Die Augen der Mumie Mâ (FWMS print).

Ernst Lubitsch: Die Augen der Mumie Mâ (DE 1918). Emil Jannings (Radu), Pola Negri (Mâ).

[Muumion silmät] / Orientens dotter, DE 1918. PC: Union. P: Paul Davidson. D: Ernst Lubitsch. SC: Hanns Kräly, Emil Rameau. DP: Theodor Sparkuhl, Alfred Hansen. PD: Kurt Richter. LOC: Kalkberge Rüdersdorf, Freigelände Berlin-Tempelhof. Starring. Pola Negri (Mâ), Emil Jannings (Radu), Harry Liedtke (Alfred Wendland, painter), Max Laurence (Prince Hohenfels). 35 mm print: Transit Film / Friedrich-Wilhelm-Murnau-Stiftung /18 fps/ 57 min. E-subtitles in Finnish by AA. Viewed at Cinema Orion, Helsinki, 22 Jan 2008. Lubitsch's first attempt at great, exotic drama, has some nice touches, and it is interesting to see the familiar Lubitsch team working together here, especially Pola Negri in her first Lubitsch role, but this one is mostly for the completists.

...

PROGRAM NOTE (HERMAN G. WEINBERG, EDITED BY SAKARI TOIVIAINEN)

SUOMEN ELOKUVA-ARKISTO

finlands filmarkiv

Die Augen der Mumie Ma

[Muumion silmät] / Orientens dotter

Saksa 1918. Tuotantoyhtiö: Projektions-AG Union. Ohjaus: Ernst Lubitsch. Käsikirjoitus: Hanns Kräly, Emil Rameau. Kuvaus: Theodor Sparkuhl, Alfred Hansen. Lavastus: Kurt Richter. Kuvauspaikat: Kalkberge Rüdersdorf, Freigelände Berlin-Tempelhof. Pääosissa: Pola Negri (temppelitanssijatar Ma), Emil Jannings (Radu, egyptiläinen), Har-ry Liedtke (maalari Alfred Wendland), Max Laurence (ruhtinas Hohenfels), Margarethe Kupfer (kotiapulainen). Alkuperäispituus 1221 m /18 fps/ 59 min

Transit Film / Friedrich-Wilhelm-Murnau-Stiftung 2008: /18 fps/ 57 min

 

Ensimmäisen maailmansodan vuosina Berliinissä oli puolalainen näyttelijätär nimeltä Barbara Apolonia Chalupiec, joka oli mustalaisviulistin tytär. Max Reinhardt oli nähnyt hänen tanssivan Maly-teatterissa Varsovassa vuonna 1913, jolloin tytön temperamentti teki häneen vaikutuksen ja hän toi tämän Berliiniin esiintymään pantomiimissaan Sumurun vuonna 1917. Union-Filmin johtaja Paul Davidson näki hänet siinä, ihastui ja osoittautui että Barbara Apolonia Chalupiec oli jo esiintynyt yhdessä elokuvassa Liebe und Leidenschaft, jonka hän lisäksi oli 17-vuotiaana omaelämäkerrallisten kokemustensa pohjalta kirjoittanut ja ohjannut itse. Elokuva kuitenkin oli menestynyt niin huonosti että sen tuottaja oli tehnyt konkurssin. Davidsonin vaisto tiesi kuitenkin paremmin ja seuraavaksi hän lähestyi Lubitschia tarkoituksenaan että tämä tekisi vakavan elokuvan tytön kanssa. Ensi alkuun Lubitsch kieltäytyi, sillä hän piti tavaramerkkinään komediaa eikä uskonut yleisön sulattavan hänen siirtymistään vakavaan draamaan.

