– Burn witch, burn witch, burn! – Dig that crazy beat, man.
The City of the Dead (John Llewellyn Moxey, 1960)
Mar
3
Nan Barlow (Venetia Stevenson), exploring. DP: Desmond Dickinson.
“I like the settings where the lights and desire cross path. The desire to communicate with the invisibles in the darkness, or in memory, or in the future. It's always related to cinema and we as insects that are drawn to lights.”
สัตว์วิกาล [Sud Vikal / Vampire] (Apichatpong Weerasethakul, 2008)
Mar
2
Dr. Seuss' birthday
Applying blood to attract the Nok Phii. It's cold. DP: Chaisiri Jiwarangsan.
Imaginary animals or food for Theodor “Dr.” Seuss Geisel's birthday (1904).
– Apichatpong Weerasethakul, via
Villagers in the north of Thailand reported a rare sighting of a male and female Nok Phii, an elusive species of bird that feeds on animals' blood. It is unknown if the sighting was reliable, and if this vampire does, or ever did, exist.
“The conquest of new worlds always makes demands of human life. And there will always be men who will accept the risk.”
First Man Into Space [Satellite of Blood] (Robert Day, 1959)
Feb
28
1958
A newspaper headline for February 28, 1958 reading THE HIGHEST MAN IN THE WORLD. DP: Geoffrey Faithfull.
“You don't think I sat there all evening with an eight-foot mamba in my pocket?”
Murders in the Zoo (A. Edward Sutherland, 1933)
Feb
20
A couple walks into a room, only to discover a lifeless man and a headless snake. DP: Ernest Haller.
– Eric Gorman
“What a lucky clown you are! You don't have to wipe off your laugh.”
The Man Who Laughs (Paul Leni, 1928)
Jan
29
1690
A hand-painted carnival banner reading “URSUS ye Philosopher presents THE LAUGHING MAN. Don't fail to see GWYNPLAINE who was deserted at ye age of ten on ye night of ye 29th of January 1690 by ye Villainous Comprachicos on ye coast of Cornwall. This little boy has grown up and is now known as THE LAUGHING MAN”. DP: Gilbert Warrenton.
“Feast your eyes. Glut your soul on my accursed ugliness.”
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.
– 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 .
Tarry-Dan Tarry-Dan Scarey Old Spooky Man (John Reardon, 1978)
Jan
10
Tarry-Dan (Paul Curran) observing kids at the school's gate. DP: Peter Bartlett.
“I'm a man in search of his true self. How archetypically American can you get?”
Altered States (Ken Russell, 1980)
Jan
7
Wed
Eddie Jessup (William Hurt) in his tank. Around him visions of clouds, fishes, the ocean. DP: Jordan Cronenweth.
– Eddie Jessup
Alan “How long will I live?” Cesare “Till the break of dawn.”
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.
