Carmel Arts and Film Festival

Signed up to volunteer at this year's Carmel Arts and Film Festival. Will be running the show at one of the venues, "The Golden Bough," which unfortunately means I probably won't have time to write about any films in the next couple days. It also means, undoubtedly, that I'll be up at 7 am each morning. Waking up early is a damnable bell, but I, without fail, end up appreciating what morning brings once I've shimmied my sleep off with a little coffee. All in the name of service, right? Wooee! Catch you soon!

I don't want to own anything until I know I've found the place where me and things belong together.

Today I finished reading "Breakfast at Tiffany's" by Truman Capote, a short and sweet little novella. I haven't seen the film adaptation yet, but I know there's an OPI nail polish out called "For Audrey" and it's a lovely Tiffany blue. In general, I think I prefer reading books before seeing them on screen; that's not to say that movies ruin books because movies are my jam - but the original version is faithful to the original version, independent of the adaptations, which are completely separate entities. In other words, take the book "Breakfast at Tiffany's" by Truman Capote and the movie "Breakfast at Tiffany's" by Blake Edwards and even though I haven't seen the latter, I know darn well they are not the same two stories. The latter might be based on the former, yes, but we now have two slightly different tales. Some of the changes that arise when adapting a story between mediums can be failures, but I think it's important to acknowledge that you're definitely not going to please everyone and the adapters have to cure a story in whatever way is necessary such that it exploits the new medium to the greatest extent possible, even if it means taking liberties.

Anyhow, it all makes me think about Stieg Larsson's Millenium Trilogy. I absolutely loved the books - the first two, that is - haven't read the third for fear of the series ending!, but did not enjoy the film adaptation of the first book. I guess my reading of Salander's character was completely different, didn't see her as quite the stoic cyberpunk she was portrayed as. Socially awkward, yes, but not so stiff. Yes, there is the beauty of different interpretations bla blah blah, but for god's sake, no one's tellin you to like each one and you're certainly not obliged to.

So back to "Breakfast at Tiffany's" - I'm not sure I want to see the film version, though I know people love it. I'm happy with the "Breakfast at Tiffany's" story that I know now; I don't know if I need much else.

I was born when she kissed me. I died when she left me. I lived a few weeks while she loved me.

I am a complete sucker for a good ol' Hollywood love story. To me, the greatest love stories also happen to be the saddest. You know, two people love each other, but can't be with each other. Nicholas Rays' "In a Lonely Place," is one such movie - and it is also so much more than that. It all comes down to the Humphrey Bogart's character, Dixon. Dixon is a forty-something Hollywood playwright who has 20 years in the business under his belt, but whose box office failure a few years back left him salty and unable to write. In the opening scene we become well acquainted with his character: apathetic, cold, unsympathetic, down right aloof, uncaring, hot tempered, violent when mad and above all, isolated from others. When we meet him, however, we also learn that the people around him respect him and don't try to change who he is or tell him how to live his life otherwise, and that's because he is a man who, in all his hard-headedness, one can't help but admire. He is witty, honorable and passionate, he states who he is and is that person, he sticks to his guns under pressure and minds his own business.

Nevertheless, I couldn't help but feel sorry for him during his hot-tempered outbursts and I wanted so badly for something good to happen to him, because despite all of his horrendous qualities, he deserves love too. Just watching him work steadily on his new script was enough to showcase his genius, his capabilities, his inner passion yearning to be released. But Dixon is a man who can't be but isolated, whose loneliness defines him. And what makes In a Lonely Place the tragedy that it is, is that we are aware that it is not, and never will be, a matter of being able to change his flaws for the better. Rather, they are not to be changed at all. Hence, when all is said and done at the end of the film the tragedy emerges not from the irrepairability of his relationship with Laurel, but the invincibility of his isolation.

In a Lonely Place certainly earns a place in my top 20s!

Do you realise what you're saying, you're telling me that I'm dead!

