settima

crime

Dirty Little Billy (Stan Dragoti, 1972)

Feb

25

National Billy Day

Dirty Little Billy (1972)

Michael J. Pollard as Billy the Kid. He looks rather unwashed. DP: Ralph Woolsey.

A mucky, nihilistic #punk adaptation of the Billy the Kid saga foreshadowing Alex Cox's Straight to Hell by 15 years.

– All right, Billy. All right. You still haven't answered my question. What do you want to do?

– Nothin'.

American Dreams: Lost and Found (James Benning, 1984)

Feb

24

National Trading Card Day

American Dreams: Lost and Found (1984)

A Hank Aaron trading card from director James Benning's personal collection. Below it a scrolling text quoting from Arthur Bremer's diary.

Le voleur de crimes [Crime Thief] (Nadine Trintignant, 1969)

Feb

20

National Handcuff Day

Le voleur de crimes (1969)

Jean Girod (Jean-Louis Trintignant) handcuffed in the back of a cell van. DP: Pierre Willemin.

The Naked City [Homicide (Jules Dassin, 1948)

Feb

10

All The News That's Fit To Print Day

The Naked City (1948)

On a crowded subway train, a distraught young woman looks at the back of a newspaper. She may just have read the front, held up by someone offscreen. Headlines read YOUNG MODEL FOUND SLAIN IN BATHTUB. The prop newspaper uses too many typefaces at once. DP: William H. Daniels; still photographers: Bert Anderson & Arthur “Weegee” Fellig.

Filmed on location in New York City, with still photography by Arthur “Weegee” Fellig and others. Weegee was a press photographer known for his stark black-and-white crime scene #photography in the city's seedy underbelly.

“There are eight million stories in the naked city. This has been one of them.”

– narrator

Shoot It Black, Shoot It Blue (Dennis McGuire, 1974)

Jan

29

Kansas Day

Shoot It Black, Shoot It Blue (1974)

A white cop (Michael Moriarty) aims his gun at someone offscreen. DP: Bob Bailin.

De man die zijn haar kort liet knippen [The Man Who Had His Hair Cut Short] (André Delvaux, 1965)

Jan

12

freebie: Teacher Appreciation Day

De man die zijn haar kort liet knippen (1965)

Govert Miereveld (Senne Rouffaer) having his hair cut. DPs: Ghislain Cloquet & Roland Delcour.

A teacher, enthralled by one of his students, gets lost after she graduates.

“Fran.”

– Govert Miereveld

Heavy and light, absurd and profane. An absolute recommendation.

The Spider (Kenneth MacKenna + William Cameron Menzies, 1931)

Jan

4

World Hypnotism Day

The Spider (1931)

A masked Alexander (Howard Phillips) seated on a curule on stage. DP: James Wong Howe.

Le jour se lève [The Day Rises / Daybreak] (Marcel Carné, 1939)

Jan

3

Memento Mori Day

Le jour se lève (1939)

François (Jean Gabin) and Clara (Arletty). DPs: Philippe Agostini, André Bac, Albert Viguier & Curt Courant.

“People in love are said to be more alive than others. Is it true?”

Z ​(Costa-Gavras, 1969)

Jan

1

Z Day

Z (1969)

Hélène (Irene Papas) and Z (Yves Montand). DP: Raoul Coutard.

“A single cannon is fired and a teacher's monthly salary goes up in smoke.”

– Z