I watch films and then record those viewings here.
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The Walking Stick 1970
Was intrigued by the career of Eric Till who bounced between Canada, the UK, and the US in the 60s, 70s, and 80s, so watched this and was pleasantly surprised. Great shots of Poplar and Docklands before redevelopment. Indulges in some soft focus, late 60s romanticism before becoming a crime/heist picture. Curious now about Winston Graham’s source novel and the ways in which the film grapples with disability and the legacies of polio. Not by any means a great film,…
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Magic Molecule 1964
Maybe a little influenced by Resnais's Le Chant de Styrène or Tati's Mon Oncle? Co-director Chris Chapman went on to direct A Place To Stand, Ontario's Expo 67 film that went on to win an Academy Award.
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The Witches of the Orient 2021
A really extraordinary film, in some ways more conventional than In the Realm of Perfection, in other ways building on and expanding that film's inquiry into training, sport, and the pursuit of perfection. Adds to the catalogue of great films linked to Tokyo 1964, from Kon Ichikawa's official documentary to Chris Marker's Le mystère Koumiko. Perhaps the best thing about the film is the way it is punctuated by soundtrack-driven montage sequences - training, the 1962 World Championships, then the…
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The Ballad of Crowfoot 1968
A film that lands with greater force each time I watch it. With the rerelease of many of Dunn’s LPs, this film, along with others he made at the NFB, speaks to his extraordinary talent and vision as well as the razor-sharpness of his political analysis and understanding of history, of what really went down in the “founding” of Canada.
