Unas fotos en la ciudad de Silvia 1 — Dajang Soembi 0
While I enjoyed both films very much, this was an easy choice for me. In the last round, a major factor in my vote for Edwin stemmed from an experience I had last September, when I was entranced by a girl hula-hooping alone, in red light, on a dance floor. Oddly enough, last November when I was in Philadelphia, I had an experience on a train car where I saw a girl that I often think about time and time again. I can barely remember her face, but I remember her clothes, her legs, her hair, her hands, what she was doing, and how when we both exited the train I lost sight of her and saw her one more time, never to see her again. The story behind Unas fotos spoke directly to me and I fell in love with it. I viewed Edwin’s film first and thought it would be difficult to beat, especially given that I wasn’t too keen on the other Guerín film I’d seen in the cup, but as is the nature of these proceedings, I was taken by surprise.
This was an easy choice for me. Judging by the votes, I’m concerned that I might just not “get” Hartley, yet. The first film of his I saw was The Book of Life, prior to this DC, and I was fairly unimpressed. Then, I saw The Unbelievable Truth, which I liked. And now, Surviving Desire, which I find to be very kitschy, though not bad. Other than those three, I’ve seen a few shorts, but I fear I may just not “get” him. I absolutely loved Queen Christina, enjoying practically every moment of it. Sure, it’s a costume drama, and sure it has its moments of kitsch, but it’s such a beautiful film. I’m also a sucker for charm and Greta Garbo’s ridiculous chuckle in Queen Christina prompted me to fall head-over-shoes for her. So, I may be biased, a little. But, either way, that’s where I stand. I’ll definitely take it upon myself to watch more Hartley in the near future.
Risselada, I’ll definitely consider seeing those. The two Hartley films I have in my queue are Henry Fool (since I didn’t get a chance to see it) and Trust.
I recently bought a Forough Farrokhzad CD, which is spoken word, but the track listing is all in romanized Persian (I’m guessing). Could any of you help me figure out what the titles of the tracks translate to?
Here’s the tracklist:
1. Tavalodi Digar
2. Aroosak-e Kooki
3. Fat’h-e Bagh
4. Ghazal 3 (from Mehdi Akhavan Sales)
5. Ayehaye Zamini
6. Iman Biavarim Be Aghaz-e Fasl-e Sard – 1
7. Iman Biavarim Be Aghaz-e Fasl-e Sard – 2
8. Iman Biavarim Be Aghaz-e Fasl-e Sard – 3
9. Iman Biavarim Be Aghaz-e Fasl-e Sard – 4
Last movie I watched (re-watched; probably for the fifth or sixth time): The Diving Bell and the Butterfly 5/5 One of my all-time favorites. Both from a visual standpoint and from the standpoint of someone in the helping professions, as I am.
Last movie I watched (for the first time): Take Shelter 4/5 I thought the visual effects were particularly well done and the treatment of dreams was very nice.
Hey guys, I regret I haven’t been able to contribute to the discussion yet.
I would like to thank Richard Kern for allowing the use of his film on a streaming website for this film, and I would like to provide some additional insight on My Nightmare
=======
Richard Kern’s 1993 short film, My Nightmare, appears on the surface to be pure pornography, trash, and of no substance. The first time I watched the film, I was repulsed and immediately branded the film with a 1-star rating. However, after re-watching it, I can’t help but identify with it. (Disclaimer: Before you continue reading, it is important to consider context. Richard Kern is a seminal figure in a movement labelled the Cinema of Transgression. The content of these films are very graphic and My Nightmare is no exception. What I attempt to do in this blog is find relevance and reason in something that would otherwise be viewed as unredeemable.)
The film opens with a man laying in bed, perhaps waking up, but nonetheless, he rolls over and begins pleasuring himself. We are soon drawn into his fantasy. While the footage of our protagonist was in color, this fantasy is in black & white. We soon find out that our protagonists profession is that of a photographer and that the young woman we are introduced to is one of his subjects.
The photographer makes advances toward his subject, which are welcomed and reciprocated as we flash back-and-forth between reality and fantasy. We see a scene where the subject walks into a restroom, followed by the photographer, who begins to grope her and is welcomed. The advances continue into the studio, where the photographer eventually bends the subject over his knees for a spanking, which he reacts to with an over-the-top grin.
Just as this first part of the film is about to reach its climax, we see shots of the photographer and his subject on his bed, transitioning between black and white and color. Finally, the photographer climaxes, puts on his jeans, and scurries to his front door.
Standing in the doorway is the same subject we had been introduced to in the beginning of the film. She proceeds to sign waivers and release forms and continues to the bathroom.
