#produced by jean-luc godard

[dreamy-conceit]

A question of aesthetics is a question of politics.

— Jean-Pierre Gorin

[kellyvela]

Sophie's Hon 💋

If you want to know more about the guy Sophie Turner is smooching lately, you know, that very tall, very very rich, British aristocrat with a fantasy novel name, this post is for you . . . . lol

His full name is The Hon Peregrine John Dickinson Pearson, but he goes by “Perry.” And the photo above is his company profile picture.

Born on October 27th, 1994, he's 29 years old and the future 5th Viscount Cowdray.

Perry is from Midhurst, West Sussex, and now lives in a £5million house in Chelsea, West London.

The Hon before his name means The Honourable, a title used for all sons and daughters of viscounts and barons. Hon also works for 'honey' and 'sweetheart', hence this post's title.

Peregrine may come from Henry Winston Peregrine Spencer-Churchill, nephew of former Prime Minister of the United Kingdom Sir Winston (Leonard Spencer) Churchill.

Yes, Churchill, you read it right! Perry's grandfather Weetman John Churchill Pearson, 3rd Viscount Cowdray, was the son of Agnes Beryl Spencer-Churchill, who was the granddaughter of George Spencer-Churchill, 6th Duke of Marlborough.

So Perry is distant related to Winston Churchill and Diana Spencer, The Lady D . . . . In fact, he has already introduced Sophie to some of the current Spencer-Churchills (they are cousins with Perry, I guess 🤷‍♀️).

Now, I have no idea why his parents opted to name him Peregrine over Weetman, since each of the four former Viscounts Cowdray were all named Weetman; but his peculiar fantasy novel/bird-like name inmmediately made me think of House Arryn and Harry Hardyng. More on this later.

But since he's not named Weetman, he fixed that by naming his own property investment and development company 'Weetman'.

John is for both grandfathers: Weetman John Churchill Pearson, 3rd Viscount Cowdray, and John Howard Cordle. 

Dickinson is for his great-great-grandfather: Weetman Dickinson Pearson, 1st Viscount Cowdray.

~~~

Family

The seat of the Pearson Family is Cowdray Estate, Cowdray Park, Midhurst, West Sussex. The picture of the family above was taken at Buck Hall, the atrium of Cowdray House.

The name Cowdray comes from Coudreye, the Norman word for the nearby hazel woods.

Perry is the son and heir of Michael Orlando Weetman Pearson, 4th Viscount Cowdray, and Marina Rose Cordle.

His dad produced the documentary "Sympathy for the Devil," directed and written by Jean-Luc Godard, documenting the creative evolution of the song "Sympathy for the Devil" as the Rolling Stones developed it during recording sessions at Olympic Studios in London.

His mom is an artist, sculptress, interior designer and mindfulness coach, she's keenly interested in spiritual matters, she practises Transcendental Meditation (a form of silent meditation) and Qigong.

His parents separated in August 2023, after 36 years of marriage.

Perry has three older sisters and a younger brother:

Eliza Anne Venetia Pearson (born 31 May 1988). She married her first husband at 21. Later he left her for the Kate Winslet . . . . She remarried, had children and lives in Ibiza now.

Emily Jane Marina Pearson (born 13 December 1989). Tatler Magazine included her as one of the 10 perfect potential brides for Prince Harry . . . . She she studied Plant-based Nutrition and is one of the founders of the vegan restaurant "Farmacy" in Notting Hill.

Catrina Sophie Lavinia Pearson (born 13 March 1991). She goes by "Catty." She's a musician and a film-school graduate.

Montague Orlando William Pearson (born 17 May 1997). He goes by "Monty". Wee brother is 6'4. He's a helicopter pilot, enjoys flying drones and studied film production and graphic design. He was named after the former owners of Cowdray Estate, the Viscounts of Montague.

Perry also has an older half brother:

Sebastian William Orlando Pearson (born 1970).

As you can see, Perry is privileged to be the heir above his older half brother Sebastian, since he was born out of wedlock, and above his older sisters: Eliza, Emily and Catrina, since they were born women . . . . Where have I heard this before???

Sometimes I'm glad I'm an only child . . . .

As any other younger brother of three older sisters, he was annoying. According to Tatler Magazine, Perry liked to wind up his sisters (then vegan) by scoffing meat.

Perry is also an uncle, his sisters Eliza and Emily are mothers of cute babies, but sadly I can't show you pictures. He looks cute holding a baby tho.

Talking about cute babies, that little curly blonde boy sat in a chair next to his standing father in one of the portraits in the picture above, is Perry. His portrait was painted by Chinese artist Chen Yanning, who also painted Queen Elizabeth II's portrait:

Here a few more childhood pics:

That picture of of him as a baby peeing on a plant, is his Instagram profile picture . . . .

~~~

Education

Business, Management, Marketing, and Related Support Services at the University of West London, UK.

Not Oxford or Cambridge? Shocking!

UX Desing at General Assembly in New York, NY, US.

