http://www.girishshambu.com/blog/2007/10/cinephilia.html
--Girish, I have no knowledge about Bollywood films, but I just want to tell you that my friends and I saw an Indian film called MY BROTHER…NIKHIL (2005, Onir) last year and like it a lot. I don’t know if you know this film or not. It’s about the ostracization of an AIDS patient. The film has no dance in it, but it features a song called Le Chale, sung by Sunidhi, which is a very catchy song. I can’t call this film “great”, but I think it’s very enjoyable. After my friends and I had seen this film, we walked out of the theatre and started singing some parts of “Le Chale” altogether. I can’t remember any other films which make us do something like this—singing its song together just after watching it for the first time.
A videoclip of Le Chale from MY BROTHER…NIKHIL can be watched here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_J3wiUQO4Ts
--The turning point in my film-watching life is in 1995. In that year, I said goodbye to my family and started living on my own. I was too poor to buy even a TV set then. I had some spare time so I think I’d better go to see free films shown at the Goethe Institute in Bangkok. The first film I saw there is CLASS ENEMY (1983, Peter Stein). I was shocked. The film is very powerful, but what really shocked me is the fact that though I had read some Thai movie magazines for many years, I had never heard of this film or Peter Stein before. I began to realize at that time that the most interesting films in the world might not be the ones nominated for an Oscar, nor the ones praised by Thai mainstream film critics, nor the ones reviewed by Leonard Maltin, nor the ones released by Miramax.
I began to go to see films at the Goethe Institute and the Alliance Francaise in Bangkok frequently, and have become a film addict since then.
--Brian said, “I remember in college buying the line that the foreign films available in the USA represented the "best of" the rest of the world, which seems hopelessly naive to me today”
I think my experience is a little bit like him. In early 1990’s I used to believe that foreign films released by Miramax or available as videos in Bangkok represented the best of the world. But in late 1990’s, after some experience at the Goethe Institute and the Alliance Francaise, I turned to believe the opposite. I turned to believe that films available as videos in Bangkok at that time were highly likely to be “compromising films.” This is obvious in the case of the New German Cinema. In late 1990’s, it was easy to buy a video of Werner Herzog, Wim Wenders, Rainer Werner Fassbinder or Volker Schlondorff in Bangkok. But do they represent the best of the New German Cinema? No, I don’t think so. What I really need is the videos or DVDs of Herbert Achternbusch, Hellmuth Costard, Alexander Kluge, Werner Nekes, Ulrike Ottinger, Sohrab Shahid Saless, Christoph Schlingensief, Werner Schroeter, Robert Van Ackeren, and Herbert Vesely. I still can’t find them now.
--The person who has been very influential in my film-viewing is Sonthaya Subyen, who has shown many great films for free in a bookstore or in a university auditorium for about ten years. He has a Thai blog at http://www.twilightvirus.blogspot.com/ . He showed such films as VIOLENCE AT NOON (1966, Nagisa Oshima), EL TOPO (1970, Alejandro Jodorowsky), SCREAM AND SCREAM AGAIN (1970, Gordon Hessler), NEWS FROM HOME (1977, Chantal Akerman), ZERO HOUR (1977, Edgar Reitz), RHEINGOLD (1978, Niklaus Schilling), ANGUISH (1987, Bigas Luna), EGG (1987, Danniel Danniel), TALES FROM THE GIMLI HOSPITAL (1988, Guy Maddin), and SUMMER VACATION 1999 (1989, Shusuke Kaneko).
--The books which have been very influential in my film-viewing are also the books edited and published by Sonthaya Subyen, especially Filmvirus 1 (1998) and Filmvirus 2 (2001). These books have some articles about Ray Carney, Krzysztof Zanussi, Alexander Kluge, Alain Robbe-Grillet, Philippe Grandrieux, and Fred Kelemen. I still re-read these articles from time to time.
--I’m very glad that Sonthaya still shows some movies and publishes some books from time to time. His latest Thai book about Apichatpong Weerasethakul will be available within a few days. Sonthaya will also hold an event called THE NOCTURNAL WORLD OF FRED KELEMEN in Bangkok in early November.
