Saturday, October 02, 1982
OCTOBER 1982, STOCKHOLM
Flying Down to Rio / Carioca. US 1933. D: Thornton Freeland. Astaire & Rogers. Fkl / Fh
VHS 4.10.1982 Casablanca. The Church: The Unguarded Moment. The Beatles clips (incomplete): Magical Mystery Tour, All You Need Is Love, You've Got To Hide Your Love Away, I Should Have Known Better, A Hard Day's Night, Ticket To Ride, Get Back. The Beatles: Twist And Shout (live in Sweden 1963). The Beatles: I Wanna Hold Your Hand (live). Annifrid Lyngstad: Something's Going On. Fun Boy Three: Summertime. Bow Wow Wow: I Want Candy. ABC: The Look Of Love. Fleetwood Mac: Gypsy. Box live. Kim Carnes: Voyeur.
The Rolling Stones: Die ersten 20 Jahre. DE c1982. Hannes Rossacher & Rudi Dolezal. VHS. Largely the same material as in The Rolling Stones: History and Highlights. Updated with new material and interviews: Some Girls, Emotional Rescue, Tattoo You, Hal Ashby footage.
Scarlet Street / Punainen katu. US 1945. D: Fritz Lang. VHS. Does not work so well on the box. The caricature in the characters and storytelling. In the final episode Dudley Nichols' vice of overemphasis has not been toned down. Edward G. Robinson's nightmare course starts to feel stupid because of the exaggerated effects. Yet I watched some parts of it many times with fascination.
9.10.1982 A video abuse evening with Vesa, Riitta
VHS 11.10.1982 Casablanca. Peter Gabriel: Shock The Monkey. Haysi Fantayzee: John Wayne Is Big Leggy. Madhouse live. Jimi Hendrix: Purple Haze (Woodstock), Hey Joe (Monterey), Hey Joe (a b&w tv performance), Hear My Train A'Comin' (the Hendrix movie theme), Purple Haze ("is it tomorrow, or just the end of time?"). Soundcheck: Hold The Line. Toto: Rosanna.
Cronaca di un amore / Erään rakkauden tarina. IT 1951. D: Michelangelo Antonioni. Lucia Bosè. VHS
La signora senza camelie / Nainen vailla sielua. IT 1953. D: Michelangelo Antonioni. Lucia Bosè. VHS
The Return of Frank James / Frank Jamesin paluu. US 1940. D: Fritz Lang. Henry Fonda. VHS. A pleasure to see Lang out in the open.
Clash by Night. VHS [2]. Strong ingredients, but Odets's play has not been opened up enough.
TV 18.10.1982 Casablanca. The Cheaters live in the studio. Roxy Music: Avalon. Gerry & The Pacemakers: How Do You Do It? Marianne Faithfull: As Tears Go By. The Ronettes: Dancing In The Street. Freddie & The Dreamers: You Were Made For Me. The Motels: Only The Lonely. Simple Minds: Glittering Prize. Yazoo: Don't Go. Bananarama: Shy Boy. Dexy's Midnight Runners: Come On Eileen. Billy Joel: Pressure.
19.10.1982 a video evening with Erkki.
Thursday, September 02, 1982
SEPTEMBER 1982, STOCKHOLM
TV 3.9.1982 Not the Nine O'Clock News
TV 8.9.1982 Raiders of the Lost Tricks
My Darling Clementine. Fkl / Fh [2] after 13 years
Un chapeau de paille d'Italie / Italialainen olkihattu. FR 1927. D: René Clair. Fkl / Fh. For me, Max Linder is still funny, but René Clair feels laboured. I observe his work with admiration.
TV 14.9.1982 Marcus Wallenberg memorial programme, an interview with Tage Erlander.
TV 14.9.1982 Dokument utifrån: Argentina.
TV 18.9.1982 Vetenskapens värld: a communicating wonder monkey.
Le Million / Miljoona. FR 1931. D: René Clair. Fkl / Fh
Cat People. Fkl / Fh. 16mm [2]
Свой среди чужих, чужой среди своих / Toverit / Vieraana ja muukalaisena / Friend Among Strangers, Stranger Among Friends. Fkl / Fh. [2] A mishmash of style.
Lady for a Day / Päivä ylhäisönaisena. US 1933. D: Frank Capra. Fkl / Fh. Funny and warmly emotional. The remake Pocketful of Miracles gives just a diluted aftertaste. It is easy to believe this was one of C's own favourites.
Strike Me Pink. US 1936. D: Norman Taurog. Eddie Cantor. VHS. A laboured comedy. The high point: Ethel Merman performs First You Take Me High, Then You Sink Me Low.
Burden of Dreams. US 1982. D: Les Blank. VHS. His documentary on Werner Herzog making Fitzcarraldo.
Валентина / Valentina. SU 1981. D: Gleb Panfilov. Aleksandr Vampilov. Inna Churikova. VHS. Intensity. A successful adaptation of the play.
Quatorze Juillet / Pariisi tanssii. FR 1932. D: René Clair. Fkl / Fh
Пять вечеров / Viisi iltaa / Five Evenings. Fkl / Fh. [2] In the presence of Nikita Mikhalkov. Gets weaker, Lyudmila Gurchenko's strained habitus in the beginning feels affected.
One from the Heart / [unreleased in Finland, in 1994 it got the tv name Suoraan sydämestä]. US 1982. D: Francis Ford Coppola. Festival. Flat.
Monday, August 02, 1982
THE VIDEO EFFECT
By 1982 I had a VHS video tape recorder, myself. It was now easier to follow complete runs of important tv series. It became possible to rewind to the best clips of music video programmes, and watch favourite movie scenes repeatedly.
I started to arrange regular video evenings at home. We usually watched a complete movie, selected favourite scenes, and top music videos.
First in 1985 I had also a Betamax video tape recorder, but it was mainly to access collections of friends, and I always taped a lot of films for friends. It was my contribution to a video exchange network, and my reward was reasonable access.
For me, video was always only for watching and showing.
I never considered collecting video. I was always aware that it is substandard and not durable.
Writing this in 2008, I still value my VHS apparatus, which I now use to tape extended radio programmes such as operas, concerts, and my favourite radio programme, "YLE Radio 1: Yöklassinen" [YLE Radio 1: The Night Classics] from midnight till 6 am in the morning (Sundays till 7 am). Used as audio tape, VHS is excellent even at half speed or less. YLE Radio 1, one of the great music channels of the world, sends its magnificent programmes uncompressed. Treasures galore!
Sunday, August 01, 1982
AUGUST 1982, STOCKHOLM
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| Fritz Lang: Beyond a Reasonable Doubt (US 1956). Dana Andrews in SuperScope. Lang's last American film. |
Three Godfathers / Pako yli aavikon. US 1948. D: John Ford. VHS. The only slip of style: the religious delusion of the final part of the desert journey is too heavy-handedly emphasized. I watched several scenes over and over again.
The Werewolf of London. US 1935. D: Stuart Walker. VHS. Lacks the definitive urgency of Universal's greatest creations. Waggner's The Wolf Man achieved it.
Rauta-aika 2 / Järntiden 2 / The Iron Age 2. FI 1982. VHS
The Making of Mankind 4. GB 1981. Richard Leakey. tv
6.8.1982 TV: Not the Nine O'Clock News. GB 1980.
Рассказ неизвестного человека / Tuntemattoman tarina / The Story of an Unknown Man. SU 1980. D: Vytautas Zalakevicius. Anton Chekhov. Alexander Kaidanovsky convincing, otherwise bland.
Dracula. US 1931. D: Tod Browning. Bram Stoker. tv. Bela Lugosi is Dracula, art direction and acting are definitive, but the movie suffers from the fact that the play adaptation has not been rendered sufficiently cinematic. Later I watched on vhs the Lugosi introduction several times.
Rauta-aika 3. VHS
The Making of Mankind 5. VHS
13.8.1982 Not the Nine O'Clock News. GB 1980. VHS. The best episode so far. The panel discussion with a talking monkey. The video game presentation with a "Royal Revenge". Two tabloid sellers competing with the goriness of their headlines ("Millions Mangled in M-Way Madness").
14.8.1982: a video abuse evening with Eija, Tapio, Nina
Третья Мещанская / Säng och soffa / Bed and Sofa. VHS [2]. A delicious film, the best scenes watched over and over again.
Fedora / Fedora - arvoituksellinen nainen. FR/DE 1978. D: Billy Wilder. Fkl / Fh. Still going strong.
TV 17.8.1982 Måndagsbörsen på burk 1. The synthetizer bands. Classix Nouveaux, Henkans Supersyntare, Depeche Mode, Rupert Hine, Duran Duran.
Rauta-aika 4. TV. The series was proof that there is good material in the Finnish mythology for a movie. A Finnish counterpart to the samurai film? The images were strong, but the eternal stares of the actors and Paavo Haavikko's clumsy dialogue took the steam away. The purely visual action elements were fine, as was the montage (as long as they did not try tricks on the "this is a play" concept).
King Kong. tv. [3]
The Making of Mankind 6. VHS.
Judge Priest. US 1934. D: John Ford. Fkl / Fst. I did not like this as much as Steamboat Round the Bend.
The Iron Horse / Rautahepo. US 1925. Fkl / Fh. A good print. A presentation with musical accompaniment and the original sound effects. The style of the epic legend is convincing. Ford's finest nuances are not yet in evidence. Impresses with its energy, and the massive production values are put in good use.
20.8.1982 Not the Nine O'Clock News. VHS.
Cat Ballou / Paukkurauta Kati. US 1965. D: Elliot Silverstein. Jane Fonda, Lee Marvin. VHS
22.8.1982 TV: Only When I Laugh. TV comedy series. GB 1979.
23.8.1982 TV: Måndagsbörs på burk: Kvinnorna. Efva Attling. Alice. Carline Carter (*). Olivia Newton-John: Physical (a terrible imitation of Jane Russell in Anyone Here For Love?). Elkie Brooks (***).