Watched D.O.A. by Rudolph Mate tonight. Was attracted to it because its a well-known noir classic, but I was - or so I thought I was - unfamiliar with the director. As it turns out, Mate was the cinematographer for Carl Theodore Dreyer's La Passion de Jeanne d'Arc, Howard Hawks' Come And Get It and Hitchcock's Foreign Correspondent, as well as the Lady From Shanghai, Gilda and an old favourite of mine, Ernst Lubitsch's To Be Or Not To Be. Don't you love surprises! And how things can be connected! What I love about "STUFF" in general is that if you do enough research or looking into things you realize that so many things you didn't know were related actually are. Arguably then I'm unfamiliar with Mate as a director, but am quite familiar with his work as a DP. The fun doesn't stop there though: it also turns out that Edmond O'Brien, the lead actor, has made a career in a number of major classics like The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance, The Barefoot Contessa, Julius Caesar, White Heat and The Killers. So yeah, very excited about tonight's movie - just comes to show how much more there is to know about the people who make the films I watch!

It's very apparent that the film was pretty low budget, but that the film was shot in San Francisco really works well to create a believable gritty realism. Mate establishes the mysterious tone right off the bat when O'Brien walks into an SF police station to report his death that happened... the previous night. Say what?! - is and was probably the most automatic response. The film hence takes place through the retelling of the previous nights events and piece by piece we come to understand just what makes it possible for O'Brien to be alive to tell his story, while maintaining the claim that he was killed the night before. The ingenious premise puts the viewer on his toes and keeps him there as O'Brien scrimmages between So Cal and SF to figure out who killed him - and why.

There are a good many elements that I liked, such as O'Brien's unpretentious everyman quality; the pretty woman a The Fisherman bar who only said "Easy!", but said it well; old San Francisco trolleys; the test tube of luminous poison that glowed in the dark; the split second when o'Brien looks like Keanu Reeves (observe photo #; the abandoned factory scene; "You know - you really frighten me"; how the thugs graciously allow O'Brien a nice long conversation with his lover so he can tell her to take all their money out the bank and buy herself a nice coat???; Chester, the silly psychopathic boy who's "unhappy unless he sees pain"; how the bus scene was shot - the list goes on. Really, just a fun, enjoyable film.

I've been a bit of a spoiler rat lately, so the last thing I'll say is that the ending does not disappoint! Watch and enjoy.

maybe i'll live so long that i'll forget her, maybe i'll die tryin.

Today's choice was The Lady From Shanghai by Orson Welles. Welles again played one of the main protagonist's, Michael O'Hara. The film begins with the meeting of Michael and Elsa Bannister, the wife of powerful attorney, Arthur Bannister, in Central Park. Through a few negotiations and meetings Michael comes aboard the Bannister yacht headed for San Francisco. At sea, Michael and Elsa begin a relationship, and Mr. Bannister's partner, Grisby, is picked up midway. Grisby becomes aware of Elsa and Michael's love affair and later offers Michael $5000 to help him stage his own murder in order to flee from his wife. The only catch is that Michael must sign his own confession to killing Grisby, and Grisby assures him that the letter won't matter since Michael can't be put in jail if the body isn't found and there is no evidence. Michael agrees with Grisby's odd offer given his own desire to go away with Elsa. On the night of the set up, something goes wrong and another man, Broome is shot, but on his dying breath he alerts Michael to the fact that Grisby is about to kill Mr. Bannister. The whole plan now gone awry becomes even more complicated as Michael soon finds out that Grisby was found dead too. The police find Michael's confession and he is taken to court. Michael is mentally tortured knowing that he didn't kill Michael and as the trial unfolds he makes a suicide attempt and escapes in the shuffle. Michael evades the police by ducking into a Chinese theatre, where the Lady from Shanghai, Mrs. Bannister herself, finds him. Michael explains to Elsa that all he must do is the find the gun - his gun - that supposedly killed Grisby, since it will have another man's prints on it. He paws his way into her purse and finds the gun, but is instantly knocked unconscious and dragged into a Fun House. Upon waking, it becomes clear to Michael that it Elsa and Grisby had originally planned to kill off Mr. Bannister and frame Michael for the crime, but it all went wrong when Broome was shot.

