HomeHomehttp://www.theculturist.com/home/2012-05-24T18:14:01ZSquarespaceSTAR TOO - Is It Real?http://www.theculturist.com/home/star-too-is-it-real.htmlThe Culturist2012-05-21T19:28:59Z2012-05-21T19:28:59Z
STAR TOO is an experimental theatre project based in Dubai. They will be performing their latest production this weekend on 25th and 26th May at The Fridge . Their titles of their past four productions have been questions, like Who Did It? and Where is Home? Their latest production continues to ask questions - Is It Real?
The STAR TOO performers will be stretching their imagination, using only cloth and sticks to transform the environment and answer this question for themselves.
Is It Real?
Combining a giant projector box, shadow puppet theatre and a 360 degree experience for the audience - this experimental theatre troupe is asking you to get ready to be boxed in to think out of it for their 5th production at The Fridge.
I've missed out on STAR TOO's last four productions, so hoping not to miss this one. Sounds like it will be an interesting experience.
Event Details Dates: Friday, 25th and Saturday 26th May at 8.30pm Ticket: Dhs 50 Location: The Fridge Dubai, Al Quoz (location map) Phone: +971 4 347 7793
I used to see her sing a lot on TV in the 1970s and 80s and I remember she was my mother's favourite singer. She made a huge come back in the 1990s, but this is my all time favourite song by Warda from the 1973. It's called وحشتونى (Wahastouni / I Missed You) from a film called حكايتى مع الزمان (Hikayti Ma'e Al Zaman / My Story with Time).
]]>RIP Donna Summerhttp://www.theculturist.com/home/rip-donna-summer.htmlThe Culturist2012-05-18T10:33:17Z2012-05-18T10:33:17Z
Sad, sad news about the death of Donna Summers. I listened and danced to her music for as long as I can remember. Let's lower the discoballs and remember this disco diva queen.
]]>For the Love of Film - An interview with Hitchcockhttp://www.theculturist.com/home/for-the-love-of-film-an-interview-with-hitchcock.htmlThe Culturist2012-05-18T09:45:04Z2012-05-18T09:45:04Z
There are some fantastic quotes from this interview, here are a couple of examples:
You’re a master, aren’t you, of the unexpected... Well, that’s only because one’s challenged by the audience. They’re saying to me “show us” and “I know what’s coming next”... and I say, “do you?” And therefore, that’s the avoidance of the cliché automatically. They’re expecting a cliché and I have to say “we cannot have a cliché here”.
Have you ever been tempted to make what is nowadays called a horror film, which is different from a Hitchcock film? No, because it’s too easy. Are you talking about visual horror like Frankenstein and that kind of thing?
Yes. No, they’re... they’re props. I believe in putting the horror in the mind of the audience and not necessarily on the screen.
I always enjoy listening to anything Alfred Hitchcock says. I find his articulation, humour and point of views all very delightful.
Sit back and enjoy.
Monitor - Huw Wheldon meets Alfred Hitchcock
The last quote about happiness in the Monitor interview is a perfect segway into to the next clip, where we can hear Hitchcock talk more about his definition of happiness. I absolutely love, love, LOVE what he says.
I will ask you one last time to donate by clicking on the Donate badge below. If you believe in film preservation, your donation will not go to waste.
Links to blogposts by other participants in For the Love of Film: The Film Preservation Blogathon III: - Links posted on 13-14 May can be found on Ferdy on Films - Links posted on 15-16 May can be found on Self Styled Siren - Links posted on 17-18 May can be found on This Island Rod
You can also donate by clicking on the Donate badge on the left side or by going here.
]]>For the Love of Film - Hitchcock Dreamshttp://www.theculturist.com/home/for-the-love-of-film-hitchcock-dreams.htmlThe Culturist2012-05-17T19:15:51Z2012-05-17T19:15:51Z
BTW, there's one more day left for this blogathon and our goal is to raise $15,000 to help get The White Shadow, directed by Graham Cutts and written, assistant-directed by Alfred Hitchcock to stream online for free for everyone to enjoy and to also record the music score. If you can spare two minutes and some cash, please click on the Donate badge on the right (or at the of this blogpost) or by going here.
