settima

1980s

Blue Velvet (David Lynch, 1986)

Jan

19

lights

Blue Velvet (1986)

Ben (Dean Stockwell) miming Roy Orbison's In Dreams with a work light for a microphone. DP: Frederick Elmes.

Lights on the date in 1883 that #ThomasEdison first switched on overhead electric lighting.

“A candy-colored clown they call the sandman Tiptoes to my room every night Just to sprinkle stardust and to whisper 'Go to sleep, everything is alright'”

– Roy Orbison, In Dreams (1963)

David Lynch at his finest Anger, and Stockwell at his peak. The work light was improvised when Lynch noticed Stockwell handling it between shoots.

Times Square (Allan Moyle, 1980)

Jan

10

1967

Times Square (1980)

A bus on Times Square with a large (expensive) ad asking people to be on the lookout for a Pamela Pearl, born January 10, 1967. DP: James A. Contner.

“Yes, it's story time on WJAD in the heart of Times Square, New York, New York. The city so nice, they named it twice.”

– Johnny LaGuardia, on the air

Mauvais sang [Bad Blood / The Night Is Young] (Leos Carax, 1986)

Jan

8

David Bowie – 1947

Mauvais sang (1986)

(Alex) Denis Lavant in a scene set to David Bowie's Modern Love. DP: Jean-Yves Escoffier.

A [favourite] scene featuring a Bowie song for David Bowie's birthday (1947).

“They pulled in just behind the fridge He lays her down, he frowns “Gee, my life's a funny thing Am I still too young?” He kissed her then and there She took his ring, took his babies It took him minutes, took her nowhere Heaven knows, she'd have taken anything”

– David Bowie, Modern Love (from Let's Dance, 1983)

Altered States (Ken Russell, 1980)

Jan

7

Wed

Altered States (1980)

Eddie Jessup (William Hurt) in his tank. Around him visions of clouds, fishes, the ocean. DP: Jordan Cronenweth.

“I'm a man in search of his true self. How archetypically American can you get?”

– Eddie Jessup

Wojna Światów – Następne Stulecie [The War of the Worlds: Next Century] (Piotr Szulkin, 1981)

Dec

18

1999

Wojna Światów - Następne Stulecie (1981)

Reporter Iron Idem (Roman Wilhelmi) bringing the news. DP: Zygmunt Samosiuk.

Kisapmata [Sa bawat kisapmata / In the Wink of an Eye] (Mike De Leon, 1981)

Dec

8

Tue

Kisapmata (1981)

Noel (Jay Ilagan) enters Milagros' (Charo Santos-Concio) room. On a sparse green wall a calendar with an image of the Virgin Mary. The 8th, the Feast of the Immaculate Conception, is marked red as a holiday. DP: Rody Lacap.

Polyester (John Waters, 1981)

Nov

10

Polyester (1981)

Todd Tomorrow (Tab Hunter) and Francine Fishpaw (Divine) in wild ecstasy. The scene appears to evoke a moment of passion between Chris Flanders (Richard Burton) and Flora Goforth (Elizabeth Taylor) in Boom! (Joseph Losey, 1968). DP: Dave Insley.

“Purr Francine! Purr, purr Francine!”

– Cuddles Kovinsky

Das Gold der Liebe [The Gold of Love] (Eckhart Schmidt, 1983)

Nov

9

Das Gold der Liebe (1983)

DAF-fan Patricia (Alexandra Curtis). DP: Bernd Heinl.

“Oh keiner macht's wie du, Wie du so traut sich's keiner, So wie du”

– DAF – El Que (Gold und Liebe (1981)

Rosso sangue [Absurd / Monster Hunter] (Joe D'Amato, 1981)

Nov

2

spaghetti

Rosso sangue (1981)

Pretending to be set somewhere in the US, people watch an American Football match on TV. Being Italian, their go-to snack is spaghetti. DP: Joe D'Amato.

“So this is the team, ey? A priest, a detective near retirement, and a young moron rookie of a cop… Terrific.”

– Sgt. Ben Engleman

Tajemství hradu v Karpatech [The Mysterious Castle in the Carpathians] (Oldřich Lipský, 1981)

Oct

27

1897

Tajemství hradu v Karpatech (1981)

A calendar – undeniably designed by the great Jan Švankmajer – with the date October 27, 1897, set on the day of – or referencing a saint – Sabina. Screenshot via DVDBeaver. DP: Viktor Růžička.

– You surely know that my financial support is unlimited.

– Yes. Long live your false cheque factories!