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I'm reconfiguring my 'HT' setup (snicker: it's just my TV and a DVD player fer now), and I want to basically work my way through world cinema, director-by-director. I know my way around, and I have my stock favorites (Bunuel, Fellini, and Godard above all), but I'm always hearing about masters I've never heard of.If I was to limit myself to a couple of essential books--say, like a good history and a good encyclopedia or so--what would you recommend? Or how would you go about this, assuming a more or less blank slate and today's informational resources? All my viewing will be conducted via NetFlix, as there are NO independent video stores in St. Louis...
Thanks for any thoughts.
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Stranger than that, we're alive!Whatever you think it's more than that, more than that.
-Incredible String Band
Follow Ups:
Hi Riz,The type of a book I was talking about is something like Leonard Maltin's Movies and Video Guide. I generally agree with his ratings.
There's also one by Rick Martin and Marsha Porter - it is close in spirit.
My favorite critic Duncan Shepherd has arranged his review archives by rating. Very handy for catching up, and he's very, very picky -- although one does not always agree with him *of course*.clark
Have you seen that? I think it was re-released a year or so ago. It's one of those movies I always come across references to, but I've never come across the film itself.I'm pretty proud of myself for having seen a goodly portion of those films. Of course it's because it was in alphabetical order, but any list with Alphaville near the top can't be all bad...
______________________________
Stranger than that, we're alive!Whatever you think it's more than that, more than that.
-Incredible String Band
"Eyes Without a Face" was shown here in San Francisco at the Castro Theater back in late February/early March. It was a new print, which leads me to believe it is making the rounds of the art houses.As far as I know, it has never been released on home video in any format.
Jeffery
See the link below.The film is a definite must-see, IMHO.
Jeffery
a
I'd say his list is incredibly strange, especially the 5-star one that missed just too many great ones, while including the likes of the Bridges of Madison Country... sobby wifey snoozer.But I agree on one thing - one would indeed gain quite a diverse expose by following it.
But overall this list is too far from what I would compile, so I will try to find one that I like better.
Not certain, but I believe the list includes only ones that played in San Diego (or L.A.) and that he reviewed.
I would still not forgive him for giving five stars to the Bridges... :-)
I would give "The Bridges of Madison County" five stars as well for the character chemistry, the cinematography, the acting, and most of all the wonderful jazz music. The sound in Dolby Digital 5.1 is stunning: when Meryl is on that bridge we are THERE with her.
***when Meryl is on that bridge we are THERE with her.Well, maybe... but the real question is did we want to be there?
I didn't.
Truly a movie made for woman's TV channel.
There's nothing wrong with a chick flick as long as it's a top notch job, like "Bridges".
That is an interesting question, and let me start with one suggestion, and perhaps later more will come to my mind.Years ago, when we had already seen many films, but did not have it all organized in any meaningful fashion, we simply took one of the "5000 movies" kind of books... don't recall which one. We then proceeded to rent every five-star film in it first, then the four-star ones.
That allowed us to put what we did know into right perspective, and to also discover plenty of stuff we didn't know existed.
One can always make an argument that some five-star ones are not great, and some two-star ones are just underappreciated, but you will catch at least 90% of worthwhile ones this way.
The beauty of this approach is that you will be truly randomly puling good movies - so Wim Wenders might sit next to Kozintsev - something that would never happen otherwise, if people simply submitted the lists of their favorite directors.
Once you stumble on a director that impresses you during this random pull, you can always dig deeper into his filmography, of course.
It worked great for us.
That's basically how I've approached musics I don't know, working my way through the top-rated stuff on the All Music Guide. Should be fun being as systematic with film history as I have with music history.Meanwhile, do you have any favorite 'unknown' (or underappreciated) masters whose oeuvres you think are solid enough to warrant blanket consideration?
______________________________
Stranger than that, we're alive!Whatever you think it's more than that, more than that.
-Incredible String Band
This is not easy given how much we have discussed here, but let me take a few stabs.Emir Kusturica should be high on any such lists... his Underground is simply a masterpiece, he is wonderful director.
Also from Yugoslavia - Dusan Makavejev with his incredible Montenegro.
From Poland come Krzysztof Zanussi with his Life as Fatal Sexually Transmitted Desease, and of course Andrzej Wajda who could be considered off-mainstreet.
I also think Bob Hoskins could indeed be considered an obscure gem of a director, and his The Raggedy Rawney is a very serious effort worth consideration... in addition to his being great actor, of course.
I think people like Cédric Klapisch could also be considered obscure in this country, and his Un Air de Famille is a wonderful film.
Bruce Beresford from Australia. Things like Black Robe are unforgettable.
Ettore Scola is vircutally unknown here, but he is a monument of a director. His Down and Dirty is a must.
Then we should probably include Agnieszka Holland - things like Angry Harvest.
Henning Carlsen and his Hunger.
From Hungary comes Ildikó Enyedi - his My Twentieth Century is good film.
Mike van Diem is also a must, his Karakter is gloomy but deep.
Visconti is also, for some strange reason, obscure in the US. Another MUST.
But I noticed the list is growing fast, and I am not even close to be done.
So let me pause here, and also suggest that many of the Soviet/Russian directors fall into this category, but since most of them are hard to find, maybe it would make more sense for you to see what's available and then ask pointed questions.
Also, I intentionally kept off the Asian film industry - you might ask TAFKA Steve directly, as his knowledge of that area is unmatched, I think.
I am pleasantly surprised to see you put Makavejev on your list. The first film of his that I ever saw was "The Coca Cola Kid"...lousy overall but my goodness! the nude sequences are amazing! I saw "Montenegro" a couple of years after that...a whole film with that feeling!Now if I could catch "WR" and "Sweet Movie"!
but why the ban on Asian directors? Is it because they are so gratuitously, incoherently weird much of the time?
______________________________
Stranger than that, we're alive!Whatever you think it's more than that, more than that.
-Incredible String Band
I didn't ban them, it is just people like Steve are much better equipped in that area.BTW - I remembered one more name, and I believe it is a MUST: Liv Ullmann.
She has done several films as director, and while she shined in the Lumiere and Co, her Private Confessions and then Faithless put her on the highest level among the world directors.
And I'd say she is still an obscure one here in the US.
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