(34) Short Film Sunday #19: Le voyage dans la lune (1902)

Le voyage dans la lune (1902).

On December 8, 1861, in Paris, was born Georges Méliès, a great and important man in the history of moving pictures. By many he is considered "the father of the narrative film", Charlie Chaplin regarded him as "the alchemist of light", D.W. Griffith said "I owe him everything". To add to this, the first film that Riga, Latvia, born director Sergei Eisenstein saw, was a piece made by Méliès in Paris, in 1906.

Between 1896 and 1906 Méliès created Star Film company made around 500 films, from which less than 140 have survived. Méliès was a producer, director, writer, designer, cameraman and actor, he was the first to use dissolves, superimposition, time-lapse photography, art direction and artificial lighting effects. He showed that the camera can lie, Méliès used many optical effects. He was accused of producing kitsch and "genteel pornography", however Méliès main failing was "a paucity of imagination, which prevented him from exploiting fully the cinematic techniques he had devised".

Méliès was inspired by Jean Eugène Robert-Houdin, during his military service he visited the home of Robert-Houdin, who, although retired, once had been the leading stage magician in France. In 1888 Méliès purchased Robert-Houdin theater, from the great magician's widow. Above Robert-Houdin theater was Antoine Lumière's shop. Méliès realised that with the photograph one can alter the perception of reality, it was "the essence of magic". So, no surprise that on December 28, 1895, at 14 Boulevard des Capucines Méliès attended the first ever professional screening of movies with a projector, organised by none other than the Lumière brothers. Afterwards, Méliès bought a camera, "what followed is one of the outstanding early careers in film".

To celebrate his birthday, turn off the lights, light a candle and enjoy a science fiction adventure made by Méliès, Le voyage dans la lune (A Trip to the Moon) (1902).

And if you want to go even further, watch Hugo (2011), and allow Martin Scorsese take you on an adventure in Paris with Méliès. If you want to grasp even more magic, watch Paul Merton's Weird and Wonderful World of Early Cinema. Enjoy!

P.S. I must admit I am proud that I was born on December 28, 1988, 93 years later after the first ever film screening took place. Planned trip to France on my 25th birthday, to visit the place where this wonder happened, but Scotland and mountains somehow won.

Bibliography.
"History of Film. Second Edition." by David Parkinson.
"The Big Screen: The Story of the Movies and What They Did to Us" by David Thomson.

(12) Breathless (1960): Godard's first full breath

It might be because soon enough I am moving and I am looking at all the lasts I will do and see, last time when I walk down the prom, last time when I will have a cup of coffee in this coffee shop, last time when I will go for a swim here, last... And on and on... However I am trying to look at all the firsts that await me as it awaited Alfred Hitchcock with his FIRST Technicolor film Rope (read my previous blog post on it here) and Breathless is Jean-Luc Godard's phenomenally successful FIRST feature.

Breathless (1960)

Breathless is directed by Jean-Luc Godard who established the French New Wave, it is a jazzy story set in Paris, there is a femme fatale played by Jean Seberg (for which Godard spent a quarter of the film's total budget) and there is a perfect gangster played by Jean-Paul Belmondo, and behind all the crime and games there is a French New Wave kind of love story. It is a mix of truth and beauty, and yet it leaves a feeling that you have just set your foot in Wonderland, where the border between real and unreal has vanished, that is full of unhappiness and ends in madness and tragedy. Yet Breathless is a moment of hope and joy. Breathless brought a breeze of energy and inventiveness into the industry of cinema, with its jagged and unpredictable style the film gaining worldwide acclaim even to this day.

Interestingly, starting with and since Breathless (original title: À bout de souffle) (1960) Godard has been making his own film trailers, Vinzenz Hediger (For Ever Godard, you can also read his piece here) writes:

The trailer for À bout de souffle gives us and idea of what a good classical trailer essentially is: a cinematic list poem about a film.

Please, take your time and before you continue to read, watch Godard's poem about Breathless here.

It is not unusual that a director make trailers for his own films, as Hediger marks, it is more unusual that most of Godard's trailers have been actually used to introduce his films. Making a good film trailer asks for a detachment from the film, which director's usually lack, but as a former film critic for Cahiers du cinéma and an alumnus of Fox's publicity department in Paris, Godard was well aware of what a good film trailer needs. In the trailer for Breathless, a female's voice simply names the things we see, also indicating protagonists and their characteristics ("The pretty girl, The bad boy ... The nice man, The bad woman"), while a man's voice, which is Godard's voice, steps in to inform us, the viewers, that the author of the screenplay is François Truffaut, then names the technical advisor, before going on to name the director and who is starring in the film. Godard's trailers then aren't as much an advertisement for the film, but more serves as an introduction to the film, as Hediger writes, "Trailers, then, let the film begin before it actually begins." In comparison to mainstream trailers, Hediger argues that:

While mainstream trailers often contain all the best scenes from the movie, Godard's films contain all the best scenes that make up the trailer, because in them, as in so many cinematic realisations of Novali's infinite novel, the film never entirely begins, and the trailer certainly never ends.

