settima

drama

The War Game (Peter Watkins, 1966)

Sep

16

The War Game (1966)

An old man in uniform, possibly a mailman or traffic warden, stands motionless in a crowd of people. He looks off into the distance. DPs: Peter Bartlett & Peter Suschitzky.

“In the next world war, I believe that both sides could stop before the ultimate destruction of cities so that both sides could retire for a period of ten years or so of post-attack recuperation, in which world wars four to eight could be prepared.”

– a leading American nuclear strategist

Hullumeelsus [Безумие / Madness] (Kaljo Kiisk, 1968)

Sep

15

International Day of Democracy

Hullumeelsus (1968)

Windisch (Jüri Järvet) pacing, blending in with a white-clad inmate. DP: Anatoliy Zabolotskiy.

On the International Day of Democracy, the word “democracy” is spoken.

“Stop shooting! Stop democracy!”

– Person Nr. 1

The Gestapo arrives to liquidate the inmates of a mental hospital. Then Windisch, plainclothes Nazi, brings them a letter: there's a special commando hiding amidst the 583 patients. Interrogating them slowly pushes Windisch among them.

Dead Dreams of Monochrome Men (David Hinton, 1989)

Sep

14

Patrick Swayze – 2009

Dead Dreams of Monochrome Men (1989)

Two of the male dancers performing. They're lying on a black-and-white tiled floor. There's a heaviness to their bodies. DP: Nicholas D. Knowland.

Dancing, or Patrick Swayze who passed away on this date in 2009.

“I caused dreams which caused death … this is my crime.”

– Dennis Nilsen

Dennis Nilsen was a lonesome, closeted gay man in Thatcher's London, whose desperation lead to multiple horrific killings. He'd ritually bathe and dress the bodies, and held on to them for company. Radical dance troupe DV8's interpretation of Nilsen's transgressions explores the horror of the act in suffocating beauty.

血は渇いてる [Chi wa kawaiteru / Blood Is Dry] (Yoshishige Yoshida, 1960)

Sep

11

Chi wa kawaiteru (1960)

The September 11 copy of a scandal magazine. It costs 30 yen. DP: Tōichirō Narushima.

 

Il pleut sur Santiago [Rain over Santiago] (Helvio Soto, 1975)

Sep

11

1973

Il pleut sur Santiago (1975)

Naicho Petrov as Chilean president Salvador Allende. DP: Georges Barsky .

De komst van Joachim Stiller [The Arrival of Joachim Stiller] (Harry Kümel, 1976)

Sep

11

1919

De komst van Joachim Stiller (1976)

The mysterious letter postmarked September 11, 1919 that one day landed on Freek Groenevelt's (Hugo Metsers) doormat. DP: Eduard van der Enden.

“Tot dusver had ik mij steeds vrij tevreden met het leven gevoeld, zonder er wonderen van te verwachten. Die morgen geloofde ik, dat het voor een mens niet onmogelijk is gelukkig te zijn, kortstondig gelukkig misschien, maar gelukkig onmiskenbaar.”

– Hubert Lampo, De komst van Joachim Stiller (1960)

Maléfices [Sorcery / Where the Truth Lies] (Henri Decoin, 1962)

Sep

10

Maléfices (1962)

Myriam Heller (Juliette Gréco) sharing a bed with Nyète, her cheetah. DP: Marcel Grignon.

И дойде денят [I doyde denyat / And the Day Came] (Georgi Djulgerov, 1973)

Sep

9

1944

И дойде денят (1973)

Mustafa (Plamen Maslarov) running. DP: Radoslav Spassov.

The Year of the Sex Olympics (Michael Elliott, 1968)

Sep

7

ESPN – 1979

The Year of the Sex Olympics (1968)

The people of a suspiciously 60s looking future critically watch the audience of a reality TV show called The Hungry Angry Show.

Sports watching on TV for ESPN's debut.

“Sex is not to do. Sex is to watch.”

– Nat Mender

All that's on TV is pornography and violence. Welcome to the Year of the Sex Olympics.

আকালের সন্ধানে [Akaler Sandhane / In Search of Famine] (Mrinal Sen, 1982)

Sep

7

আকালের সন্ধানে (1982)

A clapperboard in the jungle. DP: K.K. Mahajan.

“Past. Presence. And future.”