnJCakZsMcs3iXBI7v-P9Lh3p34D-d4pWaF3rRj0QZpfXGwxp6Z2MvWcXc9O6X6TXDEwfgrLM1mnJS8Q2aDWgspxGBo-L49OofyOA/s320/20.png" width="256" /></a></div><br /> <br /><p></p>Oswald Itenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09560644491496569393noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6593666821624078979.post-39900707668954364422021-09-01T08:56:00.004+02:002021-09-01T08:56:34.080+02:00<iframe allow="autoplay; fullscreen; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="299" src="https://player.vimeo.com/video/592563363?h=a55cc7402e" width="531"></iframe>
<p><a href="https://vimeo.com/592563363">TV Dictionary - Heidi, Girl Of The Alps</a> from <a href="https://vimeo.com/user41789151">Oswald Iten</a> on <a href="https://vimeo.com">Vimeo</a>.</p><div class="_1DKxU sc-hrWEMg eeLlBH"><div class="_wMel" data-description-content="true" dir="auto"><p class="first">"Arupusu no shôjo Haiji" in one word. For the TV Dictionary Collection by Ariel Avissar: <a href="https://vimeo.com/showcase/8660446">TV Dictionary</a><br />
Definitions adapted from Merriam-Webster and Collins Dictionary.</p>
<p>For study purposes only.</p>
<p>All excerpts taken from Isao Takahata's 1974 TV series ARUPUSU NO
SHÔJO HAIJI (HEIDI, GIRL OF THE ALPS). Subtitles adapted from
SilverZeroSubs</p></div></div><p> </p>
Oswald Itenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09560644491496569393noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6593666821624078979.post-65379579112524797022021-08-19T13:30:00.004+02:002021-08-19T13:30:41.789+02:00Two New Audiovisual Essays<div style="padding: 75% 0px 0px; position: relative;"><iframe allow="autoplay; fullscreen; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" src="https://player.vimeo.com/video/588906366?badge=0&autopause=0&player_id=0&app_id=58479&h=f2a166b7df" style="height: 100%; left: 0; position: absolute; top: 0; width: 100%;" title="TV Dictionary - Berlin Alexanderplatz"></iframe></div><p><script src="https://player.vimeo.com/api/player.js"></script>
"Berlin Alexanderplatz" in one word. For the TV Dictionary Collection by Ariel Avissar: <a href="https://vimeo.com/showcase/8660446 ">TV Dictionary Collection</a></p><p>Switching channels between definitions in English (Merriam-Webster / Collins Dictionary) and German (Duden). </p><p>For study purposes only. </p><p>All excerpts taken from Rainer Werner Fassbinders 1980 TV series BERLIN ALEXANDERPLATZ (A FILM IN 13 PARTS AND AN EPILOGUE).</p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p><br /></p>
<iframe src="https://player.vimeo.com/video/568935330?h=251ccd7c8c&color=ff0179" width="531" height="288" frameborder="0" allow="autoplay; fullscreen; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>
<p><a href="https://vimeo.com/568935330">Colored Lighting in PARIAH</a> from <a href="https://vimeo.com/user41789151">Oswald Iten</a> on <a href="https://vimeo.com">Vimeo</a>.</p>
"We weren't about notions of 'real time' so we became mainly
concerned with levels of impressionism in our visual style. Basically,
how far could we go with coloring characters and spaces before it
started to become distracting and take away from the narrative?"
Bradford Young on PARIAH<br />
<a href="https://shadowandact.com/the-visual-aesthetic-of-pariah-an-interview-w-cinematographer-bradford-young" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">shadowandact.com/the-visual-aesthetic-of-pariah-an-interview-w-cinematographer-bradford-young</a><p></p>
<p>When it was released in 2011, Dee Rees’ debut feature PARIAH was
ground-breaking and inspiring in many ways. Even ten years later, the
thoroughness with which the inner journey of protagonist Alike is
expressed via colored lighting remains quite unique. According to
several interviews, the striking color concept of PARIAH was devised by
Rees and Bradford Young. Heavily influenced by Haile Gerima and
cinematographers like Arthur Jafa, Ernest Dickerson or Malik Hassan
Sayeed, Young is not only one of the most interesting cinematographers
of our time but also an important voice in the ongoing conversation
about how to represent and photograph people of color on screen.</p>
<p>In this experimental visual analysis, I am exploring the "levels of
impressionism" (Young) in the lighting of Alike’s face. Inevitably, it
has also turned into a celebration of Adepero Oduye's remarkable
performance in this very specific but universally relatable piece of
cinema.</p>
<p>Breakdown:<br />
<a class="video_time" data-time="0">00:00</a> Atmosphere<br />
<a class="video_time" data-time="50">00:50</a> Chameleon: Painted by the Colors Around Her<br />
<a class="video_time" data-time="84">01:24</a> From Darkness to Light <br />
<a class="video_time" data-time="128">02:08</a> Contrasting Color vs Blending In<br />
<a class="video_time" data-time="163">02:43</a> God Doesn't Make Mistakes<br />
<a class="video_time" data-time="212">03:32</a> Butterfly: Life is Possible</p>
<p>Cinematography: Bradford Young<br />
Gaffer: T.J. Alston<br />
DI Colorist: Joe Gawler</p>
<p>While all the visual clips are from PARIAH (Blu-ray Focus Features
Spotlight Series 2012), the music consists of excerpts from several
compositions by Tamar-Kali who appeared in the film (representing the
influence of Alike’s friend Bina) and went on to score the director’s
later film MUDBOUND (2017).<br />
- Pearl (Psychochamber Version) 2009<br />
- MUDBOUND (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) 2017</p>
<p>There are a couple of interviews with Young and Rees that go into
more detail about their approach to color, e.g. the interview linked at
the top or the following: <a href="https://www.interviewmagazine.com/film/dee-rees-pariah" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">interviewmagazine.com/film/dee-rees-pariah</a><br />
If you are interested in more behind the scenes material, there is a
great interview with the cast and crew online (Academy Museum, 2021): <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1fhPrs_K0aU" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">youtube.com/watch?v=1fhPrs_K0aU</a></p><script src="https://player.vimeo.com/api/player.js"></script>
Oswald Itenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09560644491496569393noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6593666821624078979.post-28574942862279016022021-04-04T19:09:00.000+02:002021-04-04T19:09:10.637+02:00Silence in THE PASSIONATE FRIENDS<iframe allow="autoplay; fullscreen; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="298" src="https://player.vimeo.com/video/531296104?color=ffffff" width="530"></iframe>
<p><a href="https://vimeo.com/531296104">Silence in The Passionate Friends</a> from <a href="https://vimeo.com/user41789151">Oswald Iten</a> on <a href="https://vimeo.com">Vimeo</a>.</p><div class="_1DKxU sc-kIPQKe egqgNj"><div class="_wMel" data-description-content="true" dir="auto"><p class="first">Audiovisual soundtrack analysis. [Spoiler alert: reveals important plot points and ending]</p><p>David Lean's 1949 melodrama THE PASSIONATE FRIENDS never gained the
same popularity as its similarly themed predecessor BRIEF ENCOUNTER
(1945). Had it not been restored and re-released in 2008*, it might have
been all but forgotten by now. And yet, there is a lot to cherish and
enjoy within these 90 minutes.</p><p>Despite its overall unevenness and unsatisfying ending**, THE
PASSIONATE FRIENDS is probably my favourite among all of David Lean's
films: the uncanny precision of an editor-turned-director at the top of
his game, Guy Green's spectacular cinematography, a standout performance
by Claude Rains (upstaging Lean's third wife Ann Todd), the recurring
motifs of doors and wind (similar to GREAT EXPECTATIONS, 1946) and a
lush soundtrack that is as complex as it is sensual.</p><p>And that is what this video essay is all about: silence as a powerful storytelling tool.</p><p>It was originally conceived as a companion piece to MELODRAMATIC RAILWAY SOUNDS (see below). But since I have eliminated most of the comparisons to BRIEF
ENCOUNTER in the process, it definitely works as a standalone soundtrack
analysis. In these essays, I always try to visualise sound objects in a
way that is appropriate to the source material. This time, the
challenge were sensual sound effects and silence itself.</p><p>Except for my voice, all sounds in this video come from the audio
track of THE PASSIONATE FRIENDS (and in respective clips from BRIEF
ENCOUNTER), no equalizers or filters applied. Please note, that in order
to highlight certain parts of the soundtrack, I constantly adjust the
volume of the clips. This might go without saying. However, while most
viewers notice frame, size or brightness changes in an image, sound
changes tend to be less obtrusive. So if you want to get a sense of the
full dynamic, there is no way around going back to the original film –
which I recommend anyway.</p><p>* A wonderful Blu-ray is available from Studio Canal in France (in English, of course).<br />** It is definitely worth reading up on the troubled adaptation and production process.</p><p><i>Since January 2021, I am proud to be part of <a href="http://www.videoessayresearch.org">www.videoessayresearch.org</a>, a research project at the Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts. </i><br /></p></div>
<iframe allow="autoplay; fullscreen; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="298" src="https://player.vimeo.com/video/291452767?color=ffffff" width="530"></iframe>
<p><a href="https://vimeo.com/291452767">Melodramatic Railway Sounds - Video Essay</a> from <a href="https://vimeo.com/user41789151">Oswald Iten</a> on <a href="https://vimeo.com">Vimeo</a>.</p></div>Oswald Itenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09560644491496569393noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6593666821624078979.post-51793043681145554882021-01-24T19:29:00.003+01:002021-02-06T19:31:45.379+01:00[SAFE] and THE NEON DEMON in Dialogue<p><span style="color: #cc0000;"><i>[UPDATE: the work-in-progress version of "Dialogue III: Carol / Jesse" below has been replaced by the completely reconfigured final version.]</i></span><br /></p><p>Despite their obvious differences in story, theme and era, in my
mind, Todd Haynes‘ [SAFE] and Nicolas Winding Refn’s THE NEON DEMON have
somehow become tethered to each other. And I still do not know why,
exactly.</p>
<p>Do the detox cult in [SAFE] and the predatory fashion scene in DEMON
represent two sides of a coin? Is it the protagonists‘ failures to
really connect, the many static moments of women sitting in or on a bed?
Is it the slightly creepy L.A. setting, the emotional distance, the
electronic score, the turquoise/pink bedroom design, the directors‘
predilections for frames within frames?</p>
<p>None of this is very extraordinary. Besides, if you compare two
films, you always find both similarities and differences. So to explore
those questions, I originally wanted to recreate the [SAFE] trailer with
shots from THE NEON DEMON and vice versa. But I soon found that this
was indeed too easy. So I decided only to include certain types of shots
in order to suggest an alternative narrative based on the unaltered
soundtrack of each original trailer. Additionally, I wanted to explore
what an actual dialogue between the films‘ protagonists Carol and Jesse
might reveal about their personalities and ultimately, how voices and
speech patterns shape our impression of a character.</p><p><br /></p>
<iframe allow="autoplay; fullscreen; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="287" src="https://player.vimeo.com/video/503682415" width="530"></iframe>
<p><a href="https://vimeo.com/503682415">Dialogue I: [DANGEROUS]</a> from <a href="https://vimeo.com/user41789151">Oswald Iten</a> on <a href="https://vimeo.com">Vimeo</a>.</p>
<blockquote><p><i><span style="color: black;">„But the basic, almost
funny restriction that we placed on ourselves was this restrained
coverage and distance from the character. The joke was, okay, let’s move
in for a close-up but we never got very close. All of our proportions
were appropriately adjusted from the starting point, which was wide.
Minimal camera movement. “</span></i></p>
<p>Todd Haynes, 1995 in <a href="https://filmmakermagazine.com/109499-its-a-pretty-unambiguous-condemnation-of-a-new-age-answer-to-lifes-problems-writer-director-todd-haynes-on-safe/#.YAvkXxYo9hE">filmmakermagazine.com</a></p></blockquote>
<p>Naturally in „Dialogue I“, I relied exclusively on camera movement,
from following the characters unobtrusively to more formal and even
autonomous motion.</p>
<iframe allow="autoplay; fullscreen; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="222" src="https://player.vimeo.com/video/503683318" width="530"></iframe>
<p><a href="https://vimeo.com/503683318">Dialogue II: IT'S OUT THERE</a> from <a href="https://vimeo.com/user41789151">Oswald Iten</a> on <a href="https://vimeo.com">Vimeo</a>.</p>
<p>In „Dialogue II“, the focus is on shots devoid of human figures. Cinematography by Natasha Braier.</p><p></p>
<iframe allow="autoplay; fullscreen; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="221" src="https://player.vimeo.com/video/503683931" width="530"></iframe>
<p><a href="https://vimeo.com/503683931">Dialogue III: CAROL / JESSE</a> from <a href="https://vimeo.com/user41789151">Oswald Iten</a> on <a href="https://vimeo.com">Vimeo</a>.</p>
<p>„Dialogue III“ invites the viewer/listener to explore not only the
coincidental visual similarities (and the specific differences between
them) but also to ask themselves whether they still perceive Carol
(SAFE) and Jesse (DEMON) as specific characters when their interactions
are reduced to generic situations and conversations. I’m especially
interested to hear, how Carol and Jesse come across to viewers who
haven’t seen the original films.</p><p><br /></p>Oswald Itenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09560644491496569393noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6593666821624078979.post-20787237142527433642021-01-18T18:28:00.003+01:002021-01-18T18:29:08.662+01:00Beyond the Catchy Tunes: George Bruns and Craft of Transparent Underscoring<p><iframe frameborder="0" height="270" src="https://youtube.com/embed/5khiNrYj9BY" width="480"></iframe></p><p><span class="style-scope yt-formatted-string" dir="auto">Video essay about George Bruns and the craft of transparent underscoring within Walt Disney's music department during the Wolfgang Reitherman era (Sleeping Beauty 1959, Goliath II 1960, One Hundred and One Dalmatians 1961, The Sword in the Stone 1963, The Jungle Book 1967, Aristocats 1970, Robin Hood 1973).
Made as part of the audiovisual section of the NECSUS Autumn 2020 issue </span><a class="yt-simple-endpoint style-scope yt-formatted-string" dir="auto" href="https://www.youtube.com/hashtag/method" spellcheck="false">#Method</a><span class="style-scope yt-formatted-string" dir="auto"></span><span class="style-scope yt-formatted-string" dir="auto">, curated by Liz Green. </span></p><p><span class="style-scope yt-formatted-string" dir="auto">More information about my intentions <a href="https://necsus-ejms.org/beyond-the-catchy-tunes-george-bruns-and-the-craft-of-transparent-underscoring/">HERE</a>. <br /></span></p>Oswald Itenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09560644491496569393noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6593666821624078979.post-50676973129084631292021-01-07T19:40:00.001+01:002021-01-07T19:40:08.454+01:00My Year in Film - 2020 Favourites<p><span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFhrHH-x9p1HVY8f4feh-7HBQ3R97C64ynzGa2QQQR6BQMxFRTMvzfWJt20zE9-MMicuENFHeZLUSFey7cPGApqJYWDeIc3rHZm186XYstkDH92b89ywvz2qYU6LierOTVb8wmWRPh9Mw/s1080/2020_smallaxe.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1080" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFhrHH-x9p1HVY8f4feh-7HBQ3R97C64ynzGa2QQQR6BQMxFRTMvzfWJt20zE9-MMicuENFHeZLUSFey7cPGApqJYWDeIc3rHZm186XYstkDH92b89ywvz2qYU6LierOTVb8wmWRPh9Mw/w400-h400/2020_smallaxe.png" width="400" /></a></div><p></p><p><span>In 2020, a lot of things were different. And so was my end of
year review of films. Instead of the usual lengthy blog post, I did
a series of instagram posts (reproduced here more or less unchanged) beginning with this here: "film of the
year", only this year it is a collection of five films by Steve McQueen.
Even before 2020, they were designed to blur the line between tv and
film, as McQueen submitted them to festivals (some filmed in 35mm and
16mm) but wanted them to be as easily accessible as possible through the
BBC and Amazon. In Switzerland through play.google.com <br /><br />But
what's far more important: they may stand on their own, but you only get
the full impact when you watch them in that order. Because McQueen
counts on your remembering the background information provided by the
films that came before. <br />Before I digress into a full blown review:
McQueen is still a master of audiovisual storytelling that often
requires no dialogue. He does not intrude, but shows us the humanity of
so many characters. <br />There's a lot of era (and community) defining
music, but hardly any musical score except for some Mica Levi magic. The
filmmakers turn the Old Bailey into a church, let us experience a
vintage house party and entertain us as much as they educate us. <br /><br />If
you're from the West Indian community in London, this may be the first
time you see yourself and your friends on screen for that long. If (like
me) you're from anywhere else, it's basically mandatory viewing.
Because, as one character puts it, "education is the key..."</span></p><h2 style="text-align: center;"><span>Favourite new releases <br /></span></h2><p><span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEdDpfkZoJ5QP9-ekcYcPth4W2G9Y6-ZhaxU1loEIGxbsZQcWvu_aNy5LKRMwrzL1eH_n57Qu-totHiFBsx3H9stG1hicVrXOp2m67D74HSwXNFKa7Gq7-tktqqIqsAcZoqdqtmCitQ9E/s1080/2020_bac.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1080" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEdDpfkZoJ5QP9-ekcYcPth4W2G9Y6-ZhaxU1loEIGxbsZQcWvu_aNy5LKRMwrzL1eH_n57Qu-totHiFBsx3H9stG1hicVrXOp2m67D74HSwXNFKa7Gq7-tktqqIqsAcZoqdqtmCitQ9E/w400-h400/2020_bac.png" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbrvFdq4v0a48bp1Ht1J66irYCcqcNVCzwlJrM0so0rEyq_S8WHeAN_o0bTD1TPFIE7L-8UtHvymGw4_2V7PcOf8bU_9RSi0ta5ckcXptvN1KKqGOFDKE1lUxHPQ5J9pD68vszALcfqU0/s1080/2020_ema.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1080" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbrvFdq4v0a48bp1Ht1J66irYCcqcNVCzwlJrM0so0rEyq_S8WHeAN_o0bTD1TPFIE7L-8UtHvymGw4_2V7PcOf8bU_9RSi0ta5ckcXptvN1KKqGOFDKE1lUxHPQ5J9pD68vszALcfqU0/w400-h400/2020_ema.png" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEid_6gEOqVsZ6TnAiupH9kLHNPn6E4cvhy6chAg9UPJnLuKNdU4LdlOWZ6tZiLPVrXThtpFXrEQfpQ7WmLzLs5KYr5dV1L1VggvOttHzOlTyezmeIp9gJlNIlSe-Xcf56vaWOK4sqRPg5k/s1080/2020_imthink.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1080" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEid_6gEOqVsZ6TnAiupH9kLHNPn6E4cvhy6chAg9UPJnLuKNdU4LdlOWZ6tZiLPVrXThtpFXrEQfpQ7WmLzLs5KYr5dV1L1VggvOttHzOlTyezmeIp9gJlNIlSe-Xcf56vaWOK4sqRPg5k/w400-h400/2020_imthink.png" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMHTmVdQMs-4_-SpIZj5VKRJGJ3mT-6swskRQ2diWMsn-QLgJs0vtvt-drDJclob051hGYYjKJRpHmOqg-2In914lAySjBnPGEWAmKoM01jFNGgUbjKuzJkPKfPbi1gyE37yKaD7S7Za8/s1080/2020_Lesm.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1080" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMHTmVdQMs-4_-SpIZj5VKRJGJ3mT-6swskRQ2diWMsn-QLgJs0vtvt-drDJclob051hGYYjKJRpHmOqg-2In914lAySjBnPGEWAmKoM01jFNGgUbjKuzJkPKfPbi1gyE37yKaD7S7Za8/w400-h400/2020_Lesm.png" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqnsDKHeoIrrXLOVs00WNlnjN-C89ezsaBBcsaU-2rzltIFI8HymJ3ONKiyEUgXQrN4zcAXb7EkcAF0tVZG4sucqdZmpRrZPZN1w9szCW8_KqS5zQpXUxsAlNWYPf_PJyIeoNwyJcjMUE/s1080/2020_nrsa.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1080" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqnsDKHeoIrrXLOVs00WNlnjN-C89ezsaBBcsaU-2rzltIFI8HymJ3ONKiyEUgXQrN4zcAXb7EkcAF0tVZG4sucqdZmpRrZPZN1w9szCW8_KqS5zQpXUxsAlNWYPf_PJyIeoNwyJcjMUE/w400-h400/2020_nrsa.png" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjayuXebbcJQgWxGmj3MmpVb693fr0QIW5Z6JCaz6GT3VtpdNCZbqK3N2nmGIGjoeg2J7lGDLovPRFToSaA2qEzpwJDs1jluvvOPtsig471dK2QEgm_c7WncaWR8eW5chqopm2igBVgpeU/s1080/2020_queen.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1080" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjayuXebbcJQgWxGmj3MmpVb693fr0QIW5Z6JCaz6GT3VtpdNCZbqK3N2nmGIGjoeg2J7lGDLovPRFToSaA2qEzpwJDs1jluvvOPtsig471dK2QEgm_c7WncaWR8eW5chqopm2igBVgpeU/w400-h400/2020_queen.png" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgC5ayJeQKCC6V9SYNvbqYfgieAnazZjb8SG08hIXSEiC2DLPRZzWBVgUAeJJIocPzRsECw3sXF9cRI_hQp1SWkYnQygpJR2SLQSO8zEYLGiOOZqkfSIUjyo7QKBe9P-24FAMlxxGTcPqU/s1080/2020_rocks.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1080" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgC5ayJeQKCC6V9SYNvbqYfgieAnazZjb8SG08hIXSEiC2DLPRZzWBVgUAeJJIocPzRsECw3sXF9cRI_hQp1SWkYnQygpJR2SLQSO8zEYLGiOOZqkfSIUjyo7QKBe9P-24FAMlxxGTcPqU/w400-h400/2020_rocks.png" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizYGnQPzPIK_H9eXv2thARbNSyEfVk7dJX6aIV7YK_TUtSuMzNDiup19LZxX98U1riiM-qN7HJwD167FYWUYZu_zCLo8HQG4zmp3mPs2bfJXR2O2QDg0lcTNEkJynmkhdcjXaAPiC_Gg8/s1080/2020_schwest.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1080" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizYGnQPzPIK_H9eXv2thARbNSyEfVk7dJX6aIV7YK_TUtSuMzNDiup19LZxX98U1riiM-qN7HJwD167FYWUYZu_zCLo8HQG4zmp3mPs2bfJXR2O2QDg0lcTNEkJynmkhdcjXaAPiC_Gg8/w400-h400/2020_schwest.png" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEUtErtmlTLGU6HA0UroWWml6HHk-P1YlnxG_tJfBN-87Extihjb8D3SSPYABBL7VU8CJvXVD_hMi4QjfXJrq93OgaLF7EjVXRGvZeqE3LjHX2yvRtSz4wm7WLYmrPHVi_zIO05bX40k0/s1080/2020_theass.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1080" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEUtErtmlTLGU6HA0UroWWml6HHk-P1YlnxG_tJfBN-87Extihjb8D3SSPYABBL7VU8CJvXVD_hMi4QjfXJrq93OgaLF7EjVXRGvZeqE3LjHX2yvRtSz4wm7WLYmrPHVi_zIO05bX40k0/w400-h400/2020_theass.png" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMKyEE6mAa9odR6wAOSPe8mbMDlDcUbTA78enY8P1GFmt_WYOI-TT-IgSfTFlLGbI01_7wQd6w-bD6IXeALZHyEHsNx6ozConxh0dieyeCoMEO0T86kTQFTcM9vgTHJgoICbq7SEWVSGY/s1080/2020_thesou.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1080" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMKyEE6mAa9odR6wAOSPe8mbMDlDcUbTA78enY8P1GFmt_WYOI-TT-IgSfTFlLGbI01_7wQd6w-bD6IXeALZHyEHsNx6ozConxh0dieyeCoMEO0T86kTQFTcM9vgTHJgoICbq7SEWVSGY/w400-h400/2020_thesou.png" width="400" /></a></div><p><br />My favourite new releases of 2020 (many of them elsewhere released in 2019) in alphabetical order:<br />BACURAU
/ EMA / QUEEN & SLIM* / I'M THINKING OF ENDING THINGS / LES
MISÉRABLES / NEVER RARELY SOMETIMES ALWAYS* / ROCKS* / SCHWESTERLEIN* /
THE ASSISTANT* / THE SOUVENIR*<br />(* = Female director)<br /><br />These are not necessarily the "best" films of the year, but the ones that impressed me the most in some way or another. <br /><br />On
the downside, I have only seen half of them in an actual cinema. On the
upside - and that really surprises me - it is definitely the first time
that more than half of my top ten were directed by women!<br />No animated film and no documentary has made the list.</p><h2 style="text-align: center;">Special Mentions </h2><p style="text-align: left;"><span><span>Although these films did not make my top ten, all of them are worth watching for several reasons. Two
special mentions go to old favourites Spike Lee and Roy Andersson, the rest reflect my interest in
color and lighting. Turns out that Netflix is the place for glorious
black and white these days...</span></span></p><p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3vJOQ7EEjzWyFiOFidmG-7Rl378F6VKpKCHZamF-RN-mBXofhJ5rwMfDxeeiog6YzJIqOXMh9rGC8MWpbfg6oIX0QgzENqjmEKaPyUZvde3q4Fse6Wf_tW3z0hFbURBXVQWiKMBqhEUg/s1080/2020_endless.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1080" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3vJOQ7EEjzWyFiOFidmG-7Rl378F6VKpKCHZamF-RN-mBXofhJ5rwMfDxeeiog6YzJIqOXMh9rGC8MWpbfg6oIX0QgzENqjmEKaPyUZvde3q4Fse6Wf_tW3z0hFbURBXVQWiKMBqhEUg/w400-h400/2020_endless.png" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgufZF-DKdwNRonv0lVh2ElH2nujo3uOQt5hRMGZi0VYMceWZlxCz4niHzYFHXGNa0tWQOGZrWJVXGU3iQQMvj8ozE_pfTtBKc9gcZegYix3cbWdF8HdDiV2hZy3Rwjp7Py_lxQkbs-Ttk/s1080/2020_5blood.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1080" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgufZF-DKdwNRonv0lVh2ElH2nujo3uOQt5hRMGZi0VYMceWZlxCz4niHzYFHXGNa0tWQOGZrWJVXGU3iQQMvj8ozE_pfTtBKc9gcZegYix3cbWdF8HdDiV2hZy3Rwjp7Py_lxQkbs-Ttk/w400-h400/2020_5blood.png" width="400" /></a></div><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKbrS1Aq4PKEw3us0RET3Sj-bgilyVRUsLmQD9zldXgI7CLKX40_rOBX5VOeCZ4XaSVBSlghEkHp9_yq7J8Fz0kYzieSFjpO2wEAwPvUqNN_DeygF1gbW3AxCZZRDnbtC-Q13ud0NXpAg/s1080/2020_impress.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1080" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKbrS1Aq4PKEw3us0RET3Sj-bgilyVRUsLmQD9zldXgI7CLKX40_rOBX5VOeCZ4XaSVBSlghEkHp9_yq7J8Fz0kYzieSFjpO2wEAwPvUqNN_DeygF1gbW3AxCZZRDnbtC-Q13ud0NXpAg/w400-h400/2020_impress.png" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgS6SvVMnTEMmB2uaIE7B7U0omjc_jvTRquPAT4uSyg_W1es6AbqTSPMm3OqpeQxUsTv96OKGzFeW3Z95BKbkKrQu0w8GkUt6ZUYrkwP1Bg1yoW9AB_bcVUnYDxiNVEgQsXXbnXW44rzXU/s1080/2020_express.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1080" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgS6SvVMnTEMmB2uaIE7B7U0omjc_jvTRquPAT4uSyg_W1es6AbqTSPMm3OqpeQxUsTv96OKGzFeW3Z95BKbkKrQu0w8GkUt6ZUYrkwP1Bg1yoW9AB_bcVUnYDxiNVEgQsXXbnXW44rzXU/w400-h400/2020_express.png" width="400" /></a></div><span><span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguxFF8GTJrqzNLVN5gQwzH83AJKqnWls9a0ES2IU_ZJxOV_W5uDT8FyghhLUvQtk1S-CfAr71MqMDgEpAliKvcjS-VtKbF_bSkDqGA7F_9sBowuYEb-o_ZOAqRlZsu6naOmTyzZAs3pN8/s1080/2020_calam.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1080" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguxFF8GTJrqzNLVN5gQwzH83AJKqnWls9a0ES2IU_ZJxOV_W5uDT8FyghhLUvQtk1S-CfAr71MqMDgEpAliKvcjS-VtKbF_bSkDqGA7F_9sBowuYEb-o_ZOAqRlZsu6naOmTyzZAs3pN8/w400-h400/2020_calam.png" width="400" /></a></div></span></span><span><span> </span></span><span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyjFWXNoUC5B0Z2GJufkzqHGpmwLzGwHAzg552U5sgKa9YPOLypp8Uj9PXMTg_DhhIb2up6k_7Zk_wdLC8Yc_3Rzi35YX72ymqU_ifz6XMmXjMQv3iQzv3Ydk9y4OcFkkq08bgfCn2Qxw/s1080/2020_netfl.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1080" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyjFWXNoUC5B0Z2GJufkzqHGpmwLzGwHAzg552U5sgKa9YPOLypp8Uj9PXMTg_DhhIb2up6k_7Zk_wdLC8Yc_3Rzi35YX72ymqU_ifz6XMmXjMQv3iQzv3Ydk9y4OcFkkq08bgfCn2Qxw/w400-h400/2020_netfl.png" width="400" /></a></div><span></span><br /></span><p></p><h2 style="text-align: left;"><span>Cross Reactions between Revisited Films</span></h2><p><span><span>Thanks to several analytical projects, I had an excuse to revisit a lot of favourite or at least interesting films in 2020.<br /><br />Sometimes,
I discover unintended similarities between unconnected films simply
because I watch them within the same day or week. Thanks to such
coincidental cross reactions I often see familiar movies in a different
light.<br />Revisiting Todd Haynes' [SAFE] for a (canceled) lecture I not
only found it to be his first masterpiece but also saw it as a great
allegory - not for AIDS as is often suggested, but for our own time. Its
disconnected protagonist, atmosphere, color concept and drone
soundtrack suddenly made it a more realistic companion of THE NEON
DEMON.<br /><br />When I revisited both THE BIRDS and TAKE SHELTER for
another canceled lecture about "fear + sound", I saw both films in a new
way... For the first time, the café scene in THE BIRDS with all the
different opinions about a looming unseen threat felt not funny but too
close to home. I also noticed how much Jeff Nichols' film plays like a
nightmare you might have after seeing the Hitchcock classic...</span><br /></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqnKEpieBZO6555EKBoYq-xuBmYh9v01w324iij25yiu0H2eWWRPiuZGLgreQ2FiItG8-JIzs57TyB4lcwpg32RYesztFLzt2fXQtD8_NDBKPvqaYHs4_y8kE_OHuYtQ8qSW8U5hHQn2Q/s1080/2020_cross1.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1080" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqnKEpieBZO6555EKBoYq-xuBmYh9v01w324iij25yiu0H2eWWRPiuZGLgreQ2FiItG8-JIzs57TyB4lcwpg32RYesztFLzt2fXQtD8_NDBKPvqaYHs4_y8kE_OHuYtQ8qSW8U5hHQn2Q/w400-h400/2020_cross1.png" width="400" /></a></div><span></span><p></p><p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6W-FEu8FNT50-EMW-l6Yd0v5x4PL7_OUHdwKf7TeSiwpSI8duY6NHrGGv6Otv889bS-WK9387S9ZPpMordyYEmdkIoV9g5EXglG5MzZmRYgfZ_-qGeBZ3SHMx5OZKdtepdSVWg9cvsTc/s1080/2020_cross2.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1080" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6W-FEu8FNT50-EMW-l6Yd0v5x4PL7_OUHdwKf7TeSiwpSI8duY6NHrGGv6Otv889bS-WK9387S9ZPpMordyYEmdkIoV9g5EXglG5MzZmRYgfZ_-qGeBZ3SHMx5OZKdtepdSVWg9cvsTc/w400-h400/2020_cross2.png" width="400" /></a></div><span> </span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-8WrXONva1-xuevfDYGkEH2rHUcHF0ADxBwDO8QkHDXFegTBMG2pM8i9BjmPKPKjZX62Y38dWHdt-dgwhyphenhyphenjgwzfKS_2L86jhFeHnFo_LAlPZCLHKYFLp6osHFMZFZEOR9Cr1BStG_zjc/s1080/2020_cross3.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1080" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-8WrXONva1-xuevfDYGkEH2rHUcHF0ADxBwDO8QkHDXFegTBMG2pM8i9BjmPKPKjZX62Y38dWHdt-dgwhyphenhyphenjgwzfKS_2L86jhFeHnFo_LAlPZCLHKYFLp6osHFMZFZEOR9Cr1BStG_zjc/w400-h400/2020_cross3.png" width="400" /></a></div><p></p><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOCCgDdeWWrngD1teABNu_fJGXmZ8lStxR6UVztuH8WxlQTn6xqns_yePObWHOIb0dEa2_TGwmR4hU014aCJDVZHufGfaFED2gL9m8uGjJ8BxPYHkjqZs72I2IOk0Iaop0xoHCU3G31Ac/s1080/2020_cross5.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1080" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOCCgDdeWWrngD1teABNu_fJGXmZ8lStxR6UVztuH8WxlQTn6xqns_yePObWHOIb0dEa2_TGwmR4hU014aCJDVZHufGfaFED2gL9m8uGjJ8BxPYHkjqZs72I2IOk0Iaop0xoHCU3G31Ac/w400-h400/2020_cross5.png" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfonPilVFSXR2jLJUUsFaA0JFC3Uc8KMMWXh4lLpHvmwpgJHQkzHEg9rqMaeK4NgUPfNG5aQhGX6cQSl3mC5mvwuPLiG0cqJj0GopVIxtR8MbuBZ5Zryzc_QRK6RFFpo9aw3tYS-9-ANc/s1080/2020_cross4.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1080" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfonPilVFSXR2jLJUUsFaA0JFC3Uc8KMMWXh4lLpHvmwpgJHQkzHEg9rqMaeK4NgUPfNG5aQhGX6cQSl3mC5mvwuPLiG0cqJj0GopVIxtR8MbuBZ5Zryzc_QRK6RFFpo9aw3tYS-9-ANc/w400-h400/2020_cross4.png" width="400" /></a></div><p></p><h2 style="text-align: center;">Great Films I Saw For The First Time in 2020</h2><p><span class="">Here are some of my favourite older
films I saw for the first time in 2020. The first three were on my
imaginary must-see-list for many years - and still floored me!</span></p><p><span class=""></span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQbeL-u0aZxYqqWO_Meh2tT_P-3vnXX6TsEVfMGjA-Xy6Atr13q_Sz4GGiiFDGw40vPV3hCt_fsTXzGL20eWWul25n4U36k3cimkUOqp23fhyixjXwUISSCo3WRNukI0p0VTJd3DbUPVo/s1080/2020_1951.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1080" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQbeL-u0aZxYqqWO_Meh2tT_P-3vnXX6TsEVfMGjA-Xy6Atr13q_Sz4GGiiFDGw40vPV3hCt_fsTXzGL20eWWul25n4U36k3cimkUOqp23fhyixjXwUISSCo3WRNukI0p0VTJd3DbUPVo/w400-h400/2020_1951.png" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjsvk4MkFtdY-JqNzAYh95uwx8yJ9URe9GSQ8v-X7ws-LUrdnQwP05gRbXXSL_uEUxQrey38vFkv8ELbcoO0gbFzHW4Ri716PfscBOQwFQq_UiGJUGOS0n4qHNDguggmEUEmaDWmKgdDA/s1080/2020_1957.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1080" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjsvk4MkFtdY-JqNzAYh95uwx8yJ9URe9GSQ8v-X7ws-LUrdnQwP05gRbXXSL_uEUxQrey38vFkv8ELbcoO0gbFzHW4Ri716PfscBOQwFQq_UiGJUGOS0n4qHNDguggmEUEmaDWmKgdDA/w400-h400/2020_1957.png" width="400" /></a></div><span class=""></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGTW0ZfQnosDG_Cj3qLBZ9AWovjx-qU8GIpDxilT512OKwvwqwu4iNFkl-nCj7_kHAwagA30Ah77KUE0AQraLa-Y1_YSzUjS-juBMmw1R68oLXP3Hr9q5oi08A1-nXq0eXJomSRx7trgU/s1080/2020_1960.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1080" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGTW0ZfQnosDG_Cj3qLBZ9AWovjx-qU8GIpDxilT512OKwvwqwu4iNFkl-nCj7_kHAwagA30Ah77KUE0AQraLa-Y1_YSzUjS-juBMmw1R68oLXP3Hr9q5oi08A1-nXq0eXJomSRx7trgU/w400-h400/2020_1960.png" width="400" /></a></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBFb4RElwxvHaQCVHAyj2kTFyrBj83DPAAwQ1Rj2xeD1EiEDi6AcJdgnAmYF-XpaM_UhDI7L7fJRy627JXLo902dCAAg1VqO8wVQDQZ7gMRGHeBKHuviz4oZjWGeY8jwpf1a3fE5IXXVY/s1080/2020_1988.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1080" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBFb4RElwxvHaQCVHAyj2kTFyrBj83DPAAwQ1Rj2xeD1EiEDi6AcJdgnAmYF-XpaM_UhDI7L7fJRy627JXLo902dCAAg1VqO8wVQDQZ7gMRGHeBKHuviz4oZjWGeY8jwpf1a3fE5IXXVY/w400-h400/2020_1988.png" width="400" /></a></div><p></p><p><span class=""></span></p><p><span class=""></span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyKQIByRobuLDgsyjtQ81KvmmYshZAjls0nJzN-1-4XdkcaolK6HF7_u498hohLVfbyJAZxqQCscfsXQlBzmW7W4GCQECrn-q6e4ylxx-fFxpSpqzaDK8MsRJNJFuvUWEtq2OvLfGOSns/s1080/2020_1996.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1080" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyKQIByRobuLDgsyjtQ81KvmmYshZAjls0nJzN-1-4XdkcaolK6HF7_u498hohLVfbyJAZxqQCscfsXQlBzmW7W4GCQECrn-q6e4ylxx-fFxpSpqzaDK8MsRJNJFuvUWEtq2OvLfGOSns/w400-h400/2020_1996.png" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRl-SEY9U_cZVBb4Atk2o9iZ-BHZ0t31bkaKhCKRizv_3Kbo_WoZRm3WHwgUyx0z2PcyQlp0DAmwrkGKLId4mgqVyTRK4JgcdK6iWOL8JXhuVDGNcaMjGo7yTTQ8C7fDyXFajfWO5j9BA/s1080/2020_1997.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1080" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRl-SEY9U_cZVBb4Atk2o9iZ-BHZ0t31bkaKhCKRizv_3Kbo_WoZRm3WHwgUyx0z2PcyQlp0DAmwrkGKLId4mgqVyTRK4JgcdK6iWOL8JXhuVDGNcaMjGo7yTTQ8C7fDyXFajfWO5j9BA/w400-h400/2020_1997.png" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5PM-VlmHWcQAntzFLhC1-8UXIwJ-h1lIAkWRIDYUY45WuawK8EUWiSOtDkOWkiT_G39trywgDoEBWq_U-n-GQu_4vM1aIDmjpgy_B5TfwJBjrStcYuDyL-Inyat9eSwx5zXomuji6fYI/s1080/2020_2010.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1080" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5PM-VlmHWcQAntzFLhC1-8UXIwJ-h1lIAkWRIDYUY45WuawK8EUWiSOtDkOWkiT_G39trywgDoEBWq_U-n-GQu_4vM1aIDmjpgy_B5TfwJBjrStcYuDyL-Inyat9eSwx5zXomuji6fYI/w400-h400/2020_2010.png" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRmgVkDOskffnbl8iX1nITq8jksZKP6PmwkxCKQ4rc4rKxQ0geyi-i2l74HUL5ZN3ELWlAIyKyCj1n3aXMe_UuxdhQ0jD_75PPpOTXC2GcIAHMAtw6eCcYUDlR6_KHCLapGVHbD5rmBvI/s1080/2020_2018.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1080" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRmgVkDOskffnbl8iX1nITq8jksZKP6PmwkxCKQ4rc4rKxQ0geyi-i2l74HUL5ZN3ELWlAIyKyCj1n3aXMe_UuxdhQ0jD_75PPpOTXC2GcIAHMAtw6eCcYUDlR6_KHCLapGVHbD5rmBvI/w400-h400/2020_2018.png" width="400" /></a></div><br /><span class=""><br />Thanks to a recommendation by <a class="notranslate" href="https://www.instagram.com/mulmsie/" tabindex="0">@mulmsie</a> I caught up with LE TEMPS DU LOUP (TIME OF THE WOLF, 2003), one of the few Haneke films I knew nothing about.<br />Thanks
to researching Morricone's music for a public lecture, I had a reason
to watch classics like SACCO E VANZETTI (Montaldo, 1971) and guilty
pleasures like the more preposterous Morricone-Tornatore-collaborations
like THE BEST OFFER (2013). Speaking of preposterous premises: I also
caught up with a few Kiyoshi Kurosawa movies.<br />Thanks to <a class="notranslate" href="https://www.instagram.com/mubi/" tabindex="0">@mubi</a> s Louis Malle selectrospective, I think I finally understood what makes those films tick. Special Mention goes to HUMAIN, TROP HUMAIN (1974) for making me watch how a Citroën car is built for 75 minutes without any notable commentary and not regretting any of it. <br /></span><p></p><p><span class="">In the spirit of the first post about SMALL AXE, the biggest thank you has to go to the <a class="notranslate" href="https://www.instagram.com/criterionchannel/" tabindex="0">@criterionchannel</a> for making seminal works of black cinema available to people outside the US!</span></p><p><span class="">Speaking of learning about black history: thanks to the National Theatre I enjoyed their production of "Small Island" including some bonus material on youtube.</span></p><h2 style="text-align: center;"><span class="">Favourite TV Series</span></h2><p><span class="">As sort of a blog bonus, the following were my favourite TV series of 2020. Since I usually watch TV pretty erratically (I don't really care when something is coming out), the list contains both old and new:</span></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span class="">BOJACK HORSEMAN (final season, 2020)</span></li><li><span class="">FRIEDEN (Swiss Mini-Series, 2020)</span></li><li><span class="">KILLING EVE (season 1, 2018)</span></li><li><span class="">MIDNIGHT GOSPEL (2020)<br /></span></li><li><span class="">OZARK (seasons 1-3, 2017-20)</span></li><li><span class="">ROMAN D'ADOS 2002-2008 (2010) </span></li><li><span class="">THE THICK OF IT (all 4 seasons, 2005-2012)</span></li></ul><span class="">And somewhere in between theatre and tv, there was Simon McBurney's mindblowing stage performance THE ENCOUNTER (2015) designed for binaural headphones.</span><br /><div><br /></div>Oswald Itenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09560644491496569393noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6593666821624078979.post-46075056260625763792020-08-08T20:36:00.004+02:002020-08-09T15:07:13.838+02:00Color Analysis: The Stag Fight<p>
</p><p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"><b>When <i>Christian Renaut</i> (author of „Les
héroïnes Disney“) asked me for a comment on color in the stag
fight scene in BAMBI (Hand, 1942), I felt the need to illustrate it with screenshots. Hence, my first color analysis post in years...</b> </p><p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"><br /></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">Although Walt Disney was predominantly
striving for dimensionally believable, naturalistic settings (in the
vein of 19<sup>th</sup> century illustrations) when it came to
animated features, during the golden age (1937-1942) his overall
emotional approach to storytelling allowed for expressionistic use of
shape and color during tense/subjective moments.</p><p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"> </p><p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">The resulting, less detailed
backgrounds are easily integrated, however, since the characters (the
focus of audience attention) keep their dimensionality, shape and
proportions at all time. No flat shapes, no graphical abstraction. In
addition, the Disney „dogma“ of value separation (i.e. either
light character colors against dark background colors or vice versa)
is closely followed, no matter how stylized the lighting gets. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjm0sWEVwFjlm_9H3axeyGy4M1yXU8B7XgGbvHBE3UZ9g58KqFzORsf8DfbvWAOumZM4nySBY8yG4eLE_50dzK91cVvh26yL0po_4eSnhiucBUlWpiRP0NsZAd6bQDF3iPkUO7_p0CxolU/s968/lightondark.png" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; padding: 1em 0px;"><img border="0" data-original-height="360" data-original-width="968" height="190" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjm0sWEVwFjlm_9H3axeyGy4M1yXU8B7XgGbvHBE3UZ9g58KqFzORsf8DfbvWAOumZM4nySBY8yG4eLE_50dzK91cVvh26yL0po_4eSnhiucBUlWpiRP0NsZAd6bQDF3iPkUO7_p0CxolU/w512-h190/lightondark.png" width="512" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Left: light character on dark BG / right: dark character against light BG.</i><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
</p><p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZbXnT1jOFZKwrQ7LGsF5M2F_AwSOCyim1KAOLKoAsOpHK-isz1aPcNyzilc3zHt4fXoK1pfnouV6SXdoPJNufYWQGgCgl7a_I-5jsbXNeHvDDdcwBTz4AY5SykhYhHuSKS1QBi6M8pdM/s1198/tyruswong.png" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; padding: 1em 0px;"><img border="0" data-original-height="444" data-original-width="1198" height="190" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZbXnT1jOFZKwrQ7LGsF5M2F_AwSOCyim1KAOLKoAsOpHK-isz1aPcNyzilc3zHt4fXoK1pfnouV6SXdoPJNufYWQGgCgl7a_I-5jsbXNeHvDDdcwBTz4AY5SykhYhHuSKS1QBi6M8pdM/w512-h190/tyruswong.png" width="512" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Concept art by Tyrus Wong (left via michaelbarrier.com, right via colossal.com)</i><br /></td></tr></tbody></table> <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUl4KGSeUHAj9uVMvNcSVQKFAeUizZBhyHhEN2d-t7GgsuVSmsHSSOS_LFa3_jYdyczC89tIyVpo1wKm_1S53O2IE9GDhLlA8Lb_a8-Rsl46cN61jFZZQBiJptAwv7BbHJGzCozb7rD2U/s968/impress.png" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; padding: 1em 0px;"><img border="0" data-original-height="360" data-original-width="968" height="190" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUl4KGSeUHAj9uVMvNcSVQKFAeUizZBhyHhEN2d-t7GgsuVSmsHSSOS_LFa3_jYdyczC89tIyVpo1wKm_1S53O2IE9GDhLlA8Lb_a8-Rsl46cN61jFZZQBiJptAwv7BbHJGzCozb7rD2U/w512-h190/impress.png" width="512" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Visible brushstrokes and less details in more impressionistic approach.</i><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><p></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">Thanks to <i>Tyrus Wong's </i>suggestive
concept art, <b>BAMBI generally feels much more impressionistic than the
other films of that era</b>. Besides atmospheric color choices, this
impression mainly stems from a very selective degree of detail
resulting in suggestive shapes of color and visible brush strokes.