24.8.1982 a video abuse evening with Kati, Hannele
25.8.1982 Fkl / Fst double bill:
Le Sang d'un poète [2] +
Un chant d'amour. FR 1950. D: Jean Genet. Unique in its open, naked homosexuality.
La plus belle affiche 1. VHS [2]
Tha Making of Mankind 7. VHS. Richard Leakey's series was excellent. Such works are sufficient justification for the existence of tv.
The Whole Town's Talking / Koko kaupungin puheenaihe. US 1935. D: John Ford. Fkl / Fh. The auteur policy at stake: if they had announced Capra as the director, I would not have suspected anything. The screenwriter is Riskin, the company is Columbia, the star is Jean Arthur, and they create the Capra effect? Or is Ford being influenced by his colleague? Who cares, the film is wonderful.
The Informer / Ilmiantaja. US 1935. D: John Ford. Fkl / Fh. Strong story, great main actor (Victor McLaglen). But marred by overemphasis in expressionism. - Ford is a natural expressionist. When he "turns artistic" he risks mannerism.
27.8.1982 Not the Nine O'Clock News. VHS
Aguirre, der Zorn Gottes. tv [2]
28.8.1982 TV: Maratonrock. Eric Burdon, etc.
La plus belle affiche 2. VHS [2]
Beyond a Reasonable Doubt / Sähkötuoli odottaa / Elektriska stolen väntar. US 1956. D: Fritz Lang. tv. His late, stark style packs a punch.
Thursday, July 01, 1982
JULY 1982, WEST BERLIN, STOCKHOLM, HELSINKI
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| Nicholas Colasanto: Columbo S2.E1: Étude in Black (US 1972). Peter Falk (Columbo) and John Cassavetes (conductor Alex Benedict). |
Columbo S2.E1 Étude in Black / Columbo: Etude in Schwarz / Columbo: Synkeä etydi. TVM. US 1972. D: Nicholas Colasanto. Peter Falk, John Cassavetes (as a conductor)
...
STOCKHOLM
Ebba the Movie. SE 1982. D: Johan Donner. Ebba Grön. Filmstaden
TV 13.7.1982: The Rolling Stones: Jumping Jack Flash (live 1967, 4 min)
Skönhetssalong i Madagaskar. SE 1935. D: Paul Fejos. tv: Guldkorn från SF
The Incredible Hulk [Season 3, Episode 8]: Homecoming. TV series. US 1979. D: John McPherson. Bill Bixby / Lou Ferrigno. "Hulken"
TV 17.7.1982: Rockrullen / Jerry Williams. Chuck Berry: Memphis, Tennessee. Jerry Lee Lewis: Great Balls Of Fire. Ruth Brown: Tears Keep Tumbling Down. Fats Domino: Honey Chile ["hold that kiss"]. The Moonglows: Over And Over Again (*). The Coasters: What Is The Secret Of Your Success? Johnny Burnette: Lonesome Train. Carl Perkins: Glad All Over. Elvis: Blue Suede Shoes (1956).
The Rocky Horror Picture Show. GB 1975. D: Jim Sharman. Cinema. Jouni Suomalainen, a friend from Kajaani
The World at War: A New Germany: 1933-1939 [Episode 1]. GB 1973. D: Hugh Raggett. tv. Great
The Making of Mankind 2. GB 1981. Richard Leakey. Magnificent [one of the best-ever tv series was not mentioned in IMDB or Wikipedia in Dec 2008]
TV 24.7.1982 Rockrullen / Jerry Williams. Elvis: Money Honey (1956) (*). The Coasters: Searchin'. The Coasters: Along Came Jones. The Cadillacs: Please, Mr. Johnson. Eddie Cochran: Teenage Heaven. LaVern Baker: Tra La La. The Temptations: My Girl. Elvis: Ready Teddy. Little Richard: Tutti Frutti (1950s). Little Richard: Lucille (from Let the Good Times Roll).
Rauta-aika 1. TV series. FI 1982. D: Kalle Holmberg. Paavo Haavikko, from Kalevala. tv
The Mummy. US 1932. D: Karl Freund. tv. A stylish, poetic horror movie. Boris Karloff as the Egyptian mummy, revived by the ancient curse accidentally uttered by the scientist.
...
HELSINKI
Elton John: Candle In The Wind. GB [The song is from Yellow Brick Road, 1973]. A Marilyn montage with Korea tour footage, Marilyn and Jane put their handprints on the concrete before Grauman's Chinese, her birthday greeting to President Kennedy. Ca 5 min. Eeva Kurki presented on video, taped from The Roots of Rock'n'Roll.
Tuesday, June 01, 1982
JUNE 1982, WEST BERLIN
Will Success Spoil Rock Hunter? / Houkuttelevat huulet / Sirene in Blond. US 1957. D: Frank Tashlin. Kant-Kino. Masterpiece.
Son of Paleface / Kalpeanaaman poika. US 1951. D: Frank Tashlin. tv. DF. Masterpiece.
The Band Wagon / Iskelmäkaruselli. US 1953. D: Vincente Minnelli. Thalia. Masterpiece.
Ich will doch nur, dass ihr mich liebt. DE 1976. D: R.W. Fassbinder. tv, the beginning only. The most moving RWF bit I had so far seen.
The Gunfighter. tv. DF [2]
The Great Rock'n'Roll Swindle. GB 1980. D: Julien Temple. The Sex Pistols. Front-Kino. Masterpiece.
The Who: The Kids Are Alright / The Kids Are Alright. GB 1981. D: Jeff Stein. Kurbel. A reminder of the amazing scope of the magnificent numbers of The Who. Sloppily compiled.
Der Reagan-Besuch. DE 1982. Medienoperative. Video. Modest.
Subida al cielo / Der Weg, der zum Himmel führt. MX 1951. D: Luis Buñuel. Arsenal. Fun in B's early Mexican, unpretetious way.
Yojimbo / Onnensoturi. JP 1961. D: Akira Kurosawa. DF. Filmkunst 66. My first impression: virtuoso but empty. A Fistful of Dollars not only copied the story but some of Clint's mannerisms (the mechanical gestures of Mifune) and the inspiration of Morricone's music are probably here.
The Killers / Tappajat. US 1964. D: Don Siegel. DF. Klick. With Zafer Tosun. I did not like S's easy cynicism, but of course it has a virtuoso touch. Reagan as the main killer looks like today. There was a jolt in the audience when he appeared.
Dirty Daughters. DE 1982. D: Dagmar Beiersdorf. Cinema. With Zafer Tosun. A good example of contemporary Berlin cinema.
Saturday, May 01, 1982
MAY 1982, WEST BERLIN
Columbo: Murder by the Book / Columbo: Tödliche Trennung. TV episode. US 1971. D: Steven Spielberg. tv. DF
De Mayerling à Sarajevo / Sarajevon päiviä. FR 1939. D: Max Ophuls. tv. DF. Edwige Feuillère charming.
Grapes of Wrath / Vihan hedelmät. US 1940. D: John Ford. tv. DF. For the first time. Not slighter than the novel. Roosevelt optimism towards the end. The fighting spirit of Tom Joad / Henry Fonda. Almost equally powerful is Preacher Casey / John Carradine, the preacher who has stopped preaching.
TV 2.5.1982: Zeugen des Jahrhunderts: Axel Springer 70 J.
Die verkaufte Braut / Myyty morsian. DE 1932. D: Max Ophuls. tv. A sunny Smetana opera film in comparison to which Bergman's Magic Flute feels laboured.
Camille / Kamelianainen. US 1936. D: George Cukor. tv. DF. Love films suffer dubbed in German.
Bluebeard's Eighth Wife / Siniparran kahdeksas vaimo. US 1938. D: Ernst Lubitsch. tv. DF. Comedies suffer dubbed in German. Besides, it's one of L's weakest.
One Hour With You / Hetki sinun kanssasi. US 1932. D: Ernst Lubitsch. tv. Enraptured cinema, in a state of grace, one of the top ten musicals.
Johnny Guitar / Wenn Frauen hassen. tv. DF [2]
I Walked With a Zombie. tv. DF [2]
Lady Eve / Nainen Eeva. US 1941. D: Preston Sturges. tv. DF. Depressing in German.
Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein. US 1948. D. Charles Barton. tv. DF. Boring.
Fitzcarraldo / Fitzcarraldo. DE 1982. D: Werner Herzog. Marmorhaus. Not impressed.
Altered States / Muutostiloja / Der Höllentrip. US 1980. D: Ken Russell. DF. Das Lebende Bild
TV 25.5.1982: Bananas.
An American Werewolf in London / Ihmissusi Lontoossa. US 1980. D: John Landis. DF. Marmorhaus
Thursday, April 01, 1982
APRIL 1982, WEST BERLIN
TV 2.4.1982: Fred Astaire: Change Partners and Dance /Ein Mann tanzt um die Welt 2: Zauberhafte Partnerinnen. US 1980. D: David Heeley. Fred Astaire. (part)
Le Cercle rouge / Punainen ympyrä / Vier im roten Kreis. FR 1970. D: Jean-Pierre Melville. tv. DF. A masterpiece.
TV 3.-4.4.1982: Rockpalast-Festival X Live aus der Grugahalle in Essen. A six hour live transmission. Rick James, Van Morrison, U2, Bob Seger (taped), The Kinks, David Lindley.
Safety Last / Turvallisuus viimeiseksi / Ausgerechnet Wolkenkratzer. US 1923. D: Fred Newmeyer & Sam Taylor. Harold Lloyd. A masterpiece.
Die Wahlverwandschaften / Les Affinités électives. TVM. FR/CZ/DE 1982. D: Claude Chabrol. Goethe. Stéphane Audran (Charlotte), Michael Degen (Hauptmann Otto), Pascale Reynaud (Ottilie), Helmut Griem (Edouard Otto). A boring adaptation of a novel I love. Premiere transmission.