OK, back to dreams.
Spellbound (1945) In Spellbound, there's a dream sequence designed by Salvador Dali and it's as surreal as it can get. Oh how I would love to know what the conversation at the time was like between Hitchcock and Dali that led to this scene. (This isn't Dali's first dabble in film. An exhibition called Dali: Painting and Film explored his painting and "moving" pictures. You can read more aout it here.)
Watch this clip and pay attention to the details in the dream sequence.
This excerpt includes the Salvador Dali dream sequence but puts it in context: Gregory Peck's character suffers from amnesia, and Ingrid Bergman has brought him to her own analyst and mentor. "JB" (Peck) recounts a dream which the two analysts examine for clues to a murder mystery. The film as a whole makes an appealing but illegitimate analogy between psychoanalysis and solving a mystery which proved to be central to the appeal of psychoanalysis in popular culture.
Links to blogposts by other participants in For the Love of Film: The Film Preservation Blogathon III: - Links posted on 13-14 May can be found on Ferdy on Films - Links posted on 15-16 May can be found on Self Styled Siren - Links posted on 17-18 May can be found on This Island Rod
You can also donate by clicking on the Donate badge on the left side or by going here.
]]>For the Love of Film - Hitchcock on What's My Line?http://www.theculturist.com/home/for-the-love-of-film-hitchcock-on-whats-my-line.htmlThe Culturist2012-05-16T07:00:08Z2012-05-16T07:00:08Z
The clip is from a TV game show called What's My Line? that ran from 1950-1967 in the US. I've never watched any episodes, but familiar with the show it because I've seen some clips online in the past.
The game consisted of four celebrity panelists who would try to determine the occupation of the contestant by asking different questions. They could only ask questions that could be answered with a 'yes' or a 'no'. There was also a segment that included a mystery guest, usually a celebrity.
This is where Hitchcock comes in. In this clip you see him disguising his voice, being cheeky with some of his answers and for some questions, answering 'Oui' instead of 'Yes'. I really enjoyed this and wish shows like this could make a come back (God knows we need something to replace the awful 'reality' shows that have taken over our TV stations).
Hope you enjoy this as much as I did. It's a gem of a clip.
Links to blogposts by other participants in For the Love of Film: The Film Preservation Blogathon III: - Links posted on 13-14 May can be found on Ferdy on Films - Links posted on 15-16 May can be found on Self Styled Siren
You can also donate by clicking on the Donate badge on the left side or by going here.
If you are not familiar with Slidefest, it's an event organised by Gulf Photo Plus where photographers present their personal projects in a variety of genres that can range from documentary projects to fine art, still-life and landscape images. The event also aims to bring photographers (amateurs and pros) and people from the photography community together where people can network, connect and share stories.
Here's the line up of presenters for this edition:
Ashkan Shafaati
A self-taught photographer, Ashkan Shafaati will present "Planet X" which was inspired by the architectural and multiple construction sites found throughout Dubai. He observed each site, seemingly operating as if it were its own universe, reminding him of the culturally diverse population of Dubai.
Atoui and Elias will show work documenting projections they set up and photographed in Dubai. Playing on the ephemerality of temporary installations, the project evokes the eternal flux of a city in a constant state of change.
Abdulrazzaq Badran, was a pioneer Palestinian-Jordanian photographer, cinematographer, educator and artist. His son, Basel Badran, will be presenting a collection of his father's battlefield coverage as a photo-journalist of the first Arab-Israeli war in 1948. He will also talk about the Abdulrazzaq Badran Photography Award that was established in 2010 in co-operation with the Jordan Photography Society.
