#Man of Marble

[hotelelectrico]

Sometimes at the end of a year, I'll post stills from ten of my favorite movies that I saw for the first time that year. This year, those movies have something else in common: none of them are currently available to stream or rent online in the US. I rented almost all of these on disc from Scarecrow Video, the world's largest publicly-available video archive. They're in the midst of an important fundraising campaign - please consider renting from them, becoming a member, or donating what you can!

The Heiress (1949, USA, director William Wyler): A suitor (Montgomery Clift!) encourages a rich young woman (Olivia de Havilland!) to assert her independence from her father, but can she trust his motives? Classical Hollywood rarely got more psychologically insightful than in this tense but gorgeous melodrama. On Blu-ray from Criterion.

Wait Till the Sun Shines, Nellie (1952, USA, dir. Henry King): A young husband is happy to put down small-town roots while his wife dreams of the city. David Lynch says that this was the first movie he ever saw, and you can feel its influence on his work. Wholesome Americana as a force of perpetual destruction to those who dream of anything else. On DVD-R from Fox Archive.

They Shoot Horses, Don't They? (1969, USA, dir. Sydney Pollack): Hm, I'm realizing there may be some recurring themes in these, maybe a little bit of cynicism about "capitalism" and "America" and so on. Desperate Depression-era contestants join a nightmarish dance contest for the prospect of guaranteed meals and a cash prize. One of the key films of the New Hollywood movement and a highlight of Jane Fonda's career! On Blu-ray from Kino Lorber.

Wicked, Wicked (1973, USA, dir. Richard L. Bare): Okay time for something fun! A cheesy, gimmicky, thoroughly enjoyable psycho-horror shown almost entirely in split-screen "DuoVision". The film makes genuinely interesting and varied use of its core gimmick , but even without it the lurid twists would be a blast to watch. There's even an atrocious but catchy theme song! On DVD-R from Warner Archive.

Man of Marble (1977, Poland, dir. Andrzej Wajda): A driven young documentary filmmaker seeks out the true story of a bricklayer who had been lauded as a proletarian hero decades before. For another change of pace, we have some cynicism about communism instead of capitalism! Agnieszka the filmmaker is one of my favorite characters of the year, because she possesses every admirable trait: a rock-steady moral vision, a fearless investigatory instinct, and a world-class ability to lounge around and sit in odd positions. On DVD from Vanguard. (I saw this through my university library, but Scarecrow has it too!)

The Driver (1978, USA, dir. Walter Hill): A cool-guy-does-cool-car-crimes movie so stripped-down that none of the characters have names or even change outfits. Ryan O'Neal and Isabelle Adjani are as pretty and blank as you could possibly hope for. The car chases rock. It turns out you can strip this whole genre down to just the chassis and it's still immensely satisfying. On Blu-ray from Imprint.

Urgh! A Music War (1982, UK, dir. Derek Burbidge): Punk and new-wave concert footage from some of the greatest acts of the era! And plenty of other people too! Inherently inconsistent, starts and ends rough but there's a stretch in the middle that's nonstop fire. If you don't know and love Klaus Nomi, you need him in your life. If you haven't watched The Cramps' performance from this, you have no idea how low a pair of leather pants can ride or how salaciously a man can treat a microphone, and you need that in your life too. Plus Devo, XTC, OMD, The Go-Gos, Gary Numan (in an adorable little Star Wars car!) - all aces. On DVD-R from Warner Archive.

To Live and Die in LA (1985, USA, dir. William Friedkin): A vital companion piece to Friedkin's landmark The French Connection, with 80s LA sheen replacing 70s NY grit but the dark heart of copdom left completely unchanged. Willem Dafoe is unforgettable as the artist/counterfeiter antagonist. (Fun fact: the counterfeit money used in the film made its way into actual circulation, which earned Friedkin a visit from the Secret Service. He told them to come back with a warrant and they never did. And that's how the greats do it!) On Blu-ray from Kino Lorber, but 4K UHD is also available!

Twilight (1990, Hungary, dir. György Fehér): You know how people who don't watch a lot of international art films think they're all slow, grim, ambiguous black-and-white slogs through Eastern European despair? Well, that's what this is and it rules. It's shot like nothing I've seen before, full of subtle, misty grays, and the plot is about some detectives failing to catch a child murderer. You know if that sounds like your jam or not, and if it does, you're in for a great bad time. On Blu-ray from Arbelos.

I'm a Cyborg, but That's OK (2006, South Korea, dir. Park Chan-wook): "Taking mental illness seriously" doesn't have to mean being dour or even realist. Park Chan-wook is of course one of the best filmmakers in the world, but he's especially good at nailing tricky, ambiguous tones. I'm thinking of the triumphantly salacious end of The Handmaiden, the tragicomic ending of Thirst, the cathartic but sorrowful but etc etc climax of Lady Vengeance - anyway, this movie lives in that realm all the way through. On Blu-ray from Tartan (I think).

