Vitro Nasu

Four Stories about Alexander Sokurov (By Victor Kossakovsky | August 16, 2019)

I dedicated my new film Aquarela to Alexander Sokurov and people have asked me why, so I thought I’d write something to explain. Everybody knows that he’s an outstanding filmmaker, a scientist of cinema who’s made an incredible contribution to cinema language with films like Russian Ark, Mother and Son and Faust. And people in Russia know he’s a real fighter – someone who’s trying to save St. Petersburg, where they’re destroying buildings to put up a 400-meter tower in the center of the city, and fighting for human rights, arguing with Putin to try to save Oleg Sentsov.

Oleg Sentsov is an Ukranian filmmaker

Putin Critic Sokurov Shuts Russian film foundation

Alexander Sokurov, an outspoken critic of Russian President Vladimir Putin, has shut down his film foundation after legal attacks from Russia’s culture ministry. (July 2019)

DEERsKIN

SF Chronicle Deerskin review

“Deerskin” is a fun bit of French twistedness, a black comedy about a newly divorced man experiencing a bizarre variety of crackup. It stars Jean Dujardin (“The Artist”), who is both a leading man and a send-up of a leading man, and that double quality he has — of being a subtly comic rendering of the very thing he actually is — turns out to be ideal for this movie’s weird spirit.

French Comedy Horror

Deerskin review: a strangely enjoyable film about a jacket fetish

John Cassavates passed away on Feb 3, 1989 .
Ben Gazarra passed away on Feb 3, 2012
Cassavates directed Ben Gazzara in Husbands, The Killing of a Chinese Bookie, and Opening Night.

Happy birthday Kenneth Anger (95 years old?)

Gertrude Stein, Simone Weil, Alan Sondheim and Carl Theodor Dreyer were all born on Feb 3.

Faces from left, Anna Akhmatova, Meryl Streep, Patricia Clarkson and Simone Weil.

We have the actresses to portray Anna Akhmatova and Simone Weil. Would anyone care to write scripts for these talented actresses?

Robert Duncan passed away on Feb 3,1988, San Francisco.
See Robert Creeley and Robert Duncan portraits by Kitaj here.

Robert Creeley
Robert Creeley and Robert Duncan by Kitaj

(Dirk Bogarde and Monica Vitti in Modesty Blaise directed by Joseph Losey)

See full film here

Monica Vitti Queen of Italian Cinema dies aged 90

(Alain Delon and Monica Vitti)

Monica Vitti wiki

Monica Vitti and Antonioni looking at Giacometti sculptures.

Columbus written, directed by Kogonada

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Parker Posey and Melvil Poupaud in Broken English (Z. Cassavates directed)

(House of Yes)

(She also played Mary Boone in Basquiat)

She is the Party Girl! (youtube trailer)
The Best in Show (Previous post – Best in Show and a memory of a bike ride to garage sale)

Rip Torn and Parker Poesy.
(Happy Tears)

(Vintner’s Luck)

Sad news Gaspard Ulliel passed away.

See more photos of film stills from here Gaspard Ulliel – Cinema – Vogue. Fr.

Bertrand Taverniar with Gaspard Ulliel (click to see large)
Discussion.. how he works & state of film industry & showing off his encyclopedic film knowledge appearing with Gaspard Ulliel..(on youtube)

So unlucky to die from a ski accident.
Gaspard joined the club of charismatic actors who died at 37 in France.
Gerard Philipe was 37 when he passed away.
Guillaume Depardieu was 37 when he passed away.

“This is unimaginable, senseless and so painful to even think of writing these words. Your discreet laugh. Your attentive eye. Your scar. Your talent. Your ability to listen. Your whispers. Your kindness. Every feature of your person was born of a sparkling sweetness. It’s your whole being that transformed my life, a being that I loved deeply, and I will always love. I can’t say anything else, I’m drained, stunned by your departure.” ( (Xavier Dolan – from here )

(Gaspard Ulliel walking around Central Park NY)

Martin Scorsese was impressed with Gaspard Ulliel, they collaborated for this Chanel commercial.
(Martin thought that Gaspard would have become an interesting filmmaker, because of his intelligence and talent)

Paris Je T’aime (Directed by Gus Van Sant)

(Young up-and-coming actress Sydney Kowalske gives in a stunning performance as Antonio and Kathy’s daughter, Jesse LeBlanc, in Blue Bayou, which is only her second movie, and fourth acting effort altogether, to date.Sep 17, 2021)

At Cannes with Linh Dan Pham

Blue Bayou is a must see, Justin Chon spent four years, scripting, getting the steller cast.

Justin Chon begged Alicia Vikander to work him. Alicia Vikander was impressed that Justin Chon was familiar with her early film. (See youtube here with great responses.)
Alicia Vikander spent time in New Orleans to learn the accent.

Alicia Vikander from “Pure”, A gem of Swedish Cinema.

(Betty Blue)

Jean Jacques Beineix (8 October 1946 – 13 January 2022)

Betty Blue director Jean-Jacques Beineix dies aged 75
The French film-maker, who gained worldwide prominence for films like Diva, died in Paris after a long illness

Via

(Sidney Poitier and John Cassavates from the Edge of the City directed by Martin Ritt)

(The Simple Life of Noah Dearborn)

This reader has been reading “This Life” Sidney Poitier’s autobiography.

(Audrey Hepburn & Peter Bogdanovich )

Peter Bogdanovich A Loving Cineaste and Fearless genius of Cinema (Peter Bradshaw)

“We All Laughed” and “Saint Jack”(Ben Gazzara was directed by Peter Bogdanovich)

Peter Bogdanovich on John Cassavates

The Thing Called Love – River Phoenix

What are you doing? “Driving”

(Mary Harron directed the Daliland)

Ben Kingsley as Salvador Dali – Daliland

Oscar winner Ben Kinglsey is no stranger to inhabiting larger-than-life characters. From Gandhi to Schindler’s List and Sexy Beast, the actor’s career has spanned a wide variety of roles with presence and gravitas. Despite his comfort with such parts, Kingsley says that approaching the enigmatic and iconic Salvador Dalí in Mary Harron’s Daliland – the story of the artist’s strange and fascinating marriage to his tyrannical wife Gala (played by Barbara Sukowa) – was still a “daunting task”.
“He was exhausting and exhilarating to portray,” comments Kingsley in his first interview since wrapping the movie. “Dali’s cup overflows. I had to give myself the opportunity to take risks. Dali encouraged me to take risks. That could have been catastrophic, but it could also pay off. If I’m in Dali’s silhouette, then I must allow myself to take certain risks. His artwork, writing and public appearances were one risk after another. He was not a character that one could portray carefully.”

Ben Kingsley can play just about any ethnicity (see photos here)
(Happy birthday Sir Ben Kingsley)

Ben Whishaw was terrific in ‘Surge”, a film he made with his friend. (Kanopy was streaming).

Jean-Marc Vallée Canadian filmmaker passed away

With Reece W.
Reece was a producer and and actress for Big Little Lies, earlier she was directed by Jean-Marc Vallée, a Canadian filmmake in “Wild”

Cafe de Flore

Young Victoria

Jared Leto and Matthew McConaughey, who played the lead won awards for “Dallas Buyers Club”