Author: Ryan Swen

June 2019 Capsules

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Blue Velvet (rewatch)
One of the keys to Blue Velvet is that, at least in the heightened collection of Americana that is Lumberton, Jeffrey is closer to a bad boy than when viewed from the vantage point of 1986 (or now). The earring is of course the tell-tale sign, but it is evident throughout: the slight unrecollection of Detective Williams, the appellation of “Ivy League” from Sandy’s jilted boyfriend, the approving comments of the high school girls. Lynch’s vision is less of total innocence corrupted and only partially restored than the exposure of that which was hidden in plain sight — like an ear only uncovered when searching for rocks to lob at a beer bottle in a fit of stifled discouragement. Sandy is the innocent (and luminous), but Jeffrey is something more undefinable and complex: the boy investigator, the lover of mysteries both benign and seductive, the detective *and* the pervert.

The Awful Truth
There are far too many standout scenes in this staggering masterwork, but perhaps one of the most representative of The Awful Truth‘s genius is one of its most seemingly direct, with its central couple and their farcical paramours (one of whom, Dixie Belle, holds this as her only scene in the film) together in a club. In purely narrative terms, this scene’s utility is to provide the inspiration for Lucy’s “drunken” performance near the end of the film, but it possesses a dynamic that speaks to the ensuing hijinks within the scene and through the rest of the film. McCarey isn’t necessarily subtle with how he conveys the prevailing relationships, but it remains both effective and hilarious: through much of the scene, the divorcing Jerry and Lucy are captured in a two-shot, while Leeson and Dixie Belle are shunted off into their own separate singles, a decision that enhances the spouses’ connection by way of discomfort at their present states.

In the spirit of the film, this initial situation is spun out further, with not one but two full performances. Jerry is in many ways the figure in charge here, remaining as the spectator, but just as important is the genuine sense of glee on Leeson’s face, the shameless committment of Dixie Belle, the sheepish embarassment of Lucy. And one of the film’s finest bits of subtlety is here, as Jerry moves seats, first to the space vacated by Dixie Belle, and then to Leeson’s. It is a mastery of space, an assertion of dominance, which plugs directly into the tug-of-war at The Awful Truth‘s core, and that he does it with a full grin makes it all the more pleasurable.

14th (1976): “Artistic Freedom” Show Notes

Ryan Swen Catalyst and Witness Leave a comment

Table of Contents: Description, Corrections/Clarifications, Housekeeping, General, Main Slate, Recurring Directors, Recurring Countries, One-Time Directors, Festivals/Oscar Nominees, Shorts, Discussions By Length, Specifications

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Listen to the podcast here.
Subscribe to the podcast here.

Description
The fourteenth episode of the Catalyst and Witness podcast, devoted to exploring the films and format of the New York Film Festival, hosted by Ryan Swen and Dan Molloy. This covers the fourteenth edition of the festival in 1976.

0:00-27:53 – Opening
27:54-1:11:17 – Part One [Small Change to The Ceremony]
1:11:18-1:55:04 – Part Two [Kings of the Road to Illustrious Corpses]
1:55:05-2:34:08 – Part Three [Story of Sin to A Touch of Zen]
2:34:09-3:20:25 – Part Four [The Middleman to The Marquise of O…]
3:20:26-3:26:08 – Closing

Corrections/Clarifications

  • The episode title comes from a quote by Martin E. Segal regarding the barred screenings of In the Realm of the Senses, via the New York Times.

Housekeeping

  • Hosted by Dan Molloy & Ryan Swen
  • Conceived and Edited by Ryan Swen
  • Recorded in Los Angeles on Zoom H4N and Behringer Microphones, Edited in Audacity
  • Podcast photograph from Yi Yi, Logo designed by Dan Molloy
  • Poster by Allan D’Arcangelo
  • Recorded May 25, 2019
  • Released May 31, 2019
  • Music (in order of appearance):
    • Small Change (opening night)
    • Harlan County U.S.A. (another favorite)
    • In the Realm of the Senses (favorite of the first section)
    • Dersu Uzala (favorite of the second section)
    • A Touch of Zen (favorite of the third section)
    • Duelle (une quarantaine) (favorite of the fourth section)
    • The Marquise of O… (closing night)

General

  • Selection Committee: Richard Roud (program director), Richard Corliss, Roger Greenspun, Charles Michener, Susan Sontag, Arthur Knight (West Coast consultant), Henri Langlois (retrospective consultant)
  • Location: Alice Tully Hall and Ziegfeld Theatre
  • Prices: 2, 2.50, 3.50, 5; for opening and closing night 4, 5, 7, 10
  • Films seen for the podcast:
    • Ryan
      • Seen before podcast watching period: In the Realm of the Senses, A Touch of Zen
      • Seen for the podcast: All available except Story of Sin, Strongman Ferdinand, Nana, Fear of Fear; A Touch of Zen rewatched
      • Favorite films: A Touch of Zen, Duelle (une quarantaine), The Marquise of O… Dersu Uzala, In the Realm of the Senses, The Ceremony, Sérail
      • Least favorite films: Illustrious Corpses
      • Seen after the podcast: Fear of Fear (16th)
    • Dan
      • Seen before podcast watching period: Small Change, Ossessione, In the Realm of the Senses, The Ceremony, Kings of the Road, Duelle (une quarantaine)
      • Seen for the podcast: All available except Jonah Who Will Be 25 in the Year 2000, The Memory of Justice, Illustrious Corpses, The Middleman, Nana; none rewatched
      • Favorite films: Duelle, Harlan County U.S.A., The Marquise of O…, A Touch of Zen
      • Least favorite films: Story of Sin, Ossessione
  • Discoveries of the festival: Bernice Bobs Her Hair, Jonah Who Will Be 25 in the Year 2000
  • Unavailable films: Sunday Funnies, In the Region of Ice

Main Slate

Opening Night: Small Change [L’Argent de poche/Pocket Money] (1976, François Truffaut)
October 1, 6:30
Released 1976
Retrospective: Ossessione [Obsession] (1943, Luchino Visconti)
October 2, 3:00
Released 1977
Jonah Who Will Be 25 in the Year 2000 [Jonas qui aura 25 ans en l’an 2000] (1976, Alain Tanner)
October 2, 6:00
Released 1976
In the Realm of the Senses [Ai no korīda/Bullfight of Love] (1976, Oshima Nagisa)
Replaced With: The Ceremony [Gishiki] (1971, Oshima Nagisa)
October 2, 9:00
Released 1977/Released 1974
Kings of the Road [Im Lauf der Zeit/In the Course of Time] (1976, Wim Wenders)
October 3, 5:00
Released 1976
Dersu Uzala (1975, Kurosawa Akira)
October 5, 6:15 {Ziegfeld Theatre}
Released 1978
The Memory of Justice (1976, Marcel Ophuls)
October 5, 6:30
Released 1976
“Rites of Passage”
Sunday Funnies (1976, Ray Karp)
In the Region of Ice (1976, Peter Werner)
Bernice Bobs Her Hair (1976, Joan Micklin Silver)
October 6, 6:15
Never released/Never released/Never released
Illustrious Corpses [Cadaveri eccellenti] (1976, Francesco Rosi)
October 6, 9:30
Released 1981
Story of Sin [Dzieje grzechu] (1975, Walerian Borowczyk)
October 7, 9:30
Released 1976
Sérail [Surreal Estate] (1976, Eduardo de Gregorio)
October 8, 9:30
Released 1976
Strongman Ferdinand [Der starke Ferdinand] (1976, Alexander Kluge)
October 9, 6:00
Released 1977
A Touch of Zen [Xiá nǚ/Hero Woman] (1971, King Hu)
October 10, 2:00
Released 2016
The Middleman [Jana Araṇya] (1976, Satyajit Ray)
October 12, 9:30
Released 1980
Duelle (une quarantaine) [Twhylight] (1976, Jacques Rivette)
October 13, 9:30
Released 2021
Retrospective: Nana (1926, Jean Renoir)
October 14, 9:15
Released 1929
Fear of Fear [Angst vor der Angst] (1975, Rainer Werner Fassbinder)
October 15, 6:15
Never released
Harlan County U.S.A. (1976, Barbara Kopple)
October 15, 9:30
Released 1977
Closing Night: The Marquise of O… [Die Marquise von O…] (1976, Éric Rohmer)
October 17, 6:00
Released 1976

Recurring Directors
Key: films in this iteration excluding shorts/omnibus/retrospectives, films in this iteration including, films in the festival up to this point excluding, films up to this point including, number of gala spots (when applicable), number of festivals with more than one film shown (when applicable); † indicates their last appearance, fraction in parentheses indicates number of features shown from oeuvre, features released in the eligible timeframe, features in oeuvre

  • Oshima Nagisa: 1/2/2/3/0/1
  • Satyajit Ray: 1/1/6/6/1†(6/24/32)
  • Rainer Werner Fassbinder: 1/1/6/6
  • François Truffaut: 1/1/5/5/4
  • Jacques Rivette: 1/1/5/5/0/1
  • Alexander Kluge: 1/1/4/4
  • Éric Rohmer: 1/1/3/4/2
  • Kurosawa Akira: 1/1/3/3/1
  • Francesco Rosi: 1/1/3/3/0/1†(3/15/18)
  • Marcel Ophuls: 1/1/3/3
  • Luchino Visconti: 0/1/2/3/1
  • Walerian Borowczyk: 1/1/2/2†(2/14/14)
  • Alain Tanner: 1/1/2/2
  • Wim Wenders: 1/1/2/2
  • Eduardo de Gregorio: 1/1/1/1
  • Barbara Kopple: 1/1/1/1
  • Jean Renoir: 0/1/0/4

Recurring Countries
Key: films in this iteration excluding shorts/retrospectives, films in this iteration including, films in the festival up to this point excluding, films up to this point including, number of gala spots (when applicable)

  • West Germany: 4/4/22/23/1
  • France: 3/4/83/100/12
  • USA: 3/5/43/58/2
  • Italy: 1/2/31/36/3
  • Japan: 1/2/13/16/1
  • Poland: 1/1/10/10
  • USSR: 1/1/6/6/2
  • India: 1/1/6/6/1
  • Switzerland: 1/1/4/4
  • Taiwan: 1/1/1/1

One-Time Directors

  • King Hu
  • Ray Karp (short)
  • Joan Micklin Silver
  • Peter Werner (short)

