Second Ave, New York 1976

Plantlife: A celebration in colour

* *

Filmaker 2 Filmaker

Two Polaroid's by one of my favorite film-makers Andrei Tarkovsky taken at the Southern Italian villa of another of my favorite film-makers Michelangelo Antonioni. In the bottom picture we see Tarkovsky kicking back with Tonino Guerra, the screenwriter from South of Ravenna who was famous for collaborating with Antonioni on movies like "L'Aventura" and "Blow Up" and collaborated with Tarkovsky on "Nostalghia." Guerra was also featured extensively in the documentary "Tempo di Viaggio (aka Voyage In Time)" about the making of "Nostalghia." Here is a transcript of a conversation between Tarkovsky and Guerra which precedes the filming of "Nostalghia" and sees Tarkovsky talking about "Stalker" and more.

Guerra: Someone told me that you would like to completely change your way of making cinema. Is this true?

Tarkovsky: Yes, only that I still don't know how. It would be nice, let us say, to shoot a film in complete freedom, like amateurs make their films. Reject large financing. Have the possibility to observe nature and people, and film them, without haste. The story would be born autonomously: as the result of these observations, not from oblidged shots, planned in the tiniest detail. Such a film would be difficult to realize in the manner that commercial films are realized. It would have to be shot in absolute freedom, independent from lighting, from actors, from the time employed in filming, etc., etc. And with a reduced gauge camera. I believe that such a method of filming could push me to move much further forward.

Finally here is a picture of Tarkovsky and Antonioni deep in conversation

Voice of the Arabs

Some hundred years after a birth date that remains dubious (1898? 1904?) the Institute du Monde Arabe in Paris is presenting a special exhibition in homage of legendary Egyptian singer Oum Khalsoum - the singer dubbed "the voice of the Arabs." The large show includes photos, films, interviews, music and art inspired by Khalsoum from a range of contemporary artists - it will run from June 17th to November 2nd.



Here in one final picture (below) Oum can be seen meeting the Egyptian president Nasser with whom I share a first name. Hearing her reminds me of my dad listening to her on Egyptian radio which he caught all the way from Sheffield, UK on his trusty walnut like wooden boxed transistor valve radio.

Cardiff 1950

South Shields 2007

Former Yemeni Seaman, Boarding House, South Shields, Newcastle 2007

Brick Lane 1972

Vintage

Photos from Library of Congress collection

Real Americana

Truman Capote and Manson family associate Bobby Beausoleil, San Quentin Prison, 1972

Tarkovsky's Bright, bright day

Exhibition in London of Andrey Tarkovsky Polaroids. His film "Stalker" is one of my favorite films of all time.






Seems to be a bit of a Tarkovsky revival going on with not just the above show (which also has a catalogue) but two new books - this one just released and this one upcoming. My advise start with his own book Sculpting in Time.

Image and Sound

Photograph: Gojio at Kyoto (Late 19th Century)
Sound: Balanescu Quartet (YMO) - Behind The Mask (1997)

"Everything passes" Haruki Murakami

Apes in Paris

Damn where is Taschen when you need them ? Collette in Paris just opened a fantastic exhibition of photographs by Magnum photographer Dennis Stock taken in 1967 during the filming of Planet Of The Apes. The photos are striking because they feature actors from the film in natural California settings creating startling and iconic juxtapositions that will captivate any Apes fan. The show is accompanied by a special series of 12 limited portfolios of the pictures released to coincide with the 60th anniversary of Magnum Photos & the 40th anniversary of Planet of the Apes. No idea how much the portfolio costs or if you could even still buy one. Wish Taschen would pick this one up and do one of their giant books with the series though - sure it would do well for them.









The final scene in the first Planet Of the Apes movie has to be one of the best Sci-Fi movie moments ever made.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cmw6Jne0tAQ