deeper than sad

i adore every fassbinder film i have seen. you can take any single image from his epic 'berlin alexanderplatz' (14 hours) and frame it. he had a deeply instictive sense of beauty.
'the bitter tears of petra von kant' is an initmate look into the heart of the lead character. one of the gifts any heartbreak offers is the opportunity for a little more enlightenment, not that everyone rises to that occasion. loss, motives, all filed under love. but is it?
this is one of several films actress hanna schygulla made with fassbinder.

it could only be marlene

by way of illustration

welles noir

this is another film i saw in a theatre in paris! the title was 'la soif du mal' and that sounded good. film innovator orson welles really went from beauteous to monstrous in his lifetime. the amazing contribution he made to cinema, in spite of however much the studios tied his hands, is varied and great. in 1958 he was given the opportunity to direct and star in 'a touch of evil', a film noir that seems to please all who see it.
it is visually stunning. the casting is unusual and orson gets to be the miserable cop who throws his weight around cause he can.
orson wrote the screenplay as well so when marlene dietrich says to him, 'i didn't recognize you. you should lay off those candy bars', you get to laugh along with him. some of the plot is downright creepy but it is a fascinating adventure over the mexican border.

charlotte rampling: the epitome of ageless

long before 'swimming pool' and more recent.

by way of illustration

tan lines tell lies

all i knew about the french stunner 'swimming pool' was that it starred charlotte rampling. the french magazine 'elle' kept me aware of her beauty and career through the years.
this is a mystery but not a frightening one. the two lead characters have their respective secrets that eventually blend into a shared one. the drama between the older and younger woman is not unlike mother and daughter but there is a taunting from the younger, played by ludivine sagnier, that takes it out of familial behavior. both actresses are amazing in this 2003 gem.

natalie wood 1938-1981

the many beautiful faces of the astonishing actress

condemned, not yet demolished

among tennessee williams' works are several one act plays. they are a serious treasure. this most tender and insightful writer could offer you a complete 'world' within very few pages. in one line you can get a handle on where a character's head is at. 'this property is condemned' is an interesting film based on one of his two character/one act plays. the film director made serious changes to include the entire cast of characters that are only spoken of in the original work.
starring natalie wood and robert redford, this film is hands down not great. tennessee even said it was a waste of talent. however....
natalie wood is excellent. as she holds her head high in the midst of the desperate options her mother lays out for her, you feel total sympathy. life during the depression was surely very hard for people in poor circumstances, but what her mom cooked up could not have been the only way out. although there is quality to this interpretation of a poetic narrative, everything sort of hinges on natalie's drunk scene. it is one of the best performances i have ever seen.

an introduction

writer jerry stahl may have customized the true story of silent screen star roscoe 'fatty' arbuckle to suit his own purpose, but 'i, fatty' is a super book and an insightful look at what proved to be truly terrible consequences of this man's fame.

roscoe 'fatty' arbuckle

a true giant in the early days of cinema. this comedian was making 3 million a year. he gave buster keaton his first chance in films. described as a sweet and very graceful man, arbuckle's brilliant career was shot dead in it's tracks by the hugest scandel to hit hollywood.

charlie chaplin 1889-1977

this british born genius brought laughter to a world in troubled times. aside from his brilliance as a comedian in silents and talkies, he wrote, directed and scored. like kurt cobain, chaplin knew a thing or two about how to pull off the impoverished look despite one's means.

bottom photo: chaplin with friend/comedian roscoe 'fatty' arbuckle