Herman Hesse touches me on so many levels: Steppenwolf, Magister Ludi, Siddhartha, Narcissus & Goldmund.
other writers on top of my head:
Yukio Mishima, Kobo Abe, Kenzaburo Oe, Yasunari Kawabata, Carl Jung, Julia Kristeva, Jacques Lacan, Susan Sontag (only for essays & critical works), Marguerite Duras, Samuel Beckett, Franz Kafka, Antonin Artaud, Bertolt Brecht
Moral relativism might not be accurate for what I have in mind. Further elaboration: this topic is on films that blur the lines between what’s good and bad. When a crime such as a murder is to be judged, how much should “individual nature” (either by birth or circumstantial) be considered for justification? We constantly face with situations that offer no best solution—if a man’s father is confirmed to be paralyzed for the rest of his life and must be put in hospital otherwise he would die, is the son justified for calling euthanasia? The son could have many different motives: to free his father from horrible life he would lead, to free himself from financial burden, to free himself from obligatory hospital visits that mentally drain him. After the father has died, the son is struck with guilt because he is uncertain with himself (“did I kill my father to make my life easier, or did I do the right thing freeing him from pain?”). Of course, this is just a small sample, there are plenty of other kinds of situations which can be described as moral relative.
Here are a few of my favorite films on said theme:
Mother Joan of the Angels, Jerzy Kawalerowicz (must watch if you haven’t)
M, Fritz Lang
The Sacrifice, Andrei Tarkovsky (is “sacrifice” selfish or selfless?)
El Topo, Santa Sangre, Alejandro Jodorowsky
Dexter… I’ve heard so many good things about that show (beside starring one of the stars from my favorite TV show ever — Six Feet Under). From what I’ve heard of the concept, I guess it could count as moral relative, seeing how the audience is subjected to judge on justified killing. I should really watch a few episode to get started.
Marianne – unfortunately I haven’t seen much of Kieslowski except his color trilogy. What other films of his you would suggest I must see?
Forgot to mention Rilke. His concept of faith (though highly influenced by Christianity) is universally applicable to the contemporary. I rarely read poems, but his is essential.
Antoine - yes Hesse is truly one of the greatest. I feel connected with his sense of spirituality (especially that intellectual, artistic division of self-sometimes you pride in your knowledge & creativity, but sometimes they are just frugal and desperate). Every time I pick up a Hesse, I can read 100+ pages in a go easily.
I really recommend Yukio Mishima to everyone, if not for his fiction, then for a study of this extraordinary man—an idealistic man whose nature is inspired by external representation as opposed to the more philosophically popular of the inner. He’s radical, but very unique. I mean, someone who had guts to commit seppuku in post-samurai era in front of the Tokyo headquarters of the Eastern Command of Japan’s Self-Defense Forces deserves my attention. Not someone who would want to follow his ideals, but fascinating (and fruitful if applied correctly with your self), nevertheless.
Good luck with the club. I want to suggest you might want to show something entertaining and relatively easy to digest so it wouldn’t scare away some kids. I can see high schoolers come in to see Last Year at Marienbad and will have a bad taste if they have not been built up to appreciate art films before.
Herzog, Kitano, and WKW are relatively easy to digest so, in my opinion, they are ok. If you have something quirky like Itami’s Tampopo, Svankmajer’s Alice/Faust/Little Otik, Jodorowsky’s Santa Sangre, Kusturica’s Black Cat, White Cat, etc., insert them in between the more philosophical/depressing themed-ones. Some kids only watch Hollywood films in their life and to start with Last Year, Tarkovsky, Sokurov might be a bit too much for them.
Woman in the Dunes: Film > Book
The Face of Another: Book > Film
Belle de Jour: Book > Film (not by far though)
Manuscript of Saragossa: Film > Book (also not by far)
Salo: Book > Film (though really can’t compare the two, since they are too differentiated)
Last Life in the Universe: Book > Film
I like most that has been mentioned here: Deren, Man Ray, Brakhage, Lye, Snow (though he isn’t avant-garde per se), etc.
Others (all might not have been strictly avant-garde): Bill Viola, Carolee Schneeman, Hollis Frampton, Kenneth Anger, Courtney Egan, Pipilotti Rist, etc.
1) An icon next to the topic or some kind of representation that you, the member, has participated in such topic.
2) Arrange the forum into pages (i.e. each page contain up to 20 posts, then the 21st post would appear on the “next” page icon with links on the header and footer of the page)
3) Sub-categories. I.e. discussions on specific directors, films, general film discussions, and so on. Would make life much easier.
Yeah, I’m most familiar with phpbb so most of my suggestions come from those. Would be nice to have a little avatar option enabled (with max size 100×100 pixels or something for the sake of tidiness).
I don’t think you should include Brakhage, or say, Un Chien Andalou - they are non-narrative driven to start with; so unless you want to start on a course with abstract films, avoid them. Memento is a good example since it’s clearly a narrative film, but considered as non-linear. Vital by Shinya Tsukamoto shares similar structure to it.