This is closely maintained throughout the two fantasy sequences when
Bambi follows Faline through the clouds and during their stroll
through the night.</p><p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"> </p><p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"><i>[<b>Side note:</b> the fantasy sequence immediately before the stag fight has the deer float among more or less realistically painted clouds that resemble the snow only with pink instead of yellow highlights.]</i><br />
</p>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCySqM7gNmtftCN4TqWaVnUEDAG8aRHKqJcUAm1A-EZ9x9wFoj8-oG1FaZjGF-LBE-4I88yUMsz8BL97-r-4fL-k-zdMfRztYZ9okXL3EWVhV89OlSWxLAmjSDkAB5OG4WepPKYQtFLlI/s968/bambi_blue.png" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; padding: 1em 0px;"><img border="0" data-original-height="360" data-original-width="968" height="190" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCySqM7gNmtftCN4TqWaVnUEDAG8aRHKqJcUAm1A-EZ9x9wFoj8-oG1FaZjGF-LBE-4I88yUMsz8BL97-r-4fL-k-zdMfRztYZ9okXL3EWVhV89OlSWxLAmjSDkAB5OG4WepPKYQtFLlI/w512-h190/bambi_blue.png" width="512" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Snow: light blue with yellow highlights / love clouds: with pink highlights</i><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><p>
</p><p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">Right between these two love scenes,
however, Bambi has to fight his rival Ronno who suddenly appears
behind a cloud and brings Bambi back down to earth.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJaGY-9iXT1YxrzX6U7z_skIsOSvu2qQbV3_axA5XEO8UAW3kO_IV8n_q-2LOLnsMYzhbmuORs2IqdWfrAFa6IpMoq80xIMxJK6Wto4PbMRK8t-I7gRN-Pa1NEefcIbBrVuVgaI52z4dY/s1936/bambi01.png" style="display: block; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; padding: 1em 0px;"><img border="0" data-original-height="360" data-original-width="1936" height="95" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJaGY-9iXT1YxrzX6U7z_skIsOSvu2qQbV3_axA5XEO8UAW3kO_IV8n_q-2LOLnsMYzhbmuORs2IqdWfrAFa6IpMoq80xIMxJK6Wto4PbMRK8t-I7gRN-Pa1NEefcIbBrVuVgaI52z4dY/w512-h95/bambi01.png" width="512" /></a></div><p style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><b>The actual stag
fight takes only one minute, it leaves a strong impression not least
because of its bold color design. In the backgrounds, there are a lot
of expressionistic color transitions with a general arc from green
and blue towards red and golden orange. But although the „story meeting
commentary“ on the blu-ray insinuates that those color choices were
guided by „symbolism throughout“, I believe that what made it to
the screen works primarily on an emotional level without too much
rationalizing. So in this analysis of the latest blu-ray transfer
(which may differ from what the film looked like in Technicolor), I
primarily look at how these color combinations work and how they
affect me.</b></p>
<p><style type="text/css">
P { margin-bottom: 0.21cm }</style></p><p>
</p><h3 style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: left;"><b>The transition</b></h3>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">When the cloud setting transitions back
to the forest, the familiar brown vs green contrast makes the deer
stand out quite naturally. Furthermore, the shades of brown adhere to
the well-established Hollywood convention of value-coding: the skin
of the female love interest is paler (less saturated) than the hero's
skin and in this scene leaning more towards violet. The villain Ronno
is deliberately darker than Bambi, especially around the eyes,
looking almost like a shadow version of Bambi with more dangerous
antlers.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhu1O1xipXedF9gKVp046bWixwPYqBQAYHDvfmy_avq7nSfoSVRjzO_N83SfLwuMzCTeTOL4BslglBeayW6tlxWuE8GSexT2PybFpOT2fDOi0hIcgdN5nKy74PX6bn64VIViHSrl2Yu-aw/s968/bambi02ronno.png" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; padding: 1em 0px;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="968" height="381" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhu1O1xipXedF9gKVp046bWixwPYqBQAYHDvfmy_avq7nSfoSVRjzO_N83SfLwuMzCTeTOL4BslglBeayW6tlxWuE8GSexT2PybFpOT2fDOi0hIcgdN5nKy74PX6bn64VIViHSrl2Yu-aw/w512-h381/bambi02ronno.png" width="512" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ronno the Rival<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidnHZOZ9kWDl-e8XLo7lnsLEGUTZ8_u_RCUttKmPuJ8qCr22r9mX9cVZ9X9M9gZekBx0_v-nVdEGGY3pA381MsLpIi-Ap_Xdhq3xfjgLirNTRcuOWCtmVBr2TuxtgaiyMHDIAbjWNriZU/s968/bambi03all3.png" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; padding: 1em 0px;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="968" height="381" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidnHZOZ9kWDl-e8XLo7lnsLEGUTZ8_u_RCUttKmPuJ8qCr22r9mX9cVZ9X9M9gZekBx0_v-nVdEGGY3pA381MsLpIi-Ap_Xdhq3xfjgLirNTRcuOWCtmVBr2TuxtgaiyMHDIAbjWNriZU/w512-h381/bambi03all3.png" width="512" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>different skin tones according to convention.</i><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWOdAzImdGyKvM3n3wmspApzv3SOSo5P1Q-daR4S6qX84Bh1JKGoPAvb98zxsxplg39b1SnvbTPQYjHtavZ3umcmrfPoHHOpzEXJufO4L0IAe2KVaWZl1ZswVEnbAMlmzc-1Kz_nUlB-Y/s968/bambi04darker.png" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; padding: 1em 0px;"><img border="0" data-original-height="360" data-original-width="968" height="190" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWOdAzImdGyKvM3n3wmspApzv3SOSo5P1Q-daR4S6qX84Bh1JKGoPAvb98zxsxplg39b1SnvbTPQYjHtavZ3umcmrfPoHHOpzEXJufO4L0IAe2KVaWZl1ZswVEnbAMlmzc-1Kz_nUlB-Y/w512-h190/bambi04darker.png" width="512" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Faline paler, Bambi "default", Ronno darker...</i><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><p></p><p>
</p><p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">While the scene starts out in a
naturalistic way, the transition happens step by step. First, a brisk
change in lighting after a cut indicates a subjectively heightened
perception of the situation. The story notes mention a sunset, what
we actually see is heightened contrast and saturation in the green
background and glowing golden rim light on Faline and Ronno. This may
not look natural but makes for a bold color contrast. The sunset
impression also comes from the fact that during the whole stag fight,
Bambi and Ronno are always dark against light (except for one short
shot). Even in less extreme backlighting, this effect is supported by
the rim light that is brighter than the white of the deers' eyes.</p>
<div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0ZokhUF2PukkkuzgTBXEAOplVuyDXJxXHFXX8n613uyUUuPhng9kmMo8YrTM9HRi6xPyLoVhsifnc4h-BABCGjMJZ8K0hoR_JSlHFQ9ydodv_OtU9ct2J8nXsgM9m9ITauCL0jO8FSjA/s968/bambi05.png" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0px;"><img border="0" data-original-height="360" data-original-width="968" height="190" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0ZokhUF2PukkkuzgTBXEAOplVuyDXJxXHFXX8n613uyUUuPhng9kmMo8YrTM9HRi6xPyLoVhsifnc4h-BABCGjMJZ8K0hoR_JSlHFQ9ydodv_OtU9ct2J8nXsgM9m9ITauCL0jO8FSjA/w512-h190/bambi05.png" width="512" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEja9kVI-XjEqc80-TqI8BykULvxFGIik2abHXkv2YubFk2F5q_ADpU3qUNWSDTrVjPwathogiu7EcOtT7oPMwZgWQAeqNnC4UqXhOvPKxxAXLtjYXFwnEep5LehcyLN3usTPdG1wIMV298/s1936/bambi06.png" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0px;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="1936" height="190" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEja9kVI-XjEqc80-TqI8BykULvxFGIik2abHXkv2YubFk2F5q_ADpU3qUNWSDTrVjPwathogiu7EcOtT7oPMwZgWQAeqNnC4UqXhOvPKxxAXLtjYXFwnEep5LehcyLN3usTPdG1wIMV298/w512-h190/bambi06.png" width="512" /></a></div><p>
</p><p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">During Bambi's attack from the right,
the transition is taken further within a shot over the course of
which Bambi's body becomes a dark silhouette against a backdrop of
broad brush strokes and blue and green shapes devoid of detail (54:19:13). </p>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioQig5RhCSjw_uiTXMRlTMLHIm1_XmK5GteNfFP5iVS03oXOWzfSD44Yc7nETzhXNz4qC_SFEGsznzRccCodAETw_xDuqyArTEgdbOyAiD80b3khIjVxGms9O33mhjOG1cmY5FYhDjQno/s1021/bambi07panchanges.png" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; padding: 1em 0px;"><img border="0" data-original-height="360" data-original-width="1021" height="181" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioQig5RhCSjw_uiTXMRlTMLHIm1_XmK5GteNfFP5iVS03oXOWzfSD44Yc7nETzhXNz4qC_SFEGsznzRccCodAETw_xDuqyArTEgdbOyAiD80b3khIjVxGms9O33mhjOG1cmY5FYhDjQno/w512-h181/bambi07panchanges.png" width="512" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Bambi from the right, smooth lighting change against broad shapes.<br /></i></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNEQ8TYYL6Sb-ld4LqQDSOWCF3PMu4CWr4CUFXKqk1b6vB7edHBLZOsDhgGWcA46qL6G7WkzBC9ygs3oFECfazqwTDpVBBoyK1HVz5sH41YB48QvZ2zi4pKg_q5r3pQhs4DE3uuS1KGuc/s968/bambi08.png" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; padding: 1em 0px;"><img border="0" data-original-height="360" data-original-width="968" height="190" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNEQ8TYYL6Sb-ld4LqQDSOWCF3PMu4CWr4CUFXKqk1b6vB7edHBLZOsDhgGWcA46qL6G7WkzBC9ygs3oFECfazqwTDpVBBoyK1HVz5sH41YB48QvZ2zi4pKg_q5r3pQhs4DE3uuS1KGuc/w512-h190/bambi08.png" width="512" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Ronno from the left.</i><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="height: 32px; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; width: 87px;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table><p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">We then see Ronno's counter-attack from
the left with hard lighting from the right (aka the expressionist
sunset). Contrast is now so high that parts of the image remain pitch
black. </p><p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"><br /></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">What is more, although perspective and
dimensionality are maintained, in the following long shot the level
of detail is extremely low. A sketchy brown branch on the left and a
silhouetted branch on the right provide the necessary depth cues with
dramatic lighting setting the stage for the action. </p>
<p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgZ-SBYGxWoz0cBJ8j76B08cF3fKasMx4XM9MRAKAseSf0jPKiIKIqdFnT-l2MVPlEGT-dk8HaaAyFEM1eIrZ7Jba_PqlsLwWibgyV6bnFXkn99hG__tuX8SVcIldKFT3NPIkVyzWTFgc/s968/pathcut.png" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; padding: 1em 0px;"><img border="0" data-original-height="360" data-original-width="968" height="190" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgZ-SBYGxWoz0cBJ8j76B08cF3fKasMx4XM9MRAKAseSf0jPKiIKIqdFnT-l2MVPlEGT-dk8HaaAyFEM1eIrZ7Jba_PqlsLwWibgyV6bnFXkn99hG__tuX8SVcIldKFT3NPIkVyzWTFgc/w512-h190/pathcut.png" width="512" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Cut from high contrast, high saturation to similar, more stylized background.</i></td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjApqFpmqBOpJDDC1F3sMfxgmJMeKmqFaRXiTqAmY1ewNhBD_JndM3Mu-ctrpkPmDPcwoMdW3WN7DNHR8r7gqz8pWE2exq9NDfUW4w2LuPZccBxRhS3PmuF99hd0Q8UlRBy37ciV3EK7CQ/s968/rayoflight.png" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; padding: 1em 0px;"><img border="0" data-original-height="360" data-original-width="968" height="190" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjApqFpmqBOpJDDC1F3sMfxgmJMeKmqFaRXiTqAmY1ewNhBD_JndM3Mu-ctrpkPmDPcwoMdW3WN7DNHR8r7gqz8pWE2exq9NDfUW4w2LuPZccBxRhS3PmuF99hd0Q8UlRBy37ciV3EK7CQ/w512-h190/rayoflight.png" width="512" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>This setup (right) resembles the style of the first hunting scare (left).</i></td></tr></tbody></table><p></p><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhddiAAe4dbWqRWb9Jtb5hteoptHXRmJvb50gUXY0PvvvcB9zif2b8_Un2f_XI1lc27bo2uh9fmzAM58vJO2sp_0yllniTOJ_r-FhM9M1fbJQrWPEGLRtxyGddGhBmEJt4LF7Bl2CN33N4/s968/bambi09.png" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0px;"><img border="0" data-original-height="360" data-original-width="968" height="190" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhddiAAe4dbWqRWb9Jtb5hteoptHXRmJvb50gUXY0PvvvcB9zif2b8_Un2f_XI1lc27bo2uh9fmzAM58vJO2sp_0yllniTOJ_r-FhM9M1fbJQrWPEGLRtxyGddGhBmEJt4LF7Bl2CN33N4/w512-h190/bambi09.png" width="512" /></a></div><p>And since Ronno's
half of the background is a lot darker (above), this is the one shot where he
is much lighter than Bambi and everything else in the shot. Thus, it
looks like two contrasting forces (bright orange Ronno and pitch
black Bambi) are about to collide.</p><p></p><p>
</p><h3 style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: left;"><b>Ignoring color continuity<br /></b></h3>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">However, when the actual collision
happens in the next shot, both deer are equally dark against an
abstract dark blue background. </p><p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"><br /></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">In this elaborately animated shot,
Ronno takes Bambi on his antlers and throws him to the left setting
up the basic left-right-orientation for the remainder of the fight.
At the same time, three basic concepts of the sequence are
established:
</p>
<ol><li><p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">since the editing adheres to
meticulous action continuity, the artists applied colors freely
without paying attention from shot to shot. No matter how much the
colors change from one shot to the next, there is always at least
one element that remains stable across cuts.</p>
</li><li><p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">While the characters appear in
„expensive Disney silhouettes“ (my own expression) – almost
black but still with slight differences in color for lighter body
parts and eyes – often against dark backgrounds, the movement is
suggested a layer of fierce rim lights, sometimes containing
additional highlights in an even brighter color.
</p>
</li><li><p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">The degree of detail in the
background varies greatly from just a direction of brushstrokes and
gradient to some sketchily defined piece of vegetation or even fully
rendered leaves and blades of grass. This way, we don't really see
these color flashes as abstract backgrounds because like with the
rim light on the characters, there are always enough
representational elements in the frame to suggest a full setting.</p>
</li></ol>
<p> </p><h3 style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: left;"><b>Stage-managing emotional color
changes</b></h3>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">During Bambi and Ronno's initial clash,
both are defined by the harsh orange sidelight (and fierce white
highlights) of a heated confrontation. But during Bambi's fall to the
left, his rim light turns cold as he enters a zone of fictitious blue
light from above. Like in most of Disney's more expressionist
sequences, this is much more reminiscent of elaborate stage lighting
rather than abstract painting.
</p>
<div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMhedbL-bI9HnDGJSGMI3N1Gtlxa0CUq41sJk4jPP01j2q6faF9vxqpomayRK9rUxj3Ht8EubM2Cl0kzV_Uh7gnlPNO-vsKtVwzJBzlnRGmVSXos0WghsTN6qN-1M7G_luXjapOf6hzBk/s2160/bambi10stagelighting.png" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0px;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2160" data-original-width="484" height="1954" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMhedbL-bI9HnDGJSGMI3N1Gtlxa0CUq41sJk4jPP01j2q6faF9vxqpomayRK9rUxj3Ht8EubM2Cl0kzV_Uh7gnlPNO-vsKtVwzJBzlnRGmVSXos0WghsTN6qN-1M7G_luXjapOf6hzBk/w438-h1954/bambi10stagelighting.png" width="438" /></a></div><p></p><p></p><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsv9RbyraXXvBjvxRrSbXyEET6rxpsbkcDkaYOaYk2_U-52Yuar_8gThynsUIcgC6kC7ZsWpS-S_2HJ38UhXQcFfiGzLsT3Ms5Bl81kmHEpclTTsfeBKLVU2jh7U-E79JDfJ9RcF1IQZY/s968/bambi11.png" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0px;"><img border="0" data-original-height="360" data-original-width="968" height="190" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsv9RbyraXXvBjvxRrSbXyEET6rxpsbkcDkaYOaYk2_U-52Yuar_8gThynsUIcgC6kC7ZsWpS-S_2HJ38UhXQcFfiGzLsT3Ms5Bl81kmHEpclTTsfeBKLVU2jh7U-E79JDfJ9RcF1IQZY/w512-h190/bambi11.png" width="512" /></a></div>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">This notion seems to be confirmed by
the fact that when Ronno approaches Bambi he is also bathed in blue
overhead lighting and only re-enters the hot orange zone when the
action moves to the right (a prime example of the old orange vs teal
contrast, if ever there was one). </p>
<div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDJYPVsnVZULN6VZjDNapjkDBhtb9_8edv8J2I-lnJa5L2ABcfwIsMO7I0SWuChc8b6iVfJIYNMpSaoN2sFdvgjb5zLqvqxNZhI2-akBUAVprlNv4_rAdQGG5GT3gTYwDqAFkLNbPWt7k/s1800/bambi12stageback.png" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0px;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1800" data-original-width="484" height="1250" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDJYPVsnVZULN6VZjDNapjkDBhtb9_8edv8J2I-lnJa5L2ABcfwIsMO7I0SWuChc8b6iVfJIYNMpSaoN2sFdvgjb5zLqvqxNZhI2-akBUAVprlNv4_rAdQGG5GT3gTYwDqAFkLNbPWt7k/w336-h1250/bambi12stageback.png" width="336" /></a></div>So rather than separating the two
deer by colors, the lighting evokes the emotional involvement in the
fight,<b> sometimes using a hard cut to flip from hot to cold</b> as Bambi
goes down again (54:28:14).<div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgB850hFq6qecR3zgNFOjTpmlVfIzfhLnM5TBVEfrXyV5lYVLlYY8kZbpTBeGDsMpiRFmTSOwHg2fudpubygU6WU6TwDNdT_jQdSqTLQWjWB7yRL9GmtBGiRijyzHckH-6HcqOmTsG0py0/s968/bambi13cut.png" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0px;"><img border="0" data-original-height="360" data-original-width="968" height="190" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgB850hFq6qecR3zgNFOjTpmlVfIzfhLnM5TBVEfrXyV5lYVLlYY8kZbpTBeGDsMpiRFmTSOwHg2fudpubygU6WU6TwDNdT_jQdSqTLQWjWB7yRL9GmtBGiRijyzHckH-6HcqOmTsG0py0/w512-h190/bambi13cut.png" width="512" /></a></div>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">Then we get the first brief shot from
Bambi's point of view: Ronno's orange/white rimmed silhouette runs
straight at the camera against a non-representational gradient made
of broad diagonal brush strokes.</p>
<div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHFirxWt2D10-zjvrQ0joOU8lEDMQ4kJHXWW_1Eqev96swl2eDYMwC5CwjrF5r45UTkijgJVjtUmGzuvLMWCvVKTvmcgeWJWjK-YKH72CuCTOK-WKSgqmXjP5X9Znw8qzfS-G2C-gOVmw/s968/bambi14pov.png" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0px;"><img border="0" data-original-height="360" data-original-width="968" height="190" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHFirxWt2D10-zjvrQ0joOU8lEDMQ4kJHXWW_1Eqev96swl2eDYMwC5CwjrF5r45UTkijgJVjtUmGzuvLMWCvVKTvmcgeWJWjK-YKH72CuCTOK-WKSgqmXjP5X9Znw8qzfS-G2C-gOVmw/w512-h190/bambi14pov.png" width="512" /></a></div>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">Now the darker rim light on both
characters is green, somewhere inbetween the blue and green of the
background. This overall green look is extended to a shot of Faline
watching the action in an almost unicolored setup.</p>
<div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_YUSmYagqF0QyltYwvXI0gYXP_zFNrRCaH4rS5jW5J2d3ATy_1KcUhU6xHggS776PnV-xi_YPkJ9f98oLsPbFbGiuiQ4uooEwuqVNpWz0DWUGYwAgzGFWcqlDIJCEQbUrKAeZzzEP48o/s968/bambi15falinegreen.png" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0px;"><img border="0" data-original-height="360" data-original-width="968" height="190" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_YUSmYagqF0QyltYwvXI0gYXP_zFNrRCaH4rS5jW5J2d3ATy_1KcUhU6xHggS776PnV-xi_YPkJ9f98oLsPbFbGiuiQ4uooEwuqVNpWz0DWUGYwAgzGFWcqlDIJCEQbUrKAeZzzEP48o/w512-h190/bambi15falinegreen.png" width="512" /></a></div>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">Bambi's next attack begins with orange
top light but only adds the white highlight in the spot where the two
stags meet. Again, the background colors flip across an axial
continuity cut from green to orange vs blue (54:37:07) with Ronno on
the orange side and Bambi against a dark blue background looking up
at Ronno attacking him yet again from a bright background (maybe
looking up at a cloud or light source?) that emphasizes the darkness
of Ronno's silhouette.
