settima

ShortFilm

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.

Nosferato no Brasil [Nosferato in Brazil] (Ivan Cardoso, 1970)

Jun

21

International Surfing Day

Nosferato no Brasil (1970)

Nosferatu enjoys the breeze and fresh coconut water on the beaches of Rio. I could've posted a still of the surfers here but that would have been boring.

Someone surfing or skateboarding for either International Surfing Day or Go Skateboarding Day

 

José Mojica Marins' protégé Ivan Cardoso dabbled in short form horror movies. This one features a young hippie vampire who, after being defeated in beachy black-and-white Prague, hikes a ride to Super 8 Brazil. Can't help but notice a bit of (Charlie) Mansonsploitation going on, but that may be just me.

6-18-67 (George Lucas, 1967)

Jun

18

1967

6-18-67 (1967)

The opening credits with the date 6-18-67 superimposed over it. DPs: Charles Braverman, George Lucas, David MacDougall & David Wyler.

“We had never been around such opulence, zillions of dollars being spent every five minutes on this huge, unwieldy thing. It was mind-boggling to us because we had been making films for three hundred dollars, and seeing this incredible waste – that was the worst of Hollywood.”

– pre-blockbuster George Lucas

The Diary of an Unknown Soldier (Peter Watkins, 1959)

Jun

14

Army Day

The Diary of an Unknown Soldier (1959)

That glance. Any soldier at any time. DP: Peter Watkins.

“That’s how I will probably die, left like a poor old rag on the battlefield. When you know this is going to happen to you, your body suddenly becomes something terribly precious to you. This flesh, soft and warm is yours; a personal belonging not to be discarded like an awful piece of meat. You find yourself thinking about this, realizing what a wonderful thing your body is, and what an awful and wrong thing it is to maltreat it.”

Watkins takes the anonymous slaughter of the masses on the battlefield inside, into the body and mind of a young soldier.

Wyszedł w jasny, pogodny dzień [He Left on a Bright, Sunny Day] (Krzysztof Wojciechowski, 1972)

Jun

13

Wyszedł w jasny, pogodny dzień (1972)

Old people exchanging food and memories outdoors. DPs: Witold Stok & Ryszard Wróblewski.

Deň radosti [A Day of Joy] (Dušan Hanák, 1972)

Jun

12

1971

Deň radosti (1972)

Exuberant revellers. DPs: Martin Gazík, Alojz Hanúsek & Oskár Šághy.

 

Sochaux, 11 juin 1968 [Sochaux June 11th 1968] (Bruno Muel, 1970)

Jun

11

1968

Sochaux, 11 juin 1968 (1970)

Several of the striking workers in a row. The composition echoes the famous propaganda image of Marx, Engels, Lenin etc. DP: Groupe Medvedkine de Sochaux.

Ёжик в тумане [Yózhik v tumáne / Hedgehog in the Fog] (Yuri Norstein, 1975)

Jun

9

Donald Duck – 1934

Ёжик в тумане (1975)

Fireflies in the fog. DP: Aleksandr Zhukovskiy.

A [favourite] animated character for Donald Duck Day (USA)

“In the evenings, the little Hedgehog went to the Bear Cub to count stars. They would sit on the log and sip tea, gazing at the starry sky. It hung on the roof, just behind the chimney. To the right of the chimney were the Bear Cub's stars and the stars to the left were the Hedgehog's”

– opening lines

On his way to visit his friend Bear Cub, Hedgehog finds himself in a dense mistbank. Strange sounds, and even stranger creatures, omit from it. And all he wanted was have strawberry jam and tea with his friend.

Red & Rosy (Frank Grow, 1989)

Jun

3

Red & Rosy (1989)

Big Red (Rico Martinez) in his hotrod. DPs: Frank Grow, Ralph Hawkins & Rico Martinez.