Needless to say the plot was a bit convoluted and I can't say it was executed as cleanly as it could have. It all came together in the last 15 minutes of the film or so and I didn't like Michael's internal explanation to the audience. I always love a surprise, but I can't say that this one blew me away. Also, the tone felt a bit strange and even a bit unintentionally goofy at times. Tough guys were never really tough; intense moments never amounted to much excitement for me and the characters were all a bit - off? Mr. Bannister was quite a queer fellow - good for the part, but too much of a character to fit in with the cast and plot. Grisby had a shrill voice that was completely incongruous to the noir register and made every one of his scenes come off a bit peculiar. Their close-ups really captured their oddities, but never seemed to really fit in with the rest of what the film was trying to accomplish. And then there was that weird moment before everyone gets on the yacht when Elsa dons a super short little captain's outfit and pleated skirt that seems a bit out of place. There was nothing very attractive or seductive about her character; in fact, she seemed a bit stiff. And the maid Bessie during the trip, was a little too high strung for her 5 second moments, but that's not really a fair criticism as it might have had more to do with the acting than the way it was shot. Another thing that got to me was that the Michael and Elsa's stolen moments were never romantic or heated or really that interesting. Interestingly enough, however, the two did have their real life divorce in 1948, a year after this film came out so perhaps that was part of it.

I did like Michael/Orson's narration though and that was the one element that most strongly made the film "noir" to me. Orson used mostly medium and long shots with a few punctuating close-ups, and the most notable and most famous scene in the film comes at the end in the Fun House/House of Mirrors. The Lady from Shanghai isn't a favourite, but I'm glad to have seen something that has been on my list for ages.

Script Supervising and Film Continuity Part II

Feeling quite accomplished today as I finished Pat Miller's script supervising book. Highlights:

Lined script: At the start of each shot, draw the perpendicular line from the slate number down to the exact spot where the shot ends. If the shot continues to subsequent pages, place an arrow on the line at the bottom of the page.

The wiggly line: A straight line is drawn through for those speeches and actions that have been filmed, while the wiggly line is drawn through any off-camera dialogue.

FILM LANGUAGE - Industry definitions
(The list of definitions was long, but there were a few new ones worth noting, or clarifying.)

Barney - special cover over the camera that insulates camera noise.

Beat - A deliberate slight pause in the flow of dialogue or action.

Camera Left - Subjects or objects are positioned at the left side of the frame or move toward the left side of the frame. Screen direction is opposite to legitimate stage direction. As you view the scene in front of the camera, Camera Left is parallel to your left-hand side. To move Camera Left, a performer moves in the direction of his or her right-hand side; to move Stage Left, a performer moves in the direction of his or her left-hand side.

Camera Right - The opposite of Camera Left. As you view the scene in front of the camera, Camera Right is parallel to your right-hand side. To move Camera Right, a performer moves in the direction of his or her left hand side; to move Stage Right, a performer moves in the direction of his or her right hand side.

Cookies/Cukaloris - A piece of plywood or plastic with cutout patterns of varying shapes and sizes that casts surface shadows onto the set when placed in front of a light source.

Dailies - Reels of processed film from the laboratory that comprise the day's shoot. The film is viewed by the director, the producer and other concerned personnel.

Foley - The technique of augmenting and creating sound effects to synchronize with action in a film during post-production (e.g., foot steps, breathing, punches, slaps).

Hubba-hubba - The murmuring sounds emanating from a crowd in a scene, on instruction from the A.D.

Master shot - The film that comprises the continuous performance of a scene, which includes dialogue and camera moves. Any portion of a scene, or any subject matter related to a scene, that is being filmed for the first time is in the category of master shot.

Mock-up - 1. replica made of a structure or an object featured in a scene, particularly when the script calls for its destruction. 2. A replica made of a section of an automobile, airplane, or the like, for the purpose of shooting close-up angles for the dialogue or reactions of the characters occupying the seats.

Scrim - A piece of special gauze mounted on a stand and placed between the camera and the characters being filmed. This diffuses the light and lessens the sharpness of the image, so that the subjects' blemishes may be diminished or erased. (*I checked this word because it made think of soap ops and how much scrim they use!)

Upstage - The area farthest from the camera. Moving upstage means moving toward the rear of the set up.

