Monday, June 11, 2007

VERA ROMEYKE IS NOT ACCEPTABLE

Brian Darr (http://hellonfriscobay.blogspot.com/ ) has left a comment in my blog here:
http://celinejulie.blogspot.com/2007/06/websites-of-my-favorite-directors.html

This is Celinejulie’s reply:

Thank you for consoling me, Brian. Now I guess the Goethe Institute may really have some budget problems. I guess they show movies from DVDs in order to cut the budget, and they show movies from film prints whenever the program is co-sponsored by other institutes.

Alliance Francaise in Bangkok also show movies from DVDs now, but they still show movies from film prints from time to time. Actually, I don’t mind seeing films from DVDs, if the showing doesn’t run into these following problems:

1.Sometimes the DVD gets stuck (I don’t know if I use the right English word) during the show, and the show has to stop, and the audience would not know the ending of the film. I hate this DVD problem very much. I don’t know what is the use for the advance of technology if they create problems like this. I had this problem from time to time, including when I went to see KIRIKOU AND THE SORCERESS (1998, Michel Ocelot) at Alliance Francaise and when I went to see SCHIZOPOLIS (1996, Steven Soderbergh) in a university. KIRIKOU AND THE SORCERESS dvd got stuck before the last 5-10 minutes of the film, and SCHIZOPOLIS got stuck during the last third of the film. This kind of problem leaves the viewers in emotional devastation. It feels as if you are making love to someone but get interrupted before you reach that point.

Thinking about this problem, I wonder what the viewers would feel like if they are watching A VERY LONG ENGAGEMENT (2004, Jean-Pierre Jeunet, A+) but the DVD gets stuck before the last scene of the film. That would make some viewers scream out loud and feel very very bad, I think. Because for this movie, the emotions get build up continuously, and I remembered that I felt tremendously eager to know the fate of Manech (Gaspard Ulliel). I nearly cried when I watch the last scene of this film.

2.The projector gives a lousy picture. I think this problem occurred at the Goethe Institute in Bangkok during 2001-2002. There was a Gay and Lesbian Film Festival held there in 2002, and I remembered that most films shown in this festival were from DVDs, but the projector gave a very lousy pictures. The pictures were very blurred. However, I guess the Goethe Institute bought some new projectors after that, because the picture quality was improved in later years.

Talking about the Goethe Institute, I feel like making a wish list for films I wish the Goethe Institute can show in Bangkok in the near future. I know this dream won’t come true, but talking about it at least can lessen my hunger for the films.

This wish list is created by reading synopsis of some German films. I don’t know if these films are good or not. Maybe some of them are very bad films, but their synopses get me interested.

The synopses below comes from the book WEST GERMAN CINEMA SINCE 1945: A REFERENCE HANDBOOK by Richard C. Helt and Marie E. Helt, published by The Scarecrow Press in London, 1987. I bought this second-hand book for 20 baht, or 50 US cents. It’s incredible.

MY WISH LIST FOR FILMS SHOWN AT THE GOETHE INSTITUTE IN BANGKOK:


1.ANGELS WITH BURNT WINGS (Engel, die ihre Fluegel verbrennen) (1970, Zbynek Brynych)

Two adolescent children murder their mother’s lover, then commit suicide. Starring Susanne Uhlen.


2.SUPERMARKET (Supermarkt) (1973, Roland Klick)

A socially neglected young man wanders through a big city, comes into conflict with the police, kills someone without apparent reason, and then attempts to rob a supermarket. Starring Charly Wierczejewski and Eva Mattes.


3.DREAMS SHOT TO HELL (Zerschossene Traeume) (1975, Peter Patzak) 99 min.

A young man, who had been used by a homosexual and a nympho-maniac, becomes a policeman in order to seek revenge. Starring Yves Beneyton, Raymond Pellegrin, Mathieu Carriere.


4.JANE IS JANE FOREVER (Jane bleibt Jane) (1976, Walter Bockmayer)

An elderly woman enters the last phase of her life by escaping into illusion: She is convinced she is the widow of Tarzan.


5.VERA ROMEYKE IS NOT ACCEPTABLE (Vera Romeyke ist nicht tragbar) (1976, Max Willutzki) 104 min

Disagreements over the teaching methods of a politically active teacher end in her being transferred. Starring Rita Engelmann.


6.LOVE IS SOMETHING TENDER (Liebe ist etwas Zaertliches) (1976, Sofia Scandurra) 92 min.

A young Italian woman returns from a vacation at the sea and ends her marriage, which both partners had thought was a happy one. Starring Stefanie Sandrelli, Maria Schneider, Michele Placido.


7.MIRADOR (1978, Werner Nekes) 88 min.

In connection with the Spanish word meaning observation post, this experimental film attempts to take common images from conventional films and put them together in unusal ways.


8.MIRA’S HOUSE (Miras Haus) (1979, Dagmar Damek)

A woman in central France loves to dominate guests in her country house, until a young woman challenges her. Starring Brigitte Fossey and Doris Kunstmann.


9.NIGHTMARE WOMAN (Die Alptraumfrau) (1980, Lothar Lambert)

A portrait of a lonely woman who tries to escape her boring existence through sexual daydreams and fantasies. Starring Ulrike S.


10.THE GLACIER SYNDROME (Das Packeis-Syndrom) (1982, Peter Krieg) 60 min.

Zurich is hit by a cold wave which turns out to be not only a natural disaster, but a social one which “freezes” society, too.


11.THAT’S ENOUGH FOR ME, I’M DROPPING OUT (Mir reicht’s – ich steig aus) (1983, Gustav Ehmck)

Linda, a teenager, gets fed up with the monotony and strict role behavior of her parents and decides to leave home, and she is able to convince her mother to come along. Starring Linda Manz, Marie-Christine Barrault, and Ana Torrent.


12.THE BITE (Der Biss) (1984, Marianne Enzensberger) 84 min.

A female vampire tries to “liberate” her bourgeois friends from their career obsessions by biting them. Starring Marianne Enzensberger.


For those who worship Alexander Kluge, you can read the review of YESTERDAY GIRL (1966, Alexander Kluge, A+) by Acquarello here:

http://www.filmref.com/notes/archives/2007/06/yesterday_girl_anita_g_1966.html

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Below is a photo of Yves Beneyton, the star of DREAMS SHOT TO HELL, L’AMOUR FOU (1969, Jacques Rivette), PAULINA IS LEAVING (1970, Andre Techine), THE LACEMAKER (1977, Claude Goretta, A+), CHARIOTS OF FIRE (1981, Hugh Hudson)
http://www.agencesimpson.com/article.php3?id_article=69



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