Festivals

  • NYFF World Premiere
    • Harlan County U.S.A.
  • Cannes
    • A Touch of Zen (1975, Technical Grand Prize)
    • Story of Sin (1975)
    • The Marquise of O… (Grand Prix)
    • Kings of the Road (FIPRESCI)
    • Strongman Ferdinand (Directors’ Fortnight, FIPRESCI)
    • Duelle (une quarantaine) (Directors’ Fortnight)
    • In the Realm of the Senses (Directors’ Fortnight)
    • Illustrious Corpses (Out of Competition)
    • The Memory of Justice (Out of Competition)
  • Berlin
    • Small Change
  • Other
    • Dersu Uzala (Moscow, Golden Prize, FIPRESCI)
  • N/A
    • Bernice Bobs Her Hair
    • The Ceremony
    • Fear of Fear
    • In the Region of Ice
    • Jonah Who Will Be 25 in the Year 2000
    • The Middleman
    • Nana
    • Ossessione
    • Sérail
    • Sunday Funnies

Oscar Nominees

  • Dersu Uzala: 1975 Best Foreign Film (won)
  • Harlan County U.S.A.: Best Documentary (won)
  • In the Region of Ice: Best Live Action Short Film (won)

Shorts

shorts

Discussions By Length (Approximate)

  • 19:39 A Touch of Zen (2:14:29-2:34:08)
  • 19:32 In the Realm of the Senses/The Ceremony (51:45-1:11:17)
  • 14:20 Duelle (une quarantaine) (2:42:00-2:56:20)
  • 12:02 The Marquise of O… (3:08:23-3:20:25)
  • 11:41 Dersu Uzala (1:21:07-1:32:48)
  • 9:46 Sérail (2:00:10-2:09:56)
  • 9:41 Small Change (28:51-38:32)
  • 8:52 Kings of the Road (1:12:14-1:21:06)
  • 8:23 “Rites of Passage” (1:41:06-1:49:29)
  • 8:16 The Memory of Justice [One Person] (1:32:49-1:41:05)
  • 7:27 Jonah Who Will Be 25 in the Year 2000 [One Person] (44:17-51:44)
  • 6:49 The Middleman [One Person] (2:35:10-2:41:59)
  • 5:44 Harlan County U.S.A. (3:02:38-3:08:22)
  • 5:43 Ossessione (38:33-44:16)
  • 5:34 Illustrious Corpses [One Person] (1:49:30-1:55:04)
  • 4:46 Fear of Fear [One Person] (2:57:51-3:02:37)
  • 4:31 Strongman Ferdinand [One Person] (2:09:57-2:14:28)
  • 4:06 Story of Sin [One Person] (1:56:03-2:00:09)
  • 1:29 Nana [No Person] (2:56:21-2:57:50)

Specifications

  • François Truffaut, L’Argent de poche, 1976, 35 mm, color, mono sound, 104 minutes, 1.66:1, French, France.
  • Luchino Visconti, Ossessione, 1943, 35 mm, black-and-white, mono sound, 140 minutes, 1.37:1, Italian, Italy.
  • Alain Tanner, Jonas qui aura 25 ans en l’an 2000, 1976, 35 mm, color and black-and-white, mono sound, 116 minutes, 1.66:1, French, Switzerland.
  • 大島渚, 愛のコリーダ, 1976, 35 mm, color, mono sound, 102 minutes, 1.66:1, Japanese, Japan.
  • 大島渚, 儀式, 1971, 35 mm, color, mono sound, 123 minutes, 2.35:1, Japanese, Japan.
  • Wim Wenders, Im Lauf der Zeit, 1976, 35 mm, black-and-white, mono sound, 175 minutes, 1.66:1, German, West Germany.
  • 黒澤明, Дерсу Узала, 1975, 70 mm, color, 6-track stereo sound, 142 minutes, 2.20:1, Russian, USSR.
  • Marcel Ophuls, The Memory of Justice, 1976, 16 mm, color and black-and-white, mono sound, 278 minutes, 1.37:1, English and German and French, USA.
  • Ray Karp, Sunday Funnies, 1976, 16 mm, color, mono sound, 21 minutes, 1.37:1, English, USA. (?)
  • Peter Werner, In the Region of Ice, 1976, 35 mm, black-and-white, mono sound, 37 minutes, 1.37:1, English, USA.
  • Joan Micklin Silver, Bernice Bobs Her Hair, 1976, 16 mm, color, mono sound, 45 minutes, 1.37:1, English, USA.
  • Francesco Rosi, Cadaveri eccellenti, 1976, 35 mm, color and black-and-white, mono sound, 120 minutes, 1.85:1, Italian, Italy.
  • Walerian Borowczyk, Dzieje grzechu, 1975, 35 mm, color, mono sound, 130 minutes, 1.66:1, Polish, Poland.
  • Eduardo de Gregorio, Sérail, 1976, 35 mm, color, mono sound, 83 minutes, 2.39:1, French and English, France.
  • Alexander Kluge, Der starke Ferdinand, 1976, 35 mm, color, mono sound, 97 minutes, 1.37:1, German, West Germany.
  • 胡金銓, 俠女, 1971, 35 mm, color, mono sound, 180 minutes, 2.35:1, Chinese Mandarin, Taiwan.
  • সত্যজিত রায়, জন অরণ্য, 1976, 35 mm, black-and-white, mono sound, 131 minutes, 1.37:1, Bengali, India.
  • Jacques Rivette, Duelle (une quarantaine), 1976, 35 mm, color and black-and-white, mono sound, 121 minutes, 1.85:1, French, France.
  • Jean Renoir, Nana, 1926, 35 mm, black-and-white, silent, 150 minutes, 1.33:1, French, France.
  • Rainer Werner Fassbinder, Angst vor der Angst, 1975, 16 mm, color, mono sound, 88 minutes, 1.37:1, German, West Germany.
  • Barbara Kopple, Harlan County U.S.A., 1976, 16 mm, color, mono sound, 103 minutes, 1.85:1, English, USA.
  • Éric Rohmer, Die Marquise von O…, 1976, 35 mm, color, mono sound, 102 minutes, 1.37:1, German, West Germany.

13th (1975): “Celluloid Guerillas” Show Notes

Ryan Swen Catalyst and Witness Leave a comment

Table of Contents: Description, Corrections/Clarifications, Housekeeping, General, Main Slate, Ephemera, Recurring Directors, Recurring Countries, One-Time Directors, Debuts/Final Features, Festivals/Oscar Nominees, Shorts, Discussions By Length, Specifications

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Listen to the podcast here.
Subscribe to the podcast here.

Description
The thirteenth episode of the Catalyst and Witness podcast, devoted to exploring the films and format of the New York Film Festival, hosted by Ryan Swen and Dan Molloy. This covers the thirteenth edition of the festival in 1975, and features special guest Alyssa Heflin, George Eastman Museum film preservation graduate student and cinephile.

0:00-23:22 – Opening
23:23-1:30:07 – Part One [Conversation Piece to F for Fake]
1:30:08-2:20:05 – Part Two [The Enigma of Kaspar Hauser to Xala]
2:20:06-3:03:28 – Part Three [The Lost Honor of Katharina Blum to Compañero: Victor Jara of Chile]
3:03:29-3:49:41 – Part Four [Exhibition to The Story of Adèle H.]
3:49:42-3:57:22 – Closing

Corrections/Clarifications

  • N/A

Housekeeping

  • Hosted by Dan Molloy & Ryan Swen
  • Special Guest Alyssa Heflin
  • Conceived and Edited by Ryan Swen
  • Recorded in Los Angeles and Rochester on Zoom H4N and Behringer Microphones and MacBook GarageBand, Edited in Audacity
  • Podcast photograph from Yi Yi, Logo designed by Dan Molloy
  • Poster by Carol Summers
  • Recorded April 7, 2019
  • Released April 30, 2019
  • Music (in order of appearance):
    • Conversation Piece (opening night)
    • Fox and His Friends (another favorite)
    • F for Fake (favorite of the first section)
    • Xala (favorite of the second section)
    • Moses and Aaron (favorite of the third section)
    • India Song (favorite of the fourth section)
    • The Story of Adlèle H. (closing night)

General

  • Selection Committee: Richard Roud (program director), Richard Corliss, Roger Greenspun, Arthur Knight, Arthur L. Mayer, Charles Michener, Susan Sontag, Henri Langlois (retrospective consultant)
  • Location: Alice Tully Hall and Avery Fisher Hall
  • Prices: 2, 2.50, 3.50, 5; for opening and closing night 4, 5, 7, 10
  • Films seen for the podcast:
    • Ryan
      • Seen before podcast watching period: F for Fake, Xala
      • Seen for the podcast: All available except Milestones; all rewatched
      • Favorite films: India Song, Moses and Aaron, F for Fake, La Chienne, Fox and His Friends
      • Least favorite films: Black Moon, Compañero, Autobiography of a Princess
      • Rewatch Round-Up: Muriel, or the Time of Return (1st)
    • Dan
      • Seen before podcast watching period: La Chienne, Grey Gardens, F for Fake, The Enigma of Kaspar Hauser, Xala
      • Seen for the podcast: All available except Autobiography of a Princess, Compañero; F for Fake rewatched
      • Favorite films: F for Fake, India Song, Fox and His Friends, Moses and Aaron, La Chienne, The Enigma of Kaspar Hauser, The Story of Adèle H.
      • Least favorite films: Black Moon, Conversation Piece, Hearts of the West
      • Catch-Up Corner: Even Dwarfs Started Small (8th)
    • Alyssa
      • Seen before podcast watching period: Fox and His Friends, F for Fake
      • Seen for the podcast: All available except Compañero; F for Fake rewatched
      • Favorite films: F for Fake, Fox and His Friends, India Song, Xala, The Story of Adele H.
      • Least favorite films: Black Moon, Hearts of the West, Autobiography of a Princess
  • Discoveries of the festival: India Song, Smile
  • Unavailable films: Exhibition, French Provincial