DYNAMICS OF THE CAMERA

- Try to acquire the habit of visualizing a movie set in relation to a frame of film so that you will always think in terms of screen (camera) direction. The set is a three walled area: there is the left side of the frame, known as Camera Left/CL, the right side of the frame, known as Camera Right/CR, and the background/BG of the frame. The camera and the audience are the "fourth wall".

- Imaginary Line/Action Axis/180 rule. Theoretical line extending straight across the scene in the line of eye contact between the two subjects closest to the camera on each side of the frame. The concept mandates that all component shots be confined within the area in front of the imaginary line of the fixed shot. Thus, congruity will be maintained when intercutting the related shots.

- Progression - It is mandatory that subjects make a clean entrance (from outside the frame) into every shot and a clean exit (to outside the frame) from every shot.

- The Chasing Action - When two characters are moving in the same direction - say, left to right (stalking or chasing each other)--each character must make a clean entrance into every shot and a clean exit out of every shot at the same pace as in the previous shot.

- Going Through a Door - a hint for ensuring correct progression for going through a door: When shooting the first scene, make a note (or a diagram) indicating where the doorknob is: either on CR or CL. When shooting the second scene, make sure that the doorknob is on the direct reverse side of the door. If in shot 1, the doorknob was on CR, then in shot 2 it must be on CL.

- Jumps on Screen - When props within a shot are incongruously juxtaposed from one angle to another, jumps occur on screen. If a master 2/shot is to be covered by two single close angles, it must be determined beforehand "who gets the candle?" It is a cinematic dictum that the prop cannot appear in both close shots.

TECHNIQUES OF MATCHING

- Action Matching/The Match cut - "Cut on action". In other words, plan to cut from the master shot to another angle when subjects are in motion--rising from a sitting or kneeling position, or when the body turns etc. The most harmonious transition into the master shot from a close shot is achieved when the repeated action in the close shot starts from a few feet ahead of the spot where the cut in the master shot is planned and continues for a few feet beyond the cut in the master shot. The task of action matching has become one of the preeminent functions of the continuity supervisor.

- Directional notations: L-side, R-side, L-hand, R-hand, etc. CL and CR for camera left and camera right (the right side of the body is CL for camera, and the left side of the body is CR for camera).


Ultimately, my favorite piece of advice in the entire book is * Know exactly what the frame is holding * Above all else, I need to know what the frame holds, not necessary what my eye holds in its particular view. So for example, I always need to get a good look of what the camera is getting because if I'm sitting on the opposite side of the room at a different angle, my eyes might get a view/angle on something that is completely different in the frame. I think keeping this piece of advice in mind is going to help me the most in the long run!

I also thought the photo above nicely illustrates the different types of shot sizes and is definitely an image to keep in mind during shooting.

the stranger. orson welles.

Went with another noir tonight: The Stranger by Orson Welles - not at all to be confused or associated with the story of the same name by Camus. Perhaps more than anything I'm really interested in seeing any and all films starring Edward G. Robinson; I just love his face. It's so... earnest, and his mouth is so wide and his lips are so thin and expressive. Anyhow, the film clocked in at a short 1hr:24, but anything longer would have destroyed the tone. What I really took notice in this Welles film particularly was his ability to capture beautiful singles. Citizen Kane, for example, mostly employed depth of field shots, and of course, some singles of Kane here and there, but the singles definitely stood way way out in The Stranger. I liked that he also chose to design them in varying ways: lots of close ups pushed off the horizontal line, medium shots in canted angles. He also captured "the look" really well: that split second in which a character reveals something to the audience by a slight movement or change in his/her facial expression. The shots and "the look" combined definitely helped create the noir tone in this film.

Too tired to write more, but as is custom, here are some screen shots:


















Oh wait, after posting these I just remembered something else I wanted to say: doesn't Welles look like a super hot hipster? I mean come on, that single of him is so good. Definitely hot. Definitely a hipster I've known.

