THE SCHOOL OF TARKOVSKY PART 26: THE ENCHANTED DESNA

Andrei Tarkovsky's Ivan’s Childhood and Yuliya Solnsteva's The Enchanted Desna have some basic similarities in terms plot. Both films deal with Soviet History under the umbrella of war through the eyes of young children for the most part (both Tarkovsky & Solnsteva play with the idea of time, flashbacks & memory as well).

But it’s the imagery of both films that really ties them together. 

Solnsteva already had a rich & long history in Soviet cinema long before Tarkovsky was even born (she’s mostly known as an actress for her lead role in Aelita: Queen Of Mars)...

Aelita: Queen Of Mars

And I can’t make a blog entry like this without mentioning Aelita’s strong influence on Fritz Lang’s Metropolis...

Aelita: Queen Of Mars / Metropolis

Aelita: Queen Of Mars / Metropolis

Aelita: Queen Of Mars / Metropolis

Aelita: Queen Of Mars /
Metropolis

Aelita: Queen Of Mars /
Metropolis

Aelita: Queen Of Mars /
Metropolis

But just because a filmmaker has been established for decades doesn’t mean they're above influence from the younger generation. Even visually. As you’ll see below, there are way too many specific examples (both major & minor) of visual similarities between both films that would lead me to believe she was subconsciously influenced by Tarkovsky’s feature debut.

I think the examples below back my theory. Enjoy...

Ivan's Childhood /
The Enchanted Desna

Ivan's Childhood / 
The Enchanted Desna

Ivan's Childhood / 
The Enchanted Desna

Ivan's Childhood / 
The Enchanted Desna

Ivan's Childhood / 
The Enchanted Desna

Ivan's Childhood / 
The Enchanted Desna

Ivan's Childhood / 
The Enchanted Desna

Ivan's Childhood / 
The Enchanted Desna

Ivan's Childhood / 
The Enchanted Desna

Ivan's Childhood / 
The Enchanted Desna

Ivan's Childhood / 
The Enchanted Desna

It also should be noted that Tarkovsky was influenced by the films of Solnsteva’s husband (Alexander Dovzhenko) which makes for an interesting additional connection....

The opening to Dovzhenko's Ivan seemed to have rubbed off on the opening sequence of Tarkovsky's Andrei Rublev...

Ivan / Andrei Rublev

SOLEIL O

While Soleil O is in part a transgressive & abstract look at colonialism in Africa (the first portion of the movie shows this), I was more fascinated by the chunk of the film that showed us racism & discrimination in 1960’s France through the eyes of a Black immigrant. This movie has certain specific things in common with stuff like The Story Of A Three-Day Pass (another film from the 60’s about a black man in Europe) and Putney Swope (the dark humor and intentionally chaotic editing). However those films are still from the perspective of Black Americans. Soleil O is its own unique monster because it’s specifically about the relationship between Black people from Africa and White people from Europe (specially France).
In my experience (and others that I have spoken to over the years), a lot of naive Europeans like to act as if because their brand of racism is “different” from America that it’s not as serious (as if to imply that because it’s different than in America that it isn’t as harmful). I’m not a patriotic person in any way but my patriotism comes out any time I hear or read a European act is of their country is above, past or beyond racism simply because they never had Klan rallies on their soil. There’s still this unspoken myth that because James Baldwin & various Jazz musicians were more welcome in places like Paris than in the Deep South that Europe was this ultimate haven for Black folks. Soleil O shows this and more. Not only does this movie delve in to racism between Blacks & Whites in Europe, but in only 100 minutes director Med Hondo shows racism amongst other Black folks and he even touches on the issues between Arabs & Blacks living in France. A lot of times non-Black-yet-still brown immigrants have this illusion of inclusion that because their skin is sometimes lighter that they’re “better than” until they get that wake-up call and see that they’re looked at the same as Blacks in certain scenarios (at one point in the film a sign that reads something along the lines of; “eradicate the Negro/Arab problem in France” flashes across the screen).

There’s quite a bit of jarring imagery in the movie but there’s also a lot of great standout/standalone moments (there’s even a few animated moments)...

The majority of the film follows a dark-skinned African immigrant trying to adjust to his new life in France and falls in to a form of culture shock when he’s quickly confronted with aggression from intolerant whites and signs that read; “Negroes not welcome” (sounds similar to older forms of American racism if you ask me). And when he isn’t faced with that kind of outright racism, he’s faced with the fetishization that some White women have towards Black men when it comes to sex. I wish more folks saw Nicolas Provost’s The Invader (2011), which, is a bit “problematic” in parts, but still swings for the fences in terms of exploring modern-day racism in Europe. The Invader is one of the few recent films that has the same spirit & energy of Soleil O and is also one of the better films that explores the relationship between Black men & White women in France outside of Claire Denis (No Fear No Die & I Cant Sleep are kind of cut from the same cloth as Soleil O).

