GOOD BYE, THE CITY OF THE BOURGEOISIE

My poll 38 ended with 10 votes. Thanks very much to everyone who participated in it. Here is the result:

THESE FILMS HAVE MEMORABLE WALKING SCENES. WHICH FILMS DO YOU LIKE?

1.THE DISCREET CHARM OF THE BOURGEOISIE (1972, Luis Bunuel, France)
+GOOD BYE, DRAGON INN (2003, Tsai Ming-liang, Taiwan)
+IN THE CITY OF SYLVIA (2007, Jose Luis Guerin, Spain)

Each of them got 4 votes, or 40 %.


4.AUTOHYSTORIA (2007, Raya Martin, Philippines)
+ “4” (2004, Ilya Khrzhanovsky, Russia)
+SATANTANGO (1994, Bela Tarr, Hungary)

Each of them got 3 votes, or 30 %.


7.BIRDSONG (2008, Albert Serra, Spain)
+FROST (1997, Fred Kelemen, Germany)
+GERRY (2002, Gus Van Sant, USA)
+THE SKY, THE EARTH, AND THE RAIN (2008, Jose Luis Torres Leiva, Chile)

Each of them got 2 votes, or 20 %.


11.EMPTILESS LANDSCAPE (2003, Nat Satayamas, Thailand)

+MUSASHINO HIGH VOLTAGE TOWERS (1997, Naoki Nagao, Japan)
+NIGHT TIME PICNIC (2006, Masahiko Nagasawa, Japan)
+PISCINE (2002, Jean-Baptiste Bruant + Maria Spangaro, France)
+THE SENSUAL WORLD (1989, music video of Kate Bush)
+THE WAY (2005, Uruphong Raksasad, Thailand)

Each of them got 1 vote, or 10 %


17.ELEVATOR TO THE GALLOWS (1958, Louis Malle, France)
+FALSE MOVEMENT (1975, Wim Wenders, West Germany)
+NIGHT AND DAY (1991, Chantal Akerman, France)
+UNFINISHED SYMPATHY (1991, music video of Massive Attack)

Each of them got 0 vote.


--If I remember it correctly, I think there is also a memorable walking scene in YEARS WHEN I WAS A CHILD OUTSIDE (2007, John Torres, Philippines). In this scene, a man and a woman walk and talk to each other. And the scene is shown twice. First it is in black-and-white and we don’t hear what they are talking. Then we see the scene again in color and we hear their talking, which may change our earlier assumptions about their relationship.

You can read Noel Vera’s review of this film here:
http://criticafterdark.blogspot.com/2008/06/taon-noong-akoy-anak-sa-labas-years.html


--Thinking about walking or running scenes, I think some of them can be divided into groups like these:


1.Characters walking or running from the left side of the screen to right side, or vice versa. The camera is static or almost static, because the scene is in extreme long shot.

Examples of this may be found in

1.1 CHICKEN SMILE (2005, Tossapol Boonsinsukh, Thailand, A+)

1.2 ANATTA (2003, Sophon Nimanong, Thailand, A+)
I saw this film long time ago, so I'm not sure about this.


2.Characters walking from left to right, or vice versa, but the camera is moving in the same direction as the characters. The scene is in lateral tracking shot.

Examples may be found in

2.1 191 1/2 CRAZY COPS (2003, Boonsong Nakphoo, Thailand, A)

2.2 LIFE ACTUALLY (2004, Boonsong Nakphoo, Thailand, A)


3.Characters move from the back to the front of the screen, or vice versa. Sometimes this moving emphasizes the depth of the scene.

An example may be found in

3.1 EMPTILESS LANDSCAPE (2003, Nat Satayamas, Thailand, A+)



--If I remember it correctly, there are at least two films which begin with lateral tracking shots and end with the shots in which characters move from the back to the front of the screen. These two films are

1.THE ALL-AROUND REDUCED PERSONALITY: REDUPERS (1977, Helke Sander, West Germany, A+)

I didn't notice this thing in this film by myself, but I read it from a book. The lateral tracking shot in the beginning of the film doesn't show characters walking, but shows the views of Berlin.

2.MOVING (1993, Shinji Soomai, A+)