Continuity Supervisor

Over the summer I had the opportunity to work as the continuity supervisor on one of my TA's shoot's. He recommended that I get the scripty's bible, "Script Supervising and Film Continuity" by Pat Miller, and read it before the shoot. He even gave me a link to a library in the Bay Area that had it, but I was unable to make it up there before my trip to get it (looking back now, I will bet my bottom dollar that it was probably missing at that library). I had a trip planned for Toronto and decided that I would go hunting for the book once I was there. I looked up the book at every single university library downtown and none of them had a copy. Was excited to I found out that the city library had it, so I took my backpack, stuck a notebook and pen in there and intended to copy the darn thing, by hand if necessary, before heading to NYC for the shoot. As it turned out though, out of the millions of books available in that library, the one copy of Pat Miller's book was missing. The chance that someone had it out was extremely slim, but somehow the case. I went back the next day and the next, but it never turned up. I decided to go ahead and buy the book brand new from Chapters for $60...only to discover that the one copy available in the city of Toronto was annoyingly far from the downtown core.

Pat Miller's book had, overtime, seemed to develop a strange and mysterious little aura around it. It was a book that few knew about and some libraries had a copy of it, but that copy was always missing. To make a long story short, the shoot went on without the book and when I returned to California I bought it off half.com for $6.55. I read half the book today and plan to finish it tomorrow. I should read it at least once more before the re-shoot of our film in January. In the meantime, these are some things I've gleaned from the book so far:

GETTING INTO THE ACT

- The continuity supervisor is concerned with infinitesimal details of all the scenes; meticulously matches makeup, props and wardrobe. On what word was a puff of a cigarette taken? With what hand? On what word did the strap of the actress' gown slip off her shoulder? Was it her right or left?

- Maintains continuity for coverage (the shooting of different viewpoints or closer angles on the same action and dialogue present in the master shot), and gently reminds actors of what his or her movements were during their performance in the master shot.

THE SCRIPT

- Locale/Set. Always written in capital letters, INT. for interior or EXT. for exterior, time element: DAY or NIGHT. ex. 1. INT. KITCHEN--DAY.

- Breaking down a script.
1) Master scenes. Underline each numbered master scene. Draw a line across the page to separate each master sequence.
2) Story Chronology/Time Breakdown. Mark each sequence with the chronological time lapses. e.g., 1st day indicated as D-1, 2nd day indicated as D-2, 3rd night indicated as N-3.
3) Underline the particular time when indicated. Scene caption may include: DAWN, MORNING, LATE AFTERNOON, DUSK.
4) Characters. Underline the names of the characters as they are revealed in each scene.
5) Characters Physical Distinctions. Underline the written descriptions of characters; be alert of actors cast for the parts and if written changes to script if the actor changes.
6) Overt Action. Underline overt action written in the business and the mood descriptions.
7) Props. Underline references to props. 2 kinds of props: hand props - handled by the actors, such as pipes, eyeglasses, suitcases; stage props: articles placed as significant dressing in the set such as a vase of flowers on a piano, pictures on a wall.
8) Re-read Script. Look for details that might carry over from one scene to another such as props, makeup, wardrobe, the weather.
9) Back-Matching Notes. Make accurate notes of the details that carry over. Back matching introduces the dogma of direct and indirect continuity. Direct continuity: a condition or detail carries over from one scene to the next consecutive scene with no time lapse. Ex. Scene 1. Man uses key to open the door of his house from the outside. There is a newspaper under his left arm. Shot cuts as he puts the key in the lock with his right hand. Scene 2. Man enters hours. But it may be days or weeks - and after several other scenes have been filmed -- before Scene 2 is finally in front of the camera. Now we must see the man holding the key in his right hand as he comes through the door, and holding the newspaper folded exactly as it was on the outside, under his left arm. Indirect continuity: Condition or detail does not follow through from one scene into the next consecutive scene but carries over into a later scene. Ex. Scene 8, woman places pillbox in her purse. Dialogue indicates that she has to take a pill at a later hour. Scene 13, woman reaches into her purse, finds and opens the pillbox, only to discover there are no pills inside. Woops!
10) Scene count. Tally number of scenes in script. Every scene number, including those carrying A, B, C, etc, count as separate scenes. OMITTED and STOCK SHOT are not counted.
11) Page count. Every numbered page, even those with an A, B, C, etc is counted; ie, 15A, 15B, 15C are three pages. Every page holds an individual total of 8/8. Breaking down the page into eighths was meant as an economical and practical way of shooting scenes out of continuity.
12) Master scene page count. Jot down the individual page count for every master shot.
13) Continuity Synopsis/One Line. Composite of the script breakdown. Listed are scene numbers and locals of each sequence, a terse description of the action in the scene, the time elements of day or night, time lapses, page count of each master scene, characters.
14) Wardrobe Outline. Personal use.
15) Script revisions. Incorporate script revisions asap. Every revised page is dated and put through in a different color from the previous ones. Generally, the rotation is white for original, followed by blue, pink, yellow, green, goldenrod, white.
16) Special report forms. Prepare DAILY CONTINUITY LOG, DAILY EDITORS LOG, DAILY PROGRESS REPORT.