Belinda Muller is a Dubai based freelance photographer. She recently visited Deira to capture the Kushti Wrestling matches, a sport originating from India and Pakistan and practiced in Dubai every Friday on an open sandy strip across the Fish Market in Deira. Muller will present her series that captured the participants in action, as well as the spectators surrounding.
Issa Saleh AlKindy Issa AlKindy is a freelance photographer from Oman who works and lives between the UAE and Oman. He will present his latest project "The Rubber Chicken", a lighthearted reminder that just because you've grown up, doesn't mean you have to loose your sense of playfulness. I must say I was a bit baffled by these photos, so will be interested to see him talk about them.
Kamran Jebreili was born in Iran in 1957, a self taught photographer who started to take pictures in 1976. As a freelance young photographer, he covered the Iranian revolution and Iran-Iraq war and currently works for the Gulf regional photographer of the Associated Press based in Dubai. He will present images of Abyaneh, an ancient village on the Western border of the central desert of Iran with a history that spans 1500 years.
Lamya Gargash Lamya Gargash will talk about her series "Through the Looking Glass" which is currently exhibited at The Third Line. The series examines identity, perception and acceptance in modern day society.
Sara Naim Sara Naim's work has been exhibited in Dubai, London, Cologne, New York and Guernsey. She will present her multiple-veined series developed from the idea of photographing the "intangible". Using liquid to portray sound, e-xrays to beautify defect, and skin cells to contemplate boundaries, Naim explores elements of existence that are unusually challenging to portray visually.
]]>For the Love of Film - Hitchcock Presentshttp://www.theculturist.com/home/for-the-love-of-film-hitchcock-presents.htmlThe Culturist2012-05-15T10:45:54Z2012-05-15T10:45:54Z
If you've been here the past few days, you will know I'm taking part in For the Love of Film: The Film Preservation Blogathon III and sharing Hitchcock themed posts. I'm really enjoying researching material for this blogathon and hope you are enjoying reading the posts so far.
Today's post is about a television show produced by Hitchcock called called Hitchcock Presents. The famous signature opening sequence is a classic and Hitchcock's monologues before and after each episodes are always fun to watch. I wish someone can compile them all in one clip. I remember watching Hitchcock Presents as a child, but don't remember specific episodes.
I compiled 10 episodes here featuring Bette Davis, Roger Moore, Steve McQueen, Walter Matthau, William Shatner, Gena Rowlands, Peter Falk, Leslie Nielsen, Robert Redford and Rober Duvall. Take a pick and enjoy some good old fashioned mystery and suspense.
Bette Davis inOut There - Darkness (Season 4, Episode 16) An egocentric woman refuses to loan money to a young man.
Roger Moore in The Avon Emeralds (Season 4, Episode 24) A woman tries to smuggle an emerald necklace.
Steve McQueen in The Human Interest Story (Season 4, Episode 32) A man claims to be a martian in the body of a human. A reporter investigates.
Walter Matthau in Dry Run (Season 5, Episode 7) Many twists happen in this story of a gangster sent to kill a seasoned criminal.
William Shatner in Mother, May I Go out to Swim (Season 5, Episode 26) A mama's boy plans to get rid of his mother so he can peacefully marry his love.
Gena Rowlands in The Doubtful Doctor (Season 6, Episode 2) Winning marketing executive, Ralph Jones, is plummeted two years into the past, where he finds himself unaccompanied, single and penniless.
Peter Falk in Gratitude (Season 6, Episode 28) A gambling-club owner is afraid a possible police crackdown when a customer kills himself.
Leslie Neilsen in Ambition (Season 6, Episode 38) DA Rudolf Cox expects to get a politically valuable conviction with the help of stool pigeon Lou Heinz.
Robert Redford in The Right Kind of Medicine (Season 7, Episode 11) A burglar escapes from the police with a nice loot and a worsening wound.
