film canon additions march 2007

1920
manhatta d. charles sheeler and paul strand
excellent framing of various shots around manhattan (manhatta being the original indian name for the island). the reflections off the water around the tugboats at night are hypnotic.




1929
woman in the moon (frau im mond) d. fritz lang
very long, but so beautiful. i don't think i could edit it down anymore myself if i had created this masterpiece. the first half takes place on earth and features the most modern of the moderne interior design. the lead has mastered the brooding stare. special effects and some directing was done by oskar fischinger.


allegretto- oskar fischinger



1943
lifeboat d. alfred hitchcock
i'm a little embarassed to have so many hitchcock movies in my canon, but each is included for a different reason. lifeboat is stylistically unique- its shows his german expressionism roots more than any other film i've see of his. limiting himself to a single set gave him the freedom to experiment with mis en scene, camera techniques, and editing. one character's soliloquy is punctuated by rapid cutting amongst different angles, close-ups, medium, long shots- all seemlessly connected to the speech patterns. just brilliant.