</p>
<div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi93FEj1MOmn3pomQTaKWghTFdUN4KtsCSWvfjpwQ9TupFgPRGpEBl8RhunQQi00BVNFUbaRPiSjzxx14Wx8_rRkk1WOdKNABwF5b8J3gBG8gJ-qhA6CHFwBM5ZqdRxtmzQZiBEAksPHVA/s1751/bambi16pan.png" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0px;"><img border="0" data-original-height="466" data-original-width="1751" height="136" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi93FEj1MOmn3pomQTaKWghTFdUN4KtsCSWvfjpwQ9TupFgPRGpEBl8RhunQQi00BVNFUbaRPiSjzxx14Wx8_rRkk1WOdKNABwF5b8J3gBG8gJ-qhA6CHFwBM5ZqdRxtmzQZiBEAksPHVA/w512-h136/bambi16pan.png" width="512" /></a></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAEbiOSdurZaz4oMgPgVUnil0HYi5t98mankX_qeE8n6Cu0W72DONbU40_Q3mLYt6soGvjaQdg5kgsOTqqtNI8pHiMiH4IDSwQ0CqdhAYxplbOur8nyymH5a9wNLgb8yqPszbMPouEpCE/s968/bambi17.png" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; padding: 1em 0px;"><img border="0" data-original-height="360" data-original-width="968" height="190" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAEbiOSdurZaz4oMgPgVUnil0HYi5t98mankX_qeE8n6Cu0W72DONbU40_Q3mLYt6soGvjaQdg5kgsOTqqtNI8pHiMiH4IDSwQ0CqdhAYxplbOur8nyymH5a9wNLgb8yqPszbMPouEpCE/w512-h190/bambi17.png" width="512" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>BG colors change with hard cuts</i><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfjXwS_D8fzYOci-7_W-6MMtk7ayeQIi7_UygEyp9Oh66CJETboWwvGD1pRNZGeCPyTj0q2lIVBofrpt1-Id0HpVGiL7oz-L9wWBzVi0x7CgfT99UaCXDHZTOMiTlWz1hdvp_GOi-9OHE/s968/bambi19.png" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; padding: 1em 0px;"><img border="0" data-original-height="360" data-original-width="968" height="190" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfjXwS_D8fzYOci-7_W-6MMtk7ayeQIi7_UygEyp9Oh66CJETboWwvGD1pRNZGeCPyTj0q2lIVBofrpt1-Id0HpVGiL7oz-L9wWBzVi0x7CgfT99UaCXDHZTOMiTlWz1hdvp_GOi-9OHE/w512-h190/bambi19.png" width="512" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>BG colors change with hard cuts</i></td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNP8YSC_XcOV0-Tzv0CdUmGQmocXSEu8iBuRPmlAVDIP987dE4xp1FGgQ9Vug1_L8APV7CGrswX3a9y4QUMfhoP40GO4aMVYQfBVkABiOdXZbOzy_5uvUNYWmlB6zk2YUrDQsPhP6do_M/s968/bambi20.png" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; padding: 1em 0px;"><img border="0" data-original-height="360" data-original-width="968" height="190" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNP8YSC_XcOV0-Tzv0CdUmGQmocXSEu8iBuRPmlAVDIP987dE4xp1FGgQ9Vug1_L8APV7CGrswX3a9y4QUMfhoP40GO4aMVYQfBVkABiOdXZbOzy_5uvUNYWmlB6zk2YUrDQsPhP6do_M/w512-h190/bambi20.png" width="512" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>BG colors change with hard cuts</i></td></tr></tbody></table><br />
<p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">During the next wrestling match
(54:45.10), by way of a pan, the green background turns to blue while
the blue rimlight gradually transitions to red and orange, which is
again reflected in a unicolored shot of Faline watching the action
(now staged as shadows over her face and the rock behind her)</p>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlU0hp2vzF0KYbopTq2sbid4wc0oQZleBs6RX2V0pVbjx6lIJnLIgxrcaZnMwVJfyC67Bj4evfYawT29_k3D5d8KogZoSKnmlhL555OisTbSXu2dg0WvQCUq4NefPukOwm2csjie6fmHE/s2520/bambi21changes.png" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; padding: 1em 0px;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2520" data-original-width="484" height="1954" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlU0hp2vzF0KYbopTq2sbid4wc0oQZleBs6RX2V0pVbjx6lIJnLIgxrcaZnMwVJfyC67Bj4evfYawT29_k3D5d8KogZoSKnmlhL555OisTbSXu2dg0WvQCUq4NefPukOwm2csjie6fmHE/w376-h1954/bambi21changes.png" width="376" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>continuous color change of rim light.</i><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYH2IIhZ7UVsUwFag_6_h26fyZQBffVeg2Y67aiTf0JvrURLbYVVMrRNJZYMjVfBjaTRQ9ul7DNgJNgyAXnQGEw0y_Gn0T1_9c-CH3FX9OtErfre_IZ06G64KVPfHp7er00R-7j_ImeyQ/s1080/bambi22.png" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0px;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="484" height="1000" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYH2IIhZ7UVsUwFag_6_h26fyZQBffVeg2Y67aiTf0JvrURLbYVVMrRNJZYMjVfBjaTRQ9ul7DNgJNgyAXnQGEw0y_Gn0T1_9c-CH3FX9OtErfre_IZ06G64KVPfHp7er00R-7j_ImeyQ/w449-h1000/bambi22.png" width="449" /></a></div>
<h2 style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: left;"><b>The sunset justification</b></h2>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">Taking into account that all this was
supposedly happening while the sun was setting on the right (the
typical narrative pretense for colored lighting in Hollywood films at
the time), we have now entered the final stage: the lower half of the
backgrounds are already in the dark, devoid of warm sunlight.</p>
<div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgD1iKOhsBFV61zJrBKhCSb0nmOqRC68yDPD4PBEfvhClPkNDQWoR6aB7SZT4Dz6yyRHN-otD4kd8-1reDRG2ki08QBl2y_okOhUSboUPqncmd_myZsX3l0xkAI58FbSkqB1a9oX6QDjLI/s968/bambi23.png" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0px;"><img border="0" data-original-height="360" data-original-width="968" height="190" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgD1iKOhsBFV61zJrBKhCSb0nmOqRC68yDPD4PBEfvhClPkNDQWoR6aB7SZT4Dz6yyRHN-otD4kd8-1reDRG2ki08QBl2y_okOhUSboUPqncmd_myZsX3l0xkAI58FbSkqB1a9oX6QDjLI/w512-h190/bambi23.png" width="512" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKM9bacZp8RDdlVy70uoi_Gp0LMnEiHxJbnkg4PU_XjUbz4DqsvWPBNYmE2xuLRpKE3kd945r9qhBKMQY58BEKTTJgHwDrEXVOz9yg_uYXj6LIwqSIJWZ0L4nmUjNNa6CASLD2OQX1NUw/s968/bambi24.png" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0px;"><img border="0" data-original-height="360" data-original-width="968" height="190" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKM9bacZp8RDdlVy70uoi_Gp0LMnEiHxJbnkg4PU_XjUbz4DqsvWPBNYmE2xuLRpKE3kd945r9qhBKMQY58BEKTTJgHwDrEXVOz9yg_uYXj6LIwqSIJWZ0L4nmUjNNa6CASLD2OQX1NUw/w512-h190/bambi24.png" width="512" /></a></div>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">As we cut from a wide shot to a
close-up of the wedged heads, the background snaps to a fully
saturated diagonal gradient from dark blue over magenta to red
reminiscent of the fierce red glow that occurs shortly after the sun
has set (and foreshadows the forest fire). </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipnCOJjuVb5cb8dXwXhamI5dDF7qqVhLKVWrneJ4WTpxtWEAhYLfaBBZb0afO-kwhOkTwpjBYwkMlBIqSO6ZuDyobTkEVaQiRmXP3v8CbnGRt8XLA_GlBFFQ3dU_91Q_ucwgDrkUFO23Q/s968/bambi25.png" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; padding: 1em 0px;"><img border="0" data-original-height="360" data-original-width="968" height="190" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipnCOJjuVb5cb8dXwXhamI5dDF7qqVhLKVWrneJ4WTpxtWEAhYLfaBBZb0afO-kwhOkTwpjBYwkMlBIqSO6ZuDyobTkEVaQiRmXP3v8CbnGRt8XLA_GlBFFQ3dU_91Q_ucwgDrkUFO23Q/w512-h190/bambi25.png" width="512" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>The sky is now burning...</i><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">Emotionally, the fully
saturated red seems to tell us that we have reached the apex of the
stag fight. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEis1il8DnuGgQVHS6nz0jqq3vY38U7vj2rm58USr5CRG0x3sGGCNDx7UWp84t1IQLcCGgiKrKrMldmRq0tyP36vfBfyb8a-twwf5cJELS-PvM-o1ug7IHYQXmdnzSUsUy1WQxmogsiiWi8/s1080/bambi26.png" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; padding: 1em 0px;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="484" height="800" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEis1il8DnuGgQVHS6nz0jqq3vY38U7vj2rm58USr5CRG0x3sGGCNDx7UWp84t1IQLcCGgiKrKrMldmRq0tyP36vfBfyb8a-twwf5cJELS-PvM-o1ug7IHYQXmdnzSUsUy1WQxmogsiiWi8/w359-h800/bambi26.png" width="359" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>With red fury on his side, Bambi is getting the upperhand</i><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">Indeed, the two clash one last time. Only this time
around, Bambi is strong enough to through Ronno off the cliff into
the cold violet water (down below, so technically not in the warm
part of the background any more). Remarkably, those last few shots
have been defined by just enough representational detail that the
fully dimensional background during Ronno's fall doesn't attract our
attention.</p>
<div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLNMEUBcVRPKqA2syibxQw7q3iLLaYmKy0vc36olExe7mpReNSi9I_KgbTZyKjI0kVGExYmsyUosUcn-Z_yTcNzoMvS4J_mEUd9RMubK78QXl1-cjO1z3-EAeRBPWMTTFkODTqhlKrcuY/s484/bambi27.png" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0px;"><img border="0" data-original-height="360" data-original-width="484" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLNMEUBcVRPKqA2syibxQw7q3iLLaYmKy0vc36olExe7mpReNSi9I_KgbTZyKjI0kVGExYmsyUosUcn-Z_yTcNzoMvS4J_mEUd9RMubK78QXl1-cjO1z3-EAeRBPWMTTFkODTqhlKrcuY/s0/bambi27.png" /></a></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhv01CeawNVGYJOWj2cuyHk4FT3YS4xTSpKkMN8hT2R3jNgHvbVg1gF_fbtzQRzxZzVGNYTrJ4d0w0O7Y-4hPjDrghZSj7KrddjmZtsIMA-p8Mvb_WT4kZ4DAXvBKccogT2sMMebP0CNP4/s1800/bambi28change.png" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; padding: 1em 0px;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1800" data-original-width="484" height="1563" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhv01CeawNVGYJOWj2cuyHk4FT3YS4xTSpKkMN8hT2R3jNgHvbVg1gF_fbtzQRzxZzVGNYTrJ4d0w0O7Y-4hPjDrghZSj7KrddjmZtsIMA-p8Mvb_WT4kZ4DAXvBKccogT2sMMebP0CNP4/w420-h1563/bambi28change.png" width="420" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Again entering the striking highlight zone...</i><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqwrUS_mfLBwCsltgwhIjrChNpih_o707nWYgrSg7jOkPG1bSsBOZsnKxvxtXbspGnRzXdJ4HW7Susu2EuPDCGbMiGpOOoJauTV3GlxqExF-ZbHv75QWVmA1kOaskPRW6erfhzWxk7AzE/s484/bambi29.png" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; padding: 1em 0px;"><img border="0" data-original-height="360" data-original-width="484" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqwrUS_mfLBwCsltgwhIjrChNpih_o707nWYgrSg7jOkPG1bSsBOZsnKxvxtXbspGnRzXdJ4HW7Susu2EuPDCGbMiGpOOoJauTV3GlxqExF-ZbHv75QWVmA1kOaskPRW6erfhzWxk7AzE/s0/bambi29.png" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Suggestive, leaving much to the imagination, but still representational.</i><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOCabWCzCdo7-JJBglnbzd0YlBSzgCrrLYe6xIRtQ7IVpUgUmHBGafUSBQG_3P4dipIDiMziNW_wH_HrDuNf7tLpj472WAMhQHAP9XdUGOPbupr4s0suIvF185NORowa4di_8o-9FplmI/s484/bambi30.png" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0px;"><img border="0" data-original-height="360" data-original-width="484" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOCabWCzCdo7-JJBglnbzd0YlBSzgCrrLYe6xIRtQ7IVpUgUmHBGafUSBQG_3P4dipIDiMziNW_wH_HrDuNf7tLpj472WAMhQHAP9XdUGOPbupr4s0suIvF185NORowa4di_8o-9FplmI/s0/bambi30.png" /></a></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieUVqhhCM50m8YvGIf0VHEJ7kDSkFadj-It9Qlgm6A8GaYuy3AFVr-1lUghXfrLQi1AAdiOZ-tU-VNO3xaOArYLqq3l0EaMbkiPhISAKsR2fKti2KdfBCPLUO0vC8uJzfXeKol7LsDldo/s968/bambi31.png" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; padding: 1em 0px;"><img border="0" data-original-height="360" data-original-width="968" height="190" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieUVqhhCM50m8YvGIf0VHEJ7kDSkFadj-It9Qlgm6A8GaYuy3AFVr-1lUghXfrLQi1AAdiOZ-tU-VNO3xaOArYLqq3l0EaMbkiPhISAKsR2fKti2KdfBCPLUO0vC8uJzfXeKol7LsDldo/w512-h190/bambi31.png" width="512" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>BG colors change with a hard cut.</i><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgSVBpWGxlU_wmikXq8Mms7_-uj0hMcTyZCSs2vNZ3MyBiKEkeIROzXeroYbCFGGEv-00dDoO5ARzCOzhAQhf7QGNYvlnGv8QjH6aupM0MqTYnZ_983TiNQGhsro2SdxEp0cgNwGcO6cE/s968/bambi32.png" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; padding: 1em 0px;"><img border="0" data-original-height="360" data-original-width="968" height="190" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgSVBpWGxlU_wmikXq8Mms7_-uj0hMcTyZCSs2vNZ3MyBiKEkeIROzXeroYbCFGGEv-00dDoO5ARzCOzhAQhf7QGNYvlnGv8QjH6aupM0MqTYnZ_983TiNQGhsro2SdxEp0cgNwGcO6cE/w512-h190/bambi32.png" width="512" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>the final POV shot of Ronno attacking.</i><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9PJ8JQ_DVq5awlr1ETvVmNinx3WhEBSu-4d9So2_N3ZZUNdgVnZ1caFc6fCcI0-ZL5BKOs_op7GvvJJMuOMTtbecZMtfOiUpAQZc-TNtFSFWIH8uEPWFabPIJIJ1-dqFYlx7UHNGqyoE/s474/bgcomparison.gif" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; padding: 1em 0px;"><img border="0" data-original-height="360" data-original-width="474" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9PJ8JQ_DVq5awlr1ETvVmNinx3WhEBSu-4d9So2_N3ZZUNdgVnZ1caFc6fCcI0-ZL5BKOs_op7GvvJJMuOMTtbecZMtfOiUpAQZc-TNtFSFWIH8uEPWFabPIJIJ1-dqFYlx7UHNGqyoE/s0/bgcomparison.gif" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>The same BG in different colors, early expertise or later tampering?</i><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><p><i>[<b>Side note</b>: BAMBI has been heavily "restored" for DVD and again for Blu-ray. Without getting into all the things that don't feel right to me, I am very curious about the original colors of this POV background (55:01:16, above). It is certainly the same painting. And although there were indeed procedures that allowed for these kinds of color changes, I am not sure if it really fit the sunset part as well on Technicolor or if it was "fixed" in order to smoothly match the original vision as opposed to what ended up on screen.]</i><br /></p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxwobLWaMxenZrZvgQuO6kUoxCRpIazpGPWRJduogSO8zMgnpqNot64ytkFCg29Xg4kVApFR5Htr2pGh4fJV6tLQaHFxmmW9z7V2RdtZHHkkgJlfvvu_vdQh3GIh-L52W-5U82k3zQ-gg/s968/bambi33.png" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; padding: 1em 0px;"><img border="0" data-original-height="360" data-original-width="968" height="190" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxwobLWaMxenZrZvgQuO6kUoxCRpIazpGPWRJduogSO8zMgnpqNot64ytkFCg29Xg4kVApFR5Htr2pGh4fJV6tLQaHFxmmW9z7V2RdtZHHkkgJlfvvu_vdQh3GIh-L52W-5U82k3zQ-gg/w512-h190/bambi33.png" width="512" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>It's interesting how the same BG works for two different size relations!<br /></i></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh40_9Xno9Ke5q18e4iiMFZLMG4OGgJCdKn7XHsPVZzu6AigkwM4v_1jHnnn4PBOywxUl5Sv4w1JaBmtrlAv_6I9Bt5H03OinRAblK5pC5tSOkLvl7SU29W6ebA30NwX74kXX9MIO9wQ-g/s968/bambi34.png" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; padding: 1em 0px;"><img border="0" data-original-height="360" data-original-width="968" height="190" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh40_9Xno9Ke5q18e4iiMFZLMG4OGgJCdKn7XHsPVZzu6AigkwM4v_1jHnnn4PBOywxUl5Sv4w1JaBmtrlAv_6I9Bt5H03OinRAblK5pC5tSOkLvl7SU29W6ebA30NwX74kXX9MIO9wQ-g/w512-h190/bambi34.png" width="512" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Generally, the diagonal left-to-right dynamics (Bambi's direction) are adhered to in abstraction as well.</i><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqgiPE9pbHps02mgdgTBbb_mNpb4y5R-4c50Ax8hRo1DJxhH4rl7TxixrFtxorJYjLH2jqosoOkBv8GJ8j665_8p0YeCFUZWIWmI1MZsf4qms1ySxIOn-BimARaYjUmA9MQne2_I5pY9o/s968/bambi35.png" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0px;"><img border="0" data-original-height="360" data-original-width="968" height="190" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqgiPE9pbHps02mgdgTBbb_mNpb4y5R-4c50Ax8hRo1DJxhH4rl7TxixrFtxorJYjLH2jqosoOkBv8GJ8j665_8p0YeCFUZWIWmI1MZsf4qms1ySxIOn-BimARaYjUmA9MQne2_I5pY9o/w512-h190/bambi35.png" width="512" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnHyg62vTFxMVutzIsy6SafK5B92TYKKU67IbVN3_m5V9fWGdbEsc_HTueJAOH8PWdrDMn3DZ1GcIqy1-LgqhYceRcUOTvuwfnXhUf2gwoGahOs55qeMmM2CRiT20dP0_WZNja_aWyjkM/s1440/bambi36.png" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0px;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="484" height="1250" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnHyg62vTFxMVutzIsy6SafK5B92TYKKU67IbVN3_m5V9fWGdbEsc_HTueJAOH8PWdrDMn3DZ1GcIqy1-LgqhYceRcUOTvuwfnXhUf2gwoGahOs55qeMmM2CRiT20dP0_WZNja_aWyjkM/w420-h1250/bambi36.png" width="420" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3AkLO-P5rhWqfBTpJ5wcBPzK8bFHSFnHreJ4uK19Cg8MJHqyoHBQcqpsbprU2MUGVZZIJPduU7E9kOwEoj2hj3UwvOFMtX4wJZZ4XKqg7frB5vX7tUyGt-UfRxAdoPWvZRIeD1LA-SaM/s1440/bambi37fall.png" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0px;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="484" height="1250" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3AkLO-P5rhWqfBTpJ5wcBPzK8bFHSFnHreJ4uK19Cg8MJHqyoHBQcqpsbprU2MUGVZZIJPduU7E9kOwEoj2hj3UwvOFMtX4wJZZ4XKqg7frB5vX7tUyGt-UfRxAdoPWvZRIeD1LA-SaM/w420-h1250/bambi37fall.png" width="420" /></a></div>
<h3 style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: left;"><b>The iconic shot</b></h3>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">After this predominantly red climax,
for the aftermath – and real payoff – the sky turns gold as Bambi
towers over his rival in a simple but strong composition. By this
saving-a-damsel-in-distress-and-proving-himself moment, Bambi seems
to have earned the „prince of the forest“ staging. He may not yet
be ready to succeed the old prince in all aspects, but it is
certainly the first time, he is seen in this iconic pose that is backlit so the characters appear as clear silhouettes against
a lighter backdrop.</p>
<div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirPdrB9ksLpCb0Z3yXf6XiU8KHfNL7Kl4HQuFCvzrbqANK2xZbKwEQywIvGXBLZ4i8XR40TNb2GSFwHrBNfkQFTGKithd7mcw8oPNN2M7oeNW1vZdNiR29BXx5lm_K6V5jIi6dlXw7Ws4/s720/bambi38iconic.png" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0px;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="484" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirPdrB9ksLpCb0Z3yXf6XiU8KHfNL7Kl4HQuFCvzrbqANK2xZbKwEQywIvGXBLZ4i8XR40TNb2GSFwHrBNfkQFTGKithd7mcw8oPNN2M7oeNW1vZdNiR29BXx5lm_K6V5jIi6dlXw7Ws4/s640/bambi38iconic.png" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
</div>What is interesting about this shot is the direction: here, Bambi still looks to the right (i.e. "ahead" as the convention goes), while the adult Great Prince of the Forest always looks to left ("back" over his subjects, so to speak). <br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDc2-SKQbZqFes_CNdR7_l8Bgu090-WeqSWXFou5zMkh82g6e8IhB3ajYTL5lHVPjl7yZkxVCoqouy5xbfY1xEyVZdUEsQVBi4w1LNW2TE75EUE6Ijw3UD5-kQ1Qw5T9RFDLbkv0fxtg0/s968/bambi39.png" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; padding: 1em 0px;"><img border="0" data-original-height="360" data-original-width="968" height="190" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDc2-SKQbZqFes_CNdR7_l8Bgu090-WeqSWXFou5zMkh82g6e8IhB3ajYTL5lHVPjl7yZkxVCoqouy5xbfY1xEyVZdUEsQVBi4w1LNW2TE75EUE6Ijw3UD5-kQ1Qw5T9RFDLbkv0fxtg0/w512-h190/bambi39.png" width="512" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>The Great Prince of the Forest (Bambi's father?)</i><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><p>And yes, in the end, Bambi himself becomes the Great Prince (or so it is visually suggested) taking over not only the pose and direction but the very spot of his predecessor (who is never verbally alluded to as his father).<br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqDk5fpWIJI-0ec4YqNDSdMQNnudwKCVSCBWrkUq-qkF5NjhDnVDTgM6QX02nAWT0H1XUog7E5NkGQ_xypw-n0-PfJihuDvS8cuaiwbcgbDYeZdHjbaOFZLAM9vpLsxcIRgJrobzejpUY/s968/bambi40.png" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; padding: 1em 0px;"><img border="0" data-original-height="360" data-original-width="968" height="190" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqDk5fpWIJI-0ec4YqNDSdMQNnudwKCVSCBWrkUq-qkF5NjhDnVDTgM6QX02nAWT0H1XUog7E5NkGQ_xypw-n0-PfJihuDvS8cuaiwbcgbDYeZdHjbaOFZLAM9vpLsxcIRgJrobzejpUY/w512-h190/bambi40.png" width="512" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Bambi succeeds the Great Prince and looks back over "his" realm.</i><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><i>All screenshots taken from the European blu-ray edition (time code based on 23.976fps).<br />Click on the images for larger versions.</i><br /><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>Oswald Itenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09560644491496569393noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6593666821624078979.post-26967300384393747032020-05-08T21:20:00.000+02:002020-05-08T21:20:56.426+02:00Lockdown PaintingsSince I've never managed to commit to challenges like Inktober for more than three or four drawings, I challenged myself to post a double feature movie recommendation (available on VOD in Switzerland) accompanied by a digitally painted mashup of the two films for 33 consecutive days on instagram. Needless to say that this limited my own time for watching movies to a bare minimum.<br />
<br />
Not everything turned out the way I imagined it, but overall, it was a satisfying exercise/project. So here are the 33 pictures in order of appearance. Hopefully, you'll see some of the films' elements and why I combined them.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8onz8V3wm1eR01H4zElpQKis8AcTY9OIEEvHM7Tl8aNdX5j1gCRnsJufBEzwzYRR4qDHrPaQURBVskj4jIJo8osGg7B43vMQ0oxRk1xJTMdYiQIgRS7RZJHnyTDZZ7otRyDobicmBKHI/s1600/0325_mother.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1080" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8onz8V3wm1eR01H4zElpQKis8AcTY9OIEEvHM7Tl8aNdX5j1gCRnsJufBEzwzYRR4qDHrPaQURBVskj4jIJo8osGg7B43vMQ0oxRk1xJTMdYiQIgRS7RZJHnyTDZZ7otRyDobicmBKHI/s400/0325_mother.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Parents: MOTHER (2009) and VATERS GARTEN (2013). <br />The latter is not in the picture as I did not think of the mashup until after I posted the first one.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyP-hFfdSFPXqfjhxJiVs293ujMBruzHcDRnc807-gcBuky7OG5tLSz9WnICgghj1Z9BUTbUY7Ykg4Mk_Ks_0F6l2EB7AqUhHje_5qa1ysn6FGs75tapfpwBn5Ao9CpRb8mY-Mzlk45GU/s1600/0326_magischeinsel.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1080" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyP-hFfdSFPXqfjhxJiVs293ujMBruzHcDRnc807-gcBuky7OG5tLSz9WnICgghj1Z9BUTbUY7Ykg4Mk_Ks_0F6l2EB7AqUhHje_5qa1ysn6FGs75tapfpwBn5Ao9CpRb8mY-Mzlk45GU/s400/0326_magischeinsel.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Magical island life: LA VIDA ES SILBER (1998) / SONG OF THE SEA (2014)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIlJoz6jGFpHw5o7iZeQMqSgV9FzAWYEX3CyBWNEtSZvdnMUfyO3yKGksZFnNIoyKFdInX25-1WO6Yl_Xpgwovl-EI4VoSMkOtntbesZvOZufgMlWzS70UtO3iCm3O_29ocapW_1Gmpeo/s1600/0327_paralleldimensionen.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1080" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIlJoz6jGFpHw5o7iZeQMqSgV9FzAWYEX3CyBWNEtSZvdnMUfyO3yKGksZFnNIoyKFdInX25-1WO6Yl_Xpgwovl-EI4VoSMkOtntbesZvOZufgMlWzS70UtO3iCm3O_29ocapW_1Gmpeo/s400/0327_paralleldimensionen.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Parallel dimensions inside the computer:<br />WELT AM DRAHT (1974) / SUMMER WARS (2009)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhL4txrW9qV216FTwQOVd-5Lnc5yQDtqOAQqzEHmQ14kELsHTzkABCt4JXPwtg1A3sFKTymFr0yz1zwhR01iu-HTJQDXj1yYyl9hb1fPcskAJNixZ52DyZJ1pp4XS5i1cGctiJst3xTk2I/s1600/0328_rhythmus.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1080" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhL4txrW9qV216FTwQOVd-5Lnc5yQDtqOAQqzEHmQ14kELsHTzkABCt4JXPwtg1A3sFKTymFr0yz1zwhR01iu-HTJQDXj1yYyl9hb1fPcskAJNixZ52DyZJ1pp4XS5i1cGctiJst3xTk2I/s400/0328_rhythmus.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rhythm in your veins: WHIPLASH (2014) / BABY DRIVER (2017)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwBUkr8Xm7ZDOLmBA75p7M3rJcqtYlTlAJu0ABK8wigk-yQsIL8BdMTwgNsp2z1ZNKUXtK2TsQd8wefU-7AEJbrJr-Ls7M-4AyxjGQ8mcScWITtnBGx5V7KHhAkTKVpq-u49gCWiyL4aM/s1600/0329_Backen.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1080" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwBUkr8Xm7ZDOLmBA75p7M3rJcqtYlTlAJu0ABK8wigk-yQsIL8BdMTwgNsp2z1ZNKUXtK2TsQd8wefU-7AEJbrJr-Ls7M-4AyxjGQ8mcScWITtnBGx5V7KHhAkTKVpq-u49gCWiyL4aM/s400/0329_Backen.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bakeries in Tokyo and Zurich: AN (2015) / BÄCKEREI ZÜRRER (1957)</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNagFLrj8TiYKZTzleZPqE2__Pva9wF-B2lIQ6VmrNdijVzlC4eDR4A-qEuRyAfOWJuD-McinwvgOlmD7rMDlkLOPr5AF6qACd7vtZ63INSCtKSdL7tvY_bOQzz9RHNfADAvmMH_XhPx8/s1600/0330_Maedchen.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1080" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNagFLrj8TiYKZTzleZPqE2__Pva9wF-B2lIQ6VmrNdijVzlC4eDR4A-qEuRyAfOWJuD-McinwvgOlmD7rMDlkLOPr5AF6qACd7vtZ63INSCtKSdL7tvY_bOQzz9RHNfADAvmMH_XhPx8/s400/0330_Maedchen.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Colorful and naughty: THE FLORIDA PROJECT (2017) / ZAZIE DANS LE MÉTRO (1960)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0wyKNWHmDc9MephgQe_yvWVYjGbks9_CuLy92uQMB8zwitcuwn0Wz_TKWpyoShzojgXgKJuevuzdSKd2kJzFbrS_QYrG4L0h-jufYJEqG2siATshfx57UfnXfjwTt68JbzrAiOFT8JT4/s1600/0331_land.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1080" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0wyKNWHmDc9MephgQe_yvWVYjGbks9_CuLy92uQMB8zwitcuwn0Wz_TKWpyoShzojgXgKJuevuzdSKd2kJzFbrS_QYrG4L0h-jufYJEqG2siATshfx57UfnXfjwTt68JbzrAiOFT8JT4/s400/0331_land.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tangled up in the past - two masterpieces about country vs city life:<br />LAZZARO FELICE (2018) / ONLY YESTERDAY (1991)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQ-rpby2zqSGbt3dgJrjVRy8imJCtAwOSE-BoElQJ55W0cc2jznAUf5YoXf7DrwynpktRgGV-K_k7k-Tcw1bvNY7JS49CtzYkN952woUvDil7uVEnx2JKPeGDd1L8J0pTgIZkNfVxWjIQ/s1600/0401_avalanche.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1080" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQ-rpby2zqSGbt3dgJrjVRy8imJCtAwOSE-BoElQJ55W0cc2jznAUf5YoXf7DrwynpktRgGV-K_k7k-Tcw1bvNY7JS49CtzYkN952woUvDil7uVEnx2JKPeGDd1L8J0pTgIZkNfVxWjIQ/s400/0401_avalanche.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">April fools - exceptional conditions:<br />LE PRÉNOM (2012) / TURIST - FORCE MAJEURE (2014)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKsLO0ROxrwfSVnZwJENs5ZhwFOj9eE1Iu8nWqdjNyC1BgUMBJ4Fv_oLxiSali83bbAZ2uszaAcrPydqU3jzWRHzh_ByYNO03CMdfwCgX4qD9YNfnvetEbQ0eGvefOPvntf3MwhtCdqrI/s1600/0402_wild.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1080" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKsLO0ROxrwfSVnZwJENs5ZhwFOj9eE1Iu8nWqdjNyC1BgUMBJ4Fv_oLxiSali83bbAZ2uszaAcrPydqU3jzWRHzh_ByYNO03CMdfwCgX4qD9YNfnvetEbQ0eGvefOPvntf3MwhtCdqrI/s400/0402_wild.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Far from the city: THE RIDER (2018) / SAMEBLOD (2016)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPK2k_JA39EBN4hRNFdBKZdu0StaMEuDX74pmtwSKYoTWURhEqCQhQu_bgmrOowOFvJC1TVkMsOrbLLKpGye-r6aac_JQhMVcqb1N9-l20luWYagnhSWtHkG6HP35HiJIo4YmXdqzqyig/s1600/0403_guilt.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1080" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPK2k_JA39EBN4hRNFdBKZdu0StaMEuDX74pmtwSKYoTWURhEqCQhQu_bgmrOowOFvJC1TVkMsOrbLLKpGye-r6aac_JQhMVcqb1N9-l20luWYagnhSWtHkG6HP35HiJIo4YmXdqzqyig/s400/0403_guilt.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Unseen revelations: DEN SKYLDIGE (2018) / ABOUT ELLY (2009)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLoXGOmDOlHGpdSovv_IjDgvagQAO8ww6ncMQgU1ca8FyHL_g75-ysOt1iNmzIMpWB_OQlQMzYACYxo72UJUf8liWY43WsRvv2buq9lzCgnSOR8Mg1PRCUx0TtIxJTtsCDkASUb4ab-T0/s1600/0404_night.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1080" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLoXGOmDOlHGpdSovv_IjDgvagQAO8ww6ncMQgU1ca8FyHL_g75-ysOt1iNmzIMpWB_OQlQMzYACYxo72UJUf8liWY43WsRvv2buq9lzCgnSOR8Mg1PRCUx0TtIxJTtsCDkASUb4ab-T0/s400/0404_night.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Party nights gone astray: VICTORIA (2015) / THE NIGHT IS SHORT, WALK ON GIRL (2017)</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhckL58ONFVbtsRCByS-dBSDHHQSwP0TW3QgBdj16pnQCVTseaVmDM4EjVGlYOVjZwF6D3Tmh8fKxalCQaaHIVNKQlzB8Lio_5Q7rRq-atAB7fb1-E8NkUeMqtCLEQhVk-VmfMiTPFfVeM/s1600/0405_diebe.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1080" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhckL58ONFVbtsRCByS-dBSDHHQSwP0TW3QgBdj16pnQCVTseaVmDM4EjVGlYOVjZwF6D3Tmh8fKxalCQaaHIVNKQlzB8Lio_5Q7rRq-atAB7fb1-E8NkUeMqtCLEQhVk-VmfMiTPFfVeM/s400/0405_diebe.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Shoplifters, oranges and substitute families: <br />SHOPLIFTERS (2018) / PADDINGTON 2 (2017)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfPVyiqUj1mQYJKea2dUh3Va8YrdG57Ia0XqoO3jLqSL72XBdMYQKutkruPshvA7xmRir1knRuuMB5nUkoBrHLaI15MGl8nMqViisjkJew4lV4sVt1YVC4baH3OwesfRhjGTPAQ46X1dQ/s1600/0406_petzold.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1080" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfPVyiqUj1mQYJKea2dUh3Va8YrdG57Ia0XqoO3jLqSL72XBdMYQKutkruPshvA7xmRir1knRuuMB5nUkoBrHLaI15MGl8nMqViisjkJew4lV4sVt1YVC4baH3OwesfRhjGTPAQ46X1dQ/s400/0406_petzold.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Love in systems of oppression:<br />BARBARA (2012) / PHOENIX (2014) / TRANSIT (2018)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiy5yrvYwUockWIu7OgcF0UwC6LlFLBON13J_Wjm83ff00hYTyKOZPUiP2Z8ERJBXBlNn4Iix7lsb_CE64W1Ka3c7cnXkriv5k6jERQuy4MYNHW85d5FDgYk4V0tV8WhoEbdAUmzHkIbTY/s1600/0407_feuer.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1080" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiy5yrvYwUockWIu7OgcF0UwC6LlFLBON13J_Wjm83ff00hYTyKOZPUiP2Z8ERJBXBlNn4Iix7lsb_CE64W1Ka3c7cnXkriv5k6jERQuy4MYNHW85d5FDgYk4V0tV8WhoEbdAUmzHkIbTY/s400/0407_feuer.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tiny budget, incendiary speeches: ZÜRI BRÄNNT (1981) / BORN IN FLAMES (1983)</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7H-QxtpOhViwzR52WRxrpvM-gNE_VvK9SGFIywIVGmBIoXwJT0sGXklNkSQYf5VNsPPD3by13D5XpFU3XWAdjorjkGqsOgNPAtYzbSXbmVGWtItD6C136lsjHiJOk7lzcKCPA4nFEjuc/s1600/0408_ITALIANI_01.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1080" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7H-QxtpOhViwzR52WRxrpvM-gNE_VvK9SGFIywIVGmBIoXwJT0sGXklNkSQYf5VNsPPD3by13D5XpFU3XWAdjorjkGqsOgNPAtYzbSXbmVGWtItD6C136lsjHiJOk7lzcKCPA4nFEjuc/s400/0408_ITALIANI_01.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Italianitá in contemporary Roman bohemia in LA GRANDE BELLEZZA (2013) ...</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglOTaGbEmWVaXaVnyqPdo9jKJZ4kMkdsVkUsdBhbGe3bo_Mc-1nvBR0CN_VbM09pSB74buATBgZNlaUAlT5NVuX93InOslIggbnwkRSI_qYDSePIeBCHf4T5FTdGv0O5qpSAck9BICu2o/s1600/0408_ITALIANI_02.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1080" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglOTaGbEmWVaXaVnyqPdo9jKJZ4kMkdsVkUsdBhbGe3bo_Mc-1nvBR0CN_VbM09pSB74buATBgZNlaUAlT5NVuX93InOslIggbnwkRSI_qYDSePIeBCHf4T5FTdGv0O5qpSAck9BICu2o/s400/0408_ITALIANI_02.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">...vs working class migrant workers in Basel in SIAMO ITALIANI (1964)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFUJ8Npb90WjmLnZR6akIf4LpliZq_nFPWYmM0n3wU61J4hc04dJW8n6T2qkzgs1d0qdbqxqfSOsQOZXHR5WrwrJMQl9Qu2JV87u_X-xChUp5hV0MW7nclMIPkTSiFQ5IZo_uTyN_mz-g/s1600/0409_selbstistdiefrau.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1080" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFUJ8Npb90WjmLnZR6akIf4LpliZq_nFPWYmM0n3wU61J4hc04dJW8n6T2qkzgs1d0qdbqxqfSOsQOZXHR5WrwrJMQl9Qu2JV87u_X-xChUp5hV0MW7nclMIPkTSiFQ5IZo_uTyN_mz-g/s400/0409_selbstistdiefrau.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Self-empowerment: WOMAN AT WAR (2018) / VOLVER (2006)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_MkFmY4ep3GzARH0KS3FIwJQZxl0BfA7NhL6Gsid4Zw8Tc5kKUEK3E_FcDEAp22-TZlmolSgVNQtaSnqa-_dB_7oD9tDSxUbGFxpJ8VWd39ufyYA6r8LLrkhV6ermp7YlN4BD4ZS6V0Q/s1600/0410_Karfreitag.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1080" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_MkFmY4ep3GzARH0KS3FIwJQZxl0BfA7NhL6Gsid4Zw8Tc5kKUEK3E_FcDEAp22-TZlmolSgVNQtaSnqa-_dB_7oD9tDSxUbGFxpJ8VWd39ufyYA6r8LLrkhV6ermp7YlN4BD4ZS6V0Q/s400/0410_Karfreitag.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Good Friday. ABOUT ENDLESSNESS (2019) / LEVIATHAN (2014)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsq7GrmVGknw2jMP37grzG8UraBMjYDFJpS2uW15yB4v2G4fzoCPndUaZZYgAGlpu3neNjxneGEWTwUN-sPMivM3VVXsCz5CItQn6-c2Iyyfg2hZbeDKo2iO2XSxBz55fGkDHN6L1Fyq8/s1600/0411_desire.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1080" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsq7GrmVGknw2jMP37grzG8UraBMjYDFJpS2uW15yB4v2G4fzoCPndUaZZYgAGlpu3neNjxneGEWTwUN-sPMivM3VVXsCz5CItQn6-c2Iyyfg2hZbeDKo2iO2XSxBz55fGkDHN6L1Fyq8/s400/0411_desire.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Desire in isolation: PORTRAIT DE LA JEUNE FILLE EN FEU (2019) / HÖHENFEUER (1985)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhILmWqR3N4ZTZvNsB0h2PHmp0xTTx018mP1louidlxsB9BRy4JjjLd_8GXpoC0H0Jbnl0Nr-WH3p5rfVa_DVDLcYH9G8u0zqBYeeKDJMkWmD6gMehEboW6gtAO5FdnugjVM_ZgJROLpNU/s1600/0412_easteraretha.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1080" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhILmWqR3N4ZTZvNsB0h2PHmp0xTTx018mP1louidlxsB9BRy4JjjLd_8GXpoC0H0Jbnl0Nr-WH3p5rfVa_DVDLcYH9G8u0zqBYeeKDJMkWmD6gMehEboW6gtAO5FdnugjVM_ZgJROLpNU/s400/0412_easteraretha.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Easter Sunday: AMAZING GRACE (1972/2018) / LA FAMILLE BÉLIER (2014)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAUGNkP1ZUla8XJMMbmgXe-sfTzDUjAPH6N6tuxEkx3xn2D2p3MsK9a8Pe5dTgSSNE7AXp93opN1PtaiJ9_QEcutERa3R4T919We0ZAVX3ByONxEOrcsbb8EDJkaKTHuZcv3PJVZyDlEw/s1600/0413_baldwin2.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1080" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAUGNkP1ZUla8XJMMbmgXe-sfTzDUjAPH6N6tuxEkx3xn2D2p3MsK9a8Pe5dTgSSNE7AXp93opN1PtaiJ9_QEcutERa3R4T919We0ZAVX3ByONxEOrcsbb8EDJkaKTHuZcv3PJVZyDlEw/s400/0413_baldwin2.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">It's never too late to engage with James Baldwin:<br />IF BEALE STREET COULD TALK (2018) / I AM NOT YOUR NEGRO (2017)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaiJdOIveJVWt4_iS4yKsAoUzv2f_45rk159A6kD1l6qRLW4d7TQnp4Cc0XHdIXbIAQSSNbpMD9mRDqnXSAH2FNs4Sb6iDyAGVtWJmigZPUhfWmti5OhHUtthRe8V5RiOfyWo66Ja4TOI/s1600/0414_RedMonos.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1080" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaiJdOIveJVWt4_iS4yKsAoUzv2f_45rk159A6kD1l6qRLW4d7TQnp4Cc0XHdIXbIAQSSNbpMD9mRDqnXSAH2FNs4Sb6iDyAGVtWJmigZPUhfWmti5OhHUtthRe8V5RiOfyWo66Ja4TOI/s400/0414_RedMonos.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Beyond civilisation, between human and animal: <br />MONOS (2019) / LA TORTUE ROUGE (2016)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZp-I_4bFm2AhZ3cw4NslPvLqeXEFo8ionX8uMxoNWwZ2COOtU6AsT5gfx02Lhz1rfF9CR3ahP9T6aanmpoCgTUFiPdbAG3AjsTyCxkN1yZF5QHulFUwnUfWb1A8kEwTIkt0S3wTYZiSE/s1600/0415_MissCourgetteBlue.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1080" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZp-I_4bFm2AhZ3cw4NslPvLqeXEFo8ionX8uMxoNWwZ2COOtU6AsT5gfx02Lhz1rfF9CR3ahP9T6aanmpoCgTUFiPdbAG3AjsTyCxkN1yZF5QHulFUwnUfWb1A8kEwTIkt0S3wTYZiSE/s400/0415_MissCourgetteBlue.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">(Dys)functional families with a lot of heart: <br />MA VIE DE COURGETTE (2016) / LITTLE MISS SUNSHINE (2006)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPgFJpoa-I2FfvkvI-pHuKRX7fmxBj78kRGH-Vgi4FCrqyCmv2wTCRKE39tfLTsFQLHs3-vBctNrlrqAbEVefFuvyCcA71m6nFe169sDdD5prVHvoSL7mL6w1oEN5lIScXfBJZfvMzlCA/s1600/0416_Unreliable.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1080" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPgFJpoa-I2FfvkvI-pHuKRX7fmxBj78kRGH-Vgi4FCrqyCmv2wTCRKE39tfLTsFQLHs3-vBctNrlrqAbEVefFuvyCcA71m6nFe169sDdD5prVHvoSL7mL6w1oEN5lIScXfBJZfvMzlCA/s400/0416_Unreliable.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Unreliable narrators in uncomfortable literary adaptations:<br />BURNING (2018) / NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN (2007)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZH3U7vxDbMOA3uAqFisjyKStBU8PpDtcLrY_FTIsm6f_2u6tTIG4woO_bpTjLRVsxpYO9qrxeM0cot7PCC4P_HWO0qcH-_J86nmyws3VXm5pSKmwVZGp852miBGSVr9_CtpiMsGxvMro/s1600/0417_ChrisMis.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1080" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZH3U7vxDbMOA3uAqFisjyKStBU8PpDtcLrY_FTIsm6f_2u6tTIG4woO_bpTjLRVsxpYO9qrxeM0cot7PCC4P_HWO0qcH-_J86nmyws3VXm5pSKmwVZGp852miBGSVr9_CtpiMsGxvMro/s400/0417_ChrisMis.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Drawn into war: CHRIS THE SWISS (2018) / LES MISÉRABLES (2019)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHPGhTXjTVZb_zAndZd3FXM3KsnY3eUwZYq5tPbr4Hk3RUNhcWXYw27CbYo3JGBq9xSTFwB0ois35faF9f5afiy3DkHGeSfbDbj9yCG5s4sfXqMTEZrZWT7LoirY7v2UMn6bNYEzs8cMI/s1600/0418_ErdmannKari.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1080" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHPGhTXjTVZb_zAndZd3FXM3KsnY3eUwZYq5tPbr4Hk3RUNhcWXYw27CbYo3JGBq9xSTFwB0ois35faF9f5afiy3DkHGeSfbDbj9yCG5s4sfXqMTEZrZWT7LoirY7v2UMn6bNYEzs8cMI/s400/0418_ErdmannKari.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hairy characters: TONI ERDMANN (2016) / DÄLLEBACH KARI (1970)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXZh7LCHNlj1AqAg58O-PhpEwoXGtTUtndUp-Ehq8o0iQpQOEkAfBdlDBkG_ptswfB7AWfb1XPEmGiugasa-P50V2tmgLFCWU4KXQE_TQJeS0xQeoWZYQN5mPAzlAw9sOcsViAl33jLXs/s1600/0419_connecting.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1080" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXZh7LCHNlj1AqAg58O-PhpEwoXGtTUtndUp-Ehq8o0iQpQOEkAfBdlDBkG_ptswfB7AWfb1XPEmGiugasa-P50V2tmgLFCWU4KXQE_TQJeS0xQeoWZYQN5mPAzlAw9sOcsViAl33jLXs/s400/0419_connecting.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Trying to connect: <br />THE FAREWELL (2019) / ON BODY AND SOUL (2017) / ALOYS (2016)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLjXPa8Y-6IIU4XGulnP-KeE910vMEEBNTJ6PotjKDNkzkfNhWGM-Cn-mBmpN8Vc-eQKsa1BA6vuBSHCJf9zPazMnAf9oHGzKftSqt_esqeJXBlE71eilmq4M41pY20KSJ1T6d1j3825U/s1600/0420_bw.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1080" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLjXPa8Y-6IIU4XGulnP-KeE910vMEEBNTJ6PotjKDNkzkfNhWGM-Cn-mBmpN8Vc-eQKsa1BA6vuBSHCJf9zPazMnAf9oHGzKftSqt_esqeJXBlE71eilmq4M41pY20KSJ1T6d1j3825U/s400/0420_bw.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">On and off in black and white: COLD WAR (2018) / FRANCES HA (2012)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-bgZY5dyTZSRid6PgcVgWeS_C9wLbyur48VaAwofALGihGrp6nOiy1AQfFhv29mdjUtJsziIYdNc7JIWdOa85esuB9J2eBOvqFEKUUoz-TsEzTsz1ZgcuCFrAvkiG9qRT-jpZHh7-QtU/s1600/0421_prison.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1080" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-bgZY5dyTZSRid6PgcVgWeS_C9wLbyur48VaAwofALGihGrp6nOiy1AQfFhv29mdjUtJsziIYdNc7JIWdOa85esuB9J2eBOvqFEKUUoz-TsEzTsz1ZgcuCFrAvkiG9qRT-jpZHh7-QtU/s400/0421_prison.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">More than prison films: <br />LES HIRONDELLES DE KABOUL (2019) / THE SHAWSHANK REDEMPTION (1994) / LA GRANDE ILLUSION (1937)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiQ1DZMhJYznrRfOqaiUtxDxpc0km4fDJWA3QpJc19yfXSm0cQQNT7J-4zQpN8SdVmOip4JBXi15All_A5VhzSJDy7fdGDf4VH40b-Dgd9XAe9ul7H__wSRHNVJyFKcyz0n_-raN7LI-Y/s1600/0422_comingofage.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1080" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiQ1DZMhJYznrRfOqaiUtxDxpc0km4fDJWA3QpJc19yfXSm0cQQNT7J-4zQpN8SdVmOip4JBXi15All_A5VhzSJDy7fdGDf4VH40b-Dgd9XAe9ul7H__wSRHNVJyFKcyz0n_-raN7LI-Y/s400/0422_comingofage.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Growing up in different neighborhoods:<br />EIGHTH GRADE (2018) / DIVINES (2016)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxsTG_49UE_ufz7cC_h820HexI0HKKCSduDmf9DLSk54Rq8a7t4TJHF2UHeoBBdPQ9klWeXGPbzell368hr6XuUtZ1-fmAdlY90paD1e9ZbJx1WJNTqvLquZVbHvApSGEvegoZ4t52vCE/s1600/0423_love.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1080" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxsTG_49UE_ufz7cC_h820HexI0HKKCSduDmf9DLSk54Rq8a7t4TJHF2UHeoBBdPQ9klWeXGPbzell368hr6XuUtZ1-fmAdlY90paD1e9ZbJx1WJNTqvLquZVbHvApSGEvegoZ4t52vCE/s400/0423_love.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Falling in love: CAROL (2015) / CALL ME BY YOUR NAME (2017) / GOD'S OWN COUNTRY (2017)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrEPIfplWJoN53J9xiIN5f4Od4ajrczzW10ua5eQJ0oiKfJE5quAKLuFYzr-c1WSXIZ-1tBPWmuZUl5OLUIrmMIRQ8wdgrAp-YHrNMsMN2LiY3qu_z5MeBd8T1YHfaqojolLN75cWAk0k/s1600/0424_family2.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1080" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrEPIfplWJoN53J9xiIN5f4Od4ajrczzW10ua5eQJ0oiKfJE5quAKLuFYzr-c1WSXIZ-1tBPWmuZUl5OLUIrmMIRQ8wdgrAp-YHrNMsMN2LiY3qu_z5MeBd8T1YHfaqojolLN75cWAk0k/s400/0424_family2.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Family ties: MIDNIGHT FAMILY (2019) / STILL WALKING (2008)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXUW_RByNFqbOt609RGn0jVxN-A5KxmOcIKI-sg4J1IMBT90f8MxtXFpFK7qLeYVonh0WS4WwpZKE0KGaoFrB93TARs3HwcCp_cRkLML2_BJmvdeyr6V17pgGLwU7dypIRrzA0VHYu_JI/s1600/0425_divorce.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1080" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXUW_RByNFqbOt609RGn0jVxN-A5KxmOcIKI-sg4J1IMBT90f8MxtXFpFK7qLeYVonh0WS4WwpZKE0KGaoFrB93TARs3HwcCp_cRkLML2_BJmvdeyr6V17pgGLwU7dypIRrzA0VHYu_JI/s400/0425_divorce.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Shifting Sympathies: A SEPARATION (2011) / MARRIAGE STORY (2019)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjZI7qoFJYxIQs3nVV4taGpRaJw5hYuaRVNNj6CVlzgicxJbX0C6GkWQ72nU8fIy_LPTw719cGAevqiROQREG7YvGvLMilIg7CGz41D6bh1n7Nzstn2D8wpKz7AWiTEZfVT1URbMOXqFE/s1600/0426_memories_finalshot.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1080" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjZI7qoFJYxIQs3nVV4taGpRaJw5hYuaRVNNj6CVlzgicxJbX0C6GkWQ72nU8fIy_LPTw719cGAevqiROQREG7YvGvLMilIg7CGz41D6bh1n7Nzstn2D8wpKz7AWiTEZfVT1URbMOXqFE/s400/0426_memories_finalshot.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Back to the first theme "parents" in films about the filmmakers' own parents:<br />VERGISS MEIN NICHT (2012) / RAY & LIZ (2019)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Oswald Itenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09560644491496569393noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6593666821624078979.post-5576619874578213772020-04-16T13:31:00.000+02:002020-04-16T13:34:01.045+02:00The Age Of EmptinessMy contribution to lockdown culture:<br />
<br />
<iframe allow="autoplay; fullscreen" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="221" src="https://player.vimeo.com/video/404401435" width="530"></iframe><br /><a href="https://vimeo.com/404401435">The Age Of Emptiness - Video Essay</a> from <a href="https://vimeo.com/user41789151">Oswald Iten</a> on <a href="https://vimeo.com/">Vimeo</a>.<br />
<br />Video essay based on Martin Scorsese's 1993 adaptation of Edith Wharton's novel "The Age Of Innocence" and Bernard Herrmann's score for TAXI DRIVER (Scorsese, 1976).<br /><br /><b>"The Age Of Emptiness" takes a look at how we might also read Scorsese's film in our current situation of "Social Distancing".</b> After all, the voice-over narration mentions people ("even young people") dying from pneumonia.<br /><br />Loneliness has always been present in Scorsese's films, especially in TAXI DRIVER. But in THE AGE OF INNOCENCE, out of 130 minutes (excluding credits) there are 8 minutes of shots completely devoid of human characters. Especially during voice-over passages, these always remind me of INDIA SONG (Duras, 1975). <br /><br />THE AGE OF INNOCENCE is exceptionally rich in visual motifs like hands, food, flowers (real, painted, embroidered...), cigars, fire, gloves, writing, paintings and lamps. So instead of another Scorsese-supercut, I attempted to tell a short story highlighting some of these motifs without showing a single human face (which meant I had to ditch the long shots of people sitting at a "social distance" of several feet from each other). No split screen, no explanatory voice-over, just images, music and text.<br /><br />When Michael Ballhaus once visited our university and talked specifically about THE AGE OF INNOCENCE, he emphasized that his main concern (in general) had always been "capturing the subtext" by way of camera moves and that the excessive use of dissolves in this film had partly been the result of having to trim tracking shots that went on for too long. Thus, my video essay "The Age Of Emptiness" is also a tribute to Ballhaus' cinematography and the editing of Thelma Schoonmaker.<br /><br /><i>For study and educational purposes only.</i><br />
Oswald Itenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09560644491496569393noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6593666821624078979.post-91826697526063380932020-01-11T01:37:00.004+01:002020-01-11T20:50:33.715+01:00My Year in Film - 2019 Favorites<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmL1ki2P5nDEENpcEGG1C5MOt3I8eVOT1MUSaTpMZH-1cluNurgNamKAMuAfzUXPxbgn14jZoaCMfzVSybqqc7mKtBiu6RS6kF4bBI1KOK0co9A2p7K5ZZ17oDvc7A3CLSbb_zlzE80k8/s1600/jeune1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1500" height="459" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmL1ki2P5nDEENpcEGG1C5MOt3I8eVOT1MUSaTpMZH-1cluNurgNamKAMuAfzUXPxbgn14jZoaCMfzVSybqqc7mKtBiu6RS6kF4bBI1KOK0co9A2p7K5ZZ17oDvc7A3CLSbb_zlzE80k8/s640/jeune1.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr align="left"><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>When the object of desire looks back and becomes a subject...</i></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "trebuchet ms"; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">As
I wrote before, this end of year post serves primarily to organize the glorious
mess of cinematic impressions inside my head. The usual<b> list of favorite
films</b> (those that impressed me the most) is followed by "<b>general
observations</b>" which is basically a euphemism for cramming a <b>whole
year of cinematic cross reactions</b> into one long monologue about <b>songs,
cinematography, nostalgia, horror and realism</b>. Inevitably, certain films
pop up in different contexts. <i>[All images from films I studied in 2019. <b>Click on them to fully see them</b>].</i></span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "trebuchet ms"; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">
</span></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="color: #990000; font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Most Memorable Cinema Experience</b></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="color: #990000; font-size: 12.0pt;">
</span><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 12.0pt; font-weight: normal;">My most memorable recent cinematic experience did
neither take place inside a cinema nor did it include a screening in the
narrower sense. It took place in Hawkins,
Indiana in 1985… and since
"friends" not only "don't lie" but also "don't
tell", all I can say is: </span><a href="http://secretcinema.org/"><span style="color: #990000;"><b><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 12.0pt;">SecretCinema</span></b></span></a><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 12.0pt; font-weight: normal;">! </span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 12.0pt; font-weight: normal;">Hardly less memorable was a screening of the 4K
restoration of Spike Lee's masterpiece </span><b><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 12.0pt;">DO THE RIGHT THING</span></b><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 12.0pt; font-weight: normal;"> (1989)
in Locarno.
