Last Watched
Re: Last Watched
Shoulda gone with a Maximum Overdrive sequel as their tentpole for a franchise instead, since King clearly knows movies better than Kubrick.
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St. Gloede
- Posts: 712
- Joined: Sat Feb 09, 2019 5:50 pm
The Twentieth Century (2019, Matthew Rankin)
The Twentienth Century is a visually breathtaking, thoroughly bizarre and certifiably campy reimaging of the rise to power of one William Lyon Mackenzie King - one of Canada's longest-serving prime ministers and a symbol of pre and post WW2 Canada.
In this reality Canada is a poor, gaslighted and willing prisoner of a Fascistic Britain - represented by Lord Protector Moto - and flying the flag of the "Old Disappointment". Canadian citizens are to "do more than expected, and accept less than deserved". Freedom is terrorism, loyalty is all - and democracy is nowhere to be seen: replaced by baby seal clubbing, the art of passive aggressiveness - and a long line of other great trials of "Canadian manhood".
The stylization here is simply exquisite. We see old, outdated acting styles, and a purposeful tints, degradation to time footage - though it is not the cinema of the 1900s, but the early 30s and 40s we are reminded of. Just as Rankin's countryman Guy Maddin, this is not done in a mocking way, but rather to create the feeling of a neverworld, a surreal, eerie pastiche reality where extreme patriotism, ridiculous trials, men playing women, women playing men and fake talking birds are instantly accepted.
It is near impossible not to write about The Twentieth Century without writing about Guy Maddin. The amount of work I needed to put in to not place referenced to him and his work in the first sentence can hardly be described. The Twentieth Century simply invites too many comparisons, and can, if taken badly, be accused of plagiarising one of the last centuries most unique styles. The acting style, and the way the bizarre neverworld is created, where the ridiculous is simultaneously fitting and amusing - is unmistakable.
However, there are clear differences. Where Maddin uses his style solely to create unique worlds, dissect his own memory and present a personal, introspective form of cinematic poetry coupled with the amazing and the ridiculous - The Twentieth Century do it in the aim of cultural and political examination - in a light-hearted but still extremely slick way. Rankin is also not incorporating Maddin's silent aesthetics - and does something far different - and spectacular in crafting bring, minimalist outside sets - perhaps best described as sets from German expressionist plays shot almost as if in neon colours - though the minimalist here goes even further.
I also have to say that this is a degree of ingenuity, passion and drive that Maddin has been sorely lacking of late. While it may be dismissed as a copy, I'd praise it as a continuation of a style that should be used more often - and an exercise within it that rivals Maddin's very best.
The Twentieth Century is absolutely hilarious in its spin on Canada's place 120 years ago - as well as the 20th century as a whole. It is always playful - the tone is spot on - the actors all deliver incredible and pitch-perfect performances within this campy neverworld - and the balance between comedy, visual art and play is incredible to observe. It does not just get bogged into a fun exercise, it contains emotion and depth - and is one of the few magnificent films you can truly get lost within. There are so many details, so much play, so much clear passion that it is - if this style is alluring to you - hard not to love every single second.
9.5/10
The Twentienth Century is a visually breathtaking, thoroughly bizarre and certifiably campy reimaging of the rise to power of one William Lyon Mackenzie King - one of Canada's longest-serving prime ministers and a symbol of pre and post WW2 Canada.
In this reality Canada is a poor, gaslighted and willing prisoner of a Fascistic Britain - represented by Lord Protector Moto - and flying the flag of the "Old Disappointment". Canadian citizens are to "do more than expected, and accept less than deserved". Freedom is terrorism, loyalty is all - and democracy is nowhere to be seen: replaced by baby seal clubbing, the art of passive aggressiveness - and a long line of other great trials of "Canadian manhood".
The stylization here is simply exquisite. We see old, outdated acting styles, and a purposeful tints, degradation to time footage - though it is not the cinema of the 1900s, but the early 30s and 40s we are reminded of. Just as Rankin's countryman Guy Maddin, this is not done in a mocking way, but rather to create the feeling of a neverworld, a surreal, eerie pastiche reality where extreme patriotism, ridiculous trials, men playing women, women playing men and fake talking birds are instantly accepted.
