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Le camion [The Lorry] (Marguerite Duras, 1977)
Aug
16
indigo
Indigo: a building or structure*
Him: It’s a film?
Her: It would have been a film.
A truck, both the narrative structure and his (Depardieu's character) material representation. She – the director – and he – the lead actor – do a read-though while discussing her script. A communist truck driver picks up a female hitchhiker. They discuss the landscape, the cosmos, pointlessness, communism of course. All the while, the indigo truck plods on.
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Der Stand der Dinge [The State of Things] (Wim Wenders, 1982)
Aug
13
1942
Friedrich Munro's (Patrick Bauchau) Hollywood, Ca address and date of birth: August 13, 1942. DPs: Henri Alekan, Fred Murphy & Martin Schäfer.
– You know, I take pictures, photographs, but I never really thought in black and white before I saw our rushes. Do you know what I mean? You can see the shape of things.
– Life is in colour, but black and white is more realistic.
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Il sorpasso [The Easy Life] (Dino Risi, 1962)
Jul
26
a boys' night out
Bruno (Gassman) and Roberto (Trintignant) driving along Italy in their sports car (via). DP: Alfio Contini.
A boys' night out: men having fun on their own*
“Bruno, I've spent the best two days of my life with you… I mean it!”
– Roberto Mariani
Serious law student Roberto (Jean-Louis Trintignant) goes on an accidental road trip with bon vivant Bruno (Vittorio Gassman).
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Touki bouki [Journey of the Hyena] (Djibril Diop Mambéty, 1973)
Jun
23
National Pink Day
Mory (Magaye Niang) and Anta (Myriam Niang) in romanticised European outfits. DP: Georges Bracher.
“Paris, Paris, Paris
C'est sur la Terre un coin de paradis
Paris, Paris, Paris,
De mes amours c′est lui le favori
Mais oui, mais oui, pardi
Ce que j'en dis on vous l′a déjà dit
Et c'est Paris, qui fait la parisienne
Qu′importe, qu'elle vienne du nord ou bien du midi
Et c'est aussi le charme et l′élégance
Et l′âme de la France
Tout cela, mais c'est Paris”
Cowherd Mory and student Anta journey from Dakar to their new destination, the city of Paris.
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Reason Over Passion [La raison avant la passion] (Joyce Wieland, 1969)
May
19
Victoria Day
A winding road. nearos oevr isoasnp. DP: Joyce Wieland.
“sroena evor ssiapon”
– Pierre Trudeau
Joyce Wieland's heart and camera travel from the Canadian east coast all the way to the west. Cars drive by, suns set, suns rise, and Pierre Trudeau's motto rings on in 537 permutations.
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Vagabunden Karawane [Vagabond’s Band] (Werner Penzel, 1980)
Apr
16
હડતાળ
“I had appealed to the people to fast on April 6, and the whole nation followed my call. Who was I? But it was the voice of God… India was awakened that day.”
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Paris, Texas (Wim Wenders, 1984)
Mar
27
94th Academy Awards
Travis (Harry Dean Stanton) wandering the desert. DP: Robby Müller.
“The Dust has come to stay. You may stay or pass on through or whatever.”
– gas station sign
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Mord und Totschlag [Degree of Murder] (Volker Schlöndorff, 1967)
Mar
4
juice
A pensive Marie (Anita Pallenberg) drinking something red from a bottle with a green straw. DP: Franz Rath..
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Stroszek (Werner Herzog, 1977)
Sep
9
German Language Day
A warm Railroad Flats, Wis. “Willcomen” [sic] for (LtR) Scheitz, Eva, and Bruno, with Mr Scheitz's nephew (Clayton Szalpinski) squeezed between his “Onkellein” and Eva. DP: Thomas Mauch.
Bruno Stroszek (Bruno S.), his friends Eva (Eva Mattes) and Scheitz (Clemens Scheitz, responsible for the fairy-tale music you hear in this film) decide to leave dreary #Berlin behind and move to #Wisconsin where the latter's nephew lives. A new life, with dreams of music and animal magnetism, awaits them there.
“Was ist loos? Der Hund is loose.”
– Clayton
As so oft with #Herzog, the story behind Stroszek is as engrossing as the resulting film. Documentary maker Errol Morris and Herzog were fascinated by Wisconsin's own Ed Gein and wondered if Gein had dug up his own mother, as was rumoured at the time. As they would, they decided to open the poor woman's grave. Morris never showed up, and neither did Herzog but only because his car broke down en route to Plainfield, Wisconsin. Trying to get the vehicle fixed, Herzog entered the workshop of a Clayton Szalpinski.
A character in his own right, and a non-actor to boot, Clayton ended up in Stroszek as Scheitz's nephew; a MacGuffin odder than a dancing chicken.
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Stroszek (Werner Herzog, 1977)
Sep
9
turkey
“We're in America now.”
– Bruno S.