If Denis’ films make people nervous—and they do—it is in part because they level the gaze of a white woman at black men - Amy Taubin

The Invader

Soleil O / Putney Swope

I find it strange that films like Soleil O & The Invader are difficult to come by. Both movies did the rounds of prominent movie festivals but fell in to obscurity afterwards. Thanks to the beauty of film preservation & rediscovery, Soilel O and the rest of Med Hondo’s films are being streamed, released & screened for the first time since they were released decades ago.

FLIXWISE: STORY OF A THREE-DAY PASS



Check out the latest episode of Flixwise where Pauline, Martin & I discuss Melvin Van Peeple's groundbreaking debut feature film Story Of A Three-Day Pass (click on the image above to go to the episode)

A MARRIED COUPLE

A Separation? Meh. Blue Valentine? Nope. What's that you said - Jungle Fever? Scenes From A Marriage? Kreutzer Sonata? The Puffy Chair? Flannel Pajamas? I don't think so. Even cinema verite icon John Cassavetes and his progressive films like Faces & A Woman Under The Influence take second place to this documentary (may sound blasphemous to some of you but that is the belief of many film scholars, critics & general all around know-it-alls). Its one thing to watch a "realistic" portrayal of a marriage or a relationship on the verge of destruction in a fictitious film but it’s another thing to see an actual REAL marriage fall apart right in front of you. Allan King's A Married Couple stands as the #1 film that'll make you think twice about getting married. Long after I was done watching this (courtesy of the criterion channel on HULU+) I found myself going; "was this real?" I was kinda floored. I mean, who would put their personal shit out in the open like that for the world to see? Think about it - I don't even know the subjects in King’s groundbreaking documentary yet I'll be critiquing their lives, personalities and relationship like I'm some marriage expert or something. But that's how personal and intimate this film is. It makes you feel up close & personal like you know them (and I’m sure there’s people who’ve seen this documentary that can either relate to the married couple or their young child who witnesses the fights & arguments firsthand). Immediately after watching A Married Couple I went out and purchased the eclipse box set (courtesy of Criterion) and came to discover that Allan King, a Canadian director I had never heard of, is a master of digging in to the corners and crevices of places we don't wanna go. It’s evident in his other work like; Warrendale - a sad & disturbing documentary on the poor conditions of a mental hospital for young children that would serve as a great precursor to Cropsey. His films makes you feel uncomfortable, tense and sometimes embarrassed for the documentary subjects (in the same way you might feel embarrassed for Gena Rowlands in A Woman Under The Influence or Ryan Gosling in that confrontational scene at the end of Blue Valentine) yet you can’t look away. A Married Couple is a hard punch in the stomach to all the preconceived notions & stereotypes about all the laid back, weed smoking, hippie parents in the 60’s.
And speaking of Blue Valentine; I’m sure this is just a coincidence, but there's even similar shots from A Married Couple in other marriage-related films which makes their connection even stronger…

L-R: Blue Valentine (2010) / A Married Couple (1969)

L-R: Scenes From A Marriage (1973) / A Married Couple

In A Married Couple we look at the day to day lives of Billy & Antoinette - a Canadian couple with a young son (Bogart) who's relationship is more than rocky. Apparently they volunteered to have their lives filmed for King's documentary in an effort to figure out what’s wrong with their marriage. They certainly didn’t let the cameras affect how they act around each other. And remember, this was the late 60’s where technology wasn’t were it is today. No tiny digital cameras, no techniques like the ones used in the documentary; Lynch (the filmmaker used a smaller camera and literally shot from the hip in order to make David Lynch feel more comfortable and not have a camera up in his face). Could you imagine trying to work your marriage out with of a big, noisy, clunky video camera in your face from the time you wake up until the time you go to bed? In the film Billy & Antoinette fight fiercely with each other (in one scene towards the end Billy literally tries to throw Antoinette out of their house), laugh & joke, argue over money, sleep in separate beds and casually discuss their son's future if they end up getting a divorce. The words; "fuck" and/or "fucking" are used quite often between Billy & Antoinette. Hell, at one point Billy calls Antoinette a "fucking cunt" over an argument about a vacuum cleaner. At times they look like brother & sister fighting over something stupid and other times they come off like an affectionate happily married couple. Billy & Antoinette both have their faults and "stuff" like any union/relationship/marriage - Antoinette is a tad bit naggy, sometimes annoying and a little childish. Billy is somewhat bullheaded, fussy and kinda thinks he's in charge of the marriage because he's the only one who works. Between the arguments, blow ups, break downs, crying and just overall embarrassing moments caught on film, I don't know if I could show my face in public for quite some time if I was Billy or Antoinette (after the documentary was released they managed to stay together for another ten years and had another child before divorcing). But what's most important about A Married Couple and its subject matter is that King doesn't use quirky music (there is background music, but it doesn’t really affect the mood or distort the viewers perception of reality) or editing techniques to make this documentary look like its exploiting the subjects. These are techniques many great (Herzog & Errol Morris) and not so great (Nick Broomfield) documentary filmmakers are guilty of from time to time and King stays away from all that. This is an honest, fair & balanced exploration in to the deterioration of a marriage (there’s no favoritism or bias towards one side). Clearly things have changed between 1969 and 2012 when it comes to the realm of marriage & relationships. Many old fashion values in terms of gender have died (although some are still around) and couples today have a lot more avenues to work out their problems than couples did four decades ago (I’m sure a lot of the different marriage counseling techniques today were considered strange & radical in the 60’s). So yes, PARTS of this documentary are a bit dated.