Dear Perry, you can improve my user experience by making your instagram account public. That would do!

~~~

Occupation

In January 2015, it was reported by Tatler Magazine that he was working for Aylesford International Estate Agents in London.

He also worked as an assistant site manager for Cordles, a London based contractor company founded by his maternal uncle Rupert Cordle.

He started working at Cowdray Estate in West Sussex, his family estate and heirdom, since 2016 to this day.

He's also the founder, partner and director of Weetman Developments, his own property investment and development company in London, since 2019 to this day.

Perry is also a Le Chameau – the wellington boot brand – ambassador.

As you can see, Perry is basically a nepo baby lol

But that doesn't mean he doesn't work, Cowdray Estate is huge (16,500 acre), and offers a vast variety of activities like golf, clay-pigeon shooting, fly fishing on the river Rother, walking, cycling, riding, polo, truffle hunting, hospitality at the farm shop & café, holiday cottages, tree houses, wedding venues, private stays and events at Cowdray House, filming locations (the Cowdray Ruins were used during the filming of Margot Robbie and Saoirse Ronan’s film, "Mary Queen of Scots"), among others, and Perry is/will be in charge of all of that.

According to his mom, back in 2019 he was pioneering aquaponic farming on a commercial scale [The Telegraph - June, 2019].

In an interview for The Gentleman's Journal, Perry said that he's working to pass the estate on to his heir in better conditions: “But the dream is to pass it on to my son or daughter in better nick than it’s in now. That’s the mentality when it comes to estates,” “You’re so grateful that you’ve been given this opportunity, you want others to have the same opportunity that you had.”

I don't know if Perry will try to change the primogeniture rules, but it was really nice to read that he thinks his heir could be a son or a daughter.

Perry's family was always wealthy (construction and petroleum in the past, publishing nowadays); but not always aristocrats.

His great-great-grandfather, Weetman Dickinson Pearson, was made a Baronet of Paddockhurst in 1894, then he purchased Cowdray Estate in 1909. Later he was made Baron Cowdray first, in 1910, and then the 1st Viscount Cowdray in 1917.

Viscount, is a European title of nobility, ranking immediately below a count, or earl. It is one of the five ranks of British nobility and peerage, which, in descending order, are duke, marquess, earl, viscount, and baron.

So, when Perry becomes the 5th Viscount Cowdray, he won't be on top of the british nobility; but he will be richer. At present, Perry's family is thought to be worth £224million, and one day, he will inherit all of that.

~~~

Hobbies

Riding (Not Polo)

His family estate includes Cowdray Park Polo Club, dubbed The Home of British Polo, but Perry doesn't play Polo.

His parents never pushed him to, perhaps fearing that he could get hurt by falling from a horse. "Michael (Perry's father) never sought polo glory after a fall from a horse at the age of 13" [standard.co.uk - 2010].

In 2018 he said: “Cowdray is to polo what Goodwood is to racing and Glyndebourne to opera.” “I’m getting lessons.” “I grew up riding and over the next few years it’s something I can see myself doing a lot more” [The Telegraph - August, 2018].

Later, in an interview for The Gentleman's Journal, he joked by saying that "he’s not particularly good at it".

So far, I only saw him presenting Polo trophies and congratulating the champions, so I guess the lessons didn't work . . . . lol

Maybe is better that way, if he doesn't play polo he wont smell of horses. Sophie is asthmatic and allergic to horses.

Golf

He plays golf for some charity and corporate events. No idea if he's good at it.

Clay-pigeon shooting

Not sure if he really shoots at flying clay targets or he only modeled to promote the shooting school at his family estate.

Huntings

He likes to attend posh huntings wearing tweed, baker boy caps and suspenders.

He already took Sophie to one of those last December, but she didn't wear tweed, she defied the rules by wearing a Zara black jacket and a pair of acid washed jeans. . . . She would look great wearing tweed, tho . . . .

(There have been hunters in my family, so I can't judge much)

Here some pics:

Skiing

He seems very skilled at it.

Meribel in France seems to be his family favorite destination to enjoy the snow.

He already took Sophie to ski & “après ski” there, and they were having the time of their lives!

Going to the beach

Yeah!

Ibiza is a favorite destination for his family, his dad used to live there, and now his eldest sister established there with her own family.

Can't wait to see Sophie enjoying the sun in Ibiza next . . . .

Enjoy some pics:

Partying

Fuck yeah!

"Like all the Cowdrays, he loves a party" [Tatler Magazine, January 2015].

"(...) the Hon Peregrine Pearson (the Cowdray heir), known for throwing ‘wild afterparties’ at his house in Chelsea, which he shares with Ella (Richards)’s boyfriend, Sascha von Bismarck" [Tatler Magazine, March 2023]. 

Here abundant evidence:

Pottery

Perry enjoyed spending time in his mom's pottery studio in the garden: “We were brought up being quite creative – spending time in her studio was very bonding” [The Telegraph - August, 2018].

I would love to see one of those creative pieces made by Perry 👀

Meditation

Like his mom, Perry practises meditation as well. [The Telegraph - June, 2019].

From pictures, it seems he usually wears a silver Meditator pendant. The Meditator is a seated figure, with a pointed head, a heart and a hole in its middle. His mom designed it herself, as a reminder to live in the present moment, rather than fretting about the past or future.

~~~

Previous relationships

His only known/famous relationship was with Princess Maria Olympia of Greece and Denmark.

He dated Olympia for three years, since 2020 to 2023.

She seemed really into Perry during the relationship:

But shortly after their break up was official, she was reported being in a relationship with an older, married with children man . . . .

His wife kicked him out of the house after the news. Good for her! [Read more about it here]

~~~

So far, this is all I learnt about Sophie's Hon Perry Pearson. I love that he's so tall and the way he can hug her being so tall, I bet Sophie loves it too.

But I kinda hate that the press only uses his most unflattering pictures, when is easy to find public pictures where he actually looks good.

Also, my friend told me that he reminds her a bit of Paul Mescal, and now I can't unsee it . . . .

What more can I say about him after my research? Oh, maybe that he has met the Dalai Lama and sat next to Kim Kardashian and Kimora Lee Simmons at Paris Hilton's wedding lol

He also loves to wear sunglasses, even indoors . . . .