Main Slate

Opening Night: Conversation Piece [Gruppo di famiglia in un interno/Family Group in an Interior] (1974, Luchino Visconti)
September 26, 9:00 {Avery Fisher Hall}
Released 1977
Retrospective: La Chienne [The Bitch] (1931, Jean Renoir)
September 27, 3:00
Released 1976
Fox and His Friends [Faustrecht der Freiheit/Fist-Right of Freedom] (1975, Rainer Werner Fassbinder)
September 27, 6:00
Released 1976
Grey Gardens (1975, David & Albert Maysles & Ellen Hovde & Muffie Meyer)
September 28, 3:00
Released 1976
F for Fake (1973, Orson Welles)
September 28, 6:00
Released 1977
The Enigma of Kaspar Hauser [Jeder für sich und Gott gegen alle/Every Man for Himself and God Against All] (1974, Werner Herzog)
September 28, 9:00
Released 1975
Electra, My Love [Szerelmem, Elektra] (1974, Jancsó Miklós)
September 30, 6:15
Released 2022
Black Moon (1975, Louis Malle)
September 30, 9:30
Released 1975
The Wonderful Crook [Pas si méchant que ça/Not So Bad] (1975, Claude Goretta)
October 1, 6:15
Released 1977
Xala [Impotence] (1975, Ousmane Sembène)
October 1, 9:30
Released 1975
The Lost Honor of Katharina Blum [Die Verlorene Ehre der Katharina Blum oder: Wie Gewalt entstehen und wohin sie führen kann/The Lost Honour of Katharina Blum, or: How Violence Develops and Where It Can Lead] (1975, Volker Schlöndorff & Margarethe von Trotta)
October 3, 6:15
Released 1975
Hearts of the West (1975, Howard Zieff)
October 4, 9:00
Released 1975
Moses and Aaron [Moses und Aron] (1975, Danièle Huillet & Jean-Marie Straub)
October 5, 3:00
Released 1975
Autobiography of a Princess (1975, James Ivory)
And: Compañero: Victor Jara of Chile (1975, Stanley Forman & Martin Smith)
October 5, 6:00
Never released/Never released
Exhibition (1975, Jean-François Davy)
October 5, 9:00
Released 1975
India Song (1975, Marguerite Duras)
October 8, 6:15
Released 1981
Milestones (1975, Robert Kramer & John Douglas)
October 8, 9:30
Released 1975
Smile (1975, Michael Ritchie)
October 9, 6:15
Released 1975
French Provincial [Souvenirs d’en France/Memories of France] (1975, André Téchiné)
October 9, 9:30
Released 1976
Closing Night: The Story of Adèle H. [L’Histoire d’Adèle H.] (1975, François Truffaut)
October 12, 8:30 {Avery Fisher Hall}
Released 1975

Ephemera

  • A series of directors’ symposia (unscheduled)

Recurring Directors
Key: films in this iteration excluding shorts/omnibus/retrospectives, films in this iteration including, films in the festival up to this point excluding, films up to this point including, number of gala spots (when applicable), number of festivals with more than one film shown (when applicable); † indicates their last appearance, fraction in parentheses indicates number of features shown from oeuvre, features released in the eligible timeframe, features in oeuvre

  • Jean-Marie Straub & Danièle Huillet: 1/1/5/6/0/1
  • Rainer Werner Fassbinder: 1/1/5/5
  • Werner Herzog: 1/1/5/5
  • Jancsó Miklós: 1/1/5/5
  • François Truffaut: 1/1/4/4/3
  • Marguerite Duras: 1/1/4/4
  • Louis Malle: 1/1/3/3/1
  • Luchino Visconti: 1/1/2/2/1
  • James Ivory: 1/1/2/2
  • Volker Schlöndorff: 1/1/2/2†(2/22/22)
  • Ousmane Sembène: 1/1/2/2
  • Orson Welles: 1/1/2/2†(2/5/14)
  • Albert Maysles: 1/1/1/2
  • David Maysles: 1/1/1/2†(2/8/8)
  • Claude Goretta: 1/1/1/1
  • André Téchiné: 1/1/1/1
  • Jean Renoir: 0/1/0/3

Recurring Countries
Key: films in this iteration excluding shorts/retrospectives, films in this iteration including, films in the festival up to this point excluding, films up to this point including, number of gala spots (when applicable)

  • France: 6/7/80/96/11
  • USA: 4/4/40/53/2
  • West Germany: 3/3/18/19
  • UK: 2/2/19/21/1
  • Italy: 1/1/30/34/3
  • Hungary: 1/1/8/8
  • Switzerland: 1/1/3/3
  • Senegal: 1/1/2/2
  • Austria: 1/1/1/1

One-Time Directors

  • Jean-François Davy
  • Stanley Forman & Martin Smith
  • Ellen Hovde & Muffie Meyer
  • Robert Kramer & John Douglas
  • Michael Ritchie
  • Margarethe von Trotta
  • Howard Zieff

Feature Debuts

  • Stanley Forman & Martin Smith
  • Ellen Hovde & Muffie Meyer
  • Margarethe von Trotta

Final Features

  • John Douglas
  • Stanley Forman & Martin Smith

Festivals

  • NYFF World Premiere
    • Autobiography of a Princess (?)
    • Compañero: Victor Jara of Chile (?)
    • Grey Gardens
    • Hearts of the West
    • The Lost Honor of Katharina Blum
  • Cannes
    • The Enigma of Kaspar Hauser (Grand Prix, FIPRESCI, Prize of the Ecumenical Jury)
    • Electra, My Love
    • India Song (Out of Competition)
    • Fox and His Friends (Directors’ Fortnight)
    • French Provincial (Directors’ Fortnight)
    • Milestones (Directors’ Fortnight)
  • Other
    • F for Fake (San Sebastian)
    • Moses and Aaron (Rotterdam)
    • The Wonderful Crook (Locarno)
    • Xala (Moscow)
  • N/A
    • Black Moon
    • La Chienne
    • Conversation Piece
    • Exhibition
    • Smile
    • The Story of Adèle H.

Oscar Nominees

  • The Story of Adèle H.: Best Actress

Shorts

shorts

Discussions By Length (Approximate)

  • 16:10 F for Fake (1:13:57-1:30:07)
  • 14:42 India Song (3:06:30-3:21:12)
  • 14:39 Fox and His Friends (48:07-1:02:46)
  • 13:27 Moses and Aaron (2:39:45-2:53:12)
  • 13:13 Black Moon (1:48:51-2:02:04)
  • 12:21 Conversation Piece (24:21-36:42)
  • 11:23 La Chienne (36:43-48:06)
  • 11:09 Grey Gardens (1:02:47-1:13:56)
  • 10:43 Smile (3:28:05-3:38:48)
  • 10:13 The Enigma of Kaspar Hauser (1:31:06-1:41:19)
  • 10:01 The Lost Honor of Katharina Blum (2:21:06-2:31:07)
  • 9:48 The Story of Adèle H. (3:39:53-3:49:41)
  • 9:37 Xala (2:10:28-2:20:05)
  • 8:36 Hearts of the West (2:31:08-2:39:44)
  • 8:22 The Wonderful Crook (2:02:05-2:10:27)
  • 7:30 Electra, My Love (1:41:20-1:48:50)
  • 6:51 Milestones (3:21:13-3:28:04)
  • 6:03 Autobiography of a Princess (2:53:13-2:59:16)
  • 4:11 Compañero: Victor Jara of Chile [One Person] (2:59:17-3:03:28)
  • 1:53 Exhibition [Unavailable] (3:04:36-3:06:29)
  • 1:03 French Provincial [Unavailable] (3:38:49-3:39:52)

Specifications

  • Luchino Visconti, Gruppo di famiglia in un interno, 1974, 35 mm, color, mono sound, 121 minutes, 2.39:1, Italian, Italy.
  • Jean Renoir, La Chienne, 1931, 35 mm, black-and-white, mono sound, 91 minutes, 1.20:1, French, France.
  • Rainer Werner Fassbinder, Faustrecht der Freiheit, 1975, 35 mm, color, mono sound, 124 minutes, 1.37:1, German, West Germany.
  • David & Albert Maysles & Ellen Hovde & Muffie Meyer, Grey Gardens, 1975, 16 mm, color, mono sound, 94 minutes, 1.37:1, English, USA.
  • Orson Welles, F for Fake, 1973, 35 mm and 16 mm, color, mono sound, 88 minutes, 1.66:1, English, France.
  • Werner Herzog, Jeder für sich und Gott gegen alle, 1974, 35 mm and 8 mm, color, mono sound, 110 minutes, 1.66:1, German, West Germany.
  • Jancsó Miklós, Szerelmem, Elektra, 1974, 35 mm, color, mono sound, 70 minutes, 1.66:1, Hungarian, Hungary.
  • Louis Malle, Black Moon, 1975, 35 mm, color, mono sound, 100 minutes, 1.66:1, English, France.
  • Claude Goretta, Pas si méchant que ça, 1975, 35 mm, color, mono sound, 112 minutes, 1.66:1, French, France.
  • Ousmane Sembène, Xala, 1975, 35 mm, color, mono sound, 123 minutes, 1.66:1, Wolof and French, Senegal.
  • Volker Schlöndorff & Margarethe von Trotta, Die Verlorene Ehre der Katharina Blum oder: Wie Gewalt entstehen und wohin sie führen kann, 1975, 35 mm, color and black-and-white, mono sound, 106 minutes, 1.66:1, German, West Germany.
  • Howard Zieff, Hearts of the West, 1975, 35 mm, color, mono sound, 102 minutes, 1.85:1, English, USA.
  • Danièle Huillet & Jean-Marie Straub, Moses und Aron, 1975, 35 mm and 16 mm, color, mono sound, 107 minutes, 1.37:1, German, Austria.
  • James Ivory, Autobiography of a Princess, 1975, 16 mm, color, mono sound, 59 minutes, 1.37:1, English, UK.
  • Stanley Forman & Martin Smith, Compañero: Victor Jara of Chile, 1975, 16 mm, color, mono sound, 58 minutes, 1.37:1, English, UK.
  • Jean-François Davy, Exhibition, 1975, 16 mm, color, mono sound, 110 minutes, 1.37:1, French, France.
  • Marguerite Duras, India Song, 1975, 16 mm, color, mono sound, 120 minutes, 1.37:1, French, France.
  • Robert Kramer & John Douglas, Milestones, 1975, 16 mm, color, mono sound, 195 minutes, 1.37:1, English, USA.
  • Michael Ritchie, Smile, 1975, 35 mm, color, mono sound, 113 minutes, 1.85:1, English, USA.
  • André Téchiné, Souvenirs d’en France, 1975, 35 mm, color, mono sound, 90 minutes, 1.66:1, French, France.
  • François Truffaut, L’Histoire d’Adèle H., 1975, 35 mm, color and black-and-white, mono sound, 96 minutes, 1.66:1, French and English, France.

2019 Reading Log

Ryan Swen Lists, Reviews Tags: Leave a comment

1. Augustus (1972, John Williams): 12/23/18-4/21/19 (on-off)
In a certain sense I don’t know if I’m entirely fit to form any coherent thoughts on this monumental work, considering my prolonged and very scattered engagement with it. But it seems fitting, in a certain way: it is a book of transience, looking backwards at memories only mostly remembered, even as those who bear witness to history pass before their time. The years pass, only highlighted truly by the denotations in the headings, and the voices thin one by one until the subject himself speaks, and his own voice is as distinguished yet as fundamentally poetic as the rest. A fitting final work, then, encompassing a life and a nation with unimaginable grace.

