Carl Martin Has Two Eyes

The Frisco Bay repertory/revival scene cannot be taken in by a single pair of eyes. Thankfully, a number of local filmgoers have agreed to share their favorites from 2009. An index of participants is found here.

The following list comes from Carl Martin, who blogs for the Film On Film Foundation and maintains its Film Calendar:

Feb 2, PFA: The Passer By
This unknown little film is about celluloid's miraculous ability to fix us in posterity and a perfect demonstration of it.

Feb 7, PFA: An American Tragedy
When something falls into the water in a Josef von Sternberg film, the water becomes a character of sorts, swallowing, ruminating, reflecting. And what is that contraption shuttling back and forth, back and forth, in the foreground of the textile factory? It is as much a character as the dredge in The Salvation Hunters.

Feb 18, ybca: The Savage Eye
This print was ridiculously gorgeous. Nihilism and despair were never so beautiful and uplifting.

Apr 2, ybca: Truck Turner
One hell of a stylish blaxplo. And check out the sassmouth on Nichelle Nichols! Great print.

Apr 15, ybca: Chumlum
It took a few minutes to ease myself into this film's droning rhythms. Superimposed shots of bodies lounging in hammocks and doing godknows what else. A diaphanous nautical phantasy.

May 21, Castro: Ms. 45
The trailer is a perfect distillation of iconic moments. So is the movie. Kinda faded... Ferrara's own print, apparently.

Jul 11, PFA: Pleasures of the Flesh
I've reserved for this film the word "delirious". A dream and a nightmare, full of hoods and floozies. Oshima.

Aug 7, PFA: Secret Beyond the Door...
A man tells a woman about his hobby which, taken literally, is absurd. But we come to see he is being quite literal. This is apt cinema. Why did Lang disown it? Magnificent print!


Oct 2, PFA: Poil de carotte
Great child performances are rare, and I'm a sucker for 'em. Carrot-top's face magnifies the cruelties of his world. He can see only one way out, but can't comprehend its tragedy. We can, all the more.

Dec 19, PFA: Bonjour Tristesse
The best, most sophisticatedest of the Premingers in this series, and a clear and worthy precursor to the French New Wave.

Ryland Walker Knight Has Two Eyes

The Frisco Bay repertory/revival scene cannot be taken in by a single pair of eyes. Thankfully, a number of local filmgoers have agreed to share their favorites from 2009. An index of participants is found here.

The following list comes from Ryland Walker Knight, who blogs at Vinyl Is Heavy:

After some time in go-hard Brooklyn and across the wilds of eastern Oklahoma, I got back to the Bay for a mere two months of rep film going. But I did manage to see some great flicks in that brief span. I went to all the Alain Resnais series at PFA and learned a lot, laughed a lot, and I even made a point to write about each film. I saw some good old Hitchcock favorites at the Castro. I even caught City of Sadness at Yerba Buena Center's screening room alongside Brian here. But the real highlight, probably, from a purely spectacular perspective (as in, spectacle) was the Silent Film Festival's winter event: an all-day, five film extravaganza complete with live organs and Anchor Porter and a mostly packed house for every single show (though the Sherlock Jr. screening, smack at 7 o'clock, was clearly the most popular). Perhaps the most interesting movie of the bunch was Abel Gance's frontline World War I epic, J'accuse!, which had an intermission and a whole bunch of fantastic effects at work (as in, fantasy), like the final third's rising of the dead for a choral communion with their survivors to ensure the war's death toll meant something, if only on a personal (as in, person-to-person) basis.

I'm looking forward to all that lies ahead in the calendar, including the spate of Tati just on the horizon (what a weekend coming up!) and all those Lewton flicks (Friday the 22nd is a double bill to die for: Cat People and The Seventh Victim), not to mention actually being here, ready and able to cover next spring's SFIFF. We may not have the sheer mass of options as a place like New York here in the Bay, but, I've come to realize, that's not as important as it seems. There's still plenty of rep cinema here, however dwindled it may be, and if I'm planting here for the foreseeable future, I'd like to play my part, however diminutive it may be, in pumping up that world. Here's hoping to see more crowds, and especially more young faces, around the circuit in 2010.

This may be a hard sell, but, come on, kiddies out there: who needs to see Avatar when you can see Playtime on a big screen?

Laura Horak Has Two Eyes

The Frisco Bay repertory/revival scene cannot be taken in by a single pair of eyes. Thankfully, a number of local filmgoers have agreed to share their favorites from 2009. An index of participants is found here.

