view
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
view
War Machine (Duvet Brothers, 1984)
Jan
21
the passing of Orwell
A repurposed TV still of a battle ship billowing thick black smoke with the text WAR MACHINE superimposed over it.
view
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.
view
Kinoautomat: Člověk a jeho dům [Kinoautomat / One Man and His House] (Ján Roháč, Radúz Činčera + Vladimír Svitáček, 1967)
Jan
10
Representation of the People Act 1918
The audience about to vote for one of two scenes, with two presenters on stage.. DP: Jaromír Šofr.
Made for the Czechoslovak Pavilion at #Expo67 in #Montréal, Kinoautomat was the world's first interactive film. During nine moments in the story, a moderator would appear on the stage, and ask the audience where the story should go now. Depending on the votes, one of two reels would play.
“The Kinoautomat in the Czechoslovak Pavilion is a guaranteed hit of the World Exposition, and the Czechs should build a monument to the man who conceived the idea, Radúz Činčera.”
– The New Yorker
view
The Clock (Christian Marclay, 2010)
Dec
31
Hogmanay
Prof. Charles Rankin (Orson Welles) during the climax in The Stranger (1946). The clocktower strikes midnight. DP: Russell Metty.
Midnight: it's Hogmanay in Scotland.
“There's no clue to the identify of Franz Kindler; except one little thing. He has a hobby that almost amounts to a mania: clocks.”
– Mr. Wilson
The Clock takes place over – and lasts – 24 hours, with each moment either being shown in a film still or mentioned by characters during a scene. In total, there are over 12 000 scenes edited into Marclay's tour de force.
view
Das Cabinet des Dr. Caligari [The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari] (Robert Wiene, 1920)
Dec
25
Hanukkah + Christmas
Cesare (Conrad Veidt) escapes with Jane (Lil Dagover) in his arms. Composition and distribution of light and shadow – much of which was painted directly on the set pieces – strike a strong resemblance with the oldest known survived photograph by Nicéphore Niépce from ca. 1822 – 1827. DP: Willy Hameister.
A favourite scene featuring light for Hanukkah and Christmas.
Alan “How long will I live?”
Cesare “Till the break of dawn.”
view
Die Sage vom alten Hirten Xeudi und seinem Freund Reiman [The Legend of the Old Shepherd Xeudi and His Friend Reimann] (Hans-Jakob Siber, 1973)
Dec
11
International Mountain Day
The two friends setting off on their track of the Swiss mountains. Their chalet can be seen in the foreground. DP: Hans-Jakob Siber.
view
Report (Bruce Conner, 1967)
Nov
23
1963
view
The End (Christopher Maclaine, 1953)
Nov
13
ice cream
A man suggestively licks an ice cream cone. DP: Jordan Belson.
view
KIPHO [Du musst zur KIPHO] (Julius Pinschewer, 1925)
Sep
25
1925
A very modern dressed woman with a small film camera. Superimposed but suggested she's filming it, a large teddybear – a bear is #Berlin's official mascot – to remind viewers that the Kino und Photoausstellung [“Film and Photo Fair”) takes place in the German capital. DP: Guido Seeber.