Ingrid Jungermann
writer.director : film.theaterWilmington, NC
clouds huddle overhead: ghosts of hunched athletes passed, crammed
together like particles of pressure, the stubborn space between magnet and polar opposite.
down south, the sky does not often break in summertime;
it leaks, panics, patches the hole, then erases its own memory,
clearing the way for a reckless blue that can only be tamed
by wrapping your skin tight ’round it
on the clear wind of a dream.
NYU Film List: “Battleship Potemkin” (USSR, 1925)
Director/Writer: Sergei M. Eisenstein/Nina Agadzhanova
Director of Photography: Eduard Tisse
IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0015648/
Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Battleship_Potemkin
Video/Trailer: http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-1630669376406423668
Summary (from IMDB): Based on the historical events the movie tells the story of a riot at the battleship Potemkin. What started as a protest strike when the crew was given rotten meat for dinner ended in a riot. The sailors raised the red flag and tried to ignite the revolution in their home port Odessa. Written by Konstantin Dlutskii.
The movie revolves around an uprising on board the Battleship Potemkin (Bronenoset Potemkin) in 1905. Conditions on the ship are unbearable, which in turn incites revolutionary fervor among the sailors, most notably within the character of Vakulinchik. After the ship’s doctor declares rancid meat safe to eat, the sailors buy provisions at the canteen in a show of protest. The Admiral then orders all those who ate the borsch made with the meat to step under the cannons in a show of loyalty. Those who do not are covered under a tarp and ordered shot. Vakulinchik then implores his shipmates to rise up against those who oppress them, namely the officers of the ship. All the officers are killed and the ship is liberated. During the uprising, Vakulinchik dies. His body his placed on the docks in the Odessa harbor as a symbol of the revolution. The citizens of Odessa rally around his body and join the Potemkin in their revolt. Cossaks then come, in one of the most famous scenes of the film, and slaughter the helpless citizens on the steps leading to the harbor, effectively ending the revolt in Odessa. A fleet of battleships then comes to destroy the Potemkin… Written by Ravindra Rayasam.
My Take: Most memorable moment? Baby carriage scene. A mother is shot and killed while attempting to escape from a massacre. She stands in front of the carriage and as she falls to her death, the carriage is pushed down a long stretch of steps. We know the fate of the baby but cannot help hoping someone makes a break for it to earn the badge of hero(ine). No one does.
Powerful film in that even in silence, conflict is apparent. The director also utilized a commanding, poignant soundtrack to illustrate action and elicit emotion.
NYU Film List: “Woman Under the Influence” (USA, 1974)
Director/Writer: John Cassavetes
Director of Photography: Mitch Breit, Al Ruban
IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0045274/
Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Woman_Under_the_Influence
Video/Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2rgQIOxWeEk
Summary (from IMDB): Peter Falk is a blue collar man trying to deal with his wife’s mental instability. He fights to keep a semblance of normality in the face of her bizarre behavior, but when her actions affect their children, he has her committed. Written by BA Jacobson.
My take: I love, love, love this movie. Second time I’ve seen it and liked it even more this time. I’m a sucker for Cassavetes but even more so for Gena Rowlands, so game over for me. Dialogue and acting? Flawless. Such an honest view of a relationship. This time, I recognized similarities with “Rosemary’s Baby,” a film that featured Cassavetes as an actor. In the end of “A Woman Under the Influence,” the family almost treats Rowlands character like Farrow’s character – she is to be feared yet protected, silenced yet set free from the confines of her own mind. I could go on and on about his movie but I have over 40 more to watch so for the two people reading this, gotta go.
NYU Film List: “L’Atalante” (France, 1934)
Director/Writers: Jean Vigo/Jean Guinée, Albert Riéra
Director of Photography: Boris Kaufman, Louis Berger, Jean-Paul Alphen
IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0024844/
Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/L%27Atalante
Video/Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tBmahA-JyO4
Summary (from IMDB): When Juliette marries Jean, she comes to live on his ship, on board of which are, besides the two of them, only a cabin boy and the strange old second mate Pere Jules. Soon bored by life on the river, she slips off to see the nightlife when they come to Paris. Angered by this, Jean sets off, leaving Juliette behind. Overcome by grief and longing for his wife, Jean falls into a depression and Pere Jules goes and tries to find Juliette. Written by Leon Wolters.