Anyways, now to the point of this post!

~~~

Romance with Sophie Turner

Perry is a Scorpio and Sophie is a Pisces, like Scorpio Ryan Gosling and Pisces Eva Mendes . . . .

I have no idea how they met, where they met, or when they met, but we have evidence that they spent the last part of October 2023 together.

2023 was a rough year for both of them, with her divorce and custody battle, and with his own break up with his ex, and the separation of his parents after 36 years of marriage.

The first time we saw him next to Sophie, we have no idea who he was. It was during the Rugby World Cup final on October 28th 2023, just before Sophie unveiled the trophy:

Perry was there with Sophie, but we had no idea they were together until October 31th 2023, when a couple of pictures of them sharing a kiss outside Paris’s Gare du Nord train station were made public and got viral:

The pictures were taken on the same day as the Rugby World Cup final. It was reported that they arrived together in Paris from London via the Eurostar, and said goodbye with a kiss before meeting again later at the Stade de France.

When their Paris kiss pictures were all over the press, someone claimed that their friend had seen them together the week before:

So, if the Rugby World Cup final was on October 28th 2023 and Perry's 29th birthday was the day before, I bet the lovebirds spent his birthday together in London.

I wonder what Sophie got Perry for his birthday??? An appointment with a fashion stylist, I hope!

(Perry, honey, burn those double breasted suits in your closet, please! They don't fit your large body 🙏 King Felipe II of Spain, has a similar body and his tailoring is👌)

I also believe they spent the last days of October together in Paris, since they were seen all cozy during a romantic dinner at some fancy Parisian restaurant:

After that Sophie was seen back in New York on November 3th 2023. We don't know if Perry travelled with her to New York, but some anon claims he saw them holding hands in West Village:

Back in London, they were seen making out in a famous spot on November 2023 . . . .

. . . . And having dinner with friends on early December 2023:

Later, we have graphic evidence of them spending time together from the 7th to the 10th of December 2023, at least.

December 7th 2023:

They went to Hyde Park Winter Wonderland at night, where they walked around, hugged and kissed:

December 8th 2023:

They had brunch in West London and walked around hand in hand, eventually stopping so Perry could gently caress Sophie's face and kiss her:

That day, this also happened . . . . 🤨

December 9th 2023:

They attended a posh hunting weekend at Blenheim Palace in Woodstock, Oxfordshire, held by some of the current Spencer-Churchills: George Spencer-Churchill and his wife Camilla Thorp, Marquess and Marchioness of Blandford (they will be Duke and Duchess of Marlborough one day).

The event was full of Perry's aristocrat friends like Alexander Spencer-Churchill, Lady Jemima Herbert, the Earl of Pembroke’s daughter, and Eleanor Wellesley, the Duke of Wellington’s niece, among others.

So, Perry has basically already introduced Sophie to some relative and close friends:

Can someone please explain to me why is Perry wearing a pink ribbon around his neck in the last picture? Is a mystery I need to resolve in this lifetime.

Here a few more pics:

After that, I suspect they spent the holidays together in London, or, at least, that they saw each other for a few hours during those days. I'm not saying she introduced him to her family and daughters, but it's obvious that they are dating and Christmas and the New Year are festivities you want to share with the people you care for.

I wonder what Perry got Sophie for Christmas? A handmade ceramic vase? A basket full of hydroponic vegetables that he grew himself?Diamonds?

And most recently, on January 17, 2024, they were seen walking around London at night all cozied up:

I want her UGGS!!!

Also, are those really mini liquor bottles at Perry's hand??? At first I thought they were Sophie's nail polish bottles 💅🏼

Someone spotted them skiing in Meribel, France. It was reported on January 28th, 2024, but it was probably before that date. Deuixmoi titled the stories as "let's see what your fave celebs have been up to the past week"

She's having the time of her life with Perry? GOOD FOR HER!

OK, today January 29th 2024, Sophie herself posted pics of them skiing in Meribel together with a couple of Perry's friends:

Lol at Perry not looking at the camera in the first pic 🤭

So, I suppose they are official now, right? Maybe it's time to post this post . . . .

~~~

Now, in the beginning of this post I said that after knowing Perry's fantasy novel/bird-like name, I immediately thought about ASOIAF's House Arryn and Harry Hardyng, you know, since House Arryn's sigil is a falcon, Harry Hardyng is dubbed the Young Falcon, and the peregrine is literally a species of falcon.

And since Harry Hardyng is the current Sansa's suitor in the ASOIAF incomplete series, I joked with my friends by saying that Sophie has entered his Harry Hardyng era . . . .

Perry also made me remember that passage in A Storm of Swords where Margaery's peregrine took a heron in full flight the day she and Sansa went hawking.

Peregrine is also the name of a ship that Arianne Martell boards in one of the few chapters of The Winds of Winter that GRRM released in advance.

Perry's name also reminds me of Pippin from The Lord of the Rings, since his full name is Peregrin Tuk, but this is a story for another day.

But if the Pearsons of Cowdray were a House from Westeros, they would be the Arryns enemies, since the Pearson's sigil is a gryphon:

And thanks to Sansa/Alayne we all know that the Winged Knight and the Griffin King were mortal enemies:

The Winged Knight was Ser Artys Arryn. Legend said that he had driven the First Men from the Vale and flown to the top of the Giant's Lance on a huge falcon to slay the Griffin King.  —A Feast for Crows - Alayne II

You know, in some ancient mythologies, the creature known as gryphon is depicted as fire-belching: "winged, tailed, and taloned dragon which spat fire." 👀 👀 👀 👀 👀 Just saying . . . .

House Pearson motto is:

'Do it with thy might'

These words are carved on the stone fireplace in Buck Hall, the atrium at the heart of Cowdray House.

According to The Gentleman's Journal, Perry translates his family motto to simpler words: “Just do it — that might be a more modern approximation.”