Easter Parade / Sinun kanssasi kahden. US 1948. D: Charles Walters. Garland, Astaire, Ann Miller. tv. A feast of colour and music.
TV 5.4.1982: Hitparade im ZDF. Dieter Thomas Heck, the Heikki Hietamies of Germany.
The Invisible Ray. US 1936. D: Lambert Hillyer. Karloff, Lugosi. tv
It Started with Eve / Se alkoi Eevasta. US 1941. D: Henry Koster. Deanna Durbin, Charles Laughton. tv. DF. Trivial.
Bathing Beauty / Läpi tulen ja veden. US 1944. D: George Sidney. Esther Williams, Red Skelton. tv. Fun.
Ben-Hur / Ben-Hur. US 1925. D: Fred Niblo. Ramon Novarro, Francis X. Bushman, May McAvoy, Betty Bronson. tv. ZDF reconstruction, with colour sequence, 151 min.
Francesco, giullare di Dio / Fransiskus, Jumalan narri. IT 1950. D: Roberto Rossellini. tv. DF. The first hippie. A masterpiece, one of the great Christian films.
პასტორალი / Pastorali / Pastoraali. GE-SU 1976. D: Otar Iosseliani. Arsenal. Original Georgian version. A brilliant print. Each inch of it fine poetry. Iosseliani is one of the best directors today.
10.4.1982 an evening at Berliner Kinomuseum (the city's smallest cinema with a grandiose name):
Fox tönende Wochenschau (from the early 1950s) +
Jamaica Inn / Jamaica Innin rantarosvot. GB 1939. D: Alfred Hitchcock. Charles Laughton, Maureen O'Hara. DF. One of his worst. +
Die Duse des Films. The memorial film of Asta Nielsen +
Der fremde Vogel. DE 1911. D: Urban Gad. Asta Nielsen
The Red Shoes. tv. DF [2]
Across the Wide Missouri / Eränkävijäin kuningas. US 1951. D: William Wellman. tv. DF. Gable as a trapper in the 1830 who marries an Indian girl (María Elena Marqués) and is drawn to war with the Indians. Qf. Jeremiah Johnson. Belongs to the Western cycle where justice was attempted to the Indians. But didn't work dubbed in German and shrunk into the tv screen.
Let's Make Love. tv. DF [3] Strangely enough, I liked it more this time.
Brigadoon / Lumottu laakso. US 1949. D: Vincente Minnelli. Cyd Charisse, Gene Kelly. tv. DF. A masterpiece.
TV 14.4.1982: Klassiker der Filmkunst: Ernst Lubitsch. DDR.
The Beguiled / Korpraali McB. US 1970. D: Don Siegel. Clint Eastwood. tv. DF. I wasn't impressed.
The Playhouse. tv [3]
Stage Fright / Esirippu laskee. GB 1950. D: Alfred Hitchcock. Jane Wyman, Marlene Dietrich. Arsenal. DF. I didn't like it much at this first screening. The well-known plot problem is distracting. The protagonist's mental unbalance is used calculatingly. My favourite scene: where the little child walks towards Dietrich on stage with a "bloody" puppet in her arms.
Илья Муромец / Jättiläisten taistelu / Der Kampf um das goldene Tor. SU 1956. D: Alexander Ptushko. Filmkunst 66: Fantastival. DF. Discovering Ptushko and Soviet fantasy. The hero is a legendary figure stuck in the oven shelter while Mongols wreak havoc in the Ukraine, but once he puts his act together he can accomplish miraculous feats. (Cf. the battles against Napoleon and Hitler). Juicy, humoristic storytelling. Dubbed in German: "Mütterchen!"
Планета бурь / Myrskyjen planeetta / Planet der Stürme. SU 1962. D: Pavel Klushantsov. Filmkunst 66: Fantastival. DF. Largely stylish science fiction.
Ленин в Париже / Lenin Pariisissa / Lenin in Paris. SU 1981. D: Sergei Yutkevich. tv. Weak. Far from the level of Tales of Lenin and Lenin in Poland.
The Palm Beach Story / Hullujen paratiisi. US 1942. D: Preston Sturges. tv. DF. partly.
TV 24.4.1982: The Eurovision Song Contest + ABBA
TV 25.4.1982: Ernst Lubitsch - Lektion in Kino. D: Enno Patalas. tv. I liked the analyses of the Lubitsch tropes.
TV 26.4.1982: Na sowas. A Bavarian pop programme with Thomas Gottschalk.
TV 26.4.1982: Jugend Club. A DDR pop programme.
The Girl Can't Help It / Minkäpä tyttö sille voi / Die Schlagerpiraten. US 1956. D: Frank Tashlin. Kant-Kino. A great rock satire, a great print paying justice to the 1950s Fox colour and CinemaScope. A self-evident choice for the eve of the First of May.
Monday, March 01, 1982
MARCH 1982, STOCKHOLM AND WEST BERLIN
TV: Måndagsbörsen 1.3.1982. Häxorna live. Steve Miller: Macho City. Björn Afzelius live. Earth, Wind & Fire. The Pretenders: Message Of Love + clips. Phil Collins. Annifrid Lyngstad. J. Geils Band, etc.
Иван Грозный / Iivana Julma / Ivan the Terrible. Fkl / Fh [3]
Иван Грозный 2 / Iivana Julma 2 / Ivan the Terrible 2. Fkl / Fh [3]. A magnificent, cryptic experience on a big screen. I still have to discover it.
MACK SENNETT. Fkl / Fh 4.3.1982. A great programme of treasures. The variety, the many sides of the S. performers, all films first rate:
Mabel's New Hero. US 1913. D: Mack Sennett. Fatty Arbuckle, Mabel Normand +
Lucky Star. US 1925. [2] D: Harry Edwards. Harry Langdon as an assistant to a charlatan selling miracle drugs. +
Love at First Flight. US 1928. D: Edward Cline. Daphne Pollard as the sweetheart of a hero aviator. +
The Dentist. US 1932. D: Leslie Pierce. W.C. Fields.
An American in Paris / Pariisin lumoissa. US 1951. D: Vincente Minnelli. Fkl / Fh. Starts with Paris clichés, in the conclusion it takes off to flight like a rocket into outer space.
En compagnie de Max Linder / Max Linderin seurassa. FR 1963. D: Maud Linder. Fkl / Fh. Hosted by René Clair. My discovery of Linder. He had his unique persona and style, and although he is often compared with Chaplin, he reminds me most of Lloyd (the irrepressible briskness and extrovert nature without Chaplin's melancholy side). A laugh fest directed with a firm hand. It climaxes towards the end, the scene where the huge club hits, instead of the intended victim, the gloomy cardinal's head, floored the audience with laughter. Only very rarely have I witnessed laugh explosions such as this. All directed by Max Linder:
Be My Wife / Soyez ma femme / Ainoastaan naisille. US 1921. +
Seven Years Bad Luck / Sept ans de malheur / Seitsemän vuoden onnettomuus. US 1921. +
The Three Must-Get-Theres / L'Etroit mousquetaire / Kolme muskettisolttua. US 1922.
The Bad and the Beautiful / Särkyneiden haaveiden kaupunki. US 1952. D: Vincente Minnelli. Fkl / Fh. A Hollywood satire based on a Citizen Kane structure. Strong actors: Lana Turner, Kirk Douglas, Gloria Grahame.
TV 11.3.1982: Vetenskapens värld: Saturnus i närbild. tv. The Voyager footage.
[Ak kame?] / Белый пароход / Valkea laiva / The White Ship. KG-SU 1976. D: Bolotbek Shamshiyev. Tshingiz Aitmatov. Fkl / Fh. Portraits of children have been strong in Soviet cinema. Great intensity lets down only once, in the dream sequence.
Les Enfants du paradis / Paratiisin lapset. FR 1945. D: Marcel Carné. Fkl / Fh. A great permanent favourite of the Filmklubben. An enthralling Romantic canvas from the Paris in the age of Balzac. Without his eye for society, yet richly full of life. Magnificent cast (Arletty, Barrault, Casares, Brasseur), great art direction (Trauner).
TV 18.3.1982: a fascinating documentary on an artist who makes sculptures of the beach sand. An artist of vanishing works, a little like the film makers.
...
WEST BERLIN
The Mad Magician. US 1954. D: John Brahm. 3D. TV: ZDF. Part only. Vincent Price as the mad circus magician who on his free time uses his scary circus tricks (woman sliced in a circular saw, or burned on the conveyor belt of the crematorium) for real. Unfortunately, in the end he gets to experience the treatment himself.
TV 26.3.1982: Das Beste aus Rock und Klassik: Tangerine Dream: Human Touch.
Mark of the Vampire. US 1935. D: Tod Browning. Bela Lugosi. tv. Boring.
TV 29.3.1982: Na sowas! Klaus Nomi: Total Eclipse. Kraftwerk: Das Model.
TV 30.3.1982: Kenneth Anger - Film als magisches Ritual. D: Reinold E. Thiel. With clips from Fireworks, Puce Moment, Rabbit's Moon, Inauguration of the Pleasure Dome, Scorpio Rising, Invocation of My Demon Brother, Lucifer Rising.
Captain Kidd / Kapteeni Kidd. US 1945. D: Rowland V. Lee. Charles Laughton. tv. DF
Lucifer Rising. US 1981. D: Kenneth Anger. tv
Scorpio Rising. US 1964. D: Kenneth Anger. tv [2]
Eaux d'artifice. FR 1953. D: Kenneth Anger. tv [2]
Inauguration of the Pleasure Dome. US 1954-1966. tv [2]. Lucifer Rising, his new film, is his masterpiece. An incantation, a suggestive cult ceremony. He is one of the few who can master the language of cinema in its entirety: montage as in Eisenstein, primal imagery as in Cocteau. Bob Beausoleil's post-acid music is a continuation of the work of Doors (the guy with a life sentence for murder has composed and recorded it in jail). The summing up of the elements: fire (Fireworks), water (Eaux d'artifice), rock (Scorpio Rising), Lucifer (Demon Brother), the witches (The Wizard of Oz)...
