Film Archives

The much anticipated Fosse weekend has finally arrived, being announced by Forward to Yesterday in the early hours of the (American) morning. We hope Fosse fans from across the globe are uniting around the, rather attractive, banner now adorning Bob Westal’s blog (pictured below) and we also hope admirers from the UK tuned in to Sky Arts’ special broadcast of Fosse, which showcases some of his the most memorable moments from his revolutionary career.

Follow Forward to Yesterday closely for more great articles about the legendary choreographer. Westal has already been refusing to let his keyboard rest easy, with several enlightening posts already adorning his site. This writer has little chance of bettering anything written there, so I recommend all readers have a read - you might learn something.

In the meantime, allow me to point you in the direction of some areas of interest for any looking to further stimulate the old grey matter with regards to the great Bob Fosse.

DeviantArt is one of my favourite places to visit on the ‘net. Think of any topic you can and type it into the search box, and the chances are that you’ll find a whole host of inspiring creations by some truly talented folk. Follow this link for some Fosse-related artwork.

Similarly, Flickr boasts some excellent images. If you are looking to dress up an article this weekend, you can hardly go wrong by using a photo or two from here - though be sure to cite the source!

If you require something more stimulating than a static image, get a quick fix of Fosse and hit this crazy link.

Finally, click this link to be taken to the ‘That is So Fosse’ group on Facebook and join up! Facebook groups are quite possibly one of the most under-utilised features of the social network, with people collecting groups with the same sense of indifference they would collect friends on MySpace. Featuring discussion boards, shared photos, videos, links, and an instant relationship with a horde of like-minded peeps, this is a resource that should not be ignored.

Well, tomorrow is the beginning of the Fossethon, so head along to Forward to Yesterday for more great articles about the famed choreographer responsible for such musical favourites as Chicago, Sweet Charity and Big Deal. Today, Bob Westal has written about Cabaret, the award-winning film of the 70s, starring Liza Minnelli as Sally Bowles – an American dancer performing at a Berlin club in Weimar-era Germany.

The Nazi rise to dominance persists throughout the film, as a subtle backdrop to the changing lives of the main characters. There are only a few scenes that explicitly show the Nazi influence, and one of the most provocative is the focus of Forward to Yesterday’s post. Click here to read the fantastic article and view the powerful video - not to be missed.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the web, Andrew Markworthy starts a discussion on the Home Theater Forum asking, what was so marvellous about Bob Fosse? If you have an opinion, leap over there and let him know!

It being Halloween, our minds turn naturally to things grisly and ghoulish, and what more fitting than the genre of Japanese horror films? With recent titles like Ichi The Killer, Pistol Opera and Suicide Circle (JP Review has an extensive list with write-ups), you aren’t going to leave the cinema with that inner glow and a big smile on your face as if you’d just seen Babe. Chances are, in fact, that your popcorn hand froze half way to your mouth in the opening scene and stayed there until the lights came on and the staff were asking you to leave.

Japanese horror has more to it than inventing the most gruesome way to meet your maker, though. Many themes and conventions used in modern films had their origins in early Japanese films. George Lucas admits that the two characters that bind his Star Wars films together (no, not Luke and Han), C3PO and R2-D2 were loosely based on a couple of bumbling fools in Kurosawa’s 1958 movie The Hidden Fortress, as was the rest of the plot. Bet you didn’t know that.

More modern Japanese films are meant just to scare the heebie-jeebies out of you, see the remake of The Grudge for reference, and whilst you may not be quivering the whole way through, there is one instant where we guarantee a bottom-leaving-seat-in-shock moment Others simply compete to find the most macabre methods to end an existence. It is fair to say, though, that the majority are consummately composed and shot pieces of cinema. Kuroneko (showing on Sky Arts this evening at 9pm) is no exception to this rule. Chilling and sinister, it describes the beyond-the-grave revenge of a mother and daughter who take the form of cat-spirits (seriously) to punish the samurai who raped and killed them. Early use of the wire work that has become standard, coupled with the haunting content and stunning photography makes this an enlightened change from the run-of-the-mill driller killer offerings that you might find elsewhere tonight.