Tämä sittemmin Pola Negrinä tunnettu tähti (Pola oli johdettu Apoloniasta, ja Negri tuli hänen rakastamansa italialaisen runoilijan Ada Negrin mukaan) oli kuitenkin todella päättäväinen nainen. Reinhardt oli ollut oikeassa hänen temperamenttinsa suhteen. Kun hän halusi tehdä elokuvan Lubitschin kanssa, se myös onnistui. Ensimmäinen yhteistyö oli Vendetta, joka Curt Riessin mukaan ei ollut varsinainen taiteellinen voitto, mutta kaupallinen menestys kylläkin. Ennenkaikkea se merkitsi Negrille läpimurtoa saksalaisessa elokuvassa ja hän tiesi että se oli Lubitschin ansiota. Davidson näki että tässä Lubitschilla avautuisi ura myös vakavan draaman alueella ja hän päätti tehdä välittömästi jatkoa. Tuloksena tarina egyptiläisestä uskonnollisesta fanaatikosta, joka ihastuttuaan erääseen tyttöön ajaa häntä takaa maailman ääriin ja viimein tuhoaa hänet. Tuloksena oli tummanpuhuva, "egyptiläistä eksotiikkaa" uhkuva elokuva, mutta sen pakkomielteisen rakkauden teema sisälsi autenttisen murhenäytelmän aineksia. Jälleen kerran Lubitsch oli alkuun suunnitelmaa vastaan, mutta taipui sitten Davidsonin suostutteluihin. Emil Jannings esitti tummaihoista, palavasilmäistä egyptiläistä ja Negri hänen intohimonsa onnetonta kohdetta. Die Augen der Mumie Ma oli sitä paitsi ensimmäinen elokuvateos, johon saksalainen lehdistö suhtautui vakavasti.

– Sakari Toiviainen, Herman G. Weinbergin teoksesta The Lubitsch Touch,  A Critical Study (1968)

Forum Holocaust 2008 (Yad Vashem event)

Jean-Michel Frodon (ed.): Le Cinéma et la Shoah : Un art à l'épreuve de la tragédie du 20e siècle. Avec les contributions de : Jean-Louis Comolli, Hubert Damisch, Arnaud Desplechin, Jean-Michel Frodon, Bill Krohn, Claude Lanzmann, Stuart Liebman, Sylvie Lindeperg, Ronny Loewy, Jacques Mandelbaum, Marie-José Mondzain, Ariel Schweitzer, Annette Wieviorka. Une filmographie inédite, réalisée grâce à l’Institut Fritz Bauer, rassemble à la fin de l’ouvrage plus de 300 longs métrages, courts métrages et documents ayant trait à la Shoah, de 1945 à nos jours.

Cinema Orion, Helsinki, 21 Jan 2008. Organized by Yad Vashem Finland, chaired by Mr. Matti Myllykoski.

Irene Jelin spoke about anti-semitism before the Holocaust, and Michel Grünstein about modern anti-semitism.

My presentation on cinema and Holocaust was inspired by the new book edited by Jean-Michel Frodon: Le Cinéma et la Shoah: Un art à l'épreuve de la tragédie du 20e siècle (Paris: Editions Cahiers du cinéma / Fondation pour la Mémoire de la Shoah, 2007). It has also a useful filmography in six categories:

    1) Documentary and compilation films,
    2) Fiction,
    3) Essays,
    4) Television,
    5) Original footage,
    6) Nazi propaganda.

The discussion was so lively that the event lasted much longer than planned. I find the theme the more profoundly disturbing the more I think about it, and I took the next day off for mental ventilation.

YRJÖ KUKKAPURO – DESIGNER (2008 exhibition at Design Museum)

Yrjö Kukkapuro: Fysio Office Chair, black fabric upholstery (FI 1976).

Design Museum, Helsinki, 20 Jan 2008.

From the official presentation: "The career of designer and interior architect Yrjö Kukkapuro from his early works designed in 1956 to his most recent ones from 2007. 

Kukkapuro's oeuvre is characterized by a strict command of form and the carefully considered use of details. Throughout the decades his ideal has been the human body and its lawlike regularities.

Kukkapuro has been the head designer of the Haimi, Lepokalusto and Avarte companies. He is known for his design of public spaces and as a collaborating partner with the architectural profession.

Born in 1933 a chimneyless cabin near Viipuri and having spent his youth in Imatra, Kukkapuro's first successful collection was Moderno, created in 1957 and still in production. 

Inspired by the ergonomics of the human body, he designed dozens of fiberglass chairs in the 1960s, for example Karuselli from 1965, his most widely known chair design on the international market. 

In 1973 Kukkapuro moved on to strict minimalist design, finally turning his back on plastic materials. His products of the 1970s include the Remmi chair, with a tubular frame. Birch plywood became Kukkapuro's main material, leading to countless chair versions, including the Fysio office chair, which has won international prizes and awards. 

The period of postmodernism in the 1980s reintroduced colours and decorative forms into Kukkapuro's designs. The ergonomic approach became increasingly prominent. Works of this period include the Experiment collection and the Sirkus office chair. 