This one did involve an actual screen (Europe's
largest open-air screen). It also involved a deafening thunderstorm that forced
me to read Italian subtitles and at one point it rained so hard that the light
did not even reach the screen any more. That's what I call an immersive
experience. And I love the film even more now. </span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 12.0pt; font-weight: normal;">The best "regular" cinema experience was
once again at the Annecy Festival where Jérémy Clapin's </span><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><b>J'AI PERDU MON CORPS</b> </span><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 12.0pt; font-weight: normal;">(2019)
created a mass emotion - you could literally hear a thousand people breathe and
gasp in unison.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 12.0pt; font-weight: normal;"> </span></span> <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgv9X1rwvy8TNs9XksX4pdNqL1cCDBcqqT-zQu3TorqdZJAp6BJXdPnSit2niKYFNldKWi8n_9q-2DeM9C78YkSaT7hIOB8s7BYX8lv4dDxJX_vwJShb9gcNl_LOpzl7uMlMNEqWCXi2Bo/s1600/lanthimos03.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="805" data-original-width="1600" height="321" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgv9X1rwvy8TNs9XksX4pdNqL1cCDBcqqT-zQu3TorqdZJAp6BJXdPnSit2niKYFNldKWi8n_9q-2DeM9C78YkSaT7hIOB8s7BYX8lv4dDxJX_vwJShb9gcNl_LOpzl7uMlMNEqWCXi2Bo/s640/lanthimos03.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>For a lecture on THE FAVOURITE...</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgah-XiQKT5sqjR2h3Adim7YSGbcKAdjy-VtRUjE1u1rSXkaPT_SLGEvZE8Wm3NV2JUoCkZ6wZaHYOBeiTLI0O73Jm8hMI8M7P4aGkNDxPByeb6g7zRTn_UN4QuxiAyvW4YPAizFzgjwIQ/s1600/lanthimos02.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="865" data-original-width="1600" height="345" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgah-XiQKT5sqjR2h3Adim7YSGbcKAdjy-VtRUjE1u1rSXkaPT_SLGEvZE8Wm3NV2JUoCkZ6wZaHYOBeiTLI0O73Jm8hMI8M7P4aGkNDxPByeb6g7zRTn_UN4QuxiAyvW4YPAizFzgjwIQ/s640/lanthimos02.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcfVHJ6B2hoehpdgvK6cpLkq_-hRkq12vZkIqIEXpESgAD2iJzyDF2ldglEA6NIRHtqNQ11J9r3R0pBw90q8WHLgOtpNu2WUBRJI4Om_NoCFVTyGaRpwngpyjqi7qOyAq7AMMSbNiopC4/s1600/lobster01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="431" data-original-width="1600" height="171" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcfVHJ6B2hoehpdgvK6cpLkq_-hRkq12vZkIqIEXpESgAD2iJzyDF2ldglEA6NIRHtqNQ11J9r3R0pBw90q8WHLgOtpNu2WUBRJI4Om_NoCFVTyGaRpwngpyjqi7qOyAq7AMMSbNiopC4/s640/lobster01.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>...</i><i>I studied the films of Lanthimos.</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="color: #990000; font-family: "trebuchet ms"; font-size: large; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">Favorite New Releases</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "trebuchet ms"; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">As
usual, my list of favorite new releases (= released in Switzerland in
2019) is in <b>alphabetical order</b>. <i>Italicized titles</i> did not get a
regular theatrical release around here. Two of the year's best films, <b>IF
BEALE STREET COULD TALK</b> (Jenkins, 2018) and <b>THE FAVOURITE</b>
(Lanthimos, 2018), are missing from this list because I have already written
about them </span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms";"><a href="http://colorfulanimationexpressions.blogspot.com/2019/01/looking-in-rearview-mirror-favorite.html"><b><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">last year</span></b></a></span><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "trebuchet ms"; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">.</span></span><br />
<ul type="disc">
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "trebuchet ms"; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">AMAZING GRACE</span></b><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "trebuchet ms"; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">
(Elliott/Pollack, 2018): Filmed in a former cinema-turned-church, AMAZING
GRACE must be experienced on the big screen. Regardless of the sterile
lighting, the camera equipment in the frame and the grainy 16mm close-ups
originally designed for TV, there is an unmatched immediacy to this rare
concert film that shows the performers both as great artists and as
sentient human beings in all their natural awkwardness. </span></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "trebuchet ms"; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">BURNING </span></b><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "trebuchet ms"; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">(Lee
Chang-Dong, 2018): A melancholy literary adaptation that keeps all the
main characters ambivalent for more than two hours and still allowed me to
dive deeply into their emotional lives. I'm keeping things vague on
purpose: the less you know about it, the better. </span></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><i><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "trebuchet ms"; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">FIRST REFORMED</span></i></b><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "trebuchet ms"; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">
(Schrader, 2017): Like a benevolent contemporary Taxi Driver, Ethan
Hawkes' despairing priest moves through a rigidly framed small town
setting the coldness of which is almost palpable. Personal, ascetical and
haunting - Schrader at his best.</span></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><i><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "trebuchet ms"; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">J'AI PERDU MON
CORPS (I LOST MY BODY </span></i></b><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "trebuchet ms"; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">Clapin, 2019):
Using a mixture of computer generated and hand-drawn animation, Jérémy
Clapin's debut feature is about a severed human in search of its body.
Like pieces of a puzzle, effortlessly interspersed flashbacks provide
unexpected emotional depth and gradually reveal the overall picture. The
voice-acting is exceptional. I LOST MY BODY is the rare independent animated
feature that I can recommend to film fans outside the animation bubble.</span></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "trebuchet ms"; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">LAZZARO FELICE*</span></b><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "trebuchet ms"; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">
(Rohrwacher, 2018): What starts out like a down-to-earth depiction of
archaic life in the countryside (in grainy 16mm) turns out to be a playful
meditation on time and period. Drawing from folk tales and biblical
metaphors, Alice Rohrwacher delivers magical realism as well as biting
social commentary.</span></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "trebuchet ms"; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">MARRIAGE STORY </span></b><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "trebuchet ms"; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">(Baumbach,
2019): Had it stopped after the opening voice-over narration, I would have
already loved it. But then, it precisely works out how a divorce procedure
deepens a rift between two people who in fact still love each other. On
top of that, Baumbach turns out to be a master of mood swings and
observational comedy that often made me want to laugh and cry at the same
time.</span></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "trebuchet ms"; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">MONOS </span></b><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "trebuchet ms"; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">(Landes,
2019): A film like an erratic block. No explanations, hardly any
psychological insight, only glimpses of humanity. The harsh landscape,
atavistic behaviour, piercing music (Mica Levi), hypnotic pacing and sheer
visual beauty pulled me into this self-contained universe that is on the
verge of coming apart.</span></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "trebuchet ms"; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">PARASITE </span></b><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "trebuchet ms"; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">(Bong,
2019): Two families, one above, one below, plus an unexpected third party.
All of them parasites, and all of them likable and human in some way or
another. Meticulously constructed, both terrifying and wickedly funny,
Bong's genre-bending stunner has it all: set pieces, precise montages, a
choral score, a ghost, fake blood, jokes about wifi and odors, and above
all an uncanny sense of rhythm. It is also a masterclass in how to use
architectural spaces.</span></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "trebuchet ms"; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">PORTRAIT DE LA
JEUNE FILLE EN FEU*</span></b><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "trebuchet ms"; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"> (Sciamma, 2019): For her first period film
Sciamma employs a simple flashback structure that conveys both the
experience of falling in love and the memory of that love. In addition to
her trademark non-verbal storytelling, here, Sciamma also relies on some
of the sharpest dialogue this year discussing the history of female
painters, reflecting on the Orpheus myth, as well as deconstructing the
myth of the muse. All the while, the emotional tension is steadily
growing. Don't miss this quiet, tightly composed and incredibly sensual
masterpiece. </span></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "trebuchet ms"; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">RAY &
LIZ</span></b><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "trebuchet ms"; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"> (Billingham, 2018): A time capsule if ever there
was one. All texture, patterns and vignettes, this unflattering portrait of
photographer Richard Billingham's parents could not be any further from
the current nostalgic view of the 1980s. For a while, I even felt
uncomfortable laughing at these peculiar characters. But Billingham opens
the door just about enough for the audience to empathize with them.</span></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><i><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "trebuchet ms"; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">ROLLING THUNDER
REVUE</span></i></b><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "trebuchet ms"; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"> (Scorsese, 2019): As a huge fan of Dylan's first
Rolling Thunder Revue of 1975 I was delighted to see some of these filmed
performances fully restored. But Scorsese's "conjuring" of this
"Bob Dylan Story" turned out to be more of an essay film than a
documentary. Playing along with (and visually commenting on) Dylan's
re-invention as an American entertainer (and Poet Laureate) by way of
conscious omissions, contradictions and fake interviews, Scorsese adds snippets
of fictional, promotional and educational films into the mix. Overall,
this "fever-dream" works better as a counterpart than an update
to Dylan's own RENALDO & CLARA (1978).</span></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "trebuchet ms"; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">SORRY WE MISSED
YOU</span></b><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "trebuchet ms"; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"> (Loach, 2019): Ken Loach's fierce indictment of
the gig economy may lack the poetic quality of earlier films like KES
(1969). Yet, the sustained emotional impact stems from a relentless
suspense plot steeped in astute observations of social realities
(including tender moments) and a cast of characters with ample potential
for identification. </span></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "trebuchet ms"; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">FOR SAMA*</span></b><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "trebuchet ms"; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">
(Al-Kateab/Watts, 2019):Whatever I thought I knew about life in Aleppo
during the decade's worst war did not prepare me for what Waad Al-Kateab's
hand-held videos captured inside a Syrian hospital. Her documentary (put
together with British filmmaker Edward Watts) is incredibly tense with
close-ups of dead children. But with scenes of caring for a newborn baby
or preparing family dinner, it is also a testament to resilience in the
face of mass destruction.</span></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "trebuchet ms"; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">SYSTEMSPRENGER*</span></b><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "trebuchet ms"; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">
(Fingscheidt, 2019): Nora Fingscheidt's pink sledgehammer of a film allows
us to identify with both a difficult but otherwise lovable child (whose
point-of-view we mostly share) and her therapists/social workers who are
increasingly at a loss with her. By the time Nina Simone's "I got
life" kicked off the end credits, I was pretty sure that 9-year old
Helena Zengel was in fact playing <i>herself </i>(because how can anyone
that young fake such erratic behavior in an authentic way?), but it turned
out she already had quite a few acting credits before.</span></span></li>
</ul>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><span lang="EN-GB" style="color: #990000; font-family: "trebuchet ms"; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">First Impression</span></b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><span lang="EN-GB" style="color: #990000; font-family: "trebuchet ms"; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">
</span></b><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "trebuchet ms"; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">One film I definitely want to revisit once it is widely released in Switzerland
is...</span></span><br />
<ul type="disc">
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l1 level1 lfo2; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "trebuchet ms"; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">LITTLE WOMEN*</span></b><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "trebuchet ms"; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">
(Gerwig, 2019): Ever dreamed of having your cake and eat it? Well, if that
dream included Saoirse Ronan, Florence Pugh, Eliza Scanlen, Timothée
Chalamet, Laura Dern, Chris Cooper and a truckload of costumes, you are in
for a treat. Greta Gerwig's adaptation of the often filmed Alcott novel
restructures the timeline in a way that provides ample Norman Rockwell
Americana but also some more realistic insight into the life of women in
the 19th century. </span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms";">Pure
festive joy.</span></span></li>
</ul>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "trebuchet ms"; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">Looking
at my list of favorite films above, there are productions from the US, the UK,
France, South Korea, Italy, Syria, Colombia/Argentina and Germany (many of them
co-produced with other countries), among them one animated feature, two concert
films and a documentary. 5 out of 15 films were directed by women (marked by
*). For common themes, subjects and styles see "General Observations"
below.</span></span><br />
<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0-6GwXbiVRXmObdeUDVdSFeh2YsQZoqiiWOiAL4VkuqmNwsJ4Y1BBmtJdaYz9Z0a9aetDSD_Kyxhe3RMkrE2vagrWqefS3SZ6rSYZrAELdbXXHduh8I-olh25dFe26y0PrlflmPExL88/s1600/jeune4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1497" height="457" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0-6GwXbiVRXmObdeUDVdSFeh2YsQZoqiiWOiAL4VkuqmNwsJ4Y1BBmtJdaYz9Z0a9aetDSD_Kyxhe3RMkrE2vagrWqefS3SZ6rSYZrAELdbXXHduh8I-olh25dFe26y0PrlflmPExL88/s640/jeune4.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Gazing.</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><span lang="EN-GB" style="color: #990000; font-family: "trebuchet ms"; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">Films that almost made the list</span></b><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "trebuchet ms"; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"> include
Jordan Peele's masterfully directed horror satire <b>US </b>(2019), Ari Aster's
folk horror <b>MIDSOMMAR </b>(2019) and the Swedish misfit story <b>GRÄNS/BORDER</b>
(Abbasi, 2018) that also dabbles in folk horror and is a sure contender for
best makeup effects of the year. No less violent but more down-to-earth was <b>HVITUR,
HVITUR DAGUR/A WHITE, WHITE DAY</b> (Palmason, 2019), the Icelandic equivalent
of an arthouse Clint Eastwood film.</span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "trebuchet ms"; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">Quite
recently, I also saw <b>A VIDA INVISIVEL/THE INVISIBLE LIFE OF EURIDICE GUSMAO</b>
(Aïnouz, 2019), a Brazilian melodrama that takes its cues from Sirk, Fassbinder
and the colorful vegetation around Rio, dwells on the involuntary separation of
two sisters and eludes the male gaze.</span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "trebuchet ms"; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">Since
I was too tired during the first half hour of Lulu Wang's <b>THE FAREWELL*</b>
(2019) - it was the third or fourth film that day - I wasn't able to connect
with it later on. I was struck, however, by Awkwafina's performance and the
central questions. Oddly, Almodóvar's highly anticipated <b>DOLOR Y GLORIA</b>
(2019) left me rather cold despite being wide awake. Still, it was intriguing
enough to make me want to see it again (and hopefully enjoy it more).</span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "trebuchet ms"; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">The
same goes for <b>THE</b> <b>IRISHMAN </b>(Scorsese, 2019) which I found
interesting. My inability to engage with it emotionally was likely due to false
expectations (I wanted CASINO 2, not SILENCE without God) and a screening that
was marred by the audience - Scorsese probably never imagined that people pay
to see a Netflix film in a cinema and then use their smartphones at the same
time, not in a silent way.</span></span><br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWfSFducl_WUmmKk-IvpEp8FQRm2qeB1xTYJEX-4IhJnnLbnMJPLi0Vm_EjIog6U0KNCv4LDob7X986hmThAnpbpOp78L3kqGYjRVm49p8K6R7LX67h9Ut1yJ8uA2_hEko8DwZk6tOZFI/s1600/greeny.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1043" data-original-width="1570" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWfSFducl_WUmmKk-IvpEp8FQRm2qeB1xTYJEX-4IhJnnLbnMJPLi0Vm_EjIog6U0KNCv4LDob7X986hmThAnpbpOp78L3kqGYjRVm49p8K6R7LX67h9Ut1yJ8uA2_hEko8DwZk6tOZFI/s400/greeny.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>When you find out that 48HRS is probably more honest than GREEN BOOK.</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><span lang="EN-GB" style="color: #990000; font-family: "trebuchet ms"; font-size: large; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">Favorite TV Shows I Saw in 2019:</span></b></span><br />
<ul type="disc">
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l2 level1 lfo3; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "trebuchet ms"; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">CHERNOBYL</span></b><b><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "trebuchet ms"; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"> </span></b><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "trebuchet ms"; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">(Renck/Mazin,
2019): Apart from being a devastating suspense drama, CHERNOBYL drew attention to an important
but often unnoticed convention of fictionalized "true stories":<b>
the amalgam character,</b> a character combing aspects of several
"real-life" persons into one screen/literary character. This
gives the writers the necessary dramatic leeway and clarity of
relationships. The fact that a whole group of scientists were represented
by the fictional nuclear physicist Ulana Khomyuk gave us a character we
could root for, an emotional center and at least one woman in the series
with any real power. Acknowledging this in the way the creators did
hopefully makes more people aware of such dramatic conventions necessary
in any adaptation, be it of a novel or a real-life event.</span></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l2 level1 lfo3; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "trebuchet ms"; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">FLEABAG 2*</span></b><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "trebuchet ms"; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">
(Waller-Bridge/Bradbeer, 2019): Phoebe Waller-Bridge, need I say more?</span></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l2 level1 lfo3; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "trebuchet ms"; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">MINDHUNTER 2 </span></b><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "trebuchet ms"; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">(Penhall/Fincher/Franklin/Dominik,
2019): I preferred the second season to the first one because it left the
"monster-of-the-week" path for a more consistent arc concerning
the Atlanta Child Murders embracing unsatisfying conclusions and loose
ends.</span></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l2 level1 lfo3; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "trebuchet ms"; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">ONDES DE CHOC*</span></b><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "trebuchet ms"; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">
(Baier/Bron/Meier/Mermoud, 2018): An anthology of four one-hour films made
by four film directors from the French part of Switzerland, each one
inspired by a shocking real-life news item. Overall, they made for a
compelling watch and a showcase of the quality that is theoretically possible
in Swiss public television.</span></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l2 level1 lfo3; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "trebuchet ms"; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">SHARP OBJECTS*</span></b><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "trebuchet ms"; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">
(Noxon/Vallée, 2018): Like all of director Jean-Marc Vallée's works, this
adaptation of a Gillian Flynn thriller is chock full of carefully chosen
pop songs. Besides, how often do you see a mystery that delays the real
denouement until the middle of the end credits? It also put Eliza Scanlen
on the map (at least on mine). </span></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l2 level1 lfo3; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "trebuchet ms"; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">STRANGER THINGS
3</span></b><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "trebuchet ms"; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">* (Duffers, 2019): Less Spielberg, more Cold War atmosphere, but
also funnier than expected. It is also notable, that a series about
nostalgia made the inevitability of change a central theme (handling it
much better than most of the films it is based on). The standout here was
Hopper's speech (with a telling reprise of "Heroes") accompanied
by rare moments of temporally free-flowing editing within a season that
otherwise often compromised its own suspense by too much
cliffhanger-cross-cutting.</span></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l2 level1 lfo3; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "trebuchet ms"; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">TATAMI GALAXY </span></b><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "trebuchet ms"; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">(Yuasa,
2010): Yuasa Masaaki is one of the most beloved "unknown" anime
director, kind of a maverick who works fast, mixing different styles and
crazy, exaggerated animation. Taking place within the same universe as his
2017 feature THE NIGHT IS SHORT, WALK ON GIRL, this series about a shy
student on a quest to win the heart of a girl makes him and us relive the
same scenes in every episode like a teen freak version of GROUNDHOG DAY
(Ramis, 1993).</span></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l2 level1 lfo3; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "trebuchet ms"; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">THE END OF THE
F***ING WORLD 2*</span></b><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "trebuchet ms"; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"> (Covell/Ekaragha/Forbes, 2019): I did not want a
second season. However, I loved it. Naomi Ackie as Bonnie is truly
stunning, so much going on in that face even when she's deliberately being
opaque.</span></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l2 level1 lfo3; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "trebuchet ms"; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">UNBELIEVABLE</span></b><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "trebuchet ms"; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">*
(Cholodenko/Dinner/Grant, 2019): On the one hand, this non-lurid, slowburn
thriller explores what makes a vulnerable person lie against their own
interests. On the other hand, we get a suspenseful police procedural told
from the perspective of two female detectives whose buddy relationship
transcends mentor-apprentice stereotypes. </span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms";">Heartbreaking but hardly sentimental, UNBELIEVABLE is
uniformly well-acted.</span></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l2 level1 lfo3; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "trebuchet ms"; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">WHEN THEY SEE
US</span></b><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "trebuchet ms"; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">* (DuVernay, 2019): Although I knew beforehand
that it is impossible to watch this without getting overly emotional,
there was one moment that shook me to the core. When Antron (Caleel Harris
/ Jovan Adepo) who was sent to prison as a boy comes out a fully grown man
- we have all seen similar scenes in recent years - it suddenly dawned on
me what it really means (as opposed to what it means dramatically) for
someone to lose those crucial years to life in prison. Like Barry Jenkins
or Sean Baker, Ava DuVernay and cinematographer Bradford Young tell a
devastating story with as much beauty as possible.</span></span></li>
</ul>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><i><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "trebuchet ms"; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">* shows or episodes created or directed by women.</span></i></span><br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEih3AVXdlj-d4qw92RKKVZWK1pHHLGNKyzr933LYRPOcjcvmeQano0LMLV_6sM6bysZ4ncCiC4iwkQRD8kCPw68jISBthyphenhyphenLFhwY_8ZXMs9Nx1Yi8SJpJtKEP1Cn_mjlmbTBIIO1S6HH0KI/s1600/patterns01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="250" data-original-width="1000" height="160" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEih3AVXdlj-d4qw92RKKVZWK1pHHLGNKyzr933LYRPOcjcvmeQano0LMLV_6sM6bysZ4ncCiC4iwkQRD8kCPw68jISBthyphenhyphenLFhwY_8ZXMs9Nx1Yi8SJpJtKEP1Cn_mjlmbTBIIO1S6HH0KI/s640/patterns01.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr align="left"><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Patterns galore: Ruth E. Carter's costume design for DOLEMITE IS MY NAME.</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpi9fd4gBZz9X5Ohxd9-qkN9yTwXtViIuorV80eV_lV2Qk_GmkZc0ctGrtajFmvwihrlHdK-l7ZJlL4X9edIgoTeoHBDIggsM2g5a3U9okrILFBtQXRJJSqSe8VK5bNq_accDp8JhMdm8/s1600/patterns02.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="250" data-original-width="1000" height="160" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpi9fd4gBZz9X5Ohxd9-qkN9yTwXtViIuorV80eV_lV2Qk_GmkZc0ctGrtajFmvwihrlHdK-l7ZJlL4X9edIgoTeoHBDIggsM2g5a3U9okrILFBtQXRJJSqSe8VK5bNq_accDp8JhMdm8/s640/patterns02.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjX4mLm53uCTEhzMZOXjk7qNFAxp01Vsvpm1VLB0ykvD_Mf8XPoLVYuWB3Tpbm0XtwHtnN9LjwIQqw9AVKwdxZDnApqatVdGwjgKbpd6pQNwMTdLiJdK7L6H923VxgHt3mIW79xkyPlYAo/s1600/patterns03.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="250" data-original-width="1000" height="160" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjX4mLm53uCTEhzMZOXjk7qNFAxp01Vsvpm1VLB0ykvD_Mf8XPoLVYuWB3Tpbm0XtwHtnN9LjwIQqw9AVKwdxZDnApqatVdGwjgKbpd6pQNwMTdLiJdK7L6H923VxgHt3mIW79xkyPlYAo/s640/patterns03.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEho66aLgKxJPKmbQg8PAYEKKUWs20HlhvtUHYKkYqHh3Eh1pgVaC4q8tALakloYEiDBuHyHY7e5SZqOCTENM57csAHBgAyfUSIgyB6jY9eKUotnWyVgfznc8-H1-3WoohH8sLc8FK__j8w/s1600/patterns04.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="250" data-original-width="1000" height="160" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEho66aLgKxJPKmbQg8PAYEKKUWs20HlhvtUHYKkYqHh3Eh1pgVaC4q8tALakloYEiDBuHyHY7e5SZqOCTENM57csAHBgAyfUSIgyB6jY9eKUotnWyVgfznc8-H1-3WoohH8sLc8FK__j8w/s640/patterns04.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQmAmsAtDqFKQondxBd2Lb_t7mhaXZlvLjA08veN57UVdan1lXx2zT5HSrsM-HuJYbgNsFGTsxfo9Ba5n_DAKAGLivqmdNVS6l7w-XBRG2fQAaVYROAuNCbpZV2YSktDYD1y7c4cKCzBY/s1600/patterns05.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="250" data-original-width="1000" height="160" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQmAmsAtDqFKQondxBd2Lb_t7mhaXZlvLjA08veN57UVdan1lXx2zT5HSrsM-HuJYbgNsFGTsxfo9Ba5n_DAKAGLivqmdNVS6l7w-XBRG2fQAaVYROAuNCbpZV2YSktDYD1y7c4cKCzBY/s640/patterns05.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="color: #990000; font-family: "trebuchet ms"; font-size: 12.0pt;">General Observations</span></span></span></span></span></b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><span lang="EN-GB" style="color: #990000; font-family: "trebuchet ms"; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">Priceless Acting Moments</span></b><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "trebuchet ms"; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"> that still make me
chuckle:</span></span><br />
<ul type="disc">
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l3 level1 lfo4; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "trebuchet ms"; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">THE END OF THE
F***ING WORLD 2</span></b><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "trebuchet ms"; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"> (Forsman/Covell): Jessica Barden not managing to
distort her face into a smile at her own wedding.</span></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l3 level1 lfo4; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "trebuchet ms"; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">US</span></b><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "trebuchet ms"; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">:
The look on Adelaide's
face (Lupita Nyong'o) after her "glitch" and Zora (Shahadi
Wright Joseph) at the wheel.</span></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l3 level1 lfo4; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "trebuchet ms"; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">MARRIAGE STORY</span></b><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "trebuchet ms"; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">:
Adam Driver cutting himself in front of the awkward "visitor"
and Alan Alda digressing into an endless joke.</span></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l3 level1 lfo4; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "trebuchet ms"; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">A VIDA
INVISÍVEL</span></b><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "trebuchet ms"; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">: The conservative father dismissing his
daughter's apology by way of a moronic grimace. It also makes your blood
curdle right after laughing about it.</span></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l3 level1 lfo4; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "trebuchet ms"; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">STRANGER THINGS
3</span></b><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "trebuchet ms"; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"> (Duffer Brothers): two words: "Neverending Story". </span></span></li>
</ul>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyrc9V_CvAR7mMuN8-qJhyphenhyphenOgRu6PeCP8778bmlo9TJJQgpAmsShFZIDPmlF7OBwFV505UrQxCJh-vZ1ojZKchANO6WYotYkaCZ8eOcVWKBfsQ07ytMm76Inu8wruHA_3Q2Lgw7m9JGShA/s1600/rectangles.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="1000" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyrc9V_CvAR7mMuN8-qJhyphenhyphenOgRu6PeCP8778bmlo9TJJQgpAmsShFZIDPmlF7OBwFV505UrQxCJh-vZ1ojZKchANO6WYotYkaCZ8eOcVWKBfsQ07ytMm76Inu8wruHA_3Q2Lgw7m9JGShA/s640/rectangles.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr align="left"><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Whether in the sauna, the hospital or the underground lab: doors with rectangle windows.</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHvlcFQp_Jt5TANAAlpXQEigJ_fMmsLIIkyWYlIZbzgvvabsKBJmdso3NgdbPvCCsm5MFI5vN0LITkaVAWqSV8eLEOO81lEirZgbAbw2FQTwETzkPN7RAYpGxX32fP5w5WNvZ0u5xcxuY/s1600/igotstripes01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="250" data-original-width="902" height="176" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHvlcFQp_Jt5TANAAlpXQEigJ_fMmsLIIkyWYlIZbzgvvabsKBJmdso3NgdbPvCCsm5MFI5vN0LITkaVAWqSV8eLEOO81lEirZgbAbw2FQTwETzkPN7RAYpGxX32fP5w5WNvZ0u5xcxuY/s640/igotstripes01.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr align="left"><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>I got stripes: Amy Parris' costume design for STRANGER THINGS 3.</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYNck5lJ6tTAU8H-tlR-dIx4ZkzVViPqpkLz22xz8GwcuWQ8CeK2cekthNX_r_YTV0V0h8nE1GaS2m_kD6ZGJYX8khoZ_FnHrk5uaf-K0Ld6DxFhQAjqYwL5bEII8evPkk8PgZAIn4YxA/s1600/igotstripes02.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="250" data-original-width="1000" height="160" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYNck5lJ6tTAU8H-tlR-dIx4ZkzVViPqpkLz22xz8GwcuWQ8CeK2cekthNX_r_YTV0V0h8nE1GaS2m_kD6ZGJYX8khoZ_FnHrk5uaf-K0Ld6DxFhQAjqYwL5bEII8evPkk8PgZAIn4YxA/s640/igotstripes02.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><span lang="EN-GB" style="color: #990000; font-family: "trebuchet ms"; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">The Power of Song</span></b><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "trebuchet ms"; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "trebuchet ms"; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">
In terms of <b>pop songs</b> carrying a whole scene, Spike Lee killed it with
Stevie Wonder's "I never thought you'd leave in summer" in the
delirious colorful post-breakup-Wonder-Wheel scene in <b>SHE'S GOTTA HAVE IT
2.2</b>. Pop songs as source music were also crucial in two of my favorite
scenes of Tarantino's <b>ONCE UPON A TIME IN HOLLYWOOD</b>: 1) the montage of
Cliff (Pitt) driving home through LA at twilight. Not only did the music on the
car stereo change with the cuts, but here nostalgia and (perceived)
authenticity are also perfectly balanced. 2) When Cliff watches Manson arrive
at what the latter believes to be Terry Melcher's residence, new owner Sharon
Tate plays a Paul Revere record - produced by said Melcher.</span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "trebuchet ms"; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">In
Martin Scorsese's <b>ROLLING THUNDER REVUE</b>, there is a wtf moment when
Dylan and Joan Baez half-jokingly accuse each other of running off and marrying
someone else (which is an uncredited outtake of an autobiographically inspired
performance from <b>RENALDO & CLARA</b>, 1978). My favorite bit of that
film, however, happens when the camera accidentally captures a happy young girl
near the stage suddenly bursting into tears. That was more or less how I felt
when Aretha Franklin started singing the opening lines of "You've got a
friend" in <b>AMAZING GRACE</b>.</span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "trebuchet ms"; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">If
you compare this homecoming concert (Aretha returned to the gospel of her
youth) to Beyoncé's <b>HOMECOMING*</b> (2019), it becomes clear how much Aretha
- despite her star status and commanding presence - still lived in a man's
world in 1972. Rev. James Cleveland is a hilarious MC and Aretha's father is
touching in his unscripted speech, but opposite these men, Aretha (the lady who
taught the world "Respect") looks like a shy young woman who only
opens her mouth to sing. Beyoncé, on the other hand, is mastermind, director
and MC with a clear message. Nevertheless, both the free-flowing service from
1972 and the precisely choreographed Coachella shows from 2018 <b><span style="color: maroon;">translate the live performance into an immersive cinematic
experience</span></b> (in the case of Beyoncé cleverly splicing the pink and
the yellow night into one performance).</span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "trebuchet ms"; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">Some
years ago, I started paying attention to <b><span style="color: maroon;">scenes
in which main characters sing </span></b>in movies that are not musicals. Since
musicians' biopics and run-of-the-mill jukebox musicals have become popular
again, the frequency of singing scenes in "normal" films and TV shows
seems to have reached the heights of the 1930s and 40s. Whether it is
lip-synching like in <b>PLAY</b> (Marciano, 2019), karaoke (<b>THE FAREWELL</b>),
singing in a car (<b>GRÄNS, UNBELIEVABLE</b>) or performing a song like Joaquin
Phoenix in <b>JOKER</b> (Phillips, 2019) or Adam Driver in <b>MARRIAGE STORY</b>,
singing characters were everywhere in the past twelve months. The MARRIAGE
STORY example also belongs to a new subcategory: <b><span style="color: #660000;">the
<i>Stephen Sondheim scene</i></span></b>. Saoirse Ronan had one in <b>LADY BIRD</b>
(Gerwig, 2017), so has Daniel Craig - in a car - in Rian Johnson's <b>KNIVES
OUT</b> (2019, "I'm losing my mind" from "Follies"). Even
the <b>JOKER's</b> first victims sing Sondheim in the subway ("Send in the
Clowns").<b><span style="color: maroon;"> </span></b></span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><span lang="EN-GB" style="color: maroon; font-family: "trebuchet ms"; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">Voices and choirs </span></b><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "trebuchet ms"; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">also featured in
quite a few memorable scores for films like <b>PORTRAIT DE LA JEUNE FILLE EN
FEU</b> (sort of a metadiegetic singing scene "fugere non possum"), <b>PARASITE</b>
(music by Jung Jaeil), <b>US</b> (music by Michael Abels) or <b>THE FAREWELL</b>
(music by Alex Weston). Weston and Abel are also some of the <b><span style="color: maroon;">composers to watch</span></b> in the future. So are Dan
Levy (<b>J'AI PERDU MON CORPS</b>), Benedikt Schiefer (<b>A VIDA INVISIVEL</b>),
Scott Bomar (<b>DOLEMITE IS MY NAME</b>) as well as Daniel Pemberton (<b>MOTHERLESS
BROOKLYN</b>) and Nathan Johnson (<b>KNIVES OUT</b>) who both turned out to be
more versatile than I thought.</span></span><br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDgqCNz3IV357fjw_ytwN52zxKx_VtO1mdOiImbWUN7mNfZCxEXU02LRf1uFGW7w3hQaa00Y-wZyMrwKWZYc8YOOTv-jIInKJfiaw2XxSme_FcHeApLiR1Wgp_C3KOKK0wZjtQllBryRk/s1600/bruce.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1265" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDgqCNz3IV357fjw_ytwN52zxKx_VtO1mdOiImbWUN7mNfZCxEXU02LRf1uFGW7w3hQaa00Y-wZyMrwKWZYc8YOOTv-jIInKJfiaw2XxSme_FcHeApLiR1Wgp_C3KOKK0wZjtQllBryRk/s640/bruce.jpg" width="505" /></a></td></tr>
<tr align="left"><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>contrasting unobtrusive/old fashioned earth colors and patterns with fresh red, white and blue in BLINDED BY THE LIGHT (Chadha, 2019).</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilBh7TWFt3UKfYjRvtxn2fdlSZYAVweE85Xt2QAeEXSaeP2tr9ZQZFLwWdEm5AnfizWq2AClHgx41iHiwWl57vv8w2VCH0VFMzaCFvKrnSul0Y-uNyPM3QcIJsKm2aiQRs7pEQmgziiZc/s1600/jeune3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="837" data-original-width="1600" height="332" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilBh7TWFt3UKfYjRvtxn2fdlSZYAVweE85Xt2QAeEXSaeP2tr9ZQZFLwWdEm5AnfizWq2AClHgx41iHiwWl57vv8w2VCH0VFMzaCFvKrnSul0Y-uNyPM3QcIJsKm2aiQRs7pEQmgziiZc/s640/jeune3.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr align="left"><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>The incredible cinematography of PORTRAIT DE LA JEUNE FILLE EN FEU.</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><span lang="EN-GB" style="color: #990000; font-family: "trebuchet ms"; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">Cinematography</span></b><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "trebuchet ms"; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><br />
In 2019, digital <b><span style="color: maroon;">large format photography</span></b>
has become more commonplace than 3D. French cinematographer <i>Claire Mathon</i>,
for example, used it for <b>PORTRAIT DE LA JEUNE FILLE EN FEU</b> because it
allowed her to achieve painterly skin tones, bring out the costume colors and
still work with relatively soft artificial lighting (that often feels like
natural light). Films like <b>JOKER</b> (DoP <i>Lawrence Sher</i>) and <b>MIDSOMMAR</b>
(DoP <i>Pawel Pogorzelski</i>) capitalized on the </span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms";"><a href="https://www.indiewire.com/feature/large-format-cameras-arri-alexa-65-film-language-joker-roma-midsommar-1202179944/"><b><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">spatial dynamic (withoutwide-angle
distortion)</span></b></a></span><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "trebuchet ms"; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"> large format cinematography offers. The latter often
choreographing action on foreground, middleground and background layers at the
same time. It is also one of the most impressively shot films of the year (did
I mention, there's also a choir?).</span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "trebuchet ms"; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">Director
of photography <i>Hélène Louvart</i>, on the other hand, filmed the
flamboyantly saturated colors of <b>A VIDA INVISIVEL</b> on a handy Alexa Mini
while using grainy Super 16mm for the more muted, naturalistic style of <b>LAZZARO
FELICE</b>. Also, <b>RAY & LIZ</b> and the more lightweight <b>MID90S</b>
(Hill, 2018) which I accidentally saw on the same day, were both shot on 16mm
and in the more square Academy format (1:1.37). As is often the case, this <b><span style="color: #990000;">random double feature</span></b> (dictated by location
and showtimes) revealed unexpected parallels between two very different films.