It is near impossible not to write about The Twentieth Century without writing about Guy Maddin. The amount of work I needed to put in to not place referenced to him and his work in the first sentence can hardly be described. The Twentieth Century simply invites too many comparisons, and can, if taken badly, be accused of plagiarising one of the last centuries most unique styles. The acting style, and the way the bizarre neverworld is created, where the ridiculous is simultaneously fitting and amusing - is unmistakable.
However, there are clear differences. Where Maddin uses his style solely to create unique worlds, dissect his own memory and present a personal, introspective form of cinematic poetry coupled with the amazing and the ridiculous - The Twentieth Century do it in the aim of cultural and political examination - in a light-hearted but still extremely slick way. Rankin is also not incorporating Maddin's silent aesthetics - and does something far different - and spectacular in crafting bring, minimalist outside sets - perhaps best described as sets from German expressionist plays shot almost as if in neon colours - though the minimalist here goes even further.
I also have to say that this is a degree of ingenuity, passion and drive that Maddin has been sorely lacking of late. While it may be dismissed as a copy, I'd praise it as a continuation of a style that should be used more often - and an exercise within it that rivals Maddin's very best.
The Twentieth Century is absolutely hilarious in its spin on Canada's place 120 years ago - as well as the 20th century as a whole. It is always playful - the tone is spot on - the actors all deliver incredible and pitch-perfect performances within this campy neverworld - and the balance between comedy, visual art and play is incredible to observe. It does not just get bogged into a fun exercise, it contains emotion and depth - and is one of the few magnificent films you can truly get lost within. There are so many details, so much play, so much clear passion that it is - if this style is alluring to you - hard not to love every single second.
9.5/10
FAMILY PLOT -- there it was on TCM, and I just kind of fell into it, and found myself digging it enough to watch it straight through, and its a good time mainly, despite some terribly dated 1970s blue-screen stuff that sticks out like a sore thumb these days. Enjoyable, agreeable. When Christopher Nolan makes a film this engaging I'll eat it frame by frame.
These matters are best disposed of from a great height. Over water.
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St. Gloede
- Posts: 712
- Joined: Sat Feb 09, 2019 5:50 pm
Just saw two great African films from 2020 - from Angola and Nigeira respectively:
Ar Condicionado / Air Conditioner (2020, Fradique)
In a world where air conditioners are coming crashing down around them - with accusations that it is a conspiracy involving China and the fan-industry: Air Conditioner paves out a clever, quirky and outlandish piece of magical realism.
It is quick to establish eerie, yet comical overtones, but what is perhaps most impressive is how its unique scenario only serves as a backdrop for an examination of class relations, and most poignantly the life of Angola's working classes - their poverty - and their need for some kind of escape.
The feeling of poverty, the sense of escape - and the increasingly strange and unsettling happenstance of falling ACs is brought to life with stunning cinematography, and hypnotic long takes. You can feel the heat and even more impressive - you can feel dreams come to life - and the little moments become magical. The music use is wonderful, and the small, quicky gallery of characters and bizarre interactions are a joy to observe.
8-8.5/10
Eyimofe / This is My Desire (2019, Arie Esiri, Chuko Esiri)
Eyimofe is a shining example of a new phenomenon in Nigeria: independent productions outside of the Nollywood - something that has already gained international attention with the Beyond Nollywood slate at Film Africa 2020, and resulting in double-page coverage - focused on primarily on this film in Sight & Sound - which is where I heard about it and decided to tack this film down.
Eyimofe is a slow-brooding exploration of the want of a better life outside of Nigeria. It depicts poverty in Lagos is striking detail as we explore two dreams/desires, two stories - taking place in the same neighbourhood - but not intersecting beyond thematic of money, passports and a long grind as straws are clutched and dreams are put under tighter and tighter odds - is the desire of escape even worth it at the consequences they may entail?
