settima

1970s

Waiting for Fidel (Michael Rubbo, 1974)

Mar

8

International Women's Day

Waiting for Fidel (1974)

A group of six girls and two boys sing in celebration of International Women's Day. DP: Douglas Kiefer.

Time flies while waiting for Fidel, and before you know it, it's March 8.

 

 

This blog does not list holidays on their respective date, unless a film or scene happens to take place on one.

聖母観音大菩薩 [Seibo Kannon daibosatsu / Eros Eterna] (Kōji Wakamatsu, 1977)

Mar

7

immortality

聖母観音大菩薩 (1977)

The yao bikuni (Eiko Matsuda) rises from the ocean. DP: Hideo Itō.

An immortal character on the date Highlander (1986) was released.

– Dont raise your voice! I'll kill you if you make a sound.

– Would you please?

When a woman eats the flesh of a 人魚 (ningyo, litt. “human fish” but in Western context commenly translated as “mermaid”), she may become a 八百比丘尼 [yao bikuni], an 800 year* old Buddhist nun granted youth and longevity.

 

*The number 8 symbolises growth and prosperity. Larger numbers starting with 8 indicate that the amount is endless, comparable to saying “hundreds/thousands/millions of […]” in English. Therefore, 800 years can be understood as immortal.

Trash (Paul Morrissey, 1970)

Feb

23

freebie: Paul Morrissey born

Trash (1970)

Jane Forth, Paul Morrissey, and Joe Dallesandro in a publicity photo for Trash. DP: Paul Morrissey.

Freebie: Paul Morrissey born (1938 – 2024)

“Just because people throw it out and don't have any use for it, doesn't mean it's garbage.”

– Holly

Laukaus tehtaalla [A Shot in the Factory] (Erkko Kivikoski, 1973)

Feb

21

Nixon goes to China

Laukaus tehtaalla (1973)

Workers and bosses negotiate the situation. DP: Esko Nevalainen.

Diplomacy on Nixon's visit to China (February 21 — 28, 1972)

 

The killing of the factory's boss by one of the workers leads to endless negotiations between the two parties.

 

Shot in cinéma vérité style, with a mostly amateur cast, Laukaus tehtaalla mirrors the working classes' insecurity caused by the 1973 energy crisis in more ways than one.

Der große Verhau [The Big Mess] (Alexander Kluge, 1971)

Feb

19

Copernicus born

Der große Verhau (1971)

Space ships made out of all sorts of junk pass a moon. DPs: Thomas Mauch & Alfred Tichawsky.

A film about outer space for Nicolaus Copernicus' birthday (1473).

 

In a galaxy far far away, the opening scroll informs us, a civil war rages between governments, greedy conglomerates, and rebels. Only a few scrap-dealing space pirates can save the day!

Sebastiane (Paul Humfress + Derek Jarman, 1976)

Feb

18

Pluto Day

Sebastiane (1976)

Sebastian (Leonardo Treviglio) sits on a rock in a barren landscape. Two men in the distance, and a sheep, all have their backs turned to him. DP: Peter Middleton.

Someone is snubbed or rejected on Pluto [Discovery] Day*.

“His body is golden like molten gold. This hand of his… will smooth away these wounds. Justin, he is as beautiful as the sun. This sun which caresses me… is his burning desire. He is Phoebus Apollo. The sun… is his… burning kiss.”

– Sebastian

Sebastian, member of the Emperor's personal guard, is exiled after an incident. He finds himself on a rocky outpost, and the object of the other men's lust. One of them – a centurion rejected by the Christian boy – subjects Sebastian to torture and eventually lifts him up martyrdom.

 

* Pluto Demoted Day is on August 24

Le charme discret de la bourgeoisie [The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie] (Luis Buñuel, 1972)

Feb

16

No One Eats Alone Day

Le charme discret de la bourgeoisie (1972)

The diners at a long table. DP: Edmond Richard.

People eat dinner together on No One Eats Alone Day*.

“My God. What am I doing in this place?”

– Henri Sénéchal

The bourgeoisie meet for dinner in various settings, but never consume.

 

* this event takes place on the Friday of the second full week in February, which makes the 2025 date February 14.

Picnic at Hanging Rock (Peter Weir, 1975)

Feb

14

Valentine's Day

Picnic at Hanging Rock (1975)

A delicate, pink frosted Valentine's cake topped with a yellow marzipan rose. The cake, which bears the words St. Valentine in crude writing, has a deep straight cut right through the middle and a scorched dark spot on its side. On the right a rusty knife. DP: Russell Boyd.

“On Saturday 14th February 1900, a party of schoolgirls from Appleyard College picnicked at Hanging Rock near Mt. Macedon in the state of Victoria. During the afternoon, several members of the party disappeared without trace.”

Amerikai anzix [American Torso] (Gábor Bódy, 1975)

Feb

12

Lincoln born

Amerikai anzix (1975)

A soldier on a swing set, high up a tree. Other soldiers and civilians look on. Screenshot (and more information) via. DP: István Lugossy.

Yet another [American] Civil War, for Abraham Lincoln's birthday (1809).

 

Shot as fainted fragments* based on an Ambrose Bierce story, and outtakes from Karl Marx's diary, Amerikai anzix (litt. American Postcards) follows Hungarian-American cartographer Fiala, one of many of his countrymen fighting in the American Civil War.

 

*Using a technique described by Bódy as “light editing”, the footage looks worn and grimy.