The following list comes from Laura Horak, Ph.D. Candidate in Film Studies at the University of California:

Here's my list of my top rep film experiences of 2009 (leaning toward the last 3 months, since I can hardly remember the ones before that. In no particular order:

Anatomy of a Murder @ PFA, introduced by Carol Clover - fabulous introduction, particularly how she used the original theatrical trailer to make her point; in any event Carol Clover is not to be missed and it was a joy to see this film on the big screen with a packed audience

The Count of Old Town @ PFA - Ingrid Bergman as a very young girl (18?) in this silly, fun, funny early Swedish talkie; what's not to love?

Sherlock Jr @ Castro w/ SFSFF - so great to see this film w/ live musicians and a packed out crowd. also, it happens to be one of the best films of all time.

Alexander Black: Cinema Pioneer, an illustrated lecture by Kaveh Askari @ PFA - this just blew my mind! the lecture was fascinating and the films, recently acquired and preserved by the PFA were just incredible

East and West (1923) @ PFA

The Dybbuk @ PFA: uncanny!

The Fast and the Furious on PFA lawn: So fun drinking and eating and lying on the PFA lawn - just like the storied olden days of PFA, with hilarious driver safety video starring Dick Van Dyke (I think) and a preview for an Evil Kenival movie w/ a very old Gene Kelly

Lost Landscapes w/ Rick Prelinger @ Herbst - amazing that this kind of event sells out such a huge theater! only in San Francisco!

The one that got away - I meant to see this but I got sick and all my friends went and told me it was the best viewing experience of the year - Dil Bole Hadippa! @ Castro w/ S. Asian FF - a charming Bollywood film about a cross-dressing girl cricket player - I hear the film broke at one point and then started up again w/ extreme slow mo of water dripping down perfectly sculpted abs, much to the delight of the Castro audience.

Michael Hawley has Two Eyes

The Frisco Bay repertory/revival scene cannot be taken in by a single pair of eyes. Thankfully, a number of local filmgoers have agreed to share their favorites from 2009. An index of participants is found here.

The following list comes from Michael Hawley; this article is cross-posted at his blog film-415:

2009 was another incredible year for seeing old movies in the Bay Area. I had the pleasure of watching 70 golden "classics" on our local screens, which represents around 20 percent of what was actually available to see. Next year I promise to apply myself. Meanwhile, here are ten or so of my favorites from the past year.

Skidoo (Pacific Film Archive (PFA), "Otto Preminger: Anatomy of a Movie")
Two weeks after seeing this 1968 rarity, I remain traumatized by the memory of Carol Channing seducing Frankie Avalon with a down-to-the-bra-and-panties, psychedelic rock striptease. That, and Jackie Gleason LSD-tripping in an Alcatraz jail cell with Groucho Marx's head perched atop a floating screw. The Preminger estate almost never allows this jaw-dropper to be screened, so weep if you missed it. Added bonus: a woman who lived in the house where much of the movie was shot regaled the PFA audience with tales of its filming (she was 14 at the time). Channing was a sweetheart, Gleason was a mean crank and Avalon combed through her record collection looking for his own stuff. Another 2009 ultra-rare mind-blower at the PFA: Frank Zappa's 200 Motels ("Eccentric Cinema: Overlooked Oddities and Ecstasies").

Ace in the Hole/Cry of the Hunted (Castro Theater, Noir City double-bill)
Billy Wilder followed Sunset Boulevard with this searing 1951 satire of human greed and monomania, starring Kirk Douglas as a disgraced big-city reporter who hits paydirt when an Indian cliff dwelling collapses and traps an old man. With Jan Sterling firing off one of the campiest lines in film history: "I don't go to church. Kneeling bags my nylons." In 1953's Cry, an escaped convict (an impossibly handsome Vittorio Gassman, then married to Shelley Winters) is chased through the Louisiana swamps by cops Barry Sullivan and William Conrad. Fortunately for us, Gassman plunges into the swampwater at least once a reel and emerges sopping wet with clothes a-clinging. In between swamp dips, he has two homoerotic fist fights with Sullivan which end in hilariously post-coital cigarette-smoking.

The Lost World (Castro Theater, SF International Film Festival)
I rarely attend revival screenings at this festival (although the decision to skip Gena Rowlands introducing A Woman Under the Influence at this year's fest was an agonizing one). When I do, it's always for programmer Sean Uyehara's annual pairing of an iconic silent film with a newly composed rock score. This year's unholy hook-up was 1925 dinosaur epic The Lost World and the impossible-to-categorize sounds of Dengue Fever. At the point in the movie where the volcano was exploding and the jungle was on fire and the dinosaurs were stampeding and Dengue Fever was kicking out its raucous jams, I half expected the Castro's domed ceiling to lift off into the night sky. Unforgettable.