Robert Duvall in Bad Actor (Season 7, Episode 14) A new play becomes a real life drama when during the casting sessions an actor changes his prop gun for a real one.
Links to blogposts by other participants in For the Love of Film: The Film Preservation Blogathon III: - Links posted on 13-14 May can be found on Ferdy on Films - Links posted on 15-16 May can be found on Self Styled Siren
You can also donate by clicking on the Donate badge on the left side or by going here.
]]>For the Love of Film - The Hitchcock Kisshttp://www.theculturist.com/home/for-the-love-of-film-the-hitchcock-kiss.htmlThe Culturist2012-05-14T15:17:00Z2012-05-14T15:17:00Z
My research led me to Alfred Hicthcock Geek who explains The Kiss by Rodin was a sculpture admired by Hitchcock and how the kissing scenes from Hitchcock's films have been compared to this sculpture.
Hitchcock and Rodin loved the sensuality of the human form – both genders included. They had a healthy sense of the ambivalence of the human condition: that we are no better than animals, yet can approach the nobility of gods; that while happiness can be pursued, it cannot be attained; that when it comes to human passions, comedy and tragedy are one and the same.
Hitchcock's love scenes have often been compared to Rodin's The Kiss. The voyeurism I mentioned above was deliberately implied in many of Hitch's kissing scenes. Speaking of his famous 2 ½- minute kiss in Notorious (1946), he said it was “it was a kind of temporary menage a trois.” Similarly, the erotic power of The Kiss was such that when Rodin loaned it out to the World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago in 1893, it was hidden away in a separate chamber, viewable only upon special application. You'd have thought it was radioactive. [via Alfred Hicthcock Geek]
My research also led me to this video essay by Writing with Hitchcock which goes into more details about the Hitchcock kiss.
Discussion of the kissing scenes in Alfred Hitchcock's films—his preference for having the camera circle around the lovers, the influence of Auguste Rodin's sculpture "The Kiss" on his love scenes, and the way in which multiple kissing sequences are used to illustrate the relationship between the principal characters in several of his films, most notably in VERTIGO and NOTORIOUS.
I leave you with these delicious kissing scenes from four different Hitchcock films. Enjoy!
Cary Grant and Ingrid Bergman in Notorious
Sean Connery and Tippi Hedren in Marnie
James Stewart and Kim Novak in Vertigo
Cary Grant and Eva Marie Saint in North by Northwest
]]>For the Love of Film - Restoring Alfred Hitchcock Movie Postershttp://www.theculturist.com/home/for-the-love-of-film-restoring-alfred-hitchcock-movie-poster.htmlThe Culturist2012-05-13T15:45:38Z2012-05-13T15:45:38Z
This is the third edition of the blogathon, the aim every year is to raise funds for the National Film Preservation Foundation (an independent, nonprofit organization created to rescue endangered films) to support restoring a specific film each year.
This year, the aim is to raise funds to make The White Shadow, a film that has already been restored, more accessible to the public. NFPF estimates that it will cost $15,000 to stream The White Shadow for four months and record a new score written for it by Michael Mortilla and our mission this year is to raise that money so that anyone with access to a computer can watch this film
The White Shadow, directed by Graham Cutts was the first film Alfred Hitchcock had a major role in creating. He was the assistant director, screenwriter, film editor, production designer, art director and set decorator.
Between today and 18th May I will be posting Hitchock themed posts along with the other participating bloggers.
You can find links to the other posts on ferdyonfilms.com and you can donate by clicking on the Donate badge on the left side or by going here.
I will start off with post about restoration of old movie posters. I stumbled upon this video recently about Posterfix, about the restoration of old Hithcock movie posters. Think it's quite befitting with the film restoration theme.
As much as I love movies, I don't own any movie posters and after I found this video, it has piqued my interest in old movie posters and might start looking into collecting them. In the meantime, please join me and enjoy this short clip about the art of restoring old movie posters. May it never die.
