Suggested Viewings for the Weekend - KCL Film Studies

From the module British National Cinema: The Young Ones (Sidney J. Furie, 1961). Well, if you know and love Cliff Richard and want to be transported in the youth culture of the swinging London this is the film for you. From here you can actually see where all the High School Musicals came from!

From the module Hollywood Cinema: Gladiator (Ridley Scott, 2000). I am a big fan of epic dramas, and Gladiator has always been one of my favourites. Watch out for the different representations of masculinity, while you stare at Russel Crowe's body. Freud is always a good start here.

From the module Contemporary Spanish Cinema: The Red Squirrel (Julio Medem, 1993). Freud is back again in this mental fairytale suspended between dream and reality, exploring the boundaries of what being men and being women means and playing with our attention through symbolism and the actors' great performances until the end.

From the module Chinese Cinemas: The Wedding Banquet (Ang Lee, 1993). Again a film that works on many different levels: it can be an enjoyable family drama with a good amount of comedy, it can be a manifesto for the Asian gay community, it can be a challenge, but it can also be tradition, and make you explore the life of a Confucian family through five great characters. It's up to you to choose which of the possible readings it represents.

RIP Syd Field

I am very sad to hear about Syd Field's death, I've been reading his screenwriting manual in the past weeks, and I unfortunately couldn't attend the screenwriting course Raindance organized with him as one of the lecturers. It's been one of those missed occasions one could never replace. Here is the article published on Raindance website:

Syd Field with his mentor Jean Renoir

Beverly Hills, CA—November 17, 2013—Syd Field, long considered by the global film community as “the guru of screenwriting,” died on Sunday, November 17 of hemolytic anemia at his home in Beverly Hills surrounded by his wife, family and friends. He was 77.
Field was the author of eight best-selling books on screenwriting. The first of these, Screenplay was initially published in 1979, and is universally considered to be “the Bible” of screenwriting. It revolutionized how screenwriters and filmmakers approached story and the art of filmmaking and has been published in 23 languages and is used in over 400 colleges and universities around the world.
Born on December 19, 1935 in Hollywood, California, Syd Field received his B.A. in English Literature at University of California, Berkeley in 1960. He began his career at Wolper Productions in the shipping department, earning $75 a week. Field went on to research and write for the original Biography television series, among other Wolper Productions.
Acclaimed by CNN as the “guru of all screenwriters,” and by The Hollywood Reporter as “the most sought after screenwriting teacher in the world,” Field is celebrated as the first writer to outline the paradigm that most screenplays follow, which is the classic three-act structure.
During his more than 50-year career, Syd Field has chaired the Academic Liaison Committee at The Writer’s Guild of America, West, served as lecturer on the faculty at University of Southern California and AFI and has been a special script consultant to 20th Century Fox, the Disney Studios, Universal, Tri-Star Pictures as well as an annual The Visual Art of Storytelling workshop for the scientists of JPL and NASA.
Syd Field was inducted into the Final Draft Hall of Fame in 2006 and was the first inductee into the Screenwriting Hall of Fame of the American Screenwriting Association. He was also a special consultant to the Film Preservation Project for the famed Getty Center.
By special invitation of numerous Ministries of Culture, Field has taught throughout Europe, Asia, South America and Canada. His books and workshops have influenced many of the leading writers and producers in the film industry. Producer Linda Obst (Sleepless in Seattle, The Fisher King, Contact) has said of Field’s workshop: “This course is a virtual must for screenwriters.”
Judd Apatow, Writer/Director/Producer, (Bridesmaids, The 40 Year Old Virgin, Knocked Up, Funny People) has said: “What I learned in Syd Field’s class was here’s how Annie Hall works, and here’s how Witness works, and then I begin to think, ‘OK now how would I do it differently than that?’ That concept of ‘Always being in learning mode’ has stuck with me to this day…” Tina Fey, Emmy-Award winning Creator and Writer (30 Rock, Saturday Night Live) commented: “I did a million drafts. And then I did the thing everybody does—I read Syd Field and I used my index cards.”
Frank Darabont, Writer/Director of Shawshank Redemption praises Syd Field’s works: “I’ve gone from reading his books, to being taught by him in courses! I think one of us must have done something right! I thank him all the time for inspiring me.”
In his final speaking engagement in September 2013, Syd delivered the Keynote Address at STORY EXPO in Los Angeles. His talk on “Why We Are Storytellers” brought the packed room to its feet with a long, standing ovation.
A longtime meditator, Field was a longtime student of Baba Muktananda, an Indian meditation master who founded the Siddha Yoga path. He continued as a student under Baba’s successor, Gurumayi Chidvilasananda.
Syd Field is survived by his wife, Aviva Field, and his brother, Dr. Morton Field, both of Beverly Hills; Rika Hofmann, sister-in-law, of Phoenix; Lisa Arcos, daughter, of Atlanta; and Gloria Kessler, cousin, of Los Angeles.

