Woomera 2002

"Crossing cultures, cinematic and other": A review of Laleen Jayamanne's Toward Cinema and Its Double: Cross-Cultural Mimesis by Therese Davis
Davis praises this recent book, and its rethinking of the relation between film and film criticism.

Interview with Laleen Jayamanne by Therese Davis
Theorist, Laleen Jayamanne talks about her latest book, contemporary film criticism and more.

Facing The Music

Robin Anderson - A Tribute by Robin Hughes A moving, personal tribute to the working style, talent and humanity of Australian documentary filmmaker Robin Anderson. Negotiating Truth In the REAL Documentary Film (or is that video?) - A report on the 4th REAL: LIFE ON FILM International Documentary Festival by Julian Savage Considering films recently screened at this national documentary festival, Julian digs deeper into questions of truth, reality and ethics in documentary and fiction filmmaking. On India, Undies and NRIs: An Interview with My Mother India's Safina Uberoi by Catherine Simpson From Australia to India, and back again, My Mother India explores the process of migration and the fluidity of cultural borders.

Trembling Before G-d

Bombay Eunuch and Trembling Before G-d by Bree McKilligan
Two standout documentaries that recently screened at the Melbourne Queer Film Festival.

Through Clouds: a Discussion of Kandahar and Beneath Clouds by Christos Tsiolkas
A revealing, perceptive contrast of two recent 'road movies' from different sides of the globe.

Kandahar

The Materialist Ethic of Mikio Naruse by Freda Freiberg
Freda unravels the neglect of this important Japanese filmmaker and his materialist aesthetic.

Dreams, Disco and Politics: An Interview with Babak Shokrian by Michelle Langford
Iranian-American director Shokrian mixes popular culture and politics in America So Beautiful to explore the experiences of immigrant Iranians in LA, circa 1979.

The Mad Songs of Fernanda Hussein

The Gulf War Now: John Gianvito on The Mad Songs of Fernanda Hussein
Interview by Ray Privett
Ray talks to the director of this epic film that explores the effects of the Gulf War in America.

The edges of film by Anna Zagala
Film titles and credit sequences is a neglected though rich area of study, according to Zagala.

Raymond Durgnat photo courtesy of Walker Pearce

To honour Raymond Durgnat, one of the world's greatest film critics, in his 70^th year, Senses of Cinema gathers fond appreciations and tributes from his friends, fans and collaborators, plus a preview of his new book.

We have just received the news that Raymond Durgnat has died in his sleep after a short illness on May 19. (See Editorial)

Introduction: Brainstorm by Adrian Martin

Raymond Durgnat by Jonathan Rosenbaum with Interpolations by Durgnat and an Afterward by Rosenbaum

The 3 ½ Ages of Raymond Durgnat by Richard Combs

An Avant-Garde of One by A.L. Rees

Psycho

Raymond Durgnat and A Mirror for England by Robert Murphy

A Certain Puritanism, Crazy Lists, and a Magician's Magic Hat - or, Are You Lonesome Tonight? by Rob White

To Improve Our Myths by Chris Fujiwara

Durgnatian Doublethink by Tony McKibbin

Extract from A Long Hard Look at Psycho by Raymond Durgnat

Tributes to Raymond Durgnat
part 1 by Charles Barr, Yvette Biro, Judy Bloch, Raffaele Caputo, Stephen Dwoskin, David Ehrenstein
part 2 by Benjamin Halligan, Patrick Keiller, Walker Pearce, Richard Porton, Stephen and Timothy Quay, Scott Simmon

Water Seeking its Level

Leighton Pierce: Master Miniaturist by Jon Jost
With keen perception, Jost explores Pierce's cinema and places it high as the work of a great artist.

Rupture, infernal translation - Marcel Hanoun's La Nuit claire (1978) by Stéphane du Mesnildot     French     English
This article is now hosted on the PANDORA archive of the National Library of Australia and Partners.
A riveting piece of figural film criticism that looks at a film by prolific, long-time filmmaker, Marcel Hanoun.

