A three-part discussion of movies in love with the power of movies kicks off with a Buster Keaton classic and a charming fantasy film by Martin Scorsese.
Hugo is one of two 3D movies released during the post-Avatar boom that I deliberately set out to watch in that format. (The other: Herzog's Cave of Forgotten Dreams.) An atypical film for Scorsese, to be sure, but at this point there are enough "outliers" in his filmography (After Hours, The Age of Innocence, Kundun, Silence) that we should really just consider him a filmmaker with range, not one who goes off-reservation periodically.
Always glad to see any praise (however carefully phrased) for Purple Rose Of Cairo. There's so much to love about it--Mia Farrow's absolutely heart-breaking performance, Gordon Willis' ravishing cinematography, a perfectly judged script. And I think it's the most honest tribute to "the magic of the movies"--they are wonderful, and the escape they provide can even be necessary, but they ultimately can't save you.
Having long considered Hugo to be Scorsese's only disappointment, I'm now keen to revisit this with my nephew. Certainly, if the bet is on me or Scorsese being wrong, I know where the smart money's at ...
Anyway, mostly wanted to use your CAIRO aside to send up a signal flare for an esoteric film in the same vein, ESCAPE FROM THE 'LIBERTY' CINEMA, an underknown Polish film that's pretty great. Second Run put it out, although I found it on Netflix NZ in a brief weird window where they'd (presumably accidentally) licensed a couple dozen esoteric Polish titles. Highly recommended to all CAIRO fans, for multiple reasons.
I love both of these movies so much. SHERLOCK JR. was the first silent film they showed in my first film history class in college and I was hooked. That love continued when I discovered that my city has a venue that shows silent films accompanied live "by Blaine Gale on the mighty Wurlitzer Organ!" (Shout out to the Organ Loft in Salt Lake.) Because of that, my kids have had a chance to see a bunch of the classics (especially Keaton, Chaplin and Lloyd.)
That led to one of my proudest moments as a movie-loving parent when we went as an extended family to see HUGO and, at one point, my six-year old turned to my mom and sister and said "Hey, that's from SAFETY LAST!"
Hugo is one of two 3D movies released during the post-Avatar boom that I deliberately set out to watch in that format. (The other: Herzog's Cave of Forgotten Dreams.) An atypical film for Scorsese, to be sure, but at this point there are enough "outliers" in his filmography (After Hours, The Age of Innocence, Kundun, Silence) that we should really just consider him a filmmaker with range, not one who goes off-reservation periodically.
Always glad to see any praise (however carefully phrased) for Purple Rose Of Cairo. There's so much to love about it--Mia Farrow's absolutely heart-breaking performance, Gordon Willis' ravishing cinematography, a perfectly judged script. And I think it's the most honest tribute to "the magic of the movies"--they are wonderful, and the escape they provide can even be necessary, but they ultimately can't save you.
Having long considered Hugo to be Scorsese's only disappointment, I'm now keen to revisit this with my nephew. Certainly, if the bet is on me or Scorsese being wrong, I know where the smart money's at ...
Anyway, mostly wanted to use your CAIRO aside to send up a signal flare for an esoteric film in the same vein, ESCAPE FROM THE 'LIBERTY' CINEMA, an underknown Polish film that's pretty great. Second Run put it out, although I found it on Netflix NZ in a brief weird window where they'd (presumably accidentally) licensed a couple dozen esoteric Polish titles. Highly recommended to all CAIRO fans, for multiple reasons.
I also see the whimsical “dropped into danger with a cut”motif, or is it “yanked from danger”in Edge of Tomorrow.
I love both of these movies so much. SHERLOCK JR. was the first silent film they showed in my first film history class in college and I was hooked. That love continued when I discovered that my city has a venue that shows silent films accompanied live "by Blaine Gale on the mighty Wurlitzer Organ!" (Shout out to the Organ Loft in Salt Lake.) Because of that, my kids have had a chance to see a bunch of the classics (especially Keaton, Chaplin and Lloyd.)
That led to one of my proudest moments as a movie-loving parent when we went as an extended family to see HUGO and, at one point, my six-year old turned to my mom and sister and said "Hey, that's from SAFETY LAST!"