Thanks to the Criterion Collection, The IFC Center and the Toronto Film Festival, the United States is finally getting more exposure to Canadian cinema beyond the "usual suspects" (David Cronenberg, Atom Egoyan & Ivan Reitman). Xavier Dolan has found a niche among young American hipsters and nostalgic French new wave lover, Monsieur Lahzar managed to nab an Oscar nomination last year and Guy Maddin, who should be mentioned alongside the "usual suspects", manages to break through to international audiences more and more with each film. My discovery of Allan King's work came at the perfect time of this mini-Canadian explosion. Anyone that's a fan of rare Werner Herzog films, 90's Harmony Korine, 1970's Cassavetes, Mike Leigh, William Greaves’ Symbiopsychotaxiplasm or the work of Shirley Clarke should enjoy this film. As I type this write-up while kinda half watching the films of Robert Downey Sr. at the same time, I’ve come to the conclusion that the eclipse series is the best thing the Criterion Collection has going for itself right now. While Criterion focuses on releasing stuff like Godzilla or re-releasing half of their pre-existing catalog on blu-ray with a slightly fancier package, their sub-label (Eclipse) continues to shine light on important & daring films that would have gone virtually lost or unnoticed.

ZAZIE DANS LE METRO: "WHERE'S ZAZIE?"

It almost slipped my mind that this was one of criterion's new releases. These days it seems like the criterion collection is focusing more on re-releasing a bunch of titles many of us buyers already own, except THIS time around they're on blu-ray. Sorry, but that's hardly anything to get excited about. However, the criterion collection's release of Louis Malle's 'Zazie Dans Le Metro' IS something to get excited about. Louis Malle is no stranger to working with children. He always seems to get great performances out his young actors (Murmur of the heart, Au Revoir Les Enfants, Black Moon, etc). In my opinion, Malle's most iconic child performance would have to be from 10 year old Catherine Demongeot who played the precocious title character in 'Zazie DansLe Metro'. Its almost a shame she never went on to become an adult actress. Her debut performance in 'Zazie Dans Le Metro' was fearless. She seemed to have a natural acting ability that went way beyond just being a cute child (which is something as we all know a lot of child actors get away with). Her performance in the film is more "tatum o'neal in paper moon" than it is an "Olsen twins/full house" performance. She has these facial expressions and mannerisms that you'd expect from an adult yet they don't seem forced or fake at all. What sets "Zazie" apart from her peers like; Antoine Doinel ('400 Blows'), Suzanne ('A Nos Amours'), Francois (The Naked Childhood) or pretty much the entire cast of Truffaut's 'Small Change' is that even at her young age (10), she seems to have the whole world figured out, whereas the other characters previously mentioned have some growing to do. Zazie seems like an adult trapped in a kids body. Furthermore, she doesn't seem to let her dysfunctional family life (which pretty much consists of a careless mother) get to her. She has more than the average energy and curiosity of a typical 10 year old, the spunk and know-how of an old lady and the language of a young adult (although sometimes its obvious she's just repeating words and phrases that she's heard adults say).
'Zazie Dans Le Metro' not only draws comparison to the french films I've already mentioned, but it also has a strong connection to 'Mon Oncle'. Both films not only have the same playfulness and quirky/surreal humor as one another, but they both revolve around the relationship between a child and their uncle. In the film, Zazie's mother dumps her off with her cross-dressing uncle for 2 days, while she goes off to spend time with her new boyfriend. Instead of letting the fact that her mother has dumped her off her with an uncle she's never met before get her down, she makes the best of it by ditching him and going off on her own adventure through Paris. She has a fascination with trains, and desperately wants to ride the subway, but there's currently a strike going on so she has to find other modes of transportation through Paris. In Zazie's short time in the city, we see her steal, climb the Eiffel tower, run alongside building roof tops, and pretty much play a big game of hide & seek through Paris with all the different adults she crosses paths with.

