Notes on the Popular Arts

Fragment of Seeking(en)

A young man desperately seeks out the fleeting image of a female companion, and though he never quite catches her, he discovers much more through the surreal explorations of his own sexuality. Preserved by the Academy Film Archive in 2012.

The Music Room(bn)

A wealthy landlord lives a decadent life with his wife and son. His passion – his wife would calls it his addiction – is music, and he spends a great deal of his fortune on concerts held for the locals in his magnificent music room. He feels threatened by his neighbour, a commoner who has attained riches through business dealings. His passion for music and quest for social respect are his undoing, as he sacrifices his family and wealth trying to retain it.

Jolly Roger(en)

After marauding and sinking another ship, a band of pirates capture a female passenger, then send her overboard as punishment for her defiance. She vows revenge, and fortunately is rescued by a small passing ship carrying only its captain, his first mate and a cat. They cross paths with the pirates, but both sides - after seeming to have victory within their grasp - meet a fate neither could have predicted. Preserved by the Academy Film Archive in 2008.

Apur Sansar(bn)

Apu is a jobless ex-student dreaming vaguely of a future as a writer. An old college friend talks him into a visit up-country to a village wedding. Preserved by the Academy Film Archive in 1996.

Aparajito(bn)

Aparajito picks up where the first film leaves off, with Apu and his family having moved away from the country to live in the bustling holy city of Varanasi (then known as Benares). As Apu progresses from wide-eyed child to intellectually curious teenager, eventually studying in Kolkata, we witness his academic and moral education, as well as the growing complexity of his relationship with his mother. This tenderly expressive, often heart-wrenching film, which won three top prizes at the Venice Film Festival, including the Golden Lion, not only extends but also spiritually deepens the tale of Apu. Preserved by the Academy Film Archive in 1996.

The Extraordinary Adventures of a Quart of Milk(fr)

Documentary short subject preserved by the Academy Film Archive, from the Marshall Plan Collection, in 2003.

The Cardinal(en)

A young Catholic priest from Boston confronts bigotry, Nazism, and his own personal conflicts as he rises to the office of cardinal.

Coloratura(de)

Fischinger's abstract designs accompanied by Gitta Alpar singing. Preserved by the Academy Film Archive in 2000.

A Grand Day Out(en)

Wallace and Gromit have run out of cheese, and this provides an excellent excuse for the duo to take their holiday to the moon, where, as everyone knows, there is ample cheese. Preserved by the Academy Film Archive.

A Close Shave(en)

Wallace's whirlwind romance with the proprietor of the local wool shop puts his head in a spin, and Gromit is framed for sheep-rustling in a fiendish criminal plot.

Once Upon a Time in the West(it)

As the railroad builders advance unstoppably through the Arizona desert on their way to the sea, Jill arrives in the small town of Flagstone with the intention of starting a new life.

Peggy(en)

The heroine, Peggy Cameron, is a high-society debutante with a mind of her own. After making a public spectacle of herself once too often, Peggy is bundled off to Scotland, where she is to be looked after by her no-nonsense uncle Andrew Cameron (William H. Thompson). If Peggy's family had hoped that she would straighten up and behave herself in Scotland, they were sorely mistaken. Restored in 2018 by the Academy Film Archive with restoration funding provided by the Louis B. Mayer Foundation.

The Misfits(en)

While filing for a divorce, beautiful ex-stripper Roslyn Taber ends up meeting aging cowboy-turned-gambler Gay Langland and former World War II aviator Guido Racanelli. The two men instantly become infatuated with Roslyn and, on a whim, the three decide to move into Guido's half-finished desert home together. When grizzled ex-rodeo rider Perce Howland arrives, the unlikely foursome strike up a business capturing wild horses.

Miracle on 34th Street(en)

Kris Kringle, seemingly the embodiment of Santa Claus, is asked to portray the jolly old fellow at Macy's following his performance in the Thanksgiving Day parade. His portrayal is so complete that many begin to question if he truly is Santa Claus, while others question his sanity. Preserved by the Academy Film Archive in partnership with Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation in 2009.

Celery Stalks at Midnight(en)

Early 'visual music' film by John Whitney. Preserved by the Academy Film Archive in 1999.

Five Film Exercises: Film 2-3(xx)

Two short fragments resulting from experiments in controlling the mechanical development of the instrument. Preserved by the Academy Film Archive in 2005.

Evolution of the Red Star(en)

Music: Carl Stone. Colored pen-and-ink drawings, like topological maps of biomorphic objects, grow and evolve from the red star. Once the master image is formed, this continuously throbbing, pulsating sight is used to ring changes based on years of optical work. Music and picture work together to create a mood of ecstatic tranquility. The bright colors, beautiful music, surprise at the end, etc. make this a good film for young children. Awards: Sinking Creek Film & Video Festival, 1973; Washington National Student Film Festival, 1974; Brooklyn Independent Filmmakers Exposition, 1974; Vanguard Int'l Competition of Electronic Music for Film, 1974; Humboldt Film Festival, 1974. Preserved by the Academy Film Archive in partnership with iotaCenter and National Film Preservation Foundation in 2007.

Man Hunt(en)

Shortly before the start of WW2, renown British big-game hunter Thorndike vacationing in Bavaria has Hitler in his gun sight. He is captured, beaten, left for dead, and escapes back to London where he is hounded by Nazi agents and aided by a young woman. Preserved by the Academy Film Archive in partnership with Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation in 2000.

Human Desire(en)

A Korean War vet returns to his job as a railroad engineer and becomes involved in a sordid affair with a co-worker's wife and murder. Preserved by the Academy Film Archive, in partnership with Sony Pictures Entertainment, in 1997.