The 1990s introduced ecological challenges and a new visual image. Kukkapuro began to employ prints and abstract designs on the plywood backrests and seats of his chairs. Well-known works of this period are the "tattooed" chairs and cross-disciplinary installations such as "Magic Room", a kinetic spatial work, of which reproduction will be on display in the exhibition at Design Museum. 

Kukkapuro's versatile career has led him around the world, most recently to China, where he lectures and serves as an expert on design. Collaboration with the Nanjing Forest University has introduced a new dimension in his work. 

As the design expert for a UNESCO bamboo project he has discovered fast-growing giant bamboo as a material. Glued bamboo laminate is a recyclable, environmentally friendly and extremely durable wooden material. Kukkapuro's bamboo furniture collection, designed in 2004 for the domestic Chinese market, will now be on show for the first time in Europe. 

Kukkapuro continues to work, his most recent achievement being the Element sofa and armchair collection from 2007. Produced with digitized methods, the items of the collection can be assembled from elements. 

Kukkapuro and his wife, graphic artist Irmeli Kukkapuro, live and work in the studio and home that they built at Kauniainen near Helsinki in the 1960s, a single space of 200 square metres. 

The Design Museum show presents a broad overview of Kukkapuro's work, featuring furniture and their prototypes, light fittings, spatial works, a compilation of video documents etc. Visitors may test some of the chairs on show. 

A richly illustrated catalogue of 200 pages is published in Finnish and English versions in connection with the exhibition."

AA: On a personal note: Kukkapuro's Fysio office chair is ideal for heavy duty dvd marathons!

http://www.designmuseum.fi/main.asp?sid=2&sivu=18&kpl=54&show=1

L'ultimo paradiso / The Last Paradise

Rakkauden laguuni / Kärlekens lagun. IT 1956. PC: Lux Film, Paneuropa Cinematographica. D: Folco Quilici. SD: Folco Quilici, Dario Cecchi, Ennio Flaiano. DP: Masino Manunza, Marco Scarpelli - Ferraniacolor - scope. M: Angelo Francesco Lavagnino. 89 min. A vintage 35 mm dupe print with Swedish commentary and Finnish subtitles.
    Viewed at Cinema Orion, Helsinki, 19 Jan 2008.

A beautiful colour semi-documentary from the French Polynesia; Bora Bora, Tahiti, the Easter Islands and the Pentecostal Island. This is cinema of attractions: the daredevil liane jumps (like benshi), the pearl diving, the bravery with sharks, the tiger shark, and the muraena.

The battle with fear is the theme of the first part, starring the boy Atemi and the girl Areva. The second part is the story of Maeva and Terei in the native paradise, where Terei dreams of the white man's world, gets a job on the phosphate mines and celebrates Quatorze Juillet in Papeete. The innocent nude charms of a Tahitian dancer girl are captured by an American photographer. Terei fights a storm trying to return to his small island. There is a midnight bonfire. There is a wedding celebration at Bora Bora. NB. the shark theme by Lavagnino.

A noble and innocent documentary before the trashy mondo films, a lament on the last paradise on Earth before the Western people corrupted it. I checked Yrjö Hirn's wonderful survey Valtameren saari (En ö i världshavet, 1928, "An Island in the World Ocean") for the deep roots of this fascination. Folco Quilici seems to be a talent in the league of Jacques-Yves Cousteau.

My Blueberry Nights

Wong Kar-wai: My Blueberry Nights (HK/CN/FR 2007). Jude Law (Jeremy) and Norah Jones (Elizabeth).

My Blueberry Nights / My Blueberry Nights. 

    HK/CN/FR 2007. PC: Block 2 Pictures, Jet Tone Production, Lou Yi Ltd., Studio Canal. 

    D: Wong Kar-wai. SC: Wong Kar-wai, Lawrence Block – based on the story by Wong Kar-wai. DP: Darius Khondji – 1:2,35. 

    Starring Norah Jones (Elizabeth), Jude Law (Jeremy), David Strathairn (Arnie), Natalie Portman (Leslie), Hector A. Leguillow (Cafe Cook), Rachel Weisz (Sue Lynne). 

    111 min

    Released by Cinema Mondo, Finnish / Swedish subtitles by Minna Nuutinen / Ditte Kronström. 

    Viewed at Kinopalatsi 7, Helsinki, 19 Jan 2008. 

