Everything wrong with the state of cinema…
Posted by fraser in Uncategorized on November 8, 2009
…is right here.
Video: John Cassavetes – “Television Sucks!”
In this outtake from a 1978 television interview, Cassavetes discusses his film Opening Night for a while, and builds into a terrific rant on movies and movie audiences.
This is a great example of Cassavetes’ way with words, his dislike of people who live only for the approval of others, and his anger at the low popularity of his later films (especially Opening Night and Killing of a Chinese Bookie) None of which was dealt with in the “Constant Forge” documentary that came on the Criterion Collection box set.
Again, apologies for the text on the screen. Not my fault!
They Shape Opinions, Don’t They?
Posted by fraser in Uncategorized on June 8, 2009
Every ten years, Sight and Sound magazine polls 108 of famous directors and 145 film critics on their top ten favourite movies.
The website They Shoot Pictures, Don’t They? takes things one step further. It takes a poll of virtually every poll they could find, and compiles a list of The Top 1000 Films of All Time.
Am I alone in thinking this is going in a seriously wrong direction? If we ask the question, “What makes these films so great?” the only answer the site offers is that others have said they are. Why should we put so much trust in them? Where does that leave our own viewpoint?
Poll-taking at this level isn’t just a hobby taken to a ridiculous extreme, it’s a recipe for close-mindedness. What’s easily forgotten is that so many great artists, Shakespeare, Mozart, Van Gogh, would never have reached the top of such a poll in their own art while they were creating their greatest works. To place authority in this poll is to miss the less popular filmmakers that have been too far ahead of their time to have achieved mainstream popularity.
In the last three years, the top 5 has always consisted of Citizen Kane, Vertigo, The Rules of the Game, 2001: A Space Odyssey and 8 1/2. The changes in rank at the high end of the spectrum are very slight, when they’re present at all. The inherent conclusion is that these films are just so great, so much better than all the others, that there’s a remarkable consensus that these are truly the best films of all time. That, of course, is the only possible insight into the films that this list can make. “What makes these the best films? Is it their insight into humanity? Their technical virtuosity? Their power to shatter our minds and open our perspectives to never before imagined possibilities of life?” “No. They’re the best because other people said so.”
I can understand the purpose of making the list, and I’d recommend people watch one of these 1,000 films rather than whatever is topping the box office this week. But I’d also recommend that after watching them, they don’t feel bad if they don’t “get” what makes such a film so much better than all the others. Instead, try watching some other films by the same director to understand their style a little more, or read the insights other writers have made into the films. Eventually you might begin to understand what you missed and be able to really get something from the films. Or, you might realize that the film doesn’t have anything substantial to offer, the critics who think the film is great are wrong, and it’s only been the reluctance of people to think for themselves that has made the work popular. Then forget the lists and look for films that can open your mind, expand your worldview and make you realize the uselessness of following what other people think.
Remember, people liked M. Night Shyamalan once, too.
Video: John Cassavetes – “A way of saying something that might be different”
Cassavetes explains why not everyone likes his film-making style.
Apologies for the big text in the middle of the screen. Don’t blame me, blame MacDonald!
I’ll put more good stuff up as time and my internet connection permits.
A Short Conversation About Film
Posted by fraser in Uncategorized on June 4, 2009
The following conversation took place between Fraser Orr and Lazlo Planifax on May 26th, 2009. Feel free to comment!
Fraser: Film, or any art, is about trying to express something, right? I mean, if it’s an artist’s job to do anything, it’s that. Otherwise we’re just paying him $15 to keep us distracted while we eat our popcorn.
Lazlo: Sure, I agree.
Fraser: So let’s just go over the simple ways an artist can express himself. Assuming the writer and director is the same person, what can they do? They decide what the characters will say, where the characters will stand in a room, how they’ll act towards each other, the way they’ll be framed in a shot, the way each shot is cut between others, maybe some music they’d like to add, or other kinds of visual effects. These aspects of the film are crafted in a certain way, and that’s how the artist expresses himself.
That is the absolute limit of the abilities of the language of cinema. If we’re really paying attention to a film, we’re paying attention to this.
Lazlo: That’s all mind-numbingly obvious, you just explained to me what I know I’d get from watching any movie ever made.
Fraser: Actually, that’s not what we’re getting from most films. What we really want when going into a cinema, and what most films provide us, is JUST to be distracted, to not pay attention to what is actually happening. This is done by “taking us on a journey” or by “transporting us into another world”. These sound like things we should want from cinema, but they’re just distractions from letting us pay attention.
Lazlo: But I AM paying attention when I watch a movie. If I’m being taken on a journey, then I’m paying attention to the journey.
Fraser: Not really., you’re actually pretending to be somewhere else. Let’s just watch your brain while you’re watching a movie:
“Oh, wow! It’s journey time, sweet! Look at those explosions! Holy crap! Man, the bad guy is a real arsehole, I can’t wait for the hero to kill him! Hey, this hero is a really nice guy, just like me! I could totally be the hero of this movie! Damn, that chick is hot, I wanna fuck her! Oh, dude, the hero just totally killed the bad guy! He can do anything and he’s just like me, so that means I can do anything! Hey look, now the hero is fucking the chick, it’s kind of like I’m fucking her right now!!! SWEET!!!” then all of a sudden, the credits are rolling and you’re left sitting with an empty box of popcorn, right where you started.
What’s Wrong with Hollywood – Part 1
Posted by fraser in What's Wrong With Hollywood on May 7, 2009
This is the first, admittedly very short, part of a lengthy essay I’ll be sharing in an attempt to articulate the dangers created by mainstream Hollywood film. Check back for updates.
Since this is the first piece on the site, let’s go way back to almost the beginning of all art, to ancient Egypt. While I’m no expert on this form of art, there are a few lessons that modern filmmakers and other artists can learn from the way they did things.
These works are familiar to everyone, and abide by a clear, rigid set of laws, or a style. As you can see in the picture, the head of a person is shown in profile, the eye from the front, the torso is front-on, while the arms and legs are seen sideways. These Egyptians displayed every thing they depicted from its most characteristic angle.
While the bodies look contorted to us, it’s important to remember that for those who hadn’t seen anything else, this was the clear, normal way to depict reality. With very few exceptions, these laws were seen as the only way to represent life. It would be impossible to argue to one of these artists that what they are doing isn’t true to the way things are, and there is a certain kind of logic to the notion that everything should be seen from the “correct” angle.
This notion was held so dogmatically that such a style was used to depict reality for two thousand years. So this style would not be recognized as a style, one particular way of doing things, but the only way of doing things, the way things are. The most admired artists were not those who were able to express themselves in an original way, but those who were most able to replicate the admired artists of the past.
It’s easy to look down on the ancient Egyptians with their blind adherence to such a primitive style. But it’s worth considering the ways in which we’re similar to these ancestors. Our own prejudices, our blindness to the way our art distorts reality, our inability to see the impact of style, and our belief that we’ve found the “right” way to show reality. This is where we come to modern film.
John Cassavetes – “I’m Almost Not Crazy
Posted by fraser in Uncategorized on January 5, 2009
A great documentary on Cassavetes that takes place during the filming of Love Streams.
The remaining six parts are on my Youtube page.