2. The Savage Detectives (1998, Roberto Bolaño): 4/22/19-6/23/19
It’s an understatement to say that this permeated and swirled around in my consciousness for the two months I read it, and probably will for a good long while after. Finishing it at around the same time as my experience with La Flor, a work of comparable scope and artistic lineage, if not ultimate intention, does certainly color it, but in many ways this colossal work seems even more mysterious than when I first started it. The structure certainly points to a fundamental aimlessness, when a person becomes further unmoored from an already rootless existence, as the regimented structure of the days disappear and a testimony can be split into many parts and take place over the course of a single night or decades. In a sense, this almost combines the intentions of the previous two books I’ve read (Invisible Cities and Augustus) and transforms them, anchoring itself in a time, space, and movement simultaneously real and imaginary. But the anxieties, the raucousness, the desperation are all too real; what truly punctures is not just the two (or three) lost souls at its center, but the fates of so many characters that feel just as key as the rest. Whether ending up dead or cocooned within a life far less radical (for good or ill), no one can escape the progression of time, the march of the decades. When your goal is unexpectedly fulfilled with little fanfare, where can you go, what can you do?

3. Three to Kill (1976, Jean-Patrick Manchette): 6/23/19-6/24/19
Didn’t necessarily expect the political edge to this, which becomes an inflection through the course of the narrative but rears its head at unexpected moments, but it pairs perfectly with the ruthless cool of this, the loving detail given to the process by which men engage in vicious exchanges. Like many of the great artists, and like his central character, Manchette’s facility with time is extremely adaptable, and his chapter structure bears this out: the longest chapters both feature spans of long months and the course of a night, and sometimes they last less than two pages, all the better to convey the clipped yet melodic nature of his prose. Calling this bloodless wouldn’t be correct, but a steeliness emanates off of every sentence, a total confidence that thrills.

4. Transit (1944, Anna Seghers): 6/25/19-8/8/19
Can’t help but ultimately compare this to Christian Petzold’s masterful film, which pares down and refines the surprising multitude of elements to this sobering and deeply involved book. Its greatness is of a sort very different (and not quite as appealing) from the film, delving deep into its nameless protagonist’s mindset, which veers from callous to obsessed in a manner that ultimately feels consistent and deeply revealing of the very whims that govern the murmuring masses whose fates are decided by scraps of paper. The emotions may be somewhat more tricky to get into, particularly in terms of the circling nature of this book, with Seghers seeming as interested in the disparate side characters as in her central dynamics, but as little moments emerge, as more and more is spoken and unspoken, something of no small power does ultimately emerge.

5. Cathedral (1983, Raymond Carver): 8/9/19-8/17/19
Can’t speak to how this compares to the average short story collection, but there’s such an immense unity to these, each existing in their own orbit but sharing a careful and rigorous attention to suburban anxieties. Without sacrificing the overall air of memory and recollection, Carver’s mode always shifts, especially in when he chooses when to narrate from his main character’s point of view or not; “A Small, Good Thing” is the natural pinnacle and centerpiece of this, fluidly shifting between husband and wife before reorienting suddenly in the last few pages. And of course, the title story is a perfect capper, an immense tribute to art and empathy as prickly and complex as it is moving.

6. The Unknown Masterpiece (1831, Honoré de Balzac): 8/18/19-9/6/19
Though the title story is the greater of the two, the significant presence of “Gambara”, both physically (taking up two-thirds of the NYRB book) and aesthetically, certainly shouldn’t be discounted. The two are both concerned with the undoing or misapprehension of genius, and in a way act as foils for each other. Both share in common what appears to be Balzac’s penchant for long monologues, frequently filled with extensive technical discussions of art, and the actual narratives are relatively brief. However, “The Unknown Masterpiece” feels far more deliberately spare in a way that suits it: taking place over no more than three days (though perhaps separated by a longer span), only involving a few characters, and surrounding a single deliberately withheld artwork; furthermore, all of these characters are (as per the introduction) master painters in their own right at different stages in their careers, and thus share a certain commonality. On the other hand, “Gambara” is almost maximal in comparison; the cast of characters is only slightly larger, but the eponymous character is deliberately isolated, with Balzac frequently negotiating a strange balance in depicting him that never fully coheres, and the logorrheic stretches of musical discourse and description both act as a brilliant replication of time and an only partially successful substitute for the actual experience of listening. Both are perhaps overly invested in a sense of aesthetic purity, but in a way this is fitting; without it, the notion of mastery found and lost would be even harder to evoke.

7. The Mad and the Bad (1972, Jean-Patrick Manchette): 9/7/19-9/14/19
Moves incredibly easily from the carefully manicured and managed world of comfortable living — punctuated by Peter’s violent outburst — to stretches of ultraviolence. Like in Three to Kill, Manchette emphasizes the transformation of the main character into something close to a hardened killer, but it’s complicated here by her past in the asylum, which makes her a less easily readable character (largely) for the better. It seems only fitting that a department store and a labyrinth complete with a room for a giant form the spaces for the grand setpieces of this book: the specter of capitalism and greed looms over this, something which the ending note only throws into stark, gleefully cynical relief.

8. Notes on the Cinematograph (1975, Robert Bresson): 9/15/19
Though the specific qualities that make this such a staggering work are by no means absent from the realm of film writing or criticism, there’s something that feels firmly literary about Bresson’s extensive (yet slim) series of aphorisms. Like in his films, there exists a delicate balance between words, between phrases (and the ideas they suggest), between the arrangement of phrases that gives this its power, continually emphasizing his central filmmaking edicts while suggesting much more. Unnamed films, many composers and thinkers, and the occasional direct command tantalize and set the mind ablaze, all while the central integrity of the book remains steadfast. Amazing because of its stark brevity, not in spite of it.

9. A Signal Victory (1960, David Stacton): 9/16/19-11/14/19
There’s almost an alchemical relationship between Stacton’s prose and his narrative/thematic concerns, relating both deep philosophical ruminations and an intimate but unpredictably shifting approach to the massive civilization-wide change through a quietly despairing lens. The emphasis is above all on Guerrero, who remains a largely stoic figure throughout, but his perspective never feels overtly tethered: it moves lightly to and from his hero, setting out to understand friend and foe alike, seemingly staying close to the historical fact while never shortchanging or discounting the Mayan perspective. Stacton possesses such a deep level of respect and love for the Spanish defector, recognizing all of his newfound conviction as emblematic of something even grander than a lost way of life: the drive to find a home, to find one’s place in the world, and the devastation that comes with that world’s destruction. Each leap in time, each decisive act carries its own strange and beautiful charge.

10. The Mirror Crack’d From Side to Side (1962, Agatha Christie): 11/15/19-11/19/19
It’s been a long while since I’ve read a true whodunit, but I feel like that only accounts for a small part of my strong reaction to the reveal, which is truly masterful and more than a little moving. Granted, there are some slightly niggling elements: the Development, Miss Knight, all of which add a certain atmosphere to St. Mary Mead that in turn butts up against the (much more pleasurable) world of film that this largely engages with. But the procedure’s the thing, and Christie provides it in spades, constantly circling with each repeated question (conveyed not through Miss Marple but through Chief-Inspector Craddock), in a way that ultimately proves to be the key: it’s all about perception and psychology, and it’s conveyed in clear and firm terms, rooted in actions, which prove to be quite pleasing.

A Top 100 Films of All-Time

Ryan Swen Lists

A text-only version of this list can be found here.
A one-per-director version of this list can be found here.

  1. A One and a Two… (2000, Edward Yang)
  2. Mulholland Drive (2001, David Lynch)
  3. Sunless (1983, Chris Marker)
  4. A Touch of Zen (1971, King Hu)
  5. In the Mood for Love (2000, Wong Kar-wai)
  6. A Brighter Summer Day (1991, Edward Yang)
  7. Céline and Julie Go Boating (1974, Jacques Rivette)
  8. Goodbye, Dragon Inn (2003, Tsai Ming-liang)
  9. Yourself and Yours (2016, Hong Sang-soo)
  10. Out 1 (1971, Jacques Rivette)
  11. The Young Girls of Rochefort (1967, Jacques Demy)
  12. Meet Me in St. Louis (1944, Vincente Minnelli)
  13. Chungking Express (1994, Wong Kar-wai)
  14. Late Spring (1949, Ozu Yasujiro)
  15. (nostalgia) (1971, Hollis Frampton)
  16. Platform (2000, Jia Zhangke)
  17. Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000, Ang Lee)
  18. Twin Peaks: The Return (2017, David Lynch)
  19. Muriel, or the Time of Return (1963, Alain Resnais)
  20. Vertigo (1958, Alfred Hitchcock)
  21. The Magnificent Ambersons (1942, Orson Welles)
  22. Perceval le Gallois (1978, Éric Rohmer)
  23. Oxhide II (2009, Liu Jiayin)
  24. La Jetée (1962, Chris Marker)
  25. The Mother and the Whore (1973, Jean Eustache)
  26. The Testament of Dr. Mabuse (1933, Fritz Lang)
  27. Dragon Inn (1966, King Hu)
  28. Stray Dogs (2013, Tsai Ming-liang)
  29. Mountains May Depart (2015, Jia Zhangke)
  30. Last Year at Marienbad (1961, Alain Resnais)
  31. Duck Amuck (1953, Chuck Jones)
  32. Seven Samurai (1954, Kurosawa Akira)
  33. Only Angels Have Wings (1939, Howard Hawks)
  34. Les Vampires (1915, Louis Feuillade)
  35. Wavelength (1967, Michael Snow)
  36. Los Angeles Plays Itself (2003, Thom Andersen)
  37. Ordet (1955, Carl Th. Dreyer)
  38. Ruggles of Red Gap (1935, Leo McCarey)
  39. All My Life (1966, Bruce Baillie)
  40. Millennium Mambo (2001, Hou Hsiao-hsien)
  41. Gertrud (1964, Carl Th. Dreyer)
  42. L’Argent (1983, Robert Bresson)
  43. The Love Eterne (1963, Li Han-hsiang)
  44. Comrades: Almost a Love Story (1996, Peter Chan)
  45. Rio Bravo (1959, Howard Hawks)
  46. Trust (1990, Hal Hartley)
  47. Sansho the Bailiff (1954, Mizoguchi Kenji)
  48. The Green Ray (1986, Éric Rohmer)
  49. Floating Clouds (1955, Naruse Mikio)
  50. The Night of the Hunter (1955, Charles Laughton)
  51. Letter From an Unknown Woman (1948, Max Ophuls)
  52. India Song (1975, Marguerite Duras)
  53. Workers Leaving the Lumière Factory in Lyon (1895, Louis Lumière)
  54. Cure (1997, Kurosawa Kiyoshi)
  55. The Clock (2010, Christian Marclay)
  56. A City of Sadness (1989, Hou Hsiao-hsien)
  57. Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans (1927, F. W. Murnau)
  58. Pierrot le Fou (1965, Jean-Luc Godard)
  59. The Killer (1989, John Woo)
  60. Femmes Femmes (1974, Paul Vecchiali)
  61. La Flor (2018, Mariano Llinás)
  62. Beijing Watermelon (1989, Obayashi Nobuhiko)
  63. The Day He Arrives (2011, Hong Sang-soo)
  64. Heat (1995, Michael Mann)
  65. Rose Hobart (1936, Joseph Cornell)
  66. The Rules of the Game (1939, Jean Renoir)
  67. Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (1953, Howard Hawks)
  68. Shanghai Express (1932, Josef von Sternberg)
  69. Dirty Ho (1979, Lau Kar-leung)
  70. Shanghai Blues (1984, Tsui Hark)
  71. Eraserhead (1977, David Lynch)
  72. A.I. Artificial Intelligence (2001, Steven Spielberg)
  73. Spies (1928, Fritz Lang)
  74. La Commune (Paris, 1871) (2000, Peter Watkins)
  75. An Autumn Afternoon (1962, Ozu Yasujiro)
  76. Like Someone in Love (2012, Abbas Kiarostami)
  77. Spirited Away (2001, Miyazaki Hayao)
  78. Napoléon (1927, Abel Gance)
  79. Two English Girls (1971, François Truffaut)
  80. Days of Being Wild (1990, Wong Kar-wai)
  81. Johnny Guitar (1954, Nicholas Ray)
  82. Mahjong (1996, Edward Yang)
  83. Sparrow (2008, Johnnie To)
  84. A Man Escaped (1956, Robert Bresson)
  85. Asako I & II (2018, Hamaguchi Ryusuke)
  86. Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me (1992, David Lynch)
  87. Yearning (1964, Naruse Mikio)
  88. Miami Vice (2006, Michael Mann)
  89. La Région centrale (1971, Michael Snow)
  90. Mysteries of Lisbon (2010, Raúl Ruiz)
  91. Moses and Aaron (1975, Danièle Huillet & Jean-Marie Straub)
  92. High and Low (1963, Kurosawa Akira)
  93. Close-Up (1990, Abbas Kiarostami)
  94. The Assassin (2015, Hou Hsiao-hsien)
  95. Neon Genesis Evangelion: Take care of yourself. (1996, Anno Hideaki)
  96. My Neighbor Totoro (1988, Miyazaki Hayao)
  97. Night and Day (2008, Hong Sang-soo)
  98. Peking Opera Blues (1986, Tsui Hark)
  99. Drive My Car (2021, Hamaguchi Ryusuke)
  100. Spring in a Small Town (1948, Fei Mu)