Thu 18 Oct 2007 9:00PM - 10:00PM

Influential and avant-garde filmmaker Derek Jarman is profiled in this hour long documentary that covers his life and career in equal measure. Contributions are given by friends and family including Tilda Swinton, Tariq Ali and Christopher Hobbs.

As a genuine maverick filmmaker Jarman’s work criticised existing social structures, challenging prescribed conventions and, as such divided opinion. Never using his art as a veil his private life was fully exposed, championing gay rights, launching derisive attacks in a political arena and, most poignantly, his battle with AIDS, which he lost in 1994.

There are some excellent spaces dedicated to Jarman’s work, Slow Motion Angel is comprehensive and Jim’s Reviews page on his film work gets to the point and importance of the films eloquently.

From Artswom’s perspective we were intrigued to find out that Jarman’s career began as a set designer on Ken Russell’s The Devils, a significant footing indeed, from which to begin creating a cinema of provocation and excellence. There is some lovely chatter at the Anchor Bay forums on the film and its various release formats.

Besides being involved with film, Jarman also dipped into the world of music videos. It is a step that maybe wasn’t that unexpected in light of his directorial style and that his movie Jubilee is considered by many as the first real punk film. His video catalogue includes among others, The Pet Shop Boys and The Smiths. Arguably the most notable endeavour outside film and music is Jarman’s Prospect Cottage that he built by Dungeness power station. The cottage has the notable feature of John Donne’s exhilarating poem The Sun Rising in raised wood on one of the exterior walls. Thanks to Bus Stop of Flickr for the images.

Derek Jarman – Life As Art airs tonight at 9:00PM and if you fancy jumping into some conversation he gets a notable mention in Criterion’s Avant-Garde, Experimental & Non-narrative forum.

For thirty years the achievements of the black community have been celebrated in the UK by dedicating the month of October to highlight the impact black history and culture has had on our society. This year, the month is even more important as 2007 marks the bicentenary of the abolition of slavery.

For your resource on everything BHM-related, we recommend you visit www.blackhistorymonthuk.co.uk which is your one-stop shop for news on all activities and events taking place across the country. For our part, we will attempt to keep up to date with the online chatter from the people who have attended these events and try to point you in the direction of all manner of stimulating articles, artists and assorted miscellany.

We will also be devoting some time to focus on the programmes Sky Arts are airing to mark the occasion, which are being led by two UK TV premieres: The Gospel According to Al Green which shows the soul singer in conversation and performance and Black Wax: Gil Scott-Heron which is a profile of the poet, jazzman and black activist. The blog From Da Bricks was able to preview this documentary and arranged an interview with the director – follow this link to read the article.

Sky Arts are also offering a ‘Brief History of Black Music’ courtesy of the Sky Arts Music Service providing a selection of tracks you can listen to online. Get finger-clicking happy on this link to find out more.

Frustrated by his own lack of motivation in cataloguing his collection of Star Wars figures, the artist Josh Budich decided to the best way to get himself off his behind would be to present the world with a digital representation of each of his toys. This online gallery makes for compulsive viewing if you are a fan of the film series, as the clever so-and-so has categorised each figure, allowing viewers to search by series or assortment of toys, by film or by the year the figure was purchased.

549 of the figures are documented, including Chocolate Mpire (M&M) releases, toys that have sprung from animated series, those in jewel cases and those that actually look nothing like the original characters (try item 265 for size). Despite having such a vast collection, the earliest figure dates from 1999, so fans of the originals may be a little disillusioned, but the site is well worth a visit.

Whilst the pixelated illustrations are a great idea, they could do with being a touch bigger so the viewers can see what they are clicking on without having to read the rollover. Someone who has the commitment to make such a resource should be applauded but has obviously has no time to play with the figures, so it is no surprise that, when a link is clicked, a great photo of the action figure appears. In its box.

If this has piqued your interest, why not talk to other Star Wars collecting fans here.

Sun 30 Sep 2007 4:35PM - 6:45PM

Al Pacino takes the title role in this adaptation of a Shakespeare classic, the first film version for ninety years. Perceived by many as a strongly anit-Semitic play, brimming with suspense and twists, The Merchant Of Venice is an excellent example of tragic Shakespeare at his peak. Miserly, mealy-mouthed money lender Shylock, a Jew, is played to perfection by Pacino, who embodies the anger, pride, self-pity and avarice that those who have read the play will recognise instantly.