The photographer attempts to follow her in, as he did in his fantasy, but she rejects him by closing the door as he approaches. He also walks into the dressing room, which is greeted with the same response. When the action moves to the studio, the photographer attempts to make advances as he’s photographing, but he is consistently nudged away.
Finally, the photographer makes one last attempt to grope the model, while bottomless, and is greeted with a slap in the face forceful enough to make him fall to the ground. The final shot we see is from his perspective of the model giving him “the finger” as she exits his dwelling.
So, now I’ll bet you’re wondering what about this I was able to identify with. Well, I’m not a photographer. I never make unwanted advances toward women. And, I’ve never been slapped so hard I fell to the floor.
What Kern accomplishes in this film, though, is addressing a very universal concept. The reality of being conscious of what it is that we desire and what it is we are able to have. What we want and what we get. What we dream of and what we wake up to. Kern approaches this concept from the most primitive of directions: sexual desire and the perversion thereof.
In the first half of the film, the fantasy, Kern imagines what he wishes to be reality. He imagines that he has control over his situation and the people involved. He imagines a world in which people are willing to go along with any idea he has and participate willingly in tasks he deems fit.
In the second half of the film, reality, Kern depicts the world’s obscuring of his fantasy. We see the photographer’s wants and wishes and just how it is that he is not to succeed. After repeated attempts, in violation of his subject’s apparent constitution, he receives a physical blow to the face, flooring him. This is representative of the consequences of not being able to control oneself. This is Kern’s “nightmare.”
The “nightmare” is the world in which we live. Not because it is a terrible place, but because it is not a place of perfect gratification. It is not a “Garden of Eden” where one’s desires are all fulfilled. The “nightmare” is where we realize that our dreams and most intimate fantasies are exactly that. Dreams and fantasies. Thoughts and desires which will never be satisfied and that will remain in a state of limbo for the rest of eternity.
Richard Kern’s 1993 short film, My Nightmare, appears on the surface to be pure pornography, trash, and of no substance. The first time I watched the film, I was repulsed and immediately branded the film with a 1-star rating. However, after re-watching it, I can’t help but identify with it. (Disclaimer: Before you continue reading, it is important to consider context. Richard Kern is a seminal figure in a movement labelled the Cinema of Transgression. The content of these films are very graphic and My Nightmare is no exception. What I attempt to do in this blog is find relevance and reason in something that would otherwise be viewed as unredeemable.)
The film opens with a man laying in bed, perhaps waking up, but nonetheless, he rolls over and begins pleasuring himself. We are soon drawn into his fantasy. While the footage of our protagonist was in color, this fantasy is in black & white. We soon find out that our protagonists profession is that of a photographer and that the young woman we are introduced to is one of his subjects.
The photographer makes advances toward his subject, which are welcomed and reciprocated as we flash back-and-forth between reality and fantasy. We see a scene where the subject walks into a restroom, followed by the photographer, who begins to grope her and is welcomed. The advances continue into the studio, where the photographer eventually bends the subject over his knees for a spanking, which he reacts to with an over-the-top grin.
Just as this first part of the film is about to reach its climax, we see shots of the photographer and his subject on his bed, transitioning between black and white and color. Finally, the photographer climaxes, puts on his jeans, and scurries to his front door.
Standing in the doorway is the same subject we had been introduced to in the beginning of the film. She proceeds to sign waivers and release forms and continues to the bathroom.
The photographer attempts to follow her in, as he did in his fantasy, but she rejects him by closing the door as he approaches. He also walks into the dressing room, which is greeted with the same response. When the action moves to the studio, the photographer attempts to make advances as he’s photographing, but he is consistently nudged away.
Finally, the photographer makes one last attempt to grope the model, while bottomless, and is greeted with a slap in the face forceful enough to make him fall to the ground. The final shot we see is from his perspective of the model giving him “the finger” as she exits his dwelling.
So, now I’ll bet you’re wondering what about this I was able to identify with. Well, I’m not a photographer. I never make unwanted advances toward women. And, I’ve never been slapped so hard I fell to the floor.
What Kern accomplishes in this film, though, is addressing a very universal concept. The reality of being conscious of what it is that we desire and what it is we are able to have. What we want and what we get. What we dream of and what we wake up to. Kern approaches this concept from the most primitive of directions: sexual desire and the perversion thereof.
In the first half of the film, the fantasy, Kern imagines what he wishes to be reality. He imagines that he has control over his situation and the people involved. He imagines a world in which people are willing to go along with any idea he has and participate willingly in tasks he deems fit.