March 2019 Capsules

Ryan Swen Reviews Tags: Leave a comment

Transit
The central conceit, of an environment where the anachronistic elements are essential to the frissons of the whole endeavor, is brilliant, but even more impressive might be Petzold’s restraint and careful deployment. Transit never comes off as overbearing in this — or indeed any — regard: there are no intrusions of technologies that could not have been replicated in the 1940s. The effect is so much richer in this withholding; because the situation is so carefully etched and the stakes so closely tied to a specific time, one can very easily forget the present-tense trappings. But when a modern car trundles into view, or a soldier in an American uniform and an assault rifle stands guard, the effect is continually vivid and bracing, never unsurprising, but never *just* a reminder that what is past is present.

A telling sign, and just one of many moments that shows that Petzold completely understands what he’s accomplishing: Georg lights his cigarettes with matches, not a lighter.

Last Year at Marienbad (rewatch)
As much as any one of the elements in Last Year at Marienbad, Resnais understands the inherent uneasiness and ethereality of his constantly moving camera. It glides past people, emphasizing the spaces around the figures rather than the statuesque forms themselves. In many senses, the people are nigh indistinguishable from the background themselves, and yet to say that Resnais gives them no inner life would be wholly inaccurate. The snatches of conversation, the particular glances or looks that they have on their faces, suggests the possibility of infinite stories, even past the multiple manifestations of the central relationships. It is a limitless film, consisting of hallways and memories leading to everywhere and nowhere.

12th (1974): “A World Phenomenon” Show Notes

Ryan Swen Catalyst and Witness Leave a comment

Table of Contents: Description, Corrections/Clarifications, Housekeeping, General, Main Slate, Recurring Directors, Recurring Countries, One-Time Directors, Debuts, Festivals, Shorts, Discussions By Length, Specifications

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Description
The twelfth episode of the Catalyst and Witness podcast, devoted to exploring the films and format of the New York Film Festival, hosted by Ryan Swen and Dan Molloy. This covers the twelfth edition of the festival in 1974, and features special guest Jason Miller, New York cinephile and kind of a Twitter guy.

0:00-23:16 – Opening
23:17-1:23:06 – Part One [Don’t Cry With Your Full to Lancelot du Lac]
1:23:07-3:04:18 – Part Two [Part-Time Work of a Domestic Slave to Out 1: Spectre]
3:04:19-4:03:18 – Part Three [The Middle of the World to Céline and Julie Go Boating]
4:03:19-5:08:57 – Part Four [Alice in the Cities to The Phantom of Liberty]
5:08:58-5:13:31 – Closing

Corrections/Clarifications

  • Kristen Yoonsoo Kim’s name was misspoken as Kristen Soonyoo Kim.

Housekeeping

  • Hosted by Dan Molloy & Ryan Swen
  • Special Guest Jason Miller
  • Conceived and Edited by Ryan Swen
  • Recorded in Los Angeles and New York City on Zoom H4N and Behringer Microphones and MacBook GarageBand, Edited in Audacity
  • Podcast photograph from Yi Yi, Logo designed by Dan Molloy
  • Poster by Jean Tinguely
  • Recorded February 25, 2019
  • Released February 28, 2019
  • Music (in order of appearance):
    • Don’t Cry With Your Mouth Full (opening night)
    • Stavisky… (another favorite)
    • Lancelot du Lac (favorite of the first section)
    • Out 1: Spectre (favorite of the second section)
    • Céline and Julie Go Boating (favorite of the third section)
    • A Woman Under the Influence (favorite of the fourth section)
    • The Phantom of Liberty (closing night)

General

  • Selection Committee: Richard Roud (program director), Richard Corliss, Arthur Knight, Arthur L. Mayer, Andrew Sarris, Susan Sontag, Henri Langlois (retrospective consultant)
  • Location: Alice Tully Hall and Avery Fisher Hall
  • Prices: 2, 2.50, 3.50, 5; for opening and closing night 4, 5, 7, 10
  • Films seen for the podcast:
    • Ryan
      • Seen before podcast watching period: Ali: Fear Eats the Soul, L’Âge d’or*, The Exterminating Angel*, The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie*, A Woman Under the Influence
      • Seen for the podcast: All available except The Milky Way; Ali: Fear Eats the Soul, A Woman Under the Influence rewatched
      • Favorite films: Céline and Julie Go Boating, Out 1: Spectre, Lancelot du Lac, Ali: Fear Eats the Soul, Stavisky…, The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie, A Woman Under the Influence
      • Least favorite films: Old-Fashioned Woman
      • Seen after the podcast: Yudie (16th), The Bench of Desolation (17th)
    • Dan
      • Seen before podcast watching period: Lancelot du Lac, Ali: Fear Eats the Soul, Céline and Julie Go Boating, Alice in the Cities, L’Âge d’or*, The Exterminating Angel*, The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie*, A Woman Under the Influence, The Phantom of Liberty
      • Seen for the podcast: All available except The Night of the Scarecrow, Lacombe Lucien, The Middle of the World, La Paloma; Alice in the Cities rewatched
      • Favorite films: Ali: Fear Eats the Soul, Céline and Julie Go Boating, A Woman Under the Influence, Lancelot du Lac, Stavisky…, Out 1: Spectre, From These Roots
      • Least favorite films: Part Time Work of a Domestic Slave, A Bigger Splash
      • Catch-Up Corner: The Illumination (11th)
    • Jason
      • Seen before podcast watching period: Lancelot du Lac, Italianamerican, Ali: Fear Eats the Soul, Les Enfants terribles, Alice in the Cities, L’Âge d’or, The Exterminating Angel, The Milky Way, The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie, A Woman Under the Influence, The Phantom of Liberty
      • Seen for the podcast: All available except The Night of the Scarecrow, Lacombe Lucien, The Middle of the World, La Paloma; Lancelot du Lac, Italianamerican, Ali: Fear Eats the Soul, The Milky Way, A Woman Under the Influence rewatched
      • Favorite films: Céline and Julie Go Boating, Lancelot du Lac, Out 1: Spectre, A Woman Under the Influence, The Exterminating Angel, The Phantom of Liberty, L’Âge d’or, The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie, Ali: Fear Eats the Soul
      • Least favorite films: Part-Time Work of a Domestic Slave, Old-Fashioned Woman
  • Discoveries of the festival: From These Roots, The Night of the Scarecrow, La Paloma, Stavisky…, A Bigger Splash, the Middle of the World
  • Unavailable films: Don’t Cry With Your Mouth Full, The Bench of Desolation, Rome Wants Another Caesar, Yudie, The Circumstance

Main Slate

Opening Night: Don’t Cry With Your Mouth Full [Pleure pas la bouche pleine!] (1973, Pascal Thomas)
September 27, 9:00 {Avery Fisher Hall}
Released 1975
Retrospective: Liebelei [Flirtation] (1933, Max Ophuls)
September 28, 3:00
Released 1933
The Night of the Scarecrow [A Noite do Espantalho] (1974, Sérgio Ricardo)
September 28, 6:00
Never released
Lacombe Lucien (1974, Louis Malle)
September 28, 9:00
Released 1974
Stavisky… (1974, Alain Resnais)
September 29, 9:30
Released 1974
Lancelot du Lac [Lancelot of the Lake] (1974, Robert Bresson)
September 30, 9:30
Released 1975
Part-Time Work of a Domestic Slave [Gelegenheitsarbeit einer Sklavin] (1973, Alexander Kluge)
Also: The Bench of Desolation [Le banc de la désolation] (1974, Claude Chabrol)
October 1, 6:15
Never released/Never released
Rome Wants Another Caesar [Rome rivuole Cesare] (1974, Jancsó Miklós)
October 1, 9:30
Never released
“Roots”
Yudie (1974, Mirra Bank)
Old-Fashioned Woman (1974, Martha Coolidge)
From These Roots (1974, William Greaves)
Italianamerican (1974, Martin Scorsese)
October 3, 6:15
Never released/Released 1974/Never released/Released 1978
A Bigger Splash (1973, Jack Hazan)
October 3, 9:30
Released 1984
Out 1: Spectre (1972, Jacques Rivette)
October 5, 1:00
Never released
The Middle of the World [Le Milieu du monde] (1974, Alain Tanner)
October 5, 6:15
Released 1975
Ali: Fear Eats the Soul [Angst essen Seele auf/Fear Eat Soul Up] (1974, Rainer Werner Fassbinder)
October 5, 9:30
Released 1974
Retrospective: Les Enfants terribles [The Terrible Children] (1950, Jean-Pierre Melville)
October 7, 6:15
Released 1952
Céline and Julie Go Boating [Céline et Julie vont en bateau] (1974, Jacques Rivette)
October 7, 8:45
Released 1978
Alice in the Cities [Alice in den Städten] (1974, Wim Wenders)
October 8, 6:15
Released 1977
La Paloma [The Dove] (1974, Daniel Schmid)
October 8, 9:30
Released 1992
The Circumstance [La Circostanza] (1973, Ermanno Olmi)
October 10, 9:30
Never released
Retrospective: Homage to Buñuel
L’Âge d’or [The Golden Age] (1930, Luis Buñuel)
The Exterminating Angel [El ángel exterminador] (1962, Luis Buñuel)
The Milky Way [La Voie lactée] (1969, Luis Buñuel)
The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie [Le Charme discret de la bourgeoisie] (1972, Luis Buñuel)
October 12, 11:00
Released 1980/Released 1967/Released 1970/Released 1972
A Woman Under the Influence (1974, John Cassavetes)
October 12, 6:00
Released 1974
Closing Night: The Phantom of Liberty [Le Fantôme de la liberté] (1974, Luis Buñuel)
October 13, 9:00 {Avery Fisher Hall}
Released 1974