My take: I warmed up to this film about half way into it. The making of the movie is fascinating – the director died shortly after shooting it and it was re-edited years later to match what he would have wanted in the first place. I also find the premise intriguing – a man and woman marry, then spend their first days on a ship which evokes a feeling of suffocation, confinement, loneliness, even in the arms of someone who is suppose to bring you peace and fulfillment.
I watched this with “A Woman Under the Influence” which probably wasn’t the smartest idea since I had my fill of wife-beating. I know it happens all the time, then and now, but it makes it difficult for me to appreciate the man’s internal struggle compared to the woman’s. Understanding both characters’ turmoil equally is vital to appreciating the piece so for me, the hitting took away from the work. Yeah, yeah, maybe that’s flawed thinking but I have zero patience for abuse no matter where it occurs on a timeline.
NYU Film List: “Umberto D” (Italy, 1952)
Director/Writer: Vittorio De Sica/Cesare Zavattini
Director of Photography: Aldo Graziati (as G.R. Aldo)
IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0045274/
Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Umberto_D.
Video/Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ift2ptZ6JXE
Summary (from IMDB): Umberto Ferrari, aged government-pensioner, attends a street demonstration held by his fellow pensioners. The police dispense the crowd and Unberto returns to his cheap furnished room which he shares with his dog Flick. Umberto’s lone friend is Maria, servant of the boarding house. She is a simple girl who is pregnant by one of two soldiers and neither will admit to being the father. When Umberto’s landlady, Antonia, demands the rent owed her and threatens eviction if she is not paid, Umberto tries desperately to raise the money by selling his books and watch. He is too proud to beg in the streets and can not get a loan from any of his acquaintances. He contracts a sore throat, is admitted to a hospital and this puts a delay on his financial difficulty. Discharged, he finds that his dog is gone and, following a frantic search, locates him in the city dog pound. His room has been taken over by the landlady and the now-homeless Unberto determines to find a place for his beloved dog, and then kill himself. Unsuccessful, he resolves that his dog must die with him and he stands in the path of a train, with his dog in his arms. Written by Les Adams.
Umberto Domenico Ferrari, an elderly and retired civil servant, is desperately trying to maintain a decent standard of living on a rapidly dwindling state pension. But he’s up against his tyrannical landlady, who keeps demanding rent that he can’t pay (while renting his room out to prostitutes during the day), and his only friends are the pregnant housemaid and his little dog Flike… Written by Michael Brooke.
My take: This film didn’t exactly strike a chord in me and I think it should have. While I appreciated the day-in-the-life-of-an-old-man approach, I thought it choppy. Performance from the lead character? Irksome at best. It’s mostly him in the film and I found myself not caring whether he paid his rent or found his dog. Yawn. The dog did a great job, though. Umberto’s repetitive calling of “Flike! Flike!” has infiltrated my mind so much so that I find myself yelling it out loud during the day, especially to my own dog who tries to figure out if I’m teaching him a new word or have contracted a case of the crazies. Flike!
Oh, and the poster is cool.
NYU Film List: “Gold Rush” (USA, 1925)
Director/Writer: Charles Chaplin
Director of Photography: Roland Totheroh
IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0015864/
Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Gold_Rush
Video/Trailer: http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-3261704630520195961
Summary (from IMDB): A lone prospector ventures into Alaska looking for gold. He gets mixed up with some burly characters and falls in love with the beautiful Georgia. He tries to win her heart with his singular charm. Written by John J. Magee.