[babuszcats]

Jerzy Radziwiłowicz as Mateusz Birkut in Człowiek z marmuru (1977), dir. Andrzej Wajda

[week-of-wonders]

Człowiek z marmuru (1977) / Man of Marble

[ajastu]

[Rook voice] maybe if you had some friends you'd calm down 🙄

[keferon]

Don’t mind me I just like to see him go bananas about cartoonish Autobot rules

Maaan…..if Prowl was in tfp he would spontaneously combust at least once a day

[time-woods]

simon doodle in honor of fionna and cake dropping, sad old men gotta b my favorite species tbh

[saboteurr]

I forgot tumblr existed .3.

reposting some older art!

[jaymeowick]

how it feels to post about the slenderverse in 2025

[dahlia3tears]

[mickey-bees]

if jay stopped running his mouth I’m sure he’d stop getting punched in the face

[startheskelaton]

Brothers

[xrenyaa]

late night sketches

[redstrangers]

MY NAME IS TOTHEARK .

I DON’T LOOK LIKE A GHOST , DO I ?

[daily-hooded-man]

DAILY HOODED MAN: DAY EIGHT

hes a bum

[dailymaskytim]

22, reverse maskyfication

[rainrot4me]

hi hi hi

what would the creep's bedrooms be like? also would they live in the mansion?

✦ . JEFF THE KILLER

Mansion, second floor, far end of the hall (he insists on distance from everyone else so he can be loud).

Chaotic, teenage-boy-lives-forever energy. Torn band posters on stained, yellowing walls, clothes and knives left absolutely everywhere. There’s a suspiciously fresh-looking blood trail leading to a closet where he sometimes dumps “souvenirs.”

Mattress directly on the floor, no sheets half the time, cheap-ass scratchy blanket, smells faintly of sweat, iron, and some weird aftershave he stole from Tim.

Coppery, acrid, the cheap detergent trying (and failing) to cover up gore. Always reeks of man.

Grunge-slash-homicidal frat boy. Knives in the bedside drawer, a lighter, and a dead phone he never charges.

You walk in and instantly feel like you’ll get tetanus just from breathing.

✦ . TICCI TOBY

Mansion, ground floor near the back door (so he can sneak out for walks in the woods).

Surprisingly cozy—walls covered in ripped-out nature magazine pages, newspaper clippings, string pinned to maps showing his routes because he forgets where he’s going sometimes. There’s a dog-eared stack of comic books on a crooked shelf.

Bed has a soft, lumpy mattress, flannel sheets with random holes burned through from cigarette accidents.

Faint pine needles, wood smoke, and that dusty old-cabin scent—like someone living half-outdoors.

Survivalist meets haphazard carelessness. Hiking boots in the corner, half a broken clock, a few childhood plushies hidden under the pillow (shhh).

Feels safe but unhinged, like you might get a hug or get punched depending on how you wake him up.

✦ . EYELESS JACK

Mansion basement, in a side room originally used for storage.

Spartan. There’s a single desk where he writes things down obsessively, walls scrawled with half-finished plans and tally marks. A faded Polaroid of a childhood memory is pinned over the light switch.

Sturdy cot with a gray blanket, and some pillows—he hates being too coddled.

Damp concrete, stale coffee, a faint hint of oil and mold from the water heater/pipes next door.

Bare, functional, borderline prison-cell chic. One pair of boots lined up perfectly by the door, weapons in a locked box that he barely touches.

Heavy, oppressive, a sense you shouldn’t be here without permission.

✦ . MASKY (TIM WRIGHT)

The mansion’s basement, in a converted maintenance room he took over.

Surprisingly warm, a little messy in a human way. There’s an old, secondhand couch covered in a plaid blanket, and a small lamp with a soft golden glow. A corkboard on one wall is pinned with yellowing Polaroids that Kate gives him.

A decently thick mattress, layered with an old quilt and mismatched sheets.

Dust, faint coffee, cheap cologne, and a trace of tobacco smoke from cigarettes he tries to keep outside but sometimes can’t help it.

Rustic comfort. Scuffed wooden nightstand, dented thermos for late-night coffee, a couple dog-eared paperbacks stacked by the bed. There’s even a half-finished crossword puzzle on the nightstand.

Cozy in a low-key depressive way, like a loner who’s made a small, stubborn safe place for himself in a world that’s constantly out to get him.

✦ . HOODIE (BRIAN THOMAS)

Mansion’s top floor attic room, furthest from Slender.

Monastic. He only keeps what he needs: a neat bed, a simple trunk of clothes, a worktable with maps, notes, and old cameras. Blackout curtains nailed to the wall.

Thin mattress on a metal frame, perfectly made every morning.

Cold, faintly of film chemicals, dust, and wood. He develops photos in there too, so there’s a blinding red light when you flip the light switch.

