Groovy Screening Numero Uno

Dearest Blournal,

This week I watched trick films by Melies, Dream of a Rarebit Fiend, The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari, and Menilmontant. All films were stunning by design, but all had a trademark of their own. I have seen The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari multiple times in many different classes in the SAC department, but it was nice to be able to pick new things out of the film and to see how it made me feel as a whole. 

I will say that my favorite of the bunch was Menilmontant. It seems much more modern for it's time. For example, the close up on the young girls face in the beginning of the film. It's very choppy, but it serves a purpose and gets the audience into her face. We can see the emotions running through- thought to thought, panic to anxiety. Then, for the rest of the film, the audience is in the main character's mind. It's incredible. Subtle but intense cinematography choices. I love the interactions between the two main female characters. When they are reunited again, the camera stays close on their face and the audience can feel the emotions running through them.  Also, I am intrigued or interested in finding out why Dmitri Kirsanoff had such a use for feet in this film. I thought it to be an interesting to go back to. For example, the ankles showing of the women puts them in the status of prostitution (in Victorian times it was deemed scandalous for women to show their ankles and showing ankles mean the dress is shorter). Anyways, the camera tends to stay on feet, or low to the ground. Every frame is important in this film which is why I find it so fascinating. Again, I find it similar to modern films now. It's more choppy, but I feel as if there is a primitive narrative in this film, but it's somehow more interesting than films I see now. Since the camera is so close on the actions and the characters, I feel much more involved.

Relating this film especially to my ideas of Avant-Garde makes it much easier to understand. My interpretation of Avant-Garde is the push forward and expanding of new ideas in filmmaking. So, Menilmontant is very much breaking new barriers. Pushing out of German Expressionism, like the film The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari, and moving into a more narrative style. The readings, such as Gunning's 'Cinema of Attractions', also tells how there were exhinbitionist films that had characters purposefully "show off" to the camera. So, the Dream of the Rarebit Fiend is very "showy"to me. (Rarebit, by the way, is a dish of melted and seasoned cheese on bread. Quite tasty, my family makes it a lot), There is awesome effects, such as the miniature sets and double-exposure, superimpositions and etc. The film borrowed many techniques from Melies' trick films, but added more of a charm to it, which sets it as an avant-garde piece.

Overall, I love and appreciate all these films. I have now watched Menilmontant about 10 times through and I keep finding new things and I also keep asking more questions. One of the ones haunting me is the tracking of the numbers on the walls of the street. Why do they keep appearing? No idea.

Until next time dear Blournal....

Sophia