Both are essentially time capsules built from vignettes that leave enough to
the imagination to make the characters feel authentic. In both films a child
stays out a whole night, someone steals from a family member and a child ends
up almost dead.</span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "trebuchet ms"; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">As
for time capsules captured on film, it is impossible not to mention Tarantino's
<b>ONCE</b> <b>UPON A TIME… IN HOLLYWOOD</b>
(2019) that employed 8, 16 and 35mm and 1.33, 1.85 and 2.39:1 aspect ratios for
various layers of reality (home movies, tv shows, "movie movie" and
"realer than real" Tarantinoverses). In my opinion, it is <i>Robert
Richardson's</i> masterpiece as far as atmosphere and period feel go. That
said, I'm still conflicted about the movie itself: I admire the directing,
rhythm and overall aesthetics, I just do not agree with what I believe it is
saying. But since I managed to keep clear of writing yet another dreary think
piece about OUATIH so far, I will just focus on two aspects.<b><span style="color: #990000;"> </span></b></span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><span lang="EN-GB" style="color: #990000; font-family: "trebuchet ms"; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">Nostalgia</span></b><span lang="EN-GB" style="color: #990000; font-family: "trebuchet ms"; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"> [mild spoilers]</span><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "trebuchet ms"; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><br />
Over the course of little more than a year, probably due to the sad anniversary
of the Tate murders, the "Manson" character has become a staple of
stylized American period entertainment. The first and most impressive of these
recent characters (a failed musician played by Linus Roache) clearly modelled
on cult leader Charles Manson popped up in Panos Cosmatos' paralyzingly
psychedelic <b>MANDY</b> (2018). Later that same year, Drew Goddard's
Tarantino-imitation <b>BAD TIMES AT THE EL ROYALE </b>introduced a showy Chris
Hemsworth in a similar role (also with a fictional name) accompanied by
"Twelve Thirty (Young Girls Are Coming To The Canyon)".</span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "trebuchet ms"; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">That
same Mamas & Papas song - that was reportedly playing when Tate's body
was found - also announced the "young girls" and Tex (real names, this time) arriving at the Cielo Drive in <b>ONCE
UPON A TIME… IN HOLLYWOOD</b>
(surprisingly, both EL ROYALE and OUATIH also featured the Deep Purple cover of
"Hush"). Damon Herriman as Manson only showed up shortly (see
paragraph "Power of Song" above) but had the opportunity to fully
explore the cult leader's weird charisma in a prison scene of <b>MINDHUNTER 2</b>.</span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "trebuchet ms"; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">First
and foremost, OUATIH is a celebration of cinema and self-adulation - we often
see people watching themselves on a screen; once, we even "enter" the
ray of light of a projector that has the same god-like quality that Rudy Ray
Moore (Eddie Murphy) attributes to it in <b>DOLEMITE IS MY NAME </b>(Brewer,
2019). But more specifically, OUATIH is about a transitional period of American
pop culture with August 1969 stylized into a watershed moment. </span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "trebuchet ms"; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">Add
to that a playful patchwork narrative with layers of references (e.g. "the
wrecking crew" alluding to a film, a group of musicians and the
protagonists) told from the perspective of two privileged middle-aged men on
the downgrade resisting any notion of change and you have a historical allegory
that loudly asks "what does 1969 have in common with 2019?". This
basic concept of period pieces is even literally invoked by <i>the </i>Sam
Wanamaker (who really did direct the pilot episode of <b>LANCER</b>, but in
1968).</span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "trebuchet ms"; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">But
OUATIH is so drenched in nostalgia for a Hollywood system that clearly had to
perish - major studios churning out overlong all-star action remakes like <b>THE
GREAT ESCAPE</b> (Sturges, 1963), conservative professional westerns and TV
series past their golden days - that it gets stuck in hippie bashing (with
hippies likened to brain-washed murderers) and denouncing woke culture in a way
that felt more like dog-whistling than satire (needless to say it did not
embrace change in the way that other nostalgic summer escapist fantasy ST3
did). It all made sense from the point of view of Rick and Cliff. But their
saving the day (also very much in character and hilariously funny) is the kind
of wish fulfillment that goes against everything Tarantino conveyed in his
revenge fantasies up to <b>DJANGO UNCHAINED</b> (2012).</span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "trebuchet ms"; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">It
made sense to root for outlaws like Django, the Bride in <b>KILL BILL</b>
(2004), the women in <b>DEATH PROOF</b> (2007), or the jews in <b>INGLOURIOUS
BASTERDS</b> (2009) because they all were self-empowered underdogs. Those films
were all about ending oppression by established authorities, not stopping
change from happening. But seeing middle-aged celebrity has-beens as underdogs
is too much of a stretch. And where is the self-empowerment in that? Why
weren't Bruce Lee and/or Tate herself saving the day? But hey, that is just,
like, my opinion, Dude... and maybe it is not a bad thing that Tarantino
finally managed to provoke me.<b><span style="color: #990000;"> </span></b></span></span><br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3dPghdu6yyQJPwVJUtA8RtdhfHJzTWci7ZVODORuUOF7Yo4b_ROaQ-JMXqBmI8P_501DaGciCJgPFmlnjdZLgze4xJtTsmZd41IYZe4wDVbTb2qWEivnAiXZyxxB3zsNicdUgK_0L_r0/s1600/nola1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="281" data-original-width="1500" height="116" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3dPghdu6yyQJPwVJUtA8RtdhfHJzTWci7ZVODORuUOF7Yo4b_ROaQ-JMXqBmI8P_501DaGciCJgPFmlnjdZLgze4xJtTsmZd41IYZe4wDVbTb2qWEivnAiXZyxxB3zsNicdUgK_0L_r0/s640/nola1.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr align="left"><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Popular in 2019: fun fairs and ferris wheels (SHE'S GOTTA HAVE IT 2).</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiluUt9Rmz-mFyAZpoHjC68RZQ_yVsxvu997xAF_966Ff1hwt9yJVq8O0EA0lvObECrKFpLMBR_Y79Bqgo3rNi7P9Rc9SGSOV3j-u5JLGZmAoozXBxo2gaJSsWtlEtMlJJDiQBGfCLRAIA/s1600/nola2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="281" data-original-width="1500" height="116" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiluUt9Rmz-mFyAZpoHjC68RZQ_yVsxvu997xAF_966Ff1hwt9yJVq8O0EA0lvObECrKFpLMBR_Y79Bqgo3rNi7P9Rc9SGSOV3j-u5JLGZmAoozXBxo2gaJSsWtlEtMlJJDiQBGfCLRAIA/s640/nola2.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr align="left"><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>"I never dreamed you'd leave in summer"</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><span lang="EN-GB" style="color: #990000; font-family: "trebuchet ms"; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">Horror</span></b><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "trebuchet ms"; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><br />
Usually, the deaths that occur in pre-credits scenes of horror movies are of no
real emotional consequence to the audience (just yet). In <b>MIDSOMMAR</b>,
however, Ari Aster uses a tense prologue to charge his folk horror vision with
emotions triggered by an unbearable family tragedy, less disturbing than the
one in the first half of <b>HEREDITARY</b> (2018) maybe, but with the same
lingering impact. It was certainly the first time that I was able to immerse
myself deeply into a folk horror experience. Once again, Aster plays with genre
conventions occasionally inverting them for comic effect.</span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "trebuchet ms"; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">This
is also true for <b>PARASITE</b> and <b>US</b> (2019) which echoed each other
in quite a few aspects (characters "tethered" to each other,
contrasting families, living below street level etc) and could both be
categorized as prestige horror films with satirical elements taking on social
injustice. Jordan Peele's American doppelgänger apocalypse also featured an
escapist location that was wildly popular in 2019: <b>IT CHAPTER TWO </b>(prologue)<b>,
SHE'S GOTTA HAVE IT 2 </b>(Coney Island)<b>, TOY STORY 4</b> (Hitchcock
reference and farewell) and<b> STRANGER THINGS 3 </b>("the trees are
moving!" among other Shakespeare references) all had a <b><span style="color: #990000;">fun fair</span></b> with a creepy house of mirrors and/or
a ferris wheel (in <b>JOKER</b>, the one from "The Killing Joke" is
seen in the background) rendered in the most delicious digital candy colors.</span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "trebuchet ms"; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">While
a creepy fair ground was a sure bet in IT 2 (Muschietti, 2019), I certainly did
not expect Xavier Dolan to show up in it. Unlike in MIDSOMMAR, the impact of
this violent opening scene did not last as long as it probably should have.
What followed felt more like a series of standalone episodes (or levels of a
computer game) before they all gathered for the tedious and ridiculous finale.
However, with the second half of IT coming out only two months after ST3, it
finally became clear how much the Duffer brothers - who originally created
their Netflix phenomenon after not being able to direct the IT remake -
reshuffled and paraphrased elements from Stephen King's tale and made it work
much better on (the small) screen. Just think of the final voice over
speech/letter. </span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "trebuchet ms"; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">On
a side note, thanks to ST3 taking a few turns I was initially reluctant to
follow (evil Russians, fat Rambo), I caught up with some previously shunned
1980s movies, among them <b>RED DAWN</b> (Milius, 1984: seriously?), <b>HEATHERS</b>
(Lehmann, 1988: quite fun and memorable), and <b>EVIL DEAD II</b> (Raimi, 1987:
love it!).</span></span><br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhajYJSlr5ZtWu9coKTHxk19OEhGcd2YEzhoRfIwE1oS9Pmly4KL0XiK5rTic7T2Ppi-YPHJnqSQUWAv4mv_b0LTjKml8EK-AtyHQzPEs70lOUCUlZAj58P21eenuAYWbu0coSX9cJMVX4/s1600/yellow1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="281" data-original-width="1000" height="177" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhajYJSlr5ZtWu9coKTHxk19OEhGcd2YEzhoRfIwE1oS9Pmly4KL0XiK5rTic7T2Ppi-YPHJnqSQUWAv4mv_b0LTjKml8EK-AtyHQzPEs70lOUCUlZAj58P21eenuAYWbu0coSX9cJMVX4/s640/yellow1.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>WIP from an unfinished video essay about...</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6hohiz4u0gZqidMsFF6Wnulhcwq5IaZIuB7uoD1v_Rw1Mb9OIUF2Aa24ueuqtkbC4-gNG9NOdcWcu4rB-tTjYkIxF4I9K4DXRX7ylKUEVK6FgqZ-l924jRsgC-LYV1GC-iu63LIf4Obc/s1600/yellow2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="281" data-original-width="1000" height="177" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6hohiz4u0gZqidMsFF6Wnulhcwq5IaZIuB7uoD1v_Rw1Mb9OIUF2Aa24ueuqtkbC4-gNG9NOdcWcu4rB-tTjYkIxF4I9K4DXRX7ylKUEVK6FgqZ-l924jRsgC-LYV1GC-iu63LIf4Obc/s640/yellow2.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>...the color <b>yellow </b>in <b>PARIS, TEXAS</b> (Wenders, 1984)</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9ZLI9q8Ra443DgW_QavwvEb_9Wc7QKO9aVDgzdJ6mtfXNI6S1kQ0n6YRh42kBsnrsVFJ6-dyDw6i7S9AhUeBnZvmW1-uOIkv172AQKPioE4CgRDdHgIFgtCCED27GmcKiuWQA5oaklYE/s1600/yellow3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="281" data-original-width="1000" height="177" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9ZLI9q8Ra443DgW_QavwvEb_9Wc7QKO9aVDgzdJ6mtfXNI6S1kQ0n6YRh42kBsnrsVFJ6-dyDw6i7S9AhUeBnZvmW1-uOIkv172AQKPioE4CgRDdHgIFgtCCED27GmcKiuWQA5oaklYE/s640/yellow3.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><span lang="EN-GB" style="color: #990000; font-family: "trebuchet ms"; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">Realism and Subjective Perception</span></b><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "trebuchet ms"; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><br />
These days, I often think of Fassbinder's dictum "when I go to the cinema,
I want an experience" (I'm paraphrasing). Judging from his own movies, I
think what he had in mind was less <b>1917</b> (Mendes, 2019) than, say, <b>JOY</b>*
(Mortezai, 2018), <b>SHÉHÉRAZADE</b> (Marlin, 2018) or <b>DIVINES*</b>
(Benyamina, 2016) - all of which I liked because they each let me in on a young
person's specific experience heretofore unknown to me. Besides, each one is
told in a somewhat distinct style. To be clear, I'm not talking about
masterpieces here. However, I still find it sad that all three movies went more
or less <b><span style="color: #990000;">directly to Netflix</span></b>, even
though there are 400-500 films p.a. released in cinemas around here.</span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "trebuchet ms"; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">As
regards contemporary issues, two Swiss films provided insight into local
islamic communities. While <b>AL SHAFAQ*</b> (Isik, 2019), a feature film about
a teenager from Zürich who joined the war in Syria, was convincing in its
unagitated, thoughtful attitude towards a difficult subject, overall it felt
too uneven to me. Anyhow, Kida Khodr Ramadan as the teen's father left a deep
impression with a very restraint performance. But if I wanted to challenge
prevalent stereotypes, I would probably recommend <b>NAÏMA</b>* (Milosevic,
2019), a compelling hour-long documentary about a middle-aged Muslim woman who
manages a project to combat religious extremism in a small Swiss town.</span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "trebuchet ms"; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">Sketching
a different social environment, writer-director Hans Kaufmann and actor Joel
Basman managed to make <b>DER BÜEZER</b> (THE WORKING MAN, 2019) outside of the
usual funding channels of Swiss film productions. Deeply rooted in its Zürich
milieu, this impressively photographed (DoP Pascal Walder) minimalist <b><span style="color: #990000;">character study</span></b> of a lone plumber is
well-acted, atmospheric and so lean it leaves room for imagination (near the
end, it felt rushed, although this was no issue with younger viewers). It is
also easy to see DER BÜEZER as a paraphrase of Scorsese's <b>TAXI DRIVER</b>
(1976), especially since it raises similar questions about our society
(although the protagonist is by no means a reactionary like Travis Bickle).</span></span><br />
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi95AplFwz9apCW8ldTqr23JPsDCqaqjWiBz8MqDJ1508LlHNfooIC7YLxYnG6Mvmp_B0OWotf9eHOnHCtvUqMMtx-vVlGVTr8zd5h1MojE7ObH0fSwouUMMphGrGi1RIzd4ECL9SbNf7s/s1600/joker.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="865" data-original-width="1600" height="345" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi95AplFwz9apCW8ldTqr23JPsDCqaqjWiBz8MqDJ1508LlHNfooIC7YLxYnG6Mvmp_B0OWotf9eHOnHCtvUqMMtx-vVlGVTr8zd5h1MojE7ObH0fSwouUMMphGrGi1RIzd4ECL9SbNf7s/s640/joker.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "trebuchet ms"; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">Thankfully,
it came out before <b>JOKER</b> which was much more openly based on the
sociocritical New York
movies of the late 1970s, predominantly the Scorsese-De Niro collaborations.
Although I enjoyed watching it twice, I found it not only confused about what
it wanted to say but also too unsubtle to be taken seriously. Moreover, in
comparison to many of the films it references, if often feels shallow. On the
upside, TAXI DRIVER is now definitely one of my all-time favorite films.</span></span><br />
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-c3YiQjTYCaf2QjgmYRcUhHwmFwAdJPEjP-4g3xJrixiiyvrWahYoG1bNET0IoBJbnpBU8RRKZgbvXiHHKhApGgWsuNryfs76qwVLYr1gufbCDAyCrbNKtlVz3CUtMYb9xUeOjfZ_yCI/s1600/joker1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1536" height="449" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-c3YiQjTYCaf2QjgmYRcUhHwmFwAdJPEjP-4g3xJrixiiyvrWahYoG1bNET0IoBJbnpBU8RRKZgbvXiHHKhApGgWsuNryfs76qwVLYr1gufbCDAyCrbNKtlVz3CUtMYb9xUeOjfZ_yCI/s640/joker1.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "trebuchet ms"; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">However,
JOKER is a great conversation starter on many a pressing issue of our times.
Besides, I loved the production design, the references to fictional and real
clowns and most of all the allusions to<b><span style="color: #990000;"> Frank
Sinatra</span></b> (a self-stylized sad clown on "Only the lonely")
who played a cynical stand-up comedian in <b>THE JOKER IS WILD</b> (1957),
reportedly wanted to play the Joker on TV and even painted sad clowns in oil.
So it is only fitting that the song that connects Arthur Fleck with De Niro's
TV host is Sinatra's defiant version of "That's Life"<b>.</b></span></span><br />
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<br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "trebuchet ms"; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">THE IRISHMAN</span></b><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "trebuchet ms"; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"> provided me with an excuse to revisit some more
Scorsese-DeNiro movies. <b>GOODFELLAS</b> (1990) and <b>CASINO</b> (1995) made
me realize two things: <i>a)</i> how Scorsese structures his films by turning
excitement on and off like a car radio and every so often shocking us with
complete silence; and <i>b)</i> how crucial the relationships involving
Lorraine Bracco and Sharon Stone, respectively, are to the disturbing,
explosive impact these films still have on me.</span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "trebuchet ms"; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">This
is especially interesting in the light of the more restraint IRISHMAN where
female characters do not really figure in Frank's subjective version of the story.
Nevertheless, Scorsese shows us women that feel real enough to have an
(off-screen) life of their own (Frank simply does not listen to them) and
relationships that are gradually destroyed by the kind of toxic masculinity of
"professionals" that Tarantino unabashedly celebrates with his
fairytale happy ending of <b>ONCE UPON A TIME IN HOLLYWOOD</b>.<b><span style="color: maroon;"> </span></b></span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><span lang="EN-GB" style="color: maroon; font-family: "trebuchet ms"; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">Epilogue</span></b><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "trebuchet ms"; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><br />
In 2020, I have already seen Melina Matsoukas' <b>QUEEN & SLIM*</b>
(2019) and Ladj Ly's <b>LES</b> <b>MISÉRABLES</b> (2019), two memorable feature
length debuts depicting police brutality in very different settings. Both also
feature a strong-willed boy who has never knew anything else. And both films
turn out to be much more complex than they seem in the beginning. Both have to
be seen on a large screen (Tat Radcliffe's cinematography brings to mind that
worn out phrase "every frame a painting") and each one slows down in
the second half to give the characters - and the audience - some space to
breathe and think before the final powerful blow. One ends in suspension, the
other one with an elegiac epilogue, though. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "trebuchet ms"; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">[Note: sorry for the terrible layout. This design template is wearing me out... need to change that soon]</span></span>
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Oswald Itenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09560644491496569393noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6593666821624078979.post-69622044664696091902020-01-01T16:13:00.003+01:002020-01-11T11:04:53.562+01:00My Year in Film: 2019 Works<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Since I have not posted anything all year, here is a collection of animated shorts and video essays I made in 2019:<br />
<br />
<div style="padding: 100% 0 0 0; position: relative;">
<iframe allow="autoplay; fullscreen" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" src="https://player.vimeo.com/video/381324226" style="height: 100%; left: 0; position: absolute; top: 0; width: 100%;"></iframe></div>
<script src="https://player.vimeo.com/api/player.js"></script><br />
All animation, no sound: this is my contribution to this year's animated advent calendar curated by Justine Klaiber and Owley Samter.<br />
<br />
For a full blast of clips by Swiss animators, head on over to www.instagram.com/animadvent<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<div style="padding: 56.25% 0 0 0; position: relative;">
<iframe allow="autoplay; fullscreen" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" src="https://player.vimeo.com/video/359712223" style="height: 100%; left: 0; position: absolute; top: 0; width: 100%;"></iframe></div>
<script src="https://player.vimeo.com/api/player.js"></script><br />
HOLM & Cyrill Lim – Sitting And Waiting (HOLM Remix)<br />
Composed, Lyrics by Cyrill Lim<br />
Arranged, Remixed by Daniel Werder<br />
Music Video Written, Directed and Animated by Oswald Iten<br />
© Video: Oswald Iten<br />
℗ Video: Oswald Iten & Cyrill Lim<br />
℗ Audio: Daniel Werder & Cyrill Lim<br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="background-color: #0c343d;"><span style="color: white;"><span style="color: #990000;"><span style="color: #fff2cc;">For <span style="color: #ffd966;"><b><span style="color: #ffd966;"><a href="http://www.filmbulletin.ch/">Filmbulletin</a></span>,</b></span> I have only written three articles in 2019. Those on A GHOST STORY (Lowery, 2017) and ROLLING THUNDER REVUE (Scorsese, 2019) are only available in the print edition, the one</span><a href="https://www.filmbulletin.ch/full/filmkritik/2019-2-12_if-beale-street-could-talk/"><b> <span style="color: #ffd966;">about Barry Jenkins' IF BEALE STREET COULD TALK (2018) can be read here</span></b></a> <span style="color: #fff2cc;">(in German). </span></span></span></span><br />
<br />
<br />
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<div style="padding: 56.25% 0 0 0; position: relative;">
<iframe allow="autoplay; fullscreen" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" src="https://player.vimeo.com/video/367979569" style="height: 100%; left: 0; position: absolute; top: 0; width: 100%;"></iframe></div>
<script src="https://player.vimeo.com/api/player.js"></script><br />
[Contains spoilers for WATER LILIES, TOMBOY and GIRLHOOD]<br />
Céline Sciamma has made herself a name as an excellent screenwriter providing sensitive dialogue for Claude Barras' MA VIE DE COURGETTE (2016) or her own masterpiece PORTRAIT DE LA JEUNE FILLE EN FEU (2019). In her coming-of-age films, however, the most important means of expression is the human body. <br />
<br />
Based on an extensive analysis of NAISSANCE DES PIEUVRES (2007), TOMBOY (2011) and BANDE DE FILLES (2014), I attempt to provide a subjective, non-theoretical overview of how Sciamma tells her stories in a corporeal, physical way. Of course, beyond my general observations, there is much more to these images (costume design, colors, ambiguity, precise decisions when to show nudity) which I hope will present themselves to you and drive you to (re-)watch the actual films. There are countless scenes worth analyzing more closely.<br />
<br />
After an introduction to each film, there are five "movements" - MOVING, LOOKING, TOUCHING, PERFORMING, TRANSFORMING - and an EPILOGUE that hints at a shift towards more articulated characters in Sciamma's own feature films (not including her short film PAULINE (2010) which is all dialogue).<br />
<br />
Note: Thanks to Katharina Lindner's essential book "Film Bodies: Queer Feminist Encounters with Gender and Sexuality in Cinema" (2017) for clarifying some of my linguistic issues as a German speaker.<br />
<br />
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<div style="padding: 56.25% 0 0 0; position: relative;">
<iframe allow="autoplay; fullscreen" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" src="https://player.vimeo.com/video/341435251" style="height: 100%; left: 0; position: absolute; top: 0; width: 100%;"></iframe></div>
<script src="https://player.vimeo.com/api/player.js"></script><br />
Video Essay - for analytical and educational purposes only, no copyright infringement intended.<br />
<br />
The striking colors in Wim Wenders' PARIS TEXAS (1984) are often analyzed according to the preconceived notion of "red, white and blue" vs "green neon light" and the alleged meaning those color schemes transport. However, I see a more intuitive and much more complex use of colors at work in this film. That's why I've started to put together two video essays the first of which is concerned with COLORED LIGHTING IN PARIS, TEXAS. <br />
<br />
It is basically a supercut that showcases cinematographer Robby Müller's use of colored lighting that is found in roughly a quarter of the two and a half hour film. The selected shots are arranged in a non-chronological way that hopefully reveals recurring patterns of lighting by juxtaposing similar as well as contrasting setups. In addition, I have tried to follow the visual flow of gazes and movement to create unexpected relationships between unconnected shots. <br />
<br />
Since I am more interested in the atmospheric and emotional effects of colored light which I want you to experience for yourself, I deliberately abstained from written or spoken explanations.<br />
<br />
Instead, I invite you to discover the sensations, patterns and concepts on your own and encourage you to watch PARIS, TEXAS again with this in mind.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
But for those without the patience to watch the essay more than once, here are some aspects to look for:<br />
Light sources: traffic lights, especially red ones (00:00), neon signs and advertisements behind characters (00:22).<br />
<br />
Green neon light which is most often just normal "white" neon light that Robby Müller decided not to color correct because he embraced the well-known effect that it would look green on film (0:29). This section also showcases the powerful green lights vs red objects scheme.<br />
<br />
Characters in light (Anne) or silhouette (Travis) against green background lighting (00:37). Rim lights on characters: warm side lighting (left and right) against warm light in the middle (0:49), then overall beige vs blue with garish yellow light/objects against darkness and red rims (1:02). Round blue city lights vs rim lights on characters (01:10).<br />
<br />
Primary Colors: red vs blue vs yellow (01:15) as well as blue vs green vs red (01:25). Green light again: this time towards red light (01:37). Green, red and blue: from neon to nature (01:49).<br />
<br />
Light sources as visual patterns (02:00)<br />
Similar color schemes with dominating green (02:09). <br />
<br />
Primary colors: blue vs yellow vs red from different scenes showing the tension between these characters (02:15). The loneliness of flamboyant red and blue (02:25). Walking away (02:31)<br />
<br />
I added mirror images in order to highlight frame edges and direct the viewer's attention away from single shots to overall patterns. In keeping with that concept, the swelling sounds that announce the visual cuts are in fact acoustic mirror images (played backwards) of the corresponding guitar notes on which I cut (Ry Cooder's opening music).<br />
<br />
My other video essay on PARIS, TEXAS will be about yellow - a color that has been mostly neglected in previous analyses.<br />
<br />
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<div style="padding: 56.25% 0 0 0; position: relative;">
<iframe allow="autoplay; fullscreen" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" src="https://player.vimeo.com/video/286554590" style="height: 100%; left: 0; position: absolute; top: 0; width: 100%;"></iframe></div>
<script src="https://player.vimeo.com/api/player.js"></script><br />
An acting analysis of the animated protagonist of Paul King's PADDINGTON (2014)<br />
<br />
Released and published in Spring 2019 as part of Issue 14 of "The Cine-Files", a scholarly journal of cinema studies.<br />
<br />
For study and educational purposes only.<br />
<br />
Thanks to Tereza Fischer for publishing my video essays on <a href="http://filmbulletin.ch/"><b>filmbulletin.ch</b></a><br />
Thanks to Catherine Grant for screening my PARIS TEXAS video in the Uppsala short film festival and inspiring me to make the PADDINGTON video essay (and publishing it with Tracy Cox-Stanton in <a href="http://www.thecine-files.com/"><b>The Cine-Files</b></a> #14).<br />
Thanks to Cyrill Lim for commissioning the music video.<br />
And last but not least, thanks to Justine Klaiber and Owley Samter for asking me to contribute to <a href="https://www.instagram.com/animadvent/"><b>Animadvent </b></a>2019.<br />
<br />
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<br />Oswald Itenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09560644491496569393noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6593666821624078979.post-34571572668268148682019-01-03T13:38:00.002+01:002019-01-04T10:06:55.684+01:00Looking in the Rearview Mirror - Favorite Films of 2018<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyRZXm3FKx8oQQyokSIfddcrXKdJ5-cn6-UxUVY2gSia2m4hXdKK5-OEPcnhiQstzEFRddsexkqWQHIMg7kw5g_8DI9nhZcJAoPiUT4MX4_TaR_xkza66De9P0rGoekxYQ5eqROLGm45M/s1600/hereditary.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="360" data-original-width="480" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyRZXm3FKx8oQQyokSIfddcrXKdJ5-cn6-UxUVY2gSia2m4hXdKK5-OEPcnhiQstzEFRddsexkqWQHIMg7kw5g_8DI9nhZcJAoPiUT4MX4_TaR_xkza66De9P0rGoekxYQ5eqROLGm45M/s200/hereditary.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>HEREDITARY</i></td></tr>
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</xml><![endif]--><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 10.0pt;">There is one moment from the first half of <b>HEREDITARY </b>that ingrained
itself deeply into my mind. Not wanting to believe what just happened (my own initial reaction was "have I really just seen that?"), the protagonist at the same time wants to look in the rearview mirror but is afraid of what he is going to see.</span><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 10.0pt;"> </span><br />
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 10.0pt;">During these few seconds I felt that</span><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 10.0pt;"> <b>the film looked back at me</b>: this duality of
wanting to see and being afraid of what I am going to see reflected not only my own position as viewer of a horror film but also the audience's
inability to interfere with the action on the screen - an inability which in itself is the basis
of suspense and, more generally, of one-way
storytelling (in contrast to interactive storytelling like <b>BANDERSNATCH</b>, but that's <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2018/12/28/arts/television/black-mirror-netflix-interactive.html"><b>another story</b></a>).</span>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 10.0pt;">With that out of the way, in this post I am <b>looking in the rearview mirror that reflects 2018.</b> More than anything else, I consider end of year lists an opportunity
to organize the glorious mess of cinematic impressions floating through my mind. I start with the usual<b> list of favorite films</b> (those that impressed me
the most) followed by <b>a discussion of my year in film</b> beyond that list.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "arial";">Favorite New Releases</span></b></span></div>
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<span style="color: #990000;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Film of the year</span></b></span><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 10.0pt;"> goes ex aequo
to <i>Paul Thomas Anderson's</i> <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">PHANTOM THREAD</b>
and<i> Alfonso Cuarón's</i> <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">ROMA</b>, both of
which were shot by the auteurs themselves (coached and assisted by long
standing crew members) because their frequent cinematographers <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Robert Elswitt</i> and <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Emmanuel Lubezki</i>, respectively, weren't available.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2uSLMBEswI1pOLzHiwB1uwOwFNqctEktCW-KnO8yxwogXpWeWggo3Pl2wE36mtap__GHvun78LqOR_Scizce6AOeQa1g0KwvFaUWPsBlomusRwdA3rwmwEDnJK7iPMi49ZDeRTRiySlQ/s1600/topfilm.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="133" data-original-width="532" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2uSLMBEswI1pOLzHiwB1uwOwFNqctEktCW-KnO8yxwogXpWeWggo3Pl2wE36mtap__GHvun78LqOR_Scizce6AOeQa1g0KwvFaUWPsBlomusRwdA3rwmwEDnJK7iPMi49ZDeRTRiySlQ/s1600/topfilm.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>PHANTOM THREAD (Lesley Manville) / REBECCA (J. Anderson) / ROMA (Yalitza Aparicio)</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<ul>
<li><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 10.0pt;">PHANTOM THREAD</span></b><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 10.0pt;">: Like most of
<i>PTA</i>'s films, this dreamlike time capsule of 1950s London (engulfed in one of the best
piano-and-strings scores in years) is about toxic masculinity and a mentor
relationship. In this revisionist reworking of classics like REBECCA (1940),
however, the power struggle is between a man and two women magnificently
portrayed by Vicky Krieps, Daniel Day Lewis and Lesley Manville.</span></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 10.0pt;">ROMA</span></b><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 10.0pt;">: It's rare
that a filmmaker's autobiographical magnum opus turns out to be their best
film. But <i>Cuarón </i>pulls it off with his black and white memory snapshot of day-to-day
life in Mexico City
in 1970/71 mainly because we see everything from the perspective of an
indigenous domestic help (in distant long shots, not close-ups). Slowly
floating vistas, fragmented images and an immersive soundscape produce a
flawless rhythm with an increasing emotional tension over two hours.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></li>
</ul>
<div class="MsoNormal">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br />
<span style="color: #990000;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Ten favorites of 2018</span></b></span><span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 10.0pt;"> (in
alphabetical order):</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Note: My
list includes several 2017 films that came out in Switzerland in 2018. I have seen all of them on the big screen.</span></i></div>
<ul>
<li><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 10.0pt;">CE MAGNIFIQUE GATEAU</span></b><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 10.0pt;">*: Although
technically a short film (44 min), <i>Marc James Roels and Emma de
Swaef's</i> stop motion anthology about Belgian colonialism was certainly the most
memorable animated feature I have seen this year. Tactile felt
puppets in five surreal, slow-paced, loosely interwoven segments add up to an
strangely funny, melancholic and beautiful trip down the rabbit hole.</span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 10.0pt;"> </span></b></li>
<li><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 10.0pt;">CHRIS THE SWISS</span></b><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 10.0pt;">*: In this
dense animated documentary, director <i>Anja Kofmel </i>investigates the death of her older
cousin, a Swiss journalist who died in Croatia in 1992 wearing the uniform of a
paramilitary group. Black and white animation expertly visualizes the missing and therefore imagined parts of
a story that is personal and universal at the same time.</span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 10.0pt;"> </span></b></li>
</ul>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidVJJSQQuZNguvrqlw6uFv3_oLHZVWTJVMokzKYHDM3VSU7RNOMz3eivtZGKQKRqgI5DL0a-8qJCvUPDHH5_N1TxJXCtHvUc3N07J9-vxCQCQ-7lPnblS7I3L1OSl-SPmHimie6KoQH3Q/s1600/coldwar.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="360" data-original-width="480" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidVJJSQQuZNguvrqlw6uFv3_oLHZVWTJVMokzKYHDM3VSU7RNOMz3eivtZGKQKRqgI5DL0a-8qJCvUPDHH5_N1TxJXCtHvUc3N07J9-vxCQCQ-7lPnblS7I3L1OSl-SPmHimie6KoQH3Q/s200/coldwar.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>COLD WAR</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<ul>
<li><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 10.0pt;">COLD WAR</span></b><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 10.0pt;">: Stylistically exploring the
specific potential of the black and white Academy format, <i>Pawlikowski</i>'s
fictional retelling of his parents' love story is so concisely written that it
manages to compress 15 years of an on-and-off relationship into 84 minutes of rigid musical vignettes that reflect the shifting political and cultural climate.<b><br /></b></span></li>
<li><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 10.0pt;">THE FLORIDA
PROJECT</span></b><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 10.0pt;">: Sensitively filtered through the eyes and mindset of a little girl, <i>Sean
Baker's</i> portrayal of long time motel residents (an ensemble of first-timers,
people playing themselves and a few professionals) in Florida transforms harsh realism into a funny,
touching, colorful cinemascope adventure that echoes key ingredients of the unattainable
Disney parks nearby.</span></li>
<li><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 10.0pt;">GIRL</span></b><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 10.0pt;">:<i> Lukas Dhont's</i> physical but
delicate portrait of aspiring trans-gender ballerina Lara stood out among the
many recent coming-of-age stories concerned with gender identity because of
Victor Polster's incredible performance and Dhont's ability to infuse the
(mostly benevolent) adult characters (even those in only one scene)
with life.</span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 10.0pt;"> </span></b></li>
</ul>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimnSDyw1RU1CsVe5U4gTRwXCN9PfdULgXcgJILwOjz1WqgwcvyAdF_MNwZN6YxKJBI_UT03M4FePuj-ZJBC_Ar33pInN8OcMEbc1enQiFYwLhjx8STvwInBdtfSPFRSPj275Q_zrLj0Zo/s1600/tonya.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="360" data-original-width="480" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimnSDyw1RU1CsVe5U4gTRwXCN9PfdULgXcgJILwOjz1WqgwcvyAdF_MNwZN6YxKJBI_UT03M4FePuj-ZJBC_Ar33pInN8OcMEbc1enQiFYwLhjx8STvwInBdtfSPFRSPj275Q_zrLj0Zo/s200/tonya.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>I, TONYA</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<ul>
<li><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 10.0pt;">I, TONYA</span></b><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 10.0pt;">: Expecting just another "inspired
by a true story" yarn I was genuinely suprised by <i>Craig Gillespie's</i> playful
approach to subjectivity and self-reflection, addressing the film's making fun
of lower-class characters and then shaking it up once more during the credits.