But he's more into Adidas and North Star. Sorry Nike . . . . lol

Anyways, GRRM has the opportunity to do the funniest thing . . . .

~~~

And talking about GRRM, it's time to tell you that Perry's family are the founders and large share holders of Pearson plc, a British multinational publishing and education company headquartered in London.

Pearson plc owns Penguin Random House, you know, GRRM's publishers, the ones that publish the ASOIAF series . . . .

And I recently came to know that Penguin Random House is going to republish Joan Hannington’s autobiography “I Am What I Am” under the title ‘Joan.’ And, you know, Sophie's upcoming project is precisely a tv series called ‘Joan,’ with Sophie taking the role of Joan Hannington . . . .

Some will say that this is part of the j word agenda, lol

Again, GRRM has the opportunity to do the funniest thing . . . .

~~~

Finally, we need to answer an important question!

~~~

So . . . .

A match made in heaven? Or maybe we won't see his face again?

Only time will tell. I only hope that he makes Sophie super happy as long as they are together.

I will probably update this post with time or make a part 2, because Tumblr doesn't let me add more pictures 😢

Thanks for reading!

[dreaminginthedeepsouth]

“Every film is the result of the society that produced it. That’s why the American cinema is so bad now. It reflects an unhealthy society.” ― Jean-Luc Godard

[Poetic Outlaws]

[chaplinlegend]

Alain Delon, the last of the giants of French cinema, has died; actor, director and producer, born on November 8, 1935 in Sceaux (Hauts-de-Seine) He passed away this morning - August 18, 2024 in Douchy-Montcorbon (Loiret). He was 88 years old. May he rest in peace!!!

Alain Delon took his first steps on screen in films such as "When a Woman is Involved" (1957) and "Be Beautiful and Silent" (1958), where he met Jean-Paul Belmondo. His career gained momentum thanks to roles in the films "Rocco and His Brothers" (1960) and "The Full Sun" (1960). He collaborated with such outstanding directors as Luchino Visconti, Michelangelo Antonioni and Jean-Luc Godard, creating characters of lonely gangsters and policemen. His most famous roles include playing in the films "Rocco and His Brothers", "Full Sun", "Eclipse", "The Leopard" and "Samurai". Throughout his career, Delon has won numerous awards, including the honorary Palme d'Or at the 2019 Cannes Film Festival and the César Award for his role in the film "Our Story" (1984). His image has become a brand, and he has appeared on the covers of prestigious magazines such as "Elle" and "Paris Match".

[gone2soon-rip]

ALAIN DELON (1935-Died August 18th 2024,at 88).French actor and producer. Acknowledged as a cultural and cinematic leading man of the 20th century, Delon emerged as one of the foremost European actors of the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s, and became an international sex symbol. His style, looks, and roles made him an icon of cinema worldwide and earned him enduring popularity. Delon achieved critical acclaim for his roles in films such as Women Are Weak (1959), Purple Noon (1960), Rocco and His Brothers (1960), L'Eclisse (1962), The Leopard (1963), Le Samouraï (1967), The Girl on a Motorcycle (1968), La Piscine (1969), Le Cercle Rouge (1970), Un flic (1972), and Monsieur Klein (1976). Over the course of his career, Delon worked with many directors, including Luchino Visconti, Jean-Luc Godard, Jean-Pierre Melville, Michelangelo Antonioni, and Louis Malle.Alain Delon - Wikipedia

[freudianblunders]

A Man Escaped, 1956

“I’d rather people feel a film before understanding it.” — Robert Bresson

A Man Escaped (Un condamné à mort s'est échappé) is one of the finest prison escape films, masterfully executed with suspense that grips the viewer from start to finish. Few films have made me feel so strongly for the characters.

Bresson’s minimalist masterpiece tells the story of a French Resistance fighter imprisoned by the Nazis, based on the real-life memoir of André Devigny, a prisoner in Montluc prison in Lyon in 1943. This notorious prison was used by the Gestapo to detain and punish captured resistance members and Jews. Significantly, Bresson himself had been a prisoner during World War II.

“I was able to call on my experience as a prisoner of war. My impressions, my sensations, how I felt interacting with my German guards and jailers—I tried to put it all in the film.” – Robert Bresson.

Bresson is inventive, precise, and uncompromising. His use of fragmented frames and tightly focused shots suspends time, creating incredible tension. There is no soundtrack, only concise manipulation of sound with the imagery. There are no acclaimed actors, choosing realism over performance. Every scene is essential, characterized by simplicity and economy, yet delivering profound ideas and emotions. No wonder that A Man Escaped still remains a pinnacle of French cinema. Jean-Luc Godard once said of Bresson: "He is to French cinema what Dostoyevsky is to the Russian novel."

You might wonder, why should we watch a film released 68 years ago? I believe, in any art form, you must study the masters of the past if you want to further your understanding in your own time. The more you allow yourself to watch and enjoy the works of the old masters, the more inspiration you will have to draw from. At the same time, for all the aspiring filmmakers, it’s important to have interests beyond the artform of cinema or you will just continue to make derivative work.

The "movie brats" of the 70s—Spielberg, Coppola, Scorsese, De Palma—studied films from the 30s, 40s, and 50s before they could produce the groundbreaking work they did. In a career spanning more than 40 years, Bresson completed only 13 feature films, yet each one is an artistic triumph. Of all his films, A Man Escaped should be required viewing for film students and cinephiles alike.

[world-cinema-research]

Week 2 Blog Post by Grant Montoya

À bout de soufflé (Breathless) 1960

Breathless is a critically acclaimed New-Wave French film that was released in 1960. The impact it had on the filmmaking world was monumental; its many hallmarks include experimental cinematography methods, abrasive humor, stylized visuals, and the introduction of jump-cuts to name a few. It influenced the way Hollywood would produce movies in the coming decade. Roger Ebert is even credited with stating that “Modern movies begin here, with Jean-Luc Godard's "Breathless" in 1960.” 

Jean-Luc Godard was the director of the film who received substantial help in post-production from another director by the name of Jean-Pierre Melville. The movie had an estimated budget of $90,000 and had earnings of about $590,112. The movie didn’t have a big launch, but soon after people recognized its brilliance. Despite this being the first feature film of Godard’s career, the focus was to make something different. The 400 Blows (1959) directed by François Truffaut came out a year before Godard’s. These two films are usually regarded as the “best” of the French New Wave era.