Recurring Directors
Key: films in this iteration excluding shorts/omnibus/retrospectives, films in this iteration including, films in the festival up to this point excluding, films up to this point including, number of gala spots (when applicable), number of festivals with more than one film shown (when applicable); † indicates their last appearance, fraction in parentheses indicates number of features shown from oeuvre, features released in the eligible timeframe, features in oeuvre

  • Jacques Rivette: 2/2/4/4/0/1
  • Luis Buñuel: 1/5/7/11/1/3
  • Robert Bresson: 1/1/6/6
  • Alain Resnais: 1/1/5/5/2
  • Claude Chabrol: 1/1/5/5/0/1
  • Ermanno Olmi: 1/1/5/5
  • Rainer Werner Fassbinder: 1/1/4/4
  • Jancsó Miklós: 1/1/4/4
  • Alexander Kluge: 1/1/3/3
  • Martin Scorsese: 1/1/3/3
  • Louis Malle: 1/1/2/2/1
  • John Cassavetes: 1/1/2/2
  • Alain Tanner: 1/1/1/1
  • Wim Wenders: 1/1/1/1
  • Jean-Pierre Melville: 0/1/1/2
  • Max Ophuls: 0/1/0/3

Recurring Countries
Key: films in this iteration excluding shorts/retrospectives, films in this iteration including, films in the festival up to this point excluding, films up to this point including, number of gala spots (when applicable)

  • France: 8/12/74/89/10
  • USA: 3/5/36/49/2
  • West Germany: 3/3/15/16
  • Italy: 2/2/29/33
  • Switzerland: 2/2/2/2
  • UK: 1/1/17/19/1
  • Brazil: 1/1/3/3
  • Germany: 0/1/0/2
  • Mexico: 0/1/2/3/1

One-Time Directors

  • Mirra Bank (short)
  • Martha Coolidge
  • William Greaves (short)
  • Jack Hazan
  • Sérgio Ricardo
  • Daniel Schmid
  • Pascal Thomas (gala)

Feature Debuts

  • Jack Hazan

Festivals

  • NYFF World Premiere
    • A Woman Under the Influence
  • Cannes
    • The Exterminating Angel (1962, FIPRESCI)
    • Stavisky… (Best Actor)
    • Ali: Fear Eats the Soul (FIPRESCI, Prize of the Ecumenical Jury)
    • Lancelot du Lac (Out of Competition, FIPRESCI)
    • A Bigger Splash (Critics’ Week; also Locarno International Jury Second Prize)
    • La Paloma (Critics’ Week)
    • Céline and Julie Go Boating (Directors’ Fortnight; also Locarno International Jury Prize)
    • The Night of the Scarecrow (Directors’ Fortnight)
    • Part-Time Work of a Domestic Slave (Directors’ Fortnight)
  • Berlin
    • Out 1: Spectre (1973?)
    • Alice in the Cities (?)
  • Other
    • The Circumstance (Locarno, FIPRESCI)
    • The Middle of the World (Locarno)
  • N/A
    • L’Âge d’or
    • The Bench of Desolation
    • The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie
    • Don’t Cry With Your Mouth Full
    • Les Enfants terribles
    • From These Roots
    • Italianamerican
    • Lacombe Lucien
    • Liebelei
    • The Milky Way
    • Old-Fashioned Woman
    • The Phantom of Liberty
    • Rome Wants Another Caesar
    • Yudie

Oscar Nominees

  • Lacombe Lucien: Best Foreign Film
  • A Woman Under the Influence: Best Director, Best Actress

Shorts

shorts

Discussions By Length (Approximate)

  • 41:21 Out 1: Spectre (2:22:57-3:04:18)
  • 29:52 “Roots” (1:41:49-2:11:41)
  • 22:05 Céline and Julie Go Boating (3:41:13-4:03:18)
  • 20:37 “Homage to Buñuel” (4:24:38-4:45:15)
  • 17:58 Lancelot du Lac (1:05:08-1:23:06)
  • 17:50 Ali: Fear Eats the Soul (3:14:50-3:32:40)
  • 17:04 A Woman Under the Influence (4:45:16-5:02:20)
  • 14:52 Part-Time Work of a Domestic Slave (1:24:06-1:38:58)
  • 13:54 Stavisky… (51:13-1:05:07)
  • 12:50 Liebelei (25:25-38:15)
  • 12:38 Alice in the Cities (4:04:20-4:16:58)
  • 11:14 A Bigger Splash (2:11:42-2:22:56)
  • 9:27 The Middle of the World [One Person] (3:05:22-3:14:49)
  • 8:31 Les Enfants terribles (3:32:41-3:41:12)
  • 7:53 Lacombe Lucien [One Person] (43:19-51:12)
  • 6:36 The Phantom of Liberty (5:02:21-5:08:57)
  • 6:22 La Paloma [One Person] (4:16:59-4:23:21)
  • 5:02 The Night of the Scarecrow [One Person] (38:16-43:18)
  • 1:40 Rome Wants Another Caesar [Unavailable] (1:40:08-1:41:48)
  • 1:15 The Circumstance [Unavailable] (4:23:22-4:24:37)
  • 1:08 Don’t Cry With Your Mouth Full [Unavailable] (24:16-25:24)
  • 1:08 The Bench of Desolation [Unavailable] (1:38:59-1:40:07)

Specifications

  • Pascal Thomas, Pleure pas la bouche pleine!, 1973, 35 mm, color, mono sound, 116 minutes, 1.66:1, French, France.
  • Max Ophuls, Liebelei, 1933, 35 mm, black-and-white, mono sound, 88 minutes, 1.20:1, German, Germany.
  • Sérgio Ricardo, A Noite do Espantalho, 1974, 35 mm, color, mono sound, 92 minutes, 1.37:1, Portuguese, Brazil.
  • Louis Malle, Lacombe Lucien, 1974, 35 mm, color, mono sound, 138 minutes, 1.66:1, French, France.
  • Alain Resnais, Stavisky…, 1974, 35 mm, color, mono sound, 120 minutes, 1.66:1, French, France.
  • Robert Bresson, Lancelot du Lac, 1974, 35 mm, color, mono sound, 85 minutes, 1.66:1, French, France.
  • Alexander Kluge, Gelegenheitsarbeit einer Sklavin, 1973, 35 mm, black-and-white, mono sound, 91 minutes, 1.37:1, German, West Germany.
  • Claude Chabrol, Le banc de la désolation, 1974, 35 mm, color, mono sound, 52 minutes, 1.37:1, French, France.
  • Jancsó Miklós, Rome rivuole Cesare, 1974, 35 mm, color, mono sound, 78 minutes, 1.37:1, Italian, Italy.
  • Mirra Bank, Yudie, 1974, 16 mm, color, mono sound, 20 minutes, 1.37:1, English, USA.
  • Martha Coolidge, Old-Fashioned Woman, 1974, 16 mm, color, mono sound, 49 minutes, 1.37:1, English, USA.
  • William Greaves, From These Roots, 1974, 16 mm, black-and-white, mono sound, 31 minutes, 1.37:1, English, USA.
  • Martin Scorsese, Italianamerican, 1974, 16 mm, color, mono sound, 49 minutes, 1.37:1, English, USA.
  • Jack Hazan, A Bigger Splash, 1973, 35 mm, color, mono sound, 106 minutes, 1.66:1, English, UK.
  • Jacques Rivette, Out 1: Spectre, 1972, 16 mm, color, mono sound, 253 minutes, 1.37:1, French, France.
  • Alain Tanner, Le Milieu du monde, 1974, 35 mm, color, mono sound, 115 minutes, 1.37:1, French, Switzerland.
  • Rainer Werner Fassbinder, Angst essen Seele auf, 1974, 35 mm, color, mono sound, 92 minutes, 1.37:1, German, West Germany.
  • Jean-Pierre Melville, Les Enfants terribles, 1950, 35 mm, black-and-white, mono sound, 105 minutes, 1.37:1, French, France.
  • Jacques Rivette, Céline et Julie vont en bateau, 1974, 16 mm, color, mono sound, 193 minutes, 1.37:1, French, France.
  • Wim Wenders, Alice in den Städten, 1974, 16 mm, black-and-white, mono sound, 110 minutes, 1.66:1, German, West Germany.
  • Daniel Schmid, La Paloma, 1974, 35 mm, color, mono sound, 110 minutes, 1.37:1, German, Switzerland.
  • Ermanno Olmi, La Circostanza, 1973, 35 mm, color, mono sound, 97 minutes, 1.37:1, Italian, Italy.
  • Luis Buñuel, L’Âge d’or, 1930, 35 mm, black-and-white, mono sound, 63 minutes, 1.20:1, French, France.
  • Luis Buñuel, El ángel exterminador, 1962, 35 mm, black-and-white, mono sound, 95 minutes, 1.37:1, Spanish, Mexico.
  • Luis Buñuel, La Voie lactée, 1969, 35 mm, color, mono sound, 102 minutes, 1.66:1, French, France.
  • Luis Buñuel, Le Charme discret de la bourgeoisie, 1972, 35 mm, color, mono sound, 102 minutes, 1.66:1, French, France.
  • John Cassavetes, A Woman Under the Influence, 1974, 35 mm, color, mono sound, 155 minutes, 1.85:1, English, USA.
  • Luis Buñuel, Le Fantôme de la liberté, 1974, 35 mm, color, mono sound, 104 minutes, 1.66:1, French, France.