Tsai Ming-Liang

The Hole

Tsai Ming-Liang: Cinematic Painter by Jared Rapfogel A film artist with a difference: Rapfogel explores how. Confined Space - Interview with Tsai Ming-Liang by Nanouk Leopold Peppered with illuminating comments about his filmmaking approach. Cutting Edge And Missed Encounters - Digital Short Films By Three Filmmakers (Jia Zhangke, John Akomfrah, Tsai Ming-Liang) by Bérénice Reynaud Perceptive and informed analysis of this program of shorts currently travelling the festival circuit. Tsai Ming-Liang by Jean-Pierre Rehm, Olivier Joyard, and Danièle Rivière Book review by Tara Forrest This monograph is the only English-language book available on Tsai.

Tributes

The Seven Year Itch

Carmelo Bene: A Short Obituary by Maximilian Le Cain
Max pays tribute to an eccentric Italian filmmaker and theatre director, actor and writer.

A.I. Artificial Intelligence

Beyond Entertainment: An Interview With Film Critic Armond White by Jeremiah Kipp
White is yet another important US critic upholding the tradition of intelligent and independent criticism in the press.

Underrated and Overlooked - the Melodrama

Abraham Polonsky's I Can Get It for You Wholesale (1951) Reconsidered by Mark Rappaport
This article is now hosted on the PANDORA archive of the National Library of Australia and Partners.
A comprehensive, astute account of Polonsky's cinema and this film in particular.

Back Street (John M Stahl, 1932) by John Flaus
Precise and measured discussion of Stahl's overlooked gem.

Essays/on/Films

The Diaries of Vaslav Nijinsky

Va Savoir! (Who Knows!, 2001, Jacques Rivette) by Laleen Jayamanne

Storytime: The Royal Tenenbaums by Maximilian Le Cain

The Diaries of Vaslav Nijinsky: the culmination of a career by Philip Tyndall

Atom Egoyan by Carole Desbarats, Jacinto Lageira, Danièle Rivière, Paul Virilio Book Review by Maria San Filippo

A Hundred Years of Japanese Film: A Concise History, with a Selective Guide to Videos and DVDs by Donald Richie Book review by Darrell William Davis

You can order either of these books directly from

Bungalow at BAFICI

Prologue - Movie Mutations, Spanish, 2002 by Jonathan Rosenbaum
An introduction to the Spanish publication of the Movie Mutations letters 1997-2002.

Spotlights in the dark - Argentine films at the Buenos Aires IV International Festival of Independent Cinema hit by the crisis by Daniela Espejo
A discussion on select Argentine films playing at Buenos Aires.

The Tale of the Floating World at the Arizona International Film Festival

The 26^th Hong Kong International Film Festival - A Report by Lisa Roosen-Runge

Bridging Cultures at the 11^th Arizona International Film Festival by C.J. Shane

Between Seeing and Reading - A Report on the Reading Godard Conference by Glen Norton

The following are annotations for films screening at the Melbourne Cinémathèque on Wednesdays during May, June and July.

Editorial
Click here for information on the editors of the annotations, the Melbourne Cinémathèque and queries regarding contribution.

A Girl in Every Port

A Girl in Every Port by David Boxwell This film screens on Wed, May 15, 7:00 p.m. The Long Riders and Wild Bill by Michael Koller Wild Bill screens on Wed, May 22, 7:00 p.m. The Long Riders screens on Wed, May 22, 9:00 p.m. Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Adrian Danks This film screens on Wed, May 29, 8:40 p.m. Nicholas Ray, a Sentimental Bloke by Rose Capp They Live by Night screens on Wed, June 5, 7:40 p.m. Thunder Road by Simon MacLean This film screens on Wed, June 5, 9:30 p.m. King Hu's The Fate of Lee Khan and The Valiant Ones by Stephen Teo The Fate of Lee Khan screens on Wed, June 19, 7:00 p.m. The Valiant Ones screens on Wed, June 19, 9:00 p.m.

Chasing Rabbits out of the Hat and into the SHEDding of Childhood by Dirk de Bruyn Alice screens on Wed, June 26, 7:00 p.m. Don't Look Back by Adrian Danks Come and See screens on Wed, July 10, 7:00 p.m. The Phantom of Liberty by Marco Lanzagorta This film screens on Wed, July 17, 7:00 p.m.

Alice