As mentioned, film buffs' favorite critic Roger Ebert has made it known that this is one of the most important movies of all time. continuing his quote from earlier:

"It is dutifully repeated that Godard's technique of "jump cuts" is the great breakthrough, but startling as they were, they were actually an afterthought, and what is most revolutionary about the movie is its headlong pacing, its cool detachment, its dismissal of authority, and the way its narcissistic young heroes are obsessed with themselves and oblivious to the larger society." - Roger Ebert

Although I have only viewed the film once, I wholeheartedly agree with his words here. I may be wrong, but I feel that the movie could be considered slightly postmodernist because it recognizes itself by means of self-referentiality and relativism. I think this is what Ebert was hinting at here.

At the time of this film's production, France was enduring an economic recession from the devastating effects of World War II. According to freelance writer Ted Mills,

"Although there wasn’t a lot of money floating around, there was still enough to make short films[...]The film was shot on a handheld camera, by Raoul Cotard, who had used such a camera in the war for newsreels[...]Godard turned his brain inside-out, like emptying a bag across a table: all his cultural obsessions, not just in cinema, but in writers, philosophers, music, and more, all came out." - Ted Mills

It seems like this turbulent time was beneficial for Godard. Perhaps the ordeal of the war invigorated him, or the lack of funds available gave him an excuse to truly unleash his artistic spirit because nothing was really at stake.

Trying to put this film in place as conventional or unconventional is a difficult task. It could be considered unconventional in its production, for sure. $90,000 isn't much of a budget at all for that time period and the actors weren't too well known before the making.

On the other hand, many of the creative choices might be too much for a general audience to digest. Within the first 5 minutes of the film, there is some crass, self-spoken humor from Belmondo's character which makes one think of Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas:

"Little girls hitchhiking!

I'll charge a kiss per mile.

The short one's not bad. Nice thighs.

Yeah, but the other one...

Oh, hell, they're both dogs."

Our protagonist here lacks inhibition throughout the entire movie. It is hard to understand his goals, aspirations, or motives. There is hardly anything for the audience to latch onto besides the doom that awaits him. Very against the grain.

Quote #1

Michel Poiccard : "Why won't you sleep with me?"

Patricia Franchini: "Because I'm trying to find out what it is that I like about you."

These two lines of dialogue from our two main characters aren't anything extraordinary, but because of their simplicity, we are reminded of the motives between these two and their dynamic for most of the movie. Michel is portrayed as a crook who lives in the now; a hedonist who doesn't understand what it means to love. Meanwhile, Patricia is entertained by this swooner but can't seem to understand what Michel's true intentions are or what kind of a man he is.

Quote #2

Michel Poiccard: "If you don't like the sea... or the mountains... or the big city... then get stuffed!"

I could have chosen any one of Michel's many quips for the spot of this quote. Aside from the hit and run on the policeman at the beginning of the film, Michel's commentary is really what keeps the movie chugging along. It's blunt, funny, and very surprising to see in a film as old as this one.

Image #1 depicts Jean Seberg's character (Patricia Franchini) gazing into the camera, and this shot appears many times throughout the movie. I think this full-face capture is great directing because it burns the actor/character's features into your mind and it offers an intimate way for the audience to connect with the characters. Apparently, this was a time when Godard and other filmmakers focused on the craft of raw cinematography, more so than the pieces of what makes a movie emotionally captivating (plot, dialogue, scores, etc.)

Image #2 is taken from the apartment scene, a part of the movie that drags on for about 24 minutes where Michel rambles on and Patricia continues prying. This is perhaps the most creative choice the director made in this movie, and it sort of works for it. The still reflects the playful nature of two people who hardly know each other, and stresses the fact that these two aren't fornicating in a setting where it would seem inevitable.

[schibborasso]

Meredith Monk: THE ECM RECORDINGS Meredith Jane Monk (born 1942) is an American composer, performer, director, vocalist, filmmaker, and choreographer. From the 1960s onwards, Monk has created multi-disciplinary works which combine music, theatre, and dance, recording extensively for ECM Records. In 1991, Monk composed Atlas, an opera, commissioned and produced by the Houston Opera and the American Music Theater Festival. Her music has been used in films by the Coen Brothers (The Big Lebowski, 1998) and Jean-Luc Godard (Nouvelle Vague, 1990 and Notre musique, 2004). Trip hop musician DJ Shadow sampled Monk's "Dolmen Music" on the song "Midnight in a Perfect World". In 2015, she was awarded the National Medal of Arts by Barack Obama. (wikipedia)

[byneddiedingo]

The Book of Life (Hal Hartley, 1998)

Cast: Martin Donovan, PJ Harvey, Dave Simonds, Thomas Jay Ryan, Miho Nikaido, D.J. Mendel, Katreen Hardt, James Urbaniak. Screenplay: Hal Hartley. Cinematography: Jim Denault. Art direction: Andy Biscontini. Film editing: Steve Hamilton. 

The Girl From Monday (Hal Hartley, 2005)

Cast: Bill Sage, Sabrina Lloyd, Tatiana Abracos, Leo Fitzpatrick, D.J. Mendel, James Urbaniak, Juliana Francis, Gary Wllmes, Edie Falco. Screenplay: Hal Hartley. Cinematography: Sarah Cawley. Production design: Inbal Weinberg. Film editing: Steve Hamilton. Music: Hal Hartley. 

