[<<] November 2005 Jahsonic (01) [>>]
"Method of this work:
literary montage.
I have nothing to say only to show." (Passagenwerk (1927 - 1940) - Walter Benjamin)Indeed, the tendency of recent German histories to chronicle art cinema and not popular cinema stems from the fact that the German government, like that of most European countries, has tended to support what Dyer and Vincendeau call the "high white traditions" as emblems of national identity as German export culture.(6) Only recently has there been a concerted effort in film criticism to break down this opposition of high European and popular American as film critics have sought a European popular cinema. This book searches for the popular response to Fassbinder's television work, but in West Germany the manufacture of high culture was much more self-conscious than in other European countries and became synonymous with the Autor (the author)-the central discourse of the German state and its cultural arm of public television to legitimize their production of German culture and in particular Fassbinder's work.
2005, Nov 28; 21:58 ::: European popular cinema and European art cinema
The Autor and Cultural Capital
A Fassbinder film can be understood without knowledge of his biography, but such a reading is naive. Biographical reading is a result of how films of the European art cinema were promoted in criticism and in the popular press as the personal statements of their directors in the 1960s and 1970s. These statements have had real and historical 'objective' status in the reception of Fassbinder's films within his own country. Although the Fassbinder myth involved both his filmic form and the changing history of film in West Germany in the 1970s, this book limits itself to examining Fassbinder the historical being in order to understand "the Fassbinder film." -- Television, Tabloids and Tears. Fassbinder and Popular Culture by Jane Shattuc, Minneapolis, 1995 via http://www.haussite.net/haus.0/SCRIPT/txt2000/01/shattuE.HTML [Nov 2005]This leads us to the development of a popular European cinema. One could argue that the only really European popular cinema is the US cinema (Dyer and Vincendeau, 1992: 11, Ciment, 1997: 146), considering the market shares of US films in European countries (Cinema Yearbook, 1998: 93). What about popular entertainment made for Europeans by Europeans? Is it really a problem of actors, effects and budgets, as has been claimed for decades? According to Nowell Smith (1998: 13), ‘Europe has lost the art of producing trash, for it is trashy films that are the manure of film culture, the source of the modern mythologies through which the cinema speaks to its remaining audience.’ And this is the area in which Europe has most seriously lost out over the last decades: the popular genre production. A popular domestic cinema still exists however: popular comedies featuring television celebrities (as e.g. in Belgium the popular comedies Oesje, the Urbanus cycle) But this phenomenon remains very culture related: there is no circulation in Europe (Cinema Yearbook, 1998: 94). Films aiming for the culturally specific are seen as more foreign than Hollywood to other countries, because European audiences are used to watching great quantities of Hollywood film (Dyer and Vincendeau, 1992: 9). This again illustrates how very little is to be found of a ‘European’ identity reflected in ‘European cinema’. -- Look who’s watching! A brief reflection on European cinema audiences by Philippe Meers via http://www.mediasalles.it/crl_meers.htm [Nov 2005]
Studies of popular cinema most often concentrate on films made within the Hollywood film industry, whilst European cinema is predominantly analyzed through frameworks offered by what is most conveniently labelled art cinema. This rough opposition leaves European films that have been produced within commercial contexts and use the codes and conventions of popular genres critically marginalized. However, to simply classify such works as popular cinema, and as a general polar opposite of the art film, is unproductive and ignores the specific contexts of production and consumption that operate in relation to European popular cinema and the ambitions of those who work in those industries. Through a case study of a number of horror films produced in Spain since the late 1960s, this paper will argue that a breakdown of this simple opposition is needed in order to understand such popular films through a consideration of their textual strategies and the particular production, distribution and exhibition contexts that impact upon their construction. The specificity of the case study will demonstrate that an approach that treats the distinction between arthouse and popular more fluidly allows for a fuller and more comprehensive understanding of each film. --Andy Willis (University of Salford) via http://www.art.man.ac.uk/DRAMA/department/FSP%20Symposium%20Abstracts.pdf