This film has not gotten the best reviews, but it is my favourite Wong Kar-wai film so far. Or maybe I just caught up with him only now. He is the poet of urban solitude, and it's his first film in America. There are the bright, warm, and lurid colours, fearlessly displaying complementary colours such as green vs. orange. There is the urban noise. There are the traditional romantic ballads. The slow motion. The glass panels, the merciless lights, the reflections. The shots are like paintings or art photographs. There is a fresh look at the familiar American pop images (the highways, the casinos). It starts at the Kljutsh (The Key) Café in New York. It's a multi-story film about broken hearts on the way from New York to Las Vegas. It's based on metaphors: keys without owners, blueberry pies without customers, sobriety chips that are not redeemed, chips on the gambling table. I like the mixture of the mellow and the bitter.

Charlize Theron Dior J'adore

In the Valley of Elah

Paul Haggis: In the Valley of Elah (US 2007). Tommy Lee Jones (Hank Deerfield), Charlize Theron (Det. Emily Sanders). 

In the Valley of Elah / In the Valley of Elah. 

    US 2007. PC: Blackfriars Bridge Films, NALA Films, Samuels Media, Summit Entertainment. P: Laurence Becsey, Darlene Caamano, Paul Haggis, Steve Samuels, Patrick Wachsberger. 

    D+SC: Paul Haggis – based on a story by Mark Boal, Paul Haggis. DP: Roger Deakins – negative: Super 35 – digital intermediate – 35 mm print 1:2,35. 

    Starring Tommy Lee Jones (Hank Deerfield), Charlize Theron (Det. Emily Sanders), Jason Patric (Lt. Kirklander), Susan Sarandon (Joan Deerfield), James Franco (Sgt. Dan Carnelli), Barry Corbin (Arnold Bickman), Josh Brolin (Chief Buchwald), Frances Fisher (Evie). 

    123 min

    Released by Sandrew Metronome Distribution Finland, Finnish / Swedish subtitles by Topi Oksanen / Ditte Kronström.

    Viewed at Tennispalatsi 9, Helsinki, 19 Jan 2008. 

Paul Haggis, the top screenwriter for three recent Clint Eastwood films and the director of the multi-story Crash, keeps giving surprises with this tough detective story in the military milieu where a father investigates the disappearance of his son. It's a powerful and brave look into the mess that lurks in the circumstances of the Iraq situation. 

The name is a reference to the First Book of Samuel. In Finnish it should read: Tammilaaksossa. 

The cinematography is dirty, flat and ugly to look at. Tommy Lee Jones and Charlize Theron are great. A few hours after seeing this film it felt odd to see the glamorous Charlize Theron in a Dior J'adore poster. In this film she is absolutely unglamorous and all tough determination as a cop who fights discrimination based on sex.

The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford

Andrew Dominik: The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford (US 2007) with Brad Pitt (Jesse James) and Casey Affleck (Robert Ford).

Jesse Jamesin salamurha pelkuri Robert Fordin toimesta / Mordet på Jesse James av ynkryggen Robert Ford.
    US © 2007 Warner Bros. / Virtual Studios LLC.
    D+SC: Andrew Dominik – based on the novel by Ron Hansen (1983). DP: Roger Deakins – negative: Super35 KodakVision 2 – via 2K digital intermediate – print: 35 mm anamorphic Fuji. 1:2,35. "The Ballad of Jesse James" performed by Nick Cave.
    Starring Brad Pitt (Jesse James), Casey Affleck (Robert Ford), Mary-Louise Parker (Zee James), Brooklynn Proulx (Mary James), Dustin Bollinger (Tim James), Sam Rockwell (Charley Ford), Jeremy Renner (Wood Hite), Garret Dillahunt (Ed Miller), Paul Schneider (Dick Liddil).
    162 min
    Released in Finland by Sandrew Metronome Distribution Finland, Finnish / Swedish subtitles by Timo Porri / Janne Staffans.
    Viewed at Kinopalatsi 9, Helsinki, 18 Jan 2008.

 An unglamorous look into the final stage of the life of Jesse James (1847–1882), who became a figure of folklore during his lifetime. Various episodes of the story have been told in films by Henry King, Fritz Lang, Samuel Fuller, Nicholas Ray, Philip Kaufman, and Walter Hill. This film has the same concept as Fuller's, but the story is different. Fuller's film is sharp and stark, this one is slow and meditative. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jesse_james

Let There Be Light (1946 / 1980)

John Huston: Let There Be Light (US 1946 / 1980). "A veteran suffering from PTSD undergoes hypnosis therapy". Photo and caption from: Criss Kovac: National Archives: The Unwritten Record, 7 Nov 2013.