As the millennium approached -- remember the Y2K jitters? -- two producers from the French company Haut et Court teamed with a European TV network and asked filmmakers from around the world to make hourlong movies that would reflect their visions of the imminent future. Hal Hartley, fresh off the success of Henry Fool (1997), was the American director chosen, and The Book of Life was his response. It's a fable about the Second Coming: Jesus (Martin Donovan) arrives in New York City, tasked by God to fulfill the prophecies about the end of the world recounted in the book of Revelation. He is accompanied by Mary Magdalene (PJ Harvey). Jesus likes New York and its people so much that after retrieving the Book of Life (an Apple Powerbook) from a storage locker (No. 666) and breaking the fifth of the seven seals he calls the whole thing off. Apocalypse? Nah. His decision is hotly protested by attorneys from the firm of Armageddon, Armageddon, and Jehoshaphat. God, Jesus observes, is all about the Law, so lawyers are his favorites. Jesus is somewhat aided by Satan (Thomas Jay Ryan) who wants the world to continue so he has somewhere to meddle. The film's brevity is its chief virtue: Too much more and the wit would have cloyed -- as it sometimes does -- into whimsy. The humanistic outlook of the film seems to have stuck with Hartley into his next movie, The Girl From Monday, a venture into science fiction that doesn't quite work. In the future, the United States has become a conglomerate, and people are traded on the stock exchange. (The more sex they have, for example, the higher their value.) Bill Sage plays Jack, an advertising executive who is secretly a member of the resistance to this new order, but he's so disillusioned that he drives to the seashore where he plans to kill himself. Instead, he just passes out after taking pills, and awakes to see a woman (Tatiana Abracos) emerge from the sea. She's an alien from a planet where people are part of an incorporate whole, and when he asks her name she says "No Body." Jack takes her home with him and teaches her how to perform simple physical tasks like drinking and eating. He also learns that she's there to bring back with her a fellow being from her planet (known on Earth as Monday after its discoverer) who came to Earth years ago. The problem with The Girl From Monday is that the satire on consumerism doesn't mesh well with the sci-fi premise. The film is a muddle of ideas, many of which are half-baked. Hartley's inspiration is said to have been Jean-Luc Godard's Alphaville (1965), but Godard's movie has a coherence and dry wit The Girl From Monday lacks.   

[loreakblaus]

El desprecio (Jean Luc Godard, 1963)

Acerca del click que se produce en la mente de uno y que tras la llegada al mismo produce un cambio irreversible que no es revocable ni revisable. Ya no se quiere, sin razón, desde la intuición o el impulso.

[inapat16]

Soviet union films that you should check out

Sayat Nova (The Color of Pomegranates) 

The title refers to the Armenian 18th century poet named "Sayat Nova". The film was directed by the Georgian filmmaker Sergeï Parajanov in 1968. Parajanov started working on this film due to the complications on another project called Kiev Frescos — from which remain only fourteen minutes left today. Sayat Nova was shot in Armenia, which was Parajanov’s ancestors homeland. Parajanov started working on this film because he was a great lover of religious icons. This passion came directly from his father, who was himself an antique dealer. This film is therefore in a way a tribute from a son to his father, in the way he shows that it is necessary to  save art.

The film is divided into eight chapters : "Childhood", "Youth", "Prince's Court", "The Monastery", "The Dream", "Old Age", "The Angel of Death" and "Death". The film follows the course of the life of the poet, from the cradle to the grave. What is interesting about this film is that it tells the story of a poet's life, in the manner of a poem. Rarely quoting Sayat Nova's poems, Parajanov manages to shape a visual language that tends to recreate the experience of reading poetry. The visual universe of the film is very singular because it borrows a lot from theater.  Indeed, all the shots are still, and organized as tableaux. Moreover,  the main actress, Sofiko Chiaureli plays 6 roles, both male and female. So that you have the feeling of seeing the same face during the entirety of the film. As a funny parallel, Sergeï Parajanov writes, directs, edits, choreographs, and designs both sets and costumes of the film. All these parallels are indeed a way to produce visual rhymes, to remind us that this film is about Sayat Nova's poetic work

Beyond the symbols and idiosyncrasies, the film is striking for its intense aesthetic beauty and its sense of detail, particularly through its collage of materials and textures. The idea behind this project is to revive the power of a primitive cinema that focuses above all on the image, and that questions the viewer's relationship to images. Sayat Nova revives an idea of the image that one might have had in the Middle Ages: this flatness of perspective and relief; this palette of colors without artifice; these strange, unrealistic choices to play out action, symbolism and time on the same immobile plane, embodied in an old-fashioned plasticity. And yet, Parajanov does not make a picture-film: he plays with sounds, with cyclical, and almost atemporal gestures.

"In the temple of cinema there are images, light and reality. Sergeï Parajanov was the master of that temple." - Jean-Luc Godard. 

Obviously, when the film was presented to the Soviet authorities, it was immediately attacked since it showed no class struggle or critical awareness of social reality and that it was instead, steeped in a suspicious fascination with a past feudal era. Most of the critics said that film was "completely unintelligible" and harmful to working-class art because it showed a bourgeois formalism. Paradjanov was then forced to accept that a purified version of his film be made. It was this shortened version, under the title Sayat-Nova - The Colour of Pomegranates, which was shown in cinemas.

Link to watch the film : https://youtu.be/KLZ4GSxP9eo 

J.A. Lenourichel

[humanperson105]

What is Thinking? Part 2.

Benjamin, Godard, and the Stimulation of Thought

Walter Benjamin saw modern art as existing between the two poles of contemplation and distraction (Zerstreuung in German roughly translates to entertainment or diversion in contemporary usage). Contemplation, in which the viewer is completely absorbed into a work, belongs to the traditional pre-modern role of art, which Benjamin contrasts with the modern mode of mass participation, in which mass entertainment is rather absorbed into its audience. Benjamin sees the prevalence of distraction, concomitant with the process of industrial proletarianization, as a historical development in the human apparatus of perception that Dadaism would singularly understand and make use of until the advent of film. “[T]he Dadaists turned the artwork into a missile. It jolted the viewer, taking on a tactile [taktisch] quality. It thereby fostered the demand for film, since the distracting element in film is also primarily tactile, being based on successive changes of scene and focus which have a percussive effect on the spectator.” (Walter Benjamin The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical reproduction) Just as the Dadaist's mockery of the bourgeois pretensions of the art world prevented their works from being objects of passive contemplation, the montage technique deployed in films “distracts” (Zerstreuung) its audience and produces what Benjamin calls the shock effect:

