The Crazy Ray At 3:25 While Paris Sleeps

Paris qui dort (1925)

aka At 3:25

aka The Crazy Ray

directed by Rene Clair
photography by Jean Wiener

original cinema

Light, shadow, and moving image - a solar eclipse is the essence of cinema.

Here in the Bay Area it was an annular eclipse, leaving just a crescent-shaped sliver of sun visible, so that shape became the theme of this primitive cinema. Look at the countless crescents formed by the shadow of a tree. This is the original non-narrative moving image.

onto a new year

This is the Hearst Memorial Mining building at UC Berkeley. The school once had a working mine on campus for educational purposes. Now it's a traffic loop, but this refurbished building maintains the grandeur of an earlier education experience. It's one part of the inspiring atmosphere on campus - along with the Pacific Film Archive of course.

This is my version of a year-end wrap-up. Most of my time was taken up with classes and schoolwork, but I did attend some amazing film screenings which you can go read. Brian at Hell On Frisco Bay, fine film writer that he is, invites fellow locals to share their favorite rep theater screenings from 2011. Go check it out; I'll wait for you here.

I've been enjoying reading other people's end-of-year lists all over the internet film world, but I'm sad to notice the neglect of the passing of some important avant garde and experimental filmmakers:

George Kuchar, 1942-2011, whose I, An Actress was selected for preservation at the National Film Registry for 2011;

Robert Breer, 1926-2011, creator of the roto-scoped and beautiful Fuji which was added back in 2002;

Jordan Belson, 1926-2011, whose Allures was also selected for preservation this year.

Thanks, guys.

the beauty of the cotter pin

Mechanical Principles (1930)

directed by Ralph Steiner

This film is just a series of static shots of moving gears and pistons but also so much more. No still photo can do justice to the gentle wave of motion in each connection and subsequent parting.

There's something almost sensual in the willing manipulation of attractive parts by the attractive parts of another. Each movement is nothing less than graceful.

This is precisionism in motion.