castile soap

Dr. Bronner's Magic Soapbox (2006)
directed by Sara Lamm

single shot - pearls of the deep

Perlicky na dne (1966)

singles shot - daisies

Daisies (1966)

los tres garcia

Los Tres Garcia (1947)
directed by Ismael Rodriguez
cinematography by Ross Fisher

The three dueling cousins had a hit comedy films with this one. Slapstick coupled with singing is a winning formula like peanut butter and chocolate - or chicken and mole. The best scene shows the cousins, all three longing after the blonde, sitting silently while singing harmonious love songs in their hearts and on the soundtrack.

This isn't a very high quality video which is very unfortunate because there is a lot of gorgeous camera work at play here.
Lots of deep focus photography as well as traveling shots. The most spectacular effect is a backwards movement from a medium shot at the front of a church that pulls away, takes a different angle and continues to a wide shot from the back of the church. Most of the people moving into camera view are so smooth that I didn't even notice the complexity until the final long shot.

But all you get are these two pictures.

Warning Shadows

Schatten - Eine nachtliche Halluzination (1923)
aka Warning Shadows
directed by Arthur Robison
cinematography by Fritz Arno Wagner
art direction by Albin Grau




This film is filled with visual puns, constantly reminding the viewers they are watching a film, this is not real. The players reinforce this in a beautifully draped stage within rooms on a film screen. Even though it's easy to get swept up in the gorgeous imagery, the plot twist ending punctuates this fact once again. Its so engaging visually and intellectually. Fantasy and reality all beautifully intertwined.

The proscinium arch is introduced over and over again:

a lovely place to live out the aftermath of the apocalypse

Five (1951)
directed by Arch Oboler
cinematography by Sid Lubow
and Louis Clyde Stouman
architecture by Frank Lloyd Wright

I love the silver glow this film stock gives off. It reminds me of classic Eastern European cinema I've previously admired, but the composition also brings to mind Night of the Living Dead and especially Carnival of Souls. See?



Most of all I was impressed with the location shooting in a stunning Frank Lloyd Wright home, built between 1941 and 1946. It was Arch Oboler's own residence.

















What a magical place to live out the aftermath of the apocalypse.