In the second half of the film, reality, Kern depicts the world’s obscuring of his fantasy. We see the photographer’s wants and wishes and just how it is that he is not to succeed. After repeated attempts, in violation of his subject’s apparent constitution, he receives a physical blow to the face, flooring him. This is representative of the consequences of not being able to control oneself. This is Kern’s “nightmare.”
The “nightmare” is the world in which we live. Not because it is a terrible place, but because it is not a place of perfect gratification. It is not a “Garden of Eden” where one’s desires are all fulfilled. The “nightmare” is where we realize that our dreams and most intimate fantasies are exactly that. Dreams and fantasies. Thoughts and desires which will never be satisfied and that will remain in a state of limbo for the rest of eternity.
DIRECTORS’ CUP 2011 VOTING, ROUND 3, MATCH 4: José Luis Guerín (Unas fotos en la ciudad de Silvia) vs Edwin (Dajang Soembi) almost 2 years ago
Unas fotos en la ciudad de Silvia 1 — Dajang Soembi 0
While I enjoyed both films very much, this was an easy choice for me. In the last round, a major factor in my vote for Edwin stemmed from an experience I had last September, when I was entranced by a girl hula-hooping alone, in red light, on a dance floor. Oddly enough, last November when I was in Philadelphia, I had an experience on a train car where I saw a girl that I often think about time and time again. I can barely remember her face, but I remember her clothes, her legs, her hair, her hands, what she was doing, and how when we both exited the train I lost sight of her and saw her one more time, never to see her again. The story behind Unas fotos spoke directly to me and I fell in love with it. I viewed Edwin’s film first and thought it would be difficult to beat, especially given that I wasn’t too keen on the other Guerín film I’d seen in the cup, but as is the nature of these proceedings, I was taken by surprise.
Thank you to both managers for your choices!
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DIRECTORS’ CUP 2011 VOTING, ROUND 3, MATCH 3: F.W. Murnau (The Last Laugh) vs Michael Winterbottom (Tristam Shandy: A Cock and Bull Story) almost 2 years ago
The Last Laugh 1 — Tristram Shandy: A Cock and Bull Story 0
I love how the lot of these votes have Tristram Shandy misspelled.
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DIRECTORS’ CUP 2011 VOTING, ROUND 3, MATCH 5: John Carpenter (Halloween) vs D.W.Griffith (The Sands of Dee) almost 2 years ago
Halloween 1 — The Sands of Dee 0
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DIRECTORS’ CUP 2011 VOTING, ROUND 3, MATCH 6: Gustav Deutsch (Film ist. a girl & a gun) vs Kenji Mizoguchi (Street of Shame) almost 2 years ago
Film ist. a girl & a gun 1 — Street of Shame 0
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DIRECTORS’ CUP 2011 VOTING, ROUND 3, MATCH 7: Rouben Mamoulian (Queen Christina) vs Hal Hartley (Surviving Desire) almost 2 years ago
Queen Christina 1 — Surviving Desire 0
This was an easy choice for me. Judging by the votes, I’m concerned that I might just not “get” Hartley, yet. The first film of his I saw was The Book of Life, prior to this DC, and I was fairly unimpressed. Then, I saw The Unbelievable Truth, which I liked. And now, Surviving Desire, which I find to be very kitschy, though not bad. Other than those three, I’ve seen a few shorts, but I fear I may just not “get” him. I absolutely loved Queen Christina, enjoying practically every moment of it. Sure, it’s a costume drama, and sure it has its moments of kitsch, but it’s such a beautiful film. I’m also a sucker for charm and Greta Garbo’s ridiculous chuckle in Queen Christina prompted me to fall head-over-shoes for her. So, I may be biased, a little. But, either way, that’s where I stand. I’ll definitely take it upon myself to watch more Hartley in the near future.
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DIRECTORS’ CUP 2011 VOTING, ROUND 3, MATCH 7: Rouben Mamoulian (Queen Christina) vs Hal Hartley (Surviving Desire) over 1 year ago
Risselada, I’ll definitely consider seeing those. The two Hartley films I have in my queue are Henry Fool (since I didn’t get a chance to see it) and Trust.
Thanks for the suggestions!
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Director Introduction: Frans Zwartjes over 1 year ago
Watch the Directors’ Cup Round 3, Match 18 film by Frans Zwartjes here!
This film is near and dear to my heart and I hope you all enjoy it!
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DIRECTORS’ CUP 2011 VOTING, ROUND 3, MATCH 18: Frans Zwartjes (Spectator) vs Bill Forsyth (Comfort & Joy) over 1 year ago
Awesome. Great turnout.
