Primitive London

Chaplin Today: City Lights(en)

In 1928, as the talkies threw the film industry and film language into turmoil, Chaplin decided that his Tramp character would not be heard. City Lights would not be a talking picture, but it would have a soundtrack. Chaplin personally composed a musical score and sound effects for the picture. With Peter Lord, the famous co-creator of Chicken Run and Wallace & Gromit, we see how Chaplin became the king of slapstick comedy and the superstar of the movies.

Montgomery Clift(en)

A documentary incorporating footage of Montgomery Clift’s most memorable films; interviews with family and friends, and rare archival material stretching back to his childhood. What develops is the story of an intense young boy who yearned for stardom, achieved notable success in such classic films as From Here to Eternity and I Confess, only to be ruined by alcohol addiction and his inability to face his own fears and homosexual desires. Montgomery Clift, as this film portrays him, may not have been a happy man but he never compromised his acting talents for Hollywood.

Salò: Fade to Black(en)

A short documentary exploring the ongoing relevance and power of 'Salò o le 120 giornate di Sodoma'.

Captain Blood: A Swashbuckler Is Born(en)

This documentary is featured on the DVD for Captain Blood (1935), released in 2005.

Stripper(en)

A strippers' convention and a major contest. The movie focuses on a few strippers, each with her own strong motive to win.

Sexy Show(it)

Short film made by Elio Belletti.

Vivement Truffaut(fr)

A tribute to the late, great French director Francois Truffaut, this documentary was undoubtedly named after his last movie, Vivement Dimanche!, released in 1983. Included in this overview of Truffaut's contribution to filmmaking are clips from 14 of his movies arranged according to the themes he favored. These include childhood, literature, the cinema itself, romance, marriage, and death.

Le Club: Claude Jade(fr)

Hurricane Strip(en)

Hurricane Strip is a provocative docuDrama detailing the life-changing effects of Hurricane Katrina. This film centers on the little talked-about lives of Bourbon Street strippers. Hurricane Katrina demolished her home, school, and workplace. It could not destroy her indomitable spirit. Though she never before considered dancing nude, Jordan turned to stripping, determined to earn enough money to someday get her life back on track. But the more she dances, the more she gets caught up in the lifestyle, the late nights, and the lure of easy money. Now the question is, when you lose everything, will your life ever be the same again?

Monsieur Truffaut Meets Mr. Hitchcock(en)

When Francois Truffaut approached Alfred Hitchcock in 1962 with the idea of having a long conversation with him about his work and publishing this in book form, he didn't imagine that more than four years would pass before Le Cinéma selon Hitchcock finally appeared in 1966. Not only in France but all over the world, Truffaut's Hitchcock interview developed over the years into a standard bible of film literature. In 1983, three years after Hitchcock's death, Truffaut decided to expand his by now legendary book to include a concluding chapter and have it published as the "Edition définitive". This film describes the genesis of the "Hitchbook" and throws light on the strange friendship between two completely different men. The centrepieces are the extracts from the original sound recordings of the interview with the voices of Alfred Hitchcock, Francois Truffaut, and Helen Scott – recordings which have never been heard in public before.

Harrods: The Rise & Fall of a British Institution(en)

The history of arguably the most famous shop in the world, which has been based on Brompton Road in London for more than 175 years, employs more than 6,000 people and still welcomes 15 million customers every year. This documentary tells the story of the people behind the department store, including Robin Harrod, the great-great-grandson of the store's founder, and culminates with the recent allegations against former chairman Mohamed Al-Fayed

Tales of the Diaspora(en)

Tales of the Diaspora is the debut film from xxiivanu productions, and was conceived as a love letter to Pasifika youth around the world, as they navigate the sometimes tumultuous waves of finding and retaining cultural identity whilst growing up away from their homelands.

The James Dean Story(en)

Released two years after James Dean's death, this documentary chronicles his short life and career via black-and-white still photographs, interviews with the aunt and uncle who raised him, his paternal grandparents, a New York City cabdriver friend, the owner of his favorite Los Angeles restaurant, outtakes from East of Eden, footage of the opening night of Giant, and Dean's ironic PSA for safe driving.

Mondo Topless(en)

Completely topless. Completely uninhibited. The craze that began in San Francisco is now exploding across the USA and Europe.

Megacities(en)

Megacities is a documentary about the slums of five different metropolitan cities.

The Double Face of Peter Lorre(de)

Peter Lorre achieved international fame for his performance in the myth-making role in M. This character has held a peculiar fascination for generations of cinephiles. However, at the time, whilst such success meant recognition, it also weighed on the Hungarian actor as a constrictive burden. Using photographs and film extracts, Das doppelte Gesicht reconstructs the ups and downs of Lorre's career, taking into consideration the economic imperatives and workings of the film industry at the time. (Arnold Hohmann, 1984)

I Knew It Was You: Rediscovering John Cazale(en)

John Cazale was in only five films – The Godfather, The Conversation, The Godfather: Part II, Dog Day Afternoon and The Deer Hunter – each was nominated for Best Picture. Yet today most people don't even know his name. I KNEW IT WAS YOU is a fresh tour through movies that defined a generation.