The way it portrays power relations, be it in the form of hazardous, unrewarding work and Kafkaesque bureaucracy in our first tale - or the pressure from landlords, and the impossibility of equality and true romance in the second - or, evidenced in both - what poverty may make you do or accept - and what happens if the world around you finally cracks you.
It is interesting to compare Air Conditioner and Eyimofe as they are both so similar and so different. Both look at the lower working class and their dreams - yet the former does it with surreal, quirky overtones, comedy, magical realism and beautiful visuals. Eyimofe is far more low-key - driven by story and characters. However, it is still astute in its observations and details, as well as the slow and careful way it shows the grind of every day - and draws up distinctions on class, wealth and power. A relationship in the second tale, between a poor young woman and a relatively wealthy white American jumps into remarkably interesting psychology - and diverging realities.
8/10
Ar Condicionado / Air Conditioner (2020, Fradique)
In a world where air conditioners are coming crashing down around them - with accusations that it is a conspiracy involving China and the fan-industry: Air Conditioner paves out a clever, quirky and outlandish piece of magical realism.
It is quick to establish eerie, yet comical overtones, but what is perhaps most impressive is how its unique scenario only serves as a backdrop for an examination of class relations, and most poignantly the life of Angola's working classes - their poverty - and their need for some kind of escape.
The feeling of poverty, the sense of escape - and the increasingly strange and unsettling happenstance of falling ACs is brought to life with stunning cinematography, and hypnotic long takes. You can feel the heat and even more impressive - you can feel dreams come to life - and the little moments become magical. The music use is wonderful, and the small, quicky gallery of characters and bizarre interactions are a joy to observe.
8-8.5/10
Eyimofe / This is My Desire (2019, Arie Esiri, Chuko Esiri)
Eyimofe is a shining example of a new phenomenon in Nigeria: independent productions outside of the Nollywood - something that has already gained international attention with the Beyond Nollywood slate at Film Africa 2020, and resulting in double-page coverage - focused on primarily on this film in Sight & Sound - which is where I heard about it and decided to tack this film down.
Eyimofe is a slow-brooding exploration of the want of a better life outside of Nigeria. It depicts poverty in Lagos is striking detail as we explore two dreams/desires, two stories - taking place in the same neighbourhood - but not intersecting beyond thematic of money, passports and a long grind as straws are clutched and dreams are put under tighter and tighter odds - is the desire of escape even worth it at the consequences they may entail?
The way it portrays power relations, be it in the form of hazardous, unrewarding work and Kafkaesque bureaucracy in our first tale - or the pressure from landlords, and the impossibility of equality and true romance in the second - or, evidenced in both - what poverty may make you do or accept - and what happens if the world around you finally cracks you.
It is interesting to compare Air Conditioner and Eyimofe as they are both so similar and so different. Both look at the lower working class and their dreams - yet the former does it with surreal, quirky overtones, comedy, magical realism and beautiful visuals. Eyimofe is far more low-key - driven by story and characters. However, it is still astute in its observations and details, as well as the slow and careful way it shows the grind of every day - and draws up distinctions on class, wealth and power. A relationship in the second tale, between a poor young woman and a relatively wealthy white American jumps into remarkably interesting psychology - and diverging realities.
8/10
Where or how did you see them? Air Conditioner looks really interesting.Just saw two great African films from 2020 - from Angola and Nigeira respectively:
posted in the place! (looked interesting to me too; i've downloaded it and i might remember to watch it, ca. 2034)
haywire (steven soderbergh) dayum! soderbergh's hong kong action flick. storywise, it's pointillist, with soderbergh minimally connecting the dots just to keep up the momentum. dialogue, plot points, story arcs, everything is stripped of anything superfluous, but not in an oblique the limits of control-esque way; instead, soderbergh upends genre constraints by taking the norms, and fine-tuning them until they seem like idiosyncrasies. meanwhile, the action is brilliantly choreographed and brutal. don't think i've seen such a physical female presence on film before cuz gina carano is an absolute beast. also - and i'm sure someone somewhere has noticed this before, but... - it's so awesome that soderbergh made this the same year he made magic mike. for his double feature, the dude made a chick flick for guys, and a badass action movie for girls. gonna go back to the soderbergh mini-poll now to see how well this did, and who all voted for it. in hindsight, this probs woulda taken the top spot on my list tbh
thought russell mulcahy's silent trigger was as good and odd as it's (small but vocal) cult makes it out to be, a beautiful designed action whatsit that seems like someone machine translated a walter hill script into italian and then back into english, every performer (especially dolph lundrgen) a perfectly shaped cartoon abstraction, the weird half finished skyscraper set like a minimalist parody of die hard's nakatomi plaza.