I love films that provoke laughter that gets caught in the throat.</span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 10.0pt;"> </span></b></li>
<li><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 10.0pt;">LADYBIRD</span></b><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 10.0pt;">*: High expectations often lead to
disappointment, especially when glowing reviews precede a cinema release by half a year. Not in this case, however. In <i>Greta Gerwig's</i> crisp take on a
mother-daughter-relationship, everything (including the Sondheim tunes) just falls into place organically without getting fancy.</span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 10.0pt;"> </span></b></li>
</ul>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7SoZgIiN0MmgVyPFhNnj4AvoME4zaIJQntRV3q8ORN_tGf7Q-pG7dj7izJrRruKFAOLWtjxSKVG6cPQ3aC-Oztz29upOmr6fLu6CepBC0zE95fwR-O41y-dEdidDu9nhTr6kFXd9cNCE/s1600/shoplift.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="360" data-original-width="480" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7SoZgIiN0MmgVyPFhNnj4AvoME4zaIJQntRV3q8ORN_tGf7Q-pG7dj7izJrRruKFAOLWtjxSKVG6cPQ3aC-Oztz29upOmr6fLu6CepBC0zE95fwR-O41y-dEdidDu9nhTr6kFXd9cNCE/s200/shoplift.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>SHOPLIFTERS</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<ul>
<li><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 10.0pt;">SHOPLIFTERS</span></b><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 10.0pt;">: Unbiased,
warm, sentimental, aching, beautiful, thought provoking - <i>Kore-eda's </i>unassuming masterpieces provides no easy answers but speaks to
the heart and the mind alike. Although the director's perspective in examing family
relationships has </span><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 10.0pt;">lately </span><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 10.0pt;">shifted towards grown-up characters, SHOPLIFTERS nevertheless begins and ends on
close-ups of children's faces. But in between there are countless group shots
that visually reflect the dynamic relationship of six non-blood-related characters in the same frame.</span></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEIegsKkC_3JzgQadNM-TZWxd5qPdct679gPMediVoXLmypPjCx_D3JOH8fSRduD9VTZv96lgqTiJsEclWTlRNHT-7obFDet_ah2RUMqTJPjBdlOLm0fGmmzdb8rh3eLshyphenhyphenBCLjJ1wU1I/s1600/phoenix.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="360" data-original-width="480" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEIegsKkC_3JzgQadNM-TZWxd5qPdct679gPMediVoXLmypPjCx_D3JOH8fSRduD9VTZv96lgqTiJsEclWTlRNHT-7obFDet_ah2RUMqTJPjBdlOLm0fGmmzdb8rh3eLshyphenhyphenBCLjJ1wU1I/s200/phoenix.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>YOU WERE NEVER REALLY HERE</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<li><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 10.0pt;">THE RIDER</span></b><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 10.0pt;">*: Somewhere in
the middle of <i>Chloé Zhao's</i> empathetic look at life in a South Dakota
reservation, there is a series of long hand held telephoto shots depicting a
young rodeo rider taming a horse. For me, this moment epitomized the magic of
filmic authenticity - cinema vérité - and I didn't even know that the actor was basically playing himself.</span></li>
<li><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 10.0pt;">YOU WERE NEVER REALLY HERE</span></b><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 10.0pt;">*: As I have
written <a href="http://colorfulanimationexpressions.blogspot.com/2018/01/favorite-films-of-2017.html"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">last year</b></a>, I liked <i>Lynne
Ramsay's</i> "action film without action" right away, but only when I saw
it again during its regular cinema run, I realized what a thorougly
great film it is. Expertly compressed storytelling, very musical and sometimes
just pure cinema.</span></li>
</ul>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
<span style="color: #990000;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 10.0pt;"><span style="color: #990000;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Two favorites that didn't get a cinema release in Switzerland</span></b></span></span></b><span style="color: black;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 10.0pt;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 10.0pt;"> (in
alphabetical order):</span></span></span></span></span><br />
<ul>
<li><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 10.0pt;">A GHOST STORY</span></b><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 10.0pt;">: <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3dOm-8O6I_cMWzyjNdSZNtaAGvPgqinamtHsu4MZVnL3-hZez_goO7wxvgNLUiZilhyobjDUoSKo87tOZd1-y2w1atLWh2tk18k8y9I8u6v3VT-6lefZZv59t2w5_o_ZF_oZn6ldnIGM/s1600/ghost.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="360" data-original-width="480" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3dOm-8O6I_cMWzyjNdSZNtaAGvPgqinamtHsu4MZVnL3-hZez_goO7wxvgNLUiZilhyobjDUoSKo87tOZd1-y2w1atLWh2tk18k8y9I8u6v3VT-6lefZZv59t2w5_o_ZF_oZn6ldnIGM/s200/ghost.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>A GHOST STORY</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Between
crafting one of the few decent Disney remakes and lovingly reconstructing the
late 1970s for Robert Redford's acting swan song, <i>David Lowery</i> released this radical meditation from the perspective of a mute ghost which resonated strongly with me.</span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 10.0pt;"> </span></b></li>
<li><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 10.0pt;">SHIRKERS*</span></b><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 10.0pt;">: This autobiographical documentary about the making of a literally stolen personal film
project turns into a sensitive empowerment story overshadowed by an
ominous man whose haunting presence also makes it one of the year's best horror
movies.</span></li>
</ul>
<span style="color: #990000;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 10.0pt;">First impressions</span></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 10.0pt;">There are two films I definitely want to revisit when they
are released in January/February 2019. Although on the surface, these films couldn't be any more
different from each other, they are both very physical and told from the
perspective of female characters but directed by men:</span></div>
<ul>
<li><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 10pt;">IF BEALE STREET</span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 10pt;"> COULD TALK</span></b><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 10pt;">: It's almost impossible for <i>Barry Jenkins</i> to live
up to post-MOONLIGHT expectations, especially with an "important"
(but never bloated) film that was conceived years ago and hints at similar cinematic inspirations (<b>KILLER OF SHEEP</b> 1978, <b>IN THE
MOOD FOR LOVE</b> 2000). Ironically in the age of TV drama, voice-over narration and a non-chronological
plot make BEALE STREET
feel more conventional than MOONLIGHT with its radical division into three
self-contained snapshots and the protagonist's inability to articulate. But
Jenkins' faithful stream-of-consciousness adaptation has an irresistible
musical flow to it and is full of wonderful performances. Most importantly, it
made me discover and become a fan of <b>James Baldwin's outstanding fictional
writing</b>.</span><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 10pt;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"> </span></span></li>
<li><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 10pt;">THE
FAVOURITE</span></b><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 10pt;">: Allegedly turning towards "mainstream"
(honestly, I doubt that), <i>Yorgos Lanthimos</i> finds his latest huis-clos scenario in the court of gout-ridden Queen Anne. Like a
spiced-up version of <b>LOVE & FRIENDSHIP </b>(2016), THE FAVOURITE is incredibly
entertaining without hiding the darker consequences of ivory-tower power
play and mutual exploitation. <b>I really hope that Olivia Colman will finally get
the recognition she deserves</b> thanks to this film.</span></li>
</ul>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZdKxd3M3ffREkAplggQteq2U2Pi7_gXM0Iasq1J-444d_hPmVestMvrjLQivhyphenhyphena7c-Kd-HqNWYaMmvFr3SCNvWwqcI3vqCzcjg7PHjZqKNdTXRzS6z6-RQvRGdic1Qvi-RK8qkLK-oXM/s1600/bealerite.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="200" data-original-width="532" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZdKxd3M3ffREkAplggQteq2U2Pi7_gXM0Iasq1J-444d_hPmVestMvrjLQivhyphenhyphena7c-Kd-HqNWYaMmvFr3SCNvWwqcI3vqCzcjg7PHjZqKNdTXRzS6z6-RQvRGdic1Qvi-RK8qkLK-oXM/s1600/bealerite.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>IF BEALE STREET COULD TALK (KiKi Layne) / THE FAVOURITE (Olivia Colman)</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Looking at the titles above, in 2018 I seem to have gravitated
towards <b>autobiographical (fictionalized or documentary) and slice of life
narratives</b>. Interestingly, the <b>two films about substitute families</b> feature a memorable
beach scene (happiness in SHOPLIFTERS, turmoil in ROMA). Furthermore, ROMA,
GHOST STORY, GIRL, YOU WERE NEVER REALLY HERE and to some degree THE FLORIDA
PROJECT, THE RIDER and CE MAGNIFIQUE GATEAU are about <b>protagonists that are not
really articulate</b> (as opposed to verbally dexterous characters like Tish in
BEALE STREET) <b>but have an audiovisual "voice" of their own</b> because their
films show the world from their perspective - which is something I value
greatly in movies.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Furthermore,
<b>9 of the 16 films above have female protagonists</b> (if you count PHANTOM THREAD,
it's an even 10) and <b>6 were directed by women</b> <i>(marked *)</i>. The same goes for two girl-centered
stories that almost made the list: <b>LEAVE NO TRACE*</b> by <i>Debra Granik</i> and <b>ESTIU
1993</b>* by <i>Carla Simon</i>. Among the films that stayed on my mind for quite some
time were <i>Andrey Zvyagintsev's</i> chilling <b>LOVELESS </b>(especially the mother's devastating
breakdown near the end) as well as <b>IN THE AISLES (IN DEN GÄNGEN</b>, <i>Thomas Stuber</i>)
and <b>TRANSIT </b>(<i>Christian Petzold</i>) both starring <i>Franz Rogowski </i>(a
"German Joaquin Phoenix").</span><br />
<br />
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Based on <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">breakout performances </b>in
movies I have seen in 2018 </span><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 10.0pt;">(TV shows not included)</span><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 10.0pt;">, my list of <span style="color: #990000;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">actors
to watch</b></span> includes only two men:</span><br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0hP-K_A-ymr1_C9iVOLiiiBp570KEO8frvqHV8iJKCtE3wE4s-6aZl7TYiJIq1ntPCUUYEjrpCnfsMxyGlSGkTTsMCMcIc67nFsnYz0-PgcdZO9I10CrWl8N99Zv_YeOYweIwBkfrgCw/s1600/actresses.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="399" data-original-width="532" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0hP-K_A-ymr1_C9iVOLiiiBp570KEO8frvqHV8iJKCtE3wE4s-6aZl7TYiJIq1ntPCUUYEjrpCnfsMxyGlSGkTTsMCMcIc67nFsnYz0-PgcdZO9I10CrWl8N99Zv_YeOYweIwBkfrgCw/s1600/actresses.jpg" style="cursor: move;" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>clockwise: Andrea Berntzen / John David Washington / Alba August / Cynthia Erivo</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<ul>
<li><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 10.0pt;"><b>Alba August </b>(ASTRID)</span></li>
<li><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 10.0pt;"><b>Andrea Berntzen</b> (UTOYA 22. JULI)</span></li>
<li><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 10.0pt;"><b>Jessie Buckley</b> (BEAST)</span></li>
<li><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 10.0pt;"><b>Cynthia Erivo</b> (BAD TIMES AT THE EL
ROYALE)</span></li>
<li><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 10.0pt;"><b>Halldóra Geirhardsdóttir </b>(WOMAN AT
WAR)</span></li>
<li><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 10.0pt;"><b>KiKi Layne</b> (IF BEALE STREET COULD
TALK)</span></li>
<li><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 10.0pt;"><b>Victor Polster</b> (GIRL)</span></li>
<li><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 10.0pt;"><b>Brooklynn Prince</b> (THE FLORIDA PROJECT)</span></li>
<li><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 10.0pt;"><b>Bria Vinaite </b>(THE FLORIDA PROJECT)</span></li>
<li><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 10.0pt;"><b>John David Washington</b> (BLACKkKLANSMAN)</span></li>
</ul>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
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<![endif]--><span style="color: #990000;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 10.0pt;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-size: large;">General Observations</span></span></span></b></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #990000;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Found Footage and Closure</span></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Seeing </span><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 10.0pt;"><i>Sandi Tan's</i> SHIRKERS, </span><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 10.0pt;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 10.0pt;"><i>Morgen Brett's</i></span> <b>JANE</b>, <i>Orson Welles'</i><b> THE OTHER SIDE OF THE WIND</b></span><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 10.0pt;"> and
<i>Morgan Neville's</i> hagiographic <b>THEY'LL LOVE ME WHEN I'M DEAD</b> about the making of
THE OTHER SIDE OF THE WIND </span><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 10.0pt;">more or less back to back, sparked some
interesting observations about how filmmakers present themselves and their
subjects</span><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 10.0pt;">. All of these </span><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 10.0pt;">fascinating documentary </span><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 10.0pt;">and</span><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 10.0pt;"> essay </span><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 10.0pt;"> films are
about the making of a film the fragments of which make up large parts of what
we see on screen. And to some degree, all of them reflect on their own construction
and filmmaking in general. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Both SHIRKERS and JANE rely heavily on <b>recently rediscovered silent
footage</b>. But while Sandi Tan preserves the oneiric quality of her "lost"
feature by keeping it mute, Morgen Brett shapes <i>Hugo van Lawick's</i> groundbreaking footage of chimpanzees into
an immersive experience by way of contemporary editing techniques, oversaturated
colors and a hyper-realistic soundtrack (at times, the rhythmic Chimp noises reminded me of Disney's True Life Adventures). </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Brett also freely employs aspect ratios and black and white for
structuring purposes rather than imitating historical conventions. In a similar
way, THEY'LL LOVE ME adopts some of the techniques that Orson Welles himself
used in his essay film <b>F FOR FAKE</b> (1973). As a companion piece to the carefully
restored THE OTHER SIDE OF THE WIND (a gloriously engaging train wreck) it
works both as an introduction and an addendum, but unfortunately, it doesn't dig deep enough into <i>Oja Kodar's</i> role in the whole process.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 10.0pt;">At times, the <b>sensory overload in all four of those films</b> <b>tended to
overwhelm me rather than allowing for real immersion</b> (while animated diaries
and scribbles work well in JANE and SHIRKERS, the animation is hardly more than
a gimmick when compared to the depth it provides in CHRIS THE SWISS). Avoiding
oppressive editing and music, <i>Yance Ford's </i><b>STRONG ISLAND</b>
felt like a welcome antidote to the antsy activisim of so many TV
documentaries. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Like CHRIS THE SWISS, SHIRKERS, OTHER SIDE/THEY'LL LOVE ME, <b>Ford's
poignant investigation is really about finding closure</b> in the process of making
a film. I was again reminded of STRONG
ISLAND, when I saw the
Danish thriller <b>THE GUILTY (DEN SKYLDIGE</b>, <i>Gustav Möller</i>) that consists almost
entirely of phone conversations. Both films open
with a phone conversation, both force us to reconstruct the central incident in
our imagination and both confront us with how hastily we evaluate
situations on the basis of deep-rooted prejudices.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #990000;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 10.0pt;">True Stories and Long Takes</span></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Among the "based on a true story" fiction films, <b>MIDNIGHT
RUNNER (DER LÄUFER</b>, <i>Hannes Baumgartner</i>) stood out to me because it manages to tell a character study from the point of view of a contradictory perpetrator <b>without simplifying psychological explanations</b>. The same could be said of the Italian film
<b>ON MY SKIN (SULLA MIA PELLE</b>, <i>Alessio Cremonini</i>), only here the protagonist is subjected to unfair treatment. By coincidence, I saw ON MY SKIN within the same 24 hours as <i>Alan
Parker's</i> <b>MIDNIGHT EXPRESS</b> (1978), so that the two Kafkaesque prison films started to
interfere with each other in my memory.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Another true-crime re-enactment that still haunts me is <i>Erik Poppe's</i>
single take approach to the recent Norwegian tragedy in <b>UTOYA 22. JULI</b>. I am
still not convinced that this is a <b>morally justifiable way of
"returning the narrative to the victims"</b>. But as a suspense thriller,
it certainly worked like few other films. At times, it reminded me of the
real-time desktop horror film <b>UNFRIENDED</b> (<i>Levan Gabriadze</i>, 2014) that turns
into a real nail-biter - provided you allow yourself to accept its
outrageously ridiculous premise. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 10.0pt;">By now,<b> the long take is so ubiquitous</b> - from ROMA to <i>Mike Flanagan's</i> TV
adaptation of <b>THE HAUNTING OF HILL HOUSE</b> - that it no longer stands out as a
gimmick. More and more filmmakers utilize it in the same unobtrusive way
<i>Spielberg </i>has always used it (even in auto-pilot mode like in <b>THE POST</b>):
not as a showy "plan séquence" / "oner", but within
conventional continuity editing occasionally breaking it up with convenient cutaways
and close-ups when necessary.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxs8qBy3QL4AJ3T6_ZeLFv7e0sObg0qlvYASRfjgOQV6beITcGjhMKMofh-iCK4rzg4xQReWsC0GLz4henCkRMa84E27HyA8Yvz5p86KLEhjtAGkLtV1IO6_gSYDx3-ZBFfrH3pQrPWu0/s1600/firstman.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="360" data-original-width="480" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxs8qBy3QL4AJ3T6_ZeLFv7e0sObg0qlvYASRfjgOQV6beITcGjhMKMofh-iCK4rzg4xQReWsC0GLz4henCkRMa84E27HyA8Yvz5p86KLEhjtAGkLtV1IO6_gSYDx3-ZBFfrH3pQrPWu0/s200/firstman.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>FIRST MAN</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 10.0pt;"></span></div>
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Probably
thanks to digital projection and more adventurous TV producers, filmmakers across
the board have adopted <b>a much more relaxed attitude towards film and camera
formats</b>. Both the 1.37:1 Academy format and Storaro's (and Netflix's) preferred
2.0:1 aspect ratio are not uncommon any more and streaming shows increasingly
use different aspect ratios to differentiate parallel timelines (like in <b>THE GRAND BUDAPEST HOTEL</b>, 2014). Moreover, while
<i>James Laxton</i> shot the intimate BEALE
STREET on the Alexa65 that used to be reserved for
epics like <b>THE REVENANT</b> (<i>Iñárritu</i>, 2015), </span><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 10.0pt;"><i>Damien Chazelle </i></span><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 10.0pt;"><i>and Linus Sandgren</i>
withhold the advertised IMAX photography until the climax of
<b>FIRST MAN</b>, a film otherwise relying on grainy hand-held close-ups.</span><span style="color: #990000;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 10.0pt;"> </span></b></span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: #990000;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Adult Themes and Talking Animals</span></b></span><br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Unfortunately, the variety of styles currently flourishing in the world of feature
animation will hardly reach general audiences around here: Both <b>FUNAN </b>and<b> THE
BREADWINNER</b>*, arguably<b> the two most relevant animated features of 2018</b>, are not distributed beyond the festival circuit in Switzerland. <i>Denis Do's</i> autobiographical
family drama may be the more important film, but it somehow did not involve me emotionally
the way <i>Nora Twomey's</i> colorful Afghan story did. </span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgejXjnGjKrKUVYFVgCiE1MTQLVbssId3wE3s8rvfo8MWNP87zVHS9ipVEWMAqImaXnBfwXUyYkl1yiaEPKRnWl40EYksUOFzAWVTsetmJEs22m8QSZ6Y5FnRnBGjiH7WaqgAxepdydL20/s1600/animation.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="200" data-original-width="532" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgejXjnGjKrKUVYFVgCiE1MTQLVbssId3wE3s8rvfo8MWNP87zVHS9ipVEWMAqImaXnBfwXUyYkl1yiaEPKRnWl40EYksUOFzAWVTsetmJEs22m8QSZ6Y5FnRnBGjiH7WaqgAxepdydL20/s1600/animation.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>FUNAN / THE BREADWINNER</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 10.0pt;"></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Although I was expecting<b> INCREDIBLES 2</b> to fall short of the high expectations,
<i>Brad Bird's </i>(not entirely original) family-superhero-mashup sequel turned out
to be the <b>Pixar equivalent of Christopher Nolan's DARK KNIGHT</b> trilogy: tell
your ticking clock story from parallel perspectives of at least five characters
(from toddler to single tech nerd), pick up every current political and social
topic, add a villain whose philosophy you can agree with up to a certain point, throw in
some vigilante justice ideas, deconstruct them, and in doing so present the
audience with exactly that kind of spectacle that the movie itself pretends to
criticize (only that hilarious BLACK MIRROR episode BANDERSNATCH took that last trick
further this year). </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEt4V9zoMD6_UfQUo8o65BBqWPTpq3eGpgHXfgfBR_FZ8bR6fjrFTkM7tlk1QYwBAmpyst5AZPAPZ2iP-XPTcGEEoBoqT3eDy9ZF6PNLhs4G3NHJIHDxzRQslBdwzn4GXWoY2sTuIzFD4/s1600/incred.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="169" data-original-width="532" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEt4V9zoMD6_UfQUo8o65BBqWPTpq3eGpgHXfgfBR_FZ8bR6fjrFTkM7tlk1QYwBAmpyst5AZPAPZ2iP-XPTcGEEoBoqT3eDy9ZF6PNLhs4G3NHJIHDxzRQslBdwzn4GXWoY2sTuIzFD4/s1600/incred.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>THE INCREDIBLES VS INCREDIBLES 2 / BAO (in the middle)</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 10.0pt;">However much I liked INCREDIBLES 2, the real winner was<i> Domee Shi's
</i><b>BAO*: the best Pixar short in years</b>. I was quite surprised by the hullabaloo
about people being confused by such a simple but powerful metaphor. I've seen BAO twice with families and even
the children seemed to get it.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 10.0pt;"></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 10.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiPGlHgqj5z0lo4s1-gLkccwHjGMBhPk5xybubGI1uCdmQeD8OwENc12iTLhIEcLl74gHsPlzvhuvg0BkmlPm5if_kIIScazVTbRADF7HMkzSLpZDypKQr06aFA3kQDtVhvCgYJmD0Zq0/s1600/dogs.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="360" data-original-width="480" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiPGlHgqj5z0lo4s1-gLkccwHjGMBhPk5xybubGI1uCdmQeD8OwENc12iTLhIEcLl74gHsPlzvhuvg0BkmlPm5if_kIIScazVTbRADF7HMkzSLpZDypKQr06aFA3kQDtVhvCgYJmD0Zq0/s200/dogs.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>ISLE OF DOGS</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 10.0pt;">On the talking animals front, I loved <i>Wes Anderson's</i><b> ISLE OF DOGS</b> (or<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jl6rBqKrSFU"> </a><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jl6rBqKrSFU">I LOVE DOGS?</a></b>) despite
wondering why anyone would invent a blonde American exchange student hero and
thereby changing the premise that we (as dogs) cannot understand human language
to just robbing the Japanese of their voice. Something similar happened with a
British hunter (literally telling the audience that Mowgli cannot understand
his language) in <i>Andy Serkis'</i> failed <b>MOWGLI </b>(even though Disney had nothing to
do with it, "Mow-" still rhymes with "glow" instead of
"cow"). Although some gender shake-up would in theory be welcome, <b>we now have two 21st century JUNGLE BOOK
adaptations in which the snake of all animals is female</b> - this time transforming into Galadriel the Green. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Memories of <b>LOTR </b>also popped up at the end of a <b>WATERSHIP DOWN</b> episode
(<i>Murro et al</i>.) when the camera incongruously flew into some sort of Isengard tower. Anyway, this star-studded new adaptation worked best when I closed my eyes.
Apparently, it has become acceptable to apply realistic textures to
limited animation even outside the world of video games. While the motion capture performances in MOWGLI
exude a certain uncanny valley creepiness, the rabbit animation in WATERSHIP
DOWN at times felt more like a distancing art installation (with a very
engaging script nonetheless).<b> I am still thankful, though, that Netflix and the
BBC believe in animation for adults</b> beyond sitcoms and risqué jokes, at all.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnpNZ-14SurZKGD8Wbce85gIKyR5IySBnQD8WJe5SMU7MLLt5imJ9dsI6DTlfyodvLSI-c5G30iomyk2cygOYIjLlHwhl1lgdV5Xcx7mL8YOrZcQASVJuCOyylSq-UI5E9tNK8dgaPRSk/s1600/spiderverse.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="360" data-original-width="480" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnpNZ-14SurZKGD8Wbce85gIKyR5IySBnQD8WJe5SMU7MLLt5imJ9dsI6DTlfyodvLSI-c5G30iomyk2cygOYIjLlHwhl1lgdV5Xcx7mL8YOrZcQASVJuCOyylSq-UI5E9tNK8dgaPRSk/s200/spiderverse.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>INTO THE SPIDER-VERSE</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 10.0pt;">As
far as <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">eye candy</b> goes, I adored the
new endearing <b>HILDA </b>series created by <i>Luke Pearson, Kurt Mueller and Stephanie
Simpson</i>. And thanks to the trippy color explosion that is <b>INTO THE SPIDER-VERSE
</b>(<i>Persichetti/Ramsey/Rothman</i>) I actually enjoyed a superhero blockbuster (needless to say that the moment I like one of these things, it totally bombs at the Swiss box office). Talking
of CG pleasures: <i>Spielberg</i>'s <b>READY PLAYER ONE</b> may not exactly be the film of
the year, but <b>entering the Overlook Hotel in 3D</b> <b>sure was one of the coolest pop culture moments this year</b>. Last but not least, <i>Genndy
Tartakovsky's </i>otherwise forgettable <b>HOTEL TRANSYLVANIA 3</b> revelled in some
<b>genuine cartoon animation poses</b>.</span></div>
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</xml><![endif]--><span style="font-size: large;"><b><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "arial";">Retrospectives</span></b></span><br />
<div style="text-align: right;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: right;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJITfj2aO22C-8ROSScLo-gdp_moTYnkOPhq1oZw-G4zFl_JODcqPt3mwUkHlHqn3LcCee9wXllIby-kQ4JNSyjG4Zjez_SEstJlecopttexEqHiGd2mdhUarxEP9pWc6FjmZPo0FEY3I/s1600/retro.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="480" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJITfj2aO22C-8ROSScLo-gdp_moTYnkOPhq1oZw-G4zFl_JODcqPt3mwUkHlHqn3LcCee9wXllIby-kQ4JNSyjG4Zjez_SEstJlecopttexEqHiGd2mdhUarxEP9pWc6FjmZPo0FEY3I/s400/retro.jpg" width="131" /></a></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 10.0pt;">In 2018, I continued my<b> Varda/Demy selectrospective</b> culminating in a
35mm screening of <i>Agnes Varda's </i><b>JACQUOT DE NANTES</b> (1991) about the youth of her
husband <i>Jacques Demy</i>. Thanks to streaming services, I was also able to catch up on<i> </i><b><i>John Hughes</i> comedies</b> and <b>hand drawn Dreamworks features</b> in late night
sessions. But most of all, I immersed myself into the films of <i><b>Paul Thomas
Anderson, Sean Baker</b></i> (with a special interest in his editing), <b>early <i>David Lean</i></b>
(sound and music) and <i><b>Coen Brothers </b></i>up to <b>THE BIG LEBOWSKI</b> (dialogue, POV,
editing patterns) for introductory lectures and video essays (some of which
still have not materialized yet).</span></div>
<br />
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 10.0pt;"></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Of all the <span style="color: #990000;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">older films I have
seen for the first time in 2018</b></span>, these are my favorites (in chronological
order):</span></div>
<ul>
<li><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 10.0pt;"><b>SULLIVAN'S TRAVELS</b> (Sturges, 1941)</span></li>
<li><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 10.0pt;"><b>THE PASSIONATE FRIENDS</b> (Lean, 1949)</span></li>
<li><span lang="FR" style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 10.0pt;"><b>LA RAGAZZA CON LA VALIGIA</b> (Zurlini, 1961)</span></li>
<li><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 10.0pt;"><b>CRIA CUERVOS</b> (Saura, 1976)</span></li>
<li><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 10.0pt;"><b>BLUE COLLAR</b> (Schrader, 1978)</span></li>
<li><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 10.0pt;"><b>THE WARRIORS</b> (Hill, 1979)</span></li>
<li><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 10.0pt;"><b>FANNY OCH ALEXANDER</b> (Bergman, 1982)</span></li>
<li><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 10.0pt;"><b>DOGTOOTH </b>(Lanthimos, 2009)</span></li>
<li><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 10.0pt;"><b>THE MILL AND THE CROSS</b> (Majewski,
2011) </span></li>
</ul>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "arial";">Images on the right:
UNE CHAMBRE EN VILLE (Demy, 1982) / THE MASTER (PTA, 2011) / RAISING
ARIZONA (Coens, 1987) / THE PASSIONATE FRIENDS (Lean, 1949). </span></i></span></div>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIfKQ79AXZ-G1xPkqCQ0Jpu6svt2xigBHYAl9vP04kyvNvzAw7EE1VnM18G1e1Sw5HvAKktcRvhQwriI5pLcGYA1K3pgAXcuS77P1cWN2GDc9z7rghHCS02crCXT2aVCwqQFsDokDGFIc/s1600/bakers.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="289" data-original-width="532" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIfKQ79AXZ-G1xPkqCQ0Jpu6svt2xigBHYAl9vP04kyvNvzAw7EE1VnM18G1e1Sw5HvAKktcRvhQwriI5pLcGYA1K3pgAXcuS77P1cWN2GDc9z7rghHCS02crCXT2aVCwqQFsDokDGFIc/s1600/bakers.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Recurring motifs in Sean Baker's films.</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEik17irJA46qVSU30Ghw_ddrLf8Cmjr67aKbbunDLZ8JEXRt3GNkHLphPBg5aGdjrv1vtAIu7c3-wKLBgxhp5cmUGsg4OG90TZX9nmG5SvsYudi9CqMaEWJMGtxphaY7NvJkyqVTSA7FXA/s1600/colors.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="224" data-original-width="532" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEik17irJA46qVSU30Ghw_ddrLf8Cmjr67aKbbunDLZ8JEXRt3GNkHLphPBg5aGdjrv1vtAIu7c3-wKLBgxhp5cmUGsg4OG90TZX9nmG5SvsYudi9CqMaEWJMGtxphaY7NvJkyqVTSA7FXA/s1600/colors.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>The colors of Sean Baker.</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgh1TzLIxNL-X2Ss01HNcnGLswYC_v_T4hQ0ZKwTUXd-LwOw-9eYBRyzulYq8wXowGapeHLLMF7vMxjIr69JuSrU6XfAZAYYYp-4V3cB7IkidWojediUHL0miURqAyhZ4Rpx6g5dYQ48wc/s1600/phantomthread.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="266" data-original-width="532" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgh1TzLIxNL-X2Ss01HNcnGLswYC_v_T4hQ0ZKwTUXd-LwOw-9eYBRyzulYq8wXowGapeHLLMF7vMxjIr69JuSrU6XfAZAYYYp-4V3cB7IkidWojediUHL0miURqAyhZ4Rpx6g5dYQ48wc/s1600/phantomthread.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Warm/cold lighting and echoes in PHANTOM THREAD.</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcOlsCin3yuDDKD_dNfEbDmtSsWkmVzJ52cEg9HnDzVcbwvV6rUPIzyTwpst98Cl3tKOOOqBgk9zBsUPQiBczLhO9w2v5GCc6Yx-jgYkMVKwkJKhyphenhyphenqaptDUoVDVQUBMjA3_sx0YUCzGXw/s1600/post.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="247" data-original-width="532" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcOlsCin3yuDDKD_dNfEbDmtSsWkmVzJ52cEg9HnDzVcbwvV6rUPIzyTwpst98Cl3tKOOOqBgk9zBsUPQiBczLhO9w2v5GCc6Yx-jgYkMVKwkJKhyphenhyphenqaptDUoVDVQUBMjA3_sx0YUCzGXw/s1600/post.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Visual inspiration for THE POST.</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtALfHYJ2YvqYcYoqtpBwVugbnyLO5bNHhGKOfAf5U8YHjPwo3xic8-au1I9rUwBw9XmO4wsh3WRpAJCGsAqqqOO5LJGAcOiuv4-yimF8UjXIiUQuZ6-p8tkqgHlU1A7u0JQmognMFWnk/s1600/dude.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="433" data-original-width="532" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtALfHYJ2YvqYcYoqtpBwVugbnyLO5bNHhGKOfAf5U8YHjPwo3xic8-au1I9rUwBw9XmO4wsh3WRpAJCGsAqqqOO5LJGAcOiuv4-yimF8UjXIiUQuZ6-p8tkqgHlU1A7u0JQmognMFWnk/s1600/dude.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Philip Marlowe as a direct predecessor for the Dude.</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1eH2WUTu_bS_oa0bVk15_JDZbvTip7dWBHZQFZ7Jf051FemD_FzzXBNgY9ED0u4uA_ASmok2l3fRfmv-3tRiPfuRrW8Y7wAPLDErPOIi4g8bu-6zxCjlFlyEU1RG4vZwwcY8mmR118fY/s1600/stranger.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="448" data-original-width="532" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1eH2WUTu_bS_oa0bVk15_JDZbvTip7dWBHZQFZ7Jf051FemD_FzzXBNgY9ED0u4uA_ASmok2l3fRfmv-3tRiPfuRrW8Y7wAPLDErPOIi4g8bu-6zxCjlFlyEU1RG4vZwwcY8mmR118fY/s1600/stranger.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>The rhythm and specificity of Coen dialogue.</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 10.0pt;"></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 10.0pt;"><span style="color: #990000;">The best TV shows I saw in 2018</span> </span></b><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 10.0pt;">(in chronological
order):</span><br />
<ul>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 10.0pt;"><b>DER TATORTREINIGER</b> (Arne Feldhusen,
2011-16)</span><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 10.0pt;"><b> </b></span></li>
<li><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 10.0pt;"><b>BROADCHURCH</b> (Chris Chibnall, 3 seasons
2013-17)</span><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 10.0pt;"><b> </b></span></li>
<li><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 10.0pt;"><b>HAPPY VALLEY</b>* (Sally Wainright, 2
seasons 2014-16)</span><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 10.0pt;"><b> </b></span></li>
<li><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 10.0pt;"><b>FLEABAG</b>* (Phoebe Waller-Bridge,
2016)</span><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 10.0pt;"><b> </b></span></li>
<li><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 10.0pt;"><b>THE END OF THE F***ING WORLD</b>*
(Entwistle/Tcherniak/Covell, 2017)</span><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 10.0pt;"><b> </b></span></li>
<li><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 10.0pt;"><b>DEAR WHITE PEOPLE VOL.2</b> (Justin Simien,
2018)</span><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 10.0pt;"><b> </b></span></li>
<li><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 10.0pt;"><b>HILDA</b>* (Pearson/Mueller/Simpson,
2018)</span><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 10.0pt;"><b> </b></span></li>
<li><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 10.0pt;"><b>HOMECOMING
</b>(Esmail/Bloomberg/Horowitz, 2018)</span><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 10.0pt;"><b> </b></span></li>
<li><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 10.0pt;"><b>MANIAC </b>(Fukunaga/Somerville, 2018)</span></li>
<li><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 10.0pt;"><b>BLACK MIRROR: BANDERSNATCH</b> (Slade/Brooker, 2018)</span></li>
</ul>
</div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjo-0JpIK84phtEiObXfXpdTKp3Rf7iEpMVDRGbR53_HxxqP9LEyPn9a52ppqORHs2EedF4TEjRAM4En8W5V2VE6_BuWeion_hPah0AF0GafQuJe1PVGjEsqGQ5h8ocigC7HCT_AT9Qa5o/s1600/tv.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="200" data-original-width="532" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjo-0JpIK84phtEiObXfXpdTKp3Rf7iEpMVDRGbR53_HxxqP9LEyPn9a52ppqORHs2EedF4TEjRAM4En8W5V2VE6_BuWeion_hPah0AF0GafQuJe1PVGjEsqGQ5h8ocigC7HCT_AT9Qa5o/s1600/tv.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>FLEABAG / DER TATORTREINIGER</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<i><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 10.0pt;">* films/shows directed/created by women.</span></i></div>
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Oswald Itenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09560644491496569393noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6593666821624078979.post-64565895011127504782018-09-25T14:08:00.000+02:002018-09-25T14:08:29.624+02:00Sound Effects in David Lean's Cineguild FeaturesOver the past few months, I have kept myself busy analyzing several aspects of two of my favorite David Lean films: <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0041735/reference"><b>THE PASSIONATE FRIENDS</b></a> (1949) and <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0037558/reference"><b>BRIEF ENCOUNTER</b></a> (1945).<br />
<br />
In two video essays, I focus primarily on how the film makers utilized diegetic sounds (other than source music) as storytelling devices. Since it will take some time until the second video (about the use of "silence" in THE PASSIONATE FRIENDS) will be ready, I have decided to publish them separately. So here is the first one:<br />
<br />
<div style="padding: 56.25% 0 0 0; position: relative;">
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" mozallowfullscreen="" src="https://player.vimeo.com/video/291452767" style="height: 100%; left: 0; position: absolute; top: 0; width: 100%;" webkitallowfullscreen=""></iframe></div>
<script src="https://player.vimeo.com/api/player.js"></script><br /><a href="https://vimeo.com/291452767">Melodramatic Railway Sounds - Video Essay</a> from <a href="https://vimeo.com/user41789151">Oswald Iten</a> on <a href="https://vimeo.com/">Vimeo</a>.<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="_2OvuK sc-GMQeP eKePks">
<div class="_1dWiV" data-description-content="true" dir="auto">
Description: Analysis of the narrative functions that diegetic sound effects assume in BRIEF ENCOUNTER (1945).<br />
<br />
The richly layered sound tracks of David Lean's Cineguild films of
the 1940s are a real treat for anyone who appreciates sophisticated
sound design (avant la lettre, of course). Although BRIEF ENCOUNTER is predominantly told from the protagonist's
subjective perspective, all the sound effects are strictly diegetical
(meaning that all sounds can be attributed to a source within the
narrative world).<br />
<br />
Off-screen sounds of bells, whistles and trains both open up the
visible space and work as interruptions or alerts that determine the
characters' actions.<br />
<br />
But the railway sounds also form sort of an alternative score (to the
dominant Rachmaninoff concerto) that comments on the action and helps
express the protagonist's emotional state.<br />
<br />
<i>Note: This video essay utilizes excerpts from David Lean's BRIEF
ENCOUNTER (1945) under the guidelines of fair use for analytical and
educational purposes only.</i></div>
</div>
Oswald Itenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09560644491496569393noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6593666821624078979.post-6175262436542120142018-06-24T20:39:00.001+02:002018-06-24T20:40:57.407+02:00Animation for Triag International<iframe allow="autoplay; encrypted-media" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="299" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/zcBOQFDv2VA" width="533"></iframe><br />
I have recently had the opportunity to work on this advertisement for a modular workholding system for CNC machines. Concept and 3D-models of tools by TRIAG International. I did the character design (loosely based on a photo of a toy t-rex) and all the animation. Oswald Itenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09560644491496569393noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6593666821624078979.post-14194804726555130622018-05-20T21:29:00.002+02:002018-05-20T21:30:23.006+02:00The Colors of GRAVE OF THE FIREFLIESAbout two weeks ago, I completed the following video essay on colors as a storytelling tool in GRAVE OF THE FIREFLIES (HOTARU NO HAKA, Takahata, 1988):<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="299" mozallowfullscreen="" src="https://player.vimeo.com/video/268401167" webkitallowfullscreen="" width="532"></iframe><br />
<a href="https://vimeo.com/268401167">Video Essay: The Colors of GRAVE OF THE FIREFLIES</a> from <a href="https://vimeo.com/user41789151">Oswald Iten</a> on <a href="https://vimeo.com/">Vimeo</a>.<br />
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In my opinion, FIREFLIES is a prime example of how naturalistic colors are organized into
restricted concepts that help "make the film more easily understood" (to
quote character color stylist Yasuda Michiyo). It's also a testament to the collaboration of Yasuda and art director/background painter Yamamoto Nizo.<br />
