alexander dovzhenko

arsenal (1929)
the ukranian silent film arsenal carries several images that i can't get out of my head. one is the long shot of the mother, standing alone and traumatized in her little house. her look is of pure anguish, and is unforgettable. another is of all the townspeople standing outside their houses, shocked into immobility. a man without legs crosses the screen, using his arms to move along.

lead actor semyon svashenko has a stunning face, projecting the emotional depth silent cinema demands. determination, madness, faith in his cause.

the local silent music specialists, eye of newt collective, provided a soundscape of violin and various electronics. it worked for the most part, capturing the rhythm and emotional contexts of the film. other times it fell apart into musical wanking. some of the musical themes used were picked up from the score of dovzhenko's ivan.

ivan (1932)
by the time dovzhenko's ivan came on we were completely exhausted. it was already 9:30 and arsenal had taken a lot out of us. double bills at the pacific cinemateque are wonderful, but i'm often a zombie during the 30 min drive home.

regardless of my whining, ivan is filled with great images and themes. if i'm not mistaken there is a bunch of scenes with umbrellas in the rain. beautifully shot cinema. reminded me of joris ivens' the bridge.

the sound of this picture helped carry me through. i'm glad i kept my lids nailed to the top of my skull for this one.

[11/01/02]

{January 20, 2004 09:19 PM}