Luci d'Inverno, Ingmar Bergman, 1963

"Realizing that no one understands. To be abandoned when you need someone to rely on - that must be excruciatingly painful."

Sinfonia d'Autunno, Ingmar Bergman, 1978

Il rapporto travagliato e martoriato tra una madre e una figlia è il tema di questo film.
Ognuna trincerata nel proprio dolore, nel proprio dedalo di paure, bisogni e aspettative.
A volte, comunicare con le persone che amiamo è la cosa più difficile e penosa al mondo.
Si può passare un'intera vita a provarci faticosamente.
Secondo Bergman, e sono d'accordo, l'importante è non smettere mai di farlo.

Come in uno Specchio, Ingmar Bergman, 1961

"Vedi, Karin, si traccia un magico cerchio intorno a noi escludendo tutto ciò che può compromettere i nostri intenti. Ma quando la vita spezza il cerchio questi intenti si rivelano meschini e insignificanti: così tracciamo subito un nuovo cerchio, un nuovo riparo."

"E' orribile vedere la propria confusione e comprenderla."

La Fontana della Vergine. 1960

Smarrimento religioso.
Cristianesimo e paganesimo, vizio e virtù, certezze e debolezze, vendetta e benignità, fiducia e disincanto. Ma Dio vede? Gli interessa qualcosa?
Ci sono tanti temi qui.
Ma da superficiale quale sono sono state le luci e i contrasti del bianco e del nero, e la fotografia di Sven Nykvist che hanno catturato la mia attenzione, queste luci chiaro scure come prese in prestito da un quadro medioevale.
Chiaro, scuro, puro e impuro...

"Vedi come il fumo trema e si abbarbica sotto il tetto: come avesse paura dell'ignoto. Eppure, se si librasse nell'aria, troverebbe uno spazio infinito dove volteggiare. Ma forse non lo sa: e così se ne sta qui, nascosto, tremolante e inquieto. Con gli uomini capita lo stesso: essi vagano inquieti come tante foglie al vento, per quel che sanno e per quello che non sanno."

Ho visto un paio di film.

"The Tree of Life" di Malick.

"Ho vissuto per anni nell'attesa di qualcosa. Poi quel qualcosa è divenuto l'attesa"

"Meravigliatevi"


















E "Il Settimo Sigillo" di Ingmar Bergman.

"Forse avrei potuto liberarmi da questa angoscia dell'eternità che ci tormenta; ma ormai è tardi per insegnarvi la gioia smisurata di una mano che si muove, di un cuore che pulsa."

"Se li spaventi, li fai pensare. E se pensano, si spaventano ancora di più."


























Due film visivamente molto diversi tra loro.
Malick travolge il suo film di una luce che pare sia una colata d'oro.
Questa luce così calda e confortante da sembrare miele d'acacia, abbraccia ogni cosa.
Ci sono a volte silenzi perfetti. Perchè spesso, nella vita, il suono è rovinoso.
L'ho visto tutto con le lacrime agli occhi, o coprendomi la bocca con la mano per soffocare un gemito di smarrimento perchè confrontata da tale bellezza che quasi non potevo sopportare.
Il sublime.

Bergman, per contro, ambienta il suo film in una Svezia Trecentesca. L'atmosfera è spesso opprimente, plumbea, a volte addirittura sepolcrale.

Tanti quesiti sulla morte, su Dio, sul male, su noi stessi, la nostra natura, in entrambi i film.

Io, per ora, voglio continuare a guardarmi in giro, a pensare e spaventarmi.
E meravigliarmi.

"I never could do that." " 's easy."

This movie is keeping me sane.
This movie, right now, is my very own Tiffany's.