February 2019 Capsules

Ryan Swen Reviews Tags: Leave a comment

Céline and Julie Go Boating
Perhaps the most elegant metaphor for cinema ever devised, and crucially Céline and Julie Go Boating lacks a *visible* camera (which would localize its aesthetic concerns too thoroughly); Rivette’s supreme intelligence is such that theater and cinema, to an even greater extent than in his past films, mesh through his deftness of both staging and editing, as each new shot choice or repetition creates its own associations. Plus, what image of a moviegoer is more relatable than the two women staring slack-jawed at the screen, occasionally giggling or gasping in disbelief?

Blackhat [rewatch, first time director’s cut]
Impossible to state how much the inclusion of the ship denied harbor by the effect of the rising soy prices does to establish the world in which Blackhat moves: it is one set by nebulous rules and regulations, where the fate of innumerable people can be turned by the whims of a ghost in the machine.

Only a ghost can kill another ghost.

All-Time Favorites

Ryan Swen Lists

Directors with multiple works: To (8); Wong, Yang (7); Hong, Lynch, Bresson, Hawks (6); Godard, Rohmer, Hamaguchi, Hou, Apichatpong (5); Tsai, Hitchcock, Mann, Hu, Naruse, Sternberg, Lang, Rivette, Kiarostami, Dreyer (4); Jia, Resnais, Obayashi, Tsui, Fassbinder, Welles, Ozu, Hung, Feuillade (3); Akerman, Anno, Bonello, Demy, Denis, Frampton, Haynes, Kurosawa A., Kurosawa K., Kwan, Lau, Malick, Marker, McCarey, Minnelli, Miyazaki, Mizoguchi, Petzold, Snow, Spielberg, Tourneur, Truffaut, Watkins, Woo (2)

Workers Leaving the Lumière Factory in Lyon (1895, Louis Lumière)
Fantômas (1913, Louis Feuillade)
Les Vampires (1915, Louis Feuillade)
Tih-Minh (1918, Louis Feuillade)
Dr. Mabuse, the Gambler (1922, Fritz Lang)
Greed (1924, Erich von Stroheim)
The General (1926, Buster Keaton & Clyde Bruckman)
Napoléon (1927, Abel Gance)
Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans (1927, F. W. Murnau)
The Docks of New York (1928, Josef von Sternberg)
The Passion of Joan of Arc (1928, Carl Th. Dreyer)
Spies (1928, Fritz Lang)
M (1931, Fritz Lang)
Shanghai Express (1932, Josef von Sternberg)
The Testament of Dr. Mabuse (1933, Fritz Lang)
The Devil Is a Woman (1935, Josef von Sternberg)
Ruggles of Red Gap (1935, Leo McCarey)
Rose Hobart (1936, Joseph Cornell)
The Awful Truth (1937, Leo McCarey)
Only Angels Have Wings (1939, Howard Hawks)
The Rules of the Game (1939, Jean Renoir)
His Girl Friday (1940, Howard Hawks)
Citizen Kane (1941, Orson Welles)
The Magnificent Ambersons (1942, Orson Welles)
Day of Wrath (1943, Carl Th. Dreyer)
I Walked With a Zombie (1943, Jacques Tourneur)
Meshes of the Afternoon (1943, Maya Deren & Alexander Hammid)
The Seventh Victim (1943, Mark Robson)
Meet Me in St. Louis (1944, Vincente Minnelli)
To Have and Have Not (1944, Howard Hawks)
The Clock (1945, Vincente Minnelli)
The Big Sleep (1946, Howard Hawks)
Canyon Passage (1946, Jacques Tourneur)
Notorious (1946, Alfred Hitchcock)
Fort Apache (1948, John Ford)
Letter From an Unknown Woman (1948, Max Ophuls)
Spring in a Small Town (1948, Fei Mu)
The Heiress (1949, William Wyler)
Late Spring (1949, Ozu Yasujiro)
Diary of a Country Priest (1951, Robert Bresson)
Lightning (1952, Naruse Mikio)
Duck Amuck (1953, Chuck Jones)
Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (1953, Howard Hawks)
The Saga of Anatahan (1953, Josef von Sternberg)
Tokyo Story (1953, Ozu Yasujiro)
Ugetsu Monogatari (1953, Mizoguchi Kenji)
Johnny Guitar (1954, Nicholas Ray)
Rear Window (1954, Alfred Hitchcock)
Sansho the Bailiff (1954, Mizoguchi Kenji)
Seven Samurai (1954, Kurosawa Akira)
A Star Is Born (1954, George Cukor)
Floating Clouds (1955, Naruse Mikio)
The Night of the Hunter (1955, Charles Laughton)
Ordet (1955, Carl Th. Dreyer)
A Man Escaped (1956, Robert Bresson)
Night and Fog (1956, Alain Resnais)
Pyaasa (1957, Guru Dutt)
Vertigo (1958, Alfred Hitchcock)
The 400 Blows (1959, François Truffaut)
Imitation of Life (1959, Douglas Sirk)
Rio Bravo (1959, Howard Hawks)
L’avventura (1960, Michelangelo Antonioni)
Breathless (1960, Jean-Luc Godard)
Le Trou (1960, Jacques Becker)
Last Year at Marienbad (1961, Alain Resnais)
An Autumn Afternoon (1962, Ozu Yasujiro)
La Jetée (1962, Chris Marker)
The Birds (1963, Alfred Hitchcock)
High and Low (1963, Kurosawa Akira)
The House Is Black (1963, Forugh Farrokhzad)
The Love Eterne (1963, Li Han-hsiang)
Muriel, or the Time of Return (1963, Alain Resnais)
Gertrud (1964, Carl Th. Dreyer)
The Gospel According to Matthew (1964, Pier Paolo Pasolini)
The Umbrellas of Cherbourg (1964, Jacques Demy)
Woman in the Dunes (1964, Teshigahara Hiroshi)
Yearning (1964, Naruse Mikio)
Pierrot le Fou (1965, Jean-Luc Godard)
All My Life (1966, Bruce Baillie)
Au hasard Balthazar (1966, Robert Bresson)
The Battle of Algiers (1966, Gillo Pontecorvo)
Persona (1966, Ingmar Bergman)
La Collectionneuse (1967, Éric Rohmer)
Dragon Inn (1967, King Hu)
PlayTime (1967, Jacques Tati)
Scattered Clouds (1967, Naruse Mikio)
Wavelength (1967, Michael Snow)
Week-end (1967, Jean-Luc Godard)
The Young Girls of Rochefort (1967, Jacques Demy)
Death by Hanging (1968, Oshima Nagisa)
L’Amour fou (1969, Jacques Rivette)
My Night at Maud’s (1969, Éric Rohmer)
The Ballad of Cable Hogue (1970, Sam Peckinpah)
Zorns Lemma (1970, Hollis Frampton)
A New Leaf (1971, Elaine May)
(nostalgia) (1971, Hollis Frampton)
Out 1 (1971, Jacques Rivette)
Punishment Park (1971, Peter Watkins)
La Région centrale (1971, Michael Snow)
A Touch of Zen (1971, King Hu)
Two English Girls (1971, François Truffaut)
The Bitter Tears of Petra von Kant (1972, Rainer Werner Fassbinder)
Out 1: Spectre (1972, Jacques Rivette)
F for Fake (1973, Orson Welles)
The Fate of Lee Khan (1973, King Hu)
The Mother and the Whore (1973, Jean Eustache)
Ali: Fear Eats the Soul (1974, Rainer Werner Fassbinder)
Céline and Julie Go Boating (1974, Jacques Rivette)
Femmes Femmes (1974, Paul Vecchiali)
Lancelot du Lac (1974, Robert Bresson)
The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974, Tobe Hooper)
Jeanne Dielman, 23, quai du Commerce, 1080 Bruxelles (1975, Chantal Akerman)
India Song (1975, Marguerite Duras)
Moses and Aaron (1975, Danièle Huillet & Jean-Marie Straub)
Nashville (1975, Robert Altman)
News From Home (1976, Chantal Akerman)
The Devil, Probably (1977, Robert Bresson)
Eraserhead (1977, David Lynch)
Days of Heaven (1978, Terrence Malick)
Perceval le Gallois (1978, Éric Rohmer)
The 36th Chamber of Shaolin (1978, Lau Kar-leung)
Dirty Ho (1979, Lau Kar-leung)
Legend of the Mountain (1979, King Hu)
The Marriage of Maria Braun (1979, Rainer Werner Fassbinder)
Simone Barbès or Virtue (1980, Marie-Claude Treilhou)
The Aviator’s Wife (1981, Éric Rohmer)
Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981, Steven Spielberg)
Spacy (1981, Ito Takashi)
Tree of Knowledge (1981, Nils Malmros)
Blade Runner (1982, Ridley Scott)
L’Argent (1983, Robert Bresson)
Sunless (1983, Chris Marker)
That Day, on the Beach (1983, Edward Yang)
Paris, Texas (1984, Wim Wenders)
Shanghai Blues (1984, Tsui Hark)
Stop Making Sense (1984, Jonathan Demme)
Wheels on Meals (1984, Sammo Hung)
Taipei Story (1985, Edward Yang)
Blue Velvet (1986, David Lynch)
Bound for the Fields, the Mountains, and the Seacoast (1986, Obayashi Nobuhiko)
The Green Ray (1986, Éric Rohmer)
Manhunter (1986, Michael Mann)
Peking Opera Blues (1986, Tsui Hark)
Terrorizers (1986, Edward Yang)
Eastern Condors (1987, Sammo Hung)
Rouge (1987, Stanley Kwan)
My Neighbor Totoro (1988, Miyazaki Hayao)
Beijing Watermelon (1989, Obayashi Nobuhiko)
A City of Sadness (1989, Hou Hsiao-hsien)
Do the Right Thing (1989, Spike Lee)
The Killer (1989, John Woo)
Pedicab Driver (1989, Sammo Hung)
Close-Up (1990, Abbas Kiarostami)
Days of Being Wild (1990, Wong Kar-wai)
Trust (1990, Hal Hartley)
A Brighter Summer Day (1991, Edward Yang)
Center Stage (1991, Stanley Kwan)
Once Upon a Time in China (1991, Tsui Hark)
Hard-Boiled (1992, John Woo)
The Rocking Horsemen (1992, Obayashi Nobuhiko)
Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me (1992, David Lynch)
Je vous salue, Sarajevo (1993, Jean-Luc Godard)
Naked (1993, Mike Leigh)
Ashes of Time (1994, Wong Kar-wai)
Chungking Express (1994, Wong Kar-wai)
A Confucian Confusion (1994, Edward Yang)
In the Heat of the Sun (1994, Jiang Wen)
Sátántangó (1994, Tarr Béla)
La Cérémonie (1995, Claude Chabrol)
Heat (1995, Michael Mann)
Safe (1995, Todd Haynes)
Strange Days (1995, Kathryn Bigelow)
Comrades: Almost a Love Story (1996, Peter Chan)
Mahjong (1996, Edward Yang)
Neon Genesis Evangelion: Take care of yourself. (1996, Anno Hideaki)
Cure (1997, Kurosawa Kiyoshi)
The End of Evangelion (1997, Anno Hideaki)
Happy Together (1997, Wong Kar-wai)
Made in Hong Kong (1997, Fruit Chan)
The River (1997, Tsai Ming-liang)
Taste of Cherry (1997, Abbas Kiarostami)
Flowers of Shanghai (1998, Hou Hsiao-hsien)
The Hole (1998, Tsai Ming-liang)
Beau Travail (1999, Claire Denis)
Eyes Wide Shut (1999, Stanley Kubrick)
Outer Space (1999, Peter Tscherkassky)
La Commune (Paris, 1871) (2000, Peter Watkins)
Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000, Ang Lee)
Eureka (2000, Aoyama Shinji)
In the Mood for Love (2000, Wong Kar-wai)
Platform (2000, Jia Zhangke)
A One and a Two… (2000, Edward Yang)
A.I.: Artificial Intelligence (2001, Steven Spielberg)
Millennium Mambo (2001, Hou Hsiao-hsien)
Mulholland Drive (2001, David Lynch)
Pulse (2001, Kurosawa Kiyoshi)
Spirited Away (2001, Miyazaki Hayao)
My Left Eye Sees Ghosts (2002, Johnnie To & Wai Ka-fai)
Café Lumière (2003, Hou Hsiao-hsien)
Goodbye, Dragon Inn (2003, Tsai Ming-liang)
Los Angeles Plays Itself (2003, Thom Andersen)
PTU (2003, Johnnie To)
Before Sunset (2004, Richard Linklater)
Kung Fu Hustle (2004, Stephen Chow)
Throw Down (2004, Johnnie To)
Tropical Malady (2004, Apichatpong Weerasethakul)
2046 (2004, Wong Kar-wai)
The Child (2005, Jean-Pierre & Luc Dardenne)
Election 2 (2006, Johnnie To)
INLAND EMPIRE (2006, David Lynch)
Miami Vice (2006, Michael Mann)
Syndromes and a Century (2006, Apichatpong Weerasethakul)
The Trap (2007, Adam Curtis)
Beijing Olympics Opening Ceremony (2008, Zhang Yimou)
Night and Day (2008, Hong Sang-soo)
Sparrow (2008, Johnnie To)
35 Shots of Rum (2008, Claire Denis)
Oxhide II (2009, Liu Jiayin)
Certified Copy (2010, Abbas Kiarostami)
The Clock (2010, Christian Marclay)
Meek’s Cutoff (2010, Kelly Reichardt)
Mysteries of Lisbon (2010, Raúl Ruiz)
Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives (2010, Apichatpong Weerasethakul)
The Day He Arrives (2011, Hong Sang-soo)
Don’t Go Breaking My Heart (2011, Johnnie To)
The Tree of Life (2011, Terrence Malick)
Like Someone in Love (2012, Abbas Kiarostami)
Romancing in Thin Air (2012, Johnnie To)
Tabu (2012, Miguel Gomes)
The Grandmaster (2013, Wong Kar-wai)
Manakamana (2013, Stephanie Spray & Pacho Velez)
Stray Dogs (2013, Tsai Ming-liang)
Don’t Go Breaking My Heart 2 (2014, Johnnie To)
Goodbye to Language (2014, Jean-Luc Godard)
The Grand Budapest Hotel (2014, Wes Anderson)
Hill of Freedom (2014, Hong Sang-soo)
Inherent Vice (2014, Paul Thomas Anderson)
Horse Money (2014, Pedro Costa)
Jauja (2014, Lisandro Alonso)
Phoenix (2014, Christian Petzold)
The Assassin (2015, Hou Hsiao-hsien)
Blackhat (2015, Michael Mann)
Carol (2015, Todd Haynes)
Cemetery of Splendor (2015, Apichatpong Weerasethakul)
Happy Hour (2015, Hamaguchi Ryusuke)
Mountains May Depart (2015, Jia Zhangke)
Right Now, Wrong Then (2015, Hong Sang-soo)
The Human Surge (2016, Eduardo Williams)
Nocturama (2016, Bertrand Bonello)
Silence (2016, Martin Scorsese)
Toni Erdmann (2016, Maren Ade)
Yourself and Yours (2016, Hong Sang-soo)
Twin Peaks: The Return (2017, David Lynch)
Asako I & II (2018, Hamaguchi Ryusuke)
Grass (2018, Hong Sang-soo)
La Flor (2018, Mariano Llinás)
Long Day’s Journey Into Night (2018, Bi Gan)
Transit (2018, Christian Petzold)
Martin Eden (2019, Pietro Marcello)
Drive My Car (2021, Hamaguchi Ryusuke)
Memoria (2021, Apichatpong Weerasethakul)
Pacifiction (2022, Albert Serra)
The Beast (2023, Bertrand Bonello)
Do Not Expect Too Much From the End of the World (2023, Radu Jude)
Evil Does Not Exist (2023, Hamaguchi Ryusuke)
Caught by the Tides (2024, Jia Zhangke)
Dry Leaf (2025, Alexandre Koberidze)
Sirāt (2025, Óliver Laxe)
All of a Sudden (2026, Hamaguchi Ryusuke)

