Oddball Films presents Cinema Parisienne - Vintage Paris through the Filmmaker's Lens, a program of 16mm films from the 1920s-1970s highlighting the art, architecture and nightlife of Paris. While vacation season may be over, that doesn't mean we can't take a rare trip across the world and back in time to celebrate the romantic mystery of the Paris of yesteryear with short films in a wide-variety of genres and styles, but all singularly Parisian. Films include the Academy-Award winning silent comedy One-Eyed Men Are Kings (1974); Rendezvous (1976), Claude Lelouch's one-take mad-dash through Paris at 140 mph; Streets of Paris (1933) featuring burlesque queen Sally Rand and her infamous fan-dance; Allegro Ma Troppo (1963), a mesmerizing night in Paris at 2 frames a second; Brooklyn Goes to Paris (1956), a comedy-travelogue with hilarious Brooklynite Arthur Cohen; Anemic Cinema (1926), the Parisian-made Dada-ist film by Marcel Duchamp and Man Ray; an excerpt of Le Corbusier (1977) meditating on the modern architectural master's Notre Dame du Haut; and the much-loved oscar-winning classic The Red Balloon (1956). Plus, the early birds will get the stunning treat of the visually-astounding documentary Kinetic Art in Paris (1971).
Date: Thursday, January 30th, 2014 at 8:00pm
Venue: Oddball Films, 275 Capp Street San Francisco
Admission: $10.00 Limited Seating RSVP to RSVP@oddballfilm.com or (415) 558-8117
Web: http://oddballfilms.blogspot.com/2014/01/cinema-parisienne-vintage-paris-through.html
One-Eyed Men Are Kings (Color, 1974)
A French silent film, both comedic and poignant, about a man and his dog? No, not The Artist, but the 1974 Oscar winner One-Eyed Men Are Kings, about a lonely Parisian sad sack whose dog-walking assignment becomes a gateway into social popularity which is as fleeting as it is fortuitous—and featuring one of the least sympathetic canines you’re likely to meet.
Rendezvous (Color, 1976)
Brilliant, high-speed drive across Paris via sports car. Director Claude Lelouch (A Man and a Woman) mounted a camera to the bumper of his Mercedes 450SEL and zooms through the early morning streets of Paris at speeds up to 140mph, narrowly missing several stunned pedestrians. One take, no film tricks- you won’t believe your eyes.
Streets of Paris (Dir. Burton Holmes, B+W, 1933)
A tour of the Paris pavilion at the 1933 Century of Progress World’s Fair exposition in Chicago features Sally Rand and her famous Fan Dance.
Allegro Ma Troppo (Color, 1963)
A Parisian evening, conveyed through imaginative cinematography of the life of Paris between 6PM and 6AM shot at two frames per second utilizing automatic cameras. From strippers to car crashes, Paul Roubaix’s Allegro Ma Troppo evokes the intensity and variety of nocturnal life in the City of Light through speeded-up action, freeze-frame, and virtuoso editing.
A Parisian evening, conveyed through imaginative cinematography of the life of Paris between 6PM and 6AM shot at two frames per second utilizing automatic cameras. From strippers to car crashes, Paul Roubaix’s Allegro Ma Troppo evokes the intensity and variety of nocturnal life in the City of Light through speeded-up action, freeze-frame, and virtuoso editing.
Brooklyn Goes To Paris (B+W, 1956)
A comic tour by Brooklyn native Arthur Cohen who appears in the film as well and narrates in strong Brooklynese. Everything is related to Brooklyn or the New York area. He covers (and mispronounces) the Louvre, Champs Elysee, the airport, Place de l'Opera, Rue de la Paix, l'Etoile, Montmartre (and its artists), Place Pigalle, Moulin Rouge, an aerial view of Paris, Notre Dame cathedral, the Seine, the Left Bank (and its painters), the Eiffel Tower, the University of Paris, nightclubs.
Anemic Cinema (1926, B+W, Silent)
Directed by Marcel Duchamp and Man Ray
“I have forced myself to contradict myself in order to avoid conforming to my own taste.”
-Marcel Duchamp
The only film to come from the founder of the Dadaism movement (artistic and literary movement from 1916-1923 “Anemic Cinema” is an abstract and annalistic film short containing rotating circles and spirals interlaced with spinning discs of words strung together in elaborate nonsensical French puns.
"Duchamp used the initial payment on his inheritance to make a film and to go into the art business. The film, shot in Man Ray's studio with the help of cinematographer Marc Allégret, was a seven-minute animation of nine punning phrases by his alter ego Rrose Sélavy. These had been pasted, letter by letter, in a spiral pattern on round black discs that were then glued to phonograph records; the slowly revolving texts alternate with shots of Duchamp's Discs Bearing Spirals, ten abstract designs whose turning makes them appear to move backward and forward in an erotic rhythm. The little film, which Duchamp called Anemic Cinema, had its premiere that August at a private screening room in Paris." -Calvin Tomkins
Le Corbusier (Color, 1977, excerpt)
Charles Edouard Jeanneret, known as Le Corbusier, was an architect, author, abstract artist, prophet and teacher. His architectural creations still stand as a monument to the remarkable vision that changed the face of 20th century architecture. This feature explores his revolutionary ideas on architecture and urban renewal, and conducts an in depth tour of his most important buildings. With a haunting soundtrack and meditative slow pans around several of his spaces, including the famous Notre Dame du Haut in Paris, the film will give you a firsthand sense of the progressiveness of the original modern master.
Charles Edouard Jeanneret, known as Le Corbusier, was an architect, author, abstract artist, prophet and teacher. His architectural creations still stand as a monument to the remarkable vision that changed the face of 20th century architecture. This feature explores his revolutionary ideas on architecture and urban renewal, and conducts an in depth tour of his most important buildings. With a haunting soundtrack and meditative slow pans around several of his spaces, including the famous Notre Dame du Haut in Paris, the film will give you a firsthand sense of the progressiveness of the original modern master.
The Red Balloon (Color, 1956)
The fairytale-esque story of an imaginative Parisian boy who develops a magical friendship with a bright red balloon (the magical element is suggested by music reminiscent of the score of The Red Shoes; the color of the balloon likewise suggests this reference). He totes the balloon around the city, and when in restrictive places (like his Dickensian school) where balloons aren’t allowed, the balloon loyally follows the boy. This film won the Golden Palm at Cannes in 1956, and features breathtaking photography of Paris.
For the Early Birds:
Kinetic Art in Paris (Color,1971)
The works of Kinetic artists Julio Le Parc, Victor Vasarely, John Rock Yvar aren’t the only things explored in detail in this ultra rare, quirky documentary that features music from the short-lived cult British pop duo White Trash. Viscerally challenging, this kaleidoscopic homage to light, sound, motion and restraint is quintessential viewing for anyone with a desire to be fascinated by anything…even if just for a moment. Don’t miss this!
About Oddball Films
Oddball films is the film component of Oddball Film+Video, a stock footage company providing offbeat and unusual film footage for feature films like Milk, documentaries like The Summer of Love, television programs like Mythbusters, clips for Boing Boing and web projects around the world.