Minimalist and functional, but a sense that everything is placed with obsessive care. He has a system.

Chillingly calm, almost monk-like—you’d feel watched even when he’s gone.

✦ . KATE THE CHASER

Mansion, second floor, has a good view of the woods.

Surprisingly soft and personal. Pale curtains to filter the harsh sun, a thick rug on the floor to keep her toes warm, and a secondhand vanity she’s refurbished with fresh paint.

Queen-sized bed with simple but cozy bedding—cream sheets, a chunky knit blanket, and a faded pink throw she’s had since childhood. There’s a single stuffed animal tucked behind the pillows, hidden from sight but still treasured.

Faint lavender from a diffuser and wood polish.

A comforting blend of practical and sweet—warm wood tones, a few potted plants she tries her best not to kill, and a framed cross-stitch on the wall she works on.

Protective but gentle. A place that says “you can breathe now” after a hard day.

✦ . BEN DROWNED

Mansion’s greenhouse shed with functioning internet and electricity he rigged illegally from a cell tower.

Looks like a 2000s gamer’s crypt—flickering monitors, a massive tangle of wires, empty ramen cups, Mountain Dew cans, game cartridges.

Filthy futon shoved in the corner with a worn Legend of Zelda blanket.

Electronics burn, stale soda, and faint mildew.

Techno-chaos with a bit of “gamer gremlin” energy. Neon LEDs, game posters peeling off the walls.

Loud, overstimulating, but weirdly cozy if you’re a fellow night-owl.

✦ . CLOCKWORK

Mansion third floor, next to an old sewing room she took over.

Busy, creative mess—unfinished sketches, paint, sculpting tools, journals. There’s a mirror covered in sticky notes with reminders and song lyrics.

Soft, plush comforter in deep reds, a tangle of pillows.

Oil paint, wood shavings, a faint warm floral from her lotion.

Boho-artist with a faintly macabre twist (one of the sketches is definitely a murder scene).

Warm and creative, but with a tension buzzing underneath.

✦ . LAUGHING JACK

Mansion’s attic but took over a storage room to make it his own.

Carnival nightmare. Bright and dark colors clashing, broken toys, striped curtains, some stained with who-knows-what. Genuinely feels like a big-top circus tent.

Gigantic beanbag that smells faintly of cotton candy and something rotting.

Sugar, rotting sweets, a chemical bitterness from old clown makeup.

Chaotic clown lair, visually overwhelming.

The longer you stay, the more wrong everything feels, like you’ll never leave the funhouse.

✦ . NINA THE KILLER

Mansion’s third floor, right next to Clockwork’s room (they gossip a lot).

Hot pink splattered with blood. Posters of boy bands, Polaroids of kills she tapes to a mirror, perfume bottles half-used. Looks like an animal cruelty ad from how many things are covered in cheetah, leopard, and zebra patterns.

Fluffy comforter, big stuffed animals, a pink knife under her pillow. One of Jeff’s hoodies is hidden under her blankets.

Bubblegum, body spray, and copper.

Teenage killer Barbie-core and gyaru baddie.

Energetic, girlish, but with a horrific edge if you look too close.

✦ . HOMICIDAL LIU

Does not stay at the mansion—lives in a rotting trailer on the edge of the woods.

Manages with what he can find. Collects clothes, bedding, and items to keep himself warm at night.

Long sofa with a scratchy blanket that came with the trailer.

Wet wood, dirt, cheap soap, faint trace of whiskey.

Worn-out, tragic, heartbreakingly simple.

You’d feel like he never truly moved in, just hides there.

✦ . JANE EVERLASTING

Rents a modest house on the outskirts of a small, sleepy town, hidden under a different name.

Warm neutrals, lived-in, candle wax drips on the dresser, books piled everywhere.

Cozy queen bed, layered blankets, a weighted throw to help her sleep.

Lavender, faint gun oil, honey soap.

Homely but with scars showing through—a survivor’s nest.

Grounding, safe, but you can feel a hidden blade under the softness.

✦ . X-VIRUS

Squats in abandoned hospitals around the city, moves often.

Makeshift—stolen blankets, random stolen medical supplies, loose syringes in a jar.

Thin, stained hospital cots and work tables.

Disinfectant and the faintest copper tang.

Junkie doctor meets drifter squatter.

Restless, temporary, never quite safe.

✦ . SLENDERMAN

Private wing of the mansion—no one goes there.

Gothic elegance, heavy carved furniture, impossibly neat, no personal effects.

He doesn’t sleep, but there is a massive canopy bed in case a guest ever needs to “rest.” Mainly stays at his grand desk.

Clean, wood polish, something ancient and cold.

Timeless, Victorian, oppressive in its formality.

You cannot relax in there, period—you’d feel him even when he’s not visible.

꩜ .��