Last Year at Marienbad, well… one could argue whether there is a narrative or not, but I think it could pass. I suggest Mon Oncle d’Amerique by Alain Resnais instead. By the end, the audience achieves a sort of narrative closure but how it journeys there is truly inventive.
I also wouldn’t consider Bergman’s Persona as structurally inventive (except perhaps the beginning where various psychoanalytic images were introduced to achieve sublime result)-Persona might be disorienting and dreamy, those traits are quite inventive, but they are too common since there exist many films that rely on the audience intelligence/involvement/spiritual resonance for personal interpretation.
Kenji Uchida’s Stranger of Mine, if you can find it, I recommend. The film heavily relies on various character’s perspective in order to achieve its comedic effect.
I don’t think you should include Brakhage, or say, Un Chien Andalou ; they are non-narrative driven to start with; so unless you want to start on a course with abstract films, avoid them. Memento is a good example since it’s clearly a narrative film, but considered as non-linear. Vital by Shinya Tsukamoto shares similar structure to it.
Last Year at Marienbad, well… one could argue whether there is a narrative or not, but I think it could pass. I suggest Mon Oncle d’Amerique by Alain Resnais instead. By the end, the audience achieves a sort of narrative closure but how it journeys there is truly inventive.
I also wouldn’t consider Bergman’s Persona as structurally inventive (except perhaps the beginning where various psychoanalytic images were introduced to achieve sublime result)-Persona might be disorienting and dreamy, those traits are quite inventive, but they are too common since there exist many films that rely on the audience intelligence/involvement/spiritual resonance for personal interpretation.
Kenji Uchida’s Stranger of Mine, if you can find it, I recommend. The film heavily relies on various character’s perspective in order to achieve its comedic effect.
Tropical Malady over 3 years ago
Check out his Blissfully Yours too. Very hypnotic and contains a memorable hand job scene.
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The Great Cinematographers over 3 years ago
Sven Nykvist
Sacha Vierny
blew my mind
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Who do you read? over 3 years ago
Herman Hesse touches me on so many levels: Steppenwolf, Magister Ludi, Siddhartha, Narcissus & Goldmund.
other writers on top of my head:
Yukio Mishima, Kobo Abe, Kenzaburo Oe, Yasunari Kawabata, Carl Jung, Julia Kristeva, Jacques Lacan, Susan Sontag (only for essays & critical works), Marguerite Duras, Samuel Beckett, Franz Kafka, Antonin Artaud, Bertolt Brecht
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Moral Relativism on Films over 3 years ago
Moral relativism might not be accurate for what I have in mind. Further elaboration: this topic is on films that blur the lines between what’s good and bad. When a crime such as a murder is to be judged, how much should “individual nature” (either by birth or circumstantial) be considered for justification? We constantly face with situations that offer no best solution—if a man’s father is confirmed to be paralyzed for the rest of his life and must be put in hospital otherwise he would die, is the son justified for calling euthanasia? The son could have many different motives: to free his father from horrible life he would lead, to free himself from financial burden, to free himself from obligatory hospital visits that mentally drain him. After the father has died, the son is struck with guilt because he is uncertain with himself (“did I kill my father to make my life easier, or did I do the right thing freeing him from pain?”). Of course, this is just a small sample, there are plenty of other kinds of situations which can be described as moral relative.
Here are a few of my favorite films on said theme:
Mother Joan of the Angels, Jerzy Kawalerowicz (must watch if you haven’t)
M, Fritz Lang
The Sacrifice, Andrei Tarkovsky (is “sacrifice” selfish or selfless?)
El Topo, Santa Sangre, Alejandro Jodorowsky
Go to Comment
Moral Relativism on Films over 3 years ago
Dexter… I’ve heard so many good things about that show (beside starring one of the stars from my favorite TV show ever — Six Feet Under). From what I’ve heard of the concept, I guess it could count as moral relative, seeing how the audience is subjected to judge on justified killing. I should really watch a few episode to get started.
Marianne – unfortunately I haven’t seen much of Kieslowski except his color trilogy. What other films of his you would suggest I must see?
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Who do you read? over 3 years ago
Forgot to mention Rilke. His concept of faith (though highly influenced by Christianity) is universally applicable to the contemporary. I rarely read poems, but his is essential.
Antoine
- yes Hesse is truly one of the greatest. I feel connected with his sense of spirituality (especially that intellectual, artistic division of self-sometimes you pride in your knowledge & creativity, but sometimes they are just frugal and desperate). Every time I pick up a Hesse, I can read 100+ pages in a go easily.I really recommend Yukio Mishima to everyone, if not for his fiction, then for a study of this extraordinary man—an idealistic man whose nature is inspired by external representation as opposed to the more philosophically popular of the inner. He’s radical, but very unique. I mean, someone who had guts to commit seppuku in post-samurai era in front of the Tokyo headquarters of the Eastern Command of Japan’s Self-Defense Forces deserves my attention. Not someone who would want to follow his ideals, but fascinating (and fruitful if applied correctly with your self), nevertheless.
