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Post by spiderwort on Apr 23, 2017 23:33:27 GMT
By this, I mean films that concentrate on the more "poetic" abstractions of cinema - composition, lighting, & even editing, elements that definitely contribute to the advancement of the narrative but in more poetic films also offer an artistic enlightenment that can be recalled separately from the narrative. There are a number of films that would fall into the poetic category, I believe, for example:
Most Malick films (though personally I prefer his films, "Badlands" and "Days of Heaven," that are a little less poetic and have a stronger narrative)
Also, some films by Federico Fellini ("8 1/2"), Ingmar Bergman ("Face to Face", "Hour of the Wolf", "Persona"), Darren Aronofsky ("Swan Lake," "Pi", et al), David Lynch ("Eraserhead", et al), Abel Gance ("Napoleon"1927), Carl Theodore Dreyer ("La Passion de Jeanne d'Arc" 1928), Luis Bunuel ("Un Chien Andalou"), Jean Cocteau ("The Blood of the Poet" et al), Sergei Eisenstein ("Strike"), Robert Altman ("Images"), etc.
And there are literally LEGIONS of strongly "poetic" sequences in conventional films - i.e, the surrealistic dream sequences in "The Miracle Worker", the shower sequence in "Psycho", many sequences in Baz Lurhman's "Moulin Rouge", the ending of "Bonnie and Clyde", several sequences in "Minority Report," the Odessa Steps sequence in Eisenstein's "Battleship Potempkin", and the dream sequence in Bergman's "Wild Strawberries", to name a few.
What are your thoughts on the idea of poetic films, and what films or film sequences would you include in this category?
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Post by koskiewicz on Apr 23, 2017 23:40:47 GMT
Russian Ark
The Man From Snowy River
Barry Lyndon
Tom Jones
Koyanissqatsi
High Noon
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Post by manfromplanetx on Apr 24, 2017 3:20:21 GMT
An exceptional poetic film that came straight to mind...
Rodnik dlya zhazhdushchikh , A Spring for the Thirsty (1965) Russia/Ukraine, banned until 1988 for the perceived anti-Soviet symbolism the film was directed by Yuri Ilyenko, it was his debut feature , which followed on from his most widely known work, cinematographer for Shadows of Forgotten Ancestors.
A Spring For the Thirsty is a beautifully filmed, visually abstract, poetic story.
A parable about the absoluteness of human thirst .
An old potter near death leads a secluded life in a remote Ukrainian village, he despairingly tries to find comfort within his recurring dreams and his fading memories.
The village in the past was a social hub, visited by passers-by who quenched their thirst at the spring/well no one passes anymore.
Life has become a desolate reality for the old man, his constant floating daydreams and gloomy hallucinations are subtly interwoven into a boldly poetic stream of consciousness narrative,
Words are sparsely used, the striking black & white compositions do all the talking, there is a sublime power in this simplicity.
Universal themes of solitude, the transience of time and the inevitability of death, are explored using metaphors and symbols, which create a visual and poetic masterpiece of hypnotic quality.
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Post by Matthew the Swordsman on Apr 24, 2017 3:45:17 GMT
Totally not what you meant, but I am bored so I'll mention it anyway:
Elizabethan Express (1954), a 20-minute documentary short about a train ride, the narration is done in the form of a poetic verse.
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baj2
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Post by baj2 on Apr 24, 2017 5:04:14 GMT
I would also include Aronosky's THE FOUNTAIN - it is beautifully made even with a relatively small budget ( $ 35 million).
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Post by Deleted on Apr 24, 2017 9:54:36 GMT
Great list of yours
I'd like to add
Rashomon
Winter Light
Repulsion
Wuthering Heights
Norwegian Woods
Angels of America
In the Mood for Love
The Unbearable Lightness of Being
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Post by koskiewicz on Apr 24, 2017 17:32:56 GMT
High Noon - The loneliness of formerly loved and now outcast lawman in his own town - to the drone of "do not forsake me"
Tom Jones - more of a ribald poetic statement by a rogue who runs roughshod on his community
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Post by teleadm on Apr 24, 2017 18:03:17 GMT
I'm not good at poetic movies, but but two movies that might place comes to mind both directed by Carl Theodor Dreyer, Vampyr 1932 and Gertrud 1964, the latter because they spoke in some sort of otherworldy melodic danish (wich might be lost if you don't understand danish)
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Post by teleadm on Apr 26, 2017 18:23:45 GMT
I came to think of two Jean Cocteau movies that might place in this thread. La belle et la bête 1946 and Orphée 1950.
and Powell and Pressburgers Tales of Hoffman 1951
and William Cameron Menzies Things to Come 1936 (though depressing in it's view)
and why not Disney's Fantasia 1940 (if one omits Deems Taylor's introductions, it could be seen as a picture poetry book in different chapters, with abstract, beautiful, comic, horrific and so on poems).
Well, others might judge if I'm totally wrong.
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Post by Salzmank on Apr 26, 2017 19:00:59 GMT
I came to think of two Jean Cocteau movies that might place in this thread. La belle et la bête 1946 and Orphée 1950. and Powell and Pressburgers Tales of Hoffman 1951 and William Cameron Menzies Things to Come 1936 (though depressing in it's view) and why not Disney's Fantasia 1940 (if one omits Deems Taylor's introductions, it could be seen as a picture poetry book in different chapters, with abstract, beautiful, comic, horrific and so on poems). Well, others might judge if I'm totally wrong. Curses, Teleadm!  These, along with Vampyr, were going to be my choices too. |
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Post by gadolinium on Apr 26, 2017 19:53:54 GMT
Last Year at Marienbad.