Both adults and little kids can enjoy this. Naturally a child will relate to the title character, and enjoy watching her get in & out of trouble with her iconic and easy to spot bright red sweater reminiscent of "where's waldo?", while adults will appreciate some of the more grown-up themes in the film which would probably go over a child's head. This is one of Malle's more experimental films. Many times, the camera speed goes from normal to fast, similar to the Benny Hill montages when he's being chased around (and please understand that that's the ONLY comparison the film has to Benny Hill. 'Zazie Dans Le Metro' is much better and funnier). Also, when you watch this, you can clearly see where a director like Michel Gondry may have gotten inspiration for stuff like 'The Science Of Sleep' and 'Human Nature'. Its more and more difficult to find movies for little kids to watch outside of pixar & disney. I wouldn't recommend this for a 4 or 5 year old, but id try 'Zazie Dans Le Metro' out on kid that's 9 years old or older.



and be sure to check out these classic french films in the similar vein of Zazie if you havent. The vibe is a bit more serious in these films (although 'Small Change' has plenty of humor), but they all fall under the same family.

BLACK HISTORY ON FILM PART ONE: PORTRAIT OF JASON

Not that I'm trying to play in to the idea of "black history month" being the only month we should celebrate, study or focus on anything that has to do with African American history in this country, but i figured this would give me an excuse to recommend some good films on the subject through out the month of February. And if anyone is interested, BAM will be having a series on black films through out the month of February (including the criminally underrated 'Chameleon Street').
There was quite a bit of interest in Shriley Clarke's films last year. Anthology Film Archives did a retrospective on her, and a few months ago, IFC screened the movie of discussion: 'Portrait of Jason'. With all this sudden interest, i cant help but hope that the masters of cinema, kino or criterion (specifically their sub-label; eclipse) will finally release Clarke's work on dvd. Shirley Clarke has always gone against the grain (sorry to sound so cliche, but its true). Not only was she an American female director working during a time when there weren't many (still aren't today), but the subjects of almost all of her movies were black people or some kind of black subculture. I'll always give credit to Melvin Van Peeples for pretty much starting the black film movement (which eventually turned in to the silly "blaxploitation genre"), but Shirley Clarke definitely planted the seeds for the African American film movement. Aside from the fact that her movies were a big hit among the NYC film underground, Europeans, and other demographics who weren't regularly exposed to (respectable) black films, but she even played a Major role in black films that she didn't even direct. She loaned John Cassavetes her camera equipment so that he could make his first (and groundbreaking) film 'Shadows'; a movie about racial identity among 3 black siblings (2 brothers and 1 sister) who are all different skin tones. From then on, John Cassavetes himself encouraged his friend Ossie Davis to direct his first film, and set up a meeting for Gordon Parks with warner brothers so that Parks could make his first film; 'The Learning Tree'. Shirley Clarke's un-patronizing look in to the lives of black people as actual people and not "subjects", paved the way for other white female filmmakers with a similar focus, namely; Claire Denis (no fear no die, 35 shots of rum and i cant sleep).
For a movie made in the mid 60's, 'Portrait of Jason' was a head of its time. Its not like homosexuality wasn't explored in films, but it certainly wasn't explored in (the few) black films that were around. Typically, an almost 2 hour long documentary that pretty much takes place in one room, interviewing one person sounds like an incredibly boring movie, but trust me, 'Portrait of Jason' is far from boring. The title of the film is pretty self explanatory. Shirley Clarke interviews a gay black, conman/prostitute/hustler (Jason Holiday) about his far from normal everyday life. Through the course of the film he gets more and more drunk, and talks about his disdain for living a "normal" 9-5 lifestyle. He also gets in to his different hustles and schemes while making fun of himself at the same time. Jason Holiday is such a great interviewee, and you never lose interest in him (a few times in the movie, you can clearly hear the crew in background break out in laughter at his responses). In fact, you almost cant wait to hear what he's going to say next. The combination of his hilarious personality mixed with his stories make the documentary just as hilarious as it is tragic. As you watch this movie unfold, you can see the blueprint for future films like; 'Paris is Burning' (probably one of the most intriguing documentaries ever made) take place right before your eyes. The open homosexuality of the documentary, while at the same time not being the "focus" of the film, may have very well inspired future filmmakers like Gus Van Sant, and it also shares similarities with the works of Rainer Werner Fassbinder and Andy Warhol as well.