Workers Leaving the Lumière Factory(fr)

Working men and women leave through the main gate of the Lumière factory in Lyon, France. Filmed on 22 March 1895, it is often referred to as the first real motion picture ever made, although Louis Le Prince's 1888 Roundhay Garden Scene pre-dated it by seven years. Three separate versions of this film exist, which differ from one another in numerous ways. The first version features a carriage drawn by one horse, while in the second version the carriage is drawn by two horses, and there is no carriage at all in the third version. The clothing style is also different between the three versions, demonstrating the different seasons in which each was filmed. This film was made in the 35 mm format with an aspect ratio of 1.33:1, and at a speed of 16 frames per second. At that rate, the 17 meters of film length provided a duration of 46 seconds, holding a total of 800 frames.

Dancing in the Dark(en)

A series of interviews with students living in London reveals the dangers present in the capital's nightlife.

How To Strip For Your Man by GiO(en)

This sizzling video is guaranteed to add spice to your love life. In the privacy of your boudoir do something delightfully naughty but nice for yourself and your man by following the easy step-by-step moves of GiO. According to the San Diego Times Union "We learned to walk like sex goddesses, pose like sex goddesses, dress like sex goddesses…(and) how to take off (our) clothes with panache…" GiO will put it all together for you and teach you everything you always wanted to know about striptease.

Deadfall(en)

Cat burglar Henry Clarke and his accomplices the Moreaus attempt to steal diamonds from the chateau of millionaire Salinas.

The Peasants(az)

A historical revolutionary film depicting the struggle of peasants and the Baku proletariat against landowners and Musavatists in 1919.

Dharmaveer 2(mr)

Explores Anand Dighe's life, tracing his political journey and capturing the essence of his impactful legacy as a prominent figure.

Views on Trial(en)

The demonic Nicholas Diabolus is put on trial accused of interfering with people's lives.

Skin of a Mandarin(et)

The film delicately follows 25-year-old Anna, whose mother has died suddenly. She wants to send her Orthodox mother on her last journey according to customs, but she runs into bureaucratic rules that do not allow Anna to dress her departed mother herself. This conflict brings her together with Maria, a 45-year-old funeral home worker, who in this story represents the hidden fears of death and grief on a deep emotional level.

Meatball Machine : Dissection(fr)

Documentary on the Japanese saga Meatball Machine. Interviews, Archive Images, Retrospective and Analyzes tell the formidable story of a saga that is as gory as it is inventive.

The Monk and the Mafia(th)

A businessman charters a flight to Tibet to pick up a monk. On the way back, the plane is hijacked, and the monk ends up in a war zone where he has to convince the bandits to change their evil ways.

Venganza gaucha(es)

El Asesino del Zodiaco(es)

Mozart Town(ko)

Pianist Sara arrives in the city of Seoul as an exchange professor. She can't see the sad loneliness of the city. Sarah enjoys her time as a well-to-do tourist. Others, born in the city, fight against loneliness and sorrow. Illegal workers are exploited and cops extort money from adult entertainment establishments. Among these, gang member Il-Hwan collects money from room-salons for protection. Deok-Sang drives a tourist bus instead of his father and Ji-Won sells food items by a station. These three people become connected.

Devil's Island(sh)

After Italian capitulation in WW2, German forces are rushing to take control of the Dalmatian coast, forcing thousands of people to take refuge. One partisan boat, filled with refugees, tries to reach a safe area, but because of a storm it must stop near a small island. While the crew tries to repair it, a German gunboat comes from nearby.

Three Mothers(en)

Disconnected from her pregnant daughter by several time zones and her impetuous nature, Barbara longs to be a part of her grandchild’s birth in London, England. But is she wanted?

Things We Lost in the Fire(en)

A terrorized female community resorts to ever more extreme actions in response to male violence.

Reincarnate(th)

A teacher and his student go on a trip to a magical island where there is urban life and tourist attractions as well as a palace and temples. Moreover, a haunting past still gnaws, spreads, mates and mutates in a loop that cannot be eliminated. It dissolves and mixes with memories affecting the present and possessing a power that can destroy the future. In this vague atmosphere, the place slowly becomes deserted like a nightmare you want to wake from but cannot resist

Dragstrip Girl(en)

Johnny is a bad guy trying to go straight and becomes smitten with Laura, a wealthy good girl who is rebelling against her parents, all set among the backdrop of 1950s Los Angeles.