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This color analysis is based on the official Blu ray transfer, i.e. a
stellar digital restoration which - for several reasons - may or may not
replicate the exact colors of an original 35mm print from 1988.<br />
If you look at the comparison below, it becomes pretty obvious how much detail was lost by pushing saturation and contrast for the earlier DVD transfer. A lot of these "simplifications" may be due to the nature of NTSC which was a color system vastly inferior both to 35mm and high definition.<br />
But the overall impression is also a lot warmer, lumping soft shades of olive and green into reddish browns which works against the overall color schemes.<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">
left: Blu-ray right: NTSC DVD </div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTPkii-5UL9ec_d5nUfunXPv3vcd5CJD6PAtfXsSAGbrz4r0UXtEpS2x-OxxQV6t-L_GxkTJhvfmjW-DoCQz_U2fy5ppZS4RSJ1UFK5nlH1Lh72ZxLXyUedOoFRrBDUZNrGzQ_Bmzamy4/s1600/comp01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="649" data-original-width="800" height="323" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTPkii-5UL9ec_d5nUfunXPv3vcd5CJD6PAtfXsSAGbrz4r0UXtEpS2x-OxxQV6t-L_GxkTJhvfmjW-DoCQz_U2fy5ppZS4RSJ1UFK5nlH1Lh72ZxLXyUedOoFRrBDUZNrGzQ_Bmzamy4/s400/comp01.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dark areas are completely drowned in the old transfer, while subtleties in saturation are also lost.</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivmmPeiM6nwy-NEN2b45LsyW_16NFNhIqRRebWCPFCaAMQyIFeMp_lMe7o4ttfLguVOhhgmOjkYaLjtGVdCfD0StiXYPK0TqRK4DsI_H24C2TVWSfXj4W4GSraFcj4HhsOU0hI7NHtdi4/s1600/comp02.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" data-original-height="649" data-original-width="800" height="324" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivmmPeiM6nwy-NEN2b45LsyW_16NFNhIqRRebWCPFCaAMQyIFeMp_lMe7o4ttfLguVOhhgmOjkYaLjtGVdCfD0StiXYPK0TqRK4DsI_H24C2TVWSfXj4W4GSraFcj4HhsOU0hI7NHtdi4/s400/comp02.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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One of the reasons I like the film so much lies in the ambivalent but empathetic portrayal of its protagonist. Takahata's film is based on a semi-autobiographical novel by Nosaka Akiyuki who felt responsible for his sister's death during World War II. On the one hand, fourteen year old Seita is repeatedly shown taking care of his sister in the most affectionate way so that we strongly sympathize with the two children. On the other hand however, he also stubbornly refuses to contribute to the community. And it's not just his aunt who accuses him of being lazy, the staging of many a scene suggests the same, as you can see below:<br />
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<br />Oswald Itenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09560644491496569393noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6593666821624078979.post-3842523399247640622018-04-11T00:52:00.003+02:002018-04-16T11:39:22.040+02:0010 Years of Blogging and 30 Years of FirefliesI've just realized that I started this blog ten years ago! The very first post appeared April 9, 2008. I have certainly been more productive during the first half of this decade. Nevertheless, <b>colorful animation expressions</b> (despite its overlong name) is still active.<br />
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So in order to commemorate the anniversary, here are some reconstructed pan backgrounds from my favorite film by <i>Takahata Isao</i> who sadly passed away on April 5, 2018 at the age of 82. Co-incidentally, HOTARU NO HAKA (GRAVE OF THE FIREFLIES) was originally released almost exactly 30 years ago in Japan (April 16, 1988).<br />
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I was particularly interested in those backgrounds that are revealed by autonomous camera movements that do not follow the movement of a character on screen (there is one of those as you can see below).<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYZWPHGIqxbtGiTZvHzme_lhqbORlNdpqUrsK8uPKD6sYKNuGVyf6YTgTR8drm7Gx-cyWGeoaLMnbpUE3bu9ProlFvoCKnVXdTDC8WWCs4yks0gk1UHwzthoBzcufntw4AjIGqEKUsX_8/s1600/Fireflies_pan01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="458" data-original-width="1600" height="182" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYZWPHGIqxbtGiTZvHzme_lhqbORlNdpqUrsK8uPKD6sYKNuGVyf6YTgTR8drm7Gx-cyWGeoaLMnbpUE3bu9ProlFvoCKnVXdTDC8WWCs4yks0gk1UHwzthoBzcufntw4AjIGqEKUsX_8/s640/Fireflies_pan01.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Click to enlarge!</i></td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitnb-CLhSz4ZsZXExQm_QG30B0vbyS4-qXYEttVjWIc9cRUhP1rYuKtywOWBdRE6j3qdS3E1BF8I7ZSCF-wCgVUvlvy_F17XXzo9gC3bKka_hDq-QAf0qWhha9n68kL2dOV00RUs7Bu3k/s1600/Fireflies_pan02b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="414" data-original-width="1600" height="165" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitnb-CLhSz4ZsZXExQm_QG30B0vbyS4-qXYEttVjWIc9cRUhP1rYuKtywOWBdRE6j3qdS3E1BF8I7ZSCF-wCgVUvlvy_F17XXzo9gC3bKka_hDq-QAf0qWhha9n68kL2dOV00RUs7Bu3k/s640/Fireflies_pan02b.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhH7-azAW8bGMU28NRZhklm_7aRX8jprXHxc_sQvqp4b4qYLBkhU3BsORwj3GctsF5hWzO44wucVP-MANK3YjsXrXWp3uRs86ZCUMXvwhyaRSU0DfDLU0WddM7ZtA4bB4g_peqNrLJYYW8/s1600/Fireflies_pan02a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="576" data-original-width="1600" height="71" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhH7-azAW8bGMU28NRZhklm_7aRX8jprXHxc_sQvqp4b4qYLBkhU3BsORwj3GctsF5hWzO44wucVP-MANK3YjsXrXWp3uRs86ZCUMXvwhyaRSU0DfDLU0WddM7ZtA4bB4g_peqNrLJYYW8/s200/Fireflies_pan02a.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgl9fg41chNwLDFezIYvO1Ffx_TqLkL-bJ-hX-pozhi3ZbIlky7n6GxoK1Ge-nb-Q-4JX4iQQzOSj6ukdggVqHe4gxgkzYa2OfLz6BEXK0mXEfchNQVbw_ZGuJDvbC3kaBFsuY16VwhRZE/s1600/Fireflies_pan03.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="321" data-original-width="1600" height="128" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgl9fg41chNwLDFezIYvO1Ffx_TqLkL-bJ-hX-pozhi3ZbIlky7n6GxoK1Ge-nb-Q-4JX4iQQzOSj6ukdggVqHe4gxgkzYa2OfLz6BEXK0mXEfchNQVbw_ZGuJDvbC3kaBFsuY16VwhRZE/s640/Fireflies_pan03.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>In this one I have recreated a "standard" pan where the camera follows the characters across a background.</i></td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3MuqbptMDDW4kaJPm5mQDIjAlP4RqL-uplFtSz_E1dP0oWorqUBs9RLv-fefohi3eH8vgissLB102gja3AOl8RL-sJ8AnMz2-n2psTxwt60P39j6bq0e80o-2SElo5XH3AnAc5YK5iHI/s1600/Fireflies_pan04.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="473" data-original-width="1600" height="188" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3MuqbptMDDW4kaJPm5mQDIjAlP4RqL-uplFtSz_E1dP0oWorqUBs9RLv-fefohi3eH8vgissLB102gja3AOl8RL-sJ8AnMz2-n2psTxwt60P39j6bq0e80o-2SElo5XH3AnAc5YK5iHI/s640/Fireflies_pan04.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwt-GIkOmyh857thQRi-HIckBFDhTdNYqGB3myZQvke0KesSAbXbrHtK_6-7NHWLZuYBrpHd_sqxxDlkTH8OORjtLW5CV6w51psGiK15PewJJyi1fqxNOrweTUvyqv2Enu4l5Onn8IkIA/s1600/Fireflies_pan05.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="468" data-original-width="1600" height="186" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwt-GIkOmyh857thQRi-HIckBFDhTdNYqGB3myZQvke0KesSAbXbrHtK_6-7NHWLZuYBrpHd_sqxxDlkTH8OORjtLW5CV6w51psGiK15PewJJyi1fqxNOrweTUvyqv2Enu4l5Onn8IkIA/s640/Fireflies_pan05.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2v9uRfAo0UW0zyqaszrbR8cliBZkTXlEKtjaIN7WwQo61zzOW00-n7Kqvw87set63XouyBSDC1Lk_wB0mFL-qrDJUHdec0npjyRyLwb_10HEGSCcdLg_zp6w218YgpngOc6niD_dLGlo/s1600/Fireflies_pan06.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="420" data-original-width="1600" height="166" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2v9uRfAo0UW0zyqaszrbR8cliBZkTXlEKtjaIN7WwQo61zzOW00-n7Kqvw87set63XouyBSDC1Lk_wB0mFL-qrDJUHdec0npjyRyLwb_10HEGSCcdLg_zp6w218YgpngOc6niD_dLGlo/s640/Fireflies_pan06.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1UyGZzNFBpVm_nu3IQJ2W_ryXoXUUoGp6D-cuUGtZrhBMyGz74ueF5ctjUf-imrgsWP-ynOpogNZ3BxiNP4c1FnTnLMdPPN0b2LpREQo1IijcuXZTD2ufn3vGtCbHMl1rjfTdHDSozqg/s1600/Fireflies_pan07down.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1470" data-original-width="1276" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1UyGZzNFBpVm_nu3IQJ2W_ryXoXUUoGp6D-cuUGtZrhBMyGz74ueF5ctjUf-imrgsWP-ynOpogNZ3BxiNP4c1FnTnLMdPPN0b2LpREQo1IijcuXZTD2ufn3vGtCbHMl1rjfTdHDSozqg/s640/Fireflies_pan07down.jpg" width="554" /></a></div>
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<i>All backgrounds reconstructed from screengrabs taken off the GRAVE OF THE FIREFLIES blu-ray for study purposes only.</i>Oswald Itenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09560644491496569393noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6593666821624078979.post-55427172257845206162018-03-30T10:32:00.000+02:002018-03-30T10:32:13.393+02:00ISLE OF DOGS Exhibition in London<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBsfFiwjHSiENHGzDE30mMgDmuDxSeiRuSO6d7HJTzbb7gbTfSIfkkE1DkdA6tBRYLa_CjdpIbdoyaoLO_E_C7TXLPqMNREpHQkAFF_gEhciPJwJb_YTh621cylrUPfQPxAicqqibK030/s1600/34view.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="750" data-original-width="1000" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBsfFiwjHSiENHGzDE30mMgDmuDxSeiRuSO6d7HJTzbb7gbTfSIfkkE1DkdA6tBRYLa_CjdpIbdoyaoLO_E_C7TXLPqMNREpHQkAFF_gEhciPJwJb_YTh621cylrUPfQPxAicqqibK030/s400/34view.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>The three quarter view we never get in an Anderson film.</i></td></tr>
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<b>If you happen to be in London, try to squeeze in a visit to <a href="https://thespaces.com/2018/03/22/inside-the-insane-sets-of-wes-andersons-isle-of-dogs/">The Store, 180 The Strand</a> to see and feel the sets of Wes Anderson's glorious new stop motion feature ISLE OF DOGS from a different perspective. The exhibition is free, so even if you don't have enough time to really dive into it, have a look at it.</b><br />
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During the ten minutes I had in there, I tried to take a few pictures that open up an alternative view on the familiarly flat Wes Anderson signature shots: three quarter views and a stereoscopic image to see what the scientists' set looks like in 3D (which obviously goes very much against the grain of Anderson's style but is great fun).<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0KH7iEfLneTyB5gsR2jqT5BSRbLCYcn5Rs6ibdJ-YhXlA38r5w8psTut_pu6Pn68C3zlkYWUrrs9pD0p7ks1-gv6VUfO1VH5ZsPcb5fXRkVi1TDr9du85dzf9LIYWYXtZ6oFgyTxeawY/s1600/WesAnderson3D.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="303" data-original-width="823" height="146" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0KH7iEfLneTyB5gsR2jqT5BSRbLCYcn5Rs6ibdJ-YhXlA38r5w8psTut_pu6Pn68C3zlkYWUrrs9pD0p7ks1-gv6VUfO1VH5ZsPcb5fXRkVi1TDr9du85dzf9LIYWYXtZ6oFgyTxeawY/s400/WesAnderson3D.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>See it in 3D! Propably best viewed on a cellphone.</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizvHd1sPvTKG6mQXIAiMrukb2bwgqTr7I_P5YRc5knmmBHR0FEkAKzcXuQyESeNScRV2NGrRRZSKj9On-gef3w6V14Rwps1uB-o0Jp34nfv1JIYlvgXoS5j_xfSqC0bpC5E-tJ6EqsI_k/s1600/sideways.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="655" data-original-width="1000" height="261" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizvHd1sPvTKG6mQXIAiMrukb2bwgqTr7I_P5YRc5knmmBHR0FEkAKzcXuQyESeNScRV2NGrRRZSKj9On-gef3w6V14Rwps1uB-o0Jp34nfv1JIYlvgXoS5j_xfSqC0bpC5E-tJ6EqsI_k/s400/sideways.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>And that's how the lighting effects in the tunnel were achieved.</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiD4lrHN095VQNMVZ1JKaV65g2bFcuhllo6KRmhRg-KwsOqG_8gvvxixgkZNzLb0VGYcEAJYGyppLJXMC5sk7RBhAyfqT1c8ngTvjgIZ0NLUxhfskdYTWxBIJGZJ0zZCCwlO4obUC1lh6A/s1600/spots.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="800" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiD4lrHN095VQNMVZ1JKaV65g2bFcuhllo6KRmhRg-KwsOqG_8gvvxixgkZNzLb0VGYcEAJYGyppLJXMC5sk7RBhAyfqT1c8ngTvjgIZ0NLUxhfskdYTWxBIJGZJ0zZCCwlO4obUC1lh6A/s400/spots.jpg" width="297" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>That's an advertising campaign I like!</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
<br />
<br />
<br />Oswald Itenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09560644491496569393noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6593666821624078979.post-70276607901864807542018-01-02T23:56:00.000+01:002018-01-03T08:40:10.359+01:00Favorite Films of 2017<b>At last, in 2017 I have managed to see more films in cinemas than at home. But what used to be "normal" up until three years ago was now only possible because I saw a record 43 films/screenings at the festivals of Annecy, Locarno and Fantoche. So here is a roundup of films and tv shows that left a lasting impression or stood out to me for some other reason.</b><br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaPMHa0fIdngytScEPKdw0Qx35vkG4E2n7zEEKpoTNHF3CMbomrt1EPapKcOZBduWESNRMXrqg7wU5E0KkWbpFc9EEjhhhPbdbx9wEreQMHbbojtHFHAuu-JXsAUzGlMvuonwUanRuf10/s1600/moonlight1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="266" data-original-width="532" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaPMHa0fIdngytScEPKdw0Qx35vkG4E2n7zEEKpoTNHF3CMbomrt1EPapKcOZBduWESNRMXrqg7wU5E0KkWbpFc9EEjhhhPbdbx9wEreQMHbbojtHFHAuu-JXsAUzGlMvuonwUanRuf10/s1600/moonlight1.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Color comparison from an introduction to MOONLIGHT</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<b><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Favorite New Releases</span></span></b><br />
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 10.0pt;"></span></b></div>
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<span style="color: #cc0000;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Film of the year</span></b></span><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 10.0pt;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 10.0pt;"> is definitely <i>Barry Jenkins'</i> </span><b>MOONLIGHT (2016)</b>, a transcendent cinematic poem that engaged me on so many
levels that it remains vividly present in my mind even after almost a year. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #cc0000;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 10.0pt;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #cc0000;"><b><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 10.0pt;">My favorite dozen of 2017</span></b></span><span style="color: #cc0000;"><span style="font-family: "arial";"><b> </b></span></span><i><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 10.0pt;">(in alphabetical order)</span></i><br />
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Note: As usual, my list includes
several 2016 films
that did not come out in Switzerland
until 2017. </span></i></div>
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</span></i></div>
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<ul>
<li><b><span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 10.0pt;">AMERICAN HONEY</span></span></b><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 10.0pt;"><b> (Arnold 2016):</b> A lens-flare-heavy first person account of a "mag crew" road trip with </span><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 10.0pt;">a stellar ensemble of mostly
first-timers grounded in realism and keen observation</span><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 10.0pt;">. Even within a deliberately meandering plot, <i>Andrea Arnold</i> creates
one tense scene after another. Besides, AMERICAN HONEY contains probably the most accurate
depiction of what it feels like to travel in a minivan with a group of
friends.</span></li>
<li><b><span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 10.0pt;">BABY DRIVER</span></span></b><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 10.0pt;"><b> (Wright 2017):
</b>It may not be<i> Edgar Wright's</i> masterpiece - HOT FUZZ (2007) still occupies that spot -
but it has sure got rhythm. And a distinctive rhythm - slow or fast, in
dialogue, performance and/or editing, with or without music - is probably the
one thing I intuitively value most in a film. So if someone succeeds in pulling off an
intertextual plot full of practical car chases based on and choreographed to an
ipod playlist, I cannot resist.</span></li>
<li><b><span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 10.0pt;">BLADE RUNNER 2049</span></span></b><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 10.0pt;"><b> (Villeneuve
2017):</b> While further developing the themes of Ridley Scott's original film, </span><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 10.0pt;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 10.0pt;"><i>Denis Villeneuve's </i></span>belated sequel
appeared more streamlined to me. Yet<i>,</i> with self-confident direction, audiovisual grandeur and perfect pacing BLADE RUNNER 2049 in Dolby 3D and Atmos completely blew me away. </span></li>
<li><b><span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 10.0pt;">CALL ME BY YOUR NAME</span></span></b><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 10.0pt;"><b> (Guadagnino
2017):</b> Had it not been for Michael Stuhlbarg's final speech, I would have
written this off as another subtly acted but lighthearted summer romance full of beautiful
people. However, in those last few minutes, <i>Guadagnino</i>'s film reveals an emotional
depth that resonates far beyond the love-affair.</span></li>
<li><b><span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 10.0pt;">HAPPY END</span></span></b><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 10.0pt;"><b> (Haneke 2017):
</b>I seldom find myself chuckling in a film by <i>Michael Haneke</i>. But in his underrated family drama with a cellphone-filming protagonist that
reminded me of BENNY'S VIDEO (1992) and a series of erratic set-pieces, there is a hint of humour (and warmth) beneath
the well-meaning family members' devastating inability to do the right thing.</span></li>
<li><b><span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 10.0pt;">JACKIE</span></span></b><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 10.0pt;"><b> (Larrain 2016):</b> Thanks to the
seamless integration of </span><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 10.0pt;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 10.0pt;">recreated and </span>historical footage, grainy 16mm wide-angle closeups<i>, Natalie Portman's</i> masterful
performance and </span><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 10.0pt;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 10.0pt;"><i>Mica Levi's</i> excellent
music</span>, I liked<i> Pablo Larrain's</i> complex, nonlinear, ambivalent portrait of
a woman trying to shape her husband's legacy even more than his magical realist
take on NERUDA (2016, they both came out within weeks in
Switzerland).</span></li>
<li><b><span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 10.0pt;">LADY MACBETH</span></span></b><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 10.0pt;"><b> (Oldroyd
2016):</b> Suspense with almost no music and a commanding break-out performance by
<i>Florence Pugh</i> dominate that short but concise and visually rigorous literary
adaptation. In contrast to Sophia Coppola's equally atmospheric but bloodless THE BEGUILED, LADY MACBETH had me at the edge of my seat the whole time.</span></li>
<li><b><span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 10.0pt;">MANCHESTER</span></span><span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 10.0pt;"> BY THE SEA</span></span></b><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 10.0pt;"><b> (Lonergan 2016):</b> Told in organically flowing flashbacks partly built around elaborate pieces of
extradiegetic music, MANCHESTER BY THE SEA
variegates the highly conventional "overcoming a back-story wound" plot
by gently revealing that there may not be a catharsis for everyone. Director Lonergan propels <i>Michelle
Williams</i> and <i>Casey Affleck</i> to career highs (it certainly didn't need a Matthew
Broderick cameo, but that's a very minor quibble).</span></li>
<li><b><span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 10.0pt;">PADDINGTON 2</span></span></b><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 10.0pt;"><b> (King 2017):</b> Easily
the most emotionally rewarding escapist fantasy of the year. I even liked it better than the first one. I particularly
enjoyed the Chaplinesque sense of humour and sentimentality, the references to
the original Paddington stories and the 1975 TV series, the performances
(including the animated protagonist), the overall storybook feel and faux Wes
Anderson setting, the camera twirls and the fantastic color design. (It just puzzles me why
anyone would hire a great composer like <i>Dario Marianelli</i> if they wanted him to mechanically
recompose the Desplat-Anderson tracks that were so obviously used as temp
music?)</span></li>
<li><b><span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 10.0pt;">THE HANDMAIDEN</span></span></b><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 10.0pt;"><b> (Park 2017):</b> If
somebody asked me what "sensual pleasure" meant, I'd just show them
this Korean adaptation of a British novel. As usual with Park Chan-Wook's
thrillers, nothing is what it seems, but this time, the ultra violence is kept
to a minimum. Now, I'm looking forward to revel in the "Extended Cut".</span></li>
<li><b><span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 10.0pt;">THE SQUARE</span></span></b><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 10.0pt;"><b> (Östlund
2017):</b> A long anticipated elaboration on the complex moral themes of Östlund's
provocative PLAY (2011), the less austere SQUARE also works as a hilarious
satire on the art scene. Despite a running time of 145 minutes it never drags. </span><b><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 10.0pt;"> </span></b><br /><b><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 10.0pt;"></span></b></li>
</ul>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFyywFsJ8fXjdA4XZQ-LdP7Qo-EmdfVHodWJivtKabWH42NHfyUphWfdBiwe0QY4XoZmEnBI6vyJ20VXmbZ9BCH90Ki6A3KkQJoV0SHDuIn0MvdvSSdpjs6CHT3MyGSTvmY2e4baDZjwY/s1600/moonlight2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="341" data-original-width="532" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFyywFsJ8fXjdA4XZQ-LdP7Qo-EmdfVHodWJivtKabWH42NHfyUphWfdBiwe0QY4XoZmEnBI6vyJ20VXmbZ9BCH90Ki6A3KkQJoV0SHDuIn0MvdvSSdpjs6CHT3MyGSTvmY2e4baDZjwY/s1600/moonlight2.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>MOONLIGHT in the context of Wong Kar-Wai.</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
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<span style="color: #cc0000;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Outstanding feature films that were not released in Swiss cinemas</span></b></span></div>
<ul>
<li><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 10.0pt;">A QUIET PASSION</span></b><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 10.0pt;"> <b>(Davies 2016):</b>
With its highly stylized staging, crystal clear cinematography, atypically clean sets, </span><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 10.0pt;">an incredibly
strong and witty script, </span><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 10.0pt;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 10.0pt;">a deeply moving performance by Cynthia Nixon</span> </span><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 10.0pt;">and
probably the first positive father figure in any <i>Terence Davies</i> film, this Emily Dickinson biopic is a must-see for anyone even remotely interested in American poetry.</span></li>
<li><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 10.0pt;">MUDBOUND</span></b><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 10.0pt;"><b> (Rees 2017):</b> Forsaking the color
explosion of her first feature PARIAH (2011) in favor of dark and dreary earthtones, <i>Dee Rees</i> unhurriedly reveals the
hardship of two families whose fate is deeply entwined </span><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 10.0pt;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 10.0pt;">in this multi-perspective Southern epic</span>. <i>Mary J. Blige </i>and <i>Carey
Mulligan</i> stand out in a strong ensemble. The ending felt a bit too
uplifting for my taste. </span></li>
<li><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 10.0pt;">FIRST THEY KILLED MY FATHER</span></b><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 10.0pt;"><b> (Jolie 2017):</b> Directed
with a strong sense for visual consistency and the unassuming narrative point
of view of a young Cambodian girl, Angelina Jolie's Netflix production never
tries to infuse the girl's horrible odyssey with a fake purpose or pathetic
sentimentality. And although everyone is beautiful and the cinematography
rivals Malick's most vivid nature excesses, Jolie manages to disappear behind
the story that - again - ends unexpectedly upbeat (maybe this is </span><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 10.0pt;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 10.0pt;">a staple of Netflix originals?).</span></span></li>
</ul>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7bJXTwGivgoRKOOCyZ8ebJR0tl8eW_0wbRNtN9Ohqq1vUhmENwunsXWU2iGohsbRxwu6q6RDGQT6fu54ouucQcNLc4yLLpQKUuSTV0EKfgsxFI1kqryxjX5r_EGfHk4pb2uKyz22gOiQ/s1600/Moonlight4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="164" data-original-width="532" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7bJXTwGivgoRKOOCyZ8ebJR0tl8eW_0wbRNtN9Ohqq1vUhmENwunsXWU2iGohsbRxwu6q6RDGQT6fu54ouucQcNLc4yLLpQKUuSTV0EKfgsxFI1kqryxjX5r_EGfHk4pb2uKyz22gOiQ/s1600/Moonlight4.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>MOONLIGHT: Different impact of production still (long lens, above water) vs film frame (short lens, sea level)</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 10.0pt;"></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #cc0000;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Realism, arthouse violence and killer soundtracks</span></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 10.0pt;"><i>Farhadi's</i> <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">FORUSHANDE
(THE SALESMAN)</b> did not make my list because although it is a
tense and complex film it did not captivate me the way his earlier works did. Similarly,
the social realism of <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">GOD'S OWN COUNTRY
</b><i><span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">(Francis Lee)</span></i> and <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">THE WOUND</b> <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">(INXEBA,</b> <i>John Trengove</i>) felt rough and
fresh, but neither of them stayed on my mind for too long. </span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 10.0pt;">However, I tremendously
liked <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Lynne Ramsay's</i> <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">YOU WERE NEVER REALLY HERE</b>. Despite its flawless visual storytelling, it felt like it had been cut short by about half an hour of story material. The <b>excellent music and sound
design</b> are certainly worth studying, though. The same goes for three much maligned supernatural
arthouse thrillers that I enjoyed regardless of <b>plotholes, absurd premises or heavy-handed
symbolism</b>: <i>Lanthimos</i>' Kubrickian take on "Iphigenia in Aulis"<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"> (THE KILLING OF A SACRED DEER)</b>, <i>Ozon</i>'s DePalma/Cronenberg inspired twins fantasy <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">L'AMANT DOUBLE </b>and, last but not least, <i>Aronofsky's</i> hilarious satire
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">MOTHER!</b> that came almost
uncomfortably close to the way I perceive/remember nightmares.</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 10.0pt;"></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1aSJlgAL8meTWsKSXkDkhE5iWbNrYh9mgfK0Q-vTgd5Aiu9_hyphenhyphen-g0sHk-hYl9mFbPNDz72hW1Fir7fGqusalnxR7wfyWM7fyWDiPJNoQIJMbnHqlOLGlfx5U0WRjrvgt_ZibiiAa-OLE/s1600/cars1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="358" data-original-width="532" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1aSJlgAL8meTWsKSXkDkhE5iWbNrYh9mgfK0Q-vTgd5Aiu9_hyphenhyphen-g0sHk-hYl9mFbPNDz72hW1Fir7fGqusalnxR7wfyWM7fyWDiPJNoQIJMbnHqlOLGlfx5U0WRjrvgt_ZibiiAa-OLE/s1600/cars1.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Introduction to a children's screening of CARS 3</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjF2s2rLL6hnLMs70GbMIM1lO5dzc3ZAcS2ZUncbpJFW5lj2qNbnGNduNeIhNqj4akB7BbZpQAEvuFayu8W4O-H7jpH0y8gz2dZLTYzwQEui_DNoRn2fukeNOGgel61OO4djngUQg23jLE/s1600/lv2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1452" data-original-width="400" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjF2s2rLL6hnLMs70GbMIM1lO5dzc3ZAcS2ZUncbpJFW5lj2qNbnGNduNeIhNqj4akB7BbZpQAEvuFayu8W4O-H7jpH0y8gz2dZLTYzwQEui_DNoRn2fukeNOGgel61OO4djngUQg23jLE/s400/lv2.jpg" width="110" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>LOVING VINCENT</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="color: #cc0000;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Artists and animation</span></b></span></div>
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Among the usual batch of artist/painter biopics (an mainstream arthouse staple now
in the same way as superhero movies are for multiplexes: in-built audience, established brand, unsatisfying products), I have had a closer look at 1) the
book-to-screen translation of <i>Tucci</i>'s entertaining but mediocre <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">FINAL PORTRAIT</b> and 2) the fascinating if
misguided rotoscoping experiment that is <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">LOVING
VINCENT </b>(<i>Kobiela/Welchman</i>). In<b> <a href="http://www.annecy.org/">Annecy</a></b>, I was also introduced to the
universe of <i>Masaaki Yuasa</i> - a previous blindspot - in a screening of the
strangely uneven but highly enjoyable <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">LU
OVER THE WALL</b>. </span><br />
<br />
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 10.0pt;">But Annecy 2017 also felt like a<b> watershed moment</b> for my
excitement for Pixar films: for the first time, their highly anticipated
presentations (<span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">this time </span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">COCO</b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">, LOU, CARS 3</b>) left me completely unimpressed.
While I liked the short film <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">LOU</b>,
the <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">COCO</b> stuff felt so uninspired (<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">KUBO</b>, anyone?) and "clever" by the numbers, that
I was only relieved when I saw the actual film months later and found it
to have a more interesting emotional core than the hyperactive first half
suggested (if only someone had pulled the plug on that FROZEN featurette that preceded
it). </span><br />
<br />
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 10.0pt;">My <span style="color: #cc0000;"><b>favorite animated features of 2017</b></span> were <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">LE GRAND MÉCHANT RENARD</b> (<i>Renner/Imbert</i>) and <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">IN THIS CORNER OF THE WORLD</b> (<i>Sunao Katabuchi</i>) both of which I saw
at <a href="http://www.fantoche.ch/"><b>Fantoche</b></a> in Baden (CH). Unfortunately, they won't be released theatrically
in the German part of Switzerland.</span><br />
<span style="color: #cc0000;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 10.0pt;"><br /></span></span>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Comparison of characters by Claude Barras for an introduction to MA VIE DE COURGETTE.</i></td></tr>
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<span style="color: #cc0000;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Memorable events</span></b></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 10.0pt;">At Fantoche I also attended a <b>masterclass by <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Michael Dudok de Wit</i></b> about the making of THE RED TURTLE. The three and a half fascinating hours flew by so quickly, though, that the filmmaker's insightful reflections on film making, animation and life had to be cut short because of the next screening. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 10.0pt;">But the
most important event for me this year was clearly the<span style="color: #cc0000;"> </span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #cc0000;">video essay roundtable</span> at the <a href="http://www.pardo.ch/">Locarno</a> International Festival</b> where I got the opportunity to meet <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Catherine Grant, Kevin B. Lee, Chiara
Grizzaffi</i> and many other interesting video essayists and scholars. Thanks to <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Christopher Small</i> I even got to shake
hands with <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Todd Haynes </i>who is not
only one of my favorite filmmakers but also an articulate film scholar. In Locarno, I also attended
a special screening of the academic project <a href="http://www.filmidee.it/2017/09/controstoria-del-cinema-italiano-al-milano-film-festival/"><b><span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">PER UNA CONTROSTORIA DEL CINEMA ITALIANO</span></b></a><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"> by filmidee</b>, a compilation
of lively video essays that aim to tell an alternative Italian film history. As
much as I know, CONTROSTORIA is currently in the festival circuit but will probably become
available online eventually.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Although cinema attendance is alarmingly
waning (at least </span><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 10.0pt;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 10.0pt;">beyond tent pole franchises) I saw the opening of three expensive new cinema complexes this year (</span><b>PalaCinema</b> in Locarno, <b>Kosmos </b>in
Zürich, <b>Pathé </b>in Ebikon). <a href="http://www.kosmos.ch/"><b>Kosmos </b></a>is already one of my favorite cinemas and thanks to the (rather uninviting) Pathé, there is now an IMAX 3D <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">with laser projection </span>within half an hour of my home. Hence, that's where I went to see <b>THE LAST JEDI </b>which I enjoyed much more than I had
expected. <i>Rian Johnson</i> seems to be the right guy in the right place: there were
so many things this new film got right that I did not even mind
the cg creatures or some clunky bits here and there. THE LAST JEDI and Soderbergh's LOGAN LUCKY also reminded me that<i> Adam Driver</i> is one of the best actors of his generation.</span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>The "Edgar Wright Wipe" transition from an introduction to BABY DRIVER.</i></td></tr>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 10.0pt;"></span><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 10.0pt;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "arial";">Retrospectives</span></b></span><br />
<span style="color: #cc0000;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Ten favorite older films I have seen for the first time in 2017</span></b></span><br />
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 10.0pt;"><i><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 10.0pt;">(all of them highly recommended)</span></i></span></span></div>
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<ul>
<li><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 10.0pt;">SUNRISE</span></b><span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 10.0pt;"> (W.F. Murnau 1927)</span></span></li>
<li><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 10.0pt;">STALAG 17 </span></b><span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 10.0pt;">(Billy Wilder 1953)</span></span></li>
<li><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 10.0pt;">HINTER DEN SIEBEN GLEISEN </span></b><span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 10.0pt;">(Kurt Früh 1959)</span></span></li>
<li><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 10.0pt;">STAND BY ME </span></b><span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 10.0pt;">(Rob Reiner 1986)</span></span></li>
<li><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 10.0pt;">MALCOLM X </span></b><span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 10.0pt;">(Spike Lee 1992)</span></span></li>
<li><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 10.0pt;">LUNDI MATIN</span></b><span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 10.0pt;"> (Otar Iosseliani 2002)</span></span></li>
<li><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 10.0pt;">PLAY </span></b><span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 10.0pt;">(Ruben Östlund 2011)</span></span></li>
<li><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 10.0pt;">HER</span></b><span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 10.0pt;"> (Spike Jonze 2013)</span></span></li>
<li><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 10.0pt;">O MENINO E O MUNDO</span></b><span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 10.0pt;"> (Alé Abreu 2013)</span></span></li>
<li><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 10.0pt;">BANDE DE FILLES </span></b><span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 10.0pt;">(Céline Sciamma 2014) </span></span></li>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjt49oPSNg60Bf29TfhWsUGXP19VrYXcHu50wqnP2oYEfDufdFlSN4OWwlyCFMt0zL27PcVySamgHI-MmX_r1rGDT148C-p9mBL83AdiZ-nnqr-wAXBQKYpGKsjjY_wpwSu8FfImIR5yd4/s1600/moonlight3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="238" data-original-width="532" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjt49oPSNg60Bf29TfhWsUGXP19VrYXcHu50wqnP2oYEfDufdFlSN4OWwlyCFMt0zL27PcVySamgHI-MmX_r1rGDT148C-p9mBL83AdiZ-nnqr-wAXBQKYpGKsjjY_wpwSu8FfImIR5yd4/s1600/moonlight3.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Music scenes in films that inspired MOONLIGHT.</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="color: #cc0000;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Private retrospectives</span></b></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Research for introductions, articles or video essays always serves as a
pretext for seeing or re-evaluating tons of films. In connection with MOONLIGHT,
for example, I realized that both <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">THREE
TIMES</b> (Hou 2005) and <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">KILLER OF SHEEP</b>
(Burnett 1978) feature some of my favorite music scenes (I use "music
scene" for sequences in which a song takes central stage while the
characters merely react to it).</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Not all of the films I try to see are "good" and I don't even have
to like them as long as I find something interesting regarding the subject I am
studying. There is the occasional disappointment, of course, like the one <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Jacques Demy</i> musical I have been wanting
to see for years - <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">PEAU D'ANE</b> - that
turned out to be really awful. On the other hand, <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">CLEO DE 5 A 7</b> by Demy's wife <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Agnes
Varda</i> was a lot more entertaining than I had imagined.</span></div>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbiuwCXGW2HvawIHnz0uVtxUdx9rhW3GAbX2m7PuEfhsaYXHJ9U3gPpBvj7cwwmkFvzID2HjwEfjUX9HovI2bdMiH1mpFWhHXN-0WkP8RC3XERC3nonuiOuH34BOMf1HcNHyM_cIMVDmU/s1600/DK1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="390" data-original-width="532" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbiuwCXGW2HvawIHnz0uVtxUdx9rhW3GAbX2m7PuEfhsaYXHJ9U3gPpBvj7cwwmkFvzID2HjwEfjUX9HovI2bdMiH1mpFWhHXN-0WkP8RC3XERC3nonuiOuH34BOMf1HcNHyM_cIMVDmU/s1600/DK1.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>From a lecture on DUNKIRK.</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Even without an external reason I prefer to see films within some sort
of context (if I can't see them in a cinema, that is). Over the past months, I
have looked at <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">three <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Andrea Arnold</i> features</b> (I now wish
she would make a full musical)
and tried to catch up with a bunch of <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">independent
vampire and horror movies</b> I had missed in theaters - basically everything
from <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">THIRST</b> (Park 2009 [the
strangest Emile Zola adaptation]) and <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">THE
BABADOOK</b> (Kent 2014 [creepy and fresh]) to <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">THE GIRL WALKS HOME ALONE AT NIGHT</b> (Amirpour 2014 [incredibly stylish
but left me cold]) and <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">IT FOLLOWS</b> (Mitchell
2014 [I loved it]). </span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 10.0pt;">In the middle of that series, I saw <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">GET
OUT</b> (Peele 2017) which I liked for its satirical content. Unfortunately,
most of the horror scenes were ruined by a group of obnoxiously distracting
audience members (if only <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Catherine
Keener</i> had hypnotized <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">them</i>!).
