Friday, May 28, 2010

Flamenco (1995) - Carlos Saura


If you like Spanish guitar, throaty songs and passionate dance, then the film will satisfy your senses. Some of the best dancers, singers and musicians come together, helped by the cinematography of Vittorio Storaro and the vision of Carlos Saura.

Here is a magnificent piece to tempt you...



Saturday, May 22, 2010

Noviembre (2003) - Achero Mañas

IMDB Link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0376800/
What happens when a group of radical theatre enthusiasts come together and vow not to do commercial theatre in the 'money-and-me' nineties? To call their theatre 'Street Theatre' does not really do justice. The challenges they face from an establishment that seems to have forgotten 1968 and its aftermath are not as bad as the challenges they face themselves when living in a world where any form of radicalism is treated as an insult, if not an outright threat. A must-watch for every theatre person and performing artist who would dare to call himself contemporary. Also, a must-watch for every person who cries 'hurt sentiments' at the drop of a hat.

Trailer from Youtube:

Monday, May 03, 2010

Mother Joan of the Angels - Jerzy Kawalerowicz

A haunting tale of passion repressed by dogma. Excellent acting (as is the norm in Polish cinema), visuals and music.

Matka Joanna od aniołów is a film against dogma. That is the universal message of the film. It is a love story about a man and a woman who wear church clothes, and whose religion does not allow them to love each other. They often talk about and teach about love—how to love God, how to love each other—and yet they cannot have the love of a man and a woman because of their religion. This dogma is itself inhuman. The devils that possess these characters are the external manifestations of their repressed love. The devils are like sins, opposite to their human nature. It is like the devils give the man and woman an excuse for their human love. Because of that excuse, they are able to love.
- Jerzy Kawalerowicz, in an interview in Kinoeye