love how they include just enough action flashbacks to disguise the fact that this is largely a film about waiting for the inevitable to happen, great cheap '90s score with sub trip hop drums and light synth washes.
there is a not small chance that toriyama was probably into mulcahy's highlander
Saw Jodie Mack’s The Grand Bizarre recently. My response was kind of ambivalent. First, I found the fusion of stop-motion textiles and inventive soundscapes quite exhilarating. This is clearly a super-talented artist at the top of her game. Unfortunately, the magic faded away gradually. Granted, my interest in abstract art and the avant-garde and semiotics and such is quite slim, so this would have worked better for me if it were a 10-minute short rather than an hour-long feature.
But beyond that, something about this movie’s celebration as a profound rumination on globalization kind of rubbed me the wrong way. Maybe it is my current head space? I blame the politics thread. Globalization, really? Where are the workers who made all these textiles? Where did Jodie hide them? The thing smacked a little of frivolous sightseeing. Not that there is anything wrong with that. Maybe what I found unconvincing is linked to this, from an interview with Mack:
I had no single perspective on this, and my experience of it all was like a feedback chamber. All of this information was contradicting everything else. Like, “Hey, it’s wrong to outsource your clothing labour to Bangladesh, except these people need the money,” or “Tourism is wrong but the people there really need your money,” or “Reuse things or waste water to clean them?” It’s just an endless feedback chamber of the right and wrong way to look at these things.
This was reminiscent of tedious cost-benefit analysis conversations I read at message boards where I work debating hand-washing your glassware versus using the dishwasher versus plastic cups. The struggle for a better world is reduced to this. Kind of weak sauce approaching Nicholas Kristof territory on some level. Mack is just too good-natured and laid back to muster any anger or outrage at anything:
the movie is about being trapped within this system where things are super-gross. We’re at the point where being vocally critical about such things is redundant or meaningless. For example, the internet and contemporary protest, where we as individuals can share our beliefs all day, but at the same time still invisibly oppress those who are making the phones or the computers. There’s always this food chain of oppression going on.
A critical stance is redundant and meaningless. Let us just enjoy those beautiful textiles. Don’t be a buzz kill, K. I’m probably being unfair, and even more probably misreading her; she’s clearly a thoughtful person, just too chill and happy for me at this juncture.
Here is one bit I agreed with though:
I love all things avant-garde, but I also love the idea of a world that doesn’t need an avant-garde. Just look at who gets called a contemporary textile artist compared to who makes textiles that get shown in a natural history museum as an artifact. That is the border between art and craft.
Absolutely, Jodie. I would have rather watched a movie about those who made the textiles, even if it isn't as polished and technically masterful as yours.
But beyond that, something about this movie’s celebration as a profound rumination on globalization kind of rubbed me the wrong way. Maybe it is my current head space? I blame the politics thread. Globalization, really? Where are the workers who made all these textiles? Where did Jodie hide them? The thing smacked a little of frivolous sightseeing. Not that there is anything wrong with that. Maybe what I found unconvincing is linked to this, from an interview with Mack:
I had no single perspective on this, and my experience of it all was like a feedback chamber. All of this information was contradicting everything else. Like, “Hey, it’s wrong to outsource your clothing labour to Bangladesh, except these people need the money,” or “Tourism is wrong but the people there really need your money,” or “Reuse things or waste water to clean them?” It’s just an endless feedback chamber of the right and wrong way to look at these things.
