settima

birthday

O slavnosti a hostech [A Report on the Party and Guests] (Jan Němec, 1966)

Nov

22

Bales' Birthday

O slavnosti a hostech (1966)

The birthday party mingled in with the others in the woods, all dressed immaculately and seated at elaborately decked tables. The guests and their host raise their glasses towards the camera. DP: Jaromír Šofr.

“So will someone tell me what happened or not? A brother shouldn't turn against his brother. And a guest shouldn't turn against a guest.”

– the host

#Bales2023FilmChallenge #BalesBirthday #JanNěmec #KarelMareš #JaromírŠofr #satire #drama #birthday #ČeskoslovenskáNováVlna #Czechoslovakia #1960s ★★★★☆

The Blue Gardenia (Fritz Lang, 1953)

Aug

5

International Hangover Day

The Blue Gardenia (1953)

After a horrible birthday alone followed by a lovely night out, Norah wakes up with a terrible hangover and a hunch of being a murderess.

“How about you slip into something more comfortable, like a few drinks and some Chinese food?”

– Harry

The Blue Gardenia is Lang's hard-bitten take on the gruesome Black Dahlia murder case and part of his newspaper noir trilogy together with While the City Sleeps and Beyond a Reasonable Doubt, both from 1956.