1/3 Alright- here we go- just a few ideas: I hope this can be about things we love. Not about things we hate or things we are weighed down about. We cannot answer questions out in the open but please read and respond to each other as much as possible.
We will be here a little bit and the first few questions are: What are you reading? What are you watching? What are you listening to? And How many days have you been indoors?
I have been indoors for over a month. Self-imposed. I have gone out only for primary needs: food, supplies, etc And I have been mostly rewatching and re-reading. But -as most people- I imagine that I wanted to read or learn or communicate in a way that made this worthwhile.
I have been reading- in no particular order- GRINDSHOW (The Selected Writings of William Lindsay Gresham)> as you may or may not know, Gresham wrote NIGHTMARE ALLEY. His output in literature was small- and his life, in many way, full of questions and mysteries.
When you find someone with a small but incredibly deep output (on film, I can think of Jean Vigo, on books, Harper Lee or, in a different way, Capote and on painting, perhaps Vermeer) then the promise, the temptation, is to dwell longer on each piece you can access.
I am re-reading THE DEVILS OF LOUDON by Aldous Huxley which I fully suggest anyone that can, tackle- It is INCREDIBLY pertinent to what we are going through and how autonomy can be destroyed in times of crisis.
Of all strange things- reading poetry has helped. Because some of the world is contained in those words.
It's been an odd exercise: helping friends on the outside or strategizing to assist others while being indoors is in and of itself a strange moment. An important moment.
I am reading some of the WW1 stories by Sapper (He created Bulldog Drummond and was loved by Hitchcock) his trench stories are very vivid. After the war his politic soured and he became a bit of an unlikable fella (for me) but these stories are well written and beautifully built.
In Mexico we have Juan Rulfo. His output was not abundant but his prose is (IMO) the most powerful ever written in my language. Its music- a symphony that expresses our very essence and it is, I believe, almost impossible to translate or adapt. THE DEVIL'S BACKBONE was my try
I have been sustained largely by the Criterion Channel, Netflix, iTunes etc. On the Criterion Channel you can swim in joyful pools: Watch A Woman’s Face by Gustaf Molander (the base of the Cukor remake w Joan Crawford) or IL POSTO by Ermanno Olmi or WATER LILLIES by C Sciamma
Or explore Sciamma along with her GIRLHOOD and TOMBOY.
Or watch REDES or Columbia Film Noir (some Joseph H Lewis in there!) or THE EXECUTIONER by Berlanga. SO much!! In my opinion, HD and Bluray are pure honey when viewing B&W films.
Or watch REDES or Columbia Film Noir (some Joseph H Lewis in there!) or THE EXECUTIONER by Berlanga. SO much!! In my opinion, HD and Bluray are pure honey when viewing B&W films.
We are working hard to help Criterion to publish some Mexican Classics (including EL SUAVECITO ) and most of Mexican Bunuel.
Been rewatching Mitchell Leisen: Easy Living, Death Takes a Holiday, Midnight, Hold back the Dawn, etc etc Leisen was (in his time) relegated as being a “Stylist” and unfavorably compared to Sturges or Wilder (sometimes by Wilder himself) with whom he collaborated.
But every time I rewatch (specially Easy Living or Dawn), it’s clearer and clearer just how precise and smart and complete it is. I think he needs to be reappraised. I love him!
With the kids we have been watching SINGING IN THE RAIN, REAR WINDOW and other bulletproof stuff. Also watch a lot of CHOPPED and end up cooking!!
I loved the third season of OZARK