This was reminiscent of tedious cost-benefit analysis conversations I read at message boards where I work debating hand-washing your glassware versus using the dishwasher versus plastic cups. The struggle for a better world is reduced to this. Kind of weak sauce approaching Nicholas Kristof territory on some level. Mack is just too good-natured and laid back to muster any anger or outrage at anything:
the movie is about being trapped within this system where things are super-gross. We’re at the point where being vocally critical about such things is redundant or meaningless. For example, the internet and contemporary protest, where we as individuals can share our beliefs all day, but at the same time still invisibly oppress those who are making the phones or the computers. There’s always this food chain of oppression going on.
A critical stance is redundant and meaningless. Let us just enjoy those beautiful textiles. Don’t be a buzz kill, K. I’m probably being unfair, and even more probably misreading her; she’s clearly a thoughtful person, just too chill and happy for me at this juncture.
Here is one bit I agreed with though:
I love all things avant-garde, but I also love the idea of a world that doesn’t need an avant-garde. Just look at who gets called a contemporary textile artist compared to who makes textiles that get shown in a natural history museum as an artifact. That is the border between art and craft.
Absolutely, Jodie. I would have rather watched a movie about those who made the textiles, even if it isn't as polished and technically masterful as yours.
i have a similar reaction to this one. and i love jodie's shorts. if this was 5 mins long, maybe
this went on so long i felt like she was exploiting world cultures herself lol
this went on so long i felt like she was exploiting world cultures herself lol
that film made me think of the opening of saeed akhtar mirza's arvind desai, which explicitly pairs the abstract patterns of textiles to the labor behind them (and then the overpriced selling of them in urban shops).
i actually don't think mack is wrong for not pushing in those direction but i do think once you stretch this past a certain length you start to think about other associations...
i actually don't think mack is wrong for not pushing in those direction but i do think once you stretch this past a certain length you start to think about other associations...
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Evelyn Library P.I.
- Posts: 1370
- Joined: Thu Dec 20, 2018 10:36 pm
Yeah, I agree with that criticism and certainly regard those interview responses as shallow and frustrating. I saw her talk about it live after a screening, and I think it's fair to say that she implied that her film criticized an imperialism of trade and commodification of local cultures, which I really don't see expressed meaningfully in the film. Mack has been one of my favourite working filmmakers, but I'm quite confident that if I actually sat down and had a conversation with her she would remind me of all the art school kids I wasn't intellectually compatible with.
Mack's larger emphasis in her Q&A, which is what I think the film is really about, was on playing with the role of pattern-seeking and sign-using in human cognition's search after meaning. The content of the film mirrors the viewer's own search to understand the themes of the film. That latter feature is what made me greatly enjoy the film on first viewing: the pleasure and frustration of searching after meaning in an ever-expanding mosaic of symbols.
But I agree with you that I don't see in the film any significant commentary of a political or economic nature, which Mack claims for the film or at least is willing to offer in interviews about the film. After all, whatever commentary that would be in the film would have to be quite shallow, given that the film has extremely limited linguistic content and thus limited capacity to explicitly form the arguments necessary to make substantive political or economic commentary.
Mack's larger emphasis in her Q&A, which is what I think the film is really about, was on playing with the role of pattern-seeking and sign-using in human cognition's search after meaning. The content of the film mirrors the viewer's own search to understand the themes of the film. That latter feature is what made me greatly enjoy the film on first viewing: the pleasure and frustration of searching after meaning in an ever-expanding mosaic of symbols.
But I agree with you that I don't see in the film any significant commentary of a political or economic nature, which Mack claims for the film or at least is willing to offer in interviews about the film. After all, whatever commentary that would be in the film would have to be quite shallow, given that the film has extremely limited linguistic content and thus limited capacity to explicitly form the arguments necessary to make substantive political or economic commentary.