So it should be, a trailer should introduce the film to the viewer without revealing what is going to happen. The trailer for Breathless portrays the film being in the film noir style, it even pays homage to Howard Hawks' classic Scarface. However, after watching the film, although there are film noir elements - a stolen car, a shooting, a murder - it still somehow feels too light and airy for film noir, though it still leaves a taste of sadness. Godard himself after releasing the film realised, that it is not as realistic as he intended it to be, as David Serrit writes:

[Godard] intended the seminal Breathless to be realistic, but realized soon afterward that it was closer to Alice in Wonderland than to the hard-boiled film noir tradition that he wanted to emulate.

Breathless (1960)

Although the characters are as real as the film allows, the film itself seems somehow unreal, an almost surrealistic world. The protagonists, Patricia and Michel, are both care free, casual, young and beautiful, and full of dreams. That is the lightness that Breathless leaves, that hope for change and blithe life. Breathless is regarded as the seminal film of the French New Wave, nevertheless it still, after more than 50 years, seems revolutionary and innovative, fresh and new, seductively dangerous. It is the camera work, that brings the film to a new level, it is the camera that innovates. Godard valued his own personal expression in cinema, significantly Godard used caméra-stylo or "camera pen", embracing that a film should be an intimate act. As Godard marks "In my early days I never asked myself whether the audience would understand what I was doing", for him the importance of the film was hidden in his relationship with the film. In Breathless, Godard enjoyed doing things for the first time, being innovative, trying something that no one has done before, something that would be more interesting, because the first time is fascinating, when it is done a second time it is less interesting, as Godard puts it "Pictures are made to make seen the unseen."

http://www.unifrance.org/annuaires/personne/15597/jean-luc-godard#photo-55653

Godard sees that all three moments in making a film are equally important: before, during and after. In contrast, Godard notes about Hitchcock, "With somebody like Hitchcock everything is calculated down to the last second, so editing is less important. À bout de souffle owes a great deal to the montage. It is a film in three movements, the first half-hour fast, the second moderato and the third allegro vivace again".

"Films are the only things by which to look inside of people,

and that's why people are so fond of movies and why they'll never die."

/Jean-Luc Godard/

P.S. After his successful debut and screening of Breathless at the Cannes film festival (it didn't take a part in the competition) in 1960, Godard gave a somehow sad interview, which leaves us with a feeling that he has lost something, because his first film was so successful.

"We have to fight the audience."

(8) The voice of Joan of Arc: Irene Buckley Q&A

The Passion of Joan of Arc (1928).

Two weeks ago I headed down from Galway to Cork to attend the Cork French Film Festival, which took place from March 3 to March 10. A small festival with a long history, since this was already its 24th year. I didn't intend to go and see many of the screenings, since I have already seen most of the films, however, one particular event of the festival caught my attention and it was the screening of an absolute cinematic masterpiece, Carl Theodor Dreyer's The Passion of Joan of Arc, starring the unforgettable Renée Falconetti. The screening would take place at St. Fin Barre's Cathedral and would have live musical accompaniment. How often do you get to go to a cathedral and enjoy a masterpiece of cinema, moreover, accompanied with live music? So with this in mind I packed my bag and headed for the lovely city of Cork.

Over the years many composers have composed music for The Passion of Joan of Arc, in the DVD edition we can hear Richard Einhorn's score, surfing through the jungle of youtube you can also find a version, where an indie rock band Joan of Arc accompanies the film. So, to make my journey even more worthwhile I got in touch with Irene Buckley, who is the composer of the musical score for this special event, inviting her to join me for a cup of tea. An invitation which she kindly accepted. So below you can read the result of a lovely afternoon's chat about music, films and the project itself. Enjoy!

Irene Buckley. Standing outside Carnegie Hall
during rehearsals for Flu, 2007.
http://www.irenebuckley.com/ph07-carnegie.php

So about Saturday's experience, it was not really a screening of the film or a concert, but an experience. Did it work out as you wanted it to work out?

Yes, it did. I was very happy with how the performance went. We had two different performers to the original show - this time Molly Lynch as the soprano and James McVinnie on organ. It's always a little nerve-racking to have different performers, as it could potentially change the sound quite a bit, but they did a wonderful job.

During it, it started to rain, do you think it added something to the screening/concert or took away from it?

