shameless repost #2

Architecting at PS 122

http://www.ps122.org/performances/architecting.html

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/11/theater/11orel.html?=1&scp=1&sq=Architecting&st=cse

from the New Yorker Feb. 9, 2009 - says it all:

ARCHITECTING
The experimental theatre group the TEAM, in this nearly three-hour-long, overstuffed, and self-indulgent mashup of “Gone with the Wind” and post-Katrina New Orleans, mistakes naïveté for sincerity. In their hands, contemporary American experience consists solely of clichéd provincialism, bad Southern accents, twee musical breaks, and pretentious monologues about “force” and “history” that read like a college term paper. A subplot concerning a remake of “Gone with the Wind” helmed by a black director (played here by a white actor, who plays every black character in the piece, including Mammy) seems like a last-ditch attempt to preëmpt criticism of an all-white company’s tackling some very racially charged material, seemingly to no particular end. (P.S. 122, First Ave. at 9th St. 212-352-3101. Through Feb. 15.)

. . . . interesting use of the divisable steel-framed set, the use of the roof, and the tarpaulin canopy pulled over and above the stage for the final scenes. good theatrical invention. again, too much skin for this viewer (particularly when it wasn't used to great effect)

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The Winter's Tale at BAM Harvey Theatre, part of the Bridge Project

noteable for the simplicity of the design and the bravado of some of the acting - Hawke was a great surprise though I thought I was seeing a ghost of the Johnny Depp pirate at times . . great to see the theatre in all of its plaster-cracking glory . . a very well-lit show

http://www.bam.org/view.aspx?pid=809

http://theater2.nytimes.com/2009/02/23/theater/reviews/23winter.html

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Julliard students perform Figaro

February 18, 2009: http://events.juilliard.edu:8080/cal/event/showEventMore.rdo
and an article from 2004:http://www.juilliard.edu/update/journal/j_articles303.html

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The Doll House by Mabou Mines in the St Anns Warehouse

another extra-ordinarily self-indulgent mash-up, noticeable for remarkable moments of play and grotesque invention . . but why the save on the chinese racial slur, and the conservatism of the male nudity versus the full-out nakedness of the female lead? . . . a very hot and uncomfortable sitting experience for the audience . . on the up-side I am encouraged to return to read the original play.

http://www.maboumines.org/pubPages/templP.php?Title=2003+Mabou+Mines+Dol

http://stannswarehouse.org/current_season.php?show_id=32

http://theater2.nytimes.com/mem/theater/treview.html?_r=1&html_title=&tols_title=MABOU%20MINES%20DOLLHOUSE%20(PLAY)&pdate=20031124&byline=By%20MARGO%20JEFFERSON&id=1077011430666&scp=1&sq=doll%20house%20mabou&st=cse

shameless repost #1

[a shameless repost, just cause its been out there]

. . . . zooming up the I-278 in Brooklyn and talking Mozart in Florida,or David remembers Dostoyevsky, Humiliés et offenses . . (and Crime and Punish)

Erniedrigte und Beleidigte, 2001, Volksbühne Berlin, Koproduktion mit den Wiener Festwochen

notes and video at:

http://www.volksbuehne-berlin.de/praxis/erniedrigte_und_beleidigte/?id_datum=188&sprache=2http://www.volksbuehne-berlin.de/theorie/produktionstexte/erniedrigte_und_beleidigte/

. . . . seen at Festival de théâtre des Amériques (FTA), Montréal in 2003 . . Humiliés et offensés (Humiliated and Offended) presented during the 10th Festival de Théâtre des Amériques, 2003.

> the condo on stage, the actors inside, the windows open, then covered over, the ladder to the roof, and the billboard screen perched above . . and of course, the skating :-)

Title: Humiliés et offenses (Humiliated and Offended)

Adapted and directed by: Frank Castorf, adapted from Dostoyevsky, Berlin Volksbühne, 2003.
Production: Volksbühne am Rosa-Luxembourg-Platz and Wiener Festwochen, 2003

Director: Frank Castorf; Set design and costumes: Bert Neumann; Lighting: Reiner Casper Music: Sir Henry; Video: Jan Speckenbach

Complete cast: Katrin Angerer, Hendrik Arnst, Susanne Düllmann, Henry Hübchen, Astrid Meyerfeldt, Milan Peschel, Irina Potapenko, Bernhard Schütz, Jeanette Spassova, Joachim Tomaschewsky, and Martin Wüttke (in the centre, wearing a cap).