magdalena montezuma's version of the fritz lang indian tomb snake dance in schroeter's der bomberpilot is one of the great moments of movies
watched one of flip's favs: forough farrokhzad's the house is black; and wow. really striking, powerful stuff. normally not a huge fan of 'lyrical' films, as they're all too often prone to awkward pans and tilts and other camera/editing tricks that are supposed to be dreamily subjective and visionary, but just come off as aimless and jarring and ugly in my eyes. but this one, yeah; this is how you make an expressive essay film. terrence malick's entire output combined post-badlands can't hold a candle to the poetic transcendence in these 20+ minutes
I tracked down a film I’ve been interested in for a while, Sürkület (English translation: Twilight), by the Hungarian director Gyorgy Feher. I have a big admiration for Bela Tarr but very limited knowledge of Hungarian cinema outside of him. I think besides Tarr, Miklos Jancso was the only Hungarian filmmaker I had even seen actually. Anyway, the outline of Sürkület - a policeman becomes obsessed with a mysterious serial killing case - and comparisons with Tarr’s work, appealed to me. Immediately, it was obvious the style was an influence to Tarr. I’d read comparisons but I didn’t actually know until researching after that the two were friends, with Tarr co-writing another of Feher’s films. The camera work was highly reminiscent of Tarr, as was the bleak atmospheric style and dialogue. The film, like most of Tarr’s work, is also shot in black and white, which suits it very much. I didn’t know too much going in but it was a little weirder and more fantastical than I anticipated, there were scenes that reminded me of Lynch and Kyoshi Kurosawa more than Tarr in fact. The atmosphere was brilliantly crafted - mostly through slow shots and a haunting score, I wished I were watching it in the cinema and not a mediocre DVD copy. Definitely it was something that I will have to revisit - this was no straightforward serial killer mystery but something far more fantastical, symbolic and complex than I was anticipating. There were lots of religious and philosophical undertones, not all of which I was able to concretely pick up on with this first viewing. For anyone who likes Tarr, Lynch, Kyoshi Kurosawa etc, this may be worth a look.
at least a couple of us here did a bit of a dive into hungarian cinema over the summer, because some national cultural org made a lot of hungarian film available in good subtitled prints for free on youtube, i think to give people something to do during lockdowns. i saw quite a few interesting 1960s films, by istvan gaal, ferenc kosa, marton keleti, miklos jancso and zoltan fabri. from that period, jancso and zoltan huszarik from my limited viewing seem the most unique directors, and the only ones i could even tenuously connect with tarr. the other filmmakers were either working in a kind of poetic elliptical narrative vein, or were making more conventional cinema. zoltan fabri was the big discovery for me, though he's not an experimental filmmaker - his films were just really good. i've been meaning to check out feher for years, and i'll make that a higher priority after reading your description of twilight. and welcome to scfz!Aberration wrote: ↑Thu Jan 14, 2021 12:03 am I think besides Tarr, Miklos Jancso was the only Hungarian filmmaker I had even seen actually.
Yes, that was one of the highlights of my 2020 film viewing. From around March to June they were on Vimeo actually, linked through this page (which still shows the titles), but they also have a YouTube channel here (only a bunch of clips now, it seems).flip wrote: ↑Thu Jan 14, 2021 6:32 amat least a couple of us here did a bit of a dive into hungarian cinema over the summer, because some national cultural org made a lot of hungarian film available in good subtitled prints for free on youtube.Aberration wrote: ↑Thu Jan 14, 2021 12:03 am I think besides Tarr, Miklos Jancso was the only Hungarian filmmaker I had even seen actually.
I don't think I've seen films by more than three or four Hungarian directors, but my favourite by far is Fábri.
Ah, that's frustrating that I somehow missed that offering of free Hungarian films, things like that usually turn up some hidden gems. Thanks for the welcome, I am a long-time lurker and admirer of scfz's lists, but have always shied away from posting because my film knowledge is rather lacking in comparison to most of you guys.flip wrote: ↑Thu Jan 14, 2021 6:32 amat least a couple of us here did a bit of a dive into hungarian cinema over the summer, because some national cultural org made a lot of hungarian film available in good subtitled prints for free on youtube, i think to give people something to do during lockdowns. i saw quite a few interesting 1960s films, by istvan gaal, ferenc kosa, marton keleti, miklos jancso and zoltan fabri. from that period, jancso and zoltan huszarik from my limited viewing seem the most unique directors, and the only ones i could even tenuously connect with tarr. the other filmmakers were either working in a kind of poetic elliptical narrative vein, or were making more conventional cinema. zoltan fabri was the big discovery for me, though he's not an experimental filmmaker - his films were just really good. i've been meaning to check out feher for years, and i'll make that a higher priority after reading your description of twilight. and welcome to scfz!Aberration wrote: ↑Thu Jan 14, 2021 12:03 am I think besides Tarr, Miklos Jancso was the only Hungarian filmmaker I had even seen actually.
