1960s

One day in 1966, the Maysles brothers filmed Marlon Brando as he did what we would now call a junket, where the idea is to let scores of television reporters meet the star in order to sell his latest movie, Morituri. Brando however, had other plans: declaring that he hates being ‘a hawker’ he turns the situation upside down, interviewing the interviewers, mocking the vacuousness of the set-up and flat-out refusing to promote Morituri. “Don’t you have ANYTHING to say about the film?” asks an exasperated journalist, to which Brando replies: “Bernie Wicky smokes the worst cigars I’ve ever known!”. With a lesser personality, this might be perceived as the arrogant posturing of a spoiled movie-star, but the mischievous twinkle in Brando’s eyes, combined with the fierce intelligence and wit of his answers, make it a joy to behold. The documentary does not get us any closer to Brando the actor, but in its half hour it does offer an insightful glimpse into the mind of a man who was too smart to go with the flow, too independent to compromise and who, throughout his life, refused to play by the rules.Read More »

The Mona Lisa is the most famous painting in the world, and the most alluring. As soon as Vincent sets eyes on this remarkable work of art he knows that he must possess it, which is not so unlikely as it seems because he is the most accomplished burglar in the world. Stealing valuable paintings is something that Vincent specialises in, so walking off with Da Vinci’s portrait of the woman with the inscrutable smile ought to be a doddle. First he needs a pretext for his frequent visits to the Louvre Museum, and this he obtains by getting himself taken on as an assistant to the picture framer Monsieur Lemercier. He also takes the trouble to strike up a friendly rapport with the man whose job it is to guard the coveted painting. How providential that, like Vincent, he should have a keen interest in chess.Read More »

An industry film for the West German Post Office. The use of the latest communications technology to link up the world. A technophile ballet in the mysterious world of relays, very high frequency channels and decimeter bridges.Read More »

Quote:
Sayo has just celebrated her sixteenth birthday when she attends a temple festival. On her way back she sees a large cherry tree which is infamous for the legend of dead white horse. When her fiancé returns from war and visits her he comes across a white horse which he takes in.Read More »

A family’s life is transformed into an object of art.Read More »

The first film by André Téchiné, and also one of Bulle Ogier’s early starring roles. Here’s the short synopsis from IMDb:
Paulina leaves the apartment where she lives with her two brothers. Her departure is marked by chaotic and sometimes violent confrontations. In a café, she meets a mysterious stranger who works in a nearby psychiatric clinic.Read More »

Quote:
At the Eisenhüttenkombinat Ost an der Oder, a new blast furnace is being moved to replace a burnt-out one. 2000 tons have to be moved 18 meters: Three times we hear it in the commentary. Master Klaus is now in command. His orders are to be obeyed at all costs. Men at work: tense faces, examining hands, the sound of screeching winds and steel cables stretched to breaking point. Everything is going well, and it is a new best performance: The downtime of the plant has been reduced from 80 to 40 days, the commentary says.Read More »

Summary:
During the 1950s, in a small isolated Mexican village, the local Roman Catholic priest, Father Gomez (Leslie French), is an older man with a broken spirit. During his tenure in the village of Quantano, he fought hard to keep his flock of parishioners, in spite of threats and intimidation from the part of local bandit Anacleto Comachi (Sir Dirk Bogarde) and his men. The atheistic bandit has imposed his tyrannical rule over the region for many years. The local Police cannot find any witnesses to come forward and testify to any wrongdoing from the part of Anacleto. Therefore, they cannot charge him or arrest him. The Catholic Church replaces Father Gomez with a younger, more energetic priest, Father Keogh (Sir John Mills) from Ireland. Before departing the village, Father Gomez warns Father Keogh of the dangers of defying Anacleto Comachi’s authority. Read More »

Quote:
“La soldadera” (the female soldier) focuses upon Lázara, a simple country girl who is caught up in the Mexican Revolution. At the beginning of the film, she is a newlywed whose husband, Juan, is forced to join the federal army during the revolution. Lázara chooses to follow Juan, but unfortunately he is soon killed in battle. One of the Villista soldiers (supporters of Pancho Villa), Nicolás, takes Lázara to be his woman and so she becomes part of their band. Lázara has to walk alongside Nicolás’ horse whilst carrying his rifle and gun belt as they travel. One of the older “soldaderas” puts the gun belt on Lázara and shows her how to shoot. Although Lázara does not fight, she is present during moments of conflict and is involved in the looting of a town. But Lázara wishes for nothing more than a home.Read More »