Z (Castro Theater, one-week revival)
I hadn't seen Costa-Gavras' acclaimed 1969 political thriller since its initial theatrical release, when I was too young to appreciate or understand it. I even remember being bored by it. This time I walked out thinking, "now THIS is fucking CINEMA!" As Pauline Kael wrote back in the day, "Remember when the movie ads used to say, "It will knock you out of your seat"? Well, Z damn near does." Almost every other film I saw this year seemed anemic by comparison.

Jeanne Dielman, 23 Quai du Commerce, 1080 Bruxelles (SFMOMA's two-month Chantal Akerman retrospective)
For me, this was 2009's biggest catch-up-with-the-canon screening. Thank goodness I'll never again have to endure anyone incredulously asking, "You mean to say you've NEVER seen Jeanne Dielman?!?" Uh yes, I have, and it exceeded all expectations. Not that the screening itself was flawless. Somehow the second reel of the 35mm print got lost in transit and had to be substituted with 16mm. Also, Akerman cancelled her highly anticipated personal appearance with the film just days before. But she was hardly missed after last-minute substitute, film critic and Akerman's personal friend B. Ruby Rich finished delivering what was the best film introduction I heard in all 2009. During the series I also caught the follow-up to Dielman, 1976's Je, tu, il, elle and Akerman's 1986 shopping-mall musical, Golden Eighties.

Daguerréotypes (PFA, "Agnès Varda: Cinécriture")
In 1975 Varda made this delightful documentary on the denizens of Rue Daguerre, the Parisian street where she's lived for decades. Having just given birth, she needed to stick close to home and ventured only as far as the camera's extension cord would allow her. Leave it to Varda to turn stricture into strength. Opening the program was Du côté de la côte, a wry 24-minute, Vardian version of a tourist board promotional film (for the Côte d'Azur). As part of the retrospective I also got my first look at her debut film, 1955's La Pointe-Courte and the Bay Area premiere of her most recent masterpiece, The Beaches of Agnès, as well as repeat viewings of the classic Cleo from 5 to 7 and her homage to husband Jacques Demy, Jacquot de Nantes.

Hollywood Speaks German (Castro Theater, Berlin & Beyond Special Presentation)
When sound film arrived in Hollywood, so did the problem of how to export its product abroad. During the silent era, movies were simply given new intertitles. Dubbing was still an insurmountable technological challenge in the early sound era, so films were shot in several languages. This illuminating program featured clips from 14 German-language Hollywood films from 1930-31 (including Anna Christie and The Lauren & Hardy Murder Case) and was hosted by Film Museum Munich Director Stefan Droessler. After a Q&A with film historian Russell Merritt, the festival screened the rare English-language version of Josef von Sternberg's The Blue Angel.

Fear and Desire/The Delinquents (Roxie Theater, Film on Film Foundation double bill)
For anyone who isn't familiar with the Film on Film Foundation, they maintain an indispensable film calendar which lists non-digital Bay Area revival/repertory/festival screenings. I can't plan my film festivals until I've consulted them. They also host occasional screenings such a this one, a rare pairing of Stanley Kubrick's first film (the long-considered-lost 1953 war allegory Fear and Desire) and Robert Altman's 1957 juvenile delinquent melodrama The Delinquents (starring a hunky pre-Billy Jack Tom Laughlin). It was gratifying to see a packed Roxie house for this. More recently, FOFF screened Otto Preminger's revelatory 1963 The Cardinal at the PFA.

So's Your Old Man (Castro Theater, SF Silent Film Festival)
There were so many terrific programs at this year's SF Silent Film Festival (and its two 'Winter Events'), I was hard-pressed to single out just one. This hilarious W.C. Fields comedy was the festival's 2009 "Director's Pick," having been chosen and then introduced by Terry Zwigoff (Crumb, Ghost World) and his pal Daniel Clowes (Art School Confidential). I was dubious about how funny Fields might be without that lilting sneer of a voice, but boy, was he! Other 2009 SFSFF highlights included my first-ever viewing of F.W. Murnau's iconic Sunrise, Lillian Gish going nuts from the howl of The Wind, Lupe Velez' transformed cabaret dancer in Lady of the Pavements and the haunted house antics of The Cat and the Canary.

It Always Rains on Sunday/Brighton Rock (Castro Theater, Rialto Best of British Noir series double bill)
September saw British film noir aficionados racing between the Castro and the PFA as they ran similarly themed programs (the PFA calling its series "Tea and Larceny: Classic British Crime Films.") In It Always Rains, housewife Googie Withers has an ex-lover who just escaped prison stashed in her bedroom. Brighton Rock stars the salty Hermione Baddeley as an aging floozy determined to expose a murderous young racketeer (a 23-year-old Richard Attenborough). 2010 will see the release of a Helen Mirren-starring remake.