Keith Hennessey BROWN
Qualifications:
MSc European Film Studies (Distinction) (University of Edinburgh)
Postgraduate Diploma Information Systems (Napier University)
MSc Applied Social Research (University of Stirling)
MA (Hons) Sociology (University of Edinburgh)PhD title: Jess Franco
Research interests:
European popular cinema, especially Italian and British
Cult/exploitation cinemaWebpage: www.kinocite.co.uk --http://www.filmstudies.llc.ed.ac.uk/current_msc_and_phd_students.html [Nov 2005]
See also: high culture - low culture - film - European cinema - art film - popular culture -
2005, Nov 28; 21:58 ::: Elephant Man (1980) - David Lynch
Elephant Man (1980) - David Lynch [Amazon.com] [FR] [DE] [UK]
Photograph of the actual elephant man, Joseph MerrickSee also: 1980 - cult movies - David Lynch - film - American cinema - freak
2005, Nov 28; 09:29 ::: Freaks (1932) - Tod Browning
Freaks (1932) - Tod Browning [Amazon.com] [FR] [DE] [UK]
Image sourced here.See also: 1932 - cult movies - film - American cinema - American exploitation - early exploitation - freak - Freaks (1932)
2005, Nov 24; 23:29 ::: Ossessione (1943) - Luchino Visconti
Ossessione (1943) - Luchino Visconti [Amazon.com] [FR] [DE] [UK]
Ossessione (Luchino Visconti, 1943) is generally considered to be the first Neorealist film. It is also Luchino Visconti's first feature film, and the first of several adaptations of James M. Cain's novel, The Postman Always Rings Twice. --http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ossessione [Nov 2005]
See also: 1943 - Italian film - Neorealism - adultery - Luchino Visconti
2005, Nov 24; 23:29 ::: Death in Venice (1971) - Luchino Visconti
Death in Venice (1971) - Luchino Visconti [Amazon.com] [FR] [DE] [UK]
The novella Death in Venice was written in German by Thomas Mann, and was first published in 1912 as Der Tod in Venedig. It is often said to be Mann's most important short narration.
A film version directed by Luchino Visconti was made in 1971, with Dirk Bogarde as Gustav von Aschenbach and Bjorn Andresen as Tadzio. Benjamin Britten wrote an operatic version of the story on a libretto by Myfanwy Piper (premiered 1973). --http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Death_in_Venice [Nov 2005]
See also: 1971 - Italian film - pedophilia - Luchino Visconti
2005, Nov 24; 22:29 ::: Renato Polselli
Maria Luisa Rolando in L'Amante del Vampiro (1960) - Renato Polselli
Image sourced here.Renato Polselli (26 February 1922, Arce, Italy) is an Italian film director. --http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Renato Polselli [Nov 2005]
See also: Italian film - Italian exploitation - director
2005, Nov 24; 21:29 ::: Female Eunuch (1970) - Germaine Greer
Female Eunuch (1970) - Germaine Greer [Amazon.com] [FR] [DE] [UK]
I am looking for the name of the artist of this cover. Please let me know via the feedback page.
See also: book cover - feminism - Germaine Greer
2005, Nov 24; 18:48 ::: Ericofon
Ericofon
See also: cult objects - telephone
2005, Nov 19; 23:57 ::: Amazon introduces folksonomical functionsOver the last couple of days I have played with the new Amazon folksnomy feature, which allows visitors to tag items for later use by tagger or general audience. Much in the same style that Stumbleupon and del.ici.us did in the web realm.
The power of the Amazon tags is best illustrated with a little example. Here is a list of items I tagged Jahsonic. Very convenient. As you can see from the list, films can as of this time not be tagged. My guess they get their recently introduced film taxonomies from the IMDb databases.
2005, Nov 16; 20:24 ::: Cultuurencyclopediewww.jahsonic.com
Jahsonic, of Jan Geerinck die de grenzen, bruggen en kruispunten van moderne cultuur verkent, is een indrukwekkend werk over kunst, muziek, film, strekkingen en fictie. Op die manier tracht Jan de hedendaagse cultuur in kaart te brengen. Het is erg moeilijk om een site als Jahsonic te definiëren. Wil je een ernstig overzicht over de geschiedenis van de disco, van de vroegste discotheken in Frankrijk in oorlogstijd tot de deejays van vandaag? This is the place to be. Er zijn veel links naar andere sites, boeken en interviews en vooral heel veel referenties. De site bevat nogal wat Wikipedia-inhoud, maar daar maakt de auteur geen geheim van. De stek werd in september niet voor niets tot Yahoo! Pick uitgeroepen. De meer dan 6000 pagina's die Jahsonic rijk is, dwingen dan ook bijzonder veel respect af. --Dirk Schoofs, Clickx magazine 106 [Nov 2005]www.jahsonic.com
