settima

1960s

Horoskop [Horoscope] (Boro Drašković, 1969)

Jul

11

Horoskop (1969)

The impromptu café awaiting tourists, for now occupied by lounging men. DP: Ognjen Miličević.

Someone at a coffee shop or café*

 

There's not much next to the railroad tracks. A group of young men spend their summer days there, waiting for the train bringing tourists to the Adriatic coast. Suddenly, the place comes to life with waiters frantically unfolding parasols. And there's a pretty blonde, she stays, and brings her newspaper stand along. The men place a bet…

 

Soy Cuba [I Am Cuba] (Mikhail Kalatozov, 1964)

Jul

10

Soy Cuba (1964)

The rich and beautiful spend a lazy day at a grand rooftop pool. DP: Sergey Urusevskiy.

Someone in poolside vacation clothing*

“I am Cuba. Why are you running away? You came here to have fun? Go ahead, have fun! Is this a happy picture? Don't avert your eyes. Look! I am Cuba. For you, I am the casino, the bar, the hotels. But the hands of these children and old people, are also me.”

– the voice of Cuba

L'eclisse [The Eclipse] (Michelangelo Antonioni, 1962)

Jul

10

Mon

L'eclisse (1962)

Vittoria (Monica Vitti, bottom left) at the Borsa – the Rome Stock Exchange. A clock top-right indicates it's Monday, July 10, 12:31 pm.. DP: Gianni Di Venanzo.

“Everything's crashing here.”

– Vittoria's mother

Die endlose Nacht [The Endless Night] (Will Tremper, 1963)

Jul

6

Die endlose Nacht (1963)

The bold and the beautiful stuck at Tempelhof. And yes, one could smoke there. DP: Hans Jura.

(People at) an airport*

 

It's foggy at Flughafen Berlin-Tempelhof, the Allies' airbridge to the West, and all the planes into and out of West Berlin are grounded. In any other metropolis this could mean taking a train, enjoy the city's nightlife or maybe just a bed for the night. In post-Wall bureaucracy-happy West Berlin, this means endless waits with strangers. And so, with nowhere to go, a Polish jazz band mingles with British spouses, a lonely South African farmer, a model and her beau.

 

Rat Life and Diet in North America (Joyce Wieland, 1968)

Jul

4

Independence Day

Rat Life and Diet in North America (1968)

Rats – gerbils actually – nibbling on the Stars and Stripes (via). DP: Joyce Wieland.

A movie set in the USA for Independence Day (USA)

“This film tells a story of rebels (played by real rats) and cops (played by real cats). After a long domination by cats, the rats escape from prison (this is their rebellion) and find refuge in Canada. There, they feed on organic produce from a garden where the grass hasn’t been sprayed with DDT.”

– Jonas Mekas, via

French-Canadian patriot Joyce Wieland tells a fable of freedom.

 

Coincidentally, the Canadian city of Trois-Rivières, scene of the final battle of the American Revolutionary War, also celebrates an Independence Day on the fourth of July.

The Naked Kiss (Samuel Fuller, 1964)

Jul

4

1961

The Naked Kiss (1964)

A desk calendar reading July 4, 1961, with dirty, crumpled dollar bills thrown on top of it. DP: Stanley Cortez.

“Nobody shoves dirty money in my mouth.”

– Candy

Divorzio all'italiana [Divorce Italian Style] (Pietro Germi, 1961)

Jul

3

Divorzio all'italiana (1961)

A closeup of a man's hand holding up a diary. It's the third of July. DPs: Leonida Barboni & Carlo Di Palma.

Additionally, IMDb writes that “director Pietro Germi filmed a close-up of the front page of a newspaper announcing Yuri Gagarin's flight around the earth on April 12th 1961.”

Il mare [The Sea] (Giuseppe Patroni Griffi, 1962)

Jul

1

Il mare (1962)

The actor (Umberto Orsini) looking out over the island. The claustrophobic framing of the hotel windows contrasts sharply with the openness of the sea. DP: Ennio Guarnieri.

My ideal vacation spot, country, city, town, or resort*

 

An island, in this case Capri (granted I've never been there), off-season, in a space and time lost in the mists. It'll occasionally rain and it's cold enough to dress up.

 

The Lottery (Larry Yust, 1969)

Jun

27

The Lottery (1969)

Drawing lots from a box. DP: Isidore Mankofsky.

This, or any other adaptation of Shirley Jackson's story.

“Although the villagers had forgotten the ritual and lost the original black box, they still remembered to use stones.”

– Shirley Jackson, The Lottery (1948)

Poslední trik pana Schwarcewalldea a pana Edgara [The Last Trick of Mr. Schwarcewallde and Mr. Edgar] (Jan Švankmajer, 1964)

Jun

26

National Handshake Day

Poslední trik pana Schwarcewalldea a pana Edgara (1964)

Mr Schwarcewallde and Mr Edgar on stage. Both are puppeteers in Edwardian costumes and oversized papier-mâché heads. DP: Svatopluk Malý.

Characters shake hands on National Handshake Day (USA)

 

Two illusionists compete with increasingly incredible tricks, sealed with a hefty handshake.