I like the mirror sequence in The Lady from Shanghai as well.
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Post by OldAussie on Apr 27, 2017 0:59:22 GMT
I once described Sam Peckinpah as a "visual poet".
His output is wildly inconsistent but at his best there are moments of sheer beauty in his films. These moments seem to be found mainly in his westerns: Ride the High Country, The Wild Bunch, The Ballad of Cable Hogue, and Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid.
Perhaps there is something about the western genre and its mythological elements which lends itself to poetry. The opening and closing shots of The Searchers are almost a cinematic "rhyming couplet".
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Post by pippinmaniac on Apr 27, 2017 2:11:05 GMT
"The Fountain" was the first title that came to mind.
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baj2
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Post by baj2 on Apr 27, 2017 3:32:19 GMT
Yes, there are quite a few stunning, visually-beautiful scenes in THE FOUNTAIN!
*The ending is definitely mind-blowing, as Tommy reaches Xibalba, explodes, and he finally comes to the realization that death is really the road to awe.
*The golden-ish patina in some of the scenes adds to the beauty of the storytelling.
*Some found the scene of the Conquistador and the flowers a little mind-bending. To me, it was an excellent point of how we are part of nature's recycling themes...and even evoking the religious theme of " from dust thou art..." for those who believe in it. There was poetry in the way Aronofsky illustrated that.
*The scene where Tommy, the astronaut, illustrates some Eastern tai-chi moves against the background of the stars in heaven was also poetic and thought -provoking.
All in all, Aronofsky's themes seem to center on the meaning of life and how it is supposed to be lived!
*
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Post by hi224 on Apr 28, 2017 21:27:11 GMT
Solaris.
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Post by hi224 on Apr 28, 2017 21:33:08 GMT
Tom Jones High Noon Just curious to know if you would give some examples of why you feel these are poetic, koskiewicz. I don't disagree; I haven't seen them in so long that I couldn't comment one way or the other. So I'd be very interested in your thoughts about them. The idea intrigues me.Not answering for him but the sequence within high noon where the camera pans showing him all alone is awesome. |
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Post by hi224 on Apr 28, 2017 21:46:15 GMT
Blade runner.
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Post by Fox in the Snow on May 2, 2017 6:33:40 GMT
Just a few of the top of my head
Any Tarkovsky (Solaris has already been mentioned)
Mizoguchi, particularly Ugetsu and Sansho
Most Wong Kar-Wai (In the Mood For Love has already been mentioned), particularly Ashes of Time, Happy Together, 2046
Antonioni, though he may be too “rigid”, definitely some of the sequences in The Red Desert though
Hou Hsiao-Hsien’s The Assassin, Kitano’s Dolls and Refn's Valhalla Rising
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Post by Fox in the Snow on May 2, 2017 6:39:51 GMT
I'm not good at poetic movies, but but two movies that might place comes to mind both directed by Carl Theodor Dreyer, Vampyr 1932 and Gertrud 1964, the latter because they spoke in some sort of otherworldy melodic danish (wich might be lost if you don't understand danish) Good call, Dreyer could be one of cinema's earliest true poets, though i'm admittedly not that familiar with much pre-1920s or even pre1930s cinema. Ordet would probably make my all time Top 10 BTW. |
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Post by jeffersoncody on May 2, 2017 6:55:10 GMT
By this, I mean films that concentrate on the more "poetic" abstractions of cinema - composition, lighting, & even editing, elements that definitely contribute to the advancement of the narrative but in more poetic films also offer an artistic enlightenment that can be recalled separately from the narrative. There are a number of films that would fall into the poetic category, I believe, for example: Most Malick films (though personally I prefer his films, "Badlands" and "Days of Heaven," that are a little less poetic and have a stronger narrative) Also, some films by Federico Fellini ("8 1/2"), Ingmar Bergman ("Face to Face", "Hour of the Wolf", "Persona"), Darren Aronofsky ("Swan Lake," "Pi", et al), David Lynch ("Eraserhead", et al), Abel Gance ("Napoleon"1927), Carl Theodore Dreyer ("La Passion de Jeanne d'Arc" 1928), Luis Bunuel ("Un Chien Andalou"), Jean Cocteau ("The Blood of the Poet" et al), Sergei Eisenstein ("Strike"), Robert Altman ("Images"), etc. And there are literally LEGIONS of strongly "poetic" sequences in conventional films - i.e, the surrealistic dream sequences in "The Miracle Worker", the shower sequence in "Psycho", many sequences in Baz Lurhman's "Moulin Rouge", the ending of "Bonnie and Clyde", several sequences in "Minority Report," the Odessa Steps sequence in Eisenstein's "Battleship Potempkin", and the dream sequence in Bergman's "Wild Strawberries", to name a few. What are your thoughts on the idea of poetic films, and what films or film sequences would you include in this category? The great Italian filmmaker Sergio Leone created visual poetry in ONCE UPON A TIME IN THE WEST. www.youtube.com/watch?v=yCQKzLxAG_0www.youtube.com/watch?v=2B2gKcLkygIwww.youtube.com/watch?v=VtPoKS5cCL8You might also remember the famous scene where the horses trot in time to Ennio Morricne's breathtaking score. Bonus Track: "Deborah's Theme" From ONCE UPON A TIME IN AMERICA. www.youtube.com/watch?v=PuyYc0gINbU |
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These, along with Vampyr, were going to be my choices too.
