settima

@settima@zirk.us

Pamela and Ian (David Greene, 1971)

Jan

18

National Michigan Day

Pamela and Ian (1971)

Ian (Ian Stulberg) and Pamela (Pamela Seamon) during the rehearsal of the birth scene (via). DP: Freddy Sweet.

Filmed on campus of the University of Michigan and inspired by Alain Robbe-Grillet's concept of characters being born at the start of the film, and dying at the end.

 

Outside of this framework, the characters do not exist.

にっぽん戦後史 マダムおんぼろの生活 [Nippon Sengoshi – Madamu onboro no Seikatsu / History of Postwar Japan (Shōhei Imamura, 1970)

Jan

17

Customer Service Day

にっぽん戦後史 マダムおんぼろの生活 (1970)

Hostess Emiko Takada watching footage of US occupying forces in a movie theatre. DP: Masao Tochizawa..

Fetish & Dreams (Steff Gruber, 1985)

Jan

16

National Boston Day

Fetish & Dreams (1985)

Michèle (Michèle Rusconi) and S. (Steff Gruber) in front of a mirror. While she combs her long dark hair, he photographs the reflection of the both of them. DP: Rainer Klausmann.

Swiss documentary maker S. (Steff Gruber) explores New York's high-tech dating market when he slowly comes to the realisation that he himself is lonely. Trying to track down the woman he saw on the plane en route to America, S. and his crew find themselves in Boston.

“Fifty ways to meet your lover”

– computer dating ad

Иконостасът [Ikonostasat / The Icon Stand] (Todor Dinov & Christo Christov, 1969)

Jan

15

World Religion Day

Иконостасът (1969)

Icon maker Raphe (Dimitar Tashev) and Katerina (Violeta Gindeva) surrounded by the icon stand. The Holy Virgin can be seen in the background. DP: Atanas Tasev.

The cyclical story of the Christ envisioned as an icon maker, the creator of sacred images of the saints and the Holy.

 

When you know what to look for – the significance of bread, the judgement of the Pantocrator, the wheel that begets martyrs – Иконостасът speaks the language of the people, not of the ecclesiastic.

Alice's Restaurant (Arthur Penn, 1969)

Jan

13

Stephen Foster Memorial Day

Alice's Restaurant (1969)

Arlo (Arlo Guthrie, son of legendary folk musician Woody) jams with his film-dad Pete Seeger. DP: Michael Nebbia.

A songwriter as the lead.

“This song is called 'Alice's Restaurant', and it's about Alice. And the restaurant. But Alice's Restaurant is not the name of the restaurant, that's just the name of the song. And that's why I called the song 'Alice's Restaurant'.

– Arlo Guthrie, intro to “Alice’s Restaurant Massacree” (1967)

De man die zijn haar kort liet knippen [The Man Who Had His Hair Cut Short] (André Delvaux, 1965)

Jan

12

freebie: Teacher Appreciation Day

De man die zijn haar kort liet knippen (1965)

Govert Miereveld (Senne Rouffaer) having his hair cut. DPs: Ghislain Cloquet & Roland Delcour.

A teacher, enthralled by one of his students, gets lost after she graduates.

“Fran.”

– Govert Miereveld

Heavy and light, absurd and profane. An absolute recommendation.

المومياء [Al-mummia / The Night of Counting the Years / The Mummy] (Chadi Abdel Salam, 1969)

Jan

11

Heritage Treasures Day

Al-mummia (1969)

Men carrying the sarcophagi through the desert in a long, winding procession. Both the porters and the dead are dressed in white cloth. DP: Abdel Aziz Fahmy.

“You who go, you will return You who sleep, you will rise You who walk, you will be resurrected”

The Anniversary (Roy Ward Baker + Alvin Rakoff, 1968)

Jan

10

National Houseplant Appreciation Day

The Anniversary (1968)

Dear Mrs. Taggart (Bette Davis) takes a moment during the anniversary to water her many many houseplants in her winter garden. DP: Harry Waxman.

Someone is watering houseplants for National Houseplant Appreciation Day (USA)

“Shirley my dear, would you mind sitting somewhere else? Body odor offends me.”

– Mrs. Taggart

書を捨てよ町へ出よう [Sho o suteyo machi e deyō / Throw Away Your Books, Rally in the Streets] (Shūji Terayama, 1971)

Jan

9

成人の日

書を捨てよ町へ出よう (1971)

Young adults rally in the streets. DP: Masayoshi Sukita.

Coming of Age Day in Japan.

“What the hell are you doing?”

Grand Hotel (Edmund Goulding, 1932)

Jan

8

World Typing Day

Grand Hotel (1932)

Despite Flaemmchen – Joan Crawford in her breakout role – is introduced as a “little stenographess”, that's clearly a typewriter on her desk. DP: William H. Daniels.

“Grand Hotel… always the same. People come, people go. Nothing ever happens.”

– Flaemmchen