Saturday, April 21, 2007

CAMERON CROWE champion of conventional assumptions and politicall corectness at the 2006 Venice Film Festival



Apparently it's anti-American to oppose imperialism...well at least in Cameron Crowe's view (?)...

At the press conference for receivng the award "The Lion for innovation in the language of cinema" Jean-Marie Straub and Daniele Huillet sent an actor in their place to read three messages written by Straub.

1. "It's come too soon for our death-too late for our life" This after all had been their first award after many years which was recounted in the second message...

2. NO AWARDS SINCE 1953: begining with a short film Machorka-Muff, AND THEN 1962,1966 ... ETC. In 1965 Godard paid for the projection...ETC.

3. THE THIRD MESSAGE...

Besides I wouldn't be able to be festive in a festival where there are so many public and private police looking for a terrorist — I am the terrorist, and I tell you, paraphrasing Franco Fortini: so long as there's American imperialistic capitalism, there'll never be enough terrorists in the world.

Marco Müller then closed the press conference without any of the actors getting a chance to say a word.

Straub's messages caused a furor at the Festival and in the Italian press — but have been virtually unreported outside of Italy. Was an award still in order? The jury met again. At least one jury member, American Cameron Crowe, objected it was not opportune, on the eve of the anniversary of 9/11, but consented on an understanding that the Festival would "distance" itself from Straub's "anti-American" message. (Apparently it's anti-American to oppose imperialism.)

Three Messages

for more film links visit:

King of Slang

MORE STRAUB/HUILLET IN MY NEXT POST:Based on my notes from:Political formations in the cinema of Jean-Marie Straub
by Martin Walsh

"THE RADICALL WORK OF ART MUST OPPOSE THE ILLUSIONIST-MODE AT EVERY LEVELL. THE MEANS OF EXPRESSION ARE ITSELF CALLED INTO QUESTION; BECAUSE THE "MEANS OF EXPRESSION" ARE IDEOLOGICALLY DETERMINED..."

You could say ILLUSIONIST = narative film, the narrative Hollywood editing style - the 180 degree rule and reverse cutting...

by Martin Walsh
from Jump Cut, no. 4, 1974, pp. 12-18
copyright Jump Cut: A Review of Contemporary Media, 1974, 2004

W.

Straub-Huillet Chronik der Anna Magdalena Bach



Christiane Lang playing Tempo di Gavotta from Johann Sebastian Bach on the harsichord.

Extract from the movie chronik der Anna Magdalena Bach

Inspired to find out more about the films of Jean-Marie Straub and Daniele Huillet after reading Jennifer Krasinski's article in the April editon of Modern Painters.

en rachâchant can also be found on YOUTUBE see next post...


W.

Monday, April 02, 2007

Hedwig and the Angry Inch & A-K-W-A-R-D


I'm in Santa Fe now...wow...
Yes WOW, Raven and I saw a stage production of Hedwig and the Angry Inch the other night this was her idea, she spotted it scanning the local weekly, she apparently had seen the movie whith her father when she was 12 or 14...

This was a College of Santa Fe production, Sam Quinn played Hedwig, he did an excellent job, I like his performance over the actual "Hedwig" movie, my apologies to John Cameron Mitchell, but the wig that Sam was wearing and his "lolito" looks and daft delivery...well I wish had a video of this...the band was very good too..

Afterward there was a talk on gender issues, Raven and I spoke briefly about what "gender issues" are, Raven quickly surmised with one of her spot-on analysis that issues like this arise from A-K-W-A-R-D > N-E-S-S...