The image on the film screen changes, whereas the image on the canvas does not. The painting invites the viewer to contemplation; before it, he can give himself up to his train of associations. Before a film image, he cannot do so. No sooner has he seen it than it has already changed. It cannot be fixed on. The train of associations in the person contemplating it is immediately interrupted by new images. This constitutes the shock effect of film, which, like all shock effects, seeks to induce heightened attention. (Ibid.)

Benjamin sees the task of modern art as tied to this shock effect produced by distraction that prevents us from falling into immanent contemplation. The importance of this shock effect and its relation to the question of whether we are thinking and what motivates us to think that we discussed above with Deleuze is, for Fredric Jameson, of central importance in the works of Jean-Luc Godard:

How new forms of montage in film are to be related to a pedagogy that stimulates thinking and prods the spectator out of some merely immanent contemplation of visual images is not merely the classical problem of an Eisenstein or a Brecht but also the more immediate and contemporary space in which Godard's films desperately and far more problematically wrestle with that heritage; that Godard had "ideas" no less theoretical than Brecht or Eisenstein, ideas about consumer society and Maoist politics which it was the task of the film somehow to convey, seems undeniable [italics are mine]. (Jameson pg. 191 PCLLC)

For Jameson, Godard’s use of montage is a tool that forces the audience to think in the Deleuzian way we discussed above, but in this case, thought is made possible by the rejection of immediacy and immanence. Thought is not relegated to the sensible and is rather itself a negativity or ironic distance from the sensible. Godard (as well as Jameson), makes use of a Marxian dialectical method in which immediacy and the false immediacy of the sensible are always revealed to be a single moment of abstract indeterminacy in the broader realization of self-determination. Thought does not rest on any foundation or givenness and is a restless negativity at a transcendent distance from representations and passive subjective experience or perception. (Continued)

[lpcomm261blog]

Blog Entry 1

French New Wave (Godard, Truffaut, Varda, Rohmer, Chabrol, Resnais) 

The focus of my first blog will be on the French New Wave which was notably developed in the late 1950s in Paris. The primary people and essential factors of this movement consist of directors Jean Luc Godard, Francois Truffaut, Claude Chabrol, Eric Rohmer, Agnes Varda, and Alain Resnais. This movement was the rise of French cinema in a way that was never seen before. Many innovations such as cut scenes and hand held cameras were used to make an overall more experimental approach to creating a different type of cinema. Interestingly enough, given a brief explanation of what the French New Wave is and the time period it peaked, it is often claimed to be the “birth of modern cinema”.  This film type was developed from the influence of Italian Neorealism or better known as the Golden Age. This classification of motion pictures was based on the poor and working class and like the French New Wave, used amateaur actors that either weren’t professional or were not well known; mainly due to the reality that these directors didn’t have the finances to support proper filming standards, but the more liable answer to all this is about experimentation. Also related to how they were produced, the French New Wave typically consisted of films that held more personal values and were shot in a very different manner which could be compared to more of a documentary style in today's day in age. The main concept was that the director had a more free flowing control of the work which is where the “auteur theory” came alive which simply means that the director is the main driving force of the cinematic work and has the ability to use his creativity to implement it into the film. The complexity of these pieces varied depending on the director but overall created a more difficult concept of morals for viewers to pick up and understand. This was done purposely as it was a repetitive theme throughout the movement. There was a constant drive from each of the directors to try and challenge the viewers in some way whether it’s coming from the concept or the way the film was created. Personally, the characteristic that interested me the most and essentially the most important aspect was the idea of rejecting large studio companies in order to illuminate the ideas and constructive ways of the director to focus on their ideas specifically. This was interesting because studio productions provide the filmmakers and participants with ample resources to create the best possible film with a given budget but with this case, it was different as movies made during the French New Wave were all alike in the aspect of ways of filming and of storytelling. Because of its early success and production, the influence on various global film movements has become prominent which all began with this creative group of French directors who felt they could change the way entertainment was viewed as a whole. Although there are plenty of influencing factors from this movement in today's film industry, this wave was said to have ended in the early 1960s around the year 1964. An intriguing movement with a great deal of popularity and praise, the French New Wave has made a remarkable impact in the film industry.

Sources:

[dreaminginthedeepsouth]

“Every film is the result of the society that produced it. That’s why the American cinema is so bad now. It reflects an unhealthy society.” ― Jean-Luc Godard

+

"I pity the French Cinema because it has no money. I pity the American Cinema because it has no ideas."

--Jean-Luc Godard

[Poetic Outlaws]

[transpondster]

Molly Ringwald Remembers Filming “King Lear” with Jean-Luc Godard | The New Yorker

That March, I flew out of J.F.K. on the Concorde with Tom Luddy and Burgess Meredith, who had ultimately got the part of Lear. We were headed to Switzerland by way of Paris. It was only the second film I’d made without one of my parents accompanying me on set, and my contract stipulated that the producers had to fly a girlfriend of mine from L.A. to meet me in Switzerland, so that I wouldn’t be alone. The Concorde, with its sleek body and pointed nose, was as chic and elegant as an Irving Penn model. 

We arrived in Paris a little less than three and a half hours later, and, in a panic, I realized that somehow I’d lost my passport. It was a testament to Godard’s status in France that I was able to obtain a new one almost immediately. With just a slight delay, we took off on another flight and landed in Geneva. From there we were driven to Nyon, to the Beau Rivage Hotel, where the cast would be both staying and filming.