Tulkoon valkeus. US 1946. © 1948. PC: U.S. Army Pictorial Services. D+ED: John Huston. [SC: John Huston, Charles Kaufman n.c.] [M: Dimitri Tiomkin n.c.] [DP: Stanley Cortez, John Doran, Lloyd Fromm, Joseph Jackman, George Smith n.c. - 35 mm] [Narrator: Walter Huston n.c.] LOC: Edgewood State Hospital, Commack, Long Island, New York. 59 min. 16 mm print from Imperial War Museum. Viewed at the Finnish Film Archive, Orion, Helsinki, 17 Jan 2008. A documentary on neuropsychiatric war invalids. 20% of the invalids were neuropsychiatric. This film focuses on neuroses: aphasia, amnesia, conversion hysteria, etc. (Psychoses, schizophrenia, catatonia, and shock therapy are not included.) Treatments include hypnosis, narcosynthesis ("a shortcut into the unconscious"), occupational therapy, music therapy, arts, religion, and sports. "Every man has his breaking point", the narrator states. These men have suffered experiences beyond human endurance. They are casualties of the spirit. The film is so optimistic, it's strange it was shelved until 1980.

GUEST AT ORION: ARTO AF HÄLLSTRÖM

Arto af Hällström.

Cinema Orion, Helsinki, 16 Jan 2008. Mr. Arto af Hällström, director at the National Theatre, son of Roland af Hällström and Elvi Saarnio, was the guest of honour to open our Roland af Hällström retrospective, starring Elvi Saarnio in 12 films. Roland af Hällström (1905-1956) was a journalist, always fast and efficient. He had a sharp pen, and so in 1935 Väinö Mäkelä asked him "to do it better", and that's how he got started as a director. Simultaneously, Roland wrote the first Finnish-language history of the cinema (still interesting, with original ideas about the silent era). Roland worked mostly for the Mäkelä family (Väinän Filmi, Fenno-Filmi, Fennada), as they got along well. He was always a fluent writer, often his own screenwriter. But he also had a stark visual sense since his film critic days in the silent era (he wrote a fine eulogy on Mauritz Stiller), he worked with the flamboyant visualist Teuvo Tulio in two films, and got an excellent DP, Esko Töyri, who has considered difficult to work with, but Roland found a good partner in him. Roland preferred strong and interesting female characters and was a good actors' director, much better than Tulio. Filming Läpi usvan, he met Elvi Saarnio, his future wife, mother of Arto. He died with his boots on, in the arms of Töyri, on location, directing Lain mukaan. His brother Raoul af Hällström was a top theatre and ballet critic, who wrote Finland's first history of the ballet. It was great to welcome Arto af Hällström and hear his reminiscences of the talented family.

Putkinotko

Roland af Hällström: Putkinotko (FI 1954) with Matti Lehtelä (Juutas Käkriäinen) and Elvi Saarnio (Rosina Käkriäinen).

Ödemarkens barn. 

    FI (c) 1954 Fennada-Filmi. P: Mauno Mäkelä. 

    D+SC: Roland af Hällström - based on the novel by Joel Lehtonen (1920) and the play by Urpo Lauri (1953). DP: Esko Töyri. M: Elvi Saarnio. 

    Starring Elvi Saarnio (Rosina Käkriäinen), Matti Lehtelä (Juutas Käkriäinen), Lasse Pöysti (Malakias), Ritva Juhanto (Saara), Pentti Viljanen (Aapeli Muttinen), Hillevi Rautio (Lyygia), Leni Katajakoski (Sanelma). 

     A terribly worn vintage 35 mm print with Swedish subtitles. 

    Viewed at Cinema Orion (Roland af Hällström), 16 Jan 2008. 

One day in the countryside of dreamy Savo in the summer of 1917. Based on a masterpiece of Finnish literature, influenced by naturalism and impressionism, a doubly satirical look on a poor, lazy and fertile country family and a merchant spending his holiday in the country with his girlfriend. No plot, no main characters, a portrait of life, where each detail counts, avoiding drama, capturing the sense of life in the country without idealization and illusions, but also without cliches and sordidness. It's full of life! This film, which avoids the conventions of popular storytelling, was a hit and still is, just like the play is still a summer stock favourite. Vibrant cinematography by Esko Töyri.

