rendering effeminate

there's a curious contrast that i've noticed with the katharine hepburn films i've been watching lately. i've just finished a study of wwII/ films noirs and couldn't help but notice that the strong female roles in the hepburn films dove-tailed nicely with the femmes fatales in the noirs. take pat and mike, filmed in 1952, the era of film noir.

look at the expression on spencer tracey's face as hepburn goodheartedly emasculates him in front of a crowd. not only does she single-handedly fend off his attackers but he has to reenact the embarassment for a second audience in the police station. the male fear of femmes fatales in so many films noirs is finally, horribly realized.

the female threat is handled differently than in films noirs. although this worst possible senario occurs, the fall-out is minimal. no one is punished for this role reversal and the man and woman live happily ever after. instead of the double-cross or death by gun fire, its marriage. through it all, he accepts her. it seems the threat is far more debilitating than the reality.

swarm

pat and mike 1952
directed by george cukor
cinematography by william daniels

it seems so much like a zombie movie, the way these golf fans trot after the big league players during the game. even more creepy is how, as the game nears the finish in a tie, the crowd becomes more agitated, intense and even start running close behind the caddies. the final swarm as the winner is declared is downright frightening. all this in a film about a ladies' golf match. it reminds me of the climax of day of the locust and certainly not what i'd expect from director george cukor.

i saw the reckless moment on the big screen

the reckless moment 1949

directed by max ophuls

cinematography by burnett guffey

sound engineer russell malmgren

what really captured me about this film was the sound. the scene featuring the corpse in the photo above is without dialog and without music- just the sound of the wind, and the waves lapping the shore, and eventually the motorboat.

i'm finding more and more how effective subdued sound (or its absense completely) is in creating mood in films and in music.

how i saw over 42.5 films in 26 hours

photo courtesy of San Francisco Silent Film Festival

the 2007 san francisco silent film festival lasted from july 13 until july 15 and yes, i did watch more than 42 films including feature lengths, shorts and fragments.

there is a wide variety in the programming, which allows for the screening of all kinds of silent film. my favorite treasures to see are fragments from otherwise lost films, such as the pieces from two clara bow films, red hair and three weekends (both 1928).

the program of early french shorts was quite shocking. early filmmakers weren't concerned about offending their public in the least- i counted two beheadings (one most disturbingly realistic), a couple of impalements and one short, reputedly of the follies-bergeres, with much female nudity. the presenter was just as theatrical. he burned a piece of safety stock film and then a piece of nitrate live on-stage. watching the nitrate burn made me think of the devasting fire of henri langlois' cinemateque.

a pleasant surprise was the valley of the giants (1927). a plot involving logging in the wilds of california seemed a guaranteed yawn, even if it was seemingly inspired by the big four. director charles j brabin and cinematographer ted mccord created a stunning film with gorgeous vistas complimented by a runaway train which crashed off the side of a cliff! yeah!

also:
the student prince in old heidelberg 1927
directed by ernst lubitsch
stunning, i love his silent work

camille 1921
directed by and starring alla nazimova
incredibly melodramatic yet it still made me cry

miss lulu bett 1921
directed by william c demille
fantastic acting and an ending that had the crowd cheering

p.s.
the half movie was the godless girl (1929). a demille 2-hour-plus epic about religion at the end of a very full weekend sealed its own fate.

p.p.s
leonard maltin- i was standing on the platform waiting for the trolley. next to me a noisy group was scrambling around for quarters. guess who! there are lots of famous people in sf but i never expect to see them on public transit.

i saw a cottage on dartmoor on the big screen

i have to share the most incredible cinematic experience i've ever had in a movie theatre.

photo courtesy of San Francisco Silent Film Festival

a cottage on dartmoor 1929
directed by anthony asquith
cinematography by stanley rodwell

it starts with a dramatic scene in which an escaped convict enters a lonely farmhouse. the woman, home alone, discovers him and screams- his name.

after that, the suspense hangs over the flashback that takes up most of the film. in no time, i noticed that my arm muscles hurt from clenching my fists, i was holding my breath, my pulse was racing and that sitting anywhere other than the utmost edge of my seat was way, way too far from the screen. and you know, everyone in the theatre row beside me was sitting the same way. i think at times the entire audience was holding its breath. no one was talking or fidgiting through this showing.

it was at times [often overlapping] hitchcockian in suspense, dziga-vertov-like in the editing, german-expressionist in the lighting and composition and film-noirish in the script. somehow, every element in film that creates the irresistible magic which steals my heart is combined in a cottage on dartmoor. it was a sublime hour and a half.

the musical score written and performed by stephen horne was a large portion of why the showing was so impressive. you may know from my earlier posts that i'm very discerning about musical accompaniment to silent films. now, mr horne has raised my standards much higher. it was a true soundtrack that deftly followed the on-screen action, subtly nuanced to increase the suspense and at times even completely silent. it was almost seamless- the only time my attention was drawn to the piano was to realize how it was heightening the tension, cranking it up to a delicious, almost unbearable level.

if i was independantly wealthy, i'd be following this film which is showing in film festivals around the world. somebody better put out a copy of this on dvd, and with the stephen horne score. i can't wait to get my hands on that!

read more here
and here

i rode public transit with leonard maltin

honestly, i did.
more about my experiences at the 2007 san francisco silent film festival to come.