The World's Greatest Sinner(en)

A bored insurance salesman quits his job to go into politics. He first starts preaching about how man is greater than he thinks and that man can live forever. He ends up forming his own political party, "The Eternal Man" party. He begins to be referred to as "God". Then he starts having doubts about the eternalness of man.

Wagakki Band Japan Tour 2019 REACT -New Chapter-(ja)

Joann Sfar (drawings)(en)

Documentary about Joann Sfar (born August 28, 1971) is a French comics artist, comic book creator and film director. He is considered one of the most important artists of the new wave of Franco-Belgian comics. His main influences are Fred and André Franquin as well as Marc Chagall, Chaim Soutine, Will Eisner, Hugo Pratt and John Buscema. From 2009 to 2010, Sfar wrote and directed Gainsbourg: Une Vie Heroique, a biopic of the illustrious French songwriter and singer, of whom Sfar is a self-confessed fanatic. The film, which draws substantially on Sfar's abilities as a comic book artist through its extensive use of fantasy artwork, animation and puppetry, was released in 2010 to general critical acclaim.

Rheme Maining Sources(pt)

A place-specific film-excavation of Bixiga neiborhood – São Paulo. Choreography of forces that cross present time. Filmancy, clairvoyance is the vision of what is taking shape.

Lion, London Zoological Gardens(en)

A male lion, right next to bars that are about 6 or 8 inches apart, keenly watches a uniformed zoo attendant toss small morsels of food into the cage. The lion alternates between finding the food on the cage floor and reaching through the bars to swipe at the man, who stays alarmingly close to the beast. In the background are the large rocks and brick wall at the back of the lion's habitat.

Godzilla vs. Hedorah(ja)

An ever evolving alien life-form arrives on a comet from the Dark Gaseous Nebula and proceeds to consume pollution. Spewing mists of sulfuric acid and corrosive sludge, neither humanity nor Godzilla may be able to defeat this toxic menace.

Nixon Newell: First Female of Fight Club(en)

Since 2013, Nixon Newell has travelled the world as a professional wrestler. This is the story of her goodbye to independent wrestling.

One Way Trip(ko)

Four best friends, Yong-bi, Ji-gong, Sang-woo and Doo-man who just turned twenty and just came of age took the road to Pohang, a small city near the beach—since one of the friends, Sang-woo, is enlisting in the marine corps the day after. On the last day before Sang-woo goes off to the army, a life-changing incident dawns in front of them. The four best friends now face a situation beyond their control, and are forced through an irrevocable day.

Det kære København(da)

Lorna Doone(en)

The year is 1675. England is threatened by religious and political rivalries. King Charles II's Catholic brother, James, is next in line for the throne, but many Protestants put their faith in Charles' illegitimate son, The Duke of Monmouth. On the king's death, conflict is inevitable... Over seven days journey from London, Exmoor is a primitive and lawless area. Here, farmer Jack Ridd lives with his wife Sarah, son John, and two daughters. The only shadow over their simple life is cast by the notorious outlaw family the Doones. The aristocratic Doones were banished from their ancestral lands and now live through looting, theft, and murder. Their brutality is legendary...

For frihed og ret(da)

Dorothy and Alice(en)

Dorothy and Alice tells the story of a friendship between two fantasy heroines, who bond over their eerily similar experiences pulled into dreamy alternate dimensions.

Hedtoft(da)

The personal story of the greatest tragedy in Greenlandic maritime history, told by the grandson of one of the 95 passengers who lost their lives on the cold stormy night of January 30th, 1959, when M/S Hans Hedtoft - on its maiden voyage - allegedly hit an iceberg.

The Turbo Charged Prelude for 2 Fast 2 Furious(en)

Turbo-Charged Prelude is a 2003 short film, directed by Philip Atwell, featuring Paul Walker, reprising his role as Brian O'Conner, in a short series of sequences which bridge The Fast and The Furious with its first sequel, 2 Fast 2 Furious.

Doubt(tl)

A gaggle of friends and observers ponder the fate of a relationship as they watch it collapse in this independent drama from the Philippines. Cris is a documentary filmmaker with a well-regarded body of work and a large community of friends and admirers. Cris is also gay, and possesses a voracious sexual appetite, claiming to have had sex with over 4,000 men during his years of frequent cruising. But Cris has fallen for Eric, and has sworn off meaningless sex for the pleasures of monogamy. However, while Cris wants Eric and Eric alone, Eric himself isn't so sure he feels exactly the same way and is both puzzled and annoyed with Cris' rather ironic jealousy. The tensions between the two take a heavy toll on Cris, leading to a suicide attempt, and as his friends watch from a distance, any number of them speculate on what's going on between Cris and Eric.

I Can Fly(en)

The 22-year-old Lisa is approached on the street by the 23-year-old Sven, after a flirt and a joke, Sven asks Lisa the question: Do you believe that I can fly?

Bela America(pt)

Lucas, the cook, seduces America, the television star and presidential candidate. He will clandestinely enter her house to seduce her with extraordinary meals, causing the unlikely intersection of the fate of Lucas, the cook, with that of America, the President.

On The Go - Eyeshocker Express(en)

On The Go Magazine produced Philadelphia Graffiti Documentary featuring Cornbread, Den, NM, and Des.

A sablazo limpio(es)

Two clownish incompetents get mixed up in power struggles between state officials.

Monster High: Scaris City of Frights(en)

The Monstruitas of Monster High are obsessed with going to Scaris, The City of Frights for Fashion international competition where the winner will become the apprentice of the world famous Madame Ghostier designer.