My take: This film reminded me that, these days, brilliant physical comedy has taken a backseat to toilet humor. Who is the face/voice of comedy in current films? Seth Rogen? Hmmm. The optimist in me has a hunch that mainstream films will make a turn for the better; audiences will begin to respect wit & wisdom over quick-fix one-liners. (Obama vs. Bush anyone?)
What an inspiration Charlie Chaplin is – the simplicity of this love story is smart, refreshing, surprisingly touching and made me want to familiarize myself with more of his films. I am looking forward to shooting the silent film project during our first semester.
Work-in-Progress
We are all on individual journeys, crossing paths with people who support, inspire, damage or overlook us.
I am learning, immediately forgetting, then re-learning over again, how to be myself, an impossible task laced with thousands of fleeting possibilities. The same could be said for learning the voice of my art, for a creation is nothing if not the tangible embodiment of self.
I am jotting down ways to be my most honest self which can translate into ways of creating my most honest art.
Work-in-progress:
- I will take careful thought with my actions and visualize the moments that follow each action.
- I will take responsibility for what I do and be careful not to place blame in the hands of those who are not responsible for my self and my body. To remove the impact of self is to remove power of self.
- I will walk and talk as slowly as I need so that each step I take, each word I utter, is a true, patient, honest word unhindered by insecurity or fear.
- I will define myself as the me now and not apologize for the strength or courage I have learned.
- I will recognize and appreciate the moments that have led me to this here and now, but I do not exist in what was or what is to come, only what is.
- I will practice truth in humility; for those who attempt to break me, I will trust that nothing they do or say can inflict pain or suffering upon me. I can only inflict pain and suffering upon myself.
NYU Film List: “The Battle of Algiers” (Italy, 1965)
June 23, 2009 at 10:15 am · Filed under art, commentary, current events/news, film, graduate school and tagged: politics, youtube, graduate school, nyu, film, Algeria, France, war, torture, Gitmo, documentary, propoganda, reviews, trailers, IMDB, wikipedia, international affairs, foreign policy
Director/Writer: Gillo Pontecorvo/Gillo Pontecorvo & Franco Solinas
Director of Photography: Marcello Gatti
IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0058946/
Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Battle_of_Algiers_(film)
Video/Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ca3M2feqJk8
Summary (from IMDB): A film commissioned by the Algerian government that shows the Algerian revolution from both sides. The French foreign legion has left Vietnam in defeat and has something to prove. The Algerians are seeking independence. The two clash. The torture used by the French is contrasted with the Algerian’s use of bombs in soda shops. A look at war as a nasty thing that harms and sullies everyone who participates in it. Written by John Vogel.
In 1954, the National Liberation Front of Algiers shots many French policemen beginning a movement for the independence of their country; in return, the Chief of Police plants a bomb in the Arab quarter, killing many dwellers. The NLF sends three women with bombs to two bars and the Air France office in the European quarter, killing many people. The French government sends the military forces under the command of the abusive Colonel Mathieu that does not respect the human rights and uses torture to destroy the NLF command. In 1962, the Algerians finally achieve their aimed independence. Written by Claudio Carvalho.
My take: What a stunning film. Numerous times, I found myself shaking my head at how significant the story is today on so many fronts – Iraq, Afghanistan, Iran. The list goes on. The acting was spot on, the cinematography ahead of its time. A moment that really stood out to me due to its chilling parallels to the torture debate involving Guantanamo Bay, was the speech given by the character Col. Mathieu as he explains how the military will go about obtaining information from the “terrorists.” Here’s a thought-provoking quote:
The word “torture” doesn’t appear in our orders. We’ve always spoken of interrogation as the only valid method in a police operation directed against unknown enemies. As for the NLF, they request that their members, in the event of capture, should maintain silence for twenty-four hours, and then they may talk. So, the organization has already had the time it needs to render any information useless. What type of interrogation should we choose, the one the courts use for a murder case, that drags on for months?
The film of course was seen as propoganda (anything with a political plot is), but I do think it presents both sides of the revolution justly even if I felt more sympathetic to the plight of the Algerians.
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