Maltreated and subjugated by the gentiles around him, Shylock seeks ultimate retribution by demanding his pound of flesh as assurance on a loan to Antonio. The sentiments that this evokes lend themselves to a highly charged emotional journey, portrayed to perfection by the stellar cast. Filmed on location in Venice (naturally one would have thought, but the US company could easily have used a sound stage), this is a breath-taking take on one of Will S’s best.

Interviewed at the time the film came out, here’s what Pacino had to say:

How did this project come to you?

I never had a desire to do “Merchant of Venice,” for a lot of reasons. Certainly I couldn’t quite see the character. I myself had no relationship to it. Then I read the script, Michael Radford’s text, and I thought I understood somehow where Shylock was coming from. I thought he laid it out visually with his little additions and adaptations. I thought he made a case for Shylock. And in doing that I was able to see the elements of the character, the human elements, and I started understanding the motivation and I thought, “I could play this.” But before that I didn’t know how to approach this.

Do you see Shylock as a character more sinned against than sinning?

I see it that way, yeah. When I look at the history of this character and go into his life and conditions.

So is his tragedy that he lives in the 16th Century?

Yeah, I think so. But his tragedy is also how he dealt with his conditions. As Michael Radford says, it’s really a road rage. Because of what he’s come to in his life. The losing of his wife, the feeling of his own work and the dignity that he feels- his life is being violated by the conditions of his life. So his daughter leaving- all these things contribute and add up. I remember talking about that scene with a pound of flesh and knowing that what Shylock is really doing there is taking a risk. So it’s kind of a gesture and a way of standing up to the oppressor, really. I think that it’s the conditions of that world. His reaction to it, I don’t know if it would have been quite as overwhelming had they not taken his daughter away. This is my one personal idea. That’s all we have as actors. As actors we interpret, and that’s how we find a way to motivate ourselves and express ourselves, it’s through the interpretation that we come up with. Someone else in this situation might not have reacted that way. But Shylock, the kind of person he was, the kind of character he was, the kind of human being…

If you could have one message taken from this film, what would it be?

I guess it would be tolerance. Something happens in this play. There are all these little stories going in and out – it weaves and finally turns out to be what it is. It’s a hard one to call in Merchant of Venice because it’s a difficult play to relate to. There are aspects I relate to. Certainly Shylock’s condition and dilemma. His plight. I relate to that. I can only speak from that character. I can’t say much about my feelings about the whole play. There are some aspects I don’t really understand to be honest with you.

To see the rest of the interview, visit the Cinema Confidential website.

Got an opinion on this version of the play? Share it with others here.

Sat 29 Sep 2007 9:00PM - 10:45PM

This bleak film from Mike Leigh is a damning indictment of Margaret Thatcher’s Britain. The dreary wasteland of London’s East End provides the backdrop to the observations on the failure of the economics of the Tory administration, with two brothers killing time before the next dole cheque arrives. Starring Tim Roth, the film was originally shot for TV as it did not have funding for a cinematic release, and it shows. But this adds to the gritty, realistic feel of the piece, aided by Roth’s customary excellent performance.

Supported by a stellar cast including Phil Daniels, Gary Oldman and Pam Ferris, Leigh manages to accurately portray the wretchedness of 1980s inner city futility. Not a lot happens in the film, but there are moments of tenderness, helped along by excellent observational acting, and a genuine feeling that the cast had bonded like a family off screen. If watching desolate, desperate, despondent dolers do diddly squat, then this is a film for you.

Got an opinion on the film, why not share it here?

Martin Scorsese Presents: The Blues is one of the more intriguing programmes currently showing on Sky Arts, inviting seven famous directors to explore the blues through their own perspectives and styles. As previously mentioned on these pages, the series began last week and continues into October and Sky Arts are running a competition offering you the chance to win one of five boxed sets of the series.

Enter on the Sky Arts website by answering this question:

Martin Scorsese won an Oscar for best achievement in directing, in which of the following films?

Now, true Scorsese fans would probably know that answer (or, at least, IMDB will) so we won’t give you the options – we can be a little cruel like that – anyway, follow the link above to enter and let us know if a reader of our humble blog wins!

