The life and death of the fictional star Wilma Montesi is reported in the form of a staged newsreel. Excerpts from films of various genres and eras are juxtaposed with "documentary material" about the star's public and private life. By stringing together clichés and cinematic quotations, a certain reporting and narrative style about the glamor and misery of show business is presented in a critical and ironic, but at the same time entertaining way.
The life and death of the fictional star Wilma Montesi is reported in the form of a staged newsreel. Excerpts from films of various genres and eras are juxtaposed with "documentary material" about the star's public and private life. By stringing together clichés and cinematic quotations, a certain reporting and narrative style about the glamor and misery of show business is presented in a critical and ironic, but at the same time entertaining way.
1977-10-29
0
An exploration —manipulated and staged— of life in Las Hurdes, in the province of Cáceres, in Extremadura, Spain, as it was in 1932. Insalubrity, misery and lack of opportunities provoke the emigration of young people and the solitude of those who remain in the desolation of one of the poorest and least developed Spanish regions at that time. (Silent short, voiced in 1937 and 1996.)
A confirmed bachelor learns that he will inherit his late uncle's fortune only if he marries, which he does reluctantly. Shortly afterward he returns to his bachelor lifestyle but realizes he can't get his wife's face out of his thoughts.
Albertina is a celebrated dancer whose fame is widespread. However, she has overtaxed her strength, is forbidden to appear in public and is obliged to seek quiet and rest. She retires to her Aunt Mary's home, a beautiful and restful country place, where she secures the much-needed seclusion and comfort. Next door to Aunt Mary there lives a very handsome fellow who has often admired Aunt Mary's niece and to tell the truth she admires him. Growing restless under the enforced retirement, Albertina strolls down to the lake where the water-lilies grow. She pulls a number of them into a garland which she holds bewitchingly above her head. They give her an inspiration and involuntarily she pirouettes, bends and swerves her lithe and willowy form like a nymph of ethereal sweetness. The young man who lives next door is rowing upon the lake; He see Albertina dancing on the velvety field of grass, is charmed by her, and rushes toward her.
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.
Now aged 17, Antoine Doinel works in a factory which makes records. At a music concert, he meets a girl his own age, Colette, and falls in love with her. Later, Antoine goes to extraordinary lengths to please his new girlfriend and her parents, but Colette still only regards him as a casual friend. First segment of “Love at Twenty” (1962).
A short film created for Spanish TV touching on the subject of Catalonia's struggle for independence, interspersed with symbolic images.
A young man meets a young woman under a bridge by a railroad. They shelter from the rain and exchange a kiss. The man grows sullen and leaves. The film starts with him and ends with her. It’s a straightforward anecdote told in traditional ways, the likes of which he’d forsake forever; that is, it uses actors, a soundtrack with music and post-dubbed sound effects, a photographer who frames everything professionally and a coherent edited narrative.
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.
Léo fantasizes about his weather forecaster. His obsession may be realized when he meets Luca. The night they spend together will take them through both desires and doubts that last into the early morning hours.
Pierr is a young gay dress maker who lives with his younger brother in a gay porn cinema. He works in a small textile factory in order to save up some money and move to another place. After being fired because of a series of rumors about his sexuality, Pierr turns to Omar, an older man that makes a living out of prostitution, who introduces him to a community that has isolated from Peruvian society willing to find protection from its prejudices.
Three young people circulate in different mobility categories. The newly emancipated city goes through its everyday experiences.
Kat gets an unexpected call from her ex, saying he’s coming to her band's gig that night. With this on her mind, she sets out for the evening ahead.
A mexican wrestler's personal life struggles when he loses his fights.
On February 21, 1945, the Royal Canadian Air Force Halifax bomber NP711 with a crew of seven men took off from the Linton-on-Ouse air base in England for a bombing raid over Worms, Germany. The bomber never made it to its target. The Halifax was struck by anti-aircraft fire and crashed into a mountainside near Leistadt, Germany. All crew members were killed. The crash was so horrific that the wreckage was strewn over 1,000 meters. Seventy-seven years later the wreckage was recovered and the site was deemed a gravesite for the perished crew. This documentary film examines the last days of the seven-member crew and the recovery of the wreckage of Halifax NP711.