Monday, February 01, 1982
FEBRUARY 1982, STOCKHOLM
TV: Hit 1.2.1982. Sun Cats live. B. A. Robinson & Maggie Bell: Hold Me. Kim Wilde: Cambodia. Bill Haley: Crazy Man Crazy. The Tremeloes: Someone Someone.
Casanova / Casanovan lemmenseikkailut. FR 1927. D: Alexandre Volkoff. Ivan Mosjoukine. Filmklubben / Filmhuset. A 9½ mm presentation, ca 80 min, a passable pictorial quality. The orgy scenes famous from the stills were not in evidence in this print. An extravagantly magnificent spectacle, empty inside. Mosjoukine is impressive and not that different from Sutherland in the Fellini version.
TERHI'S VIDEOS. From the programme Chrome 22. The dB's: She's Not Worried [?, impressive colour transformations]: power pop. The Human League: Don't You Want Me: synth pop. Ray Davies: Predictable (*). Thomas Dolby: Europa And The Pirate Twins. Heaven 17: Penthouse And Pavement. +
Alfred Hitchcock Presents: Wet Saturday. TV episode. US 1956. D: Alfred Hitchcock. Sir Cedric Hardwicke.
Ball of Fire / Jään tänne yöksi. US 1941. D: Howard Hawks. tv. Somewhat namby-pamby despite script by Wilder & Brackett and the excellent Stanwyck as Sugarpuss.
A Chump at Oxford. tv. half. [2]
Sympathy for the Devil. GB 1968. D: Jean-Luc Godard. The Rolling Stones. Kvartersbion. Apparently the commercial version. The political side is just boring posing. The Rolling Stones part is good, fascinating documentation on how the track is developed.
JAZZ & BLUES 12. Fkl / Fh:
En remontant le Mississippi / Out of the Blacks, Into the Blues. TV doc. FR/DE 1973. 1: Along the Old Man River. 2: A Way to Escape the Ghetto. Robert Pete Williams, Bukka White, Furry Lewis, Roosevelt Sykes, Sonny Terry & Brownie McGhee (*), B. B. King (*), Mance Lipscomb.
JAZZ & BLUES 13. Fkl / Fh:
Chicago Blues. US 1971. D: Harvey Cokliss. Johnnie Lewis (*), Floyd Jones, Buddy Guy, Muddy Waters (*), J.B. Hutto and Junior Wells. +
Larry Johnson. US 1970. D: John Hammond, Jr. He's powerful.
Blues Like Showers of Rain. GB 1970. D: John Jeremy. A photo montage to music selected and recorded (?) by Paul Oliver. My favourite: J.B. Lenoir: Been Down So Long; It Hurts Me So Bad.
TV: Hit 8.2.1982. Vox Pop live. Carpenters: Beechwood 4-5789. ELO: Hold On Tight [?]. Sonny & Cher: I Got You Babe. Rachel Sweet: And Then He Kissed Me. Rachel Sweet: Be My Baby.
Rich and Strange / Rikkauden huuma. GB 1932. D: Alfred Hitchcock. Fkl / Fh. Strange but not rich.
The Unforgiven / Leppymättömät. US 1960. D: John Huston. Fkl / Fh. Starts beautifully, and the Griffith association is not only because of Lillian Gish. But ends uglily, the racist tones reportedly Burt Lancaster's fault.
JAZZ & BLUES 14. Fkl /Fh:
St. Louis Blues. US 1929. D: Dudley Murphy. Bessie Smith. +
Leadbelly. US 1945. He sings three numbers. Colour. +
Big Bill Blues. BG 1956. D: Jean Délire. He performs four numbers in a night club in Brussels. * +
Meade Lux Lewis. Three excerpts from 1940s movies +
Mahalia Jackson. CBS News 1961. A memorial programme of ca 30 min *
The Ministry of Fear / Erään merkin varjossa. US 1944. D: Fritz Lang. Graham Greene. Fkl / Fst. A masterpiece.
On purge bébé / [Pannaan lapsi potalle]. FR 1931. D: Jean Renoir. Michel Simon. Fkl / Fst. A dragging farce. The protagonist is an industrialist who is enthusiastic about an unbreakable chamberpot. In the presence of an army dignitary (Michel Simon) as lunch guest the new product is tested by throwing it against the wall, and it shatters into a thousand splinters. It could be promising (satire of the "anal character" of order and discipline), but the means of the sound cinema are not yet in R's command. The gap to his next film, La Chienne, is enormous.
The Ministry of Fear [2]
Woyzeck / Woyzeck - kidutettu. DE 1979. D: Werner Herzog. Georg Büchner. Klaus Kinski. In the tiny screen of a mini tv.
Designing Woman / Mieheni entinen. US 1957. D: Vincente Minnelli. tv. Ok comedy. Two favourite scenes: 1) Gregory Peck's ex "lets slip" hot ravioli on his pants, 2) Peck visiting for the first time Lauren Bacall's design home compares it to his sport reporter's dump and states: "Bad for the ego".
TV: Hit 15.2.1982. Beauty live. The Hollies: a potpourri of their oldies + Take My Love And Run [?]. Little Richard: Long Tall Sally. Gene Pitney: Town Without Pity [?]. Adam Faith & The Roulettes: Poor Me [2]. The Specials: Ghost Town. Colin Blunstone: What Becomes Of The Broken Hearted. James Brown: Rap Payback. Stevie Nicks & Tom Petty: Stop Draggin' My Heart Around.
TV: Måndagsbörsen 15.2.1982. Chaz Jankel: Questionnaire (*). Alice live. ELO: Twilight. Lonnie Donegan live.
TERHI'S VIDEOS. Robert Palmer: Some Guys Have All The Luck. Landscape: Norman Bates. Depeche Mode: Just Can't Get Enough. Adam & The Ants: Prince Charming. The Pretenders: Message Of Love ("the reason we're here"). Pat Benatar: Fire And Ice. The Tubes: Suzie Girl. Linx: Intuition. Spandau Ballet: Paint Me Down. Duran Duran: Careless Memories. Pete Shelley: Homosapien. The Police: Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic. The Church: In Unguarded Moments. etc. +
Da nao tian gong / Uproar in Heaven 1-2 / Kung Markatta / Apinakuningas. CN 1965. D: Wan Laiming. Shanghai Animation Film Studio, based on the Pilgrimage to the West. A masterpiece.
TV: Dallas 37: Kvinnorna Ewing. US 1979
Finian's Rainbow / Finianin sateenkaari. US 1968. D: Francis Ford Coppola. tv. A version of over 2 hrs. Basically a fiasco, yet an often captivating fairy-tale. The American dream still in pure form: a 1940s Broadway hit, Fred Astaire, Hermes Pan, Rainbow Valley, still caught this well this late. The searchers find the end of the rainbow in a little village in Deep South. They find the treasure and are granted the opportunity to realize three wishes. One of the wishes is that the racist bigot white governor is turned black... (Because of this it was impossible to film this before).
TV: Hit 22.2.1982. Warm Guns live. Alvin Stardust live. The Human League: Open Your Heart. Dance styles: the madison (1960), the locomotion (1962). Dollar: Mirror, Mirror. Bill Wyman: Si, Si, Je Suis Un Rock Star. Shakin' Stevens: Oh! Julie.
TV: Måndagsbörsen 22.2.1982. Janne Garman live. M.A. Numminen & Pedro Hietanen live. Hall & Oates: I Can't Go For That. Secret Service: Flash In The Night. Chris de Burgh live.
The Fugitive / Elämisen oikeus. US 1947. D: John Ford. Graham Greene. Henry Fonda. Fkl / Fst. A phony look at the Mexican revolution.
TV: Dokument utifrån - Där kokainen härskar. FR. Shot in Bolivia, Florida.
Zezowate szczéscie / Kierosilmäinen onni / Olycksfågeln / Bad Luck / De la veine à revendre. PL 1960. D: Andrzej Munk. Fkl / Fh. The master's touch in evidence, but there is a bitter, burnt-out taste in this would-be-comedy.
Pasazerka / Matkustaja. PL 1961/1963. D: Andrzej Munk. The strongest fiction I had seen set on a concentration camp. The director's vision on levels seldom reached (Bergman, Resnais). This could have influenced others like Bergman's Persona.
Tristana. tv. half an hour. [2] His worst.
TERHI'S VIDEOS. Elvis Costello in Nashville (material from the album Trust). +
Alfred Hitchcock Presents: Into Thin Air. US 1955. D: Don Medford. The same story as So Long At the Fair (Terence Fisher).
A kedves szomszéd / Mukava naapuri. HU 1979. D: Zsolt Kézdi-Kovács. Fkl / Fh. Nice.
Friday, January 01, 1982
JANUARY 1982, STOCKHOLM
Escape from New York / Pako New Yorkista. US 1981. D: John Carpenter. Fst. Fine art direction: Manhattan turned into a ghost town. Impressive music. But there is a quasi-fascist dimension in the picture.
Ingrid Bergman - det var så roligt så länge det varade. SE 1981. D: Gunnel Broström. tv. An interview with clips from Intermezzo, Casablanca, and Höstsonaten. Conventional.
Susan Slept Here / Susanna nukkui täällä. US 1953. D: Frank Tashlin. tv. The lethargic touch of the comedy has a distanciating effect. Narrated by the Oscar statuette of the screenwriter (Dick Powell). T. at his most indifferent.
