settima

@settima@zirk.us

Shock Corridor (Samuel Fuller, 1963)

Aug

30

1954

Shock Corridor (1963)

Inpatient Stuart (James Best) in one of the many scenes that appear to bear some of the seeds of Mark Frost & David Lynch's Twin Peaks (1990–1991). DPs: Stanley Cortez & Samuel Fuller.

“Life is a messy weapon.”

– Pagliacci

Mon oncle (Jacques Tati, 1958) / Koolhaas Houselife (Ila Bêka + Louise Lemoine, 2008)

Aug

29

grey

Mon oncle (1958)
Koolhaas Houselife (2008)

A delivery man in front of the gates of Villa Arpel (via), and custodian Guadalupe Acedo working the lift in Maison à Bordeaux. DP of Mon Oncle: Jean Bourgoin.

[A favourite] colour: grey*

– A house like yours must be such a job! – Oh, a leaf! Ah, yes it's a chore. – Admit it, you love it.

Approaching the 60s, Mr Hulot finally switches from black-and-white to colour. Suddenly, we see that his suit is a beigeish grey and so is the Arpels' house, that modernist masterpiece designed by Tati. The beloved luddite struggles with hypermodern people and their hypermodern constructs, much alike the future Hulot from Playtime (1967).

 

In similar absurd fashion, Guadalupe Acedo, cleaning lady, works her way through Rem Koolhaas' Maison à Bordeaux (1998). Too steep are the stairs, too leaky everything else. Levelheaded, she does her thing; a small beacon of romantic practicality in a world of absurd efficiency.

 

Les créatures [The Creatures] (Agnès Varda, 1966)

Aug

29

Les créatures (1966)

Mylène (Catherine Deneuve) and Edgar (Michel Piccoli) Piccoli playing checkers at a small table. DPs: Willy Kurant, William Lubtchansky & Jean Orjollet.

“Everything is rotten. Decadence is everywhere. Why fight it?”

La horse [Horse] (Pierre Granier-Deferre, 1970)

Aug

28

1923

La horse (1970)

Francis Grutti's (Armando Francioli) ID, handled by someone wielding a large stamp. His birthday is August 28, 1923. DP: Walter Wottitz.

Czułe miejsca [Tender Spots] (Piotr Andrejew, 1981)

Aug

28

1998

Czułe miejsca (1981)

Janek (Michał Juszczakiewicz) and Ewa (Hanna Dunowska) in embrace on a bed. DPs: Jerzy Zieliński & Ryszard Lenczewski.

The Music of the Spheres (G. Philip Jackson, 1983)

Aug

28

1994

The Music of the Spheres (1983)

Archive footage from the future dated August 28, 1994. DP: Nadine Humenick.

Bed Peace [John and Yoko: The Bed-In] (John Lennon + Yoko Ono, 1969)

Aug

27

white

Bed Peace (1969)

John and Yoko in their bed, all dressed in white, framed by flowers. DP: Nicholas D. Knowland.

White, in food or fashion*

“Remember love, remember love Love is what it takes to dream”

– Yoko Ono, Remember Love (1969)

While the press expected the newlyweds' “bed-in” to be a scandalous nude affair, the two lovers showed up all in white – like angels, as John put it. Surrounded by journalists and friends, John and Yoko imaged peace.

 

A Canterbury Tale (Michael Powell + Emeric Pressburger, 1944)

Aug

27

A Canterbury Tale (1944)

Alison (Sheila Sim) looking out over the rolling hills of Kent with the Canterbury Cathedral somewhere out there. DP: Erwin Hillier.

“Well, there are more ways than one of getting close to your ancestors. Follow the old road, and as you walk, think of them and of the old England. They climbed Chillingbourne Hill, just as you. They sweated and paused for breath just as you did today. And when you see the bluebells in the spring and the wild thyme, and the broom and the heather, you're only seeing what their eyes saw. You ford the same rivers. The same birds are singing. When you lie flat on your back and rest, and watch the clouds sailing, as I often do, you're so close to those other people, that you can hear the thrumming of the hoofs of their horses, and the sound of the wheels on the road, and their laughter and talk, and the music of the instruments they carried. And when I turn the bend in the road, where they too saw the towers of Canterbury, I feel I've only to turn my head, to see them on the road behind me.”

– Thomas Colpeper, JP

Európa nem válaszol [Europe Doesn't Answer] (Géza von Radványi, 1941)

Aug

26

1939

Európa nem válaszol (1941)

DP: Rudolf Icsey.

 

Les Vampires [The Vampires or, The Arch Criminals of Paris] (Louis Feuillade, 1915/1916)

Aug

24

black

Les Vampires (1915)

A signed promotional photograph of Irma Vep (Musidora) in her iconic black catsuit. DPs: Georges Guérin & Manichoux.

Black, in food or fashion*

“It is vital to be photogenic from head to foot. After that you are allowed to display some measure of talent.”

– Musidora

Possibly the first, and definitely the most, iconic catsuit in cinema is worn by Musidora as Irma Vep in Les Vampires. Skintight and scandalous, Musidora's screen presence in the serial further cemented the popularity of the vamp and set the scene for many man-eaters to come.