Resourceful essays on cinema for cinéastes and art enthusiasts
In the final lines of the chapter “The spectacle of the scaffold”, in his book Discipline and Punish, Michel Foucault writes about a great shift in the portrayal of criminals in fiction, which took place in the 19th century: “We are far removed indeed from those accounts of the life and misdeeds of the criminal… Continue reading Bronson (Nicolas Winding Refn, 2008) “Confessions of Britain’s Most Violent Criminal”
Spiritual nobility of soul and the sense of fraternity have melted together into slogans for the workforce. But every individual product is levelled down in itself as well. There are no longer any real conflicts to be seen.[1] They are replaced by the surrogate of shocks and sensations which seem to erupt from without and… Continue reading In Theodor Adorno’s Words “Caught In An Illusory Moment (at Cinema)”
I believe Ingmar Bergman, Vittorio De Sica, and Federico Fellini are the only three filmmakers in the world who are not just artistic opportunists. By this I mean they don’t just sit and wait for a good story to come along and then make it. They have a point of view which is expressed over… Continue reading In Stanley Kubrick’s Words: “3 Most Consistent and Original Contemporary Directors”
If I was doing a movie that was really bad, I always realized that I had to play my role as good as possible when the camera was on me. The fact that the movie was total shit did not bother me. For example, let's say that there's a hand that is used to playing… Continue reading In Klaus Kinski’s Words… “Great Actor As A Violinist”
For this essay, I chose the title “What makes us human?”, stereotypical for writing about science-fiction films for instance Blade Runner, although I believe that Ridley Scott’s film does not deal with that particular question, but this is a topic for another essay. Be it as it may, Dark City does deal with this question,… Continue reading Dark City (Alex Proyas, 1998) “What Makes Us Human?”
When Nietzsche’s philosophy is taken into account, the phrase “test of will” cannot be found in the original texts of the philosopher, but it appears in the interpretations. To be more specific, in the interpretation of Cormac McCarthy’s novel No Country for Old Men, put on the silver screen by the legendary Coen Brothers. Chigurh,… Continue reading 5 Films To Be Watched As A Nietzschean Test of Will
[On Hitler: Downfall (2004)] What people need is for Hitler to actually represent evil itself. But what is evil itself? That means nothing to me. I have to perform a living human being (…) We know how to judge Hitler. We don’t need another film that condemns him. We already know where we stand on… Continue reading In Bruno Ganz’s Words… “In Memoriam: An Angel Embodying A Demon”
"Perhaps I know best why man alone laughs: he alone suffers so deeply that he had to invent laughter. The unhappiest and most melancholy man is, as fitting, the most cheerful." Friedrich Nietzsche, The Will to Power ≈ 91 On German Pessimism This Nietzsche’s thought can be seen as a bridge between his youthful… Continue reading In Friedrich Nietzsche’s Words: “Why Do We Like Comedies?”
Satoshi Kon is arguably, alongside Hayao Miyazaki, the most important Japanese director of animated films. Perfect Blue is his first film and this directorial debut can be compared to David Lynch’s Eraserhead due to sheer boldness and far-reaching artistic vision. The film begins with a show staged for children featuring a Japanese version of Power… Continue reading Perfect Blue (Satoshi Kon, 1997) “I Am Who I Am!”
A film director has to convince a great number of people to follow him and work with him. I often say, although I am certainly not a militarist, that if you compare the production unit to an army, the script is the battle flag and the director is the commander in the front line. From… Continue reading In Akira Kurosawa’s Words: “Film Director As A Military Commander”