2018 Muriel Awards

Ryan Swen Lists Tags: , Leave a comment

Best Feature-Length Film

  1. First Reformed
  2. The Other Side of the Wind
  3. The Day After
  4. Mission: Impossible – Fallout
  5. The Ballad of Buster Scruggs
  6. Bisbee ’17
  7. Burning
  8. Zama
  9. Let the Sunshine In
  10. If Beale Street Could Talk

Best Lead Performance

  1. Ethan Hawke, First Reformed
  2. John Huston, The Other Side of the Wind
  3. Kwon Hae-hyo, The Day After
  4. Juliette Binoche, Let the Sunshine In
  5. Kim Min-hee, The Day After
  6. Tom Cruise, Mission: Impossible – Fallout
  7. Steve Carell, Welcome to Marwen
  8. Clint Eastwood, The Mule
  9. Meinhard Neumann, Western
  10. Yoo Ah-in, Burning

Best Supporting Performance

  1. Steven Yeun, Burning
  2. Brian Tyree Henry, If Beale Street Could Talk
  3. Peter Bogdanovich, The Other Side of the Wind
  4. Bill Heck, The Ballad of Buster Scruggs
  5. Isabelle Huppert, Claire’s Camera
  6. Philip Ettinger, First Reformed
  7. Haley Lu Richardson, Support the Girls
  8. Zoe Kazan, The Ballad of Buster Scruggs
  9. Jeon Jeong-soo, Burning
  10. Colman Domingo, If Beale Street Could Talk

Best Direction

  1. Paul Schrader, First Reformed
  2. Orson Welles, The Other Side of the Wind
  3. Lucrecia Martel, Zama
  4. Christopher McQuarrie, Mission: Impossible – Fallout
  5. Lee Chang-dong, Burning

Best Cinematic Moment

  1. Soaring over humanity, First Reformed
  2. HALO jump, Mission: Impossible – Fallout
  3. Bathroom escapade, The Other Side of the Wind
  4. Dance in the sunset, Burning
  5. Daniel’s prison monologue, If Beale Street Could Talk
  6. Credits conversation, Let the Sunshine In
  7. Rooftop screams, Support the Girls
  8. Morning routines, The Commuter
  9. Subway bluffing, Unfriended: Dark Web
  10. Explaining the rules, Infinite Football

Best Documentary

  1. Bisbee ’17
  2. Infinite Football
  3. Caniba

Best Screenplay

  1. Paul Schrader, First Reformed
  2. Orson Welles & Oja Kodar, The Other Side of the Wind
  3. Hong Sang-soo, The Day After
  4. Joel & Ethan Coen, The Ballad of Buster Scruggs
  5. Barry Jenkins, If Beale Street Could Talk

Best Ensemble Performance

  1. The Other Side of the Wind
  2. The Ballad of Buster Scruggs
  3. The Day After
  4. Isle of Dogs
  5. If Beale Street Could Talk

Best Cinematography

  1. Alexander Dynan, First Reformed
  2. Gary Graver, The Other Side of the Wind
  3. Hong Kyung-pyo, Burning
  4. Kim Hyung-koo, The Day After
  5. Alfonso Cuarón, Roma

Best Editing

  1. The Other Side of the Wind
  2. Unfriended: Dark Web
  3. The House That Jack Built
  4. Notes on an Appearance
  5. Before We Vanish

Best Music

  1. Michel Legrand, The Other Side of the Wind
  2. Nicholas Britell, If Beale Street Could Talk
  3. Mowg, Burning
  4. Alexandre Desplat, Isle of Dogs
  5. Thom Yorke, Suspiria

Best Cinematic Breakthrough

  1. Orson Welles
  2. Bradley Cooper
  3. Steven Yeun
  4. Ricky D’Ambrose
  5. Ted Fendt

Best Body of Work

  1. Steven Yeun
  2. Kim Min-hee
  3. Esther Garrel
  4. Bradley Cooper
  5. Alec Baldwin

Best Youth Performance

  1. Koyu Rankin, Isle of Dogs
  2. Abby Ryder Fortson, Ant-Man and the Wasp
  3. Miguel Lobo, Good Manners

Other remarks:
Though this perhaps wasn’t an abnormally great year in film, this ballot was as hard as any I’ve ever made; too many honorable mentions for nearly every category to list.

10th Anniversary Award, Best Feature Film of 2008

  1. The Headless Woman
  2. Historias extraordinarias
  3. Two Lovers
  4. Wendy and Lucy
  5. 24 City

25th Anniversary Award, Best Feature Film of 1993

  1. Carlito’s Way
  2. Green Snake
  3. D’Est
  4. Schindler’s List
  5. Dazed and Confused

50th Anniversary Award, Best Feature Film of 1968

  1. Je t’aime, je t’aime
  2. 2001: A Space Odyssey
  3. The Immortal Story
  4. Night of the Living Dead
  5. Memories of Underdevelopment

Best Films of the 1980s

  1. Sans soleil
  2. The Terrorizers
  3. Paris, Texas
  4. Blade Runner
  5. Taipei Story
  6. Stop Making Sense
  7. Blue Velvet
  8. My Neighbor Totoro
  9. Manhunter
  10. That Day, on the Beach