Some History about The Waltz

Here is some interesting information about the History of the Waltz compiled on a website by Bob January.

In 1919, H.L.Menken wrote:

"The waltz never quite goes out of fashion;
it is always just around the corner;
every now and then it returns with a bang . . .
It is sneaking, insidious, disarming, lovely. . . .
The waltz, in fact, is magnificently improper..
the art of tone turned lubricious. . . "

from Bob January's site:

"The name of the waltz is taken from the Italian ‘volver’ - to turn, or revolve. It was an outgrowth of the ländler [see image below], a country dance in three-quarter time, and replaced the heavy hopping and jumping movements with more polished and graceful gliding. . . ."

"The close contact with one's partners body contrasted sharply with the stately dances of the aristocracy - the minuets, polonaises, and quadrilles - in which one kept one's distance. A first-hand account of a village dance in the latter part of the eighteenth century read. The men dancers held up the dresses of their partners very high so that they should not trail and be stepped on, wrapped themselves both tightly in the covering, bringing their bodies as closely together as possible, and thus whirling about went on in the most indecent positions.... "

"Until his death in 1899 kept Europe whirling in blissful abandon. Even in 1919, H.L.Menken wrote: “The waltz never quite goes out of fashion; it is always just around the corner; every now and then it returns with a bang . . . It is sneaking, insidious, disarming, lovely. . . .The waltz, in fact, is magnificently improper-the art of tone turned lubricious. . . . There is something about a waltz that is irresistible. Try it on the fattest and sedatest or even on the thinnest and most acidulous of women, and she will be ready, in ten minutes, for a stealthy smack behind the door-nay, she will forthwith impart the embarrassing news that her husband misunderstands her and drinks too much and is going to Cleveland, O. on a business trip tomorrow.”

"Yes, the waltz is irresistible-and exceptionally durable. In a world where the Mosh and the Monkey are popular social dances, and the macarena, line dances, and the chicken dance sometimes seem to be the only alternatives, the waltz still holds on tenaciously to a small part of our dancing lives, for its lilting strains never fail to evoke three pleasure dearest to the heart of civilized man – wine, women, and song!"

To read the full text go to: http://bobjanuary.com/waltz.htm

dreaming Fellini dreams

"Fellini produced three intriguing commercials that he called the picnic lunch dream, the tunnel dream, and the lion in the cellar dream. Several other dreams were sketched out--the ledge dream and the dream of the man carrying an egg--but were never realized. The three completed dreams were given the collective title of Che brutte notti (What Horrible Nights) and consisted of three nightmares experienced by actor Paolo Villaggio that are first vividly depicted and then examined in a session with analyst Fernando Rey. Fellini himself provides voice-over commentary in places. In each case, the analyst assures the dreamer that he will be less anxious if he keeps his money with the Banca di Roma. Like the commercials Fellini shot in 1984 for Campari Soda and in 1986 for Barilla Pasta, these films in miniature tell us far more about Fellini than about banking."
from The Final Dreams of Federico Fellini (Book). By: Bondanelle, Peter, Cineaste, 00097004, Spring2004, Vol. 29, Issue 2

“Che brutte notti!” (1992)— three television commercials for the Banca di Roma entitled “Il sogno del ‘déjeuner sur l'herbe’” [The Picnic Lunch Dream]; “Il sogno della galleria” [The Tunnel Dream]; and Il sogno del leone in cantina”[The Dream of the Lion in the Cellar]; SCRIPT: Federico Fellini; PHOTOGRAPHY: Giuseppe Rotunno; MUSIC: Nicola Piovani; SET DESIGN: Antonello Geleng; EDITING: Nino Baragli; PRODUCER: Roberto Mannoni; CAST: Paulo Villaggio. Anna Falchi, Fernando Rey, Ellen Rossi Stuart

Last Year at Marienbad

Here is a clip of the Alain Resnais film Last Year at Marienbad. It begins with the opening credits but if you fast forward to 1 minute and 44 second you will be able to view the beginning of the movie. In the beginning you get to see the architecture of this large hotel. It comes off in the video to me as extremely baroque, every over the top, almost to the point where it would be an uncomfortable place to stay. It also reads a little cold in regards to the environment, im not sure if this is because of the black and white film or if it is because of the actual setting of the movie. I also noticed the continued theme of the long daunting hallways and corridors in this film clip, i think this helps make the setting seem uninviting.

Here is the video clip:



There is also a trailer for the movie on youtube which gives insight on the actual plot and location of the movie. The background music in each clip adds to the eerie feeling...

