Thoughts Around the World

Sans Soleil is a film about a lot of things. Rather it's a meditation.

How can a film be meditative? Well! Let me walk you through the basics.

1.  The film is a reminiscence of memory of a trip. The narrator takes you through all the experiences that a person experienced on a trip.

2.  It shows many images that make you think about the world around you.

3. The lady talking has such a calm voice it forces you into a "coma" or a sort of state where you can't do anything but watch and listen.

Personally, I like this film because it includes historic events in a new perspective. History is made every day. There are so many things that I have seen in this film that gave me new insight on events that I have already claimed in memory. My memory was challenged with this film and it was strangely awesome.

Chris Marker, the director of the film, had an interesting thing to say about the films he makes that I think necessary to share.

"On a more matter-of-fact level, I could tell you that the film intended to be, and is nothing more than a home movie. I really think that my main talent has been to find people to pay for my home movies. Were I born rich, I guess I would have made more or less the same films, at least the traveling kind, but nobody would have heard of them except my friends and visitors."

In a way, this film was like a home movie. It's a collaboration of images molded together to make the thoughts of a traveler come to life. Many of the shots and scenes here weren't synced with sound. This was taking home movies to a whole new level, which is what makes this an avant-garde piece. It pushes the boundaries of an essay film composed of images that have passed from family to family via film or video. Though this essay film can put you in a trance while following all the images, it shows what beauty can come from simple things.
In the Sans Soleil Structure reading, it states that this film is demonstrating how western culture is being translated into television. True, there are many shows that have included some of the aspects about life in other countries, such as the ones Chris Marker travel-logged in this film. They don't capture the perspective of the traveler, but they do showcase what life is like.

The beginning of the film starts out with a quote:

Because I know that time is only time, and place is always and only place.

There is a certain time and place everywhere in the world. That is crazy to think about. You have been in a time and a place your whole life while other people have been in a time and place their whole life. Whoa. With this film, now you can (kind of) see what they see. But! You are seeing it at a different time. You can stand in two places at once if you straddle the border of two states, but you can never experience two lives at the same time. That's what I feel this film stresses. It makes you wonder about what life could be, would be, should be and what you can learn from whatever life gives you.

It also shows Chris Markers love and interest in cats...but that's another story for another blournal thingy.

Up the stairs...to the Wonder

When you think that you've seen all the beautiful films that the world has made...think again. There are so many beautiful, gorgeous, outstanding *insert other positive adjectives here* films that can blow your mind, you just have to look for them.

Thank you Professor Marek for showing yet another beautiful film. To the Wonder was filled with so many beautiful and well-crafted images. When listening to my other classmates talk about the film, I was surprised to hear how much that the men didn't like the female characters. They are almost more upset about how Ben Affleck treats his lady friends then the ladies in the classroom. Personally, Ben Affleck is not important in this film. I feel as if you are supposed to relate more to what a relationship is.
Being a woman, I have somewhat felt the things that happen with both women. In life, you are lied to, bad things can happen, you fight, etc. But, all of these experiences are supposed to teach you who you are. This film never showed the growth of the women. Rather, it challenged your inner self and questioned the decisions you have made.
I thought the inclusion of the Spanish priest was interesting. This made the film more diverse (French, English, Spanish) as well as showing some images that make the viewer uncomfortable. Such as, the abandoned houses, the people who live around those houses, etc. The priest himself is asking who he is and where the God he believes is and why he hasn't shown up. This is a question that I have asked myself. Where is God? The whole "seeing is believing" thing is challenged. Something can be real and not be seen. This is where the film challenges the viewer. Do we see that the relationships are the right ones? Do we know who we are?
You must always ask questions to know what you need to know.

Transcendental Love

Mother and Son is a beautiful film that follows a son taking care of his sickly mother in her time of leaving this world. The film is so rich in pure emotion and the raw human nature that viewers desire. It didn't have to be a love story about two lovers; the relationship between a mother and her son is the oldest love story of them all.
The image of the son carrying his mother is a reverse pieta of the Virgin Mary and the dying Jesus. This is especially interesting because in transcendental art, there is a religious connection. This film connects us to the story of pure love. It almost forces the audience to think about how their relationship is with their mothers. I know that after this film, I called my mom and told her that I loved her. She was surprised, but when she said I love you too, that's when the meaning of the film truly took place. Life is about the relationships we have with things and people. The relationship that the son has with his mother is beautiful. It is, above all else, a true and sacred love. He looks up to this woman even though she is on her death bed.
I loved this film. Absolutely loved it. I thought it was one of the most sincere things I have ever seen in my life. The son was so careful around his mother. His motions were so slow and the audience watched his movements with awe. In this film, the camera was stationary. There were very few cuts and mainly long takes, which the director (Aleksandr Sorkurov) is very well known for. It's a very different editing style, but it makes a lasting impression on the audience. You are able to look around the screen. It gives you more time to contemplate what is happening and compare it to the life you lead. It's beautiful.

Beauty is in the Eye of the Beholder

Stan Brakhage (1958)

Childbirth is one of the most beautiful things that every happens in life. In involves bringing a miracle into the world as well as molding together new relationships between parents and their children. When given the rare experience of watching childbirth, the viewer must be grateful. It is not a normal occasion to witness. Stan Brakhage's Window Water Baby Moving is a beautiful experience. It shows the momentous occasion of his first child being born through his own eyes. He finds many things fascinating, such as a window, the water, his wife's stomach, and the baby coming into the world.

Brakhage is known for his experimental films that pushed the film barrier once more. His film Moth-light was bits and pieces of moths, grass, and multiple other things that moths might see in their life time. No other artist decided to put wings of a moth onto a film strip and call it art. Brakhage was an artist who saw the world through different eyes but still made sure to tell a story. Other films, such as The Dante Quartet, were able to show beauty in different ways as well. This film was an explosion of vivid colors that was extremely pleasing to the eyes of the viewers. It involved a depiction of "Hell Itself" which was very chaotic and filled with many colors.

These are all Avant-Garde pieces. They push the boundaries that were placed before them. Brakhage sees the world in a completely different way than most other people do. He was adventurous in his filming as well as his editing. He is one of the best editors of all time and others use him as inspiration.

With his film Window Water Baby Moving, he is able to show everything on his mind during the birth of his first child. This was an at-home birth. It seemed as if Brakhage's mind was wandering when there were shots of the window and the water. But this was a beautiful portrait of his wife. She looked beautiful and the intimacy between the couple was translated through the medium of film. The audience was hooked. Even when images and scenes started to repeat themselves, the viewer was still hooked on the story. The editing style makes it so that the emotions are heightened throughout the piece. The climax of the baby finally making its way out and the happiness on Stan's face are amazing. The audience is elated and uplifted with the joy that they can share with Stan. This is what makes the film so special. We are a part of the film. We contribute to the emotion.

It is just seeing-it is a very simple word-and to be a visionary is to be a seer. The problem is that most people can't see.

Stan Brakhage was a seer who could see.