A DAY ON THE SOUND STAGE

- Actors refer to their pages of script as sides. During the waiting period, an actor may ask you to cue lines, which is prompting the dialogue. Basic method for cuing: you speak the last sentence of the speech that leads into the rehearsing actor's next speech.

- Camera rehearsal with principles. Dolly grip might ask on which word of dialogue an actor will make a move; the dolly grip must anticipate this action in order to instantly push the camera to the next position.

- Shot description. Write shot descriptions of the scenes to be filmed. It is your communication to the film editor of what is being put on the film. It is a concise summary of the action of the scene and the camera moves. This legend is written on the blank left-hand page opposite the scene page of the script. Ex: Start MS angle toward office door. Smith enters. Pan his walk X-L-R to doorway into Charles office. Hold Full 4/Sh over Smith L-Shld to 3 seated at desk: Charles, Mary, Bert--dial.--As Smith moves to f.g. desk. DI to Tite/4: Smith, Charles, Mary, Bert--dial.--Mary rises and exits shot R-L. Smith follows. DI to Tite/2: Charles and Bert--dial.--Charles rises and exits shot R-L.--ZI to CU Bert. He rises, picks up phone, dials and talks.

GETTING THE SCENE ON FILM

- Systems of slating. 1) Scene-Number slating. Most direct method. Every slate number represents a script scene number. Consecutive-Number slating. Announce slate #1 on first day of shooting, regardless of where the scene occurs in the script, and continue with the next consecutive number for every slate change. Slate number 1 may apply to Scene 96 and slate number 2 might apply to Scene 5.

- Camera Rolling. Upon "action", snap stopwatch on and concentrate on performance. "Stay with the money".

- Pick up Shot. If only the faulty portion of the scene is to be reshot, the director will call for the pick up shot, in which case a new slate number will be called starting wit take 1.

- Bridge Shot. When a piece of flawed film remains in a shot--picked up without reslated--the faulty portion o film must be excised, and a suitable piece of film inserted as a bridge shot. The bridge shot is necessary to achieve a smooth transition of the action cut in the master shot.

- Timing the performance. Start with "action", stop with "cut". Timing the film can indicate that the film is running long or running short, neither of which is desirable.

RECORDING THE DAY'S SHOOT

- Daily Continuity Log. Make systematic entries of: Every setup by slate number, any printed takes of each slate number, picture-time of all master shots, page-count credit of all master shots.

- Wild tracks. Recorded for the "practical" sounds that emanate from a scene, such as a food blender, water running from a faucet, an automobile, vacuum cleaner.

- Slating wild film footage. Scenes that are not written in the script but are filmed at random, wherever they happen, are labeled as wild footage. Ex. casual street activity, riots, scenes of disaster etc. For slating wild footage, use an arbitrary number for the sequence, such as 300--and precede with XF for extraneous footage.

THAT'S A WRAP

- Daily progress report.
1) Page count. Tally the number of pages shot for the day. If improvisations during shooting have altered the total number of pages, you should take page credit only for the original page count as shown in the Shooting Schedule and the Continuity Synopsis/One Line. Do not revise the breakdown total.
2) Scene count. Credit only the script's original scene numbers shot that day. If revised scenes have changed the original total scene count, enter the revised figure under "New Total".
3) Setup Count. Tally the number of setups made. Pick up shots are not counted toward the total because neither the camera position nor lens was changed.
4) Picture Running time. Tally the picture-running time for the day.