Lumière d'été

Jean Grémillon: Lumière d'été (FR 1943).

Suudelma pimeässä / Bergtagen. FR 1943. PC: Discina. P: André Paulvé. D: Jean Grémillon. SC: Jacques Prévert, Pierre Laroche. DP: Louis Page, Roger Arrignon. PD: Alexandre Trauner, Léon Barsacq, Max Douy. Starring Madeleine Renaud (Cricri), Pierre Brasseur (Roland Maillard), Madeleine Robinson (Michèle Lagarde), Paul Bernard (Patrice Leverdier), Georges Marchal (Julien), Marcel Levesque (Monsieur Lerouge), Charles Blavette (Vincent). 110 min. Beautiful print from La Cinémathèque francaise. E-subtitles in Finnish by Lena Talvio. Viewed at Cinema Orion, Helsinki, 15 Jan 2008. Jean Grémillon's masterpiece is a strange continuation of the 1930s French cinema during the Occupation. It has aspects of romantic fatalism (love under threat), working-class milieu (complete with Charles Blavette, Renoir's Toni), the pension ensemble (like Renoir, Feyder), the château party (as in La Règle du jeu), and a hunter's gun, but there are surprising turns to all the familiar situations. In a bizarre role, there is even Marcel Levesque, the funniest member of the old Feuillade ensemble. In one of his earliest roles, there is Georges Marchal, the future Buñuel favourite. It's a rich web of relationships and stark juxtapositions between the idle castle and the construction site.

L'Ivresse du pouvoir / A Comedy of Power

Claude Chabrol: L'Ivresse du pouvoir / A Comedy of Power (FR/DE 2006) starring Isabelle Huppert (Jeanne Charmant-Killman) and François Berléand (Michel Humeau).

Vallasta juopuneet / Maktens rus / Geheime Staatsaffären.
    FR / DE 2006. PC: Alicéléo and four other companies. P: Patrick Godeau.
    D: Claude Chabrol. SC: Odile Barski, Claude Chabrol. DP: Eduardo Serra. M: Matthieu Chabrol.
    C: Isabelle Huppert (Jeanne Charmant-Killman), François Berléand (Michel Humeau), Patrick Bruel (Jacques Sibaud), Robin Renucci (Philippe Charmant-Killman), Thomas Chabrol (Félix).
    110 min.
    A print from Non Stop (Sweden), Swedish subtitles by Camilla Stjerneholt. E-subtitles by Lena Talvio.
    Viewed at Cinema Orion, Helsinki, 15 Jan 2008.

The seventh collaboration of Chabrol and Huppert. Huppert has usually played the killer, and in a way she does so now, too, complete with the symbolic name. This time, she is not the criminal but the judge determined to expose a web of big-time corruption. She is merciless and sacrifices even her private life to the crusade. There are interesting insights in the story, like the ploy to team two female judges, in the expectation that they will turn against each other, but those hopes are foiled. The material is top interesting, but this film is not Chabrol at his best.

Die Austernprinzessin

The Oyster Princess / Osteriprinsessa / Ostronprinsessan. DE (1919) Projektions-AG Union. P: Paul Davidson. D: Ernst Lubitsch. SC: Hanns Kräly, Lubitsch. DP: Theodor Sparkuhl. PD: Kurt Richter. Starring Victor Jansen (Mr. Quaker), Ossi Oswalda (Ossi Quaker), Harry Liedtke (Prince Nucki), Julius Falkenstein (Josef, friend of Nucki), Curt Bois (the conductor). Print of the restored version based on the original negative by Transit Film / FWMS, /18 fps/ 63 min. E-subtitles by AA. Viewed at Cinema Orion, Helsinki, 15 Jan 2008. The first really wonderful film by Lubitsch is rewarding to revisit from time to time. The current version is much better than the ones seen previously.

Als ich tot war / Wo ist mein Schatz / Where Is My Treasure?

Ernst Lubitsch: Als ich tot war / Wo ist mein Schatz / Where Is My Treasure? (DE 1916) starring Ernst Lubitsch (husband, pouring coffee).