La plus belle affiche... 1: Le Paradis perdu / Den franska stjärnparaden 1. FR 1980. D: Marie-Madeleine Nahon. tv. A great French That's Entertainment starring Maurice Chevalier, Mistinguette, Josephine Baker, Jean Gabin, Lucienne Boyer, Ray Ventura, Charles Trenet, Tino Rossi, Fernandel.
JAZZ & BLUES 3. Filmklubben / Filmstaden.
Black and Tan. US 1929. D: Dudley Murphy. Duke Ellington and the Cotton Club Orchestra. The death of the beauty.
Fats Waller. US 1941. Three pieces: Ain't Misbehaving. Honeysuckle Rose. The Joint Is Jumpin'.
Caldonia. US 1945. D: William Forest Crouch. Louis Jordan and his Tympani Five. A loose farce about making a movie.
Boy! What a Girl. US 1947. D: Arthur Leonard. Clips with Slam Stewart Trio and "Big" Sid Catletts Band.
Jivin' in Bebop. US 1947. D: Leonard Anderson. Dizzy Gillespie and His Big Band.
Andy Kirk. US 1948.
Nat King Cole Trio. US 1948.
Charlie Parker. US 1951. A clip from a tv show.
...
Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde / Tri Jekyll ja Mr. Hyde. US 1932. D: Rouben Mamoulian. Fkl / Filmhuset. 16 mm. Fredric March bravura. Miriam Hopkins electrifying. The Paramount brand: an erotic touch.
Rope of Sand / Tuhoavaa hiekkaa. US 1949. D: William Dieterle. Fkl / Fst. An adventure with Casablanca influences. Burt Lancaster and Corinne Calvet backed up by Claude Rains, Paul Henreid, Peter Lorre. A Paramount touch here, too, the erotic touch has a sadistic flavour.
The Killers / Tappajat. US 1946. D: Robert Siodmak. Fkl / Fh. A convincing thriller. Burt Lancaster and Ava Gardner in their double debut.
La plus belle affiche... 2: Je ne regrette rien. FR 1980. D: Marie-Madeleine Nahon. tv. Starring Chevalier, Edith Piaf, Arletty, Charles Trenet, Yves Montand, Boris Vian, Jean Ferre, George Brassens, Jacques Brel, Juliette Greco, Charles Aznavour. - In the two parts there were clips from ca 35 films and 15 tv shows.
The Incredible Shrinking Man / Mies joka kutistui. US 1956. D: Jack Arnold. Fkl / Fh. An excellent fantasy in the shadow of nuclear horror, crystallizing into the cosmic irony of the conclusion.
Terhi's videos. Bruno Bozzetto: La cabina (animation). Lotte Lenya (a couple of songs).
Alfred Hitchcock Presents: One More Mile to Go. US 1957. D: Alfred Hitchcock. There is a corpse hidden in the trunk of David Wayne's car .
Pop videos: The Pretenders live. Ultravox live. Clash: This Is Radio Clash. The Rolling Stones: Neighbors. Japan: Visions Of China. Stray Cats: Little Miss Prissy. Toni Basil: Be Stiff. David Bowie: Boys. The Simple Minds: Love Song. Human League: Love Action. Tom Petty: A Woman In Love. Duran Duran: Girls On Film. Bow Wow Wow: Chihuahua. The Troggs: I Can't Control Myself. The Beatles: Strawberry Fields Forever. Jimi Hendrix: Wild Thing. Robert Palmer: A Bad Case Of Loving You. The Motels: Days Are O.K. Dexy's Midnight Runners: I Couldn't Help It If I Tried. Devo: Whip It. Elvis Costello: A Good Year For The Roses. Altered Images: Happy Birthday. The Flying Padovanis live. Spandau Ballet: I Don't Need This Pressure On. David Bowie: Life On Mars? Police: Invisible Sun. Ultravox: Thin Wall. Pearl Harbor live. Tom Tom Club: Genius Of Love. Alabama: The Closer You Get. Spandau Ballet: Look At The Thousands Of Boys.
Jethro Tull: A. GB 1980. tv. Not impressed.
Freaks. US 1932. D: Tod Browning. Fkl / Fst. Great.
Dallas 32: Rodeo [Season 3, Episode 8]. US 1979. D: Leonard Katzman.
Dr. Mabuse, der Spieler 1: Ein Bild der Zeit. Fkl / Fst. [2] A 160 min presentation. I missed the demonic Elfers music. Speed too slow.
Frankenstein. US 1931. D: James Whale. Boris Karloff. Fkl / Fh. A low contrast print. Great.
Island of Lost Souls. US 1933. D: Erle C. Kenton. Charles Laughton. Fkl / Fst. A low contrast print. Great.
Dr. Mabuse, der Spieler 2: Inferno - Menschen der Zeit. Fkl / Fh. [2] A 120 min presentation. Too slow.
West Side Story / West Side Story. US 1961. D: Robert Wise. Jerome Robbins. Riviera. Requiem for Natalie Wood (1938-1981).
The Body Snatcher. US 1945. D: Robert Wise. Boris Karloff, Bela Lugosi. Fkl / Fh. A 16mm C&C television print with low contrast night scenes. Great.
Die 1000 Augen des Dr. Mabuse / Tri Mabusen 1000 silmää. DE 1960. Fkl / Fh. "I want to be the one who pushes the button". Dawn Addams again spied on in the hotel room (see A King in New York). Lethargic, the magic is gone. The maniac has been replaced by a cool Wirtschaftswunder type.
Custer of the West / Lännen suuri taistelija. US 1966. D: Robert Siodmak. Robert Shaw. tv. I saw some 40 min of the ending: Little Big Horn.
Harper / The Moving Target / Lew Harper - yksityisetsivä. US 1965. D: Jack Smight. tv. The private eye in California, Ross McDonald country, interesting superficial quick vision on 1960s California: the fanatics of Oriental sects, the ubiquitous, unsatisfied sexuality. Paul Newman is on top of it. The crime story as a pretext to a tour of the society.
Pirveli mertskhali / Pervaja lastotshka /Den första svalan / Ensimmäinen pääskynen / The First Swallow. GE-SU 1976. D: Nana Mtshedlidze. tv. Slow-tempo Eastern films suffer on tv.
Hit (tv). George Harrison: All Those Years Ago (+). Bill Haley: Rock Around The Clock (o). The GoGos: Our Lips Are Sealed (+). Doris D And The Pins: Dance On (o). The Shadows: Frightened City (+).
Merchants of Grain. CBC 1981. D: Doug Lower. SC+narration: Dan Morgan. The most important film of the year. The investigative journalist of The Washington Post on the international grain trade.
Dallas 34: Breast Operation. US 1979. D: Irving J. Moore. tv. Barbara Bel Geddes breast is operated on.
From Here To Eternity / Täältä ikuisuuteen. US 1953. D: Fred Zinnemann. Fkl / Fh. Great.
Belle de jour. tv [2] Better than I remembered (last time 12 years ago). The carriage as the image of transition to the realm of dream and death.
Saturday, December 12, 1981
Rock Out Special: Kizz Lucia Good Night (a music video show by Jan-Olov Andersson on SVT, 12 Dec 1981)
Jan-Olov Andersson. SVT 12 Dec 1981. In retrospect, Jan-Olov Andersson was proud of having created "MTV before MTV" in his Rock Out programs (see his 2010 remarks copied in the comments)
If there are two marks after the track, the first is for the music, the second for the image.
Rosa Körberg / Attack: O-aa hela natten (-+)
The Police: Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic (o)
The Clash: This Is Radio Clash (o)
Kiss: World Without Heroes (o)
The Rolling Stones: Neighbors (++)
Japan: Visions Of China (o+)
Stray Cats: Little Miss Prissy (+o)
Diana Ross: Why Do Fools Fall In Love (o+) (Ross good-looking)
Kim Wilde: Kids In America (o+) (Wilde good-looking)
Mikael Rickfors: When A Man Loves A Woman (+o)
Devo: Whip It (++) (d: Toni Basil)
ELO: Hold On Tight (++)
Grace Jones: Libertango (I've Seen That Face Before) (++)
Madness: Shut Up! (o)
Specials: Ghost Town (++)
Jim Steinman & Carla De Vito / Meatloaf: Dance In My Pants (++) ("peep show")
Kim Carnes: Bette Davis Eyes (+o)
Landscape: Norman Bates (+)
Depeche Mode: Just Can't Get Enough (+o)
Soft Cell: Tainted Love (+o)
Adam & The Ants: Prince Charming (camp)
Devo: Be Stiff (++) (d: Toni Basil)
David: Boys (Keep Swinging) (++) d: David Mallet
Chrissie Hynde: The Reason We're Here (+o)
Pat Benatar: Fire And Ice (o) good-looking
The Tubes: Suzie Girl (-+) terrible music
Linx: Intuition (++)
Gary U.S. Bonds: This Little Girl (+o)
Simple Minds: Love Song (+o)
Human League: Love Action (+o)
Frank Zappa: You Are What You Is (++)
Rod Stewart: Tonight I'm Yours (++)
Pete Shelley: Homosapien (++)
Tom Petty: Woman In Love (+o)
Earth, Wind & Fire: Let's Groove (++)
Spandau Ballet: Paint Me Down (+)
Duran Duran: Careless Memories (-+)
Hall & Oates: Private Eyes (o)
John Foxx: Dancing Like A Gun (o+)
Marianne Faithfull: Sweetheart (++)
ABBA: One Of Us Must Know (--)
Again: the time of the video has arrived. But where will this exploitation lead to. Is it just littering the consciousness.
Tuesday, December 01, 1981
DECEMBER 1981, STOCKHOLM
Die Büchse der Pandora / Pandoran lipas. DE 1929. D: G. W. Pabst. Wedekind. Louise Brooks, Fritz Kortner. Fkl / Filmstaden. A 150 min presentation [at 16 fps?]. Amazingly contemporary. Louise Brooks has not dated. Weakness: the storyline.