--As for something mainstream I might have neglected during the past twelve years, I think it’s TV series with very interesting female characters. I have neglected them because I don’t have enough time to watch the whole TV series any more, and I regret it because many interesting female characters are likely to be found in TV series, not in mainstream cinema. My most favorite female characters of all time include Eve (Liane Langland), the woman who is obsessed with killing her sister in the mini-series MASTER OF THE GAME (1984); the evil heroine (Maggie Siu) of a Hong Kong TV series called CONSCIENCE (1994); the female serial killer (Nisa Wongwat) in a Thai TV melodrama called PLEONG PAI (1990-1991), and, of course, Amanda (Heather Locklear) in MELROSE PLACE. Oh!, I wish I had more time.
A photo below is from http://www.twilightvirus.blogspot.com/
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2166/1618626184_d9c74fc9f6_o.jpg
5 comments:
Photos from Flickr and Sitemeter Logo don't come up when I try to view this page. I don't know if it's because of the internet cafe I'm using or it happens everywhere.
I can see the Fred Kelemper image fine. If there are other images on this post, they're not coming up for me.
I have too much affection for the films of Herzog and Fassbinder (and even a few by Wenders) to find myself agreeing with your instincts that they're not among the best of the German New Wave. I wouldn't be the least bit surprised if they're not among the most radical, however. The one film I've seen by one of the other German names you mention, Schroeter's Malina, struck me as quite daring, and even it seems to be regarded as his closest approach to commercial cinema.
--I’m now using a different internet café and can see the image. I don’t know if the problem yesterday was caused by the internet café I used at that time or Flickr, but I’m glad that the problem is solved now.
--As for what I wrote about the New German Cinema, I think I may write it too subjectively, or don’t use the right word. I admire Herzog, Fassbinder and Wenders a lot, and they may be among the best. What I should really write is that they are not among my most favorite. Sometimes I use the word “best” when actually I should use the word “most favorite”, especially when I try to promote some films or some directors I like. I apologize if I cause some confusion. And I hope my readers would allow me to use the word “best” when actually I mean “most favorite” from time to time. :-)
So I think it’s fine if anybody disagrees with me about who is the best, because that’s not important to me. What is important to me is that some DVD companies should release films by these obscure German directors. :-)
--I think the word “radical” that you use is the exact word. Personally, I tend to favor radical films.
I haven’t seen films by Werner Nekes, Sohrab Shahid Saless, and Robert Van Ackeren, either. But from what I heard from my friend, I think it is highly likely that I will be crazy for these directors after I have a chance to see their works.
--I think Fassbinder’s and Wenders’ films are very deep. There are many layers of meanings to understand in their films. Most of Wenders’ films since 1990’s make me feel as if there are some great meanings hidden in them that I don’t understand. As for Herzog, I think he is the real wizard. His films have some kind of strange, maddening, wild power.
--My most favorite Herzog’s film is LAND OF SILENCE AND DARKNESS (1971). My most favorite Fassbinder’s film is BREMEN FREEDOM (1972). My most favorite Wenders’ film is UNTIL THE END OF THE WORLD (1991), co-written by Michael Almereyda. My most favorite Schlondorff’s film is YOUNG TORLESS (1966).
--I have seen only two films by Schroeter—MALINA and THE DEATH OF MARIA MALIBRAN, which is actually more radical than MALINA.
--Actually, there are some New German Cinema directors, who I truly believe are among the best, but whose films have been released as DVDs. These DVDs are:-
1.THE CHRONICLE OF ANNA MAGDALENA BACH (1968, Daniele Huillet + Jean-Marie Straub)
2.VIDEOGRAMS OF A REVOLUTION (1992, Harun Farocki)
3.PARSIFAL (1982, Hans-Juergen Syberberg)
What an honor you have given me dear Celne and Julie! I am very happified. (what a language!)
On the subject of German films. I have a few recollections of some films I loved at the Goethe 20 years ago. Somehow, I can't find their titles in the Goethe pamphlet anymore. Are they never existed?
Talking about films seen long time ago, I just found out that I saw SPOILED CHILDREN (DES ENFANTS GATES) (1977, Bertrand Tavernier, A-)at Alliance Francaise in 1996. I forgot that I saw this film, until I flipped through my old diary and saw its name listed. How bad my memory is!
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