Benoît Jacquot – Elvire-Jouvet 40 (1988)

elvireavi000006560 Benoît Jacquot   Elvire Jouvet 40 (1988)

logoimdbb Benoît Jacquot   Elvire Jouvet 40 (1988)

In 1940, the actor Louis Jouvet held seven masterclasses at the Conservatoire National de Paris, in which he coached a student, Claudia, in the role of Elvire from Molière’s Dom Juan.

The notes from these lessons later formed the basis of a stage play by Brigitte Jaques at the Théâtre national de Strasbourg, with Philippe Clévenot in the role of Louis Jouvet and Maria de Medeiros as Claudia.

This is Benoît Jacquot’s telefilm adaptation of the play, with the same cast. It is in monochrome (as broadcast). Continue reading

Jonas Mekas – The Brig (1964)

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logoimdbb Jonas Mekas   The Brig (1964)

A Kenneth Brown play filmed live by Jonas Mekas and edited by his borther Adolfas Mekas. Non-stop camera movement, scrambled dialogue, and harsh acting just makes this seems like it is strangling the audience.

Jonas Mekas’ The Brig is a fake documentary about ten confined soldiers in a U.S. Navy ship and the three guards who beat and humiliate them. After the title of the film, “The Brig”, the next title is “March 7, 1957 – U.S. Marine Corps – Camp Fuji, Japan – 4:30” Then Mekas goes on showing the daily lives of the soldiers, which consists of beatings, degradations, unnecessary cleanings and senseless rituals. The audience is expected to constantly question the reality of what is on the screen while being moved by the illusion. Continue reading

Matthew Akers & Jeff Dupre – Marina Abramovic: The Artist Is Present (2012)

screenshot20120628at734 Matthew Akers & Jeff Dupre   Marina Abramovic: The Artist Is Present (2012)

logoimdbb Matthew Akers & Jeff Dupre   Marina Abramovic: The Artist Is Present (2012)

Quote:
Seductive, fearless, and outrageous, Marina Abramović has been redefining what art is for nearly forty years. Using her own body as a vehicle, pushing herself beyond her physical and mental limits––and at times risking her life in the process––she creates performances that challenge, shock, and move us. Through her and with her, boundaries are crossed, consciousness expanded, and art as we know it is reborn. She is, quite simply, one of the most compelling artists of our time.

She is also a glamorous art-world icon, a lightning rod for controversy, and a myth of her own making. She is most certainly unlike anyone you have ever met before.
The feature-length documentary film marina abramović the artist is present takes us inside marina’s world, following her as she prepares for what may be the most important moment of her life: a major retrospective of her work, taking place at the museum of modern art in new york. To be given a retrospective at one of the world’s premiere museums is, for any living artist, the most exhilarating sort of milestone. For marina, it is far more: it is the chance to finally silence the question she has been hearing over and over again for four decades: “but why is this art?” Continue reading

Peter Sellars – Nixon in China (2011)

45jzq8 Peter Sellars   Nixon in China (2011)

logoimdbb Peter Sellars   Nixon in China (2011)

Overview
John Adams’s groundbreaking work vividly brings to life President Nixon’s 1972 visit to communist China. Peter Sellars’s Met production, based on his 1987 world-premiere staging, features choreography by Mark Morris and stars James Maddalena as Nixon, Robert Brubaker as Chairman Mao, Janis Kelly as First Lady Pat Nixon, Russell Braun as Chinese Premier Chou En-lai, and Kathleen Kim as Chiang Ch’ing, Mao’s wife. From the pomp of the public displays to the intimacy of the protagonists most private moments, Adams, Sellars, and librettist Alice Goodman reveal the real characters behind the headlines in this landmark American opera.
Continue reading

Franco Zeffirelli – I Pagliacci (1982)

518PnHVxgnL Franco Zeffirelli   I Pagliacci (1982)

logoimdbb Franco Zeffirelli   I Pagliacci (1982)

IMDB User Comment:
Viva Pagliacci! Viva Zeffirelli!
27 August 2006 | by Marcin Kukuczka (Cieszyn, Poland)

Ruggero Leoncavallo’s dramatic libretto, PAGLIACCI, has been brought to screen several times. The sad story of Canio, a traveling entertainer betrayed by his wife, Nedda, has touched the audiences for years. Let us mention the famous Enrico Caruso and the significant role of this opera in his career. Yet, nowadays, when you want to find a good operatic direction, particularly its form on screen, look for Franco Zeffirelli’s works. While seeing his works, you can expect nothing less than a masterwork. The talented Italian-international director Zeffirelli, in case of opera, is probably most known for his ultimate masterpiece, the screen adaptation of Giusseppe Verdi’s LA TRAVIATA (1981). What crowds there are who say that they began to love opera thanks to this one! Nevertheless, PAGLIACCI is equally worth attention, not only for opera fans and not only due to the fact that the same classical pair are cast (Teresa Stratas and Placido Domingo). Continue reading

Galata Mevlevileri – The Sema Ceremony (2007)

sematorenibyy9 Galata Mevlevileri   The Sema Ceremony (2007)

PEACE VOICES RISING FROM GALATA
Sema symbolising a going and return, a spiritual voyage to the perfection is a salutation from the secret brave men in the heart. This voyage composed of seven parts embraces with love and affection all humanity, all living creatures by turning from right to left around the heart.

Galata Mevlevi Music and Sema Group from Galata Mevlevihane organising sema ceremonies fulfills its mission of peace representative thanks to the shows held on the whole world. The group organising a sema ceremony and conversation meeting to the honour of the Queen of Spain in the past years took part in the activities of “World Aid Committee to the Helpless Children” arranged by UNESCO in Brussels. Continue reading

Nathan Kroll – Martha Graham: Dance On Film [+Extras] (1959)

406box348x490 Nathan Kroll   Martha Graham: Dance On Film [+Extras] (1959)

Synopsis
One of the great artistic forces of the twentieth century, performer, choreographer, and teacher Martha Graham influenced dance worldwide. Criterion presents a sampling of her stunning craft, all collaborations with television arts-programming pioneer Nathan Kroll. A Dancer’s World (1957), narrated by Graham herself, is a glimpse into her class work and methodology. Appalachian Spring (1958) and Night Journey (1961) are two complete Graham ballets, the first a celebration of the American pioneer spirit, scored by Aaron Copland, the second a powerfully physical rendering of the Oedipus myth. These are signature Graham works and tributes to the art of the human body. Continue reading

pixel Nathan Kroll   Martha Graham: Dance On Film [+Extras] (1959)