Alain Resnais Films Between 1950-1977

These are summaries from some of director Alain Resnais' films from 1950-1977.

Providence (1977): Clive Langham (Sir John Gielgud) spends one tormenting night in his bed suffering from health problems and thinking up a story based on his relatives. He is a bitter man and he shows, through flashbacks, how spiteful, conniving and treacherous his family is. But is this how they really are or is it his own vindictive slant on things?

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0076574/plotsummary


Stavisky (1974): Irresistible charm and talent helps Serge Alexandre alias Stavisky, small-time swindler, to make friends with even most influential members of French industrial and political elite during the early 30s. But nothing lasts forever and when his great scam involving hundreds millions of francs gets exposed result is an unprecedented scandal that almost caused a civil war

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0072204/plotsummary


Je t’aime, je t’aime (1968): Recovering from an attempted suicide, a man is selected to participate in a time travel experiment that has only been tested on mice. A malfunction in the experiment causes the man to experience moments from his past in a random order

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0063152/plotsummary


La guerre est finie (1966): Diego is one of the chief of the spanish Communist Party. He is travelling back to Paris (where he lives) from a mission in Madrid. He is arrested at the border for an identity check but manages to go free thanks to Nadine, the daughter of the man whose passport is used by him. When he arrives in Paris, he starts searching one of his comrades, Juan, to prevent him from going to Madrid where he could be arrested by Franco's police.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0060481/plotsummary


Muriel ou Le temps d’un retour (1963): In the seacoast town of Boulogne, Hélène sells antique furniture, living with her step-son, Bernard, who's back from military duty in Algiers. An old lover of Hélène's comes to visit - Alphonse - with his niece Françoise; he too is back from Algiers, where he ran a café. Bernard speaks of his fiancée, Muriel, whom Hélène has not met. The narrative, like memory and intention, is jumpy, the past obscured by guilt, misperceptions, and missed possibilities. Appearances deceive, things change. As Hélène and Alphonse try to sort out a renewal, everyone seems off-kilter just enough to hint that all cannot end well. Can anyone know another?

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0057336/plotsummary


L’annee derniere a Marienbad (1961): In a huge, old-fashioned luxury hotel a stranger tries to persuade a married woman to run away with him, but it seems she hardly remembers the affair they may have had (or not?) last year at Marienbad.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0054632/plotsummary


Hiroshima mon amour (1959): While shooting an international movie about peace in Hiroshima, a married French actress (Emmanuelle Riva) has a torrid one night stand with a married Japanese architect (Eiji Okada). They feel a deep passion for each other and she discloses her first love in times of war in the French town of Nevers to him. He falls in love with her and asks her to stay with him in Hiroshima.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0052893/plotsummary


Nuit et brouillard (1955): One of the most vivid depictions of the horrors of Nazi Concentration Camps. Filmed in 1955 at several concentration camps in Poland, the film combines new color and black and white footage with black and white newsreels, footage shot by the victorious allies, and stills, to tell the story not only of the camps, but to portray the horror of man's brutal inhumanity

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0048434/plotsummary

Antonioni Film Synopses

The Lady Without Camelias (1953)- Stardom comes too quickly for Clara Manni. Leaving her parents’ drapers shop in Milan, she becomes a film star overnight, thanks to a small role in a film. Her producer, Gianni, quickly derails a promising career, however. Passionately in love with Clara, he imposes marriage on her and forbids her to appear in another film unless it is worthy of her talents. Gianni finally finds her such a role – as Joan of Arc in his next big budget picture. The film is a disaster and Gianni is ruined. Clara leaves him and goes off with a young diplomat, Nardo, who has come to love her through her films. With Nardo’s encouragement, Clara restarts her acting career, the hard way

http://filmsdefrance.com/FDF_La_Signora_senza_camelie_1953_rev.html

The Girlfriends (1955)- Roman couturier Clelia (Eleonora Rossi-Drago) leaves the big city to work at a boutique in Turin. She moves into a hotel and makes several new friends, but is soon drawn into their extremely unpleasant lives. Clelia enters a doomed relationship with a poor architect’s assistant (Ettore Manni), sees her new best friend Rosetta (Madeleine Fischer) commit suicide after being jilted by her married lover (Gabriele Ferzetti), and is eventually fired from.

http://www.theauteurs.com/films/2331

Sheba and the Gladiator (1959)- Zenobia, Queen of Palmira, revolts against Rome and defeats the Roman troops... But she makes a big mistake when she falls in love with enemy officer Marco Valerio