Some Like It Hot. International Youth Center, 16 mm. [3]. An apt coincidence to see this on the same evening after Pandora. I saw it for the first time, previously I had only looked at it.
Nick's Movie / Salama veden yllä. SE/DE 1980. D: Wim Wenders [& Nicholas Ray]. Fkl / Fh. Wenders' macabre deathwatch of Ray. Hated it. When Wim's team plans to blow itself up in a Chinese junk, it sound like the suggestion most worthy of support in the entire film. Three good sequences: 1) Nick presents The Lusty Men to a young audience, 2) a small group watches We Can't Go Home Again, 3) Ray directs Kafka's A Report to the Academy.
Här har du ditt liv. tv [2] Feels diluted in comparison with the recollection of ten years ago. I did not see all of the beginning.
Ladri di biciclette / Polkupyörävaras. IT 1948. D: Vittorio De Sica. Fkl / Fst. Worthy of its reputation. Exemplary, admirable in its clarity and wealth. A feeling of a voyage of discovery. Psychologically sensitive. Cf. The Kid by Chaplin.
The Cocoanuts. Fkl / Fh [3] A bad print from Malmö.
While the City Sleeps / Huulipunamurhaaja. US 1955. D: Fritz Lang. tv. A mordant look on sensational journalism. Dana Andrews, Rhonda Fleming, George Sanders, Ida Lupino, James Craig ("pix editor"), Thomas Mitchell (the Irish drunkard), Sally Forrest (DA's fiancée as the bait for the killer). Top of them all: Vincent Price as the corrupt son of the media magnate. The killer (John Barrymore, Jr.) not convincing. The tv screen does not pay justice to L's visual force. L's architecture suffers on the small screen.
Terhi's videos. Many of the same ones as seen in earlier in November and December, plus: David Bowie: Life On Mars? (*). Police: Invisible Sun (*). Ultravox: live footage. Ultravox: Thin Wall (*). The Rolling Stones: Waiting On A Friend (*). Simple Minds: Love Song (*). Duran Duran: Girls On Film. Bow Wow Wow: Chihuahua (?). Pearl Harbor And The Explosions: Drivin' (?) (with Wilko Johnson) (*). Tom Tom Club: Genius Of Love (*). Ry Cooder: Hollywood. The Pretenders live. etc. For the third time: video. Almost overwhelming. The history of the cinema is being plundered, and a lot of new things are being discovered. There is an affinity with the original joy of Méliès.
Die Little Richard Story. DE 1980. D: William Klein. tv. Quite a good biopic. The biographical side is better than in the other similar ones (Elvis, Janis, Hendrix), but the weakness is that the musical performances are not intact.
Kalle Anka och hans vänner önskar god jul / Samu Sirkan joulusirkus. tv [2]. Seems to be a Swedish Christmas tradition. The living toys of Santa Claus. Clown of the Jungle (a funny bird dancing the gopak disturbs Donald's photography efforts). Cinderella (the birds and the mice sow the dress). Ferdinand the fight-hating bull. Lady and the Tramp: bella notte. The Jungle Book: Baloo teaches Mowgli to box. The Fox and the Hound (Micke och Molle): their friendship. Snow White: the dwarfs jamming. Robin Hood: robbing the tax catch. Chip and Dale in the henhouse. When You Wish Upon A Star. Hosted by Jiminy Cricket, piano by Mickey Mouse. - When Disney turns really sentimental, its awful (those calculatingly, quasi-shyly blinking eyes), as an anarchist he's at his best.
Sommarnattens leende / Kesäyön hymyilyä. SE 1955. D: Ingmar Bergman. tv. I don't quite get the reputation of this, too calculating. B. balance 36/40.
Assault on Precinct 13 / Hyökkäys poliisiasemalle. US 1976. D: John Carpenter. Laconic, crystallized action cinema. Reminds me more of Siegel than Hawks.
Mutter Krausens Fahrt ins Glück. DE 1929. D: Piel Jutzi. Fkl / Fh. A 150 min presentation, a decent quality of image. Story by Zille, Kollwitz participated. An obvious model for Kuhle Wampe. Realism, a sense of humour, sensuality, finally nihilism, suicide as the "journey to happiness". The thoroughness of the prose style could have been condensed. Kuhle Wampe's taut style may be a reaction to this. Anyway, a treat.
Milka / Milka. FI 1980. D: Rauni Mollberg. Timo K. Mukka. Bostock. The fine feeling for nature helps one stand the terrible drawbacks of the picture. The grouse's courtship. The seasons. The birchwoods. The haymaking. The forestry. The performers of Milka's mother and the Christ-Devil are good. The theatrical, quasi-artistic recitation destroys a lot. Awkward use of close-ups. M. seems to have a big problem with sexuality. A terrible dichotomy of the good/beautiful vs. the bad/ugly.
Häxan. SE 1921. D: Benjamin Christensen. Fkl / Fst. 100 min presentation, a fine, toned print. Amazingly contemporary, with a sense of humour. Might Foucault have seen this, or Resnais (Mon oncle d'Amérique)?
Häxan [2]
That's Entertainment. tv [2] great
Saturday, November 14, 1981
MELIES SUCCEFILMER / THE SUCCESS FILMS OF MÉLIÈS (in person: Madeleine Malthête-Méliès)
| Georges Méliès: L'Homme-orchestre / The One Man Band (FR 1900). |
Le Voyage dans la lune / Resan till månen
L'Homme-orchestre / Enmansorkestern / The One Man Band (*)
L'Oracle de Delphes / Oraklet i Delfi
Le Maître do-mi-so-do / Maestro do-mi-sol-do (*)
Les Hallucinations du baron de Münchhausen / Baron Münchhausen ser i syne (*)
Le Fakir de Singapour / Fakiren från Singapore (*)
L'Homme-mouche / Flugmannen (*)
L'Auberge ensorcelée / Det förtrollade värdshuset
Au clair de la lune / Månskensserenaden
Raid Paris-Monte Carlo en deux heures / Paris-Monte Carlo loppet
Le Rêve du maître de ballet / Balettmästarens dröm (*)
Jack le ramoneur / Sotar-Jack
Le Bourreau turc / Den turkiske bödeln (*)
Satan en prison / Djävulen i fängelse (*)
Thursday, November 12, 1981
MELIES BURLESKER
Le Portrait mystérieux / Det mystiska porträttet
La Cardeuse de matelas / Fyllot och madrasskarderskan
Les Cartes animées / De levande spelkorten
Sorcellerie culinaire / Förhäxad kokkonst
Au pays des jouets / Leksakslandet
Patins à roulettes / Rullskridskoåkarna
Le Tripot clandestin / Den olagliga spelhålan
Le Thaumaturge chinois / Den kinesiske trollkarlen (*)
Le Diable noir / Den svarte djävulen (*)
Un homme de têtes / Mannen med de många huvudena (*)
Le Rêve d'un fumeur d'opium / En opiumrökares dröm (*)
Les Affiches en goguette / Affischer på vift (*)
Le merveilleux eventail vivant / Den fantastiska levande solfjädern
La Duche d'eau bouillante / Den kokheta duschen
Eclipse de soleil en pleine lune / Solförmörkelse i månsken
Une chute de cinq étages / Ett fall från femte våningen
Le Cake-walk infernal / Djävulsk cake-walk
Wednesday, November 11, 1981
I HUVET PÅ MELIES
Escamotage d'une dame chez Robert-Houdin / Damen som försvann
L'Impressioniste fin-de-siècle / En modern trollkarl
Après le bal / Efter balen
Les nouvelles luttes extravagantes / Nya extravaganta brottartag
Le Sacre d'Edouard VII / Edvard VII's kröning
Le Mélomane / Musikvurmen (*)
Le Chaudron infernal / Den djävulska kitteln (*)
Le Voyage à travers l'impossible / Resan genom det omöjliga
L'Homme à la tête en caoutchouk / Mannen med gummihuvudet (*)
Le Tentation de Saint Antoine / Sankt Antonius frestelse (*)
Le Roi du maquillage / Maskeringens konung
La Chrysalide et le papillon / Puppan och fjärilen (*)
Faust aux enfers / Fausts resa i underjorden
Dislocation mystérieuse / Fantastiska syner
La Fée carabosse / Sagan om häxan
Le Locataire diabolique / Den demoniske hyresgästen (*)
Monday, November 02, 1981
NOVEMBER 1981, STOCKHOLM
History of the World Part One / Mieletön maailmanhistoria. US 1981. D: Mel Brooks. Park. I only liked the Inquisition.
Czlowiek z zelaza / Rautamies / The Man of Iron. PL 1981. D: Andrzej Wajda. Fst. Important political gesture, but not as good a film as The Man of Marble.
Третья Мещанская / Säng och soffa / Sänky ja sohva / Bed and Sofa. SU 1927. D: Abram Room. Fkl / Fh. A Swedish print. A surprising mix of Soviet realism and the Lubitsch touch. The film seemed to be a Filmklubben favourite. To be compared with Happiness (Medvedkin) and The Outskirts (Barnet).
This Is Elvis / Kuningas Elvis. US 1981. Malcolm Leo & Andrew Solt. Fst. Colonel Parker's view of his victim.
Körkarlen. Fkl / Fh [2]
Двадцать шесть дней из жизни Достоевского / 26 päivää Dostojevskin elämässä / Twenty Six Days from the Life of Dostoyevsky. SU 1980. D: Alexander Zarhi. tv. The only bright spot: Anatoli Solonitsyn.
Quick Millions. US 1931. D: Rowland Brown. Fkl / Fst. Spencer Tracy as gangster.
Kontrakt / Sopimus / The Contract. D: Krysztof Zanussi. tv. I saw only 30 min, bored.
