DIRECTORS

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Fire Within (1963)

Image
  Louis Malle's "The Fire Within" The first thing I noticed while watching Louis Malle's 1963 film " The Fire Within " was it's lack of music or soundtrack. Aesthetic choice perhaps. After all, Malle is an engineer of the Nouvelle Vague movement. It's safe to assume that some creative liberties were to be used. However, " The Fire Within " was far from the typical style that Nouvelle Vague had become known for. The film centers on Alain, a rehabilitating alcoholic who vows to kill himself by the end of the week. He is separated from his wife, Dorothy, who is living in New York, while he rehabilitates in a clinic. After leaving the clinic, he meets up with various former friends and associates. None of them are able to convince him that life is worth living, however. To entrench our character's story with the malaise of his own emptiness, Malle really makes the atmosphere as dry as possible. The story plods along without any kinetic ener...
Read more

Humanity and Paper Balloons (1937)

Image
  Sadao Yamanaka's "Humanity and Paper Balloons" In his very brief career, Japanese director Sadao Yamanaka only made 3 feature length films. All 3 made an enormous impact in Japanese culture and are still praised by the film community today. The final of the 3 films he made, 1937's " Humanity and Paper Balloons " is perhaps the very reason his life was cut short. At the time of the film's release, the Japanese government had already invaded China and was exponentially building its militia. They felt as though Yamanka's film damaged the nationalistic and militaristic viewpoint they were trying to instill in the country. Because they were so displeased with the 'message' of the film, they sent Yamanaka to the Chinese front, where he died a year later in 1938. The reason for this retribution by the Japanese government was because the film focuses on a group of characters who actively display the worst attributes of Japanese society. Yamanaka...
Read more

Two or Three Things I Know About Her (1967)

Image
  Jean-Luc Godard's "Two or Three Things I Know About Her" As with many other Jean-Luc Godard films, " Two or Three Things I Know About Her " packs lots of ideas into a single, short viewing experience. What's unique about it is the seemingly open metatextual format of the film. Meaning, Godard includes the viewer in on the process and ruminations on the arbitrary choices made in the film. Released in 1967, " Two or Three Things I Know About Her " acts more like an essay film, one that critiques modern consumerism and capitalism. The plot of the film centers on 24 hours in the sophisticated, but empty life of Juliette: a wife, a mother, and a prostitute. After dropping her children off with a man who watches prostitutes' children, she goes shopping for dresses, drink coffee in a cafe, has appointment with clients, and visits a beauty salon. All the while, Godard's metatextuality bleeds through with interspersed shots of construction work in...
Read more