settima

1970s

Summer in the City (Wim Wenders, 1970)

Sep

26

Paul Newman – 2006

Summer in the City (1970)

Hanns and Wenders playing billiards. DP: Robby Müller.

Billiards, or Paul Newman (1925 – 2006).

“There's too much on my mind There's too much on my mind And I can't sleep at night thinking about it I'm thinking all the time There's too much on my mind It seems there's more to life than just to live it”

– The Kinks, Too Much On My Mind (from Face To Face, 1966)

Hanns (Hanns Zischler) plays billiards with Wim Wenders.

La plage 23 septembre 1971 + 18° (Paul-Armand Gette, 1971)

Sep

23

1971

La plage 23 septembre 1971 + 18° (1971)

A filmstrip with three stills. The first one is a shot from above. We seen a young woman's thighs in a short skirt. She's kneeling down in the sand. Someone's hand hovers above one of her knees. The both wear matching leather jackets. Still two and three are merely identical; a young blond woman looking sideways. Behing her tall dune grass. Image source

Ihmemies [Wonderman] (Antti Peippo, 1979)

Sep

21

Peace Day

Ihmemies (1979)

Olli Ruusunen (Antti Litja) in a diner enjoying a small hamburger with a cup of coffee (via). DPs: Pekka Aine & Juha-Veli Äkräs.

The words “world peace” are spoken on Peace Day aka International Day of Peace

TV reporter: We are not alone in the world. An increase of national income in developing countries is absolute requirement for world peace at the end of this century.

Martti Tuomola: Bullshit.

Former child prodigy Olli Ruusunen (Antti Litja) has received special brain capacity training at the Buffalo Institute in the US. Paid for by a Finish company, the idea is that Olli will act as a “rationaliser”, drastically overhauling the inner workings of the company. After getting rid of the entire management team, Olli – like others who have gone through the same training program – becomes increasingly strange. Olli decides to disappear.

The UFO Incident [Interrupted Journey] (Richard A. Colla, 1975)

Sep

19

The UFO Incident (1975)

Betty Hill (Estelle Parsons) observed from above. It's night, and tire tracks are visible. DP: Rexford L. Metz.

Äppelkriget [The Apple War] (Tage Danielsson, 1971)

Sep

17

National Apple Dumpling Day

Äppelkriget (1971)

Locals and a centaur – half man, half papier-mâché – enjoy a drink. DP: Lars Swanberg.

Apples, or dumplings, for National Apple Dumpling Day (USA)

– What are you gonna do with tons of apples? They can't be sold! Ask any apple farmer! They just pile up and rot! – The apple farmers? – No. The apples!

A beautiful, picturesque part of Sweden will become… Deutschneyland! At least, that's the brilliant business plan Herr Volkswagner has. But the local apple farmers – a large family that's half human, half mythological creatures – have no need for an amusement park on their grounds.

Wśród nocnej ciszy [Quiet Is the Night] (Tadeusz Chmielewski, 1978)

Sep

14

Wśród nocnej ciszy (1978)

A young student sits on the ledge of a barge, looking up at another man. DP: Jerzy Szurowski.

Sweet Movie (Dušan Makavejev, 1974)

Sep

13

International Chocolate Day

Sweet Movie (1974)

The most virgin, Miss 1984 (Carole Laure), bathing in chocolate. DP: Pierre Lhomme.

Chocolate for International Chocolate Day (Milton S. Hershey's birthday)

“In all my years of practice, I've never seen anything so sweet. A rosebud.”

– Dr. Mittelfinger

Miss Canada, winner of the “most virgin” contest, escapes her rich, milk tycoon husband into a world of anarchy, lust, and sugar.

Il pleut sur Santiago [Rain over Santiago] (Helvio Soto, 1975)

Sep

11

1973

Il pleut sur Santiago (1975)

Naicho Petrov as Chilean president Salvador Allende. DP: Georges Barsky .

De komst van Joachim Stiller [The Arrival of Joachim Stiller] (Harry Kümel, 1976)

Sep

11

1919

De komst van Joachim Stiller (1976)

The mysterious letter postmarked September 11, 1919 that one day landed on Freek Groenevelt's (Hugo Metsers) doormat. DP: Eduard van der Enden.

“Tot dusver had ik mij steeds vrij tevreden met het leven gevoeld, zonder er wonderen van te verwachten. Die morgen geloofde ik, dat het voor een mens niet onmogelijk is gelukkig te zijn, kortstondig gelukkig misschien, maar gelukkig onmiskenbaar.”

– Hubert Lampo, De komst van Joachim Stiller (1960)

Die Delegation – Eine utopische Reportage [The Delegation] (Rainer Erler, 1970)

Sep

9

0 h 20 GMT

Die Delegation (1970)

Reporter Will Roczinski (Walter Kohut) picks up mysterieus signals through the ether (via). DP: Charly Steinberger.

We watch the final report by Will Roczinski, who sadly died in a car crash while working on a TV documentary about UFOs and the like. A fascinating early “faux footage” film from the BRD. One can only wonder how the average West German processed the fantastic premise.