Fängelse / Vankila. SE 1949. D: Ingmar Bergman. Fkl / Fh. Surprise! His best 1940s film, his first masterpiece. An ironic look at Fyrtiotalismen ("The Forties-ism"). A sovereign grip on the structure. Much better than Törst. A Zeitgeist movie. The devil's rationale to oppose nuclear weapons: "Too easy a solution!"
The Wild One / Vauhtihurjat. US 1953. D: Laslo Benedek. Marlon Brando. Mythic. Brando conceited. Lee Marvin irresistible.
Drums Along the Mohawk / Liekehtivä erämaa. US 1939. D: John Ford. Fkl / Fst. The war of independence. The only Indian who is on the Americans' side is mad. The Englishmen (led by patch-eyed John Carradine) provoke the Indians against the Americans. Claudette Colbert's make-up is too thick in this Technicolor film.
Obchod na korze / Liike pääkadulla / The Shop on Main Street. CZ 1965. D: Jan Kadar & Elmar Klos. tv
Blood Money. US 1933. D: Rowland Brown. Fkl / Fh. George Bancroft as a gangster. A dense and furious gangster movie.
Days of Wine and Roses / Viinin ja ruusujen aika. D: Blake Edwards. tv. Jack Lemmon and Lee Remick as alcoholics. Good satire in the beginning, weak temperance propaganda in the end.
Abel Gance - the Charm of Dynamite. GB 1968. D: Kevin Brownlow. Fkl / Fst. Clips from J'accuse, La Roue, and Napoléon. Brilliant! G. is the missing link from Griffith to Eisenstein. The time of the cinema has arrived.
Man of Aran / Aransaaren mies. GB 1934. D: Robert Flaherty. Fkl / Fst
TV: Rock Out. Edited by Jan Olov Andersson. Frank Zappa: You Are What You Is. Rod Stewart: Tonight I'm Yours. Pete Shelley: Homosapien (*). Tom Petty: Woman In Love. Earth, Wind & Fire: Let's Groove Tonight (*). Spandau Ballet: Paint Me Down. Duran Duran: Callous Memories. Hall & Oates: Private Eyes. John Foxx: Dancing Like A Gun. Marianne Faithfull: Sweetheart. ABBA: One Of Us. - The time of the video has arrived.
Thursday, October 01, 1981
OCTOBER 1981, WEST BERLIN, STOCKHOLM
Jimi Plays Berkeley. US 1971. D: Peter Pilafian. ED: Baird Bryant. Alhambra. Quite good. +
Phantom of the Rue Morgue / Der Würger von Paris. US 1954. D: Roy Del Ruth. DF. Alhambra. A nice triple bill: The Doors and Hendrix at their best and a solid midnight horror movie, which I found on the basis of the recommendation of Frank Arnold (in Zitty?). A strange surprise: Buñuel must have seen this, since there are references to it in Ensayo de un crimen and Viridiana.
Rear Window / Takaikkuna. US 1954. D: Alfred Hitchcock. Thalia 2, 16 mm. In West Berlin it was possible to see this Peter Vollmann print before the film was re-released after a very long break. The H. masterpiece besides Vertigo.
In Stockholm
For Your Eyes Only / Erittäin salainen. GB 1981. D: John Glen. Ian Fleming. Roger Moore (James Bond), Carole Bouquet. Ri-Tvåan. The worst Bond movie in the series started by Saltzman and Broccoli.
The Planet of the Apes / Apinoiden planeetta. US 1967. D: Franklin J. Schaffner. Pierre Boulle. Charlton Heston. tv. "In this universe there must be something bigger than man". Time warp, strange planet inhabited by a small population of apes, and finally in the desert H. bumps into the arm of the Statue of Liberty.
Terhi's videos: the super concert in Germany. A Rockpile program directed by Peter Carr (Albert Lee plays with Dave Edmunds). Mink De Ville boring.
Raiders of the Lost Ark / Kadonneen aarteen metsästäjät. US 1981. D: Steven Spielberg. Filmstaden. Not impressed.
The Kid from Spain / Härkätaistelija. US 1932. D: Leo McCarey. Eddie Cantor. Busby Berkeley tv. Good and bad moments.
La ultima cena / The Last Supper. CU 1976. D: Tomas Gutierrez Alea. Filmklubben / Filmstaden. Too much Buñuel imitation at first, but breaks loose later.
Los sobrevivientes / The Survivors. CU 1978. D: Tomas Gutierrez Alea. Fkl / Fst. Dedicated to Buñuel, but becomes terribly bad.
Punkmordet. SE 1981. PC: Slussenfilm. In the repertory of Erkki Astala. Glimpses from underground Stockholm.
The Creature from the Black Lagoon / Mustan laguunin hirviö. US 1954. D: Jack Arnold. Filmstaden, 3D (red / green glasses). Moments of poetry, starting from the introduction. 3D can be fun when the fish swims towards us or when the harpoon rushes towards the camera.
Tuesday, September 01, 1981
SEPTEMBER 1981, STOCKHOLM, MUNICH
Sleep, My Love / Pisara myrkkyä. US 1948. D: Douglas Sirk. Fkl / Fst. A ghostly atmosphere of nightmare and distrust. Claudette Colbert, Robert Cummings, Don Ameche, George Coulouris, Raymond Burr. Hazel Brooks a comical vamp.
Imitation of Life / Suurinta elämässä. US 1958. D: Douglas Sirk. Fkl / Fh. My Sirk favourite. Lana Turner.
Magnificent Obsession / Lääkärin omatunto. US 1954. D: Douglas Sirk. Fkl / Fh. I sensed the parodic quite strongly. Rock Hudson, Jane Wyman. The bright pop colour.
Der Gang in die Nacht. DE 1920. D: F. W. Murnau. Fkl / Fh. Recently discovered, long believed lost. Memorable images: the blind painter Conrad Veidt stands in the boat that is being rowed to the coast. The blind Veidt leans on his arm, the empty canvas behind him.
A Woman's Secret / Kiinnitys elämään. US 1949. D: Nicholas Ray. Fkl / Fh. Melvyn Douglas, Maureen O'Hara. The director's touch hardly evident. Good dialogue.
The Barefoot Contessa / Paljasjalkakreivitär. US 1954. D: Joseph L. Mankiewicz. Ava Gardner. tv. On tv the excessive talk is emphasized. The Reverse Cinderella: the countess who wants to dance barefoot.
A Time to Love, a Time to Die / Rakasta tänään, huomenna... US 1958. D: Douglas Sirk. Remarque. Fkl / Fst. Not quite convincing.
Phantom / Fantom. DE 1922. D: F. W. Murnau. Fkl / Fst. Great visuals, hallucinations and delirium fits, but Alfred Abel is not interesting enough.
Captain Lightfoot / Kaikki puolestasi. US 1954. D: Douglas Sirk. Rock Hudson (Lightfoot), Jeff Morrow (Thunderbolt). Fkl / Fh. Not impressed. Irish rebel swashbucklers of the early 19th century.
Don't Look Back / Älä katso taaksesi. US 1967. D.A. Pennebaker. Bob Dylan. Fkl / Fh. Invaluable.
Pather panchali / Tien laulu. In 1955. D: Satyajit Ray. Fkl / Fh. In the middle of this I started to discover S.J.
Der brennende Acker / Palava pelto. DE 1922. D: F. W. Murnau. Long believed lost, just recently found. Fkl / Fh. Can be compared with Zvenigora and Sibiriade: the tale of the field of legends. Beneath it, oil is found.
Москва слезам не верит / Moskova ei usko kyyneliin / Moscow Does Not Believe In Tears. SU 1980. D: Vladimir Menchov. Astoria. Disappointing, a mediocre touch to an interesting subject of the three women and their fates. The saving grace: Aleksei Batalov's character, one of those accusing figures in the Soviet cinema of the age.
Dyrygent / Orkesterinjohtaja / Dirigenten / The Conductor. PL 1980. D: Andrzej Wajda. John Gielgud. Fst. Moderately good. The emigrant conductor's visit to his home country.
...
In Munich
I spent a week in a German language bath during the Oktoberfest. I lived in Schwabing and visited the Alps and Ludwig's fairy-tale castles. I spent all my money at the fabulous Filmland bookstore, buying treasures such as the complete version of Lotte H. Eisner's Murnau monograph which existed only in German.
...
Ossessione / Riivaajat. IT 1942. D: Luchino Visconti. Münchner Filmmuseum. In Italian without translation. A full print but from a worn and low contrast source. V. had the grip from the start.
Rock Around the Clock / Tunnista tuntiin. US 1956. D: Fred F. Sears. Bill Haley & His Comets. Münchner Filmmuseum. Ever worse than I had expected. The only bright thing: The Platters performing The Great Pretender and Only You. Tony Williams's tenor reaches unbelievable layers of madness.
Cameo Kirby / Kuohuvaa verta. US 1923. D: John Ford. Münchner Filmmuseum. A print in Czech. Probably not an especially good film, but could I help liking it? The style brings to mind Griffith, Sjöström, and Murnau. The tale of Mississippi, a steamboat gambler (John Gilbert). Certain scenes are very beautiful.
+ [?North of the Hudson Bay?. US 1923. D: John Ford. Münchner Filmmuseum. May I have seen fragments of this Tom Mix film written by Jules Furthman on 26 Sep 1981 in Munich?]
Im Lauf der Zeit. DE 1975. D: Wim Wenders. tv. I didn't get it this time.
Lola / Lola. DE 1981. D: R. W. Fassbinder. Marmorhalle. I wasn't moved.
The Misfits / Nicht gesellschafsfähig. tv. DF = Deutsche Fassung. [X]
Saturday, August 01, 1981
AUGUST 1981, STOCKHOLM
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| Markku Lehmuskallio: Korpinpolska / Korpens polska / The Raven's Dance (FI/SE 1980). The blue hour. |
Don Giovanni / Don Giovanni. FR/IT/EN/DE 1979. D: Joseph Losey. W. A. Mozart. Fst / Sf. Maybe I was not in the mood. Was this just a copy of two visions: Bergman's Trollflöjten and Fellini's Casanova? But I'm grateful for the opportunity to experience Mozart's work for the first time.