I was a little apprehensive at first, as I didn't know what the sound was! I am, as you can imagine, listening closely to the music during the performance, to check the balance etc., so hearing this extra layer of sound was strange at first! But from hearing people's reactions afterwards, they all agreed that the sound of the rain added something to the experience.

Yes, it was a bit confusing at the beginning. However, I think it even more emphasised the atmosphere of the film and the music.

I read in your homepage, that this is not your first experience in the film industry, previously you have written original scores for My Beamish Boy, Liberty Hall, God and Napoleon, Na Zimmers, to name only a few.

What does music give to the film in a general sense?

A few weeks ago, I saw Michael Haneke's beautiful film Amour - somebody told me that there was no soundtrack, so I really wanted to see it. There are some pieces of classical music in this film, but no original music was written for it. I found this really interesting as I felt it didn't need any music when I watched it. Music could have made it overly sentimental and therefore less real. So, I may have to reconsider the whole purpose of music in film!

Did you know that Carl Theodor Dreyer did not want any musical accompaniment for The Passion of Joan of Arc?

Well, it's difficult to know if he would approve of this score! But thankfully so far, I have been getting some nice compliments.

I would also like to compliment your musical score, as it complimented the film.

Thank you. What I hoped to accomplish for The Passion of Joan of Arc was to create a score that played to the strengths of the film, without becoming overbearing or distracting.

So, how did the project of The Passion of Joan of Arc get started?

The artistic director of the Cork French Film Festival, Paul Callanan, contacted me and asked me to write the music for the film.

Last year...

Yes, it was screened for the first time last year in the Cork French Film Festival, at Triskel's Christchurch.

Have you seen the film before? When you started to work on the project, did you watch it with or without music?

No, I had never seen this film before this project. I began to watch it with music, written by Richard Einhorn, but then I didn't want it to influence me too much, so I watched it without music.

From which point of view did you approach the film, from Dreyer, Joan of Arc or your own as a viewer's point of view?

I wished to produce a score that was restrained to reflect Joan's character and her actions. I wanted to create a voice for Joan, allowing her to express a range of emotions from reflection to crying out. There was a wish to create a sound world that protected Joan, while at the same time creating a claustrophobic, saturated atmosphere to magnify the intimacy and confinement of the close up shots.

I enjoyed, in particular, when the organ for the first time started to play together with the soprano, it reminded me of the place where we were watching the film - that we are all in the cathedral. I read that in your score you have used the text and the structure of the Requiem Mass. Is that the reason why the screenings/concerts take place in churches and cathedrals?

There are a few reasons why the church is an appropriate setting for a screening such as this – one is because of the obvious connotations with the church in this film, but another one is because I use the church or pipe organ. You may not have noticed, but a lot of the very low rumbling sounds heard in the score are actually produced by the organ. I knew that low pedal notes could create a beating or pulsing effect by playing two notes simultaneously that are close together in frequency. I use this effect in particular scenes throughout the film, some are heard alone where others are heard submerged under an already dense electronic soundscape.

The film depicts Joan of Arc's trial, imprisonment, torture and execution. For which part of it was the hardest to write music?

Normally, there are many constraints when writing music for film. There are less constraints in The Passion of Joan of Arc as there is no audible dialogue. Because of this, I had free reign to a certain extent. However, I was extremely conscious that the story took precedence, and I was more than happy for the music to be an 'additional' element rather than the primary focus. Since it is a silent film, I needed to write continuous music for 90 minutes, so transitions between sections/pieces was also something I had to think about.

Dreyer shot the film from the first to the last scene in the right chronological order, did you write music in the same way?

I wrote it almost in the right order. In general, when I write I tend to start at the beginning and work through it until I reach the end. I remember my composition teacher telling me that I can start with the end and then write the beginning, that I don't need to worry about the whole structure, about what happens in the middle. But it always feels more natural for me to start at the beginning and finish with the end. This process though, tends to be a slower method for me.

How long did it take you to write the music for the film?

It took me four months.

Your compositions have been already played in Carnagie Hall, are you also planning to bring this project overseas?

Yes, we are going to Union Chapel in London in July, which is an amazing venue and then we are in discussions about a Paris performance and where would be the most suitable venue - there are so many beautiful churches in Paris!

You are now finishing your PhD, I would like to wish you good luck with it.

Thank you. Yes, I am now finishing off my PhD - I got a bit side-tracked for a while though, as I had a lot of projects to work on.

What's next for you after finishing PhD, any more music projects for films?

I will begin to write an opera this year, called The Lament of Art O' Leary. For the text, I am using a beautiful translation of this famous lament by the Irish poet Vona Groarke. I am also writing it for the soprano Emma Nash, who performs on The Passion of Joan of Arc.