A memorial service will be announced soon.

In lieu of flowers, charitable donations in Syd’s name can be made to:

·         SYDA Foundation, Donations, PO Box 600, S. Fallsburg, NY 12779, www.siddhayoga.org

·         The PRASAD Project, 465 Brickman Road, Hurleyville, New York 12747, www.prasad.org

·         Tower Hematology Oncology Medical Group,?9090 Wilshire Blvd.,? Suite 200 ?Beverly Hills, CA 90211, www.toweroncology.com

Suggested Viewings from KCL Film Studies

Unfortunately I didn't have time to post this during the weekend since I was finishing two essays, but last week was amazing in terms of topics and films. It was probably one of the few in which I was fully satisfied with everything we discussed.

From the module British National Cinema: Mandy (Alexander Mackendrick, 1952). A social drama in the light of post-war England, the touching story of a deaf six-year old girl and her family, building a bridge between different generations, and opening the door on the future.

From the module Hollywood Cinema: Fatal Attraction (Adrian Lyne, 1987). First of all, I love Glenn Close, but studying this film is much different than just watching it. I invite you to watch it and pay attention to how the female characters are portrayed in relation to post-feminism. You also may want to consider Newsweek's cover in 1986: 

So, please, don't be among the ones screaming "Kill the bitch", but consider the film's context first! 

From the module Contemporary Spanish Cinema: Te doy mis ojos/Take my eyes (Icíar Bollaín, 2003). An astonishing masterpiece, I was very pleased to discover the work of Icíar Bollaín. This film is so rich, and offers a very insightful approach to the subject of domestic violence. Among the actors you will recognize some familiar faces from All About My Mother (1999, Almodovar).  Pay attention to the use of paintings within the narrative and how art strenghtens the meaning of the film. 

From the module Chinese Cinemas: Infernal Affairs (Andrew Lau and Alan Mak, 2002). Who said Chinese films are slow and boring? Forget about The Departed, this is the original version. Masculinity is such an interesting topic to discover in relation to China's tradition, so enjoy this breathtaking film. 

"Marvelous Argento" - Dario Argento in Conversation - BFI Gothic

I apologise for the delay in this event report (essays' fault), but I am glad to tell you everything about Dario Argento in Conversation, interviewed by the author, critic and film programmer Alan Jones. 
It's always a beautiful experience when someone from Italy is recognized here, and you see how many people around the world apppreciate his work.
I loved this event, mostly because Dario Argento is a proper Italian: he can't express himself in a perfect English? Nevermind, we Italians are famous for using our hands to emphasize what we are saying, and, in the end, everyone understands. Marvelous Argento did exactly this.

LIFE AND CAREER

First of all, as I did for the Roger Corman's event, a few background lines for those of you who are not familiar with the director's work:
"Dario Argento was born in Rome on 7 September 1940 to a family already entrenched in the visual arts. Although starting his career as a film critic, he was lured into directing afer his collaboration with Bernardo Bertolucci on the script for Sergio Leone's Once Upon a Time in the West (1968). His directorial effort The Bird with the Crystal Plumage (1970) marked an enormous sea change for the Italian film industry. Its massive critical and box-office success led to more graphically bloody thrillers filmed with the stylish Hitchcockian flair for which he became justly famous - The Cat o' Nine Tails (1971), Four Flies on Grey Velvet (1971) and Deep Red (1975). Showcasing a score by Goblin, the latter chiller would also set an international benchmark for soundtrack use of high decibel rock music. But it was the visually ornate, shocking horror Suspiria (1977) that brought Argento worldwide recognition, cult status and credit for influencing the modern splatter genre. His celebrated imagery and striking technique added lustre to the further disturbing visions Inferno (1980), Tenebrae (1982), Phenomena (1985) and Opera (1987)."