Fábri is next on my radar for Hungary. The Fifth Seal sounds very much up my alley. Is there anything else that is especially worth watching by him? The rest of his films sound completely different to that one.
yeah, the fifth seal looks really good, but i haven't seen it - if that's the one that looks most interesting, then it's probably a good one to try. merry-go-round is the other fabri that's high on my watchlist. i've seen three, the toth family, professor hannibal, and edes anna, and i'd rank them in that order, but i thought the first two were great and the third good. other people here have a much better overview on fabri than i have, so maybe someone else will be able to give some more-informed recs.
I've only seen Körhinta and Édes Anna. Both of them excellent, with the first my favourite of the two.Aberration wrote: ↑Thu Jan 14, 2021 12:39 pm Fábri is next on my radar for Hungary. Is there anything else that is especially worth watching by him?
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Joks Trois
- Posts: 361
- Joined: Sun Dec 16, 2018 9:51 am
Feher was a damn good film maker. Have you seen Passion? It's so much better than other film adaptations of The Postman Always Rings Twice. Your comparison to Kurosawa is interesting, but he only wishes he could be this good. I'd take Twilight over Cure any day of the goddamn week! It's also a far better film than The Man From London, which is the Tarr film that is probably the closest to it in style/genre.Aberration wrote: ↑Thu Jan 14, 2021 12:03 am I tracked down a film I’ve been interested in for a while, Sürkület (English translation: Twilight), by the Hungarian director Gyorgy Feher. I have a big admiration for Bela Tarr but very limited knowledge of Hungarian cinema outside of him. I think besides Tarr, Miklos Jancso was the only Hungarian filmmaker I had even seen actually. Anyway, the outline of Sürkület - a policeman becomes obsessed with a mysterious serial killing case - and comparisons with Tarr’s work, appealed to me. Immediately, it was obvious the style was an influence to Tarr. I’d read comparisons but I didn’t actually know until researching after that the two were friends, with Tarr co-writing another of Feher’s films. The camera work was highly reminiscent of Tarr, as was the bleak atmospheric style and dialogue. The film, like most of Tarr’s work, is also shot in black and white, which suits it very much. I didn’t know too much going in but it was a little weirder and more fantastical than I anticipated, there were scenes that reminded me of Lynch and Kyoshi Kurosawa more than Tarr in fact. The atmosphere was brilliantly crafted - mostly through slow shots and a haunting score, I wished I were watching it in the cinema and not a mediocre DVD copy. Definitely it was something that I will have to revisit - this was no straightforward serial killer mystery but something far more fantastical, symbolic and complex than I was anticipating. There were lots of religious and philosophical undertones, not all of which I was able to concretely pick up on with this first viewing. For anyone who likes Tarr, Lynch, Kyoshi Kurosawa etc, this may be worth a look.
I really hope Twilight is properly restored and released on blu-ray. The only version I've seen is one from Hungarian TV or video.
All the Fábri films I watched are well worth seeing, but I'll take Twenty Hours (Húsz óra) over The Fifth Seal. Both examine the horrors of WWII, but I find the less direct approach more moving.