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Persian Community over 1 year ago
Hey guys,
I recently bought a Forough Farrokhzad CD, which is spoken word, but the track listing is all in romanized Persian (I’m guessing). Could any of you help me figure out what the titles of the tracks translate to?
Here’s the tracklist:
1. Tavalodi Digar 2. Aroosak-e Kooki 3. Fat’h-e Bagh 4. Ghazal 3 (from Mehdi Akhavan Sales) 5. Ayehaye Zamini 6. Iman Biavarim Be Aghaz-e Fasl-e Sard – 1 7. Iman Biavarim Be Aghaz-e Fasl-e Sard – 2 8. Iman Biavarim Be Aghaz-e Fasl-e Sard – 3 9. Iman Biavarim Be Aghaz-e Fasl-e Sard – 410. Mosahebehe Iraj Gorgin Ba Forough Farrokhzad
Thanks, in advance!
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Last movie you saw and rate it about 1 year ago
Last movie I watched (re-watched; probably for the fifth or sixth time): The Diving Bell and the Butterfly 5/5 One of my all-time favorites. Both from a visual standpoint and from the standpoint of someone in the helping professions, as I am.
Last movie I watched (for the first time): Take Shelter 4/5 I thought the visual effects were particularly well done and the treatment of dreams was very nice.
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2013 Directors' Cup Dib-Calling Thread 4 months ago
I may be grossly late to the forum, but are we gonna have a DC tab this time, too?
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DC13: R1/G5- Isole Di Fuoco (De Seta) VS My Nightmare (Kern) about 1 month ago
Hey guys, I regret I haven’t been able to contribute to the discussion yet.
I would like to thank Richard Kern for allowing the use of his film on a streaming website for this film, and I would like to provide some additional insight on My Nightmare
=======
Richard Kern’s 1993 short film, My Nightmare, appears on the surface to be pure pornography, trash, and of no substance. The first time I watched the film, I was repulsed and immediately branded the film with a 1-star rating. However, after re-watching it, I can’t help but identify with it. (Disclaimer: Before you continue reading, it is important to consider context. Richard Kern is a seminal figure in a movement labelled the Cinema of Transgression. The content of these films are very graphic and My Nightmare is no exception. What I attempt to do in this blog is find relevance and reason in something that would otherwise be viewed as unredeemable.)
The film opens with a man laying in bed, perhaps waking up, but nonetheless, he rolls over and begins pleasuring himself. We are soon drawn into his fantasy. While the footage of our protagonist was in color, this fantasy is in black & white. We soon find out that our protagonists profession is that of a photographer and that the young woman we are introduced to is one of his subjects.
The photographer makes advances toward his subject, which are welcomed and reciprocated as we flash back-and-forth between reality and fantasy. We see a scene where the subject walks into a restroom, followed by the photographer, who begins to grope her and is welcomed. The advances continue into the studio, where the photographer eventually bends the subject over his knees for a spanking, which he reacts to with an over-the-top grin.
Just as this first part of the film is about to reach its climax, we see shots of the photographer and his subject on his bed, transitioning between black and white and color. Finally, the photographer climaxes, puts on his jeans, and scurries to his front door.
Standing in the doorway is the same subject we had been introduced to in the beginning of the film. She proceeds to sign waivers and release forms and continues to the bathroom.
The photographer attempts to follow her in, as he did in his fantasy, but she rejects him by closing the door as he approaches. He also walks into the dressing room, which is greeted with the same response. When the action moves to the studio, the photographer attempts to make advances as he’s photographing, but he is consistently nudged away.
Finally, the photographer makes one last attempt to grope the model, while bottomless, and is greeted with a slap in the face forceful enough to make him fall to the ground. The final shot we see is from his perspective of the model giving him “the finger” as she exits his dwelling.
So, now I’ll bet you’re wondering what about this I was able to identify with. Well, I’m not a photographer. I never make unwanted advances toward women. And, I’ve never been slapped so hard I fell to the floor.
What Kern accomplishes in this film, though, is addressing a very universal concept. The reality of being conscious of what it is that we desire and what it is we are able to have. What we want and what we get. What we dream of and what we wake up to. Kern approaches this concept from the most primitive of directions: sexual desire and the perversion thereof.
In the first half of the film, the fantasy, Kern imagines what he wishes to be reality. He imagines that he has control over his situation and the people involved. He imagines a world in which people are willing to go along with any idea he has and participate willingly in tasks he deems fit.