Poet, Benjamin Zephaniah wrote his first collection of poems, titled Pen Rhythms at the tender age of 22. Now aged 49, the British-Jamaican has emerged as one of this nations most established of black writers and social commentators.

Currently sitting pretty as both Writer in Residence at the Africa Arts Collective in Liverpool and Creative Artist in Residence at Cambridge, Zephaniah was able to find time to take control of your airwaves, featuring as tonight’s guest on Sky Arts’ Friday Night Hijack series.

Usually, ArtsWom would delve into the particular artist’s selection (in our traditionally insightful and witty manner). This time, however, Sky Arts are seemingly trying to trump our efforts through the medium of sheer flashiness - and, interestingly, clicking on lightbulbs. Traverse eagerly over to the Sky Arts website to find out more about the poet with a short interview, bio, his choice of programmes and a chance to discuss his work.

In March ArtsWom was getting very excited about the release of Tarantino and Roderiguez’s Grindhouse, a film that promised two for the price of one. Then in July we gently bemoaned the delay affecting the double-header reaching a screen near us. Well, the two films, one sitting, three hours of girls, guns and gore made up by the marriage of Death Proof and Planet Terror has arrived, but not exactly as planned.

After a muted reaction in the US to the exploitation homage and its ‘disappointing’ box office return, Grindhouse fell off the radar for a period of time. Now it is back though. Well sort of, with the Tarantino half, Death Proof landing in the UK this weekend. Excited – hell yeah, but that is not why I put finger to keyboard. The carving of this film into two was always a likely event and is for the record, ridiculous. Basically the overriding reason for the butchering is the poor return seen in America; apparently people don’t want the value of two films back to back. Our hyperactive society hasn’t got the attention span. What is wrong with these people!

Kill Bill 1 & 2 while satisfying experiences had obviously been tinkered with in the edit process and as a result had pacing problems creating a staccato viewing experience. Due to the split in Grindhouse being between two individual films this shouldn’t be a problem, yet clued-up viewers will always wonder what the twin production would have felt like in full glory and as it was supposed to be.

Now for the real problem ArtsWom has with this situation. Tarantino is undoubtedly among a group of directors who emerged during the nineties that had a significant impact on cinema, and as such is one of the most important figures working behind a camera. Then consider the ludicrous situation that he, a modern auteur, can’t have his film shown how he wants it to be. Instead it has to be watered down to broaden appeal, in the vain hope it’ll encourage more ass on seats. Think I’m lying? How many eighteen certificate film’s make into cinemas? Not many and that is because money driven executives breed a ‘it’s a limited demographic for Christ sake’ sentiment. So, not only is the picture distorted by the desire for the dollar, but it now isn’t targeted as keenly at the audience it was intended for at conception and through production. This leaves flicks like Death Proof between an axe-wielding Devil and a blood-stained deep blue sea.

It is a world where there are no winners.

Fri 21 Sep 2007 8:00PM - 9:00PM

Reynold Brown, who provided the artistic genius behind the B-movie posters of the 1950s and 60s that usually depicted monsters carrying away scantily clad ladies, is profiled in this revealing Sky Arts documentary. The films themselves were perhaps defined by the poster art (let’s face it, the cinematic content was not really up to scratch, was it?), and made Brown arguably the most famous poster artist of all time. The flashy and risqué depictions of the monsters in the posters reflected the nature of the social climate at the time.

The programme weaves clips from the multitude of frankly quite rubbish B-movies with images of the many, many posters produced by Brown to entice cinema goers to part with their hard earned to sit and endure drab features like Creature from the Black Lagoon and Attack of the 50ft Woman. The relative success of these films was due in no small part to Brown’s cunningly gaudy depiction of the characters and cheap monsters, but the reality was that the films never matched up to the poster, testament to the skill of Reynold Brown.

Got your own favourite Reynold Brown poster? Discuss it here.

