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Willi Tobler und der Untergang der 6. Flotte [Willi Tobler and the Decline of the 6th Fleet] (Alexander Kluge, 1969)
Apr
27
One of many many handmade, overly complicated title cards. The date is May/June 42. DPs: Dietrich Lohmann, Thomas Mauch & Alfred Tichawsky.
And November 9, January 14, and January 21.
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Culloden (Peter Watkins, 1964)
Apr
16
1746
“Sir Thomas Sheridan, Jacobite military secretary. Suffering advanced debility and loss of memory. Former military engagement, 56 years ago. Sir John MacDonald, Jacobite captain of cavalry. Aged, frequently intoxicated, described as 'a man of the most limited capacities.' John William O'Sullivan, Jacobite quartermaster general. Described as 'an Irishman whose vanity is superseded only by his lack of wisdom.' Prince Charles Edward Stuart, Jacobite commander in chief. Former military experience: 10 days at a siege at the age of 13.”
– narrator
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Threads (Mick Jackson, 1984)
Mar
5
Sat
A caption superimosed over the city of Sheffield: SHEFFIELD SATURDAY MARCH 5TH. DPs: Andrew Dunn & Paul Morris.
“In an urban society, everything connects. Each person's needs are fed by the skills of many others. Our lives are woven together in a fabric. But the connections that make society strong also make it vulnerable.”
– Narrator
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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.
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Mix-Up ou Meli-melo (Françoise Romand, 1986)
Nov
21
One of the daughters, here as a child, with one of their mothers. DP: Emile Navarro.
A heartfelt reunion scene*
“Oh, it's you.”
– Margaret Wheeler, welcoming the viewers to this curious retelling of her life's events
Through an unexplained muddle, the Wheeler and the Rylatt girls were mixed up at the maternity ward. One of the mothers, Mrs Wheeler, had a hunch something was off. Her girl was suspiciously long and skinny, unlike the one that was entrusted to her. Over the years and to Mrs Rylatt's increasing chagrin, Mrs Wheeler kept in touch with that woman from the maternity ward. And was proven to be correct. This film is one breezy yet tense reunion scene. Heartwarming, awkward, and – like all that's nostalgia – slightly surreal.
* the Bales 2025 Film Challenge for November is, again, not date-based, but follows a sloppy schmaltzy all-American Thanksgiving-y narrative. Trying to make it work my way.
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Mix-Up ou Meli-melo (Françoise Romand, 1986)
Nov
18
1936
Mother and daughter in one of the surreal reenactment scenes. DP: Emile Navarro.
A bit – occasionally a lot – Greenaway without the room for interpretation. Lovely though and impossible to make in this overly self-aware selfie universe.
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The Night That Panicked America (Joseph Sargent, 1975)
Oct
30
1938
Paul Shenar as Orson Welles (via). DP: Jules Brenner.
“Ladies and gentlemen, we interrupt our program of dance music to bring you a special bulletin from the Intercontinental Radio News.”
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Śledztwo [The Investigation] (Marek Piestrak, 1974)
Oct
28
A person offscreen shoots a handgun. DP: Edward Kłosiński.
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Medium (Jacek Koprowicz, 1985)
Oct
2
A man in an impeccable, light-colored suit. His nose is bleeding. DPs: Jerzy Zieliński & Wit Dąbal.
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Hail the New Puritan (Charles Atlas, 1987)
Sep
22
Fall
As it says on the tin, it's Mark E. Smith of The Fall (via). DP: John Simmons.
The Northern Hemisphere welcomes the autumn equinox
“Those flowers, take them away;
they’re only funeral decorations.
This is The Fall and this is a drudge nation.
Your decadent sins will wreak discipline.
You puritan, you shook me.
I wash every day.”
A fictional day in the life of choreographer Michael Clark, company, and friends in preparation of the dance piece New Puritans.
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