EARLY WORK AND INFLUENCES

The conversation started with Argento's childhood context: his father was very important in the film industry ad he grew up in the Neorealism period. He went to Catholic school and he wanted to write: a newspaper asked him to work at 17, he dropped school and at 20 he was the only critic of the paper. He was watching many films in that period, the nouvelle vague was especially influential because it represented a global change in the way of making films. Among his favourites there are Fellini, Antonioni, Bergman, Hitchcock, and Powell and Pressburger's films.
The Red Shoes had a great influence on Suspiria in terms of colour, and he loved Peeping Tom.

WORKING WITH SERGIO LEONE

Leone has this idea of a spaghetti Western starring leading women, but he had a difficult relationship with women, so he asked Argento and Bernardo Bertolucci for help. Working with him taught him a lot, Leone always listened, he never talked about films. He taught him the importance of the camera: the camera is the master, more than the story and the dialogues. Argento loves silences in film, because those are the moments of pure cinema. When he was young his father used to give him many screenplays to read, so he grew up with that and decided to start writing films almost as a joke.

THE BIRD WITH THE CRYSTAL PLUMAGE

Mr. Argento explained that in the clip we were shown he was impersonating the killer. Mario Bava might have been a suggestion for the film, even though he had a different style, he was more comic. The Italian giallo was born. The soundtrack was fundamental for its modernity. Concerning this Argento talked about his relationship with the legendary Ennio Morricone. They lived quite close to each other and he often went to his house filled with vynils. At the time the film was very fresh and new, but it took a while to get a big audience response. However, it was big in America where Argento was nicknamed: the Italian Hithcock. He said that at the time the success didn't touch him a lot, the film came one after the other. The producers, distributors and exhibitors wanted the giallos, because they sold. This is also the reason why the only time he explored something different with Le cinque giornate (1974), a political film, people didn't appreciate it, because they were waiting for its new giallo. He then decided to go back to the giallo with a different perspective.

PROFONDO ROSSO - DEEP RED

The film was shot in Turin, an easier city for a film in comparison to Rome. The film represents a landmark moment in Argento's work because there's a big change in the soundtrack: a progressive rock sound. At first he wanted the Pink Floyd for the soundtrack, but since they were shooting The Wall they weren't available. He then decided to listen to demos from young and unexperienced people from the Conservatory.

THE THREE MOTHERS TRILOGY: SUSPIRIA, INFERNO AND THE MOTHER OF TEARS

Explaining some of the most graphic moments in the clip we watched, Argento said that, for example, the heart we see is  a real lamb art, because there was no digital at the time. The very much discussed remake of Suspiria by other directors is resultingimpossible: it keeps being rewritten, it's just impossible to remake the film with his same style. Talking about the trilogy as a whole, it wasn't planned, it just came naturally from Thomas de Quincey's section from Suspiria de Profundis.

BEING A PRODUCER AND THE ITALIAN INDUSTRY TODAY

He famously produced Dawn of the Dead with George A. Romero, sequel of the Night of the Living Dead. He is  not into producing anymore both for lack of money and possibilities, in Italy especially. Italian giallo and horror are over. The ones he prefers come from Asia because their horrors rediscover the psychology of the characters, a good few from France, better from Spain. The American horrors today, says Argento, with a very simple but sadly true example, are all the same. The most important thing in this genre is the fear. The fear has now disappeared from the movies for the sake of special effects.
The Italian industry has been invaded by the vulgarity of television, which corrupted people's taste. The films for the television, especially, are always the same stereotyped naive comedies, in which everyone has to be happily ever after. And with this I couldn't agree more, every time I go back to Italy watching television is a pain, and a shame.

TENEBRAE AND OPERA

We were shown a beautiful directing example from Tenebrae: a very difficult crane sequence realised on the rooftop, which had to be handmade at the time, but would be done with digital today. It's a long-take, making the film talking through images: that is cinema. Mr. Jones who saw Argento working on set said that when he works he is everywhere, he becomes the camera.
The clip from Opera shows the image he's most famous for: the protagonist's eyes kept open by a torture instrument, as she has to assist her boyfriend's murder. In Italy there is currently the film's theatre production, very well done and conserving the same special effects of the movie.