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That's all I've read for now. Really what the scripty seems to do is take a copious amount of notes and know minute details. I kind of think about it as being that person at the party who awkwardly knows everything about everyone even if they aren't friends. More to follow tomorrow!

What's with Johnny?

In the past few movies that I've seen (Scarlet Street, The Killing and now Gilda) there has been a male character, often the protagonist, who is named Johnny. What is it with the name Johnny? I've been thinking about it and I can pick out a few traits that run through all of the three Johnny's:

- mid 30s white male
- down on his luck
- money problems
- wants to make it big, but always in over his head
- involved with a femme fatale
- garners the viewer's sympathy despite character flaws
- a bit nervous, unsure of himself

I've never met a real person named Johnny, it's always a film character, maybe because its a bit of a dated name. Maybe it's also because of the movies that I to associate Johnny with a grown man who has childish / chump qualities, the guy who always tries hard, but hardly gets it right. Above all, I suppose I just find it odd at the past three movies I've chosen all had similar characters.

Tonight's movie was "Gilda", directed by Charles Vidor. I saw the first 5-10 minutes of the film in one of my classes last year - I think it was for American Film History. Forgot about it until the first few minutes into the movie. The film is obviously about a woman named Gilda, but also about a man name Johnny, and in some ways I feel that it is his movie more than it is hers. The title then, might be meant to highlight that in Johnny's mind, it is all about Gilda. The movie begins with Johnny down on his luck, and literally, down on his knees, trying to make some money playing dice. He meets a man who ends up hiring him as his right hand man at the casino he owns. Never mix gambling and women they both agree - that is until the casino owner reveals he has a wife. As it turns out, the wife, Gilda, was Johnny's former lover. The two try to play it cool, but as Johnny is commanded to watch over Gilda, it becomes evident that his chaperoning of her is much more than him carrying out his duties. In fact, it is just plain difficult for him to bear watching her fall over other men when she gets bored. The overbearing feeling of tension throughout the film can definitely be attributed to the close-ups on Rita Hayworth's face, as well as her wild nature and sexuality in contrast to the casino owner's rigid personality and Johnny's child-tryin'a-be-a-man character.

The film holds up to a lot of the trends in the noir canon, but I can't really say that it hit the spot for me as other noirs do. I'd like to see Hayworth in Orson Welles' "The Lady From Shanghai" though, so perhaps that will come next. Soon, at least!

The Killing. Stanley Kubrick.

After last night's noir I decided to switch it up a bit with Stanley Kubrick's 1956 film, The Killing. I actually thought this was a film that I had seen a clip of and wanted to see in full, but am not remembering that the one I'm thinking of is the Killer's Kiss. I just checked and it is now on Netflix Instant Watch so I'll have to watch it sometime soon.

Despite my disappointment in not watching what I was hoping I would be watching, the film made me realize that Kubrick is one director to whom I've never given enough credit. When I watched A Clockwork Orange I was probably a freshman in high school and it was like the weirdest thing I'd ever watched at that point and from that point on that's all I knew of Kubrick. Wow, so wrong! At that age I hadn't even begun to think about how a director shoots his or her movies and the effect that it has on the viewer. I've since seen more of his films and my favourite is definitely "Paths of Glory". What a frustrating film to watch. And that's what makes it so brilliant. The sets are simple and the shots are simple, but how in the world Kubrick was able to harness the tone so well is enough to represent all his brilliance.

Back to The Killing: had a lot of shots typical in a Kubrick film. Very direct, uncomplicated. I wasn't enthralled with the plot so much and the ending was a let down, but his take on the heist was interesting: a team pulled it together, but ultimately it was one man in a crazy mask in the robbery. I can't think of any films before this that employed the idea of using scary ass masks during a takeover/heist. Would have to research that to know for sure. It'd actually be really interesting to know what movie started the trend that is still being used today, up to that movie that just came out -- The Town.

Time for some stills.