ArnoldThe movie news for July 31, 2007: Antonioni, Serrault, Toronto Film Fest
Newsworthy
Michelangelo Antonioni 1912-2007
screenshot from 'L'Eclisse'
At age 94 legendary filmmaker Michelangelo Antonioni has passed away last night at his home in Rome. Famous for his cinema of alienation and his fantastical visions, he, along with Federico Fellini, turned Italy away from the Neorealistic visions of Vittorio de Sica and Roberto Rossellini towards a cinema of the imagination. though he was far from being a typical Italian filmmaker, some of his most famous films created in England. With films such as 'Blow-up' and 'L'Avventura' he can only be considered one the world's greatest cinematic assets. His trilogy on alienation and the open spaces spaces surrounding the human psyche, including the aformentioned ' L'Avventura,' 'L'Eclisse,' and 'La Notte,' still stands, ironically along with Bergman's 60s trilogy, as one of the most tortured series of films on humanity, while remaining entirely humanistic. Jack Nicholson once said of Antonioni, while presenting him with the lifetime achievement Oscar, "In the empty, silent spaces of the world, he has found metaphors that illuminate the silent places our hearts, and found in them, too, a strange and terrible beauty: austere, elegant, enigmatic, haunting." Nicholson starred in Antonioni's 'The Passenger' which is emblematic of his paced, contemplative style. The film ten minute finale is filmed in complete silence, which had (and has) some viewers ripping their hair out while still recieving standing ovations from others (this happened just last year when I went to see a restored print at the the cinema). Antonioni made films through the end of his life, collaborating with Wong Kar-Wai and Steven Soderbergh on the pasted together 'Eros,' in 2004. Walter Veltroni, the mayor of Rome, put it lightly hen he said, "With Antonioni, not only has one of the greatest living directors been lost, but also a master of the modern screen."
Click here for the Wikipedia article on Antonioni.
A Tribute to Antonioni from The Financial Times
Scorsese on 'L'Eclisse:'
Michel Serrault, 1928-2007
French film actor Michel Serrault passed away yesterday at age 79. Serrault appeared in over 130 films throughout his career, not to mention a plethora of stage performances. His depection of a transvestite in 'La Cagge aux Folles' (The Birdcage), on both stage and screen, catapulted him to stardom.
Click here for the Wikipedia article on Serrault.
Toronto Film Fest Announces Line-up
The Toronto International Film Festival (click here for their website has announced their 2007 line-up for the festival which runs from September 6-15. Festival favorites this year include Martin Gero's 'Young People Fucking,' George A. Romero's much anticipated new film 'Diary of the Dead,' DAvid Cronenberg's 'Eastern Promises,' Ang Lee's 'Lust, Caution,' 'Hotel Rwanda' director Terry George's 'Reservation Road,' and many others still to be announced on their website. This years line-up also includes a host of lectures and speakers, including Michael Moore, and a retrospective of new 35mm prints, including Jean Vigo's 'L'Atlante' and 'Zero de Conduite,' Robert Flaherty's 'Nanook of the North,' and Vittorio de Sica's 'Bicycle Thieves.' Check out their website for more information.
Trailer for 'Bicycle Thieves:'
Michelangelo Antonioni 1912-2007
screenshot from 'L'Eclisse'
At age 94 legendary filmmaker Michelangelo Antonioni has passed away last night at his home in Rome. Famous for his cinema of alienation and his fantastical visions, he, along with Federico Fellini, turned Italy away from the Neorealistic visions of Vittorio de Sica and Roberto Rossellini towards a cinema of the imagination. though he was far from being a typical Italian filmmaker, some of his most famous films created in England. With films such as 'Blow-up' and 'L'Avventura' he can only be considered one the world's greatest cinematic assets. His trilogy on alienation and the open spaces spaces surrounding the human psyche, including the aformentioned ' L'Avventura,' 'L'Eclisse,' and 'La Notte,' still stands, ironically along with Bergman's 60s trilogy, as one of the most tortured series of films on humanity, while remaining entirely humanistic. Jack Nicholson once said of Antonioni, while presenting him with the lifetime achievement Oscar, "In the empty, silent spaces of the world, he has found metaphors that illuminate the silent places our hearts, and found in them, too, a strange and terrible beauty: austere, elegant, enigmatic, haunting." Nicholson starred in Antonioni's 'The Passenger' which is emblematic of his paced, contemplative style. The film ten minute finale is filmed in complete silence, which had (and has) some viewers ripping their hair out while still recieving standing ovations from others (this happened just last year when I went to see a restored print at the the cinema). Antonioni made films through the end of his life, collaborating with Wong Kar-Wai and Steven Soderbergh on the pasted together 'Eros,' in 2004. Walter Veltroni, the mayor of Rome, put it lightly hen he said, "With Antonioni, not only has one of the greatest living directors been lost, but also a master of the modern screen."
Click here for the Wikipedia article on Antonioni.
A Tribute to Antonioni from The Financial Times
Scorsese on 'L'Eclisse:'
Michel Serrault, 1928-2007
French film actor Michel Serrault passed away yesterday at age 79. Serrault appeared in over 130 films throughout his career, not to mention a plethora of stage performances. His depection of a transvestite in 'La Cagge aux Folles' (The Birdcage), on both stage and screen, catapulted him to stardom.
Click here for the Wikipedia article on Serrault.
Toronto Film Fest Announces Line-up
The Toronto International Film Festival (click here for their website has announced their 2007 line-up for the festival which runs from September 6-15. Festival favorites this year include Martin Gero's 'Young People Fucking,' George A. Romero's much anticipated new film 'Diary of the Dead,' DAvid Cronenberg's 'Eastern Promises,' Ang Lee's 'Lust, Caution,' 'Hotel Rwanda' director Terry George's 'Reservation Road,' and many others still to be announced on their website. This years line-up also includes a host of lectures and speakers, including Michael Moore, and a retrospective of new 35mm prints, including Jean Vigo's 'L'Atlante' and 'Zero de Conduite,' Robert Flaherty's 'Nanook of the North,' and Vittorio de Sica's 'Bicycle Thieves.' Check out their website for more information.
Trailer for 'Bicycle Thieves:'
