EXTREMELY ECSTATIC EXPERIENCE

Merveillesxx just saw SOMBRE (1998, Philippe Grandrieux) and likes it very much. He asked me to recommend other films which may be comparable to SOMBRE, preferably films which are available as DVDs in Bangkok.

This is my comment in Merveillesxx’ blog:
http://www.bloggang.com/viewdiary.php?id=merveillesxx&month=03-2008&date=10&group=1&gblog=123

น้องเมอร์คะ พี่จะเข้าไปตอบคำถามที่น้องถามไว้ในเว็บบอร์ดไบโอสโคป แต่เว็บบอร์ดมันล่มน่ะค่ะ พี่เลยเอาคำตอบมาแปะในนี้แทนนะคะ

Well, I think SOMBRE is actually incomparable. I find it very difficult to think of any other films which may be comparable to SOMBRE. So I think I should just give you some trivia:

--There are at least two bloggers who like Grandrieux or SOMBRE very much. So if you continually read these two blogs, you may get to know some other films which are as great as SOMBRE.

1.Mubarak Ali’s blog:
http://supposedaura.blogspot.com/
http://supposedaura.blogspot.com/2007/03/straight-is-line-from-heart-to-star.html
http://supposedaura.blogspot.com/2007/02/dance-girl-dance.html
http://supposedaura.blogspot.com/2006/02/la-vie-nouvelle-philippe-grandrieux.html

2.Mike Dekalb’s blog:
http://esotika.blogspot.com/

3.Mike Dekalb’s website:
http://esotikafilm.com/


--In Unspoken Cinema’s blog, Philippe Grandrieux’s LA VIE NOUVELLE is categorized as being in the sub-group of films called STYLIZED CONTEMPLATION.

You can find the name of Grandrieux and other interesting directors in this chronology list of films:
http://unspokencinema.blogspot.com/2006/10/chronology.html

Or in this directory:
http://unspokencinema.blogspot.com/2008/02/ccc-auteurs-directory.html

Or in this updated genealogy chart:
http://unspokencinema.blogspot.com/2007/11/updated-genealogy-chart.html


--Well, if you are gonna buy some DVDs, I think I may recommend you some films. I think these films have nothing in common with SOMBRE, except that these films give me an experience as extremely ecstatic as SOMBRE.

1.BEAU TRAVAIL (1999, Claire Denis)

2.THE BLOOD OF A POET (1930, Jean Cocteau)
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0021331/

3.COLOR OF POMEGRANATES (1968, Sergei Paradjanov)
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0063555/

4.COME AND SEE (1985, Elem Klimov)

5.THE GARDEN (1990, Derek Jarman)
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0099634/

6.INAUGURATION OF THE PLEASURE DOME (1954, Kenneth Anger)
This film is in the DVD called THE FILMS OF KENNETH ANGER VOL.1.

7.INSTITUTE BENJAMENTA (1995, The Quay Brothers)
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0113429/

8.MAHLER (1974, Ken Russell)
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0071797/


The following films also gave me an experience as extremely ecstatic as SOMBRE, though these films may not be available as DVDs in Bangkok now.

1.AUGUST IN THE WATER (1995, Sogo Ishii, Japan)

2.THE BOY FROM MARS (2003, Philippe Parreno, France, short film)

3.THE DEATH OF MARIA MALIBRAN (1972, Werner Schroeter, West Germany)

4.EDEN AND AFTER (1970, Alain Robbe-Grillet, France)

5.KALYI – AGE OF DARKNESS (1993, Fred Kelemen, Germany)

6.THE LONG DAY CLOSES (1992, Terence Davies, UK)
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0104753/

7.PAMELA, POUR TOUJOURS (2003, Alain Bourges, France, short film)

8.THE SLEEP OF REASON (1984, Ula Stockl, West Germany)

9.TAKE THE 5:10 TO DREAMLAND (1976, Bruce Conner, USA, short film)

10.VACANCY (1998, Matthias Mueller, Germany, short film)