Very little known movies deserving more attention

BaldJean wrote: Logan wrote: Good topic. Something of a cult film from Canada, and maybe not little known enough, a few here might know it, but I'll start with a Canadian film: Tales form Gimli Hospital (Guy Maddin, 1988), which is a strange film shot in black and white. Again, not the most obscure of films, but one that certainly doesn't get the recognition that I think it deserves (even when I mention it here, which has been a lot, and we have Norwegian posters): Den brysomme mannen (The Bothersome Man) is a surrealistic black comedy Norwegian film from 2006. It's one of my very favourite modern films (not surprisingly since I'm mentioning it again), and it has had significant international distribution and been to film festivals. And below is a short dark comedy film -- at 21 minutes not that short -- that I think terrific and deserves more attention (short films don't get enough attention period as far as I"m concerned -- I love that medium). It did get international success at short film festivals, but it's still very little known (partially because shorts don't get enough exposure) and it is strange -- very absurd and dark. It's beautifully shot and deliciously absurd. Mompelaar (Mulbler) - a short Belgian, I think, film by Marc James Roels and Wim Reygaert’s. Those who think they might enjoy a very dark version of Monty Python might well enjoy this: https://vimeo.com/69876745 a very weird one, but we liked it a lot. why did the guy who looked like Michael Palin from Monty Python have a tail?

Glad you both liked it. It could be absurdity for absurdity sake, but I think it's partially religious symbolism. The tail can symbolise lust, sin, and more generally is a symbol of bestiality. They want to portray him in an animalistic sense. His death fits that, I think.

Alain Resnais - Providence (1977) is probably my favorite movie of all time and completely overlooked. Funny, surreal and smart... and everything.

BaldJean wrote: we will practice our rusty French and give it a try

It's French slang from Québec, so it should be quite hard to understand to French speakers outside Canada, I assume. Still, while far from an enjoyable one (should I rewatch it and be traumatised for another 20 years?), yeah definitely worth watching imo.

This may be considered a classic in India for all I know - but lo and behold I've never seen such technicolor beauty or heard such enchanting songs... or dances. Give it couple of minutes won't you

Edited by Saperlipopette! - July 31 2018 at 10:34

Logan wrote: ^ That is attractive. ^^ The Colour of Pomegranates is so poetic -- we covered it in a film studies class. Sight and Sound, a magazine I used to read religiously (wait, wrong topic to say that) voted it 84th all-time best film. It played films festivals a few years back after Scorsese restored it (he has done such a lot for film) https://www.theguardian.com/film/2014/oct/07/the-colour-of-pomegranates-sergei-parajanov-london-film-festival-2014

So it seems its gotten its fair share of attention without me knowing it. Nice to know. 

I'll have to watch that at some time when my brain is ready to take on a new-to-me film (I don't watch them nearly as much as I used to as I don't have the same attention span, or brain altogether, as I used to).

Saperlipopette! wrote: Logan wrote: ^ That is attractive. ^^ The Colour of Pomegranates is so poetic -- we covered it in a film studies class. Sight and Sound, a magazine I used to read religiously (wait, wrong topic to say that) voted it 84th all-time best film. It played films festivals a few years back after Scorsese restored it (he has done such a lot for film) https://www.theguardian.com/film/2014/oct/07/the-colour-of-pomegranates-sergei-parajanov-london-film-festival-2014 So it seems its gotten its fair share of attention without me knowing it. Nice to know.  Wish I could post that Providence-movie as well. But its practically impossible to locate. Seems MUBI is the only place (Although its Resnais it never even got a DVD-release). But I can't recommend it enough.

Lovely that it got a revival in interest, though I think its long been one of those films that was studied and recognised in more academic circles (an arcane/ esoteric film for the majority still, I'm sure). It's the only film you've mentioned that I have seen, and I have considered myself to be a big admirer of Alain Resnais. I love his fairly well-known one feature films such as Hiroshima Mon Amour (my mother's favourite film), Last Year at Marienbad, My American Uncle and Mélo (I haven't seen most of his films). And I love J.A. Caesar's music, so there's another in your list that I really feel that I should see.

I expect that all of those mentioned in this topic are worth seeing.

I will mention Kuroi Ame (Black Rain) - 1989. Don't confuse it with the American film of the same Black Rain name. It's not a really arcane film, as looking it up, it has over 2500 votes at IMDB, and 13 review at rottentomatoes and I found it at a local library (well, before I moved to this less than stellar area), but I found it so moving. Hiroshima Mon Amour put me in mind of it.

It is also on youtube, I see, and it has 121 upvotes and one down vote:



It's directed by Shohei Imamura, a famous Japanese director, so yeah, even if this isn't obscure enough, I still want to mention it, and it concerns the aftermath of the Hiroshima bombing.

rottentomatoes wrote: When a young woman visits Hiroshima on the day of the atomic bombing, she somehow survives to return to her village. Her village has been affected by the black rain of the bomb's aftermath, and as the villagers sicken, they begin to blame her for bringing this back to them.

I also want to mention another Imamura film that touched me called Vengeance is Mine (1979), which I had also found at the library about 20 years ago. I found it superb and it has 100 a percent rating at rottentomatoes with ten reviews.

Here is the description from there:

rottentomatoes wrote: Based on the true story, 'Vengeance is Mine' is the story of Iwao Enokizu and his murderous rampage which sparked a 78-day nationwide manhunt. Enokizu is a day-laborer and smalltime con-artist who, after killing two of his co-workers, embarks on a psychopathic spree of rape and murder. Eluding the police and public, Japan's infamous "King of Criminals" passes himself off as a Kyoto University professor, only to become entangled with an innkeeper and her perverted mother

I also liked his The Eel (Unagi) which is the only one of his I saw as a new release in the cinema.

Edited by Logan - July 31 2018 at 12:15

Btw Logan I really appreciate all these thoughts you share about all kinds of interesting topics etc... I do read most but I'm just not in a place where I can allow myself to contribute very much. Writing in english is extra time consuming in itself and well when it comes to deeper, more meaningful discussions I simply give up before even trying. 

Watched that before when you or Jean posted (perhaps in a short film topic I once did -- it's a medium that I wish got more attention).

A great short, I think, is Over, which is based on an actual event:



And in another, this time in a sci-fi realm, that I loved is Reset.



There are lots of short films that I love.

Edited by Logan - July 31 2018 at 13:33

Saperlipopette! wrote: Btw Logan I really appreciate all these thoughts you share about all kinds of interesting topics etc... I do read most but I'm just not in a place where I can allow myself to contribute very much. Writing in english is extra time consuming in itself and well when it comes to deeper, more meaningful discussions I simply give up before even trying.

Yeah, surprising to hear that English is a second language to you, wish I could write this clearly. More than 3 serious phrases in English for me and I'm mentally exhausted...the reason why I'm sticking to my traditional 3 to 8 words mostly silly posts..haha!