Waiting for Godard?

A Country Road. A Tree

A Blog

Evening.

It's been some time since I've been here.

Audience : I'm glad to see you back. I thought you were gone forever.

Savant-Garde : Me too.

Audience : Together again at last! We'll have to celebrate this. But how? (they reflect.) Get up till I embrace you.

A celebration of a return eh?

How excitable you all are.

Some of you may have been wondering where I've been, spending many nights wishfully clicking the refresh button on my blog page, eagerly awaiting my return.

Well, wait no longer.

I return from my many adventures and failures in the real world, full of its spoken word brutality and face to face polemic 'discussions'.

To mark my return from the worldly ditch, I shall, over the next few weeks re-watch and review the films of Jean-Luc Godard, the master of French New-Wave cinema and one of the most innovative film makers of his generation.


Your returning Savant,
Alan.

Gypo

                                                                    
                                                                        Gypo (2005)
                                                                    Country : England
                                                                    Director : Jan Dunn

Jan Dunn certainly didn't want to give herself an easy directorial debut. Choosing to film 'Gypo' using the strict Dogme 95 framework which was first started in the mid 90's by critically acclaimed avant-garde director Lars Von Trier. Using this approach, Dunn's creative freedom is limited to using basic camera work which often shakes as it negotiates its way around scenes. With a minuscule budget in hand, the plot and acting would have to be depended on to carry the film forward.

The film deals with the socially pertinent subject of immigration in Britain. The plot is concentrated on Tasha, a Czech immigrant who came to England with  her Mother to escape her cracked marriage and abusive father. Through a friend in college she eventually meets Helen, a middle aged woman who is struggling to find meaning in her menial existence, unhappy with both her occupational and domestic situation. Helen endevours to help Tasha as she overcomes various discriminations.

The story is definitely not covering new ground. If anything, reading a summary might lead one to disregard it as 'another one of those' or unoriginal, uninspiring grounds for further inspection. But after viewing this, I had a feeling that this was quite a unique and accomplished piece of cinema. Superbly acted by Pauline McLynn (Father Ted) and with occasionally superb dialogue (most of which was ad-lib) supported by a series of incredibly believable scenes, the film creates a familiar and recognizable world to look at. The basic camera work never hinders the feel of the film instead, I feel, that it raises it up to the standards of the social realist films of Mike Leigh and Ken Loach.

All this praise however, doesn't come without some form of rebounded criticism. The film from time to time (more so towards the end) tends to sensationalize the story somewhat, which distracts from the intense realism that is treated throughout. This culminates in a final scene which isn't worthy of the film as a whole, leaving a bitter note in the air. Dunn may have thought, due to the Dogme 95 filming style, that 'Gypo' needed to be elevated from merely a social film - A human film, with a very human feel. Some of that naturalism was lost and I was reminded quite bluntly that this was fiction I was watching, something that could have easily slipped from my mind earlier in the story.

This film touched upon a subject matter that has an effect on me. It highlights in an appropriate way, many of the social and racial problems that Britain possesses. It was deeply effecting, remarkably acted and alarmingly realistic. I'm surprised this film was overlooked for some of the major European film awards, not even getting a nomination from Berlin, Cannes or Venice. Maybe Europe just wasn't ready to see the real Britain.

Panda Bear - Tomboy

                                                                  
                                                           Panda Bear - Tomboy (2011)
                                                                   Label : Paw Tracks

Let me first begin by saying that Panda Bear's 2007 album 'Person Pitch' was for me, one of the greatest musical achievements of the decade gone by. It was a singularly visioned work that had no place for compromise, crafting a sound that was unmistakably his - a solitary sonic experience standing proudly against the best experimental works of the time and most of all, maturing and sustaining it's charm with each cherished listen.

With all this very much in the forefront of my mind as I settled to listen to 'Tomboy' for the first time, I began fearing change and evolution of his cultured sound. In a way, I wanted another 'Person Pitch'. As the leading track began it's opening few seconds, I felt a sense of relief and repose. It was all very familiar- the airy vocals echoing resolutely, clapping and stomping creating a rhythm deep in the mix and an instantly effecting mantra-like calling of  'Know, you can count on me' that almost immediately ingrained into my mind, nestling there for not only the entire track but most of the album. This opening track is trademark Panda Bear. Emotional, colossal and with a great sense of looseness and freedom as the melody works it's way languidly around the chanting of Noah Lennox. The first considerable difference however, is the significantly shorter track lengths. This makes me think that Noah is trying to make his vast songs more accessible to a more casual listener; for sure the first half of the album lends to many catchy hooks and melodies, something that could be said to have been lacking in his previous release.