[As I Was Dead / Kun olin kuollut / När jag var död].
    DE © 1916 Projektions-AG Union. P: Paul Davidson. D+SC: Ernst Lubitsch. Starring Ernst Lubitsch (husband), Luise Scheurich (wife), Helene Voss (mother-in-law), Julius Falkenstein (rival).
    Transit Film / FWMS print of the film preserved by Slovenski Gledaliski in Filmski Muzei (Ljubljana)
    760 m /18 fps/ 37 min.
    E-subtitles by AA.
   Viewed at Cinema Orion, Helsinki, 15 Jan 2008.

The earliest surviving film by Ernst Lubitsch is a charming farce where the chess-mad husband has to woo his wife back, repel the rival and scare off his mother-in-law disguised as a servant.

Ernst Lubitsch in Berlin – von der Schönhauser Allee nach Hollywood

Robert Fischer: Ernst Lubitsch in Berlin – von der Schönhauser Allee nach Hollywood (DE 2006). 

DE © 2006 Transit Film. D: Robert Fischer. M: Aljoschka Zimmermann. Featuring: Nicola Lubitsch, Tom Tykwer, Michael Hanisch, Hans Helmut Prinzler, Enno Patalas, Jan-Christopher Horak, Wolfgang Becker, Dani Levy, Amanda Goodpaster (granddaughter). Archive footage: Evy Bettelhelm-Bentley (niece), Jörg Jannings (voice), Henny Porten (voice), Ernst Lubitsch. 110 min. Dvd with English subtitles. Transit Film. Screened at Suomen elokuva-arkisto, Orion, 15 Jan 2008. A very nice biographical portrait of the first period of the life and work of Ernst Lubitsch.

IMAGE AND AFTER (Exhibition at Kiasma)

KUVAN JÄLKEEN / IMAGE AND AFTER. Exhibition at Kiasma, Museum of Contemporary Art, Collections, Helsinki, 11 Jan 2008 - 11 Jan 2009. Curators: Leevi Haapala, Marja Sakari. Featuring Carl Andre, Lauri Astala, John Baldessari, Luciano Bartolini, Jan Berdyszak, Matti Braun, Elina Brotherus, Jacob Dahlgren, Jan Dibbets, A.K. Dolven, Carolus Enckell, Anne-Karin Furunes, Boris Gerrets, Jerzy Grabowski, Kristján Gudmundsson, Hanna Haaslahti, Juha Huuskonen, Jan Håfström, Juha van Ingen, Joan Jonas, Yishai Jusidman, Tuukka Kaila, Ari Kakkinen, Hannu Karjalainen, Angelika Kaufmann, Helena Kive, Joseph Kosuth, Robert Lucander, Sami Lukkarinen, Niko Luoma, Petri Makkonen, Kirsi Mikkola, Jussi Niva, Matti Nurminen, Marjatta Oja, Eric H. Olson, Marjatta Palasto, Matti Peltokangas, Tarja Pitkänen-Walter, Vesa-Pekka Rannikko, Silja Rantanen, Tuomo Rainio, Gerhard Richter, Nina Roos, Vitantonio Russo, Eino Ruutsalo, Jan Schoonhoven, Hannu Siren, Richard Smith, Mika Taanila, Aimo Taleva, Anu Tuominen, Marianna Uutinen, Antonio Violetta, Sampsa Virkajärvi, Denise Ziegler. Viewed on 13 Jan 2008. There are four main themes in this 10th anniversary exhibition of Kiasma: 1) IMMINENT IMAGE, 2) SYNTAXES OF THE IMAGE, 3) WRITTEN IMAGE, PAINTED WORD, 4) ATTITUDE AS METHOD: SERIES, REPETITION, EVENT. Highly interesting from a cinematic viewpoint, with several movie presentations (Lauri Astala: A Small Spectacle About Lightness, 1986, Mika Taanila: A Physical Ring, 2001, Juha van Ingen: (Dis)integrator, 1992, etc.). Worth re-visiting, and the exhibition catalogue is worth reading. http://www.kiasma.fi/index.php?id=1443&FL=1&L=1