No, I can’t seem to find Passion anywhere so have yet to see it but that is definitely the film of his I most want to watch next. Interestingly, Bela Tarr is also listed as a co-writer for that. Like you I preferred Twilight to Cure, I just felt some resemblance there. As for The Man From London, funnily enough I only watched that for the first time very recently (within the last week) and it was definitely the weakest of Tarr’s films post Autumn Almanac, though still beautifully shot in places. I too would love to watch a restored version of Twilight one day.Joks Trois wrote: ↑Fri Jan 15, 2021 5:34 amFeher was a damn good film maker. Have you seen Passion? It's so much better than other film adaptations of The Postman Always Rings Twice. Your comparison to Kurosawa is interesting, but he only wishes he could be this good. I'd take Twilight over Cure any day of the goddamn week! It's also a far better film than The Man From London, which is the Tarr film that is probably the closest to it in style/genre.Aberration wrote: ↑Thu Jan 14, 2021 12:03 am I tracked down a film I’ve been interested in for a while, Sürkület (English translation: Twilight), by the Hungarian director Gyorgy Feher. I have a big admiration for Bela Tarr but very limited knowledge of Hungarian cinema outside of him. I think besides Tarr, Miklos Jancso was the only Hungarian filmmaker I had even seen actually. Anyway, the outline of Sürkület - a policeman becomes obsessed with a mysterious serial killing case - and comparisons with Tarr’s work, appealed to me. Immediately, it was obvious the style was an influence to Tarr. I’d read comparisons but I didn’t actually know until researching after that the two were friends, with Tarr co-writing another of Feher’s films. The camera work was highly reminiscent of Tarr, as was the bleak atmospheric style and dialogue. The film, like most of Tarr’s work, is also shot in black and white, which suits it very much. I didn’t know too much going in but it was a little weirder and more fantastical than I anticipated, there were scenes that reminded me of Lynch and Kyoshi Kurosawa more than Tarr in fact. The atmosphere was brilliantly crafted - mostly through slow shots and a haunting score, I wished I were watching it in the cinema and not a mediocre DVD copy. Definitely it was something that I will have to revisit - this was no straightforward serial killer mystery but something far more fantastical, symbolic and complex than I was anticipating. There were lots of religious and philosophical undertones, not all of which I was able to concretely pick up on with this first viewing. For anyone who likes Tarr, Lynch, Kyoshi Kurosawa etc, this may be worth a look.
I really hope Twilight is properly restored and released on blu-ray. The only version I've seen is one from Hungarian TV or video.
Thanks all for the Fabri recs. I will see what I can dig up.
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St. Gloede
- Posts: 712
- Joined: Sat Feb 09, 2019 5:50 pm
Hungary is undoubtedly a very underrated film nation. I have gone through a few batches of diving into Hungarian film, in large part driven by my love for Fabri. Here's my 40 favourite Hungarian films if anyone need some recommendations:https://letterboxd.com/gloede/list/my-f ... ian-films/
As for directors I'd say:
Fabri
Szabo
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Jancso
Bacso
Makk
Tarr
As for directors I'd say:
Fabri
Szabo
-
Jancso
Bacso
Makk
Tarr
Lubitsch's DESIGN FOR LIVING, and despite some glimmers from the male cast it's just not good.
Kubrick's job for hire SPARTACUS -- pretty good overall, watched straight through for the first time in years. The performances are first rate, except for the execrable John Dall who just can't get out a sentence that sounds like a human being is talking.
Kubrick's job for hire SPARTACUS -- pretty good overall, watched straight through for the first time in years. The performances are first rate, except for the execrable John Dall who just can't get out a sentence that sounds like a human being is talking.
These matters are best disposed of from a great height. Over water.
W.S. Van Dyke's AFTER THE THIN MAN, the second in the series with Myrna Loy and William Powell, and a significant letdown from the speedy brilliance of the first film. You just can't beat the chemistry between Loy and Powell, and they manage moments of sheer genius together and alone. The story is clumsy, the direction is awkward, too many roadblocks in the shape of unnecessary musical numbers and comedy routines involving drunken people who don't hold their liquor as enchantingly as the Charleses do, and worst of all some agonizingly unfunny business involving Asta and Mrs. Asta. Good old Joseph Calleia shows up, and James Stewart shows, in this early performance, that he was already pretty much head and shoulders over most other actors of the era. Can't imagine sitting through it again.
These matters are best disposed of from a great height. Over water.