</span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 10.0pt;"><span style="color: #cc0000;">Netflix</span></span></b></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 10.0pt;">That certainly never happens during late night <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Netflix sessions</b> where I caught <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Justin
Simien's</i> multi-perspective update of <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">DEAR
WHITE PEOPLE</b> that was both hilariously funny and occasionally poignant
(especially in chapter V directed by <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Barry
Jenkins</i>). My favorite among the few "cinematic/quality" sitcoms I
have seen so far is <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Spike Lee's</i> ten part
reworking of <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">SHE'S GOTTA HAVE IT</b>,
though. Like <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Aziz Ansari</i> in the
second season of <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">MASTER OF NONE</b>, Lee
and his writing team use the long form storytelling format as a playground. Not
everything works equally well, but thanks to <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">DeWanda Wise's</i> wonderful performance I was able to empathize with
Nola Darling even when I didn't like a controversial or outright bad
decision. Besides, I like to be challenged by Lee's often polemic but
complex storytelling.</span></div>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgedYz3wiuVgCr5QftxcNaTkjtnb30bUS8G66nsvdg_G9Xw6bjduM2yXHMOu_VHRLcK3u-tvpxXYHEMCeK1ab1TK-ZduLyMaSe0c270tvrr0DMv3PlT94Csyen_doXzaQhXXy_I7PAMJMI/s1600/ST.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="221" data-original-width="532" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgedYz3wiuVgCr5QftxcNaTkjtnb30bUS8G66nsvdg_G9Xw6bjduM2yXHMOu_VHRLcK3u-tvpxXYHEMCeK1ab1TK-ZduLyMaSe0c270tvrr0DMv3PlT94Csyen_doXzaQhXXy_I7PAMJMI/s1600/ST.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Stills from a video essay on the music of STRANGER THINGS</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 10.0pt;"><span style="color: #cc0000;"><b>Now-memories</b></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 10.0pt;">To be honest, I would not have seen any of those tv series had I not
waited so long for a <b>STRANGER THINGS</b> blu-ray that I finally decided to renew my
Netflix subscription (when it first came to Switzerland I paid for a whole year without finding one single film I was looking for, so I canceled
it). That I liked the <i>Duffer Brothers'</i> sincere take on intertextual 1980s escapist nostalgia
is a mere understatement. So although I came late to the party, waiting until
Halloween for the "sequel" was quite an ordeal. Thankfully, Season 2 met and even exceeded my expectations. I especially liked the father-daughter
relationship between Hopper and Eleven. What's more, seeing Dustin with Dart somehow enabled me
to see the STAR WARS movies through the eyes of a twelve-year old boy again (maybe that's why
I even liked - well, not the Ewoks, but - the Porgs). <b>STRANGER THINGS</b> is so far
the only mini-series that felt like a movie to me (including the controversial
"Darth Vader" chapter in the sequel). Nevertheless, because of the
format it was devised for I do not include it into my list of favorite movies. </span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 10.0pt;"></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 10.0pt;">The abundance of <b>young acting talents in MOONLIGHT and STRANGER THINGS</b>
prompted me to compile a list of <span style="color: #cc0000;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">breakout
performances by young actors</b></span>:</span></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 10.0pt;">(titles alphabetically, some from
2016 that I could only see in 2017 because of distribution delays)</span></i></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 10.0pt;"></span></i></div>
<ul>
<li><span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 10.0pt;">13 REASONS WHY: </span></span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Alisha Boe</span></b><span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 10.0pt;"> (Jessica)</span></span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 10.0pt;">,
Kathrine Langston</span></b><span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 10.0pt;"> (Hannah)</span></span></li>
<li><span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 10.0pt;">AMERICAN HONEY: </span></span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Sasha Lane </span></b><span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 10.0pt;">(Star)</span></span></li>
<li><span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 10.0pt;">BLUE MY MIND<b>*</b>: </span></span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Luna Wedler </span></b><span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 10.0pt;">(Mia)</span></span><span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 10.0pt;">, </span></span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Zoe
Pastell Holthuisen</span></b><span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 10.0pt;"> (Gianna)</span></span><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 10.0pt;"> </span></li>
<li><span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 10.0pt;">FIRST THEY KILLED MY FATHER:</span></span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 10.0pt;"> Sareum
Srey Moch </span></b><span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 10.0pt;">(Loung)</span></span></li>
<li><span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 10.0pt;">IT:</span></span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 10.0pt;"> Jaeden Lieberher </span></b><span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 10.0pt;">(Bill)</span></span><span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 10.0pt;">,</span></span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 10.0pt;"> Jeremy Ray
Taylor </span></b><span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 10.0pt;">(Ben),</span></span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 10.0pt;"> Sophia Lillis </span></b><span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 10.0pt;">(Beverly)</span></span></li>
<li><span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 10.0pt;">LADY MACBETH: </span></span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Florence Pugh </span></b><span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 10.0pt;">(Katherine)</span></span></li>
<li><span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 10.0pt;">MOONLIGHT:</span></span><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 10.0pt;"> <b>Alex Hibbert /
Ashton Sanders / Trevante Rhodes </b>(Chiron) </span></li>
<li><span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 10.0pt;">PATTI CAKE$: </span></span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Danielle Macdonald </span></b><span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 10.0pt;">(Patti)</span></span></li>
<li><span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 10.0pt;">SAMI BLOOD:</span></span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 10.0pt;"> Lene Cecilia Sparrok</span></b><span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 10.0pt;"> (Elle Marja)</span></span></li>
<li><span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 10.0pt;">SHE'S GOTTA HAVE IT:</span></span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 10.0pt;"> DeWanda Wise </span></b><span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 10.0pt;">(Nola)</span></span></li>
<li><span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 10.0pt;">STRANGER THINGS 2<b>**</b>: </span></span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Priah Ferguson
</span></b><span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 10.0pt;">(Lucas' scene stealing sister Erica</span></span><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 10.0pt;">!)</span></li>
<li><span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 10.0pt;">THE KILLING OF A SACRED DEER / DUNKIRK:</span></span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 10.0pt;"> Barry Keoghan </span></b><span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 10.0pt;">(Martin / George)</span></span></li>
<li><span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 10.0pt;">THE HANDMAIDEN: </span></span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Tae-Ri Kim</span></b><span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 10.0pt;"> (Sook-Hee)</span></span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 10.0pt;"><br /></span></b></li>
<li><span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 10.0pt;">GRAVE/TIGER GIRL: </span></span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Ella Rumpf*** </span></b><span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 10.0pt;">(Alexia/Tiger)</span></span></li>
<li><span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 10.0pt;">WONDERSTRUCK:</span></span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 10.0pt;"> Millicent Simmonds </span></b><span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 10.0pt;">(Rose)</span></span></li>
</ul>
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<i><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 10.0pt;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 10.0pt;">* Lisa Brühlmann's <b>BLUE MY MIND</b> was my favorite Swiss film this year. It was not perfect, but fresh, emotionally sincere and managed to integrate its fantasy aspects organically into a coming-of-age story.</span></span></i></div>
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<i><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 10.0pt;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 10.0pt;">** Since Millie Bobby Brown and Finn Wolfhard have already become household names after the first season I do not include them here.</span></span></i><br />
<i><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 10.0pt;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 10.0pt;">*** within Switzerland, her breakout performance was in CHRIEG (Jaquemet, 2014). </span></span></i></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 10.0pt;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 10.0pt;">The prize for <span style="color: #cc0000;"><b>most memorable love couple</b></span> goes to <b><i>Ruth Negga </i>and <i>Joel Edgerton</i></b> in <i>Jeff Nichols'</i> <b>LOVING</b>. </span></span></div>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbY9QSm9W4liq7QzprffX9KNmUQ6zCYEZ7xzb1zCDFux-BDToMnAzL74nq4BMGHrjhNYyGuD1Tl3i6S3uA2U5bsyYlBWI9ZxoO8oNgQfRCuIRLjDM2dxiyS0mMrhGw5FYlUEbKwXKN4Qk/s1600/pad2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="168" data-original-width="532" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbY9QSm9W4liq7QzprffX9KNmUQ6zCYEZ7xzb1zCDFux-BDToMnAzL74nq4BMGHrjhNYyGuD1Tl3i6S3uA2U5bsyYlBWI9ZxoO8oNgQfRCuIRLjDM2dxiyS0mMrhGw5FYlUEbKwXKN4Qk/s1600/pad2.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Complementary colors in the PADDINGTON movies.</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 10.0pt;">With
THE FLORIDA PROJECT, LADY BIRD, PHANTOM THREAD, THE SHAPE OF WATER, BPM, THE
POST, THREE BILLBOARDS OUTSIDE EBBING, MISSOURI and RADIANCE already on the horizon,
I am looking forward to a promising 2018.</span><br />
<br />
<i><span style="color: #cc0000;"><b><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Resolutions for 2018:</span></b></span></i><br />
<i><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 10.0pt;">1) Make a list of every video essay I watch. It might come in handy one day... (with a field as vast as video essays I should have done that for years)</span></i><br />
<i><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 10.0pt;">2) Complete at least half the video essays and blog posts I am working on. Find a way to make that video on color in PARIAH, at last.</span></i><br />
<i><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 10.0pt;">3) Find a steady job in academia or some other sort of teaching environment.</span></i></div>
Oswald Itenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09560644491496569393noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6593666821624078979.post-21392635701994809392017-11-16T16:35:00.000+01:002017-11-16T16:36:12.646+01:00Musical Patterns in the Films of Christopher Nolan<div class="_1u7q1 _3gtay _2OvuK">
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Never say never... There were three filmmakers (Christopher Nolan, Stanley Kubrick, Wes Anderson) I vowed never to do a video essay about - not because I wouldn't admire them, on the contrary, but because there is already much too much out there about their work. And now, there are only two (I don't plan to break the promise on Kubrick and Anderson anytime soon). Since this video already had more positive feedback than anything else I made, I can't say it was a bad decision. Right now I am<b> working on a video about some aspects of the synth score of STRANGER THINGS 1</b>. But after that, I will return to Nolan because I still got a broadly outlined essay on some of his more unobtrusive crosscutting techniques waiting to be finished.</div>
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="300" mozallowfullscreen="" src="https://player.vimeo.com/video/241033205" webkitallowfullscreen="" width="533"></iframe><br />
<a href="https://vimeo.com/241033205">Musical Patterns in the Films of Christopher Nolan</a> from <a href="https://vimeo.com/user41789151">Oswald Iten</a> on <a href="https://vimeo.com/">Vimeo</a>.</div>
<div class="first">
<br />
<b>Music in Nolan's Films</b></div>
Christopher
Nolan strives to make his films the most immersive experience possible.
So he prefers the score to support the atmosphere and the pace of his
films and not elicit emotions by way of sentimental melodies. While this
is very obvious in DUNKIRK (2017), Hans Zimmer's lauded score follows
some of the same basic patterns that can be found in all of Nolan's
prior films - regardless of the composer. He even said that it basically
"is Chris Nolan’s score" (<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2017/07/26/movies/the-secrets-of-the-dunkirk-score-christopher-nolan.html" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">nytimes.com/2017/07/26/movies/the-secrets-of-the-dunkirk-score-christopher-nolan.html</a>).<br />
<br />
So here is a tour d'horizon on these musical patterns and their
evolution from FOLLOWING (1998) to INTERSTELLAR (2014). Of course, this
is only a broad, subjective overview. It is impossible to do justice to
the many complexities of each individual score within 10 minutes. Make sure to watch it full screen and loud (preferably on head phones)!<br />
<br />
<i>For educational purposes only!</i><br />
<br />
<i>German version for filmbulletin.ch: <a href="https://vimeo.com/239957027">vimeo.com/239957027</a></i></div>
</div>
Oswald Itenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09560644491496569393noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6593666821624078979.post-32608184613152159812017-11-02T18:48:00.005+01:002017-11-15T15:16:26.789+01:00STRANGER THINGS 2: First Impressions (SPOILERS GALORE)<br />
After finishing STRANGER THINGS 2 last Saturday, there was so much on my mind that I immediately felt the urge to blog about <b>why I liked this "Sequel" so much and why even Chapter Seven made sense to me.</b> Fast forward to five days later: when I finally found the time, the urge may not be that strong anymore, but part of my mind still revels in that alternate universe the Duffer brothers have created. They are still first impressions as I have not gone back to any portion of the show for closer scrutiny - so don't expect any exploration of the pop songs that define the characters, the newly rich color schemes, the unobtrusive CGI, the cinematic editing rhythm or the strikingly consistent visual motifs.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhudRLWK05v_EjesQx9y37s0V1hF_b53x_zqbhwCu8YO-AmU5i4nfjoI5di2RTkXqu1GPrzcjHkztQOn2TYpVoxHpziAObLgq6KbI2s8vpbC18cR3Y_iiNTmNFJX99qOy5tU-C73fndpb0/s1600/eleventhings.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="471" data-original-width="532" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhudRLWK05v_EjesQx9y37s0V1hF_b53x_zqbhwCu8YO-AmU5i4nfjoI5di2RTkXqu1GPrzcjHkztQOn2TYpVoxHpziAObLgq6KbI2s8vpbC18cR3Y_iiNTmNFJX99qOy5tU-C73fndpb0/s1600/eleventhings.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>I usually refrain from literal fan art. But if the show itself is some kind of fan "art", I guess it's ok...</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Instead, the following is more of a shapeless rant about little (and lost) sisters and a surrogate father:<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 10.0pt;"> </span><br />
<br />
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 10.0pt;">I expected STRANGER THINGS 2 to be
bigger and more expensive. What I did not expect was that this was actually a good
thing. At times it felt like watching THE GODFATHER PART II of 1980s nostalgia films (in
context and scope, not content or absolute cinematic quality): expanding in every direction
with more characters, stronger arcs, definitely more horror thrills and even
more heartbreaking, more cinematic, more elaborate flashback structure with
now-memories, shared flashbacks and self-imposed telepathic seances.</span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 10.0pt;"> </span></b><br />
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 10.0pt;">The Universe is Expanding</span></b><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 10.0pt;"> </span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 10.0pt;">The first substantial new character we meet is Madmax who is not only
the new tough girl in town, a perceived security risk and the subject of a love
triangle, her not really being part of "the party" also mirrors
aspects of Eleven's role. Max, however, has a tougher stand since Eleven is
still very much on Mike's and the audience's mind. Even though Madmax and her
step-brother are not closely connected to either the saving-Will-quest or
Eleven's coming-of-age story, they liven the place up considerably. And talking
of little sisters: I knew immediately that there would be a
"little-sister-Erica" meme the minute she appeared on the screen!
Priah Ferguson as Lucas' little sister is a riot in every single scene she's
in. Her calling Lucas (the most reasonable of the four friends) a nerd was only
the first of several hilarious throwaways.</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 10.0pt;">And suddenly, Mikey from THE GOONIES stumbles in, all grown up, chubby,
listening to Kenny Rogers and going by the name of Bob Newby
"Superbrain". Sean Astin is just perfectly cast as Winona Ryder's lovably
awkward love interest. And while the Duffer brothers thankfully refuse to
conveniently kill off any young lover in the two love triangles (though we
really fear for jock-come-babysitter Steve a few times), Bob at least helped
save the day before he was devoured by a demodog. Most interesting about those
predators (actually developed from pollywogs) are their dog-like
characteristics that obviously allow for a bond of trust between Dart and
Dustin which means that unlike the JAWS-inspired Demogorgon of Season 1 they
are not just mindless killing machines.</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 10.0pt;">In fact, all the villains got more complex: the Upside-Down is now run
by a bodiless "feeling", a shadow monster or Mindflayer (to stay
within the D&D analogy) that controls those hive-minded demodogs. On the human
side, the faceless secret government agents may still be the real scare, but
Dr. Owens and his scientist colleagues are more ambiguous than we first
thought. Besides, there is a hint that Papa Brenner is still around somewhere.</span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Beyond Pop References</span></b></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 10.0pt;">In fact, binge-watching STRANGER THINGS 2 felt less like watching a movie
than reading a Harry Potter novel - a sensation I had not experienced for
years. Like Rowling's page-turners (and the many Stephen King stories it is
partly based on), STRANGER THINGS is essentially a coming-of-age story in a
horror-thriller format that made me drop my guard and suspend any disbelief
completely right from the beginning. For me, the key to the show's giant
success lies in the strength of the relationships and of course the immensely
talented (and professional) actors that infuse those children with relatable
emotions. Besides, missing sibling stories always draw me in.</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 10.0pt;">I think STRANGER THINGS works so well because even though it lures you
in by its obvious play on pop references and cinema tropes, the protagonists
themselves don't seem to know any of that (at least no more than Elliott knows
about Yoda in E.T., a template for season 1) and all the characters and
relationships feel sincere. Thankfully, STRANGER THINGS never breaks the fourth
wall. Even when Max mentions that the story Lucas just told her (essentially
the plot of Season 1) sounded derivative and lacked originality, it taps into
the whole conspiracy theory/lies theme instead of feeling like a meta-comment
for laughs. We can absolutely see what she means and still feel the urge to
yell at her that this was for real. Because – let's face it – the plot of
STRANGER THINGS sometimes feels like it really could be from the 80s.</span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Chief Hopper</span></b></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 10.0pt;">There are two main narrative strands in Season 2: Firstly, Will's
attempts at reintegration, his infiltration by the Mindflayer and the party's
mission to save Will, Hawkins and possibly the world. As the boys are not
pitted against any external bullies, the tensions within the group are
foregrounded and Mike struggles the most until Will confides in him after the
Halloween vision. The other one is Eleven's slow path to a normal life and is
fuelled by a strong desire (strongly shared by the audience) to reunite with
Mike while in reality she is hidden from the "bad men" for almost a
year. Eleven's story also discusses the overarching themes of
"promise", "friends don't lie" and "mutual
protection" most elaborately. </span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Both strands are linked by chief Jim Hopper who - after wearing Chief
Brody's clothes and Indiana Jones's hat - takes on the John Carpenter-Kurt
Russell role and graduates at the same time not only to surrogate father to
Eleven but an admirable hero much stronger and complex than I had ever expected
him to become after Season 1. Despite his shortcomings and overprotectiveness,
Hopper may be the best father in Hawkins based on what we learn about the
homelives of the other children.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 10.0pt;">So while the events around Will pulled the heartstrings - Noah Schnapp
really rose to the occasion - the relationship between Eleven and Hopper
provoked so many concurring emotions that by the time Eleven finally met her
real mother for the first time in the masterfully directed
Andrew-Stanton-episodes, I was actually wanting to follow her story more than
the approaching demodogs in the lab. </span></div>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfTAiossNpfINKljUSdOCKNjAKviIAXPQU4je4is_B5weWCvrEPvPi-HA0E4kMIS809MhfJ5vGFTwFanFYgvpG0TBiIL6qLZhswVHReFB881mQqePrwavOqObQzzqYVXcb07bDwzsB1wM/s1600/punkeleven.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1478" data-original-width="776" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfTAiossNpfINKljUSdOCKNjAKviIAXPQU4je4is_B5weWCvrEPvPi-HA0E4kMIS809MhfJ5vGFTwFanFYgvpG0TBiIL6qLZhswVHReFB881mQqePrwavOqObQzzqYVXcb07bDwzsB1wM/s400/punkeleven.jpg" width="210" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>My only Inktober drawing...</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Chapter Seven</span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Of course, right from the initial precredits sequence I was looking for
clues that connect the Chicago
gang to Eleven's story. So while I was interested in how the story world could
be opened up beyond Hawkins I also secretely hoped that we never left that microcosm.
And when she got on the bus, it was all "no, no, no, don't do it."
Yet, maybe this was exactly the reaction Chapter 7 was made to provoke. It
didn't feel like a backdoor pilot to me (it would have, if I had watched the
episodes one at a time), and if it was, I certainly would not want to see that
show. But that is besides the point. That chapter is all about the road not
taken, the Darth Vader that could resist the dark side. From that standpoint it
made sense that it was the only one directed by Rebecca Thomas (whose ELECTRICK
CHILDREN I now want to see) and had a different visual look.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 10.0pt;">After all, Eleven finds herself in an environment that remains stranger
to her than Hawkins even after she found "friends" (I could very much
relate to that part of it). The channel-your-anger-and-find-yourself-clichés as
well as the fashion-mag-punk caricatures aside, there was enough interesting material
in that trip down the rabbit hole: STRANGER THINGS is so emotionally rewarding
because all the characters at some point can share their emotional turmoil,
fears and insecurities with someone. Yet, however Mike and Hopper love Eleven,
they will never know what it was like to grow up as a lab rat with a father
like Brenner. So I found it a relief that she could share those memories with
someone with a similar background, even if Kali (Linnea Berthelsen succeeded in
transforming a plot device into a real character) ultimately pursued a
different agenda.</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 10.0pt;">It is true that there could have been a way for Eleven to confront her
childhood self-defence killings and put them into context of a revenge mission.
But the most emotionally draining moment for me was Eleven's confrontation with
Kali's Brenner projection. Before, Modine was just the onedimensional blond
villain type, but here it actually struck me how confusing it must be to call
someone like that Papa.</span></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 10.0pt;">While some have argued that the block construction of Chapter 7 broke
the notion of one 7.5-hour-movie, I think that exactly <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">because</i> the show is conceived as one long film (binge-watching is
encouraged), "The Lost Sister" works as a side story. Besides, one of
the joys of the long form is that structurally, it resembles novels more
closely than three-act films. And side stories or even embedded stories that
take up considerable portions of a book are not uncommon.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 10.0pt;">But I certainly agree that leaving the escalating tension in Hawkins
suspended for more than 50 minutes seems to overspend the bow since it cannot
match the intensity of the Andrew-Stanton-chapters. And of course, if you are
only interested in what happens to the guys in the lab, then Chapter 7 is
breaking the perfectly built pace considerably instead of just delaying the
showdown for a bit too long.</span></div>
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<b><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Two things I might want to study more closely: </span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 10.0pt;">1) Although I am not really comfortable with the concept of having some
episodes done by different directors if a show is so clearly designed as one
consistent movie, I thought that Andrew Stanton's direction of chapters five
and six was outstanding. Would be interesting to also look at the writing by Jessie Nickson-Lopez and Kate Trefry.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 10.0pt;">2) During STRANGER THINGS 2 I found proof for something that
occured to me a few years ago while studying suspense techniques: the most thrilling moments
that are usually credited to twists are not the twists or revelations
themselves but the moment when the character on screen realizes the very thing
we wanted to tell him so badly. This works if we know something for several
hours before the character discovers it (the truth about Eleven's mother,
Hopper having lost his daughter) as well as if we only learn about it minutes before
the character finds it out. And STRANGER THINGS 2, like Harry Potter and most thrillers or comedies that lets us share more than one perspective seems to have an abundance of these
"realizing moments".</span></div>
Oswald Itenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09560644491496569393noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6593666821624078979.post-18586094916868271252017-10-08T23:12:00.002+02:002017-10-08T23:12:35.933+02:00Showreel and Video EssaysA few weeks ago I have finally come around to compile a new animation showreel. These are mostly scenes from films I have been working on. The music is by Christian Wallner and performed by his band Piri Piri:<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="300" mozallowfullscreen="" src="https://player.vimeo.com/video/234856858?color=ffffff&portrait=0" webkitallowfullscreen="" width="533"></iframe> <br />
<a href="https://vimeo.com/234856858">Animation Showreel 2017</a> from <br />
<a href="https://vimeo.com/user41789151">Oswald Iten</a>.<br />
<br />
<b>Video Essays</b><br />
If someone asked me a few weeks ago, I told them that I would never do a <b>video essay on Christopher Nolan's films</b> because there are already so many out there and his films get a disproportionate amount of attention compared to many filmmakers I wish would be household names by now.<br />
<br />
Besides, I think that formally (how he structures plot/narrative) his films are much more interesting than stylistically (blocking, framing, editing). But when I studied the temporal structure of all his feature films for a lecture on DUNKIRK (2017), I just found too many interesting aspects that I have never seen somebody analyze in detail. So whenever I have some time at my hands, I am trying to shape these observations into video essays.<br />
<br />
In the meantime, here is a <b>silent video essay about a prop from DUMBO</b> (1941) that hasn't found its way to this blog so for:<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="300" mozallowfullscreen="" src="https://player.vimeo.com/video/227630107?color=ffffff&portrait=0" webkitallowfullscreen="" width="533"></iframe><br /><a href="https://vimeo.com/227630107">Inanimate Objects #1: The
Versatile Bathtub</a> from <a href="https://vimeo.com/user41789151">Oswald
Iten</a>.<br />
<br />
<i>Apart from the
really obvious ones like the bicycle in LADRI DI BICICLETTE or some
McGuffins, props as storytelling devices have been neglected in
comparison to many other aspects of film making for too long a time.</i><br />
<i>
This video essay is an attempt to highlight what I have thought to be a
perfectly economical use of a visual element and a prop in DUMBO.</i><br />
<br />Oswald Itenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09560644491496569393noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6593666821624078979.post-62930832041852029622017-07-16T22:52:00.001+02:002017-07-16T23:42:48.942+02:00Locarno Film Festival #movieofmylife<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTS0GLhR2CssXvIEeHcju3xSsdSPrbSoPiMI9B2E6hoJQuHyz2viIgh1KF0_a3uZUqdaGe6CAPEKJOVFm7tCg_JezRVmfzNpAhhoBJvPv9zDR2xtGJm3Wgf5WTVAAuxX7YBj_HbYA7ZQk/s1600/movieofmylife_OI_cover.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTS0GLhR2CssXvIEeHcju3xSsdSPrbSoPiMI9B2E6hoJQuHyz2viIgh1KF0_a3uZUqdaGe6CAPEKJOVFm7tCg_JezRVmfzNpAhhoBJvPv9zDR2xtGJm3Wgf5WTVAAuxX7YBj_HbYA7ZQk/s400/movieofmylife_OI_cover.png" width="400" /></a></div>
On the occasion of its 70th anniversary, the Locarno (Film) Festival launched a competition called <a href="http://www.movieofmylife.ch/en-movieofmylife"><b>#movieofmylife</b></a>:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Tell us about the movie that changed your life, the one that got under
your skin the most, to the point where nothing’s ever been the same
since. We all have at least one film, one scene, one shot, that we still
can’t get out of our minds. We want you to recall the big screen
moments which left such a lasting impression on your life.</blockquote>
The rules are: no more than 70 seconds and don't reveal the title of the movie until the end of the video. In the meantime, people have participated in many different ways with videos ranging from cellphone selfies to re-staged classic scenes. Since I don't like to see my face on video and I am invited to join a round table about video essays, I have opted for animation with voice over narration.<br />
<br />
You can see <a href="http://www.movieofmylife.ch/En-Video-79476e00?altlng=1"><b>my video</b></a> here: http://www.movieofmylife.ch/En-Video-79476e00?altlng=1<br />
Unfortunately, I can't embed it because you can only vote on the competition website.<br />
<br />
If you go there make sure to check out some of the other videos, there are really great examples of capturing films without a single word! Sometimes, you recognize the film right from the beginning, sometimes the whole video only makes sense when the title of the portrayed film is revealed (like in <a href="http://www.movieofmylife.ch/En-Video-a8c0a000?altlng=1"><b>one of my favorite videos (so far) about a neorealist classic</b></a>).Oswald Itenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09560644491496569393noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6593666821624078979.post-24517376063103301842017-07-05T23:09:00.000+02:002017-07-05T23:09:53.556+02:00Introduction to SUNSET SONG and Terence Davies<div class="first">
<i>Terence Davies</i> is one of those masters of cinema who is still struggling to find the audience he deserves. Even such a
beautiful literary adaptation like <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2262161/combined"><b>SUNSET SONG</b></a> (2015) did not make it
to cinemas or even blu ray around here (Switzerland, Germany...).</div>
<div class="first">
<br /></div>
<div class="first">
However, it is available with English (for those who are put off by the
Scottish accents) or French subtitles. Since SUNSET SONG is relatively
conventional compared to Davies's autobiographical masterpieces
<a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0095037/combined"><b>DISTANT VOICES, STILL LIVES</b></a> (1988) and <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0104753/combined"><b>THE LONG DAY CLOSES </b></a>(1992), this more
easily accessible narrative serves as an ideal introduction to the cinematic
universe of a highly idiosyncratic film maker every cinephile has to
know.</div>
This video essay was originally made for <b><a href="http://www.filmbulletin.ch/" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">filmbulletin.ch</a></b> where you can find a <a href="http://www.filmbulletin.ch/full/artikel/2017-6-7_einfuhrung-terence-davies-werk/"><b>version with German voice over narration</b></a>.<br />
<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="300" mozallowfullscreen="" src="https://player.vimeo.com/video/223954776?color=ff9933" webkitallowfullscreen="" width="533"></iframe><br />
<a href="https://vimeo.com/223954776">An Introduction to Terence Davies's SUNSET SONG</a> from <a href="https://vimeo.com/user41789151">Oswald Iten</a> on <a href="https://vimeo.com/">Vimeo</a>.<br />
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<i>Note: Last year, for the first time (ever?) Terence Davies was able to release two feature films within two consecutive years which means that A QUIET PASSION (2016), his highly acclaimed portrait of poet Emily Dickinson is already available in some territories. Unfortunately, due to the circumstances described above, I have not seen it yet.</i><br />
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<b>Planimetric Shots</b><br />
If you have ever seen a Terence Davies film you might probably remember his "planimetric" compositions (which is a term that <a href="http://www.davidbordwell.net/blog/2007/01/16/shot-consciousness/">David Bordwell had originally borrowed from Heinrich Wölfflin</a>), i.e. the more or less flat staging of characters in parallel layers with the camera often perpendicular to the back wall of a room. Although this type of shot has become much more common in mainstream movies and especially period pieces, most people associate it with <i>Wes Anderson</i> who has been excessively using it ever since THE ROYAL TENENBAUMS (2001).<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>THE GRAND BUDAPEST HOTEL (Wes Anderson, 2014)</i></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>THE ROYAL TENENBAUMS (Wes Anderson, 2001)</i></td></tr>
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You couldn't mistake Davies's compositions for Anderon's, however. While Anderson's candy color fantasies often look as if they were freshly painted or arranged by a doll house manufacturer, Davies's rooms and costumes are carefully selected to look lived-in and well-worn.<br />
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<b>Green Scottish Life</b><br />
Although he seems to prefer washed out colors (not the digitally desaturated DC kind, of course) in SUNSET SONG his director of photography Michael McDonough captured with his 65mm (exteriors) and large format digital (interiors) cameras a wide range of subtle shades of green...<br />
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...that in the second half are often balanced with red garments:<br />
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<br />Oswald Itenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09560644491496569393noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6593666821624078979.post-23903204759206334832017-06-26T00:06:00.000+02:002017-06-26T10:26:16.867+02:00Annecy 2017 Impressions<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Annecy always reminds me how thriving the animation community is and this year's edition was no exception. In the end, I may not have seen as many films as I would have liked but the combination of wonderful people, sunshine and two pedalo rides more than outweighed that, especially looking back eight days later.<br />
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As always, I also discovered bandes dessinées I have never heard of and was introduced to the works of inventive animation directors that had previously slipped under my radar. For example, I wouldn't have chosen to go to a screening of Crystal winner <b>LU OVER THE WALL (Yoake tsugeru Rû no uta) </b>if my friends had not already had tickets and knew what they were in for with <i>Masaaki Yuasa</i>.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Overwhelming water animation in LU OVER THE WALL.</i></td></tr>
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<h3>
<b>Some 2017 Favorites</b></h3>
My favorite film was certainly <b>MIN BÖRDA</b> (<i>Niki Landroth von Bahr</i>, 2017) from Sweden in which a couple of lonely animals "sing" about their isolation. If you're not sold after seeing the singing fish in the trailer below (how could anyone not be), then surely the prospect of an animated <i>Roy Andersson</i> short film will get you interested.<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="300" mozallowfullscreen="" src="https://player.vimeo.com/video/200851149" webkitallowfullscreen="" width="533"></iframe><br />
<a href="https://vimeo.com/200851149">The Burden (Min Börda) - trailer</a> from <a href="https://vimeo.com/user2928324">Niki Lindroth von Bahr</a> on <a href="https://vimeo.com/">Vimeo</a>.<br />
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MIN BÖRDA was one of several stop motion films that included a long shot showing the whole set from an outside perspective. In contrast to the more meta-level versions (akin to Fellini's E LA NAVE VA, 1983) in several other puppet films, in MIN BÖRDA it actually was a diegetic shot, though.<br />
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<b>NEGATIVE SPACE</b> (<i>Ru Kuwahata/Max Porter</i>), another stop motion short, stood out to me not only because the tone of the storytelling was just perfect but also because I really admired the careful animation, especially the make-believe wave on the beach. <br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="300" mozallowfullscreen="" src="https://player.vimeo.com/video/205982517" webkitallowfullscreen="" width="533"></iframe><br />
<a href="https://vimeo.com/205982517">Negative Space - Trailer</a> from <a href="https://vimeo.com/tinyinventions">Tiny Inventions</a> on <a href="https://vimeo.com/">Vimeo</a>.<br />
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With the advent of digital cinema, the once extravagant cinemascope aspect ratio (1:2.39) is available to even the most underfunded film maker and therefore increasingly popular. What does not automatically come with a wider frame are the skills it takes to make such compositions work (as has been already proven during the 1950s in live-action cinema). Thankfully, <i>Michelle and Uri Kranot</i> mastered the format in <b>NOTHING HAPPENS</b>, a film "about watching and being watched". And as I have learned on vimeo, the film that with all its fixed camera setups looked so non-digital on the big screen is also a virtual reality experience:<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="300" mozallowfullscreen="" src="https://player.vimeo.com/video/202364252" webkitallowfullscreen="" width="533"></iframe><br />
<a href="https://vimeo.com/202364252">Nothing happens- an animated virtual reality experience</a> from <a href="https://vimeo.com/urimic">Michelle & Uri Kranot</a> on <a href="https://vimeo.com/">Vimeo</a>.<br />
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Being always alert to color trends, I noticed how many of the films I liked made heavy use of blue either in conventional terms of cold v warm, orange - teal or more boldly like in <b>MATERIAL WORLD </b><i>(Anna Ginsburg)</i> that won the <i>Annecy Crystal</i> for best commissioned film.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>The beauty of instructional videos: MATERIAL WORLD</i></td></tr>
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In that light, it certainly fitted perfectly well that in the very same commissioned film program a CNN explainer addressed the very color:<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="300" mozallowfullscreen="" src="https://player.vimeo.com/video/187040716?badge=0" webkitallowfullscreen="" width="533"></iframe><br />
<a href="https://vimeo.com/187040716">Blue - CNN</a> from <a href="https://vimeo.com/mothanimation">Moth</a> on <a href="https://vimeo.com/">Vimeo</a>.<br />
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The commissioned films program was a real delight because it provides a nice usually give you a nice overview of current styles popular in the more inventive sections of advertising. And for me, getting an overview is one of the things that also draws me to internationally renowned annual short film competitions like Annecy.<br />
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<h3>
<b>Some concerns about short film compilations</b></h3>
The programming of this section, however, is highly problematic. If you saw only one or two screenings instead of all six, you would come to an extremely distorted conclusion about current trends in animation. Because:<br />
A) not only are many of the more experimental films lumped together into one single "off-limits" program (which both makes it harder to process them all and turns away many a viewer who normally would not mind a challenging experiment in between more easily accessible films), but also<br />
B) the films in the five "normal" competition compilations seem to be increasingly segregated as well by style/technique and even content (I wasn't alone with the impression that I saw a program full of meta-stop motion films and one full of either handpainted or pixilation/live-action-animation combinations). It may make sense from a critic's point of view to compare three similarly themed stop motion films that feature invisible imaginary walls, but to the audience the effect is more like "oh, another one of those" which does not do the individual films justice.<br />
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<h3>
<b>B</b><b>rush strokes and the power of voice acting</b></h3>
But to close on a more positive note: a packed Bonlieu, Grande Salle is still the most exciting place to see a film on the big screen simply because it produces the most enthusiastic audience I have ever seen. And this, of course, was the case on my first day, when I thoroughly enjoyed the first "public" screening of <b>LOVING VINCENT</b> and contributed to a ten minute standing ovation that made it into Variety.<br />
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Writer-director <i>Dorota Kobiela</i> had the crowd on her side right from the beginning when she emotionally dedicated it to her grandmother. What most surprised me - and ultimately convinced me despite the film's many flaws - was the fact that the concocted mystery plot worked so smoothly. Maybe a bit too smoothly and certainly too rushed at times when everything that vaguely resembled a reflective moment was plastered with Clint Mansell's far too obtrusive score before I had time to catch a breath.<br />
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But - and that is a much more serious problem - the film, well-acted as it is by the likes of Chris O'Dowd and Soairse Ronan, would easily work as an Irish radio play which literally means that apart from a few imaginative scene transitions the filmmakers failed to make use of the visual potential of a feature film consisting exclusively of oil paintings and simply illustrate talking heads. For sure, the paintings are expertly executed, the flow is a lot better than in almost any rotoscoped feature I have seen and the colors alone are a fantastic treat. But narratively, there is nothing gained from the brush strokes, no new insight into the characters that is not already in the dialogue. Stylistically, despite the unifying rotoscoping, the well-proportioned actors walking through off-perspective backdrops often reminded me of the Dali dream sequence in Hitchcock's SPELLBOUND where Gregory Peck stumbles through deliberately unbalancing expressionist/surrealist sets.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>LOVING VINCENT: live-action v rotoscoped in oil.</i></td></tr>
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But still I enjoyed it and I warmly recommend seeing it. Even if mostly for pulling this feat off and hopefully making people all around the world re-discover an artist who is so popular today that we take him for granted. And if that comes through a combination of eye candy and tv style murder mystery, so be it. I'd rather see that one again over yet another superhero origin story.<br />
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Speaking of origin stories: the basic parent - child relationship inherent to any origin story seems to have replaced the love story as the primary emotional trajectory of mainstream films from BEAUTY AND THE BEAST (Condon, 2017) to LOGAN (Mangold, 2017) or ROGUE ONE (Edwards, 2016). Thus, it came as no surprise that many films in the shorts competition dealt with remembering a recently deceased parent. A special treat was PÉPÉ LE MORSE (<i>Lucrèce Andreae</i>): a prime example of fluid, atmospheric storytelling - at 15 minutes it never dragged - and strong voice acting which I am very partial to yet which is not so easily found in animated short films.<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="300" mozallowfullscreen="" src="https://player.vimeo.com/video/184565646" webkitallowfullscreen="" width="533"></iframe><br />
<a href="https://vimeo.com/184565646">Pépé le morse - Teaser</a> from <a href="https://vimeo.com/user11762416">Lucrece Andreae</a> on <a href="https://vimeo.com/">Vimeo</a>.Oswald Itenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09560644491496569393noreply@blogger.com2