St. Fin Barre's Cathedral, Cork.
http://www.cathedral.cork.anglican.org/index.php/Home/

(6) 24th Cork French Film Festival

While listening to a French singer Edith Piaf and enjoying a nice glass of a French wine I will offer you a brief insight of what to expect and must-sees in the 24th Cork French Film Festival.

"...to call past and future to the rescue of the present..." /La Jetée/

The phrase from Chris Marker's film La Jetée (The Jetty) is this years Cork French Film Festival's motto. It is the festival's 24th edition and it is happening from March 3 to March 10. Next week the city of Cork is in for a nice treat of cinema. You can view the festivals programme here.

The festival's theme is black and white cinema, moreover it will pay a special tribute to Chris Marker (1921-2012), a French writer, photographer, director, professor, editor and a digital multimedia artist, who died last summer on his 91st birthday. This Cork French Film Festival will offer a special exhibition based on Marker's science fiction film La Jetée (1962), which won Prix Jean Vigo for the short film. The exhibition will be launched on Thursday, March 7.

Quai des Brumes (1938) - "To me, a swimmer is already a drowned man"

Quai des Brumes.

The opening film of the festival is Quai des Brumes (Port of Shadows) (1938), directed by Marcel Carné. The film has won 4 awards, between them also NBR award for the best foreign film. The film is based on the novel with the same title published in 1927, written by Pierre Dumarchey (1882-1970), who is one of France's most celebrated 20th century writers. However, it is Jacques Prévert's wonderful dialogues that brings the film to life. Quai des Brumes stars Jean Gabin and Michèle Morgan, who at the time was only 17, however she exudes cinematic glamour. Coco Chanel's designed stylish, but yet modest and classic costumes, and Maurice Jaubert's haunting compositions makes Quai des Brumes a delightful collaborative artistry.

The film tells a dark and depressive story, where an army deserter, Jean, and a 17 year old girl, Nelly, both run away from their pasts, in order to try and start over. In this dark and harsh world, after the World War I and before World War II, where there is still a room for romance.

Need more reasons why you shouldn't miss it in the festival, read here.

Alphaville (1965) - "You'll become something worse than dead. You'll become a legend."

Alphaville.

Alphaville directed by Jean Luc-Godard, who had only spent 7 years in filmmaking (his first film was Operation Concrete (1958)) and he had already established himself as one of the leading directors of the French New Wave. The film is a combination of film noir and science fiction in a Godard's style.

The film is set in the future and although Alphaville is a futuristic city on another planet, Godard shot the film in real locations in Paris. However, the futuristic sense is given to the film by the monotone voice of the Alpha 60 computer.

Lemmy Caution, a secret inter-galactic agent is sent to Alphaville to find Henri Dickson, another agent with whom they have lost a contact. After arriving in Alphaville, Lemmy soon understands that everyone here is obsessed with their sexual desires. Even more, all the citizens are under the control of the Alpha 60 computer, and the creator of Alpha 60 Professor von Braun is seen as a god in Alphaville. However, Lemmy notices that von Braun's daughter, Natacha is different.

Alphaville stars Anna Karina as Natacha and Eddie Constantine as Lemmy Caution. It is often referred to as one of the least conventional films, Godard breaks all the rules and creates his own ode to free will.

A definite must see in the festival to not only Godard fans, but anyone who enjoys to see 'not your usual evening film', it will be shown on Monday, March 4.

These two films would be mine must sees in the 24th Cork French Film Festival, however I would kindly ask you to also go and see a classical Truffaut film Shoot the Piano Player (1960), screened Wednesday, March 6, Le Doulos (1962), starring a handsome bad guy from Godard's Breathless (1960) Jean-Paul Belmondo, screened Sunday, March 10. And if you haven't had a chance yet, go and see the black and white, partly silent and partly talkie The Artist (2011), screened on Sunday, March 10. As well as, if you don't mind to spend the whole Sunday in the cinema theater don't miss out on Vanessa Paradis in Girl on the Bridge (1999).

Despite these and all the other films that will be screened in CFFF, the culmination of the festival will be on Saturday, March 9, when you have an exceptional possibility to see the screening of The Passion of Joan of Arc (1928), directed by Carl Theodor Dreyer. The screening will take place in St. Fin Barre's Cathedral and it will be accompanied with live music, composed by Irene Buckley. This CFFF production is now touring the world and was sold out in Glasgow's Film Festival. Cork's screening will have a special guest James McVinnie, an organist who has collaborated with composers such as Richard Reer Parry of Arcade Fire.

But more on that you will be able to read next week, as it is in my intentions to attend this remarkable screening of The Passion of Joan of Arc.

Information about screening times and special events are taken from Cork French Film Festival's programme.