El orfanato

Orpokoti / Barnhemmet. MX/ ES (c) 2006 Rodar / Telecinco. P: Guillermo del Toro etc. D: J.A. Bayona. SC: Sergio G. Sánchez. DP: Oscar Faura - via digital intermediate Ifilm - 35 mm screening print 1:2,35. LOC: Llanes, Oviedo, Asturias; Barcelona, Spain. Starring: Belén Rueda (Laura), Fernando Cayo (Carlos), Roger Príncep (Simón), Mabel Rivera (Pilar), Montserrat Carulla (Benigna), Edgar Vivar (Balaban), Geraldine Chaplin (Aurora). 110 min. Decent digital intermediate. Released by Cinema Mondo, Finnish / Swedish subtitles by Juho Lähde / [Maria Wilén-Malo?]. Viewed 12 Jan 2008 at Kinopalatsi 2. A good ghost story in the Henry James tradition of A Turn of the Screw. The authors are aware of previous quality efforts such as The Innocents, The Haunting, The Others, and The Ring. The old house, the curse of the children, and other elements are familiar, but on Spanish ground it all gets an original tone. The visual sense and the performances are first-rate. Clearly the horror had an impact, the young viewer next to me hid behind her coat. It all bodes well for the young director and screenwriter.
http://www.theorphanagemovie.com/

Tummien perhosten koti / The Home of Dark Butterflies

De mörka fjärilarnas hem.
    FI © 2008 Solar Films. P: Markus Selin.
    D: Dome Karukoski. SC: Marko Leino – based on the novel (1991) by Leena Lander. DP: Pini Hellstedt – negative: 35 mm and S16 mm (dream sequences) – via digital intermediate – 35 mm screening print – 1:2,35.
    C: Tommi Korpela (Harjula), Niilo Syväoja (Juhani), Eero Milonoff (Salmi), Niko Vakkuri (Hämäläinen), Iiro Panula (Sulkava), Ville Saksela (Rinne), Henri Huttunen (Simola), Roope Karisto (Sjöblom), Marjut Maristo (Vanamo), Kristiina Halttu (Irene), Kati Outinen (Tyyne), Pertti Sveholm (Erik), Matleena Kuusniemi (Maire).
    Released by Nordisk Film, Swedish subtitles by [Olle von Bonsdorff?]. Premiere 11 Jan. Viewed 12 Jan 2008 at Tennispalatsi 1, Helsinki.

The digital intermediate gives the film a flat and lifeless look.

Summarizing the producer's synopsis: "The principal character of the movie is 14-year-old Juhani, haunted by a traumatic childhood experience. After being bounced between foster homes and temporary families for six years, Juhani ends up in an isolated Boys’ Home, The Island. The place is run by the ruthless superintendent Harjula. Besides the seven boys and Harjula, the only other inhabitants of the Island are the superintendent’s wife Irene and their two daughters including the teenager Vanamo, along with Tyyne, in charge of livestock and catering."

It takes place in Finland in the age Kekkonen, probably the early 1970s. Authoritarian methods of education are already out, a period of indifference to the "lost boys" is dawning. It's in the tradition of Wild Boys of the Road, Passport to Life, Los olvidados, etc. It starts violently and proceeds to find new turns, layers and sensitivity in the characters. It packs a punch, and the story is directed by second-timer Dome Karukoski with a good eye on the the rhythm of the story. The character-driven approach is successful with strong performances all through the picture.

http://www.solarfilms.com/elokuvat/kaikki/tummatperhoset/en_GB/darkbutterfiles/

Gone Baby Gone

Gone Baby Gone / Gone Baby Gone. US (c) 2007 Miramax. D: Ben Affleck. SC: Ben Affleck, Aaron Stockard - based on the novel (1998) by Dennis Lehane. DP: John Toll - negative 35mm Panavision - 2K digital intermediate - 35mm print 1:1,85. LOC: Boston, Massachusetts. Starring: Casey Affleck (Patrick Kenzie), Michelle Monaghan (Angie Gennaro), Morgan Freeman (Capt. Jack Doyle), Ed Harris (Det. Remy Bressant), John Ashton (Det. Nick Poole), Amy Ryan (Helene McCready), Amy Madigan (Beatrice McCready). Decent digital intermediate by Modern Videofilm. 114 min. Released by Buena Vista, Finnish / Swedish subtitles by Timo Porri / Marko Hietikko. Viewed on 11 Jan 2008 at Kinopalatsi 6, Helsinki. A strong directorial debut by Ben Affleck based on the novel by Dennis Lehane, whose Mystic River was previously filmed by Clint Eastwood. It's about child abuse again, a morality tale that gives a lot to think about, a detective story for a grown-up audience. As may be expected, the performances are strong. Casey Affleck is emerging as a leading actor with an original style, with strength beneath a gentle surface. Location shooting in Boston looks authentic, and there are other kinds of American faces on display.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dennis_Lehane