"You know those days when you get the mean reds?"
"The mean reds, you mean like the blues?"
"No. The blues are because you're getting fat and maybe it's been raining too long, you're just sad that's all. The mean reds are horrible. Suddenly you're afraid and you don't know what you're afraid of. Do you ever get that feeling?"
"Sure."
"Well, when I get it the only thing that does any good is to jump in a cab and go to Tiffany's. Calms me down right away. The quietness and the proud look of it; nothing very bad could happen to you there. If I could find a real-life place that'd make me feel like Tiffany's, then - then I'd buy some furniture and give the cat a name!"

The King's Speech.

I finally watched this film.
Unfortunately it was dubbed in Italian but I thought I shouldn't be too picky and miss the chance to see it on the big screen. I was right.
Of course the plot is highly interesting: a man who has a huge task set before him has to conquer his own personal demons and have strength to face them,to go on, and infuse confidence in the people around him.
But, what really struck me, was the beauty of the cinematography.
Every single shot could be a stunning photograph.
The framing was very pleasing to my eye: great wide angle shots that filled your eyes with the, at times royal, at times bohemian surroundings the characters stood in.
Prime lenses were used, great intimate shots of the actor's faces were constant.
The wall with the ripped wall paper captured my heart as it probably represented a bit the state of Bertie's mind.
The colors throughout the film were pleasantly sober: the pastel colors worn by the Queen, the dark, heavy panelling in some of the rooms, I felt as if I could smell that wood as well as the dust in the Doctor's studio.
Not to mention the dampness and stinging cold I was sure I could feel as the King was walking through the park, and the warmness and stillness of the carpeted rooms in the Palace.
I cannot wait to savour this movie in its original language now.

"Please don't do that.
I'm sorry?
I believe sucking smoke into your lungs will kill you.
My physicians say it relaxes the throat.
They're idiots.
They've all been knighted.
Makes it official then."

My mechanical romance: Zenit shots!

So, here they are!
After a crazy week full of life changing stuff (and I really mean: life-changing-own-history-making-stuff), finally Friday has arrived.
This is the life changing stuff: first, next week I'll be relocating to Italy which is beyond exciting, I'll be visiting family and friends that I have sorely missed and I'll be getting on with my new life.
Secondly, now that I am 32 (no shame in admitting that, I am older and presumably wiser) I finally know what it is that I want to do with my life.
That's quite an achievement for such an irresolute person like me!
To get to be 32 without having too much of a clue was rather worrying but I now know, and that's an awful relief!
I wish I knew what I know now 13 years ago, but I guess it's never too late.
It's not so much that I didn't know what I wanted, more like being disorientated and confused, tossed about like waves of the sea in different directions, losing sight of the two things I wanted the most, getting distracted and if concentration was achieved again, lack of confidence and procrastination, would just destroy all my hopes. I might have known all along what it was that would have made me happy, but my heart wasn't really there. It is now.
But no more of that. No sir.
I don't know if any of you can relate to that or if I'm just ranting and sending these foolish thoughts aimlessly into the Ether!
If the latter, no real harm in that I guess.


Now, the important thing that this glorious sunny Friday has brought me has been the development of my Zenit shots!
It's actually happened. The camera worked! I took some actual photos on film!
I am so happy, and the result are warm, grainy, overexposed and most definitely oldish looking photos.
I love them all, so I posted a bit too many but nevermind.
Here they are!

Look what I found!

I am so excited about this. I meant to wait until tomorrow to blog it, but no way I can retain my enthusiasm!
One of the second hand shops in the village does house clearances and look what I found abandoned in a corner: a Zenit E with an Helios 44-2 lens, straight from 1971!!!
Along with it for the bargain price of £15 I also got a wide angle Vivitar lens, f=35 mm and a Photax f=200mm.
I don't have a clue whether the camera works well or not, or just how good, or how bad the lenses are. So, I bought a roll of film, went to the local photographer to help me put it in and had a go shooting around. It makes the best clicking sound!
Anyway, next week the film will be developed and I will know what's really going on. Should it work (please, please!) I'd be so, so happy. I would love to create something that feels and looks grainy, warm and old fashioned.
We shall soon see!
I'll post the results, good or bad. It's all learning. And good fun in the meantime!