"thither we came, and thence down in the moat...."

Kanal 1957

directed by andrzej wajda

cinematography by jerzy lipman

this was an interesting study in what film quality brings to my viewing experience. i've been watching a bunch of beautiful criterion releases lately. their high picture quality has spoiled me, to the extent of seeing Swing Time on the big screen and feeling disappointed about the scratches and jumps where the frames had deteriorated completely.

i'd already started watching the facets release of Kanal, loving how dark it was (visually and in the plot) when i found out there was a criterion version. i felt i had to abandon the first disc and finish watching the cleaner version; better to see the work of cinematographer jerzy lipman (who also filmed Knife in the Water.)

surprisingly, i much preferred the darker film i had cast aside. and its because while the criterion showed so clearly the horrors of travelling through the sewers, the facets showed what the characters had become- more ghosts then people, appearing and disappearing in unending darkness. it was a much more moving experience.

beautiful light flares.

the quote is credited to dante, spoken by the artist in response to the horrors of the sewers.

treasure in the snow

sir arne's treasure 1919

directed by mauritz stiller

camera by julius jaenzon

i sought out this film because of the set design, but watching the location shooting took my breath away. julius jaenzon, the cinematographer, was largely responsible for moving outside of the studio to capture the natural beauty of the land. he eventually went into teaching- one student was ingmar bergman's cinematographer, sven nykvist.

as in the chess player, the camera movement is remarkable. i have no idea how such smooth movement of the camera over the rough terrain is even possible. the naturalistic acting, the close matching of film speed plus this camera movement make this film feel contemporary.

adventures in early film design- repetition

a nous la liberte 1931

directed by rene clair

art direction by lazare meerson

I know this film is already well known, maybe even because of the Charlie Chaplin controversy (thought personally, I think the antics in this film are derivitive of Buster Keaton- i guess all's fair in film criticism.) What impresses me is the architecture that relentlessly reinforces Rene Clair's themes.

A major theme is repetition, evidenced by the arrangement of the actors as well as the costumes, decor and lighting. There's often an asymmetrical placement of these visual cues, so it feels as though everything continues into infinity. The situation seems hopeless and impossible to change.

Its a visual restriction of movements, pointing out the direction for characters to move.

Another theme is conformity; the straight lines and occasional curves provide the templates.

Also: why is Rene Clair so mean to his female characters? Still, this film is far more toned down than Under The Roofs of Paris where the poor female protagonist is under attack throughout the film, either directly or indirectly.

Sheesh.

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.

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.

personal film canon

FEBRUARY 2007

There are many more films I love that didn't make it onto this list. Indeed, there are many more movies that I watch more often than these. It was a definite exercise to examine why I think these films are more important. I thought about the magic created when different elements come together, and about finding intelligence within an atmosphere; but I still can't identify a common theme.

I am not ranking them as there is no reason to compare them to each other. Instead I've listed them by date - I've learned lately that technology should be judged by its time. Films are as much art as technique.

Oh, and I'm including the name of the director(s) or producers(s), although I'm not always convinced that they are responsible for what I like about the film....


1895-1897
Serpentine Dances of Chrissie Sheridan and Annabelle d. Biograph Films

1906
A Trip Down Market Street p. the Miles Brothers

1913
Suspense d. Lois Weber

1920
Manhatta d. Charles Sheeler and Paul Strand

1922
Foolish Wives d. Erich von Stroheim

1924
Greed d. Erich von Stroheim
He Who Gets Slapped d. Victor Sjostrom

1927
The Chess Player d. Raymond Bernard
The Unknown d. Tod Browning

1928
The Crowd d. King Vidor

1929
A Cottage on Dartmoor d. Anthony Asquith
Diary of a Lost Girl d. Georg W Pabst
Man With a Movie Camera d. Dziga Vertov
Pandora's Box d. Georg W Pabst
Queen Kelly d. Erich von Stroheim
Woman in the Moon d. Fritz Lang