That hive of ineffably impactful images that is the blog called English Russia throws up yet more gems of unique visual fodder from the largest country in the world. The peculiar images below shows the perils of man/woman dating in a devastated fairground in Chernobyl. Interpret what you will from these shots, and follow this highly tempting link to see more…

Last year Sky Arts struck a sponsorship deal with the British Film Institute (BFI) that saw 16 films from the national archive restored in glorious HD. A success in concept and practice the mutually beneficial collaboration has been revisited, with the two organisations coming together again to reissue 13 classic pictures.

The benefit to Sky Arts and their niche, but considerable audience within the cultural television sector is that the channel will hold exclusive rights over the films. This means that they will be shown in HD, for a full year from September onwards.

Channel Manager, John Cassey revealed that the films would slip into the Wednesday night slot, as well as demonstrating his joy at the union. “Sky Arts is proud to be working with the BFI once again and to show these magnificent films in all their glory.”

Included in the lucky 13 are Borderline, London Can Take It! and two Hitchcock war-time shorts, Bon Voyage and Aventure Malgache. A snippet of trivia on the Hitchcock duo – the cameo crazy director does not make an appearance in either film.

For a list of the films and the BFI reaction to the alliance, virtually pass through this blue text.

Wed 05 Sep 2007 9:00PM - 10:40PM

François Truffaut’s first feature is in the upper echelons of films belonging to the Nouvelle Vague. Nouvelle Vague translates as New Wave and is a cinematic movement of the late 50s and 60s that is used to describe a group of Italian Neorealist influenced French filmmakers.

The 400 Blows, also known by its French title of Les Quatre Cents Coups follows 12-year-old misunderstood delinquent Antoine Doinel, as he is beset by circumstance attributed by preconceptions and actions of the adults around him. The story is semi-autobiographical and stimulates within the viewer a great empathy for Doinel. It is a sensation that is brought about by the juxtapositions Truffaut explores throughout the narrative, masterfully exposing them visually and thematically.

The 400 Blows is not to be missed, being broadcast on Sky Arts Channel tonight at nine, it is landmark cinema. If you fancy yourself as more of Goddard and Breathless type of Nouvelle Vague fan then why not start a disscussion on it by leaving a comment on the Sky Arts site.

This is the question dealt with in this Guardian blog post by filmmaker Martha Fiennes, and for the most part it is left unanswered. Neither tardiness nor lack of engagement explain this lack of response, it is more probably that it is not a simple topic to address, let alone answer conclusively.

At the heart of this conundrum are filmic terms, most notably ‘epic’ and ‘Britishness’, which literally have entire sections of library shelf space dedicated to their analysis; this means that while there is a consensus, there is no finite conclusion.

Fiennes’ assertion about being able to create epic films in historical settings is certainly fitting considering the glut of blockbuster summer releases that have taken the ‘epic’ genre and repurposed it, watering down its meaning. The most mined vein of which is occupied by titles such as Troy, Alexander and Gladiator. Obviously this is a somewhat narrow selection, but suggests the type of cinema I’m talking about. Then there are the marginally more highbrow offerings from Mel Gibson (for example) with his recent Apocolypto or, pushing things further, Terence Malick’s The Thin Red Line and The New World. While fulfilling a general perception of epic they rely on the backdrop of war to provide a greater and prolonged collective suffering, a feature that is, peculiarly enough, identified in many films considered to define Britishness.

The English Patient, an example chosen by Fiennes, is arguably as close as the two concepts manage in coming together. Epic, in this sense, seems unlikely to move away from being centred on concepts bedded within history and war - a trend that is counter-productive to the idea of creating a picture set in London that captures the national identity.

Jennifer Connelly as Marion in Requiem for a Dream

Examples of modern films that deliver in genuinely epic proportions are a precious rarity, but they do exist. Two that are etched upon my mind are Aronofsky’s Requiem for a Dream and Iñárritu’s Amorros Perros, both are intense and capture the culture and city in which they tread eloquently and vibrantly, relying on character and narrative ingenuity as opposed to the fast-emerging clichés already discussed. Structure and plot from these films could be transferred to London with the essence of all that is our capital city and those that occupy it infused into every frame.

ArtsWom believes that a modern epic will be created in London when the time comes. A talented individual with a vision and a story to tell will find a way to get his film made and in turn seen.

Be sure to go through the comments on the original Guardian article as there a few quality contributions, some of which the ArtsWom opinion concurs… who’d have thought it?