Jahsonic, or Jan Geerinck exploring the boundaries, bridges and intersections of modern culture, is an impressive work on art, music, film, sensibilities en fiction. Jan attempts to map contemporary culture. A site like Jahsonic is hard to define. Looking for a serious survey of the history of disco, from the earliest French wartime discotheques to the DJs of today? This is the place to be. Contains copious links to other sites, books and interviews, as well as many references. The site features a fair amount of Wikipedia content, but the author makes no secret of that. Deservedly, the site was chosen Yahoo! Pick in September and the more than 6000 pages featured on Jahsonic, command ample respect. --Dirk Schoofs, Clickx magazine 106 [Nov 2005]
2005, Nov 11; 15:34 ::: European literature of the 18th centuryNew page: European literature of the 18th century
"Le roman moderne naît avec Richardson, Fielding, Rousseau et Prévost. Il passe ensuite à Le Moine et à Ann Radcliffe" --Marquis de Sade, 1800
Parent categories: 1700s - history - literature - novel
Genres Adventure novel - Epistolary novel - Gothic novel - Libertine novel - Sentimental novel
Background enlightenment - Neoclassicism - French Revolution
Authors: Abbé Prévost - William Blake - Restif de la Bretonne - Casanova - John Cleland - Claude Prosper Jolyot de Crébillon - Daniel Defoe - Marquis de Sade - Denis Diderot - David Hume - Immanuel Kant - Pierre Choderlos de Laclos - André de Nerciat - Ann Radcliffe - Jean-Jacques Rousseau - Jonathan Swift - Voltaire - Horace Walpole - Mary Wollstonecraft
Titles: Robinson Crusoe (1719) - Pamela (1740) - Dom Bougre (1741) - Le Sopha, conte moral (1742) - Thérèse Philosophe (1748) - Bijoux Indiscrets (1748) - Fanny Hill (1750) - Castle of Otranto (1765) - Les Liaisons Dangereuses (1782) - Mysteries of Udolpho (1794) - The Monk (1796) - L'Histoire de Juliette (1797)
Early 18th century novels and romances were still not considered part the world of learning, hence, not of part of literature; they were market goods. If you opened the term catalogues it was mostly situated in the—predominantly political—field of "histories" with some romances like Cervantes Don Quixote translated into verse becoming poetical. The integration of prose fiction into the market of histories appeared under the following scheme: --http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Histories_(history_of_the_novel) [Apr 2005]
2005, Nov 09; 23:09 ::: Exploitation film introI have been cleaning up more and the exploitation film page is beginning to look good:
A word of thanks to three books and their authors: Cult Movie Stars (1991), Incredibly Strange Films (1986) and Immoral Tales (1994).
They can keep their Bressons and their Cocteaus. The cinematic, modern marvelous is popular, and the best and most exciting films are, beginning with Méliès and Fantômas, the films shown in local fleapits, films which seem to have no place in the history of cinema. --Adonis Kyrou (1923 - 1985)
Preceded by: pulp fiction
Parent category: exploitation - film - paracinema
Connoisseurs: Bill Landis and Michelle Clifford - Ado Kyrou - Jean-Pierre Bouyxou - Harvey Fenton - Jack Stevenson - V. Vale - Andrea Juno - Pete Tombs - Jack Sargeant - Jack Hunter - Michael Weldon - Bret Wood - the editors at Midi-Minuit Fantastique - Eric Schaefer - Nathaniel Thompson - Stephen Thrower
Academic Connoisseurs: Mikita Brottman - Barbara Creed - Carol Clover - Joan Hawkins - Mark Jancovich - Xavier Mendik - Steven Jay Schneider - Donato Totaro - Linda Williams
By region: American exploitation - British exploitation - European exploitation - French exploitation - German exploitation - Italian exploitation - Japanese exploitation
Titles: Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974) - Cannibal Holocaust (1980) - Ilsa series (1970s) -
Related: blaxploitation - B-movie - cannibal film - comics - cult films - erotic horror - giallo films - gore - gothic - grindhouse - horror film - mondo films - Nazi exploitation - nudie film (genre) - nudity in film - nunsploitation - pornographic film - rape/revenge films - sexploitation - shock - sex hygiene films - slasher - snuff film - transgressive films - trash - Troma - video nasty - violent films - women in prison films
Typical marquee for exploitation films at North side of 42nd Street between Seventh and Eighth Avenues, September 1942.
2005, Nov 07; 23:09 ::: Horror and erotica cleanupI've just finished cleaning up the erotica and horror sections.
Horror by medium: horror film - horror fiction - horror in the visual arts
Erotica by medium: erotic art - erotic books - erotic comics - erotic fiction - erotic movies - erotic music - erotic photography - erotomaniacs
2005, Nov 04; 23:33 ::: Exploitation filmI have been working on the exploitation and exploitation film pages, splitting them by geographical region.
By region: American exploitation - British exploitation - European exploitation - French exploitation - German exploitation - Italian exploitation - Japanese exploitation
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