[whileiamdying]

Abbas Kiarostami: The master of the Iranian New Wave

Swapnil Dhruv Bose Sun 4 July 2021 9:00, UK

Considered by many to be one of the finest filmmakers the world has ever seen, Iranian auteur Abbas Kiarostami‘s works have inspired multiple generations of young students and aspiring directors. Through his poetic masterpieces, Kiarostami conducted striking existential examinations of life that transcended the limitations of the cinematic medium. On the fifth anniversary of his tragic demise, we revisit the life and career of Abbas Kiarostami as a tribute to the indelible mark he left on history. 

Born in Tehran in 1940, Kiarostami showed artistic inclinations from a relatively early age. He was a talented painter and won a painting competition when he was only 18, eventually studying graphic design at the University of Tehran School of Fine Arts. Kiarostami started his career by working in the world of advertisement, designing posters and shooting innumerable commercials. In 1969, as the Iranian New Wave was gathering momentum, he worked with Ebrahim Forouzesh in order to establish a film division at the Institute for the Intellectual Development of Children and Young Adults.

With the help of the institute, Kiarostami successfully produced his first cinematic work – a ten-minute short called The Bread and Alley released in 1970. A wonderful take on child psychology (something that would become a recurring subject in his later films) with elements of neorealism, the short displayed artistic deviations from the norms of the time. While recalling the experience, Kiarostami said: “Bread and Alley was my first experience in cinema and I must say a very difficult one. I had to work with a very young child, a dog, and an unprofessional crew except for the cinematographer, who was nagging and complaining all the time. Well, the cinematographer, in a sense, was right because I did not follow the conventions of film making that he had become accustomed to.” 

Soon after, he made the acclaimed early feature The Traveler in 1974 which would be counted among his finest works even after the end of his career. The film portrayed a melancholic coming-of-age story about a young boy who copes with domestic oppression by escaping into the fantasy of football. Around that time, Kiarostami continued to produce short films like So Can I and Colours before coming up with the 1977 masterpiece The Report which raised pertinent questions about professional corruption and personal problems by following the frenetic life of a tax collector. These early artistic impressions still serve as undeniable evidence that the promising young filmmaker would reach unprecedented heights.

The 1980s and ’90s were undoubtedly the most notable period in Kiarostami’s journey as a director. The Koker Trilogy, consisting of Where Is the Friend’s Home? (1987), Life, and Nothing More… (1992) and Through the Olive Trees (1994), remains a work that is rife with staggering artistic achievements. Kiarostami’s portrayal of childhood innocence and the magical transformation of the banal into the profound in Where Is The Friend’s Home? is so special that it is impossible for it to age poorly as long as we remember what it means to be friends with someone. In the later instalments to the trilogy, after a devastating earthquake in 1990, Kiarostami blurs the distinctions between fiction and reality in order to carry out metaphysical assessments of the fundamental truths regarding the process of filmmaking.

When we consider Kiarostami’s filmography as a whole, the ’90s were remarkably important because of three truly brilliant pieces of cinema that he produced during that period (apart from the additions to The Koker Trilogy). Starting with Close-Up in 1990, the Iranian master gained international recognition as well as praise from other pioneers like Jean-Luc Godard, Martin Scorsese and Werner Herzog among others. In it, Kiarostami attacked the barriers that filter truth from reality with more conviction than ever while framing the dangers of solipsistic cinephilia in a humanistic framework. Another fascinating film from that time is Taste of Cherry which was famously panned by Roger Ebert even though it won the prestigious Palme d’Or at Cannes. Time has proven Ebert wrong since Kiarostami’s simple story about a man searching for death still resonates with newer audiences. 

The Wind Will Carry Us (1999) wrapped up an extremely eventful decade for Kiarostami during which he managed to solidify his status as one of the greatest living filmmakers. A year later, he received the Akira Kurosawa prize for a lifetime of achievements in the world of cinema. “Words cannot describe my feelings about his films,” Kurosawa said once. “When Satyajit Ray passed on I was very depressed. But after seeing Kiarostami’s films I thank God for giving us just the right person to take his place.” Kiarostami kept strengthening his oeuvre with gems like Ten, Shirin and more which fulfilled the purpose of reminding us that auteurs weren’t an extinct species in the 21st century. Until the very end, Kiarostami’s work maintained its poetic power as evident in Certified Copy (2010) – a complex meditation on the performative nature of love, starring Juliette Binoche and William Shimell. 

In 2016, Kiarostami succumbed to gastrointestinal cancer which left the world reeling in shock and grief. His death marked the passing of a national and international symbol, one that provided people with hope for the future of cinema. “Kiarostami gave the Iranian cinema the international credibility that it has today,” Kiarostami’s contemporary Mohsen Makhmalbaf said. “But his films were unfortunately not seen as much in Iran. He changed the world’s cinema; he freshened it and humanised it in contrast with Hollywood’s rough version.” The final work in his filmography was released posthumously in 2017, an experimental masterpiece called 24 Frames which beautifully summed up Kiarostami’s lifelong obsessions with mortality, time, nature and creating visual poetry through photography. 

In an intriguing interview where he was asked about the poetry in his work and its impact on his legacy, Kiarostami reflected: “I feel the cinema that will last longer is the poetic cinema, not the cinema that is just storytelling. In my library at home, the books of novels and stories look brand-new because I just read them once and put them aside; but my poetry books are falling apart at every corner, because I have read them over and over and over! Poetry always runs away from you—it’s very difficult to grasp it, and every time you read it, depending on your conditions, you will have a different grasp of it.”