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कालिया मर्दन [Kaliya Mardan / The Childhood of Krishna] (Dhundiraj Govind Phalke, 1919)
Apr
1
April Fools' Day
Shri Krishna (Mandakini Phalke, the director's seven-year old daughter), playing his flute with a twinkle in his eye. DP: Dhundiraj Govind Phalke.
Kaliya Mardan is one of the handful films from India's early cinematic output that has survived. Do check your attic
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Moment of Impact (Julia Loktev, 1998)
Apr
1
1989
A person holds Leonid Loktev's head from behind, while someone else cups his left eye with one hand. DP: Julia Loktev.
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父ありき [Chichi ariki / There Was a Father] (Yasujirō Ozu, 1942)
Mar
31
a father
Father and son fishing in a creek. DP: Yūharu Atsuta.
A father for OP's father's birthday.
A father, and proud teacher, raises his son alone. When the boy is an adult and a teacher himself, the elder's traditional concept of societal hierarchy affirms the balance between the generations.
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Chac: Dios de la lluvia [Chac: The Rain God] (Rolando Klein, 1975)
Mar
30
mythology
Mythology on the date Wrath of the Titans (2012) was released.
With their shaman lost to alcohol, villagers make their way to a diviner in the hope to appease Chac, the rain god.
“This is the account
of when
all is still silent
and placid.
All is silent
and calm.
Hushed
and empty is the womb of the sky.”
– Popul Vuh, The Primordial World
Filmed in the forests of Tenejapa, Chiapas, Chac is probably the first film completely in Tzotzil, one of several Maya languages, and based on themes found in the Popol Vuh.
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野獣死すべし [Yajū shisubeshi / The Beast Shall Die] (Eizō Sugawa, 1959)
Mar
30
7 p.m.
Kunihiko Date (Tatsuya Nakadai) driving along at night. DP: Fukuzō Koizumi.
“He’s not a beast. No, he’s a robot. A machine created by a modern, twisted society.”
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Supermarkt [Die Stadt, Jane Love / Supermarket] (Roland Klick, 1974)
Mar
30
Willi Hansen (Charly Wierzejewski) in a phone booth. Filmed from the outside in, his face is partially obscured by neon lights. DP: Jost Vacano.
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Die Patriotin [The Patriotic Woman] (Alexander Kluge, 1979)
Mar
29
秦始皇兵马俑
Teacher Gabi Teichert (Hannelore Hoger), knee-deep in a puddle with a shovel, inspecting a find. DPs: Guenter Hoermann, Werner Lüring, Thomas Mauch & Jörg Schmidt-Reitwein.
A German history teacher, unhappy with the standardised history textbooks she has to work with, literally digs up her nation's past and sees how it is reflected in modern society.
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Rosalie et son phonographe [Rosalie and Her Phonograph] (Romeo Bosetti, 1911)
Mar
28
Something-on-a-Stick Day
“Bonsoir. Je m'appelle Rosalie!”
Rosalie (the wonderful Sarah Duhamel) buys herself a phonograph and is delighted by the wonders it brings. Quick, the whole household should know!
Not only the obvious moments (no spoilers here), but the small, seemingly improvised bits is what makes Rosalie stand out above American productions of the time – with the exception of Roscoe Arbuckle's; his water bucket pun in His Wife's Mistakes (1916) still has me in stitches.
Duhamel makes great use of her physique, and doesn't shy away from looking inelegant, boorish even. Her hips are for pushing things and men out of her way, and her mighty paws easily toss any unwieldy piece of furniture out of the window.
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Paris, Texas (Wim Wenders, 1984)
Mar
27
94th Academy Awards
Travis (Harry Dean Stanton) wandering the desert. DP: Robby Müller.
“The Dust has come to stay. You may stay or pass on through or whatever.”
– gas station sign
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The Gruesome Twosome (Herschell Gordon Lewis, 1967)
Mar
27
1967
The March 27, 1967 newspaper headlining CAMPUS PUZZLED! and GIRLS VANISH and FATE STILL A MYSTERY. It's Monday. DP: Roy Collodi.