Aktorzy prowincjonalni / Maaseututeatterin näyttelijät / Provincial Actors. PL 1979. D: Agnieszka Holland. Fst / Sf. A strong touch of critique of the power system, but no match to Wajda, Kieslowski, Zanussi.
Heaven's Gate / Portti ikuisuuteen. US 1981. D: Michael Cimino. Rigoletto. Short 150 min version. Magnificent imagery, but there is not enough depth in the characters except Kristoffersson.
Der amerikanische Freund / Amerikkalainen ystävä / The American Friend. DE 1977. D: Wim Wenders. Fst / Sf. Trains he can handle. Ganz is good. Hopper too conceited.
Wodzirej / Pyrkyri / Top Dog. PL 1978. D: Feliks Falk. Jerzy Stuhr. tv. Stuhr is great in another virulent critique of the Polish power structure.
The Secret Life of Walter Mitty / Hurjimus. US 1947. D: Norman Z. McLeod. Danny Kaye, Virginia Mayo. tv. Kaye is not great, and McLeod is not a master, but there is a bonanza of satire of the culture industy. An endless jungle of juicy material.
Враги / Viholliset / Fienderna / Enemies. SU 1977. D: Rodion Nahapetov. Gorky. Innokenti Smoktunovsky, Yelena Solovey. tv. Surprisingly high quality drama adaptation. The end disappoints, it fails to bring the tensions to a satisfactory conclusion.
Le Jour se lève / Varjojen yö. FR 1939. D: Marcel Carné. Gabin, Jules Berry, Arletty. Fst / Sf. Brilliant. During one night Gabin relives his past in a house surrounded by the police.
Panny z Wilka / Kartanon neidot / The Young Ladies of Wilko. PL 1979. D: Andrzej Wajda. Fst / Sf. An ok small film story, better than Brzezina.
Hra v jablku / Omenaleikki. CZ 1976. D: Vera Chytilová. Fst / Sf. I prefer this to Sedmikrasky. Dagmar Blahova wonderful.
Young and Innocent / Nuori ja viaton. GB 1937. D: Alfred Hitchcock. Fst / Sf. Brit Hitch at his best.
Night After Night. US 1932. D: Archie Mayo. Fkl / Fst. George Raft good as the conceited gangster. Mae West's film debut, but women are in the background in this movie.
Cleopatra / Kleopatra. GB/US/CH 1963. D: Joseph L. Mankiewicz. Taylor, Burton, Harrison. Fkl / Fh. The 200 min version. Harrison great as Caesar, some fantastic scenes of spectacle, I was very disappointed with Taylor.
I'm No Angel / En ole enkeli. US 1933. D: Wesley Ruggles. Mae West, Cary Grant. Fkl / Fh. Mae West is an auteur. I love her stuff.
Goin' to Town / Glada änkas miljoner. US 1935. D: Alexander Hall. Fkl / Fst. Mae West in the Wild West.
Edge of the City / A Man Is Ten Feet Tall (GB premiere title) / Miehen mitta. US 1956. D: Martin Ritt. John Cassavetes, Sidney Poitier. tv. A sweat-dripping stockyard melodrama.
Wednesday, July 01, 1981
JULY 1981, STOCKHOLM
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| Bob Dylan: Renaldo & Clara (US 1978). Bob Dylan (Renaldo), Sara Dylan (Clara), Joan Baez (The Woman in White), Ronnie Hawkins (Bob Dylan). Telecast in Sweden in a four hour version. |
The Day the Earth Stood Still. tv [2]
The Horse Soldiers / Ratsuväen urhot. US 1959. D: John Ford. tv. His only Civil War movie, anti-war. Wayne is a railway builder who has to destroy his own work. Holden is a medical officer. Constance Towers is a Southern woman.
The Producers / Kevät koittaa Hitlerille. US 1968. D: Mel Brooks. Fst. Too tired, I fell asleep.
La Spirale. FR 1976. D: Armand Mattelart, Jacqueline Meppiel, Valérie Mayoux, Chris Marker, Silvio Tendler, Pierre Flament. tv. On Chile, familiar images, comprehensive. New: the analysis of media.
Ök ketten / Heitä on kaksi / Marie och Julie / The Two of Them. HU 1977. D: Márta Mészárós. Fst / Sf. Psychological sensitivity, a lack of urgency.
Radio On. Fst / Sf. [2] Gets better.
Renaldo and Clara. US 1978. D: Bob Dylan. tv. Too scattered but strangely compelling four-hour movie. When I Paint My Masterpiece. Isis. A Hard Rain's A-Gonna Fall. It Ain't Me Babe. Knockin' On Heaven's Door. Hurricane. Romance In Durango. One Too Many Mornings. She Belongs To Me. It Takes A Lot To Laugh, It Takes A Train To Cry. The House Of The Rising Sun. One More Cup Of Coffee. Sara. Catfish. Suzanne. Sad-Eyed Lady Of The Lowlands. Tangled Up In Blue (*). Just Like A Woman. In The Morning Of My Life. Ballad In Plain D. Kaw-Liga. Eight Miles High. Makes one appreciate Pennebaker more.
Wise Blood / Levoton veri. US 1979. D: John Huston. Flannery O'Connor. Fst / Sf. He's still got the talent for taut film-making, but I don't like the nihilism.
55 Days in Peking / 55 päivää Pekingissä. US 1963. D: Nicholas Ray. tv. I don't wonder if the director woke up screaming. The only bright things: Ava Gardner and the self-evident Charlton Heston.
Bez znieczulenia / Ilman puudutusta / Without Anesthesia. PL 1978. D: Andrzej Wajda. Starring Zbigniew Zapasiewicz, the official cynic in Polish films. Fst / Sf. Equally good as The Man of Marble, more limited but better in dramatic construction. The film was surprisingly different from what I had read. This is the portrait of an opportunist. Previously he has been supported by all, now by none.
National Lampoon's Animal House / Delta-jengi. US 1978. D: John Landis. Göta Lejon. Farce galore.
THX 1138 / THX 1138. US 1971. D: George Lucas. tv. Incredibly boring.
Monday, June 01, 1981
JUNE 1981, STOCKHOLM
Silk Stockings / Silkkisukat. US 1956. D: Rouben Mamoulian. Fred Astaire, Cyd Charisse. Filmklubben / Filmhuset. It is ruthless to compare this with Ninotchka.
Carrie. US 1976. Brian De Palma. Stephen King. Rialto. Well made telekinetic horror, but crude, I was not particularly impressed.
Nine to Five / Yhdeksästä viiteen. D: Colin Higgins. Dolly Parton, Jane Fonda, Lily Tomlin. Park. A women's feelgood movie, obvious.
Gösta Berlings saga / Gösta Berlingin taru. SE 1924. D: Mauritz Stiller. Selma Lagerlöf. Greta Garbo. Fkl / Fh. Majestic, magnificent. Lars Hanson's ardent sermon. The Devil among the Cavaliers. The wolfpack chasing Garbo and Hanson on the frozen lake. The mansion on fire.
Ma nuit chez Maud / Yöni Maudin luona. FR 1969. D: Eric Rohmer. Fkl / Fh. My favourite R. Admirable focus and clarity. Both realistic and mythical.
Sous les toits de Paris / Pariisin kattojen alla. FR 1930. D: René Clair. Fkl / Fh. Clair felt dated.
Prova d'orchestra. tv [2] Keeps getting better.
A Damsel in Distress /En flicka i knipa / Neitonen ahdingossa. US 1937. D: George Stevens. P.G. Wodehouse. Fred Astaire, George Burns, Gracie Allen, Joan Fontaine. Fkl / Fh. The only bright element: the dances of Astaire: in the fairground, by the moonlit river, the dance which is a drum solo.
Tales of Terror. US 1962. D: Roger Corman. Fkl / Fst. I Morella (Vincent Price, Leona Gage). II The Facts in the Case of Mr. Valdemar (Price, Basil Rathbone, Debra Paget). III The Black Cat (Peter Lorre, Price, Joyce Jameson). Yuck!
Berlin Alexanderplatz. DE 1980. D: R.W. Fassbinder. Alfred Döblin. Günter Lamprecht. tv. some 3-4 episodes
Berlin-Alexanderplatz. DE 1931. D: Phil Jutzi. Alfred Döblin. Heinrich George. tv. I preferred this version at the time.
San Francisco / San Franciscon maanjäristys. US 1936. D: W.S. Van Dyke. Gable, McDonald, Tracy. Fkl / Fst. The MGM studio splendour. Two thirds are about the merry old Frisco with its vices. Then the earthquake, and Gable's religious conversion.
The Raven / Korppi. US 1962. D: Roger Corman. Vincent Price, Peter Lorre, Boris Karloff, Jack Nicholson. Fkl / Fst. Very modest.
Perceval le Gallois. FR 1979. D: Eric Rohmer. Fkl / Fh. It failed to move me, but maybe I was in the wrong mood, and the language was difficult.
The Big Heat / Gangsterikuningas. US 1953. D: Fritz Lang. tv. Masterpiece, my favourite American FL film at the time.
Калина красная / Punainen heisipuu / The Red Snowball Tree. Fst / Sommarfestivalen [3] Gets better.
Roma. Nya Ritz [2] This gets better, too, many details I had forgotten. Maybe too scattered.
The Public Enemy / Yhteiskunnan vihollinen. US 1931. D: William A. Wellman. James Cagney, Jean Harlow. Fst / Sf. Cagney is tough. Harlow, too, is tough. The grapefruit act is tough. Especially the shock ending is tough.










