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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
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Fetish & Dreams (Steff Gruber, 1985)
Jan
16
National Boston Day
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
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Иконостасът [Ikonostasat / The Icon Stand] (Todor Dinov & Christo Christov, 1969)
Jan
15
World Religion Day
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.
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Alice's Restaurant (Arthur Penn, 1969)
Jan
13
Stephen Foster Memorial Day
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)
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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
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.
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المومياء [Al-mummia / The Night of Counting the Years / The Mummy] (Chadi Abdel Salam, 1969)
Jan
11
Heritage Treasures Day
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”
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The Anniversary (Roy Ward Baker + Alvin Rakoff, 1968)
Jan
10
National Houseplant Appreciation Day
Dear Mrs. Taggart (Bette Davis) takes a moment during the anniversary to water her many many houseplants in her winter garden. DP: Harry Waxman.
“Shirley my dear, would you mind sitting somewhere else? Body odor offends me.”
– Mrs. Taggart
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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
Young adults rally in the streets. DP: Masayoshi Sukita.
“What the hell are you doing?”
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Grand Hotel (Edmund Goulding, 1932)
Jan
8
World Typing Day
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
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Le Pétomane du Moulin Rouge [The Fart Maniac] (1900)
Jan
7
National Pass Gas Day
Flatulist Joseph Pujol blowing out a candle with his derrière.
Witness the world famous pétomane shot on location at the Moulin Rouge (and amazingly not at Edison's Black Maria), as saved for prosperity by Edison Studios. The large trumpet-like contraption that can be seen on the left, the Edison Kinetophone, also present in The Dickson Experimental Sound Film (William Dickson, 1894/95), recorded the sound on a cylinder, that then could be played back in synch with the picture.
The original audio recording that accompanied this film is lost; do check your attic.
