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Friday, July 25, 2008

My cinematic education.

After a small hiatus, I have re-upped with Netflix, the better to carry out my self-guided education of the French New Wave and to fill other gaps in my movie knowledge. At the moment, my queue includes:
  • Cleo from 5 to 7
  • That Obscure Object of Desire
  • The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie
  • Breathless
  • Love in the Afternoon
  • Claire's Knee
  • Small Change
  • The Bicycle Thief
  • Grand Illusion
  • The Rules of the Game
Also, after finding The Duchess of Langeais interesting and yet tedious, I read Manohla Dargis's review in the New York Times and felt properly scolded for not appreciating the formalism and discipline of the film (still: long! tedious!). So maybe I have a lot to learn?

So, all you cinephiles: what movies shall I queue up? Any advice on particular short films or filmmakers I would appreciate in addition to films that will in a more general way improve my taste, etc.

Filmgoers: Alert! We just saw Encounters at the End of the World, Werner Herzog's newest documentary. It was amazing! Gorgeous and poetic. Do not wait! to see this on Netflix, as the beautiful images beg you to see them on a big screen. It is wonderful. Worth a trip to the theater.
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3 comments:

  1. SusanS8:08 PM

    I liked Claire's Knee.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Condiment11:40 PM

    That's funny, I just put the gf on a French New Wave viewing plan. I started her off with Jules & Jim, then the 400 Blows, Breathless, Hiroshima Mon Amour, and A Band Apart.

    Someone recently recommended Le Circle Rouge, by Melville, but I think that came later.

    I notice you are doing a couple pre-New Wave Renoir movies, you might also consider revisiting Cocteau's Beauty and the Beast (beautiful) and for raw surrealist gusto, the earlier (1 hour) Blood of the Poet.

    Also, are you really planning on seeing Billy Wilder's Love in the Afternoon? Is that the one where Gary Cooper is about 60 dating a very young Audrey Hepburn?

    ReplyDelete
  3. Condiment11:45 PM

    But if I had to recommend anything current I'd say Team America and that French Orangina commercial with the CG Furries exploding Orangina everywhere.

    And any footage of Kimbo Slice and mixed martial arts, of course.

    ReplyDelete