Histoire(s) du Cinéma 4b: The Signs Among Us(1998)

Godard, Love and Poetry(en)

Documentary about director Jean-Luc Godard and Anna Karina. In 1960, Jean-Luc Godard films for the first time Anna Karina and falls in love. His cinema is transformed by it forever. Spanned from "Little Soldier" to "Crazy Pete" through "A Woman is a Woman", "My Life to Live" andd "Alphaville", this documentary tells how, during five years , Godard and Karina consciously mixed cinema and private life, with constant will to film "as in true life" and to live "as in film"

Mantovani, the King of Strings(it)

Known for his unmistakable cascading strings and recordings such as Charmaine, Mantovani enthralled the world with his sublime arrangements. This is the story of the man and his music.

Taxi(en)

A young writer embarks on a journey to find out more about the taxi business in Lagos by becoming a taxi driver, he meets a young lady along the way and becomes fond of her.

Spring(ru)

This is a story about a city guy Nikolai, who will have to go instead of his friend on a rural business trip. A series of funny events, meetings and the beauty of the Yakut village encourage Nikolai to make an important decision in his life…

Gothalo(ne)

Story about a farmer.

Phas Gaye Re Obama(hi)

Phase Gaye Re Obama is a comedy set against the backdrop of global recession/meltdown that originated in USA. The film traces the journey of OM Shashtri, an American citizen of Indian origin, who loses all his wealth overnight to the global recession & has been asked to vacate his home by the bank unless he pays up $100,000 (mortgaged amount) within 30 days. Seeing no other option Om comes to India to sell a small piece of an ancestral property. But within days of landing in India he is kidnapped by a 'recession-hit' underworld gang those who think that he is still a millionaire. What happens to Om, is he able to save his home, how did the 'poor' gangster cope with their 'poor' catch & what do small town Indian gangsters have to say to President Obama...is largely forms the rest of the story. The film, showcases how global recession/ meltdown impacted lives from an America based businessman to underworld dons in the dusty plains of small town India.

A Good Job: Stories of the FDNY(en)

Acclaimed actor and FDNY veteran Steve Buscemi looks at what it's like to work as a New York City firefighter. Utilizing exclusive behind-the-scenes footage and firsthand accounts from past and present firefighters, explore life in one of the world's most demanding fire departments while illuminating the lives of the often 'strong and silent' heroes.

Good Day's Work(sr)

Armin has been unemployed for a long time, and in desperately need of a job. His wife Jasmina is pregnant, and his son Edin has behavioral problems at school.

Speech: Using Your Voice(en)

An educational short film about correct speaking methods.

Quacker Tracker(en)

The Tooth & Nail Hunting Society is offering a reward to anyone who can bag their only missing trophy, Speedy Gonzales. Daffy's just the fool to do it. Daffy tries telling Speedy his shotgun is a telescope, but Speedy convinces Daffy to look. Daffy tries a snare, but it doesn't work until he steps into it to figure out what's wrong. An exploding girl mouse doll keeps finding its way back to Daffy. Daffy disguises himself as a giant enchilada, but the mice squirt hot sauce on him. Finally, Daffy rides a rocket, but ends up running into a train which throws him right back through the hunting society's roof.

Invasion of Astro-Monster(ja)

Astronauts Glenn and Fuji investigate Planet X and encounter mysterious aliens known as the Xiliens, who ask Earth's people to help save their world from "Monster Zero". In exchange for borrowing Godzilla and Rodan, the Xiliens offer a cure for cancer. As Glenn investigates, he develops a romance with Miss Namikawa and uncovers the Xilien's true intentions.

Six: Inside(en)

Delves deep into the anxiety, thrill and uncertainty of six aspiring animation artists as they are plunged into the twelve-week trial-by-fire that is the NFB's Hothouse for animation filmmakers.

Nymphs(it)

Hannibal Buress: Miami Nights(en)

Mildly successful comedian, Hannibal Buress, performs his second stand-up special in Chicago based on his wild night with the police.

Pugili dell'Inferno(it)

Connection(xx)

In Connection, a static shot of the sky with moving clouds is subdivided into regular geometrical regions, which are then individually (and rhythmically) manipulated.

Gamera 2: Attack of Legion(ja)

A strange meteor lands in Japan and unleashes hundreds of insect-like "Legion" creatures bent on colonizing the Earth. When the military fails to control the situation, Gamera shows up to deal with the ever-evolving space adversary. However the battle may result in Gamera losing his bond with both Asagi and humanity.

Amen.(fr)

Kurt Gerstein—a member of the Institute for Hygiene of the Waffen-SS—is horrified by what he sees in the death camps. he is then shocked to learn that the process he used to purify water for his troops by using Zyklon-B, is now used to kill people in gas chambers.

Android Re-Enactment(en)

Ermus Daglek, retired Empathtek engineer, commandeers a defunct factory where he creates androids based on persons from his past and recreates a dinner party where he lost the love of his life - until they malfunction and escape.

Bajado del cerro a tamborazos(es)

Die Bauten Adolf Hitlers(en)

Nazi Third Reich propaganda film that used architecture as a statement about "racial accomplishment," and so called "racial superiority." Hitler claimed that between 1934 and 1940, the Nazi rule of Germany had produced architectural uniqueness, and this film was produced to shown to attempt to validate that. The opening montage gives a survey of earlier Gothic and Baroque structures in the country as an example of "architectural superiority" that the German race was said to be the sole inventor of; then moves on to deride the recent construction of the Bauhaus school (with a racially motivated score of Jazz music) and an example of German "architectural decay." Then proceeds to show off buildings constructed by the Nazi and an architectural revival, to "last 1000 years," Film also spends a great of time dwelling on massive and "busy" monuments that had been erected all over the county.