1930
The Big Trail d. Raoul Walsh

1931
M d. Fritz Lang
Public Enemy d. William A Wellman
White Zombie d. Victor Halperin

1932
Scarface d. Howard Hawks
Vampyr d. Carl Theodor Dreyer

1933
Footlight Parade d. Lloyd Bacon
The Testament of Dr. Mabuse d. Fritz Lang

1934
L'Atalante d. Jean Vigo
Imitation of Life d. John M Stahl
The Thin Man d. W S Van Dyke

1935
Mark of the Vampire d. Tod Browning

1936
After the Thin Man d. W S Van Dyke
My Man Godfrey d. Gregory La Cava
The Petrified Forest d. Archie Mayo

1937
Snow White and the Seven Dwarves p. Walt Disney
Stage Door d. Gregory La Cava
A Star is Born d. William A Wellman

1938
The Lady Vanishes d. Alfred Hitchcock

1940
His Girl Friday d. Howard Hawks

1941
Citizen Kane d. Orsen Welles
Shadow of the Thin Man d. W S Van Dyke
Sullivan's Travels d. Preston Sturges

1942
Bambi p. Walt Disney
The Magnificent Ambersons d. Orsen Welles
The Man Who Came to Dinner d. William Keighley
To Be or Not To Be d. Ernst Lubitsch

1943
Lifeboat d. Alfred Hitchcock
Ossessione d. Luchino Visconti
Shadow of a Doubt d. Alfred Hitchcock

1944
Aventure Malgache d. Alfred Hitchcock
Double Indemnity d. Billy Wilder
Miracle of Morgan's Creek d. Preston Sturges

1945
Leave Her to Heaven d. John M Stahl
Mildred Pierce d. Michael Curtiz
The Southerner d. Jean Renoir
And Then There Were None d. Rene Clair

1946
Best Years of Our Lives d. William Wyler
Ritual in Transfigured Time d. Maya Deren

1947
Crossfire d. Edward Dmytryk
Gentlemen's Agreement d. Elia Kazan
Radio Dynamics d. Oskar Fischinger

1949
Holiday Affair d. Don Hartman
Le Sange des Betes d. Georges Franju
The Third Man d. Carol Reed
White Heat d. Raoul Walsh

1950
All About Eve d. Joseph L Mankiewicz
DOA d. Rudolph Mate
Gun Crazy d. Joseph H Lewis
Sunset Boulevard d. Billy Wilder

1951
Strangers on a Train d. Alfred Hitchcock

1953
Wages of Fear d. Henri-Georges Clouzot

1954
It Should Happen to You d. George Cukor
Rear Window d. Alfred Hitchcock
A Star is Born d. George Cukor

1955
All That Heaven Allows d. Douglas Sirk
Night of the Hunter d. Charles Laughton

1956
The Solid Gold Cadillac d. Richard Quine

1957
Desk Set d. Walter Lang

1958
A Night To Remember d.Roy Ward Baker

1959
Fires on the Plain d. Kon Ichikawa
North By Northwest d. Alfred Hitchcock
Wedlock House an Intercourse d. Stan Brakhage

1960
Jazz on a Summer's Day d. Bert Stern
Psycho d. Alfred Hitchcock
Yeux Sans Visage d. Georges Franju

1962
Carnival of Souls d. Herk Harvey
Days of Wine and Roses d. Blake Edwards

1963
Lord of the Flies d. Peter Brook

1964
Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer p. Rankin /Bass

1965
A Charlie Brown Christmas d. Bill Melendez
The Collector d. William Wyler

1966
Mademoiselle d. Tony Richardson
Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf d. Mike Nichols

1967
Point Blank d. John Boorman

1968
Bullitt d. Peter Yates
Razor Blades d. Paul Sharits
The Swimmer d. Frank Perry

1971
The Abominable Dr. Phibes d. Robert Fuest

1973
Badlands d. Terrence Malick
Don't Look Now d. Nicolas Roeg
Paper Moon d. Peter Bogdanovich

1974
The Conversation d. Francis Ford Coppola
Day of the Locust d. John Schlesinger

1975
Monty Python and the Holy Grail d. Gilliam/ Jones
Overlord d. Stuart Cooper

1976
Carrie d. Brian De Palma
Sybil d. Daniel Petrie

1978
Halloween d. John Carpenter

1979
Kristallnacht d. Chick Strand

1980
Bad Timing d. Nicolas Roeg
The Shining d. Stanley Kubrick

1982
Blade Runner d. Ridley Scott

1985
Brazil d. Terry Gilliam
A Zed and Two Noughts d. Peter Greenaway

1987
Angel Heart d. Alan Parker
Wish You Were Here d. David Leland

1988
Drowning By Numbers d. Peter Greenaway
I... Dreaming d. Stan Brakhage

1990
Wild at Heart d. David Lynch

1991
Barton Fink d. Joel Cohen
Man Bites Dog d. Belvaux/Bonzel
Zentropa d. Lars von Trier

1992
Enchanted April d. Mike Newell

1993
Passage a l'Acte d. Martin Arnold

1994
Heavenly Creatures d. Peter Jackson
Mrs Parker and the Vicious Circle d. Alan Rudolph

1997
Butcher Boy d. Neil Jordan

1998
Last Night d. Don McKellar

2000
American Psycho d. Mary Herron
Requiem for a Dream d. Darren Aronofsky

2003
In The Cut d. Jane Camion

2006
Brilliant Noise d. Semiconductor