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0051985/

The Adventure (1960)- A group of rich Italians head out on a yachting trip to a deserted volcanic island in the Mediterranean. When they are about to leave the island, they find Anna, the main character up to this point, has gone missing. Sandro, Anna's boyfriend, and Claudia, Anna's friend, try without success to find her. While looking for the missing friend, Claudia and Sandro develop an attraction for each other. When they get back to land, they continue the search with no success. Sandro and Claudia proceed to become lovers, and all but forget about the missing Anna. Written by

http://www.imdb.com/SearchPlotWriters?Dork%20%7Btkarapit@gpu.srv.ualberta.ca%7D
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0053619/plotsummary

Eclipse (1962)- Michaelangelo Antonioni's L'ECLISSE (ECLIPSE) is a visually stunning film with a strange, abstract plotline. Monica Vitti stars as Vittoria, a beautiful woman who, in the opening scene of the movie, dumps her boring boyfriend Riccardo (Francisco Rabal). Vittoria's mother (Lilla Brignone) passes her time at the stock exchange, watching the numbers rise and fall as if her whole life depends on the next high or low. In contrast, Vittoria wanders the streets of the city unhindered, dreaming, floating independently and waiting for whatever fate befalls her. She begins an affair with a powerful, handsome, emotionally vacant stockbroker, Piero (Alain Delon). Their relationship is fun, flirtatious, risky, and dangerous all at once--but mostly, it is an expression of true human affection, which the other characters in L'ECLISSE seem to lack. However, the plot of L'ECLISSE is hardly Antonioni's focus. As sweeping pans of the calm, dusty streets mix with the intense cacophony of the stock exchange, the director compares and contrasts the structure of city life with the still, silent aspects of a more natural environment, observing society's evolution into a technological monolith. L'ECLISSE is part of a trilogy of Antonioni films, along with LA NOTTE and L'AVVENTURA

http://movies.yahoo.com/movie/1800145964/details

Red Desert (1964)- Cold, rain, and fog surround a plant in Ravenna. Factory waste pollutes local lakes; hulking anonymous ships pass or dock and raise quarantine flags. Guiliana, a housewife married to the plant manager, Ugo, is mentally ill, hiding it from her husband as best she can. She meets Zeller, an engineer en route to Patagonia to set up a factory. He pursues her, they join friends for a dinner party of sexual play, then, while Ugo is away on business, she fears that her son has polio. When she discovers the boy is faking, she goes to Zeller, panicked that no one needs her. He takes advantage of her distress, and she is again alone and ill

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0058003/plotsummary

The Three Faces (1965)- Former empress Soraya is cast in three episodes, the first of which, "The Screen Test," functions as a prolog to the other two. Directed by Antonioni, it presents a view of Soraya on the night of her screen test for this picture. Reportedly, however, "The Screen Test" was struck from the release print and the negative destroyed. "Famous Lovers" casts Soraya as a married woman having an affair with a struggling writer, Harris. The final episode has her playing an executive on a trip to Rome who is entertained by Sordi, a gigolo hired by her travel agency

http://movies.tvguide.com/faces-woman/review/120447

Blow-up (1966)- A successful mod photographer in London whose world is bounded by fashion, pop music, marijuana, and easy sex, feels his life is boring and despairing. But in the course of a single day he accidentally captures on film the commission of a murder. The fact that he has photographed a murder does not occur to him until he studies and then blows up his negatives, uncovering details, blowing up smaller and smaller elements, and finally putting the puzzle together.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0060176/plotsummary

Zabraski Point (1970)- An epic portrait of late Sixties America, as seen through the portrayal of two of its children: anthropology student Daria (who's helping a property developer build a village in the Los Angeles desert) and dropout Mark (who's wanted by the authorities for allegedly killing a policeman during a student riot)... Written by

http://www.imdb.com/SearchPlotWriters?Michael%20Brooke%20%7Bmichael@everyman.demon.co.uk%7D
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0066601/plotsummary

The Passenger (1975)- A reporter arrives at a desert hotel in a North African country in the Sahara Desert to report on the guerrillas fighting there. He meets a man who dies suddenly, and who resembles the reporter so much, that he decides to change identities with the dead man--to escape his personal problems and more. The life is of a man is made of his ingrained habits, and that will haunt him as he tries to start a new relationship with a young, strange woman he meets subsequently.... Written by Artemis-9

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0073580/plotsummary