Adam Hartzell Has Two Eyes

The Frisco Bay repertory/revival scene cannot be taken in by a single pair of eyes. Thankfully, a number of local filmgoers have agreed to share their favorites from 2009. An index of participants is found here.

The following list comes from Adam Hartzell, who contributes to sf360 koreanfilm.org, this site, and elsewhere:

Can Brian get a Rep, a Rep Rep?
　
Well, yes he can. He’s going to get a Top Five. And in the obligatory free pass request, a plus one as well.
　
First, the plus one. In this case, it‘s a disappointing Repertory experience. After reading about Hitchcock’s REBECCA for years, I figured I’d be riveted by finally seeing it on the big screen at the Castro, where it screened on December 17th as part of a series of films by (the ever reliable) Hitchcock... Sadly, Mr. Reliable left me unimpressed. I’m sure I’ll get around to re-reading those essays from years ago that led me to think this would be a powerful film, but at least the Castro Theatre audience saved the film for me by their reactions to various characters. Plus, that same Castro audience had me leaving the theatre wondering why they applauded for that policeman near the end of the film. Of course, just as the 33 Stanyan was making that hairpin turn that allows us to see the neon-glow of the Castro Theatre behind us, I realized what I’d missed but the crowd hadn’t. That was Hitchcock!
　
#5 THE CROWD (King Vidor, 1928) - A repeat performance for me, but I still used it as an excuse to finally head down to the Stanford Theatre in Palo Alto on March 27th. I’ll be spending more time at The Stanford Theatre for a piece I have planned for sf360.org this year, so I’m sure something on this year’s Stanford theatre docket will show up in Brian’s list next year too.
　
#4 THE TIMES OF HARVEY MILK (Rob Epstein, 1984) I always mistakenly refer to this film as “The Life and Times of Harvey Milk” for some reason. But for the serendipitous reason of the release of the film MILK, the Roxie Cinema brought us an opportunity to watch THE TIMES OF HARVEY MILK the first week of this year, a film I hadn’t seen since college. The film still retains its power, particularly the candlelight vigil footage which I found lacking when dramatized in MILK As further evidence for Harvey Milk’s influence, can a proud husband mention that his wife wrote a song in tribute to him for her band back in Japan years ago which is why I surprised her and took her to this film? And I believe THE TIMES OF HARVEY MILK will endure along with Milk’s, and MILK’s, legacies.
　
#3 WILD ROSE (Sun Yu, 1932) The Silent Film Festival always brings a gem or two, and this one brought on July 11th will be one of my favorites for a long time. The introductory remarks from the widow of the lead actor added just the right amount of preparation to lead us into this lovely city/country mouse romance. The spunky-ness of Wang Renmei’s character and her interaction with the other children of her village was a joy to watch. My wife and I still jokingly salute ourselves like the little play soldiers in the film, underscoring the lasting impression this film had on us.

#2 The Oshima Nagisa Retrospective - After THE CEREMONY and BOY were treats on last year’s Rep Top Five, this year brought those and the rest of the Oshima ouevre that have been kept from us for so long. THREE RESURRECTED DRUNKARDS was definitely my favorite of those I finally caught up with, although THE TOWN OF LOVE AND HOPE was excellent too. I wish this would have come along when I was more immersed in Oshima scholarship ten or so years ago, but I won’t complain. I don’t get myself out to the Pacific Film Archives as much any more, but I anxiously took BART under the bay and risked tired eyes at work the next day to catch as many of these Oshima screenings as I could. Thank you PFA!
　

#1 FOOTBALL AS NEVER BEFORE (Hellmuth Costard, 1971) There was no film I anticipated more than this one on August 30th, so much so, I forewent an offer for a screener so my first experience with it would be in the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts theatre. The inspiration of later films on Algerian-French football phenom Zenadine Zidane and LA Laker Kobe Bryant, multiple-cameras followed football great George Best during an entire match. I had read much about the talents of George Best and had seen him for years on the cover of the debut album of my favorite band, The Wedding Present. I couldn’t wait to see what all the hype was about. And I wasn’t disappointed. A friend of mine commented on how he lost respect for Zidane after watching his documentary (#1 with a bullet on last year’s list) because Zidane seemed to spend so much time ’loafing around’, whereas Best is quite involved throughout the entire match. But another friend of mine who has seen both films with me at the YBCA said this underscores the changes in football strategy over the ages where players are now more specialized in their roles. Best would be encouraged to be more involved in much of the match, whereas Zidane is now expected to play his role, a role he plays as well as Best played his. Such is a tiny example of the benefits of this approach to the sports film.