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TOP BERGMAN over 3 years ago
Winter Light & Persona cut out from the rest.
Others I’ve watched in a more or less descending order:
Cries & Whispers
Fanny & Alexander
The Devil’s Eye
Wild Strawberry
Through A Glass Darkly
The Seventh Seal
Autumn Sonata
The Silence
All These Women
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Film Club over 3 years ago
Good luck with the club. I want to suggest you might want to show something entertaining and relatively easy to digest so it wouldn’t scare away some kids. I can see high schoolers come in to see Last Year at Marienbad and will have a bad taste if they have not been built up to appreciate art films before.
Herzog, Kitano, and WKW are relatively easy to digest so, in my opinion, they are ok. If you have something quirky like Itami’s Tampopo, Svankmajer’s Alice/Faust/Little Otik, Jodorowsky’s Santa Sangre, Kusturica’s Black Cat, White Cat, etc., insert them in between the more philosophical/depressing themed-ones. Some kids only watch Hollywood films in their life and to start with Last Year, Tarkovsky, Sokurov might be a bit too much for them.
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Films that are better than the books that they are are based on over 3 years ago
Woman in the Dunes: Film > Book
The Face of Another: Book > Film
Belle de Jour: Book > Film (not by far though)
Manuscript of Saragossa: Film > Book (also not by far)
Salo: Book > Film (though really can’t compare the two, since they are too differentiated)
Last Life in the Universe: Book > Film
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Avant-Garde Your Favourite Film and Filmaker over 3 years ago
I’m going to include video arts as well.
I like most that has been mentioned here: Deren, Man Ray, Brakhage, Lye, Snow (though he isn’t avant-garde per se), etc.
Others (all might not have been strictly avant-garde): Bill Viola, Carolee Schneeman, Hollis Frampton, Kenneth Anger, Courtney Egan, Pipilotti Rist, etc.
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Favorite film composers over 3 years ago
I like Delerue as well.
Others: Toru Takemitsu for his excellent work in Teshigahara’s films. I also like Nymann but not always.
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Help make The Auteurs totally awesome over 3 years ago
Sorry if these has been mentioned before:
Forum-wise:
1) An icon next to the topic or some kind of representation that you, the member, has participated in such topic.
2) Arrange the forum into pages (i.e. each page contain up to 20 posts, then the 21st post would appear on the “next” page icon with links on the header and footer of the page)
3) Sub-categories. I.e. discussions on specific directors, films, general film discussions, and so on. Would make life much easier.
Yeah, I’m most familiar with phpbb so most of my suggestions come from those. Would be nice to have a little avatar option enabled (with max size 100×100 pixels or something for the sake of tidiness).
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Movie scenes that give you goosebumps over 3 years ago
Bergman’s “Winter Light” — the scene where Martha offered herself to Tomas, only to be treated with disgust.
Kawalerowicz’s “Mother Joan of the Angels” — the scene where Mother Joan was “possessed” and rolled down the church.
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Inventive Narrative Structures over 3 years ago
I don’t think you should include Brakhage, or say, Un Chien Andalou
- they are non-narrative driven to start with; so unless you want to start on a course with abstract films, avoid them. Memento is a good example since it’s clearly a narrative film, but considered as non-linear. Vital by Shinya Tsukamoto shares similar structure to it.-Persona might be disorienting and dreamy, those traits are quite inventive, but they are too common since there exist many films that rely on the audience intelligence/involvement/spiritual resonance for personal interpretation.Last Year at Marienbad, well… one could argue whether there is a narrative or not, but I think it could pass. I suggest Mon Oncle d’Amerique by Alain Resnais instead. By the end, the audience achieves a sort of narrative closure but how it journeys there is truly inventive.
I also wouldn’t consider Bergman’s Persona as structurally inventive (except perhaps the beginning where various psychoanalytic images were introduced to achieve sublime result)
Kenji Uchida’s Stranger of Mine, if you can find it, I recommend. The film heavily relies on various character’s perspective in order to achieve its comedic effect.
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Inventive Narrative Structures over 3 years ago
Damn coding. Once more:
I don’t think you should include Brakhage, or say, Un Chien Andalou ; they are non-narrative driven to start with; so unless you want to start on a course with abstract films, avoid them. Memento is a good example since it’s clearly a narrative film, but considered as non-linear. Vital by Shinya Tsukamoto shares similar structure to it.
Last Year at Marienbad, well… one could argue whether there is a narrative or not, but I think it could pass. I suggest Mon Oncle d’Amerique by Alain Resnais instead. By the end, the audience achieves a sort of narrative closure but how it journeys there is truly inventive.
I also wouldn’t consider Bergman’s Persona as structurally inventive (except perhaps the beginning where various psychoanalytic images were introduced to achieve sublime result)-Persona might be disorienting and dreamy, those traits are quite inventive, but they are too common since there exist many films that rely on the audience intelligence/involvement/spiritual resonance for personal interpretation.
Kenji Uchida’s Stranger of Mine, if you can find it, I recommend. The film heavily relies on various character’s perspective in order to achieve its comedic effect.
Go to Comment