From the Desk of Jim R: At the Movies

Sunday, September 3, 2023

Remembering French New Wave Cinema: Sharing Some Great Cinematic and Artistic Choices from France's Directorial Elite Including Jean-Luc Godard and François Truffaut

By James V. Ruocco

French New Wave, a cinematic art film movement that emerged in the late 1950s was especially known for its obvious rejection of traditional filmmaking techniques, styles and conventions in favor of experimentation and iconoclastic beliefs, doctrines and practices.
One of the most influential movements in the history of cinema, French New Wave was categorized by its new approach to editing, visualization and narrative, offset by themes and engagement that reflected the social and political upheavals of the era.

Using portable equipment with very little set up or time constraints, the New Wave filmmaking process included long takes and tracking shots, fragmented, discontinuous, non-linear editing, direct sound employment, improvised dialogue and less complicated lighting.
Logic, at times, was secondary as was storytelling questions and resolutions in a particular film that were not always answered in the end.

Nonetheless, this quirky documentary like-style was lauded by critics and audiences alike for its realism, irony, subjectivity, commentary, abstraction, narrative ambiguity and its revolutionary expression and groundwork.

This eye on the word process - bold, direct, abnormal, influential - was also held in esteem worldwide, particularly at film festivals where these works were viewed untouchable by criticism.

Directorially, French New Wave was unstoppable.

Among its primary contributors and prominent pioneers were Jean-Luc Godard, Éric Rohmer, François Truffaut, Claude Chabrol, Jacques Demy, Alain Renais and Jacques Rivette.
Their films - there are many - exquisitely capture the essence of New Wave.

Among them:

Breathless (À bout de souffle)

(1960) director: Jean-Luc Godard

Shoot the Piano Player (Tirez sur le pianiste)

(1960) director: François Truffaut

The 400 Blows (Les quatre cents coups)

(1959) director: François Truffaut

Cleo from 5 to 7

(1962) director: Agnès Varda

The Umbrellas of Cherbourg (Les Parapluies de Cherbourg)

(1964) director: Jacques Demy

Jules and Jim (Jules et Jim)

(1962) director: François Truffaut

Vivre Sa Vie

(1962) director: Jean-Luc Goddard

A Woman Is a Woman (Une femme est une femme)

(1961) director: Jean-Luc Godard

Paris Belongs to Us (Paris nous appartient)

(1961) director: Jacques Rivette

Les bonnes femmes

(1960) director: Claude Chabrol

The Soft Skin (La peau douce)

(1964) director: François Truffaut

La Chinoise

(1967) director: Jean-Luc Goddard

Last Year at Marienbad (L'Année dernière à Marienbad)

1962) director: Alain Resnais

Pierrot le Fou

(1965) director: Jean-Luc Godard

Le beau Serge

(1958) director: Claude Chabrol

La Collectionneuse (The Collector)

(1967) director: Éric Rohmer

"The cinema is not an art which films life: the cinema is something between art and life. Unlike painting and literature, the cinema both gives to life and takes from it, and I try to render this concept in my films. Literature and painting both exist as art from the very start; the cinema doesn’t."

(Jean-Luc Goddard)

Saturday, January 8, 2022

In Remembrance: Celebrating the Life and Films of Oscar Winner Sidney Poitier

By James V. Ruocco

Sidney Poitier, the Oscar winning actor whose work in films during the 1950s and 60s included "The Defiant Ones," "Lilies of the Field," "In the Heat of the Night" and "To Sir, with Love," died at the age of 94 on January 6, 2022. His death was made public by Fred Mitchell, the minister of foreign affairs for the Bahamas.

"We have lost an icon. A hero, a mentor, a fighter, a national treasure," said Chester Cooper, the deputy prime minister of the Bahamas. "When I learned of his passing, I was conflicted with great sadness and a sense of celebration.
"Sadness that he would no longer be here to tell him how much he means to us, but celebration that he did so much to show the world that those from the humblest beginnings can change the world so very much."

Poitier, who was born in Miami in 1927 and raised in the Bahamas, was the first black actor to win an Academy Award in 1963 for his poignant portrayal of African-American handyman Homer Smith in "Lilies of the Field," directed by Ralph Nelson. He is also best remembered for outstanding film work in "A Patch of Blue," "In the Heat of the Night," "To Sir, with Love" and "Guess Who's Coming to Dinner."

"The grace and class that this man has shown throughout his entire life, the example he set for me, not only as a black man but as a human being will never be forgotten," remarked actor and director Tyler Perry, once he learned of Poitier's passing.

"No words can describe how your work radically shifted my life," added actress Viola Davis. "The dignity, normalcy, strength, excellence and sheer electricity you brought to your roles showed us that we, as Black folks, mattered!!!"

Poitier is survived by his wife, retired film actress Joanna Shimkus ("The Lost Man," "The Virgin and the Gypsy," "Boom!") and his five daughters Beverly, Sherri, Anika, Sydney and Pamela. His sixth daughter Gina Poitier died in 2018.

