The Complete Jean Vigo
During his tragically short life Jean Vigo (1905-1934) became one of the most influential filmmakers of the 1930's. Vigo, the son of a militant anarchist strangled in his prison cell, grew up mostly on the run or in boarding school under a false name. He eventually fell into filmmaking, but died in 1934 at the age of 29 from tuberculosis. I recently spent some time working through Criterion's recently released Complete Jean Vigo. Complete works sound daunting, but given Vigo's short life, the collection consists of 2 shorts (A Propos de Nice & Taris), a 40 minute film (Zero de Conduite), and one full length feature (L'Atalante).
Vigo was a prankster with a camera. The films never take themselves too seriously, though somehow always manage to be subversive. The boarding school boys of Zero de Conduite are never up to any good. In L'Atalante the cabin boy and Jules play tricks on one another and cheat at checkers. Perhaps the playfulness that weaves in and out of harsh realism is what makes Vigo such an influential figure in what would eventually become the French New Wave.
While at the Art Institute of Chicago a while back I happened to catch a photo gallery of Ralph Meatyard, an American photographer best known for his eerily beautiful black and white photographs of dolls and children wearing masks. For Meatyard, "dolls represented a physical human presence, whether employed in a scene alongside people or instead of people. He used masks to universalize his sitters rather than make portraits of individuals." Vigo also portrays these things- a grotesque costume parade in A Propos de Nice, a creepy puppet in L'Atalante. 
But Vigo also evokes these human sentiments through swimmers flailing underwater, girls dancing on balconies, sailor tattoos, simple magic tricks, and mischief. The images stick with you. Camera tricks that might seem archaic by today's standards produce a sense of light wonder in the hands of Vigo. This is true whether its the juvenile humor of women's clothing quickly stripped away through a series of film dissolves in A Propos de Nice, the swimmer Tarvis shooting out of the water through reverse filming, or the dreamlike slow-motion insurrectionist pillow fight in Zero de Conduite.
L'Atalante (1934) is a romance movie like no other. It beautifully explores the fragility of new love. Jean, the new husband is the captain of a barge and brings his new wife Juliette along on a trip that also functions as a sort of honeymoon. The animosity between the newlyweds grows as life's responsibilities and each other's shortcomings drive them further apart. Jean is practical while Juliette yearns for adventure. The more they grow apart the deeper they eventually realize how much they need one another. They keep each other afloat, making the canal setting a wonderful metaphor.
For fans of foreign language classics and French New Wave, the complete Jean Vigo is not to be missed. Thanks to Criterion, these films have been beautifully restored so that a new generation of film lovers can enjoy these classic works.
The Road
I just finished The Road by Cormac McCarthy and I can't wait to see the movie coming out in October. I knew there was a movie coming out, but I intentionally waited until after I finished the book to look into it on imdb so that it wouldn't affect the way I imagined the characters. After reading the book I have to say that the casting seems perfect. The director is John Hillcoat who did The Proposition and the icing on the cake is original music composed by Nick Cave! The ingredients are all there for a great movie, let's hope it does justice to the book.
Lent (Revisiting Films For Renewal)
Last Wednesday was Ash Wednesday, a day that marks the beginning of Lent. Lent is the forty six days (forty not counting Sundays) of preparation for the Easter celebration. These forty days mirror the forty days Jesus spent in the wilderness, where he was tempted and made ready for ministry. In the same way, Lent can be an extremely useful time of repentance and renewal for the believer. It has always struck me as beautiful that Lent overlaps with the start of spring, when the dead suddenly spring forth new life.
I have used this time in the past to be more intentional about meditating on the Word and coming back to the simplicity of the gospel that I confess. This year I hope to do this by entering into my own "wilderness journey". My goal is to revisit some films that I remember stirring within me a spirit of worship and a need for meditation after first viewing. I hope that through rewatching these films God will once again reveal Himself to me in powerful ways that will only draw me closer and change me once again. These are the films that I will be rewatching, and if you wish to join me in watching any of these, please leave a comment below and I will let you know when I plan on showing them.
Pasolini's Gospel Accoring to Matthew*
The Seventh Seal
The Silence Trilogy (Through A Glass Darkly, Winter Light, & The Silence)
Gandhi
The Passion of the Christ**
Gandhi
The Mission
The Passion of Joan of Arc
The Apostle
The Last Temptation of Christ
*This film I watch every year during Holy Week.
**I have not watched this film since seeing it in the theater. Honestly, I'm a little anxious about watching it again, but I want to see if my opinion will change since reading James Carroll's "Constantine's Sword: The Church and The Jews".
The Nate Awakening
I went through a long period of time where nothing really moved or touched me. This pretty much stretched over the entire summer and up to the last few weeks. I watched all sorts of film, read a book or two, and listened to all sorts of music that just didn't do it for me. Of course, I recognized when something was "good", but the spiritual connection I used to have with certain pieces felt completely nonexistent.
Thank God, that completely changed this week. I'm not sure if it was the materials I exposed myself to, the time I allowed them to sink in afterward, a mood shift having to do with the changing seasons, or a combination of all the above but I feel that my soul has been rejuvenated.
These were some of the things that have moved me this week.
1. I watched Francois Truffaut's "Shoot The Piano Player" and was reminded of how one's decisions can affect a whole range of events to come, and sometimes we hurt people in ways we never could have imagined but that this is the human condition and we deal with this realization in different ways.
2. I finished "Ender's Game" and was struck by how beautifully this book wrapped itself up and showed how fear and misunderstanding can trigger the worst in us and make enemies of potential allies. It is the ones who are willing to communicate and understand that are ultimately vindicated and set free, and all is never lost.
3. I watched "The Crucible" because I felt like watching another Daniel Day-Lewis performance and was moved by his character's unwillingness to damage his good name. It got me thinking about whether or not I hold my own name in high regard.
4. I listened to "Drive-By Truckers' Brighter Than Creation's Dark" and it made me love the roots of American music all over again. Now I want to go back and listen to my collection of folk music and focus on the American fascination with being on "the righteous path".
I guess that about does it. Lets hope this inspiration keeps up and perhaps even births some creation on my part. As I was taking all of these things in this week I felt a desire to even start studying theology again. Right now I'm reading "Learning Scripture With The Church Fathers" with the confidence that I have some profound things to learn from antiquity. But for right now, I'm just happy to be enjoying things again.
- While everyone else is having the best Presidents Day ever I'll be working and going to school. #feelsorryforme
- I was rooting for Mrs. Patmore and Matthew after seeing them dancing together. I guess this ending works too. #DowntonPBS
- RT @AHolmengren: Maggie Smith is the bomb.