The earnest attempt at creating an intimate atmosphere is something that is one of  the standout facets in this ambitious sounding album. Whilst being busy with various collaborations over the past couple of years (most notably with Atlas Sound and Pantha Du Prince) and not forgetting his further success with Animal Collective, it is to his merit that he has been able to produce such a well formulated album that does a very admirable job in trying to equal the emotional output and effect that 'Person Pitch' achieved.

In the title track 'Tomboy', Lennox achieves the perfect balance of maintaining the sound that has earned him adoring fans worldwide and introducing a new element to his work. With a heavier synth leading the proceedings, this track demands your attention instead of merely nesting and cultivating in ones memory. This is a very welcomed experimentation from Lennox and one that I believe to have worked successfully within the context of the entire album. This album is truly a wonder to listen to, it progresses with great ease and culminates into a crescendo of passion from Lennox in the track 'Alsatian Darn', one of the rawest, most honest tracks he has ever put his name to. He blasts out in his usual Brian Wilson style -

"I only feel a chill whenever I come out from my shell
Id surely lie if I said that I was sure that it might work out
Now I wont let it slide
No I wont let it slip up"



Whilst all around his voice, glittering synth sounds and samples escort his words to a whole other level. It's after this peak that the album has one of its very few indiscretions. The track 'Scheherezade" deploys a soft piano intro that seems to plod along with Lennox voice, not raising it to the heights that I had become accustomed to from this album. For me it breaks up the flow of the album, slightly jarring the momentum that it had so successfully assembled. This is of course a minor criticism of an another wise masterfully composed album.


Panda Bear with 'Tomboy', continues to be one of the most unconventional and engrossing artists in the music industry right now. With so many new sounds and experimentations being forced upon us without much substance or lasting appeal, it's truly refreshing to have an artist that is willing to successfully take risks, creating stunning sounds and being an exemplary pioneer for independent music in the 21st century.  

Poetry

                                                                        Poetry (2010)
                                                                 Country : South Korea
                                                               Director : Lee Chang-dong

Poetry ends much the same as it begins. The sound of trickling water running down from a river, giving us a portending cathartic cleansing, in preparation for the image of tragedy which lies only moments away. This opening scene pans out over the river following the flow until our eyes are met with a female body, floating face down upon the river and the title 'Poetry' is unveiled with striking effect. This idea and impression of poetry being born from tragedy is one of the intrinsic messages that is naturally embedded in the understated drama. We follow the central character (Mija)  through all of the distressing events in her life as she battles with her recently diagnosed Alzheimer's disease, her Grandson's problems with the law and the paralyzed old man that she works for. With these elements of her life playing a great importance in the flowering of her story, it would be all too easy for this to become a depressing tale, one that encourages at every turn for the audience to feel something, to shed a tear for the horrible life that is facing her. To the films highest credit, it never becomes one of those tragic stories about a sick women getting worse, instead we are lead on an altogether more complex emotional journey, that meanders and provokes the viewer to engage fully with the feelings of the protagonist. Her passion for poetry is something that is a continued form of escapism as she searches for poetic inspiration, so that she may complete her first poem. During this process she learns that it is not always the beautiful that is poetic, that it is a far more honest and simple outlook which produces poetic expression.

Above all this film could be seen as an attack at the male dominated Korean society, as we are exposed to the pressures and intimidation that she endures from all of the male influences in her life. She sacrifices pride and honor for these men and ultimately we see the life fading from her eyes as the film progresses. The camera often looks on at Mija as she examines nature in its purest forms, allowing the viewer to fully interpret the subtle emotions of the character, aided perfectly by the superb acting of Jeong-hie Yun.

At well over 2 hours long, this great cinematic achievement never feels like it is wasting time, flowing elegantly from scene to scene with expert pace. This film is fascinating, heart-rendering, comical and occasionally breathtaking. It's an emotional experience that really shouldn't be missed.