esrosedotblog

The director is the one I want to hear from.

Actors are critical and interesting to hear from but we forget they are working under the close guidance of a man or woman who has the total vision of a film. Movies are made scene by scene, almost frame by frame and each "take" is usually out of sequence of the story, expediently shot for efficiency.

Perhaps there are a number of scenes to be done in a particular location. They do not trek around to all the locations in order. They do all the work that needs to be done at that particular one. Early scenes, later scenes and so on.

Even studio films are not shot in order. The camera and light setups are so different for each bit that unless several cameras are used the scene has to be redone again and again for closeups and other viewpoints. Very complex.

Who keeps this all in his or her head? Who knows the "arc", the way it should all piece together at the end? Who knows what is needed from each temperamental actor who thinks that he or she is the star?

The director.

For awhile, the French coined the term "auteur" or author for the director. I guess it is still used. It is a good description.

And it is not just the acting. It is the lights, the sets, the rest of it. And when the filming is finished s/he is in the editing room.

Directors have not always been well known nor are they now. Early on, some, like John Huston could hew a reputation out of a series of very successful films so that any film they made had marquee value. Now, more and more, people who love films follow the director. Not the stars. There are not a lot of actors that I would see just for their name value. But there are some directors that I will always see and some of them are in this wonderfully crafted documentary.

Great Directors (2009)

We see interviews, interwoven around certain themes, and bits from their films.

Bertolucci (The Conformist, The Last Emperor); Catherine Breillat (Fat Girl, The Sleeping Beauty); Liliana Caviani (The Night Porter); Stephen Frears (My Beautiful Laundrette, The Queen); Todd Haynes (Far from Heaven, I'm Not There); Richard Linklater (Slacker, Before Sunrise), Ken Loach (Kes, The Wind that Shakes the Barley); David Lynch (Blue Velvet, Mulholland Drive); John Sayles (Lone Star, Silver City) and Varda (Cléo from 5 to 7, Vagabond).

I have seen 15 of these films.

Here is the test. When each director spoke and a small bit of film was played for us, I felt pangs of happiness, sadness, joy, mourning, all the emotions that come up in a good film unbidden. It was just there. For a small slice! Powerful. Mysterious.

The magic of good film is still in the hands of the people who made it and the availability of the viewer to let go and go for the ride. It is not a science. Oh some of it is. The clarity of the picture today is incredible. But it is interesting that none of the emotional impact really seemed to depend on clarity. The clips were a little tired perhaps, the masters dimmed by years. But the wallop was the same. Bang.

Angela Ismailos made this film out of her own love for movies and movie people. It is clear. She is seen and heard but she knows her place.

She has no theories. No explanations. No message. She is the messenger.

What a wonderful job she did. I will give this film a 5 out of Netflix 5 and on the strength of the interview I just bought it to see the extended interviews. There are two discs so I will be able to wallow.

Labels: films