In 2002, Poitier received an honorary Oscar from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences for his "extraordinary work and unique presence on the screen" for gracing American and worldwide cinema with dignity, style and intelligence. Seven years later, President Barack Obama awarded the actor with the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation's highest civilian honor."

"Sidney Poitier epitomized dignity and grace," the former President remarked on "Twitter" Friday following the announcement of the actor's death. "He does not make movies, he makes milestones."

The actor was also granted an honorary knighthood by Queen Elizabeth II in 1974 and received the Kennedy Center Honors at a tribute in 1995. In 2016, he was awarded a Fellowship by BAFTA in recognition of his outstanding contribution to cinema.

"Acting isn't a game of pretend," Poitier explained. "It's an exercise in being real."

In celebration of Poitier's long and treasured film career, what follows is a listing of some of his greatest cinematic achievements, in order of their importance and greatness.

"If I'm remembered for having done a few great things," he once told the press, "and if my presence here has sparked some good energies, that's plenty.
"I was a pretty good actor and I believed in brotherhood. I hated racism and segregation. And I was a symbol against those things."

Charming.
Passionate.
Magnetic.
Debonair.
Intelligent.
Humble.
Cool.
That was (and is) Sidney Poitier.

Lilies of the Field

(1967) director: Ralph Nelson

A Patch of Blue

(1965) director: Guy Green

To Sir, with Love

(1967) director: James Clavell

Guess Who's Coming to Dinner

(1967) director: Stanley Kramer

In the Heat of the Night

(1967) director: Norman Jewison

A Raisin in the Sun

(1961) director: Daniel Petrie

The Defiant Ones

(1958) director: Stanley Kramer

Porgy and Bess

(1959) directors: Otto Preminger and Rouben Mamoulain

Little Nikita

(1988) director: Richard Benjamin

They Call Me Mister Tibbs!

(1970) director: Gordon Douglas

Friday, December 31, 2021

Staying Indoors Watching Movies at Home as COVID-19 and Omicron Variant Pandemic Continues and Numbers Rise Daily and Weekly, Part 8

By James V. Ruocco

Crowds.
Tickets.
Popcorn.
Soda.
New Releases.
Social Distancing.

Masks.
Proof of Vaccination.

It's happening.

Movie theaters are open.
The pandemic continues.
Cases of COVID-19 are up.
The Omicron Variant continues to spread.
Box-office grosses are hit or miss.
Things are absolutely crazy.

The big question: What to do?

Do you go to a movie theater with your mask in place?
Are you, like others, concerned about who's vaccinated and who has yet to receive the vaccine or booster shot?
What about the people who refuse to be vaccinated?
Do you want to put yourself at risk?
Do you feel safe?
The option to go (or not to go) is yours.

Given the recent rise in both COVID-19 and Omicron Variant statistics, watching movies at home is not only the safest option, it's still the preferred choice. And rightly, so.

Staying home, you are in complete control.
You don't have to worry about sitting next to strangers or wondering whether or not, you've put yourself at risk by going to an actual movie theater.
You don't have to deal with an audience that talks, texts and spills popcorn and soda all over the floor.
You don't have to turn around and tell these people to '"Shut the fuck up."
You don't have to listen to them laughing, crying, gasping or delegating who's going to bring back what from the concession stand.
And finally, you don't have to suffer through 25 minutes of previews while waiting for the movie to begin.

At home, you are the boss.
You can stream.
You can rent a DVD from Netflix.
You can record films from yesteryear on Turner Classic Movies and view them whenever you want.
You can watch or subscribe to Hulu, HBO MAX, Showtime, YouTube, Disney Plus, Paramount Plus, Apple TV, Peacock and Amazon Prime Video, to name a few.

You can also purchase lots of brand new films ($19.99 to $29.99 ) on the same day they are released in theaters. Or opt for cheaper ones at $5.99 or $7.99 each.

It's that simple.
It's great fun.
It's affordable.
It has many benefits.
And better yet, you don't have to leave the house.

Think about it.

You pop the popcorn.
You can enjoy hot dogs, hamburgers, sandwiches, sushi, chicken wings, fried mozzarella sticks and nacho chips.
You supply the drinks.
You pick the candy, the cookies, the gummy bears, the chips, the crisps, the cheese sticks and the chocolate.
You order the pizza, the Chinese food and the tacos from your favorite local eatery for home delivery.
And finally, you call the shots in terms of what you want to watch and when.

More importantly, there is no dress code.
You can wear your own pajamas. Or your favorite bathrobe, socks and fuzzy kitty-cat slippers.
You can hit pause, rewind or replay a movie's big moment any time you want. You can adjust the sound - high and low - whenever you so choose.

It's that simple.

To make life easier, here's yet another list of 20 films that offer the perfect, eclectic mix of entertainment. Some are new. Some are old. Some are classics. Some are in a different language. Some are personal favorites.

You pick. You decide.

Army of Thieves