(no subject)
I'd never noticed this before, but Netflix's recommendations for me in the music/musical category are somewhat humorous. Apparently I would like the Dresden Dolls because I enjoyed The Third Man, Rashomon and Invader Zim. I would like Manu Chao because I enjoyed When We Were Kings, Ghost Dog and Ghengis Blues. I would like Nick Cave because I enjoyed The Passion of Joan of Arc, My Best Fiend and Burden of Dreams. I would like Portishead because I enjoyed The City of Lost Children, Nosferatu and Yojimbo. Apparently I have predictable taste in music if one knows that I am a Herzog and Kurosawa fan. PJ Harvey was also recommended on the basis of films by those two directors.
Last night I watched Diary of a Lost Girl, directed by G.W. Pabst and starring Louise Brooks. It was moving and complex--not so much in the plot itself, which was pretty potboiler, but in the work the actors did in portraying their characters silently. Those actors were able to convey so, so much in a simple expression. Similarly, the filmwork was beautiful and in places surprisingly modern. Strong social commentary, again in places surprisingly modern. I often admire silent films as works of art but I don't usually identify deeply with them--Diary of a Lost Girl was a major exception. I dreamed about poor Thymiane last night. Louise Brooks was so luminously tragic yet ultimately a force to be reckoned with. Based on her wikipedia entry, I imagine this film had high personal emotional resonance for her. Highly recommended.
Last night I watched Diary of a Lost Girl, directed by G.W. Pabst and starring Louise Brooks. It was moving and complex--not so much in the plot itself, which was pretty potboiler, but in the work the actors did in portraying their characters silently. Those actors were able to convey so, so much in a simple expression. Similarly, the filmwork was beautiful and in places surprisingly modern. Strong social commentary, again in places surprisingly modern. I often admire silent films as works of art but I don't usually identify deeply with them--Diary of a Lost Girl was a major exception. I dreamed about poor Thymiane last night. Louise Brooks was so luminously tragic yet ultimately a force to be reckoned with. Based on her wikipedia entry, I imagine this film had high personal emotional resonance for her. Highly recommended.