In the second half of the film, reality, Kern depicts the world’s obscuring of his fantasy. We see the photographer’s wants and wishes and just how it is that he is not to succeed. After repeated attempts, in violation of his subject’s apparent constitution, he receives a physical blow to the face, flooring him. This is representative of the consequences of not being able to control oneself. This is Kern’s “nightmare.”
The “nightmare” is the world in which we live. Not because it is a terrible place, but because it is not a place of perfect gratification. It is not a “Garden of Eden” where one’s desires are all fulfilled. The “nightmare” is where we realize that our dreams and most intimate fantasies are exactly that. Dreams and fantasies. Thoughts and desires which will never be satisfied and that will remain in a state of limbo for the rest of eternity.
Here’s the source for the post.
Thanks to everyone who watched the films!
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Richard Kern's Six Minute Masturpiece about 1 month ago
Richard Kern’s 1993 short film, My Nightmare, appears on the surface to be pure pornography, trash, and of no substance. The first time I watched the film, I was repulsed and immediately branded the film with a 1-star rating. However, after re-watching it, I can’t help but identify with it. (Disclaimer: Before you continue reading, it is important to consider context. Richard Kern is a seminal figure in a movement labelled the Cinema of Transgression. The content of these films are very graphic and My Nightmare is no exception. What I attempt to do in this blog is find relevance and reason in something that would otherwise be viewed as unredeemable.)
The film opens with a man laying in bed, perhaps waking up, but nonetheless, he rolls over and begins pleasuring himself. We are soon drawn into his fantasy. While the footage of our protagonist was in color, this fantasy is in black & white. We soon find out that our protagonists profession is that of a photographer and that the young woman we are introduced to is one of his subjects.
The photographer makes advances toward his subject, which are welcomed and reciprocated as we flash back-and-forth between reality and fantasy. We see a scene where the subject walks into a restroom, followed by the photographer, who begins to grope her and is welcomed. The advances continue into the studio, where the photographer eventually bends the subject over his knees for a spanking, which he reacts to with an over-the-top grin.
Just as this first part of the film is about to reach its climax, we see shots of the photographer and his subject on his bed, transitioning between black and white and color. Finally, the photographer climaxes, puts on his jeans, and scurries to his front door.
Standing in the doorway is the same subject we had been introduced to in the beginning of the film. She proceeds to sign waivers and release forms and continues to the bathroom.
The photographer attempts to follow her in, as he did in his fantasy, but she rejects him by closing the door as he approaches. He also walks into the dressing room, which is greeted with the same response. When the action moves to the studio, the photographer attempts to make advances as he’s photographing, but he is consistently nudged away.
Finally, the photographer makes one last attempt to grope the model, while bottomless, and is greeted with a slap in the face forceful enough to make him fall to the ground. The final shot we see is from his perspective of the model giving him “the finger” as she exits his dwelling.
So, now I’ll bet you’re wondering what about this I was able to identify with. Well, I’m not a photographer. I never make unwanted advances toward women. And, I’ve never been slapped so hard I fell to the floor.
What Kern accomplishes in this film, though, is addressing a very universal concept. The reality of being conscious of what it is that we desire and what it is we are able to have. What we want and what we get. What we dream of and what we wake up to. Kern approaches this concept from the most primitive of directions: sexual desire and the perversion thereof.
In the first half of the film, the fantasy, Kern imagines what he wishes to be reality. He imagines that he has control over his situation and the people involved. He imagines a world in which people are willing to go along with any idea he has and participate willingly in tasks he deems fit.
In the second half of the film, reality, Kern depicts the world’s obscuring of his fantasy. We see the photographer’s wants and wishes and just how it is that he is not to succeed. After repeated attempts, in violation of his subject’s apparent constitution, he receives a physical blow to the face, flooring him. This is representative of the consequences of not being able to control oneself. This is Kern’s “nightmare.”
The “nightmare” is the world in which we live. Not because it is a terrible place, but because it is not a place of perfect gratification. It is not a “Garden of Eden” where one’s desires are all fulfilled. The “nightmare” is where we realize that our dreams and most intimate fantasies are exactly that. Dreams and fantasies. Thoughts and desires which will never be satisfied and that will remain in a state of limbo for the rest of eternity.
Source: http://the-trapeze-swinger.tumblr.com/post/3616175301/what-im-watching-wednesday-my-nightmare
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Richard Kern's Six Minute Masturpiece about 1 month ago
Also, be sure to watch My Nightmare here: https://vimeo.com/12240317 (password: mubi)
Richard Kern himself indicated his approval of streaming the film for the purposes of participating in the Directors Cup.
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Richard Kern's Six Minute Masturpiece about 1 month ago
Directors Cup Voting is currently taking place here
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