Railway Station(pl)

Kieslowski’s later film Dworzec (Station, 1980) portrays the atmosphere at Central Station in Warsaw after the rush hour.

The Arrival of a Train at La Ciotat(fr)

A group of people are standing along the platform of a railway station in La Ciotat, waiting for a train. One is seen coming, at some distance, and eventually stops at the platform. Doors of the railway-cars open and attendants help passengers off and on. Popular legend has it that, when this film was shown, the first-night audience fled the café in terror, fearing being run over by the "approaching" train. This legend has since been identified as promotional embellishment, though there is evidence to suggest that people were astounded at the capabilities of the Lumières' cinématographe.

The New Apartment(de)

A commissioned film for Schweizerischer Werkbund (SWB), Die neue Wohnung was produced for the Basel architectural and interior design exhibition, WOBA, to demonstrate innovative aspects of modern architecture and highlight their differences from the event’s highly conservative approach. Despite its ad campaign roots, Richter's touch is not absent; The surviving version, aimed at a "bourgeois" Swiss public, presents decluttered, functional architecture and decor as superior to the traditional and luxurious "ancient" ways of living.

Human Apes from the Orient(en)

The subject is two grotesque-looking human beings who are sitting on the deck of a ship. The two weird individuals sit cross-legged and do the bidding of a man in oriental costume. The point of the film seems to be directed at the fact that the bone structure of the two subjects makes them look like monkeys or apes, and the spectators seem to be trying to get them to behave like monkeys, that is, scratch themselves, etc.

Hunting the Panther(fr)

A hunter and his native helpers set up a trap, then taunt and shoot a panther. Next we see the locals skin the animal.

Dr. Cook at Copenhagen(da)

On 4 September Frederick Albert Cook (1865-1940) arrived in Copenhagen on the ship 'Hans Egede'. He received a hero's welcome as the first man to set foot on the North Pole. He was greeted by the king, and given an honorary doctorate at the University of Copenhagen. Only a few days later, however, his endeavour was questioned, and in December the University rejected Cook's documentation. Carl Th. Dreyer is seen as one of the journalists taking notes. (DFI)

City of Wax(en)

City of Wax is a 1934 American short documentary film produced by Horace and Stacy Woodard about the life of a bee. It won the Oscar at the 7th Academy Awards in 1935 for Best Short Subject (Novelty). Preserved by the Academy Film Archive in partnership with the UCLA Film and Television Archive in 2007.

Popular Science J-7-1(en)

Raising angora rabbits for wool; new marine navigation and safety technology; kitchen gadgets; developing new rose varieties.

Dance of Ouled Nail(fr)

A short film featuring several dancers from different countries: first an Arabian dancer, then an Algerian belly dancer, and finally Scottish highlanders in kilts performing a jig. Section one is rendered in hand-color.

Girls Taking Time Checks(en)

Almost 200 women file by a device on the wall from which they take their time checks. A man runs half-way across the screen at the end of the film.

Panorama of Machine Co. Aisle(en)

A camera on an overhead crane travels down a large, long aisle where men are shown working on large machinery on either side. Carts carrying equipment are shown traveling on rails down the aisles. There are also men walking in the aisles. From Bitzer's Westinghouse Works series.

Testing Large Turbines, Westinghouse Co. Works(en)

On the left of the screen, a small group of men lift the top off of what appears to be a turbine with a crane and continue to check the machine, tightening various parts with wrenches. On the right side, a few men appear to be testing the workings of what may be a turbine.

One Got Fat(en)

This bicycle-safety film shows children what can happen when bicycles are driven carelessly and recklessly.

Moon Rockets(en)

This short is one of Paramount's "Popular Science" series (number L6-5, or the fifth one of the 1946-47 production season) and begins by showing moon rockets, weighing 30 tons, a flight in the ionosphere, with mounted color cameras recording pictures hundreds of miles above the earth. Coming back to earth, it discourses on modern bathroom fixtures, and then demonstrates a one-man hay-bailer.

The Station(it)

A day in the life of a train station.

Time Stood Still(en)

Time Stood Still is a 1956 Warner Brothers Scope Gem travelogue, filmed the previous year in Dinkelsbühl, and presented in the wide-screen format of CinemaScope, directed by André de la Varre. It was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Live Action Short Film at the 29th Academy Awards.

Of Pups and Puzzles(en)

This short film shows how the war department utilizes a Ph.D., a chimp, and three dogs to help design aptitude tests for men applying for work.

The Apple-Knockers and the Coke(en)

Much of Hunter's fame was built upon her resemblance to Marilyn Monroe; indeed, her Playboy pose was obviously inspired by Monroe's notorious 1949 nude photo session with Tom Kelley from which her own Playboy photo came. The similarity in look between Hunter and Monroe also came into play when a nude Hunter starred in a film short called Apple Knockers and Coke. For many years there have been those who have seen the film and have mistaken Hunter for Monroe.

Cavalcade of Dance(en)

Ballroom dancers Veloz and Yolanda perform the various dance fads of the first half of the twentieth century.