HIS DAUGHTER ASIA AND DRACULA 3D

He made and produced six films with his daughter, Asia Argento. He explains she works with digital very easily. Dracula 3D came out last year, we were shown a clip. Argento said that it was great to work in 3D and the different depths, extremely difficult though: they needed four people just to move the camera.

SOME ARGENTO'S ANSWERS FROM THE Q&A

About his use of colours

He uses different techniques depending on the film's style. Examples: Suspiria had to look like a fairytale, he took inspiration from the colours from the John Ford's movies, the Technicolor, and Disney.

About his editing style

He prefers the long-take, very different from modern horror films in which cutting is the main thing. But cutting is artificial. (His conception of cinema is very close to Bazin's: the long-take corresponding to realism.)

A comment on Westerns

"I don't like horses!"

And with this last hilarious quote from the event I want to thank Mr. Argento for being an Italian pride, but also an unforgettable and picturesque character. Thank you!

"I make movies for kindred spirits. I'm attracted to extreme violence because it's a form of protest - a refusal of established values. It's why my work is seen as so controversial and often banned or censored in many countries. I'm always ahead of the times. Sometimes it takes a few years before people catch up with my directional approach. But horror fans, my fans, always want something different. And I'll constantly provide  it."

What Shall I Read Today? Part 10

Night Film. Marisha Pessl, (2013)

I love when books keep you awake during the night, when you feel you have to read another page, finish another paragraph, then another chapter. Night Film plays with its readers exactly like this. It is built on many different layers which makes it accessible to every kind of reader. There's the detective story (which people who have loved The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo trilogy will adore), there are the film-experts quotes, there's New York as setting, there are mysterious places, and the book's format is modern and close to our reality which makes us get lost in it even more.
I am glad I found out a new writer whose words can be like knives, and who interplays with different media in her stories: Internet, newspapers, television, films in all their forms, blogs, everything.
Remember that when you are reading it almost nothing is as it seems, be ready to be surprised and puzzled until the very last page.

Favourite quotes:

"Will you curl up with your eyes closed and die? Or can you fight your way out of it and fly?"

"I looked like I wasn't at a cocktail party but an airport, waiting for my life to take off. Infinitely delayed."

"All of them walking around with holes where their hearts should be, wondering where they belong, what side they're fighting for."

"For the impenetrable prison with the impossible lock is your own head."

"There might be a Starbucks on every corner, and an iPhone in every ear, but don't worry, people are still fucking crazy."

"Scientists look for aliens in the universe, but they're here. Aliens who pass for men. They've already invaded. For our own safety we should leave them be."

"It meant deep-diving love, a love that excavates you. It's something you have to have before you die in order to have lived."

"She told me her father taught her to live life way beyond the cusp of it, way out in the outer reaches where most people never had the guts to go, where you go hurt. Where there was unimaginable beauty and pain. She was always demanding of herself, Do I dare? Do I dare disturb the universe? From Prufrock. They were always reminding themselves to stop measuring life in coffee spoons, mornings and afternoons, to keep swimming away, way down to the bottom of the ocean to find where the mermaid sang, each to each. Where there was danger and beauty and light. Only the now. Ashley said it was the only way to live."

"We are nothing without our shadows. They give our otherwise pale, blinding world definition. They allow us to see what's right in front of us. Yet they'll haunt us until we're dead."

Suggested Viewings for the Weekend - KCL Film Studies

From the module British National Cinema: The Red Shoes (Powell and Pressburger, 1948). If you love ballet and fairytale prepare yourself to be enchanted in this tale of life and art becoming one.

From the module Hollywood Cinema: The Dark Knight (Christopher Nolan, 2008). One of the most successful franchises of our time, and, nevertheless, Heath Ledger's last appearance and awesome performance as The Joker.

From the module Contemporary Spanish Cinema: Pan's Labyrinth (Guillermo del Toro, 2006). The magic, the history, del Toro's beautiful camera work and aesthetic guides the viewers through an emotional, complex and rich expericence, enjoyable on many different levels.

From the module Chinese Cinemas: Two Stage Sisters (Jin Xie, 1964). An example of Maoist socialist cinema focusing on women, a consideration of female friendship and women power, and perfect for Chinese opera lovers.