Medea Pasolini 1969

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ATQ_Qi5Pzrw

Il Decameron 1970 Pier Paolo Pasolini

Pasolini's version of the book by Boccaccio - in which Boccaccio mocks the corruption of the Church at that time.

If you click on 'cc' you can get English subtitles.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v3Yq9RY-CQ4

Faster, Pussycat! Kill Kill! 1965 Russ Meyer

When I used to go to the Parkway, they always had Russ Meyer films.

I guess that Meyer's films are enormously sexist and objectifying towards women, but what saves the films is the kitschiness factor. They are so over the top that you can't take any underlying sexism seriously. There's a line in this film where a guy says to a very busty woman: "You're a beautiful animal, and I'm weak and I want you." She replies: "What's weak about wanting?" That's, basically, Meyer's attitude toward women in all his films.

But, I still wonder, did Meyer hate women as much as I think he hated women or did he hate men for objectifying women? Did, he, basically, hate himself for loving women as sexual objects as much as he did? Well, maybe he should have.

There was a bit of a revival of interest in Meyer in the 90s, now he's dropped back to 'cult status'.

Access the film here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lGXT_icWZok&index=3&list=PLR3HftCSUcar-sKm0VPY8LJ1jxN4d40-q

Old Boy by Park Chanwook 2003

This was the first Korean film I ever saw, I guess. I saw it at the Angelika Theater in Manhattan when it first arrived in America and when the film ended, I recall that nobody from the audience even got up from his/her seat.  We were too shocked.

So I won't give away any details - I think it would be worthwhile watching this film. This film is a little violent, but not as violent as many Korean films.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AxPaKS-sD08

The Hypothesis of the Stolen Painting by Raoul Ruiz 1979

Ruiz made complex, lyrical, philosophical films...La vida es sueno is my favorite, in which a Chilean political prisoner going to prison deliberately remembers the names of individuals in his political organization by equating names to specific lines and images from Calderon de la Barca's famous play. He continually revisits the play in prison to recall the names of his comrades and upon release tries to re-organize his underground organization through the use of the Calderon de la Barca play.

I once saw Raoul Ruiz at the Film Center of the Art Institute of Chicago, where he yelled at me for asking a stupid question (I can't remember the question, I just remember his scorn!). But one guy at whom he didn't yell asked a very good question: "Your films are so complex..but there are never any bad guys.  Don't you want to just sit down and do a cops and robbers chase film some day?"  Ruiz then said, "No, because I don't want to represent any 'obstacles' in my films. I don't think obstacles or resistance exists as it is commonly portrayed. There are never any antagonists in my films."

One other thing he said that I remembered was that he felt the theater was Catholic and the Cinema was Protestant.  In Catholic churches there is always a red candle that signifies the 'real presence of God.' Protestant churches do not purport to have the real presence of God. So he claimed that theater is more Catholic in that  you have a real presence there which is lacking in film. Even if it is not used, the possibility for real engagement will exist in theater, but will never exist in film.

Here's a sample of his amazing work:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cYSQa76sxsw&index=1&list=PLD0C980EFBD266E1D

Attack! by Robert Aldrich ----1956

Aldrich was an amazing Hollywood director who made a diverse number of films.  I also have Ulzana's Raid on this blog. Did you ever see The Dirty Dozen?  Whatever Happened to Baby Jane?  Aldrich directed those movies as well. Indeed, he unobtrusively directed a number of Hollywood classics. He is totally under-appreciated.

Here's a war movie he directed. I can't say it's an anti-war film, but it's an anti-corruption film, certainly.  The guy in the film who is in charge of what American soldiers are doing got his position only because of political connections and social class. Disaster ensues. It's a pretty good movie.

Here's the film: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2-HT7B0o4-4

The Victors -- 1963 -- Carl Foreman - great anti-war film

So World War II was the 'good' war. This film begs to differ. It was made one year before Lyndon Johnson used the Gulf of Tonkin incident as an excuse to escalate the Vietnam War and brutalize a third-world nation. So the anti-war cynicism in this film had little effect in dissuading Americans against fighting again. Well, at least Foreman tried.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N1g3v3ANhZc