settima

1960s

Снежная королева [Snezhnaya koroleva / The Snow Queen] (Gennadiy Kazanskiy, 1967)

May

25

National Missing Children's Day

Снежная королева (1967)

Kai (Vyacheslav Tsyupa) under the Snow Queen's spell. DPs: Vadim Grammatikov & Sergei Ivanov.

Someone missing is found on National Missing Children's Day (USA)

 

Oh boy, how to do this one without a spoiler…

 

Siblings Gerda and Kai are best friends until one day, the Snow Queen's mirror shatters into a million pieces. One shard pierces Kai's eye, the other his heart, and from that moment on, all he can see is evil and his heart is cold. Now taken in by the Queen, and cold to Gerda's affection, the girl tries all to get Kai, the old Kai, back.

The Day the Earth Caught Fire (Val Guest, 1961)

May

23

The Day the Earth Caught Fire (1961)

Jeannie Craig (Janet Munro) trying to cool down in a bathtub. DP: Harry Waxman.

“Truly the light is sweet; and what a pleasant thing it is for the eyes to see the Sun.”

– Peter Stenning

La Femme Bourreau [A Woman Kills] (Jean-Denis Bonan, 1968)

May

20

1943

La Femme Bourreau (1968)

A dark-haired woman lounging on a bed. DP: Gérard de Battista.

“Hélène Picard, born in Lyon, May 20, 1943. A child in care, she is reported as a runaway, a thief and unstable.”

Touha zvaná Anada [Desire Called Anad / Adrift] (Elmar Klos + Ján Kadár, 1968/1971)

May

20

Touha zvaná Anada (1968/1971)

Zuzka (Milena Dravić) holds a mirror to Anada's (Paula Pritchett) face. Zuzka's husband Jánoš (Rade Marković) looks on. DP: Vladimír Novotný.

Reason Over Passion [La raison avant la passion] (Joyce Wieland, 1969)

May

19

Victoria Day

Reason Over Passion (1969)

A winding road. nearos oevr isoasnp. DP: Joyce Wieland.

A movie made or set in Canada for Victoria Day (Canada)

“sroena evor ssiapon”

– Pierre Trudeau

Joyce Wieland's heart and camera travel from the Canadian east coast all the way to the west. Cars drive by, suns set, suns rise, and Pierre Trudeau's motto rings on in 537 permutations.

La caduta degli dei (Götterdämmerung) [The Damned] (Luchino Visconti, 1969)

May

18

Visit Your Relatives Day

La caduta degli dei (Götterdämmerung) (1969)

Martin Von Essenbeck (Helmut Berger) entertains the family. DPs: Pasqualino De Santis & Armando Nannuzzi.

A family gathering on Visit Your Relatives Day (USA)

“You must realize that today in Germany anything can happen, even the improbable, and it's just the beginning, Frederick. Personal morals are dead. We are an elite society where everything is permissible. These are Hitler's words. My dear Frederick, even you should give them some thought.”

– Aschenbach

The wealthy Von Essenbecks gather for a family dinner party. There is entertainment.

Les félins [Joy House / The Love Cage] (René Clément, 1964)

May

14

Les félins (1964)

Barbara Hill (Lola Albright) going through Marc Borel's (Alain Delon) passport, which states Marc's date of birth as May 14. On Barbara's desk several curiosities, including a shrunken head in a glass case. DP: Henri Decaë.

Yngsjömordet [Woman of Darkness] (Arne Mattsson, 1966)

May

11

Mother's Day

spoiler warning: click to toggle image Yngsjömordet (1966)

Anna Månsdotter (Gunnel Lindblom). DP: Lasse Björne.

A good or bad mother for Mother's Day

 

Arranged by his widowed mother, Per Nilsson marries the wealthy judge's daughter Hanna. The wedlock remains unfulfilled as son and mother find satisfaction in each other. Hanna suspects something.  
Based on the Yngsjö murder case, which at the time was considered more noteworthy for the mother/son relationship than the resulting tragedy.

Week-end (Jean-Luc Godard, 1967)

May

9

UN Global Road Safety Week

Week-end (1967)

A terrible, bloody, car crash. There's cars on fire and several injured sprawled around. A lucky survivor exclaims MY HERMÈS HANDBAG! DP: Raoul Coutard.

A traffic accident: UN Global Road Safety Week *

“My Hermès handbag!”

– Corinne

The bourgeois make their way to the countryside, and find themselves in a cacophony of car crashes, primitive urges, and political uprisings.

 

* This actually takes places from May 12 to May 18, 2025.

En kärlekshistoria [A Swedish Love Story] (Roy Andersson, 1970)

May

7

National Hug Holiday Week

En kärlekshistoria (1970)

Pär (Rolf Sohlman) and Annika (Ann-Sofie Kylin) hug on a deserted barren soccer pitch. DP: Jörgen Persson.

A hug (romantic or platonic) on the first day of National Hug Holiday Week (USA)

 

Two teenagers in love become increasingly oblivious of the grey world around them.