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Have I Told You Lately That I Love You? (Stuart Hamisch, 1958)
Feb
24
technology
Straight after dinner, the child returns to his teevee while his mother stands silently in the doorway.
A film about technology on what would've been Steve Jobs' 70th birthday
“The most precious thing that we all have with us, is time.”
– Steve Jobs
A nuclear family goes about their machine-driven day while slowly forgetting to communicate.
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Trash (Paul Morrissey, 1970)
Feb
23
freebie: Paul Morrissey born
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
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Some Like It Hot (Billy Wilder, 1959)
Feb
14
St. Valentine's Day
Sugar, Josephine, Daphne, and Sweet Sue and Her Society Syncopators rehearse Runnin’ Wild on the sleeper train to sunny Florida. DP: Charles Lang.
A movie about romance, of the Mafia, for St. Valentine's Day.
“Real diamonds! They must be worth their weight in gold!”
– Sugar Kane Kowalczyk
The opening shootout was directly inspired by the February 14 1929 Saint Valentine's Day Massacre (graphic), and shares an actor from one of its most famous adaptations, Scarface (1932); George Raft as the wonderfully named Spats Colombo.
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Lord of the Flies (Peter Brook, 1963)
Feb
8
Boy Scouts of America
Using Piggy's glasses, the boys light their first signal fire. DP: Tom Hollyman.
Someone prepares something for the founding of the Boy Scouts of America on February 8, 1910.
“His specs — use them as burning glasses!”
William Golding, Lord of the Flies (1954)
The boys collectively gather firewood to light a beacon, then come up with the idea to light the fire with the help of one of the kid's glasses.
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Madam Satan (Cecil B. DeMille, 1930)
Feb
4
Charles Lindbergh's born
You're cordially invited to Mr. James Wade's “Masquerade”, aboard the Zeppelin – CB – P – 55. Do wear a mask. DP: Harold Rosson.
“I don't want your husband. I want a parachute!”
– Trixie
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America America (Elia Kazan, 1963)
Feb
2
New Amsterdam
A film about New York to commemorate the incorporation of New Amsterdam. The official Bales' rule states the year 1624, but that is the year of settlement, and even that is one year off. To cut a long story short, New Amsterdam was incorporated as a city on February 2, 1653.
“My name is Elia Kazan. I am a Greek by blood, a Turk by birth and an American because my uncle made a journey.”
– Elia Kazan, voice-over
America America tells the story of director Kazan's grandfather through the life of the Greek Stavros Topouzoglou (Stathis Giallelis), who was adamant to start anew, in New York.
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Symbiopsychotaxiplasm: Take One (William Greaves, 1968)
Feb
1
Filmmaking
Don Fellows – testing as “Freddy” – and Patricia Ree Gilbert – testing as “Alice” –, the director (William Greaves), and a camera assistant holding up a light meter. Everyone is eyeing everyone and it's not clear who is playing what part. DPs: Stevan Larner & Terence Macartney-Filgate.
A film about filmmaking, or Hollywood, to celebrate the opening of Edison's Black Maria in 1893.
“You and I are going to be filming the actors. The two of us, see, are going to be filming the actors – continuously – and you will be filming me and the actors. I'm going to be filming the actors and Terry is going to be in charge of filming the whole thing. You see?”
– William Greaves – Director
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The Phantom of the Opera (Rupert Julian, Lon Chaney, Ernst Laemmle + Edward Sedgwick, 1925)
Jan
28
Gaslights
An enormous gaslit chandelier dangles over the Paris Opéra audience's heads. DPs: Milton Bridenbecker, Virgil Miller & Charles Van Enger.
Gaslights for the first recorded public street lighting powered by gas, demonstrated in Pall Mall, London, on 28 January, 1807. The introduction of gaslight had a major influence on theatre and opera, including the new Paris Opera (1875), which was lit by no less than 960 gas jets. Thanks to the brilliant light, stage actors could tone down their mannerisms and stage makeup.
“Feast your eyes. Glut your soul on my accursed ugliness.”
– The Phantom
However, in the dark dungeons under the Opéra lives a pitiful creature, doomed to dwell in darkness. His makeup, provided by The Man of a Thousand Faces, Lon Chaney, was both grotesque and eerily real .
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Blue Velvet (David Lynch, 1986)
Jan
19
lights
Ben (Dean Stockwell) miming Roy Orbison's In Dreams with a work light for a microphone. DP: Frederick Elmes.
“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.
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All My Life (Bruce Baillie, 1966)
Jan
18
roses
Roses for the end of the Wars of the Roses (note: January 18 is when Henry VII married Elizabeth of York in 1486; the wars would continue until June 16 the following year).
“All my life, hold me close to your heart
But all else above
Hold my love, darling, just hold my love”
– Ella Fitzgerald, All My Life (Sidney D. Mitchell & Sammy Stept), 1936
In one continuous shot, the camera tracks a fence and rose bushes while Ella Fitzgerald's 1936 debut song All My Life is playing.